Pakistan Army is fully behind democratic process: General Kayani

Nirupama Subramanian







ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Thursday that the Pakistan Army was fully behind the democratic process and would play its constitutional role in support of the elected government.

A military statement at the end of the 107th corps commanders’ conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi said General Kayani reiterated that the Army would stay out of the political process and expressed hope that it “is not dragged into any unnecessary controversy.”
Speculation

The Army Chief’s remarks came amidst high speculation about the likely role of the Pakistan’s strongest institution in a possible tussle between President Pervez Musharraf and the newly elected Parliament

The statement highlighted an observation by Gen. Kayani that “an impression is being created about ‘distancing the Army from the President’.”

“He emphasised the importance of the constitutional relationship between the Army and the National Command Structure. Highlighting the need for understanding, he pointed out that any kind of schism, at any level, under the circumstances would not be in the larger interest of the nation,” it said.

Gen. Kayani expressed the optimism that there would be “a harmonised relationship between various pillars of the state, as provided in the constitution, in order to maximise national effort,” it said.

Arrest warrant against Hasina

Haroon Habib

DHAKA: Amid high political tension over the fate of the two top political leaders, a court in Dhaka has ordered the arrest of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina for her alleged role in the killing of some activists of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.

The arrest order coincides with the former Prime Minister's determined bid to return home after her private visit to the U.S. and the U.K.

A Metropolitan Magistrate in Dhaka termed Ms. Hasina and two party leaders as `fugitives' in the murder case.

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Devil-may-care

Hillary to reverse pro-Musharraf policies

March 08, 2008

LAHORE: US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said on Friday that after coming to power she would reverse President Bush’s pro-Musharraf policies and would play a role in improving ties between Pakistan and India.

Geo News quoted her as saying that President Bush had ignored key Pakistani political leaders and the civil society during the last seven years, relying on one man. She said the February 18 elections were a clear indicator to the US that it should change its policies towards Pakistan.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...8-3-2008_pg1_5

PML-Q central joint secretary resigns

March 08, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Dr Nabila Tariq, central joint secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), on Friday resigned from the party, saying she would no longer like to be associated with the party.

Citing reasons for her resignation, she told a private television that the PML-Q leadership did not show any political maturity, and she would not like to get involved in such kind of politics.

Nabila said she had discharged her responsibilities with complete dedication.


http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_26

Haque leaves for Dakar today to attend OIC summit

March 08, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Foreign Minister Inamul Haque will leave for Dakar today (Saturday) and lead a delegation in the 11th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on March 13 and 14.

“He is leaving today and would represent Pakistan in the summit in the absence of the president and prime minister,” a source in the Foreign Office told Daily Times on Friday.

Members of the delegation include Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan, Additional Secretary (UN) Khalid Aziz Babar and Organisation of Islamic Conference Director General Kausar Ahsan Iqbal.

The foreign secretary left for Senegal on Thursday to attend preliminary meetings. The summit will focus on the implementation of OIC’s 10-year programme of action, adoption of revised Organisation of Islamic Conference charter, and two brainstorming sessions on economic cooperation and knowledge-sharing among the member states.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_31

Reinstatement of judges impossible, says Shujaat

March 08, 2008

QUETTA: PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain said on Friday the reinstatement of the Supreme Court judges sacked on November 3 had now become impossible. Talking to journalists at the end of his two-day trip to Quetta, he said political parties were exploiting the issue to gain political mileage. The PML-Q president said that reinstating the judges was now a constitutional issue and he saw no possibility of it. The PML-Q president rejected the impression that President Pervez Musharraf was giving up his office. He asked political parties opposing the president to give up the demand and let the president complete his five-year term for which he had been elected by parliament. “Musharraf will not quit on the insistence of a single party,” he said. To a question, he said he wanted the next parliament to complete its five-year term without interruption. “We pray that the next government is formed soon and a new prime minister is elected,” he said. Shujaat termed his trip to Balochistan very successful. He denied media reports of differences in the PML-Q provincial leadership. He said he had talked to all the MPAs-elect of the party and they had authorised him to make the final decision on government formation in Balochistan and the nomination of the party’s candidate for chief minister. “We will hold consultations with the JUI-F and other parties in Islamabad to ensure the smooth formation of the next Balochistan government. The name of the candidate for chief minister will be announced in two days,” he said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_34

US economy has slowed down: Bush

March 8, 2008

WASHINGTON: In the face of a gloomy US government economic report, President George W Bush said Friday that "it's clear our economy has slowed" but tried to reassure an anxious public that the long-term outlook is good. "Losing a job is painful and I know Americans are concerned about our economy. So am I," Bush said during a hastily arranged appearance on the economy at the White House. "I know this is a difficult time for our economy. But we recognized the problem early and we provid the economy with a booster shot." Congress passed and Bush signed a stimulus package that will send tax rebates to many families and businesses. But some fear it will come too late - or that people will use the money to save or pay off debt, rather than go on a spending spree that will boost the economy.

Bush gently urged people to do the latter. "When the money reaches the American people, we expect it to boost consumer spending," he said.

Earlier, the president's top economic adviser said that US economic growth could dip into negative territory for the current quarter. That tracks with the assessments of many outside experts but is the most pessimistic word to come so far from the White House.

