KHI 25-07-2012_Layout 1 7/26/2012 6:14 AM Page 4
04 News
thursday, 26 July, 2012
MQM, ANP vow to work together in Karachi g
agree on action against all criminals without discrimination ISLAMABAD OnLinE
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iSLamabad: muttahida Qaumi movement leader dr farooq Sattar talks to reporters outside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa house on Wednesday as awami national Party leader haji adeel looks on. ONLINE
Govt plans another ‘ramadan package’ MONItORINg DESK The government plans to announce another “Ramadan package” for inflation-hit masses as it mulls raising the prices of POL products, electricity and CNG in the coming days, a private TV channel reported. The channel’s sources said a petition seeking hike in tariff had been filed by the Central Power Purchase Agency with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). The application stated that the cost of electricity production though diesel was Rs 20.33 per unit while electricity generation through furnace oil was Rs 16.49 per unit. The increase in power prices will be applicable for the month of June. POL prices are likely to go up by Rs 7, while the hike in CNG prices will be between Rs 4.10 and Rs 4.20 per kilogramme. NEPRA would take the final decision regarding electricity tariff raise by July 31.
sc seeks status of its orders on Balochistan g
Directs IGP to present a progress report on each case ISLAMABAD aPP
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a day’s time to the Balochistan advocate general to submit a statement on implementation of its orders regarding the Balochistan situation. A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain resumed hearing in a suo motu case on Balochistan’s law and order. The bench also directed the provincial home secretary to submit his report, while the IGP was ordered to present a report showing progress on each case. During the course of proceedings, the chief justice inquired from Balochistan Advocate General Amanullah Kinrani about the submission of joint statement by the concerned authorities on their
apparent failure to enforce constitution in the province. Expressing his displeasure over little progress, the chief justice observed that it was a mockery of the courts. Kinrani apprised the bench that provincial administration was doing its best to improve the situation and they had to make efforts to cover an area of 2,500kms along the border with Iran and Afghanistan. He said the provincial leadership was very serious in resolving the issue. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain observed that the graph of law and order in the province was deteriorating and they got the impression that the administration had given up. The bench observed that the federal government should have taken appropriate steps. Muhammad Munir Peracha, counsel for the federation, contended that under Article 148(i), the federation could only give instructions
to provincial governments. To the bench’s query, he replied that God forbid if ever the federation had to interfere in provincial issues, it would have to dissolve the provincial assembly first. The chief justice observed that they would have to go through the set procedure. “For God’s sake people are being pulled out of buses and killed. Attacks are being carried out on madrassas,” the CJ added. He said no person involved in targeted killings in the province had been arrested so far. “The courts will say enforce the constitution,” he added. President Supreme Court Bar Association Yaseen Azad told the court that they were arranging another conference over the Balochistan issue in Quetta. He said he had addressed the government functionaries through his letters and sent them joint resolution adopted during a conference held in Islamabad in May.
HE Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) seems to be on a relationship building spree as only a day after it held a meeting with the leaders of its ideological and political rival Jamaate-Islami (JI) in order to create an alliance for the coming elections, it has met with the leaders of one of its other political rivals and coalition partner, the Awami National Party (ANP), in which both have agreed to evolve a joint strategy to bring peace in Karachi, the economic hub of the country. The meeting was held at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad where the leaders of both parties held discussion over the political situation of the country. The two parties agreed to take action against all criminals without any discrimination, implementing the zero-tolerance policy. The ANP leaders accepted MQM’s invitation to visit the party’s headquarters,
Nine-Zero, in Karachi. The MQM delegation was headed by Dr Farooq Sattar while Senator Haji Adeel led the ANP side. ANP Sindh chapter President Shahi Syed was also present during the talks. Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, Farooq Sattar and Haji Adeel said that they wanted peace in Karachi and would support action against all types of mafias. Dr Farooq Sattar stated that President Asif Ali Zardari had come up with the proposal to summon a round table conference and they were contacting all political parties in this regard. “The country is facing threats from inside and terrorism is devastating the country, we have to carve out a way to resolve these issues and try to restore the confidence of masses in democracy,” Dr Farooq Sattar said. He said that the ANP and MQM would jointly foil any conspiracy against Karachi. He said, during the meeting, he apprised the ANP leader of the need to convene a round-table conference. “All religious and
romney lambasts obama foreign policy record WASHINgtON SPECiaL CORRESPOndEnT
Before departing on a weeklong trip to Britain, Israel and Poland, Republican presumptive presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, launched a scathing attack on the Obama Administration’s foreign policy, triggering a series of analyses on some of the points he raised strongly in a speech. Speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Reno, Nev., Romney noted that he would not criticize President Barack Obama while overseas. But his blistering criticism of Obama’s foreign relations policies represented his use of the occasion to shred the White House’s record. while still at home. “This was as tough a speech as Romney has delivered during the campaign,” a report, evaluating Romney’s comments, noted in the Washington Post.
