PML-N blocked PPP move to let Musharraf go: minister

 

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Saturday said that the Pakistan People’s Party wanted to give indemnity to former president Pervez Musharraf but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) blocked the move.
Talking to the media here, the minister said the PML N leadership never conceded to the PPP’s demand of indemnity to a former dictator and it had never been a part of any deal. “We have not greeted Musharraf in his medicine of violence like handcuffs and exile as he forced Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to exile twice,” the minister said.

Pervaiz Rashid said lawlessness had been the rule in the dictatorial regimes while the law takes its due course in a democracy, adding the courts would decide the fate of Pervez Musharraf.

The information minister said that this year’s Independence Day will be marked by a central ceremony at the D Chowk to tell the world that the nation is united under one flag.

Only the national flag will flutter high on August 14 and all other flags would be at half mast as the entire political leadership will be invited to the national ceremony to mark solidarity unity and oneness, he said.

He said the whole nation would sing the national anthem together on August 14, adding that all would be free afterwards to follow their heart’s desire.

Regarding Imran Khan’s call for the August 14 D-Chowk rally, Pervaiz Rashid said Imran Khan should not send a message on Independence Day that the political leadership was divided at a time when the armed forces were busy in an operation in North Waziristan for the security of the country, and a message of unity must be sent to all.

Imran Khan should not weaken Pakistan’s bunkers within Pakistan as the politics of the street may lead to instability and be beneficial to the terrorists, Pervaiz Rashid stressed.

To a query, he said Arsalan Iftikhar was at daggers drawn with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after the PTI chairman’s provocative speech against his father (former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry) at Bahawalpur, adding that there is always an Arsalan Iftikhar for every Imran Khan in the world.

To a question, the information minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was awarded one percent more funds under the NFC Award to the provinces for the war against terror, adding that it would get Rs22 billion extra under the NFC and this amount should be used by the KP government for food and shelter of the IDPs. He said the KP government should also account for Rs80 billion paid by the federal government under the NFC for the same purpose during the past four years.

About the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), the federal minister Pemra has written to all cable operators regarding the issue of placement of channels and it has to wait for 15 days for the implementation of its instructions as per the law.

To a query regarding consultation with politicians, the minister said the passage of Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan Bill was made possible through consultation with the all political parties and the government has no inhibition to contact any political party in the larger interest of the country, adding that the doors are always open for all political forces. To a question, he said the Pakistan Army had been playing its due rule for peace, adding that the armed forces and democratic institutions have been helping the affected people of North Waziristan.

He said the mischief makers against the armed forces will lick the dust, adding that the powers to the forces are in line with the Constitution of the country and all-out resources and legal umbrella will be provided to them.

Regarding the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri, the minister said Dr Qadri was known for his political somersaults, adding that the PAT chief made a similar attempt against democracy last year as well. He said Tahirul Qadri had deserted his followers in the lap of pneumonia last year and flown to foreign lands on a cosy business class seat.

To a question, the minister said the duration of loadshedding will be cut to the minimum every year, adding that the power transmission lines could not bear the extra power load and the government has decided to set up a separate company to strengthen power transmission lines in the country. — Agencies

Our correspondent adds: Meanwhile, speaking at a discussion, held at the South Asian Free Media Association (Safma), PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira has disclosed that the issue of getting rid of Pervez Musharraf was raised by Mian Nawaz Sharif when Asif Ali Zardari had gone to his place to offer condolences over the death of his father.

Kaira said Zardari told Nawaz Sharif that getting rid of Musharraf was not possible as he enjoyed powers under 58-2b as well as the support of the military and various global powers. Zardari proposed amendments to 58-2b before proceeding with any such plan, said Kaira.

He said the PPP government had contacted all parties, the PML-N and Awami National Party (ANP), to discuss the issue. Every party was on the same page and they all gave their consent for letting Pervez Musharraf go so that the country could move forward on the democratic path. He said a political crisis and a tussle among the state institutions started when the PML-N government backtracked on its understanding over the issue.

About the Pakistan Protection Ordinance, Kaira expressed his reservations and said the law had all the ingredients that could be exploited for political victimisation. Such actions would drag the country back three decades and the progress made regarding the politics of negotiation and consensus would be lost.

He said the Pakistan Awami Tehreek leader Tahirul Qadri talks about bringing a revolution in the country and it is his right like any other Pakistani. However, he asked how he is going to bring about a revolution given he represents only one faction of the nation. He said it is difficult to assume that a majority of the people in the country identify themselves with his ideological premise.

