Posts Tagged ‘MQM’

PML-N protest movement: ‘This is a war to save Supreme Court’

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) launched its protest movement against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s refusal to step down after his conviction in a contempt case. The first rally was held in Taxila on Saturday addressed by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif who termed the movement as a “war to save the Supreme Court”.

Leader of Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, also present at the gathering, boasted that the Taxila rally was organised within a notice of three days and this was just the “trailer”. After boasting about the party’s achievements during its tenure, Chaudhry Nisar went on to bash the ruling government as well as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

“The ones who talk about bringing a revolution – they won’t bring any revolution, they can only bring agony. Ask them what their policy is about Kashmir, about labourers, about farmers and about the US. He [PTI chairman Imran Khan] comes on stages with his rote-learned speeches and starts accusing us,” he stated.

The leader of the opposition added after the Supreme Court indicted Gilani, Imran Khan said that he will wait for a detailed order and Gilani, in return, started appreciating him.

Chaudhry Nisar left the stage with chants of “Go Gilani Go” while Nawaz Sharif took the rostrum as participants chanted “Dekho dekho, kon aya? Sher aya, Sher aya”.

“We were willing to be a part of the government to help it move forward… But you tell me: Will you sit in a car which has an inexperienced driver? This government claims of completing its five year tenure, but what has it achieved in these five years,” Nawaz Sharif questioned.

It was earlier reported that besides the protest, the party will also be focusing on its election campaign in Taxila – a constituency from which Chaudhry Nisar has been elected six times. But, Nawaz Sharif, while addressing the rally, stated that he did not come to the city for an election campaign. “We have come here for the security and survival of Pakistan… We are here for the future of our children.”

The party chief went on to comment on the deteriorating law and order situation of various areas of the country. “Is there anyone who cares about Lyari? Or the security situation of Karachi or Balochistan?” he further questioned.

“This is a war to save the Supreme Court,” Nawaz Sharif stated.

Following the Supreme Court’s indictment of Gilani, several parties, including the PML-N, protested against the premier demanding him to step down from his post.

The PML-N has continued to protest in the National Assembly sessions and boycotted the Senate’s debate on President Asif Ali Zardari’s address. The party has stated that it will continue with such protests till Gilani resigns from his post.

MQM’s reaction

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Haidar Abbas Rizvi has said that the opposition parties, including the PML-N, must wait for the final detailed verdict of the Supreme Court before taking any decision.

Talking to a private news channel, Rizvi said that the prime minister still has the right to appeal in the case.

He added that democracy gives every political party the right to protest to highlight its stance, however, responsibilities should be taken into consideration and the assembly sessions should not be halted.

Rizvi further said that there is no option for a third force to intervene in the present democratic setup.

ANP’s reaction

Awami National Party (ANP) leader Senator Afrasiyab Khattak said that the announcement of a long march by PML-N in the present political situation is an ‘irresponsible decision’.

Talking to a private news channel, he said if any party is considering a change in the country, it should be brought through a democratic and constitutional way.

Senator Khattak stated that the resolution on the creation of South Punjab province has been passed according to the Constitution and it has been passed in the National Assembly while the Provincial Assembly has also been asked to introduce a resolution on it.

Qamar Zaman Kaira

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) does not need an interpretation of the Supreme Court’s short order in prime minister’s contempt case by Sharif brothers and Chaudhry Nisar.

Talking to media in Murree after inaugurating the 15th conference on Ophthalmology, Kaira said, “We only accept the interpretation of the public, and PPP is enjoying full support and mandate of the public.”

The minister said that all the political allies have expressed confidence in Gilani, and further advised the Sharif brothers to do politics on real issues being faced by the countries rather than trying to influence the court.

Talat Hussain: On journalism ethics in Pakistan

Renowned senior journalist, Talat Hussain, a well known columnist and news anchor, has been witness to the ups and downs of Pakistan’s media for some time now.

Speaking on ethical journalism, he shares his views with The Express Tribune based on his own experiences in the industry.

