Pakistan to resume full spectrum of ties with US: FO

ISLAMABAD: With the parliamentary re-evaluation of the relationship with the US nearing completion, Pakistan has indicated that it was set to resume full spectrum of bilateral ties.

“We are looking forward to re-engaging with the US on issues of mutual interest and importance,” Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said on Thursday at the weekly media briefing.

The desire to re-engage, Mr Basit noted, was mutual as both sides were interested in getting past the last November border incident in which 24 Pakistani soldiers lost their lives.

The Nato attacks had led to review of terms of engagement with the US.

During the review process, Islamabad refused to welcome visiting US officials — the latest being the cancelled trip of Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman.

Mr Basit’s comments come after Parliamentary Committee on National Security completed the review of the relations with Washington.

The 35 recommendations submitted by the parliamentary body for ratification by a joint sitting of the parliament have agreed to renew the “important” relationship based on “mutual respect and mutual interest.”

The recommendations are likely to sail through the parliament because of the bi-partisan nature of PCNS, which has drafted them.

The recommendations would set the parameters for the complicated relationship between the two allies in war on terror.

Mr Basit, speaking about the PCNS recommendations, said: “We’ll lead to a positive outcome for both sides (Pakistan and the US.)

He further said that Pakistan’s desire was to have a more stable relationship that was not accident prone.

“We want relationship that is free from ups and downs of a roller coaster ride.”

The most significant development expected as a result of the resumption of ties is the restoration of the suspended Nato supply route.

Though, Mr Basit twice said at the briefing that he was unaware about any proposal to reopen the blocked route, diplomatic sources have separately indicated that PCNS had paved the way for the government to reopen the Nato supply route after getting assurances from the US that there will be no repeat of the 26/11 attacks on Pakistani border posts by coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The government may introduce new conditions, including a tax on the Nato cargo transported through Pakistan, before announcing the resumption of the flow of supplies through its territory.

The government had reacted to the November 26 border incident by closing down the crucial supply route and asking the US to vacate the Shamsi airbase, which was once used for drone attacks. The airbase was vacated within the deadline given by the government.

During the closure of the supply route that is now into tenth week, tens of thousands of containers with supplies for coalition forces in Afghanistan have piled up at the Karachi port. US vessels again started arriving at the port with more supplies earlier this month following a secret meeting in Qatar between ISI Chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha and US officials.

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Two security officials injured in Nowshera blast

PESHAWAR: Four people, including two security officials, were injured in a suicide attack in northwest Pakistan’s Nowshera region on Thursday, FTNews reported.

The blast targeted a security check post in the region’s Akora Khattak area.

Police sources said the bomber detonated himself during a routine security search at the check post.

Security forces retaliated which led to the killing of militant commander Jannat Gul. Moreover, two militants were also arrested.

A suicide jacket was also recovered from the arrested individuals. — FTNews

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No more by-polls on current voters’ lists: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the authorities to stop holding by-elections on the existing voters’ lists, FTNews reported.

Hearing a plea regarding inaccurate voters’ lists, the chief justice directed the authorities to hold by-elections only on verified lists.

The court, for providing constitutional shelter to previous by-elections, gave further time to the government and directed it to not hold by-elections on unverified lists.

The court ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to make fair elections possible and to hold them on verified and authentic voters’ lists.

The hearing was adjourned to Feb 6.

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PML-N sets sights on Punjab prize in polls

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has set off visits to different areas in Punjab in hopes of achieving their target of a minimum of 100 seats in the lower house of parliament, in the upcoming general elections.

The move follows the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government’s response that the opposition parties’ call for general elections will be contemplated after the Senate elections.

Sources in the PML-N said that the party has set a target to achieve 100 seats out of 148 from Punjab in the National Assembly to form their government in the next general elections.

In this regard, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, along with senior leaders, visited Sargodha and Sangla Hill, Nankana Sahib district, on Wednesday.

Sources in the PML-N told FTNews that opposition parties’ representatives, who met the prime minister last week, informed Nawaz that the government ‘partially’ accepted their demands regarding the general elections. They added that the government would announce and contemplate the demands after the Senate elections.

‘No change in Centre for 6 months’

Sources said that the government and the opposition will continue their negotiations, which include such points as installing a caretaker set-up, forming an independent election commission and holding general elections.

They added that Nawaz has also been informed that PPP leaders will try to linger on the NRO case through Aitzaz Ahsan and will write a letter to the Swiss courts as a last resort.

This was also confirmed by sources in the PPP but they added that the party was divided over the issue. One group, led by Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Aitzaz Ahsan, are in favour of writing the letter; whereas the other, led by Babar Awan and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, opposes the idea.

