 |
|
|
Sectarian clashes leave 91 dead in Pak
SC to hear cases against Mush today
USA helps Mush guard Pak nukes: Report
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Soomro’s appointment triggers row
Bangladesh cyclone
toll 2,200, may rise to 10,000
43 militants killed in Afghanistan
Six Indians among 28 killed
Bollywood Awards
Indian journalists honoured in Sweden
Celebrations on for Queen’s 60th wedding anniversary
|
|
Amnesty to Bhutto may go: Pak AG
London, November 18 Five writs have been issued against the amnesty, which President Pervez Musharraf granted to Bhutto by promulgating an ordinance ahead of her return to the country on October 18, in the Supreme Court and it will not survive the challenge, Pakistan's Attorney General Malik Muhammad Qayyum told 'The Sunday Times'. "I don't think it will survive the challenge," said Qayyum. "Whoever drafted it, it was not happily worded. Only the courts can decide to throw charges out, not governments." Bhutto told the newspaper she was unconcerned. "I don't care about the cases," she said. "I care about the future of my country. If the court wants to take it up again, all right, let them take it up." Qayyum said he would also be defending the President's eligibility for office and giving his opinion on the emergency. He was referring to the petitions taken by the apex court challenging Musharraf's candidature in the October 6 Presidential poll, which the General swept. Qayyum said that political motives would play no part when discussing challenges to the Bhutto amnesty, which will be heard by the Supreme Court once it has ruled on the legality of the emergency. "Before Bhutto came back, the President had directed me to defend it to the maximum, but now I'm not sure what the stance will be." "The thing is, they erred in drawing it up." "It was a deliberate strategy to prevent the Opposition uniting and she (Bhutto) fell for it," said Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, leader of the ruling PML (Q). Bhutto has convened a meeting of opposition leaders at her Karachi home on Wednesday to discuss boycotting the elections set for January and launching a nationwide street movement for the restoration of democracy.
— PTI
|
|
Sectarian clashes leave 91 dead in Pak
Islamabad, November 18 The clash continued for the fourth day today with members of the two sects using mortars, rockets and heavy weapons to target each other’s houses and mosques in Parachinar, Kurrum tribal agency's main town which is dominated by the Shias who account for only 20 per cent of the population in Pakistan. The officials and state-run television said at least 91 persons were killed and 150 injured in the fighting since Thursday. The clashes continued despite an indefinite curfew clamped in Parachinar since Friday and the deployment of the army and the paramilitary forces in the area. Several homes and mosques were damaged in the fighting, the residents said. Parachinar, sometimes referred to as “little Iran” for its majority of the Shia population, had also witnessed sectarian violence in April, when clashes had left over 80 persons dead. The town has been tense since Thursday, when gunmen attacked a Sunni mosque and injured two persons. This provoked retaliatory attacks by the Sunnis on the Shias. Most of the fighting has been between members of the Shia Turi tribe and the Sunni Mengal tribe.
— PTI
|
|
SC to hear cases against Mush today
In an apparent move to hasten proceedings on two crucial cases, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Abdul Hamid Dogar, on Saturday reconstituted Benches for hearing petitions challenging the eligibility of President General Musharraf and against the imposition of emergency.
Both cases will be heard on Monday. All eleven judges of the truncated Supreme Court will hear the petitions contesting the legality of Musharraf's candidature as army chief. A seven-member Bench will take up the petitions questioning the imposition of emergency and promulgation of Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), a court press release here said. It earlier comprised 10 judges but three opted out on ethical grounds. Under intense pressure to lift the emergency and doff uniform, General Musharraf wants court approval of his November 3 actions on emergency and the PCO and the lifting of the embargo placed by the court on notification of the outcome of October 6 presidential election in which outgoing Assembly voted Musharraf to another 5-year term with opposition boycotting. Attorney-General Qayyum Malik has hoped that the cases would be decided next week and the President will win both of them. Lawyers are boycotting court proceedings.