Ethical journalism

Ethics to Talat Hussain means being faithful to the fact, getting the other side of the story and paying attention to the story’s context.  He says that ethics or absence of ethics is a problem and a challenge because primarily, people don’t know what ethics is all about.

“If your professionalism has a certain question mark, a weak point or a weak link in it, then you’re likely to be perceived as an unethical journalist,” says Hussain.

Hussain thinks that there has become a tendency for reporters and media persons to believe that they are the story, so they try to reflect stories through their own person.

Ethical journalism versus ratings

“I think ratings are overrated” is the first thing Hussain has to say on the topic. He believes that if you are professionally sound and if you are reflecting people’s concerns and voices, you don’t need to have so called rating-getting faces.

“I personally have not done a one-on-one interview with Sheikh Rasheed. Don’t intend to do that. I have not interviewed Prime Minister Gilani for two years. Want to do it, wouldn’t get the interview,” says Hussain.

“President Zardari doesn’t give us interviews. MQM is conspicuous by their absence as far as my programs are concerned. But frankly my ratings as it were have not been affected.”

Journalists and opinions

Hussain believes that a journalist’s opinion should be reflected through the narrative of facts. He says that a reporter needs to stick to facts; not an anchor person. He considers an anchor person to be an equivalent of a column writer who needs to bring different perspectives to the table.

He believes that reporters need to keep their opinions out but if they do want to give their opinion, they should do so by calling it as such. Mixing up one’s opinion with the “illusion of giving facts” is something Hussain thinks is unfair.

Print versus TV 

Hussain feels that television is a greater challenge as it is harder to maintain control over the tongue than it is to maintain control over the pen, but he believes that this is not an excuse for unethical journalism.

“I need to have both sides of the story, I need to have correct facts, and I need to be fair to all chairs of opinion.”

State of local media

Refusing to take any names, Hussain says that the state of local media is everyone’s fault and that everyone is to be blamed.

In particular, he blames the owners of media channels, saying that they need to maintain minimum standards of professional journalism in their companies as they would do with their businesses.

“This is an industry which has unfortunately not been corporatized and professionalized at all,” believes Hussain. “The blame for that really rests with the owners.”

Future of journalism 

Talking about whether unethical journalism will continue to prosper, Hussain believes it is not likely. He thinks that viewers are smart and do not respond kindly to “agenda-driven, propaganda-based” journalism.

He says that viewers rate the media not in terms of popularity but in terms of credibility and it is obvious what happens when a journalist loses their credibility.

In Gilani’s favour, Seraiki province set in motion

IMRAN MUKHTAR

ISLAMABAD – Amid mounting PML-N pressure on the convicted prime minister to quit, the ruling coalition Thursday got passed resolutions in his favour from both houses of the parliament, Sindh Assembly and AJK Legislative Assembly.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is also set to adopt a similar resolution today (Friday) to repose confidence in Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was handed down …

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Gilani says civil charge does not disqualify him from premiership

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. — File Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said the verdict of the Supreme Court against him does not disqualify him from the office of prime minister, as he did not commit any criminal offence by not writing letter to the Swiss authorities.

“The charges against me are not of criminal nature. In a civil charge, there cannot be disqualification,” he said in an interaction with correspondents from local and foreign media, at the Prime Minister House here.

Gilani said he had followed the constitution and did not have moral turpitude on him as the article 248-1 of the constitution grants immunity to the president.

He said the clause regarding immunity had never been debated and interpreted in the country’s 64-year history.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did not show patience for the detailed judgment of the Supreme Court order to come. “I do not need their (PML-N’s) recognition. We do not need the alternative options but will follow the constitution and rule of law,” he added.

The prime minister on the passage of resolution in the National Assembly for the creation of provinces termed it a step forward and in accordance with 40-year desire of the people of Southern Punjab.

“A national message by the people of Southern Punjab has been sent across,” he said and mentioned that he phoned the political leaders of Awami National Party (ANP), Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Balochistan National Party (BNP) and PPP-Sherpao group to thank for their support in this regard.

