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Court summons Musharraf on Jan 16 to face treason charges
A poster of Pervez Musharraf hangs on a barbed wire fence in front of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi on Thursday, where he is being treated. AFP
Pak for early resumption of talks with India
B'desh to form tribunals to probe attacks on Hindus
S’pore riot: 3 Indians allege police abuse
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China to focus on growth in Xinjiang to tackle terror
Zardari in court over graft cases
Prince Charles, Camilla in mid-air copter scare
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Court summons Musharraf on Jan 16 to face treason charges
Islamabad, January 9 The three judges of the special court, formed to try 70-year-old Musharraf on charges of high treason for imposing emergency in 2007, issued the order after a careful review of his medical report. Summoning him on January 16, the court said an "appropriate order" would be issued if Musharraf fails to appear on that date. Musharraf was admitted to a military hospital in Rawalpindi on January 2 when he suffered heart problems while being driven to court. He had skipped two earlier hearings after explosives were found near his house. The special court said no written request for exemption from hearings had been received from Musharraf's counsel. The judges had earlier reserved their verdict after prosecution and defence lawyers concluded their arguments on Musharraf's health condition. During today's hearing, prosecutor Akram Sheikh said Musharraf's medical report did not mention any condition that justified his skipping hearings of the treason trial. He said the former army chief has not undergone even an angiography since he was admitted to hospital and this proves his condition is not serious. Sheikh claimed Musharraf's blood pressure was like that of a sportsman while the condition of his heart was "equal to that of a 18-year-old". Musharraf's lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said the former President needs more time to rest and recover. He said Musharraf's health condition is "serious". "The hospital will of course not expel its patient. It is Musharraf's prerogative whether to check out or not," he told reporters outside the special court. Pakistan has many good medical centres and there is no need to send Musharraf abroad for treatment. Musharraf is currently barred from travelling abroad but there has been widespread speculation that authorities could use his medical condition to allow him to leave Pakistan for medical treatment. He is the first general to face trial for treason in Pakistan's history and if he is convicted, he could be given life imprisonment or the death penalty. Musharraf's counsel Ilyas Siddiqui presented the former military chief's medical report in court with a list of people who had received medical treatment abroad at state expense. — PTI Ex-President's condition like that of ‘18-yr-old’
* The condition of former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf was on Thursday compared to that of an "18-year-old" by the government prosecutor to emphasise that he did not have any justification for skipping his treason trial *
Prosecutor Akram Sheikh said the former army chief had not undergone an angiography since he was admitted to a military hospital on January 2 *
This proves Musharraf's condition is not serious, and many aspects of his medical report were like that of a sportsman while the condition of his heart was comparable to that of an 18-year-old, Sheikh claimed |
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Pak for early resumption of talks with India
Islamabad, January 9 Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a weekly news briefing that Pakistan had all along emphasised the need for the early resumption of the dialogue. "We hope that it would take place as soon as possible, but again, there are no dates. Also, as you are aware, India is heading towards elections and we don't know if we can expect to resume the dialogue process before elections," she said. Replying to a question about a possible visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before the end of his term in May, Aslam said there were no confirmed dates for a trip. — PTI
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B'desh to form tribunals to probe attacks on Hindus
Dhaka, January 9 "A process has been initiated to constitute tribunals to try them (culprits) under the Terrorism Prevention Act," Shafique Ahmed, prime minister's law affairs adviser, told PTI. Home Secretary CQ Moshtaque said several dozens of suspects behind the attacks carried out since the January 5 polls had been detained. Government-sponsored social committees were revived to protect religious minorities and district administrations were asked to reach out to the Hindus to give them moral support even in places where no violence was reported, he said. — PTI |
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S’pore riot: 3 Indians allege police abuse
Singapore, January 9 The trio filed the complaint yesterday with the Internal Affairs Office (IAO), an independent unit of the Singapore Police Force that investigates disciplinary offences or crimes committed by officers during the course of their work. They include IT product manager Arun Kaliamurthy, 28, who was visiting Singapore as a tourist when he was implicated in the December 8 riot, and Rajendran Mohan, 25, and Ravi Arun Vengatesh, 24, who were working here but were alleged to have rioted, The Straits Times reported today. They alleged they were physically assaulted and subjected to insults and threats to get them to admit to their roles in the riot that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured and 25 vehicles, including 16 police cars, damaged. Singapore previously witnessed violence of such scale during race riots in 1969. The three are out on bail. — PTI |
