Mohmand Agency: Dunya News correspondent killed

Dunay News correspondent Mukarram Khan has been killed by firing of unknown miscreants in Shabqadar.

As per details, Mukarram Khan was going to offer prayer in the evening when suddenly unknown armed men started indiscriminate firing on him.

 As a result, he was severely injured and shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

 It is worth mentioning that Mukarram Khan had been receiving life threats from unknown people.

Neither army nor judiciary can derail system: PM

ISLAMABAD: Amid thunderous applause, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani told the National Assembly on Monday that neither the army nor the judiciary could derail the system and he would respond to the contempt notice issued to him by the Supreme Court by personally appearing before the apex court on January 19, as instructed. 

Meanwhile, the National Assembly on Monday approved with overwhelming majority the ‘pro-democracy’ resolution tabled by the Awami National Party despite stiff resistance from the PML-N which walked out of the lower house after the passage of the resolution.

The house also rejected the three amendments proposed by the PML-N with a majority vote but adopted the minor amendment proposed by the treasury benches. 

Through the resolution, the overwhelming majority of the National Assembly endorsed and supported the efforts of the political leadership to strengthen democracy and reposed full confidence and trust in them.

The PML-N remained isolated on the opposition benches with only the support of the one-man PPP (Sherpao) and few members of the like-minded faction of the PML-Q; the other opposition party, JUI-F, supported the resolution and announced that it fully backed democracy in the country.

The passage of the resolution coincided with the Supreme Court’s decision to summon Prime Minister Gilani in a contempt of court notice for not implementing the NRO verdict. 

“The court has summoned me and I will appear before it on January 19 as I have always respected the courts,” PM Gilani said amid loud desk thumping while addressing the National Assembly after the passage of the resolution.

In his address to the National Assembly on Friday night, the prime minister said when he was elected as the chief executive, his first order was to release the judges. “The ones we took beatings for are now calling us disloyal,” the PM added. 

He said the government did not want a confrontation with any institutions, including the judiciary, and no one should degrade the mandate of the elected government. “The resolution is not meant to get a vote of confidence for or against any institution,” he said, adding: “We don’t need a certificate to prove our patriotism. Leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party have already rendered countless sacrifices for the cause of democracy in the country.”

The PM said he had never sought the support of the house for our [PPP-led] government but for democracy. “Even if we have differences of opinion with the army and judges, both have to protect democracy. It will not be possible for anyone to derail the system,” he added.

“If there is no democracy then all of us will go together,” the PM said. “We have to protect this system that our leaders Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto gave their lives for.”

The PM said efforts had been made to provoke him but he had never gotten provoked in the last four years. He said all institutions of the country were passing through evolution and growing with time. We did not come to the assembly under threat and are not against any institution. We did not come here to protect ourselves.” 

The PM said he was beaten with sticks, endured tear gas, went to jail and faced anti-terrorism cases for the restoration of judges. 

He said in the last fours, this house had approved more than 100 amendments in the Constitution through consensus and even made laws with consensus. “How can the parliament be described as a rubber stamp when a majority of legislation was made through consensus and unanimously,” the prime minister asked. 

Justifying the convening of the special session of the National Assembly, the prime minister said if the government had not convened the session, the opposition would have complained that the country was passing trough a critical phase but the government did not summon the session to discuss the situation. “We have summoned parliament to give the message to the world that this is a responsible parliament, which is the supreme institution of the country, and that democracy is stable,” the PM added.

The prime minister said while everyone was talking about the NRO, no one was paying attention to its creator [former President Pervez Musharraf], who was now claiming that Pakistan was calling him. “Is there no law for those who change parties and loyalties?” he asked.

Prime Minister said the present assembly deserved congratulations also for the completion of four years; on average, he said, assemblies in the past had lived for one to two years. He said the present parliament had passed record legislation and adopted constitutional amendments with consensus. He said the assembly has been mandated by the people and their mandate should not be disrespected.

Prime Minister Gilani saluted all coalition partners including the PML-Q, MQM, ANP, the Fata group and the JUI (F) for supporting the resolution.

Earlier, Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar proposed the amendment in the fourth para of the resolution that after the amendment read as: “The House reiterates that sovereignty lies with the Almighty Allah and authority exercised by the people of Pakistan and the parliament is repository of the collective wisdom of the people.”

The resolution that was tabled by ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in the National Assembly stated: “This House believes that the present democratic dispensation — which is about to complete four years — came in to being as a result of great sacrifices rendered by the people of Pakistan”.

The resolution says: “This House reiterates the belief of the democratic forces that the future of Pakistan and well being of its people lies in the continuation and strengthening of democratic institutions and constitutionalism for the resolution of national issues — strengthening of the federation and empowering the people of Pakistan.

“This House believes that for the furtherance of democracy and democratic institutions the basic constitutional principle of trichotomy of powers must be fully respected and adhered to and all state institutions must strictly function within the limits imposed on them by the Constitution.

“The House reiterates that sovereignty lies with the Almighty Allah and authority exercised by the people of Pakistan and the parliament is repository of the collective wisdom of the people.

“This House endorses and supports the efforts made by the political leadership for strengthening democracy and reposes full confidence and trust in them.”

The treasury benches rejected three amendments by the PML-N regarding ending power and gas loadshedding and implementation of all the orders of the Supreme Court and previous resolutions of parliament.

President Zardari, General Kayani meet

SLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani met on Saturday, DawnNews reported. The meeting was held on the request of the army chief.

Television reports said the two discussed the memo scandal and issues related to national security.

Sources told DawnNews that the meeting between the army chief and the president lasted for over an hour.

Sources said General Kayani told the president that he had reservations over Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s statements in a Chinese daily regarding the replies submitted by the army chief and DG ISI in the memo case.

The military chief reportedly requested the president to direct the premier to retract his statements made to the newspaper.

ISPR warns PM of serious ramifications of comments regarding army chief and ISI DG

Gilani sacks defence secy, gives additional charge to Nargis Sethi

ISLAMABAD - The standoff deepens. The simmering relations between the civil and military establishments seemingly reached the point of no-return on Wednesday with all eyes set on Constitution Avenue to monitor any unusual movement in view of a confrontation between the government and the army, as the General Headquarters (GHQ) sturdily reacted to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s statement wherein he had unambiguously charged Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha with violating the constitution while submitting their responses to the Supreme Court in the memo case.
“Any expectation that the COAS will not state the facts is neither constitutional nor legal. Allegiance to the State and the Constitution is and will always remain prime consideration for the respondent (the COAS), who, in this case, has followed the book,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement, unmistakably conveying to the prime minister that the COAS had not violated the constitution and also suggesting that the position of the COAS on the memo issue would remain unchanged. This also removed the ambiguity, if there was any, that the question of national security, understandably in the context of the memo, would be compromised by the army.
The already perilous situation turned even more tense when the prime minister, after the ISPR issued a strongly-worded statement, sacked Defence Secretary Lt General (r) Khalid Naeem Lodhi for also not following the rules of business in the memo case. As the prime minister gave his favourite and trusted bureaucrat Nargis Sethi, instead of a retired general as was the practice since long, the additional charge of defence secretary, it appeared as if the government would remove the two top generals as well by withdrawing the notifications granting them extensions in service as the COAS and the ISI director general.
Another coincidence, which added to the already volatile situation and suggested that it was a matter of hours before ‘the boots’ marched, was the appointment of Brigadier Sarfaraz Ali as commander of the 111 Brigade, which always played a pivotal role in military takeovers. Though it was a routine posting as the present commander of the 111 Brigade had been posted out on his promotion as major general, it was, however, also seen in the context of the developments that took place on Wednesday. 

While the situation on the ground remained normal, the in-house consultations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued to evaluate the responses and counter-responses with uncertainty gripping the whole country. As the tension between the army and the government continued to increase, the international media closely watched the situation and the diplomatic missions in Islamabad also keenly observed the developments.
With the civil and military leadership seemingly facing off, the political parties also got alarmed and started inter- and intra-party consultations in view of the situation that was being feared would end up in a confrontation between the state institutions, threatening the democratic process in the country at a time when the memo issue was already about to take its toll as the COAS and the ISI DG were not ready to soften their positions and the government also not showing any signs of giving in. The National Assembly will meet today and the prime minister is expected to make a speech on the situation. Similarly, General Kayani has also called a meeting of his Principle Staff Officers (PSOs) at the GHQ today.
The ISPR’s statement did carry a strong message for the government and it appeared to have also been received well with the prime minister and some ministers later in the evening, explaining the government’s position to defuse the situation seeing the mood of the opposition parties and particularly that of the coalition partners, which did not robustly come forward in support of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its leadership against the army.
The ISPR statement referred to the prime minister’s interview with a Chinese newspaper wherein he had, inter alia, termed the responses given by the COAS and the ISI DG in the memo case to the Supreme Court “unconstitutional and illegal”. “There can be no allegation more serious than what the Honourable Prime Minister has leveled against the COAS and the ISI DG and has unfortunately charged the officers for violation of the Constitution of the Country. This has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country,” the ISPR said.
The ISPR rejected the prime minister’s statement as false, reminding him of a press release issued by his own office after his meeting with the COAS on December 16. The PM House’s statement had said: “The Prime Minister and the Army Chief also agreed that replies forwarded by the COAS and DG ISI were in response to the notice of the Honourable Court, through proper channel and in accordance with the rules of business and should not be misconstrued as a standoff between the Army and the government.”
What made the GHQ react so strongly was that if the government had not agreed to the COAS and the ISI DG filing their responses to the Supreme Court, why had it not objected to this at that time instead of the prime minister making a statement more than three weeks after they had submitted their responses, and that too in an interview with a foreign newspaper, charging the two top generals with violation of the constitution. 
The ISPR also categorically stated that the COAS and the ISI DG, in their response to the Supreme Court, were obliged to state facts as known to them on the memo issue. “The issue of jurisdiction and maintainability of the petitions was between the Supreme Court and the Federation,” the ISPR said.
The ISPR referred to the prime minister’s statement, which, it said, did not take into account important facts: i) the COAS and the ISI DG were cited as respondents in the petitions as such and after hearing the parties the Supreme Court served notices directly to the respondents. This was not objected to by the attorney general of Pakistan; ii) the responses by the respondents were sent to the Ministry of Defence for onward submission to the Supreme Court, through the attorney general (Law Ministry); iii) a letter was also dispatched to the attorney general and the Supreme Court informing that the replies had been submitted to the Ministry of Defence; iv) it is emphasised that copies of the statements of the two respondents were not forwarded directly to the Supreme Court; v) responsibility for moving summaries and obtaining approvals of the competent authority thereafter lay with the relevant ministries and not with the respondents.

Last chance for govt on NRO implementation: SC

SLAMABAD: A five-member Supreme Court bench hearing NRO implementation case told the government that it was its last chance to follow court orders. After that no order would be issued, instead, action would be taken, Geo News reported Tuesday.Meanwhile, the court summoned Chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on January 10.