SC reserves verdict in PM contempt case

ISLAMABAD: A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict in the contempt of court case against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, DawnNews reported.

The verdict would be announced on Thursday and the prime minister has also been summoned for the occasion.

“The court will announce judgment in the case on Thursday (April 26)”, the prime minister’s counsel, Aitzaz Ahsan, told reporters in Islamabad.

Asked if the prime minister will appear in person, he said: “I will inform him about it today and he will, God willing, come to the court.”

Ahsan said he was hopeful the judges would acquit his client.

Earlier during Tuesday’s hearing, newly-appointed Attorney General Pakistan Irfan Qadir claimed that no law addressing contempt of court existed in Pakistan.

Qadir made the claim while presenting his arguments in the contempt of court case.

He further said that a contempt of court ordinance was promulgated in the country in July 2003 but that it had expired in December 2003.

The attorney general moreover said that it was the prosecution’s duty to ensure that no one innocent was penalised.

The attorney general said that no evidence existed against the premier and nor would writing the letter to Swiss authorities have led to reopening of cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Qadir further said that the apex court did not directly order Prime Minister Gilani to write to authorities in Switzerland.

He also said that a section of the media was misreporting the details of the case and was creating misunderstandings between the government and the judiciary.

Moreover, the premier’s counsel said that the court should not insist on writing to Swiss authorities as that would undermine the federation.

Ahsan said the president symbolised the federation and was also the armed forces’ supreme commander.

“This is why while Asif Zardari is the president, the court should not insist on writing the letter and absolve the prime minister of the charge levelled against him,” Ahsan said.

Prime Minister Gilani was charged with contempt of court on Feb 13 over the government’s two-year refusal to write to authorities in Switzerland asking them to re-open corruption cases against President Zardari.

A guilty verdict could result in Yousuf Raza Gilani losing his job and serving up to six months in prison.

Plane crash near Chaklala kills 127: Defence Ministry

 Rescue workers and local residents search the site of a plane crash in Rawalpindi on Friday

ISLAMABAD: A passenger plane of Bhoja Airline on Friday crashed near Chaklala airbase due to bad weather, killing all 127 people on-board, Defence Ministry announced.
Private television channels reported that all hospitals in Islamabad and the nearby city of Rawalpindi had been put on high alert after the crash.
The Boeing 737 was carrying 127 passengers including crew from Karachi and was destined for Islamabad, according to initial reports by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA.)
Witnesses close to the Bahria Town residential complex near the airport say emergency vehicles can be seen in the area.
A violent rain and wind storm was lashing parts of the capital around the same time as the crash, said an aviation official, adding lightening might have caused the plane to catch fire.
AFP adds: Saifur Rehman, an official from the police rescue team said the plane came down in Hussain Abad village, about three kilometres (two miles) from the main Islamabad highway.
“Fire erupted after the crash. The wreckage is on fire, the plane is completely destroyed. We have come with teams of firefighters and searchlights and more rescuers are coming,” Rehman told a private television channel.
“There is no chance of any survivors. It will be only a miracle. The plane is totally destroyed,” police officer Fazle Akbar said.
An airport source said that flight number B4-213 of Bhoja Airline was due to land at Islamabad airport at 6:50 pm (1350 GMT) but lost contact with the control tower at 6:40 pm and crashed shortly afterwards before reaching the runway.
Plane crashes are relatively rare in Pakistan, where inter-city travel is most efficient by air.
In July 2010, an Airbus 321 passenger jet operated by the private airline Airblue crashed into hills overlooking Islamabad while coming in to land after a flight from Karachi, killing 152 people on boar

استنبول: ایرانی جوہری پروگرام پر مذاکرات

یران کے جوہری پروگرام پر مذاکرات کے لیے دنیا کے چھ بڑے ممالک ترکی میں جمع ہو رہے ہیں۔

امریکہ، برطانیہ، فرانس، چین، روس اور جرمنی کے حکام ان مذاکرات میں شرکت کریں گے اور انہیں ہے کہ ان مذاکرات سے علاقے میں بڑھتے تناؤ کو روکا جا سکے گا۔
اسی بارے میں


