Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Killing Corruption (PM Gilani)
Killing Corruption: Ephedrine chemical quota of 9,000 kilograms was allocated to Berlex Labs International and Danas Pharmaceutical Limited, the alleged favourites of the premier’s son, Ali Musa Gilani. The chemical is also used in production of psychotropic drugs, which was allegedly sold to smugglers to stuff their pockets with a windfall profit. According to reports Tauqir Ali Khan was the intermediary in the ephedrine scandal. According to the findings of ANF, the former director general health Rasheed Juma illegally allowed the allocation. Another former director general health, Asad Hafeez, and the then secretary health Khushnood Lashari also allowed the allocation and sale of the chemical to the companies. The chemical was procured from Alpha Chemicals and delivered to one Zari Mohammad, who was neither a licensed drug dealer nor worked for any of the pharmaceutical companies. The challan disclosed that Danas Pharmaceutical had claimed that it produced over 80 million tablets of meton from the ephedrine but could not produce any evidence to prove the claim. The company`s claim that it distributed the tablets in Gilgit and Skardu also turned out to be wrong as its chemists in these areas mentioned in the list provided by the company denied of receiving any tablet from it. The Berlex also claimed of distributing 210 million tablets of meton but it also failed to prove it.
SC issues notice to Ali Musa Gilani
SC issues notice to Ali Musa Gilani
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Prime Minister's son, Ali Musa Gilani in the chemical quota allotment case.
A three member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard the case.
During proceedings of the case, the ANF comprising of Brigadier Faheem investigating the case were presented before the court. The counsel for Brgadier Faheem informed the court that the ANF team working on the case had been changed.
The Chief Justice inquired as to why this had happened and remarked that maybe the reason was the involvement of some prominent person and further investigation was required.
Brigadier Faheem informed the court that the chemical quota was allotted by former health secretary Khusnod Lashari . The ANF has issued summons for Lashari and Ali Musa Gilani, and on the request of Lashari the ANF met him at the PM House.
Brigadier Faheem further informed the court that Ali Musa Gilani's father was upset over the notice and the law secretary along with entire state machinery were trying to save Khusnod Lashari and Ali Musa Gilani in this case.
The court ordered Ali Musa Gilani and Khusnod Lashari to record their statements in ANF and the investigation team be reinstated. The hearing of the case will resume on April 20.
A three member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard the case.
During proceedings of the case, the ANF comprising of Brigadier Faheem investigating the case were presented before the court. The counsel for Brgadier Faheem informed the court that the ANF team working on the case had been changed.
The Chief Justice inquired as to why this had happened and remarked that maybe the reason was the involvement of some prominent person and further investigation was required.
Brigadier Faheem informed the court that the chemical quota was allotted by former health secretary Khusnod Lashari . The ANF has issued summons for Lashari and Ali Musa Gilani, and on the request of Lashari the ANF met him at the PM House.
Brigadier Faheem further informed the court that Ali Musa Gilani's father was upset over the notice and the law secretary along with entire state machinery were trying to save Khusnod Lashari and Ali Musa Gilani in this case.
The court ordered Ali Musa Gilani and Khusnod Lashari to record their statements in ANF and the investigation team be reinstated. The hearing of the case will resume on April 20.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Everyone wants to see Pakistani players in action: IPL chairman
Everyone wants to see Pakistani players in action: IPL chairman
"The IPL functions under the BCCI and when bilateral relations resume between the two boards, the IPL will also not be a problem for Pakistani players." -File photo
Pakistan cricketers’ participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is directly related to the resumption of ties between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), vice-president of the Indian board Rajiv Shukla told a private new channel on Sunday.
Cricket relations between the two countries severed, without any official announcement, following terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
But Shukla, who is also the chairman of the IPL, assured that no one is against Pakistan or Pakistani players in India, citing examples of existing Pakistani commentator and umpires in IPL 5.
“The IPL functions under the BCCI and when bilateral relations resume between the two boards, the IPL will also not be a problem for Pakistani players,” he added.
“I don’t think we should be pessimistic about Indo-Pak bilateral relations, remain optimistic … Pakistani players have special talents and everyone likes to see them play. But we need to be patient and wait for good things to happen.”
No Pakistani cricketer has competed in the IPL since the inaugural edition in 2008, although former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood will be taking part this year after being granted British citizenship.
While the question of when the issues will be ironed out remains uncertain with the BCCI generally shifting the onus of mending bilateral ties to the government, the Telegraph said that an “almost certain” November visit by the Indian prime minister to Pakistan would be the barometer of ties between the two countries.
According to Shukla, India’s hectic international calendar and the security situation in Pakistan, where no Test team has been hosted after the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, are major roadblocks to the resumption of bilateral ties.
“The PCB needs to do something and convince other cricket nations at the level of the International Cricket Council that it is safe and secure to play in Pakistan … they need to do more and get the support of leading nations like Australia, England and South Africa,” he said.
The ICC’s Future Tours Programme has several periods marked out for series between India and Pakistan, but doesn’t mention any details – a tentative number of games and which formats.
The PCB has also been pushing for the inclusion of domestic teams from Pakistan in the Champions League T20, where the previous winner received $2.5m.
Despite this, the PCB chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed, told ESPNcricinfo that the organisers call the shots to whether Pakistan’s cricket team is represented in the league.
For Ahmed, ties with India and everything connected with it are the only difficulties standing in the way of Pakistan’s participation.
“Once the bilateral ties between Pakistan and India are revived, all these issues will automatically be resolved. So our priority is to revive Indo-Pak cricket,” he added.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
25-National Security Recommendations
NADEEM MALIK
By Nadeem Malik
1-Parliament Must Order the Armed Forces/ISI/MI to uproot/dismantle any hostile network established by any foreign security establishment within Pakistan, with or without approval of any present or former ruler.
