Posts Tagged ‘protests’

Former party chief: ANP protests attack on Ajmal Khan’s mausoleum

Political workers gathered at the Peshawar press club at a demonstration led by provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain.

Addressing activists, the minister condemned the incident and said it was a cowardly act on the part of terrorists.

He said that militants were divided on the issue of Maulana Naseeb Wazir’s killing. Maulana Naseeb, a cleric from Darul Uloom Haqqania, was found dead last week after he had allegedly been arrested by intelligence agencies.

“They (terrorists) were creating confusions on the issue,” he said, adding that many ANP leaders have been killed or attacked, but the party was not pressurised.

“We will also protest in Nowshera,” said ANP General Secretary Arbab Tahir.  President Peshawar High Court Bar Association Latif Lala, Haroon Bilour and activists of the Pakhtun Students Federation were also present at the protest. Lala said 700 ANP workers have been martyred till now.

Two successive blasts at the under-construction mausoleum of the former party chief in Nowshera left five people injured on Wednesday. Khattak was also an MNA and a famous poet. He died of illness on February 7, 2010 in Peshawar.

President Asif Zardari condemned the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2012.

Al Qaeda chief slams US apology for Quran burning

Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. – File Photo by AP.

DUBAI: Al Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahiri rejected the US apology over the burning of Quran copies at a base in Afghanistan, urging all Muslims to support the Taliban, SITE Intelligence Group reported Wednesday.

“The Crusaders once again repeated their crime by insulting the holy Quran, and once again mocked the messenger of Allah,” Zawahiri said in a SITE English-language translation of his nearly seven-minute message.

In February, thousands of Afghan protesters attacked the biggest US military base in their country, at Bagram near Kabul, reacting to reports that troops inside had burned copies of the Quran.

Around 40 people were killed in several days of violent protests.

American officials say the Qurans had been confiscated from prisoners as they used them to communicate between each other. The incident led US President Barack Obama to apologise for what he described as an error.

In Wednesday’s video which the US-based SITE said was posted on extremist forums, Zawahiri criticised Obama’s apology.

“After each of their crimes, they pretend to be sorry, and they claim they will investigate what happened, which is a silly farce that Obama and his secretary repeated this time also,” said the chief of the terror network.

“The American Crusaders and their allies showed over and over again their hatred and envy of Islam, the book of Islam, the prophet (of) Islam,” Zawahiri said.

He urged Muslim across the world to “fight the enemies of Allah and the enemies of His Messenger.” Zawahiri delivered a similar message in March, urging Afghans to rise up against “Crusader pigs” after US Marines were shown in an Internet video urinating on the corpses of Taliban militants.

A fresh scandal has rocked the alliance between the United States and the Afghan government every month this year in their joint efforts against Taliban insurgents.

A US soldier in March went on the rampage and murdered 17 Afghan villagers in their homes.

,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Power cuts spark string of protests

MULTAN – The citizens burst out against unscheduled and prolonged power outages as a string of protest demonstrations took place in different areas of Multan district on Wednesday. The demonstrations also took the life of a one and a half year old kid Abdullah who died of suffocation in a bus trapped in a traffic jam because of an anti-loadshedding demo.
The protests were held at Pul Rango, …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..

Electricity shortfall reaches 7000MW

People have risen up in arms against unscheduled and excessive duration of loadshedding  as the electricity shortfall crossed 7000 MW on Wednesday.
There were protests in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Jhelum, Chakwal, Bhalwal and other cities of Punjab on Wednesday as people have been forced to bear the long hours of loadshedding. Citizens said that more than 18 hours of load shedding was …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..

Fearful nights in Damascus as unrest gets closer

,,

Syrian rebels are seen amid smoke after being hit by a tank, unseen, during a day of heavy fighting with Syrian Army forces in Idlib, north Syria. — Photo AP

DAMASCUS: When darkness falls, streets in Damascus empty as people brace for explosions and crackles of gunfire — once distant threats which now bring fear and sleepless nights to the heart of the Syrian capital.

For months the unrest that erupted across Syria last year, when opponents of President Bashar al-Assad demonstrated for greater rights, was held at bay from the government stronghold of Damascus, even as street protests turned to armed struggle.

Now Damascenes feel the unrest is encroaching on their homes and the sense of unease is tangible.

