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| Musharraf resignation |
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
PPP, JUI-F welcome, PTI, JI want more to be done
PPP leaders term change in command Benazir’s victory
KARACHI: Though PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, JUI-F President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and a few other opposition leaders on Wednesday welcomed President Pervez Musharraf’s resignation from the Army, others showed their dissatisfaction saying all illegal steps taken by the military ruler should be reversed to put the country on the road to real democracy.
BENAZIR BHUTTO: Former premier Benazir Bhutto said she was in no hurry to accept him as a civilian leader. “We welcome President Pervez Musharraf taking off his uniform and quitting the Army as one of our key demands,” Bhutto told reporters in Karachi. “We are not in a hurry to accept Pervez Musharraf as a civilian president. We’ll take any decision in this regard after detailed deliberations keeping in view all the aspects involved.”
Welcoming the change of army command with President Pervez Musharraf’s decision of doffing his uniform, the Pakistan People’s Party on Wednesday termed it a strategic victory of the party and its Chairperson Benazir Bhutto. “Today is the day of rejoicing for all the democratic forces of the country who were struggling against the dictatorship in the country and it was proved that every dictator has to bow down before the will of the people,” said PPP Secretary General Raja Pervez Ashraf, Finance Secretary Dr Babar Awan and Media Coordinator Nazir Dhoki while addressing a joint press conference.
PPP leaders in Lahore claimed President Musharraf doffed his military uniform owing to their party’s successful strategy as it helped exert international pressure on the general. However, there was a visible difference of opinion regarding PPP’s attitude towards the future of general-turned-civilian president and the party’s approach.
YOUSAF RAZA GILLANI: Commenting on the stepping down of President Musharraf as the army chief, PPP Vice Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani said the PPP had not supported the election of General Musharraf, and at the same time, always demanded that he should resign as the army chief. “Then we urged the international community to exert pressure on the general to quit his army post, and our strategy remained successful,” he added. However, to a question about accepting Musharraf as a legitimate head of state after the elections, Gillani said that was a non-issue for the PPP right now. “The country is still under Musharraf’s martial law and other issues remain to be resolved,” he said, adding that the PPP wanted lifting of the emergency rule and restoration of an independent judiciary in the country.
REHMAN MALIK: Benazir’s close aide and member federal council Rehman Malik appreciated the decision of President Musharraf to doff uniform. “Musharraf has shown courage by doffing his uniform,” he said. Asked whether Musharraf was acceptable to the PPP as the president for the next five years, Malik said: “Of course, there shouldn’t be any objection.”
RAZA RABBANI: PPP leader and former Senator Raza Rabbani termed the decision too little, too late. “This does not show that elections will be fair and free unless emergency is lifted, PCO is reverted, and deposed judges are reinstated,” Rabbani said adding that people’s struggle would continue against Musharraf. He said the people had given a unanimous decision that with or without uniform, Musharraf was not acceptable to the nation.
SHAH MAHMOOD QURESHI: PPP Punjab President Shah Mahmood Qureshi attributed doffing of uniform to PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s return to the country. He said all political parties including the MMA had failed to force Musharraf to take off uniform. But Ms Bhutto accomplished this task in only one month.
IMRAN KHAN: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan has said President Musharraf should be charged with treason as he had confessed to violating the Constitution on Nov 3, after imposing the emergency rule.
Talking to The News Wednesday, he said Musharraf had nothing to offer and he was unacceptable with or without uniform. Imran rejected Musharraf’s claim of moving towards a democratic set-up, and accused him of destroying the judiciary of the country and other institutions. He said the PTI stood by its demand for restoration of the judiciary and nothing less would be acceptable to him or his party.
Majority of the MMA leaders said mere removing military uniform by Musharraf would never bring about any real change, unless all dictatorial and anti-Islam policies were reversed. They said restoring the Constitution and the judiciary to their pre-Nov 3 status should have been a priority to transform the country from a military dictatorship to a civilian rule.
QAZI HUSSAIN AHMAD: MMA President and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad said removing only the military uniform would not serve the purpose and Musharraf should reverse all steps and measures he took as a military ruler. Qazi said our basic demand was that all the extra-constitutional measures of General Musharraf should be reversed and foreign dictated policies should be changed to bring the civilian rule back, in reality. Or, at least, he said, the situation of country before November 3 must be restored. He said Musharraf had damaged the national institutions by imposing Washington-dictated anti-Islam policies over the last eight years.
SAJID MIR: MMA vice-president and Jamiat Ahle Hadith president Senator Sajid Mir termed the removal of uniform an initial success of the opposition parties. He said the removal of uniform was a political defeat of those elements who had been raising slogans of electing Musharraf in military uniform for ten more times. However, he said mere removing uniform and not changing the American-dictated and anti-Islam policies would bring no real change.
