ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday opened a new debate for legal and constitutional experts by saying that he enjoyed “absolute immunity” under Article 248(1) for performing his official duties, and could not be disqualified because he had “not been charged under a criminal offence”.
Talking to a group of journalists at the PM’s House, Gilani advised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to observe restraint and wait for the detailed judgment of the seven-member bench of the Supreme Court in the contempt of court case. “There are people who are interpreting Article 248 of the constitution differently. Article 248 has never been interpreted in the past 64 years … I respect the courts and appeared before the apex court thrice … but I don’t respect the ‘Sharif courts’, as the PML-N leaders are issuing parallel judgments,” he said. Asked whether he felt ashamed of being convicted by a court of law, Gilani reacted emotionally to the query and said that he was not embarrassed. “Why should I feel embarrassed? I am not convicted under corruption charges. I was also not facing charges under moral turpitude.” The prime minister avoided a tough question when asked whether the government would allow the induction of ad hoc judges because three judges of the apex court had refused to sit on the bench to be formed to hear his appeal against his conviction. “The law ministry would deal with the matter,” he said.
He said that since the leader of the opposition had refused to cooperate in the appointment of a new chief election commissioner, he would forward the names he had suggested to the relevant forum, which would take a decision. The premier also distanced himself from the statement of Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar about the support by the Pakistani government and military in the assassination of former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, saying he had not seen the statement. “The matter is sub judice before the Abbottabad commission,” he said.
When asked to comment on the claim that al Qaeda had been abolished from Pakistan, Gilani disagreed, and said that al Qaeda was not the name of an individual. “May be there are remnants of al Qaeda’s network,” he said. Referring to the information sharing between the CIA and the ISI, the prime minister said that all high value targets of al Qaeda had been eliminated with the help of mutual cooperation. “If actionable information is provided, we will take action,” he said. When asked why NATO supplies were not being restored despite the parliament’s unanimous recommendations on redefining ties with the US, Gilani said the United States had been conveyed the parliament’s recommendations, and that several groups from the two countries were discussing the new terms of engagements. He said that any decision on restoring NATO supplies would be made after the talks were finalised. He said the entire nation was in grief after the Salala episode, and the decision to block NATO supply routes was in that specific context.
Asked if he was hopeful of the reopening of NATO supplies, Gilani responded in the affirmative, and said that the talks were heading towards a positive direction, and the government would make the final decision on restoring NATO supplies after the talks were finalised. Responding to a query that the parliamentary committee’s recommendations had disallowed the presence of foreign militants operating on Pakistani soil and whether Pakistan would take action against the Haqqani network, Gilani said that the government respected the will of the parliament and hoped that the US would also respect the recommendations passed by the parliament, which enjoyed the mandate of the people of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday boycotted the debate on President Asif Ali Zardari addressing both houses of the parliament and refused to take part until Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani resigned from office.

“We will not participate in the proceedings till Gilani’s resignation,” said PML-N Senator Zafar Ali Shah. He asked the senate chairman to follow the constitution and not start a debate on the president’s address to the parliament till the matter of the prime minsiter’s conviction was solved.

The motion was moved by Law Minister Farooq H Naek saying, “This House (Senate) expresses its deep gratitude to the President for this address to both Houses assembled together on March 17.”

As PML-N staged a walk-out for an indefinite time period, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani requested their lawmakers to participate in the debate as it was a constitutional matter. “The PML-N should follow the constitution and express their views on the president’s speech.”

Taking part in the debate, Awami National Party Senator Afrasiab Khattak lauded the services of the president and termed him “a man who loves democracy.”

PML-N continues National Assembly protest

Severe protesting by Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani compelled deputy speaker Faisal Karim Kundi to indefinitely postpone the National Assembly session on Friday.

Issues on the day’s agenda, including PML-N’s own resolution regarding formation of new provinces, could not be discussed due to their protests and chants of ‘go Gilani go’, whereas the National Human Rights Commission Bill 2012 was passed during the session which lasted only 30 minutes.

Abid Sher Ali, Hanif Abbasi, Shakeel Awan, Khwaja Asif, Captain Safdar and Ahsan Iqbal were among notable members of the party who actively participated in the protest.

KARACHI: After giving a 72-hour deadline to the criminal elements in Lyari, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Friday that the operation in Lyari has been ended.

