Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pakistan military not seeking takeover - United States general
The movements of Pakistan's all-powerful military are closely watched both at home and in Western countries such as the United States and Britain, which are piling pressure on the government to help them fight a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.
The military has ruled for more than half of Pakistan's turbulent 62-year history and no civilian government has ever served out a full term, earning the nuclear-armed country the reputation of being an unstable state.
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Labels: military, pakistan, reputation, Taliban militants, US general
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Pakistan court rejects Sarabjit’s death sentence appeal
The rejection came as relations between old rivals India and Pakistan inched towards improvement following a meeting last week between their leaders, the first since last year’s militant attack on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.
Singh was sentenced to death in 1991 for spying and bombings that killed 14 people. His family said he was innocent and had crossed the border into Pakistan accidentally in 1990 while he was drunk. Pakistani officials said Singh was arrested while trying to slip back into India after the bomb blasts
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Labels: 3 wars, bombing, borders, death sentence, militant attack, pak court, pakistan, pakistan supreme court, rejects, sarabjit singh, sarabjits death, spying, Supreme Court
Monday, May 25, 2009
French tourist kidnapped in Pakistan
The 41-year-old man was kidnapped in an area where ethnic Baluch separatist groups and Islamist fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban are known to operate, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the border with Afghanistan.
His abduction comes seven weeks after an American UN official was released following a two month hostage or deal in Baluchistan that was claimed by a shadowy Baluch rebel group trying to extract concessions from the central government.
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Labels: baluchistan, compatriots, french tourist kidnapped, kidnapped, pakistan
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
We need unconditional support to fight terror: Zardari
Pakistan is “fighting a battle for its own survival,” Zardari told US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a meeting late last night. Besides the regional security situation, the US officials, who arrived here after a two day visit to Afghanistan, discussed with Zardari the Afghan Pak strategy announced by President Barack Obama recently and a surge in militancy and extremism in the region. Zardari said the Pakistan government will “not succumb to any pressure by militants” though the process of dialogue should be initiated “with those who lay down their arms and do not challenge the writ of the government”.
The Pakistan President said the military action “is only one aspect of the solution.”
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Labels: afghan pak strategy, alQaeda and taliban, Barack Obama, fighting terrorism, pakistan, Pakistan government, President Asif Ali Zardari, support to fight terror
Monday, March 16, 2009
Gilani accepts Sherry Rehman’s resignation
According to sources, Rehman told Gilani that the unwarranted interference in her work by some ministers had affected her prestige. She said it was this undue interference that convinced her to quit.
She also informed Gilani about Punjab Governor Salman Taseer’s insulting behaviour towards her.
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Labels: Information and Broadcasting Minister, pakistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, resignation, Sherry Rehman’s resignation
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Lanka willing to send cricket team to Pakistan soon
“Any invitation if extended for Sri Lankan team to visit Pakistan in the near future would receive our highest consideration,” Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama was quoted as saying by the ‘Daily Mirror’.
Reports suggest that the statement of the Lankan Foreign Minister is intended to restore the shaken trust of cricket playing nations in the future of the game in Pakistan.
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Labels: cricket team, Lankan Foreign Minister, pakistan, Sri Lanka government
Thursday, January 29, 2009
United States strikes to continue in Pakistan
“There is little doubt that our greatest military challenge right now is Afghanistan,” Gates said in his first comments to the Congress as President Barack Obama’s defence secretary Tuesday.
Later, in response to a question from the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Senator Carl Levin, he said missile strikes in Pakistan will continue in an effort to root out Al Qaeda members who have based themselves across the border from Afghanistan.
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Labels: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda members, Barack Obama, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, military challenge, missile strikes, pakistan, United States
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
United States releases USD 101 million to fight al Qaeda and Taliban
Diplomatic sources that the payment came from the US Coalition Support Fund set up to help US allies in the war against terror, the Dawn reported.
With the transfer of the amount on Friday, the US has now made reimbursement for expenditures that Pakistan incurred up to April 2008. The United States still owes about USD 1 billion to Pakistan for the expenses incurred during the last eight months.
