Former CJP to challenge SC verdict
August 29, 2009

ISLAMABAD: Former chief justice of Pakistan Justice (Retd.) Abdul Hamid Dogar has decided to challenge the constitutional position of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Malik Muhammad Qayum, counsel of Justice (Retd.) Abdul Hamid Dogar, Saturday said consultations are being held in this regard.

He said Justice (Retd.) Abdul Hamid Dogar will challenge the July 31 verdict of Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Haqqani urges U.S. media to halt hurling blames on Pakistan [Geo TV] 30 Aug, 2009



WASHINGTON: Pakistan's Ambassador in U.S., Hussain Haqqani has termed a U.S newspaper report, alleging Pakistani engineers have upgraded the range of U.S.- made Harpoon missile earlier given to Pakistan and test fired, baseless and incorrect.

Talking to Geo News Hussain Haqqani said that such news reports were designed to target and scuttle the U.S. Congress lawmaking process underway for sanctioning aid to Pakistan.

He urged upon the U.S. media to halt hurling blames on Pakistan and help it in war against terror. He said that the frequent campaign of labeling blames on Pakistan in U.S. media only meant for disgracing Pakistan, but despite all the conspiracies Pakistan would continue aligning with the U.S. in war against terrorism

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

CIA should keep an eye on Dr Khan, says Cheney [Dawn News] 31 Aug, 2009




WASHINGTON: Former US vice-president Dick Cheney said on Sunday that instead of probing CIA’s interrogation techniques, the Obama administration should use the agency to find what A. Q. Khan was up to.

Mr Cheney – an outspoken critic of the Obama administration, particularly on national security issues – took the administration head on in his pre-taped interview to Fox News, calling the investigation of CIA interrogators an ‘outrageous political act’.

‘The courts in Pakistan have ruled that A.Q. Khan, the father of the Pakistan nuclear weapon, who provided assistance to the Iranians, the North Koreans, the Libyans, has now been released from custody,’ Mr Cheney said.

‘It’s very, very important we find out and know long-term what he’s up to. He’s so far the worst proliferator of nuclear technology in recent history.’

The CIA, he said, had ‘agents and people’ who ought to be on that case and worry about it, but now they would be busy hiring lawyers at their own expense in order to defend themselves.

Mr Cheney said the Bush administration started the use of the Predator drones ‘very aggressively’ to target militants hiding in Fata and he was ‘very proud’ of such decisions.

‘Marrying up the intelligence platform with weapons is something we started in August of 2001. It’s been enormously successful. And they were successful the other day in killing Baitullah Mehsud, which -- I think all of those are pluses.’

President Barack Obama’s decision to investigate CIA agents who carried out those policies, however, would ‘seriously undermine the morale of our folks out at the agency,’ he added. ‘(It would set) a terrible, terrible precedent.’

Asked when he was the vice-president, did he know that CIA agents were using mock executions, handguns and electric drills to interrogate the suspects and used waterboarding against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 times, Mr Cheney said: ‘I knew about the waterboarding, not specifically in any one particular case but as a general policy that we had approved.’

‘Do you think what they did was wrong?’ he was asked.

‘My sort of overwhelming view is that the enhanced interrogation techniques were absolutely essential in saving thousands of American lives, in preventing further attacks against the United States, in giving us the intelligence we needed to go find Al Qaeda, to find their camps, to find out how they were being financed.’

Such interrogations, he said, led to the arrest of nearly all Al Qaeda members now in US custody. ‘I think they were directly responsible for the fact that for eight years we had no further mass casualty attacks against the United States.’

‘It was good policy. It was properly carried out. It worked very, very well,’ he added.

‘So even these cases where they went beyond the specific legal authorisation, you’re OK with it?’ he was asked.’ I am,’ said the former vice-president.

The US administration, he said, sometimes asks the CIA people to ‘do some very difficult things’ that put their own lives at risk and they ‘do so at the direction of the president.’