دوسری جانب ایران کا کہنا ہے کہ اس کا جوہری پروگرام پر امن ہے تاہم ناقدین کا کہنا ہے کہ ایران جوہری ہتھیار بنانے کے لیے کوشاں ہے۔

اسرائیل نے گزشتہ مہینوں کے دوران اس بات کے اشارے دیے تھے کہ وہ ایران کو جوہری ہتھیار بنانے سے روکنے کے لیے اس پر حملہ کر سکتاہے۔

ایرانی صدر احمدنژاد نے جمعرات کو کہا تھا کہ ان کا مللک اپنے بنیادی حقوق پر سمجھوتا نہیں کرئے گا چاہیے اس پر کتنا ہی دباؤ کیوں نہ ڈالا جائے۔

ترکی کے شہر استنبول میں ہونے والے ان مذاکرات میں زیادہ پیش رفت متوقع نہیں تاہم امید ہے کہ اس سے بات چیت کا عمل دوبارہ شروع ہو جائے گا اور تناؤ میں کمی آئے گی۔

مغربی ممالک نے ایران پر زور دیا ہے کہ وہ ان مذاکرات میں سنجیدگی کے ساتھ شرکت کرئے جبکہ امریکی صدر باراک اوباما نے اسے سفارتکاری کا آخری موقع قرار دیا ہے۔

دوسری جانب روس کا کہنا ہے کہ یہ مذاکرات تعمیراتی ہونے چاہیئیں۔

امریکی وزیرِ خارجہ ہلیری کلنٹن نے کہا ہے کہ ایران کو واضح طور اپنے اقدامات سے ثابت کرنا ہوگا کہ وہ مغربی ممالک کی توقعات پر پورا اترئے۔

ایسی اطلاعات بھی ہیں کہ مذاکرات کامیابی کی صورت میں ایران کے خلاف عائد سخت ترین پابندیوں میں کمی کی جا سکتی ہے۔

ان مذاکرات کا گزشتہ دور جنوری سنہ دو ہزار گیارہ میں ہوا تھا تاہم کسی بھی جانب سے اتفاق رائے نہ پیدا ہونے کی وجہ سے مذاکرات روک دیے گئے تھے۔

اسرائیل جوہری ہتھیاروں سے آراستہ ایران کو اپنی سالمیت کے لیے خطرہ مانتا ہے اور اس کا مؤقف ہے کہ سفارتی حل کا وقت ختم ہوتا جا رہا ہے۔

ادھر امریکی صدر بارک اوباما نے جنگ کے بارے میں احتیاط برتنے کی تنبیہ دی ہے تاہم انہوں نے اس بات پر بھی زور دیا ہے کہ عالمی برادری کے لیے سارے ممکنہ راستے ک

Icy killing fields of Siachen, ‘world’s highest battleground’

An army helicopter flies over the Siachen Glacier on Pakistan-India border.

ISLAMABAD: The disputed Siachen glacier, where an avalanche hit early Saturday, is billed as the world’s highest combat zone, but atrocious weather conditions have claimed more lives than actual fighting.
The 77-kilometre-long glacier traverses the Line of Control, the de facto border separating Indian- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, at a height of over 6,300 metres.
Combat between the nuclear-armed foes has claimed few lives but frostbite, avalanches and driving blizzards, which can sweep men into crevasses, are deadly for the thousands of soldiers deployed there.
Winter temperatures plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius with blizzards gusting at speeds of 160 kilometres per hour.
India in 1984 occupied the key areas on the glacier, including the heights, and Pakistan immediately responded by deploying its own forces. They fought a fierce battle in 1987, raising fears of all-out conflict.
New Delhi says it cannot withdraw its troops from the glacier until Islamabad recognises its troop positions, fearing Pakistan will move its soldiers forward in the event of an Indian pull-out.
Experts have said there are some Indian 5,000 troops on the glacier while Pakistan has less than half that number, but there are no recent estimates.
Islamabad says the presence of Indians on the glacier threatens a strategic Sino-Pakistani highway located 180 kilometres away.
Early on Saturday, an avalanche smashed into a remote Pakistan army camp on the glacier, burying alive at least 100 soldiers. Troops were frantically trying to find signs of life in the deep snow.
Most of the time on Siachen, the bad weather prevents any troop movement and despite the heavy deployment, clashes are generally low-level skirmishes involving a few dozen troops.
Since both sides deployed troops on Siachen, casualties from sporadic clashes have not exceeded 150 on either side.
Maintaining a military presence on remote Siachen exerts a heavy financial toll.
India reportedly spends more than 40 million rupees daily on its Siachen deployment — a figure that does not include additional wages and bonuses.
All Indian soldiers who complete a tour of duty on the glacier are awarded the “Siachen Pin” as a mark of fortitude.
The Kashmir region — of which Siachen is a part — is divided between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in full. It has triggered two of the three wars between the neighbours since 1947.
Siachen is close to four of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres — K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II — all of which are on the Pakistani side of the frontline