The payments are made under a new procedure approved recently. Under the procedure, the government of Pakistan submits its claim to the Office of the US Defence Representative in Pakistan, who forwards it to the US Central Command in Tampa, Florida.
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Labels: efforts to fight Al Qaeda and Taliban militants, nited States, pakistan, Pakistan-Afghan border, reimbursed USD, US allies, war against terror
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Taliban kill 6 in Pakistan on spying charges
The bullet-riddled bodies of two men, both Afghan nationals, were found near Miranshah, the main city in North Waziristan, while four bodies were found near Mirali, another major town in the region, the tribesmen said.
Notes written in Pashto, the local language, and placed near the bodies said the men were killed for spying on the local Taliban on behalf of US.
The notes warned that any one spying for the US, the Pakistan Army and Afghanistan would meet the same fate. They said that the men had confessed to their “crime”.
Around 15 people have been killed in Waziristan tribal region on espionage charges this month.
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Labels: pakistan, Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region, spying charges, spying for the US, Taliban militants, Talibans, tribal region
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Journalists are biggest terrorists in Pakistan: Zardari
“Journalists are the biggest terrorists,” President Zardari is said to have remarked while talking to businessmen about the issue of terrorism in NWFP and Fata. In his view the journalists were bigger terrorists than even the terrorists.
Members of the delegation of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), which met the President on January 15, quoted him as saying that journalists misreported things and presented the situation in a non-objective manner. They said the President felt the media should be careful in its handling of sensitive issues.
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Labels: Journalists, pakistan, Pakistani media, PPP, President Zardari, terrorists
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Pak raising war hysteria: India
”Issue is not of war. Nobody wants war. Issue is territory in Pakistan is being used to promote, aid and abet this terror,” he told reporters when asked about tough statements flying between India and Pakistan.
He said India wants dismantling of terror machinery in Pakistan. “We would like an objective effort to dismantle machine and infrastructure in the interests of people of India as well as of Pakistan. Government of Pakistan knows what that implies,” said the Prime Minister.
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Labels: Government of Pakistan, Indian ambassadors, pakistan, Pakistani political parties, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, territory in Pakistan, UN resolutions on terrorism, waging war, war hysteria
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
United States may re-design policy on India, Pakistan
A report prepared by the Center for American Progress (CAP) and released by a senior aide of the president-elect Barrack Obama believed that problems in these three countries were “inextricably linked”.
John Podesta who is Chairman of the Transition Team of Obama and president of the CAP called for a proper US policy to address South Asia. The report has asked new administration to work with Pakistan’s neighbors, other global powers, and international organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, and the United Nations in order to assist Pakistan over the long term.
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Labels: Barack Obama, Center for American Progress, india, John Podesta, new U.S. administration, new US policy linking Afghanistan, pakistan, Transition Team of Obama, United States may re-design policy
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
India, Pakistan clash on Kashmir in United Nations
The people of the state, India emphasised, have already exercised the right by participating repeatedly in free and fair elections and raking up of the issue by Pakistan was “unwarranted”.
“The right to self-determination cannot become an instrument to promote subversion and erode political cohesion or territorial integrity” of a state, India’s delegate Rajeev Shukla told the UN General Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee yesterday.
Exercising the right of reply, he also rejected Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Hussain Haroon’s allegations of “suppression” of the people of state, saying Islamabad would have been better served by avoiding making comments about an integral part of India.
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Labels: country’s internal affairs, india, Islamabad, Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi, pakistan, Pakistan clashed, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Hussain Haroon, United Nations, United Nations committee
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Pakistan to solve problems with India through talks: Gillani
Gillani told Ezzat Kamel Mufti, the visiting Special Representative of OIC Secretary General on Kashmir that Pakistan hopes to solve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue, including the “core issue of Jammu & Kashmir”.
The Prime Minister told Ambassador Mufti, who is on a two-day visit to the country, that Islamabad has shown its readiness to engage constructively in the ongoing discussions under the ‘Composite Dialogue’ to help find solution that is acceptable to India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.
