Shariah law draft sent to president

* Law minister says president authorised to either amend draft or let it be decided by next parliament
* Offers no comment on possible release of TNSM chief

By Akhtar Amin

PESHAWAR: A draft of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, 2008, has been forwarded to President Pervez Musharraf for approval to implement the law in Malakand division.

NWFP Caretaker Law Minister Justice (r) Muhammad Mian Ajmal told Daily Times on Friday that Governor Owais Ghani had sent the draft a few days ago. He said the NWFP government wanted to repeal the right of Malakand division residents to appeal in the Supreme and High Courts, to “speed up the justice delivery system there”.

President authorised: The minister said the president was authorised to either amend the draft or leave it for the incoming parliament to decide. He said the provincial government had proposed to abolish the authority of the superior courts after the local population complained of the lengthy court procedures.

Following the implementation of the Shari Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, Ajmal said, Qazi courts’ decisions would be challenged in the Federal Shariat Court only.

He said the proposed draft also sought to refer civil cases to the Federal Shariat Court, which currently decides cases related to hudood laws. The judges of Qazi courts would have to dispose of civil cases within 60 days and criminal cases within 30 days, he said. He maintained that the judges would decide the cases using the Quran and Sunnah.

No comment: The law minister, however, had no comment on the possible release of Tehreek-e-Nifaz-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad following the implementation of the proposed law. A government committee last year recommended “the Supreme Court and High Courts Extension of Jurisdiction to Tribal Areas Act, 1973 (Act XVII of 1973) may be repealed” with regard to the “exclusive appellate jurisdiction of the Federal Shariah Court”.

Zardari could be PM candidate

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Finance Secretary Babar Awan said on Friday that PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari could be one of the party’s candidates for prime minister. “I did not say that he will be the only candidate for prime minister,” he told Daily Times shortly after speaking to a seminar on assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto at a local hotel. “But definitely he is one of the candidates because he is the co-chairman of our party,” he said. Earlier, addressing the seminar, Awan had said that Zardari would be a candidate for prime minister. Journalists inferred from his Urdu speech that Zardari would be the only candidate. Awan later denied having said that. Zardari had earlier made it clear that he would not be a candidate for the prime minister office. irfan ali

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Pak-Afghan crisis needs regional solution’

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: A Congressional hearing was told here on Thursday that the deteriorating situation in Pakistan, coupled with the insurgency in Afghanistan, have together created a regional problem, demanding regional solutions and a strategic sense of where things are going.
This was stated by General James Jones, former supreme allied commander in Europe, before a Senate foreign relations committee.
Former undersecretary of state Thomas Pickering told the senators, “We now have to deal with a reconstituted Taliban and Al Qaeda, both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a runaway opium economy and severe poverty faced by most Afghans.”

No US presence:

Pickering ruled out US forces moving into Pakistani territory. He told the committee, “I think that a totally loony idea is to put US forces into the frontier areas of Pakistan. If the Pakistanis themselves cannot do it, with their knowledge, with their colourable capability to operate in those areas, at least now, how are Americans going to get over this particular difficult problem?”
Former US ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke told the committee that the problem in the Pak-Afghan border area is “one of the toughest on earth” and there was “no easy solution.”

Afghan neutrality:

He said to settle the issue, some had suggested a major international conference. The 1815 Congress of Vienna, which fixed Swiss neutrality that has held for 200 years, had been suggested as a precedent. In this case, there would need to be agreement on neutrality for Afghanistan.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Govt finalising names for RCOs

PESHAWAR: The NWFP government, in consultation with the provincial governor, is finalising the names of bureaucrats to appoint on the newly created regional coordination officer (RCOs) post. NWFP Governor Owais Ghani said on Thursday that three RCOs would be appointed — one each in Bannu, Kohat and Peshawar – to coordinate administrative measures and ensure writ of the state. Bureaucrats have cautiously welcomed the move, expressing doubts over whether such measures would achieve any results without powers being delegated to the new office. However, a serving bureaucrat said, “The government will empower the RCO with all the powers of the commissioner except for control over development schemes.” He said the district nazim would continue to oversee such schemes. Prior to President Pervez Musharraf’s devolution plan, the post of the commissioner coordinated between the Tribal Areas and settled districts. Experts have been proposing a return to the old system to ensure stability. iqbal khattak

