 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
 |
 |
|
| President, Army row over KLB persists |
|
|
|
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
By Hamid Mir
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has apparently reconciled to the idea that the Kerry-Lugar Bill (KLB) - now an Act after it was signed by US President Obama - may be defeated in parliament, once it is brought back for a vote.
It is expected that the government will not oppose any resolution against the KLB in parliament. President Zardari is mentally ready for accepting another defeat, it is learnt on good authority.
If that happens soon, it will be another defeat for the beleaguered president who now has the choice to remain in the Presidency as another Rafiq Tarar or Fazal Ilahi, or quit and go on with his life.
The president may have avoided a showdown by accepting defeat on the infamous NRO but his differences with the army’s high command on the KLB are still unresolved. He tried his level best in the last session of the National Assembly to create a majority in support of KLB but failed.
Prime Minister Gilani also announced that he will accept Parliament’s decision on the KLB but when the PML-N and PML-Q decided to table a resolution against KLB in both the houses of Parliament, the session was prorogued.
Some in the government pointed out that the Kerry-Lugar Bill had remained under discussion in the media for many weeks, so why did the army expressed concerns over this controversial bill on October 7.
Detailed investigation by this scribe revealed that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had informed the federal government about their objections to the KLB in early July 2009. The ISI DG wrote a detailed letter to the prime minister and informed him that the bill had objectionable language about Pakistan Army. He also stated that the main target of the KLB was the nuclear programme of Pakistan and the government should not accept any conditionality targeting the nuclear security of Pakistan.
The prime minister sent a copy of the said letter to the president and another to the Pakistani mission in Washington DC through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Pakistani mission in Washington DC gave a detailed response on the objections raised by the ISI DG on August 11, 2009 and assured the government that it will try its best to safeguard national interests.
Next day on August 12, the mission sent an advance copy of the KLB to the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad and the objections raised by the ISI DG were still present in the draft. The army waited for another month. The consolidated text of KLB was sent by the Pakistani mission on September 14, 2009. It repeatedly claimed in its assessments that Ambassador Husain Haqqani had tried his level best to safeguard national interest but not a single objection raised by the ISI DG was removed from the bill till the end of September 2009. The army came out with a press release on the KLB on October 7.
Top US officials have claimed in private conversations with this scribe that Ambassador Haqqani never informed the US Congress or the State Department about the objections of Pakistan Army on the KLB.
On the other hand, Ambassador Haqqani has denied this claim and said that the State Department and the GHQ in Rawalpindi were fully in the picture. He said that COAS General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met Senator John Kerry personally on February 26, 2009 and the Pakistan Army was aware of the thinking in US Congress about the bill.
US officials have also noticed the absence of Ambassador Haqqani during the recent visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Pakistan. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani recently supported Kerry-Lugar Bill through a cabinet decision but after the defeat of NRO, the opposition parties have once again decided to initiate a new debate on KLB in the ongoing session of the National Assembly.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
Government issues list of 8,041 names
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: With the release of the first ever official list of those accused of robbing the masses blind, of killing and torturing adversaries, the ugly truth of abuse of power has a face. Eight thousand and fo more |
|
|
No NRO beneficiary resigning from govt office
By Shakil Shaikh
ISLAMABAD: The present ministerial and government office holders intend not to resign or step down in the aftermath of the National Reconciliation Ordinance-beneficiaries list made public on Saturday.
“W more |
|
|
Will they quit or not?
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: The government’s formal announcement of the long list of NRO beneficiaries, which is likely to be turned into a hit list, brings immediate pressure, both moral and public, on those still holding publ more |
|
|
The accused and accusations
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice under the direction of the prime minister on Saturday released official lists containing names of government servants and others who benefited from the NRO.
The more |
|
|
Presidency to cross the bridge when......
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The Presidency on Saturday kept its silence by adopting a wait and see policy regarding the future line of action on the appearance of the list of beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinan more |
|
|
|
Who will catch the thieves? Not NAB under Sindhu
By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani
ISLAMABAD: Did the PPP state minister for law, Mohammad Afzal Sindhu, on Saturday defy the July 31 judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan? It appears so as Sindhu, in his personal legal opinion given at his more |
|
|
|
No plan to freeze foreign accounts
By Dilshad Azeem
ISLAMABAD: The government does not plan to freeze the foreign accounts, particularly those in Switzerland, of the NRO beneficiaries. However, Swiss or London courts can be moved on the ground that the corruptio more |
|
|
|
Kayani hails Swatis’ support in action against militants
By our correspondent
MINGORA: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Saturday lauded the courage and determination of the people of Swat for making the operation Rah-e-Rast a success.
Addressing a cer more |
|
|
|
MCB plunder scam
By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani
ISLAMABAD: It might be shameful for the whole media community of Pakistan which is continuously fighting against dictatorial rules and its by-products like the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), one of th more |
|
|
|
Corruption, criminal cases
By our correspondent
LAHORE: PML-Q President Ch Shujaat Hussain has said NRO affectees including those involved in corruption and criminal cases should be dealt separately.
Addressing a press conference at his residence her more |
|
|
|
More police posts for Peshawar
By our correspondent
PESHAWAR: The provincial government has decided to increase the number of police posts in and around the city from 16 to 18 to block entry of terrorists into the city from the suburban areas.
NWFP Inform more |
|
|
|
Hoti asks Centre to expose foreign hand
By Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti has asked the federal government to expose the foreign hand involved in planning and financing terrorism in the country.
Talking to reporters at the Chief more |
|
|
|
Operation in Darra, Bara soon: Malik
By Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Saturday that the government had categorically asked the CIA chief to stop the interference in Balochistan from Afghanistan.
He said the government would more |
|
|
|
One dies in Mohmand blast; forces’ camp attacked
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: A person was killed in a bomb blast while militants fired several rockets at security forces’ camp in the Mamad Gat area of Safi Tehsil in Mohmand Agency on Saturday.
Tribal sources said unide more |
|
|
|
Three militants blow themselves up in Muzaffarabad
MUZAFFARABAD: Three Taliban militants blew themselves up on Saturday as police chased them in Azad Kashmir, police said.
The Saturday incident will revive concern that the militants are trying to expand more |
|
|
|
NGO office blast in Peshawar injures one
By Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: A bomb blast at the office of Safe International, a German NGO, rocked the posh University Town early Saturday morning. Police, however, said it was the gas supply line that caused the explosion.
< more |
|
|
|
briefs...
Punjab CM’s adviser surprised
By our correspondent
Lahore: Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Saeed Mehdi has expressed his astonishment over the inclusion of his name in the National Reconcilia more |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
