PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif concluded their marathon talks in Dubai on Thursday striking what was described by informed sources here as essentially a compromise solution on the question of restoration of deposed judges.

Both sides in their public statements reaffirmed to implement the Murree Accord that envisaged reinstatement of judges through a resolution of the National Assembly followed by an executive order by the Prime Minister. They, however, agreed on a road map that would avoid direct confrontation with present court and address PPP’s reservations about the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

There was a sigh of relief on both sides that the understanding reached in Dubai has averted imminent collapse of the PPP-PML-N coalition at Central and Punjab level. It has provided a face saving formula for them. At the same time it will contain enough features to satisfy the demands of the lawyers community and avert the threat of any immediate agitation.

The details would be announced by Nawaz Sharif in Lahore on Friday afternoon following a meeting of the PML-N Central committee while the PPP would give its version of the agreement later.

Sources said the understanding reached between the two leaders entails a marriage of Sharif’s insistence on implementing the Murree Accord in letter and in spirit and Zardari’s stance that it should be accompanied by a constitutional package providing for tenure of the chief justice, clipping his powers of forming court Benches and issuing suo motto notices and raising the retirement age of judges, ostensibly accommodating incumbent Chief Justice Hameed Dogar after Justice Iftikhar completes his curtailed tenure, probably next year.

Zardari reportedly scaled down his stance for continuation of all judges of the reconstituted Supreme Court. This formulation would have tilted the balance by 16-10 in favour of the court Musharraf reconstituted after his November 3 emergency. While the five judges, who took oath under the new PCO, including Justice Hameed Dogar, would stay the cases of the remaining 11 would be decided in accordance with previous precedents.

Both sides also resolved the differences appearing in the Punjab government and Sharif promised to address the PPP’s grievances that the PML-N-led government has made unilateral decisions, appointments of bureaucracy and delayed allocation of some ministries promised to the PPP.

President Pervez Musharraf has said he stands by his November 3 steps against judges of superior courts because these saved the democratic process from being derailed.

“I still stand by the steps taken by me with reference to deposed judges,” Musharraf was quoted as having told PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who called on him in the Army House. He added: "Had I not taken these steps, there would have been no democracy in the country.”

The meeting with Shujaat took place against the backdrop of increasing signs of deep fissures within the four-party coalition government, in particular the widening gap between the PPP and the PML-N. Musharraf and Shujaat eagerly await an early breakdown of ties between PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and PML-N chief and their common foe Nawaz Sharif.

Zardari and Nawaz are locked in make or break negotiations on the restoration of sacked judges, with the former adopting a tough stance to link it with a constitutional package that has the mark of approval of the presidency. The package would ensure the early exit of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry after he is restored and clipping his powers and tenure. It also ensures retention of new pliant judges appointed by Musharraf after the November 3 clean-up that would virtually provide for predominantly pro-Musharraf superior courts.

Musharraf said the November 3 step was aimed at preventing the democratic process from being derailed. Musharraf and Shujaat discussed at length the evolving political situation in the country and possible new alignments if PPP and PML-N part ways.

While two major coalition partners, the PPP and the PML-N, were locked in a fierce effort in Dubai to salvage the alliance from collapsing on the question of restoration of judges, the pro-Musharraf PML-Q Thursday announced formation of a 4-member committee of its own to resolve the issue.

The party even hinted at disclosing in the Senate session on Friday a scandal of flight of capital involving a top figure in the coalition government.

Addressing a news conference here Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary-general of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) asked both Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif to end the “drama” and take a “right or wrong” decision on the judges’ issue without further flipflop.

“Let the nation get out of the tensed situation on the judges’ issue and tackle more pressing problems of the people,” Mushahid observed. 

A new State Department report has taken a swipe at India’s law enforcement and legal systems, calling them “outdated and overburdened” and an obstacle to India’s counter-terrorism efforts.

“The Indian court system was slow, laborious, and prone to corruption; terrorism trials can take years to complete,” according to the “Country Reports on Terrorism.”

“Many of India’s local police forces were poorly staffed, lacked training, and were ill-equipped to combat terrorism effectively,” it added.

US law requires the secretary of state to provide the Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in legislation.

The report noted that terrorists staged numerous attacks in India and continued to foment terrorist ideology. “India continued to rank among the world’s most terror-afflicted countries,” it concluded.

It cited the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, attacks by extreme leftist Naxalites and Maoists in eastern and central India, assaults by ethno-linguistic nationalists in the northeastern states, and terrorist strikes nationwide by Islamic extremists took more than 2,300 lives this year.

The United States-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group has met nine times since its creation in 2000, most recently on November 28.

The report noted that some attacks, which killed and injured both Muslims and Hindus, were probably conducted by extremists hoping to incite anger between the Hindu and Muslim communities.

“Indian officials claim that the perpetrators of these attacks have links to groups based in Pakistan and Bangladesh, particularly Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, among others,” it said, noting these groups also have links to terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the number of civilians killed was approximately half of that in the previous year.

