Posts Tagged ‘Rain’

Nepal “blind” eatery lights way for visually impaired

,,

Blind waiter leads fellow waiters to their seats.—Reuters Photo

KATHMANDU: A line of diners, holding on to the shoulders of the person in front of them, enters the pitch dark hall at Nepal’s first blind restaurant, which treats guests to food they can smell, touch and taste but not see.

The 16-seat dining room has been heavily curtained from ceiling to floor in black, and the guests grope their way to the table, guided deftly by the waiters—all of whom are visually impaired.

But while similar blind dining venues have already opened in Europe and the United States, the one here comes with the key difference that it provides a rare chance for the Nepali handicapped to gain a measure of independence.

“We should see this from two angles—giving opportunities to the blind and a new experience to the public,” said Shyam Kakshhapati, president of the Hotel Association of Nepal (Han).

“It is important to give opportunities to disabled people because there are not many job openings for them in our country.”

The blind restaurant, a separate wing of an ordinary eatery, comes on the heels of a separate restaurant chain that employs deaf waiters and has become popular with patrons.

Trainees are nominated by the Nepal Association of the Blind, a charity working for the visually impaired, of whom there are estimated to be 200,000 in Nepal. Some are already working as telephone operators, teachers and musicians.

Waiters get a daily wage of $6, a substantial income in a country where nearly one quarter of its 26.6 million people live on an income of less than $1.25 a day.

“With this I can continue my studies and the money is a financial relief to my family,” said 23-year-old Utsav Nepal, a waiter and a bachelor’s level student in a Kathmandu college.

In impoverished Nepal disabled persons are considered economic burdens on many families. Some take disability as a curse for things they have done wrong in their previous lives.

But notions are changing fast as Nepal undergoes rapid political changes after the Maoist rebels, who waged a decade-long civil war, joined the mainstream and the 239-year-old feudal monarchy was abolished in 2008.

Still, change comes slowly, and the restaurant may play an important role.

“It gives customers a small taste of what it is like to be blind…If they understand the problems of the visually impaired people they can help them better,” said Adam Levene, a senior official of the Embassy of Israel, which helped set up the facility and train waiters.

At the restaurant, lined by a small bamboo grove, waiters put their white walking sticks into their bags and flit between tables to help diners find a fork or advise them on orders.

“If you want spicy food then take fusilli with cheese, mushroom, chilli and olives,” Nepal, the waiter, is heard suggesting to the guests.

A Spanish couple, who wanted to do “something special and different” on their first wedding anniversary, came to eat.

“At the beginning I was scared completely…how to find food, how big is the dish,” said Milca Hanukoglu, after the anniversary dinner with her husband, a native of Malaga.

“It was romantic. Instead of candle light, it was darkness.”

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Babar Awan withdraws intra-court appeal in contempt case

Former minister Babar Awan. — File photo

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Barrister Ali Zafar, the counsel for Senator Babar Awan, to withdraw an intra-court appeal seeking a restraining order for a two-member bench that would indict the former minister for contempt of court on Thursday.

A three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, accepted the request of the counsel who wanted to raise certain objections on the plea before a two-judge bench hearing the contempt matter.

At the outset of proceedings, Barrister Zafar cited various judgments and contended that under set judicial precedents when an accused tendered an apology before a court, it was either accepted or rejected and then further trial process under contempt of court charges took place.

He said his client had already tendered an unconditional apology before a two-judge bench hearing the case and there was no need to proceed further on the matter.

Justice Khwaja asked Barrister Zafar to cite a single precedent of the High Court over the issue.

The barrister said it was the right of his client to raise such objections before the bench.

Moreover, the chief justice observed that the court was not targeting anyone specifically.

Referring to Awan, he said the former minister was also a senior counsel of the court and his license had been suspended only temporarily.

He advised the counsel to withdraw his plea, adding that the court did not close doors upon anyone but there were procedures which must be adopted.

Barrister Zafar said his client had tendered a written apology which must be considered and that further proceedings for framing of contempt of court charges should be dropped.

He said it was not known in the country’s judicial history that after tendering an apology, contempt proceedings continued.

He said there was no judgment over the continuation of contempt proceedings under such circumstances.

