Taliban warn MPs from Swat to quit

MINGORA: Swat-based militants on Wednesday warned the members of the national and provincial assemblies from the district to resign from their seats or face attacks. Militant spokesman Muslim Khan told Daily Times over telephone that the militants would take revenge for the military operation from the parliamentarians if they did not resign from their seats in the assemblies. He said the operation was started by the provincial government to appease the United States. The Taliban would respond with full might, he claimed. staff report

‘CIA outlines Pakistan links with militants’

* Gilani says Pakistan intelligence officials not sympathetic to militants
* CIA, State Dept spokespersons decline to comment on report

WASHINGTON: A senior Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official visited Pakistan this month and confronted Pakistani officials with evidence of ties between the country’s intelligence service and militants in the Tribal Areas, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Citing defence and intelligence sources, the Times said that the trip by CIA Deputy Director Stephen Kappes demonstrated a harder line being taken against Pakistani ties to those responsible for the surge of violence in Afghanistan, including militant Jalauddin Haqqani

“It was a very pointed message saying, ‘Look, we know there’s a connection, not just with Haqqani but also with the other bad guys and ISI, and we think you could do more and we want you to do more about it,” a senior US official told the Times.

The daily said the meeting could be a sign that the relationship between the CIA and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) “may be deteriorating”.

A US official said there was no evidence of official Pakistani support for Al Qaeda, but there was “genuine and longstanding concerns about Pakistan’s ties to the Haqqani network, which of course has ties to Al Qaeda.”

Sympathies: In an interview broadcast on Tuesday on a PBS television show, Gilani said that to say that some in Pakistan’s intelligence agency are “sympathetic to the militants, this is not believable ... we will not allow that”.

No comment: CIA spokeswoman Marie Harf refused to comment on the Times report. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Wednesday declined to comment specifically on the story. He however told reporters that Pakistan realises that confronting terrorists along the Pak-Afghan border is “a common fight and a common threat”. agencies

Army denies ‘malicious’ report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army on Wednesday rejected a “malicious” report that a top Central Intelligence Agency official visiting this month confronted Islamabad over ties between the country’s intelligence service and militants. “We reject this report. This is unfounded, baseless and malicious,” Army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said. “I would like to emphasise here that ISI is a premier intelligence agency which has caught or apprehended maximum Al Qaeda operatives including those ... responsible for attacking the US mainland on September 11, 2001,” Abbas said. afp

‘It’s an attempt to harm Pak-US ties’

LAHORE: The elements behind the publication of news about the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deputy director and Pakistani agencies in the New York Times (NYT) want to undermine Pakistan-US relations, Ambassador Hussain Haqqani told Geo News in Washington on Wednesday. Commenting on the news, Haqqani said certain sections of US society had their own vested interests. He said all such issues were discussed during the meetings between Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and US officials, adding the visit had removed all complaints and reservations. daily times monitor

Bush suspects ISI role, says Mukhtar

LAHORE: US President George W Bush says Washington is reluctant to share intelligence with Islamabad because people in Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency are sharing intelligence with militants, Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said on Wednesday. Talking to Geo News, Mukhtar said the US president, during a meeting with a Pakistani delegation, expressed concerns over the role of ISI. He said Bush had complained that the intelligence shared with Pakistan got leaked much before any action was taken. daily times monitor


http://dailytimes.com.pk

WASHINGTON: A growing number of Pakistani militants who earlier operated only inside Pakistan and Kashmir are joining the intensifying insurgency against United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan, according to US officials. The fighters include guerrillas hardened by years of combat against Indian forces and others from outside the Taliban strongholds in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the officials say. “When we’re talking about foreign fighters in Afghanistan, they’re primarily Pakistanis,” one official said. The chief concern for US officials is Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. Officials previously described Mehsud as being ambitious inside Pakistan, but now he has stepped up the recruitment of fighters for Afghanistan. “If he doesn’t have to fight the Pakistan army, he’s free to focus on Afghanistan,” one official remarked.


* Foreign Office says Afghan government responsible for safety of Pakistani personnel, summons Afghan envoy, lodges protest

HERAT: A bicycle bomb outside the Pakistani consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat wounded a guard and two civilians on Thursday, a Reuters witness said.

The explosives were attached to a bicycle near a police kiosk outside the consulate, wounding a police guard and a woman and a child. There was no damage to the consulate. Pakistan condemned the bombing.

FO: “The government of Pakistan holds the government of Afghanistan responsible for the safety and security of its personnel in its embassy in Kabul and consulates in Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-i-Sharif,” Foreign Office said in a statement.

“We hope that the government of Afghanistan will take its responsibility seriously. The ambassador of Afghanistan is being summoned to the Foreign Office to convey the grave concerns of government of Pakistan,” it said.

Pakistan summoned Afghan ambassador to the Foreign Office and formally lodged its protest over the incident.

Pakistan had requested greater security at its diplomatic missions in Afghanistan, an embassy official in Kabul said.

Afghanistan’s government said in a statement that it also “strongly condemned the blast”.

33 more killed as Swat operation continues

* Officials put total death toll at 63 including 5 troops, 13 civilians and 45 militants

MINGORA: Fresh fighting erupted between security forces and Taliban militants in the restive Swat valley on Thursday, leaving 13 civilians and around 20 militants dead, sources said.

Residents said shells hit a house early on Thursday in the Deolai area of Swat, killing five children and their parents, including two women. Officials said it was not clear if the munitions were fired by security forces or militants. In separate incidents, five civilians were killed in shelling, they said, adding that a total of 25 people were also wounded in the fighting.

Death toll: A senior security official said that 45 militants had been killed in fighting over the past two days. The overall death toll reached 63 that included five troops, he said. Army officials arranged a visit for local reporters to the affected areas. The helicopter carrying the media team to the Uchrai Sar area came under fire from militants, however, no damage was reported.

Separately, Taliban militants set fire to two girls’ schools overnight, the officials said according to AFP. In a search operation launched in Mingora city on Thursday, security forces detained 10 suspected militants, officials said.

NWFP spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the government was requesting the federal government for more army troops, to “bring peace and protect the lives, property and honour of the people for Swat.”


LAHORE: Black cats, the number 13, walking under ladders – and eclipses – all considered omens of doom. The superstitious – or particularly unlucky – among us may therefore want to stay indoors today, as Pakistan witnesses a celestial portent in the form of a solar eclipse. Solar eclipses happen when the moon passes between the sun and earth, obstructing light.