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Labels: Ambassador Mufti, Composite Dialogue, Ezzat Kamel Mufti, india, Islamabad, kashmir, pakistan, Pakistan Prime Minister, problems, solve, Yousuf Raza Gillani
Monday, September 8, 2008
Independence not a viable option for Kashmir : Omar
Abdullah, a prominent Kashmiri leader, told a television channel in an interview that the situation in kashmir was “bad” and the alienation of the people was a cause for concern.
He also denied that ISI was involved in the recent widespread protests in the valley in the wake of the Amarnath land transfer issue and said the protests were an upheaval of people’s pent up simmering anger.
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Labels: Amarnath land transfer issue, anger, Azadi, ISI, kashmir, Omar Abdullah, pakistan, Prevez Musharraf, protest, viable
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Ahmed Faraz passes away
Faraz, who died Monday night, is survived by his wife and three sons. He had taken ill during a visit to the US and had spent over a month in a hospital in Chicago.
He was suffering from kidney problem and was under treatment at a local hospital in Islamabad.
Born in Nowshera (Pakistan) on January 14, 1931, Faraz was often compared with the legendary Faiz Ahmed Faiz. He belonged to the category of literateurs such as Firaq, Ismat Chugtai, Saadat Hasan Manto, Mohinder Singh Bedi, Ali Sardar Jafri and Makhmoor Jalandhari.
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Labels: Ahmed Faraz, Chicago, Funeral prayer, Islamabad, kidney problem, literateurs, Nowshera, pakistan, Urdu poets
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Musharraf resigns as President
President Musharraf left President House after a guard of honour while Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro was sworn in as caretaker president. President Musharraf who resigned on Monday afternoon received a final guard of honour from troops at the presidency.
A brass band played the national anthem on Monday evening in President House in Islamabad. He left the President House after the guard of honour. Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro was administered oath of office as caretaker President by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.Soomro will act as as caretaker president until an election, which is expected in the next few weeks.
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Labels: caretaker President, Chairman Senate Mohammadmian Soomro, charges, Islamabad, National Anthem, pakistan, Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, political allies, President House, resignation
Monday, August 18, 2008
Pakistani team to visit prisons in India
According to a Pakistani newspaper, Members of the Pakistan-India Judicial committee comprising Justice (retired) Fazal Karim, Justice (retired) Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Justice (retired) Abdul Qadeer Chaudhry and Justice (retired) Nasir Aslam Zahid will visit jails in Amritsar,Jaipur and New Delhi from August 18 to 23. There are over 400 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails.
The delegation would also be meeting Indian members of the judicial committee and Indian leadership to discuss the plight of prisoners,seek more humane treatment for them. The delegation will also discuss modalities for the expeditious release of the prisoners who have served their jail term.
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Labels: Amritsar, Indian Jails, Jaipur, New Delhi, pakistan, Pakistan team, Pakistan-India Judicial committee, Pakistani delegation, Pakistani prisoners, travel, visit
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Bus to move every week across Line of Control
At the end of day-long foreign secretary level talks here, both sides announced to increase the frequency of two bus services from fortnightly to weekly from next month and introduce triple entry permits with effect from October 1. They also decided to allow a maximum of 60 persons per crossing.
The designated authorities will also start exchanging applications for permits by e-mail from October 1 that will be required to be backed up by hard copies.
Also from October 1, clearance will be processed within a week in case of emergencies like death of close relative across LoC, but the stay in such cases would be limited to maximum seven days.
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Labels: authorities, bus services, CBMs, frequency, Hyderabad House, india, Indian Foreign Secretary, jammu, kashmir, LoC, pakistan, Pakistan Foreign Secretary, permits, weekly
Friday, July 18, 2008
Majority want Jammu and Kashmir people to decide fate
People in both nations have also shown a readiness to have the Kashmiri people decide their fate. If a majority of all Kashmiris were to choose independence, a majority of Indians and Pakistanis would find such independence at least tolerable, said the poll. In India the opinion poll was conducted by a reputed agency C-Voter, while in Pakistan A. C. Nelson gathered views on behalf of the WorldPublicOpinion.org poll.
