Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !

India-Pakistan

Impartial courts

2015-04-26

[DAWN] SINCE the public movement, some years ago, to reinstate former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, there has been much talk about judicial independence in Pakistain. The Supreme Court too has often emphasised the importance of an independent judiciary. In a 2012 judgement, it held: "...there could be no democracy without basic human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... and fundamental freedoms as its foundation, and there could be no protection and enforcement of human rights and fundamental freedoms without the existence of an independent judiciary." The right to an independent judiciary, however, is often reduced to rhetoric in cases where the accused is alleged to have committed blasphemy. In such cases, not only are doubts expressed about the independence of courts, but the impartiality of individual judges also, at times, is questioned. In Pakistain, independence of the judiciary is often understood narrowly to only mean absence of political interference. But international standards provide a much broader meaning: judicial independence also encompasses protection of judges, in law and in practice, from threats, harassment, reprisals or attacks, both from state and non-state actors.

Link

India-Pakistan

Military angered by treatment of Musharraf

2013-05-02

[Pak Daily Times] The powerful army chief has suggested the military is unhappy with how authorities have treated former army chief and president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... since his return from exile. A Pak court on Tuesday imposed a lifetime ban on Musharraf from contesting elections, undermining his efforts to regain influence by winning a seat in parliament. The former army chief returned in March after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest the May 11 general election, but election officers disqualified him because of court cases pending against him. In what newspapers described as a veiled reference to Musharraf's legal troubles, Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... said: "In my opinion, it is not merely retribution, but awareness and participation of the masses that can truly end this game of hide and seek between democracy and dictatorship." Kayani, arguably the most powerful figure in Pakistain, was delivering a Martyrs' Day speech at army headquarters. Newspapers carried his comments on front pages. Current commanders have meddled less in politics, letting civilian governments take the heat for policy failures. But Kayani has had an uneasy relationship with civilian leaders, as well as an increasingly interventionist Supreme Court, which has questioned the military's human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... record. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was embroiled in a confrontation with Musharraf, who removed him from office in 2007 after he opposed plans to extend the general's stay in power. Musharraf's has been embroiled in legal issues since his return. He became the first former army chief to be tossed in the slammer Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! in Pakistain when police took him into custody at their headquarters last Friday, breaking an unwritten rule that the top ranks of the military are untouchable, even after they have retired.

Link

India-Pakistan

Sindh govt axes police chief

2013-03-07

[Dawn] The provincial government of Sindh axed the Inspector General of police on Wednesday over a kaboom that killed 50 people in a Shia Moslem areneighbourhood of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , following stinging criticism by the country's Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed the hearing over Abbas Town tragedy at the Supreme Court's Karachi registry. During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry remarked that the Rangers had completely failed at establishing law and order in the city, and that the government did not appear serious over the issue. He further said that incidents of terrorism continued in the city despite the presence of 11,000 Rangers personnel who enjoyed special policing powers. The court ordered the Rangers' chief to use his 11,000 troops to safeguard the city's entry points and not allow "a single bullet to enter". Rangers' Director General Rizwan Akhtar said his troops conducted overnight operations and jugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! 59 suspects in the blast. The court ordered the country's three main intelligence agencies, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) , Military Intelligence (MI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), to submit reports on Friday on the blast. The court also issued notices to officials of the federal government and intelligence agencies summoning them to appear in court on Mar 8. The court also instructed for the suspension of Malir Police chief SP Rao Anwar. The Chief Justice had taken suo motu ...a legal term, from the Latin. Roughly translated it means I saw what you did, you bastard... notice on an office note sent by the SC Registrar based on clippings of different newspapers over a deadly bombing last week in Karachi's Abbas Town in which around 50 people reportedly bit the dust and almost 200 others were maimed. The note said the incident enraged the members of a particular community that erupted into the streets demanding immediate arrest of the killers and the situation in many areas remained tense. Anwer Mansoor Khan, lawyer for Sindh provincial government, told a Supreme Court hearing in Karachi on Wednesday that police chief Fayyaz Leghari was being removed from his post, along with one of his deputies. Leghari was also removed from his post in June 2011, but was later reinstated, after security forces rubbed out an unarmed man in a public park.