ISLAMABAD: The sacked judges of the superior courts could take oath under Schedule 3 of the Constitution and if they did so, they would be given seniority as well as other benefits, Federal Law Minister Farooq H Naik said on Thursday.

Talking to reporters outside Zardari House, he said the judges who had not taken oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) on November 3, 2007 could now take oath under Schedule 3 of the Constitution and they would be welcomed if they did so.

He said the judges who took the oath under the PCO, had again taken the oath under Schedule 3 of the Constitution after the lifting of emergency on December 15. He said the oath for sacked judges would not provide any constitutional cover to the extra-constitutional steps taken on November 3 last year when a state of emergency was imposed.

He said the draft constitutional package had been shared with the coalition partners as well as the Pakistan Bar Council and the Punjab Bar Council, however their recommendations on the package were still awaited.

“No party of the ruling alliance has so far given any recommendations,” Naik said.


WASHINGTON: Defending the reallocation of anti-terrorism funds to upgrade Pakistan’s F-16 aircraft, George W Bush’s administration has vowed to convince US lawmakers the move is sound.

The State Department, commenting on suggestions by some lawmakers to hold off upgrades said, “There is no need to change the decision at this point” and the administration is “moving forward with it,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Thursday.

“This was a considered decision. We think it was the right decision. This was an important priority of this incoming government that it had focused on this F-16 program, but is also committed, they say, to fighting terrorism”.

“And the argument made was that this mid-life upgrade could help them in the fight against terrorism in the Tribal Areas.”

The US has proposed reallocating about $230 million to upgrade jets purchased from the US in the 1980s.


LAHORE: The Sindh Information Department mistakenly addressed Madr-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah as Fatima Jinnah Bhutto in an invitation in connection with a ceremony held to mark her 115th birth anniversary, Aaj TV reported. According to the channel the mistake was made when Information Department officials wrote Fatima Jinnah Bhutto above the name of Sindh Minister for Women’s Welfare Toqeer Fatima Bhutto.


COLOMBO: The premiers of India and Pakistan will thrash out a plan this weekend to improve ties strained by border clashes and bomb attacks on Indian targets, FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday.

Qureshi told reporters that he and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee had “agreed mutually” that their PMs “will come out with a comprehensive statement on bilateral engagement”. He was speaking after the pair met to lay the groundwork for Saturday’s talks between the PMs of both countries. Qureshi said “minor incidents” should not overshadow Islamabad’s contribution to combating terrorism.

“Pakistan’s positive contributions should not be overlooked when minor incidents take place,” Qureshi said when asked about US media reports that Islamabad was linked to a surge of violence across the border in Afghanistan. Mukherjee was more guarded in his comments, telling reporters separately that the ministers had shared “perceptions about bilateral relations, the composite dialogue (peace talks) and certain recent events”.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are working properly under the prime minister, and have no involvement in Afghanistan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on Thursday. Referring to a report in the New York Times that elements in Pakistan’s intelligence agency were involved in creating instability in Afghanistan, Malik said in a statement that such stories were the work of anti-Pakistan elements and propaganda against the country. “Pakistani intelligence agencies are not at all involved in Afghanistan,” he added. He cited the Pakistani intelligence agency’s important role in the war against terrorism. Pakistani officials, he said, had informed the US about the anti-Pakistan activities being pursued by Pakistan’s enemies, saying they wanted to destabilize the Tribal Areas.


* Gilani confident ISI contains no pockets of Taliban sympathy
* Says US should not link economic aid with military co-operation

LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said US concerns about collusion between members of Pakistan’s intelligence agency and terrorists are being taken seriously and “will be resolved”, according to a report in The Washington Times (WT).

Gilani told WT reporters and editors that he had seen no evidence to support allegations that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is compromised.

Asked whether he was confident that the ISI contained no pockets of Taliban sympathy, Gilani said, “I’m pretty sure about it.” He however added, “We still have to look into [the accusations]. ... It will be resolved.”

Top Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US military officials travelled to Pakistan this month in part to complain about ties between Pakistani intelligence officials and Taliban insurgent groups that may have contributed to a rise in attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

According to the WT report, Gilani confirmed the visit in mid-July of CIA Deputy Director Stephen R Kappes and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Michael Mullen. According to the New York Times, Lt Gen Martin E Dempsey – acting commander of US forces in the Middle East and South Asia – visited the Tribal Areas on Monday.

A US official told WT that “not enough is being done” by Pakistan to combat growing problems in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, including Taliban and Al Qaeda sympathisers within government agencies.

Gilani said the best way to combat the Taliban and Al Qaeda is through extensive education and economic aid.

“The root cause of the problem in the Tribal Areas and Afghanistan is poverty,” he said. “People are turning to those militants because they bribe them, give them money and protection; and [then] use them for their own benefit.”

No link: Gilani said on Thursday he has asked the US not to link economic aid to Pakistan with military co-operation, Geo News reported on Thursday.

The channel quoted Gilani as telling reporters on his way to Islamabad that US President George W Bush had assured him of respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty.

He said it had been agreed by Washington that security of Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan should be the common responsibility of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the NATO forces, the channel reported.

The premier said that Pakistan and the US have entered into a new era of confidence-building partnership.

Talking to reporters onboard his aircraft, he described his visit to the US as successful, which resulted in the beginning of a more trustworthy relationship between the two countries. Gilani said the Pak-US relationship would now focus on “peace and prosperity through partnership”.



http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...203:47:20%20PM

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday denied a newspaper report that its intelligence service helped plan a bombing of India's embassy in Kabul that killed at least 41 people.

The New York Times reported that American intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence were involved in the July 7 attack in the Afghan capital.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq describedthe report as ``total rubbish.''

Sadiq said there was no evidence of ISI involvement. ``The foreign newspapers keep writing such things against ISI and we reject these allegations,'' he said by telephone from a summit of South Asian leaders in Sri Lanka.


RAWALPINDI: President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday said that peace and development in the backward areas of FATA should be in line with the wishes of tribal people, who want to see the region come at par with other developed areas of the country. He made these remarks while talking to a delegation of FATA MNAs who called on him here.

The President, however, emphasized that this was possible only when there was total peace and harmony in that area. The President underscored the need for strengthening the local political and administrative structure. He said the government should clarify its policies considering prevailing challenges in the country as soon as possible. The President said it rests with political government to decide whether to take any military action in tribal areas or not.

