Monday, January 02, 2012

Zardari orders to resolve gas crisis


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KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday took notice of the crisis and ordered the ministry of petroleum and natural resources to resolve all matters pertaining to gas shortages across the country, FTNews reported.
The president also ordered to prohibit gas loadshedding in residential areas.
He ordered the concerned authorities to re-open the closed gas field to ensure the gas supply.

Al-Qaida, Taliban ask Pakistani militants for help


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DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani militant commanders say prominent al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban fighters have asked them to set aside differences and step up support for the battle against US-led forces in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Taliban commanders say the request came during two meetings in Pakistan’s tribal region in November and December.
They said Monday that the senior al-Qaida commander Abu Yahya al-Libi attended both meetings, as did Sirajuddin Haqqani, the de-facto head of the most feared militant group in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s most prominent militant leaders, including Pakistani Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud, also attended. The commanders who described the meetings spoke on condition of anonymity because of their sensitivity.

'Pakistan would have been prosperous if Zardari had accepted my agenda'


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KARACHI: PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, while addressing a large gathering of supporters in Karachi, said that if Zardri had accepted the agenda of the Charter of Democracy, it would have worked wonders for the country’s prosperity.
The nation is very worried about the current government’s actions, he said. If PPP had accepted that agenda, the state of the country would have been much more prosperous, and nothing could have made him happier than a flourishing Pakistan, Nawaz added.
The PML-N chief also added that if by following the aforementioned agenda, Zardari succeeded in improving the condition of Pakistan, and was elected into office again, that would make Nawaz Sharif the happiest person in the country since his only priority was a prosperous Pakistan.
He said that Pakistan was an extremely blessed country and had everything from coal and water to agricultural resources. The real problem of the country was that nobody had attempted to run it accurately in the past 64 years, he added.
Sharif said that the world had gone to new heights like stepping on the moon in the past 64 years, but Pakistan was still stuck with problems like lack of clean water. Talking about the recent flood crises, he said that he had personally visited the affected areas and witnessed people living without camps, their homes and livestock destroyed in the catastrophe. The PML- N chief vowed that he would change the condition of the people of Sindh and eradicate poverty and starvation from the province.
Nawaz Sharif posed a question to the politicians of Sindh, asking them what was it that they were doing for the very same people who had voted for them. Nawaz said that the poor and troubled of the province were drowning in the floods, unable to feed themselves and their children, but their elected leaders were not coming to their rescue.
The PML-N chief said that nothing was more important to him than employment for the youngsters of Pakistan. He roused the crowd by asking them if Pakistan should still have poverty, load shedding and unemployment after 64 years of independence. The crowd responded by chanting ‘No, No’.
Nawaz reminded the people of Sindh how his party, when in power, had eradicated robbery and kidnappings from Sindh and set up an army court in the civilian set up. He further added that seeking the army’s assistance under a democratic supervision was completely justified as its purpose was to protect the citizens and bring peace in the city.
Nawaz Sharif stressed that the most important thing for the people of Pakistan at the moment was security and peace within the country. He said things needed to change in the country so that people stopped living in a constant state of fright.
The PML-N chief said that he was planning on establishing schools for the underprivileged in every part of the country, similar to the ones being run by Shahbaz Sharif in Punjab. These schools provide free education, along with books, uniform and laptop to the poor children of the rural areas.
Nawaz stressed several times that his agenda was to bring prosperity to Pakistan, and if Zardari government could succeed in doing that, the PML-N chieif wouldn’t care if he came into power.
Talking about his party’s achievements, Nawaz said that PML-N was the only party that had done something substantial for the country till now. He said that many new parties had sprung up, ones which also talked about ‘bringing change’, but PML-N already brought the change they were talking about when it was in power.
Sharif further added that his party talks on the basis of their track record. They had always worked towards making the people of Pakistan proud of their country, and the biggest example of that was when Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in retaliation to India under Nawaz’s regime. He appealed to the people of Sindh to help PML-N win a majority in Sindh. He mentioned how the party had always received the lowest votes from Sindh, but this time he was expecting results contrary to this.
The PML-N chief arrived in Karachi today to attend the party elections for the Sindh Council.
Earlier, while talking to the media, Nawaz said that his party believed in democracy and that today’s elections were also based on the democratic stance of the party.
Sharif also said that it saddened him that an agreement between PML-N and PPP couldn’t be worked out when they wanted to. If that would have worked out, it would have helped in wiping out corruption, along with other problems, from Pakistan.
Talking about Karachi, he said that the people of Karachi were not happy with the current situation in the country. He further added that all the political parties present in Karachi owe an explanation to the Karachiites about what they are doing for Pakistan.
Commenting on the Hazara province, he said that PML-N was in favor of the formation of the province, but would not approve dividing other provinces in the country, like Sindh for instance.
Later today Nawaz Sharif is expected to visit the residence of famous Ghazal singer Mehdi Hasan and legendary comedian Lehri and inquire about their health.

