Gilani takes Shujaat in confidence over 20th Amendment

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday took Pakistan Muslim League – Q (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain into confidence about the proposed 20th Constitutional Amendment.

Talking to the PML-Q leader here at the Prime Minister House, Gilani also discussed present political situation in the country.

He said the political alliance with the PML-Q will continue as it would strengthen the democracy and the federation.

The PML-Q chief assured the prime minister that his party would extend full support to the government, as one of the coalition partners they were committed to resolve all important issues of national importance with consultation and consensus.

Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah and Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo were also present during the meeting.

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Pakistan has no hidden agenda in Afghanistan: Khar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has no hidden agenda in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said Wednesday, after a NATO report accused Islamabad of secretly aiding Taliban insurgents.

“We have no hidden agenda in Afghanistan,” Khar told reporters following a meeting with President Hamid Karzai.

She dismissed the NATO report, saying: “These claims have been made many, many times. Pakistan stands behind any initiative that the Afghan government takes for peace.”

The leaked report overshadowed a visit aimed at thawing frosty ties between the two neighbours, blighted by mutual accusations over Taliban insurgencies in both countries.

The report – seen by The Times newspaper and the BBC – was compiled from information gleaned from insurgent detainees and was given to NATO commanders in Afghanistan last month, media reports said.

The “State of the Taliban” document claims that Islamabad, via the Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), is “intimately involved” with the insurgency and that the Taliban assume victory is inevitable once Western troops leave in 2014.

Khar told the news conference, however, that “we consider any threat to Afghanistan’s independence and sovereignty as a threat to Pakistan’s existence.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan need to look forward to a relationship based on trust.”

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rasoul said “there will be no peace in the region if there is no serious regional cooperation.

“Pakistan plays a key role in Afghan peace process. I hope Ms Rabani’s visit is the beginning of a good relationship between our two countries.”

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Efroze Chemical Industries owner says PIC batch contaminated

KARACHI: Owner of Efroze Chemical Industries confessed on Wednesday that the batch of IsoTab produced for Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) was tainted with Pyrimethamine, an anti-malarial.

Contrary to his confession, the owner, while speaking to Media, said that his factory should not be closed down only for this reason as the factory had 35 years of experience in the market and that their drugs were exported to over 20 countries worldwide.

Terming it a “conspiracy” to malign the factory’s name, the owner said that last year in September, some material was stolen from their warehouse and said that it might have been used in adulterating the batch of medicines.

He said that only this particular batch was spurious and that the rest of the medicines produced by the factory did not have any issues.

The owner also said that an FIR will be lodged in this regard.

Earlier today, a team of Federal Investigation Agency along with officials of health department reached the factory.

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Anthrax parcel was sent to Gilani's official residence: Police

ISLAMABAD: Police on Wednesday said that they were investigating how and why a parcel containing anthrax was sent to the prime minister’s official residence in the capital Islamabad last month.

It appeared to be the first reported case of anthrax sent to a government office in Pakistan.

“The parcel containing anthrax powder was sent last month, about 20 days ago. After the laboratory test confirmed that the parcel contained anthrax we registered a case against unknown people,” said police officer Hakim Khan.

There was no immediate confirmation from the prime minister’s house, which lies in the heavily secured secretariat area of Islamabad.

The parcel was posted from the Jamshuru district in Sindh.

“We have sent a police team to investigate it and to find the culprits there,” said Khan, a police officer in the secretariat district.

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Cabinet meeting discuss Khar’s Russia visit

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of federal cabinet held on Wednesday discussed Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s visit to Russia, FTNews reported.

Khar briefed the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, on her upcoming tour.

The meeting gave go ahead to Khar to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Russian authorities.

She would sign the MoU next week during her planned visit.

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Medicine adulterated with large amounts of anti-malarial: Sharif

LAHORE: With over a hundred dead, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif finally revealed the cause behind the fatal drugs on Wednesday. “IsoTab was found to be adulterated with an anti-malarial.”

