Pakistan stops Nato supplies after raid kills “up to 25” troops

YAKKAGHUND: Nato helicopters attacked a military checkpoint in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing up to 25 troops and prompting Pakistan to shut the vital supply route for Nato troops fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said.

A Pakistani military spokesman confirmed Saturday’s pre-dawn cross-border attack in the tribal region of Mohmand and said casualties had been reported, but gave no details.

“Nato helicopters carried out an unprovoked and indiscriminate firing on a Pakistani check post in Mohmand agency, casualties have been reported and details are awaited,” the spokesman told Reuters.

Two military officials said that up to 25 Pakistani troops had been killed and 14 wounded in the attack on the Salala check post, about 2.5 kilometres from the Afghan border.

“We have heard about heavy casualties but can’t provide you with the exact number of casualties of our troops as the post is far away, located in the mountains and is difficult to reach at the moment,” a military spokesman in Peshawar said.

The attack took place around 2 a.m. in the Baizai area of Mohmand, where Pakistani troops are fighting Taliban militants.

Another senior Pakistani military officer said efforts were under way to bring the bodies of the slain soldiers to Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand tribal region.

“The latest attack by Nato forces on our post will have serious repercussions as they without any reasons attacked on our post and killed soldiers asleep,” he said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

About 40 Pakistani army troops were stationed at the outpost, military sources said.

Two officers were reported among the dead.

Nato supply trucks and fuel tankers bound for Afghanistan were stopped at Jamrud town in the Khyber tribal region near the city of Peshawar hours after the raid, officials said.

“We have halted the supplies and some 40 tankers and trucks have been returned from the check post in Jamrud,” Mutahir Zeb, a senior government official, told Reuters.

Another official said the supplies had been stopped for security reasons.

Meanwhile in Washington, Pakistan’s acting ambassador to the United States, Iffat Gardezi, registered a protest against the incident with officials of the US State Department.

Gardezi termed the incident as a violation of Pakistan’s border and sovereignty and said that it could hurt ties between the two countries.

Pakistan is a vital land route for 49 per cent of Nato’s supplies to its troops in Afghanistan, a Nato spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul said the coalition there was aware of “an incident” and was gathering more information.

The incident occurred a day after US General John Allen met Pakistani Army Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani to discuss border control and enhanced cooperation.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border is often poorly marked, and differs between maps by up to five miles in some places.

A similar incident on September 30, 2010, which killed two Pakistani troops, led to the closure of one of Nato’s supply routes through Pakistan for 10 days.

Nato apologised for that incident, which it said happened when Nato gunships mistook warning shots by the Pakistani forces for a militant attack.

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Memogate raised questions over govt’s authority: Khar

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in an interview admitted that the memogate scandal had raised questions over the government’s authority in handling the state’s affairs.

In the interview with the BBC, Khar termed the allegations of President Asif Ali Zardari’s involvement in the scandal as ‘ridiculous’.

She said the scandal would be investigated impartially and at the highest level so that all political parties and people could be satisfied.

The minister further said that the controversy had created the feeling that the army was pulling the levers of power.

“Sadly it does. I cannot deny that, and that’s an unfortunate part that something as ludicrous as this could raise more questions. It doesn't take much to be able to raise those questions.”

Answering a question over who was in charge of the state’s affairs — the civilian government or the military leadership, she replied that it was “an evolutionary process”.

“You cannot change things overnight. The army has had a larger-than-life role to play in Pakistan’s history. However, you do have a democratic set up,” she told the BBC.

The foreign minster refused to comment on recent reports of talks between the government and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

On Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, she said Pakistan could help in bringing peace in Afghanistan but it could not guarantee anything.

Khar said she was not concerned about the fact that some in the US Congress wanted to cut off aid to Pakistan over the Haqqani network.

“No, I am not worried about that risk,” she said.

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Zulfiqar Mirza remains unhurt in Manchester attack

LONDON: Sindh’s former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza remained unhurt in an attack targeting him while he was returning from a 

ceremony in Manchester, FTNews reported on Saturday.

According to media reports, Mirza, along with Lord Nazir Ahmed, was returning after attending a ceremony held by the 

Pakistani community when unknown men tried to hit him with an iron rod.

Mirza remained unhurt but two people received minor injuries.

The attackers who managed to escape from the scene could be identified through CCTV footage obtained by the media.

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Steel Mills given Rs6bn lifeline

ISLAMABAD: The government agreed on Friday to provide an `immediate relief` of Rs6 billion to Pakistan Steel Mills to avert its closure following a communication from the PSM management that it was starting a `shutdown process` which would be completed by December 10.

According to informed sources, the chairman of the executive committee of the management said in a letter delivered to the ministry of industries and subsequently to the cabinet committee on restructuring that there was no option but to start the shutdown process because of shortage of raw material.

The process would be completed on December 10 after which, the letter said, it would be technically impossible to revive the plant.

A senior federal government official said the committee agreed to provide “an immediate relief” of Rs6 billion through a bank guarantee.

A meeting of the economic coordination committee (ECC) of the cabinet has been convened to formally approve the guarantee.