A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Athar Saeed, would now formally frame contempt of court charges against Awan on Thursday.

Yesterday, the same bench had put off proceedings on the request of Barrister Zafar who had requested that before the framing of charges, the court should wait for a decision on his client’s intra-court appeal.

The bench has been hearing a suo motu notice taken on Awan’s address at a press conference held at the Press Information Department on Dec 2, after an initial order of a larger bench on the memo issue.

On April 24, the bench had ,reserved its judgment, over framing of contempt charges but said they could not drop the proceeding at this stage.

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Key decision: Chicago invite further smoothes NATO route

ISLAMABAD: A Nato invitation to Pakistan for a key summit in Chicago hours before a high-level civil-military huddle says it all: The decision to reopen vital land routes for the foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan was a foregone conclusion.

As was expected, the high-powered Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) on Tuesday finally gave a go-ahead to lift the almost six-month old blockade on Nato supplies passing through the country.

The supplies were suspended in November last year in reprisal to a Nato air raid on a Pakistani border post that had killed 24 soldiers and strained Pakistan-US relations to the breaking point.

But after weeks of hectic overt and covert negotiations, the two sides have finally struck a deal.

The DCC, the highest coordination forum between the civil and military authorities on issues of national security, authorised relevant ministries/departments to conclude the ongoing negotiations on the new terms and conditions for resumption of GLOCs (Ground Lines of Communications).

According to the official announcement, the new terms and conditions should incorporate a clause, as recommended by parliament, to the effect that only non-lethal cargo would be allowed to transit through Pakistan to Afghanistan.

Though the statement did not give any timeline, official sources disclosed that the new terms and conditions have already been finalised for the resumption of Nato supplies.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is likely to be formally approved by the federal cabinet, which is due to meet today (Wednesday) in the federal capital.

Interestingly, the government went ahead with its decision without getting an unconditional apology from the US for the deadly US air raid and a halt in the drone attacks inside the tribal regions.

Those two were the main preconditions set by parliament last month for reconfiguring ties with the United States.

In an attempt to tame the possible public backlash, the DCC decided that the foreign ministry would continue to remain engaged with the US on other parliamentary recommendations, including the question of a formal apology and cessation of drone attacks.

It was also decided that the military authorities should negotiate fresh border ground rules of Nato/Isaf to ensure that Salala-like incidents do not recur.

It welcomed the ‘unconditional invitation’ extended by Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to President Asif Zardari to attend the historic gathering of over 60 world leaders to discuss the Afghan endgame.

Earlier, Rasmussen telephoned President Zardari and invited him to the Nato summit being held in Chicago on May 20-21.

Last week, the Nato chief had tacitly linked Pakistan’s participation in the summit with the resumption of supply lines.

However, the presidential spokesperson insisted that the invitation was unconditional and not linked to the opening of Nato supply routes or to any other issue. The DCC endorsed the president’s visit to the summit. The committee also discussed parliament’s call for the expulsion of foreign fighters, if found, on Pakistan’s soil.

(Read: Reopening the supply routes)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2012.

Hollande vows new strategy for France and Europe

PARIS, May 15: Francois Hollande was sworn in as president of France on Tuesday with a solemn vow to find a new growth-led strategy to end the crippling debt crisis threatening to unravel the eurozone.

After brief ceremonies and a rain-lashed walkabout, the 57-year-old Socialist headed to Berlin to confront German Chancellor Angela Merkel over their very different visions as to how to save the single currency bloc.

Mr Hollande’s plane was hit by lightning shortly after takeoff and returned to Paris, but the president left again shortly afterwards in an another jet.

“Europe needs plans. It needs solidarity. It needs growth,” Mr Hollande told dignitaries at his new home, the Elysee Palace, renewing his vow to turn the page on austerity and implicitly underlining his differences with Ms Merkel.

“To our partners I will propose a new pact that links a necessary reduction in public debt with indispensable economic stimulus,” he told the assembled Socialists, trade unionists, military officers, churchmen and officials.

“And I will tell them of our continent’s need in such an unstable world to protect not only its values but its interests.” Mr Hollande also named his new prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, a 62-year-old long-time Hollande ally and the head of the Socialists’ parliamentary bloc, who was tipped as favourite.