Link

India-Pakistan

SC suggests door-to-door verification of Karachi votes

2012-11-29

That could certainly prove amusing. If only we could do that here, at least in those wards with 105% turnout, all voting for the Democratic candidate. [Dawn] Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Wednesday, while hearing a case on the issue of irregularities in electoral rolls, remarked that door-to-door verification of votes should be conducted in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, was hearing petitions filed by PTI chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... and Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... complaining that votes of a sizeable number of people -- said to be up to 3 million -- living in Bloody Karachi had been registered in their native towns of Swat, Mingora, Mansehra ...a city and an eponymous district in eastern Khyber-Pakthunwa, nestled snug up against Pak Kashmir, with Kohistan and Diamir to the north and Abbottabad to the south... and Attock, although they had been living in the city for 10 to 15 years. During proceedings on Wednesday, the chief justice said that a number of complaints were being reported regarding electoral lists. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry suggested that help could be sought from the armed forces for verification of voters' lists in Bloody Karachi. The CJ said that the law and order situation in Bloody Karachi may also be resolved if Rangers and Army personnel took part in door-to-door verification of votes. He added that political parties should also be kept away from the process of voters' list preparation. During the previous hearing in the case last week, the bench had allowed the MQM's request to join the proceedings as a co-respondent and a party in the case after the petitioners did not raise any objection. The court had asked the Election Commission (ECP) to find out how many votes had been registered on the same addresses provided in the electoral rolls of 2002, 2005 and 2007 in Bloody Karachi. The ECP was also asked to check if the votes of people were recorded according to their residential addresses; how many people had applied for shifting their votes outside Bloody Karachi; how many voters had been approached and under which law the votes had been shifted out of the city and the legal status of such a decision. Counsel for Jamat-e-Islami, Rasheed A Rizvi told the court about a house in Karachi where 653 votes had been registered. The Election Commission on the direction of apex court submitted report about the voters' lists of Bloody Karachi. The Supreme Court had asked the Election Commission to find out how many voters were verified and how many of them were de-listed or transferred back to their native towns. Provincial Election Commission Sindh informed the court that 32,281 voters were transferred to their permanent addresses. Counsel for Jamat-e-Islami, Rasheed A Rizvi told the court about a 120-yard house in Bloody Karachi where 653 votes had been registered. Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) counsel, Senator Farooogh Nasim proposed that the court should refer the matter to Election Commission which should make a decision after consultation with all stakeholders. The Chief Justice remarked the Army and Ranger's services could be acquired as the court has already given a judgement in Workers Party case. He observed that country's economy could suffer if peace is not restored in Bloody Karachi.

Link

India-Pakistan

CJ asks agencies to abolish 'death squads'

2012-09-28

[Dawn] The Supreme Court on Thursday resumed the hearing on the law and order situation in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , which was attended by Baloch nationalist leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal,who is a former chief minister of the province, DawnNews reported. A three-member-bench headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry resumed the hearing on a petition filed on the law and order situation in Balochistan. The court adjourned the next hearing of the case until Sept 28. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said that the court had issued 60 orders during the 68 hearings on the case but no practical steps were taken. The court also told the chief secretary of the Balochistan to deliver Sardar Akhtar Mengal's message to federal and provincial leadership and sought from him a written reply on the issue on the next hearing. The chief justice further told the chief secretary to discuss the issue with the president, Director General (DG) of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and DG Military Intelligence (MI) and to inform the court in writing as to what steps are being taken to resolve the issue.

