US issues waiver for sale of defence equipment to Pak
Washington, April 5
For the second time in six months, the US has issued a waiver for the sale of major defence equipment to Pakistan likely to be worth over $2 billion, citing national security interests.

Musharraf’s nomination papers rejected
Lahore/Islamabad, April 5
In a double blow to former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, the Supreme Court today decided to hear a petition seeking his trial for treason even as one of his four nomination papers for May 11 general election was rejected.

Malala announces first donation from fund
London, April 5
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, has announced the first grant of $45,000 from the Malala Fund for girls' education to an unnamed organisation in Pakistan's Swat Valley.

London/Seoul, April 5
North Korea has asked embassies to consider moving staff out and warned it cannot guarantee the safety of diplomats after April 10, Britain said.

The requests come on the heels of declarations by the government of the secretive communist state that a real conflict is inevitable, because of what it terms "hostile" US troop exercises with South Korea and UN sanctions over North Korea's nuclear weapons testing.

"The current question was not whether, but when a war would break out on the peninsula," because of the "increasing threat from the United States", China's state news agency Xinhua quoted the North's Foreign Ministry as saying.

It added that diplomatic missions should consider evacuation. North Korea would provide safe locations for diplomats in accordance with international conventions, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying in a notification to embassies.

Britain said its embassy in Pyongyang had been told by the North Korean government it "would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10". "We believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the US poses a threat to them," Britain's Foreign Office said.

It said it had "no immediate plans" to evacuate its embassy and accused the North Korean government of raising tensions "through a series of public statements and other provocations".

A Polish spokesman said Warsaw saw the latest statements by Pyongyang as "an inappropriate element of building up the pressure and we obviously think that there is no risk from outside on North Korea". He added that the Polish embassy saw no need to move staff out. — Reuters

Washington, April 5
For the second time in six months, the US has issued a waiver for the sale of major defence equipment to Pakistan likely to be worth over $2 billion, citing national security interests.

The waiver issued quietly by the then Deputy Secretary of States Thomas Nides on February 15 and posted on the State Department website a week later on February 22 would pave the way for some major defence equipment sales to Pakistan.

In September last year, the US had waived conditions that would have halted $2 billion in aid to Pakistan, which was slammed for not making progress in fighting terrorism.

Pakistan has received $7.9 billion worth of military equipment from the US since 2001.

A State Department spokesperson said, "The Department issued the waiver because we have determined that security assistance is important to the national security interests of the US and is a critical component of efforts to continue building a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan grounded in concrete action on areas of shared interest."

The waiver, issued within a fortnight of Secretary of State John Kerry taking the reins of US diplomacy on February 1, allows for the execution of America's Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, and for the sale or export of certain Major Defence Equipment (MDE).

"Major Defence Equipment," means any US manufactured defence article whose export is controlled by US Munitions List which has a nonrecurring research and development cost of more than $50,000,000 or a total production cost of more than $200,000,000. These items require Congressional notification, the spokesman said.

"As a matter of policy we do not discuss proposed defence sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress," he said, refraining to give any figure to the expected sale of major defence items to Pakistan after this waiver.

In July, 2011, the Obama administration had decided to suspend $800 million in aid to the Pakistan's military signallling a tougher US line. Washington had made it clear soon thereafter that it would not lift hold on its military aid to Pakistan, reiterating that Islamabad needs to takes steps in the war against terror.

Observing that security assistance builds Pakistan's capabilities in countering terrorism, the official said such assistance would continue to be implemented consistently with its policy goals of supporting Pakistan's shared interest in regional stability and countering terrorism.

"Despite the past challenges in our bilateral relationship with Pakistan, we are encouraged by recent engagements which indicate the positive trajectory of the relationship," the spokesperson said. — PTI

THE CONCESSION The waiver was issued by the then Deputy Secretary of States Thomas Nides on February 15 and posted on the State Department website a week later on February 22 A State Department spokesperson said the department issued the waiver because security assistance was important to the national security interests of the US Major Defence Equipment means any US manufactured defence article export of which is controlled by US Munitions List. These items require Congressional notification Pakistan has received $7.9 billion worth of military equipment from the US since 2001

Lahore/Islamabad, April 5
In a double blow to former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, the Supreme Court today decided to hear a petition seeking his trial for treason even as one of his four nomination papers for May 11 general election was rejected.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will take up on Monday a petition filed by former Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association president Taufiq Asif seeking Musharraf's trial for treason.

The petition was included among cases scheduled to be heard next week, officials said. Asif's petition was clubbed with two other applications seeking similar action against Musharraf.

At the hearing on Monday, the bench will decide whether treason proceedings should be initiated against Musharraf, who recently returned to Pakistan after nearly four years in self-exile.

Musharraf had returned to Pakistan on March 24 after nearly four-years of self-exile. During his exile, Musharraf used to shuttle between London and Dubai.

In another development, the Returning Officer at Kasur in Punjab rejected 69-year-old Musharraf's nomination papers for the general election on the ground that the signature did not match the one on his national identity card, officials said.

Musharraf has filed papers to contest the general election from four parliamentary seats in Karachi, Islamabad, Chitral and Kasur.

Reports said a lawyer, Javed Kasuri Advocate had also objected to Musharraf's candidature on the ground that the former President had violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, which specify that candidates should have a "good character" and be "sagacious, righteous and non-profligate".

Returning Officer Mohammad Saleem rejected the former dictator's nomination papers, officials said. — PTI