NICL scam investigator suspended

ISLAMABAD / LAHORE:

The government on Monday suspended Zafar Hussain Qureshi, an Additional Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency who was investigating the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) financial scam in which the elder son of federal minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is the main accused.
Mr Qureshi was reinstated in the FIA after the Supreme Court suspended on Friday the notification regarding his transfer to the National Police Foundation. The Supreme Court had ordered bringing back Mr Qureshi to the NICL investigations – the assignment from which he was removed in April this year, apparently to appease PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The PML-Q later joined the federal government in May. A preliminary inquiry has found Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, who is a member of the Punjab Assembly, involved in making money through shady deals made in the NICL.
According to the notification, signed by a deputy secretary of the interior division, Mr Qureshi was suspended for giving a television interview on Saturday. The order cited rule 9 of the Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) rules for the action.
The interior ministry asked Mr Qureshi to explain his position for giving statements in the media on July 2. But the official did not reply to the ministry’s query.
“You had been given a fair chance of rendering an explanation within 24 hours on receipt of the letter and it was made abundantly clear that failing this it shall be presumed that you have no explanation to offer and you should render yourself liable to be proceeded against under the rules,” the order said.
The interior ministry also accused Mr Qureshi of releasing the content of the letter to the media and termed his action a “sheer violation” of the provisions of Rules 18 and 22 of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1964.
Although the PPP government has repeatedly dithered on decisions of the Supreme Court, the suspension of Mr Qureshi could set off a head-on collision between the executive and the judiciary. “The issue has the potential to upset the judiciary,” commented an analyst.
According to sources in the prime minister’s secretariat, the decision to suspend Mr Qureshi was taken after a meeting earlier during the day between the prime minister and the Chaudhrys. Interior Minister Rehman Malik attended the meeting, too.
According to the sources, the government had assured PML-Q leaders that it would help secure the release of Mr Moonis Elahi once the party joined the ruling coalition.
Soon after his reinstatement as additional director general of FIA on Saturday, Mr Qureshi had written a letter to his boss – Director General Tahseen Anwar Shah – to restore the four officials of his team to their previous position (in Lahore) for their
‘utility’ in the NICL scam. These officers were: deputy director Javed Shah, assistant directors Mohammad Ahmed and Khalid Anees, and inspector Muhammad Sarwar.
The letter said: “The transfer of the officials in question is tantamount to violation of the Supreme Court’s orders. It shows mala fide intention and aims at creating hurdles in the investigation of the scam.”
BOSSES HIT BACK: According to sources, this letter annoyed Mr Qureshi’s bosses in the interior ministry who eventually struck back by getting him suspended.
Earlier, despite the Supreme Court’s rulings, Prime Minister Gilani had refused to reappoint Mr Qureshi as an investigation
officer into the NICL scam. The secretaries of the establishment and interior divisions, as well as the principal secretary to the prime minister, were served contempt of court notices for not complying with the court’s orders.
On July 1, the Supreme Court ordered cancellation of the transfer orders of Mr Qureshi from FIA to the National Police Foundation and directed him to complete the investigations into NICL scam.
The Supreme Court, in its July 1 decision, had described the progress made by Mr Qureshi as head of investigation into the NICL scam as remarkable, saying that an officer who had shown professionalism by bringing back looted money should not have been punished by taking him off the investigation.
In its order the bench also noted the government had acknowledged Mr Qureshi was an honest officer. He was able to bring back a huge amount of Rs1.74 billion, the bench observed.
Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq admitted that Mr Qureshi was an honest officer and had carried out the investigation
properly and successfully.
After suspending the notification, the court ordered the Director General of FIA to extend all assistance to Zafar Qureshi for investigating the cases registered in Lahore over the NICL scam.
According to sources, Interior Minister Rehman Malik had a meeting with him in Islamabad on Sunday and asked him to be ‘cooperative’.
Mr Qureshi’s work had led to the arrest of Moonis Elahi and he had Federal Commerce Minister Amin Fahim in his sights, too, over allegations that he had received Rs200 million in the NICL land deal in Dubai.

Mr Moonis has already been indicted after a challan submitted to the banking court. Amin Fahim’s case is pending with the Karachi wing of the FIA.