2-No permission whatsoever for any foreign private security agencies/contractors.
3-Completely regulate/monitor working of private armed security agencies established by retired army offices within Pakistan, and cancel licence of those who have close links with foreign establishments.
4-No boots on the ground, no trainers no advisors.
5-Paksitani military/airforce/naval bases cannot be handed over to any friendly or otherwise country.
6-All Defence Pacts Must be approved by Parliament
7-Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) Must have a Permanent Institutional Framework to provide oversight to security matters.
8-Army, Air and Navy Chief, as well as DG ISI, MI and IB or any other such organization should brief the PCNS atleast once a month on security challenges and Pakistani response.
9-Minutes of all meetings between any political leader, whether in the government or in the opposition, must be fully recorded and maitained in a special cell in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a complusory legal requirement.
10-Same notes should also be maintained for any meeting between any officer of armed forces, CoAS, DGs etc. with the foreign dignitaries, diplomats and copies of the minutes should be maintained both by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence, as a compulsory legal requirement.
11-No verbal security agreement would be honoured with any country of the world. All such existing agreement would be written in black and white.
12-No drone attacks/Hot pursuits would be permitted to any country of the world, and any such act would be considered an attack on Pakistan.
13-Logistical support to US/NATO forces in Afghanistan would be linked with assurances from US/NATO troops to end all hostile activity in Pakistani areas, including Balochistan and KPK, Remove all CIA/FBI assets from Pakistani areas, and must stop cross border interference in Pakistani areas through Kunnar, Nuristan and other Afghan areas and stop hostile role of Indian consulates in Afghanistan.
14-US/NATO guarantees that Pakistani land would not be used for any activity against Iran, China or any other country of the region, whether Jindullah type groups or through listening posts in Balochistan.
15-Any hostile activity in Balochistan must end.
16-US must remove objects to Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline.
17-Pakistan must be offered Civil Nuclear Technology.
18-Pakistan in return must make sure to end all armed private militias with Pakistani borders.
19-US Supplies through Pakistan must be fully regulated/monitored and taxed.
20-A negative lis t of items for US/NATO supplies must be developed as many such items make their way into Pakistan.
21-Full records with item-wise details all supplies must be maintained.
22-US Must releases all heldback payments of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) in one tranche upfront.
23-All promised amounts under Kerry-Lugar Bill Must be released and fully allocated for energy sector, no micro-management, no preconditions.
24-All supplies going through Pakistan must by subjected to a port charges, road user charges, taxes, which in turn must be spent on the development of those roads and ports
25-No such activity alliance or agreement should be considered which endangers the lives of Pakistanis, radicalizes our society or a particular group or arming of particular factions. Security and welfare of people and country woul dremain the guiding principle for any such dealing.
Bin Laden lived 9 years undetected in Pakistan, fathered 4 children, wife says
Bin Laden lived 9 years undetected in Pakistan, fathered 4 children, wife says
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AP This April 1998 file photo shows Usama bin Laden.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Former Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden entered Pakistan
across the Afghan border during the early months of U.S. attacks on
Afghanistan, then spent nine years on the run in Pakistan living in
several safe houses and fathering four children.
Testimony from bin Laden's youngest wife --
the 29-year-old Yemenite Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah -- before a joint
investigation team in Pakistan reveals the Al Qaeda kingpin fled over
the border into Pakistan early in 2002, just after the U.S. launched
attacks on Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan.
In the testimony -- first cited Thursday by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn -- Abdulfattah told investigators that she married bin Laden in 2000 because she wanted to marry a mujahid, or holy warrior.
Her account of bin Laden's movements in the
nine years leading up to his death in May 2011 raises further questions
about what exactly Pakistani authorities knew.
It also threatens to further strain
relations between Pakistan and the U.S., just days after U.S. military
commanders held high-level meetings with their Pakistani counterparts in
an attempt to repair ruptured relations between the two nations.
Abdulfattah said the family separated and fled from its base in Kandahar
following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. She traveled to Karachi,
and was eventually reunited with bin Laden in Peshawar in 2002.
During her testimony, Adbdulfattah said the
family's movements and accommodation in Pakistan were organized by "some
Pakistani families" and Saad, one of bin Laden's sons.
After the family was reunited in Peshawar they traveled to the Swat Valley, close to the Afghan-Pakistani border, where they lived for eight or nine months.
After that the family moved to Haripur for
two years, and later to Abbottabad. They stayed in Abbottabad for almost
six years, until U.S. Navy SEALS raided bin Laden's home there in May 2011.
Abdulfattah was shot in the leg during the
successful unilateral U.S. operation, but survived. Bin Laden's son
Khalil, 20, was among four people killed in the raid.
Abdulfattah gave birth to four children by
bin Laden while in Pakistan -- two in a government hospital in Haripur
and two further children in Abbottabad.
She is now being held by Pakistani authorities in a house in Islamabad alongside two of bin Laden's other wives.
The widows, and two of bin Laden's daughters
-- Maryam, 21, and Sumaya, 20 -- are expected to be charged Monday with
breaking Pakistan's immigration laws. The offense carries a possible
five-year jail sentence.
An editorial published in the Dawn newspaper
Friday said Abdulfattah's testimony should force Pakistan to "take a
long, hard look at its record against terrorism."
"For nine years the world's most wanted
terrorist survived in the country after fleeing the U.S. attack on Tora
Bora [in December, 2001]," it said.
"What is clear is that the judicial
commission looking into his presence and the raid in Abbottabad can no
longer limit its probe to those topics. In light of this investigation
report, the commission now needs to expand its focus to encompass bin
Laden's presence in the country since 2002," it added.
6:53 PM