Mr Ayrault’s new cabinet will likely hold its first session on Thursday after which the Socialists turn to their campaign to win a parliamentary majority in June’s legislative elections — a key test for the party after Mr Hollande’s win.

The new president was welcomed to the Elysee Palace by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, who led him to the presidential office for a private head-to-head and to hand over the codes to France’s nuclear arsenal.—AFP

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Welcome news but…

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s announcement to set up 100 model police stations in the province is no doubt welcome news. One is compelled to second his contention that a better work atmosphere will enable the policemen to perform better. If the target is to abolish the ‘Thana Culture’ and weed out corruption, one particular area that is in need of much focus is training …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..

Controversial US military course cancelled

Following the exposé by “Danger Room” that a course taught at the US Defence Department’s Joint Forces College propagated “total war” against Muslims; the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff has ordered the entire US military to scour its training material to make sure it does not contain similarly lessons of hate. It is reprehensible that the US military taught …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..

Contempt case: LHC admits petition seeking to curtail Gilani’s ‘illegal’ post

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday admitted a petition for hearing which calls on the court to restrain Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani from exercising his powers during the Federal Budget 2012-13, since he has been convicted for committing contempt of court.

Justice Umar Ata Bandyal admitted the petition by Advocate Shahnsha Shamil Paracha and observed that since the point raised by the petitioner was of “grave importance”, a larger bench should hear the case. He forwarded the case to the LHC chief justice with a request to constitute a larger bench for further proceedings on the petition.

Advocate AK Dogar advanced his initial arguments on behalf of the petitioner and said that since April 26, 2012 when Supreme Court passed its order, Gilani had ceased to be the prime minister of the country.

He said the respondent (Gilani) should be asked to explain under which law he and his cabinet were still holding their offices despite having been convicted of contempt.

The counsel argued that on April 26, the prime minister left the Supreme Court premises as a common citizen as he had been convicted and there was no need of any further procedure for his disqualification.

Justice Bandyal pointed out that the prime minister had the right to file an appeal against his conviction. The counsel, however pointed out that the prime minister had already made it clear that neither he nor any of his successors will write a letter to Swiss authorities, therefore, there was no likelihood of securing any relief from the Supreme Court in the appeal.

The lawyer further said that all expenses which Gilani incurred after his conviction, should be recovered from his personal account and his ministers, as the respondent had ceased to be a prime minster in view of Article 91 of the Constitution and his cabinet had lost its legal status.

All official visits conducted by the respondent following his conviction be called into explanation and proceedings should be initiated against him for recovery of the funds used by him from the treasury of public exchequer during that span, he added.

After hearing the arguments, the judge issued notices to respondents and sent the case to the LHC chief justice for the formation of a larger bench. The attorney general was also asked to assist the court on the next date of hearing.

Govt employees salaries: Provinces warn against ‘irrational’ pay raise

ISLAMABAD: Provinces have ‘advised’ the federal government to avoid any “irrational increase” in the salaries of government employees.

The provincial governments maintain that due to financial constraints, the finance ministry will find any increase above 15% in the next financial year very difficult to accommodate.

They shared their thoughts after reports suggested that the federal government was looking to announce a significant raise in salaries in its fifth and last budget.

The concern was raised in a meeting of the federal government and provincial finance secretaries held to review budgetary positions, a provincial finance secretary said on the condition of anonymity. Punjab in particular thinks that any such decision would put the provinces in an awkward position, he added.

Punjab’s finance secretary Tarik Bajwa told i that the federal administration did not share any formal proposal on the increase in salaries. He said last year’s revision of basic pay scales and increase in salaries cost Punjab an additional Rs45 billion.

Bajwa added that there are roughly one million regular and contractual provincial employees.

The finance ministry, however, shied away from deliberating on the subject.

According to initial calculations, a 5% increase in salaries will cost an additional Rs11.5 billion to the national exchequer as there are 625,000 federal government employees. The projected expenses for running the government for the next fiscal year have been estimated at Rs240 billion, of which 40 to 45% will be on account of salaries.

Proposals under
consideration

Sources said the finance ministry is under pressure from the top leadership to provide maximum relief to employees in light of the upcoming general elections.

