PTI to announce its stance on 'Go Gilani Go' - DAWN.com

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chief Imran Khan. – File Photo by Reuters

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) will consider Nawaz Sharif’s request on Tuesday to join the ‘Go Gilani Go’ movement and will discuss important issues related to the current political situation in the country, DawnNews reported.

They will announce their decision on Tuesday (today) at 06:00pm.

The largest opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) threatened the government to accept the court’s decision or to face a protest movement against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

They also announced that on this regard they are in coordination with the other parties.

However, until now PTI has reacted cautiously to the offer by Nawaz Sharif.

The past of PML-N in this regard is not so good, the information secretary of PTI said.

Moreover he said that three to four months ago, PML-N also started the ‘Go Zardari Go’ movement but then they became silent.

PTI said that if PML-N is really serious about getting rid of this government, they should split their associations with the assemblies.

According to the sources, PTI’s Central Executive Committee will today review the overall political situation in the country and then will decide on the future strategy.

View the original article here

Better changes for farmers, labourers & workers on anvil - Pakistan Observer

Islamabad?May first of each year is the day of special significance for the Government as well as for Pakistan Peoples Party as it is on this day that we revive our pledge to uphold the rights of the laborers and the working class and to never abandon them in their struggle for their rights?the right to have decent work, dignity, honour and, last but not the least, a rightful place in society. Both Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto struggled for the rights of the laborer and working class. Not only that the PPP derives its strength from the workers of Pakistan, we firmly believe that it is the labour and working class which is the backbone of any society and all claims of development remain meaningless until this vulnerable class is emancipated and rehabilitated.

The present Government, following the footsteps of its great visionary leaders, has also taken some important practical steps to improve the conditions of the workers to guarantee them their dignity and rightful place in the society. Promulgation of Industrial Relations Act, 2012, reinstatement of the sacked employees, regularization of contract and daily wage earners, empowering the workers to seek legal remedies against any unlawful dismissals and restoration of trade union activities are some of the important milestones achieved by the Government while fulfilling the promise that we made to our labour class.

It is a matter of great satisfaction that a special scheme the Benazir Employees Stock Option Scheme has been launched by the Government for the welfare of the workers. The scheme which is offering 12% stock shares to workers in the state-owned enterprises, has benefited five hundred thousand families. For the first time, workers have been made part of the national production process through ownership. These, no doubt, are remarkable steps reflecting the Government?s sincere efforts in improving the condition of the working class and protecting them form exploitation but the journey is not over yet. It will continue till the time our workers secure their rightful place in the society and are fully protected through social, economic and political measures against all kinds of exploitation.

Message of Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Prime Minister of Pakistan?Today is the 1st of May. The day is observed globally to pay tributes to the workers and labourers of Chicago for the sacrifices they rendered for attainment of their rights. The concept of agricultural, industrial and socio-economic development is incomplete without contribution of labourers, workers and farmers. The global strides in industry and agriculture are owed to the hard work of labourers and farmers. Pakistan People?s Party is fully aware of the farmers, labourers and workers role in the national development and has been strenuously engaged in efforts to bring about positive changes in their lives. Our Shaheed leaders Zulifikar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto considered the labourers and workers as an invaluable asset of the party. Shaheed Bhutto founded PPP on the slogan of welfare of the neglected sections of society and for the sake of carving out a respectable place for them in the social setup.

We believe that secret of any country?s development lies in the value of hard work and its human resources. A society, which does not address the basic needs of its working classes, remains backward. Right from day one, the government has been committed to improving the standard of living of labourers and workers. It has taken a number of steps for provision of basic amenities such as education, housing and health. Shaheed Zulifkar Ali Bhutto announced the first labour policy in 1972, which provided the working classes with social protection, justice, and old age benefit scheme. Workers Welfare Fund was established for this purpose and the 1st of May was designated as the gazetted holiday.

In accordance with the manifesto of PPP, I announced the restoration of labour organizations upon assuming office. The democratic government launched a number of worker-friendly policies and schemes in order to ameliorate their lot. The Labour Policy introduced by the present government in 2010 raised the minimum wage of workers from Rs. 6000 to Rs. 7000 per month. The reinstatement of fired employees was ensured through Reinstatement Act 2010. The government also promulgated Industrial Relations Act 2012 for welfare of the workers and raised the old age pension ceiling at Rs. 3600.

View the original article here

SC directs concerned to recover missing persons - Pakistan Observer

Quetta?A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed the heads of law enforcing agencies to play their due role to ensure tracing out and recovering or release of missing persons. The bench comprised Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervez here on Monday conducted hearing into cases pertaining to law and order situation of Balochistan and missing persons.

Advocate General Balochistan Amanullah Kunrani submitted the list of missing persons from Balochistan. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary instructed the AG to ask Chief Secretary Balochistan to approach and hold meetings with the officials of law enforcing agencies and other relevant authorities to get information about whereabouts of missing persons.

He said that information to be provided by these stakeholders be submitted on May 02. He said that if any missing person is wanted in any case, he shall be produced before the court.The bench ordered IG FC and IG Police Balochistan to put a comprehensive report on missing persons and law and order situation.

Home Secretary Balochistan Nasibullah Bazai submitted with the court that a missing person Din Muhammad included in the list and some other missing persons had left for Afghanistan on their own will to join ?Jihad?.

He said that all the law enforcing agencies have reached consensus that several missing persons had gone missing on their own will as they had left the country freely. The CJP said that Din Muhammad was the employee of the Health Department, Government of Balochistan adding that authorities concerned should trace out his whereabouts.

View the original article here

Bricks from Bin Laden's house go on sale in Pakistan - Al-Arabiya

The man in charge of bulldozing the house that was home to Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in February is selling bricks and other paraphernalia to tourists, reported the Telegraph.

Shakeel Ahmad told the British newspaper that his salvage yard in Abbottabad, where Bin Laden lived with his family for years before being killed in a U.S. operation on May 2 last year, had “become a tourist attraction for visitors looking for a souvenir.”

Ahmad holds under 200,000 bricks from the house which he says can be used to build homes, adding that some visitors were buying them as mementoes or gifts.

Pakistani authorities destroyed the Bin Laden compound in February this year, ostensibly to rid itself of all associations with the terror leader.
Bin Laden is believed to have moved to Abbottabad in 2004 with his wives and family, evading authorities in Pakistan and the United States until he was finally found and targeted by a special military force in May last year.

Pakistan deported Bin Laden’s widows and children to Saudi Arabia late last month.

Documents retrieved from the Bin Laden raid show a leader in charge of a terror organization but also one that was weakened, writes the Telegraph.

As Bin Laden had no Internet access, he was reliant on couriers to deliver documents so communication was a long-drawn out process.

He had lost many key operatives of al-Qaeda in drone strikes which lowered morale. The Telegraph reports that Bin Laden’s orders of attacks were met with skepticism, according to an American counterterrorism official privy to the documents.

Some documents also revealed Bin Laden’s “ethics” on terrorist acts. This was demonstrated in the case of Pakistani American Faisal Shahzad who planned to bomb a car in New York Times Square in May 2010.

Bin Laden denounced Shahzad, not because he planned an attack, but because he did so after “swearing a loyalty oath to the United States as a newly naturalized citizen,” reports the Telegraph.

He said telling such a lie to the enemy was not allowed.

View the original article here

Sindh CM threatens long march against PML-N - The Nation, Pakistan

$(document).ready(function() {var $p = $('.story_detail p');$p.contents() .filter(function() { return this.nodeType == 3; }) // Select all textnodes .wrap('

') // Place them inside paragraph elements$('br', $p).remove(); // Remove all break elements});(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=151173224955837"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));$(function () { var msie6 = $.browser == 'msie' && $.browser.version = top) {// if so, ad the fixed class$('#sharebar').addClass('fixed'); } else {// otherwise remove it$('#sharebar').removeClass('fixed'); }}); } });// Open Colorbox for news send to friendfunction send_to_friend(){$.colorbox({inline:false,iframe:true, href:"http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/send_to_friend/news_id/194999/karachi", height:'400px', width:'500px'});}//************************************************************************//Font Size Increase & Decrease Scriptvar min=12;var max=18;function increaseFontSize() { var p = $('.story_detail'); for(i=0;i

In a tit-for-tat reply to PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s call for Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s resignation, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has threatened Long March to Lahore against Nawaz League.
Nawaz Sharif had appealed to the nation to rise up against what he called ‘immoral’ and ‘illegal government’.
War of the words has escalated between the PPP and PML-N after Supreme Court convicted Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani of contempt for not ordering reopening of multi-million-dollar corruption cases against President Zardari.
Qaim Ali Shah, during a press conference here in Karachi, said “Nawaz Sharif should refrain from issuing threats. If they will go to Islamabad then PPP jialas will march to Lahore.”
“He (Sharif) is taking cover of the Supreme Court which is yet to issue a detailed verdict… He should wait for general elections,” charged Qaim said in an angry tone.