The President said price-hike, law and order, economic and political instability were main challenges country was facing at the moment.

They said that effective social service delivery should be ensured through improvement of existing and creation of new infrastructure, opening up of new areas and creation of economic opportunities through improved network of roads and bridges to create more job opportunities and to contribute to the social emancipation of the local people.

Pakistan to probe embassy bombing

The pledge to investigate the bombing came after talks between the leaders

Pakistan has offered to investigate a bomb attack on India's embassy in Kabul last month that killed more than 50 people, India's foreign secretary says.

The announcement followed talks between the two countries' prime ministers at a South Asian summit in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan has come under pressure over claims, which it denies, that its spy agency was involved in the bombing.

Earlier, the Indian foreign secretary said relations had deteriorated to their worst level for four years.

The leaders are attending the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) summit in Colombo along with leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal.

"(Pakistani) Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani said he would conduct an independent investigation," Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said.

Ceasefire violation?

Mr Gilani met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday.

Tensions between Pakistan and India - Saarc's biggest and most powerful members - have been exacerbated by a series of bomb attacks on Indian cities and continued hostilities in the disputed border area of Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, speaks as Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani looks on at the Colombo summit, Sri Lanka, 2 August 2008
Tensions between Pakistan and India have overshadowed the summit

India has accused Pakistan of violating a ceasefire accord in Kashmir, and troops from both sides traded gunfire earlier this week.

Addressing the summit, Mr Gilani condemned last month's Kabul embassy attack, in which two senior Indian diplomats died, and some 150 people were injured.

Officials from India and Afghanistan have publicly accused elements in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of involvement in the attack.

On Friday, newspaper reports in the US quoted Washington sources levelling the same accusations against the ISI.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry issued another denial, describing the claims as "total rubbish".

Terrorism issues

While food security and trying to improve the lot of the poor are on the agenda at the Colombo summit, correspondents say the key issue is whether the Saarc countries can work together to fight crime and terrorism.



On Saturday, the eight leaders called for a joint effort to combat terrorism.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told the meeting that terrorism and its sanctuaries were gaining a deeper grip in Pakistan, and called for "collective action to wipe out terrorism in the region".

"While the region has to deal with a myriad of serious problems such as chronic poverty, food and energy shortages, environmental degradation and the like, terrorism is by far the greatest and most menacing of all," he said.

Fierce fighting

Heavy security is in place for the Colombo conference, with almost 20,000 police and troops deployed to guard delegates as fighting in Sri Lanka's decades-long civil conflict continues.

Tamil Tiger rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire throughout the talks, but the government rejected the truce.

Sri Lankan police check people in Colombo in the run up to the Saarc summit, 30 July 2008
Security has been massively stepped up in Colombo for the summit

There were reports of new military battles in rebel-held areas in the island's north, with the Sri Lankan military saying at least 11 of its soldiers had been killed in fierce fighting.

South Asia is home to the one-fifth of the world's population, but hundreds of millions of South Asians live in poverty.

Since Saarc was founded in 1985, the group's summits have been long on rhetoric but short on follow-up action, analysts say.

The regional grouping has often been overshadowed by tension and hostility between India and Pakistan

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Devil-may-care

ISLAMABAD: PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari are set to meet on Tuesday, August 5, according to a message issued by PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar on Saturday.

The meeting, which many commentators of politics are calling make-or-break, will be held at a lunch hosted by Zardari at his Islamabad residence, a cell phone message sent to reporters by Babar said.

Nawaz is prepared to have a “final word” with the PPP co-chairman about the reinstatement of sacked judges and impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf, sources said. The two leaders will discuss the future prospects of the “fragile” PPP-led coalition government, the sources said. Zardari will try convincing the PML-N chief not to take any “decisive step” as the coalition government was facing serious challenges, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Nawaz has convened a joint meeting of the PML-N CWC and the parliamentary committee in Lahore on Monday.


ISLAMABAD: The government has not shelved its plan to ‘tame’ the ISI as a notification to place the country’s top intelligence organisation’s internal security wing under the Interior Ministry (IM) is likely to be issued soon.

A source close to PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari told Daily Times that a new notification would be issued soon to explain the “first one”, which had created a lot of stir in the GHQ and the ISI.

The government had issued a notification on July 26 to place the ISI under the “administrative, financial and operational” control of the Interior Division. But within hours a clarification was issued that the ISI would continue to report to the prime minister.

While the first notification has yet not been cancelled, a source in the government says that it (the notification) remains effective until a new superseding notification is issued. “The clarification issued by the government does not rescind any government notification,” the source said.

Another source close to Zardari and PM Yousuf Raza Gilani also confirmed that a new notification would be issued “to explain the spirit behind this move and it is expected that the Internal Security Wing of the ISI will be placed under the Interior Ministry”. While the ISPR had stated that the spirit behind the government’s announcement was to re-emphasise more co-ordination between the Interior Ministry and the ISI, the question of who in the government prompted to issue this notification as Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik expressed ignorance over the move.

Though the insiders believe that Asif Zardari and Rehman Malik were behind this notification, it was a well-calculated but ill-executed move to win the support of the United States as all American officials on their visit to Pakistan always suggested “civilian control” over the military and its allied organisations.


COLOMBO: Terrorists are increasing their influence in Pakistan and are receiving institutional nurturing and support, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday.

“In Pakistan, terrorism and its sanctuaries are gaining a deeper grip as demonstrated by the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto,” Reuters quoted Karzai as telling a SAARC summit, which was also attended by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

“While existing on the absolute fringes of our tolerant and peace loving societies, terrorists in our region receive institutional nurturing and support,” he said, adding, “It is this embedded nature of terrorists that make it a much more sinister threat.”

“Terrorism in our region feeds on a residual tradition of narrow minded politics and of pursuing outmoded geo-political interests,” Karzai said, adding that it was time to recognise that militant radicalism, as an instrument of policy, could not serve any long-term purpose.


* Declaration says Kashmiris central to Indo-Pak peace process

WASHINGTON: The two-day International Kashmir Peace Conference that ended here on Friday produced a declaration emphasising the centrality of the Kashmiris to what in the past has been projected as a bilateral dispute, but made no mention of UN Security Council resolutions, the right of self-determination or the demilitarisation of the disputed state.