The presidency wants a minimum increase of 35% in salaries. This will cost an additional Rs80.5 billion to the federal government alone. “The provinces must be taken into confidence as any such increase will affect their fiscal position greatly,” said a source.

He added the finance ministry has briefed top executives that a maximum increase of 15%, which will cost the exchequer Rs34.5 billion, can be borne.

Deterioration in fiscal framework

The provinces on Monday refused to help the federal government to avoid the embarrassment of having the highest ever budget deficit in the country’s history.

The provincial governments were asked to save Rs154 from their respective budgets to keep overall deficit in check, but have told the federal administration that, at best, they could save only Rs90 billion – and that too if the FBR manages to collect Rs1.952 trillion in taxes.

The federal budget deficit has soared to 6.6 per cent in nine months.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2012.

Hollande vows new strategy for France and Europe

,,

France’s new President Francois Hollande (R) shakes hands with outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy as he arrives at the Elysee Palace before the handover ceremony in Paris. -Reuters Photo

PARIS: Francois Hollande was sworn in as president of France on Tuesday with a solemn vow to find a new growth-led strategy to end the crippling debt crisis threatening to unravel the eurozone.

After brief ceremonies and a rain-lashed walkabout, the 57-year-old Socialist headed to Berlin to confront Chancellor Angela Merkel over their very different visions as to how to save the single currency bloc.

“Europe needs plans. It needs solidarity. It needs growth,” Hollande told dignitaries at his new home, the Elysee Palace, renewing his vow to turn the page on austerity and implicitly underlining his differences with Merkel.

“To our partners I will propose a new pact that links a necessary reduction in public debt with indispensable economic stimulus,” he told the assembled Socialists, trade unionists, military officers, churchmen and officials.

“And I will tell them of our continent’s need in such an unstable world to protect not only its values but its interests.”Hollande also named his new prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, a 62-year-old longtime Hollande ally and the head of the Socialists’ parliamentary bloc, who was tipped as favourite.

Ayrault’s new cabinet will likely hold its first session on Thursday after which the Socialists turn to their campaign to win a parliamentary majority in June’s legislative elections — a key test for the party after Hollande’s win.

The new president was welcomed to the Elysee Palace by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, who led him to the presidential office for a private head-to-head and to hand over the codes to France’s nuclear arsenal.

Hollande ushered Sarkozy to his car for a final farewell, outgoing first lady Carla Bruni exchanging kisses with Hollande’s partner Valerie Trierweiler, elegant in a dark dress and vertiginous heels.

Hollande then signed the notice of formal handover of power — becoming the seventh president of the Fifth Republic and only the second Socialist.

No foreign heads of state were invited to what was a low-key ceremony for a post of such importance, leader of the world’s fifth great power.

After the swearing in, Hollande rode up the rainswept Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe in a modest open-topped Citroen DS5 hybrid, a symbolic break with the flashy style of his predecessor.

Soaked to the skin, Hollande laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and shook hands with veterans before greeting the sparse crowd of wellwishers who braved the bad weather.

He then visited Paris City Hall, a swearing-in day tradition for the French president, for a ceremony presided over by Socialist Mayor Bertrand Delanoe and attended by the capital’s elected and religious officals.

But the real work was to begin later in the afternoon, after Hollande flew to Berlin from an airbase north of Paris, for tense talks with Merkel, the leader of Europe’s biggest economy and France’s key ally.

Merkel was a Sarkozy ally and the architect of the European Union’s fiscal austerity drive. Hollande opposed the speed and depth of the cutbacks demanded by Berlin, and wants to renegotiate the eurozone fiscal pact.

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

China military paper warns officers to toe party line

China’s President Hu Jintao listens to the Chinese national anthem during an official welcoming ceremony for Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 9, 2012. — Photo by Reuters

BEIJING: China’s top military newspaper warned officers on Tuesday to remain the ruling Communist Party’s “most loyal” defenders in the face of what it called Western plotting, describing recent cases of ill-discipline and corruption as a “profound warning”.

The commentary in the Liberation Army Daily did not specify what problems might have prompted the unusually blunt warning over laxity, waste and abuses in the Chinese military, but the Communist Party is wrestling with scandals ahead of a power succession later this year.

