Autonomous judiciary must for stable govt system: Justice Iftikhar
Sunday, June 01, 2008
PESHAWAR: Vowing to continue struggle for the restoration of the deposed judges and the autonomy of judiciary in the country, the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said that autonomous judiciary is must for stable government system.
Describing the lawyers’ struggle for independence of judiciary as an exemplary and unprecedented in world, he hoped that it will end with the success and achievement of the desired objectives.
Lauding the role of media in supporting the lawyers’ struggle, he said, “ Media proved as voice of struggle of lawyers.
Strong and independent judiciary is the symbol of stable democracy and dictator dare not to take action against parliament in case of independent judiciary, he said.
http://www.geo.tv/6-1-2008/18774.htm
Dealers create artificial shortage of petrol
Sunday, June 01, 2008
LAHORE
Petrol pump dealers Saturday created an artificial shortage of petrol and diesel due to expected increase in POL prices in the City.
During a survey conducted by The News, it was found that the petrol pump dealers had closed their stations in the afternoon which remained closed till mid night as the government had revised the prices of petroleum products.
In the majority of the areas in the City, the motorists faced huge difficulties in filing their vehicles fuel tanks. The motorcyclists suffered more as after sharp increase in the petrol prices during the last couple of months, the motorcycle owners had reduced their fuel buying.
Following the artificial shortage created by the petrol pumps dealers, motorcyclists were found at petrol pumps arguing the staff to fill the petrol.
Talking to The News, Muhammad Abid, who was asking to fill petrol in his bike fuel tank at a petrol pump in Sadar area, said that it was failure of the government to check such hoarding. He said the government by increasing petrol prices was once again multiplying the miseries for the common man. Manzoor, a petrol pump employee at Dahrampura, said the owners had asked them to stop the sale. “The petrol is not finished at pumps but the owners want to increase their profit as they expected that the government has been increasing petroleum product prices”, he added.
When contacted, Majeed Malik, Chairman Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Punjab said that there was no shortage of petroleum products at all in the country. “Few persons disturbing the trade by creating such hoarding of petroleum products”, he added.
Fehmida Mirza says parliament is in danger
Sunday, June 01, 2008
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza has said parliament will continue to be in danger till the approval of the constitutional package.
"Amendments of the past have converted the parliamentary system into a presidential one and it is necessary to scrap all such changes for the promotion of democracy," she told a group of reporters at a lunch she had hosted for them here on Saturday.
The speaker said the government should abolish whatever had been derailing the democracy in the past.
First, the legislature should consolidate itself and then focus should be on institution building, she said.
She did not answer a question relating to the constitutional requirement of the presidential (Pervez Musharraf) address to parliament.
Answering a question, Dr Fehmida Mirza said the heads of political parties had the right to take decisions outside parliament because people had mandated them to do so. When these will come to parliament, MPs can hold debates and take decisions on them, she said, adding it was the job of political parties to do preliminary work on proposed legislation.
The speaker said it was not mandatory to hold discussions on the Kalabagh Dam in the lower house before the project was cancelled. It was an old issue that had been used for political purposes, she said and pointed out that the three provincial assemblies had already passed resolutions against it.
The deprivation of the smaller provinces would have to be taken care of, she added.
She repeatedly said that Pakistan was an emerging, if not fragile, democracy and people had great hopes from the present parliament. It should be given time, she added.
Fehmida Mirza hoped that parliament would have to come up to the people's expectations. All the hurdles in the way of the parliamentary democracy would have to be removed. The democracy has started flourishing in Pakistan after eight years of dictatorship. "We should project positive, not negative, aspects," she said.
About the implementation of the rule relating to production of any detained MPs, she said she would act according to the law. However, she said politicians had learnt lessons from the past.
The speaker said that it was the responsibility of the heads of parliamentary parties to ensure the presence of their ministers in parliament. She said she too would keep a check on them so that they attended the parliamentary proceedings.
She prayed to Allah Almighty to give the legislature time to do many things that it had planned.
Dr Fehmida Mirza said even the speaker's house and the ministers' enclave also experienced power outages. She said politicians, MPs and media men should play their role for the supremacy of parliament.
