LAHORE: Former Foreign Secretary, Riaz Khokar on Tuesday disclosed that Musharraf had disintegrated Huriiat Conference in Occupied Kashmir to install a puppet leader like Hamid Karzai. Addressing a seminar organized by Ideology of Pakistan Trust here on Tuesday, he said former President evolved a formula for the resolution of Kashmir issue which was child- brain of one or two persons.
On this occasion, renowned journalist Majeed Nizami and Central Leader of PML-Q, Mehnaz Rafi and other were also present. About the country nuclear assets, he said nuclear program was not under the control of civilian government but it is control by secret services and there is no need to fear about the security of the program.
He said Pakistan’s nuclear program was trust of the nation and its credit goes to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Shaheed. He said the government had decided to include India in Pak-Afghan transit trade which is very dangerous. Riaz Khokar said he was supporting Pak-India better ties but the national interest should not be ignored at any cost. “Pak army and secret agencies are strongly opposing this step”, he said.
“President Zardari says that Pakistan has no threat from India then he should explain it before the nation how the country has no threat from India as it is our enemy since the independence of the country”, he said. About Pak-US relations, he said the US was not the friend of Pakistan as it wants bloodshed and to capture country’s nuclear assets.
He further said US wants to shift Afghan war to Pakistan’s tribal area in order to get rid of the danger it faces in Afghanistan from several years. Riaz Khokar said Pakistan will not get any advantage of Pak-Afghan joint force but it will also be use for the US interest. NNI
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday welcomed President Asif Ali Zardari’s remarks that India is not a threat to Islamabad, saying it is a positive step towards the peace process between the two neighbors. “It is a positive step. It looks to be a positive step towards the peace process. Pakistan should now concentrate only on Taliban militants who are a threat to the world security,” an Indian External Affairs official told Chinese news agency on condition of anonymity.
For the first time, a top Pakistani leader like Zardari has said that India is not a threat to Pakistan and terrorists inside the country is the worst threat for Pakistan. “Well, I am already on record. I have never considered India a threat,” Zardari told an interview on the PBS news channel’s popular show “News hour With Jim Lehrer” in Washington DC Saturday.
“I have always considered India a neighbor, which we want to improve our relationship with. We have had some cold times and we have had some hard times with them. We have gone to war thrice, but democracies are always trying to improve relationships,” he said.-SANA
GUJRANWALA: Leader of PML-Q, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said that India and Afghanistan are involved in the unrest in Balochistan. Talking to media men here on Sunday, he said the government needs to call All Parties Conference (APC) to discuss situation in Balochistan. Pervez Elahi said Sufi Muhammad should have to take all the religious scholars on board.
About Punjab government, he said Punjab government had no vision and Sharif brothers were standing on that position which was 9 years ago. He said doctors, farmers, teachers and students are protesting on roads due their wrong policies. He alleged that the government neither buy wheat from the farmers nor provide them empty sacs but only facilitate their own people. NNI
PESHAWAR: Former Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Qazi Hussain Ahmad has termed Malakand operation as US conspiracy to break the country. Addressing a meeting of JI office bearers of NWFP and leaders from Malakand Division at Al-Markaz Islami, Peshawar on Saturday, he said the US was working on long term agenda to capture Pakistan’s nuclear assets.
He said the government has started inhuman operation in the name to defeat Taliban on the US directives.
Qazi said this operation will turn the people of Malakand against the country and Pakistan will get no positive results but destruction and people casualties. “We should unite the people to get up against such operations”, he said.
He said the Prime Minister has announced a war against his own people. Qazi further said no country can displace its own people with his own hands. He said all the political parties should break this silence to play their positive role in this precarious situation. NNI
WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that an appropriate number of army has been deployed at the western borders of the country. At a meeting with the members of Editorial Board of Washington Post, he said if required, government will consider sending of more troops there.