The declaration said that “the people of Jammu and Kashmir are central to the India-Pakistan peace process and representative dialogue”, while affirming that “a sustainable and just solution of the Kashmir dispute can be achieved only through democratically established procedures for ascertaining the will of the people of the state as existing on 14/15 August 1947.”

It called for the establishment of “an independent and credible investigative commission” to probe human rights abuses, including the issue of mass graves recently discovered in the state. Also demanded was a “realistic time frame” to be worked out by India and Pakistan for resolving the dispute. The Pakistan embassy’s deputy chief, M Aslam Khan denounced the maintenance and perpetuation of the Kashmir status quo as a solution.


* Taliban burn 3 more schools, blow up bridge
* ‘Operation to go on until civilians are safe’

MINGORA: At least eight police and security workers were killed on Saturday when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near their vehicle in Swat, officials said.

Another five policemen were wounded in the blast in the valley’s Kabal town, police officer Alam Khan said. “Their condition is very serious,” Khan told AFP. The dead included six police and two paramilitary soldiers, he added.

He said the vehicle was badly damaged and the bodies of two policemen were “badly mutilated”. Officials said the police party was returning to base after a search operation in Kabal when the bomb planted by militants went off. However, Inspector Muhammad Wisaal, one of the wounded men, told Reuters in a hospital in Mingora that the policemen were returning from ‘holiday’ when the bomb exploded. Police officer Bashir Khan, meanwhile, told The Associated Press that the bomb targeted the police van because it was carrying money to pay the salaries of the staff in Kabal.

Following the attack, officials said that security forces surrounded Hazara village and arrested six suspects.

Schools burnt: Separately, in Matta tehsil, a woman was killed and four children injured when a mortar shell hit a house in the Sen Pura area. Near Mingora, a group of armed militants set fire to three girls’ schools and also blew up a bridge, officials said. Local Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claimed responsibility for the attacks on the girls’ schools and the police van. He told Daily Times that Taliban would continue attacks until the operation had been stopped.

Continue: On Saturday, security forces carried out search operations in Matta, said army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas. Officials said a senior-level meeting decided that the operation would continue until the objective of ensuring civilians’ safety had been achieved.


COLOMBO: South Asian leaders called for a unified fight against terrorism as a regional summit overshadowed by worsening ties between India and Pakistan opened on Saturday. The leaders of the eight-nation SAARC plan to sign four agreements, including one on legal co-operation to combat terrorism at the summit. The 15th two-day summit will also frame a declaration on food security. Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called for joint measures to strengthen regional co-operation against terrorism. He also strongly condemned the attack in Kabul on the Indian embassy. Indian premier Manmohan Singh said a united fight was needed against violence if the region were to grow. He stressed the need to jointly combat extremism and fanaticism. “The challenges of terrorism must be overcome in order for us to realise the potential of greater regional integration ... greater economic integration,” Reuters quoted Afghan President Hamid Karzai as saying. The leaders of Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan focused on the democratisation of their states during their addresses.


* Pakistan, India PMs discuss composite dialogue, bilateral relations
* Premier to meet Afghan president today

COLOMBO: A closed-door meeting between Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Indian premier Manmohan Sindh ended on Saturday with an agreement to continue the peace process, diplomats said.

India Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said that during their meeting, “both prime ministers [Singh and Gilani] said we need to overcome (problems) and move forward”. He told reporters that Gilani had agreed to probe charges that Pakistani intelligence was behind the embassy suicide attack, AFP reported.

Exchange: During their meeting, Gilani and Singh exchanged views on various issues, including the Indo-Pak composite dialogue, bilateral relations, trade and security.

Following the meeting, which focused mostly on the Indian embassy bombing in Kabul, representatives of both countries provided their views.

Gilani agreed to conduct an independent inquiry about Pakistani intelligence aiding the embassy attack, Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told media. This contradicted Gilani’s statement that the Indian premier had said that Pakistan had not been blamed for the attack.

Meeting: Gilani also told reporters he would discuss the Indian embassy attack with Karzai on Sunday. “If they give me evidence, then we will look into the matter,” he added. The premier said he was meeting with both Singh and Karzai because Pakistan wants cordial relations with neighbours, APP reported.



http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...3-8-2008_pg1_1

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

KARACHI: Spokesman Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Maulvi Umer has said that Taliban are operative in Lahore and across Sindh including Karachi.

In an interview to a foreign radio, he said Karachi is a focal point for the whole world including India.

The presence of Taliban in Karachi will ensure elimination of vulgarity, obscenity and influence of foreign forces in the city.

Karachi is the largest business city of the country and there is need for peace here. The peace is embedded in Islam and its teachings.


Here we have it . The menace of taliban , salafism and wahabism has now reached the doorsteps of karachi and the holy surface of sufi tradition Sindh

Salafism has its origin from great reformer ibn tamimah , who promulgated a pruritarian creed of islam. A ardent catholic he even declared all those muslims heretics who followed the code of Yasa. He had no place for any cultural and ethnical reverences in his order of islam and stressed that Quran is the source of knowledge and any thing beyond this sphere of knowledge is a heresy.

Than came ibn wahab. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab considered his movement an effort to purify Islam by returning Muslims to what he believed were the original principles of Islam, as typified by the Salaf and rejecting what he regarded as corruptions introduced by Bid'ah and Shirk.

During his life he denounced some practices of various sect of Sufism as being heretical, such as their veneration of saints wahabism does not believe in life of doom (hayat qabar). They demolished the shrines and strickly believed that no intercession with God was possible, an idea supported by the majority of Muslims. Specific practices, such as celebrating the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were also deemed as innovations. He is hence considered by his followers to be a great reformer of Islam, and by his opponents as an innovator and heretic.

He during his life time was an arch enemy of turkish empire and were a continuous problem for the turkish administration. In indopak the movement of syed ahmed brelvi especially in swat also promulgated the similer ideas and the thrik ulema deo band was also influenced by teaching of salfism in the modern era the writing of Syed qutub shaheed were also under the same influence and he termed the whole western civilization its institutions , democracy and education as jahalia.