Link

India-Pakistan

Nuggets From The Urdu Press

2012-09-22

Arsalan case and NAB Writing in Jang Hamid Mir stated that the corruption case of Arsalan, son of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, was handed over for investigation to NAB whose chief Admiral (Retd) Bukhari's daughter was in the employ of real estate tycoon Malik Riaz the accuser of Arsalan. The team of Sherlocks put together by NAB included one Kausar Iqbal employed on contract at National Bank with links to Malik Riaz, and SP police Faisal Memon also connected to Malik Riaz. Attorney General Irfan Qadir prosecuting the case was not long ago working for Malik Riaz as his lawyer. Mudslinging and Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... Columnist Irfan Siddiqi wrote in Jang that Imran Khan used his hospital and his university as part of his political appeal to the masses, but was now complaining that fallout from his political wrangling was affecting his charity institutions. Imran Khan was wrong in complaining because the charity institutions were deliberately made to enhance his image in politics. Sharmila sued for Rs 10 crore According to daily Jang famous chief news hound Ansar Abbasi sent a legal notice to PPP spokesperson Sharmila Farooqi for having passed insulting remarks against him. He has asked for Rs 15 crore. His lawyer has noted in the legal notice that in 2000 NAB had charged Sharmila's parents Usman Farooqi and Nafisa Farooqi with corruption. In 2001 they got out of the case after plea-bargaining and returning the money allegedly embezzled by them. They were debarred from politics for 21 years but later on this was reduced to 10 years after which Sharmila was appointed adviser to CM Sindh in 2008 against the rules. Sharmila is said to have accused Abbasi of having asked her for a bribe of Rs 10 crore. Justice Sharif 'murder' case Famous columnist Haroon Rasheed stated in Jang that according to reports Zardari, Salmaan Taseer and Babar Awan planned to murder Chief Justice Punjab Khwaja Muhammad Sharif in 2009. A cell was created in Governor's House where 12 notorious criminals were contacted. This news caused reaction from Punjab government which charged DIG Sarwar Sukhera to find out facts. Zafar Qureshi got into action from federal interior ministry and Justice Qazi Faez Isa took it up in a commission. The whole scandal started with a report written by Special Branch additional director DG Col Ehsanul Haq saying Justice Sharif would be attacked and killed during milad. The other officer who concocted the report was Special Branch director Shahid Mehmood but he later denied he had a hand in it.   Defence of Pakistain Council's own 'supply route' Writing in Jang Saleem Safi stated that during the month of Ramadan the Defence of Pakistain Council will lie low because its members were all holy mans who will be fasting and not thinking of going out on roads. They were against the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... 'supply route' but were unable to protest against it because their own 'supply route' will be reopened during the month of Ramadan. Hafeez Sheikh next ruler? Daily Express had Nusrat Javeed commenting on the possibility of finance minister Hafeez Sheikh ruling Pakistain as a caretaker ruler after getting the OK signal from Army Chief General Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... and after approval from the masters of Pakistain in Washington. If Raza Rabbani knows this, he wrote, he should think of resigning from the parliamentary committee in charge of national security. Civil judge in a dance party Reported in Express the High Court in Lahore took serious note of a civil judge of Khanewal Bilal Masud taking part in a dance party and has started an inquiry after which the civil judge resigned his job. Judge Masud was filmed dancing with a girl in a closed room after which the footage was placed on Youtube. Nawaz Sharif 'noora' wrestler! Leader of Tehrik Insaf Imran Khan was quoted by Jang as saying that Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... was a champion of fixed bouts (noora kushti) and if he took part in Olympics he would walk away with gold. His son owned property worth Rs 50 billion. He said Shahbaz Sharif's farce with running his office in a tent will not work. He said if Zardari ever came out in public he would find that the people had abandoned him. Praising Iskander Mirza Writing in Express Abdul Qadir Hasan stated that Pakistain's first president Iskander Mirza was an exemplary figure because he made no money through corruption and after being removed from his job went to London and lived there on his meagre pension. He was a scion of Mir Sadiq of Deccan. (Wrong, Mir Jafar of Bengal - Ed.) Corpse comes alive but... Reported in Express a man in Baldia Town Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... was buried after he passed away but he spent only one night in repose inside his grave after which he pushed the soil of the grave aside and came out. His relatives accepted him back but after three days he passed away again but this time it was final. He got two burials in the process. Most people don't like earthly world That's because they're in Pakistan, which used to be a lovely place when it was part of the British empire. Famous chief news hound enthusiastically reported in Jang that according to a survey 84 percent of the people in Pakistain thought they were religious although 77 percent limited that to merely worship rituals. But 82 percent said they were religious because they did not believe in the earthly life and preferred the world after earthly life. Immoral leaders in government Famous columnist Altaf Hasan Qureshi wrote in Jang that the three parties in power - PPP, MQM and ANP - were deeply mired in avarice (hirs), incompetence (na-ehli), and maladministration (bad-intizami). They are now in the open with the full destructive potential. On the other hand the religious and politicians who were arrayed against them were faced with a trial of their integrity. Constitutional merry-go-round Columnist Nazeer Naji wrote in Jang that Pakistain's first constitution was framed in 1956 but it lasted only two years. After that General Ayub gave Pakistain a constitution which was set aside by General Yahya. After him the new government refused to accept it and gave Pakistain its 1973 constitution which General Zia came and set aside. His constitution was set aide by Nawaz Sharif who changed it, which was then changed by General Musharraf. A diagnosis of PPP World famous columnist Mujahid Mansuri wrote in Jang that the real face of the PPP was disclosed by Nazeer Naji who stated that people of Pakistain were emotional and self-destructive and were attracted to the PPP's narrative of cruelties borne by the party leaders. On the other hand, the opponents of PPP spoke of their victories. Those who sang of their victories often lost and the PPP won on the basis of its list of sufferings. Once again the PPP after a misrule of four and half years has found new tormentors (zalim) so that they can be seen as victims (mazloom). PPP will be the most unusual party in the world when it enters the electoral field boasting its non-success. Ouch.