If those people were subjected to investigation, ‘nobody’s going to sign up for those kinds of missions,’ Mr Cheney warned. ‘It’s a very, very devastating, I think, effect that it has on morale inside the intelligence community.’

President Obama’s decision to investigate CIA agents, he said, was a political move with no rationale.

Mr Cheney said that only a few months ago, President Obama had assured the

CIA that there would not be ‘any look-back’ at those who were carrying out the policies of the previous administration.

‘Now they get a little heat from the left wing of the Democratic Party and they’re reversing course on that.’

Mr Cheney said that the other thing that ‘offends the hell out of me’, is the possibility that the Obama administration might want to investigate all those who, during the last eight years, were defending the nation against any further mass casualty attacks from Al Qaeda.

‘I think it’s an outrageous political act that will do great damage long term to our capacity to be able to have people take on difficult jobs, make difficult decisions without having to worry about what the next administration’s going to say about it,’ said Mr Cheney

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

ISLAMABAD, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen shot and wounded Pakistan's religious affairs minister, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, in a brazen attack in the capital on Wednesday that killed his driver, officials said.



The leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, is dead, two of his senior commanders have told the BBC.

It is the first time that the militant group has acknowledged his death.
The commanders, Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman, said that he had died of injuries sustained in a US missile strike earlier this month.
Hakimullah has been named as successor to Baitullah Mehsud, who was Pakistan's most feared militant, accused of scores of suicide bombings and other attacks.

Hakimullah Mehsud, who is believed to be in his late 20s, said Baitullah Mehsud had been critically wounded by the missile strike but died only on Sunday.

Waliur Rehman said that Hakimullah Meshud had his support as leader, and denied reports of differences between the two men.

"There are no differences between the various Taliban faction and we are all united."

Earlier, government officials said the two factions led by Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman had taken up arms against each other.

President Asif Ali Zardari urges U.S. to expedite reimbursement of the 1.6 billion dollars outstanding payments in coalition support fund, early passage of the Kerry Lugar bill and legislation for reconstruction opportunity zones. [PTV News] 02 Sep, 2009

He said this during a meeting with a three member delegation of the US Senate which called on him in Islamabad late last night. Briefing the media about the meeting, spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar said the President sought personal intervention of the visiting Senators, in expediting the reimbursement process, and also in the supply of critically needed equipment including the gunship helicopters. The senators included Carl Levin and jack reed, both of the senate's armed services committee, and senator Edward Kaufman, senate's foreign relations committee and us ambassador in Islamabad, ms. Anne w. Patterson. The President said payment of outstanding amounts in the support funds was important for the security forces to continue the ongoing military operation against the militants. He said the security forces had cleared 94% of the area in Swat from the militants and a large number of displaced persons have already returned to their homes. The President also touched upon the trade and economic issues between the two countries, and asked for enhanced market access to the U.S. and EU markets. He said attaching conditions would be counter-productive and impart a transactional nature to the relationship, which must be avoided. The President also welcomed President Obama's commitment to help Pakistan address its energy needs, and said the US government and private sector can help by supporting specific projects, as well as mobilizing investment for the energy sector. He said there is a huge opportunity for American companies to profitably invest in the energy sector in Pakistan. The President said Pakistan deeply appreciates President Obama's commitment to co-chair the friends of democratic Pakistan summit, in New York later this month, and said this would have great impact and galvanize support for Pakistan. The President said Pakistan is committed to establishing good relations with India and is determined to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice. The President also called for the revival of the composite dialogue process. About Afghanistan the President said Pakistan looks forward to continued cooperation with the newly elected government for peace and security in the region. The President said Pakistan needs ownership of drone technology as their use by the U.S against militants creates problems for a sovereign democratic government answerable to the people. Chairman of the Senate armed services committee senator Carl Levin, praised the government of Pakistan for developing national consensus in the fight against militancy and said a long term us Pakistan partnership would be most helpful in combating the menace.