Frequent explosions shake the city, ranging from a bombing which killed at least nine people in the Midan district 10 days ago to nightly blasts, many of which remain unexplained.

Activists blame some of the detonations on Assad’s security forces, saying they are deliberately heightening the sense of insecurity as part of efforts to portray a popular uprising as a violent campaign by foreign-backed militants.

They say soldiers and police have carried out waves of arrests in Damascus during attempts to suppress months of peaceful protests, fired on marchers and shelled the eastern suburbs of the capital for weeks to dislodge rebel fighters.

In the city itself, blast walls now surround several government buildings and some streets are blocked on Fridays, when protesters pour out of mosques here and across the country to demand an end to more than four decades of Assad family rule.

“Security-wise maybe we are still okay here in Damascus, but for how long? We feel it is getting closer and closer,” said Mervat, a 33-year-old woman whose husband is a clothes merchant in central Damascus.

“All this shooting at night terrifies the children. Three days ago the clashes were in my street,” she said.

Residents also speak of assassinations of military officers, teachers and others seen as closely linked to the authorities.

In neighbourhoods extending from central Damascus to the eastern suburbs and towns that lie a few miles outside the capital, residents say gunfire keeps them awake most nights.

Gunmen at my door

“It is getting close. My house is very close to the town of Jobar. I feel that one night I will wake up to find the gunmen at my door,” said a 46-year-old shopkeeper in Damascus, adding it was not clear who was behind the shooting.

“I don’t care who is to blame, right now this does not matter. Our lives have been ruined. We want an end to this. We want to live in peace,” he said, declining to give his name.

Assad’s opponents say the security forces are responsible for most of the violence, including some of the blasts.

“All these explosions that we hear at night are percussion bombs. The regime wants people to be scared. It rules through fear,” said Omar, an anti-government activist in Damascus.

A taxi driver described how he was stuck for hours one night by fighting between gunmen and government troops as he took a passenger from Damascus to the nearby town of Harasta.

“I called my wife and my mother and asked for their forgiveness because I was certain that those were my last moments,” he said.

“When I finally managed to leave the road, I parked on the side, splashed water on my face and thought: ‘What the hell was that? Am I still in Syria’?”

Other residents say car thefts are on the rise in a city where crime levels were negligible a year ago, saying they believed both government supporters and rebels were stealing civilian vehicles to use in attacks on each other.

A Damascus taxi driver said armed men stopped his brother and took his car. Days later they called and told him to pick it up in the town of Douma, outside Damascus, where masked gunmen returned it to him. “They gave it back, but they didn’t say what it was used for,” he said.

Financial Struggle

Alongside the worsening security worries, an economic crisis sparked by months of unrest and Western sanctions has taken an ever deeper toll on daily life in the capital.
“For the past few months my husband’s work has gone down horribly,” Mervat said in her home in a middle-class district, whispering so that her two children, aged seven and nine, did not overhear her anxieties.

“We’ve been using our savings for the past two months. I want to leave the country until things are better, but my husband says this is his home and he will not leave.”

Ahmad, a computer engineer who works abroad and was visiting his family in Midan district, said people were exhausted by the unrest. “They really want this to be over. We are drained, our country is drained and our economy is drained.”

Syria stopped publishing economic statistics a year ago, making it hard to assess the impact of the turmoil. But oil exports to Europe have been cut off, costing Syria $3 billion by its own estimates, tourist revenue has collapsed and trade, business and manufacturing have all suffered.

“The economy has hit the bottom and society is fractured,” said opposition activist Louay Hussein.

,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

India blames Pak violated ceasefire 8 times

India has blamed that Pakistan violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir eight time this year, prompting New Delhi to lodge strong protests with the neighbouring country. Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran told the Lok Sabha Tuesday that during the current year, eight ceasefire violations have been reported along the LoC. “All incidents of violations are …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..

Pak-US ties: Challenges ahead

The Gordian knot the two sides are trying to untie in Islamabad is over an overdue apology for the intermittent attack that not only bruised egos in Pakistan but also brought the bilateral relationship to a grinding halt – a turning point that also gave Pakistan the opportunity to review its terms of engagement with the US. Pakistan did well by putting parliament at the centre of the ‘reset’. It made the resumption of the ground lines of communications (GLOCs) practically contingent upon the apology as well as a halt to drone strikes in its tribal areas.