Speaking to Express News, Malik said, “We cannot hold the entire area hostage because of mere four-five people. The police and Rangers have only surrounded the area, while the forces have been pulled out from Lyari.”

The interior minister said that maximum electricity will be restored by evening, while telephone lines were restored around 6am in the morning. He said that electricity transformers which were destroyed because of the shelling will be reinstalled in the area, adding that the water supply which was disrupted will also be reconnected.

He said that justice will be done to Uzair Baloch and his accomplices. “If Uzair Baloch does not trust the police then he should surrender before the Rangers.”

“I came on the commands of President Asif Ali Zardari to make sure that the gangsters in Lyari do not try to take law in their hands. If they do so, we will continue to launch indiscriminate action against them which will not be half-hearted. We will chase them wherever they go.”

He said that peace will be restored in the area within the next four-five days.

Police has been involved in an operation to flush out gangsters from Lyari for the last seven days, facing tough resistance from the miscreants.

ISLAMABAD:

Outflanked by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in the house on Thursday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) submitted a resolution of its own regarding the formation of new provinces – calling for not one, but four, new federating units.

Interestingly, in addition to the proposal of a “South Punjab” province, as put forward by the ruling coalition earlier in the day, the PML-N also put forward the proposal of a “Bahawalpur” province. “Bahawalpur” and “South Punjab” have generally been used as substitutes for each other – with the PML-N favouring the former and the PPP favouring the latter, in the form of a ‘Seraiki’ province.

But the PML-N’s resolution calls for the formation of both.

The resolution submitted to the office of the Speaker National Assembly on Thursday calls for the formation of Bahawalpur, Federally Administered Tribal areas (Fata), South Punjab and Hazara provinces.

The move came hours after the PPP moved, and managed to pass, two resolutions in parliament – one calling for formation of a “South Punjab” province and another one reposing confidence in Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

“Recognising the aspirations of the people of South Punjab, the former state of Bahawalpur, Hazara and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, this house resolves that four new provinces should be created to further empower the people and facilitate administration and economic development of these areas,” stated a two-page draft of the resolution submitted by the PML-N.

Unlike the PPP resolution, which called upon the provincial government to initiate the amending of the Constitution for creation of a new province, PML-N’s draft puts the responsibility on the federal government.

Opposition leader complains

Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan complained that the Speaker had taken up “such an important matter” without issuing prior notice to the PML-N.

“It’s against parliamentary norms. The rules have been violated by the Speaker,” Khan said. “We are not against the creation of new provinces but wanted to give our own input to parliament,” he added.

Khan suggested that the government form a commission to take up such issues.

It is our old demand that provinces should be created, but with consensus, he added.

He claimed there was “too much noise” in the National Assembly on Thursday and questioned how the Speaker determined who had voted in favour of the resolution.

“[Creation of a new province in Punjab] is a serious matter … we will not let the government take unilateral decisions,” he added.

PESHAWAR / KHAR: At least 19 people, including seven Levies personnel, were killed while 66 others were injured on Friday when a suicide bomber attacked security personnel in Khar Bazaar, the main town of Bajaur Agency.

A curfew was imposed in the area for an indefinite period after the attack.

A senior official from the area, Hasib Khan, told The Express Tribune that a suicide bomber – reportedly a teenager – detonated himself near a Levies check post in the middle of the main square in Khar Bazaar. “Seven Leives personnel died in the attack,” he said.

A senior official of the political administration, Fida Muhammad, was also killed in the attack.

Political Agent Islam Zed, while confirming that it was a suicide attack, said that the security had been beefed up after Thursday’s attack in Bajaur Agency, even then the attack couldn’t be thwarted.

He said no transport, except for ambulances and vehicles carrying the injured, was being allowed to enter or leave the area as a result of the curfew.

All shops were closed after the imposition of the curfew except for pharmacies, which remained open in case of an emergency.

An official from the area told The Express Tribune that initial reports suggested that the target of the bomber was Subedar Major Javed and Subedar Quarter Master Fazl Rabi, who was also honoured with the Tamgha-e-Shujaat award.

Some of the injured who were shifted to Agency Headquarter Hospital Khar said that the bomber was a young boy who attacked Levies personnel seated outside a shop, owned by Haji Ramzan.

The commander of Bajaur Scouts told BNA that there were reports of the suicide bomber coming from across the border and staying overnight in the area before carrying out the attack.