"We don't really know whether it will be negative or not," Edward Lazear, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told reporters at the White House.

http://www.thepost.com.pk/IntNews.as...148772&catid=1

Al Qaeda planning large attack in US’

March 08, 2008

WASHINGTON: Al Qaeda is planning to attack the United States, perhaps urgently, so that its leadership could show tangible results after repeated threats, a senior US general said on Thursday.

General Gene Renuart, head of the US military command responsible for homeland defence, said recorded messages from Al Qaeda leaders such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri showed that the group was “looking for a way to have a big impact again”.

“If an organisation like Al Qaeda is to maintain credibility and continue to increase the number of its extremists, it has to show tangible results,” said Renuart, adding, “So I think there might be a certain sense of urgency among the terror organisation to have an effect.”

“I do think they are continuing to work at it, maybe harder than ever,” he told reporters at the Pentagon. Renuart said he believed groups sympathetic to Al Qaeda were operating inside the United States.

But the Air Force general also said that the US military, intelligence and law enforcement agencies were doing well in detecting and deterring activities of those groups. Renuart said he did not see any direct effort to influence the US presidential elections in November. “Right now, I don’t see a direct threat to any of that activity,” he said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...8-3-2008_pg4_1

Iraq wants 'solid' relations with Turkey: Talabani

March 08, 2008

ANKARA: Iraq wants a sound strategic relationship with Turkey, its president said Friday during a visit to Ankara to soothe tensions after a Turkish military offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

"The aim of this visit is to be able to establish strategic and solid relations with Turkey," President Jalal Talabani said during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.

Talabani, himself an Iraqi Kurd, said he wanted closer energy, economic, cultural and political ties so that cooperation between the two countries could serve as a model for the region.

Before taking questions from reporters, the two presidents did not directly address Turkey's offensive. Gul said Iraq could understand Turkey's fight against the rebels since it also faced what he termed terrorist attacks.

Talabani said his country's constitution did not allow for organisations that could harm neighbouring countries to exist on Iraqi soil. "We are obviously opposed to an organisation that launches attacks against a neighbouring country and we will not allow it," he said.

The Kurdish administration of northern Iraq had been ordered to pressure the PKK to leave their camps in the area, he said. Asked whether Turkey planned to make political overtures to the PKK, Gul said "an organisation implicated in terrorism" could not be tolerated, adding that the rebels must lay down their arms.

The two-day visit comes a week after Turkish forces ended the week-long incursion against the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose militants have secret rear bases in northern Iraq.

The United States had feared the incursion might escalate into a broader conflict with the Kurdish administration of northern Iraq.

Gul had invited Talabani to visit on February 21, hours after Turkish forces stormed into northern Iraq to crack down on PKK camps serving as a springboard for attacks on Turkish targets across the border.

Ankara has warned it will continue to pursue the PKK, both at home and in northern Iraq. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community.

It took up arms to fight for self-rule in Kurdish-majority southeast Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed more than 37,000 lives.

Washington backed the Turkish incursion by supplying its NATO ally with intelligence on PKK movements. But wary of tensions in a relatively stable region of conflict-torn Iraq, the United States also pressed Turkey to end the offensive quickly and step up cooperation with Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds to resolve the problem.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=39562

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Marwatone.

US keeping an eye on Pak political developments, says Pentagon

March 09, 2008

LAHORE: Admiral William Fallon, the commander of the American Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Saturday that the US was “anxiously watching” how the emerging political powers in Pakistan dealt with the law and order situation in the Tribal Areas, Geo TV reported. “There’s a political process that’s in progress [in Pakistan] now. We’re anxiously watching how they deal with this situation,” the channel quoted Fallon as telling the House Armed Services Committee. He said that Washington was ready to extend all types of assistance to the Pakistan Army to make it “more effective and more competent”. Fallon said that the tribal overlay covered both countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) and “we just have to deal with the whole picture”. He said the US had been getting a lot of help from Pakistan.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...9-3-2008_pg1_4

Azeem withdraws resignation

March 09, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Information Secretary Tariq Azeem withdrew his resignation and resumed office on Saturday.

He had resigned as the PML-Q information secretary over the party’s “poor performance” in the February 18 polls.

Azeem told reporters that PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had refused to accept his resignation and asked “me to continue working with the party as information secretary”.

On Tuesday, he had told reporters that he had submitted his resignation to Chaudhry Shujaat and demanded that other party leaders do the same after its defeat in the elections. Azeem had said he would work for the party’s cause as an ordinary worker.

APP had said Shujaat denied that Azeem had resigned.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...9-3-2008_pg7_5

Murtaza Bhutto murder case: Case adjourned to April 12 as Zardari ‘busy’

March 09, 2008

KARACHI: The hearing of the murder case of Mir Murtaza Bhutto and seven others against PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was adjourned Saturday to April 12 by District and Sessions Judge East as Zardari was “busy in meetings”.

Shahadat Awan, the counsel for the accused, submitted an application to condone his attendance. Zardari is in Islamabad and is busy in important parleys with other political parties to bring an era of true democracy; for the supremacy of the judiciary; to find ways to restore the deposed judges; to give a package to the Parliament to improve conditions for the Judiciary and make it independent from the Executive; to form the government, both at the center and in the provinces; and other critical national issues. He may be exempted from appearance, the counsel prayed the court. The court allowed the request and put off proceedings till April 12.

The case pertains to the alleged shootout between the Karachi city police and Mir Murtaza Bhutto, his comrades and PPP-SB security guards. The case has been pending trial since then, and so far only prosecution witnesses over allegations of a conspiracy have been examined.

