Imran now bent upon removing Nawaz through street agitation

 

ISLAMABAD: One thing is now clear that Imran Khan will not wait for 2018 for fresh elections. He appears to have decided to remove the Nawaz Sharif government through street agitation.
Perhaps, he has been assured that he would be the next prime minister if the country goes for early elections.All his have been structured in a way that it is impossible to meet the demands. Except one, none of his demands has any relevance to the PML-N or its government. It was really surprising to hear him say after over one year that he does not accept the May 11, 2013 election results.

Despite his rigging charges, Imran Khan had accepted the election results in his televised speech within days after May 11, 2013. He, along with other PTI members, joined the National and provincial assemblies and had even formed his party’s government in the KPK.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could possibly only respond to Imran Khan’s first demand/question as to who had made him to make the victory speech at around 11:30pm on the election day. There may be some conspiracy involved in this act of Nawaz Sharif but the fact remains that by that time, almost all TV channels had concluded that the PML-N would be forming the next government.

Trends of the election results, as collected by media persons from polling stations, generally help suggest who is winning and who is losing hours before the formal announcement of the polls by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Regarding Imran Khan’s second question as to what role the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice (retd) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had played in the rigged elections, one can only lament that the former CJP has been unfairly dragged into this controversy despite the fact that he had no role in the election process in any manner.

Instead, Imran Khan was one of those politicians who had demanded of the Election Commission to hold the 2013 elections under the judiciary. The former CJP was opposed to this but after repeated requests from the-then CEC Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, Justice Iftikhar had convened a meeting of the high-powered judicial committee to allow the appointment of sessions judges as returning officers. Otherwise, the superior judiciary under Iftikhar Chaudhry had decided in 2009 never to let the judiciary get involved in the election process.

The Returning Officers for election purpose are placed under the Election Commission of Pakistan whereas being judges they come under their respective provincial chief justices and not the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Still Imran Khan has involved the ex-CJP in election rigging.

The PTI chief’s question about the role of caretaker governments in the rigged election has also no relevance to the present government. All the provincial caretaker chief executives were appointed as per the constitutional provisions. It is also a fact that at the Centre and in most of the provinces, including Punjab, the caretaker chief executives were the nominees of the PPP and its allies in the previous set-up.

With regard to the caretaker governments’ role in the rigged elections, only the Election Commission of Pakistan could say something for being the concerned authority.

Similarly, the questions as to who had made changes in the electoral rolls and why there has been massive rejection of votes during the last year’s polls, purely falls in the domain of the Election Commission of Pakistan, which is presently led by Justice Nasirul Mulk, who would be the Chief Justice of Pakistan next month.

The incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Tassaduq Jillani, has also been the Acting CEC for a few months after former CEC Fakhruddin G Ebrahim decided to quit.

This issue must end now

ISLAMABAD: A six-word tweet — “Pemra action: ISI ruling, Govt retreating!” — by one Dr Nadia Khan on Friday said it all.

Geo’s suspension for 15 days and Rs10 million fine by the government-backed Pemra is an extreme step that the civilian leadership has been compelled to take after the military establishment was not ready for anything less than the closure of the Geo Network.

Rightly or wrongly, the rank and file of the Pakistan Army were badly hurt by the controversial April 19 telecast of Geo and more so by the consequent stoking of the fire by the anti-Jang Group vultures in the media. The Geo’s apology did not work which has now taken all of us to the present suspension of the Geo News for 15 days by Pemra.

The matter must end now. We all now need to move forward for the sake of Pakistan, its institutions and the rule of law. If Geo did something wrong on April 19, the subsequent days and weeks witnessed the repeated wrongs and flexing of muscles by the other side. If the DG ISI was unfairly treated by Geo on April 19, the whole world knows that all channels of Geo network were also illegally blocked, copies of Jang and The News were set on fire, Jang-Geo’s properties were destroyed, its employees were beaten and harassed.

