Ready to talk to everyone on national issues, says Nawaz

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said he was ready to talk to all on important national matters. He said this while talking to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar at the Prime Minister’s House here.

Nawaz said the Operation Zarb-e-Azb would continue till the elimination of terrorism in the country. He said the nation stood behind the armed forces.The finance minister informed the premier about the funds released for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The two also discussed the military operation at length.

Nawaz directed all possible measures to reduce the hardships of IDPs.Later, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also called on Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, sources at the PM House disclosed. Sources said the two leaders discussed the internal security matters.

Ex-senator Saranjam Khan also called on the PM and discussed national and political issues with him. Saud Majeed, ex-MNA, was also present in the meeting. Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Punjab Minister for Labour, also called on the PM.

Dr Qadri says he is ready for martyrdom, govt has panicked

 

LONDON: PAT leader Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said on Sunday that the government was terrified of his arrival in Pakistan and had begun a massive crackdown on his followers across Punjab.
But he stressed that he was going to Pakistan to strengthen ‘genuine democracy’ that he claimed does not exist in Pakistan today.Before his departure for Pakistan via Dubai on Sunday afternoon, Dr Qadri said “thousands” of his workers had been arrested illegally by the police.

“Tens of thousands had planned to reach Islamabad Airport to greet me and to welcome my agenda of revolution for a better Pakistan but the government has panicked. It has used state machinery to usurp the rights of my supporters. All they wanted was to express theirdemocratic right of free expression. They have been punished for that.”Speaking to The News at the Heathrow airport, Dr Qadri said he was ready for martyrdom, if needed.

“I am going to Pakistan for Pakistan’s betterment, to help the Pakistani armed forces in their fight against terrorism; I want to bring about a positive change through non-violent means. Millions of people across Pakistan want to see a change in their lives and the way they are being governed. I am not power-hungry; I don’t need ministries or money. My agenda is simple. But the government is acting like a dictatorship and has acted in a brutal manner. Our activity centres have been shut down and our leading activists have either been kidnapped or arrested and beaten. This is a violation of our rights.”

Dr Qadri appealed to the army to take notice of the situation and intervene. “I call on the Pakistan Army to see what’s happening to our workers when they have committed no crime. I have no hope of justice from these rulers. They are insecure because their mandate is fake and they are relying on state power to crush our democratic movement for a peaceful revolution.”

When asked if he had passed his concerns directly to anyone in the military establishment and whether it was the right thing to do to attempt to get the army involved in political tussles, Dr Qadri told The News that he had not had any direct contact with the military.

“I am passing my concerns to the military through the media. I have not made any direct contact and I believe in saying things publicly without doing deals at night. I have nothing to hide; my agenda is for all to see.”

Dr Qadri said he had serious threats to his life. “I don’t care about my personal safety, life and death. If they want to hurt me, they should hurt me in any way they want. But don’t attack and torture my followers and activists who have been peaceful all along.

“After the killings of our innocent workers in Model Town, we could have easily taken the law into our own hands but we believe in the peaceful teachings of Islam. We are being punished for being pro-peace. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed. What is happening is a violation of Pakistani laws. We want intervention of the Pakistan Army in this matter.”

Dr Qadri left his east London home at 10 am for Heathrow airport.Around 300 supporters of Dr Qadri had arrived at the airport to say farewell to him. They chanted slogans upon his arrival and offered prayers for him.

Dr Qadri showed to The News a copy of his Pakistani passport and national ID card (NICOP) which he was using to travel to Pakistan via Dubai.“I am by birth a Pakistani and have every right to get involved in Pakistani politics in any way I want. These rulers cannot stop me and cannot tell me what to do.”

Taliban ready to continue talks Prof Ibrahim says they are serious

 

PESHAWAR/KHANPUR: A member of the Taliban negotiations team, Professor Ibrahim, has said the statement given by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was extraordinary but the Taliban are ready to continue peace talks even in the prevailing situation.
“We are serious people and we are holding talks with all seriousness. The statement of Chaudhry Nisar is extraordinary but we are ready to continue the talks process in the prevailing situation as well,” Prof Ibrahim said in his media interviews on Saturday.

“There are certain hiccups on the way to talks but we believe these will be removed soon. We have already said we are facing difficulties in the talks process, but the Taliban negotiations team was sincere in holding talks,” he said.

About the disbandment of the government negotiations team, he said the powers of the government negotiations team rested with the government. “Earlier a committee was formed and was abolished later but the Taliban committee will continue to make sure that talks bear fruit in this situation too,” he said.

He said that the timing and venue for the next meeting has not been finalised. Prof Ibrahim said contacts with the Taliban leadership are under way.

It may be recalled that interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had said earlier in his statement that the government could not continue the talks process with the Taliban in the present situation.

Govt ready to bring Musharraf’s mother back: NA told

 

ISLAMABAD: All political parties in the National Assembly, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on Monday backed the special court for indicting the former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the high treason case and rejecting his plea to go abroad for treatment. They described it as a golden day in the democratic history of the country and proof of the supremacy of law.
Seasoned parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achackzai was more vocal in hailing the decision of the special court saying symbolic punishment would suffice even if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif personally forgives him. “If anyone wants to pardon him, then punishment should come first,” he said while speaking on a point of order.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assured the National Assembly that the government would fully implement the decision of the judiciary in this regard.But, at the same time, he offered that the government was ready to bring Pervez Musharraf’s ailing mother to Pakistan from the UAE. “We can bring Musharraf’s mother back to Pakistan by an air ambulance. We will have to pay a heavy price if we start showing leniency to criminals,” he said.