The case has been constantly adjourned since Zardari had left Pakistan for medical treatment over four years ago. Some of the accused, including the then DIG Karachi Dr Shoaib Suddle, enjoy senior-most bureaucratic positions, while others have passed away.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_13

90 percent people want me to be PM, says Fahim

March 09, 2008

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim said on Saturday that 90 percent people of Pakistan would vote for him if a referendum was held to choose a candidate for prime minister.

Talking to Geo news in its programme Kaun Banay Ga Wazir-e-Azam? (Who will be the prime minister?) Fahim said he hoped his party would not overlook him as a candidate for prime minister, but if it did, he would decide what to do.

Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, another PPP frontrunner for prime minister, said the post belonged to Punjab, as it would prove that the PPP was a federal party.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_19

Shock election result for Malaysia’s ruling party

March 09, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's long-ruling National Front government, in a surprise upset, suffered its biggest ever electoral setback in polls, placing the future of prime minister Abdullah Badawi in doubt.

The government lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority and five of the country's 13 states. It retained at least 139 seats in the expanded 222-member parliament, but the opposition gained 82 seats, far better than analysts had predicted.

A coalition of the three main opposition parties swept into power in the key states of Penang, Selangor, Perak and Kedah, and Kuala Lumpur, the capital, while the conservative Islam party (Pas) kept control of Kelantan.

"This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation's history. The people have voted decisively for a new era,'' said Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader.

The sea change in the political landscape could unsettle the equity market when it opens on Monday because it raises uncertainty about the future of the government's economic policy, including the creation of new special economic zones and a mooted cut in fuel subsidies to reduce the large budget deficit.

The shock results also could put pressure on Mr Badawi to resign as prime minister, although he denied any intention of doing so. The United Malays National Organisation, the dominant government party, is scheduled to hold party elections this year and he could face a revolt led by rivals.

The extent of the opposition's victory was unexpected in what had been a low-key campaign that had been dominated by issues such as rising inflation and crime rates, and increased ethnic tensions between the ethnic Malay majority and the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

The big swing to the opposition could raise concerns that Malaysia may see a repeat of the violence that occurred in 1969, the last time the government suffered a significant setback, when deadly race riots erupted between Malays and Chinese.

The multi-racial character of the opposition alliance this time is likely to prevent that from happening, however, police have increased security measures.

The ethnic Malay-dominated government appeared to have fallen victim for the first time since independence in 1957 to a simultaneous assault from the two main centres of opposition: the Chinese-based Democratic Action party and conservative Muslim Malays represented by Pas.

The two parties had agreed to join an alliance engineered by Mr Anwar, whose People's Justice party has strong support among the urban middle-class and emerged as the largest opposition party with 31 seats.

The government appeared to have suffered from voter apathy among its core Malay base and a decline in support for the two junior coalition parties that represent the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

"This looks like a revolution. The people have risen and are united. The message to government is, 'Enough is enough.'," said Husam Musa, the Pas vice-president.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=39710

Malta holds first general election since joining EU

March 09, 2008

VALLETTA: Malta's long-ruling Nationalists were locked in battle with the Labor Party in elections Saturday for anew parliament and prime minister. The election is the first since this tiny Mediterranean island joined the European Union in 2004 and the euro zone earlier this year.

Malta is highly polarized politically. A victory by a few percentage points is considered a landslide, and turnout among the 315,000 citizens eligible to cast ballots usually stands at about 95 percent.

In early afternoon, turnout stood at 45 percent, but voting was extended by one hour until 11 p.m. (2200 GMT) as citizens kept lining up at polling stations, the Maltese electoral commission said.

The election pits Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of the Nationalist Party against Labor Party leader Alfred Sant.

No exit polls were planned and the counting of paper ballots was expected to begin Sunday, after boxes of ballots arrive at the counting center on the main island from the nation's two smaller islands. Opinion polls and political analysts have suggested a race down to the wire.

The hard-fought campaign has been rife with charges of corruption and libel suits. It has been dominated by domestic issues such as anti-corruption measures, health care and the environment.

Voters are electing 65 members of the one-chamber Parliament. Two smaller parties, the far-right National Action and the Green Party, are also running but they are given little chance of any significant gain.

In the 2003 vote, the Nationalists won 34 seats and Labor took 31.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=39690

US military overtaxed by wars: poll of officers

March 09, 2008

WASHINGTON: US military officers are concerned that the country's armed forces have been dangerously overtaxed by the Afghan and Iraq conflicts, according to a new survey by a news publication.

Some 60 percent of more than 3,400 active and retired high-level command officers polled said they believe the US military is weaker than five years ago, compared with only a quarter who said it was stronger and 15 percent who felt the military was unchanged.

Asked if the war in Iraq has broken the military, 42 percent said yes and 56 percent said no. But 88 percent said they agreed that the war has stretched the US military "dangerously thin."

And despite speculation that the US would be willing to engage militarily with Iran, 80 percent said they believed that it was somewhat unreasonable or very unreasonable to expect the US military to wage another war somewhere in the world successfully at this point.

After the two conflicts have killed over 4,000 servicemen and women and left more than 25,000 injured, those polled said that the biggest impact has been on the army.

Asked to rate the health of the four military services on a scale of one to 10 -- one being "no concern" and 10 for "extremely concerned" -- the army averaged a rating of 7.9, the marines 7.0, the navy 5.9 and the air force 5.7.

