Clinton presses Pakistan on terror groups

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) listens as India’s Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna (L) speaks at a breakfast meeting in New Delhi on May 8, 2012. – Photo by AFP

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Tuesday on Pakistan to do more to crack down on violent extremism, a day after she said al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was believed to be hiding there.

“Combating violent extremism is something we all agree on,” Clinton said during a press conference at the end of a trip to India.

“We look to the government of Pakistan to do more. It needs to make sure its territory is not used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks, including inside Pakistan.”

Clinton said that the US was “cooperating closely with India regarding the threats that emanate against them.”

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the Secretary National Assembly and Secretary Senate to submit a list of members of the parliament holding dual nationality.

Moreover, the apex court also issued notices to Senator Rehman Malik and MNA Farahnaz Isfahani.

A three member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, resumed the hearing of the petition filed by Mahmood Akhter Naqvi against parliamentarians having dual nationality.

During proceedings, Mian Abdurraoof appeared on behalf of Chaudhry Zahid Hussain, MNA and sought time for filing reply.

Pakistan militants vow holy war for bin Laden

Militants vowed to continue fighting the United States, a year since the death of al Qaeda Chief Osama bin Laden.—File Photo

MIRANSHAH: Militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan on Tuesday distributed pamphlets pledging holy war to mark the first anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, albeit a week late.

Masked militants armed with assault rifles handed out copies of the pamphlet from pick-up vehicles in Miranshah, the main town of the tribal district that has become known as Pakistan’s premier al Qaeda and Taliban hub.

“Let us pledge today that we will continue our jihad (holy war) and sacrifice our lives and property in the way of Allah like Sheikh Osama did,” it said, unsigned and dated May 2, the anniversary of the Al-Qaeda leader’s killing by US troops.

Interpretation of law exclusive domain of the judiciary, says SC

Supreme Court of Pakistan. — File photo

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued the detailed verdict in the contempt of court case against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, DawnNews reported. 

The verdict, comprising 77 pages, was authored by Justice Nasirul Mulk. The text of the verdict is available here.

Regarding the argument that the letter to Swiss authorities could not be written as President Asif Ali Zardari enjoyed immunity, the order said:

“The Respondent’s stand amounts to saying that the order of this Court is non-implementable, as he believes that the same is not in accord with the Constitution of Pakistan and the International law. This argument, if accepted, would set a dangerous precedent and anyone would then successfully flout the orders of the Courts by pleading that according to his interpretation they are not in accord with the law.”

Lyari operation enters day eight

Police officers take positions during a crackdown operation against criminals in Karachi’s Lyari area, April 30, 2012. — Photo by AP

KARACHI: Karachi’s neighbourhood of Lyari remained tense on Friday as the operation against criminal elements in the area entered its eighth day, DawnNews reported.

Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the area as authorities reportedly finalised plans to use helicopters for the operation and deploy Rangers in the area.

Earlier, the police claimed to have taken two alleged gangsters’ bodies into custody after killing them in an exchange of fire in the area’s Afshani Gali on Thursday morning.

Bajaur bomb attack kills 16

A man consoles a boy at the site of a suicide bomb blast in a Pakistani tribal region. — Photo by Reuters/File

KHAR: A suicide attack targeting police killed at least 16 people, including five policemen, in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region of Bajaur on Friday, officials said.

The target of the attack was tribal police in Khar, the main town of Bajaur, officials told AFP.

“The death toll has risen to 16. Five of them were tribal policemen,” Abdul Haseeb, an administration official in Khar, told AFP.

Tariq Khan, a senior government official in Khar, said the bomber was on foot and detonated his explosive vest when he reached a police checkpost.

Obama was Bin Laden’s top target, letters from Abbottabad reveal

US President Barack Obama boards Air Force One on his trip to the Middle East, June 2009. Until the end, bin Laden remained focused on attacking Americans and coming up with plots, however improbable, to kill US leaders.

WASHINGTON: In letters from his last hideout, Osama bin Laden fretted about dysfunction in his terrorist network and crumbling trust from Muslims he wished to incite against their government and the West.

A selection of documents seized in last year’s raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout was posted online Thursday by the US Army’s Combating Terrorism Center.

One year after his death, OBL lives on

When Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEAL team 6, on 2nd May, 2012, it was considered a “drama” by 66 per cent of Pakistanis.

Pakistanis in general are not willing to believe in facts and are more prone to trusting conspiracy theories because they provide a feasible explanation of events in a narrow frame of reference. It has been a whole year since the Abbottabad Operation that killed Osama bin Laden, and a majority of Pakistanis still do not believe it even happened, despite public announcements by al Qaeda themselves.

Imran demands resignation from PM after conviction

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chief Imran Khan. – File Photo Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after his conviction in the Supreme Court.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad at PTI Central Secretariat, he said that if the PM will not respect the judiciary, how could it be expected from the nation.
Vice-Chairman PTI, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Senior Vice President, Hamid Ali Khan, Secretary General, Dr. Arif Alvi, Secretary Information, Shafqat Mehmood, Jehangir Swat, Fauzia Qasoori, Zahid Kazmi and other office-bearers were present on the occasion.