He said army at the western border is capable to meet any eventuality. He said there is no need to withdraw troops from eastern borders as India has deployed four time more troops. To a question, the President said Pakistan wants to have good relations with its neighbours particularly India and hoped that after the elections, an elected government in India will respect our gesture.
The President said the drone attacks are against our sovereignty and US should transfer this technology to Pakistan. NNI
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (R) has complimented the people of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency for boycotting the elections. In a statement, JKLF spokesman, Wajahat Quershi, said, “The poll boycott should serve as an eye opener for New Delhi.” He hoped that people of Varmul and Kargil constituencies would follow suit.
Meanwhile the convener, Hurriyat Conference (G) and chairman J&K Peoples League, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has expressed satisfaction over the election boycott in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency. In an e-mailed statement, he said, “Despite a war like situation for the last several weeks by the Delhi-backed government, the voters of Kashmir rejected the pro Indian parties’ call to cast their votes, which should open eyes of those who supported a constitutional solution of Kashmir dispute with India.”
He said the situation would in no way be different in Varmul and Kargil on May 13. Chairman Salvation Movement, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, complimented people of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency for boycotting elections. “By boycotting polls people of the constituency have emboldened the morale of separatist forces in Kashmir,” Zaffar said in a statement. While lashing at New Delhi, he said, “Government of India should accept the ground reality now and solve Kashmir dispute once for all.” NNI
ISLAMABAD: Senator Prof. Khurshid Ahmad has expressed his dismay on the proposed transit agreement which would allow India to use Wahga-Khyber route for trade with Afghanistan. He said India has been trying to get this access ever since the bifurcation of Pakistan, by Indian intervention in 1971.
The Senator noted that every government in Pakistan had so far resisted this Indian move for direct access to Afghanistan at Pakistan’s cost. “Under the cloak of transit trade, arms will be supplied to Afghanistan, which is against Pakistan’s strategic interests and enhancing the threat from India”, he observed.
Prof. Khurshid said this assumes dangerous proportions in the context of Karzai’s outburst that Afghanistan is free to choose its friends. He further said the US is not giving access to our goods to itself and is forcing Zardari to surrender to Indian interests at the cost of Pakistan’s economy and security. The Senator, therefore, warned the Government and the people of the dangers of this move and called for its repeal. NNI
SLAMABAD: Pakistan Thursday said it has been looking into various options including appointment of neutral expert or arbitrator by World Bank to resolve the issue of water with India. Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit in his weekly briefing here at Foreign Office said.
“Indus Commissioner Pakistan wrote a letter to India in March but Pakistan has not received satisfactory answer to the question and now considering other options,”
The Spokesman said Pakistan would approach World Bank to appoint arbitrator to resolve the water dispute with India. He said peaceful resolution of longstanding issue of Jammu Kashmir between Pakistan and India was vital for ensuring peace and security in the region.
The Spokesman said besides many other issues between Pakistan and India, Kashmir was the most important issue that needs to be settled as early as possible.
Referring to some statements from Indian leaders about intentions and capacity of Pakistan to counter terrorism, the Spokesman said such statements emanating from India are ‘irresponsible’. He said it is non?serious attitude from New Delhi. Commenting on the drone attacks, the Spokesman said Pakistan had conveyed the concern of government and people of Pakistan about these attacks and issue would be discussed again in trilateral meeting between the heads of Pakistan, US and Afghanistan being held in Washington in first week of May.
He said Pakistan has repeatedly said the drone attacks are counterproductive and do have difference of opinion on these attacks. Replying to a question, the Spokesman said,
“We do have courage to present our point of view on drone attacks and conveyed the sentiments and concerns of people and government of Pakistan to US administration on many occasion.”
About delaying tactics from US to extend help to Pakistan for capacity building like helicopters and night vision, the Spokesman said there has been progress in the cooperation in the war against terror. He said there is realization in the US administration to expedite the process for giving assistance to Pakistan for capacity building.
