For one month Punjab Government has become a burning issue for Pakistani Government since Shahbaz Sharif has been brought down from his status of Chief Minister. In this regard Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that People’s Party Co-chairman, President Asif Ali Zardari will decide whether the party will sit on government or opposition benches in Punjab. He said the eyes of the international media are focused over the situation of Punjab. Gilani said he has powers to lift governor rule from the province and whenever he will give advice to the president, the governor rule will be lifted from the province.

Meanwhile A seven-member larger bench has issued notice to the federation during hearing of the petitions challenging Governor’s Rule in Punjab. The court adjourned the hearing of three petitions till Friday. It may be noted that Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Sayed Zahid Hussain on Tuesday reconstituted a full bench for the hearing. The full bench comprises of the CJ LHC Syed Zahid Hussain, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, and Justice Nasim Sikandar, Justice Maulvi Anwar ul Haq, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Justice Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan. Earlier, a single bench comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa issued notices to the respondents and referred the matter to the CJ for constituting a larger bench. The petitions were filed by advocates Malik Tariq Aziz and Zahid Malik challenging the governor’s rule in Punjab which was imposed by President Asif Zardari on 25th February following the disqualification of Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

PML-N has accused Punjab Governor Salman Taseer of using the powers of Chief Minister for which he is not authorized. Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah and Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa said: “Governor Punjab appointed 16 judges, 150 new administrators in market committees and transferred, and posted around 1000 officials. “Now 40, 000 educators are being hired,” they said. They further told that Inspector General of Punjab Police was given the task to purchase MPAs for PPP while a plan was prepared to blow up the Chenab Bridge during long march. The PML-N leaders asked the Chief Secretary and IG Police not to follow the illegal and unlawful orders of Governor.

Input from Agencies

As a child, all Aatish Taseer son of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer ever had of his father was his photograph in a browning silver frame. Raised by his Sikh mother in Delhi, his Pakistani father remained a distant figure, almost a figment of his imagination, until Aatish crossed the border when he was twenty-one to finally meet him. Sulman Taseer married twice. He had affair with famous Indian journalist Tavleen Singh. Both lived togather in London during mid 80s. Sulman has a love child from Tavleen Singh.

According to Indian Magazine Outlook, “the book is a fictional version of Aatish’s dramatic life story. Briefly, the story is this: “A short, intense relationship between a Pakistani politician, Salmaan Taseer, and an Indian journalist, Tavleen Singh, produces a child. As the relationship founders, the father (according to his son’s account) abandons the mother and the infant in London”.

“The accusations set off a storm of reactions in Aatish, from hurt and defensiveness to confusion and curiosity. How was his father, who (as he was to recount in his book) drank Scotch every evening, never fasted and prayed, even ate pork and once said: ‘It was only when I was in jail and all they gave me to read was the Quran”, the Outlook reported.

Following is an extract of the book:

“I had begun my journey asking why my father was Muslim, and this was why: none of Islam’s once powerful moral imperatives existed within him, but he was Muslim because he doubted the Holocaust, hated America and Israel, thought Hindus were weak and cowardly, and because the glories of the Islamic past excited him.

In the years that followed, the relationship between father and son revived, then fell apart. For Aatish, their tension had not just to do with the tensions of a son rediscovering his absent father — they were intensified by the fact that Aatish was Indian, his father Pakistani and Muslim. It had complicated his parents’ relationship; now it complicated his.

The relationship forced Aatish to ask larger questions: Why did being Muslim mean that your allegiances went out to other Muslims before the citizens of your own country? Why did his father, despite claiming to be irreligious, describe himself as a ‘cultural Muslim’? Why did Muslims see modernity as a threat? What made Islam a trump identity?

According to a website Stranger to History is the story of the journey Aatish made to answer these questions — starting from Istanbul, Islam’s once greatest city, to Mecca, its most holy, and then home, through Iran and Pakistan. Ending in Lahore, at his estranged father’s home, on the night Benazir Bhutto was killed, it is also the story of Aatish’s own divided family over the past fifty years. Part memoir, part travelogue, probing, stylish and troubling, Stranger to History is an outstanding debut.

LAHORE: Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Mohammad Iqbal has taken oath as acting governor of Punjab. Chief Justice Lahore High Court Syed Zahid Hussain administered the oath from him. Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Senior Minister Raja Riaz, PPP leader Qasim Zia, Excise and Taxation Minister Mujtaba Shuja Ur Rehman and other senior government officials attended the oath taking ceremony.

PML-N’s candidate for the Speakership of the Punjab Assembly Rana Muhammad Iqbal has been elected unopposed on April 11, 2008. He has taken oath which was administered by outgoing Speaker Afzal Sahi. Provincial ministers, MPAs and the members of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan People’s Party in a large number were present on the occasion of the oath-taking ceremony.

Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, son of Rana Phool Muhammad Khan (former MPA and Minister) was born on April 20, 1945 at Gumthala Garhu, Tehsil Pehowa, District Karnal, India. He obtained his early education from D.B. High School, Bhai Pheroo (now Phool Nagar). He graduated from Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore in 1968 and obtained the degree of LL.B. from University of the Punjab, Lahore in 1971. He is an advocate and agriculturist. He served as Secretary, Tehsil Bar Associate, Bar Association, Chunian during 1975-76. He started his political career from Markaz Council and served as Chairman Markaz Council and Union Council, Phool Nagar during 1979-83, remained Vice Chairman, Zila Council, Kasur during 1983-87; functioned as Chairman Zila Council Kasur for two consecutive terms during 1987-93. He was first elected unopposed, to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in the bye-election in 1993, but before he could make oath as a Member, the Assembly was dissolved in June 1993. He was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab and served as Member during 1993-96. He returned again to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab for the third consecutive term in 1997 and served as Provincial Minister and held the portfolios of Livestock & Dairy Development, Forest, Wildlife, Fisheries and Tourism during 1997-99. He has returned to the Punjab Assembly for the fourth term and is functioning as Speaker since April 11, 2008, having been elected unopposed as such. He has visited United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, India and France. He belongs to a noble family of politicians. His father was elected as Member for six consecutive terms, to Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan during 1965-69, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab during 1972-77, 1977, 1985-88, 1988-90 and 1990-93, and also served as Provincial Minister during 1988-90 and 1990-93. His cousin, Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan remained MNA and Parliamentary Secretary during 1990-2007. His another cousin Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan is a sitting MNA. He is an elected member from PP-184 (Kasur)

ISLAMABAD: National Traders Alliance on Wednesday said that the decision of an increase in State Bank of Pakistan’s key discount rate to 13.0 percent in the monetary policy would devastate stock trading and other businesses and result in increased unrest across country. Malik Sohail Hussain, Vice President, Quami Tajir Ittehad Pakistan and former Senior Vice President Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry said that masses are paying for slippages of Government and this practice should end before things go out of control. Read the full story

SRINAGAR: Governor N N Vohra who was administered oath of office at Raj Bhavan said it was time to forget the past and look towards future. Talking to media persons in the sidelines of the oath taking ceremony here, Vohra, in an apparent reference to the issue of transfer of State land to Amarnath shrine board said there was no need to take issues sensitive issue to the streets. He said these issues can be solved by holding discussions over them. Read the full story

QUETTA: A World Bank mission now on a visit to Balochistan for assessing pace of development over Balochistan education support programme (BESP) called on the Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi on Wednesday. The World Bank had provided twenty-two million dollars for the programme which is being implemented through Balochistan Education Foundation. Balochistan Education Foundation was set up by the Government of Balochistan in 1994 for strengthening private sector provision of education and raising the standard of education in the province. Read the full story

ISLAMABAD: Governor NWFP, Mr. Owais Ahmed Ghani called on Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior, in the Ministry of Interior on Monday. The call on was to discuss law and order situation in FATA. During the meeting with the Jirga in Peshawar, the Advisor Interior had promised to extend all possible support for the return and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from South Waziristan. The Governor gratefully acknowledged and thanked Mr. A Rehman Malik for provision of tents and food items for the IDPs. The Governor informed the Advisor Interior that due to assurances and support of the Federal Government, IDPs have already started returning to their homes and hearths. Read the full story

RAWALPINDI: Governor Punjab Salman Taseer called on President Pervez Musharraf here on Friday. The President congratulated him on assuming the charge of his new responsibilities as Governor Punjab and hoped that he would work for the development and socio-economic uplift of the people of Punjab. The Governor Punjab thanked the President for reposing confidence in him and assured the President that he would do all in his power to come up to the expectations of his countrymen.

LARKANA: Punjab new Governor Salman Taseer said on Saturday he is not against any party and he is in favour of reconciliation process which is in the interest of the country. This he said during his visit to Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto on Saturday and laid floral wreaths at the graves, the new Governor offered Fateha at the Mazars of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shaheed Mir Murtaza Bhutto, Mir Shahnawaz Bhutto and Late Ameer Begum Bhutto on the occasion. Governor Punjab while talking to the journalists at Garhi Khuda Bux Bhutto, Salman Taseer said that there is no difference between Larkana and Lahore; he has love and affections with Larkana and Lahore, while he also loved his leader Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the people of Larkana and he visited Larkana before this had meetings with Z. A Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto he said. Read the full story

LAHORE: Salman Taseer has taken oath as 27th Governor of Punjab province. Chief Justice Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Zahid Hussain administered oath to Salman Taseer at an oath taking ceremony held here at Governor House on Friday. Referring to the public mandate received by the PPP, the governor said the democratic process would be promoted in Punjab. Mr Taseer said many people had come to Punjab to loot and plunder, while the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto had won the hearts of the Punjabis. He also chanted the slogans of ‘Jeevey Bhutto’ and ‘Sada Bhutto’. Read the full story