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Iran, Pak ink gas pipeline deal
Anti-Hindu comment puts top Lahore judge in soup
Thai protesters splash blood on PM’s house
Pak procures 13 Cobra gunship choppers from US
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Any lenience to Headley matter of concern: India Fonseka’s court martial put off over panel row
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Iran, Pak ink gas pipeline deal
Islamabad, March 17 The 900-km pipeline is expected to mitigate the crippling energy crisis in Pakistan, which has seriously hit the country’s industry. The Inter-State Gas Systems, a semi-autonomous body that will take care of Pakistan’s interests in the import of gas through the pipeline, and the National Iranian Oil Company signed the heads of agreement and an operational accord in the Turkish capital Istanbul yesterday. Pakistan’s Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Syed Naveed Qamar said in a statement that India is currently not part of the deal. However, he said the heads of agreement dealt with transporting gas meant for India through Pakistani territory if and when India decided to join the project. Under the heads of agreement, Pakistan will have the right to charge transit fee for gas transported to India. Qamar described the signing of the pacts as a “historic achievement and a milestone towards meeting the energy needs of Pakistan”. The pipeline is being built between Asalooyeh in southern Iran and Iranshahr near the border with Pakistan and will carry the gas from Iran’s South Pars field. The pact also addresses the issue of transportation tariff, which will be worked out in line with international practices. The volume of 750mmcfd to 1 bcfd gas, expected to be in the system by the middle of 2015, will help overcome the shortage of gas in Pakistan. The 2,700-km pipeline was originally envisaged to transport Iranian gas to energy-deficient Pakistan and India. However, India has not participated in talks on the venture since 2008. Pakistan and Iran declared last year that they would go ahead with the project bilaterally if India maintained its stance of not joining the venture. Analysts said India stand was influenced by security concerns and the high transit fees being sought by Pakistan for gas to be transported through its territory. — PTI
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Anti-Hindu comment puts top Lahore judge in soup
Lawmakers in the National Assembly here took strong umbrage to reported remarks by Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Khawaja Sharif alleging Hindu financing of terror attacks in the country. It was judge’s turn to be judged in the National Assembly. Hindu and other minority parliamentarians cry out an anguished ‘Hi Bhagwan’ and led to what must be the first ever parliamentary boycott against a sitting chief justice of a high court. They were joined by members of the Awami National Party . The protesters were brought back to hear words of sympathy from several Muslim members for the injured sentiments and some advice for judges to focus on delivering justice rather than publicity. Federal minister and PPP chief whip tried to pacify sentiments by describing the judge’s remarks as slip of tongue. “He apparently meant Hindustan and not Hindu,” minister Khurshid Shah said. Justice Khawaja Sharif was reported observing during hearing of a case on Thursday about “Hindus” giving money and the Muslim militants using it to carry out terrorist activities. PPP’s Hindu member Romesh Lal, who raised the issue, said sentiments of an estimated four million Pakistani Hindus had been injured by the LHC chief justice’s remarks, as reported in a section of the press, that while terrorist bomb blasts were being carried out by Muslims, “money used for this came from Hindus”. The member said if a country was suspected of sponsoring such attacks it should be named, but blame should not be put on just Hindus who, he said, were as good patriots as other Pakistanis. While drawing attention of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to what he called worry caused to Hindus, he appealed to Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of Justice Sharif’s remarks. As Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jilani and some other members of the ruling PPP went out of the chamber to persuade the protesters to return, party chief whip and Labour and Manpower Minister Khurshid Ahmed Shah told the house the judge seemed to be blaming India for financing the Taliban rather Hindus, adding he was sure a clarification would come “by tomorrow”.
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Thai protesters splash blood on PM’s house
Bangkok, March 17 Several thousand later gathered in front of the US Embassy, saying they wanted to tell the international community that their government is illegitimate. A protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan, went into the embassy compound, where he said he talked with
US diplomats. The dramatic act, which followed similar "blood sacrifices" yesterday at Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva's office and the headquarters of his Democrat Party, grabbed attention, but put the "Red Shirt"
protest movement no closer to its goal of forcing new elections. The protesters consist of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover. They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class and that only new elections can restore integrity to Thai democracy. —
AP
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Pak procures 13 Cobra gunship choppers from US
Islamabad, March 17 The 13 helicopters are part of a larger transaction finalised in 2007 under which Pakistan also procured and refurbished 12 Cobras for its fleet. During the past three years, US civilian and security assistance to Pakistan has totalled over Rs 340 billion or
$4billion. The US has also funded and provided training for more than 370 Pakistani military officers in a wide range of leadership and development programmes covering topics like counter-terrorism, intelligence, logistics, medical, flight safety and military law. —
PTI
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Any lenience to Headley matter of concern: India New Delhi, March 17 Indian officials, who have been watching the progress in the case, are worried about reports emanating from there today that Pakistani-American Headley would be pleading guilty in an attempt to get lighter sentence. Headley, who has been charged with hatching conspiracy in the 2008 Mumbai attacks by the FBI, has sought plea bargain under American laws, a senior government official said. The laws there provide for agreement between federal prosecutors and individuals under criminal investigation that permit them to give the government information about crimes with some assurances that they will be protected against prosecution. The official said any lenient sentence now would “confirm” that Headley, who was arrested on October 3 last for his links with Lashker-e-Toiba, was an American agent. A lenient sentence is a matter of concern for India and may give credence to the suspicion that he was an American agent, the official said, adding that if the sentence was something like 100 years, then there was no problem. India has been trying to get access to 49-year-old Headley, who has been charged with conducting recee of installations attacked by Lashker terrorists in 26/11. — PTI
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Fonseka’s court martial put off over panel row
Colombo, March 17 Fonseka (59), the man who led his forces to a comprehensive victory against the Tamil Tiger rebels last year, appeared before the three-member court martial panel for the second consecutive day today, which is looking into charges that he engaged in politics while in uniform and one relating to military procurement. The former army chief, who suffered defeat at the hands of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the recent presidential polls, had yesterday appeared before the court martial panel and dismissed it as "illegal". "The second Court Martial assembled this morning to hear the charges but later unanimously decided to adjourn its sittings and refer the composition of the tribunal to convening authorities," the army said in a statement.—
PTI
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A washing machine for canines! Ramdev to open centre in Nepal
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