Pakistan wants to base ties with other countries on mutual respect: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said Pakistan wanted peace and friendly relations with other countries based on mutual respect and national interests stemming from the best practices of diplomacy.

He was talking to Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Khalid Shamim Wyne, who called on him at the PM House and discussed with overall security situation in the country in the wake of Mohmand Agency incident.

The Prime Minister said the democratic government had taken a clear stance on the Nato attack that the infringement on the territorial integrity of Pakistan was unacceptable.

The Prime Minister said the nation stood by their armed forces and was ready to offer any sacrifice in defence of the national frontiers.

He added that the resolutions of the joint session of the Parliament and of All Parties Conference clearly manifested the national resolve to protect the security of the country.

General Khalid Shamim Wyne said the security forces of the country were fully alert to defend the country, adding that any sacrifice would be rendered to preserve and uphold the sanctity of the motherland.

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No possibility of change without exercise of right of ballot: Kaira

MIRPUR: Secretary Information Pakistan Peoples Party and former federal minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said that vote is the only way for bringing about any change in the country.

“There is no possibility of any change in the country without the exercise of the right of franchise,” Kaira said while speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony held here, in connection with the election campaign for the office bearers of Pakistan Engineering Council. AJK Minister for electricity Arshad Hussain presided over the ceremony.

Kaira said that vote was a strong power. The true use of the right of vote could bring about a change in the society and the country. He said that certain elements were talking high of change in the country.

The PPP leader advised the engineers of AJK to use their right of vote in the scheduled elections to Pakistan Engineering Council to pave the way for emerging of quality leadership harmonious to the high status of the PEC.

He observed that the power of vote could be assessed after the electorates exercise the accountability through the power of vote. He added that the wise use of the right of franchise was the only way to exercise the public accountability.

Qamar Zaman Kaira said it was the paramount national duty of all segments of the society, including engineers, doctors, lawyers and educationists to use their right of vote truly whenever they were provided with the opportunity to exercise their right of franchise.

He added that if the educated class would not use the right of vote wisely, what could be expected from the people belonging to other classes of the society.

The PPP leader opined that the drive for holding elections through democratic way by the Pakistan Engineering Council would help in to improve and raise the working and abilities of the PEC – since only democratic system brings the nation and the country on the path of speedy progress and prosperity, he added.

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CJ tells NAB to produce details of references against Sharifs

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Tuesday called for the details of NAB references against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, FTNews reported.

The apex court was hearing NAB’s appeals against the Sharif brothers.

During the hearing, Prosecutor-General NAB K K Agha said the Sharif brothers had left the country through a deal and had voluntarily surrendered their properties to the NAB.

Chief Justice Iftikhar inquired as to why the prosecutor had not produced a copy of the deal before either the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Agha also told the court that NAB wanted to hold the property of Sharif brothers until the case was resolved.

Responding to which, Chief Justice Iftikhar remarked that NAB had no authority to hold the property until a reference could be presented against the Sharif brothers.

The hearing was subsequently postponed to the third week of January.

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Militants kill five villagers in Khyber: officials

PESHAWAR: Militants opened fire on Pakistani villagers Tuesday, killing at least five civilians and wounding another six in the tribal badlands bordering Afghanistan, government officials said.

The attack took place in the Shalobar area of Khyber, part of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt where the military is fighting homegrown militants led by warlord Mangal Bagh.

“Five villagers were killed and six were injured,” Sayed Ahmad Jan, a senior government official in Khyber, told AFP by telephone.

“Militants came in a pick-up and fired on the villagers who were standing on the side of the road,” Jan added.

An intelligence official in Khyber said villagers were helping the Frontier Corps (FC) dislodge militants, confirming that paramilitary troops had launched a search operation in the area on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Shalobar, seven people, including two children and three women, were wounded when a mortar shell slammed into their home, Jan said.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt, also a rear base for Taliban fighting US troops in Afghanistan.

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Pakistan wants cordial ties with all states: FM Khar

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday said the final decision on foreign policy was the parliament’s mandate, FTNews reported.

Khar said the envoys’ conference was analysing Pakistan’s ties with important countries.

Speaking to media representatives outside the parliament, Khar said Pakistan did not want to sever relations with any country, neither did it want a conflict with any state.

Khar said recommendations made during the conference would be presented to the parliament and to the national security committee.

Responding to a question on Nato’s attack of November 26, Khar said diplomatic relations with the United States were still in place.

The foreign minister said Nato supplies could not be restored at least until an internal assessment regarding the attack was ongoing.

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CJ questions govt handling of IPPs

ISLAMABAD: During a hearing of the rental power projects (RPPs) case on Tuesday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry inquired as to why the government had not utilised the independent power producers (IPPs) to reduce electricity shortage in the country, FTNews reported.

The apex court was hearing the case against alleged corruption in the RPPs. Moreover, during the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar also sought details of the IPPs.

Khwaja Tariq Rahim, the counsel for the Ministry for Water and Power, told the court that currently 27 IPPs with the capacity of producing an overall 6,870 MW electricity were functioning across the country.

The chief justice remarked that there was no need for RPPs if the IPPs were made to work their full capacity.

Rahim informed the court that the RPPs were installed to fulfil the gap of power shortage which touches 4,000MW during the summer season.

He also cited the shortage of water in dams and reservoirs as another reason for loadshedding.

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US freeze on Pakistan aid unwise: Salim Saifullah

ISLAMABAD: A decision by a US Congressional panel to freeze $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it gives assurances it is helping fight the spread of homemade bombs in the region could hurt already strained ties, a senior Pakistani senator warned on Tuesday.

“I don’t think this is a wise move. It could hurt ties. There should instead be efforts to increase cooperation. I don’t see any good coming out of this,” Salim Saifullah, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, told Reuters.

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Envoys meet for second day on reforming ties with US, Nato

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani envoys in major capitals around the world were meeting for the second day at their foreign policy review talks in Islamabad on Tuesday, FTNews reported.

The envoys were working at identifying different elements of ties with the United States and Nato that need to be redefined.

The 15 envoys at the end of their two-day deliberations will come up with a set of recommendations that will form the basis of future relationship with the US. Notwithstanding the publicly-stated broad scope of the discussions — “deliberating on different aspects of country`s foreign policy” — it was evident from the agenda that the proceedings were US-specific.

Ambassador-designate to the US Sherry Rehman, who played a key role throughout the conference, will unveil the recommendations at the end of the conference.

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