As a result, the talks have reached a deadlock, adding to the frustration of the US-led Nato. US patience is also seemingly wearing thin, manifest in two latest developments:

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has vowed that the US will do everything it can, use whatever operations they have to, in order to protect the US, including drone strikes while the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has also followed suit, saying she was ‘well aware’ that the Pakistani government had not yet taken steps to help secure Hafiz Saeed’s conviction, who is wanted over the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Clearly, Pakistan is under the squeeze, largely for its own frustratingly snail-paced review process as well as inner contradictions. This primarily represents the serious challenges ahead.

Key officials, for instance, say the parliament’s role in foreign policy is the new reality of Pakistan and Washington must adjust to it. But other officials say they are trying to clinch a deal with the Americans, regardless of what the parliament recommended. What is the reality then?

Secondly, what will the hyped up ‘reset’ actually mean? Will the new transactional deal delink cooperation with, and assistance for Pakistan from occasional frictions arising out of new acts of terror in Kabul?

Thirdly, will this mean that the new deal will ensure a continuous flow of money from the Coalition Support Fund, which the US administration and Congress still treat as aid and not reimbursements to Pakistan? Will the status of these funds really change into “reimbursement against services rendered?”

The fourth challenge comes from Leon Panetta‘s reiteration on the “indispensability of drone strikes.” Clearly, the American position is in sharp contrast to parliament’s demands. How will the government circumvent the PCNS recommendation on the issue?  Can the Pakistani interlocutors really dissuade Americans from such attacks, or persuade them for a – even if symbolic – joint management of the remotely controlled predators? If not, then what about the PCNS being the key to our foreign policy? Or will it be business as usual ie overt condemnation and covert approval?

Unfortunately, Pakistan is pitched against heavy odds. On the one hand, past associations with militant groups, and the unbridled anti-India/US activism of the Defense of Pakistan Council render its protests and verbal belligerence ineffective vis-à-vis the US-led international community which is currying favour with India too. One the other hand, Pakistani tendency to embed its arguments in morality and reference to international law, unfortunately weighs little when viewed against the global geo-political objectives of the US-led Nato.

The only way out of this extremely unfavourable situation is to invoke pragmatism, indulge in introspection, shun contradictions and focus on reviving and strengthening the economy. That will largely remain contingent upon the sweet will of the US-led Nato and much, therefore, will depend on to what extent can the ministry of foreign affairs, the General Headquarters  and the political leadership narrow down their intellectual and tactical discord into a long-term strategic framework, urgently needed to deal with internal and external challenges.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.

Allies in the making: PML-N looks to muster support in Sindh

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is set to deploy his campaign machine in Sindh as his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz looks for mass support against the PPP-led coalition government in the coming days.

With a full roster of public rallies this month, Nawaz is hoping to cash in on some newfound political friends and allies in the making. One of them, Sindh National Front (SNF) chairman Mumtaz Bhutto is expected to announce his grouping’s alliance with the PML-N.

On May 8, the PML-N leader will be addressing a public gathering at Garhi Khairo in Jacobabad where the head of the Baledi tribe, Sardar Suleman, is expected to join the party.

The next day Nawaz will address another gathering in Rato Dero where Mumtaz Bhutto will formally announce a political alliance between the SNF and the PML-N.

Negotiations between Mumtaz and Nawaz over seat adjustments reached a stalemate earlier as the former had sought the slot of PML-N chairmanship. Sources in the PML-N said the issues had been resolved through “alternate talks” and seat adjustments had almost been finalised.

Senior leaders of PML-N’s Sindh chapter Ghous Ali Shah, Saleem Zia and Irfan Marwat acted as mediators between Nawaz and Mumtaz, while the recent addition Marvi Memon is actively persuading other politicians to join the party. On May 11, Nawaz will address a public gathering in the Hafizabad district where new entrants Bhatti and Tarrar families will flex their social muscle to ensure a large attendance.

Nawaz will return to the southern province again on May 15 to address a public gathering in Garhi Yaseen in Shikarpur district where renowned political figure Agha Imtiaz will join the party. Imtiaz is also a close relative of PPP provincial minister Agha Siraj Durrani.