Its leaders appear determined to ensure that the People’s Liberation Army remains the ultimate shield of their authority.

Anxieties about party control appear to have grown after the ousting of Bo Xilai, the ambitious party chief of Chongqing, a province-status municipality in southwest China, as well as corruption allegations around PLA Lieutenant General Gu Junshan.

“Hostile international forces have not slackened in their strategic plotting to Westernise and divide us,” said the commentary, which said some officers have “wavered” in their loyalty to the party and its credo.

“Faced with complex and capricious ideological currents and phenomenon, leading officials must be even clearer about serving as the most resolute supporters of the Party’s cause and its most loyal implementers,” said the paper.

“Ensure that the gun always heads the Party’s commands.”

The Communist Party has always treated its grip on the PLA as a pillar of its one-party power. President Hu Jintao also serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission, which oversees the PLA, and his term in that job could extend beyond early 2013, when he is due to step down as president.

The Chinese government is usually mute about rifts and scandals. That secretiveness applies especially to the military.

Last month, the Liberation Army Daily told troops to ignore online gossip after outlandish rumours of a foiled coup spread on the Internet. That followed the abrupt ousting of Bo, once a contender for a spot in the new central leadership to be unveiled at a party congress later this year.

A source with ties to the PLA told Reuters earlier this year that Gu was under investigation for alleged corruption. Gu formerly oversaw the building of barracks and other military projects as director of the Bureau of Capital Construction and Barracks under the Logistics Department.

Since then, there have been no public announcements about the case. Sources close to the PLA have told Reuters the probe into Gu has encountered resistance or foot-dragging from within the military.

“In recent years, there have been some cases of disciplinary violations in the military that have left painful lessons and a profound warning,” said the commentary in the PLA paper, which told officers to be “models of probity and self-discipline”.

PLA officers must undergo strengthened audits and inspections to prevent waste and abuses, it said.

“We must defend the bottom-line of incorruptibility and purity,” said the newspaper commentary. “Regularly check the standards on honest administrative conduct to examine yourself and restrain spouses, children and staff working alongside you.”

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Missing Persons: No arrests made per investigations in Balochistan since 2011, SC told

ISLAMABAD: Inspector General Frontier Corps Major General Obaidullah Khan and Balochistan Inspector General Police apperaing before the Supreme Court as it heard a case on Balochistan security and cases of missing persons, left everyone stunned on Monday. No person involved in almost 2000 terrorist attacks had been arrested in Balochistan since 2011 on the basis of investigations they told the court.

The revelations were made by the Inspector General of Frontier Corps Major General Obaidullah Khattak in the Supreme Court before Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He added that those currently in custody are those who had surrendered themselves up or had confessed to 886 attacks.

CJP Chaudhry observed that in 95 per cent of the cases, people of the province had blamed FC involvement. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain observed that once FC and security institutions were enjoying the relations of trust and respect with the public, but this had drastically decreased due to FC’s errant strategy.

Major General Khattak, answering court summons, appeared before the Supreme Court on Monday. He said that the three missing persons, allegedly abducted by FC, were currently being traced.

The court, however, was less than convinced with his arguments and told him to restrict FC’s activities to within its lawful ambit.

A video was also screened during the proceedings showing FC personnel picking up a boy and speeding away in a vehicle, that boy is now missing. The IGFC, however, denied the charge, saying that there existed the possibility that FC uniforms were being misused by unknown people.

He added that as per FC standard operating procedures (SOPs), at least two vehicles ply on the road side by side at any given point in time.

The court raised several questions after watching the video but IGFC could not satisfy the court in this regard. When the court asked him why the particular vehicle was not stopped at a check post by security officials, Khattak said that that the check post actually did not belong to the FC.

The chief justice asked whether FC and police was not on same page for maintenance of law and order situation of the country.

Making no headway in extracting satisfactory answers regarding the missing persons, an exasperated CJP Chaudhry asked “General, if FC is also not aware about whereabouts of the missing persons, then tell us whether the missing people ‘aasman kha gaya ya zameen nigal gayee’ (whether they were eaten by the sky or the ground opened up and swallowed them whole)?”