FAZLUR REHMAN: MMA Secretary General and JUI-F President Maulana Fazlur Rehman welcomed the gesture shown by Gen Musharraf and termed it a step towards betterment of the country.
Talking to The News, he said he sincerely hoped that Musharraf should solve other problems which were hindering the complete transformation of country from a military dictatorship to a civilian rule, like lifting of emergency rule, restoration of the Constitution, restoration of judiciary including the reinstatement of chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and other judges, who were sacked for not taking oath under the PCO.
MMA leader and JUP secretary general Qari Zawwar Bahadur and Engr Salimullah Khan said Musharraf must end all anti-Islam policies in the country to give way to a real civilian rule in the country.
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Three killed as Sh Rashid escapes attempt on life
By Shakeel Anjum
RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and a candidate for NA-55 (Rawalpindi) by-election Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was wounded, while three people — a guard and two party workers — were killed when four gunmen more |
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12 soldiers killed in South Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Twelve soldiers embraced martyrdom while two others were injured in a clash with militants during the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency (SWA), the ISPR said on Monday.
S more |
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Plan to attack five-star hotel foiled
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The CIA police here on Monday claimed to have foiled an attack on Americans staying at a five-star hotel and arrested six terrorists, including a suicide bomber.
Addressing a press conference, SS more |
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Govt taking court for a ride
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: She fought her case in the media. She won her battle in the judicial forum too. But still the government is bent on making an example out of her for refusing to follow the illegal dictates of her min more |
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Pakistan against arms race: Gilani
By Azeem Samar
KARACHI: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said Pakistan does not want to be engaged in an arms race with any country.
Speaking as chief guest at the induction ceremony of second Chinese-m more |
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Punjab-Sindh water row Centre’s intervention sought
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Tension between Punjab and Sindh over opening of the Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Punjnad link canals has touched a new high as the former has sought the Centre’s intervention.
The Punjab has sai more |
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French, Dutch fight over giving LNG to Pakistan
By Khalid Mustafa
ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and his team is all set to thwart the attempt of an unscrupulous combine of oil industry heavyweights and some functionaries of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Re more |
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Nine killed as no let-up in rains
By Nisar Mahmood
PESHAWAR: Nine people were killed and scores of others injured as heavy rains and snowfall lashed various parts of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.
Reports from the Shangla district more |
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Malik orders NUML closure as protest enters 5ht day
ISLAMABAD: The protest of the students of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) against thrashing of Professor Malik Tahir by Registrar Brigadier (R) Obaidullah Ranjha entered its fifth consecutive more |
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Malik insists no Blackwater in Pakistan
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik while responding to an accusation from a PML-N parliamentarian told the National Assembly that Blackwater was not providing security to the president and the prime mini more |
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FBR gets list of properties rented out to foreigners
By Hanif Khalid
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received list of properties from Foreign Office, which were in use of foreigners in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore, but these were not shown in annual tax more |
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Repealing of 17th Amendment
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has begun efforts to create consensus on repealing the 17th Amendment before presidential address to the joint sitting of the parliament.
The prime minis more |
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Three suspects held in Mohmand
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: The security forces arrested three suspected persons during search operation in Safi subdivision of Mohmand Agency, official sources said Monday. The sources said the security forces carried out sear more |
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No presence of Blackwater, DynCorp in Pakistan, NA body told
ISLAMABAD: Secretary Interior Qamar Zaman again negated on Monday the presence of Blackwater, DynCorp or any other foreign security agency in the country. “Neither the Blackwater and the DynCorp nor any other s more |
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Govt urged to take up water issue with India
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat while urging the government to take up the issue of ‘water terrorism’ with New Delhi, has question more |
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Avalanche kills 17 Indian soldiers in held Kashmir
HELD SRINAGAR: Seventeen Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in an avalanche that slammed into a group of 70 combat troops at a high-altitude warfare training camp in Kashmir, the army said on Monday.
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Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
KANDAHAR: The Nato commanders urged the Taliban to surrender as troops dug in on Monday for a major assault on their key stronghold in southern Afghanistan, sending thousands of residents fleeing.
The Ta more |
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Plea to freeze foreign accounts
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the federal government to submit a reply within four weeks on a petition seeking freezing of accounts in foreign banks and recovery of illegal assets accumu more |
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Attack on Sh Rashid
RAWALPINDI: The PML-N candidate for by-polls from NA-55, Malik Shakil Awan, has announced suspension of electioneering for a day to mourn the death of those killed in the attack on the office of his rival, Shei more |
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Indian forces to halt Kashmir rally outside UN office
HELD SRINAGAR: The held Kashmir authorities deployed thousands of police and troops on Monday to prevent a protest outside the UN office here over the recent killing of two teenage boys by Indian security force more |
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briefs...
20 die in Afghan floods, avalanches
KANDAHAR: Twenty people have died in floods and avalanches triggered by some of the heaviest rain and snow in Afghanistan for 50 years, an official said on Monday. At more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
