W O R L D

Court summons Musharraf
The full court of the newly constituted Supreme Court on Monday summoned President Pervez Musharraf personally or through his counsel in a petition filed against the declaration of emergency. The court also issued notices to the federation and others to appear on Thursday.

Text of Asma Jahangir’s appeal
“I am fortunate to be under house arrest while my colleagues are suffering. The Musharraf government has declared martial law to settle scores with lawyers and judges.

Chaudhry denies Mush’s charges
The deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has laughed off Gen Pervez Musharraf's tirade against him on Sunday.

Pakistani student hold placards during a demonstration in Islamabad on Monday. — AFP

A woman holds up a pocket watch made for France's Marie Antoinette at Jerusalem's LA mayer Museum of Islamic Art on Sunday. This museum has recovered dozens of rare European antique clocks stolen more than two decades ago, including this sophisticated pocket-watch made in the late 18th century for Marie Antoinette. — Reuters

Suspect in Pearl’s killing ‘died after interrogation’
Washington, November 12
A Pakistani businessman suspected of playing a role in the 2002 brutal killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl died shortly after being interrogated by the US and Pakistani intelligence, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

Ash, Mallika make a splash on Pak painter's collages
Islamabad, November 12
A demure Aishwarya Rai dreaming of a bright new world, 'Mohtarma' Mallika Sherawat dining at an Oxford restaurant and a "shining India land-escape" with Moser Baer CDs strewn in the background is how lawyer-painter Iqbal Geoffery sees the world "moving ahead".

Six women rebels among 20 LTTE killed in clash
Colombo, November 12
Twenty Tamil Tigers, including six female rebels, have been killed during a clash with security forces in Sri Lanka’s Vavuniya district. The bodies of the female rebels killed in the battle in Periyathampanai area of the district on Saturday will be handed over the International Red Cross, the army said here today.

Indians charged with trying to sell housemaids for sex
Dubai, November 12
Two Indians have gone on trial for allegedly trying to sell two women for 10,000 dirham (Rs 1 lakh) after forcing them to have sex with men behind closed doors for a month.

Court summons Musharraf
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The full court of the newly constituted Supreme Court on Monday summoned President Pervez Musharraf personally or through his counsel in a petition filed against the declaration of emergency. The court also issued notices to the federation and others to appear on Thursday.

The court was hearing the petition filed by Iqbal Tikka of the Pakistan People’s Party, challenging the declaration of emergency by the army chief. The petitioner maintained that the army chief had no legal authority to impose emergency or suspend the constitution. Only the president had the authority to enforce emergency.

The petitioner also questioned the validity of Provisional Constitution Order.

Meanwhile, attorney general Qayyum Malik has denied reports that a presidential ordinance is on the cards to remove legal impediments in Musharraf’s eligibility to contest election as army chief.

Malik told reporters that the government would wait for the apex court verdict. He hoped that the court would most likely resume hearing petitions challenging the candidature of Musharraf on Wednesday. He was hopeful that the case would be decided by the weekend.

He said two more judges would be sworn in within next 24 hours to raise the Supreme Court strength to 12. This would facilitate the hearing of the eligibility petition. Before the proclamation of Provisional Constitutional Order, an 11-member Bench had been hearing the President’s candidacy case.

Malik said Sindh High Court’s judge Zia Pervez and Lahore High Court’s judge Akhtar Shabbir had been elevated to be apex court. He said the government would shortly amend the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973, following the Pakistan Bar Council and other associations’ threat that the membership of the lawyers appearing before judges sworn in after Provisional Constitutional Order would be cancelled.

Text of Asma Jahangir’s appeal

“I am fortunate to be under house arrest while my colleagues are suffering. The Musharraf government has declared martial law to settle scores with lawyers and judges. While the terrorists remain on the loose and continue to occupy more space in Pakistan, senior lawyers are being tortured.

“The civil society of Pakistan urges bar associations all over the world to mobilise public opinion in favor of the judges and lawyers in Pakistan. A large number of judges of superior courts are under arrest. Thousands of lawyers are imprisoned, beaten and tortured.

“In particular the cases of Muneer A Malik, Aitzaz Ahsan, Tariq Mahmood and Ali Ahmed Kurd are serious. Muneer A Malik, the former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and leader of the lawyers' movement has been shifted to the notorious Attack Fort. He is being tortured and is under the custody of the military intelligence. Tariq Mahmood, former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, was imprisoned in Adiala jail.

“No one was allowed to see him and it is reported that he has been shifted to an unknown place. Mr. Ali Ahmed Kurd, former Vice-Chair of the Pakistan Bar Council is in the custody of military intelligence and being kept at an undisclosed place. Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar is being kept in Adiayala jail in solitary confinement.