NICL case: SC declares Zafar Qureshi suspension 'null & void'

ISLAMABAD:
Supreme Court (SC) has declared suspension of investigation officer in NICL scandal case Zafar Qureshi as 'null and void', Geo News reported on Monday.
Three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaurdhary while hearing the case declared suspension notification of Zafar Qureshi as null and void and ordered his restoration on the same post.
Justice Shakirullah Jan announced the verdict reserved in suspension of Zafar Qureshi case.
The court has also constituted a commission headed by Justice Ghulam Rabbani to investigate into political interference in the case besides anti-judiciary campaign in media. It also ordered Secretary Establishment and Home Secretary to extend cooperation to the commission.
The court had ordered restoration of Zafar Qureshi as investigation office in NICL scandal case on July 01.
It may be noted here that the government had suspended Qureshi on the next day on the charges of issuing statements in media.
Meanwhile, the court has directed Zafar Qureshi to bring looted money back by investigating at the earliest. The SC has also ordered DG FIA for not intervening Qureshi's work.

PML-N’s testing time at Punjab Assembly

LAHORE:

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, one federating unit, Punjab, is facing a unique situation regarding the creation of a new province, since the opposition has submitted a resolution to initiate the subject at the largest provincial legislative house, which will be seeing the daylight on August 11, when the Punjab Assembly meets for its 29th session.

Political analysts are of the considered opinion that now it will be the test of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s political acumen and pragmatism, and provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s constitutional wisdom. However, it is yet to be seen how they respond to a ‘unique’ move. Also, it remains to be seen whether the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s resolution is technically knocked out during the business committee meeting on the given day or it is placed before the House for debate, followed by voting.

The speaker has the authority to say no to the resolution and deny making it part of the agenda under the pretext of ‘public interest’. If he does so, even then the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will be exposed for being against the idea of new province. If he allows, and reaches the stage of voting, and the N-League opposes it, the party will be on the slippery pitch again.

The reason for the resolution is to put the PML-N to test since the PPP-PML-Q duo knows very well that it does not have the mandatory two-thirds majority in the assembly.

Certainly, whatever Punjab legislators are going to decide, it will have a lasting impact on the next general elections, which are not too far in the future even if the current assemblies complete their constitutional term.

Also, a huge pressure is mounting on the provincial legislators, to the likes of Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood, Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari and others, since they will be closely watched by all and sundry across the province, whether they would rise above their party affiliations, and address the issue, which they have kept close to their hearts since long. Also their electorate will be watching them whom they have many a time fed on the sloganeering regarding the creation of a province. However, it is believed that MPs from southern Punjab would outplay their colleagues from the rest of Punjab in delivering sermons and dishing out advices enumerating benefits of one more province.

To some experts, passing of the resolution from the Punjab Assembly is not doable, and even if the first stage is completed after constitutional requirement of doing it with two-thirds majority is actualised, it will open many fronts leading to further divisions of provinces on either linguistic or ethnic basis, which nobody will ever envy.

Political pundits maintain that the ruling party of the province, PML-N, in its heart of hearts does not want a new province since it will lead to divide its own strength as well as resources, while lesser is believed to be pouring in from southern Punjab, except in the form of raw material. No-one has answered the question, “Which part pays more taxes?” Similarly, the PPP, which is deemed to be playing a political card to make the N-League cripple under pressure and lose ballot, does not intend to complete the move since Sindh would also stand divided into Sindhi and non-Sindhi at some point of time, if not now. One part will have majority of the Urdu-speaking and Pashtuns with Sindhis in minority, while in the second, the situation will be reversed with certain other elements coming to the fore. Also, other provinces will demand the same division. Already, the Hazarites of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are demanding Hazara as a new province, while Balochs are for separating Pashtuns from them after dividing Balochistan.

The constitutional experts believe that if the Punjab Assembly passes a resolution, and other mandatory steps are actualised, then Punjab would have 40 seats in the Senate, while the other province would have 25 each. This would create more bitterness among the other federating units, who have been repeatedly alleging Punjab of dominating other parts of the country.

Nevertheless, the PML-N is sitting on a hot seat, and PPP’s political move, which is primarily aimed at denting its adversary’s vote bank and eroding its credibility, is so far gaining moss, and has successfully diverted people’s attention from other pressing issues of huge importance.

‘US has plan to seize Pak nuclear weapons’

NEW YORK.

The fact that the US has a contingency plan to seize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons – if it feared they were about to fall into the wrong hands – if is no longer a secret, a major American television network says.

“It is no secret that the United States has a plan to try to grab Pakistan’s nuclear weapons – if and when the (US) president believes they are a threat to either the US or US interests,” NBC reported.

“As US-Pakistani relations spiral downward, the spectre of a showdown between the increasingly antagonistic allies is garnering more attention, including the worst-case scenario of the US attempting to snatch Pakistan’s 100-plus nuclear weapons if it feared they were about to fall into the wrong hands,” the report said.