The poll by the Center for a New American Security and Foreign Policy magazine, and published in the journal's March-April issue, surveyed 3,437 serving or retired officers at or above the rank of lieutenant commander or major.

On the Iraq war, there was firm support for the "surge" troop hike strategy launched in January 2007 to quell growing violence, with 88 percent saying it would have a positive impact on the overall US effort. But many -- 37 percent -- said that US rival Iran has gained the greatest strategic advantage from the Iraq war, compared with 19 percent naming the United States as the biggest beneficiary and 22 percent naming China.

On strengthening the military by expanding its recruitment, 78 percent said they backed offering citizenship to non-US citizen residents for military service, while only 38 percent supported reinstating the draft.

On a current politically-charged topic in Washington, 33 percent said they strongly agreed that "torture is never acceptable" and 20 percent somewhat agreed, while 44 percent somewhat or strongly disagreed with the statement.

But only 46 percent agreed that waterboarding -- a simulated drowning interrogation technique prohibited to the US armed services but not specifically prohibited for US intelligence -- is torture, against 42 percent who disagreed.

On Saturday President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have outlawed waterboarding for use by the CIA and other intelligence agencies by forcing them to adhere to US military interrogation rules.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=39684

Bush vetoes ban on water boarding

March 09, 2008

WASHINGTON: US President George W. Bush vetoed a legislation on Saturday that would have prevented CIA from using waterboarding and other controversial methods to interrogate prisoners.

In his weekly radio address, Mr Bush said he vetoed the measure because it would have banned interrogation techniques that prevent terrorist attacks. He described the current method for interrogating terror suspects as one of the “most valuable tools in the war on terror”.But many in the US Congress, human rights organisations and in other countries disagree. They see waterboarding, in which drowning is simulated, as a form of torture forbidden under Geneva conventions for protecting prisoner rights.

In December, the House of Representatives approved legislation that would have restricted intelligence agents from using such interrogation methods. The Senate endorsed it in February despite White House warnings it would be vetoed.

The legislation would have banned the use of methods such as waterboarding, sensory deprivation, temperature extremes and extended forced standing to break the prisoners who refuse to speak.

The US Army banned such methods in 2006 but the CIA had been using them on Al Qaeda prisoners after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

The CIA still would have been allowed to use nine interrogation techniques listed in the US Army field manual.“The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror the CIA programme to detain and question key terrorist leaders and operatives,” said Mr Bush while announcing his veto.

“This programme has produced critical intelligence that has helped us prevent a number of attacks … including a planned attack on the US consulate in Karachi,” he said.

“Were it not for this programme, our intelligence community believes that Al Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland.”

Democrats had warned Mr Bush not to veto the legislation.

“President Bush’s veto will be one of the most shameful acts of his presidency. Unless Congress overrides the veto, it will go down in history as a flagrant insult to the rule of law and a serious stain on the good name of America in the eyes of the world,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Waterboarding is a torture technique that consists of immobilizing a person on his or her back, with the head inclined downward, and pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages.

The subject experiences drowning effect in a controlled environment and he believes the death is imminent.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/03/09/int2.htm

Serb PM resigns after rift on Kosovo

March 09, 2008

BELGRADE: Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica resigned on Saturday, announcing the end of a governing coalition too divided over Kosovo to carry on.

“This is the end of the government,” Kostunica told a news conference. “I have called a government session on March 10 to discuss dissolution of parliament.”

If adopted, Serbia would hold an early parliamentary election in May to decide a fundamental question can it continue seeking membership of the European Union now that the EU has recognised the independence of the southern province?

Dissolution was the best course for “a government that is not working”, Kostunica said. The election would most likely take place on May 11, the date set for local elections in Serbia.

Kostunica gave no clue to whether his small nationalist party would now seek an alliance with the hardline nationalist Radical Party – Serbia’s biggest and the Socialists of the late autocrat Slobodan Milosevic.

Such a coalition would be likely to adopt an unyielding position on Kosovo, possibly shutting down Serbia’s bid for EU membership in favour of closer ties with Russia, which has backed Kostunica’s stance on Kosovo.

Kostunica has indirectly accused his pro-Western coalition partners of giving up defending Serbia’s claim to Kosovo in favour of better ties with the West, which backs Kosovo’s secession.

He said part of the coalition wanted Serbia to be a member of the European Union only if the independence of Kosovo, which two-thirds of EU members have recognised, is revoked, while a majority did not want EU membership linked to Kosovo.

His decision to end the government puts him in direct conflict with Serbia’s pro-Western president, Boris Tadic, and his party, who formed the backbone of the coalition which came to power 10 months ago.

Kostunica’s Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) says it will support a Serbian Radical Party (SRS) resolution in parliament, calling on the European Union to “clearly and unambiguously” confirm Serbia’s territorial integrity, as a condition for further European integration.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/03/09/int4.htm

Medvedev is not soft, Putin warns West

March 09, 2008

NOVO-OGARYOVO (Russia): President Vladimir Putin on Saturday warned the West it could expect no easing of Russia’s combative foreign policy under his protege, president-elect Dmitry Medvedev.

At his first meeting with a foreign leader since his election, Medvedev stressed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he would seek continuity in foreign affairs.

Putin, speaking to reporters at a joint news briefing with Merkel before the Medvedev meeting, dismissed hopes that his protege would strike a softer tone in foreign policy after being sworn in as president in May.