Yet another rally will be held on May 16 in Shikarpur city where other notable politicians are expected to join PML-N.

Sharif’s political secretary Dr Asif Kirmani accused PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari of targeting organisers of PML-N’s public gatherings and those wanting to join the party. According to him, police and feudal lords were creating hurdles for PML-N’s expansion.

The party’s think-tank also feels Nawaz’s frequent visits to Sindh have unnerved both the PPP and the MQM. The PML-N is also negotiating with Peoples Amn Committee leader Uzair Baloch. If Baloch joins the party, he is likely to remain in Punjab till the end of the incumbent government’s tenure.

PML-N had launched a similar Tehreek-e-Nijat movement in 1994 against then prime minister Benazir Bhutto which continued till the end of her government in 1996. In that movement, the PML-N had employed different mediums of protests such as public gatherings, long marches and sit-ins.

This time too, the PML-N seems determined to continue its movement against the PPP-led coalition government till the end of its tenure.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2012.

Hitting back: PM laughs off street agitation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani delivered a scathing riposte to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Sunday over their back-to-back public rallies in support of the superior judiciary.

Even if Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan join hands, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party  (PPP) is “popular enough to defeat their alliance”, Gilani told office-bearers of the Lahore Press Club at his residence. The prime minister also accused the two parties of inciting street agitation through their actions and reminded the PML-N chief that his party was violating the Charter of Democracy.

Nawaz had invited the PTI to join his movement to oust Premier Gilani following his conviction by the apex court. But Imran says his party would join hands with the PML-N only if its lawmakers resign en masse from parliament and the provincial legislatures – both unacceptable preconditions for the Sharif brothers.

The two parties are now leading street protests separately.

Premier Gilani said it was he and President Asif Ali Zardari who faced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with courage while the Sharif brothers “fled the country after signing a deal with the dictator”.

The PPP leadership would do the same, whenever needed, and the Sharif brothers would again escape from the country, he added.

He called upon the Sharif brothers to apologise to the nation for “concealing their agreement with Musharraf and telling lies for ten years”.

The premier laughed off Sunday’s public rally of the PML-N in Taxila, saying that “my son can stage bigger rallies for them”.

Describing the PML-N’s street protests as realpolitik, Gilani challenged them to resign from the assemblies and he would announce snap polls. “If the PML-N leadership has courage, they should ask their lawmakers to resign from the assemblies en bloc and I will announce by-polls the same day,” he said.

The prime minister said that if the opposition wanted to unseat him, they ought to table a no-confidence motion in parliament. He insisted that he could not be forced to relinquish his post. “Nobody can remove me from my office through any undemocratic or unconstitutional method as there is a constitutional procedure for the removal of a prime minister,” he added.

He also reminded Nawaz of the Charter of Democracy he had signed with slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. The two leaders had agreed to uphold the cause of democracy in the country. “The PML-N is a signatory to the Charter of Democracy, so why is it staging a long march (against a democratic government?” he asked.

He vowed not to relent to the opposition pressure and step down voluntarily. He said that only parliament could de-notify him. If the apex court disqualifies me in its detailed judgment, even then the National Assembly speaker will decide my fate, he added.

Referring to the Pakistan Bar Council’s statement, the premier said that all bar councils of the country have endorsed the PPP’s stance on this matter.

(Read: From among our many wounds)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2012.

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.

‘Reminder’: Nisar writes letters seeking PM’s disqualification

The opposition leader in the National Assembly, PML-N’s Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, will dispatch a series of letters to government functionaries, diplomats, think-tanks and those who hold important constitutional offices. The purpose of the letters is to “remind” the recipients about the conviction of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, which, according to the PML-N, disqualifies him from the office.

The first batch of these letters was dispatched on Friday to Speaker National Assembly Fehmida Mirza and Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, urging them to be impartial.

“The sanctity of the offices you hold demands you to be impartial and fair to all parties. You, however, have not been,” state the letters, the contents of which were shared by Chaudhry Nisar with the media outside the Parliament House.

Last week, the PML-N accused Mirza of being partial when she “leaked” a letter sent to her by the deputy registrar of the Supreme Court about the short order against Prime Minister Gilani to members of her party.

Mirza, however, maintains that her role with regard to the premier’s disqualification will begin only after the court’s detailed verdict.