Khawaja Asif said this was a defining moment in the history of the country as the judiciary had given a historic decision by charging a person who had abrogated the Constitution. “It has been proved that there will only be the supremacy of law in the country,” he said and added that after today’s decision, they had achieved another milestone in democracy.

The defence minister was of the opinion that those who voted in favour of the emergency rule would also be taken to task. “The judiciary has turned our dream into a reality on the rule of law,” he added.

He said that there was no pressure on the government in this matter.He said Pervez Musharraf dragged the country into a war that cost the lives of 50,000 Pakistanis. He also handed over his countrymen to the United States and surrendered the sovereignty of the country. “Now we have taken initiatives to end that war, which is costing us billions of dollars every year.”

The minister claimed the government and the military were on the same page in respect of all national issues and all institutions would forge ahead in unison for progress and peace in the country.

He endorsed Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s view that if the Constitution was abrogated again, the country would suffer an irreparable loss.Khawaja Asif said equality before the law was the basic ingredient of the rule of law and nobody could be treated discriminately before the law.

He said it was unfortunate that even those people managed to get elected to parliament who had supported the dictators. “But, today there is an independent judiciary in the country, peaceful transfer of power from one government to the other has taken place and the provinces have been given autonomy through the 18th Amendment.”

He said over the past decade, the thinking of the army had also changed and it had not intervened in politics.Khawaja Asif said today citizens of the country were mature and they would not tolerate any hindrance in the path of democracy and those who had abrogated the Constitution would be held accountable.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid said the government had followed the path of supremacy of the Constitution, democracy, free media and an independent judiciary. He said the government was ready to provide all facilities for the treatment of Pervez Musharraf’s mother and was ready to provide an air ambulance to bring her to Pakistan for treatment.

He said the chief minister Punjab had constituted a committee headed by Inspector General Police, Punjab, to investigate the issue of threat to chairman Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

About the attack on journalist Raza Roomi in Lahore, the minister said that the government was taking all-out measures for the protection of journalists and those involved in this attack will not be spared at any cost.

Earlier, speaking on the issue, seasoned parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that the decision of the court should be backed by parliament and even if the prime minister wanted to pardon anyone, then the punishment should come first. “The time has come that every organ of the state must submit before parliament.”

He said the Pakistan Army was our own army and everyone loved it. He urged some TV anchors to avoid making a joke of parliament and politicians.Later, PPP parliamentarian Abdul Sattar Bachani proposed that the there should be an amendment in the Constitution according to which anyone who supports a dictator should be disqualified forever.

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq said it was a golden day in the history of Pakistan. He accused some anchors and parties of supporting Musharraf who had thrown out an elected government, dissolved parliament, subverted the Constitution twice, assassinated Bugti and pushed the country into war.

He said Turkey had experienced such a day when the generals were made accountable and now Pakistan had adopted the same path.Speaking on the issue, MQM legislator Asif Hussaini said the trial should be started from 1971 and all those who had subverted the Constitution should also be tried for treason.Parliamentary Leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami Shaibzada Tariqullah also welcomed Musharraf’s indictment in the treason case.

US ready to impose sanctions on Russia, Obama warns Putin

In this March 6, 2014, photo, President Barack Obama talks about the situation in Ukraine, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington.

President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday the United States rejected the results of a secession referendum in Ukraine’s Crimea region and warned that Washington was ready to impose sanctions on Moscow over the crisis.
With Washington and its European allies expected to slap “targeted” punitive measures on Russian officials as early as Monday, the White House said Obama made clear to Putin that the dispute could still be resolved diplomatically but that Russia first must halt military incursions into Ukrainian territory.
Confirming what was considered a foregone conclusion in Sunday’s hastily called referendum in Crimea, a region with a Russian-speaking majority, regional authorities said that with over half the vote counted 95.5 percent had chosen the option of annexation of the strategic peninsula by Moscow.
The regional government in Crimea, now controlled by Russian forces, went ahead with the ballot despite fierce US and European opposition, underscoring the West’s limited leverage in the worst standoff of its kind since the end of the Cold War.
“He (Obama) emphasized that Russia’s actions were in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and that, in coordination with our European partners, we are prepared to impose additional costs on Russia for its actions,” the White House said in a summary of Obama’s telephone call with Putin.
Obama suggested to Putin that the referendum was a sham carried out “under duress of Russian military intervention” and Washington and the international community would never accept the results, the White House said.
According to the Kremlin, Putin told Obama the referendum on union with Russia was legitimate the two leaders agreed on the need to cooperate to stabilize Ukraine. The readouts of the call from both capitals spoke of the need to deploy international monitors to Ukraine.
Amid accusations from Republican critics that Obama had not shown enough resolve against Putin, the US administration appeared intent on proving it was not bluffing over its threat of consequences for the seizure of Crimea.
US options to prevent Russian from formally absorbing the strategic region are few. But some officials in Washington are hopeful that instead of pressing ahead with such a provocative action, Putin may hold off for now, seeking to avoid further escalation of the crisis.
White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said the administration would step up pressure on Russia. “You can expect sanctions designations in the coming days,” Pfeiffer told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” as the administration prepared to identify Russians whom the United States will seek to punish with visa bans and asset freezes the president authorized earlier this month.