On PML-N’s stance for not supporting the creation of Southern Punjab province and bringing resolution on other provinces, he said today they had “lost the game” and they were trying to divert the attention from the real issues.

“They (PML-N) have been isolated and totally exposed. They are trying to gain from both sides, being simultaneously in the power and in the opposition,” he said.

The prime minister said the government was moving ahead by taking along all political forces while the PML-N was making its “solo flight.”

Asked would he reciprocate by not recognising the Punjab chief minister like the PML-N is doing him, Gilani said he had full respect for the mandate and believed in the rule of law.

“I have always supported them and will always do in future as well. I have rather opened my doors for them,” he added.

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Via DAWN.com

Rehman Malik claims to prove Sharif brothers’ corruption in seven days

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday claimed that he will prove that the Sharif brothers were involved in corruption within seven days.
Speaking to media in front of the Parliament House, Malik took a jab at the Sharif brothers yet again. This time the interior minister asked them if they respected the law so much, why they had not answered a police officer who had contacted them on the …

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Deadliest day for Syria troops as monitors fan out

DAMASCUS  – Rebels killed more than 20 troops on Wednesday in the Syrian army’s deadliest day of a three-week-old ceasefire deal, even as UN observers said they were having a “calming” impact as they deploy on the ground.
The government lost 15 soldiers in one attack alone when rebel fighters ambushed them at dawn in Aleppo province of northern Syria, said the Syrian …

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MQM delegation meets PM Gilani to express solidarity with him

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) delegation called on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday to express solidarity with him over the situation emerged after the Supreme Court verdict against him in the contempt of court case.
The MQM senior leader and Federal Minister Dr Farooq Sattar led the delegation comprising party leaders Babar Ghauri, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Raza Haroon, Waseem …

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PPP, MQM break ice on new governance system for Sindh

KARACHI – The ruling Pakistan People’s Party and its ally, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, have succeeded in breaking the ice on the issue of a new governance system for Sindh by reaching a consensus in this regard, sources said.
The two parties reached an agreement during a high-level meeting co-chaired by Sindh Governor Ishartul Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah late on …

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Altaf congratulates Gilani on impressive speech in NA

MQM chief Altaf Hussain. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: MQM Chief Altaf Hussain on Friday telephoned Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and congratulated him on impressive and logical speech in the National Assembly.

Hussain expressed his deepest sympathies for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers who were subjected to violence in troubled Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi.

The MQM chief condemned in the strongest terms the attack on PPP’s leader Nabeel Gabool on Friday and said that such cowardly action would not deter them to work jointly for peace in Karachi.

The MQM chief during the telephonic conversation said together we will continue to work for strengthening of democracy.

The prime minister thanked the MQM chief for expressing solidarity and appreciated his leadership to strengthen the coalition government both at federal and provincial level.

The prime minister particularly commended the conduct of the MQM in the passage of constitutional amendments which, in turn, would surly strengthen democracy and federation of Pakistan.

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Via DAWN.com

In solidarity: President to stand behind Gilani

Hours after the Supreme Court convicted the premier for flouting its orders, top leaders from the ruling party met on Thursday afternoon to look into the repercussions of the decision for the government as well the premier.

And the final outcome was expressed by President Asif Ali Zardari in clearest of terms: “He (Gilani) stood for me and the party. Now it is time for all of us to stand for him and I will,” a participant quoted the president as telling his PPP colleagues.

President Zardari also managed to win support for Gilani from all of PPP’s allied groups – the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and parliamentarians from the tribal areas – at a separate meeting earlier in the day.

“We have assured the president and the prime minister that we are with them and continue to back whatever they have decided,” said a lawmaker who attended the meeting.

Jointly presided over by both President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani, the PPP meeting criticised the court verdict, calling it a disappointing attempt to topple the democratically-elected government.

In a statement indicating the PPP would never accept the removal of Gilani, the president’s spokesperson said that the meeting had declared that an elected prime minister could only be removed in accordance with the procedure laid down in the constitution.