It reveals that half or more of Indian and Pakistani population is open to a range of possible outcomes for Kashmir. On neither side is there strong majority opposition to Kashmir becoming an independent country or dividing Kashmir between Pakistan and India.
”Given the deep roots of the conflict over Kashmir, it is surprising that the conflict does not muster clearly polarised majorities in Pakistan and India, falling in line behind their governments’ positions,” comments Clay Ramsay, research director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, a project run by the University of Maryland, United States.
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Labels: C-Voter, decide, fate, india, Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir issue, Kashmiri people, majority, pakistan, population, public opinion, United States, University of Maryland
Friday, June 20, 2008
Why Abdullah preferred Kashmir's accession to India?
Referring to the criticism against the decision of his grandfather, Sheikh Abdullah to accede to the Indian Union in 1947 rather than to Pakistan or opt for independence, he asks, "looking at the present state of Pakistan and accession of the state with it, how can the critics argue against that decision." About the option of independence, he says, "ask the Tibetans about how it is to survive as an independent country. Let us ask Afghanistan what it is like to be mountainous land locked country in the region with precious little natural wealth." He concludes, " it is all very well to dream and based those dreams on theoretical models. But we had a cold war, we had two blocks and two choices-India and Pakistan."
The critics have cited the case of a number of countries in the world which are land locked and independent, the entire debate on the subject is hypothetical. For Sheikh Abdullah and the people of Kashmir had absolutely no choice in 1947 but to accede to India.
It was a time when Maharaja of the state was aspiring for independence and he was supported by Hindu and Muslim leadership of Jammu region. He was also in touch with the government of Pakistan on the issue. It supported the right of the rulers of the princely states to decide the future of their states to join either of the two dominions or to remain independent.
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Labels: asset, blog, computer savvy, criticism, Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, pakistan, politician, views
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Kashmir: a call for new realism?
Since 2004, both the countries have undergone impressive changes in their bilateral relations as the Pakistani President made a comprehensive policy shift towards India by dismantling Jehadi networks as well as killing or arresting hundreds of Pakistani nationals who had links with various Jehadi groups. In addition, Pakistan signed an anti-terror pact with India that includes sharing information about terrorism. As a result, Pakistan's premier intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) that once sustained the Jehadi networks in Kashmir is sharing information with their Indian counter parts that has virtually wiped off the militant resistance in Jammu and Kashmir. During the last five months alone, Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), the biggest Kashmiri resistance outfit, lost scores of its top ranking commanders in pin-point operations of the Indian Army and paramilitary operations. Ever since India Pakistan ‘peace process', Hizbul Mujahideen that was opposed to the exercise between the two countries has been the main target of both the countries. During the last four years, the HM has lost more than half of its operational cadre that threatens to ultimately wipe its whole resistance cadre.
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Labels: biggest Kashmiri resistance, india, Indian Army, ISI, Jammu and Kashmir, Jehad, nuclear flashpoint, pakistan, peace process, Pervez Musharraf
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Terror must go for sake of trust
Arriving here for his talks with his counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi tomorrow, Mukherjee hoped that a “new democratic environment” in Pakistan would help the two countries in addressing various issues related to peace, stability and economic development.
He said several proposals in the political, economic and regional fields are on the anvil for consideration and implementation.
“In my discussions with Foreign Minister Qureshi, I hope to consolidate the progress made in our relationship, which provides a good basis for the sixth round of composite dialogue,” Mukherjee said at the airport here.
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Labels: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Foreign Minister Qureshi, india, pakistan, Pranab meets Sharif, terrorism, trust, Zardari
Friday, May 16, 2008
We're ready for inquiry
This followed a meeting of the battalion commanders of the units of both sides deployed in the sector. Earlier Pakistan had refused to acknowledge that its soldiers had fired across the LoC violating the ceasefire.
"The meeting was held following pressure exerted by the Indian side. We had asked for a meeting in the morning but this was refused. They finally relented in the evening,'' the official said in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described as worri some the truce violation that occurred when Pakistani troops opened fire in the Tangdhar sector Tuesday evening.