Nisar told the media that he has also reminded the speaker and deputy speaker about the resolution seeking the creation of four new provinces that the PML-N submitted to her office on Thursday.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2012.

Clinton to leave China for Bangladesh cauldron

,,

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talks during a press conference after the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing.—AP Photo

DHAKA: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves a diplomatic crisis in China for a difficult mission in Bangladesh on Saturday where violence and a crackdown on the opposition threaten new instability.

Clinton, set to sign a new partnership agreement, is the first US secretary of state to visit Bangladesh since Colin Powell in 2003 amid chronic political infighting in the world’s third largest Muslim-majority country.

The last few weeks have seen rallies and strikes over the disappearance of regional opposition figure Ilias Ali in mid-April, who supporters say was abducted by security forces. Four people have died in the unrest.

Following a rally in the capital last weekend and a series of explosions at a government building complex, police have since charged and arrested a number of senior figures from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

A US official said that Clinton would meet Saturday with both Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP leader Khaleda Zia, who have dominated Bangladesh’s politics for decades and whose mutual dislike is as intense as it is personal.

The official said Clinton would promote democracy and good governance but look to broader interests with Bangladesh, a US partner in counter-terrorism efforts and the world’s largest contributor to UN peacekeeping.

“Secretary Clinton’s trip is an opportunity to take the bilateral relationship to a new level with this moderate, tolerant, democratic, Muslim-majority nation that offers a viable alternative to violent extremism,” the State Department official said on customary condition of anonymity.

Bangladesh is “a voice for regional stability in a troubled region,” the official said.

Analyst Manzur Hasan, a professor of Brac University in Dhaka, believes Clinton will press Hasina over governance problems in the notoriously corrupt and politically unstable country.

“She is arriving at an awkward moment in a situation of political turmoil when the country is facing some serious issues and difficulties because of the return of the confrontational politics and street protests,” he told AFP.

Recent problems for Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s only Nobel peace prize winner and a personal friend of Clinton and her husband Bill, will be another thorny issue for the secretary of state to address in her meetings.

Yunus was forced out of his ground-breaking micro-credit bank last year and has since claimed he is the victim of a vendetta that will result in the government seizing his empire of social businesses aimed at alleviating poverty. Clinton will meet Yunus on Sunday, the US official said.

In Dhaka, the government has talked up Clinton’s visit as an event that will take ties to “a new height”.

“It will be a new beginning of bilateral relations between the two countries,” Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said on Thursday.

“Her visit is extremely important for Bangladesh.” Moni told reporters Dhaka would press for lower tariffs on its exports to the US, its largest market, and the two nations were in the final stage of signing an agreement to boost economic ties.

Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to the Bangladeshi prime minister, told AFP the partnership dialogue would be “similar to the ones the US have with India and China”.

Clinton’s trip to China has been overshadowed by a row over blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng who fled to the US embassy last week.

US officials said Friday that Beijing had agreed to let Chen leave for the United States, after a controversial initial deal under which the activist left US protection with promises for his safety inside China.

Clinton is due to leave Dhaka on Sunday for the eastern Indian city of Kolkata and then proceed to New Delhi for talks on expanding an alliance that has grown in its importance but is widely seen as having failed to blossom.

,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Gilani’s disqualification: Nisar asks Fehmida Mirza to be impartial

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), it seems, will be attacking the government from left, right and centre with all the weapons it has in its armoury, after the leader of the Opposition wrote a letter to the speaker of the National Assembly on Friday, asking for her impartiality. 

Clearly, the noisy protests inside the parliament and threats of public agitation outside it are not enough, and the party has decided to utilise the office of the Opposition leader in the National Assembly held by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to further raise the heat against the incumbent Prime Minister.

In an apparent move to intensify its opposition against Yousaf Raza Gilani after his conviction by the Supreme Court last week, Nisar said he would dispatch a series of letters to government functionaries, holders of important constitutional positions, diplomats, think tanks and leaders of other political parties.

To get started with this new strategy, Nisar on Friday dispatched the first letter to Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza and her deputy Faisal Karim Kundi, asking them to rise above their party affiliation and act impartially when the question is put before them to judge whether the Prime Minister stood disqualified or not.