Link

India-Pakistan

Nuggets from the Urdu press

2012-08-19

Malik Riaz in power corridors Writing in Jang Hamid Mir stated that Zardari and Gilani replaced Musharraf's dictatorship but followed his policies. Musharraf's close associates encircled them. Malik Riaz the real estate tycoon wrote a column in his own newspaper praising Musharraf for dismissing Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The article was actually written by a senior journalist for him. In return he got contracts from Musharraf. The Q League leaders also became close through their sons while an Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... companion was employed by Malik Riaz as his lawyer with an eye to the future. When the Chief Justice got after Gilani, Gilani should have resigned but Malik Riaz told him not to because he was going to get the Chief Justice to resign instead. After that he bought many who had not sold out to Musharraf. 'Aitzaz is not my hero!' Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that he was once devoted to Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and had quarrelled with many people while defending him but when in the Court Aitzaz heard attorney general Irfan Qadir insulting the Court he did nothing in reaction. At that point Mir decided he was no longer his hero. He did not defend Gilani competently and he doesn't agree with people who say the trial was a foregone conclusion even had Aitzaz tried. Gilani, the longest PM? Daily Jang had Hamid Mir opine that PM Yousaf Raza Gilani was said to be history's strongest prime minister of Pakistain but he got rid of five finance ministers in four years while removing six finance secretaries. Had he been transparent in governance he would have steered clear of the likes of Malik Riaz. To the columnist of 'kaptaan' PMLN leader Senator Pervez Rasheed wrote in Jang directed his rejoinder to columnist Haroon Rasheed without naming him, calling him kaptaan ka kaalam nigar. Imran Khan said Malik Riaz should lift the Koran and tell whom all he had paid off. Upon which Ch Nisar Ali Khan of PMLN had said Malik Riaz should also say how much he financed the PTI marches from Rawalpindi to Lahore. The style of the kaalam nigar was that he quoted the Koran followed by Hadith and then referred to his and Khan Sahib's joint saint. While he eulogised Imran Khan he constantly ran down the PMLN. Imran Khan's lies PMLN leader Senator Pervez Rasheed wrote in Jang that Imran Khan applied in writing to Chief Minister Punjab Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... in 1987 saying he had no personal house and be given a plot from CM's discretionary quota of plots. He was given one in Faisal Town's posh locality. Later he stated that he had won it as prize from Punjab government after defeating India. Nawaz Sharif businessman, not politician! Deserting politician and new Tehrik Insaf leader Javed Hashmi told Jang that Nawaz Sharif was a big businessman but not a big politicians whereas Imran Khan was a big cricketer but a much bigger politician. He said he had never said that he would live and die for the PMLN. Imran Khan's bloggers run wild Writing in Express Nusrat Javeed stated that the lovers of Imran Khan were running wild at the internet attacking and defaming media persons who they thought were bought up by Zardari or Nawaz Sharif. The party will advance to new destinations only after it is done with blackening the faces of mediamen. 'I am not sitting at Zardari's feet!' Quoted by Express former president of Supreme Court Bar and human rights ...which often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... lawyer Asma Jahangir stated that she was not sitting at the feet of Zardari but Hamid Khan of Tehrik Insaf was seen sitting next (baghal mein) to Imran Khan. She said it was difficult today to criticise the Army and the Judiciary but she was doing it. She was not involved in promoting her friends as judges but the faction of Hamid Khan was busy doing it. Staring at judge, go to jail! Reported in Express the Islamabad High Court sent an officer of the CDA to jail for a strange offence. The DG Planning was standing in front of the judge and staring at him. On which the judge stated that bureaucrats had become Pharaohs and were threatening the courts. The officer was set to sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! and sent to Adiala Jail. Railways, ours and India's Reported in Jang Pakistain Railways had only 100 locomotives out of which only 85 were on track pulling passenger trains. It has 430 locomotives out which 46 can be brought on track after small repairs. Forty years ago Pakistain ran 360 trains but in 2012 it was running only 85 passenger trains and there were no freight trains running. In India, the railways was running 9,000 trains daily with an average of 25 bogies. India had 8,000 locomotives. Sheikh Rasheed in America Columnist Nazeer Naji wrote in Jang that Sheikh Rasheed should not have been surprised when he was tossed in the clink Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! at an airport for five hours when he visited the US. Sheikh Rasheed has been on record once that he was involved in training youths for Indian administered Kashmire in a jihadi camp. India had labelled the Kashmire freedom fighter as Orcs and similar vermin and now America too was calling them the same. Peace with India, with honour! Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that peace with India was okay but it should be achieved with honour and those Indian agents convicted of terrorism in Pakistain should not be released for the sake of peace with India. He referred to fellow journalist Ansar Abbasi who opposed the release of an Indian agent from Pak jail. An Indian TV anchor criticised Hamid Mir for scaring Zardari off from releasing an Indian prisoner. Can media lampoon Army and Judiciary? Quoted in Express federal information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira stated that if the media was so brave it should also criticise the Army and the Judiciary. It was easy to make fun of national politicians but it took real moral courage to make cartoons of the Army chief and the Chief Justice and some Orcs and similar vermin hiding in some parts of the country. Hamid Khan should return the fee! Owned by Malik Riaz daily Jinnah said on the front page that lawyer Hamid Khan can get his licence to practise annulled if he doesn't return the fee collected by him from Malik Riaz after joining Tehrik Insaf and refusing to represent him. It was against the law to first take the fee and then refuse to represent a client without returning the received fee. Chechnya and Timor compared Writing in Jang Nazeer Naji stated that East Timor in Indonesia was awarded independence because the Christians living there could create their own country. But the Chechen Mohammedans struggling against Russia for their independence were not given the same right because no Mohammedan country was supporting their movement. Crush the Qadianis! World famous leader of Mohammedans Pir Azharul Hassan Gilani told Jinnah that the 'guru' of the Qadianis had toured America and got a lot of support there which proved that he was busy concocting conspiracies against Pakistain and the world of Islam. He said he would fight the Qadianis on every front.

