RSS Feed     Twitter     Facebook
Blog > Archive by tag 'Balochistan'

Posts Tagged ‘Balochistan’

Govt grilled over ‘security failure’

July 28th, 2009 | No Comments


ISLAMABAD – While the opposition members staged walkout from the Upper House against Senator Raza RabbaniÂ’s remarks on Tuesday, Federal Minister for Postal Services Israr Ullah Zahri grilled the government for its failure in controlling the growing incidents of target killing and undue harassment of masses in the name of security check in the province.
Pandemonium was witnessed in the Senate when Salim Saifullah Khan of PML-Q and Raza Rabbani of PPP exchanged harsh words on the issues of membership of Planning Commission and Balochistan crisis.
However, Presiding Officer Col (Retd) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi expunged these words from the proceedings.
Later, Rabbani apologized on the floor of the House and said that he withdrew his words about Salim Saifullah.
Earlier, Rabbani on a point of order of Senator Zahid Khan said that the government would take every step for removing reservations about Balochistan and other small provinces relating to provincial autonomy and membership of Planning Commission. He said that the issue of Balochistan was very critical and the government was taking it seriously.
He ensured the House that representation would be given to Balochistan and other smaller provinces in the Planning Commission. He added that he also wrote two separate letters to the Prime Minster in this regard.
He said that comprehensive recommendations about financial, law and order and other issues in consultation with Balochistan Governor and Chief Minster had been presented in the Committee constituted by the Prime Minster.
The unruly situation in the House was witnessed when Salim Saifullah said after RazaÂ’s point of order that delivering lecture and point securing is not needed in the House. On it, harsh words were changed between both the Senators.
On the remarks by Raza Rabbani, the opposition walked out from the House as a protest.
Later, Senators Abdul Malik and Hasil Bizenjo on a point of order said that the incident of target killing in Qutta was continuing and young people were being kidnapped. They claimed that the FC was harassing the masses in the name of security check.
Federal Minister for Postal Services Israrullah Zahri admitted this on the floor of the House and said that the FC was harassing the people in the name of security. “The police arrested the culprits of targeting killing, however, a law enforcement agency personnel influenced the police for getting them released,” he claimed.
Later, talking to media persons at the Assembly cafeteria, Leader of Opposition in Senate Wasim Sajjad and other Q-League Senators Salim Saifullah Khan and Jamal Leghari came down hard on the ruling party and the way it was conducting the proceedings of the Upper House. They said that so far Opposition had shown a lot of decency in the conduct of the proceedings of the Upper House but the way the ruling coalition had started misbehaving with them, they would be forced to not let the house function in smooth fashion.
Wasim Sajjad regretted the tone and tenor adopted by Rabbani against Salim Saifullah who had not let him speak to clarify his position on the points he had raised against him and the previous government for mishandling the issues relating to smaller provinces. He further said that they would continue their boycott till the time Rabbani tendered apology to Saifullah on the floor of the House.
Talking on the occasion, Saifullah said that he was not expecting such a rude behaviour from a veteran politician like Rabbani and he was deeply hurt the way he was treated unceremoniously. He recalled when Rabbani and his party were sitting on Opposition benches, they used to listen to their criticism with open heart. He said that the PML-Q Senators would not go back to the House as they were there for legislation and not to get into brawls with their colleagues.
Jamal Leghari said that Rabbani was doing all this to secure ministerial slot in the federal cabinet and he should tender apology to one of the senior members of the House for his misbehaviour.
In the meantime, when the temper of Rabbani cooled down, he rose to his seat and asked the chair to expunge the barbs he had exchanged with Saifullah and regretted for what had happened in the House. He also took back his words saying that he thought what unpleasant words he had exchanged with Saifullah were below the parliamentary norms.
But the Q-League Senators never turned up in the Senate till the time of its adjournment for Wednesday afternoon.

Read More »

Taliban tensions

July 28th, 2009 | No Comments

A 13-year-old boyholds his weapon at the headquarters of a lashkar or local citizens' militia to fight against Taliban militants in Pakistan

Guest columnist Ahmed Rashid on the growing rift between the US and Pakistan over fighting the Taliban.

There are serious differences emerging between the US and the various power centres in Pakistan which could adversely affect the entire region.

At stake are the upcoming Afghan elections, the US offensive in Helmand province in Afghanistan, curbing the Taliban in Pakistan and a potential worsening in Islamabad’s relations with both Kabul and Delhi.

The differences emerge as the US, Britain, France and Nato stake an enormous amount of political prestige on rapidly improving the security situation in Afghanistan and receiving more co-operation from Pakistan on combating the Taliban in both countries.

When Pakistani and Indian leaders met in Egypt on 16 July, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani handed over an intelligence dossier to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh outlining India’s alleged role in destabilising Pakistan from Afghanistan.

"The Pakistani government appears to be quietly going along with the military’s view of the region"

Send your views on this article

This included funding and training Baloch militants for the separatist insurgency in Balochistan province and providing support for the Pakistani Taliban, in particular its leader Baitullah Mehsud.

The Pakistani dossier was almost certainly a retaliatory move following US and Nato allegations that Pakistan’s military continues to provide sanctuary to the top leadership of the Afghan Taliban including Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani with Indian PM Manmohan Singh in Egypt

Adm Michael Mullen, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on 23 July that al-Qaeda’s leadership is also in Pakistan.