The speaker said arrangements were being made for live coverage of the National Assembly proceedings and the parliamentary calendar was being prepared. She said she was getting the required gadgets and equipment for live coverage. She said close contacts and relationship between parliament and the media was necessary to solve people's problems. The political workers and the media, she said, rendered great sacrifices for the parliamentary democracy.
The speaker said the restoration of democracy after eight years of dictatorship was being lauded worldwide. She got this feeling when she recently attended the International Parliamentary Union conference in South Africa. It was a great honour for her and Pakistan when she chaired the conference, she said.
Dr Fehmida Mirza said the expunged portions of the National Assembly proceedings should not be published or telecast by the media. Responsibility should be shown in this regard, she said, adding that media should play its role in highlighting the problems and policy-making.
5.6 million unregistered cell phone SIMs blocked
Sunday, June 01, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Various cellular companies have blocked as many as 5.6 million unregistered SIMs in the country, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Talha Mehmood told a press conference here on Saturday.
He said this after presiding over a meeting of the Senate body, which was informed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Shahzada Alam that the rest of the illegal and unregistered SIMs would be blocked within the next three to four weeks.
The committee was told that there were still 1.86 million non-verified SIMs of Mobilink, 2.38 million SIMs of Ufone, 110,000 SIMs of Telenor, 195,000 SIMs of Zong and 0.5 million of Warid.
The committee directed the PTA to ensure the verification of all the unregistered and non-verified SIMs by June 30.
Senator Talha Mehmood directed the PTA to take strict action against franchises of cellular companies that were issuing SIMs without the verification of customers.
The PTA chairman told the committee that there were over 1,370 franchises of various cellular companies operating in the country.
So far, 500 franchises have been checked while 30 were issued strict warning for violating the rules and regulations, he added.
The committee directed the PTA to expedite the campaign against the franchises and ensure the activation of mobile SIMs after proper verification of customers.
PRCS sends 3,000 tents for China quake victims
Sunday, June 01, 2008
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Saturday handed over the second consignment of 3,000 all-weather family tents to the Chinese ambassador for the quake victims.
Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui thanked the PRCS for its generous support and hoped that the relief goods would help in alleviating the suffering of the victims.
"The help reflects that the Pakistani nation stands with the Chinese people in this hour of need and this will further strengthen the people-to-people relations," he said.
Pakistan Red Crescent Society Chairman Saeed Ahmed Qureshi said the PRCS expressed its sympathy with the government and the people of China, particularly the bereaved families and victims of the recent earthquake.
He said the PRCS was sending the tents to assist the victims while it had also sent 500 tents and a donation of US$50,000 to the Red Cross Society of China for the quake victims.
He hoped that the support would contribute towards the overall efforts of the Red Cross Society of China in alleviating the suffering of the victims.
Qureshi added that the International Federation of Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies would directly airlift the tents from Islamabad to the quake-hit Sichuan province.
He said the PRCS had so far contributed Rs 60 million in cash and kind for the quake victims.
Flourmills go on strike in twin cities
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Rizwan Ehsan Ali
Rawalpindi
The Rawalpindi-Islamabad Flourmills Association (RIFA) decide to go on an indefinite strike from Saturday, unless the Punjab government agrees to increase the ex-mill price of 20-kilograme bag of flour from Rs365 to Rs415.
“That’s our final decision and we are not going to open our flourmills if the Punjab government persists with its price of Rs365,” Abdul Rehman, vice president of RIFA told ‘The News’.
District Coordination Officer Rawalpindi Jamal Mustafa Syed was not aware that the RIFA had decided to shut down the supply of flourmills on the ex-mill price of Rs365.
“They (officials of RIFA) were discussing about the strike in our yesterday’s meeting, but I am not aware that they have made up their minds to shut down the supply completely,” Jamal told ‘The News’.
All the 85 flourmills stopped the supply of 20-kg ‘atta’ bag on Saturday and it was feared that if the strike continues, it would certainly affect the consumers in the twin cities.
