Hafeez discusses economic ties with imf, WB leaders

WASHINGTON (Agencies) - Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has met leaders of major financial institutions during the IMF-World Bank meetings and discussed cooperation for Pakistan’s development.

He held a detailed meeting with David Lipton, who is the first deputy managing director of International Monetary Fund, and discussed various aspects of cooperation with the IMF leader, officials said.

Dr Shaikh also discussed cooperation with the WB team for Pakistan in health, education, infrastructure and economic development areas.

Earlier, the finance minister attended a meeting of Commonwealth finance ministers and spoke about collaboration within the body and its important role in training.

Dr Shaikh met Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who is chairing the annual IMF-World Bank meetings this year.

The finance minister also met his Saudi counterpart Dr Ibrahim Al Asaf and discussed trade and investment opportunities in Pakistan with him. Both ministers agreed on the need for joint ministerial commission to meet regularly to impart further vigour to bilateral relations.

The Saudi finance minister expressed his country’s interest in investment opportunities in the fields of agriculture and energy. Dr Shaikh appreciated Saudi Arabia’s support for Pakistan on numerous occasions, particularly during last year’s floods.

He also interacted with a number of business leaders and financial management experts of the US and informed them about the state of Pakistani economy and the measures the government is taking to achieve macro-economic stability and reforms in the key sectors.

The finance minister spoke about the privatisation programme and fiscal policies, saying that the government put in place an investment regime that facilitated doing business in the country.

He listed energy, oil and gas exploration, hydro projects, infrastructure and telecommunication as sectors offering vast business promise. Shaikh met representatives of Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Invesco, Goldma Sachs and TIA-CREF and apprised them of business opportunities in Pakistan.

The US business leaders expressed their interest in exploring investment opportunities in Pakistan

Kayani hits back at Mullen

ISLAMABAD - Barely a few weeks after the Pakistan’s military establishment had discovered ‘strong’ and ‘historic’ strategic ties with the US intelligence agencies, the Pak-US strategic relationship sinks deep low to touch rock-bottom following hostile statements from both the sides.

Responding to Thursday’s statement of US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen regarding Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency ISI’s involvement in recent attacks on US Embassy in Kabul, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani took ‘note’ of Mullen’s’ whimsical statements, terming them ‘very unfortunate.’

“While taking note of the recent statements made by Admiral Mullen, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff United States, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, termed these as very unfortunate and not based on facts. This is especially disturbing in view of a rather constructive meeting with Admiral Mullen in Spain. On the specific question of contacts with Haqqanis, the COAS said that Admiral Mullen knows fully well which all countries are in contact with the Haqqanis.

Singling out Pakistan is neither fair nor productive. Categorically denying the accusations of proxy war and ISI support to Haqqanis, the COAS wished that, the blame game in public statements should give way to a constructive and meaningful engagement for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan, an objective to which Pakistan is fully committed,” says an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement.

On September 5, following the arrest of Al-Qaeda’s high value terrorists Younis Al Mauritani, Abdul Ghaffar Al Shami and Messara Al Shami, the Pakistani military had gone all-out to shower unending praises over US support for Pakistan’s security and intelligence agencies. “This operation was planned and conducted with technical assistance of United States intelligence agencies with which ISI has a strong and historic intelligence relationship. Both Pakistan and US intelligence agencies continue to work closely together to enhance security of their respective nations. The intimate cooperation between Pakistan and US intelligence agencies has resulted into prevention of number of high profile terrorist acts not only inside Pakistan/US but also elsewhere in the world.”

Admiral Mullen, however, cannot see any ‘intimacy’ in this relationship and goes the other way round to accuse Pakistan of jeopardizing the Pak-US strategic relationship. In plainly threatening and stern warning signals relayed against Pakistan, Admiral Mullen has indicated of ground operations in Pakistani tribal areas if the country failed to take out Haqqanis.

In a clear reflection of gradually giving in to mounting US pressure on Pakistan, General Kayani’s statement only contained vague implied references regarding ‘all countries’ linkages with the Haqqanis instead of adopting a categorically clear stance over the issue. Renowned foreign affairs analyst and an expert on Pak-US relations Atle Hetland said Pakistan is ‘unduly’ giving in to US pressure that, according to him, is all about ‘Obama election.’ “Why Haqqani’s again? It’s all about next year’s presidential elections. Obama’s poor economic management has brought the US under debt of trillions of dollars. He of course needs some points to score but why Pakistan has to unduly give in to the Obama agenda? Pakistan needs to adopt a loud and clear stance to guard its own strategic interests,” he told this newspaper on Friday.