He played down a looming shutdown threat owing to raw material shortage and said the bank guarantee would help resume the process of opening of letters of credit for procuring raw materials (coal and iron ore) on an emergency basis.

Responding to a question about Rs20 billion bailout package sought by the PSM, the official said it had been considered by the CCOR, but a decision would require further talks over the next few days.

About the financial crisis that had blocked payment of salaries to over 16,000 staff, the official claimed that arrangements had been made to clear salaries within a few days.

In an earlier SOS message, the PSM management had informed the government that it was “finally left with no option but to submit before the government that immediate steps need to be taken for at least making out desperate efforts for revival of PSM by providing L/C (letter of credit) facility through the National Bank of Pakistan for procurement of raw material i.e. iron ore and coal for which NBP may be given instructions for arranging Rs6 billion LC facility to manage procurement of raw materials”.

The executive committee of the management which is looking after day-to-day affairs of the PSM in the absence of a managing director had warned that “if required action for procurement of raw material is not taken immediately, the mill might collapse and, thereafter, its revival would be difficult, even impossible”.

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Appointment of Ogra chief illegal: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court struck down on Friday the appointment of Tauqir Sadiq as Chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to consider investigating allegations of corruption against him.

The verdict by a bench comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain mentioned a number of allegations against Mr Sadiq and said these required serious investigation.

NAB was asked to submit its findings within 45 days on the possibility of filing corruption references.

The ruling on a petition by Mohammad Yasin against Mr Sadiq’s eligibility for the post asked the latter to return the emoluments drawn from the public exchequer as Ogra’s chairman.

Mr Sadiq, brother-in-law of a politician holding an important post in the PPP government, was appointed the chief of Ogra in July 2009.

The verdict authored by Justice Jawwad said Mr Sadiq’s appointment violated the criteria laid down in Section 3(4) of the Ogra Ordinance of 2002. The section requires the head of the independent institution to be an eminent professional of “known competence and integrity”.

Mr Sadiq, who faces several corruption allegations and holds an LLM degree from a reportedly ‘fake degree-granting’ institution, the American University in London, was found to have failed to meet the required standard.

The judgment held that under the law and the Constitution the executive retained the power to make appointments but this power must be exercised in a demonstrably fair and honest manner.

It outlined a three-pronged test based on objectivity, relevance and due diligence. Any appointment failing this test would be invalid and liable to be struck down upon judicial review.

The judgment closely examined the process followed during the appointment and found it fraught with serious irregularities.

It pointed out that applicants were selected and rejected in an arbitrary and illegal manner and little attention was paid to objective indicators of their ability and merit.

Such was the incompetence and lack of probity in the selection process, the court said, that during Mr Sadiq’s four interviews and several short-listings, no-one noticed the fake degree he was relying on or the other unsubstantiated claims on his CV.

The interviews of 17 candidates were all rushed in a single day and a single field expert was deemed sufficient for examining the technical prowess of applicants from wide-ranging fields, it said.

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PML-N keeps away as NA approves energy bills

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-N kept away from the National Assembly for a full day on Friday in protest over the government’s handling of a controversial memo that led to the resignation of Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States as the house passed two government bills for energy levies before coming to a quiet end to a hot 12-day session.

The boycott was in continuation of the party’s walkout from the house on Thursday when it felt dissatisfied with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s explanation of the resignation by ambassador Hussain Haqqani at his demand and despite his announcement that an inquiry at the “highest level” by a committee would be held into the origin of the memo critical of Pakistan’s military leadership, which both government and the envoy have said in the past was fabricated by a US Pakistani-American businessman.

Mr Gilani remained in the house on Friday for an unusually long time but did not speak on this issue, which got only a brief mention when a member of the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Mohammad Laeq Khan, said amid cheers from the treasury benches that his party would not become a party to use the memo, which businessman Mansoor Ijaz sent to then US military chief in May, as part of conspiracy to topple the elected government.

However, despite PML-N’s defiance and some angry exchanges before and after Thursday’s walkout, Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar announced his acceptance of some amendments proposed by PML-N members along with some non-binding recommendations from the Senate — and he then moved those amendments — in the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Bill he piloted on behalf of Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh to provide for the imposition of a cess from companies or consumers to finance infrastructure projects such as for the import of gas from Iran and Turkmenistan, import of liquefied natural gas import and enhancing liquefied petroleum gas supply.

The second legislation — the Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) (Amendment) Bill — also piloted by Mr Qamar on behalf of the finance minister — further amends the Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) Ordinance of 1961 to empower the government to revise the levy on the basis of international prices and to add or delete certain petroleum products from a relevant fifth schedule of the existing law.

Earlier, several female members of the house from parties in the ruling coalition complained of prevailing discrimination and violence against women as they spoke to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women designated by a 1999 resolution of the UN General Assembly and were followed by an assurance by the chief whip of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah that the government would not tolerate any excess against women and minority communities.

The minister used the occasion for an appeal to the Senate to endorse a private bill passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday to provide for heavy penalties for anti-women practices like forced marriages, the so-called “marriage with the holy Quran” and depriving them of inheritances.