The court then gave the police and FC chiefs half an hour for a joint conference to formulate a strategy to recover the missing people.

After conference, both IGP Balcohistan and IGFC assured the court that they realise their duties and they will ensure the recovery of missing persons before next date of hearing, scheduled for May 21. The court asked both top officers to make joint efforts for the recovery and also directed the to collect relevant data for the purpose.

“General, keep in mind briefing about other cases of law and order and missing persons when this bench will convene in Quetta from May 21 to hear this case.”

General Khattak while giving assurance to the court said that recovering missing persons had now become their common object now. “You will see progress on your visit to Quetta,” general assured the Chief Justice.

During the hearing, Khattak told the court that that the FC was taking keen interest in recovery of the missing persons.

Hamid Shakeel, DIG Balochistan, repeated his statement before the court that traffic police officials have witnessed FC personnel abducting Mehran Khan, son of Murad Khan in broad daylight. He added that FC men had told the sergeant that Khan, 29, was wanted in a case of indiscriminate firing on the forces.

Saudi FM tells Iran to keep out of Saudi-Bahrain affairs

,,

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (R) receives a cup of Arabic coffee as he sits with his Bahraini counterpart Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa during a welcoming ceremony for leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on May 14, 2012 at an airbase in the capital Riyadh. Gulf leaders gathered in the desert kingdom to discuss developing their six-nation council into a union, a Saudi proposal likely to start with the kingdom and unrest-hit Bahrain. -AFP Photo

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Monday that Iran should keep out of the kingdom’s relations with Shia-majority Bahrain, even if the two states decide to form a union.

“Iran has nothing to do with what happens between the two countries, even if it develops into a unity,” he told reporters at the end of a Gulf Cooperation Council consultative summit in Riyadh to discuss turning the bloc into a union.

GCC leaders agreed to allow time for further discussions over the proposed Gulf union, Saud said.

Iranian MPs earlier on Monday condemned the planned union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

“The Iranian threat is not accepted,” Prince Saud said, after a letter signed by 190 MPs warned Bahraini and Saudi rulers “they must understand that this unwise decision will only strengthen the Bahraini people’s resolve against the forces of occupation.”

Saudi-led Gulf forces rolled into Bahrain in March 2011 to boost the kingdom’s security forces which a day later crushed month-old, Shia-dominated protests.

The letter, read out in the 290-member parliament, warned that “the crisis in Bahrain will be transferred to Saudi Arabia and will push the region towards insecurity.”

Shia-dominated Iran has repeatedly voiced support for the protests in Bahrain and strongly condemned the deployment of Saudi-led forces.

The GCC was formed in 1981 as the Sunni-dominated monarchies of the Gulf aimed to bolster security after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran that was followed by an eight-year war between Baghdad and Tehran.

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

CM’s jibe at Zardari treason under Constitution

MUZAFFARGARH – The statements of “Punjab Chief Executive” Shahbaz Sharif against President Asif Zardari Bhutto are an act of treason under the Constitution, said Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khosa while addressing PPP workers here at Circuit House Monday.
Latif Khosa said that he prayed for the Punjab chief minister’s health, as he feared, the possibility of the CM undergoing a brain …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..

Probing May 2 raid: Abbottabad panel seeks to record PM’s statement

“The commission will send a formal request to the premier to have a meeting with its members when he comes back from his London trip,” an official privy to the Abbottabad Commission proceedings told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“Yousaf Raza Gilani was the chief executive of the country at the time when Osama bin Laden was taken out by American commandos… He must have something important to share with us,” the official quoted one of the commission members as saying.

“His is going to be a very crucial statement and we would like to hear from him.”

Commandos of the US Navy, known as SEALs, raided a housing compound in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 and killed the al Qaeda chief who had been living there for more than five years.

The government subsequently formed a five-member judicial commission to probe the presence of the world’s most-wanted man close to Pakistan’s premier military training facility and the circumstances leading to his death in a night raid by US troops.

The commission was due to submit its report by the end of 2011 but is still struggling to finalise the investigations reportedly because of “indecision” on whether to hold somebody from within the Pakistani political or military leadership responsible.

The revelation that the commission wanted to record the premier’s statement comes weeks after it was reported that the judicial body was likely to partially blame Gilani for the raid.