Replying to a question, the Spokesman said, “We are determined and have the resolve to fight extremism and terrorism.” He said Pakistan has been engaged with the international community based on mutual respect and honour.
He said although Pakistan has the resolve but there is not enough capacity as it did not have sufficient helicopter and nigh vision equipment. He said Pakistan has been engaged with US for capacity building. Commenting on the statement of British Prime Minister, the Spokesman said Pakistan has been examining the statement and would give comprehensive response shortly.
Replying to another question regarding Pakistan?Iran relations, the Spokesman said Pakistan has been making efforts for establishing permanent kind of framework to fight extremism and terrorism. He said next trilateral meeting, between leaders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, will be held in Tehran in the third week of May and Pakistan is looking forward for making Pak?Iran relations more effective.
SRINAGAR: The entire valley was brought to a standstill a day ahead of parliamentary elections in occupied Kashmir by a 50-hour strike call and an undeclared curfew imposed by authorities. Violence erupted in a number of places, leaving over a score of persons injured, even as authorities placed the chairmen of both factions of the Hurriyat Conference and a number of other separatist leaders under house arrest while over sixty activists were taken into custody to foil their poll boycott campaign.
The 50-hour strike call by the Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, to enforce a boycott of Thursday’s polls in south Kashmir, coupled with massive restrictions by authorities, paralyzed life in the valley as commercial activities remained suspended and transport services ground to a halt.
Schools, government offices, banks and private businesses throughout Kashmir stayed shut, and streets and markets wore a deserted look during the strike that came into force on Tuesday. Violence had broken out in the city soon after the strike began, and continued today as well in a number of places where groups of youth defied heavy police presence to come out and launch stone-pelting attacks.
Thousands of police and paramilitary troopers had been moved into various parts of the city in anticipation of trouble, and roadblocks and obstructions erected on main streets curbed movement between Srinagar areas extensively.
Contingents of the police took over Lal Chowk, the commercial hub of the city, early this morning directing commercial vehicles parked there to move off, and erected barricades on the Radio Kashmir crossing, blocking access to the central and lower Srinagar.
Police and paramilitary men deployed throughout the city created a curfew-like situation with frisking and questioning at frequent checkpoints and curbs on vehicular movement. Street battles broke out in the lower city, Rambagh, Chanpora, and Bandipur where stone-pelting youth clashed with the police amid slogans in favour of azadi and poll boycott.
Groups of masked slogan-shouting youth took to the streets in Kawdara, pelting stones on the police when the latter tried to disperse them, but disappeared after brief skirmishes. A large number of youth came out in Rambagh in support of freedom and boycott, and marched to the Rambagh bridge where they clashed with the police that blocked their way.
The police used lathi-charge to break up the stone-pelting demonstration, and the situation returned to normal. Reports from Bandipur said that violent youth pelted stones on vehicles passing through the main market this morning to enforce a shutdown, leading to total suspension of business activities and vehicular movement in the town. Meanwhile, the authorities placed heavy restrictions on the movements of separatist leaders in a bid to foil their poll boycott campaign.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Agha Syed Hassan, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Javed Ahmad Mir and Farida Behenji were placed under house arrest, while Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Hubbi, Hakeem Muhammad Altaf, Hakeem Abdul Rasheed and others were taken into custody along with scores of activists.
Senior Hurriyat (M) leaders, Zaffar Akbar Bhat and Yasmeen Raja, were arrested near Pampore, and several raids were conducted on the house of Muhammad Salim Zargar of the Tehreek-e-Mazahamat, but to no avail, as he was not present at home. Reports also speak of a large-scale police drive to round up separatist leaders and activists all over Kashmir.
ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior, Rehman A. Malik Wednesday informed the Upper House of the Parliament that India is backing the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) for fuelling insurgency in the province and creating unrest.
“BLA was raised and funded by Russia during Soviet-Afghan war when Pakistan was supporting Afghanis and now India is backing its activities,”
he said, winding up debate on an adjournment motion, to discuss the Balochistan situation emerging out of recent killing of three Baloch leaders in Turbat.