“I have the feeling that some of our partners cannot wait for me to stop exercising my powers so that they can deal with another person,” Putin said. “I am long accustomed to the label by which it is difficult to work with a former KGB agent.”“Dmitry Medvedev will be free from having to prove his liberal views. But he is no less of a Russian nationalist than me, in the good sense of the word, and I do not think our partners will have it easier with him.”

When Merkel later met Medvedev, she referred to Putin’s comments, quipping: “I refrained from saying ‘I hope they won’t become more difficult either’”.

Medvedev said: “I am assuming we will have a continuation of that cooperation which you have had with President Putin... You have had big negotiations and that makes my task easier.”

Putin, who is expected to preserve significant influence as Medvedev’s prime minister, has been credited at home with restoring some of Russia’s international clout after the chaos of the 1990s.

But the former KGB spy has clashed with the West over Nato expansion, Kosovo’s independence, US plans to put a missile shield in central Europe and the war in Iraq.The relationship between Medvedev and Merkel, a physicist from the former East Germany who speaks Russian, is likely to play a key role in relations between the two countries and with the European Union.

Merkel, after meeting Putin, said she saw Medvedev as her “immediate partner in dialogue” ahead of the Group of Eight’s meeting in Japan later this year.

Merkel was expected to voice concern about the fairness of the vote Medvedev won after international observers and opposition groups have criticised the March election as unfair.

Putin says the election was held in strict accordance with the Russian constitution.

Germany is by far Russia’s biggest single trading partner, with a record $52.8 billion in bilateral trade in 2007. German firms put $3.4 billion into Russia last year and have key investments in Russia’s energy sector.

Merkel, who has in the past scolded Putin over human rights, has also sought to boost trade with Russia’s booming economy and to mediate between Moscow, Washington and Russia’s EU partners.

The German Chancellor has been more critical of Putin’s Russia than her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder, but is keenly aware of Germany’s dependence on Russian energy and Moscow’s role in international disputes like Iran.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/03/09/int13.htm

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Marwatone.

Bush vetoes provision cutting harsh interrogation methods

* Bill called for CIA to question suspects under US Army Field Manual rules

WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush said on Saturday that he had vetoed legislation on intelligence funding because of a provision aimed at cutting back harsh interrogation methods like water boarding.

The bill calls for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to question suspected terrorists under the rules of the US Army Field Manual, which forbids the controlled-drowning tactic and other methods widely seen as torture. “The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror - the CIA programme to detain and question key terrorist leaders and operatives,” said Bush in his weekly radio address, adding, “So today, I vetoed it.”

The legislation cleared the US Congress by a margin shy of the two-thirds majority needed to overcome Bush’s veto. “Were it not for this programme, our intelligence community believes that Al Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against American,” said Bush, adding, “It has helped us understand Al Qaeda’s structure and financing and communications and logistics.”

Rights groups have alleged that abuse and torture of detainees routinely took place at secret CIA detention facilities around the globe, and some US intelligence officials have questioned whether the programme has been as productive as the White House insists.

The bill would limit the CIA and other intelligence agencies to the 19 interrogation techniques outlined in the military’s manual. Water boarding is not among them. “The bill Congress sent me would not simply ban one particular interrogation method, as some have implied,” said Bush, challenging the portrayal of the legislation as banning water boarding.

“Instead, it would eliminate all alternative procedures we’ve developed to question the world’s most dangerous and violent terrorists. This would end an effective programme that Congress authorised just over a year ago,” he said, adding, “This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe.” afp

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...9-3-2008_pg4_5

Iraqi president seeks to build ties with Turkey

* Talabani calls on Turkish companies to invest in Iraq

ANKARA: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Saturday that Iraq was keen to boost economic and political ties with Turkey a week after Ankara ended an army offensive against separatist PKK guerrillas in northern Iraq.

The PKK issue and Turkey’s fears that Kurds in northern Iraq aim to create their own state have strained relations between the two countries. Talabani aimed to defuse some of those tensions. “We want to establish strategic relations in every area including oil, economy, trade, culture and politics,” Talabani told a meeting with Turkish business leaders on his first visit to Turkey as head of state.

Invest in Iraq: Talabani also called on Turkish companies to invest in Iraq on the second day of his visit to Ankara. “We are ready to make it easy for you (to invest) in all regions including the country’s south, Baghdad and Kurdistan,” he said.

Iraq’s ministers of finance, oil, water resources, national security and industry were travelling with the president. Talabani, a Kurd, said on Friday he had called on the government of Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region to pressure the PKK to give up their weapons or leave the region.

Ankara has been highly critical of Baghdad’s failure to crack down on several thousand Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas who use a remote, mountainous part of northern Iraq as a base from which to stage attacks on targets inside Turkey. reuters

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...9-3-2008_pg4_9

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

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

Sharif pokes fun at Musharraf, advises him to take rest

Islamabad (PTI): Former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif on Sunday took a dig at his bete-noire President Pervez Musharraf, pretending he could not even remember the name of the former general who had ousted him in a 1999 coup and advised him to "take rest".

Addressing a news conference in Murree after clinching a power sharing deal with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari , Sharif responded to a question by saying: "You referred to this general whose name I can't remember... oh yes, Pervez Musharraf."

Amidst peels of laughter from mediapersons, Sharif went on to poke fun at Musharraf's recent comments about the state of the Pakistani economy. He also said Musharraf should now "take rest" as dictatorship had no future in Pakistan.

"The power has been given to the opposition parties by the 160 million people of Pakistan.... Enough is enough. You please take rest as there is no future for dictatorship in this country," he said.