Bangladesh says ICC let fixed matches go ahead

DHAKA: Bangladesh has accused anti-corruption investigators from the International Cricket Council of allowing a match in a scandal-plagued Twenty20 tournament to go ahead even though it knew it was fixed.

A report from a special tribunal set up by the Bangladesh board said the ICC´s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) was aware beforehand that a match in the Bangladesh Premier League was going to be fixed but decided to keep organisers in the dark rather than alert them. "The evidence is clear that the fixed match between DG (Dhaka Gladiators) and CK (Chittagong Kings) played in Chittagong on the 2 February 2013 was played with the consent of ACSU," the tribunal´s report said. "It is obvious that the focus of ACSU was on gathering evidence and not on prevention of (the) fixed match," the report added.

The report, a copy of which has been obtained by AFP, was handed to the ICC on June 8. The tribunal, headed by a retired judge, was set up by the board last September after the ICC brought charges against nine people over fixing.

Organisers had hired the ICC´s investigators to monitor the BPL after its inaugural edition in 2012 was tainted by similar allegations.

The tribunal has subsequently convicted one of the owners of the Dhaka Gladiators of match-fixing, while three international players pleaded guilty over the 2013 scandal.

Former New Zealand international Lou Vincent pleaded guilty to breaching the ICC´s code of conduct for failing to tell authorities when a bookmaker approached him about fixing a match.

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and Sri Lanka´s Kaushal Lokuarachchi have also pleaded guilty.

The report said Dhaka Gladiators coach Ian Pont alerted the ACSU that he had been approached by one of the team´s owners about fixing the February 2 match but was instructed to go ahead and play.

ICC spokesman Sami Ul Hasan declined to comment on the report´s allegations. "We are reviewing the written judgement and have no comments to make at this stage," he told AFP in an email.

The tribunal said ICC investigators were obligated to inform the BCB of any wrongdoing. "The chairman of ACSU, Sir Ronald Flanagan, expressed his regret about this failure to inform BCB of this significant matter and made a personal unreserved apology on behalf of ACSU for not involving BCB at that stage." (AFP)

Govt will go to SC in Musharraf ECL case

ISLAMABAD: The federal government would go into appeal in the Supreme Court against the SHC’s decision in order to prevent the former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf from going abroad during his trial under the most serious charge of high treason.
Sources told The News that the decision to this respect was already taken recently by the government when it was discussed that the SHC might allow Musharraf to go abroad.In a high level meeting of top ruling party leaders, it was decided that the governmentdecided that the government would challenge the decision if the SHC directed to remove Musharraf’s name from the ECL.

It is known to all now that the military establishment wants Musharraf’s safe exit from Pakistan but the government believes that any such concession offered to the former dictator would serve as a serious jolt to rule of law in Pakistan.

The government believes that not only the Supreme Court direction is a major hurdle in letting Musharraf go out of Pakistan, such a concession if offered to Musharraf would be in violation of the fundamental rights besides being against public interest.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered the removal of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf´s name from the Exit Control List (ECL), however the court has suspended the operation of its order for 15 days. During this 15-day period, the government may appeal before the Supreme Court against the order. If the government does not appeal in the stipulated time, Musharraf will be free to travel abroad.

In its recent advice to the government, the law ministry besides referring to the 2013 SC direction of putting Musharraf’s name on the ECL referred to certain other factors impeding Musharraf’s leaving Pakistan.

It was said that Gen (R) Musharraf is facing multiple charges in various courts of different federating units. In any case, whether he is on bail or otherwise, it remains a legal obligation of federal government to ensure his appearance and production before the concerned courts in order to fulfill the mandate of Articles 9, 10 and 10A of the Constitution. His absence from Pakistan may gravely prejudice the rights of private complainants who have reposed their confidence in the judicial system of Pakistan, the law ministry advice said.

It added that Musharraf is also begin tried for the offence of high treason under Article 6 of the Constitution before the Special Court where in the course of 36 hearings his attendance could be ensured only twice for one reason or the other. “Prima facie it appears that the accused may be avoiding trial. In the interest of justice and to fulfill a constitutional obligation to take the trial to its logical conclusion and to ensure substantial compliance of Articles 9, 10 and 10A of the Constitution it is imperative that he remains present in the country. His absence from Pakistan will cause grave and serious prejudice to the ends of justice by impeding the trials,” the ministry said.

The law ministry was also of the view that sending him abroad will amount to creating an exception which will impinge upon the fundamental right of equal treatment guaranteed by Article 25 to all other persons facing trials and would be against public interest.

7 years later, Blackwater guards go on trial

WASHINGTON: After years of delays, four former guards from the security firm Blackwater Worldwide are facing trial in the killings of 14 Iraqi civilians and the wounding of 18 others in bloodshed that inflamed anti-American sentiment around the globe.