“Representatives of bar associations should approach their governments to pressure the government of Pakistan to release all lawyers and judges and immediately provide access to Muneer A Malik, Tariq Mahmood, Ali Ahmed Kurd and Aitzaz Ahsan. The bars are also urged to hold press conferences in their country and express their solidarity with the lawyers of Pakistan who are struggling to establish the rule of law.”

Chaudhry denies Mush’s charges
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has laughed off Gen Pervez Musharraf's tirade against him on Sunday.

"The mighty and the powerful of this country had turned against the judiciary because the former found the latter blocking their personal gains at the cost of the interests of the country and its people", the detained chief justice said in a comprehensive rejoinder to General Musharraf's attacks against him while talking to a private TV channel.

He said the assault on the judiciary was to pre-empt decisions, including those against Musharraf's presidency and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the Nawaz Sharif- forced exile case.

Chaudhry said the charges listed by Musharraf against him were a repeat of the presidential reference which was quashed by the full bench of the Supreme Court. Not only that, he said, it was the government that had withdrawn the allegations from the Supreme Court and had also tendered an apology.The court had also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on the government for framing frivolous charges against him. He wondered why the President had repeated the charges that had been rejected by the Supreme Court and never questioned by the government.

"If I am the source of all the ills why the General removed dozens of others judges of the Supreme Court and high courts? " he asked. Justice Iftikhar said the superior judiciary had emerged strong and was considered a serious threat to the vested interests of the powerful and the mighty.

Suspect in Pearl’s killing ‘died after interrogation’

Washington, November 12
A Pakistani businessman suspected of playing a role in the 2002 brutal killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl died shortly after being interrogated by the US and Pakistani intelligence, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

Pearl, a Karachi-based correspondent for the journal, was kidnapped on January 23, 2002, and later executed.

The newspaper said Karachi businessman Saud Memon became a key suspect in the case because he owned a nursery where Pearl had been held captive.

Citing an unnamed senior US law enforcement official, the report said Memon was interrogated by both US and Pakistani intelligence services.

The interrogation produced information that Memon was helping Al-Qaida develop anthrax strains, the newspaper said.

“He was in a lot of the rooms where important things were being discussed,” the paper quoted the US official as saying. "He knew senior Al-Qaida persons, and was moving equipment and supplies."

But Memon's family and human rights groups said that in April, Memon was left outside his Karachi home badly injured and emaciated, weighing just 36 kg, according to the report. About a month later, he died from what was described as complications from meningitis and tuberculosis, the journal said.

Pakistani human rights groups have accused the local intelligence service of torturing Memon, according to the paper. — AFP

Ash, Mallika make a splash on Pak painter's collages

Islamabad, November 12
A demure Aishwarya Rai dreaming of a bright new world, 'Mohtarma' Mallika Sherawat dining at an Oxford restaurant and a "shining India land-escape" with Moser Baer CDs strewn in the background is how lawyer-painter Iqbal Geoffery sees the world "moving ahead".

The UK-based British-Pakistani Harvard educated lawyer, who sued London's Hayward Gallery for losing and damaging his exhibits, has displayed some of his best collages at the National Gallery of Art here.

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai in an "Umrao Jaan-esque" pose dreaming of a modern world in 2007, upstart Mallika Sherawat flaunting her infamous Cannes outfit at an Oxford restaurant and 'Mohtarma' Marilyn Monroe sending Eid greetings to Muslims is how Geoffery showcases the "Moving Ahead" theme along with some other artists.

Geoffrey also has "Al-Bush", the US President in Osama bin Laden attire praying against the backdrop of a mosque. — PTI

Six women rebels among 20 LTTE killed in clash

Colombo, November 12
Twenty Tamil Tigers, including six female rebels, have been killed during a clash with security forces in Sri Lanka’s Vavuniya district.

The bodies of the female rebels killed in the battle in Periyathampanai area of the district on Saturday will be handed over the International Red Cross, the army said here today. Meanwhile, at Ampara, a group of the Special Task Force (STF), was targeted with a grenade attack by the vehicle’s occupants, who were LTTE militants, the army said.

Three militants were killed during retaliation and ammunition was recovered from their possession. In another incident, a civilian was shot dead by Tiger militants at Kalviyanakadu in Jaffna yesterday, while another sustained injuries when his vehicle was caught up in an LTTE claymore mine attack at Waddawan in eastern Sri Lanka. — PTI

Indians charged with trying to sell housemaids for sex

Dubai, November 12
Two Indians have gone on trial for allegedly trying to sell two women for 10,000 dirham (Rs 1 lakh) after forcing them to have sex with men behind closed doors for a month.

The Public Prosecution Department charged a 34-year-old Indian named SF and his 36-year-old driver, FN, with exploiting the two housemaids, a 23-year-old Bangladeshi and a 29-year-old Indonesian and forcing them to sleep with men for money.

However, the accused have denied the charges.

They were also charged with offering the victims for sale for 10,000 dirham. — UNI