After deposing Sharif, Musharraf forced him and his brother Shahbaz to go into exile in Saudi Arabia in exchange for dropping the sentences awarded to them.

Sharif, who returned in November last year, said: "You must have heard his comments a few days ago that he had filled Pakistan's coffers with billions of dollars.

"And in the same breath he says the balance of trade has been upset and debts have increased. Please tell me what we should believe," said the PML-N chief, who has been insisting on Musharraf's resignation since the opposition swept the February 18 polls.

Sharif had appointed Musharraf as army chief in 1998 after promoting him over several other generals.

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Devil-may-care

Malaysian prime minister sworn in

March 10, 2008

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been sworn in, two days after his coalition suffered its worst election result in five decades.

Mr Abdullah took the oath of office at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.

The prime minister has faced calls for his resignation in the wake of Saturday's polls.

The ruling National Front won more than half of all seats in parliament, but lost its two-thirds majority, its worst result since independence in 1957.

The government had expected a drop in support amid growing concern over ethnic tensions in multi-cultural Malaysia and unease over rising food prices.

But the result was worse than anticipated, with the opposition making sizeable gains. Many voters from Indian and Chinese minorities - who make up more than a third of the population - failed to turn out for the coalition.

On Monday, Malaysian shares fell to a seven-month low amid concern over the political uncertainty.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7286851.stm

Mahathir says his successor ‘destroyed’ Malaysian coalition

March 10, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday his successor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had “destroyed” the ruling coalition after disastrous weekend elections.

Mahathir, who led the ruling United National Malays Organisation (UMNO) which helms the Barisan Nasional coalition (BN) for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, lashed out after its worst performance in history.

“My view is that he has destroyed UMNO and destroyed the BN,” Mahathir told reporters. He suggested Abdullah should resign, and said he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister. “I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility,” he said, adding, “I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice.”

Mahathir has previously said he never intended for Abdullah to serve more than one term, and that he should have opted instead for influential deputy prime minister Najib Razak who is now leader-in-waiting.

The Barisan Nasional suffered its worst ever result in Saturday’s polls, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceding four more states to a resurgent opposition. Abdullah was punished over rising crime and inflation in an election also tinged by rising racial tensions between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.

“I think the people must have been very angry, all the races, Chinese, Malays and Indians,” said Mahathir, adding, “The problem is we (the government) have become so arrogant. We suppress any opinion that we do not like and they begin to believe in their own reports which are not actually consistent with what is happening in the country.”

Abdullah was Mahathir’s hand picked successor when he stepped down, but after the new leader dumped several of his pet projects, he began launching accusations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...0-3-2008_pg4_4

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Marwatone.

Musharraf meets aides after Pakistan coalition pact

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf huddled with key aides on Monday after Pakistan's main opposition parties agreed to form a coalition and reinstate the judges he sacked last year, officials said.

Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif signed a coalition pact on Sunday following last month's general elections in which they trounced Musharraf's allies.

In a major blow to Musharraf, a key US ally in the "war on terror", they also agreed to bring back, within the first 30 days of the new parliament, the judges ousted by the president during emergency rule last November.

The dismissed judges, including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Musharraf's arch-foe, could take up legal challenges to Musharraf's re-election as president in October if they are restored.

Government officials said Musharraf was "meeting legal aides" at his office in the garrison city of Rawalpindi but did not give details on what was discussed.

Private television channels said it was a "strategy meeting" including legal and constitutional advisers.


Musharraf has come under pressure from Sharif and supporters of the sacked judges to step down following the drubbing of his political backers in the February 18 parliamentary polls.

Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999 but his grip on power weakened last year when he stepped down as army chief under intense domestic and international pressure.

His political troubles began almost exactly a year ago when he first tried to oust chief justice Chaudhry, citing alleged misconduct by the judge. Chaudhry fought back but was finally removed under emergency rule.

The fate of the judges was one of the main sticking points between Zardari, the de facto leader of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, which won the most seats in the election, and Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N.

Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack on December 27, causing the elections to be delayed.

The two parties thrashed out their differences at the talks on Sunday.

"The leadership was of the firm opinion that the coalition partners are ready to form the government and the national and provincial assemblies should be convened immediately," Sharif said on Sunday.

Musharraf on Saturday urged the incoming government to leave politics aside and focus on good governance, economic management and peace and stability.

He denied accusations that he was delaying calling the new parliament, and said Friday the new assemblies would be convened within 10 days.

Zardari said they had nothing "personal" against the embattled Musharraf. But Sharif said they considered him to be an unconstitutional president.

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I don't give anyone a reason to HATE ME. They create their own drama out of PURE JEALOUSY...!!!

‘Govt-presidency tussle will be catastrophic’

March 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview published on Monday that political stability was his top priority and a war between the presidency and the newly elected parliament would be catastrophic.

“I’m looking forward to working with this government for the full five years,” Musharraf told the Washington Times.

The president listed his three top priorities: political stability, the continuation of the country’s economic development and success in the war on terrorism.

“You’ll notice that I listed political stability first, because without that, you cannot have the other two,” he said.

“Can you imagine what the effect would be on the business community, both foreign and domestic, or in the capitals of nations allied with us in the war on terror if the first thing they saw after this election was a political war between the presidency and the government? I think it would be catastrophic.”

President Musharraf scoffed at speculation in the Pakistani press that he would attempt to derail the results of February 18 elections by using his constitutional powers to dismiss parliament, or not calling parliament into session.

