* Baloch senator Israrullah Zehri says members should not politicise issue

ISLAMABAD: The killing of women for honour is a demand of the tribal traditions, Balochistan Senator Israrullah Zehri informed the Senate on Friday.

Zehri was responding to Senator Yasmeen Shah’s statement in which she had drawn the House’s attention towards reports that five women had been buried alive in Balochistan in the name of honour. She called it a sheer violation of human rights.

Zehri asked the members not to politicise the issue, as it was a matter of safeguarding the tribal traditions.

Leader of the Opposition in Senate Kamil Ali Agha condemned the killing of women in the name of honour and demanded the issue should be referred to the Human Rights Standing Committee of the House.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid Senator Nisar Memon drew the attention of the Senate to a research article written by Michael Chossugovsky published in “Global Research of Canada”. He said that the article warns how some foreign elements were planning economic, political and military disruptions to declare Pakistan a failed state.

Memon said the article stated how certain foreign powers were first planning to create chaos in the country through economic crisis followed by an unprecedented price-hike, and an eventual intervention of the International Monetary Fund in the economic affairs of the country.

“The ultimate objective of all these conspiracy theories is a territorial break-up and dismemberment of the country,” Memon warned.

A disintegration of the country on racial and linguistic lines would be another tool against the country, followed by a military disruption similar to that of Yugoslavia, Memon feared.

Senate Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali said that it was a serious matter and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should brief the House on national security and territorial and strategic threats faced by the nation.

Leader of the House Raza Rabbani said the government would not allow anyone to harm the integrity of Pakistan.


* Justice (r) Sajjad says Nawaz offered him Presidency for dismissal of corruption cases

ISLAMABAD: PML-N presidential candidate Justice (r) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui is being rewarded for his role in the 1997 judicial crisis, former chief justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah has said.

In an interview with Radio Pakistan’s current affairs channel, Shah said 10 SC judges became part of the plan that led to his ouster and an attack on the SC building in 1997.

He said he had written a letter to the then president Rafiq Tarar for filing a reference against the judges of the Supreme Judicial Council, but the prime minister at that time, Nawaz Sharif, withheld the request for the reference.

Shah said Tarar had also helped the government in enlisting support of the judges and “that is why he was made the president for his services”.

Nawaz’s offer: Separately, Shah told News One TV channel that Nawaz had offered him the Presidency and, in return, demanded the dismissal of corruption cases related to the PML-N chief’s second term in government.

The former chief justice said that Nawaz and his ministers had also conspired to kill him. He said PML-Quaid presidential candidate Mushahid Hussain was involved in the attack on the SC, which he claimed, was masterminded by Siddiqui. “The then army chief and president watched the footage of the attack in which Hussain and former Ehtesab Bureau chief Saifur Rehman were also seen,” Shah said.

FATA operation may stop today

LAHORE: An agreement between the parliamentarians from the FATA and federal government to cease the military operations in the Tribal Areas is likely by Saturday (today), Geo News reported. While talking to the channel on Friday, leader of FATA legislators in the National Assembly Munir Orazkai said that PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari had assured him of halting the operations for one and a half month. He said he had told Zardari that the FATA MPs would not support his presidential campaign and would quit the coalition if the operations did not cease immediately. Orakzai expressed satisfaction over Zardari’s assurance, but said he was waiting for an official announcement by the government.

Airstrike kills 25 militants in Swat

* Army says ‘core of militants’ perished

MINGORA: At least 25 militants, including two Taliban commanders, were killed in an airstrike on militant hideouts in the Swat valley late on Friday.

A private jail and an ammunition depot of militants were among the airstrike targets.

A military spokesman in Swat told AFP that “a core of militants” had perished in the operation. “Their command and communications structure has also been destroyed,” he said.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said Taliban commander Mufti Saeedur Rehman and local journalist Abdul Aziz Shaheen, who was abducted two days ago, were also killed in the attack on the private jail.

The spokesman said 39 government officials were also in the jail, but did not elaborate further.

He said the security forces targeted 15 locations in Matta tehsil of Swat, adding that Taliban leader Fazlullah was safe.Militants killed a person suspecting him of being a government informer.

They also bombed the house of a local Awami National Party (ANP) leader at Shakardara late on Thursday. A mortar shell hit the house of Peace Committee Chairman Sher Khan, killing his brother.

PPP should pull out of Punjab govt: PML-N

ISLAMABAD: The PPP should pull out of the Punjab government after the exit of the PML-N from the ruling coalition, PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq said on Friday.

Talking to reporters outside the Punjab House after a PML-N meeting, he said that his party would continue to run the Punjab government. The PML-N had decided that it would not rejoin the PPP-led ruling coalition, he said, adding that the party would not withdraw its presidential candidate.

The PML-N meeting, chaired by party chief Nawaz Sharif, discussed the political situation in the country with a focus on the presidential elections.

Zafarul Haq said that it was decided at the meeting that the PML-N would continue consultations with other political parties to gain support for its presidential candidate Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui. He said that an important political development was expected within next 24 hours.

The PML-N chairman said that talks were underway with the PML-Q.