Whether the shootings were self-defense or an unprovoked attack, the carnage of Sept. 16, 2007 was seen by critics of the George W. Bush administration as an illustration of a war gone horribly wrong.

A trial in the nearly 7-year-old case is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Wednesday, barring last-minute legal developments. Prosecutors plan to call dozens of Iraqis to testify in what the Justice Department says is likely to be the largest group of foreign witnesses ever to travel to the U.S. to participate in a criminal trial.

The violence at the Nisoor Square traffic circle in downtown Baghdad was the darkest episode of contractor violence during the war in Iraq, becoming one more diplomatic disaster in a war that had many.

Iraqi officials, who wanted the guards tried in a local court, were outraged. In the trial, defense lawyers will focus on the guards´ state of mind in a city that was a battleground.

Car bombs and insurgents were daily perils for the Blackwater teams. As part of its work with the State Department, Blackwater had a team of 15 intelligence analysts who produced daily threat updates, colored maps of a city riddled with bomb blasts.

"The core disputed issue in this prosecution is self-defense — whether the defendants believed that deadly force was necessary to defend themselves and their teammates from an insurgent attack, and whether that belief was objectively reasonable," lawyers for the guards said in court filings.

Reasonableness shouldn´t be judged on "hindsight analysis in a courtroom seven years and thousands of miles removed from the event," the lawyers argue in the filings.

In the aftermath of the shootings, Blackwater Worldwide provided the government with photos of the guards´ vehicles pocked and streaked with bullet marks.

On Capitol Hill, one theme in politically tinged congressional hearings was that hiring large numbers of security guards, and letting them operate outside the military chain of command in a war zone, was a recipe for disaster.

Blackwater founder Erik Prince declared: "I believe we acted appropriately at all times." The Nisoor Square shootings spelled the death knell for his company. Formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, the company is under new ownership and Prince is no longer affiliated with it.

The company was sold to a group of investors who changed the name to Academi. (AP)

Musharraf can’t be allowed to go abroad, govt tells SHC

 

KARACHI: The federal government on Monday opposed the former president Pervez Musharraf’s petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
Filing comments with the court on Musharraf’s petition against placement of his name on the ECL, a Ministry of Interior official, Amir Sohail, submitted that the petitioner was facing serious charges, including high treason and if a conviction was secured, he may get capital punishment.

He said the petitioner had been nominated in four different cases, which were sub judice. He said the nature of crimes leveled against the petitioner was very serious due to which he could not be allowed to leave the country.

He submitted that the name of the petitioner had been placed on the ECL on the direction of the Supreme Court in a high treason matter and the high court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain and adjudicate the petition. He said the petition was liable to be dismissed at all costs.

Sohail submitted that the petitioner was accused of committing serious crimes, including the charge of high treason. In case, he said, the petitioner’s likely conviction in one or more cases on these serious charges entails capital punishment, the existence of incentive to abscond must obviously be greater.

He submitted that the petition was not maintainable in its present form, as the petitioner himself was available in the country but he chose to file a petition through an attorney, who could not depose the facts of the case.

He submitted that the petitioner had made several misstatements in the petition, concealed important facts and approached the court with unclean hands and, therefore, he was not entitled to any discretionary relief.

It was submitted that the federal government had offered to fly the petitioner’s ailing mother from the UAE back to Pakistan; however, the petitioner was not sincere in his request, and there was a great likelihood that in the garb of his request, the petitioner intends to flee Pakistan and frustrate the judicial process and the purpose of the law.

The hearing of the case has already been fixed for May 7 before the SHC. Musharraf, through his attorney Brigadier (retd) Akhtar Zamin, submitted in the petition that the federal government banned his traveling abroad on April 5, 2013 without giving any justified reason for placement of his name on the ECL.

The counsel pointed out that although the Supreme Court passed an interim order on April 8, 2013 for placement of the petitioner’s name on the ECL, the court, while disposing of the petitions against his client with regard to the high treason trial, said no condition of keeping the petitioner’s name on the ECL had been specified.

Talks can’t go ahead in tug-of-war like situation: Nisar

 

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Friday that the government-Taliban talks could not move ahead in an environment of tug-of-war.
Talking to media persons at the Nadra headquarters after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on setting up of citizen facilitation centres in the province, Chaudhry Nisar said the government was sincere in the dialogue process and there was no delay on its part. “But in such an atmosphere of tension, stress and strain when everybody is busy in political point-scoring, results of negotiations between the government and the Taliban could not be obtained,” the minister said. He said the dialogue process with the Taliban could not move ahead in an atmosphere of contradictory statements.

The minister said he would present a report to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his return from London that in view of the present situation, the dialogue process could not be taken forward.

“It will be difficult to continue the process of negotiations in the situation of polarisation generated unfortunately by the people who are taking part in the reconciliation process,” the minister maintained, adding that they should express their point of view in the meeting, not in TV talk shows or public meetings.

Chaudhry Nisar said the dialogue process was the only way to handle these matters and there had been positive progress, which led to reduction in violence. He said due to the whole process, contacts had been established with the Taliban and the government came to know about their thinking, views and demands.

He said the date for the next meeting was to be fixed by the other side. He said there was no hitch from the government or the military. The minister said he wanted that the next meeting of the Taliban-government committees should be decisive and both sides should put their complete agendas on the table.

“Possibly on Monday, I will submit a report to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to inform himstakeholders, were forcefully criticising the dialogue process. “At the start, there were people who were opposed to the dialogue process and we listened to them and tolerated them as it is part of democracy,” he said, adding that now even those who were supporters of dialogue were showing contradiction in their stance.

The minister said the dialogue process was a sensitive and complex issue but every day contradictory statements were being made about it. “Those who were supposed to assist in the dialogue process were making one statement in indoor meeting and saying something else at the public meetings,” Nisar said.

The minister emphatically stated that there has never been any deadlock in the peace process.Responding to a question, the minister said non-combatant Taliban prisoners were released in consultation with military authorities, adding that there was no conflict between the government and military leadership. “There is no hurdle from the government or the army in the dialogue process. The government is serious in this matter and there is no delay from its side,” he maintained.

He said it had been said by certain quarters on the issue of release of prisoners that the army was not supporting it. He explained that the prisoners who were released earlier were in the control of army, which decided who were non-combatants and should be released.

To a question about civil-military relations, he said the situation was normal at present as it was in the past.Earlier, speaking on the occasion of signing ceremony of MoU, the minister said Nadra earned a profit of Rs1.3 billion in three months and it had been put in the right direction through many changes in the last eight months.

He said more than 350 ghost employees were identified, adding that now transparent online tests would be held for posting of Nadra employees abroad.He said in the past such postings were made in violation of rules and on the basis of nepotism.The minister said the new Nadra chairman would be appointed by a committee according to the relevant ordinance

No institution should go unchecked

 

ISLAMABAD: We have an unchecked and unfettered electronic media. We have unchecked and unfettered intelligence agencies, including the all-powerful ISI. If one needs to be regulated for crossing the limits, the other too cannot be given the licence to kill.
The only way forward is the rule of law. If the media do any wrong, it should not be allowed to take refuge in the name of the freedom of press. If the ISI or any other intelligence agency is involved in any criminal act or illegality, it should not be given the space to take advantage of being a “national institution”.

If freedom of speech cannot be allowed without any bounds and limits, the agencies could not be left on their own either.Throwing cold water on the unfair aspects of the ongoing Geo-ISI controversy could be judicious to avoid an uncouth clash between the media and defence institutions. But the legal battle between the aggrieved Pakistan Army/ISI and the accused Geo management must be fought to define the limits of former’s “sanctity” and the latter’s “freedom”. Any compromise from any side on this account would deprive all of us of a great learning experience.

All appreciations for the positive contribution of Pakistan television industry and all praises for all the good that the ISI has done for Pakistan but serious minuses — anything that is beyond constitutional and legal limits — have plagued both. Such minuses are destructive for the society and the state and its institutions. The problem here is that there is no control on the media and there is no control on the agencies, particularly the ISI.

On papers there exists an institution called Pemra. Today, the Pakistan Army and the ISI are upset over how Geo treated the news of Hamid Mir’s episode. During Musharraf’s military rule and also later in the PPP’s tenure, the sacred institution of judiciary was ridiculed and judges were even abused on television channels but Pemra remained unmoved.

Besides the former PPP prime minister, ex-army chief General (retd) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and even senior officials of the ISI were asked to make Pemra independent and powerful. But nothing was done and even during the present PML-N’s tenure, Pemra’s empowerment and its independence remains a far cry.

The intelligence agencies have been operating beyond all legal and constitutional bounds and limits. They have been involved in making and breaking of governments, harassing and beating politicians, journalists and others. They have been even accused of extrajudicial killings. Different political parties, including the PML-N, PPP, MQM, JI, ANP, etc, have been speaking and complaining about the illegal and unconstitutional doings of the agencies.

However, no serious effort has been made to keep a legal check on these intelligence agencies and make them accountable. Despite the recommendations of different commissions and committees to streamline the role of these agencies, nothing has been done to regulate the intelligence agencies through enactment and parliamentary oversight.

Ceasefire ends, talks process to go on: TTP

 

 PESHAWAR: Announcing to end the 40-day ceasefire, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday said they would not extend the truce and threatened to give a ‘tit-for-tat’ response to the government if it used force against them.
However, the Taliban expressed willingness to continue the peace talks with the government if it showed sincerity and seriousness.“It’s not good news for the common people as they may have been expecting something different from us. But we are forced to end our 40-day ceasefire as the government, despite having a ceasefire, continued violence against our people in the whole country,” said Shahidullah Shahid, the spokesman for the outlawed TTP.

He called this correspondent from somewhere in the tribal areas, along the Afghan border, and argued that the decision to end the ceasefire with the government was made in the central Shura of the Taliban on Wednesday.

“You may know that majority of our people were not happy when we announced the ceasefire initially on March 1, 2014. But despite their opposition, we followed the ceasefire and in return we made some demands from the government such as release of civilian prisoners, ending the crackdown on our people and stopping torture on Taliban prisoners in jails and secret detention centres. And the last demand was about a peace zone for us within thetribal areas,” the Taliban spokesman explained.

However, he alleged that the government and its law enforcement agencies had violated the ceasefire and accelerated actions against their people all over the country.“During this 40-day ceasefire, the government forces and agencies killed our 50 people during raids and in jails and threw out their bodies. Most of our people were arrested and tortured to death in Karachi and others were taken from the Punjab,” the Taliban spokesman claimed.

He said they were not expecting any crackdown in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal areas, but claimed the police and secret agencies conducted operations against them in Swabi and Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Kurram and Orakzai regions in the tribal areas.

“Only in the Kurram Agency, they arrested 107 civilians during the ceasefire for suspicion of having links with the Taliban. Seven tribesmen disappeared from one home in Thana village in Kurram Agency for providing stay to me at their home. I can swear that I have not been able to go to Kurram during the past one year. These are the issues that made it difficult for us to prolong the ceasefire with the government,” Shahidullah Shahid recalled.

He said it was difficult for them to convince all the TTP factions on the ceasefire as, according to him, some of them were not willing to cease fighting against the government.“Besides our own people, we even approached other militant groups in the country and requested them to stop the attacks during their ceasefire. Though they weren’t part of us, they cooperated and honoured our ceasefire,” the TTP spokesman said.

Shahidullah said they had extended the ceasefire till April 10 and wanted to see if the government would come up with practical steps.“The Shura members discussed all these issues in detail and found that the government didn’t accept even a single demand of the Taliban during the 40 days of ceasefire, then why they would extend it,” he said. The spokesman said they were free now and would give a ‘tit-for-tat’ response in case the government used force anywhere in the country.

“Previously our hands were tied due to the ceasefire but now there is no restriction on us,” he said.Even that the ceasefire no longer existed, Shahidullah said, the Taliban Shura had decided to continue the peace talks with the government if it was sincere and serious.

“We felt during these 40 days that the government is powerless in making important decisions. The power of making decisions lies somewhere else,” the Taliban spokesman noted.The Taliban had given a list of 800 prisoners, whom the militants claimed were all civilians.

They wanted the government to release them from jails and secret cells of security agencies. They also wanted to have a separate place in Fata, especially in South Waziristan, without the presence of security forces, where they could live along with their families and meet the government negotiation committee.

The Taliban had disowned the 19 civilian prisoners whom the security forces had freed in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan, on March 31.Omar Khalid Khurasani, a feared militant commander and the TTP leader in Mohmand tribal region, also issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it was the unanimous decision of the Shura to end the ceasefire.

Omar Khalid Khurasani had earlier announced that his faction would not extend the ceasefire and threatened to launch fresh attacks on the government and its installations when one-month-long ceasefire expired on March 31.

Punjabi men go on hunger strike in U.S. detention facility

Over hundred Punjabi men were said to be held in detention facilities for undocumented immigrants in El Paso, Texas, this week, with 42 of them embarking on the fourth day of a hunger strike to protest against authorities’ alleged denial of access to outside resources to the inmates.

Satnam Singh Chahal of the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) expressed concern at the “miserable plight” of these “young men who are languishing in U.S. jails charged with illegal entry without valid entry visas”.

Howvever, when contacted by The Hindu the press officer at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso Processing Centre, Leticia Zamarripa, said, "I checked and there are no hunger strikers reported at the... Centre."

She said that she did not have any additional details available on the case but would be looking into it.