Meanwhile India accuses Pakistan of continuing to harbour extremist groups in Punjab province including Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks of last year.

The dossier has worsened the long running tit-for-tat accusations between India and Pakistan and expanded their differences to now involve the US and Nato. That in turn puts at risk the entire security of the region.

The dossier is also a sign of the growing ascendancy of the military in Pakistan over the civilian government in the making of foreign and national security policy.

Military’s view

In the past President Asif Ali Zardari has taken a pragmatic, conciliatory line towards both India and Afghanistan saying Pakistan has no enmity with them. He has also pledged to clamp down on all "terrorists" regardless of their origins.

However now the government appears to be quietly going along with the military’s view of the region.

Western diplomats say that the Pakistani dossier was followed up by a series of hard-hitting briefings by the military and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for selected foreign journalists and diplomats, blaming the Americans for refusing to curtail the so-called Indian subversion of Pakistan through Afghanistan.

The ISI also denied there were Afghan Taliban on Pakistani soil and instead accused the joint US-British offensive in Helmand province of worsening the security situation for Pakistan because fleeing Taliban will escape into Balochistan.

Western diplomats have responded by reminding the Pakistanis that ever since their defeat in Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban have been given sanctuary in Balochistan.

Baloch nationalist members in Pakistan

The military is also insisting that the US stop bombing Pakistan’s tribal areas with drone-fired missiles and instead share the technology and intelligence with Pakistan.

The military has become even more incensed after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed supplies of nuclear reactors and new fighter jets to India during her trip there in late July.

These tensions could have the most impact in Afghanistan where presidential elections take place on 20 August with no sign of a Taliban let-up in their bid to disrupt the polls.

The US offensive in Helmand province is meeting stiff resistance and if the fighting continues there is little chance of the Afghan public coming out in large numbers to vote in the southern provinces.

A high number of US and British soldiers have been killed in the first three weeks of July.

Uncertain

In 2004 before the first presidential elections, former President George W Bush successfully exerted pressure on President Pervez Musharraf and the ISI to reign in the Taliban for two months so that elections could take place peacefully.

Pakistani army tanks in Bajaur

US attempts to register a similar deal now have been denied by Pakistan, who insist that there are no Afghan Taliban in Pakistan.

It is also uncertain if the Pakistanis have the same kind of influence with the Taliban as they did in 2004.

Meanwhile India has made it clear to the US that it will not resume normal relations with Islamabad until there is a clamp down against Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Punjab-based militant groups.

Only the civilian government is in favour of such a clamp-down.

Meanwhile after driving the Pakistani Taliban out of the Swat valley but failing to kill any of the Taliban commanders, the army is under pressure from the government, the public and the US to go after the Taliban leadership in the tribal areas.

So far it has declined, citing tensions with India and the need to keep the bulk of its army on the Indian border.

Western diplomats say Pakistan is choosing to fight only those Taliban who threaten the government, but refusing to act against those groups who are fighting in Afghanistan.

The rising differences between the US, Europe and India on one side and Pakistan on the other is cause for growing concern as Islamic extremism shows no signs of abating in the region.

Ahmed Rashid is the author, most recently of Descent into Chaos: How the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

If you would like to send a comment about this story you can use the form below.

<p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Read More »

Gilani approves Balochistan panel’s proposals

July 28th, 2009 | No Comments

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the proposals of committee on Balochistan have been approved.
Talking to mediapersons at the Prime Minister’’s Secretariat here on Tuesday, Gilani said consultations will be make with all stake holders on the proposals submitted by parliamentary committee on Balochistan and a jirga or an all party conference [...]

Read More »

Afghanistan foreign minister meets PM and External Affairs Minister

July 28th, 2009 | No Comments

Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in the national capital on Monday evening.
Spanta’s latest visit holds significance since Afghanistan is due to go to polls.
Spanta arrived on a two-day visit to India at the invitation of the External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.
Spanta [...]

Read More »

Baloch separatists attack traders

July 27th, 2009 | No Comments

Baloch rebels

One person has been killed in an attack in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, the latest in a spate of attacks against non-Balochi people in the region.

Police said three others were also injured when a group of rice traders from Punjab province were attacked.

An armed separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), has claimed responsibility.

Officials say nearly 40 people have been killed by Baloch separatists in the province since the start of 2009.

The killings are part of a campaign by armed groups to drive non-Balochi people out of the province, according to officials.

The traders had come from Punjab province to sell rice at a weekly market in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, police said.

They were shot near the market on Sunday by assailants on two motorbikes.

Six people have been killed since Friday in similar targeted killings, police said.

After Sunday’s attack, police arrested dozens of suspects in overnight raids.

‘Political autonomy’

Balochistan accounts for nearly 40% of the country’s area but it has less than 10% of its population.

The province is rich in natural resources but has almost no representation in the central bureaucracy or the army, the two groups that have for the most part ruled Pakistan, says the BBC’s Ilyas Khan in Islamabad.

As a result, Balochistan remains a province steeped in poverty and with an undeveloped infrastructure, our correspondent says.

map

Since 2001, armed groups have been conducting a violent campaign to prevent the army from setting up garrisons in the province and to discourage major development projects that they believe would benefit businesses and workers in other provinces.

They have been demanding political autonomy and greater provincial control over their natural resources.

