The three leading winners of the February 18 elections, who have decided to form a coalition, government, have worked out a formula for the distribution of cabinet portfolios.

PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal said power sharing conditions had been accepted and names would be announced by the coalition partners later. Each of the three coalition partners would get number of ministries proportionate to their strength in the House.

He said the allocation of portfolios to each coalition partner had also been agreed. The Jamiat Ulema Islama of Mulana Fazlur Rehman had also agreed to join the coalition.

Ahsan Iqbal said the PPP wanted to start with a small cabinet of say a dozen ministers that could be expanded later. The PML-N had appreciated the idea.

The would-be coalition partners in the new government have agreed in principle to grant amnesty to political prisoners across the board.

“The component parties in the incoming government have agreed in principle that all political prisoners should be released under a general amnesty plan” a senior PPP leader said. It would mean an extension of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) promulgated by Musharraf in an accord with Benazir Bhutto a day before his election.

Under the NRP all corruption and criminal cases instituted between 1986 and 1999 were pardoned. While Bhutto, Asif Zardari and others had their cases pardoned, thousands of MQM workers facing criminal charges were also released.

The proposed amnesty would cover politicians, who suffered victimisation under Musharraf era. They include Nawaz Sharif, Yousaf Raza Gilani and Javed Hashmi. Nationalist parties, especially in Balochistan and Sindh, claimed that dozens of their workers and leaders were either illegally picked up by secret agencies or were facing high treason charges and languishing in jails.

Prominent among them are Baloch nationalists Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Habib Jalib, Senator Sanaullah Baloch and Dr Safdar Sarki, a Sindhi nationalist. Marri and Bugti tribes claimed that dozens of members of their clans had been picked up by agencies or were facing fake cases just because of political animosity.

The amnesty might also cover the cases of missing persons to resolve this issue as well. “All the three major partners in the would-be government - the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Awami National Party have been demanding the release of all political prisoners and an end to the military operations in Balochistan and Waziristan,” he said. 

Washington, March 13
Dr Amar Gopal Bose, an Indian-American acoustics technology pioneer, has been been inducted into the prestigious National Inventors Hall of Fame for his contributions as a “world-class inventor”.

This year’s influential class includes inventors such as Nick Holonyak, Jr., who invented the first visible LED; Calvin Fuller, Gerald Pearson, and Daryl Chapin, who together created the first practical solar cell that converted solar energy into electrical power; and Amar Bose, whose pioneering work in acoustics technology is developed at the company that bears his name.

Bose is Founder, Chairman and Technical Director of Bose Corporation, the internationally recognised audio company that bears his name.

Bose, 78, has introduced a variety of products through his company, including the 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker system, customised sound systems for automobiles and active noise-reducing headphones.

Raised just outside Philadelphia, Bose began his career at the age of 13, repairing radios in his basement during World War II. His passion for technology continued at MIT, where he earned Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees in Electrical Engineering. In 1956, Bose was asked to join the faculty at MIT, where he taught until 2001.

His research at MIT led to the development of new, patented technologies. With those patents, he founded Bose Corporation in 1964. — PTI

Washington, March 13
The government of India is committed to the civilian nuclear deal with the US, the top Indian diplomat here has said, maintaining that New Delhi is only bound by the bilateral 123 Agreement that has been worked out by the two countries.

Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen's comments come ahead of a crucial UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal on March 17 in the face of an ultimatum by the government's Communist allies to make its stand clear on the agreement.

Sen emphasised that the government in both the countries will have to go through the democratic process before taking decisions and that neither of the parties would want to lecture the other on what it should or should not do.

“As far as the status of the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement is concerned... I would like to say clearly and categorically that the government is committed to that,” Sen told a large gathering at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies' India Initiative Programme of George Washington University.

“There is still work in progress. We are a democracy and there are certain processes which have to be over and that is not complete; and we have to take subsequent steps from international forums,” he said referring to the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and an exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The safeguards agreement, along with the NSG waiver, is a prerequisite to operationalise the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. — PTI

New York,March 13
The stage is now set for the first African American to become the Governor of New York after incumbent Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation after he was embroiled in a sex-scandal which provoked statewide outrage.

When David A Paterson, a state legislator for 22 years, takes the oath on Monday,he will become the first legally blind person to take over such a job in the USA.

Spitzer, a 48-year-old Democrat and father of three, announced his resignation with his wife Silda Wall standing by his side, saying he would leave political life and concentrate on healing himself and his family.

"Over the course of my public life, I have insisted - I believe correctly - that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct," he said.

"I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of Governor." He did respond to questions from reporters and in his 3-minute statement did not refer to the criminal charges he might face especially about moving money around his accounts in a way that could have violated the law. — PTI

Silicon Valley, March 13
India-born surgeon Jayant Patel, facing charges of manslaughter and negligence for the death of 13 of his patients in Australia, has denied the allegations levelled against him.

Patel’s federal public defender Susan Russell told the court that her client “denies the allegations out of Australia.” The extradition proceeding will not begin until April and it is not yet known if he will fight against it.

Detention hearing for the 57-year old surgeon, dubbed “Dr Death”, who was arrested by FBI agents at his home in Portland, Oregon on Monday, is scheduled for today.

The government of Australia is seeking extradition of Patel to face 16 charges in connection with three deaths arising from botched surgeries and falsifying records during his two-year tenure at a rural public hospital in Queensland after he left Portland. He faces three life sentences if convicted on the charges, which also include allegations of grievous bodily harm, negligence and fraud. — PTI

Melbourne, March 13
The Australian government today announced that a retired judge will hold an inquiry into the handling of the case against Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, who was cleared of terror charges after being arrested in connection with the failed UK bombings.

Former immigration minister Kevin Andrews and police chief Mick Keelty may be asked to appear before the inquiry to be carried out by former New South Wales Supreme Court judge John Clarke QC, the ABC reported today.

Clarke said that information from Andrews would assist his inquiry but was unsure if the former minister will make a statement.

"Obviously, it would be preferable to talk with him but I have no coercive powers," he was quoted as saying by the ABC.

Attorney-General Robert Mcclelland said that Haneef will be asked to give evidence during the inquiry and Clarke has even offered to travel to India to meet him.Mohamed Haneef was detained by the Australian Federal Police for 12 days in July, 2007, before being charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation. He spent two more weeks in detention as Andrews cancelled his work visa following a Brisbane magistrate's decision to free him on bail.

The charges were dropped later as Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions announced there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction and Haneef returned to Bangalore. The Federal Court of Australia had in December upheld the decision to reinstate his work visa when the government challenged the decision by a Brisbane court. — PTI