W O R L D

Musharraf, Ashraf out of fray
Former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf (retd) and ex-premier Raja Pervez Ashraf have been kicked out of the May 11 poll fray.

Musharraf accused of treason, subverting constitution	Pervez Ashraf accused of graft, abuse of office

Taliban suicide bomber hits ANP rally; kills 16
Islamabad, April 16
A suicide bomber today targeted leaders of the secular Awami National Party in Peshawar city of northeast Pakistan, killing 16 persons and injuring dozens more in the latest in a string of terrorist attacks ahead of next month's general election.

No talks with ‘hostile’ US, says North Korea
Seoul, April 16
North Korea on Tuesday said it would not agree to a "humiliating" dialogue with the United States and that talks were only possible if Washington abandoned its "hostile" policy and nuclear threats.




The wreckage of a US Marine helicopter after it crashed during a Korean Marine exchange programme in Chulwon, South Korea, on Tuesday. — AP/PTI

Venezuela accuses Oppn of plotting coup; seven dead in clashes
Caracas, April 16
Venezuelan President-elect Nicolas Maduro accused the Opposition on Tuesday of planning a coup against him after seven persons were killed in violent clashes over his disputed election victory.

Iraq executes 21 in one day on ‘terror’ charges
Baghdad, April 16
Iraq put 21 men to death today, a senior justice ministry official said, the latest in a series of mass executions that have drawn international condemnation. All of the men were Iraqis and had been convicted on anti-terror charges.

Celebration of democracy

Supporters of former Pakistan's Premier Nawaz Sharif dance as they gather outside their party office during election campaigning in Lahore on Monday. — AFP

 

 

 

Musharraf, Ashraf out of fray
Election tribunals reject nomination papers, uphold Opposition parties’ stance
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf (retd) and ex-premier Raja Pervez Ashraf have been kicked out of the May 11 poll fray. Musharraf lost fight for remaining in the contest on Tuesday when an election tribunal accepted a plea by three political parties against the acceptance of his nomination papers for the Chitral constituency (NA 32). The rivals had contended that Musharraf could not contest elections as he had violated the constitution by imposing emergency rule in 2007.

His papers for three other seats in Karachi, Islamabad and Kasur had been rejected earlier. Separate election tribunals turned down his review petitions against those rejections. Tribunals comprising high court judges upheld decisions by returning officers in rejecting Musharraf’s nomination papers for the National Assembly constituencies.

Musharraf, 69, had plans to contest elections from four parliamentary seats in Chitral, Karachi, Kasur and Islamabad.

Musharraf has been accused of treason and subverting the constitution by imposing martial law in 1999 and 2007, besides sacking and detaining over 60 judges of superior courts in November 2007.

Musharraf had returned to Pakistan after five years of self-imposed exile to contest the May 11 elections. The former military dictator has also been moving in and out of courts ever since his return to secure bail in criminal cases, including assassinations of Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Akbar Bugti and bloodbath in Lal Mosque.

A poll tribunal also rejected an appeal by former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf against an earlier rejection of his nomination papers by the returning officer in Gujjar Khan district.

Raja Ashraf faces allegations of corruption in rental power projects, abuse of office and reckless allocation of funds for development scheme in Gujjar Khan during the last few days of his rule.

Raja’s counsel and former law minister Farooq Naek hinted he might move the Supreme Court for relief. Meanwhile, Ashraf’s son, who had filed papers as his covering candidate, would contest the election now.

Taliban suicide bomber hits ANP rally; kills 16

The bomber struck when a car carrying senior ANP leaders reached Yakatoot neighbourhood, where they were to address an election rally this evening. "The bomber detonated his explosives near the driver's door," said Peshawar police chief Liaqat Ali Khan.

PPP continues to suffer blows over candidacy

Karachi: The former ruling party at the centre, the PPP, continues to suffer blows as two of its major candidates from Lahore and Sindh were declared ineligible by election tribunals on Tuesday.

Today’s setback followed Monday’s rejection of an appeal by former Prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf challenging the decision of a returning officer rejecting him nomination.