ISLAMABAD: The SC on Monday allowed the Ministry of Religious Affairs to implement the current year’s Haj policy with the authority to allocate the Haj quota to private tour operators. The court also suspended a verdict of the Lahore High Court (LHC) and accepted for regular hearing the appeals of the Ministry of Religious Affairs after hearing a set of identical petitions challenging allocation of Haj quota to private tour operators. A three-member bench of the SC also allowed the ministry to announce its Haj policy. The court however held that the policy would be subject to the final decision of appeals filed against the LHC verdict.




* Haj expenses rise between 41 to 45%

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday announced the new Haj Policy with an allowance for as many as 164,647 Pakistani pilgrims to perform Haj and more than 40 percent increase in expenses as compared to last year.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi told a news conference that 85,000 pilgrims would perform Haj under the government scheme and 79,647 people through private tour operators.

He said the applications for Haj under the government scheme would be invited from August 7 to August 18 and the forms would be available free of cost at designated branches of Habib Bank Limited, United Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan, Muslim Commercial Bank and Allied Bank Limited. The computerised national identity card for filing of Haj application would remain a pre-requisite, he added.

Expenses: Kazmi said the pilgrims travelling from Karachi and Quetta would have to bear total expense of Rs 185,000, an increase of 41.49 percent, compared to Rs 130,750 last year.

He said pilgrims flying from other stations including Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar would pay Rs 200,000, an increase of around 44.45 percent compared to last year.

Kazmi said the decision to raise the fee was taken due to high fuel prices. “Last year the petroleum price in the international market was $70 per barrel and this year we have prepared the policy while keeping an estimated cost of $140 a barrel,” he replied to a question.

The adviser made it clear that an applicant who had performed Haj during the last five years would not be entertained.


* Scientist has never been in US custody until her arrest on July 21

WASHINGTON: Dr Afia Siddiqui, “missing” with her three children from Karachi for six years, was underground in Pakistan and Afghanistan all this time.

She was arrested on July 21 this year from Kabul and has been flown to the United States to face terrorism-related charges.

A call made to the State Department on Monday for comment was not returned.

Contrary to several newspaper reports over the years, including recent ones, Dr Siddiqui has never been in Pakistani custody and neither in that of the US, until her arrest barely two weeks ago. She left the US in early 2003 as the net around her was tightening, since she was believed to be involved in offering her scientific expertise and other help to Al Qaeda or related groups.

Dr Siddiqui, along with her three children, took a cab from her mother’s house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal in Karachi on March 30, 2003, to take a flight for Rawalpindi, but never arrived at the airport. The family, it appears, was not unaware of Dr Siddiqui’s whereabouts although it kept claiming otherwise.

On April 1, 2003, the then interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat denied Pakistani authorities had arrested the scientist. He was reported to have said a day later that Dr Siddiqui was connected to Al Qaeda and was absconding.

Dr Siddiqui, who spent 10 years at prestigious American academic institutions, completing her PhD in genetics, returned to Pakistan in 2002 but went back to the US in February 2003, apparently to look for a job appropriate to her qualifications. She returned to Karachi by the end of February 2003 after renting a post office box in her name in Maryland for receipt of her mail. It has been claimed by the FBI that the box was hired for Majid Khan, allegedly a member of Al Qaeda residing in Baltimore.

At the time, NBC reported that the Pakistani scientist had been arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of facilitating money transfers for the terror networks of Osama Bin Laden, a report her mother called “absurd”.


ISLAMABAD: The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is working under the prime minister and the government had issued clarification about the July 26 notification, Leader of the House in Senate Raza Rabbani said on Monday.

Rabbani said a detailed notification to reverse the earlier one was being worked out at Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

However, Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali told reporters that senior ISI officials were reporting to Interior Secretary Kamal Shah. The government must withdraw the notification formally, Jamali added.

The PID issued a memorandum on July 26 stating that the country’s two premier intelligence agencies — the ISI and the IB — had been placed under the Interior Division’s control. The PPP-led government, however, ‘clarified’ the earlier notification the following day, saying the ISI would continue to operate at the prime minister’s discretion

Jamali also condemned Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s statement in which he threatened to strike inside Pakistan. Karzai was issuing statements at the behest of foreign powers, Jamali said.


ISLAMABAD: The sacked judges can only be reinstated if they take fresh oath of office from President Pervez Musharraf under the 1973 Constitution, Law Minister Farooq H Naik said on Monday. “I have requested all the judges to take oath and start performing their duties,” he told reporters after a meeting of senior PPP leaders.


ISLAMABAD: The break-up of the coalition with the PML-N will not make any difference to the government, several PPP leaders informed party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting on Monday.

Meeting ahead of today’s meeting between Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, the party leaders urged Zardari to inform Nawaz that while they wanted to continue with the coalition, they would not reinstate the sacked judges through a parliamentary resolution, nor would President Pervez Musharraf be impeached.

The sources quoted Zardari as informing the meeting’s participants that he had told Nawaz that impeaching Musharraf at this stage could provoke him (Musharraf) into invoking Article 58(2b), derailing the democratic process.

They also said that Mian Manzoor Wattoo assured Zardari that the situation in Punjab would not be affected if the PML-N decided to sit on the opposition benches. “We should tell them (PML-N) that if you pull out of the coalition at the centre, we will not co-operate with you in Punjab,” Wattoo was quoted as saying. The sources said that the meeting also discussed a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle, including changing the secretaries of interior, health, communication and finance.

Following the meeting, Raja Pervez Ashraf told media that the prevailing political situation was discussed during the meeting.

PML-N blamed for delay in judges’ reinstatement

LAHORE: PPP leader Senator Lateef Khosa said that the coalition partners, especially the PML-N is to be blamed for delay in the judges’ restoration, Channel-5 reported on Monday. Khosa said that the failure of the coalition partners to respond to the proposed constitutional package had delayed the judges’ restoration.

‘N’ will seek to resolve all issues: Nawaz

LAHORE: PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that he would push for a resolution of all issues facing the country during a decisive and comprehensive meeting with PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari today (Tuesday).

Addressing a press conference at his Model Town residence, he said that he had written a letter to Zardari 19 days ago, stating that the sacked judiciary should be reinstated according to the Murree Declaration. He said the letter had also requested that the Charter of Democracy signed by Benazir should be given practical form and should bind the president to consult the prime minister before taking any decision.

“We wish this coalition to remain intact ... We believe that this coalition should favour the public, not enhance their problems,” he added. He said it would be easy to provide relief to the masses and reinstate the judges if the four-month-old promises were honoured. He also said that the PML-N had not been taken into confidence on issues of national importance.