Hundreds of Baloch political activists have been detained in "undeclared custody" and activists claim that a number have been tortured and killed.

Officials say the targeted killings are part of a strategy on the part of these groups to drive non-Balochi settlers out of the province and to discourage people of other provinces from taking up jobs or setting up businesses in Balochistan.

Initially, it was mainly Punjabi’s – Pakistan’s biggest ethnic group – who were targeted.

But in recent months armed separatists have also targeted ethnic Sindhis and Pashtuns from the North West Frontier Province, police say. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Read More »

Congress firmly behind Manmohan Singh on Indo-Pak joint statement

July 27th, 2009 | No Comments

The Congress Party on Monday openly backed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Indo –Pak joint statement issued in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, earlier this month.
Congress General Secretary Janaradhan Dwivedi said the party is confident that Singh would set all questions to rest during his speech in Parliament on July 29.
The statement issued after talks between Singh [...]

Read More »

Manmohan Singh says, Party and Government are agreed on joint statement

July 25th, 2009 | No Comments

Refuting the reports of differences between the government and the Congress Party over Indo-Pak joint statement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that they are only the creation of the media.
Singh’s statement came a day after the Congress Core Committee decided to robustly support the his diplomatic initiative on Pakistan and counter the criticism [...]

Read More »

Musharraf’s trial ‘need of the hour’: Sharif

July 25th, 2009 | No Comments

Supporting the Supreme Court’s decision to summon former President General Pervez Musharraf, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said the military ruler’s trial was the ‘need of the hour’.
Sharif said Musharraf must be tried and punished for “breaching the constitution”.
“Such a man deserves to be tried and imprisoned instead of being given guard of [...]

Read More »

Govt. has given proof to India, Afghanistan over Baloch unrest: Malik

July 25th, 2009 | No Comments

Pakistan Interior Advisor Rehman Malik has reiterated that Islamabad has handed over proofs to the Indian and Afghan governments regarding their involvement in fanning unrest in Balochistan.
Responding to a query in the Upper House of Parliament, Malik said: “I myself in a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul provided him proofs regarding three [...]

Read More »

‘Pakistan handed over dossier on Mumbai terror attacks not Balochistan’

July 25th, 2009 | No Comments

Pakistan did not provide any dossier on Balochistan to India as news reports appearing in Pakistani media claimed.
The one-and-half page document handed over by Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir to his Indian counterpart at Sharm Al Sheikh was report on action taken by Islamabad against the proclaimed offenders behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, [...]

Read More »