It added that ensuring security of those weapons has long been a high US security priority even before 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The NBC said, “There were increasing suspicions among US officials that Osama had support within the ISI and the Abbottabad operation had emboldened those in Washington who believe an orchestrated campaign of raids to secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could succeed.”

“In the aftermath of the bin Laden raid, US military officials have testified before Congress about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the threat posed by loose nukes – nuclear weapons or materials outside the government’s control. And earlier Pentagon reports also outline scenarios in which US forces would intervene to secure nuclear weapons that were in danger of falling into the wrong hands.” In an interview with NBC News, former president Pervez Musharraf warned that a snatch-and-grab operation would lead to all-out war between the countries, calling it total confrontation by the whole nation against whoever comes in. “These are assets which are the pride of Pakistan, assets which are dispersed and very secure in very secure places, guarded by a corps of 18,000 soldiers,” said Musharraf.

“This is not an army which doesn’t know how to fight. This is an army which has fought three wars. Please understand that,” he said.

Pervez Hoodboy too says a US attempt to take control of Pakistan’s nukes would be foolhardy. “They are said to be hidden in tunnels under mountains, in cities, as well as regular air force and army bases,” he said. “A US snatch operation could trigger war; it should never be attempted.”

Despite such comments, interviews with current and former US officials, military reports and even congressional testimony indicate that Pakistan’s weaponry has been the subject of continuing discussions, scenarios, war games and possibly even military exercises by US intelligence and special forces regarding so-called “snatch-and-grab” operations

PM approves to de-notify PCO judges

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani has approved the summary for de-notifying the PCO judges, Geo News reported.
The PCO judges included: Justices Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi, Hasnat Ahmed Khan, Syed Hamid Ali Shah, Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah of Lahore High Court and Ms Yasmeen Abbasey of Sindh High Court.
The Supreme Court had given the deadline August 9 for the government to de-notify the PCO judges.
PM House spokesperson said that the government respects the decision of the courts, its implementation would be assured by all means and the conspiracies to confront the institutions would be foiled

Nato investigates deadly Afghan helicopter crash

KABUL: Foreign forces in Afghanistan were investigating on Sunday the crash of a helicopter believed to have been shot down, killing 30 US soldiers, seven Afghans and an interpreter in the deadliest single incident for foreign troops in a decade of war.
The Taliban quickly claimed to have shot down the troop-carrying helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, although the militant group often exaggerates incidents involving foreign troops or Afghan government targets.
In Washington, a US official said the helicopter was believed to have been shot down. The Pentagon and the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said overnight the cause of the crash was being investigated.
The crash and its high death toll occurred two weeks after foreign forces started a security handover to Afghan troops and police – to be completed by the end of 2014 – and at a time of growing unease about the increasingly unpopular and costly war.
The Chinook crashed in central Maidan Wardak province, just west of the country’s capital Kabul, on Friday night.
“No words describe the sorrow we feel in the wake of this tragic loss,” General John Allen, who took over from General David Petraeus three weeks ago as ISAF commander, said in a statement released overnight.
“All of those killed in this operation were true heroes who had already given so much in the defense of freedom.”
A US official said some of the dead Americans were members of the Navy’s special forces SEAL Team 6 – the unit that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May in Pakistan, but that none of the dead had been part of the bin Laden raid.
The crash was the deadliest single incident for US troops in Afghanistan, ISAF said.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement on Saturday that the United States would “stay the course” to complete the mission in Afghanistan, a sentiment echoed by Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The crash will likely raise more questions about the security transition and how much longer troops should stay. All foreign combat troops are due to leave by the end of 2014, but some US lawmakers question whether that is fast enough.
US and other Nato commanders have claimed success in reversing a growing insurgency in the Taliban’s southern heartland, although insurgents have demonstrated an ability to adapt their tactics and mount attacks in other areas.
But violence is at its worst in Afghanistan since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001, with high levels of foreign troop deaths, and record civilian casualties during the first six months of 2011.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai “shared his deep sorrow and sadness” with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, and the families of the victims, his palace said on Saturday.
Last year was the deadliest of the war for foreign troops in Afghanistan with 711 killed.

The crash in Maidan Wardak means at least 375 foreign troops have been killed so far in 2011. More than two-thirds were American, according to independent monitor www.icasualties.com and figures kept by Reuters.

PPP and MQM clinch deal on LG system

KARACHI: Barring minor differences that might arise during the course of talks, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was all set to rejoin the coalition led by the Pakistan People’s Party on Saturday night after hectic consultations first in Islamabad and then at the Governor’s House in Karachi.

