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Sunday,
September 21, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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A-I
bombing accused told to pay own legal fees Immigration loophole hurting Indian women
WINDOW ON PAKISTAN MMA to
consider Pervez package on Sept 23
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A-I bombing
accused told to pay own legal fees Vancouver, September 20 Turning down the application of Malik claiming legal aid from the British Columbia provincial government, Judge Sunni Stromberg-Stein said “any
perceived cash shortage is artificial and contrived”. Malik, who faces first- degree murder and conspiracy charges along with co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri for the June 23, 1985, bombing of the AI flight 182 that killed 329 people, told a bail hearing in December 2000 that he and his wife had a net worth of USD nine million, the Toronto Star said. “Malik can certainly pay the balance of anticipated defence fees and he had the option of scaling back his defence team so it is more affordable”, the judge said making it clear that Malik has enough financial resources from his import clothing business and various real estate holdings. Malik has claimed that he does not have any money to pay his legal fees estimated at around USD 4.4 million. The judge called the evidence given by Malik and his family “contradictory”, “unrealiable” and “full of discrepancies” to diminish the value of his estate.
— PTI |
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Immigration
loophole hurting Indian women Wellington, September 20 After they arrive, some are treated virtually as slaves, forced to work long hours in businesses or prostitution, social workers told the New Zealand Herald. They said Indian men with New Zealand residency were bringing in fiancees on the promise of marriage and the permanent resident status that goes with it. The Shakti Migrant Services Trust, which runs the only refuge centre for Asian women in Auckland, has asked the government to stop providing “fiancee visas” and only let in women who can prove they already have husbands in New Zealand. The Herald said Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel acknowledged that the category dealing with residency through marriage and relationships was problematic and was being reviewed. A spokeswoman said the minister was aware of concerns raised by Shakti and these were part of the review, the paper said. It quoted Shakti workers as saying they saw cases where dowry demands put huge pressure on women. They said they were helping one who tried to jump from a bridge after new demands for money even though her family had paid a 60,000 New Zealand dollar dowry (about 34,800 U.S. dollars).
— DPA |
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WINDOW ON
PAKISTAN THE expected has happened. Pakistan’s all-powerful President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has refused to budge on the question of separation of the offices of the army chief and the President as demanded by the MMA and other Opposition parties. The Jamali Cabinet has also got into the act and fully supported him. The Cabinet has declared that the General could keep his uniform as long as he wished and also remain President till his term is over. It is for the Opposition, the six parties Islamic combination [MMA] and middle path democratic parties like Pakistan Muslim League and Peoples Party to accept or reject. It neither concerns Musharraf nor his chosen Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali and the Cabinet. The salient points of the government’s latest position are: Musharraf will not give any date for taking off his uniform. He will not agree to being ‘elected’ President by Parliament. Instead Parliament must approve his existing presidentship by approving the Legal Framework Order. He will not allow any dilution in his discretionary powers to sack Parliament. He only concedes that the Supreme Court could adjudicate in case he has sacked Parliament and that too under certain conditions. Most newspapers had been stating that the General would finally not agree, to any negotiated agenda, but may lay down the office of army chief by early next year. They also have been hoping that the constitutional crisis will soon be over. Some package last week also talked about his laying down office and Parliament accepting him as President through a confidence motion. But all that has proved wrong. Commenting on the latest package approved by the Cabinet and handed over to the Opposition, Daily Times said: “It develops now that he is unwilling to accept a deadline and the MMA is unwilling to give him an easy passage in Parliament. Are we back to square one? Are the two sides squaring off for the big make-or-break battle in which the country may be brought to the brink of civil war?” Pakistan’s well known editor Najm Sethi in the Daily Times also hoped that there could be, “last minute sliding by the MMA (which can never be ruled out because they can be remarkably flexible in certain circumstances), the MMA may be expected to cozy up again with the offended mainstream parties who didn’t want the deal at all. Plans will be made to make life difficult for the Jamali government with the intent of breaking the cement that binds the PML-QA to General Musharraf. On the other side, the PML-QA (we can’t call it simply PML yet after most of the leaders who ‘united’ at night began displaying disunity in the morning) is getting ready to splinter the PML-N and get more PPP MNAs to break off in the aftermath of the famous case in Switzerland.” To the advantage of Musharraf, the political parties across the board are deeply divided. With the two major leaders, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in some kind self exile, the crisis has only revealed chinks. At one time it looked that the General would have to give up at least one office and also accept some kind of rollback on LFO. But then he succeeded in dividing the political parties and having his way. “If the MMA accepts this package, a constitutional bill will be tabled in Parliament for amending the Constitution,” Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has declared. Otherwise, it is clear that the ruling coalition will bring a Bill and settle the issue in favour of the General. What are the choices available to the divided Opposition? Parliament is now so positioned and either through bribery or favours or through the big stick, Musharraf can force his way. It is his Parliament and as well-known columnist, Ayaz Amir in Dawn calls him Pakistan’s self proclaimed man of destiny who has designed his kind of Parliament to do his bidding. If the Opposition unites, as it looked likely some months back, it could scuttle the move. But now the voting patterns have shown that the Opposition has become weak. What is left is to take to the streets as the MMA has often threatened. But here too the people seem to be disenchanted with the political class. This certainly would help the Army, which is otherwise not in a mood to give up its hold on the real power structure. |
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MMA to consider Pervez package on Sept 23 Islamabad September 20 The modified constitutional package approved by General Musharraf and the Cabinet aimed at clinching a deal to end the 11-month-old deadlock over the legality of his Presidency and constitutional amendments, was handed over to the MMA last night. The Islamist alliance said it would consider the new package at a meeting of its Supreme Council on September 23, after which it would announce its stand. The MMA had initially dropped hints that it was unlikely to accept the new package as General Musharraf declined to budge on the contentious issue of quitting the post of the Chief of Army and stuck to his stand that he would decide to quit the powerful post at a time of his choice. The timing of the MMA meeting appeared to be significant for General Musharraf as its decision would be announced a day before his key meeting with US President George W Bush.
— PTI |
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