On Tuesday, PPP’s Syed Asif Hashmi was disqualified by the election tribunal in Lahore with objections against him for not being ‘sadiq’and ‘ameen’ upheld. Moreover, another PPP stalwart in Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah who had filed his papers to stand from PS-20 (Naushero Feroz-II) was also disqualified by an election tribunal.

(By arrangement with the Dawn)

No talks with ‘hostile’ US, says North Korea

Seoul, April 16
North Korea on Tuesday said it would not agree to a "humiliating" dialogue with the United States and that talks were only possible if Washington abandoned its "hostile" policy and nuclear threats.

"We do not oppose dialogue but cannot sit face-to-face at the humiliating dialogue table with the other party who is wielding a nuclear stick," a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement issued on state media.

"As long as the US sticks to its hostile policy and nuclear blackmailing against (North Korea), sincere dialogue can be held only after (the North) prepares its nuclear deterrent fully to thwart a US threat of nuclear war."

The statement came a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a Northeast Asian tour aimed at defusing soaring military tensions on the Korean peninsula and getting China to help rein in a belligerent Pyongyang.

Kerry said in Tokyo that Washington was ready to talk to North Korea but that Pyongyang had to take "meaningful steps" to honor its international commitments.

"The United States remains open to authentic and credible negotiations on denuclearisation, but the burden is on Pyongyang," he said.

The North's spokesman said recent overtures by senior US officials were a "cunning plot" to avoid responsibility for raising tensions on the Korean peninsula and were only aimed at removing North Korea's nuclear weapons. — AP

Venezuela accuses Oppn of plotting coup; seven dead in clashes

Caracas, April 16
Venezuelan President-elect Nicolas Maduro accused the Opposition on Tuesday of planning a coup against him after seven persons were killed in violent clashes over his disputed election victory.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles has demanded a full recount of votes from Sunday’s election after official results showed a narrow victory for Maduro, who is late President Hugo Chavez's hand-picked successor. The deaths occurred on Monday when hundreds of protesters took to the streets in various parts of the nation. — Reuters

Iraq executes 21 in one day on ‘terror’ charges

Baghdad, April 16
Iraq put 21 men to death today, a senior justice ministry official said, the latest in a series of mass executions that have drawn international condemnation. All of the men were Iraqis and had been convicted on anti-terror charges.

The latest executions brought to 50 the number of times Baghdad has carried out the death penalty so far this year. — AFP

BRIEFLY

the ringside view

6 die in attack on PML-N leader
Islamabad: Six persons were killed, including the son of the provincial chief of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) Sanaullah Zehri, when a blast targeted his convoy in restive Balochistan’s Khuzdar district. The blast, which shook the PML-N leader’s convoy in the Anjira area also claimed the lives of his brother, nephew and personal guard. Zehri, however, escaped unharmed. According to security officials, Zehri’s convoy was targeted through a remote-controlled bomb. The blast destroyed a bridge and five vehicles in the convoy. Meanwhile, unidentified militants on Tuesday attacked the house of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate for NA-1 Zulfiqar Afghani in Gulbahar area in Peshawar. The attackers used a hand grenade but the inmates were unharmed as it exploded on the roof of the house. — TNS

'One Pound Fish' man working on poll song
Lahore: After scaling the charts with his ode to cut-price produce, Pakistan's "One Pound Fish" singer is to enter the slippery world of politics with an election song for the country’s main opposition party. Muhammad Shahid Nazir said his family had a long association with the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) of Nawaz Sharif and he was working on tunes for the former Prime Minister as he campaigns for the May 11 general election. "I have almost prepared an election song on Nawaz Sharif highlighting his contributions to Pakistan," Nazir said. "I will present the video of this song to him very soon and it will be up to him how to use it." Nazir reached number 29 in the British pop charts for "One Pound Fish", which he originally composed to encourage shoppers at the market in east London where he worked to part with a pound (around $1.60) for a fish. The song became a YouTube hit after someone filmed him singing it at the market and Warner Music signed him up for a record deal in the hope of getting the coveted Christmas number one spot in the charts. — AFP