It was on his orders, according to reports, that former Pakistan ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani issued visas to several hundred operators of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who tracked down the al Qaeda leader.

But the commission denied these reports in a statement the next day. It was reported last week that the commission was also waiting for replies to a set of questions it sent to President Asif Ali Zardari more than two months ago.

A member of the commission also clarified that the questions sent to Zardari were not sent bearing in mind that he was the head of the state but the chief of a political party.

The judicial body has interviewed heads and representatives of almost every political party to ‘seek their suggestions’.

Reports also surfaced suggesting the completion of the report was highly unlikely by the end of this month as announced earlier.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.

Drone doctrine of necessity

Illustration by Faraz Aamer Khan

Last week, President Obama’s chief counterterrorism advisor admitted that the US is operating a drone program in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many have commended the Obama administration for disclosing the existence of the drone program, while the president’s advisor, John Brennan, claimed that the program was “legal”, “necessary”, and “wise” under international law.  In many ways, his arguments mirrored the doctrine of necessity adopted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court justices in 1955, who claimed “that which is not legal, necessity can make legal.”  It took several generations of jurists to realise the fallacy of this doctrine, and it may take the United States just as long to realise the long-term negative implications of utilising the drone program as it currently stands.

Throughout Pakistan’s history, the Supreme Court has toyed with the doctrine of necessity, which is basically used to justify military coups. This doctrine was born out of the perception that the only institution capable of handling Pakistan’s complex problems is the military, and that the Army was a benevolent guardian of the state. What Pakistani jurists have come to understand over several decades is that the Constitution is the true guardian of the people, and the doctrine of necessity is an invalid violation of the democratic principles laid out in the Constitution.

While the Supreme Court has yet to declare the doctrine of necessity null and void, its practice will hopefully not return, considering its effects. By legally justifying coups and martial law under dictators, the doctrine of necessity showed the inability of the judiciary to confront the injustice of authoritarianism. Further, the doctrine allowed for the military to sabotage civilian ruling regimes in order to justify their unconstitutional coups, which has limited the stable democratic growth of the nation. Similarly, the use of drones threatens to limit the ability of the US to legally engage with the international community.

To begin any discussion on international law, one should recognise that the major powers control the application and interpretation of international law as they have funded and created all of its institutions and treaties. Therefore, it is no mistake that the international criminal court has exclusively prosecuted African leaders, with the exception of Yugoslavia, and failed to exercise its powers on any European or American wrongdoers.

Even still, with regards to Obama’s potential violation of international law through the drone program, one must understand that most international legal doctrines were created to maintain global peace and limit the use of force by states. It is no coincidence that the first line of the United Nation’s charter is that the purpose of the organisation is to “to maintain international peace and security,” it goes onto state later that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

However, the international law does not bind the hands of nations facing attacks, whether by enemy-state actors or non-state actors, like terrorists.  Under the UN Charter Article 51, a nation is allowed to take measures to defend itself “if an armed attack occurs against” it. Several motions and resolutions passed by the UN identify al Qaeda and the Taliban as willful combatants engaged in armed hostilities against the US, which validates the use of force against them.

This legal reasoning allows for the US to utilise its drone program as a supplement to troops on the ground in areas like Afghanistan, but the international law has not developed a solid ruling on whether the same program can be used in Pakistan.  Pakistan does not have the same cooperation agreement with the US government as Afghanistan, and has not consented publically to the drone program, despite backdoor permission granted by General Kayani ,as revealed by Wikileaks,. Therefore, unilateral action by the US using drones to kill militants and civilians alike without any due process in Pakistan is not as acceptable under international law as Mr. Brennan would have us believe.

The analysis of self-defense under international law is far more complex than merely accepting that nations can use any type of force against their enemies, even if those enemies do not respect borders and are attempting to fight a global jihad. The Caroline case limited the power of nations to use force only by “measures which are proportional to the armed attack and necessary to respond to it.”

It is interesting to note the facts of the Caroline case which dates back to 1837, when British naval officers shot down an American civilian ship without any provocation on American waters.  The officers targeted the civilian ship to punish the Americans, who had been supporting revolutionaries in Canada that were attempting to secede from the British Crown. Like Pakistan, the US was a developing power at the time and was suspected of funding an insurgency across its border.