“The meeting expressed dismay that an elected prime minister of the country had been sentenced for upholding the Constitution and supremacy of Parliament,” said Senator Farhatullah Babar.

The participants said the PPP had also decided to bring resolutions in favor of Prime Minister Gilani in all provincial assemblies expect Punjab.

According to a participant, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain advised the government to avoid confrontation with the Supreme Court and try to seek a fresh vote of confidence for the prime minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2012.

Into the realm of utter uncertainty

Like a typical either/or dilemma there are two clearly conflicting interpretations of the Supreme Court decision announced Thursday. The diehard opponents of the government firmly believe that after the conviction of Yousaf Raza Gilani, howsoever symbolic it may sound, stands disqualified to continue as the Prime Minister of Pakistan with immediate effect.

Gilani’s legal eagles aver otherwise. Passionately quoting from the concluding lines of the short order of Thursday, they force you to fathom that their client had been convicted under Article 5 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance of 2003. The court had not invoked article 63(g) that disqualifies a sitting member of the National Assembly.

Disregarding the legalistic hair-splitting, Nawaz Sharif did not take long to appear on a private television to pronounce that after the Supreme Court decision of Thursday, Gilani had lost all moral grounds to continue as the Prime Minister. He must resign and help in creating consensus for installation of an interim prime minister who should hold fresh election.

Being a two-time prime minister of this country, Nawaz Sharif should instinctively know that morality hardly counts in power politics and Gilani represents a thick-skinned lot anyway. He will not resign voluntarily. Someone has to force him to do so. So, how to go about it? Let me humbly suggest a possible way out. Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N has more than 90 members sitting in this assembly. They should instantly ask the Speaker National Assembly, via a soundly drafted reference that after Thursday’s decision Gilani had become a ‘stranger’ to their august house. The process to de-seat him must be initiated. Madame Speaker cannot take more than 30 days to forward their reference to the Election Commission. If she doesn’t act the matter would automatically move under EC’s jurisdiction.

Until my writing this column, the PML-N members did not seem too keen to execute the obviously available option for getting Gilani out. They remained busy in a brainstorming session until 6:35. As if after getting tired of waiting, Dr Mirza called the house in order and Farooq Naek took the floor to deliver a boring lecture on the history of Benazir Bhutto’s prosecution in Switzerland, thanks to the diligence of Nawaz Sharif’s accountability czar in 1997.

My very reliable sources claimed that the PML-N would still prefer to make noises on moral grounds only. For the moment, all their energies are viciously focused on a group of 10-plus legislators of the PPP. With the promise of fielding them on the PML-N ticket during the next election, these legislators are being beseeched to come out into the open and demand Gilani to resign. Although continuing to play footsie with the PML-N, the same legislators remain reluctant. They do not want to appear as if ditching their party in the lurch like greedy opportunists.

The PML-N legislators also want that before putting up a full-throated demand for the resignation of Gilani, last-minute efforts should also be made to take the PML-Q on board. Many of Chaudhry’s loyalists are willing to jump ship, but Pervez Elahi remains the trouble. Also required is some sort of patch-up with the MQM that should eventually lead to establishment of some working understanding between the loyalists of Altaf Bhai and Nawaz Sharif. The MQM will not make the first move; Nawaz Sharif has to take the initiative by discarding the bitterness that he had been accumulating against the ‘representative voice of Urban Sindh’ for so many years. No wonder, to find out what to do next, the PML will have a broad-based brainstorming session on April 30, without realizing that even one single day decisively counts in politics when hit by the flux.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2012.

National Assembly session: Govt, opposition squabble over Bhoja Air crash probe

While the government insisted in the National Assembly on Wednesday that the commission, announced by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, fulfils the criteria for being a judicial body, the opposition expressed scepticism over its composition.

The bickering between the government and the opposition culminated in an unannounced boycott by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira resorted to personal attacks.

After the departure of PML-N, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah invited the opposition to suggest names of commission members even if they were sitting judges, and said that the government was ready to address the issue and would have no objection to setting up a commission with consensus.

Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani, who attended the proceedings for a brief period, said that his decision was taken in the light of international practice while responding to the opposition’s concerns.

“I was asked by the families of victims (during a visit to the hospital) for an inquiry,” the premier said, and added “we do not need to be apologetic over the issue.”

Later on Law Minister Farooq H Naek justified the commission was judicial by citing the Commission Act and the integrity of its members, saying, “Every judge has taken oath under the PCO at some point.”

In addition, he said, the families of victims had not raised any objection over the commission’s composition and there should be no political point scoring over the issue.

But the justification could not satisfy the opposition leader who once again said: “The so-called commission cannot be termed a judicial commission since it has been set up to cover up the facts of the crash.”

To counter the law minister, Nisar said that the judges nominated for the commission had faced contempt of court earlier. He also questioned the government over the AirBlue plane crash report, saying it had not been released.

“We will not participate in the debate if you are not ready to constitute a national commission with consensus,” Nisar warned. He also suggested that a timeframe be defined for the investigation and relatives of victims be taken into confidence.

In response, Kaira said the opposition had indulged in point scoring over the issue. “We are not here to please anyone,” he said rejecting the opposition’s proposal of a new commission, adding that “It was a purely technical job and a timeline cannot be set for it.”

The moment he took his seat, Chaudhry Nisar rose up and said the information minister was justifying his newly-attained portfolio but “we are not here to attend lectures.”

Though Khursheed Shah and others tried to pacify Kaira, the infuriated information minister then rose immediately himself, reciprocating: “I am well aware about the conduct of every member of the opposition and how they play politics.” He said Nisar’s comments against him were “disgusting”.

In the meanwhile, the opposition boycotted the proceedings without any announcement.

Earlier, the opposition and government both tried to take credit for initiating debate over the issue in the lower house, which came into session without having a Business Advisory Committee Meeting (during which the agenda of the house is set). With no agenda set, the proceedings started with a walkout by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which insisted on a debate instead of the question hour.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2012.

MQM, ANP, PPP stay away from moot: Demand for city’s deweaponisation

KARACHI, April 25: Expressing deep concern over recurring violence in Karachi, peace activists and civil society representatives demanded an across-the-board and transparent deweaponisation drive in the city to flush out drug and land mafias and armed groups whether they belonged to any political, religious or ethnic party.

This was manifested in a peace declaration adopted at the end of a conference on deweaponisation organised by the National Organisation for Working Communities (NOWC) in collaboration with Oxfam Novid.

Representatives of three major political parties — the Pakistan People’s Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami National Parety — stayed away from the meeting, while the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee chief Ahmad Chinoy made a keynote presentation.

Taking cognizance of the recent events, the final declaration also noted the regrettable failure of the coalition government in curbing bloodletting, which not only resulted in a loss of human life and property but also caused irreparable loss to the economy.

Taking serious notice of the proliferation of weapons of all sorts and questionable failure of the law-enforcement agencies in checking this traffic, the conference also held the provincial government and ruling coalition partners and their opponents responsible for the prevailing state of affairs.

Noting that nothing concrete had been done to restructure the local police and to free it from political interference, the gathering also demanded that legislators move beyond the passage of resolutions condemning killings and violence, and come up with legislation in this regard.

They also called for making the intelligence gathering network robust and well equipped to deal with criminals.

It was also of the view that increasing unemployment, marginalisation of the minority communities, a breakdown of trade union activities, ethnic and sectarian hatred further accentuated violence and worsening law and order situation in the city.

It also demanded that all those organisations and pressure groups that advocated ethnicity and sectarianism be immediately banned.

LG govt system
It was of the view that a vibrant and party-based local government system and community policing were essential for peace and development in the city.

The NOWC, therefore, demanded holding of LG elections without any further delay. It said the LG system was essential for democratic dispensation to entrench itself and provide the common man a role in decision making.

It also demanded that there should be only one municipal body for the city and cantonment boards and other such bodies be merged with the city district government, whose elected council should take all decisions about the development of the metropolis.