Prior to the press conference, Nawaz held a consultative meeting with senior leaders of the PML-N and the party’s CWC over his meeting with Zardari. According to sources privy to the meeting, the vast majority of the PML-N leadership wants to continue with the coalition but seeks to pressure the PPP into submitting to its demands.


* 25 people drown as three private rescue boats capsize in Peshawar

LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Floods and rains have killed 35 and stranded over 200,000 people across the country, sources said on Monday.

Fourteen people died in lower Punjab and interior Sindh and hundreds of villages were inundated at the Sindh-Punjab border, Dawn News reported, adding that thousands of people have been displaced.

Rajanpur is the worst hit district in Punjab where floods killed 12 and damaged or swept away at least 6,000 houses.

In Sindh, according to unofficial numbers, two people died in the Mazari area situated on the Sindh-Punjab border.

Boat capsize: Torrential rains lashed the NWFP province killing 21 people. Peshawar Police chief Dr Salmaan confirmed six deaths in rain-related incidents in the provincial capital. There were reports that 15 people died and eight were injured after rains in the Jamrud and Bara tehsils of Khyber Agency. However, Geo News put the figure of the dead at 30. At least 25 people drowned when three private rescue boats capsized in Peshawar, the channel added.

The NWFP Flood Relief commissioner said that the army personnel had started rescue operations in the region.

Heavy rainfall also inflicted huge losses in northern parts of Balochistan especially Harnai and Jhal Magsi, a satellite channel reported.

Pakistan, India to stick with struggling peace talks

COLOMBO: The leaders of India and Pakistan have managed to avert a collapse of four years of peace talks, but analysts say the two sides are not giving necessary momentum to the troubled process. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani agreed to push on with talks despite a spike in tension between the countries. Gilani signalled his support for the peace process by agreeing to look into allegations that Pakistan’s spy service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was behind last month’s suicide bombing of India’s embassy in Kabul. “This promise enables India to continue the dialogue,” retired Indian diplomat Kanwal Sibal said. “But it is only buying time.” Breaking off the dialogue is not an option, said CU Bhaskar, former head of India’s Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has done the appropriate thing under the circumstances. India has to engage in dialogue while holding Pakistan’s feet to the fire,” he said. “Not engaging with Pakistan removes whatever leverage we may have,” he added.


* President says he is ‘1,000% sure that people involved in terrorism are being financed, trained by foreign elements’

QUETTA: Many foreign hands, including India, are to blame for the unrest in Balochistan, Dawn News quoted President Pervez Musharraf as saying on Monday.

Speaking at a lunch hosted by Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi at the Governor House, he said, “I am 1,000 percent certain that the elements involved in target killings and subversive activities are being financed and trained by foreign elements that do not want peace in the country.”

He added that insurgents would not be allowed to derail the development process in the province, APP reported.

Musharraf correlated stable economy with political stability and better law and order, saying that the country was facing immense challenges on both external and internal fronts. He also prayed for the success of the coalition government and said he was ready to support them.

Separately, addressing a delegation of the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the president stressed the need for measures to stop capital outflow and encourage inflow of money in the form of foreign investment. Peace in the country could rebuild the trust of foreign investors, he added. He advised the delegation to invest in power generation and help the government overcome the energy shortage. He said global price hikes were negatively impacting the country’s economy.

Musharraf also said that special attention was being paid to the development of Balochistan to bring it at par with the developed parts of the country, NNI reported. He said that electricity from Iran would be provided to the coastal areas of the province.

A delegation of tribal elders also called on the president and apprised him of the problems confronting them. The president assured them that he would work to resolve their problems. The Balochistan governor also called on the president and discussed matters related to the development of Balochistan.



http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?date=8/5/2008%20106:18%20AM


WASHINGTON: A Pakistani scientist Dr. Afia Siddiqui accused of shooting at U.S. officers while in Afghan custody last month has been extradited to the United States.

According to US media reports, onn July 18 Siddiqui shot at two FBI special agents, a U.S. Army warrant officer, an Army captain and military interpreters who unknowingly entered a room where she was being held unsecured at an Afghan facility.

The warrant officer returned fire with a pistol, shooting Siddiqui at least once. She struggled with the officers before she lost consciousness, and was then given medical attention.

US officials said that Afia Siddiqui was arrested outside the Ghazni governor's compound where they found bomb-making instructions, excerpts from the "Anarchist's Arsenal," papers with descriptions of U.S. landmarks and substances sealed in bottles and glass jars.


http://www.geo.tv/8-5-2008/21973.htm



KARACHI - Jamat-e-Islami central leader Prof Ghaffor Ahmed has lashed out at President Pervez Musharraf for handing over Dr Afia Siddiqui to United States.

JI central leader said that the entire nation was ashamed of President Pervez Musharraf for this immoral deed.

He demanded the government to get Dr Afia Siddiqui released from the US detention. He was addressing a protest rally, which was held in the support of Dr Afia Siddiqui organised by JI women wing outside the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.

JI women were holding placards with slogans in favour of Dr Afia Siddiqui.

He alleged that Musharraf prolonged his rule by handing over innocent Pakistani citizens to the US authorities.

He added that in 2003 President Musharraf handed over Dr Afia to US and yet government was hiding facts from the relatives of Dr Afia Siddiqui.He urged the human rights organisation to raise voice for Dr Afia Siddiqui . JI woman leader Ayesha Munawar also spoke on the occasion and urged the religious and political parties that to raise their voice for the release of Dr Afia Siddiqui.

He warned if government failed to get her released, JI would be held marathon protest rally outside the Parliament.


http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...to-US-shameful

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

FBI confirms Aafia Siddiqui’s arrest and arraignment
* Scientist facing 40 years imprisonment if convicted on both counts

WASHINGTON: Pakistani scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui was arrested on “charges related to her attempted murder and assault of United States officers and employees in Afghanistan”, according to US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Michael Garcia, Mark Mershon of the FBI’s New York office and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

Siddiqui, due to appear before a magistrate in a New York federal court on Tuesday, has been confirmed to be in the custody of the FBI. The Pakistan Embassy has approached United States authorities to obtain consular access to Dr Siddiqui.