“BLA remained dormant since the Afghan war ended but it was reactivated after killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, whose grandson Barhamdagh Bugti has openly sought Indian and American support for independence of Balochistan in a recent interview,”
He said that Indian consulate in Iranian city, bordering Balochistan, was also involved in activities other than visa granting to people. The BLA Chief Barhamdagh Bugti, in his recent interview to a Pakistani channel has openly sought Indian support for independence of Balochistan, he added. “Barhamdagh Bugti is residing in Kabul just five kilometer away from President Karzai’s palace and Pakistan has continuously been asking the Afghan government for access to Barhamdagh,” he said.
However, he said, the Afghan Government has been denying Bugti’s presence in Afghanistan, though Pakistan repeatedly raised it with Afghanistan that their soil was being used against Pakistan. Rehman Malik said the law and order situation in Balochistan is a very serious issue and the government is engaged in sincere efforts to defuse the tension. “We have taken all the Parliament members onboard and assure to implement recommendations of the Parliament in true spirit.”
“There is a realization, on every part, that something should be done to redress the problems; to address the concerns and satisfy our Baloch brethren,” the advisor said. He said that the grievances of Balochs as well as Pakhtoons need to be identified and discussed to reach to a concrete solution. “Therefore, I want to sincerely brief the house on the facts on ground as we do not want to hide anything and want to clear the doubts, which people have in their minds,” Malik said.
Pakistan Peoples Party’s government, he said, from the very first day, has made efforts for redressing concerns of Balochs and undertake development projects in the province.“All cases against Mengals and Harbyar Marri were withdrawn in a bid to provide relief. Similarly, the negotiations with Bugti tribe were also held and I am in close contact with every son of Nawab Akbar Bugti,” Malik informed the House.
Earlier, he elaborated details of his meetings with Baloch Nationalist Leaders including former Chief Minister Akhtar Mengal in Balochistan and Harbayar Khan in London respectively. Malik said the government had also extended legal support to Harbyar Khan Marri for defence of case registered by the British government in London.
Meanwhile; he said, the demands of Balochs for share in the resources is genuine and the government; including President Asif Ali Zardari has agreed to take all steps according to aspirations of Balochistan people.
Similarly; another major demand for removal of 36 Frontier Constabulary (FC) checkposts, from different parts of the province was also fulfilled. “In addition, the federal government has directed FC to work under supervision of Police,” said the advisor. Besides President Zardari, the Prime Minister was personally interested in redressing concerns of Baloch people and he daily seeks update over the issue.
PM Yusuf Raza Gilani has approved Rs 70.5 billion loan grant for Balochistan on recommendations of the provincial chief minister, he added. “Recent visit of President Asif Zardari to province was landmark as he announced Rs. 46 billion development package for the province,” Malik said. The package announced by President Asif Ali Zardari was widely welcomed across the Balochistan.
The government was following three-pronged policy of Dialogue, Development and Deterrence and all maximum possible steps were ensured peace and stability, said the advisor. Rehman Malik said that there was no military operation in Balochistan since PPP took over reins of the country after February 18 general polls last year.
“I can say with authority and I am saying, neither there is military operation in Balochistan nor it would be launched,” repeated the advisor.
He said that Rs.7 billion were allocated for conversion of A areas into B areas and Rs. 5.1 billion have been spent for the purpose. However, the locals were demanding for restoration of Sardari system in the areas, he added.
Rehman Malik said all political prisoners except 36 were released. The cases of those 36 are under scrutiny at a special committee, as they are alleged to be involved in murder crimes.
Subsequently, employment, rehabilitation of displaced people and allocation of National Finance Commission (NFC) award were under consideration for Balochistan, he added. The martyrdom of former governor and chief minister Nawab Akbar Bugti aggravated the situation and created enormous problems for the country. Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was reactivated by enemies of Pakistan in the mean time, he said.