It was of the view that community policing should be introduced to weed out corruption in the police and make it more responsive to the people’s security needs.

It was noted that the presence of various mafias in the city was the result of faulty foreign and domestic policies.

It was noted that the mafias gained strength after the 1979 Afghan war. The presence of the so-called Taliban was connected with that phenomenon. Land and drug mafias and gunrunners were also connected with each other and had made serious inroads into the various political parties. “This meeting therefore demands that all political parties must purge such elements from their ranks and in fact join hands against them to make Karachi violence free. People also wish that economic development should take place in other cities as well to provide employment opportunities for those who migrate to Karachi on regular basis.”

The declaration also demanded that for creating more employment opportunities the cottage industry should also be promoted and for that purpose easy loans be provided.

It said the firm view that the law and order situation and targeted killing was the prime concern of the people as police did not intervene in clashes among groups and the media generally did not report their names or the cause of the clash.

Ranges acted in a partisan way and were not ready to leave the city because they had vested interests. It was, therefore, imperative to enforce transparent and across-the-board deweaponisation of the city and flushing out of all armed groups, be they part of the land, drug mafia, or politically, religious or ethnically motivated groups and parties. It was a wrong and counterproductive policy of blaming one community for all the ills and there must be a change of mindset in this regard.

This meeting also noted that malfunctioning of public utilities such as the Karachi Electric Supply Company, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and others was also causing tension and law and order problems in the city.

It, therefore, demanded that these organisations be told to ensure improvement in their system and services.

Similarly, it also demanded that a respectable public transport system, including road transport and circular railways, should be ensured on a priority basis. “People are very disappointed with the media and believe that the media promotes retrogressive representation of women. Concerns for security are multiplying specially for women.”

It called for immediate corrective measures in this regard.

Youth also suffered a great sense of frustration due to class-based division, and education system for the rich in private expensive schools. “This meeting demands review of this situation. This meeting also demands that labour and student unions be allowed to play more effective role. It will help in gradually eliminating ethnic, sectarian and other conflicts.”

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Via DAWN.com

SA recommends compensation

KARACHI – Sindh Assembly on Tuesday recommended immediate compensations to Bhoja Air crash victims.
The motion jointly moved by Ghulam Mujadid Isran of PPP and Shoaib Bokhari of MQM.
The House also admitted a motion to discuss the deteriorating law and order situation in the province on Thursday after rejecting the adjournment motion tabled by the PML-F member Syeda Marvi Rashdi on target …

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Zardari orders indiscriminate action against criminals

KARACHI – Zamir Sheikh -  President Asif Ali Zardari has said that lawlessness in Karachi can be effectively tackled if the three main players – PPP, MQM and ANP – join hands to confront and defeat the menace.Chairing a meeting of the allied parties at Bilawal House on Monday, he also directed for setting up a committee comprising the representatives of these three …

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High-level huddle: Zardari forms peace committee for Karachi

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday directed the Sindh government to constitute a ‘peace coordination committee’ to check the deadly spiral of violence in the commercial hub of the country.

At a high-level huddle at Bilawal House in Karachi, where representatives of all coalition partners were present, President Zardari also called for a ‘joint strategy’ to tackle the problem.

A six-member committee will be formed with equal representation from all the three coalition partners – Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami National Party.

The committee will be headed by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, who will present a weekly progress report to the president.

President Zardari told the meeting that if the three allies joined hands, they could end targeted killings and restore peace in the metropolis.

He directed members of the new peace committee to liaise with the home minister and chief minister in order to ensure timely action against extortionists and target killers. It  is the ‘shared responsibility’ of all stakeholders to help restore order in Karachi, he added.

President Zardari insisted the forces that wanted to derail the PPP-led government were involved in Karachi’s violence, official sources told The Express Tribune.

“These kinds of incidents are aimed at destroying our democratic government but we know how to foil their conspiracies,” he asserted.

Attendees at the Bilawal House huddle included Governor Dr Isharatul Ebad Khan, Dr Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghauri, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Home Minister Manzoor Wassan.