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China to focus on growth in Xinjiang to tackle terror
Beijing, January 9 The Chinese Government’s decision comes after a turbulent year which saw multiple terrorist attacks, including the first-ever suicide attack by Uyghur militants in Beijing, targeting the iconic Forbidden City at the Tiananmen Square. This is a “major strategic shift” to combat the militancy, state-run daily Global Times quoted officials as saying. “The shift in strategy was a wise move by the central authority, who clearly knows the complex situation in Xinjiang.” “While other regions can concentrate on economic growth, development would be just empty talk in Xinjiang if the security problems remain unsolved.” The shift comes close on the heels of President Xi Jinping’s landmark speech outlining new guidelines for the Muslim Uyghur natives of the province bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan and several central Asian countries. Xi’s speech at the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the ruling CPC last month was not released by the media but its contents were passed on to concerned officials, the daily said. Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, followed a policy of heavy military crackdown to marginalise the growth of militant groups like the Al-Qaida-backed East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). Regional party chief Zhang Chunxian said that now the focus will be to maintain social stability and an enduring peace to address the concerns of Uyghurs, who are agitated over the increasing influx of majority Han Chinese people in the hydrocarbons-rich province. There were at least seven terrorist attacks and two riots in Xinjiang last year, leading to dozens of deaths. After the violence reached a peak ahead of the fourth anniversary of the deadly July 5 riots, the regional government staged flag marches of armed police across the region to deter terrorists. “The new strategy is not a denial of the region’s policy since 2010. It aims for a combination of maintaining stability and economic development, which will be realised in a groundbreaking manner,” said Turgunjan Tursun, a research fellow. — PTI Strategic shift * China is set to abandon its policy of military crackdown to tackle the growing problem of Islamic militancy in Xinjiang *
The shift comes close on the heels of President Xi Jinping's speech outlining new guidelines for the Uyghur natives of the province bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan *
Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao, followed a policy of military crackdown to marginalise the growth of militant groups *
Now the focus will be to maintain social stability and an enduring peace to address the concerns of Uyghurs *
Uyghurs are agitated over the increasing influx of majority Han Chinese people in the province
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Zardari in court over graft cases
Islamabad, January 9 Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek said that his client could not be charged by the Accountability Court in today’s hearing and the proceedings were deferred till January 18. Assistant lawyer Amjad Iqbal Advocate said arguments would be presented in the next hearing with the reference to 58-year-old Zardari’s indictment. Leaving the court, Zardari, dressed in a black overcoat and a black cap, smiled and waved to his Pakistan People’s Party supporters and the media personnel. “There is not ground in this case for a charge to be framed,” Naek said. The former President arrived at the court amid tight security to defend allegations levelled against him in five references including Polo Ground, SGS, Ursus tractors deal, Cotecna and ARY Gold cases. It was earlier expected that Zardari would be indicted in Polo Ground reference today. The references against Zardari were deferred earlier as he enjoyed immunity during his tenure as the President. The court had earlier released several of the co-accused in the references against Zardari. — PTI
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Prince Charles, Camilla in mid-air copter scare London, January 9 The heir to the British throne was travelling with Camilla and four others to the Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival in Wales in May last year when his Sikorsky S-76C helicopter had to land at Denham aerodrome west of London, a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said today. The AAIB said the fault was traced to the splitting of a metal ball within a system that helps control the helicopter's steering. "A detailed metallurgical analysis of the ball by the (US) National Transportation Safety Board is continuing. However, the most likely cause of the ball fracture was an anomaly in its heat treatment process during manufacture," the report said. The helicopter's 53-year-old captain was forced to declare a "pan emergency" - one level of danger below a mayday call - and attempt to land at a nearby airfield. — PTI
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British MPs question cutting bilateral aid to India Indian peacekeepers suffered 2nd highest casualties China begins first saturation diving experiment Nepal to build international airport near Lumbini India ranks near bottom of N-material security index ‘Jihad Jane’ accomplice gets eight years in US jail Bombing kills 21 at Iraq army recruiting centre |
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After analysing his medical report, the special court conducting Pervez Musharraf's treason trial today summoned him on January 16 and hinted it may act against the embattled former dictator if he does not appear before it.
Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari today appeared before a court here amidst tight security in connections with graft cases against him.
Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek said that his client could not be charged by the Accountability Court in today’s hearing and the proceedings were deferred till January 18.