Speaking to The Hindu Mr. Chahal said that the men began their journey from India in July 2013 from India and reached Mexico via a circuitous global route involving Moscow, Havana, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

When they reached an unknown city of Mexico, he said, the entire group was held in a single room and not permitted to go outside the room.

At some point prior to November 11 2013, when they found themselves in the U.S. detention facility, they either attempted a border crossing into the U.S. or were transported across.

While in the facility the Punjabi youths were not permitted to use telephones or other means of communication to update friends and family on their situation, Mr. Chahal said.

NAPA extends legal aid
Following this NAPA sought to extend “legal assistance and moral support” to the detainees, including by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency of the Department of Homeland Security.

In an April 10, 2014 email to the ICE that was shared with The Hindu NAPA said, “This is our third email request to you for which we are looking forward to have your response. Several undocumented persons of Indian Origin are detained in El Paso Processing Centre 8915 Montana Ave El Paso TX 79925. We are… concerned about their future. We got information that some of the detainees of Indian origin are on hunger strike [for] three days for… unknown reasons… Please provide us [with] information about this and also let us know when our representatives can visit this facility to meet these detainees.”

NAPA sources also said that one among the Punjabi youths in detention had “committed suicide by hanging himself” because he was “unable to bear the pressure of leading this troublesome life” in detention.

NAPA, some of whose members said they were planning to “soon leave for Texas to meet these detainees after getting the permission from detention centre authorities,” also said that it sent his body to his native village in Punjab for cremation.

The organisation also flagged the problem of “human trafficking” as a criminal act that had victimised Punjabis, adding, “Punjabis enthusiasm to migrate to affluent countries in search of greener pastures has given the traffickers to exploit them. Using different modus operandi, people of different back grounds involved in human trafficking and often put the lives of their clients in considerable danger.”

Musharraf was lured with secret deal to go on 5-year exile: Kasuri

ISLAMABAD: Ahmed Raza Kasuri, counsel of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Wednesday claimed that an attempt had been made to lure his client with a secret deal to stay away from the country for a period of five years.

“President Pervez Musharraf was offered to sign a 5-year bond and not return (till the date of its expiration),” Ahmed Raza Kasuri maintained.

However, he went on to say that his client, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf had turned down the deal of secret agreement.

The Special Court bench hearing the treason case against the former military ruler, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, had convicted him on five counts on Monday (March 31, 2014).

The development marked the first time when any former or serving military general stood convicted in Pakistan.

Musharraf can’t go abroad: govt

 

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday stated that former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf could not go abroad as the Ministry of Interior had turned down his application to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
“The federal government is unable to accede to your request in public interest,” Aamir Sohail, a Section Officer of the ECL Wing, Ministry of Interior, informed Pervez Musharraf in a letter on Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry informed the former president that the request had been considered on the basis of the pronouncements record of the cited subject and pending criminal cases in various courts.

Pervez Musharraf, in his application, had submitted that he wanted to get treatment abroad and to meet his ailing mother who was admitted to a hospital in Sharjah a few days ago and had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) since then.

The letter addressed the former president saying that his name was put on the ECL on the orders of the Sindh High Court (SHC), which is competent to look into this matter judiciously and judicially.

According to sources, the decision not to remove Pervez Musharraf’s name from the ECL was taken by the prime minister during the informal consultative meeting of senior PML-N leaders on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid held a meeting with PM Nawaz Sharif and informed him about the legal status of Pervez Musharraf’s plea for removing his name from the ECL with particular reference to the charge-sheet against him by the Special Court in the high treason case and other criminal cases pending against him in various courts.

The Interior Ministry informed the former president through the letter making a reference to the SHC’s order putting his name on the ECL and showed its inability to allow him to travel abroad.

“We are going to challenge the decision of the Ministry of Interior in the high court soon,” Faisal Hussain Chaudhry, one of the lawyers of former President Pervez Musharraf, told The News.

It may be pertinent to mention that former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was represented by a new lawyer, Dr Farogh Nassem, on March 31 on the eve of his indictment, replacing the earlier legal team.

Chaudhry Faisal, who was a was asked by Musharraf to continue as his counsel.“That’s why we are going to challenge the decision of Ministry of Interior in the high court as required under Article 199 of the Constitution”, Faisal said.

Since the indictment of former president in the high treason case, the government was deliberating upon the issue of Musharraf’s request for going abroad.On Tuesday prime minister while chairing an informal consultative meeting of the PML-N senior leaders said that his government would fulfil all the legal and constitutional requirements on the issue of Pervez Musharraf. Quoting sources, it was reported that most of the party members were against removing the name of Musharraf from the ECL.