This he did in response to a complaint from Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s Kashmala Tariq about the lapse in the upper house ofan earlier pro-women bill passed by the lower house.

It was PPP’s Azra Fazal Pechuho, a sister of President Asif Ali Zardari, who initiated the discussion on what she called “bigotry and violence” faced by women in the country inside and outside their homes, including the so-called “karokari” and other forms of honour killings, and called upon lawmakers to join the UN campaign against violence on women.

Awami National Party’s Bushra Gohar demanded nullification of the result of a by-election won by her own party on Thursday for a provincial assembly seat in the Kohistan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa province, in which she said women were barred from voting under an agreement reached between contesting parties at the local level at the office of the district coordination officer.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Shagufta Sadiq said violence against women was increasing and called for the use of education syllabi and the platform of mosque to prevent the trend.

The house passed a motion moved by Mr Khursheed Shah to authorise the house speaker to form a committee representing all parties to probe complaints of delay of PIA flights bringing back Haj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia, before Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who chaired the day’s proceedings, read out a presidential order proroguing the session.

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PPP decides against reopening cases

ISLAMABAD: Senior PPP leaders and a number of federal ministers met here on Friday night under the chairmanship of President Asif Ali Zardari and decided not to reopen cases against the president.

The meeting was held to discuss the Supreme Court verdict dismissing the government’s petition to review its verdict against the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

“The meeting decided to step up consultative process with political forces and coalition partners to overcome the challenges facing the country,” said President’s Spokesman Farhatullah Babar while the meeting was still in progress.

Those who attended the meeting included Senator Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Rehman Malik, Syed Khursheed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Mian Raza Rabbani, Dr Babar Awan, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Senator Sardar Ali, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Wahab and Fouzia Habib.

Senator Babar Awan briefed the meeting on the NRO issue and said President Zardari enjoyed immunity from prosecution.

The meeting decided that the policy of reconciliation would continue.

The memogate issue also came under discussion and the meeting expressed satisfaction over appointment of Sherry Rehman as Ambassador to the United States.

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US against Iranian gas pipeline, says ambassador

LAHORE, Nov 25: US Ambassador Cameron Munter has said the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project is not a good idea and that a pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan is a better option.

Speaking at the Mega Education Fair 2011 organised by the Lahore University of Management Sciences’ Career Services Office on Friday, he said: “We do not favour the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project but consider the Turkmenistan pipeline via Afghanistan as a better project.”

He said the US had supported a second silk route linking Central Asian states with the subcontinent and Pakistan should focus on regional partnership based on bilateral ties.

Mr Munter said the US assistance in the energy sector did not mean adding megawatts to the grid as reforms were needed badly in the sector. “We are looking for a long-term business and private partnership.”

The ambassador said the US supported tripartite negotiations with Pakistan and Afghanistan and “we look forward to the ministerial-level talks to be held in Bonn”.

Answering a question about the alleged dictation to Pakistan by the US officials, he said: “When Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said he didn’t want American trainers, we sent them back home.”

He said the US had given $10 million to the university in 1987 and $15 million would be given over the next five years for the development of departments and infrastructure on its campus.

Mr Munter said the US wanted a strong Pakistan and stressed the role of both countries in ensuring a stable, democratic and prosperous region. “Pakistan’s success is America’s success,” he said.

The US ambassador said Pakistani students must take up a leadership role to help Pakistan become stable, democratic and prosperous. He emphasised the themes of leadership, partnership and solidarity.

Talking to media persons, Mr Munter said he had met PTI chairman Imran Khan and COAS Kayani several times, but separately. He said he had never met Pakistani military and political leadership jointly.

He said the United States had seriously taken up the memo issue and resignation of Hussain Haqqani as ambassador and would be ready to offer any help to the government. “It is for the government of Pakistan to nominate an ambassador to the US whether it is Sherry Rehman or anybody else,” he said.

Mr Munter said Pakistan enjoyed excellent relations with the US and China and it should have good relations with other countries of the region.

He admitted that the US had committed a mistake in the past and taken a hasty decision of changing the Afghan policy due to which it had suffered.

He said Pakistan and the US were jointly fighting a war against those who were attacking shrines, soldiers and innocent people.

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Parliamentary committee on security takes up memogate

ISLAMABAD, Nov 25: The Parliamentary Committee on National Security took up on Friday a letter sent by a PML-N leader seeking briefing by foreign and defence secretaries on the memogate scandal.

The panel also discussed letters by two parliamentarians belonging to the PML-N and Jamaat-i-Islami about a statement by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman that over 10,000 bombs were dropped by the PAF in Fata since 2008 in 5,500 sorties.

The committee chairman, Mian Raza Rabbani, said there should be no political point-scoring on the memo issue.

He told reporters that the committee would decide on its future course of action after briefings by the defence and foreign secretaries.

He said Ambassador Husain Haqqani had resigned his position and presented himself for investigation which was a positive development.

Discussing the two letters on the shelling in Fata, the committee decided to get clarification from the defence ministry about the bombings that the lawmakers said was a great source of concern because no responsible official had denied the statement by the PAF chief.

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