Sources in the PML-N further said that Nawaz has asked party members to make the most of their time in their constituencies for the next six months, as there is no possibility of a change of government in the Centre.

‘PML-N will not resign’

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan while talking to FTNews said that the PML-N will not give in their resignation at any cost because it does not want to give free space to the coalition government to name an opposition leader, caretaker prime minister or hold elections under their own set-up.

Sanaullah also claimed the establishment is forcing them to resign from the assemblies to fulfill ‘its plan’ for the upcoming elections.

Further elaborating, he said that the establishment wanted to see a ‘contest’ between the PPP and PTI.

Public rallies

While addressing a public gathering in Sargodha, where he had gone to condole over the death of MNA Ch Abdul Hameed, Nawaz said that if the PML-N was voted to power, Pakistan would become the Asian tiger on the map of the world.

While careful not to mention PTI chairman Imran Khan by name, Nawaz particularly urged the youth to understand the reality of ‘a person’ who is ‘cheating’ them on the pretext of change.

He said that there were a lot of ‘people’ in Punjab who wish to deceive the youth – something, he added, he would never do. He added that these deceivers do not have any vision, while he has an experience of 25 years in making the country prosperous.

In Nankana Sahib Sangla Hill, the PML-N chief condoled with MNA Ch Birjees Tahir over the death of his brother.

While addressing a public gathering, Nawaz asked people to wait a minimum of six months, after which, he hoped, he would come into power and bring change in the country.

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Musharraf delays return to Pakistan

LAHORE: Former president and All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief Pervez Musharraf has delayed his homecoming, FTNews reported on Thursday.

The decision comes after he consulted party members on his return plans. Earlier it had been announced that Musharraf will arrive in Pakistan between January 27 to 30, 2012.

According to FTNews, he delayed his return on the suggestion of his “friends”, who said that coming back to Pakistan right now might not be favourable for the former president.

Mohammad Amjad, senior vice president in Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League, told AFP that “no final decision had yet been taken” but said the retired general would make an announcement on his plans “later, perhaps today”.

“His friends and party officials want him to postpone it for sometime. This was discussed yesterday at a meeting and conveyed to him,” Amjad said.

Reports of his arrest on arrival on account of cases registered against him have also surfaced lately.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik had assured the Senate on Wednesday that Musharraf would be arrested on his return to Pakistan.

“I assure this house that if he lands in Pakistan, he will be arrested because he is a proclaimed offender in the Benazir Bhutto murder case,” the minister had said.

The interior minister’s assurance came a day after Senator Raza Rabbani submitted a 10-point charge sheet in Senate, calling for the former dictator’s arrest.

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Pakistan to re-open NATO routes to Afghanistan: Official

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expects to re-open supply routes to Nato forces in Afghanistan, halted after a Nato cross-border air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, but will impose tariffs, a senior security official told Reuters on Thursday.

The official said the fees were designed to both express continued anger over the November 26 incident, and raise more funds for the state to fight Taliban militants.

No date was given for reopening the supply routes.

The Nato attack plunged relations between troubled allies Pakistan and the United States to their lowest point in years.

Ties had already been severely strained by a secret raid by US special forces that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil in May last year.

Asked if the re-opening was a sign that the crisis in relations had eased, the official said there was still some way to go before normalcy was possible.

The two land routes to Afghanistan through Pakistan account for just under a third of all cargo that the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ships into Afghanistan.

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Tenure nears end: No more extensions for ISI chief

ISLAMABAD: Given the spike in civil-military tensions, it comes as no surprise that the embattled government will not pursue any further extension to retain the services of Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.

To the contrary, the government is believed to be actively considering naming a successor before General Pasha’s extended tenure comes to an end on March 18. There have also been no indications that army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani would be interested in an extension for the current DG ISI.

The appointment of a successor will assume greater significance in the backdrop of recent tensions. Even though the prime minister has the authority to appoint the future spymaster, it would be a rare move for the civilian government to take the decision without the military establishment on board.

It is also of note that the appointing authority, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, has reportedly been a specific target of the military’s ire. First, his statements to a Chinese daily were met with a strong-worded reply by the army – which then is reported have approached President Zardari to demand a retraction from the premier.

The prime minister also unceremoniously sacked the defence secretary, a retired general though to be close to the army chief.The defence secretary has challenged the move in court, and has leveled strong accusations against the premier.

The appointment of a new DG ISI is bound to become an intriguing affair.

A government official told FTNews that a decision had already been taken that no further extension would be granted to Lt-Gen Pasha, whose relations with the government also strained after he actively pursued the Memogate case.