The incident, however, will not lead to any rescheduling of President Pratibha Patil's visit to the Tangdhar sector on May 23, officials in the national capital said.
The director general of military operations (DGMO), Lt. Gen. A.S. Sekhon, spoke on the hotline with his Pakistani counterpart Major General A S Pasha at 3 pm, an Indian Army officer said in New Delhi.
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Labels: DGMO, LoC firing, ndian Army officer, New Delhi, pakistan, President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tangdhar sector
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tere Baap Se Bada Saudagar Kaun!
Taking on at PDP, Farooq said, "Where were these so called philanthropists when New Delhi and Islamabad entered into an agreement over sharing of river waters? India gave Sindh, Jhelum and Chenab rivers to Pakistan while keeping Ravi, Satluj and Beas for itself."
"Wahan kiss saudagar Ne sauda kiya tha, inko (PDP) inko pata nahin kya inkey baap nye who saudagari kiye thi, tab bhi kehtey hain ki yeh saudey kartey hai (Which merchant did the deal there? Do they not know that their father fixed the deal? Even then, they accuse us of fixing the deals)," said an angry Farooq.
He added "Mehbooba kehti hai ki hum Ne riyasat ko beech daala, arey terey baap sye bada saudagar kaun hai, delhi mein home minister kaun tha (Mehbooba says that we have sold the state, hey! Who is bigger merchant than your father? Who was home minister at New Delhi?). Amid the cheers from the crowds, Farooq went on and said "Acha huva tera baap teen saal mein chala gaya, varna hamein maar dalta (it is better that your father went away within three years, otherwise he would have killed us)."
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Labels: Chenab rivers, Farooq Farooq Abdullah agreement, Islamabad, Jhelum, Nagrota, National Conference patron, New Delhi, pakistan, PDP, Political squab, sharing of river waters, Sindh
Thursday, April 10, 2008
India, Pakistan talks slated for May 21
They will review progress made in the fourth round of the Composite Dialogue process and also announce fresh dates for the next round. A day earlier on May 20 foreign secretaries Shiv Shankar Menon and Riyaz Mohammad Khan will set the agenda for the ministerial meeting.
"The external affairs minister will be visiting Islamabad on May 21, 2008 to hold a review meeting of the fourth round of Composite Dialogue. The visit will be preceded by the visit of the foreign secretary May 20," a brief statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said here Wednesday.
Both the ministers will also discuss Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's possible visit to Islamabad. Apparently due to election engagements in different states coupled with the speculations of an advanced general election, Dr. Singh's visit to Islamabad may not fructify in the near future.
India and Pakistan have so far held four rounds of the Composite Dialogue that has on its agenda eight issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Last week, Mukherjee spoke to Qureshi on telephone to congratulate him soon after he was appointed foreign minister.
Mukherjee's last visit to Islamabad was in January 2007 and the May visit will be the first contact between the two countries at the ministerial level since the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led coalition government came to power last month. Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who heads the Composite Dialogue with his Pakistani counterpart, visited Islamabad in March 2007 to start the fourth round.
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Labels: bilateral ties, Composite Dialogue process, Dr.Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister, india, Islamabad, May 21, meeting, pakistan, Pranab Mukherjee, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, travelling
Friday, April 4, 2008
Benazir's legacy
Three factors, occurring over a span of two years, changed this course. First, former archrivals Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif, both then in exile, joined hands in May 2006 to sign a ‘Charter of Democracy', aimed at ousting the military from Pakistani politics. Second, an increasingly independent judiciary began taking on previously taboo issues, including the disappearances that had taken place at the hand of the intelligence agencies since Pakistan's alliance with the US in the ‘war on terror'. Third, dozens of independent television channels, which had sprung up since 2002, were covering events critically and energetically.
These three factors eventually converged when Gen Musharraf tried to ‘suspend' Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in March 2007, sparking off the extraordinary lawyers' movement that had the general in its cross chairs. The media's dogged coverage contributed to sustaining the movement and sparking widespread public outrage. The political parties remained in the background, but their activists formed the bulk of the movement's street power, bearing the brunt of the arrests and beatings.
