PPP, PML-N FAIL TO BRIDGE DIFFERENCES OVER CARETAKER SET-UP

ISLAMABAD: The deadlock between the ruling Pakistan People’s Party and the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on the 20th Constitution Amendment Bill persisted on Tuesday as the two sides stuck to their stances on a caretaker set-up for holding general elections, but agreed to meet again on Wednesday noon ahead of the National Assembly session to be held in the evening.

The representatives of the government and the opposition met for the second day in the chamber of Leader of Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the Parliament House, but again failed to reach an understanding on the major demand of the PML-N to make it constitutionally binding upon the government to appoint a caretaker set-up with ‘consensus’ for holding general elections, instead of ‘consultation’ with the opposition as envisaged in the Constitution.

After the second round of talks with a government team headed by Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah, the opposition leader told a group of reporters that there had been ‘no progress’ on the issue of caretaker set-up because the PPP was not ready to accept the PML-N’s demand. He, however, indicated that two sides might succeed in breaking the impasse on Wednesday. He said: “There could be some progress tomorrow.” Chaudhry Nisar justified his party’s position on the issue by citing his past experience when the government twice appointed controversial persons as chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) without holding a meaningful consultation with him, thus forcing him to take the matter to the Supreme Court.

He alleged that the government had misused the term ‘consultation’ and merely ‘informed’ the opposition about its decisions. “Instead of consultation, the government informs us,” he said, adding that the opposition parties had ‘reservations’ over the way the term ‘consultation’ was used by the government. Chaudhry Nisar, however, acknowledged that the ruling party had agreed to most of the opposition’s demands about making the Election Commission more independent.

But, he said, the PML-N was not ready to give up its demand about the caretaker set-up, adding that the country’s future depended on transparent and fair elections which were possible only under a neutral caretaker government. The original two-clause draft of the 20th Constitution Amendment Bill, already approved by a house stranding committee, only sought to rectify an alleged flaw relating to by-elections to 28 seats in both houses of parliament and provincial assemblies that cropped up in the Supreme Court during the hearing of another case on the ground that the votes were held when the EC was not complete. On Monday, the Supreme Court suspended the membership of the 28 legislators, mostly belonging to the PPP and the PML-N, till the approval of the amendment law by the parliament. The PML-N has made its support for the bill conditional to acceptance of its own amendments. 

The ruling coalition has been saying that it has two-thirds majorities in both the houses of parliament required to pass an amendment to the Constitution but would prefer an agreement with the opposition as was done in the unanimous adoption of the 18th and 19the amendments. But Chaudhry Nisar said things might become difficult for the coalition to arrange a two-thirds majority after the suspension of its lawmakers. He claimed that so far the government parties had failed to assemble more than 190 members it required the support of 228 members in the National Assembly to get the constitution amended. He asked the government to go ahead with its plan of putting the law for voting if it had the required majority.

Answering a question, Chaudhry Nisar said the suspended members were not at fault and blamed the chief election commissioner for the chaos. He questioned the logic behind announcing the election schedule for the by-elections by the CEC when he knew that the commission was incomplete. He also said that under the Constitution, the tenure of the CEC could not be extended. Sources in the two parties told news that the PPP had already agreed to three of the four demands presented by the PML-N as a condition for supporting the 20th Amendment. The sources said the PPP had agreed that the tenure of EC members would be increased from two years to five.

Similarly, the sources said, there had been an agreement on the PML-N’s demand that a mechanism should be devised under which EC members could only be removed the way judges of the superior courts could be removed from their posts. The PPP, the sources said, had also agreed to the demand that political parties should have the right and powers to change the list of candidates on reserved seats for women and minorities at any time after the elections. The issue surfaced when after the resignation of PML-N’s MNA Maimoona Hashmi the party was deprived of its representation on the reserved seat as Ms Hashmi’s name was last on the list that had been submitted by the party to the EC at the time of the 2008 general elections.

The sources said the PPP was not ready to agree to the demand about the caretaker set-up believing that it would be almost impossible for all registered parties to reach a consensus on the names of the caretaker. The sources said the PML-N had even threatened to challenge the caretaker set-up in the apex court if established by the government without consensus.