In late night development, the commissioner system in Karachi and Hyderabad was rolled back and the old status of the districts prior to the introduction of the commissioner system was restored. In this context two ordinances were issued.
Announcing details of the agreements reached at the Governor’s House in the presence of Governor Ibad and Chief Minister Shah, Mr Awan unfolded the decisions.
Accordingly it was decided that Karachi and Hyderabad districts will be excluded from the application of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2011. It was also agreed that the police act revived recently should continue.
The two parties — with the MQM represented by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and the PPP by former law minister Babar Awan and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah — thrashed out a formula for the rural and urban areas of the province.
At times marred by differences, the talks at the Governor’s House were a follow-up to a meeting held in Islamabad between Dr Ibad and PPP’s troubleshooter and former law minister Babar Awan earlier in the day to sort out differences between the two parties.
Mr Ibad flew to Islamabad on Friday to hold a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in which the trade-offs for an accommodation were discussed. Mr Awan flew to Karachi along with Governor Ibad after their meeting.
The meeting was aimed at finalising a legal draft for accommodating MQM’s demand for the restoration of district governments in Karachi and Hyderabad.
But before making it public, concurrence of President Zardari and MQM chief Altaf Hussain in London was being sought.
Television channels reported that Dr Ibad had a late-night conversation with Mr Hussain over the phone during which the MQM chief was briefed on the final shape of the ordinance being drafted to restore the local government system.
The governor had yet to sign the ordinance by the time we went to press. As the talks continued at the Governor’s House, provincial ministers like Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani and Revenue Minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dhar joined the participants of the meeting.
Top bureaucrats like the Karachi commissioner and the law secretary also attended the meeting.
The Muttahida is not willing to let anyone eat into its power base in Karachi and Hyderabad and has taken a hard line against the government’s move to revive the commissioner system in Sindh.
It has opposed the termination of city district governments established under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance of 2001.
The Muttahida said that although it was against the commissioner system, it would suggest making it akin to the SLGO through amendments.
At a recent high-level meeting, the Sindh chief minister had hinted at accommodating the MQM’s demand, but made it clear that any amendment to the Local Government Law of 1979 would not lead to restoration of city district governments.
The major headache for the government is that it cannot afford to have two systems of the third-tier of government because it will institutionalise the rural-urban divide.
The PPP will find it hard to make the arrangement palatable to its supporters in the interior of Sindh.
A number of PPP leaders and activists were of the view that such a decision would lay the foundation of partition of Sindh which no one could accept.
Meanwhile, the Awami National Party’s Sindh chapter has opposed the reported move for a separate local government system for Karachi and Hyderabad and termed it depriving the people of the province of their rights.
The ANP said that restoration of the old system of Nazims would amount to a conspiracy against the people of Sindh. However, it welcomed the inclusion of Shaheed Benazirabad district in Hyderabad division and supported the call for creating a separate district for Lyari.
Iftikhar A. Khan adds from Islamabad: The meeting between Dr Ibad and Mr Awan agreed to stop trading charges against each other, create political harmony and jointly work for peace in Karachi.
Sources told Dawn that the two sides had discussed a new local government law for Karachi and Hyderabad, adding that the PPP had softened its stance on the local government system in Sindh.
The commissioner system was revived in Karachi after the MQM parted ways with the government. The move evoked a strong reaction from the MQM which described its revival as a conspiracy to divide Urdu- and Sindhi-speaking people of the province.
The sources said the PPP was against the revival of the old local government system, but had shown flexibility on the issue and efforts were on to find a middle path.
They said the proposed draft law was ready and its legal aspects were being discussed now, adding that the law would initially apply in Karachi and Hyderabad.
The sources said the two sides had agreed on an across-the-board action against criminal elements to ensure peace in violence-hit Karachi.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Governor Ibad said that political and administrative steps would be taken for harmony and stability in Karachi and the rest of the country.
He said the country was suffering because of political turbulence and steps would be taken to protect the country and its institutions. He was of the opinion that criminal elements were taking advantage of political differences to destabilise Karachi.
Mr Awan said President Zardari and MQM chief Altaf Hussain were working to strengthen democratic institutions and dialogue would be initiated to stop the blame game. All issues would be tackled with sincerity and the path of dialogue would be followed to move forward.
The PPP leader said the issue of return of the MQM to the government fold was not discussed. The meeting focussed on political and administrative matters.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called PML (Functional) chief Pir Pagara on Saturday and apprised him of the ongoing negotiations between the government and the MQM.
The prime minister said the government would pursue its policy of reconciliation to protect democracy.
He said the MQM had been a government’s ally and supported it on several important occasions, especially during the passage of the 18th Amendment