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Monday, March 16, 2009
Taseer, Malik and Fazl lead Zardari astray
By Hamid Mir
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is now angry with his close aides who pushed him into a dead political end.
People like Salmaan Taseer, Rehman Malik and Maulana Fazlur Rehman assured him many a time that Nawaz Sharif could not attract the public to the roads and the government should not show flexibility on the restoration of the deposed judges. These advisers even told Zardari that he should not think about implementing the Charter of Democracy because its implementation would weaken his own constitutional powers.
Zardari even refused to listen not only to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani but also to some foreign dignitaries, who advised him to resolve the crisis by reinstating the deposed judges through an executive order.
Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer played a key role in destroying the political image of the federal government. He provided wrong information and assessments to Zardari about his talks with the PML-Q. He assured Zardari that the PML-Q was ready to form a coalition government with the PPP in the Punjab and he would also muster the support of, at least, 18 turncoats of the PML-N from the Punjab Assembly.
He was proven wrong. The PML-Q never took a clear position to form an alliance with the PPP and just one day before the long march, they said sorry to Salmaan Taseer. After this big political failure, Zardari tried to scare Nawaz Sharif by issuing some security alerts. Zardari was confident that Nawaz Sharif would not dare to come on the roads himself. His government informed him about the threat of “suicide bombers” again and again but Nawaz Sharif never listened to these threats.
As a last resort, Zardari tried to use the American pressure. It was surprising for Zardari that some top US government officials never used any “pressure” on Nawaz Sharif and they just tried to mediate.
Top US government functionaries tried their level best to prevent the PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif from coming out on the roads but they failed. US President’s Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke spoke to Nawaz Sharif twice last week and offered his services for mediation with Asif Ali Zardari but the PML-N Quaid never encouraged him.
Nawaz Shrif told this scribe that he did not want the Army and the US to interfere in the political affairs of the country and that was why he ignored the offer of the American envoy, but in a polite and friendly way.
Nawaz Sharif is confident that March 16 will change the history of Pakistan not through foreign forces and the Army but by the peopleís power and he is determined to spend at least seven days under the open sky in front of the President House in Islamabad.
Finally, it was the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who tried that Nawaz Sharif should not come on the roads for the restoration of the deposed judges. She assured Nawaz Sharif that the government of Pakistan would file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the disqualification of the Sharif brothers, governorís rule in the Punjab would be removed and the deposed judges would also be restored if Nawaz Sharif started a dialogue with Zardari.
The PML-N Quaid simply informed Hilary Clinton that he had signed written agreements with Zardari three times in the last one year and he could not trust him anymore. Nawaz Sharif made it clear to her that he was not interested in his disqualification and he would start talking to Zardari only after the restoration of the deposed judges.
Hilary Clinton informed President Zardari about the condition of Nawaz Sharif but Zardari only issued a vague press release on Friday night without taking any clear position. He simply missed a great chance for the resolution of the crisis.
Prime Minister Gilani has now advised Zardari to remove the governor Punjab immediately and say yes to the restoration of the deposed judges or the movement for the restoration of the deposed judges may turn into a “go Zardari go” movement.
March 16th will be the last day for Zardari to save his office from an angry mass movement. It is sad that some personal friends are advising him to use the Sindh card against Nawaz Sharif but Prime Minister Gilani is opposed to this advice.
He thinks that no PPP minister from the Punjab has resigned at this crucial stage. Two ministers from Sindh resigned against the policies of Zardari and it is now time to rescue the credibility of the government by taking some good decisions.
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20 die as bomber hits Peshawar Judicial Complex
By Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of the Judicial Complex on the Khyber Road here on Thursday, killing 20 people, including three cops, and wounding over 50 others.
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Finally, dreaded NRO list is out and official
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) presented to the government on Thursday a list of 248 politicians and bureaucrats, who were alleged to have plundered hundreds of billions of rupees but were more |
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Gilani to quit if wife proved NRO beneficiary
By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
& Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: In what could be described as a clear message to the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to resign from their posts, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilan more |
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Multiple criteria agreed for NFC Award
By Imtiaz Ali
KARACHI: The Fifth National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting in the city on Thursday decided in principle to make population, revenue, backwardness and “inverse density population” (the less the population, the more |
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Karzai sworn in for second term
KABUL: Veteran Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president on Thursday, pledging to fight graft and take control of his country’s security before his five-year term ends, after a fraud-marred election more |
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US asked to take Pakistan into confidence on Afghan policy
KABUL: President Asif Ali Zardari has asked the US to take Pakistan on board regarding its new policy on Afghanistan, as it would also have an impact on Pakistan.
He expressed these views while talking t more |
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‘India failed to respond positively on peace talks’
KABUL: Reiterating his strong stance that India is not serious in the process of dialogue with Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday underlined that India had not given Pakistan a positive more |
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Dictators ruled for decades but civilians can’t complete tenure: Shahbaz
KARACHI: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Balochistan CM Nawab Aslam Raisani and Sindh CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah have vowed to make Pakistan a welfare state as envisioned by the Quaid-i-Azam.
Talking t more |
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Vehicle escorting CIA director overturns
By Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: A vehicle of a sensitive security agency escorting US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon Panetta, currently on a ‘secret’ visit to Pakistan, overturned near the KRL Chowk at Islamabad Ex more |
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Headley, Rana being probed for involvement in 26/11 attacks
By Sami Abraham
WASHINGTON: Two former students of Cadet College Hasan Abdal, currently living in Chicago, are being investigated for their possible involvement in Mumbai attacks last year in which more than 160 people were ki more |
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PM’s wife not NRO beneficiary: NAB
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Thursday clarified that Fouzia Gilani, wife of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, was not a beneficiary of the National Reconciliation Ordinance as references agains more |
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Recovered billions can make real difference
By Mehtab Haider
ISLAMABAD: The 160 million people can be provided major relief and even increase in electricity tariff by 30 per cent can be avoided if Rs 165 billion (conservative estimate) are recovered from the beneficiarie more |
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China wants improved Indo-Pak ties
News Desk
BEIJING: The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday gave the impression that it was merely interested in the gradual improvement in relations between India and Pakistan but was not trying to interfere with the pr more |
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US supports Pakistan-India dialogue
WASHINGTON: A senior American diplomat has said Washington is supportive of resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan through dialogue.
“Of course, we all share an interest in stability and peace more |
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Remarks on women pilots
News Desk
NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) vice chief, Air Marshal P K Barbora, on Thursday offered his apologies if anyone’s feelings have been hurt by his remarks on induction of women fighter pilots, and stressed more |
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Nato must not walk away from Afghanistan, says chief
BUDAPEST: Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday the alliance must not turn its back on Afghanistan as this would raise the threat from al-Qaeda and lead to insecurity throughout central more |
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BoP scam accused sent on 12-day remand
By our correspondent
LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday sent two main accused of the Rs 9 billion Bank of Punjab scam on 12-day physical remand, directing the NAB officials to produce them again in the court along with oth more |
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briefs...
Eid holidays
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has announced Eid-ul-Azha holidays from November 27 to 30, said an announcement made by the PM Secretariat here on Thursday.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