|
|
USA helps Mush guard Pak nukes: Report
Washington, November 18 But with the future of Pakistan's leadership in doubt, debate is intensifying about whether Washington has done enough to help protect the warheads and laboratories, the daily said on Saturday citing unnamed current and former senior Bush administration officials. Also debated is whether Pakistan's reluctance to reveal critical details about its arsenal has undercut the effectiveness of the continuing security effort, it said. The aid, buried in secret portions of the federal budget, paid for the training of Pakistani personnel in the USA and the construction of a nuclear security training centre in Pakistan, a facility which American officials cited by the Times say is nowhere near completion, even though it was supposed to be in operation this year. A raft of equipment - from helicopters to night-vision goggles to nuclear detection equipment - was given to Pakistan to help secure its nuclear material, its warheads, and the laboratories which were the site of the worst-known case of nuclear proliferation in the atomic age, it said. While American officials quoted by the Times say that they believe the arsenal is safe at the moment, and that they take at face value Pakistani assurances that security is vastly improved, in many cases the Pakistani government has been reluctant to show American officials how or where the gear is actually used. That is because the Pakistanis do not want to reveal the locations of their weapons or the amount or type of new bomb-grade fuel the country is now producing. The American programme was created after the September 11, 2001, attacks, when the Bush administration debated whether to share with Pakistan one of the crown jewels of the American nuclear protection technology, known as "permissive action links", or PALS, a system used to keep a weapon from detonating without proper codes and
authorisations. — IANS
|
|
|
Soomro’s appointment triggers row
While the Opposition has rejected the caretaker government as an extension of the PML rule, the appointment of chairman Senate, Mohammadmian Soomro, as the caretaker Prime Minister, has also triggered a fierce constitutional and legal controversy.
Personally, Soomro commands the respect of both sides of the political divide as a low-profile gentle figure who avoids political controversies. He is a Musharraf loyalist who first named him as Governor Sindh and then elevated him as chairman of the Senate in which capacity he also acts as President during Musharraf’s absence abroad. Though one of his sisters is an active member of Bhutto’s PPP, Soomro leads a group in the family which is traditionally opposed to the Bhuttos. Musharraf amended the Constitution to introduce the concept of the caretaker government for the first time in the parliamentary history of Pakistan. Given the tradition of string of tainted elections, it was welcomed as a well-intended move to ensure fair elections and level playing field to all sides without permitting undue advantage to any one party. It was, therefore, hoped that he will consult the Opposition and name a caretaker whose impartiality could be guaranteed. But Musharraf’s priorities changed after he decided on a long haul to rule the country and launched a ‘king’s party’ loyal to him to advance his political ambition. He adopted a highly partisan attitude in national politics. For the past five years he has guided and promoted a hybrid ruling coalition of disparate elements, all tied to the apron strings of power flowing from his position. Throwing all discretion to winds, he presided over its meetings, resolved its internal bickering and contradictions to save it from falling apart and publicly supported it in rallies and elsewhere. For its growth in a friendly environment, he also created a political vacuum by keeping top leadership of both mainstream parties and maintained a hostile attitude towards Benazir and Nawaz Sharif. In stitching together the caretaker arrangement, Musharraf neither followed the principle of impartiality nor even pretended it was so. The 24-member Cabinet headed by Soomro is a mix of low-key members of the ruling coalition, some PPP renegades and apolitical technocrats. None of its members has a personal political agenda. All owe their new position to Musharraf, who expects them to stay loyal to him. Besides, the new caretaker set up is not supposed to wield any real authority, which remains concentrated in Musharraf. The key issues relating to elections will be handled by Musharraf himself and the role of the caretaker government will be only marginal. It is there simply to conduct day to day business of the government and bear the responsibility for that. This has been the system in vogue for the past five years. While swearing in former premier Zafrullah Jamali in November 2002, the President said he was “transferring responsibility” to Jamali. He himself remained the source of all powers. Soomro’s appointment has raised serious legal questions. He will retain both offices of chairman and Prime Minister. But, as chairman Senate, he can only become interim President under the Constitution. Musharraf has said Soomro will keep both offices but will be treated to be on leave from the Senate till he hands over to the new government after the January elections. He will be considered on leave during the interim period. Experts say the leave has been illegally validated. Soomro will still be around and performing functions as premier, thus forfeiting right to leave. If Musharraf goes abroad, Soomro cannot keep both jobs. Attorney General Malik Qayyum acknowledged in a TV interview that the caretaker government was required to be politically neutral and that constitutionally he cannot retain both offices. Former parliamentary affairs minister Dr. Sher Afgan also endorsed the view that Soomro’s appointment is illegal. Both laid emphasis on Soomro’s political probity and believed that the Constitution could easily be amended by the army chief to overcome the legal lacuna.
|
|
Bangladesh cyclone
toll 2,200, may rise to 10,000
Dhaka, November 18 The Red Crescent Society warned that the number of deaths from cyclone Sidr that pummeled 25 of its 64 districts on Thursday could be as high as 10,000 as reports of casualties were trickling in from inaccessible worst-hit areas. Nearly 27 lakh people were facing acute shortage of food and water in the coastal districts where most of the dwellings have been flattened. Thousands of people still remain untraced with five barges, 73 trawlers and 25 launches reported missing since the cyclone hit the coastal belt. The
US has provided an initial $ 2.1 million in emergency relief A White
House statement said two amphibious assault ships-the USS Essex and the
USS Kearsarge-were also rushing to Bangladesh to assist in the rescue
and relief operations.