The Republican candidate found reason to criticize Obama in connection with virtually every hot spot around the world: Israel, Egypt, Iran, Russia, China, Poland. Romney’s speech was billed as the table-setter for a journey that inevitably will be compared with the one Obama took four years ago as a candidate. In a pre-trip conference call, his advisers sought to lower expectations. Romney, they said, will learn and listen in three countries that are among the staunchest U.S. allies. “Given those constraints, Romney decided to get everything off his chest before leaving.” The Post report, assessing the Republican hopeful’s speech, said the sharp critique will heighten the importance of his trip while subjecting him to greater scrutiny and more questions about his foreign policy.
sc DelAys The DeADline Continued fRom page 01
The bench in its order observed that bridging the gap between the two state institutions, the executive and the judiciary, was not impossible and asked the AG to bring about a solution to the pending issue. During the course of proceedings, the AG apprised the bench that he had moved an appeal against the bench’s order of July 12 requesting it to recall its earlier orders in contempt issue, but it was objected to by the SC registrar. He said he required some time to file the appeal afresh with amendments. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa responded to AG and said, “Why such impression is being created that you would not get time. We both have to
swim and sink together, it is our country.” He asked the AG to play his role in sorting out the issue and observed that the court had taken a decision based upon law and there was little room for flexibility, while politicians were trained to make adjustments. He told the AG that no such adjustment was made on the part of the executive. “Solutions are always there, only thinking is required,” he remarked. He told the AG that the court did not intend to send former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani home and reminded him that no action would be taken to damage the country’s system. Justice Khosa also made it clear that the court’s static position was to write a letter simply to ignore the request of former attorney general
Malik Qayyum, while the respondent’s position was that the president enjoyed immunity under the international laws. “If you have concerns (about the president’s immunity), it is our concern as well as he is our president too and his office requires respect and honor. He enjoys immunity under customary international laws,” Justice Khosa said. “We have respect for him as president. If you want our help, we will write in decision that he (the president) enjoyed immunity under the international laws,” he added. He further declared that democracy in the country would not be derailed. “We do not want to derail the system, person or office,” he remarked, asking the AG to
play his role in resolving the executive-judiciary row. The AG in his arguments contended that all the perceptions about the respondent were incorrect and in his view, there were flaws in the NRO judgment. Neither an officer of the NAB could be issued direction by the court under NRO verdict nor was he answerable to the court, he added. He pleaded that the court should not take it upon itself the responsibilities of the executive or legislature and every institution deserved the respect which was enjoyed by the judiciary. Objecting to presence of Justice Khosa in the bench, he said propriety rights demanded that Justice Khosa must recuse, as on February 12, being his friend, he had
discussed the NRO case with him. Justice Khosa negated his contentions and warned him that it would be more damaging for him as it was he who had gone to Geneva twice to prosecute the cases against the PPP leadership. The AG denied the charge, stating that he had never been to Geneva to prosecute the cases against the PPP leadership. Justice Khosa said that they had no personal interest in the case except in the constitution and institution. The AG said that it was unfortunate that a PM was sent home illegally. He contended that the bench’s order of July 12 was not in consonance of earlier order. He said that it was normal that certain judicial or-
ders were passed which could not be implemented. KK Agha, the NAB prosecutor general, apprised the bench that in respect of Adnan A Khawja and Ahmed Riaz Sheikh, both NRO beneficiaries, the investigation was completed and the issue was placed before the executive board meeting which had approved filing references against both. About progress on Malik Qayyum’s case, he apprised the bench that he was cooperating with them with submission of certain documents which could not be placed before the bench. He said the inquiry might be completed and the issue would be placed before the executive board meeting for further decision within four weeks.
political parties, even the armed forces, should come together at a round-table conference to formulate a strategy for the country’s security and survival… No single party is in a position to handle the situation alone,” said Dr Sattar. Both parties also discussed Karachi’s situation and said that both were trying to defeat those who were conspiring against the city, said Dr Sattar and added that the delegation also discussed extremism and the ongoing sectarianism in the city. He said that he also invited the ANP leaders to visit MQM headquarters NineZero, adding that the absence of government’s writ was the cause of violence in Karachi. Speaking on the occasion, Haji Adeel lauded MQM’s proposal of a round table conference, adding that, so far, his party had not contacted the prime minister on the subject. Haji Adeel said that the ANP believed in non-violence. “We take MQM’s move as a good decision as we also believe in table talk,” he said.
US trying to ease Pak-Afghan border tension, says Pentagon WASHINgtON SPECiaL CORRESPOndEnT
The Pentagon has said it was working with both Afghanistan and Pakistan to reduce tension between the two neighbors over cross-border skirmishes. “We are working closely with both countries, obviously, to try to limit violence along the AfghanPakistan border. We have obviously been in constant contact with the Afghan government to work on these issues and we have put pressure on the enemy that operates along the border,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said at a news conference. “On the Pakistani side of the border, we are settling back into a normal phase of cooperation with our Pakistani partners and coordination, we believe, is improving,” he told reporters in response to a question that Afghanistan has warned Pakistan to stop cross-border shelling as civilians are being targeted. Little said he did not think there would be any change in Pakistan policy towards Afghanistan because of the new prime minister. “No, we don’t believe so,” he said. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano expressed her condolences over the weekend fatal shooting of three contractors stationed at the Herat Training Centre in the western province. “All three individuals were supporting Afghan Border Police training efforts when they came under attack. Their tragic deaths remind us of the dangers facing our men and women overseas and the many sacrifices they make on our behalf every day,” she said.