PPP decides against reopening cases

ISLAMABAD: Senior PPP leaders and a number of federal ministers met here on Friday night under the chairmanship of President Asif Ali Zardari and decided not to reopen cases against the president.

The meeting was held to discuss the Supreme Court verdict dismissing the government’s petition to review its verdict against the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

“The meeting decided to step up consultative process with political forces and coalition partners to overcome the challenges facing the country,” said President’s Spokesman Farhatullah Babar while the meeting was still in progress.

Those who attended the meeting included Senator Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Rehman Malik, Syed Khursheed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Mian Raza Rabbani, Dr Babar Awan, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Senator Sardar Ali, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Wahab and Fouzia Habib.

Senator Babar Awan briefed the meeting on the NRO issue and said President Zardari enjoyed immunity from prosecution.

The meeting decided that the policy of reconciliation would continue.

The memogate issue also came under discussion and the meeting expressed satisfaction over appointment of Sherry Rehman as Ambassador to the United States.

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US against Iranian gas pipeline, says ambassador

LAHORE, Nov 25: US Ambassador Cameron Munter has said the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project is not a good idea and that a pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan is a better option.

Speaking at the Mega Education Fair 2011 organised by the Lahore University of Management Sciences’ Career Services Office on Friday, he said: “We do not favour the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project but consider the Turkmenistan pipeline via Afghanistan as a better project.”

He said the US had supported a second silk route linking Central Asian states with the subcontinent and Pakistan should focus on regional partnership based on bilateral ties.

Mr Munter said the US assistance in the energy sector did not mean adding megawatts to the grid as reforms were needed badly in the sector. “We are looking for a long-term business and private partnership.”

The ambassador said the US supported tripartite negotiations with Pakistan and Afghanistan and “we look forward to the ministerial-level talks to be held in Bonn”.

Answering a question about the alleged dictation to Pakistan by the US officials, he said: “When Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said he didn’t want American trainers, we sent them back home.”

He said the US had given $10 million to the university in 1987 and $15 million would be given over the next five years for the development of departments and infrastructure on its campus.

Mr Munter said the US wanted a strong Pakistan and stressed the role of both countries in ensuring a stable, democratic and prosperous region. “Pakistan’s success is America’s success,” he said.

The US ambassador said Pakistani students must take up a leadership role to help Pakistan become stable, democratic and prosperous. He emphasised the themes of leadership, partnership and solidarity.

Talking to media persons, Mr Munter said he had met PTI chairman Imran Khan and COAS Kayani several times, but separately. He said he had never met Pakistani military and political leadership jointly.

He said the United States had seriously taken up the memo issue and resignation of Hussain Haqqani as ambassador and would be ready to offer any help to the government. “It is for the government of Pakistan to nominate an ambassador to the US whether it is Sherry Rehman or anybody else,” he said.

Mr Munter said Pakistan enjoyed excellent relations with the US and China and it should have good relations with other countries of the region.

He admitted that the US had committed a mistake in the past and taken a hasty decision of changing the Afghan policy due to which it had suffered.

He said Pakistan and the US were jointly fighting a war against those who were attacking shrines, soldiers and innocent people.

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Parliamentary committee on security takes up memogate

ISLAMABAD, Nov 25: The Parliamentary Committee on National Security took up on Friday a letter sent by a PML-N leader seeking briefing by foreign and defence secretaries on the memogate scandal.

The panel also discussed letters by two parliamentarians belonging to the PML-N and Jamaat-i-Islami about a statement by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman that over 10,000 bombs were dropped by the PAF in Fata since 2008 in 5,500 sorties.

The committee chairman, Mian Raza Rabbani, said there should be no political point-scoring on the memo issue.

He told reporters that the committee would decide on its future course of action after briefings by the defence and foreign secretaries.

He said Ambassador Husain Haqqani had resigned his position and presented himself for investigation which was a positive development.

Discussing the two letters on the shelling in Fata, the committee decided to get clarification from the defence ministry about the bombings that the lawmakers said was a great source of concern because no responsible official had denied the statement by the PAF chief.

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