Link

India-Pakistan

Nuggets From The Urdu Press

2012-08-12

Justice Chaudhry and 'Adle-e-Faruqi' Writing in Jang Hamid Mir stated that as he stood in the court of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry he was reminded of Adle-e-Faruqi (example of Hazrat Umar). DHA had its security guard murdered by someone and Justice Chaudhry had taken the case from the police and given it to FIA. The record presented to the Court had the name of Malik Riaz mentioned in repeatedly. Malik Riaz published appeals in the press in his own favour, then allegedly reached a compromise (sulah) with the offended party. But the offended party was not willing. The Court asked if the FIA had questioned Malik Riaz in the matter but the FIA chief Fayyaz Leghari would not answer. FIA was asked but would not answer the question. To summarize: Something happened. The judge did something. Then the FIA did nothing. For some unexplained reason our journalist finds this meaningful. Plot against Justice Chaudhry Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that powerful people around Malik Riaz plotted to trap Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Mr. Mir seems a bit obsessed with the honourable judge at the moment... This is his second piece about the man in as many moments. Mail Riaz claimed that his son Arsalan had taken bribe worth crores of rupees from his son-in-law Salman. He thought that in case of answerability of Salman in the bribery case he would escape jurisdiction of the court because of his residence in London. But Malik Riaz should know that he is not more powerful than Musharraf. Malik Riaz demands justice! Quoted in his own newspaper Jinnah property tycoon Malik Riaz appealed to the nation that he had played a middleman's role in the restoration of Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice of Pakistain but now wanted justice whether it be prison or hanging. He said the CJ should answer why he met him after announcing that he would meet no one? He said he was being blackmailed for the past two years and his own fault was that he was a rich man. He said if he was killed the Supreme Court would be responsible. Chaudhry Nisar and Khwaja Asif were pretending to be virtuous but they did not allow even schools and hospitals to be built in their constituencies.  Raisani's son threatens lady How rude! Reported in Nawa-e-Waqt A lady named Nazia Baloch in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... had started the paperwork but haven't done much else in Gizri against the son of the chief minister of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , Raees Raisani for threatening her and threatening to kill her. Son Raees replied that he did not know the lady and would take legal action against her for maligning him and his tribal honour. Aitzaz on 'LPG quota' Quoted in Jinnah Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan stated that if anyone proves that he had made a lot money from an LPG quota awarded to him by the government he would leave politics. He said he was a lawyer for Malik Riaz in some cases but not in those relating to Arsalan. He said the charge of taking LPG quota was made by Khwaja Asif but he should prove it either against him or against Mrs Aitzaz Ahsan. Chief Justice Lahore on 'nannah poda' media Daily Nawa-e-Waqt quoted Chief Justice of the High Court Lahore Justice Umar Ata Bandial as saying that he did not want to uproot (ukharana) the young sapling (nannah poda) of the media which had made so many sacrifices for its freedom. He said while disposing of the applications filed against TV anchors rumoured to be taking graft. NAB not qualified to handle Arsalan Case Daily Jinnah reported chief of NAB Admiral (Retd) Fasih Bukhari as saying that NAB was not qualified to probe the Arsalan Case because it was a matter of exchange between two private individuals and had nothing to do with the state office. (Later, NAB undertook to investigate.) Mira defrauded fiance's father According to Express famous filmstar Mira known for her beauty and English proficiency stood accused of defrauding her latest fiance Captain Naved when she took Rs 2 crore from his father. In 2008 she agreed to marry the pilot and in 2009 received a pay order worth $400,000. She acknowledged receipt through an email. The money was the price of her house which she was selling to her father-in-law. PM Gilani worst PM in history Daily Jang quoted Transparency International as saying that the tenure of PM Gilani was the worst in the 65 year history of Pakistain. Governors, state ministers and finance ministers were repeatedly removed because Gilani's economic policies were a failure. Gilani government was always involved in plotting against the state. Gilani was among the world's 22 prime ministers who were punished, nine of whom were hanged. TV anchors attack each other Writing in Jang Hamid Mir wrote that Malik Riaz had organised a fixed interview with two TV hosts at a TV Channel to present himself as innocent. One TV anchor Mubashir Lucman wanted to accuse Hamid Mir of having taken bribes from Malik Riaz because Hamid Mir according to him had accused Luqman of bribe-taking. Anchor Lucman the received a phone-call from the son of Prime Minister Gilani which proved that the programme was mounted by Malik Riaz and the government. Before this call, Malik Riaz had stated that he had given no villa to Hamid Mir in Dubai. TV anchor and Musharraf Columnist and TV anchor Hamid Mir wrote in Jang TV anchor Lucman was once very close to General Musharraf and had defended Musharraf's decision to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry from his office. All this while, Hamid Mir had stood by the side of Justice Chaudhry. After this Hamid Mir was placed under a ban. Lucman announced that Hamid Mir was enemy of the country but Lucman's dirty language against the chief justice was still to be seen on Youtube. Khalid Khwaja plot and Hamid Mir Columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that TV anchor Mubashir Lucman was behind the ISI plot to entangle him in the death of the ex-ISI officer Khalid Khwaja killed by the Taliban in North Wazoo where he had gone with another ex-ISI officer Col Imam. A tape was produced in which Mir was featured talking to the Taliban and asking them to kill Khalid Khwaja. ISI chief and Mubashir Luqman Writing in Jang Hamid Mir stated that once when Malik Riaz was pulling all strings to get ISI chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha another extension from the PPP government, he began criticising the extension and criticised the ISI chief for the mistakes he had made as head of the ISI. On this, Mubashir Lucman did a number of programmes targeting him. Gilani and Zardari in cold war Daily Jang quoted senior journalist Suhail Warraich as saying that bureaucracies of PM Gilani and President Zardari had been engaged in Cold War before the fall of Gilani. He said Qaira and Ahmad Mukhtar were set aside as new PM because both came from Gujrat which was the stronghold of ally, PMLQ. The good TV anchors TV anchor Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that he was offered Rs 15 crore for doing one programme against Justice Chaudhry but he refused. He was again offered one and half crore salaried job when he was supporting the restoration of judges but he refused again.