To this day, I could not understand how the coverage relating to DG ISI became an attack on Pakistan Army but the reality is it was made to look like so. We the media people could not think of fighting against any of our institutions, what to talk of the Pakistan Army, which is already faced with serious challenges, including the Musharraf-gifted terrorism. But still it was made a Geo-Pak Army/ISI fight.

The ISI is undoubtedly our first line of defence and is critically important for the national security of the country. We the media will defend and protect our freedom but cannot think of doing anything aimed at demolishing any of our state institutions, including the army and the ISI. However, mistakes and wrong editorial judgments should not be taken as conspiracies unless proven. The media does make mistakes and so do other institutions, including the Pakistan Army and the ISI. If Geo wrongly handled the post-Hamid Mir attack situation, there are too serious and too many blunders that were made by our defence institutions in the past. If the media crosses the limits or the red lines, it should be proceeded against as per the law of the land. But being a watchdog of the society, it is the prime responsibility of the media to highlight the wrongs of the state institutions, governments, rulers and the mighty ones to safeguard the interest of the people and to uphold the rule of law and constitutionalism.

Geo had made a public apology and has now even been penalised for its mistake. Whether we like it or not, Pemra, despite being a controversial and toothless body, has given a judgment against Geo, which has the right to challenge it in the court of law but Pemra’s decision should be implemented in letter and spirit.

The other side, particularly the ISI, also needs to review its grey areas like the controversial role that it had played during the recent weeks. We love our ISI for what it does for the security and defence of Pakistan, including its double games against the enemy states.

However, the ISI is badly required to make corrections for those wrongs which make it controversial at home and in the eyes of its own people. The ISI needs to learn that it should never use its muscles against its own people, institutions and governments. Like any other institution, the ISI should also ensure that all its officials do not go or act beyond legal and constitutional limits. The Geo-ISI/army tiff must end now because furthering it would destroy and damage all of us.

No more excesses with Balochistan now: PM

 

DERA MURAD JAMALI: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that the Balochistan people faced huge excesses in the past but it would not happen now.
He termed democracy a self-regulated system of accountability and said the democratic norms were flourishing in the country. He said the government wanted to ensure economic and political independence of the people and vowed to eliminate unemployment, inflation, illiteracy and sense of insecurity from the country. “Pakistan free from these evils is our goal,” the PM said.

Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the 404MW Uchh-II Power Plant at Dera Murad Jamali here, the prime minister said Balochistan was neglected in the past but the democratic government would take necessary steps to mitigate the sense of deprivation among the people of the province. He said his government had planned a big development programme for Balochistan and its people.

Nawaz Sharif said the shortage of electricity in the country would be overcome in three years. “The days of darkness are numbered and the future of Pakistan is bright,” he said.The prime minister said the Uchh-II Power Plant at Dera Murad Jamali would contribute an aggregate of 990MW gross electricity to the national grid.

The Uchh-II Power Plant, the Independent Power Producer (IPP), has been constructed by GDF SUEZ, a French company presently working in 70 countries.Nawaz Sharif announced that the government would ensure provision of natural gas to each and every city of Balochistan within three years.

He directed Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to personally monitor this project and ensure its completion on time. He announced installation of two separate power lines from the Uchh-II Power Plant to Naseerabad and Sibi divisions of Balochistan.

The prime minister said the power project was significant mainly for two reasons. First, it would be based on indigenousgas by substituting expensive liquid fuel thus saving foreign exchange and second it had been set up in Balochistan.

He commended the contribution of GDF Suez for successful commissioning of the project which, he said, was a valuable addition to the national grid. He invited the French company to undertake more investment in Pakistan’s energy projects.

Nawaz Sharif said that electricity shortfall in the system had a very negative impact on the development of the country. He said new power projects were being constructed using conventional and renewable energy resources and technologies.

He mentioned that the government’s steps in this regard included clearing of Rs500 billion of circular debt and initiating the work on the Neelum-Jhelum Project, Nandi Pur Project and Guddu Power Project that would add 959MW, 425MW and 747MW to the national grid respectively.