For the last one month officials of around 85 flourmills in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are negotiating with all the relevant authorities on the ex-mill price of 20-kg flour bag. However, all their meetings — both in Rawalpindi and also in Lahore — ended without any positive outcome.
“We have given them lots of time for negotiations, but now the things are going out of our hands and we have no other option but to close down the supply of ‘atta’,” Rehman said.
Sources said that officials of some relevant authorities tried their best to convince few of the big flourmill owners on Saturday in Rawalpindi and in Islamabad to resume the supply of ‘atta’ bags, however, all their efforts went in vain.
“We all are united on this issue and unless the officials do not do something about our genuine demands we are on strike,” Rehman said.
The flourmill owners demand the rise in the price of 20-kg ‘atta’ bag because the wheat they are procuring from various other cities of Punjab comes at a whooping price of Rs750 per 40 kilogram.
“How could they expect us to sell a 20-kg ‘atta’ bag for Rs365, it’s simply not possible for us,” Rehman said.
However, the official of RIFA said that they still do not want to create any ‘atta’ crisis in the twin cities and wanted to negotiate with the authorities. “But the problem is that nobody is listening to what we are saying,” Rehman said.
In the last three weeks or so, the RIFA officials have met the DCO a number of times, they have also held meetings with the officials of District Food Control and even went to Lahore to meet officials of Punjab Food Department.
“But what’s the outcome of these meetings?” asked Rehman, adding: “Nothing.”
Bush to leave positive legacy in Asia: Robert Gates
Sunday, June 01, 2008
SINGAPORE: President George W Bush will leave a strong and positive legacy in Asian security and his successor will maintain engagement in the region, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.
Gates told a high-level security forum here that any speculation that the United States was losing interest in the region was preposterous.
“Actually I think this will be an area where there will be a strong and positive legacy in the future,” he told the forum, six months before the US presidential elections.
“Any speculation in the region about the United States losing interest in Asia strikes me as either preposterous, or disingenuous, or both,” said Gates, who will visit Thailand and South Korea after Singapore.
Doubts have emerged among some allies over US leadership in the region, which comes as power China continues its military build-up.
Describing the United States as a “resident power” in Asia with military bases and cooperation pacts with a web of partners, Gates said any future US leader will maintain Washington’s commitment to the region’s security. “I want to convey to you with confidence that any future US administration’s Asia security policy is going to be grounded in the fact that the United States remains a nation with strong and enduring interests in this region — interests that will endure no matter which political party occupies the White House next,” he said.
Gates told the forum — of defence and military officials and security experts known as the Shangri-La Dialogue — that there was a “significant improvement” in the US-Japanese and US-Indian relationship under Bush.
He also cited the example of progress in communication with China.
The two sides recently established a “Defence Telephone Link” between the Pentagon and the Chinese defence minister, he said, adding the US also started with Beijing a series of dialogues on strategic issues.
Regardless of controversies over the Bush administration’s security policies globally, Gates said that “actually here in Asia the overall legacy is a pretty straightforward and very positive one.”
“For those who worry that Iraq and Afghanistan have distracted the United States from Asia and developments here, I would counter that we have never been more engaged with more Asian countries,” Gates said.
“I can assure you that the United States — because of our interests and because of our values — will not only remain engaged, but will become even more so in the decades ahead,” he added.
The United States has permanent bases in Japan and South Korea and is beefing up its military presence in the Pacific island of Guam, where Gates stopped en route to Singapore. Guam, a US territory since 1898, is currently home to about 6,000 military personnel, but will soon become an even more important US base, with the relocation of about 8,000 Marines from Japan’s Okinawa island by 2014.
“Our Asian friends, whether or not they are formally allied to us, welcome our growing presence on Guam,” Gates said.
“As the island’s new facilities take shape in coming years, they will be increasingly multilateral in orientation, with training opportunities and possible pre-positioning of assets,” Gates said.
Japanese Defence Secretary Shigeru Ishiba, speaking at the same forum, underscored the importance of the Japan-US Security Alliance to the stability of the East Asian region. He said it was “one of the most solid alliances in the world” and contributes to the “regional public good.”
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/default.asp