‘Civil society', much of which had supported Gen Musharraf's 1999 takeover (and which benefited from the ‘bankers' economy' set in place since), now finally turned against him. The political space wrested from March 2007 onwards expanded immeasurably with the triumphant return of Benazir Bhutto on 18 October. Benazir had spent the past few years lobbying the Western powers that were propping up the Musharraf regime (primarily the Americans) to convince them that the ‘war on terror' could not be won by military means alone.
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Labels: Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, pakistan, Pakistani politics, Pervez Musharraf, war on terror
Friday, December 28, 2007
Benazir Bhutto assassinated - Rawalpindi
Gunman shoots PPP leader before blowing himself, 20 others Dec 27 Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide attack that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, aides said. The death of the 54-year old charismatic former prime minister threw the campaign for the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections into chaos and created fears of mass protests and violence across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S.
ally in the war on terrorism.
The attacker struck just minutes after Bhutto addressed thousands of supporters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, 8 miles south of Islamabad. She was shot in the neck and chest by the attacker, who then blew himself up, said Rehman Malik, Bhutto's security adviser.
At least 20 others were killed in the attack.
Bhutto was rushed to the hospital and taken into emergency surgery.
"At 6:16 P.M., she expired," said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto's party who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital.
"The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred," Bhutto's lawyer Babar Awan said.
Bhutto's supporters at the hospital exploded in anger, smashing the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit. Others burst into tears. One man with a flag of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party tied around his head was beating his chest.
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Article taken from the issue: 28 Dec 2007
Labels: assassinated, Benazir Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto killed, pakistan, rawalpindi
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Pak to cast shadow on timing of J and K polls - Jammu
No points for guessing that the fast changing developments in turbulent Pakistan have brought the timing of assembly elections in the state into sharp focus and have attached with it new connotations.
Reliable inputs suggest that at the central and the state level, the application of mind on this subject is already on in the corridors of power.
Although Congress is in command of things at both the places at present, yet the sharp contradiction in the perception of central and state leaderships on this account is well evident. Reason being, those, at the helm of affairs at the two places, are viewing this issue through different prisms. They have different set of priorities and different concerns to tackle.
The Centre appears to be in favour of advancing elections around April or May while state Congress leadership wants the assembly to complete its term and hold elec tions as per schedule.
Authoritative sources maintain that New Delhi is looking at the scenario from a wider perspective vis-à-vis its bilateral ties with capricious neighbour Pakistan. While the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, guided by his immediate concerns in the state, seems to be in no urgency to hold elections earlier than the schedule.
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Article taken from the issue: 18 Dec 2007
Labels: elections, jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, kashmir, kashmir news, pakistan
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Musharraf to shed uniform before oath on Nov 29 - Karachi
Pakistan's embattled military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, who once described his uniform as his "second skin", will take oath as civilian President for a second term on November 29, his spokesman said here today. Musharraf, whose re-election in the October 6 presidential poll was validated by the Supreme Court last week, is expected to doff his military uniform a day earlier.
The Pakistan Army has begun preparations for a ceremony at which Musharraf will quit as army chief and his hand-picked deputy, Gen Ashfaq Pervaiz Kiyani, will assume the military post.
Presidential spokesman Maj Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi announced that Musharraf will be sworn in for a second five-year term at the Aiwan-e-Sadr or presidency here by Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on November 29.
The ceremony will be attended by the caretaker prime minister, provincial chief ministers and governors, three service chiefs, members of the interim cabinet, for- mer prime ministers and ministers and other dignitaries.
On November 28, Musharraf will hand over charge as army chief to Kiyani during a ceremony at army headquarters in the near by garrison city of Rawalpindi.
The military ruler last month appointed Kiyani, a former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, as vice chief of the army.