Zardari changes home over security fears

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman and presidential candidate Asif Ali Zardari has moved into a tightly guarded government compound over security fears, The Associated Press quoted officials as saying on Friday.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters on Friday that Zardari was staying at a hilltop mansion in government quarters of Islamabad “for security reasons”. The prime minister did not elaborate. However, an intelligence official said that there had been reports that the presidential hopeful could be the target of an attack and that he had switched locations after Musharraf’s August 18 resignation

US prepares military blitz against Iran’s N-sites

* UK paper says prospect of military action could put Washington at odds with Britain
* Pentagon planners believe raids can hold back Iran’s nuclear programme

LAHORE: Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites as a “last resort” to block Tehran’s efforts to develop an atomic bomb, the Sunday Telegraph reported on Friday.

The British newspaper reported that US Central Command and Strategic Command planners had been identifying targets, assessing weapon-loads and working on logistics for an operation. “This is more than just the standard military contingency assessment,” the newspapers quoted a senior Pentagon adviser as saying. “This has taken on much greater urgency in recent months.”

Possible conflict: The report said the prospect of military action could put Washington at odds with Britain, which feared that an attack would spark violence across the Middle East, reprisals in the West and may not cripple Tehran’s nuclear programme. It said the steady flow of disclosures about Iran’s secret nuclear operations and the anti-Israeli threats by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had prompted the fresh assessment of military options by Washington. The most likely strategy would involve aerial bombardment by long-distance B2 bombers, each armed with up to 40,000lb of precision weapons, including the latest bunker-busting devices, the newspaper reported.

Attack, a good defence: Reportedly, Tehran has dispersed its nuclear plants, burying some deep underground, and has recently increased its air defences, but Pentagon planners believe that the raids could seriously set back Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran was last weekend reported to the United Nations Security Council by the International Atomic Energy Agency for its banned nuclear activities. Tehran reacted by announcing that it would resume full-scale uranium enrichment – producing material that could arm nuclear devices. President George W Bush has refused to rule out military action and reaffirmed last weekend that Iran’s nuclear ambitions “will not be tolerated”.

PBC satisfied with restoration of SHC judges

ISLAMABAD: The Co-ordination Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Friday expressed its satisfaction over the oath taking of eight deposed judges of the Sindh High Court. The PBC called it a partial success of the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of sacked judges. The committee however stressed that the lawyers’ movement will continue until all sacked judges were restored. Committee Chairman Pervaiz Inayat Malik said that protesting for the judiciary’s restoration through sit-ins was not a decision of the PBC and termed it a conspiracy to divide lawyers.

Justice Dogar is lawful CJP, says Naik

ISLAMABAD: Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar is the constitutional CJP as he has taken oath under the Third Schedule of the Constitution, Law Minister Farooq H Naik told reporters outside the Parliament House on Friday. Naik said reinstating Iftikhar Chaudhry with Dogar in office would create a constitutional crisis. He said the representative bodies of the lawyers should sit with the government and devise a way to avoid any constitutional impasse. Naik said the government was not condoning the actions of Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, but its hands were tied after the SC validated the emergency actions of November 3, 2007.

Resignations of PML-N ministers will be accepted soon: PM: No deadline on judges: Gilani

* PM says PPP has no personal differences with PML-N
* MQM to be coalition partner in Centre soon
* Zardari is not withdrawing

KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is committed to the promise to restore the sacked judges but cannot give a deadline for the reinstatement, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday.

Talking to reporters at Karachi International Airport, Gilani said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had asked him to accept the resignations of the PML-N ministers. Gilani said he had informed Nisar that the resignations would be accepted soon after consultations.

Differences: The prime minister said he had made it clear on Nisar that the PPP did not have any personal differences with the PML-N, but a principle stance on the judges’ issue.

“ The PPP has rendered enormous sacrifices for the cause of democracy. We do not have any personnel differences with PML-N and we are committed to ensure implementation of the Charter of Democracy signed by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and the late Benazir Bhutto,” he said.

MQM: Gilani said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was an allied party. He said that the PPP and the MQM were together in Sindh and would be partners in the Centre soon. He said the government faced law and order and several other crises and the extremists should lay down their arms and renounce violence, as the government was ready to negotiate with them.

Gilani said that anyone challenging the government’s writ would be dealt with an iron hand.

“Talks are underway with the tribal elders for peace in the Tribal Areas and we would also hold talks with militants if they lay down their arms,” he said.

The prime minister said that it was the government’s responsibility to ensure the people’s security and every measure would be taken for the purpose.

Withdrawal: Gilani made it clear that PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari will not withdraw his candidature for the president’s office. He rejected media speculations that Zardari may withdraw his candidature, adding that there was no such thing on the cards.

The prime minister urged all political parties to support Asif Zardari in the presidential elections, saying that both the prime minister and president should be from the same party in order to bring about political stability in the country.

He declared that there would be no compromise on the dignity, sovereignty and respect of Pakistan. The prime minister referred to his meeting with United States President George Bush and said that Bush had stated, “We would respect the sovereignty of Pakistan.”



Source: Daily Times.

__________________
Regards,
P.R.