“The sanctity of the offices you [speaker and deputy speaker] hold demands you to be impartial and fair to all parties. You, however, have not been,” Nisar wrote in the letter, the content of which he shared with the media.

PML-N last week accused Mirza of being biased, when she ‘leaked’ to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) a letter sent to her by a deputy registrar of the Supreme Court about the short verdict against Gilani.

Mirza on Thursday told media her role in the Gilani’s disqualification case would start when the court will provide the detailed verdict.

Nisar said that he also reminded the speaker and her deputy about a resolution seeking the creation of four new provinces that was submitted by the PML-N to her office on Thursday. “It should have been on the agenda of the house on Friday,” said Nisar.

PML-N to boycott presidential address debate till Gilani’s resignation

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

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

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

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

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

PML-N continues National Assembly protest

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

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

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

No decision regarding Gilani’s disqualification yet: Fehmida Mirza

ISLAMABAD: Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza said on Thursday that she has not taken any final decision regarding the disqualification of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. The speaker was speaking to the media in Islamabad.

“I have to consult and discuss the matter. The detailed order [of the Supreme Court] is also expected – which is the main thing. I have to read the letter properly and see the legalities… Everything will be done legally and according to the rules,” she said.

The speaker added that everyone was in a hurry and expected her to pass a decision immediately which is not possible. “The letter came to my secretariat… It goes through a procedure before it arrives at my desk.”

Regarding the opposition’s protest against Gilani forcing him to step down from power, Mirza said that the opposition has not contacted her in this regard. “Even in the Business Advisory meeting, no such thing was discussed… But I am ready to listen to them. I’m hoping they will come and talk to me about their issues.”

The Supreme Court of Pakistan, holding Gilani in contempt of court, passed a short order earlier this month and transferred the authority to Speaker of National Assembly regarding his disqualification.

Following the order, several political parties of the country held protests and demanded Gilani to step down from power calling him ineligible for his post. Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz has regularly been creating a ruckus inside the National Assembly.

Internal politics: Entire party not sold on mass protest

The PML-N on Wednesday announced several public gatherings, two of which will be addressed by party chief Nawaz Sharif. However, senior leaders are not sold on the idea of starting a mass movement just yet, sources privy to the developments told The Express Tribune.

In fact, the public gatherings may have now become as much about the PML-N’s internal issues as they are about the removal of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. Interestingly, negotiations between the senior leadership of the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are
already under way over a one-point agenda: The smooth
replacement of Prime Minister Gilani.

According to the sources, which are well-placed in the decision making circles of the PML-N, the party has categorically ruled out the option of en masse resignations from the assemblies and a long march. As for the mass protests, some senior leaders feel that the party will not be able to execute the plan fully and properly, which will result in adverse effects for the PML-N.

The two senior leaders, which the sources say were not in favour of announcing a mass movement, are the leaders of the opposition in the Senate and National Assembly, Ishaq Dar and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. These two leaders wanted to up the political pressure and see what happens in coming days as a result.

But this plan was rejected, according to sources.

Nawaz was sold on the idea of Khwaja Muhammad Asif, an MNA from Sialkot, and also Nawaz’s class fellow from Government College University Lahore, who felt that the party should launch a mass movement against the government.

Dar and Nisar, according to sources, tried to convince Nawaz that, keeping in mind the weather conditions as well as it being harvesting season, the time was not conducive for putting together large gatherings. The inability to put together convincing shows of strength would have an adverse impact on the PML-N, they are said to have argued.

But Khwaja Asif and his supporters allegedly charged the two with being unable to put together large gatherings in their constituencies.

Nisar is said to have taken this as a challenge and offered to host the first of the gatherings in Taxela, Rawalpindi, on May 5.

According to PML-N’s schedule, public gatherings will also be held in Gujranwala (May 7), Bahawalpur and Sargodha (May 8), Multan and Rawalpindi (May 10), Sialkot (May 11) and in Gujrat (May 12).

A gathering was also scheduled for Lahore (May 9), but Nawaz himself rejected this idea, said sources, believing that a failure to put up a massive show would hurt the party.

Nawaz himself will only address gatherings on May 5 and May 11. The rest of his addresses, said sources, may take place in other provinces.

