|
|
|
|
|
Pak SC rejects Musharraf’s arrest in treason case
Thatcher’s funeral on April 17
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Hinting at ‘thermo-nuke’ war, N Korea tells foreigners in South to evacuate
Mend your ways, US envoy tells Lanka
|
|
Pak SC rejects Musharraf’s arrest in treason case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the request seeking the arrest of former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf. The two-member Bench of the court comprising Justices Jawwad S Khawaja and Khilji Arif Hussain, which is hearing five petitions seeking Musharraf's trial for treason for subverting the Constitution and declaring an emergency in 2007, adjourned hearing in the case against Musharraf until April 15.
The Bench clarified that it had not issued any stay order on Musharraf's political activities. Musharraf did not personally appear in the court and was represented by advocate Ahmed Raza Kasuri. Kasuri sought from the court six weeks to submit his response and said Musharraf would reply to every point raised against him. Kasuri referred to the petition as a case of first impression, as no other case of this kind had been presented before the court previously. He warned the five petitioners that they are opening a Pandora’s Box and hinted that certain ‘hidden’ names would be revealed in the response. Justice Khilji said the case is very important and the Bench did not mind if the Pandora’s Box is opened. The court granted six days to submit his response, adjourning the hearing until April 15. No one representing the federal government was present during the hearing. Talking to media personnel prior to the hearing, Attorney General of Pakistan Irfan Qadir said he would perform his duties according to the Constitution during the case. Musharraf’s Facebook account quoted him as saying that: “I have directed my panel of eminent lawyers to forcefully represent me in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. These cases do not frighten me and I will fight all the cases in the court
of law!
|
|
Thatcher’s funeral on April 17
London, April 9 Newspapers here highlighted how she died without her two children, Carol and Mark, by her bedside. She had been ill since Christmas, and died yesterday in the presence of her doctor and caretaker. It had been reported in January that the former Prime Minister had decided to recuperate from a bladder surgery in a suite at the five-star landmark in Piccadilly, rather than endure the stairs of her Belgravia townhouse. Both Houses of Parliament have been recalled following the news of her death and will debate the legacy of the Conservative party leader who was in charge of the country between 1979 and 1990 - the longest serving British PM of the 20th century. Preparations for her funeral are under way in accordance with the wishes of the "frugal" leader. It has been confirmed that Baroness Thatcher will be given a televised ceremonial funeral next week at St Paul's Cathedral with full military honours.
— PTI
|
|
Hinting at ‘thermo-nuke’ war, N Korea tells foreigners in South to evacuate
Seoul, April 9 "The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching close to a thermo-nuclear war," the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Saying it did not want to see foreigners in South Korea "fall victim", the statement requested all foreign institutions, enterprises and tourists "to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety". The committee blamed the heightened war risk on the "war-mongering US" and its South Korean "puppets" who were intent on invading the North. The "thermo-nuclear war" threat has been wielded several times in recent months -- most recently on March 7 -- despite expert opinion that North Korea is nowhere near developing such an advanced nuclear device.
— AFP Japan deploys missiles
Tokyo: Japan has deployed Patriot missiles in its capital as it readies to defend the 30 million people who live in greater Tokyo from any North Korean attack, officials said today.
— AFP N Korea pulls out workers from Kaesong
Seoul: The Kaesong industrial complex -- North Korea's last major economic link with the South -- was a virtual ghost town on Tuesday after Pyongyang suspended its operations and recalled all 53,000 of its workers, cutting off jobs and a source of hard currency. Only a few hundred South Korean managers remain at the complex.
|
|
Mend your ways, US envoy tells Lanka
Colombo, April 9 “History has shown that societies that do not adequately address reconciliation and accountability usually return to a conflict situation at some point down the road,” she said. “Thus, however difficult this process is, it is ultimately vital to the stability of Sri Lanka.” Sison explained at length why the US, despite being a friend of Sri Lanka, piloted a resolution critical of Colombo in 2012 and again in March this year at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. She urged the government to talk to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) “on political devolution”, return to owners property taken by the military, and resolve outstanding land claim issues. “The people of the former conflict zones must be able to live their lives without interference, as do other citizens of Sri Lanka,” she said, referring to the island's northeast where the military defeated the Tamil Tigers in May 2009. The US, the ambassador said, always spoke up when democratic values were threatened. She voiced American concern about threats against and attacks on the Sri Lankan media and pointed out that while several prominent journalists had fled the country, attacks on others remain unresolved. “Suspects are rarely apprehended or, if apprehended, are almost never convicted,” Sison said. She asked the Sri Lankan government to “fully investigate” last week's attack in Kilinochchi town on the office of the Tamil newspaper Udhayan and “hold the perpetrators accountable”. She also expressed alarm over the recent attacks on Muslim businesses and “certain inflammatory calls to action”.“This type of hateful sentiment must not be allowed to fester.” Sison did not hide the US “disappointment with the stalled progress on reconciliation and accountability since the end of the conflict in 2009”, when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was militarily routed. The ambassador explained that the 2012 UNHRC resolution had “simply asked Sri Lanka to fulfil its own commitments to its people from its Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report”. But this did not happen, she said. The government failed to implement even the National Action Plan, which did not cover all the recommendations of the LLRC, just as the LLRC didn't address all outstanding issues of reconciliation and accountability. Sison admitted that issues of reconciliation and accountability in war torn societies take years to complete. “But it is important to start those processes as soon as possible, and to accomplish what it is possible quickly,” she said. — IANS What the US ambassador said
|
|
Quake near nuclear plant in Iran kills 30
Tehran, April 9 Shocks from the quake were felt across the Gulf in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, provoking panic and the brief evacuation of some office towers, residents and media said. Bushehr provincial governor Fereydoon Hasanvand said 30 persons were killed while more than 800 others were hurt and and receiving medical attention. The 6.1-magnitude quake hit at 1152 GMT with a depth of 12 km in the area of Kaki, according to the Iranian Seismological Centre which has registered more than a dozen after shocks, the strongest at 5.3 magnitude. There were no immediate details on where the casualties occurred, but the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue corps, Mahmoud Mozafar, said initial reports indicated that at least one village near Khormoj had been razed.
— AFP
|
India destined to be a close partner of US: Pentagon US readies ‘laser attack’ weapon in 2014 13 killed in shooting spree in Serbia Saudi registers first woman lawyer Savita’s friend confirms abortion was denied 
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the request seeking the arrest of former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf. The two-member Bench of the court comprising Justices Jawwad S Khawaja and Khilji Arif Hussain, which is hearing five petitions seeking Musharraf's trial for treason for subverting the Constitution and declaring an emergency in 2007, adjourned hearing in the case against Musharraf until April 15.