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

‘Attack on Kohat Tunnel caused damage worth millions of rupees‘

DARRA ADAM KHEL: Militants who took over the Kohat Tunnel this week caused damage of millions of rupees by destroying apparatus installed by Japanese engineers, Daily Times learnt on Friday. “It is difficult to estimate the financial loss. It’s in millions,” Kohat Tunnel Operations Manager Air Commodore (r) Nayyar Qayyum Khwaja told journalists who visited the tunnel. He said the militants had completely destroyed over 600 lights as well as several cables. “The structure is safe. We are in contact with Japanese experts to repair the damages,” he added. Khwaja said that the tunnel would be opened to light traffic either today (late Friday) or on Saturday, and to full traffic within a month. The visiting journalists were also shown a variety of local and foreign weapons that security forces had seized during the military operation in the Spin Thana area. Heavy weapons seized from the militants and miscreants were also displayed at the National Highway Authority residential colony near the Kohat Tunnel. Meanwhile, Darra bazaar was almost closed. Only a few food shops were open and a handful of residents were seen roaming the streets. “The situation is improving. But the militants are still hiding in the surrounding hills and the government must take action against them,” said Wahid Jan, a local resident. zakir hassnain

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

President rejects nuke concerns

* Musharraf says army ready to thwart any aggression
* Ghauri missile test-fired

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday that Pakistan’s armed forces were ready to thwart any aggression against the country and it’s nuclear capability, and cautioned those painting a bleak picture of Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s armed forces are a highly professional, motivated and well-trained force and are capable of safeguarding Pakistan’s security against all types of threats,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted the president as saying after witnessing a successful training launch of the Ghauri (Hatf-V) Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM).

Addressing the troops in the exercise area, the president said a serious note had been taken of “various imaginary scenarios being propounded” by those who did not wish Pakistan well.

He said Pakistan’s enemies were spreading fears about the country’s atomic weapons.

The president said the nation had developed a strong nuclear deterrence capability and expected that officers and men entrusted with the task of deterring aggression would continue to train hard and maintain professional excellence.

A Strategic Missile Group (SMG) of ASFC had conducted the launch of the Ghauri missile at the conclusion of annual field training exercises.

The Ghauri missile has a range of 1,300 kilometres. President Pervez Musharraf, Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, senior military officers and scientists witnessed the field launch exercise.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Who killed Al Libi: Pakistani or US troops?



By Anwar Iqbal


WASHINGTON, Feb 1: Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who plans to visit Pakistan later this month for talks with the new army chief, said on Friday that he could not disclose whether it were Pakistani or American troops who killed a top Al Qaeda figure earlier this week.

“I’m not going to talk any more about the operational side of this, of how that in fact occurred,” said Admiral Michael Glenn Mullen.

Abu Laith Al Libi, one of Osama bin Laden’s top five lieutenants, was killed in North Waziristan on Tuesday. Earlier reports said Libi was killed by a missile fired by a US drone.

During a special briefing at the Pentagon, Admiral Mullen also said that so far he had not seen any indication to suggest that support for President Musharraf in the Pakistani military had declined since his retirement.

He told the briefing that he planned to visit Islamabad soon for talks with Gen Ashfaq Kayani and “the rest of the leadership” for talks on America’s commitment to help Pakistan fight extremists.

“We’re very committed to working with the Pakistanis on this,” he said, adding that during this visit he would like to “establish a personal relationship” with Gen Kayani.

Admiral Mullen said he also wanted to “make sure that I understand his concerns and in fact work very hard to support them”.

Diplomatic sources in Washington say that US Defence Secretary Robert Gates may also accompany Admiral Mullen, but the Pentagon has not yet confirmed the secretary’s visit.

The top US commander also dispelled the impression that Washington wants to take unilateral actions in Pakistan’s tribal areas. “We will only do what is requested by Pakistan,” he said.

Last week, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen told a similar briefing that if Pakistan agreed, the US would like to conduct joint operations with Pakistani troops in the tribal areas.

President Musharraf, however, has rejected the proposal, saying that he does not want foreign troops on Pakistani soil.

Asked if the US offer was still valid, Admiral Mullen said: “Should the Pakistani government want to have that kind of assistance, then, clearly, we could do that. But that’s really up to them.”

He said this was another issue he would discuss with the Pakistani leadership “to see where they really are … and we can assist where asked and we’re going to have to work that over time.”

The admiral said the elimination of a key Al Qaeda figure like Libbi “is a very important outcome” in the war against terrorism, but the US remained concerns about the presence of alleged Al Qaeda safe-havens in Pakistan’s tribal region.

Admiral Mullen rejected the suggestion that the presence of people like Libbi inside Pakistan created the possibility that the extremists might one day seize the country’s nuclear weapons.

“I’m very comfortable that the nuclear weapons in Pakistan are secure and that the Pakistani leadership has taken steps to ensure that security,” he said.

