PPP leaders discuss SC verdict

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party leadership discussed on Monday the Supreme Court’s verdict on the law and order situation and target killings in Karachi and decided to ask all political parties, particularly those in the ruling coalition, to expel militant elements from their ranks.

A meeting of PPP leaders, jointly presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the Presidency, discussed the political and economic situation, energy crisis, law and order and relations with coalition partners.

“It was decided that all coalition partners will be taken on board in the light of the Supreme Court’s verdict,” PPP leader and Leader of the House in Senate, Nayyar Bokhari, told Dawn after attending the meeting.

The Oct 6 SC judgment cited a report of the Special Branch of police which said the Pakistan People’s Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party and some religious organisations and banned outfits had “militant wings” which were involved in criminal activities and collection of ‘bhatta’ (extortion money) in Karachi.

“All coalition partners are independent to take their own decision, but we have asked them to implement the Supreme Court’s orders relating to militant wings,” Mr Bokhari said. However, he said that some of the court’s orders were actionable and some were not. Some of them are being implemented by the government.

Former law minister Babar Awan said he had briefed the president on “specifically actionable” parts of the judgment.

“Restoration of peace in Karachi is a common cause of all stakeholders and the government is fully determined to do it in furtherance of the Oct 6 SC verdict,” he said.

President Zardari expressed satisfaction that all government agencies concerned were cognisant of the need to implement the SC verdict and that some steps in this respect were being taken.

Prime Minister Gilani briefed the meeting on the economic situation and relations with coalition partners.

According to presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar, the president informed the participants about his meeting on Saturday with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, who had briefed him on the steps being taken by the provincial government to implement the Supreme Court verdict.

Water and Power Minister Syed Naveed Qamar updated the meeting on the supply and demand position of electricity and the steps being taken to meet the energy challenge.

He said remedial measures had eased off the power crisis and an increase in generation by 4,500MW had reduced outages. He said that as a long-term measure, the foundation stone of the 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha project would be laid early next week.

“The president emphasised the need to solve the energy problem on a permanent basis and said the power situation in the country must be improved and should not be allowed to become an issue of power politics,” Mr Babar said. Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim briefed the meeting on his recent visit to India and its decision to withdraw objections to the EU-proposed trade concessions for Pakistan.

The law and order situation in Balochistan was also discussed. The meeting was also attended by Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Religious Affairs Minister Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Textile Industry Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Senator Jahangir Badar, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Faryal Talpur, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Wahab, Fouzia Habib and Mehreen Anwar Raja.

Meanwhile, Awami National Party President Asfandyar Wali Khan called on President Zardari at the Presidency on Monday and discussed with him the political situation and matters relating the coalition set-up.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/11/ppp-leaders-discuss-sc-verdict.html

Who is this mysterious lady? By Javed Nusrat

For more than ten days a lady with elitist connections is reportedly being harassed by the Lahore Police. Alleged to have kidnapped a foreigner for ransom, her case is now before an anti-terrorism court. Instead of focusing on her defence through legal means, the said lady continues to insist, almost hysterically, that she was being ‘punished’ by the Sharifs for attempting to enter their family via ‘duly executed marriage’.

She failed to find any takers of her story from amongst the Punjab-based media. But the MQM Quaid has owned her ‘cause’. And at the outset of Monday sitting, legislators belonging to his party also ganged up to stir up the scandal on floor of the House.

An otherwise quiet and lie low type Sardar Mehtab Abbassi could not resist the provocation. He stood up to aggressively forewarn that if MQM were allowed to vent the scandalous stuff, his comrades would pay them in their own coin by throwing dirt at the Muttahida leadership.

National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza announced a break for Maghrib prayer and took a long time in resuming her seat. Obviously backdoor channels were activated to ensure peace in the house. The PPP legislators went an extra mile in the said context. At a meeting of this party’s core committee at the presidency, Asif Ali Zardari had firmly declared that no one from his party should dare drag Sharifs in a scandal. It was at the same meeting that he conveyed to the Speaker of Sindh Assembly that the much deferred decision on Dr Zulfiqar Mirza should immediately be announced. “I am losing a very old friend (Mirza) in order to save our understanding with the MQM,” he announced.

Many in Islamabad’s conspiracy-churning drawing rooms have been claiming that the fine print of the Supreme Court’s decision on the chaos of Karachi was in effect another ‘doctrine of necessity’ invoked to strengthen the hand of extra-parliamentary forces. However, President Zardari seems to believe that the said decision empowered the federal and provincial governments to take firm decisions for restoring order in Karachi. He also hinted at preparing for ‘Seraiki province,’ while asking his people to form two and not one committee for reorganizing the PPP in Punjab. The second committee should absolutely focus on “South Punjab.” Raza Rabbani felt un­happy with the decision, but the President snubbed him politely.

Another kind of embarrassing snub, however, was suffered by Asfandyar Wali as not more than four members attended a meeting of the National Assembly committee on foreign affairs called by him. Even Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s presence at the meeting failed to reduce the effect of the rebuff. .

Meanwhile, for the past three days, intense lobbying is on in Islamabad to grab the about-to- be- vacated post of Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board. The names being mentioned in this regard include Ali Raza of NBP fame, former Test cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan and Zaraee Tarqiati Bank man Zaka Ashraf. Each one has his own promoter. Ali Raza is being promoted by president’s bossom friend, Anwar Majid and ZAB’s socialite friend Tufail Shaikh. Zaheer Abbas by fellow Sialkotia Rehman Malik, Majid by Dr Soomro. The President earlier had shown his preference for Zaka. The one man who is said to have refused the offer, Aitzaz Ahsan refused to confirm or deny the report. Perhaps the president wants him out of the way before he starts dishing out tickets for the next Senate elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2011.

Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/271519/who-is-this-mysterious-lady/