PM not disqualified after verdict: Aitzaz

   

Aitzaz Ahsan, lawyer for Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, leaves after appearing at the Supreme Court in Islamabad. — Photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s counsel, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, on Thursday said that the prime minister was not disqualified after the verdict and that an appeal challenging the decision would soon be filed, DawnNews reported.

Political reactions to PM’s conviction

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani after his conviction in the Supreme Court.- File Photo

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced until the rising of the court on Thursday.

A seven-judge bench of the court, headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk, announced the verdict in the contempt of court case.

The premier was convicted and sentenced under Article 5 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance (Ordinance 5 of 2003) the constitution.
Following are the views of different political actors:

Post-verdict roadmap for PPP

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (C) is escorted by security as he waves upon his arrival at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad.—AFP Photo

On April 26, 2012, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was found guilty of disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which led to his conviction for contempt of court.

Though the sentence only lasted for 30 seconds, however, what remains to be looked into is the aftermath of the sentence rather than its duration.

Senator (R) Iqbal Haider said, “The fact remains that the PM has been found guilty of contempt of court and was sentenced under Article 63 (1) (g) of the Constitution of Pakistan. His sentence, no matter how short it was, has serious repercussions. The prime minister has been labelled as a convict.”
“Gilani will certainly file an appeal and will remain in his position till the final appeal is dismissed. At the same time, it is very important to understand that the dismissed appeal can also be filed for further review, providing the government with more time to drag the case,” added Haider.

Cabinet on board with PM over filing review petition

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani (Center) outside the Supreme Court building on Thursday with Law Minister Farooq H. Naek (left) and Governor Punjab Latif Khosa (right).

ISLAMABAD: A special session of the federal cabinet in Islamabad on Thursday supported the measure of filing a review petition challenging Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s conviction for contempt of court, DawnNews reported.

Nawaz demands PM’s resignation

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif. — File photo

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif Thursday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after he was convicted of contempt of court.
“The prime minister should immediately resign. He should step down without causing further crisis,” Sharif said speaking to a private television channel.

PM convicted of contempt

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday was convicted of contempt of court and sentenced until the rising of the court, DawnNews reported.

A seven-judge bench of the court, headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk, announced the verdict in the contempt of court case.
The bench comprised of Justice Nasir ul Mulk, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Athar Saeed.

The premier was convicted and sentenced under Article 63 (1) (g) of the constitution.

The Man Who Would be King Despite a vague agenda and a playboy past, Imran Khan may be Pakistan’s next Prime Minister.

Sarah Caron for Newsweek

Stuffed into the driver’s seat of his silver Land Cruiser, Imran Khan, the cricket sensation turned Obama-like embodiment of Pakistan’s hope for change, careens wildly through the Punjab on the road from Mianwali to Islamabad, around livestock and colorful Mack trucks tricked out with trinkets. Khan owns the most recognizable face in Pakistan, but he is going too fast to be noticed by the people filling pickup beds and rickshaws, as he swerves into oncoming traffic and along the shoulder of the road. When darkness falls, two women from the wheat fields appear suddenly in his high beams. Khan finally flinches. He jams the breaks, cuts the wheel, and then squeezes his SUV between them with just inches to spare. He quickly collects himself. “You need good reflexes,” he says, smiling.

100 Women Who Matter

Illustration by Minhaj Ahmed Rafi

Entrepreneurs

Nasreen KasuriStarted a kindergarten group at her in-laws’ home in the ’70s. Today, her sprawling education empire has an impressive 211,323 full-time students, the Beaconhouse National University, and schools in eight other countries.

The Rebirth of Maryam Nawaz Sharif Our exclusive profile of the new face of Pakistan’s (currently) second largest political party, the former prime minister’s daughter.

 

Maryam Nawaz Sharif doesn’t like to admit it, but she’s her father’s favorite. When she speaks about him, she turns girly. “His legacy is beautiful,” says the 38-year-old. “Who would not want to step into those shoes?” Finally stepping into politics some months ago, it is Maryam Sharif, not her cousin Hamza or either of her brothers (who live abroad), who is now the presumed future leader of her father’s party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the second largest bloc in the National Assembly and which governs the Punjab.

Who in the World is Mansoor Ijaz? The startling allegations leveled by the Pakistani-American businessman and citizen diplomat have already claimed their first casualty. Meet the man who blew the whistle on Memogate.

Seamus Murphy for Newsweek Pakistan

Musawer Mansoor Ijaz has always been willful. It was a trait that worried his late father, Mujaddid, a Virginia Tech physics professor. So one summer afternoon in 1976 at their mountain-perched home in rural Shawsville, Virginia, he organized a sort of intervention for the oldest of his five children, with some hefty help. “Abdus, can you please explain to this young man that being so headstrong is not good?” The professor’s friend, Dr. Abdus Salam, sized up the young Ijaz and smiled. “Do you remember how headstrong we were at that age? That’s how we got to where we are,” Salam told his friend, “so let him be.”

‘To Hell Where They Belong’

 

Editor’s Note: Gov. Salmaan Taseer was assassinated in Islamabad on Jan. 4‚ 2011. He was shot 40 times by one of his Elite Force guards outside Islamabad’s Kohsar Market. The self-confessed assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was sentenced to death last year and has appealed his conviction. Here, we reproduce the unabridged version of Governor Taseer’s interview from our Nov. 15‚ 2010‚ issue, conducted by his daughter.