The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, disclosed that the government was planning to appoint the new DG ISI weeks before Pasha’s tenure expires in a bid to preempt any further misunderstanding with the military.

However, in the past, attempts by former prime ministers to strategically appoint generals closer to the civilian government at the key slot have backfired. Benazir Bhutto appointed Lt General (retd) Shamsur Rahman Kallu as the DG ISI during her first tenure but the move only led to strained ties between her government and the then army chief General Mirza Aslam Baig.

Similarly, Nawaz Sharif had appointed Lt General (retd) Ziauddin Butt as the DG ISI during his tenure, but the decision led to eventual ouster of his government by the then army chief General Parvez Musharraf in October 1999.

Even so, despite the current friction between civil and military authorities, consultations are believed to be underway for the appointment of the new DG ISI.

Sources close to FTNews have revealed that at least three names have surfaced for the post. Frontrunners include Chief of General Staff Lt General Wahid Arshad, Corps Commander Karachi Lt-General Muhammad Zahirul Islam and Corps Commander Peshawar Lt-General Khalid Rabbani. All three are to retire in 2014.

Another military source claimed that Lt-General Zahirul Islam is believed to be a strong contender for the position because of a previous stint with the ISI. Before being appointed Corps Commander Karachi, he was the head of ISI’s internal wing which dealt with counter-intelligence and domestic issues. However, there is no official confirmation on whether the army has formally forwarded the proposed names to the government.

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Peace talks between govt and Taliban faltering: official

ISLAMABAD: Exploratory peace talks between Pakistan and al Qaeda-linked Taliban insurgents have made little progress, a senior security official told Reuters on Thursday.

The official said the group, seen as the biggest security threat to the strategic US ally, had flatly rejected a demand that it work through tribal elders to reach a deal whereby fighters approach authorities and lay down their arms.

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SC adjourns PM’s contempt hearing to February 1

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the prime minister’s contempt hearing to Feb 1, leaving a brewing political crisis over corruption cases and presidential immunity unresolved.

The court has also exempted the premier from appearing for the upcoming hearing of the case.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared in the court today to explain why he should not be charged with contempt for failing to re-open old corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

He became the third elected prime minister to appear in court on contempt charges.

Gilani’s counsel Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan told the bench that the prime minister had appeared before the court as directed.

He said the Swiss cases against Zardari could only be reopened once he ceases to be the president.

Ahsan requested the court for a month’s time to file a response. He said the time was required to access and go through the case’s record. Responding to which, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk said that access to records could be provided in two days’ time.

Gilani also presented his arguments in the court and said that he had “appeared before the apex court previously as well…Benazir Bhutto and Nusrat Bhutto also appeared before courts during their lifetimes”.

He said: “We respect the courts…my intention is to respect the constitution and my associates also respect the constitution.”

“I decided to appear before the court immediately after getting the notice,” he added.

Gilani further said that the president enjoyed immunity from prosecution in the 18th Amendment, adding that a president elected with a two-thirds majority could not be handed over to foreign courts.

“It will not give a good message to proceed against a president who is elected by a two-thirds majority.”

“I have discussed this with my friends and experts, and they all agree that he has got complete immunity,” he added.

Concluding his arguments, Gilani said that he had not given any impression that would entail contempt of court.

During the hearing, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany said that deliberately refusing to implement a court order was tantamount to contempt of court, adding that, the premier has said that he had no intention of committing contempt.

Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk commended the prime minister for appearing before the court.

Moreover, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said that the media reported the ruling on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case in an inaccurate manner.

Federal ministers and lawmakers from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and allied parties were also present on the occassion.

A FTNews reporter present on the court’s premisis said that no Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader was present during the hearing.

Speaking to media representatives before the hearing began, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan praised the role the PPP played in the restoration and independence of judiciary.

Whereas, Asfandyar Wali Khan, chief of the Awami National Party, told journalists that friends are not to be left alone in difficult times.

He said that being a coilation partner of the government he had to come to the court.

“The court wanted some clarifications and the prime minister decided to attend himself. This is something the court and media should appreciate,” Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters.

A spokesman for the ruling party, Qamar Zaman Kaira, said Gilani’s acceptance of the court summons “shows his respect” for the country’s highest court.

“We fight cases in the courts, we do not fight with courts,” Kaira added.

Meanwhile, strict security measures were in place in the capital city on the day when the bench began proceedings.

Surveillance cameras had been installed in court rooms as well as at public entry gates and in reception areas.

Due to limited seating capacity in room No 4, entry was regulated through passes. The gallery was reserved for media representatives.

Moreover, no one was allowed to enter the city’s Red Zone area or the Supreme Court premises without special permission passes.

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