PENTAGON SAYS PAKISTAN NOT JOINING BOMBING PROBE

WASHINGTON: Pakistan is refusing to participate in the US investigation of last week’s Nato bombing along the Afghanistan border that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

At a Pentagon briefing Friday, Defence Department press secretary George Little said the US asked Pakistan to be part of the investigation, but the Pakistanis have ”elected to date” not to participate. That decision is just one in a series of actions Islamabad has taken in retribution for the incident, including a move to shut down supply lines that the United States uses to get food, fuel and other equipment from ships at Pakistani ports on the Arabian Sea to troops in Afghanistan. At the same time, however, US military officials said Friday that Pakistan has continued to have representatives at the border coordination centres working with Afghan and coalition forces.

So far, the US has sufficient supplies on hand and has been able to find other ways to get shipments through to Afghanistan, including alternate routes through Uzbekistan. ”Logistics is about alternatives; it’s about options, and we’re certainly working through what sort of options we may need to pursue,” said Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman. Asked why the US has chosen to express its regrets for the incident but has not explicitly apologised to the Pakistanis, Kirby said that ”in this case, this was clearly a military engagement…that cross-border fire resulted in the deaths of some two dozen Pakistani soldiers, not innocent villagers or civilians.”

Kirby added that it is too early to assign blame for the deaths because the investigation is not yet completed. Other defence officials have told The Associated Press that when US and Afghan forces came under fire, the US checked with the Pakistan military to see if there were friendly troops in the area and were told there were none. Pakistani officials have said that the US gave them the wrong location when asking clearance to return fire. Defence officials deny that, and say the investigation is likely to point substantial blame at the Pakistanis. The US officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is not complete.

German Brig. General  Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the Nato coalition in Afghanistan, said it will take much of December to complete the investigation. ”We need Pakistan to join this process so that we have a rounded picture,” he said, adding, however, that, ”we have to understand that emotions obviously are very high on the Pakistani side.” The incident has deteriorated the already shaky US relationship with Pakistan, endangering the war in Afghanistan, including reconciliation efforts with members of the Afghan Taliban who often seek sanctuary in Pakistan. But defence officials said that so far the retribution from Pakistan, including the shutdown of supply lines, has had negligible effect on the war effort, including operations to go after insurgents. ”I don’t think, if I was a member of the Haqqani network or the Taliban, that I’d be lollygagging around that area,” said Kirby.

US Defence and State Department officials also said the US continues to reach out to Pakistan and hopes that the relationship can be mended. At the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner told reporters that efforts were continuing to persuade Pakistan to participate in next week’s conference in Bonn, Germany, on the future of Afghanistan. The Pakistanis withdrew from the event this week. ”We think it would be regrettable if Pakistan were not to attend this conference,” Toner said. ”It’s important for the region. It’s important for the neighborhood. It’s important that we all work to put Afghanistan on a square and solid footing.” Toner said that the US and Pakistan had a shared interest in combating extremist groups operating in Pakistani-Afghan border areas and that cooperation needed to be improved.

PAKISTAN URGES SETTLEMENT OF KASHMIR DISPUTE

UNITED NATIONS: Emphasizing that Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination is recognized by UN Security Council resolutions, Pakistan has called for a peaceful settlement of the decades-old Kashmir dispute that would lead to durable peace and stability in South Asia.

“The decolonization agenda of the United Nations would be incomplete without resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” Raza Bashir Tarar, Pakistan’s deputy permanent Representative to the UN, told the General Assembly’s Fourth (Decolonization) Committee on Monday.

Speaking in a general debate, the Pakistan delegate said decolonization was an objective of such importance that it could not be limited to the ‘Non Self Governing Territories’ alone. The negation of the right to self determination often ignited regional conflicts that threaten peace and security. “Such conflicts cannot be swept under terrorism or religious rivalries,” he added. Tarar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to finding a peaceful resolution of its dispute with India that was acceptable to all sides, especially the Kashmiri people.