Likewise Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique told reporters outside the Parliament House on Wednesday if Musharraf was allowed to go abroad, what they would answer to the nation.

Will govt allow Musharraf to go abroad?

ISLAMABAD: Government ministers, in their deliberations on Musharraf’s request to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL), have referred to the case of an ex-diplomat who despite the commitment given to the apex court never returned to face trial.

Sources told The News that during intense discussions among the top government leadership on Tuesday, some ministers opposed those who were making a case for allowing Musharraf to leave the country after “he became ready to be indicted” by arguing that the PML-N will lose face forever and the remaining part of the trial will become a mere joke. Musharraf is facing charges of treason for abrogating and breaching the Constitution on November 3, 2007.

However, a senior PML-N minister told The News that the top ruling party leadership had not reached any decision on Tuesday and there would be another top-level meeting on Wednesday. The statement of this top minister of Nawaz cabinet only certifies that Musharraf will not leave the country, at least on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

The former diplomat was allowed to leave the country by the Supreme Court for a short period after strong assurances given by himself and his lawyer on January 30, 2012. To get his name removed from the Exit Control List, the former diplomat had submitted an application through his counsel before a nine-member larger bench, headed by the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and volunteered to return to Pakistan any time on four-day notice to join the proceedings, if and when required to do so. On the basis of these assurances, he had sought from the apex court the removal of his name from the Exit Control List, so that he could travel outside Pakistan and join his family abroad.

According to sources, even now some PML-N leaders, due to certain pressure, want to allow Musharraf to leave the country after giving ‘assurances’ that he will return when required. Others say that even those putting forward this suggestion know that he will never return.

The former diplomat had feared that his life might be in danger if he came back. On the other hand, Musharraf, to avoid court appearances while being in Pakistan, has repeatedly taken the plea that his life was in danger.

After leaving the country, the former diplomat refused to return despite all assurances. Later, on July 9, 2012, the Supreme Court summoned him to appear before the apex court on July 12, 2012 but he never turned up.

Similarly, on November 12, 2012, when the former diplomat did not appear on grounds of security concerns, the apex court summoned the federal secretary interior on November 13, 2012, who assured foolproof security but the former diplomat still never came to Pakistan.

Then on June 4, 2013, a larger bench of the Supreme Court directed the federal government to use all legal and constitutional measures to bring the former diplomat back to Pakistan. Interestingly, the counsel for the former diplomat told the Supreme Court that as one of the petitioners against her client, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, was set to become the prime minister of Pakistan, so he could not come to Pakistan because of severe security threats.

The Supreme Court order to bring the former diplomat was directed to the Nawaz Sharif government but the record establishes that no effort was made through diplomatic channels to bring him back. It is obvious that if the Nawaz government was unable to bring the former diplomat back, who enjoyed very little backing of foreign rulers as compared to Musharraf, it would be unable to do anything in the case of Musharraf.

Though saner elements in the cabinet are advising the top leadership to save the public image and credibility of the party, sources say the leadership is inclined to allow Musharraf to flee. No one was ready to speak on the record from the federal government’s side.

While those who participated in Tuesday’s deliberations say that the top leadership is now ready to allow Musharraf to go, the party’s Central Secretary Information Senator Mushahidullah Khan says that the final decision will be taken in the “next meeting”. When asked by The News when this next meeting would be held, Mushahidullah said that it could be held anytime. When told that a senior minister had informed The News that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday, Mushahidullah said, “No. It could be held any time, even tonight (the night between Tuesday and Wednesday) or it can be delayed.”

Mushahidullah Khan was told by The News that the senior PML-N leadership was confirming that the decision to allow Musharraf to leave the country had been taken and would be announced and defended publicly at an appropriate time. Will such a decision hurt the credibility of a leading democratic party of the country? Mushahidullah said that as the decision would be taken in the next meeting, so he would comment after that and any comment on the credibility of the party before the next meeting would be unfair.

Mushahidullah’s tone was subdued and apparently he was preparing himself to defend his party in the public for helping a dictator flee the country at a time when the judiciary has indicted him in the high-treason trial.

Khursheed to go on hunger strike till death

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Thursday threatened to go on hunger strike till death if the PML-N government went ahead with its plan to terminate the services of about 60,000 daily wagers and contractual employees.
“I will go on hunger strike in front of the Parliament House along with the daily wagers and contractual employees working in different departments,” Khursheed Shah said while speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly.

He said he had received reports that the government had finalised a plan to terminate the services of these employees while a number of employees serving in the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (Pemra) and the Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) had also met him in this regard.