All shops were closed after the imposition of the curfew except for pharmacies, which remained open in case of an emergency.

One of the injured explained that the bomber ran towards the security officials and detonated himself.

Officials are investigating the matter.

Officials at the Agency Headquarter Hospital said that the condition of many injured was critical and that some of them might be shifted to Peshawar and other nearby districts. An emergency has been declared at the hospital.

On Thursday, five people, including three security officials, were killed while one person suffered injuries when two roadside Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) went off in Bajaur Agency.

Officials had said that two of the men were from the FC while one was from the Bajaur Levies.

The central president of Jamhoori Watan Party Talal Akbar Bugti demanding the end of the ongoing operation in the Lyari area of Karachi has said that the representatives of the Peoples Party are silence against the oppression against Balochs in Lyari to protect their own interests and to appease the coalition partners.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta Talal said that there was in no criminal in Lyari. The government is pushing the people to take on guns by following a wrong policy, he added.

Demanding the stoppage of the ongoing operation in Lyari Talal said that the Balochs of Lyari could not be left alone and that every possible help would be extended to them.

He also said that by courting arrest Shahzain Bugti has not only obeyed the order of the Supreme Court but has also turned the conspiracy of the hidden forces futile.

When Bollywood moved towards romances and comedies in a bid to lure audiences at the turn of the century, former action star Sanjay Dutt says he was left twiddling his thumbs and wondering how to salvage his career.

Dutt, who made his debut in “Rocky” in 1981, said he was comfortable doing action films but had to adjust and switch genres when Bollywood stopped making those films in the last decade.

“It’s not easy to do comedy or try your hand at romance,” the 52-year-old actor said. “Me, Jackie (Shroff) and Anil (Kapoor) all started out at the same time as action heroes, and we used to meet each other and ask what happened.”

Things have changed in the past two years with the box-office success of action films such as “Dabanng”, “Bodyguard” and “Singham” and Dutt said he was happy to return to hard-core action in his upcoming film “Department”.

The actor has had his share of ups and downs, with his career punctuated by stints in prison for arms possession, two rocky marriages and a brief, ill-fated entry into politics.

“I made a mistake entering into politics — everyone makes mistakes, don’t they? I realised that I wasn’t cut out for it,” Dutt said. “My father was in politics, but he was never a politician.”

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday rubbished talks about his retirement plans in 2013, saying his comments made during the Australian tour were “blown out of proportion” and there was still time for him to take a call.

“That was blown out of proportion,” he told reporters here referring to his comments made during India’s tour of Australia in January this year.

Dhoni had then said that he may retire from Test cricket if he is to play in the 2015 cricket World Cup.

“If I have to see through the 2015 (World Cup), I would have to retire from one of the formats,” Dhoni had said then.

Dhoni on Tuesday said he will decide about the retirement depending upon his fitness.

“By end of 2013, I have to see where my body stands whether I can play the 2015 – 50 over World Cup. And if I am not fit enough then I have to make way for the youngsters coming in,” he said.

“If I see (that) I can only play till the end of 2014 in both the formats (ODI and Tests) then I have to give up the ODI format because, I will not be able to play the 2015 World Cup. There is no point in pursuing the ODI career. So, it was more like what is good for everyone,” he added.

Elaborating on his point, Dhoni said: “You want an experienced wicket-keeper, because it is a very important slot. Wicket-keeper is always half captain in the sense he does all the field settings and everything and gives the captain as to what is happening from the batsmen’s side.

“So this is it all about. It is not like I am retiring right now. Or I will have to retire in 2013. Still one and half years is there. Nobody knows that a major injury can happen and I won’t be able to play cricket. That’s something that can happen in life. But this is it if everything goes in the right direction,” he said.

WASHINGTON:US President Barack Obama appears to be frustrated with Pakistan, which is reflected in his address to the nation from Afghanistan, an eminent American expert on South Asian issues said today.

“The President’s frustration with Pakistan and its lack of cooperation in Afghanistan came through in his remarks. He said Pakistan should be part of the process to stabilise Afghanistan,” said Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation.

She was commenting after the US President delivered his remarks from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan marking the first death anniversary of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

“I have made it clear to Afghanistan’s neighbour – Pakistan – that it can and should be an equal partner in this process in a way that respects Pakistan’s sovereignty, interests and democratic institutions. In pursuit of a durable peace, America has no designs beyond an end to al-Qaida safe-havens, and respect for Afghan sovereignty,” Obama said.