The Pakistani delegate’s remarks on Kashmir, noted by committee delegates as constructive in nature, nevertheless drew a response from the Indian delegate, who said Pakistan’s comments were “unwarranted” and “irrelevant” to the debate. Exercising his right of reply, Indian delegate R. Ravindra, insisted that that Jammu and Kashmir was an “integral part” of India and that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had expressed their free will by participating in elections, a claim which was immediately rejected by Pakistan.

Speaking in his right of reply, Tahir Andrabi, a Pakistani delegate, said the denial of that right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir was very relevant to the work of the Committee. Jammu and Kashmir was not an integral part of India and had never been so, he said. The UN Security Council resolutions had recognized that Jammu and Kashmir was disputed territory and that it was necessary to conduct a free and impartial plebiscite, under United Nations auspices, to determine the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Those resolutions, Andrabi said, also clearly state that no electoral exercise conducted by Indian authorities in Jammu and Kashmir can substitute a free and impartial plebiscite to be held under UN auspices. “UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir were accepted by both India and Pakistan and are binding on both,” he said, adding “These resolutions remain to be implemented.”

GILANI LINKS BALOCHISTAN PROSPERITY WITH PEACE

QUETTA: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said the prosperity of Balochistan was linked to peace and asked the militants to shun violence and work for the progress of Pakistan.

“Choose the path of peace, as this is the only way for the progress of people of Balochistan and Pakistan,” the Prime Minister said while addressing the passing out parade of the recruits of the Pakistan Army belonging to Balochistan. “The agenda of these terrorists and extremists is certainly against Pakistan,” Gilani said and urged them to shun this path. The Prime Minister said those who opt not to heed to this advice must understand that they might delay progress and prosperity of the people of Balochistan, but they cannot deprive the people from the pace of development for long.

The event was also attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and senior civil and military officials. Prime Minister earlier reviewed the guard of honour. The young recruits presented him salute and the national anthem was played. The recruits also exhibited their prowess in anti-terrorist skills and demonstrated ways to neutralise militants.

In his address to the recruits, Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan was passing through a critical juncture and regretted that some people had chosen the path of terrorism, which was bringing a bad name to the country and to the religion Islam. Prime Minister Gilani paid rich tributes to the country’s armed forces for their sacrifices to rid the country of the scourge of terrorism. He said the armed forces and the people of Pakistan stand united to eliminate extremism and terrorism and to bring prosperity and development to the country. The Prime Minister also lauded the Baloch youth for standing shoulder to shoulder with their brethren from the rest of the country to safeguard country’s sovereignty and integrity.

He said the government had planned to provide jobs to 20,000 youth from Balochistan and appreciated General Kayani and Commander of the Southern Command Lt.General Javed Zia for ensuring best possible training to bring the youth from the area into the national mainstream. “I am sure these youth will bring honour and dignity to the country’s armed forces and Pakistan,” the Prime Minister said.

IMRAN KHAN LEADS SIT-IN NEAR PRESIDENCY, PARLIAMENT

ISLAMABAD: A large number of supporters of Tehrik-i-Insaf took part in a sit-in on Saturday evening at the Parade Ground facing the Presidency and the Parliament house.

The people gathered at the ground under the slogan of “Hakoomat Hatao Mulk Bachao” (dismiss the government and save the country). Men, women, children and the elderly gathered just before iftar where they broke their fasts with their party leader Imran Khan who sat in the crowd with the young and old surrounding him. Maghrib prayers followed later.

The stage was set high on containers arranged in the middle of the road in front of the permanent roadblock set up by the authorities during General Pervez Musharraf`s regime blocking the access to the Presidency. Television crews captured the atmosphere from an elevated position as activists raised anti-government slogans and swayed the party`s red and green flag for cameras.

“Main to dekhoon ga”—the famous song by popular band Strings played from loudspeakers that further raised spirits in the crowds who cheered at every stanza in the lyrics. Supporters who had come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and central Punjab wearing T-shirts that read “Pakistan`s Cornered Tigers” and “United We Stand” chanted slogans “Imran teray jan nisar beshumar”.