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Musharraf upbeat after meeting with Saudi king [Dawn News] 03 Sep, 2009

RIYADH: Former president Pervez Musharraf left Jeddah for London on Wednesday afternoon after a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia amid speculations that another Saudi-backed political arrangement was on the cards in Pakistan.

General (retd) Musharraf had a long meeting with King Abdullah that began late on Tuesday night and continued into the early hours of Wednesday. Initially, senior Saudi ministers attended the meeting, but after 45 minutes they left the room and a one-to-one discussion between the king and the former president continued for about two hours and 15 minutes.

What transpired at the meeting was difficult to ascertain, but according to sources close to the former president he would say something about it on returning to London. They said that after the meeting Mr Musharraf was in ‘high spirits’. His body language was ‘positive’ and he sounded ‘very optimistic’.

Officially nothing much has been said by the Saudi side. In a brief news release, the official Saudi Press Agency said: ‘The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, received at his palace here today former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. During the audience, they held cordial talks. The audience was attended by a number of officials.’

It is an open secret here that President Musharraf resigned from the presidency last year under an arrangement and that the Saudis were one of the guarantors. Under the arrangement, there would be no trial of or court cases against the former president. Washington and London are believed to be among other guarantors.

Sources here say that it would be naive to think that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was unaware of the arrangement. And now the guarantors want the arrangement to be respected in letter and in spirit.

Mr Sharif is also expected here next week, during the last days of Ramazan. Public posturing apart, the sources said, Mr Sharif would be aware of the importance of the guarantee given by the Saudis.

It may be mentioned that Mr Musharraf’s was a high-profile visit. Not only did the king send a special plane to bring him to the kingdom, the meeting on Tuesday night was shown on Saudi TV. The SPA also released a picture showing the king engaged in discussion with the former president.

The Saudi initiative needs to be seen against the backdrop of the keen interest taken by Riyadh in political stability in Pakistan

پاکستان نیوکلیئر ڈیٹرنس کی حد سے آگے بڑھ رہا ہے‘ بھارت [روزنامہ جسارت] 03 Sep, 2009

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

A meeting chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari was held in Islamabad, to review and fine tune Pakistan's case before the forthcoming friends of democratic Pakistan (FODP) summit in New York later this month. [PTV News] 03 Sep, 2009



The meeting also took stock of the recent FODP ministerial meeting in Turkey. Briefing the media about the meeting presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the president directed that Pakistan's case should encompass the totality of the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts by including in it a long term strategy to fight militancy through education and also battle of ideas and intellect. President Asif Ali Zardari reiterated that FODP initiative should be seen as a long-term engagement of the international community with Pakistan to help it face the challenges including economic crisis in the wake of fight against militancy and terrorism. He said the political commitment of international community to help Pakistan would go a long way in fighting extremism and militancy.






Pakistan allows US to inspect Harpoons [Dawn News] 04 Sep, 2009




WASHINGTON: Pakistan has agreed to hold inspection of US-made Harpoon missiles in its arsenal to dispel allegations that it has modified them to target India, says a senior American official.

‘We have raised the issue with the Pakistani government. The (Pakistan) government has responded with an agreement in principle for mutually agreed inspections,’ US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley told reporters.

‘This is something that we take very seriously … in this particular case, we have some concerns,’ he added.

Between 1985 and 1988 the Ronald Reagan administration delivered 165 Harpoon missiles to Pakistan.

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Pakistan had modified the anti-ship missile to enhance its striking capabilities against India. The report also accused Pakistan of modifying US-made P-3 surveillance aircraft.

Pakistan has rejected the report as ‘totally inaccurate’, urging the US media to focus on helping Pakistan to fight the common enemy of terrorism instead of making false allegations.

Also at the State Department, spokesman Ian Kelly told a briefing that the Obama administration recently negotiated an agreement with Pakistan to deal with such disputes.

‘We take these allegations very seriously. We have engaged the government of Pakistan at the highest levels,’ he added.

