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.

Gilani may face another contempt case

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani may face yet another contempt charge in addition to the one he is already confronted with for not implementing the NRO verdict.
The apprehension was expressed by legal experts after Thursday’s proceedings by a seven-judge Supreme Court bench grappling with the issue of implementation of the NRO judgment.
The court decided to issue an appropriate order on April 16 after expressing displeasure over the response the prime minister had submitted on March 21 in which he threw the ball back to the judiciary’s court by requesting it to first settle the contempt matter and then raise the issue of implementation of the NRO verdict.
The prime minister is currently facing contempt charges for not pursuing graft cases on the pretext that he had received the advice to that effect under the normal rules of business.
The NRO judgment requires the government to revive mutual legal assistance with Switzerland by writing a letter to open money-laundering cases of $60 million in which President Asif Ali Zardari is also an accused.
On March 8, the prime minister was specifically directed by the court to disregard the advice given by the secretaries concerned and implement the directive contained in paragraphs 177 and 178 in the NRO judgment.
“The prime minister should not be looking around seeking advices instead of implementing the order,” Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan said, adding that the prime minister wanted to expose himself to another contempt proceeding.
“Are our orders to be interpreted by the secretaries and the prime minister? Does the prime minister have the authority over and above the court of law?” Justice Ijaz asked.
“Now the prime minister is aggravating the situation,” Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed. “We are afraid this is not the compliance of our earlier order of March 8,” Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, who is heading the bench, said while dictating the order.
“Since there is no compliance we will pass an appropriate order on April 16,” the order said.
As the order was passed after brief proceedings it was again dissected and interpreted as usual as legal experts began to foretell what future may hold for the prime minister this time.
“Today’s hearing clearly shows that the court is heading towards issuing another contempt notice,” said a senior counsel who wished not to be named.
However, Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood was more specific. “Not only can the Supreme Court issue a separate contempt notice, it can even appoint a commission or direct its registrar or any other senior government official to write the letter on behalf of the government to the Swiss authorities for reopening the cases.”
The appointment of the commission was also mentioned in one of the six options the court had outlined earlier, he said.
Mr Mehmood also said the prime minister in the existing contempt case did not face a serious threat because he was not hit by Article 63 (1 g) of the Constitution.
The article deals with the eligibility of candidates to contest elections and to be members of the parliament; and those who are guilty of defaming or ridiculing the judiciary or compromising the integrity or the independence of the judiciary are deemed disqualified.
At present, Mr Mehmood said, the prime minister was facing a civil contempt in which he was not accused of ridiculing the judiciary. “Therefore, prima facie this provision does not apply to this particular case,” he said. But in case a fresh contempt was issued, he added, it could be a judicial contempt which was more serious than the existing one.
And the plea that the prime minister acted on the advice given to him for not writing the letter would not be available if a new contempt was issued, he said.
While passing the fresh contempt charge, Mr Mehmood feared, the Supreme Court might also take stock of Mr Gilani’s recent public addresses, especially the one in Mailsi in which he had publicly stated that he would opt for a six-month jail term for not implementing the court orders, instead of going to the gallows for committing violation of the Constitution.
On Thursday, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq repeated before the court what the prime minister had requested in his reply asking the bench to undertake further proceedings on the NRO implementation after finalisation of the contempt case.
“Though the contempt proceedings and the implementation case are different yet the issue involved is essentially and materially the same,” the prime minister’s application said.
The prime minister’s statement that the state of Pakistan could not surrender its president for a trial by a foreign magistrate and that the issue of president’s immunity was of public concern and, therefore, should be referred to parliament was also annexed with this application.
Justice Nasir said the court wanted in black and white whether or not the prime minister had complied with the court orders and explained that the contempt case and implementation matters were altogether different issues.

Name of PM’s son figures in chemical import case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court turned down on Thursday a request by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) for withdrawal of a case against the import of a proscribed chemical — a scandal that allegedly involves the prime minister’s younger son, Ali Musa Gilani.
Musa Gilani was recently elected member of National Assembly from Multan on a seat vacated by former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after joining the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf.
Earlier, the name of the prime minister’s elder son, Abdul Qadir Gilani, had surfaced in the 2010 Haj corruption case.
A three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez, had taken up a petition moved by the regional director of ANF Islamabad.
The court ordered the ANF to submit an investigation report on out-of-turn quota for import of the raw material granted to two pharmaceutical companies by the federal health ministry allegedly under the influence of Musa Gilani.
The ANF Commander, Brig Faheem, informed the court that a quota of 9,000kg, instead of 1,000kg, had been granted to Berlex Labs International and Denis Pharmaceutical.
Commonly known as poor man’s cocaine, the chemical is also used to manufacture a medicine called ‘Ephedrine’ to cure common cold, flu and asthma.
Advocate Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi, representing the ANF, submitted before the court that Brig Faheem intended to withdraw the petition.
“Who gave you the authority to withdraw the case and under what reasons you have decided to withdraw it; something is wrong,” the chief justice suspected.
“Are you scared when you should be setting an example,” the chief justice said.
Brig Faheem said he was not scared and added that the name of Tauqir Ahmed Khan had surfaced during investigations. The man said he was personal secretary to Musa Gilani and got the quota approved by the health ministry against rules and regulations.
Brig Faheem read out a report of an inquiry committee which determined that the two pharmaceutical companies had misused the quota and allegedly sold it to smugglers, instead of using it for the medicine.
“The situation is bringing a bad name for the country as such things are happening at the official level,” the chief justice regretted.
The report said every pharmaceutical company was entitled to a quota of 500kg of the ingredient used to make Ephedrine tablet, but the health ministry had doled out a quota of 9,000kg to Berlex Labs and Denis Pharmaceutical while ignoring 20 other pharmaceutical companies.
The issue was raised in the National Assembly in 2009 and former health minister Makdoom Shahabuddin had set up a fact-finding committee.
The ANF’s investigation officer informed the court that he had issued a notice to Musa Gilani on March 12 last year to join investigation for evidence because Tauqir Khan claimed that he was private secretary to the prime minister’s son. Neither Musa Gilani nor Tauqir Khan appeared.
A letter written by Health Secretary Zafar Abbas to the ANF was also read out. It said evidence against Tauqir Ali Khan should be brought for prior approval for proceedings.
The court adjourned the matter to April 20