Avalanche traps over 100 Pakistani soldiers

Singh accepts Zardari’s invitation to visit Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari, center, and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, right, wave as India's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, second right, looks on during their welcoming in New Delhi, India, Sunday, April 8, 2012.


NEW DELHI: President Asif Ali Zardari has returned home after concluding his one-day trip to India on Sunday, describing it as “very fruitful” in improving ties between the two countries.
During a visit billed as private but of great diplomatic significance, Zardari lunched with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and invited him to visit Pakistan.
The meeting has received a cautious welcome from analysts who see it as another sign of improving relations between the neighbours.
“We have had some very fruitful bilateral talks together,” Zardari said at a joint news conference during the first presidential trip to India since Pervez Musharraf visited seven years ago.
“We would like to have better relations with India. We spoke on all topics that we could,” added Zardari, who is accompanied by a large 40 member delegation including Interior Minister Rehman Malik and 25 members of his family, including his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and daughters Asifa and Bakhtawar.
On his first visit to India, Bilawal stood behind the leaders in a sign of his growing role in politics.
The lunch —with kebabs and curries from all over India, including the disputed region of Kashmir —was preceded by a 40-minute private conversation between the two leaders.
“I am very satisfied with the outcome of this visit,” Singh told reporters.
“President Zardari has invited me to visit Pakistan and I’d be very happy to visit Pakistan at a mutually convenient date.”
He stressed that relations between the countries “should become normal. That is our common desire.”
Analysts expected little progress on Sunday on sensitive topics such as Kashmir or the presence of anti-India militant groups in Pakistan.
Both were discussed, along with “the activities of Hafiz Saeed” and ways to increase trade between the countries, India’s Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters.
“Both felt that we need to move forward step by step,” Mathai said of the talks between the leaders, which will be followed by meetings between home and trade ministers in the coming months.
He said Singh offered Zardari India’s help in finding Pakistani soldiers and civilians engulfed by an avalanche on Saturday near the 6,000-metre-high (18,500-foot) Siachen glacier in Kashmir – known as the world’s highest battlefield.
Zardari thanked Singh but did not immediately respond to the offer to help rescue teams, backed by helicopters and sniffer dogs combing an area one-km (half a mile) wide with snow up to 80 feet (25 metres) deep.
SHRINE VISIT
The president later visited a Sufi shrine in the town of Ajmer, 350 kilometres (220 miles) southwest of New Delhi, where he viewed the renowned complex of mosques built around a tomb commemorating a saint who died in 1236.
Both President Zardari and his son laid ‘chadars’ at the shrine and offered prayers.
He also donated $1 million for the holy shrine, Indian media reported.
“The soulful happiness that I have experienced at this holy place is beyond explanation. I pray to Allah to make life easy for the entire humanity,” Zardari wrote in a diary at the shrine.

NAB freezes assets, puts prominent figures on ECL

The National Accountability Bureau has frozen the assets and put on the ECL a number of prominent politicians

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has frozen the assets of 19 individuals accused in the Rental Power Projects case and placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) a number of prominent figures.
Among those placed on the ECL includes Liaquat Jatoi, former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and former minister for water and power Raja Pervez Ashraf.
The Supreme Court had declared at least six RPPs contracts as illegal. The Chief Justice Iftikar Muhammad Chaudhary had said that legal proceedings should start against all those involved in the RPPs case.