According to a FBI announcement, officers of the Ghazni province Afghanistan National Police arrested Siddiqui when they searched her handbag and found numerous documents describing the creation of explosives, excerpts from the Anarchist’s Arsenal, and descriptions of various US landmarks. It says that on July 18, a party of US personnel, including two FBI special agents, a US Army warrant officer, a US Army captain, and US military interpreters, arrived at the Afghan facility where Siddiqui was being held.

“The personnel entered a second floor meeting room — unaware that Siddiqui was being held there, unsecured, behind a curtain. The warrant officer took a seat and placed his United States Army M-4 rifle on the floor next to the curtain.. Shortly after the meeting began, the captain heard a woman yell from the curtain and, when he turned, saw Siddiqui holding the warrant officer’s rifle and pointing it directly at the captain. Siddiqui said, ‘May the blood of (unintelligible) be directly on your (unintelligible, possibly head or hands)’. The interpreter seated closest to Siddiqui lunged at her and pushed the rifle away as Siddiqui pulled the trigger.”

The statement added that Siddiqui fired at least two shots, hitting no one. The warrant officer returned fire with a 9mm service pistol and hitting Siddiqui at least once. It said that after being subdued, Siddiqui temporarily lost consciousness and was rendered medical aid.

Maximum sentence: The FBI statement also said: “Siddiqui is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York with one count of attempting to kill United States officers and employees and one count of assaulting United States officers and employees. If convicted, Siddiqui faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each charge.”


LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/ SUKKUR: Torrential rains and flashfloods have displaced hundreds of thousands and killed dozens of people across the country, sources said on Tuesday.

A satellite channel reported that at least 40 people have died in the recent rains and flood-related incidents in the NWFP. According to Dawn News, 30 people died in and around Peshawar, the provincial capital, while 10 died in the Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency.

Two people died as two rescue boats of Pakistan Army capsized in the Haji Town area of Peshawar, APP reported. The rescue teams, however, saved 23 persons. In Balochistan, 10 persons died and 500 houses were damaged, it added. In different areas of Sukkur, Khairpur and Shikarpur four children and three women died as roofs collapsed in rain.

Floods in the Taunsa district of Punjab affected nearly 100,000 people, Geo News reported.

In a high-level meeting PM directed National Disaster Management Authority officials to make effective relief arrangements for flood-hit areas.


* Memo says govt will carry out ‘further deliberations on co-ordinating intelligence efforts’

ISLAMABAD: The government has held in abeyance a memorandum it issued on July 26 that placed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) under the Interior Ministry, according to a memorandum issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday night.

“The prime minister is pleased to direct that the federal government will carry out further deliberations on co-ordinating the intelligence efforts. Till the completion of these deliberations, the Cabinet Division’s July 26 memorandum is held in abeyance,” the memorandum said.

The decision was taken at a meeting here between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. However, the two leaders decided to further deliberate to improve intelligence related to internal security and the war on terror.

“A new memorandum is expected after the completion of these deliberations,” a source told Daily Times. After the memorandum, the ISI director general will continue to report to the prime minister and its administrative, financial and operational matters would remain under the Defence Ministry.

The PID issued a memorandum on July 26 stating that the country’s two premier intelligence agencies — the ISI and the IB — had been placed under the Interior Division’s control. The PPP-led government, however, ‘clarified’ the earlier notification the following day, saying the ISI would continue to operate at the prime minister’s discretion.

The government had not consulted the top military brass before issuing the July 26 memorandum, sources said. “The military leadership stood up and managed to reverse the government’s decision,” they added.


KARACHI: The federal and provincial governments need to take measures to ward off Taliban threat to Karachi, Muttahida Qaumi Moverment (MQM) Rabita Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Sattar said the MQM would take up the matter with Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party (ANP) and other “like-minded parties”. “If we do not take notice of the threat and fail to take corrective measures against the spread of Talibanisation, future generations will never forgive us,” Sattar said. He said the Sindh government must not “hide the truth” of the matter.

Taliban can take control of Karachi anytime: TTP

* TTP warns Altaf to end ‘kingdom’ in Karachi
* Militant action across country if Swat operation not stopped

KHAR: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Tuesday to “immediately end his kingdom in Karachi”, saying the time was ripe for the Taliban to gain control of the city.

“This is a warning for Altaf Hussain to cease his statements against the Taliban and end his kingdom in Karachi, otherwise we will launch attacks against the MQM and its leaders once we are given the go-ahead by Baitullah Mehsud,” TTP chief Maulana Faqeer Muhammad and spokesman Maulvi Umar told a joint press conference at Inayat Kalay. According to Online, Umar boasted that the Taliban had ‘massive’ support of Karachi’s residents and Mehsud could take control of the city whenever he wanted to.

The spokesmen said the TTP was “prepared to wage jihad to counter United States and NATO forces in the Tribal Areas” and had established anti-aircraft “missile systems” along the Pak-Afghan border for this purpose.

Militant action: The TTP spokesmen also warned that they would instigate militant action across the country if the government did not stop the ongoing military operation in Swat and continued to pursue a military option in the Tribal Areas.

Umar said that, on the directives of Baitullah Mehsud, the TTP had convened special meetings of Taliban commanders to design a strategy against the government if the military operations continued. He said that the organisation had given a “positive response” to the government’s proposals for peace. However, he added, neither the federal nor the provincial government had stood by their promises to continue dialogue with the Taliban to maintain law and order. Umar said that the TTP had established a special squad, comprised of a large number of male and female suicide bombers aged between 10 and 20, to target top government officials.


LAHORE: The government will reinstate sacked chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview with Business Plus aired on Tuesday. “All judges will remain and Iftikhar Chaudhry will be reinstated,” Zardari said during the interview, aired hours after his crucial meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif. He said the judges’ issue would be resolved soon, but declined to give a timeframe. “Soon does not mean one week, 10 days, [or] five days. No final date can be given.” He said Chaudhry had the democratic right to protest and address rallies. “This is the beauty of democracy.” “When I say existing judges will remain, it means dialogue should take place,” Zardari said, adding that he had invited the sacked judges for dialogue “but they did not show up”. “Now again, through your programme, I invite them for a dialogue.” The PPP leader said the PML-N had “a weak legal wing”, and that a “magician” from his own party was advising the PML-N. Zardari said Nawaz and he had the same stance on the reinstatement of the judiciary, “but the question is, how do we do it?” He said the issue was not “individual specific”. He said the Pakistan government would find international donors to fund a United Nations-led inquiry into former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, but said Pakistan would oppose it if the team consists of members who can hurt Pakistan’s interest. He said the coalition government would impeach President Pervez Musharraf “when the time is right”. “Whenever Nawaz Sharif and I think the time is right for a full transition to democracy, we will strike.”