On the other hand, the British were a superpower much like the US today, who attempted to justify their blatant aggression as self-defense, claiming that anyone who supported Canadian secessionists deserved to be attacked by the British Crown. The US argued for a narrow interpretation of self-defense at that time but now adopts the same legal defense of drones as their former colonial tormentors – claiming that a terrorist anywhere is eligible to be killed by unilateral decision by the US.

Many have made arguments that the drone program fails to satisfy the requirements of “necessity and proportionality.” Under the necessity requirement, a nation can only utilise force when it is necessary to avoid an attack against their citizens or soldiers.  Therefore, there are many scenarios where the US drone program has legally targeted individuals who were in fact actively engaged in a plot to target American soldiers or citizens abroad.  However, the secretive nature of the program belies the transparency required for human rights monitors to analyze each case of drone attacks to assess its necessity.

This leads to the second requirement that the use of force by a state must be proportional to the threat it faces. Katherine M. Loyal and Saad Gul argued in a 2006 law review article that the use of drones was like a farmer “burning the farm to roast the pig.” Or rather, the use of drones is not solving the problem of international terrorism, but making it worst by allowing extremists to gain more sympathisers. Unlike in Afghanistan, where troops on the ground can offer on-the-ground intelligence and take supplemental means to avoid civilian deaths, the US does not have a ground presence in Pakistan where it wishes to use drones.

Therefore, as terrorists travel with their lackeys and families embedding themselves in civilian-populated areas, they ensure that the US will face a public backlash from using a drone on them, as it will likely cost civilian lives. Pragmatically, the US is stuck between a rock and a hard place as its drone attacks have incensed the Pakistani public, who could have been an ally in a war on terror which has plagued most of the Pakistani populace in one way or another.

The secret and blanket drone policy enacted by the US military in Pakistan is unacceptable under international law because it fails to satisfy the necessity and proportionality requirements set forth in the doctrine of self defense. However, like Pakistan’s doctrine of necessity, it may take the US several generations to realise the error in attempting to manipulate the law in order to justify illegal military oppression and brutality.

,,The writer holds a Juris Doctorate in the US and is a researcher on comparative law and international law issues.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Air India scraps 16 more flights amid pilot unrest

An Air India Airbus A321 aircraft prepares for landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on May 14, 2012. – AFP

NEW DELHI: India’s struggling flagship carrier Air India on Monday cancelled 16 international flights as hundreds of pilots stayed away from work during a wildcat strike that has lasted one week.

A company spokesman said about 350 pilots had reported sick as part of a strategy to press the management to accept their demands in a dispute over training.

They are protesting against former Indian Airlines pilots, who moved to Air India when the two state-run companies merged in 2007, being trained for new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aeroplanes.

They say the plan threatens their career advancement prospects.

“Sixteen international flights stand cancelled today but a contingency plan will be in place shortly,” Air India spokesman Prasad Rao said in New Delhi without giving further details.

Flights into New Delhi from Paris, Riyadh, Toronto and Tokyo were among those cancelled, as were flights from Mumbai to New York.

Rao said 71 Air India pilots had been fired over the strike in a crackdown to try to force the other back to work during the country’s important May-June tourism season.

Following the merger, the state-run carrier has some 800 pilots on its payroll.

The Indian Pilots’ Guild union at the weekend said it was ready for talks to end the walkout hitting Air India, which is facing problems due to rising fuel prices, competition from low-cost rivals and a record of labour disputes.

But Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has said the pilots needed to resume flying before any discussions were held.

The government last month cleared a $5.75-billion bailout package to help cash-strapped Air India, which has an $8.3 billion debt.

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

,,
,,

,, ,, ,, ,, ,,

Via DAWN.com

Tit-for-tat threatened

OKARA – PPP district president Mohammad Ashraf Khan Sohna has said if Ex Prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharifand Shahbaz Sharif take to the streets against the Centre, the PPP will also do so against the provincial government.
“The PPP believes in the policy of reconciliation. Sharif brothers should be sagacious enough to let the train of democracy go on. With barrier it will stop,” he said while addressing …

..
..

.. .. .. .. ..