One of his appearances will be in Hafizabad on May 11. However, the purpose of this gathering is more about bringing on board important recruits. The Bhattis of Hafizabad (Pindi Bhatyan) are an influential political family of the area and have won all the seats of the district on PML-Q tickets in the last two general elections. The Bhatti family has invited Nawaz to an event they are holding in his honour.

According to sources, negotiations between PPP and PML-N over the resignation of Prime Minister Gilani are under way between Chaudhry Nisar and PPP chief whip Syed Khurshid Ali Shah and Senator Raza Rabbani.

The negotiations, said sources, are still in their infancy – but the PML-N believes it can get PPP to agree on replacing Gilani.

PML-N’s Deputy General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said that the party stand unanimous over the protest movement as it had been decided in the party’s central working committee. He showed his ignorance about negotiations between Nisar and PPP’s office bearers.

He said that, no matter the season, the people would come out in support.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2012.

20 dead after attackers storm Cairo protest

,,

Egyptians shout anti-military ruling council slogans during a protest at Tahrir Square, the focal point of the Egyptian uprising, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. – File Photo by AP

CAIRO: Thugs attacked an anti-military protest near the defence ministry in Cairo on Wednesday, sparking clashes which killed 20 people in the politically tense run-up to Egypt’s first post-uprising presidential poll.

In a bid to placate the protesters calling for an end to military rule, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) said it was ready to hand power to civilian rule on May 24 if a candidate wins the first round of the election.

The army said previously it would hand over at the end of June.

The dawn assault sparked fierce clashes between the unidentified attackers and the protesters, who have been camping out to demand an end to military rule, with both sides hurling petrol bombs and rocks, the official said.

The army deployed troops in central Cairo to quell the clashes, a military source told AFP.

A doctor at a field hospital set up in the area said 20 people were killed and dozens injured.

Four presidential candidates announced they were temporarily suspending their campaigns over the killings.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi told reporters he decided to stop campaigning for 48 hours “in solidarity with the protesters.” The SCAF as the ruling authority was “the first to be responsible,” he said.

His main Islamist rival, Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, cancelled all activity for the day, his camp told AFP, while leftist candidates Khaled Ali and Hamdeen Sabbahi also announced they were suspending their campaigns.

Amr Mussa, a former Arab League chief and now a frontrunner in the race, said Wednesday’s violence was “proof of the need to put an end to the transitional period according to the timetable, without delay.”Egypt’s military chief of staff, Sami Enan, said the army may transfer power to an elected president on May 24 if the vote is decided from the first round.

The military had previously said it would transfer power by the end of June. The presidential election is scheduled for May 23 and 24, and a run off for June 16 and 17 if there is no outright winner in the first round.

“We are looking into handing over power on May 24 if the president wins in the first round,” state television quoted chief of staff Sami Enan as saying.

After clashes subsided in the afternoon, hundreds of protesters set off from Fath mosque in central Cairo towards Abbassiya, chanting “martyrs, in the millions, we are heading to the council.”

Down with military rule! The people want the ouster of the field marshal!”they chanted in reference to Hussein Tantawi who heads the ruling military council.

In Abbassiya, hundreds more joined the protests including presidential candidate Abul Fotouh.

Leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei denounced what he termed the “massacre”outside the defence ministry.

“SCAF & Government unable to protect civilians or in cahoots with thugs.

Egypt going down the drain,” the former UN nuclear watchdog chief posted on Twitter.

The targeted protesters, supporters of Salafist politician Hazem Abu Ismail, have been camped out since Saturday after the electoral commission barred the popular hardline Islamist from contesting the election.

“The army’s intervention has come hours too late,” said Amnesty International’s Philip Luther, director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“There appears to be no will within Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to prevent these tragic events.

After the weekend attack, the authorities should have been prepared for the violence.”On Sunday, one person was killed and 119 were injured in earlier clashes between Abu Ismail supporters and residents of Abbassiya.

Protests since the popular uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak last year have often turned violent, with thugs associated to the previous regime frequently blamed.

The electoral commission on April 14 barred 10 candidates, including the Brotherhood’s Khairat El-Shater and the former president’s intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, from standing in the poll to choose Mubarak’s successor.

Abu Ismail’s nomination was rejected because his mother had taken joint US citizenship, but many of his supporters believe he was the victim of a “plot”by the authorities.

,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com