Govt under fire over power crisis

July 24th, 2009 | No Comments


ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik Friday told the Upper House that the government had provided proof of Afghanistan and IndiaÂ’s involvement in insurgency in Balochistan to the heads of the government of both countries.
Responding to the point of order of Senator Jamal Leghari, Malik said that Afghanistan had been told that there were camps in that country training perverted Balochi youths involved in terrorist activities.
He said that the government for the first time had taken the issue on record with the Indian Government. He said that he himself held a meeting with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and provided him the proof regarding training camps in Afghanistan where Balochi insurgents were being given training.
He said that President Karzai had agreed to start three bio-metric check posts on Pak-Afghan border which would become operative in August. He said that Karzai had assured to close down those camps, which were being run by the Indian intelligence agencies on Afghan soil.
The Minister said that Balochistan and its people had been badly ignored by the previous regimes and the present government was committed to giving them their rights with a view to removing their grievances. He said that the government had taken on board all political leaders of the province to move forward for resolving issues.
The Interior Minister said that all fourteen points recommended by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to improve law and order situation in the country were being implemented in letter and spirit. Referring to the interview of a Baloch separatist leader in London to a local private channel, Malik said that the PEMRA had taken notice of the broadcast adding that action would be taken in this regard.
The Minister said that talks with politicians, civil society members and other stakeholders were the only solution to the problems of Balochistan but made it clear that parleys were out of question with those who wanted independence. He said that it was appreciable that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had raised the issue of Balochistan with his Indian counterpart in Sharm El Sheikh.
Earlier, Senator Jamal Leghari of PML-Q on a point of order exhibited his fears that situation in Balochistan was worsening like East Pakistan. He said that Pakistan could not afford separation of Balochistan urging the government to take necessary measures before the time was out of hand. Referring to separatists leaderships sitting in London, the Opposition Senator asked the government to approach the UK Government to expatriate them because of their involvement in anti-Pakistan activities.
Terming former President and Prime Minister ‘thieves’ treasury benches here on Friday said that the current energy crisis in the country was due to wrong planning of Pervez Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz.
Speaking on a point of order, PPP senior leader Senator Raza Rabbani said that the ill planning of former President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was the real reason behind the existing power outages in the country and asked them to come home to face the nation.
He proposed that a commission should be constituted to conduct an inquiry into the matter of privatisation of KESC in Shaukat AzizÂ’s government. Raza Rabbani also suggested that the government should take over KESC and appoint its operator as the private company had failed to run the affairs of KESC as per legal agreement. He said that due to negligence and slackness of the KESC administration and its so-called prudent policies masses were facing the brunt.
He also criticized the government for giving a free hand to KESC adding that Karachi had witnessed some worst and horrible blackouts in the history of Pakistan on June 17 and July 21. “Since last many days, more than 2,500 industrial units have been closed,” he stated. He was of the view that Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz were guilty and asked them to face the music in front of the general public and courts of law as they were the ones who were the sheer culprits of the present-day situation.
Senate also witnessed some obnoxious and repulsive scenes as members of the ruling coalition raised slogans against Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz terming them thieves, looters and plunderers of national exchequer. They stood from their respective seats in the House and raised slogans like “Pervez Musharraf thief”, “Dacoit Shaukat Aziz”, “Both are Looters”, etc. They were asking them to come and face the courts.
Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Senator Wasim Sajjad speaking on a point of order said that it was a wrong decision to shelve the KBD project in view of the current power crisis. Wasim Sajjad asked the government to give a deadline when the people would get rid of load-shedding. He said frequent power outages were not only affecting the peopleÂ’s lives but also casting negative effects on business, agriculture and industries.
Upon this the ANP and PPP Sindh Senators protested and raised a hue and cry. They said that KBD was a controversial project and thus shelved by the government and now there was no point in debating this issue.
Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi urged the government to pay back circular debt of IPPs, adding that power rentals would in no way be in the interest of the country due to its ten times higher prices. He said that unless the KESC was not de-privatized, the national economy would not improve. Senator Tariq Azeem said that the television commercials being funded by PEPCO as an austerity drive was just the wastage of public money. Azeem said that all the claims of the government had ended in fiasco as it had asserted that it would plunge the country out of power dilemma with various projects but to no avail. Senator Shahid Bugti was of the view that through proper usage of existing capacity of power production, the government can control 70 to 80 per cent energy crisis.
Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf told the Upper House that if load-shedding was not ended by December 31, he was ready to face the music adding undoubtedly due to so-called prudent policies of the previous government the country was facing such consequences. He said that due to heavy credits of the past government, the incumbent government was unable to cope with overwhelming expenditures.
He said that for immediate needs, thermal and rental plants were the only way with which the country could cope with power dilemma adding that the construction of dams and new projects would take some time from now. He said that more than 4 billion dollars investment had been made in the field of energy to tackle the energy crises through thick and thin. He said that the former government was responsible for power crisis in the country saying due to non-payment in the past, the circular debt had ballooned to Rs 400 billion.
The Minister said that the schedule of load-shedding sometimes got disturbed due to certain reasons which included blowing up of power pylons in subversive activities or through natural calamities. The Minister said that within a few days Mangla DamÂ’s tunnel was repaired which was now generating 400 megawatt of electricity.
Senators from both treasury and Opposition benches unanimously demanded of the government to restore their Hajj quota. Speaking on a point of order, Senator Shahid Bugti raised the matter before the House and urged Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to restore SenatorsÂ’ Hajj quota through an executive order, which was endorsed by all other members of the Upper House.
Responding to the point, Leader of the House Syed Nayyar Bokhari told the House that the decision to withdraw SenatorsÂ’ quota was taken in a Cabinet committee meeting. However, Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek asked the Leader of the House to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister and the Minister concerned to get the decision undone. He asked Nayyar Bokhari to report the House on Monday in this regard as it was a unanimous demand of the Senators. The Chairman Senate also informed the House that Senator Dr Javed Leghari had tendered resignation from his Senate seat.
Earlier, the Business Advisory Committee of the Senate decided to take up the post-operation rehabilitation steps in Swat and Malakand Division, situation in Balochistan and law and order across the country during the 55th session of the Senate.
The meeting of the business advisory committee was held here under the chairmanship of Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek. Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali, Leader of the House Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Leader of the Opposition Senator Wasim Sajjad, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Minister for Local Government Abdur Razzaq Thahim, and other parliamentary leaders of the political parties attended the meeting. It was also decided that the current session would continue till August 7 and the session would not be held during the holy month of Ramazan.
The Senate also expressed gratitude to the President for his address to both Houses of Parliament, which assembled together on 28th of March this year. A motion to this effect was moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan that was adopted unanimously by the House.
In the morning, the proceedings of the House were suspended for more than an hour due to mechanical fault in the mike system. Later, the Chairman Senate Farooq H Naik adjourned the senate session till 5:00 Monday evening.

Read More »

Congress accuses BJP of taking political mileage by opposing Indo-Pak statement

July 24th, 2009 | No Comments

The Congress Party on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of taking political mileage from the Indo-Pak joint statement issued in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.
The Congress Party statement came ahead of the core committee meeting convened by its President, Sonia Gandhi, to discuss the increasing opposition to the inclusion of Balochistan in the joint statement.
Chaired by [...]

Read More »

Monsoon wreaks havoc in Pakistan

July 24th, 2009 | No Comments

A flooded road in Karachi on July 18, 2009

At least 15,000 people have been made homeless after heavy rains caused a breach in a dam under construction in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

More than a dozen villages in Barkhan district were flooded as monsoon rains lashed the region.

Meanwhile, heavy rains in Karachi have shut down the airport’s computer system, causing major delays.

The meteorological office is predicting more rains in Balochistan and Karachi over the next 24 hours.

Officials in the south-western province of Balochistan said that although nobody had been seriously injured because they had sufficient warning, they expected more people could be left homeless by the rains and the flooding.

Homes ‘destroyed’

"Damage is pretty widespread. I would assume the number of affected people is far more than 15,000, but we are still conducting a survey of damages," the mayor of Barkhan district, Habib Ullah, told the BBC.

"For two hours torrential rains lashed the affected areas on Wednesday night. Damani dam, which is under construction, breached and inundated crops across a vast land area," he said.

Flash floods also hit the Barkhan town area, washing away cattle and destroying crops and houses.

"At least 100 houses have been rendered unliveable in the town area and residents have shifted to other places," Mr Ullah said.

The mayor stressed the need for shelter and food for those left homeless by the bad weather. He said people also needed medicine for gastroenteritis and snake bites – problems that commonly arise in the monsoon season.

Major delays

The bad weather has also caused chaos in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi.

A Pakistan International Airlines spokesman said computer systems crashed after the fibre-optic link snapped in torrential rains.

Reports say tickets and boarding cards are being issued manually and some passengers have complained that they have been waiting from four to six hours to board their flights.

At least 26 people died after heavy monsoon rain in Karachi last Sunday, officials said. Several low-lying parts of the city were flooded.

Correspondents say an ageing drainage system leaves parts of Karachi vulnerable to flooding.

Riots spread across the city and country after rains caused a 36-hour power blackout.

The monsoon wreaks chaos in Pakistan almost every year. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Read More »

US not to defend Musharraf, says Holbrooke

July 23rd, 2009 | No Comments

US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday said that former President Pervez Musharraf is now history and that the US will not come to defend him.
Talking to media here, Holbrooke termed Musharraf’s case as Pakistan’s internal issue, and added that the US respects Pakistan’s judiciary and free press.
He said he had [...]

Read More »

Balochistan proof given to Singh: PM

July 18th, 2009 | No Comments


ISLAMABAD – Terming his visit to Sharm el Sheikh and meeting with his Indian counterpart a complete success, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that both India and Pakistan agreed to continue the dialogue process as it was considered the only way to resolve all the outstanding issues between the two nuclear power neighbours.
Briefing media persons on his four-day visit to Egypt where he attended NAM Summit and had a meeting with his Indian counterpart, the Prime Minister said that evidence was given to Prime Minister Singh about India’s involvement in Balochistan. “This was made part of the joint statement,” Prime Minister Gilani said.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that a whole gambut of issues, including Indian interference in Balochistan was raised during his meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh.
He said that Manmohan Singh was a statesman and there was a realization on both sides that one single issue should not make hostage the rest of the issues like poverty, hunger and disease confronting over 1.5 billion people of South Asia.
He said the Indian Prime Minister feared more Mumbai-like terrorists attacks on his country and he was asked that if India had some credible information in this regard it should be shared with PakistanÂ’s intelligence agencies and full cooperation would be extended.
He once again reiterated that the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks would be brought to justice and in this connection they had asked for some more information from India.
Prime Minister Gilani said the two sides agreed at the meeting that dialogue was the only way forward.
Replying to a question, he categorically stated that no foreign country was involved in arranging his meeting with the Indian Premier. “Whatever we are doing, we are doing in our own interest. It was Pakistan’s initiative.
Terrorism is a problem of Pakistan and we will fight it. If some country gets happy or angry, it’s their problem,”he added.
Prime Minister Gilani said that Manmohan Singh was ‘quite clear’ in the meeting and stated, “He was not scared and was ready to discuss any issue.”
“At present we have some trust deficit. If we have more interactions like these, then it will be taken care of,” the Prime Minister said.
He said, “Pak-India relations have remained shaky for the last 60 years and there is a lack of trust between the two neighbours”.
“When trust building starts, then we can say that we are not threatened,” he added.
Replying to a question about Afghan interference in Balochistan from Helmund, he said PakistanÂ’s concerns were conveyed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his meeting with him and he assured that the province will not be destabilized.
To a question that the Kashmir issue was left out, he said that the joint statement clearly stated that India and Pakistan would discuss all issues, including outstanding issues.
When asked if sending IDPs back to their homes was premature and to gain publicity, he said they were allowed to return only after the law enforcement agencies had cleared the areas of militants.
“It is our responsibility to give them protection…if law enforcing agencies feel the place is safe, only then we are sending them back.”
To a question if Taliban have been defeated, Prime Minister Gilani said that Pakistan was determined to root out terrorism, which was also badly affecting countryÂ’s economy.
“It is our resolve not to allow them to grow. They are destabilizing our economy.”
About the UN mission in Pakistan investigating Benazir BhuttoÂ’s assassination, he said they were here for fact-finding and he would meet the team soon.
The Prime Minister said that his party believed in politics of reconciliation, which was also the vision of late Benazir Bhutto.
He said that was why his party had supported Nawaz Sharif and they had reciprocated during the formation of the coalition government.
He said when he went to Egypt, he had the backing of the whole nation and all the political parties, whether inside or outside the Parliament.
Prior to leaving for Egypt, he added, he took all the political leadership into confidence and also discussed his visit with President Asif Ali Zardari and other state institutions.
He said that he would take the Parliament and the Federal Cabinet into confidence on his visit to Egypt.
Earlier in a written statement, the Prime Minister said during NAM Summit he called for reinforcing the normative framework for strict adherence to the principles of inter-state relations enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
Gilani said Pakistan believed that the core of NAMÂ’s efforts today should be the quest for sovereign equality. He said the Movement must renew its emphasis on giving full life and meaning to the immutable principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-intervention, mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence.
“We believe durable peace in South Asia is achievable. It will be facilitated by the resolution of all outstanding disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“We were successful in reinforcing the commitment Pakistan attaches to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), its principles and objectives.”
He highlighted PakistanÂ’s perspective on issues of international peace and security as well as on global financial and economic crisis.
He garnered international support and solidarity for PakistanÂ’s efforts to address the challenges of extremism and terrorism and deepened PakistanÂ’s international reach, particularly in South Asia.
Gilani said he proposed ways for addressing the global financial and economic crisis – particularly emphasizing the need to avoid protectionism, increased market access, and comprehensively reform the international financial institutions.
The Prime Minister called for strengthening the multilateral system and for advancing interests of all states in an equitable manner.
He underlined the need for redesigning the global institutional architecture on the basis of democracy, accountability and transparency.
Gilani promoted the pacific settlement of disputes. Pakistan has already stressed the need for NAM to expeditiously evolve a mechanism for conflict resolution.
He suggested for developing a new global consensus covering arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation as well as access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Gilani said there was a need to pay urgent attention to the threat of climate change, including in South Asia, in view of prospects of the melting of glaciers. He also called for deepening South-South cooperation.
He highlighted the fact that PakistanÂ’s commitment to fight terrorism was in its own national interest and reaffirmed the resolve to realize Quaid-e-AzamÂ’s vision of a moderate, democratic and progressive Islamic Pakistan.
He said during the talks with his Indian counterpart, it was decided to delink action on terrorism from the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.
Prime Minister Singh reiterated IndiaÂ’s interest in a stable and democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
On the sidelines of the Summit, Gilani also held bilateral meetings with the leaders of Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and Jordan and with the Secretary General of United Nations.
“We reiterated Pakistan’s strong desire to comprehensively upgrade our bilateral relations with South Asian countries and to deepen regional cooperation through SAARC,” he said adding, “we assured the South Asian partners that Pakistan would continue to play an important role in the advancement of peace, security and economic development.”

Read More »

India Pakistan talks – Gilani scores a goal

July 18th, 2009 | No Comments

On side lines of NAM Summit, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan met in Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm El Sheikh. Good thing is that they have managed to issue a joint statement as well. This indicates some progress in talks and climb down by India, despite strong and arrogant stand before the talks.
Since the [...]

Read More »

Zardari, Nawaz agree to democratise Constitution

July 17th, 2009 | No Comments


LAHORE – President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met at latterÂ’s Raiwind residence here on Friday, and reiterated their resolve to purge the Constitution of all undemocratic clauses, including the most controversial 17th Amendment, but fell short of giving a time frame to undo the unconstitutional changes done by the former govt.
In their four-hour long meeting, which took place after a gap of eight months, the two leaders agreed to work together to steer the country out of the current crisis.
The meeting was in pursuance of the telephonic talk between the two leaders on Monday.
In his meeting with PML-N chief, President Asif Ali Zardari was assisted by Raja Pervez Ashraf, Mian Raza Rabbani, Jehangir Badar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Babar Awan, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Syed Khurshid Shah and Farhatullah Babar.
The other side comprised of PML-N Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Raja Zafarul Haq, Syed Ghous Ali Shah, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, Senator Pervez Rasheed, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Sardar Yaqoob Nasir.
In the 11-point joint declaration issued at the end of meeting, the two parties reiterated that dialogue and discussions was the essence of the democratic process and that the doors to meaningful and result-oriented talks should always remain open.
They reiterated that after the February 2008 elections, installation of democratic govt and getting hold of Presidency by democratic forces, it was necessary to remove the controversial clauses from the Constitution that had been inserted into it by successive dictatorships without the consent of the masses.
The two parties reiterated commitment to the principles laid down in the Charter of Democracy (CoD) to democratise the Constitution and rid it of all undemocratic clauses including 17th Amendment.
They expressed the hope that the Parliamentary Committee set up to review the Constitution would complete its task in the shortest possible time and propose suitable amendments in it.
The two parties expressed the view that the situation in Balochistan needed to be addressed urgently and seriously.
Political dialogue and development of the province should be pressed into service to remove the sense of alienation of the people of the province.
They expressed the view that the Parliament should play a more pro-active role in meeting the aspirations of the people of Balochistan.
Both sides agreed that the problems faced by the country were too stupendous to be resolved by any one political party or State institution and required the collective efforts of all political forces and parties.
The two parties also agreed that militancy posed the most serious threat to national security and that holistic approach was needed to address the issue. They agreed that the terrorists should not be allowed to impose their agenda on the people through guns and bullets.
They agreed that more of such contacts and meetings would help push forward the process of democratisation of the Constitution in the light of CoD and to find solutions to the problems faced by the country particularly national security, economic and energy crisis, price-hike and unemployment compounded by the military dictatorship.
According to insiders, the two leaders discussed several issues in frank and candid manner as overall mood of the meeting was cordial from very start to culmination, though they did express reservations they had about each other on various issues.
Nawaz reportedly told Zardari that his party wanted to go alongwith PPP, but they were prevented from doing so, first by getting them ineligible from contesting elections and then by imposition of GovernorÂ’s Rule.
President Zardari, in turn, assured Nawaz that his party would not create any problem for PML-N in future.
Nawaz assured Zardari that his party would not destabilise PPP govt and allow it to complete its full term.
Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari was accorded a warm welcome at Lahore Airport and was received by Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Senior minister Raja Riaz and other big wigs of the govt.
Accompanied by CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Ministers Khurshid Shah, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, PPP Secretary General Jahangir Badr, President Zardari set off for Raiwind in a helicopter.
Nawaz Sharif alongwith central party leaders, Khawaja Asif, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa, Chief Secretary Javed Mehmood and others welcomed him at Jatti Umra helipad.
President Asif Ali Zardari greeted Nawaz Sharif on his acquittal from plane hijacking case. He termed the Supreme Court decision to acquit Nawaz from plane hijacking case as a welcome development, saying it would help strengthening democracy in the country.
From the helipad, President Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N chief Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif used one car to reach SharifsÂ’ residence in Raiwind, as President Zardari invited Sharif brothers to accompany him in his own car.
Meanwhile, before his meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari,Nawaz Sharif held an important meeting with party senior leaders and took them into confidence on different issues. He also sought suggestions from them to be discussed with President Zardari.
During the meeting, all the party stalwarts endorsed his decisions and announced to extend all out support to him.
Raja Zafarul Haq, Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa, Javed Hashmi, Khawaja Asif, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Pervaiz Rashid, Sardar Yaqoob and other senior leaders attended the meeting. Opposition leader in National Assembly Ch. Nisar Ali Khan and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra joined the meeting through telephone.
Nawaz Sharif also hosted a luncheon reception in the honour of President Asif Ali Zardari and his delegation. Both wearing shalwar kameez and waistcoat talked in a friendly manner and avoided peeping into bitter past. After the lunch they held 4-hour meeting in a happy mood.
The organiser of the meeting announced to make Press briefing to inform the media about the upshot of the meeting but later Press briefing was cancelled without mentioning any reason.

Read More »

India flip-flops on peace dialogue

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments


SHARM EL-SHEIKH (Reuters/AFP/APP) – Pakistan and India agreed on Thursday to work together to fight terrorism and ordered their top diplomats to meet as often as needed to try to rebuild ties damaged by last yearÂ’s Mumbai attacks.
But Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking after talks with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Egypt, ruled out a resumption of formal peace talks, known as the ‘composite dialogue’, that Islamabad has been seeking.
“Composite dialogue cannot begin unless and until terrorist heads which shook Mumbai are properly accounted for, (and) perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to book,” Singh told a news conference after talks with Gilani.
“The starting point of any meaningful dialogue with Pakistan has to have their commitment not to let their territory be used for terrorist activities against India,” Singh added.
“If acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated, there is no question of a dialogue, let alone a composite dialogue.”
Singh’s comments appeared to contradict a joint statement with Gilani in which the two leaders stipulated that action on terrorism ‘should not be linked’ to the composite dialogue process.
In his briefing to the media, Singh said: “There should be serious, honest efforts to bridge the gap that separates the two countries.”
The joint statement, issued after the meeting between Singh and Gilani, said they had agreed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. “Both leaders affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and cooperate with each other to this end,” the statement said.
“Prime Minister Singh reiterated the need to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice and Prime Minister Gilani assured that Pakistan will do everything in its power in this regard.”
It added: “Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.”
The joint statement said the foreign ministries’ top civil servants, India’s Shivshankar Menon and Pakistan’s Salman Bashir, ‘should meet as often as necessary’ and report to their countries’ foreign ministers.
Singh said the meetings of the top civil servants would be used to determine the nature of the future dialogue.
Singh said Pakistan has provided an updated status dossier on the investigation of the Mumbai attacks and had sought additional information and evidence in this regard. Singh said the dossier was being reviewed.
On his talks with Gilani, Singh added: “I reiterated to him that we are willing to go more than half the way provided they create the conditions for a meaningful dialogue.”
In their statement, Gilani vowed Pakistan ‘will do everything in its power’ to bring those behind Mumbai to justice and Singh said India was ‘ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan’.
The joint statement described terrorism as ‘the main threat to both countries’ but the two premiers also agreed that action on terrorism should not be linked to peace talks.
The statement described talks as ‘cordial and constructive’ and said the two premiers covered the whole range of bilateral relations ‘with a view to charting the way forward’ in ties.
“Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues,” the statement said, adding that both countries agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorism.
“Both the leaders agreed that the two countries will share real time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats,” the statement said.
“Prime Minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas,” the statement said. Singh reiterated India’s interest in a stable, democratic Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The joint statement said: “Both leaders agreed that the real challenge is development and the elimination of poverty. Both leaders resolved to eliminate those factors which prevent our countries from realising their full potential.”
Talking to reporters after the meeting that lasted around three hours, including delegation level and exclusive one-on-one talks, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan also raised the issue of threats in Balochistan and other areas.
Gilani said he asked India that all core issues need to be discussed and composite dialogue should not be bracketed with terrorism.
He said both the leaders have recognised that ‘dialogue is the only way forward’ and agreed that the foreign secretaries should meet as often as necessary and report to the two foreign ministers who will be meeting on the sidelines of the forthcoming UN General Assembly.
Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received Prime Minister Gilani when he arrived at the venue. The two leaders warmly shook hands and had a photo-op before starting the talks at Maritim Jolie Ville Resort.
The talks were held amidst hopes that the peace process might be reinvigorated to bring stability to the region.
The two leaders were supported by delegations including Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Education Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, PML-N MNA Anusha Rehman and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.
The Indian delegation included Foreign Minister SM Krishna, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, National Security Adviser MK Narayanan and Special Secretary Vivek Katju.
ThursdayÂ’s talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was the third high-level encounter between the two neighbours since the Mumbai assault.
“It’s a good step forward and it’s a way out of the impasse that the two sides found themselves in after Mumbai,” said C Raja Mohan, professor of South Asia studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University.
Analysts said the statement had kept the nature of future dialogue open.
“They have affirmed their faith in dialogue without making any commitment on the precise nature of dialogue which means it’s open-ended and India will make its decision about dialogue when it is satisfied with Pakistan’s performance on terrorism,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based independent analyst.
Diplomats described the meeting as a breakthrough. The body language of the two prime ministers was very positive before the meeting reflecting that some agreement has been reached behind the scenes.
The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders lasted over an hour.
Monitoring Desk adds: Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Prime Minister Gilani has raised the issue of meddling from Indian side in the affairs of Balochistan during his meeting with Prime Minister Singh besides conveying his stance that peace talks between the two countries be not linked to terrorism.
Talking to a TV channel, Kaira said that the Prime Minister made it clear to his Indian counterpart that solution to all the issues be found through dialogue.
He said menace of terrorism be curbed and focus be placed on addressing the problems facing the people of two countries.
Kaira hoped that meeting between the both Prime Ministers would help end the deadlock and would be instrumental for establishment of peace in the region. More headway would be made in this direction during the forthcoming Secretaries and Foreign Secretaries level talks between Pakistan and India, he underlined.

Read More »

Gilani says very satisfied with his talks with Singh

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that he was very satisfied over his talks with his Indian counterpart, Dr. Manmohan Singh.
He revealed this to ANI TV after concluding an almost three-hour bilateral meeting with Singh that was held on the sidelines of the XVth Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit here.
When asked why the [...]

Read More »

Inland Water Transport Authority planned

July 14th, 2009 | No Comments


ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday advised the government to engage experts and consultants for undertaking a study on the setting up of Inland Water Transport Authority (IWTA) to plan and develop an inland water transportation system on River Indus.
The Presidential advice was given during briefing in the Presidency on a host of mega development issues and projects.
The meeting was attended by Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Minister for Food and Agriculture; Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Minister for Water & Power; Baber Khan Ghauri, Minister for Ports & Shipping; M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President; Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission; Dr. Zafar Altaf, Chairmran PARC; Shakeel Durrani, Chairman WAPDA; Naeem Sarfraz, Chairman, Task Force on Maritime Inland Water Transportation; Kamal Majidullah, SAPM on Water and Agriculture and Secretaries and senior officials of different ministries.
Briefing the media on the meeting Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the two-hour long meeting mulled over issues ranging from building small and medium dams, development of hybrid seeds to multiply agricultural produce and developing a navigation route on the river Indus system.
Farhatullah Babar said that the President directed that the report on the setting up of Indus Water Transport Authority be completed within 3 months. The setting up of the Authority should be given legislative cover rather than basing it on an executive order, the President said.
The President said that water transportation was the least expensive mode for transporting heavy commodities. “Pakistan must not let go waste the huge economic potential of inland water transportation system”, the President said.
The President also advised that a Committee comprising Chairman Task Force Maritime Industry, Chairman WAPDA, and a representative each of Ports and Shipping and NESPAK be formed to oversee the preparation of report within the stipulated time period.
Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying “The comprehensive network of rivers and canals in Pakistan has been awaiting development for an efficient inland water transportation system in the country which should no longer be delayed”.
The President said that the Indus had historically served as a navigation route of the area and there was need to revive its pristine historical role for the economic uplift of the country. At a time when fuel costs were going up, population was expanding and environment degrading cheap mode of bulk transportation held the key to sustainable economic development, he said.
Chairman WAPDA Shakeel Durrani briefed the meeting on the proposed project of building small and medium size dams in two phases in the country. He said that in phase 1 of the project 13 dams in all the four provinces would be built including five in Balochistan, four in Sindh and two each in Frontier and Punjab.
Chairman WAPDA informed the meeting that land acquisition for the dams will start from next month. The provincial government would develop state land under the command area of the dams with the technical assistance of PARC for installation of sprinkle irrigation system for high value crops.
As for financing the dam 2.5 billion rupees were available in the current yearÂ’s PSDP and an MOU signed with China to provide 700 million dollars over the next four years. Some money would also be raised from the end users and through bridge financing.
Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying “The state land in the command areas will be allotted to the women to empower them as part of our policy envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto”.
The President said that issuance of Benazir Income Support Program cards for the women followed by allotting to them the state land in command areas of these dams were moves to empower the women of Pakistan.
The President gave the deadline of October this year for the ground breaking of the project of small and medium dams, the Spokesperson said.
Chairman PARC Dr Zafar Altaf gave a detailed presentation of hybrid seed development of wheat, cotton and rice with the Chinese assistance. He said that the development of high yielding and disease resistant rice hybrid seed was going on.
He said that for the first time China had shared with the outside world elite genetic resources. The President asked the agricultural ministry and PARC to develop plans for helping “the small, marginal and fragile farmers”, the Spokesperson said.

Read More »
Page 5 of 512345