“In May, the Indian government acknowledged that the level of infiltration across the Line of Control had fallen, but noted that insurgents had in some case shifted routes to enter India through Bangladesh and Nepal. Attacks in Kashmir continued.”

In comparison, the report found attacks in Pakistan had doubled. Dell Dailey, coordinator of the Office for Counterterrorism, noted that the new government in Pakistan “has made it very clear that they’re going to, as a priority, go after extremism and security.”

“We want to let the Pakistani government do its the new government-to do its best in democracy and good governance.” Dailey said. The 9/11 Commission recommended the United States “make the difficult long-term commitment to the future of Pakistan” and “support Pakistan’s government in its struggle against extremists with a comprehensive effort that extends from military aid to support for better education, so long as Pakistan’s leaders remain willing to make difficult choices of their own.”

Pakistan is now one of the top recipients of US aid. President George W. Bush pledged to Pakistani President Musharraf to seek from Congress $3 billion in funds for Pakistan during the five-year period from 2005 through 2009.

Since 2002, US assistance to Pakistan, including so-called Coalition Support Funds, totals $9.92 billion.

New Delhi, May 1
Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s commitment of economic aid and energy resources has gone well with Pakistan and Sri Lankan leadership, as Tehran’s gesture will help the ruling establishments in consolidating their respective positions.

In India, Ahmadinejad’s talks focused on the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline, which has strengthened prospects of early finalisation of the agreement.

During his brief stopover in Islamabad on Monday, the Iranian President made two big announcements to meet Pakistan’s energy crisis i.e., to supply 1100 mw power on daily basis and to finalise the $7.5 billion IPI gas pipeline project.

Iran has already been supplying around 25-mw power from Mund Ab to border areas of Pakistan in Balochistan. Under the new agreement (of supplying 125 and 1000 megawatt), electricity would be supplied to Gwader and adjoining areas.

Dwelling on the agreements, Pakistani daily Dawn stated that it was an assertion of independence in international relations on the part of the countries concerned and their refusal to be dictated to by Washington, because it arguably works against their own economic and diplomatic interests.

According to Dr Ahmad Rashid Malik, a research fellow at Islamabad Policy Research Institute, the conclusion of both the power transmission line project and the IPI gas pipeline project would give an enormous boost to Pak-Iran bilateral trade.

Over the past five years, bilateral trade has been increasing and reached $656 million in 2006. While 2007 has proved further improvement, it is expected that in a year or so, bilateral trade would touch upon the $1 billion mark, as confirmed by foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two countries already have signed the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and set-up a joint investment company to increase business between the two countries.

Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian President ever to set foot on Sri Lankan soil. Among the six agreements signed during the visit were assistance to expand the Sapugaskanda Refinery, which will increase daily production from the present 50,000 barrels to 100,000, and $450 million multi-purpose Uma Oya irrigation project in Wellawaya, which was inaugurated. He and President Rajapksa, at a press conference, committed to protecting each other’s territorial integrity and security.

While India is still in negotiations with Pakistan on the latter’s demand of higher transit fee for gas supplies through IPI pipeline, a new significant development during Ahamdinejad’s visit to Islamabad was the inclusion of China in the project, on behest of Pakistan. This appears to be the result of Musharraf’s visit to China a couple of weeks ago.

While it is important for India to have the gas pipeline agreement concluded early, it is to be clarified with Pakistan, and also Iran, on Musharraf’s intentions of bringing in China and whether sufficient gas supplies are available for all the countries involved. 

Surat, May 1
Three boys, arrested on accusation of theft, were allegedly tortured in police custody in the form of electric shocks and severe beating. The boys, aged between 13 and 15 years, told this to the superintendent of the juvenile home after they were sent there by the civil judge.

“When the children were brought here we found marks on their body while they were changing clothes. When we asked about the marks they hesitantly said that the police had beaten them and subjected them to electric shocks,” said superintendent of juvenile home Govind Kantharia. — PTI

BRIEFLY

NEW YORK
Largest lake Baikal warming rapidly: Siberia's Lake Baikal has warmed faster than global air temperatures over the past 60 years, which could put animals unique to the world's largest lake in jeopardy, the US and the Russian scientists said. The lake has warmed 1.21 degrees Celsius since 1946 due to the climate change, almost three times faster than global air temperatures, according to a paper by the scientists to be published next month in the journal Global Change Biology. — Reuters

London
Asians hold the key in London Mayoral poll: London today voted to elect a mayor, with Asians holding the key to the man who will run the affairs of the world’s most ethnically diverse city for the next four years. Asians can decide, who wins or loses. But political parties have paid scant regard to finding Asian candidates. There are some half a million ethnic Indians, including children, in the capital - comprising not only the largest ethnic group but also among the most powerful in the British capital. Bangladeshis and Pakistanis too have a substantial presence in London. —IANS