‘We recently negotiated an agreement in principle to establish mutually agreed inspections to address possible modifications to any arms that we’ve transferred, and we’ve notified Congress of potential violations of obligations entered in pursuant to the Arms Control Export Control Act to ensure that key leaders are provided information on US efforts to address them.

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

PM extends CCP chairman tenure for one month [Geo TV] 05 Sep, 2009



KARACHI: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday extended the tenure of the Chairman of Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) Khalid Mirza for one month.

Talking to media in an inaugural function of a housing scheme Gulshan-e- Maymar in Governor House, Premier Gilani said appointments made in the bureaucracy on the basis of merit. In contrast of the general impression, Khalid Mirza was not removed from the office under any pressure or action he took in sugar crisis or imposing penalty on cement cartel.

PM Gilani said if chairman CCP took measures of national interest, he should continue his work and he has been restored for one month

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

perhaps the most shocking for many was the move to replace Khalid Mirza, who was regarded as a highly competent and fearlessly independent head of the Competitive Commission of Pakistan. Javed Akhtar, a little-known official of the finance ministry, has been brought in his place.

A senior official told Dawn that there was a strong possibility that the government might realise its mistake and bring Mr Mirza back to the Competitive Commission, whose major task is to protect the interest of the people against cartels and monopolies.

Source:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/...ureaucracy-599

Bureaucratic reshuffle [Dawn News] 06 Sep, 2009



It will be some time before we can assess the impact of what has indeed been one of the biggest shake-ups in Pakistan’s bureaucracy on Friday. If the criterion for the reshuffle, ordered by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, is efficiency, then the people must gain in the form of good governance. This should reflect itself in an improved law and order situation, a turnaround in the economy, a crackdown on profiteers and hoarders, a revitalised energy sector with fewer power outages and, in general, better services in education, airlines, railways, water supply and sanitation.

However, before or after ordering the large-scale changes that included the transfer of over a dozen federal secretaries and the promotion of 51 Grade-21 officers to the next grade, the prime minister hasn’t bothered to let the people know precisely what principles of administration and manpower management had guided him in his actions.

Ayub Khan was the first to deal a blow to the bureaucracy by retiring a large number of top bureaucrats, some of them pre-independence ICS hands, on charges of corruption. Yahya Khan sacked 303 officers, while Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Ziaul Haq resorted to the screening of officialdom on a mass scale for reasons that were political and ‘ideological’ rather than administrative. This marked the beginning of the politicisation of the bureaucracy.

In the post-Zia period (1988-1999), we had four elected prime ministers and each regime change was followed by the arbitrary retirement, or in some cases arrest, of top officials in the government and state-run corporations as part of vendetta and political witch-hunting. The overall impact was to be seen in the bureaucracy’s demoralisation, a worsening of law and order, a dramatic fall in the quality of services offered and — more importantly — a gradual erosion of state institutions and government authority. All along, the monster of corruption grew in dimensions.

The Gilani government has been in power for a year and a half, and one can understand its legitimate desire to finally have the kind of set-up it would feel more comfortable with. But the sweep of the changes on Friday has been stunning and has caused misgivings, like the promotion to Grade-22 of officers who had been given Grade-21 only five months ago. Similarly promotions and changes in the ‘7th common group’ give the impression that the aim is to staff the top state posts with loyalists. One can expect a lot of heart-burning among some efficient officers transferred or made to go. People will surely be waiting to see in what way the overhaul of the bureaucracy benefits them.

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has stressed upon the United States to provide its aid to Pakistan through government's mechanism. [PTV News] 07 Sep, 2009



The Prime Minister was talking to the U.S deputy minister for resource and management Jacob J. Leo, who called on him in Islamabad. The Prime Minister said that expenditures, in supply of aid through non-governmental organizations sometime reach from 35 to 40 percent, due to which funds for the welfare of the people shrink. The US deputy secretary of state while congratulating the government of Pakistan for successful operation against the militants in Swat and Malakand and for its on going efforts for rehabilitation of the dislocated persons assured his government's full support in this regard

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya