By Arshad Sharif
ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The record placed before the National Assembly on Friday showed that ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif patronized retired military officers and civilian bureaucrats with re-employment on lucrative posts.
Continue reading ‘Nawaz re-employed 74 retired army officers
LAHORE: Prominent lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir said the Arsalan Iftikhar issue was a conspiracy hatched to threaten the judges, Geo News reported.
She was talking to reporters at the Lahore High Court. Asma said that the motive behind this was to wrap up the democratic setup and to threaten the judiciary, adding that those who created Tehrik-e-Insaf were the conspirators. …
Read more » The News
Dual-national MPs insist loyalties lie with Pakistan
By Azam Khan
Excerpt; … Dual nationality holding parliamentarians, however, defended their loyalty towards Pakistan before a three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
If we allow dual nationality holders to enter into our assemblies, then imported prime ministers will come to rule us, the chief justice said.
Senator Wasim Sajjad, counsel for MNA Farahnaz Ispahani, said it was not realistic to question someone’s loyalty on the basis of dual nationality and to suspend their membership from the assembly subsequently.
The court suspended Ispahani’s basic membership a month ago on the grounds that she had US citizenship. Meanwhile, former senator Rehman Malik is also fighting for restoration of his membership before the court.
No impediment for judges
The chief justice remarked that the court would not allow a foreign citizen to have direct access to nuclear facilities and other secrets of the country.
Why are there no such impediments for some other tops slots, like the auditor general, high court judges or chief justices, Ispahani’s counsel remarked.
Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said that high court judges never sit in defence committee meetings or have direct access to the Kahuta facility.
A high court judge is authorised to suspend a prime minister and can also seek record and minutes of sensitive meetings of the defence and parliamentary committees, Sajjad replied.
The chief justice asked him to remain specific to the case. ….
Courtesy: The Express Tribune
By Web Desk
How far does the tolerance of a political activist or a party supporter go? Not too far, apparently.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf supporters and workers have been known to lash out at political opponents or rather anyone for speaking against their party or chief Imran Khan.
Their current victim? Prominent lawyer, human rights activist, ex-Supreme Court Bar Association president and former UN rapporteur, Asma Jahangir.
The News had earlier today reported that Jahangir had termed the Arsalan Iftikhar case a conspiracy against the judges. The report quotes Jahangir as stating that the motive behind bringing up the case was to “wrap up” the democratic setup and to “threaten” the judiciary.
The icing on the cake? She was quoted as saying that the PTI were conspirators in this.
The senior lawyer, who has in the recent past represented former Pakistan ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani in the Memogate scandal, is a known outspoken advocate for the rights of women, minorities and others. Additionally, she is also a vocal critic of the military and its “control” of the civilian government.
Continue reading Twitter alert: Asma Jahangir a target for defamation
BY C. CHRISTINE FAIR
With an “ally” in a state of perpetual dysfunction, it’s time for Washington to reconsider its options: containment or benign neglect.
Excerpt: …. “At long last, it seems, various agencies of the United States government have come to the conclusion that Pakistan cannot be changed. Islamabad’s behavior in the region will remain staunchly pegged to its antipathy toward New Delhi. It will pursue policies that threaten the integrity of the Pakistani state for no other reason but the chimerical objective of resisting the obvious rise of India, while clinging to the delusion that it is India’s peer competitor — despite obvious and ever-growing disparities. Finally, Americans are asking what Pakistanis have long concluded: How can the United States and Pakistan have any kind of positive relationship when our strategic interests not only diverge but violently clash?…….While some may view these offerings as unreasonable, reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible, it is equally fair to ask whether Washington’s decades of policies toward Pakistan have been unreasonable, dangerous, and irresponsible? Moreover, what good have they accomplished? While many policymakers and analysts are willing to bank everything on the gamble that Pakistan is too dangerous to fail, we should be willing to consider what failure would mean and the inherent costs and benefits of this happening. After all, when the Soviet Union fell, none of the worst fears materialized. And Pakistan is hardly the Soviet Union” ….
Read more »Foreign Policy (FP)
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/06/21/what_to_do_about_pakistan?page=0,1
Indus Asia Online Journal (Click here to go to home page) 