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Benazir, Nawaz
still far from being friends
Nepal King’s secret call to Manmohan?
Saddam back in court
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Saluting Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
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Benazir, Nawaz still far from
being friends
Islamabad, May 17 The two leaders had signed an agreement on Sunday to go all out against President Pervez Musharraf to restore democracy in the country. They met in London for the second time in two weeks. The charter aims at preventing the military from overthrowing an elected civilian government and revives the 1973 Constitution. It also allows the installation of a neutral caretaker government to hold free and fair general elections due next year. The two leaders agreed to return to Pakistan before elections, which, they said, would not be acceptable under President Musharraf. According to the sources, Sharif first refused to visit the house of Rahman Malik in London (where the charter was signed) saying that as a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official, Rahman Malik was directly involved in the arrest of his father. He also opined that there was no point in signing the ‘‘Charter of Democracy’’ till their parties launch a joint movement against General Musharraf and contest elections from a joint platform. Benazir Bhutto, however, refused to accept their Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) as an election alliance and also ruled out seat-to-seat adjustment with the PML-N at this point. She said time was not ripe for launching an anti-government movement. Turning down the demands of Sharif, Bhutto said he should declare cases framed against her by Saifur Rehman as false and fabricated — a condition Sharif rejected. At this point, it appeared as if Sharif would neither sign the charter nor attend the ceremony. PPP senior vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim had reportedly visited Sharif for a rapprochement. Sharif accused Bhutto of directly making deals with Musharraf on one hand, while wanting to sign a charter with him on the other. Fahim then spoke to Bhutto, who agreed to declare that the two leaders would not deal with Musharraf for power. He also persuaded Sharif to sign the charter without withdrawing from his demands as it was feared that if the two leaders did not sign the charter, it would go against them and benefit the government instead. While both parties stuck to their guns, they finally did agree to sign the ‘‘Charter of Democracy’’.
— IANS
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Nepal King’s secret call to Manmohan?
Kathmandu, May 17 On May 10, a call was made to New Delhi from the Narayanhity royal palace as the King sought to contact people in high places who could be willing to bail him out. The first public disclosure about the call was made on Wednesday by Jana Aastha, a popular Nepali tabloid with contacts in the army and the palace. “Secret telephone conversation between the King and Manmohan,” the weekly said in a front-page report on Wednesday. “The King spoke directly with Indian leaders... The King had a very long conversation with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.” The Indian Embassy here said it had no knowledge of any such conversation, spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Besides Manmohan Singh, the other people the palace might think of contacting to ask to intercede could be Mr Karan Singh, who was sent to Nepal last month as the Indian government’s special envoy, senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, former Indian minister for External Affairs K. Natwar Singh and Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran. The palace’s misgivings increased after efforts began last week to table a motion in Parliament that would drastically reduce the King’s powers and privileges and hasten an election to decide between monarchy and a republic. The report said, “The King believed that he could retain some of his powers by using his connections in the country and abroad.” — IANS
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Baghdad, May 17 Saddam and three other senior Baath party figures being tried with him had not been present since they lodged not guilty pleas to formal charges read out on Monday. Saddam refused to plead but the judge ruled he had denied the charge. The defence case then opened on Monday with witnesses giving evidence for some of the four local party militants on trial for the same reprisals, in which 399 people from the Shi’ite town of Dujail were variously imprisoned, deported, killed, tortured or hanged after an attempt on Saddam’s life there in 1982. Saddam intervened briefly as witnesses spoke for two Baath party members from Dujail. He joked, after a fervent plea of innocence from one accused, that his co-defendant was nervous. Saddam and the seven other men face death by hanging if convicted. At one stage, when the chief prosecutor questioned how a witness could remember in detail events from his childhood, Saddam, 69, intervened from the dock, saying he had similar doubts about prosecution witnesses heard months ago. “A child, because of his nature, and this is something psychologists know, has a lot of imagination,” Saddam said. Three witnesses spoke for Mohammed Azawi and three for Abdullah Kadhem al-Ruwaid, a minor Baath official. Like all four local men, they are accused of joining in reprisal attacks on the town, mass arrests and uprooting palm groves as punishment. — Reuters
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Islamabad, May 17 Three generations of the renowned Patiala family — Fateh Ali Khan, Fateh’s son Rustam Ali Khan, Hamid Ali Khan and Hamid’s son Nayab Ali Khan — performed together after three years and received a standing ovation. The India branch of the family was represented by Jawad Ali Khan and Mazhar Ali Khan, who sang thumri and raag Bageshwari. Talking to the Daily Times newspaper, Indian singers Jawad and Mazhar said they had come with a message of peace and love because Pakistan was the birthplace of their grandfather Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Renowned ghazal singers Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali were given the Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Award for ghazal singing, Fateh Ali Khan was declared the best classical singer, Allah Ditta Lunay Wala was given the best folksinger award and Farrukh Bashir was given best music producer award. The event was organised by Caravan, the first non-official organisation formed in Lahore in 1986 to promote music in Pakistan. — IANS
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