In a press conference held in Lahore, Sharif informed journalists that the drug – IsoTab – produced by Efroze Chemical Industries, was found to have 50mg of an anti-malaria content, which the patients were given every day.

“The dosage is 14-times greater than the prescribed dosage which is 25mg a week,” Sharif said.

He said that the Punjab government sent out samples to European labs in order to find out the cause of the deaths. “We not only sent out drug samples to European labs, but also sent human samples, including traces of bone marrow and skin.”

Sharif said an antidote was also formulated which could reverse the affect of the drug overdose. “Without wasting a second, doctors, paramedics, pharmacists and health secretary of Punjab started to work on the antidote.”

“Folinic Acid or Calcium Folinade has been found out to be the antidote, which is available in the form of injections,” said Sharif. “We have obtained this drug in large quantities and supplied it to the hospitals. And if necessary, we will even import this drug.”

He said that experts believed that this antidote will show a positive sign and will save a lot of lives. “Last night, the first dose of this antidote was given to the patients and now, the second dose is underway.”

The chief minister said that he sent out letters to the concerned officials of the federal government in this regard. “We stayed up all night long to make sure that we get a grip of the situation as soon as possible.”

“We have told them to seize the spurious drugs and get rid of them.”

Sharif said that the forensic results were also sent out to the World Health Organisation (WHO) by European labs and that it [WHO] would also do what it could in the situation.

The chief minister said that the forensic reports were submitted to the Supreme Court and the judicial commission investigating the matter. “There should be no doubts remaining now as we have cleared out everything. The matter should not be politicised.”

Sharif also called for an “unbiased” investigation in the matter.

He also informed the media that the factory in Karachi has been sealed by the inspector general of Sindh police.

On the other hand, FTNews’ correspondent reported that the company has not been sealed yet. However, a team of Federal Investigation Agency along with officials of health department has reached there.

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Leaked NATO report 'frivolous', says Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday hit out angrily at a leaked NATO report accusing its security services of secretly aiding the Afghan Taliban, calling it “frivolous” and “not worth commenting on”.

“This is frivolous, to put it mildly. We are committed to non-interference in Afghanistan and expect all other states to strictly adhere to this principle,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told AFP.

A senior security official condemned the leak, as reported by the BBC, which also broadcast a documentary “Secret Pakistan” last year accusing parts of Pakistan’s intelligence service of complicity with Taliban militants.

“The report is not available, leaks not worth commenting,” he told AFP.

“We are also committed to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process,” Basit said.

“Pakistan has suffered enormously because of the long conflict in Afghanistan. A stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in our own interest and we are very much cognisant of this”.

Report not analysis of progress: ISAF

A spokesman for NATO forces in Kabul has said that the leaked report is not an analysis of the progress of the military campaign.

The document “may provide some level of representative sampling of Taliban opinions and ideals but clearly should not be used as any interpretation of campaign progress,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings.

Cummings told AFP: “The classified document is a compilation of Taliban detainees’ opinions and ideals based on their comments while in detention.

“It’s important that this context be understood and extremely important not to draw conclusions based on the Taliban comments.”

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Malik Ishaq banned from entering Muzaffargarh district for 3 months

LAHORE: The administration of Muzaffargarh district has issued orders to ban the entry of former Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) leader Malik Muhammad Ishaq for a period of three months in order to maintain peace and avoid any untoward incident, FTNews has learnt. The action has been taken under Section 5 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960.

The orders were issued by District Coordination Officer (DCO) Tahir Khursheed on a letter sent by District Police Officer (DPO) Rao Munir Zia on January 31. Source in the DCO and DPO offices confirmed these facts while talking to FTNews.

Ishaq, accused in 44 cases involving 70 killings, has been acquitted in 34 cases and granted bail in 10. He was released from Kot Lakhpat on January 21 after a Lahore High Court (LHC) review board denied an extension to his detention.