The Pak-US strategic ties had soared to tension after the terrorists had stormed the US Embassy and NATO headquarters on September 13. The 20-hour long siege had resulted in seven reported causalities. The DG ISI Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s stealthy and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s fruitless visits to the US could not ‘calm down’ the fumed US government and defence officials. The killing of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbni has added fuel to fire as the US suspects ISI involvement in the suicide attack that took life of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council’s head on Tuesday.

PM calls APC | Says Washington hurting feelings, 180m ready to defend motherland

KARACHI - Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday warned the US against issuing irresponsible statements and increase contacts with its indispensable ally in war on terror to remove any misunderstandings.

Talking to media persons after inaugurating three expanded berths at Karachi Port, Gilani said the Americans cannot live with us and they cannot live without us, and if they can’t live without us, they should increase contacts with Pakistan to end any misgivings.

The clear message form the prime minister that the US “cannot effectively fight the ongoing war in Afghanistan without Pakistan’s support” came in response to allegations levelled by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Admiral Mike Mullen and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta that Pakistan’s ISI is backing Haqqani group that carried out attacks on US Embassy in Kabul, and telling a Senate committee that Pakistan was “exporting violence to Afghanistan”.

PM Gilani also advised the US to avoid issuing statements unacceptable to the Pakistani people and said the US should take care of the feelings of millions of Pakistanis while commenting on important issues. Giving a blunt reply to threats issued by various US officials over the past week that they could carry out attacks inside Pakistan, Gilani said: “180 million Pakistanis will always stand to defend their motherland and its sovereignty” and no compromise will be acceptable on country’s independence and sovereignty.

The prime minister said that a stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan. “We have good relations with our neighbours and a sovereign, independent and prosperous Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest.” Pakistan was a part of solution in Afghanistan and not a part of problem, he added.

Speaking in a soft tone, Gillani said: “We want our relations with the US to be based on mutual respect and mutual interest.“ In a way of giving a wise suggestion, he said, “Our request to US would be that it should keep political space for us so that we can communicate their political importance to our people.“

Admiral Mike Mullen had testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee that Pakistan’s ISI was closely tied with the Haqqani network and had played a role in the September 13 attack on US Embassy in Kabul. He declared that the Haqqani network was a “veritable arm of the ISI”.

Meanwhile the prime minister has called an all-party conference (APC) to deliberate on the issue of strained ties with the US, and seek suggestions from all the political quarters to formulate a comprehensive policy on the nature and extent of relationship with the US

Shoaib was a problem and remains a problem: Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on Saturday ridiculed Shoaib Akhtar and his controversial autobiography, which has made several tall claims, saying that the pacer was a 'problem' when he was an active player and remains just that even in retirement.

Akram pooh-poohed Shoaib's claims of making Sachin Tendulkar uncomfortable with his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006 and also rejected some of the other allegations he has made in the book titled 'Controversially Yours'.

"I remember one of Sachin's knocks in the Sialkot Test. It was the fourth Test and the wicket had lot of grass, I was 22 and Waqar was 19 and we were very fast," Akram recalled.

"Waqar hit him on his chin and he came back after taking treatment and scored a 50. If a 16-year-old can't be scared, I don't think any batsman can be scared. It hardly matters what Shoaib says," Akram told reporters here.

Akram said Shoaib, who was a controversial figure all through his playing career, was just trying to sell his book with tall claims and also rejected allegations that he tried to destroy the tearaway pacer's career.

"Whatever the Pakistan Cricket Board says, I am with them. He was a problem when he was in the team and he is a problem when he is out of the team," Akram said.

"He knows, I know and the world knows that he was himself responsible for destroying his career. There is a lot to talk but I don't want to humiliate him. There is an unwritten code among players that some facts should not be revealed before the media," he warned.

"You guys (media) will ensure that his book is a bestseller," he said

Abdullah Haroon warns of consequences of Pakistan attack

Pakistan’s representative at the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon has warned that any US aggression on Pakistan can be counterproductive.

During an interview to an Indian TV channel, Haroon said that strain in Pak-US ties would not serve the interests of any country, adding that this even would not give any benefit to India. He said that no Pakistani was involved in the 9/11 attack but the Pakistani nation paid the highest price in the war on terror. The representative to the UN said the US must have Vietnam in mind before launching any offense against Pakistan. He further said that the issues should be resolved through dialogue and that there are no permanent friends and foes of the US in international politics