W O R L D

UK moves Bill to recall errant lawmakers
London, December 14
The British public will be given the right to recall their local MP if they are found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing under proposals published in a draft Bill in Parliament. The proposals fulfil a commitment made in the Programme for Government as part of the political reform agenda, official sources here said.

Rabbani’s Assassination
Khar blames Afghan refugees
Islamabad, December 14
Pakistan has blamed Afghan refugees living in the country for the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani and warned Kabul against making it a “scapegoat” for all the ills happening in the war-torn nation.

No cut in aid to Pak: US
Washington, December 14
A day after a key Congress panel agreed to freeze $700 million in aid to Pakistan, the US has said that it was just a proposal under a defence bill and made it clear that it has not cut any civilian assistance to the country, with which its ties have plunged to a new low following a deadly NATO raid.

Islamists poised to consolidate Egypt poll lead
Cairo, December 14
Islamists are poised to further consolidate their overwhelming lead in the second phase of Egyptian parliamentary polls, as millions headed to polling booths today to decide the future of nine governorates, in the first landmark elections since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.

Low on cash, UK students ‘turning’ to prostitution
London, December 14
Desperate British students, faced with rising costs on the back of government austerity measures, are turning to prostitution, gambling and other dangerous pursuits to fund their studies, support workers and student leaders said on Wednesday.

Zardari discharged 
Dubai/Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari was on Wednesday discharged from a Dubai hospital where he was being treated for a heart condition and moved to his private residence in the emirate to recuperate, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. "He has been discharged from hospital and moved to his residence in Dubai," said a brief statement issued by Babar late tonight. — PTI

40 years of Bangladeshi independence
	Bangladeshi children re-enact the killing of heroes of the country’s war of independence against Pakistan, which ended on December 14, 1971, at Rayer Bazar in Dhaka on Wednesday. — AP/PTI

 

 

UK moves Bill to recall errant lawmakers

London, December 14
The British public will be given the right to recall their local MP if they are found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing under proposals published in a draft Bill in Parliament. The proposals fulfil a commitment made in the Programme for Government as part of the political reform agenda, official sources here said.

In the draft Bill, the David Cameron Government is proposing to introduce a power of recall, allowing voters to force a byelection where an MP is found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing and having had a petition calling for a byelection signed by 10 per cent of his or her constituents.

At the last general election, the manifestos of all three of the main parties included a commitment to establish a recall mechanism.

Mark Harper, Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform said: “This is an important part of the government’s programme of measures designed to help restore trust in our political system”.

He added: “If an MP has been found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing, they should not be able to retain their seat with impunity until the next general election.

“Our proposals would allow constituents to decide whether or not an MP should retain their seat”. Harper said it his government’s intention is to establish a recall mechanism which is transparent, robust and fair.

The draft Bill is being published for pre-legislative scrutiny and sets out two triggers for a recall petition: first, where an MP is convicted in the UK of an offence and receives a custodial sentence of 12 months or less, and secondly where the House of Commons resolves, through a vote by MPs, that a recall petition should be opened.

The petition will be administered by the local returning officer and will be open for a period of eight weeks. If 10 per cent of eligible constituents sign the petition, the MP’s seat will be vacated and a byelection will be held.

Calls for tougher sanctions for MPs arose after the 2009 expenses scandal and all three main Westminster parties backed some form of recall proposal in their 2010 election manifestos. — PTI 

Rabbani’s Assassination
Khar blames Afghan refugees
Warns Kabul against making Pak a scapegoat for all its ills

Islamabad, December 14
Pakistan has blamed Afghan refugees living in the country for the assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani and warned Kabul against making it a “scapegoat” for all the ills happening in the war-torn nation.

“We are not responsible if Afghan refugees crossed the border and entered Kabul, stayed in a guest house and attacked Professor Rabbani,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told the Senate during question hour yesterday.

Afghan officials have said Rabbani’s killing in September was planned in Pakistan and carried out by a Pakistani suicide bomber.

Khar also told the House that Pakistan will have to review its diplomatic policy and relations with Afghanistan in view of its own interests.

“Pakistan has baselessly been charged with recent attacks in Kabul. If they have any problem, Pakistan should not be made a scapegoat by the Afghan government and other countries. We are part of the solution, and not part of the problem,” she said.

Pakistan should not be blamed for all the ills and criminal acts in Afghanistan, she said while responding to supplementary questions. Afghan refugees living in Pakistan are creating various problems, she said.

Kabul recently sent an official delegation to Pakistan to investigate the killing of the Afghan peace envoy.

Khar said Pakistan wanted the “best relations with Afghanistan” to ensure peace and stability in the region and to jointly fight extremism and terrorism. Afghanistan is the most important country for Pakistan as the security of both countries is inter-linked, she said. — PTI

No cut in aid to Pak: US

Washington, December 14
A day after a key Congress panel agreed to freeze $700 million in aid to Pakistan, the US has said that it was just a proposal under a defence bill and made it clear that it has not cut any civilian assistance to the country, with which its ties have plunged to a new low following a deadly NATO raid.

“Well, first of all, just to clarify what has and hasn’t happened here in our understanding. We have not cut $700 million in aid to Pakistan,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference last evening.

The clarification came after a House-Senate Congressional panel agreed to freeze $700 million in aid to Islamabad, linking it to Pakistan’s efforts to control the spread of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), as part of a Defence Authorisation Bill.

Nuland’s remarks were apparently aimed at allaying concerns of Pakistan, with which the US’ ties are currently at unease in the wake of the November 26 NATO air strike.

Pakistan has termed the US Congressional panel’s decision as an “unwise” move.

“What we have is something on the defence authorisation bill, which is currently moving in the Congress, which would require the Department of Defence to continue providing a strategy on how we will use certain military assistance and measure its progress, in particular on progress that we are making with Pakistan on the IED issue,” Nuland said in response to a question. — PTI 

Islamists poised to consolidate Egypt poll lead

Cairo, December 14
Islamists are poised to further consolidate their overwhelming lead in the second phase of Egyptian parliamentary polls, as millions headed to polling booths today to decide the future of nine governorates, in the first landmark elections since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's moderate Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood, emerged as the largest force in the first round of elections with their Freedom and Justice Party winning 36 per cent of the popular vote. — PTI

Low on cash, UK students ‘turning’ to prostitution

London, December 14
Desperate British students, faced with rising costs on the back of government austerity measures, are turning to prostitution, gambling and other dangerous pursuits to fund their studies, support workers and student leaders said on Wednesday.

The English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP), a welfare body for sex workers, said it estimated the number of people approaching it for help had doubled in the last year as students struggled to make ends meet.

“(The government) know the cuts and the austerity programmes and the removing of grants, they know when they remove those resources they know it drives women further into poverty,” Sarah Walker from the ECP told Reuters. “The way that women survive poverty is often through sex work. The government knows that and they don't seem to care frankly.”

Young people have been the hardest hit by economic slowdown with youth unemployment now accounting for 1.03 million of the 2.64 unemployed, the highest level since 1992.

Last year, the government said it would scrap the Educational Maintenance Allowance, a grant to older teenage schoolchildren to help them stay in education, and allow university tuition fees to treble to up to 9,000 pounds ($14,000) a year from 2012. — Reuters