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Article taken From the issue:27 November, 2007
Labels: pakistan, pakistan's embattled military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, Re-election
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sharif returns to Pak - Lahore
Exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned home Sunday to crowds of jubilant supporters, adding to the volatility of a country shaken by political turmoil and militant violence. Sharif arrived in his home city of Lahore from Saudi Arabia, where he has spent most of his eight years in exile since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf overthrew him in a 1999 coup. He waved to the cameras from an airport stairwell, dressed in his trademark white shirt and a dark waistcoat, state television showed.
Security forces had rounded up some Sharif activists and attempted to seal off the airport. But 1,000 supporters found a way through tight security around the airport to swarm into the terminal building, waving the green flag of his party and shouting "Musharraf, go!"
Police lifted batons to drive them back from the arrivals area, but had no space to swing them amid the dancing, jubilant crowds.
Hundreds more gathered outside the airport perimeter fence and along the route into the city, where loudspeakers mounted on trucks were blaring out patriotic songs.
Sharif's return could prove challenging for Musharraf, particularly if the former prime minister makes an alliance with Benazir Bhutto, another expremier who was allowed to return to Pakistan last month. But it is also a potential boon for the general, allowing him to claim that he favors a genuine return to democracy.
Both Bhutto and Sharif are seeking to return to power after Jan. 8 parliamentary elections. But the ballot, which the West hopes will produce a moderate government able to stand up to Islamic extremism, has been thrown into confusion by Musharraf's Nov. 3 seizure of emergency powers.
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Image and Article source: KashmirTimes
Article taken from the issue: 26 November, 2007
Labels: Benazir Bhutto, elections, ex-prime minister, home coming ceremony, islam, islamic extremism, lahore, muslim, Nawaz Sharif, pakistan, parliamentary elections, Pervez Musharraf, saudi arabia
Monday, November 5, 2007
Emergency in Pak inopportune happening: Mufti Jummu
Calling the imposition of emergency in Pakistan an inopportune happening, former Chief Minister and patron of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammed Sayeed hoped that it would be a transitional phase and establishment in Pakistan would ensure return of democratic set-up at the earliest. "Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf had to impose emergency in Pakistan, I hope Pakistan's return to democracy is as swift as has been the imposition of emergency," said Mufti while addressing a rally at Jandyal in Jammu today. He added that Pakistan has been passing through tough times and prayed to almighty for early possible return of democracy.Maintaining that President Pervez Musharraf's presence helped improving relationships between the two countries, Mufti said that Musharraf's vision helped in transforming the relationships between India and Pakistan. "Peace process is moving forward and Musharraf has been playing a vital role, by ensuring continuation of ceasefire along the borders and by taking politically and publicly fruitful decisions, Musharraf has ensured that history of Jammu and Kashmir vis-à-vis relationships between the two neighbours is redrafted," added Mufti. Laying stress on the continuation of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between the two countries, Mufti said, "When former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee extended the hand of friendship towards Pakistan, president Musharraf responded and thereafter we have been witness to historic and infallible decisions which the two countries have taken in consultation with leadership of both sides of Jammu and Kashmir." Mufti prayed for early return of democracy in Pakistan and hoped that the elections in Pakistan would be held as scheduled. "Democracy is incomparable to any other power structure which exists in the world, I hope elections are held as scheduled and democratic institutions function more vibrantly in Pakistan," added Mufti. He stated that the imposition of emergency would not impede the speed at which peace process is moving forward.
Stating that Congress People's Democratic Party (PDP) coalition successfully took the state on the path of peace, tranquility and development, Mufti said that during his three year stint as Chief Minister of the state, his government made sincere efforts to ensure that all three regions of the state receive an equitable share of resources available for development."We had set a goal of healing physical, psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by violence across the state, striving towards giving good governance, ensuring political stability and fulfilling expectations of the people of the state, we made efforts and succeeded in numerous ways," added Mufti. He asked the people to extend their support to the policies and programmes of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). "I have come to know that scarcity of water is a major problem in this area, the problem must be addressed at the earliest," added Mufti. Maintaining that he would ensure construction of a playground...To read the complete article click here: http://epaper.kashmirtimes.com
Labels: kashmir, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, pakistan, PDP, Pervez Musharraf
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