“You think someone who has spent his entire adult life defending Pakistan and the past eight years trying to put democracy back on track wants to see the government fail and the country return to political anarchy?

“No. I’m committed to making this work.”

Asked about pressure to step down, Musharraf replied: “The elections clearly pointed out that the Pakistan People’s Party currently enjoys the highest percentage of the people’s confidence, no question. Reading more into it than that is risky.”

Asked to reflect on his past eight years in power, he said: “Obviously, the economy is in far better condition than it was when I first took office,” he said. “That didn’t happen by accident. I think I made some very sound appointments, and the people I appointed did quite well.

“I’m also proud of what has been done to expand the role of women in politics. There are now 60 seats reserved for women in the National Assembly. Those seats, added to those won by women on party tickets, give women a strong say in legislative affairs.

“And, of course, I’m proud of the way the recent elections were conducted.”

Turning to things that could have been done better, he said he didn’t always do a good job of explaining exactly what he was doing and why. “But I’m not certain it would have made that much difference if I had,” he said. “I think that a number of people in the media could never see past the uniform.”

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...1-3-2008_pg1_1

PM race narrows to two candidates

March 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari wants to become prime minister and until the ground is paved for him he would nominate a trustee for the interim period, sources in the PPP told Daily Times on Monday.

The sources said a majority of the PPP National Assembly (NA) members-elect (MNAs-elect) in their meetings with Zardari had suggested that he should himself become the prime minister. “The prime minister has to be a person who can outsmart and outshine other political personalities in the country,” the PPP MNAs-elect told Daily Times in background discussions.

Nawaz on Fahim: The possibility of Amin Fahim becoming prime minister has been ruled out, particularly after Nawaz Sharif’s between-the-line message to the PPP that he expected the nominee for premiership should be strong enough to implement the agenda of the coalition.

In this scenario, only two aspirants are left in the field for the interim period if Zardari finally decides to become prime minister. They are: Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, if the choice has to be from the Punjab.

Aftab Shabaan Mirani is yet another candidate. Though Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari wanted him to be the prime minister, he lost the election and his petition before the Election Commission for re-polling in a number of stations won’t be adjudged until much later. “The decision on nomination has to be taken within a week and in that case the choice is between Ahmad Mukhtar and Shah Mahmood,” a PPP source said. However, some insiders say that Zardari might spring a surprise by nominating a dark-horse like his sister, Dr Azra Fazal, who is an MNA-elect.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...1-3-2008_pg1_8

PML-N vetoes candidature of Fahim

March 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: While the Pakistan People’s Party was still undecided about its nominee for the post of prime minister, its coalition ally Pakistan Muslim League-N on Monday came out openly against the candidacy of PPP vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim because of what a PML-N leader termed his frequent contacts with President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Fahim hit back at what he called a ‘character assassination campaign’ launched by PML-N leader Khwaja Mohammad Asif, saying that he had been meeting the president on the directives of the late party leader Benazir Bhutto. He also said that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was aware of his meetings with Gen (retd) Musharraf after Ms Bhutto’s assassination.

Khwaja Asif told Dawn that the PML-N leadership had categorically told the PPP that it had serious ‘reservations’ over the nomination of Mr Fahim for the post of prime minister “due to his constant contacts” with President Musharraf.

“We fear that he can be a proxy of Gen (retd) Musharraf. The frequency of his contacts with Musharraf has increased with the passage of time and Mr Fahim’s nomination as prime minister can jeopardise PML-N’s relationship with the PPP,” he said.

Quoting what he called “our information,” the PML-N leader alleged that Mr Fahim had met President Musharraf even at a time when the body of Ms Bhutto was in a hospital in Rawalpindi on Dec 27 last year. Mr Fahim had held another meeting with the president within the next four days, he said.

While no comment was immediately available from Mr Zardari or any other PPP office-bearer, Mr Fahim appeared on a private television channel saying that Ms Bhutto herself had been sending him to meet President Musharraf to discuss “one thing or another” and that she was aware of all such meetings.

He said that Mr Zardari was aware of his meetings with the president after Ms Bhutto’s death.

Mr Fahim said he had lodged a protest with the PML-N leadership over Khwaja Asif’s “character assassination campaign” and talked to Mr Zardari and PML-N president Shahbaz Shahrif.

Khwaja Asif said it was a matter of concern that a person was meeting President Musharraf immediately after his party’s chairperson had been assassinated.

He said the PML-N had told the PPP at their meeting in Bhurban on Sunday that it accepted the party’s right to nominate anyone for the office of the prime minister, but PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said that the nominee should not be a “wired” person having antennas in all directions. He said he had great respect for Mr Fahim but it was a fact that he had been in contact with President Musharraf for a long time.

PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also met Mr Zardari in Islamabad and left without talking to the media.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/03/11/top1.htm

Saudi Arabia provides $300m grant to Pakistan

March 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: The Saudi government has given a budgetary support grant of $300 million to Pakistan to help bridge the fiscal gap caused by high oil and petroleum prices in the international market, a Finance Ministry statement said on Monday. The statement said that the Saudi government gave the budgetary support grant as a gesture of support for the people of Pakistan. The Saudi action has come after President Pervez Musharraf’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia during which he asked Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah to help Pakistan in defraying the cost of high oil prices. “The Saudi government’s decision is very timely, and will help Pakistan in meeting the budgetary gaps effectively and promoting macroeconomic stability in the country,” the statement said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...1-3-2008_pg7_9

First ship arrives at Gwadar port

March 11, 2008

LAHORE: A ship carrying 72,000 tonnes of wheat arrived at Gwadar Port on Monday – the first to come to Pakistan’s largest deep-water port since its inauguration last year. Dawn News television channel reported that a private company had chartered the ship, which came from Russia and arrived in the evening. Earlier, the Gwadar port administration had asked the Karachi Port Trust and the Ministry of Ports and Shipping for help in handling the ship. According to the channel, the port authorities and the shipping company had not decided until Saturday on how to handle the cargo. The port administration had arranged three tugs instead of the usual two, the channel said. It said the port would initially be used as captive cargo for trans-shipment purposes only.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_10

Arrest warrants for Mehsud, accomplices

March 11, 2008

RAWALPINDI: An Anti-Terrorism Court on Monday issued arrest warrants for Baitullah Mehsood and his four accomplices for their alleged involvement in the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto on December 27. Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman also extended until March 18 the judicial remand of Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Rafaqat, Hasnain Gul, and Abdul Rasheed – all suspects in the case.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_29

Khalid Mehmood, Kashmir Singh reflect Pak, Indian mindsets

March 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: As the dead body of ill-fated Pakistani prisoner Khalid Mehmood arrived back home on Monday, harsh questions are being asked by media over the Pakistani government’s pardoning and release of an Indian spy, Kashmir Singh.

Having seen off Kashmir Singh at Wagah Border last week amid joy and laughter, Pakistanis assembled again yesterday at the same point to receive the body of an innocent Pakistani cricket-lover amid tears and greif.

Mehmood had visited India to watch the Pak-India cricket series, and was reportedly picked up by Indian secret agencies. Indian media reported that Mehmood had died of severe torture at the hands of Indian jail officials.

The arrival of his body in Pakistan puts a question mark over India’s human rights groups.

Bhago Begum, the Pakistani citizen who was freed last year from an Indian jail, described as “dreadful” the conditions suffered by Pakistani prisoners.

She termed the authorities of Indian jails “heartless”, as Pakistani prisoners remained a target of routine “physical abuse” and verbal humiliation at the hands of Indian officials.

There are many other Pakistani nationals who continue to suffer at the hands of the Indian authorities without trial.

On the other side of the border, an Indian national, Kashmir Singh, was pardoned by President Pervez Musharraf and was released from a Pakistani jail last week.

On his way home from Wagah, Singh carried memories of humane treatment in Pakistani jails, despite his being a spy - a fact he admitted as soon as he returned to India after his 35-year imprisonment.

The grey-haired Singh looked physically fit and cheerful after his release, in sharp contrast to the miserable condition of Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails, who unlike Singh do not catch the attention of human rights activists.

Talking to the media, Singh termed his release a “humanitarian gift from President Pervez Musharraf.” The internationally publicised release and the jubilation in Singh’s home village raised questions about the plight of Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails.

The comparison of his figure and complexion with that of Bhago Begum speaks volumes about the treatment meted out to Pakistani prisoners in India.

48 Pakistanis in Indian jails: According to reports, as many as 48 Pakistani prisoners are languishing in jails across Indian Punjab, all of whom have completed their prison terms.

Many of the prisoners have not even been granted consular access, which is mandatory under international conventions that both Pakistan and India are signatory to.

The Asian Age reported that 60-year-old Pakistani Mukhtar Ahmad of Kasur, currently in Amritsar’s high-security central jail, has spent 17 years in various prisons across India.

The jail officials said that they were “helpless” and could not release the 48 detainees since they would be “guilty” of violating the Foreigners Act the minute the prisoners were permitted to step out of the jail premises.

“We have no ulterior interest in retaining these people. But we can only follow the instructions from Delhi,” said Superintendent SP Singh.

And past experience shows that Delhi could well remain silent for years. The apparent lethargy on the part of the Indian bureaucracy in processing the cases of the 48 Pakistanis in Amritsar Jail is surprising.

Ranjan Lakhanpal, a Chandigarh-based lawyer and civil liberties activist, fought for three years for the release of Fida Hussain and five other Pakistanis who had languished in Indian jails years beyond their sentences.

By contrast, a jail reformation process is being pursued in Pakistan and the Ministry of Human Rights is taking various initiatives, an official told APP.

As many as 550 juvenile prisoners in Balochistan province were recently released on the directives of Caretaker Human Rights Minister Ansar Burney, he added. Similarly, the cases of a large number of people imprisoned for the last 15 to 30 years, have been expedited.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-3-2008_pg7_44

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Marwatone.

Death of 12 persons confirmed in Lahore twin blasts

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
LAHORE: Several people are feared dead as a result of twin blasts in Lahore, eyewitnesses said. The death of 12 people has been confirmed so far.

One blast occurred at Lahore model Town Block-F near to Bilawal House and residence of Lahore City Nazim Amir Mehmood. The other blast occurred at FIA Office near Mayo hospital at Temple road.

According to the preliminary investigation it was suicide attack at FIA Office. The attack occurred at about 920AM.

Over 15 bodies and dozens injured have been shifted Lahore Mayo hospital, the sources said.

According to an eyewitness he saw one person dead and three others critically injured at model town.

The police and rescue team have reached on the spot. The fear has gripped the area due to blasts.


http://www.geo.tv/home/15080.htm

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Regards

Aarwaa

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