No distance was far enough for a group of youngsters, students, professionals and entrepreneurs who had come all the way from Sialkot. “We have gathered here for a cause that is bigger than any distance. We have seen a nationalist spirit in Imran Khan that is rare in many so-called leaders of Pakistan,” said Abdul Basit, a lecturer in a private university in Sialkot.

THREE DEAD IN PAKISTAN POLICE STATION ATTACK

PESHAWAR: At least three policemen were killed Saturday when a group of militants attacked their station in a northwestern Pakistani town bordering a tribal area, police said.

The attack on Kolachi police station, close to the border with South Waziristan tribal district, also left seven injured, while gunfire was continuing at the site, district police chief Mohammad Hussain Khan told AFP. “A group of militants fired at Kolachi police station and then lobbed hand grenades inside. As a result, three policemen were martyred and seven others were wounded,” he said.

There were 17 policemen on duty at the time, he said, adding that security forces had been called in and the area cordoned off. Khan said that since the police station was close to the lawless tribal belt, it was most likely that the attackers had come from there. Nearly 4,500 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other Islamist extremist networks based in the tribal belt since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

PAKISTANI SUPPORT FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST MILITANTS DROPS.

ISLAMABAD: Domestic support for the Pakistani military’s campaign against militant groups has waned in recent years, a poll by a US group has found, showing deep-rooted opposition among the Pakistani public to the United States.

The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys will be disappointing for the United States, which wants its ally to deal forcefully with militants, particularly those fighting US-led foreign forces across the border in Afghanistan and take refuge in northwestern Pakistani border enclaves.

The survey of 3,221 Pakistanis found that just 37 per cent of them supported using the army to fight militants, which was 16 per cent lower than two years ago, according to Pew. The surveys also showed that most Pakistanis 63 per cent disapproved of the secret US raid in May that killed Osama bin Laden, with 55 per cent describing it as a “bad thing”. It was not clear if the respondents disapproved of the killing of the al Qaeda leader, who has not been popular in the country in recent years, or the secret US raid which many people saw as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.Only 12 per cent of respondents had a positive view of the United States and only eight per cent had confidence in President Barack Obama “to do the right thing in world affairs”, Pew said.

“Most Pakistanis see the United States as an enemy, consider it a potential military threat and oppose American-led anti-terrorism efforts,” Pew said.The overwhelming rejection of US goals in the region puts Pakistan’s US-allied government and military in a difficult position in trying to please its people while working with the United States.

Although Pakistan said the death of bin Laden was a positive step in the battle against militancy, his killing by US Navy SEALs in his Pakistani hideout seriously damaged already strained ties between the uneasy allies. After the raid, the Pakistan army cut back the number of US troops stationed in the country and ended their role in training Pakistani soldiers involved in fighting militants. The Pakistan military also faced rare criticism at home for its failure to discover that the al Qaeda chief had been living in the country, apparently undetected, for years.

“Overwhelmingly popular”

But Pew said despite criticism after the bin Laden raid, the military remained “overwhelmingly popular”, with 79 per cent of respondents saying it had a good influence on the country. The ratings for military chief General Ashfaq Kayani saw a slight decrease after the bin Laden raid with 52 per cent of people favorable and 21 per cent unfavorable. Previously, Kayani was viewed positively by 57 per cent, with 18 per cent seeing him in a negative light. Militants have stepped up attacks in recent weeks to avenge bin Laden’s killing.

Pew said 55 per cent of people surveyed were “very or somewhat worried” that the militants might take over Pakistan, though that fear was down from 69 per cent two years ago.Still, 63 per cent considered Islamic extremism a problem although that was a decline from two years ago, when 79 per cent said they were worried. Views of al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban as threats have fluctuated over the years. In 2009, 61 per cent of Pakistanis viewed al Qaeda as a threat, dropping to 38 per cent in 2010 and rising to 49 per cent after bin Laden’s death.

The Taliban were seen as a very serious threat by 73 per cent in 2009, but that had dropped to 54 per cent. Worryingly for the United States, 26 per cent of respondents saw the Taliban regaining control in Afghanistan as good for Pakistan while 21 per cent said it would be bad. In 2010, 18 per cent believed it would be good for Pakistan.