Institutions working within constitutional ambit: Gilani

PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that all the state institutions were working within constitutional ambit and urged the nation to forge unity in its ranks for countering the challenges.

Talking to media representatives after chairing first ever federal cabinet meeting at Governor House here, the prime minister urged the people not to pay heed to rumours and work for the progress and stability of the country.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashaq Awan, Governor of Khyber Pakthunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar and Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti were also present on the occasion.

The prime minister stressed the need for unity and cohesion, saying that the challenges should be faced with courage and steadfastness.

Replying to a question regarding the decisions taken by the government in the aftermath of Nato attacks on army posts in Mohmand Agency, the prime minister said all the decisions taken by the elected government reflected the nation’s aspirations and the decisions taken by the Defence Cabinet Committee were endorsed by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and the Cabinet.

The decisions were also taken in accordance with the resolutions of the All Parties Conference and the Parliament, he added.

The prime minister said the whole nation supported the new terms of engagement with the United States keeping the national interest and sovereignty of the country supreme.

Gilani said that the government would secure guarantee from the US to ensure Pakistan’s sovereignty as “enough is enough.”

“We need surety and guarantee for the protection of country’s sovereignty and such unilateral action should not occur in future,” he added.

The prime minister said there would be no compromise on the country’s integrity and sovereignty.

Answering another question, the prime minister rejected holding talks with the Taliban. Talks would be held with those militants who surrendered to the political agent as per the customs of tribal areas and denounced militancy and extremism, he added.

The prime minister said Pakistan wanted a stable, progressive and sovereign Afghanistan which was also in its own interest. “We have common border and will live together forever while the aliens will have to go from the region one day,” he explained.

He said both Pakistan and Afghanistan have common enemy and have heavily suffered due to terrorism.

The prime minister said record Rs 1.5 trillion have been spent on development projects in the country during last four years.

He directed the authorities for early start of construction work on the Peshawar Northern By-pass.

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PTI can hold rally in Karachi: Wassan

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan, on Wednesday said that Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) can hold rally wherever it wishes to in Karachi as Sindh government has given the permission, FTNews reported.

While talking to FTNews, Wasan said that being the home minister he has given permission to PTI to hold rally at the Quaid’s mausoleum.

On the other hand, the resident of Quaid’s mausoleum engineer Mohammad Arif said that the permission to PTI for the rally cannot be granted by the Sindh government because this place belongs to mausoleum management board.

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President Zardari to be discharged Thursday: Farhatullah Babar

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari will be discharged on Thursday from a Dubai hospital where he has spent more than a week but will remain in the Gulf emirate to rest, his spokesman said Wednesday.

“All tests are clear and the doctors plan to discharge the president from hospital tomorrow to take rest at home and continue the heart medication,” Farhatullah Babar told AFP.

“The president is recovering and the doctors have advised him complete rest,” Babar said, adding that Zardari would remain at his house in Dubai.

The 56-year-old Zardari flew to the United Arab Emirates last Tuesday after falling ill in the midst of a major scandal over alleged attempts by a close aide to seek US help to limit the power of Pakistan’s military.

Babar declined to comment when Zardari would be returning to Pakistan.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has denied that Zardari had suffered a stroke or offered to resign, despite rumours and reports to the contrary.

Zardari, who has a long-standing heart condition, was being treated at the American Hospital in Dubai.

He is facing a major scandal over the extent to which he was involved in any attempts to rein in the military.

Pakistan is also battling its worst crisis in US relations after Nato air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26.

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‘Security concerns’ an excuse to stop Karachi rally: Imran

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said those trying to create impediments in way of the Karachi rally were working to their own disadvantage, FTNews reported.

Speaking at a press conference, Khan said the excuse of ‘security concerns’ was being used to stop PTI from holding the rally.

“The purpose of the rally is to ensure peace and security in the country, something which the people of Karachi also desire,” he said.

Khan said the PTI would hold the rally on December 25 in Karachi “even if a war was going on”.

He moreover emphasised that “the war against terrorism” could only be won through dialogue.

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SC seeks replies from President, PM on NRO implementation

ISLAMABAD: Issuing a new order in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case on Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed concerned authorities, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chairman NAB Fasih Bokhari, to submit their respective replies, FTNews reported.

The order also calls for replies from the four provincial governors.

The apex court moreover requested the authorities for details on progress in the implementation of its verdict on the NRO.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing to the first week of January 2012.

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US clarifies aid to Pakistan not cut

WASHINGTON: The State Department on Tuesday clarified that the US had not cut $ 700 million in aid to Pakistan but noted that there was a congressional move seeking such a step.

“Well, first of all, just to clarify what has and hasn’t happened here in our understanding. We have not cut $700 million in aid to Pakistan,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

“What we have is something on the defence authorisation bill, which is currently moving in the Congress, which would require the Department of Defence to continue providing a strategy on how we will use certain military assistance and measure its progress, in particular on progress that we are making with Pakistan on the IED issue,” she explained, replying to a question.

A Congressional panel had on Monday reported an agreement on freezing $700 million in aid to Islamabad.

The panel said that Pakistan should stop the movement of fertilizers that militants in Afghanistan use in Improvised Explosive Devices to target American troops.

“If this legislation becomes law, we’ll work with the government of Pakistan on how we can fulfil the requirements. But this requires us to maintain a strategic perspective and to be clear with our Congress about the strategy,” she said.

“As you know, this is a subject that the US and Pakistan have been working on for some time together, both through DOD programs and through State Department programs,” Nuland remarked.

The spokesperson would not make any specific comments on the outcome of a conference of Pakistani diplomats, which, reviewed relations with Western countries.

“I don’t have a comment specifically on the outcome of the conference. I don’t have full information from our embassy after the conference. I think you know our view that while this relationship is sometimes difficult, it’s very important for the US and Pakistan to continue to work together, particularly on threats that face both of us,” she said.

“Our dialogue with them continues on how we can do that together,” Nuland added.

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CJ admits Haqqani’s plea in memo case for hearing

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Wednesday rejected an objection by the Registrar Office on an application of former envoy Husain Haqqani in the memo case, FTNews reported.

The judge heard the plea in his chamber and accepted the application for hearing. The court has fixed Dec 19 for hearing the plea.

Haqqani, through his lawyer Asma Jahangir, had challenged the Supreme Court office’s decision in which the registrar had rejected his petition against the court’s Dec 1 order in the case.

In the first hearing of the case on Dec 1, the court had appointed a commission to probe the scandal and had stopped Haqqani from leaving the country.

In addition, it had asked the president, the army chief, the ISI head and Haqqani to submit their replies to the court.

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Two lashkar men killed in Khyber clash

KHYBER: Militants clashed with pro-government militiamen and local police in the Bara area of the northwestern Khyber tribal region, killing two militia members and wounding another, security officials said.

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