CJ tells NAB to produce details of references against Sharifs

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Tuesday called for the details of NAB references against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, FTNews reported.

The apex court was hearing NAB’s appeals against the Sharif brothers.

During the hearing, Prosecutor-General NAB K K Agha said the Sharif brothers had left the country through a deal and had voluntarily surrendered their properties to the NAB.

Chief Justice Iftikhar inquired as to why the prosecutor had not produced a copy of the deal before either the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Agha also told the court that NAB wanted to hold the property of Sharif brothers until the case was resolved.

Responding to which, Chief Justice Iftikhar remarked that NAB had no authority to hold the property until a reference could be presented against the Sharif brothers.

The hearing was subsequently postponed to the third week of January.

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Militants kill five villagers in Khyber: officials

PESHAWAR: Militants opened fire on Pakistani villagers Tuesday, killing at least five civilians and wounding another six in the tribal badlands bordering Afghanistan, government officials said.

The attack took place in the Shalobar area of Khyber, part of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt where the military is fighting homegrown militants led by warlord Mangal Bagh.

“Five villagers were killed and six were injured,” Sayed Ahmad Jan, a senior government official in Khyber, told AFP by telephone.

“Militants came in a pick-up and fired on the villagers who were standing on the side of the road,” Jan added.

An intelligence official in Khyber said villagers were helping the Frontier Corps (FC) dislodge militants, confirming that paramilitary troops had launched a search operation in the area on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Shalobar, seven people, including two children and three women, were wounded when a mortar shell slammed into their home, Jan said.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds in Pakistan’s tribal belt, also a rear base for Taliban fighting US troops in Afghanistan.

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Pakistan wants cordial ties with all states: FM Khar

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday said the final decision on foreign policy was the parliament’s mandate, FTNews reported.

Khar said the envoys’ conference was analysing Pakistan’s ties with important countries.

Speaking to media representatives outside the parliament, Khar said Pakistan did not want to sever relations with any country, neither did it want a conflict with any state.

Khar said recommendations made during the conference would be presented to the parliament and to the national security committee.

Responding to a question on Nato’s attack of November 26, Khar said diplomatic relations with the United States were still in place.

The foreign minister said Nato supplies could not be restored at least until an internal assessment regarding the attack was ongoing.

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