Nawaz Sharif arrives in Karachi


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KARACHI: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif arrived in Karachi today, where he will attend the party’s Sindh Council meeting.
According to sources, the party elections for the Sindh Council will take place during today’s meeting. Members will elect the new provincial leader and general secretary.
While talking to the media, Nawaz said that his party believes in democracy and that today’s elections were also based on the democratic stance of the party. He added that PML-N works for a prosperous Pakistan and their motive is to bring Pakistan forward.
Sharif also said that it saddens him that an agreement between PML-N and PPP couldn’t be worked out when they wanted to. If that would have worked out, it would have helped in wiping out corruption, along with other problems, from Pakistan.
Talking about Karachi, he said that the people of Karachi were not happy with the current situation in the country. He further added that all the political parties present in Karachi owe an explanation to the Karachiites about what they are doing for Pakistan.
Commenting on the Hazara province, he said that PML-N is in favor of the formation of Hazara province, but would not approve dividing other provinces in the country, like Sindh for instance.

Tariq Mehmood no longer assisting SC in Bhutto reference


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ISLAMABAD: An 11-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, on Monday heard the presidential reference on revisiting the murder trial of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, FTNews reported.
During the hearing, Justice (rtd.) Tariq Mehmood requested the court to excuse him from providing assistance on the reference. The court accepted the request.
Meanwhile, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said that Ahmed Raza Kasuri had also objected to his assisting the court over the reference but that he would not request dissociation from the case.
Moreover, Azizullah, a son of Justice Anwarul Haq, has written to the apex court to make him a party in the case.
Subsequently, the reference’s hearing was adjourned until Jan 3.
Earlier on Saturday, Ahmed Raza Kasuri had submitted a reply opposing the case’s reopening and said that the president was an “interested party”.
Kasuri’s complaint had implicated Bhutto in the conspiracy to kill his father, Nawab Mohammad Ahmed Khan.
In a four to three split verdict, a seven-judge Supreme Court bench had upheld the Lahore High Court’s verdict of awarding death sentence to the former prime minister in March 1979 during the rule of then army chief Gen Ziaul Haq, who had overthrown the PPP government in July 1977.
After reaching a consensus, an 11-judge bench had on Dec 12 decided to summon Kasuri, in the interest of justice.
In his reply filed in the apex court on Saturday, Kasuri had questioned the impartiality of seven of the 10 amici curiae appointed by the court to assist it in the reference, saying they could be friends of the court, but certainly not the friends of the complainant (Kasuri). According to him, Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, Abdul Latif Afridi, Barrister Zahoorul Haq, Ali Ahmad Kurd and Tariq Mehmood had a strong leaning and unstinted loyalty towards Bhutto.

Iranian border guards still in Pakistani custody


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QUETTA: A government official says authorities have yet to decide what to do with three Iranian border guards detained for allegedly crossing into Pakistan and killing a man.
Aalam Faraz said Monday the Iranians admitted to inadvertently crossing into Baluchistan province while chasing a vehicle. 
They allegedly shot and killed one man and wounded another Sunday.
Faraz says the Iranians claimed they accidentally shot the men when the fired on the vehicle they were chasing.
Pakistani border guards chased the Iranians back across the border, seized the two men who were shot and detained three Iranian border guards.
Faraz is waiting to hear from provincial authorities about what to do with the Iranians.
He is a senior official in Washuk district, where the incident occurred.

Judicial commission over memo meets in Islamabad


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ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the commission formed to investigate the alleged ‘memo’ was underway at the Islamabad High Court building on Monday, FTNews reported.
The commission is headed by Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court Qazi Faez Issa and includes the Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Iqbal Hameed and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Musheer Alam as its members.
Moreover, the commission’s secretary Jawad Abbas on Monday stated that an open court inquiry would be carried out into the memo affair.
Speaking to FTNews, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said that the commission would determine the methodology which would be adopted to write a letter to a foreign company in order to obtain records of telephonic conversations between Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani and American businessman Mansoor Ijaz.
Meanwhile, the formation of the commission was challenged by petitioner Shahid Orakzai on Monday. The petitioner stated that the commission’s formation was not in accordance with the constitution.