BLA consists of 1,000 Baloch students, trained in Russia and spread in various parts of the province. They are demanding for independence of Balochistan, said the advisor. BLA chief Barhamdagh Bugti is present in Afghan capital Kabul just at distance of five miles from President Hamid Karzai’s palace but Afghan government was denying the fact despite proofs, Malik disclosed.
Barhamdagh, in his recent interview to a Pakistani TV channel, has sought Indian, American and UNO support for independence of Balochistan. “BLA chief denies provincial autonomy and 1973 constitution. He is pressing for complete freedom,” said Malik, adding, “had our ancestors achieved Pakistan for this purpose….No…None patriotic Pakistani can support such demand.”
Regarding missing persons, Malik informed that figure presented by various sources was inconsistent when the PPP government. “However; 6, 000 men and 140 women were reported missing on occasion of UN representative John Solecki’s abduction,” he said.
Meanwhile, the final figure of people missing from across the country is 831 including 270 from Balochistan. “220 people from missing 270 of Balochitsan, 20 out of 50 in Punjab and 45 out of 55 in Sindh, were traced; respectively,” he said, adding that 36 people were missing in NWFP out of which 23 have been recovered. Malik said that adduction of John Solecki, on the occasion when UN Secretary General was scheduled to arrive, harmed reputation of Pakistan globally.
He said that the abductors of Solecki had links with people in Afghanistan as telephone call from Kabul was traced. He said that the seven number used for calling were traced and the information was shared with President Karazi by Pakistan but he denied it as true. Later, Secretary General UNO appealed Karzai for efforts to release Solecki.
Malik said that Pakistan has repeatedly asked Afghanistan to stop supporting Barhamdagh and asked to hand over him to Islamabad under security for negotiations. “We conveyed through ministry of foreign affairs that we want to talk to Barhamdagh and know his grievances,” he added.
He said that India is enemy of Pakistan and involved in creating unrest in Balochistan. The government and people of Pakistan could not close the eyes from the reality. “None true Pakistani could support the independence of Balochistan and see repetition of incident like fall of Dhaka. Every Pakistani is ready to devote life for the homeland,” he maintained.
He said that killing of three Baloch people took place soon after visit of President Asif Ali Zardari and announcement of development package for the province. “At the time when Baloch people were praising package of President Zardari, the killing of political workers was grave conspiracy against Pakistan,” said Malik.
Condemning the killings, he informed the Upper House that a high-powered committee, headed by IGP Balochistan, was probing into the matter. “Three intelligence agencies are assisting the committee and those involved in the heinous act would be taken to task,” he added.
The advisor said the ministry of interior welcomed the guidelines of parliamentarians and he was ready to give the investigation committee under supervision of Senate; if they had reservations. He said that the killings were a big conspiracy as 14 settlers were killed, four bomb killings and three bomb blasts took place during the law and order situation created in wake of the incident.
He said people of Balochistan are peaceful and they could not carry bombs in their pockets, thus those involved were miscreants.
Malik requested the Baloch parliamentarians for cooperation to redress the problems and vowed that the government was ready for negotiations at all forums. He gave undertaking on behalf of the government for implementation of Senate committees’ and individual members recommendations regarding Balochistan too.
Meanwhile, the advisor disclosed that two of the murdered political workers Ghulam Muhammad and Sher Muhammad were Iranian nationalists. “Ghulam Muhammad was involved in terror activities in Iran and his name was third on the list for extradition of terrorists, sent by Tehran on March 16, 2009,” Malik said. Similarly, Sher Muhammad migrated from Charbihar area of Iran and got Pakistani nationality, he added.
Meanwhile, some Senate members including Raja Zafar-ul-Haq advised for in-camera briefing instead of disclosing confidential information as, they argued, it could create problems for sovereignty of the country. Later, the Chairman gave ruling for in-camera briefing to all members of the Upper House, which is scheduled tomorrow.-APP