Link

India-Pakistan

Nuggets From The Urdu Press

2012-08-06

Malik removed from Islamic University Reported in monthly Naya Zamana 'anti-liberal' faculty of sharia at the International Islamic University at Islamabad got offended with its rector Fateh Muhammad Malik because of his liberal ideas. Malik is known for having written a number of popular books on Allama Iqbal. Malik got into trouble when in May the University held a culture week and invited the Iranian ambassador and his wife. The sharia faculty protested but Malik was stubborn and additionally insisted that his linkage of the University with universities in Iran was proper. Malik said some people wanted to keep the University Wahhabi. The Islamic University was created by General Zia to breed jihadi intellectuals, the journal said. Hafiz Saeed serves notices Monthly Naya Zamana reported that famous religious jihadi leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain... had served notices of Rs 10 crore each to columnist Nazeer Naji and journalist Amir Mir for writing that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed had secretly met the American ambassador. Both journalists acknowledged receipt of notices but Nazeer Naji said he did not have Rs 10 crore to pay to Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. Ahmadis living in Pak hell Quoted in monthly Naya Zamana a report from the Ahmadi community stated that in 2011 six Ahmadis were killed for their faith while 20 others were assaulted. In educational institutions Ahmadi students were being subjected to targeted attacks to make them quit the campus. Their places of worship were being taken over, 23 of them demolished and 28 sealed by the administration and 16 were under illegal occupation. Pakistani purity in action. Will Mira return the plot? Daily Jinnah reported that filmstar Mira had decided to make up and do sulah with her alleged husband Atique who had said that he would do sulah only if she returned the house she had received from him as a wedding gift but was actually denying receiving it. Mira was said to be thinking of returning the house where now her fresh fiance was actually living. Former putative husband Atique had famously asked a judge to get her medically examined to confirm her claim that she was a virgin. Nation opposed to Siachen climb-down According to Jang, 57 percent of the people in Pakistain were opposed to Pak Army climbing down from Siachen unilaterally as recommended by Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... . Only 17 percent favoured unilateral withdrawal while 15 percent wanted the Army permanently stationed on Siachen. No revolution in Pakistain, please! Famous Maulana Samiul Haq ...leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... told Jinnah that there will be no revolution in Pakistain and there will be no change in Pakistain. Elections will be held and its results will be decided by America. He said Learned Elders of Islam were not affected by America's threats; therefore America should stop threatening him. He said all politicians were working for Americans. Chief Justice against Punjab laptops Reported in Jang, Chief Justice of Pakistain Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed that in Punjab Rs 22 billion were spent on laptops whereas many girls students were sitting out in graveyards because their schools had no classrooms. He said this after hearing about a school in Gujranwala whose classes were being held in a graveyard. Prob'ly safer for the girls than a burnable school building... Chief Justice being made into hero Quoted in Express lawyer Fawad Chaudhry stated that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was unnecessarily being presented as a national hero by the media. He said that Musa Gilani and Dr Arsalan were being judged on unequal scales. Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah who is a cousin of the Chief Justice said that the plot against the Supreme Court was hatched by Rehman Malik Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship. and Malik Riaz. General Chishti supports Chief Justice Reported in Nawa-e-Waqt famous General (Retd) Faiz Ali Chishti Who? spoke on behalf of the organization of retired armymen and said that corrupt elements were hatching conspiracies but the military leadership had unconditionally promised to stand behind the Chief Justice. He said the corrupt were endangered by the activism of the Supreme Court. And since just about everyone there is corrupt... PPP blackmailing Chief Justice PMLN firebrand ...firebrands are noted more for audio volume and the quantity of spittle generated than for any actual logic in their arguments... leader Abid Sher told Express that the PPP was trying to blackmail Chief Justice Chaudhry. Kashmala Tariq of Q League said it was a conspiracy hatched by Rehman Malik but PPP leader Basra said Chief Justice did not take notice of his son's lavish life style. The crying competition in Pakistain Writing in Express famous Abdul Qadir Hasan observed that many people in Pakistain were accustomed to weeping at critical moments. Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan had cried when he was shown evidence of Dr Arsalan's bribe-taking. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was said to have cried during the Lal Masjid operation. He also cried at the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti. 'I have seen proof of Arslangate!' Columnist Javed Chaudhry wrote in Express that he had seen proof of Dr Arsalan Iftikhar's corruption with his own eyes. He had been rung by Malik Riaz with whom he had connections going back to 1996 and invited to his house. When he reached Malik's house he saw the car of a famous and senior journalist coming out from the gate. No doubt that makes more sense in the original Urdu. Malik Riaz was plotting for a long time Famous columnist Haroon Rasheed stated in Jang that the journalists were opining that Malik Riaz had attacked the Chief Justice because he was put up to it by the Army which had been insulted by the Chief Justice in Quetta. This was not true because Malik Riaz had first thought of the plot long time ago. Deaf and Dumb will attack NATO supplies Reported in Nawa-e-Waqt that the deaf and dumb of Lahore were greatly incensed after hearing How? of the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... supplies issue and said that NATO supplies were leading to the killing of humanity which was not acceptable to them and might lead to their issuing forth in the streets and immortalising themselves by attacking the NATO supply routes. Arsalan wanted to stay in London Marriot Daily Jinnah quoted Malik Riaz as saying that he had written proof that Arsalan insisted that he wanted to stay in the most expensive hotel called London Marriot. He added that he insisted so much that Bahria was finally forced to agree to pay for the room. A 'heejra' orgy According to Express Muzaffargarh in Souh Punjab was shocked to witness a huge gathering of transvestites and local boys falling in love with each other and then marrying heejras. The police looked after the ceremony in a marriage hall and made sure that the rich boys could enjoy the heejra company. Arsalan Iftikhar and Dina Wadia Famous columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that famous fathers at times were embarrassed by their offspring. Jinnah was made to feel awkward by his daughter Dina Wadia who converted to Parsi faith Thus returning down the path trod by her mother, who converted from the Parsi faith when she married Mr. Jinnah. to marry someone that Jinnah did not approve of and therefore had to dissociate himself from it. Similarly Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had bravely taken suo motu ...a legal term, from the Latin. Roughly translated it means I saw what you did, you bastard... notice of his son Arsalan's corruption case and did not favour him. Jamaat Islami had some trouble with the son of its founder Maududi but did not maltreat Farooq Maududi.