Curtis said a major attack in Kabul a few weeks ago linked to the Pakistan-based Haqqani network is a reminder that terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan continue to threaten stability in Afghanistan.

“Pakistani military leaders must be convinced that pursuing a broad crackdown on violent Islamist groups in the country will strengthen Pakistan’s economic and political outlook and overall regional position,” Curtis said.

Pakistani military leaders have so far resisted cracking down on Taliban and Haqqani network sanctuaries largely because of their failure to envision a new strategy that both protects Pakistan’s regional interests and uproots support for terrorist activities and ideology, she said.

“Islamabad’s practice of relying on violent Islamist proxies in Afghanistan (and India) has backfired badly on Pakistan and there is increasing recognition among Pakistanis that a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan would likely have a destabilizing impact on Pakistan,” she said.

“US officials must build on this sentiment by convincing Pakistani leaders that unless they use their resources now to force the Taliban to compromise in Afghanistan, Pakistan will suffer from an emboldened Taliban leadership that will project its power back into Pakistan,” she said.

“Moreover, Pakistan will face increasing isolation and lose credibility with the international community for continuing policies that encourage terrorism and endanger the safety of civilized nations,” Curtis said.

Curtis said a Taliban victory in Afghanistan would also strengthen Islamist extremist forces in Pakistan, thus undermining civilian democracy and emboldening hard-line elements within the Pakistani security establishment, which controls the country’s expanding nuclear weapons arsenal.

“Rather than basing US strategy on long-shot talks with Taliban leadership, Washington should focus its attention and resources on building up anti-Taliban elements that share the US interest in preventing Afghanistan from serving as a safe haven for

LONDON: In a severe indictment of media baron Rupert Murdoch, a British parliamentary committee report on Tuesday said he is unfit to be the chairman of News Corporation, the $60bn New York-based conglomerate. The House of Commons select committee said Murdoch “is not fit to exercise the stewardship of a major international company” in its report, ‘News International and phone-hacking’. News International is News Corp’s British subsidiary.

The 11-member committee has left it to the House of Commons to decide whether News International committed contempt of parliament and, if so, what punishment should be imposed on the organisation. “The behaviour of News International and certain witnesses in this (phone-hacking) demonstrated contempt for that (select committee) system in the most blatant fashion,” said the report.

News Corp is the biggest media concern in the United Kingdom with vast interests in print and television. The 81-year-old Murdoch gave evidence to the British parliament’s media committee last July in the wake of one of his newspapers, the now-defunct News of the World, illegally hacking into people’s mobile phones in the guise of newsgathering.

The committee said, “On the basis of the facts and evidence before the committee, we conclude that, if at all times Rupert Murdoch did not take steps to become fully informed about phone-hacking, he turned a blind eye and exhibited willful blindness to what was going on in his companies and publications. This culture, we consider, permeated from the top throughout the organisation and speaks volumes about the lack of effective corporate governance at News Corporation and News International.”

News Corp, which controls companies and TV channels under the Star banner in India, began as a solitary daily in Adelaide, from where Murdoch navigated a spectacular growth. His staggering success now appears to be in a shambles.

On Rupert’s son James, who was in-charge of News International until he resigned earlier this year, the MPs were less scathing. But they neither accepted nor rejected his claim that he came to know about phone-hacking at NoTW only towards the end of 2010, as opposed to the middle of 2008, as is suspected in some quarters.

The committee said, “News Corporation’s strategy has been to lay the blame on certain individuals.. whilst striving to protect more senior figures, notably James Murdoch.”

Only last week, the father and son had deposed under oath before a judicial commission investigating phone-hacking, wherein both seemed to suffer from serious amnesia.

The media select committee found several News Corp or News International employees, including Les Hinton, a close associate of Rupert, to have misled it. “Corporately, NoTW and News International misled the committee about the true nature and extent of the internal investigations they professed to have carried out in relation to phone-hacking.”

It added, “In failing to investigate properly and by ignoring evidence of widespread wrongdoing, the companies directors, including Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch, should be prepared to take responsibility.”

After such censure, which is bound to impact on News Corp’s shareholders in the United States, it could be an uphill climb for the Murdochs to retain control of a firm so painstakingly constructed by the father.