Warning the government to refrain from taking such decisions, the opposition leader reminded the PML-N leader that in the past such acts had resulted in premature end of their governments.

He said he had also talked to the prime minister whom he called an innocent and decent person and discussed the issue with him. “The prime minister told me that he is not aware of any such plan,” the PPP leader said.

But, he said, now he had received reports that the employees working on temporary basis were being shown the door.Syed Khursheed Shah also regretted the statement of the finance minister on the floor of the House that the government was not considering any raise in salaries and pensions for the next fiscal year. “What was the need to make such a statement that will only add to the frustration of the salaried people?” he asked.

The opposition leader claimed that the PPP government had raised the salaries of government employees by 125 percent in five years.

APP adds: Khursheed said that the youth of the country must not be made jobless as there had been no investment in the country for the last 15 years due to terrorism. The sacking of the youth might trigger a new wave of lawlessness as the unemployed youth might indulge in anti-social activities. The large-scale sackings might create frustration among the people, which would certainly benefit the anti-democratic forces.

Criticising the metro bus project of Rawalpindi and Lahore, he said over Rs80 billion was being squandered on such projects. Whereas the per annum salary of 100,000 employees was not more than Rs4 billion. He said the PPP government had regularised the services of 125,000 contractual employees without any discrimination. He said he personally knew that the financial position of the sacked employees of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) was pitiable. After the induction of new employees, during the PPP era, the profit of EOBI had jumped from Rs5.3 billion to Rs11 billion due to the efforts and hard work of these employees, he claimed.

Will Tanishaa Mukherji go against Kajol to tie the knot with Armaan Kohli?

Armaan and Tanishaa, who fell in love during their stint in Bigg Boss 7 are planning to tie the knot soon. But Tanishaa’s elder sister Kajol is not too happy about it

So the latest grapevine suggests that Tanishaa Mukherji and Armaan Kohli have taken their affair de coeur to the next level by exchanging rings. And while Tanishaa has finally managed to convince her mother Tanuja to accept this relationship given that the veteran actor had shown her dissent to this rishta, which was quite evident through Tanuja’s cold reaction towards Armaan at the Bigg Boss 7 Grand Finale. However, it looks like Tanishaa’s sister and actor Kajol is not ready to accept Mr Kohli as her brother-in-law.

Yes, the Fanaa actor recently made an appearance on Karan Johar’s popular chat show Koffee with Karan, where she was asked by the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai director that, if she was ready to have Armaan Kohli in her life. “That we’ll see about! That’s another topic for another day,” is what KJo got from his best friend. Well, that statement was enough to prove that Kajol is not too happy with her sister’s love, hai na?

Anyway, if the rumours are true that Tanishaa and Armaan are engaged secretly, we wonder if it happened with Kajol’s consent, or without. We also hear that the two lovebirds are planning to tie the knot very soon, so will that also happen without Kajol’s say in it? What do you think,

Ranveer Singh to go bald for ‘Bajirao Mastani’?

Seems like a season of our heroes going bald for a role in Bollywood. Trend was started by Shahid Kapoor, who has shed his mane for a role in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Haider’, and now it seems that Bollywood’s flirt is following Sasha’s path, for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’ Bajirao Mastani. It was being speculated since a long time now who will depict the role of Bajirao in Sanjay’s ambitious project, with names such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan and Ranveer Singh doing the rounds.

As per sources, it seems that Ranveer who has become Bhansali’s blue eyed boy with ‘RamLeela’, is the front-runner for the role. “Sanjay has been in talks with Ranveer and unless there’s some last-minute hitch, it’s almost certain that he’ll be playing Bajirao.” It has also come to be known that director Sanjay wants his hero to shave off his hair, with only a braid left that usually pandits are seen sporting, for the interesting role.

Sources further added that Ranveer is quite excited about the project, he loved the script and is in advanced talks for the role.

Karan Johar: Alia Bhatt still has a long way to go

According to the Times of India, Bollywood director Karan Johar says his ‘Student of the year’ star Alia Bhatt has yet to prove her acting versatility. Bhatt has garnered heaps of critical praise for her performance in Imitaz Ali’s ‘Highway’.However, Johar, who is set to release his second film with the 20-year-old actress, believes Bhatt has yet to cover a long way in the industry to prove her talent. The Times of India quoted KJo as saying, "Alia has a lot to be explored. What we have seen so far is tip of the iceberg. Whether it is Highway or 2 States and her subsequent films, it will all add up to her repertoire. We all hope that she will live up to the expectations." Bhatt’s next film '2 States', based on Chetan Bhagat's best-selling novel, is slated to release on April 18th. It will feature Arjun Kapoor as the ...