View the original article here

National Assembly session: Govt, opposition squabble over Bhoja Air crash probe - The Express Tribune

PML-N stages walkou­t as Nisar expres­ses concer­n over validi­ty of commis­sion. PML-N stages walkout as Nisar expresses concern over validity of commission. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

As families of the Bhoja Air plane crash victims mourn their loved ones, the government and opposition continue to squabble over a commission set up to probe the crash.

While the government insisted in the National Assembly on Wednesday that the commission, announced by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, fulfils the criteria for being a judicial body, the opposition expressed scepticism over its composition.

The bickering between the government and the opposition culminated in an unannounced boycott by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira resorted to personal attacks.

After the departure of PML-N, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah invited the opposition to suggest names of commission members even if they were sitting judges, and said that the government was ready to address the issue and would have no objection to setting up a commission with consensus.

Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani, who attended the proceedings for a brief period, said that his decision was taken in the light of international practice while responding to the opposition’s concerns.

“I was asked by the families of victims (during a visit to the hospital) for an inquiry,” the premier said, and added “we do not need to be apologetic over the issue.”

Later on Law Minister Farooq H Naek justified the commission was judicial by citing the Commission Act and the integrity of its members, saying, “Every judge has taken oath under the PCO at some point.”

In addition, he said, the families of victims had not raised any objection over the commission’s composition and there should be no political point scoring over the issue.

But the justification could not satisfy the opposition leader who once again said: “The so-called commission cannot be termed a judicial commission since it has been set up to cover up the facts of the crash.”

To counter the law minister, Nisar said that the judges nominated for the commission had faced contempt of court earlier. He also questioned the government over the AirBlue plane crash report, saying it had not been released.

“We will not participate in the debate if you are not ready to constitute a national commission with consensus,” Nisar warned. He also suggested that a timeframe be defined for the investigation and relatives of victims be taken into confidence.

In response, Kaira said the opposition had indulged in point scoring over the issue. “We are not here to please anyone,” he said rejecting the opposition’s proposal of a new commission, adding that “It was a purely technical job and a timeline cannot be set for it.”

The moment he took his seat, Chaudhry Nisar rose up and said the information minister was justifying his newly-attained portfolio but “we are not here to attend lectures.”

Though Khursheed Shah and others tried to pacify Kaira, the infuriated information minister then rose immediately himself, reciprocating: “I am well aware about the conduct of every member of the opposition and how they play politics.” He said Nisar’s comments against him were “disgusting”.

In the meanwhile, the opposition boycotted the proceedings without any announcement.

Earlier, the opposition and government both tried to take credit for initiating debate over the issue in the lower house, which came into session without having a Business Advisory Committee Meeting (during which the agenda of the house is set). With no agenda set, the proceedings started with a walkout by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which insisted on a debate instead of the question hour.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2012.

View the original article here

Pakistan says US not listening: drone strikes must stop - Reuters

ISLAMABAD | Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:58am EDT

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has spelt out in no uncertain terms that U.S. drone aircraft strikes against militants inside its territory must stop, but Washington is not listening, the country's foreign minister said.

"On drones, the language is clear: a clear cessation of drone strikes," Hina Rabbani Khar said.

"I maintain the position that we'd told them categorically before. But they did not listen. I hope their listening will improve," she told Reuters in an interview late on Wednesday.

The attacks by the unmanned aircraft from Afghanistan, which U.S. officials say are highly effective against militants, fuel anti-American sentiment in Pakistan because they are seen as violations of sovereignty that inflict civilian casualties.

Khar's sharp comments on the drone strikes came ahead of a two-day visit to Islamabad by the United States' special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman.

Ambassador Grossman was due to hold bilateral meetings with Pakistani officials and take part in a "core group" meeting with officials from both Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the United States is hoping to revive stalled peace talks with the Taliban.

Ties between Pakistan and the United States, allies in the war on militancy, have lurched from crisis to crisis as they spar over security, assistance and the future of Afghanistan.

An unannounced raid on Pakistani soil by U.S. special forces who killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden last May plunged relations to a low, and tensions were further stoked in November when a NATO attack across the border from Afghanistan killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

After a review of ties with Washington, a Pakistani parliamentary committee laid out a series of demands, including an end to U.S. drone strikes.

Khar said other methods should be used to take out militants in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We have to look at effective tools which are mutually acceptable. The cost of using tools which are not mutually acceptable is far, far too high. We're looking at alternatives," she said, without elaborating.

The commander of the frontline corps in Pakistan's northwest told Reuters last week that one alternative would be for the United States to share intelligence so that its ally's F-16 fighter jets could target militants there.

(Reporting by John Chalmers and Michael Georgy; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Sanjeev Miglani)

View the original article here