Asked if he would discuss the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons with Gen Kayani when he meets him, the admiral said: “I’ll tell you, to the degree I can, when I get back what I talk about with him.”

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Government not aware of Al Libi’s death: ‘Site was cleared by militants’



By Our Staff Reporter


ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: The government has expressed ignorance about the reported death of alleged top Al Qaeda operative Abu Laith Al Libi in an attack in North Waziristan on Monday.

“The government has no information to confirm reports that a top Al Qaeda operative has been killed,” caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said on Friday while talking to mediapersons at the National Database and Registration Authority headquarters.

He said the place of explosion had been cleared by militants when security personnel reached there. “We cannot confirm Al Libi’s death because the militants had removed bodies from the site where the explosion happened and the security personnel did not find any corpse.”

The minister said the situation in the troubled areas was improving and most parts of Darra Adamkhel had been cleared of militants.

He said the government would ensure security of the candidates and voters during the election. “It is the responsibility of the people and political parties to cooperate with the government for peaceful conduct of the election,” he said.

He said acquisition of equipment for detection of suicide bombers and explosives was under way. He said the Scotland Yard team assisting the investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto would return to the country soon.

Responding to a question about Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan, the minister said: “His detention had been ordered by the provincial government and not by the federal government.”

AFP adds: Military spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said it was impossible to confirm or refute if the Al Qaeda operative was among those killed as the bodies had been buried.

“Our position is that who fired, who ordered, who removed the bodies etc is not known to us,” he said. “We cannot negate nor confirm because the moment it happened, they removed the bodies and buried them. So, how would anybody confirm who got killed?” he added.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Yemen keen to boost defence cooperation


SANAA, Feb 1: Lauding Pakistan’s progress in defence production, Yemen on Friday expressed keen interest in promoting defence cooperation between the two countries.

The interest was shown by Yemens defence minister Gen Mohammad Nasir Ahmed during his meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro.

Interaction at the highest level always helped in improving relations and strengthen bonds between the two countries, the prime minister said.

Reciprocating the warm sentiments of Gen Nasir, he said that contacts between the armed forces of the two countries should continue to develop better understanding and boost cooperation.

Besides training of the Yemeni officers in Pakistani academies, there is more potential and scope for cooperation in other technical fields as well.

Gen Mohammad Nasir said that Yemen needed Pakistans help and support in the improvement of its medical corps and military hospitals.

He said: “We are proud of the progress made by Pakistan in defence production. We are happy and satisfied with the military training to Yemeni officers in Pakistan.”

“The bonds between the two countries are strong and will be stronger with the passage of time,” he said.

Yemeni people love Pakistani people because of their common history, culture and civilization. Both the sides wished peace and prosperity of Muslim Ummah.

Defence Production secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Shahid Siddiq Tirmizey was also present during the meeting.—APP

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Aitzaz, Tariq return to sub-jails

* SCBA president banned from entering Sindh for 30 days
* Retired justice placed under house arrest through fresh notice

Staff Report

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and former SCBA president Justice (r) Tariq Mehmood were placed under house arrest for another 30 days on Saturday.

Aitzaz was ordered to remain confined to his house through a restraining order issued by the Punjab Home Department. The order was issued after an earlier order by the Punjab government barred Aitzaz from going to Naudero to condole former premier Benazir Bhutto’s death. The Sindh government also banned the prominent lawyer’s entry in the province for 30 days, declaring his presence a danger to public peace.

“We have received the Sindh government order and the same was served on Aitzaz Ahsan. Therefore, he was not allowed onto a Sukkur-bound flight,” Imtiaz Habib, a senior Lahore police officer, told AP.

Sindh Home Minister Akhtar Zamin confirmed the ban against Aitzaz. “We are in an election process, and we don’t want anybody to come into the province and disrupt the election process,” he said.

Talking to reporters on the Sindh’s government ban on his entry, AFP quoted Aitzaz as saying, “I was just going to condole the death of our slain leader, but the government is scared and took this illegal action. We will contest this move.”

Fresh notice: Also on Saturday, police in Islamabad deployed guards at the residence of Tariq Mahmood, telling him that he is again under house arrest. The house arrest came through a fresh notice by the city administration.

“The notice is totally illegal and unconstitutional,” Mehmood told reporters outside his residence after returning from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

He said the police had remained deployed outside his house throughout the night, despite his release on Friday and had served him the notice of house arrest when he stepped out to go to PIMS, adding that they had allowed him to go for a medical checkup.

Mehmood said only the review board of the Supreme Court could extend detention after 90 days of house arrest. Online quoted him as saying that if the government believed he were a terrorist, it should send him to Guantanamo Bay.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.