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Pak govt-Qadri deal: Genuine or farce?
Pak investigator probing PM graft case found dead
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Algeria hostage crisis
Mali army claims control of Konna
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Pak govt-Qadri deal: Genuine or farce?
The deal struck by the government and cleric Tahirul Qadri after sit-out in front of Parliament House has triggered controversy with many sceptics describing it as a farce. “It is too good to believe there has been no dubious dealing behind the scenes,” senior anchor Nusrat Javed observed saying the whole show was scripted long before it was actually enacted in Islamabad’s Jinnah Avenue. An impression was created that the government had conceded to most of Qadir's demands. PTI senior leader Ishaq Khaqwani, PML-N’s Tariq Azim and National Reconstruction former chairman Danyal Aziz concurred that President Asif Ali Zardari had launched the firebrand chief of Minhajul Quran International (MQI) while targeting Nawaz Sharif. Another senior anchor Mushtaq Minhas claimed that the draft of the agreement announced in a dramatic fashion was ready when PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain met Qadri in Model Town headquarters of the MQI before the start of the march. “The draft agreement was already in place when the so-called talks were held after Qadri gave 90-minute deadline to President Zardari to negotiate or face unspecified ‘action’,” Minhas said. Group Editor of The News Shaheen Sehbai, however, offered a different interpretation claiming that the army intervened after Qadri’s threat of “action”, implying that he would unleash his mob to occupy the Parliament House, the Presidency and the PM House. Ishaq Khawani said PTI chairman Imran Khan resisted intense pressure to join Qadri’s march because he was convinced that the entire show was orchestrated and funded by President Zardari. English daily The Express Tribune headlined its story on the deal ‘Concluding the farce’. There was common view among sceptics that Nawaz Sharif was the target of the whole plan. Qadri’s political party PAT will become part of a four-party combine, including the PPP, the PML-Q and MQM, to confront Sharif and Imran Khan in elections in Punjab hoping that Imran would chip in Sharif’s vote bank. Nawaz Sharif, who had earlier termed Qadri’s sit-in as a “circus”, said the cleric had started with demanding dissolution of assemblies and termed coalition ministers and the PM as former ministers, struck a deal with the same ministers. Aaj TV reporter Tariq Chaudhry disclosed that Qadri and his family had made reservations to fly to Toronto via Dubai on January 27 night just when he was telling tens of thousands of mesmerised audience in Jinnah Avenue to stay put till acceptance of the demands even if it takes them a month. Tariq said he has copies of the ticket. Express TV reported that the Canadian authorities have called Qadir to appear before them on February 5 to respond to the charge that he violated its immigration and asylum laws. Qadri reportedly had sought asylum in Canada in 2008 on plea that he was under life threat from banned extremist organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Under Canadian laws, anybody who is given asylum cannot travel to the country where he is threatened. Terms of deal
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Pak investigator probing PM graft case found dead
A senior Pakistani investigator probing graft charges involving Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf was found dead in mysterious circumstances at his official accommodation here on Friday, the police said, amid reports that he was "under pressure" due to the high-profile case.
Kamran Faisal, an Assistant Director of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), was found hanging from a fan in his room at the Federal Lodges in Islamabad, police officials said. Preliminary investigations suggested he had committed suicide, the officials said. Islamabad Police chief Bin Yamin told reporters the cause of death would be established by an autopsy. Faisal was one of two investigation officers probing allegations of graft in rental power projects. Faisal was among two officials who were suspended and removed from the probe after what the SC described as ‘mis-interpretation’ of its orders.
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Algeria hostage crisis London, January 18 He said the US government was working around the clock to ensure the safe return of its citizens caught up in the Algeria crisis. A US plane landed today at an airport near a desert gas plant in Algeria where Islamist gunmen took hundreds of hostages to evacuate Americans caught up in the crisis, a local source said. "Regardless of the motivation of the hostage takers, there is no justification, no justification for the kidnapping and murder of innocent people," Panetta said during a visit to London, adding that the United States was in close touch with the Algerian government about the crisis. Meanwhile, Algerian commandos are pursuing Islamic militants who are believed to be still holding a number of foreign hostages at a remote gas facility in Algeria. "The operation is still on," British Prime Minister David Cameron said, 36 hours after Algerian special forces stormed the complex in which the Algerian authorities said four foreign workers and 18 militants were killed. Making a statement in parliament on the deadly rescue bid, Cameron said "hostages were still being held in the complex". — Agencies
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Mali army claims control of Konna Bamako, January 18 "We have wrested total control of Konna after inflicting heavy losses on the enemy," an army statement said. A regional Islamic rebel groups who have controlled northern Mali since April pushed south into government-held territory and seized Konna, about 700 km from the capital Bamako, prompting France to intervene. While the Malian army earlier reported it had regained control of Konna, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the zone was still in the Islamists' hands. The area is not accessible to independent observers. —AFP
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