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Pak EC confirms Mush as next President
Lift emergency in four days, says Pak opposition
Sharif’s second return bid today
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Aziz not to contest elections
US plan to restructure aid to Pak
PM cuts short visit to Kampala
Labour sweeps general election in Australia
Man kills 4, shoots himself
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Pak EC confirms Mush as next President
The election commission on Saturday issued the requisite notification declaring President Gen Pervez Musharraf as elected for another five-year term.
Attorney-general Qayyum Malik said the Cabinet Division was likely to notify the election on Monday or Tuesday paving the way for General Musharraf to take the oath of office by Wednesday the latest. Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi hoped the swearing in ceremony would be held any time next week. Malik reaffirmed that General Musharraf will quit the army post before taking oath. Gen Ashfaq Kiyani, who has been designated as next army chief, will automatically assume charge the moment Musharraf quits the army, according to defence ministry sources. But one section of the Presidency indicated that Musharraf was weighing his next move in anticipation of the return of exiled premier Nawaz Sharif and its impact on the election scene. Sharif is arriving in Lahore by a special Saudi Royal plane on Sunday. There are strong signs that Nawaz Sharif is inclined to boycott the elections and favours a confrontationist stance towards Musharraf. In such a case, Musharraf may defer his decision to take off uniform and the lifting of emergency. The election commission on Saturday sent the notification to the Cabinet Division after receiving a copy of the Supreme Court ruling vacating the stay granted by an 11-judge bench pending its verdict on Musharraf’s eligibility to contest. But Musharraf imposed emergency on November 3 disbanding the bench, purging the Supreme Court of 13 independent judges and suspending the constitution. The court was reconstituted and stacked with plaint judges that paid off on Thursday and Friday when the court rejected all petitions against emergency and challenging eligibility. One source close to the Presidency said the President would not lift emergency until he was satisfied that security situation in the country has improved substantially. Meanwhile, over 30 security agents were killed in two back-to-back bomb blasts in Rawalpindi on Saturday breaking a quiet that seemed to have prevailed after the imposition of emergency.
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Lift emergency in four days, says Pak opposition
The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), opposition grouping sans the PPP, on Saturday decided “in principle” to boycott elections unless Gen Pervez Musharraf lifts emergency and restore the pre-November 3 position within next four days.
It allowed candidates of the component parties to file nominations papers by November 6 pending final decision on boycott, which will be taken on the return of exiled premier Nawaz Sharif and in consultation with PPP chief Benazir Bhutto. The joint action committee of the grouping met here under Raja Zafrul Haq to deliberate on the prevailing situation in the country in the aftermath of imposition of emergency by General Musharraf on November 3. The Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) of Maulana Fazl Rehman abstained because of differences that surfaced on occasion of presidential election and recent spat with a prominent APDM leader Imran Khan. Zafar, who is also chairman of Nawaz Sharif faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), said Sharif called from Jeddah to endorse the decisions of the APDM. He said Sharif was also in touch with Bhutto and hope that he would persuade her to join the remaining opposition. Imran said Musharraf must restore the judiciary, reinstate deposed judges, lift curbs on media, revoke the emergency and the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), release all political prisoners and leaders of the lawyers movement including Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Munir Malik and others.
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Sharif’s second return bid today
Islamabad, November 24 Sharif, who has been living in Jeddah since he was deported to Saudi Arabia by President Pervez Musharraf soon after he landed here on September 10 after a seven-year exile, would fly to Lahore in a special aircraft provided by the Saudi government, his nephew Hamza Sharif said today. Unlike last time when Saudi Arabia had opposed his move to travel to Pakistan, Sharif’s return this time has been cleared by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz whom he met late last night in Riyadh. Musharraf had made a brief visit to Saudi Arabia on November 20 where he met the King and apparently discussed the issue of Sharif’s return. Though the military ruler’s spokesman said there was no contact between Musharraf and Sharif, it is believed that Sharif met Lt Gen Nadeem Taj, chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, who accompanied Musharraf to Riyadh. “The flight would reach Lahore at 4 pm Pakistan time. We have galvanised our party and are holding several meetings. The party is gearing up to accord him a rousing welcome,” Hamza told the Dawn News channel. Sharif, would be accompanied by his brother Shahbaz Sharif, who has also been living in exile in London. Asked what Pakistan Muslim League (N) would do if authorities tried to deport Sharif again, Hamza said, “We are hopeful that no hurdles would be created but if there would be any, then we would face them.” — PTI
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Aziz not to contest elections
Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Saturday that he would not contest next elections due on January 8.
“I will stay in politics as an ordinary member of the PML and serve the country,” Aziz told reporters. He said though he had received offers to contest from party leaders of eight constituencies, he opted to stay out of the fray.
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US plan to restructure aid to Pak Washington, November 24 The plan is also looking at ways in which the assistance to Pakistan is further controlled or made subject to additional oversight, without actually reducing the aid, media reports said. Ever since Musharraf clamped emergency, the administration has been saying that its aid package is under tight scrutiny but at the same time senior officials have been emphasising on the importance of Islamabad and Musharraf in the US-led war on terror. — PTI
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PM cuts short visit to Kampala Kampala, November 24 As per the original programme, the Prime Minister was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning, but his departure was advanced as the Commonwealth leaders concluded their deliberations on most of the issues. The PM remained busy since yesterday to ensure victory of Indian candidate Kamlesh Sharama for the post of the secretary-general. Minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma will be present at the concluding ceremony of the summit. — UNI
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Labour sweeps general election in Australia
Melbourne, November 24 “A few minutes ago I telephoned Rudd and congratulated him and the Australian Labour party on a very emphatic victory,” Howard said in a nationally televised concession speech. “I accept full responsibility for the Liberal party campaign, and I therefore accept full responsibility for the coalition’s defeat in this election campaign,”
the leader said. Voters turned to Labour party leader Kevin Rudd’s pitch of fresh leadership and new ideas over Howard’s record of economic management and unprecedented years of growth under his
government. The historic victory has put Rudd into the company of Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke as Labour’s only modern leaders to take government from opposition. Exit polls had consistently put the Labour party ahead since Rudd took the reins from Kim Beazley last December.
— PTI
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Man kills 4, shoots himself
Laytonsville, November 24 “It looks like it is a domestic-related homicide-suicide,” Montgomery County Police spokeswoman Porsha Jones said on Thursday night at a small park. Four of the victims, a woman and three children, were found together at the entrance of the park. Officers searching the area found another body of the man, who had died of an apparent self-afflicted gunshot wound, the police said.
— AP
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