— PTI Pratibha mourns
deaths
New Delhi: President
Pratibha Patil today mourned the death of over 2,000 people in a devastating
cyclone in Bangladesh. In a message to her Bangladeshi counterpart, Patil
said she was “deeply saddened” to learn about the tragic loss of
lives and substantial damage to property in the aftermath of the
cyclone.
— PTI
|
|
|
43 militants killed in Afghanistan
Kabul, November 18 Twentythree Taliban militants were killed during a US-led coalition operation aimed at disrupting weapons transfer in southern Afghanistan, the coalition said today. In Kandahar province, Canadian and Afghan troops battled militants and called in air strikes in Zhari district yesterday, leaving at least 20 suspected militants dead, said provincial police chief, Sayed Agha
Saqeb. An Afghan soldier was also killed during the clashes, he said. — AP
|
|
|
Dubai, November 18 “Twenty-eight persons, including five employees of Aramco, died,” state oil conglomerate Aramco said in a statement without giving further details or nationalities of the dead. Indian officials in Riyadh told PTI over phone that six Indians were killed in the blaze that broke out on the Haradh-Uthmaniyah gas pipeline, 30 km from a major gas processing plant at Hawiyah. They said the identity of deceased Indians could not be ascertained immediately. Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali al-Nuaimi told reporters in Riyadh that 12 persons were also missing and an unspecified number injured in the fire. The fire that broke out when over 50 employees of Aramco were carrying out maintenance work. “The fire broke out while contracted workers were linking a new pipe during maintenance,” Aramco, which has many Indian employees, said. The fire was later brought under control. “Necessary operational adjustments have been made to the gas system to normalise operations to ensure continuity of fuel supply,” it added. The company has also set up a high-level technical committee to investigate the incident. The Hawiyah plant is one of the major gas processing plants in Saudi Arabia, built in the desert near the Al-Ghawar oil field, the world’s largest, and south of the city of Dhahran, an oil hub. — PTI
|
|
|
Bollywood Awards
Atlantic City (US), November 18 The Bollywood awards for music and fashion were given away last night amidst a star-studded ceremony before a large audience consisting mostly of NRIs, which was spell-bound by spectacular music performances and fashion displays. Later, Alisha also got a standing ovation for her performance as she enthralled the audience with her hit songs. Renowned composer A R Rahman won the honour for best ‘music director’ for his composition in ‘Guru’. Sonu Nigam was adjudged the ‘best male singer’ for the song ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’ for Karan Johar’s blockbuster of the same name. Others nominated were Himesh Reshammiya, Sukhvider Singh, Sukhbir and Shaan. In the fashion world, noted designer Manish Malhotra won the ‘best designer of the year’ award while Sumeet Verma was adjudged as the ‘best designer in films’. Both presented their creations at the glittering function held last evening. The ‘best models’ in the female and male category were Anchal Kumar and Aryan Vaid, respectively. Besides, singer Kavita Krishanmurthy also warmed the cockles of people’s hearts by singing a sampling of songs she had sung since the beginning of her career till now.
— PTI
|
|
Indian journalists honoured in Sweden
Stockholm, November 18 The Professional Foreign Correspondents Association of Sweden (PROFOCA) held the 2007 Journalists Stockholm Memorial at St Erik’s Catholic Cathedral on Thursday for the fifth consecutive year. Pawan Jain ‘Vidrohi’, chief editor of Vidrohi Dhara, an evening daily, was shot dead on July 3, 2007, when assailants stopped his car and opened fire in Madhya Pradesh. Shobhana Singh, 27, a senior correspondent of Zee TV, was killed and two others were injured Aug 11, 2007, in a mudslide in Himachal Pradesh while driving to film a rare meteor shower. K. Nagaraju, reporter of a Telegu daily, Andhra Prabha, was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants on rampage in the forest areas of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh. Among the 38 countries that featured in the memorial service, Iraq predictably led the harrowing list with 54 victims.
— IANS
|
|
Celebrations on for Queen’s 60th wedding anniversary
London, November 18 Queen Elizabeth - the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary - was a 21-year-old princess when she married 26-year-old naval officer Lt Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947. She ascended to the throne in 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI. Today, Buckingham Palace released official anniversary photograph showing the queen and Philip, arms linked. The photos were taken earlier this year at Broadlands, the stately home in southern England here they spent their wedding night in 1947. Later today, Prince Charles was to host a banquet in his parents’ honour later. On Monday, more than 2,000 people, including senior royals and Prime Minister Gordon Brown - are due to fill Westminster Abey for a service celebrating the anniversary. The guest list also includes 20 ordinary Britons who married on the same day as the queen and prince. — AP
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video (