Joint Interrogation Team

According to sources, members of the MQM and ANP expressed their reservations over the performance of a Joint Interrogation Team (JIT) being formed by the police to investigate high-profile cases in the province.

“We do not know how the JIT works and what are its findings. If possible, the findings should be shared with us,” sources privy to the development quoted MQM and ANP leaders as saying.

On this the president directed Home Minister Wassan to share details of the JIT reports with the peace coordination committee members.

The meeting participants stressed the need to give full authority to police officials and law-enforcers if the situation was to be controlled effectively.

“I need peace in the city. The federal government will provide you the resources, now it’s your responsibly to control the law and order,” President Zardari said addressing the chief minister and governor.

Lyari

During the meeting the issue of Lyari was also raised where law-enforcement agencies have started indiscriminate action against suspects.

Reacting to remarks expressed by some participants, the president said: “I get a minute-by-minute update on Lyari. Please do not repeat the same things here. [Peace] is the shared responsibly of all the coalition partners and we should try to make joint efforts to control the [escalating] situation.”

Interior Minister Malik asserted that some criminals were taking shelter in political parties and were using political platforms of MQM, ANP and PPP to spread violence.

“All participants at the meeting have unanimously decided to take action against these criminals. No party will own these criminals,” he declared.

MQM-Zardari meeting

After the meeting, a delegation of MQM led by Farooq Sattar met with President Zardari. They claimed that no political party was involved in violence, but some extortionists and people of the land mafia had created this mess.

According to sources, the MQM leaders told the president that they were facing pressure from their supporters for local government elections without any delay.

In response, the president said that local government elections would be held soon.

MQM leaders also brought to President Zardari’s attention that a “citizen alliance” was emerging against the MQM. According to sources, they said that some leaders of the PPP were also supporting these forces against the MQM through “backdoor channels”.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2012.

Govt considering local bodies elections in Islamabad: Gilani

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. — File Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said the government was seriously considering to hold local bodies elections in the federal capital, and after the elections Islamabad will have a city Mayor.

“There should be Mayor of Islamabad like in New Delhi, Dhaka and various other capitals of the world,” Gilani said in an interaction with media here at the PM House.

The prime minister said in this respect he has already taken President Asif Ali Zardari into confidence and would also consult other political parties.

“Bureaucracy is my darling,” the prime minister remarked when asked as if the bureaucracy can oppose this idea.

About Seraiki province, Gilani said, with PPP, PML-Q, MQM, ANP, parliamentarians from FATA and independents as well as people within the PML-N supportive of the Seraiki province, we are close to build absolute consensus on this issue.

To a question, the prime minister those who were making hue and cry over the proposed capital of Seraiki province were not serious in the creation of the province and were playing only as spoilers.

“The people of Bahawalpur are with us. My elder son was elected unopposed as MPA from Bahawalpur and my maternal family also belonged to Rahim Yar Khan,” he stressed.

To a question about the size of federal cabinet, the prime minister said after the 18th Constitutional Amendment the size of cabinet should be 11 per cent of the total members of both houses of the parliament, adding, but it would be applicable after the next general elections.

About tragic incident in Gayari sector of Siachen, the prime minister brushed aside all speculations and said it was a disaster, adding, “Our country’s defence is in safe hands.”

Gilani said issues of Siachen, Sir Creek and Kashmir are included in the composite dialogue process between Pakistan and India, adding, Siachen issue has been discussed between the two countries at defence secretary level.

About the next budget, the prime minister said that he has directed the ministry of finance to give first priority to energy issue with focus on addressing the electricity shortage, create 100,000 jobs for unemployed youth and provide relief to common man and farmers through various programmes and schemes.

About the issue of Nato supply, Gilani said, Pakistan wanted to have excellent relationship with the United States on the basis on mutual respect, adding, we also want good relations with other Nato countries.

The prime minister, however, maintained that any decision in this respect would be taken with the nod of parliament and within the ambit of the recommendations of the parliament.

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Via DAWN.com