Link

India-Pakistan

The Real Enemy Of Pakistan

2012-04-28

On 12 February 2012, two parallel gatherings were held in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... . One was the Bloody Karachi Literature Festival, in which Pak intellectuals discussed how they could make their country safer and deal with extremism - Pakistain's real enemy. Many Indian publishers were invited to the event and works by Indian authors were also discussed and sold. About 10 kilometres away, representatives of 40 religious and political groups participated in a Difa-e-Pakistain rally, where Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain... asserted Pakistain's real enemy was India. To blame external powers for internal problems is an age-old gimmick of state establishments. That way the state can evade its Hobbesian responsibility to provide security to their citizens.By constructing an external enemy and blaming it for everything bad happening in their country, they project themselves as saviours of their nation, reaping political and economic benefits.This has also happened in Pakistain. But Paks must realize their real enemies are the people who are proponents of extremism, injustice and violence against women and minorities. Pakistain's real enemies are those who silence the liberals by threatening or killing them or forcing them to leave the country. Pakistain's real enemies are those responsible for sectarian and ethnic violence that has killed thousands of innocent people, and those who provide political and religious justification for such violence. The people at the literature festival cannot be absolved either, because they have collectively failed to fight against the Death Eater forces. The civil society is the most potent forcein any modern state.It has the power to change the political regime. Pakistain's civil society did a courageous job supporting Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had been forced out of office by former president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... . The movement resulted in Chaudhry's reinstatement and Musharraf's exile. Not too long after that, the same people were seen showering rose petals on the killer of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer. The liberals in Pakistain now have a responsibility.As David Easton had said, they have to come out of their cocooned and self-exiled life and fight against the Orcs and similar vermin if they are really serious about carrying out their social responsibilities. They have to use the tools and instruments available to them to educate Pakistain's youth. And if they fail to do so, Pakistain's future is grim.

Link

India-Pakistan

Legitimate criticism

2012-03-17

[Dawn] UNHAPPY with the criticism directed at the Pakistain Army in recent days, Gen Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... has been quoted in a section of the media as having said that the morale of the troops is being affected. This on the same day that a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry suggested that Pakistain's intelligence agencies were overstepping their domain and the National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution calling for fresh legislation to regulate the role and function of the intelligence and security agencies. To the extent that Gen Kayani was referring to the heroic efforts of Pak soldiers in fighting militancy in harsh and unforgiving terrain being undermined by the perceived lack of public support for the Pakistain Army, he may have a point. In an extremely tough fight against a tenacious foe, the army chief is right to call on the country to pull together. However, the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... from the context and substance of Gen Kayani's remarks it appears the military chief is upset by what ought to qualify as very legitimate criticism of the army and its intelligence arms: the issue of the disappearances and deaths of dissidents, the ISI's unconstitutional and illegal role in politics, and the army's behind-the-scenes influence on the democratic process. This is unfortunate. History hangs heavy over the Pakistain Army. For decades, it has directly and indirectly influenced the direction of the state far beyond its official remit and treated all other institutions, be it parliament or the superior judiciary, as subordinate. To criticise the army leadership when it overreaches and to demand accountability of those who have violated the constitution and the law of the land is to rise to the defence of democracy and constitutional order, not to undermine the institution. Perhaps Gen Kayani should reflect on events over the full course of his tenure as army chief so far, and not just the recent past. After becoming COAS he withdrew the army from a direct and decisive role in politics and refocused the institution under his command on its core duty: protecting the territorial integrity and illusory sovereignty of Pakistain from external and internal threats. And for that Gen Kayani was praised by the very sections of the media and society that he is now criticising. What changed is that controversies like 'memogate' and the emergence of the Difaa-e-Pakistain Council on the political front were matched by failures like May 2 and the PNS Mehran attack on the security front. When the army does the job it is mandated to do, the country salutes it. When it dabbles in areas outside its constitutional domain, it rightfully attracts criticism.

Link

India-Pakistan

Eight more missing people die in mysterious circumstances

2012-02-10

[Dawn] Forty one Paks disappeared under mysterious circumstances have been traced out while eight of them have died, the government said in a report. The government told the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, headed by retired judge Javed Iqbal, that many of the disappeared people were still in the custody of country's law enforcement agencies. Though authorities mentioned names of the dead but they did not say causes and circumstances of their death. A copy of the report available to the Dawn.com disclosed that six were from northwestern Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... valley where Pakistain army launched an operation against Islamic fascisti in 2007. They included Abdul Laiq, his brother Mohammad Laiq, Moazmeen Khan, Pervaiz Khan, Zor Talab Khan, Lahore Khan. Whereas, Shahid Mehmood and Wadera Jalab were from Attock-Punjab and district Kohlu of Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... respectively. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has recently opened a case of another eleven out of them four men had died in the custody of intelligence agencies. The relatives of the dear departed filed a petition in the court after they found their bodies in a hospital in northwestern city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar. The remaining seven are still with the agencies.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More