Sources said that the Special and Security branches in their reports had said Ishaq’s entry in the district may cause disruption of peace and cause sectarian tensions. Both departments had suggested banning Ishaq’s entry into the district’s jurisdiction for a period of three months.

The former leader of LeJ had recently made an appearance at the Difa-e-Pakistan conference on the special invitation from the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leadership.

MPO ordinance

According to the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960, the Home Department can detain a person for three months if they could create a law and order situation if released. According to Section 5 of the ordinance, no person can be detained for a period exceeding three months unless a judicial board has reviewed the case and concluded that there is sufficient cause for such detention to continue.

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11 soldiers killed in Balochistan: Officials

QUETTA: Baloch rebels attacked security forces overnight, killing at least 11 soldiers and wounding another 12 in clashes that raged for five hours, officials said Wednesday.

About two dozen gunmen attacked two posts in Margut, about 60 kilometres east of Quetta, capital of the insurgency-torn southwestern province of Balochistan. The soldiers were responsible for guarding coal mines, they said.

“About two dozen gunmen armed with light and heavy weapons attacked the Frontier Corps (paramilitary) posts and killed 11 soldiers,” a senior military official said.

He said another 12 soldiers were wounded in the assault.

Other security officials confirmed the casualties.

The assailants belonged to a Baloch militant group led by Harbiar Marri who is living in self exile in London, the official said.

Baloch rebels have been fighting since 2004 for political autonomy and a greater share of profits from Balochistan’s wealth of natural oil, gas and mineral resources.

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Accident in Lower Dir claims eight lives

PESHAWAR: Eight people were killed and 13 were injured when a passenger coach traveling toward northwestern Pakistan’s Upper Dir fell into a ravine, FTNews reported.

The bus, which began its journey in Lower Dir’s Timergara area, was carrying 21 passengers, including women and children.

Police said the accident occurred due to over speeding and slippery road conditions caused by snowfall.

The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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Jet strike kills 20 Taliban in Orakzai: officials

PESHAWAR: Warplanes pounded militant hideouts in the northwestern tribal region of Orakzai before dawn on Wednesday, killing at least 20 Taliban insurgents, security officials said.

The jets targeted hideouts in the tribal district and at least four compounds were hit, they said, in the latest surge of fighting between government security forces and militants in the Afghan border areas.

“At least 20 Taliban militants were killed in the bombing,” a military official in Peshawar said.

Local intelligence officials confirmed the air strikes.

The hideouts belonged to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commanders Mulla Tufan and Commander Moheyuddin, a security official said.

There are reports that Moheyuddin may have been killed in the bombing, he said.

A military official in Peshawar said “four hideouts have been destroyed and the death toll may go up”.

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SC adjourns PM contempt case hearing

ISLAMABAD: Adjourning the hearing in the contempt case against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to Feb 2, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, the prime minister’s counsel, to complete his arguments in the case by tomorrow, FTNews reported.

During the hearing, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said that if Ahsan failed to successfully argue his client’s position by tomorrow then the premier would be charged with contempt of court.

A seven-judge bench of the apex court heard the case against the prime minister.

Justice Khosa moreover said that if Ahsan managed to convince the bench in his initial arguments tomorrow, then contempt proceedings against the prime minister would not be initiated.

Earlier, during today’s hearing, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk said to Ahsan that if a convincing argument for presidential immunity was established, then there would be no need to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the prime minister.

Moreover, Justice Ejaz Afzal said that the letter to Swiss authorities should have been written and the issue of immunity would have come later.

The premier’s counsel told the bench that the president enjoyed immunity from prosecution both inside and outside Pakistan. He further said that while there was no harm in writing the letter to Swiss authorities, not writing the letter was not tantamount to committing contempt of court.

To which, Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk said that the Constitution enabled the court to penalise those who would not comply with its orders.

Earlier on Jan 19, the prime minister had told the apex court respectfully that he had no intention of defaming or ridiculing the judiciary. But, he said, he believed that the Constitution provided a blanket protection to President Asif Ali Zardari.

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