Besides the development of Thar Coal Project, Jhimpir Project in Sindh and solar projects in the Punjab would also be prominent steps to overcome the power shortages, he said. The prime minister lauded the services of Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) that under the supervision of minister for water and power was facilitating the investors through one window system.

Speaking on the occasion, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch said the project would contribute to overcoming the energy shortage and invite further foreign investment in Balochistan. He said the project would not only help in curtailing the present power shortages but also provide cheap electricity to consumers and save precious foreign exchange in oil imports.Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Minister of State Abid Sher Ali were also present.

I am officially a beverage now: Karan Johar

 

 Karan Johar, who hosts 'Koffee With Karan', says he is summoned as 'Koffee Koffee'.

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar, who is famous for his larger-than-life cinema says he is no longer a ‘human being’ but a beverage –’Koffee’.

The filmmaker, who hosts popular celebrity chat show ‘Koffee With Karan’, which is currently on the season 4, says he is summoned as ‘Koffee Koffee’.

The filmmaker said on Twittter, “Walking briskly and i get beckoned loudly…”KOFFEE KOFFEE…” am now officially a beverage and no longer a human being!!!”

The fourth season of Karan Johar’s ‘Koffee With Karan’ has seen the creme-de-la-creme of Bollywood such as Salman Khan, Kajol, Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Rohit Shetty, among others spilling the beans on the ‘Koffee’ couch.

The latest guests as Karan Johar’s chat show were filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Rohit Shetty. Zoya stumped one and all when she said that the director producer ditched her in favour of television czarina Ekta Kapoor.

One of the high points of Karan Johar’s chat show was the opening episode where Salman Khan had declared that he was a virgin at 40!

Another high point of Season 4 came when actresses Freida Pinto and Nargis Fakhri’s ‘dirty’ talking pushed the airtime of that episode from prime time (9 pm) to late night (11 pm).

Karan Johar is about to host fashionista Sonam Kapoor and her actor-producer father Anil Kapoor next on the show.

BlackBerry’s new flagship on the way. Now you know why BlackBerry Z10 got a price cut.

The BlackBerry Z10 is now selling for Rs 17,990

If you were planning to cash in on the price cut and buy BlackBerry Z10 then you might have to wait a week or so to get your phone, for the smartphone has almost vanished from stores across India.
Now, available for a limited period offer price of Rs 17,990, the phone is sold out at most online as well as brick and mortar dealers. We could not find the phone is stock with most top NCR dealers. Some of them said new stock should be in by March 10.
When contacted, Sameer Bhatia, Director, Distribution, BlackBerry India, confirmed to indianexpress.com that the phone had indeed been “stocked out”. “We have seen great response to the commemorative offer for BlackBerry Z10 and it is true that we have been stocked out.
MUST-READ: BlackBerry Z10 is a big deal at Rs 17,990. Here is why
Yes, we are looking at bringing fresh stocks in the next few days, so as to  ensure that more and more users are able to enjoy the cutting edge experience of a full-touch device combined with a revolutionary operating system,” he said.
However, despite the huge price cut, marking BlackBerry’s tenth anniversary in India, online portals like Flipkart still have units selling for as high as Rs 22,990. Bhatia said this was because in the market place model any seller could list any product at their own price. “On Flipkart, authorized BlackBerry product is sold via WS Retail. At present, WS Retail is stocked out.”
The BlackBerry Z10, the first smartphone to feature the new BB10 OS, was launched at a price of Rs 43,990.
There are suggestions that BlackBerry is working on a new flagship phone to win over new customers. Recently, BlackBerry CEO John Chen said in Barcelona that a new flagship is on the way, though he did not guarantee when.  The new price cut could be a way to get rid of old stocks before it brings in the new devices.
MWC: BlackBerry goes classic with Q20′s QWERTY keypad and menu, back buttons