Fresh oath to sacked judges mandatory: Naik

ISLAMABAD: The PPP-led government is sincere in restoring all sacked judges including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry but under the constitution, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Farooq H Naik said on Tuesday. Talking to reporters, he said that administering oath to the sacked judges under Schedule 3 of the Constitution was mandatory under the constitution, adding that there was no other way of reinstating them. Earlier in Senate, he refuted media reports that the sacked judges would have to take oath from President Musharraf.

Zardari, Nawaz agree to impeach Musharraf

* PPP co-chairman agrees to impeachment following Kh Asif’s assurance that coalition has strength to sack president
* PPP says coalition partners to be consulted before today’s meeting
* PML-N leader says coalition to prepare charge sheet against Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday agreed in principle to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, provided that all coalition partners assured their support for this endeavour.

He conceded this conditional agreement to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif during a “make-or-break” meeting that was meant to resolve contentious issues between the two coalition partners, including the sacked judges’ reinstatement and the impeachment of the president.

Kh Asif’s assurance: Sources privy to the meeting told Daily Times that the agreement came about after senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif assured Zardari that the coalition partners had sufficient strength to impeach President Musharraf if the PPP took the initiative. “Both parties agreed that the issue of reinstating the sacked judges could easily be resolved once they succeeded in getting rid of President Musharraf,” the sources added.

According to the sources, Nawaz also complained to Zardari about not taking his party into confidence over the military operations in FATA and NWFP, and an increase in petroleum prices. “Syed Naveed Qamar told Nawaz that [PML-N] Senator Ishaq Dar had been apprised of the petroleum price increase,” the sources added.

Consultations: Following the meeting, which lasted six hours, PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told reporters that the “discussions were held in a very cordial manner and were very positive, frank and productive”. “Major progress was made as broad consensus emerged on key issues,” he added.

He said the talks would resume on Wednesday at Zardari House at 11.30am, adding that prior to this, the remaining coalition partners, including Awami National Party President Asfandyar Wali and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, would be consulted. “Mian Raza Rabbani and Ishaq Dar were assigned to initiate contact with the coalition partners,” the sources added.

Charge sheet: Khawaja Asif told Geo News that all parties in the ruling alliance would prepare a charge sheet against Musharraf and have an open debate on it. He said the president would be allowed to defend himself, adding that evidence was being gathered for the charge sheet.

Also on Tuesday, Information Minister Sherry Rehman told a private TV channel that the meeting between Zardari and Nawaz was “very positive and cordial”. She told Geo News that the agenda of the meeting was to evolve a joint strategy on national issues, APP reported.

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Karachi to meet the ANP president, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the nation would soon hear “good news” regarding the reinstatement of the sacked judges. He said that he hoped the ruling coalition would remain intact. Meanwhile, Geo News reported that Nawaz has summoned a party meeting at 10.30am in Murree today (Wednesday), ahead of his meeting with Zardari. The channel said Nawaz would seek his party leaders’ advice during the meeting.


http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...010:14:59%20AM

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

Draft of ruling coalitions joint statement finalized

ISLAMABAD: The draft of ruling coalitions joint statement has been finalized, sources said. According to sources, President Pervez Musharraf would be asked to get vote of confidence from the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies. The provincial assemblies would table a resolution demanding the president to acquire vote of confidence, sources said. It further said impeachment motion would be presented in the assembly if President Musharraf didnt take vote of confidence. Draft says that deposed judges will be restored as per Murree declaration after the impeachment of the president. Meanwhile, PML-N ministers would also join the federal cabinet. The draft, after approval from Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, would be presented to media in a press conference. Earlier, the draft Committee comprising Senator Raza Rabbani, Sherry Rehman, Farooq H. Naek, Ishaq Dar and Ahsan Iqbal finalize the draft. Sources say that Nawaz Sharif along with his senior leaders will leave for Zardari House to meet Asif Zardari.

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Musharraf faces impeachment bid

Thursday, 7 August 2008

Pakistan's ruling coalition parties say they will begin impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf.

Party leaders Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif made the announcement after three days of talks. They would need a two-thirds majority to impeach.

Mr Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

He gave up control of the army last year and his allies were defeated in February's elections but he retains the power to dissolve parliament.

Mr Musharraf has previously said he would resign rather than face impeachment proceedings but he has made no comment yet on the latest move.

The BBC's Mark Dummett in Islamabad says an impeachment would take Pakistani politics into new territory, since no Pakistani leader has faced it before.

Sacked judges

Mr Zardari, of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), and the PML-N's Narwaz Sharif announced the impeachment move at a press conference in Islamabad.

Mr Zardari said: "We have good news for democracy. The coalition believes it is imperative to move for impeachment against General Musharraf."

Mr Zardari, the widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, derided Mr Musharraf's economic policies, adding: "He has worked to undermine the transition to democracy."

He also warned Mr Musharraf not to dissolve parliament, saying: "If he does it, it will be his last verdict against the people."

Mr Sharif said: "Pakistan cannot afford to see democracy derailed, this is not the same Pakistan as was the case in the 1980s and 1990s. People will not accept it now."

The leaders say they will also move to have Mr Musharraf face votes of confidence in the national and four provincial assemblies.

Our correspondent says these will not be enough to dislodge President Musharraf but might weaken him ahead of any impeachment showdown.

Impeachment would need a two-thirds majority in the upper and lower houses of the national assembly but, our correspondent says, getting those numbers might be difficult.

The two leaders also promised to restore judges sacked under Mr Musharraf's emergency rule once impeachment was successful.

How to proceed on that issue had caused deep divisions between the two coalition parties since the elections.

Military role

Mr Musharraf had been scheduled to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing but has cancelled his trip and will be replaced by Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani.

Mr Musharraf was elected president for a five-year term last October in a controversial parliamentary vote.

One presidential source told Agence France-Presse news agency Mr Musharraf was discussing a course of action and had the options of dissolving parliament or imposing emergency rule again.

The president is still thought to have heavy influence over the military and its reaction will remain crucial.

Pakistan has been ruled by military leaders for more than half of its existence since Partition in 1947.

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Time is the longest distance between two places.