Pakistan’s leading lawyers Asma Jahangir & Ali Ahmed Kurd questioning using/abusing of “contempt of court act” as “Black Law” against the media or the citizens of Pakistan to silence them and canceling licensees of Bar members (lawyers) to impose Judicial Dictatorship” on people by the top judge of supreme court. The language of the news clip is urdu (Hindi).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KXivgMp5aw&feature=youtu.be
» YouTube
The cost of intellectual dishonesty, dangerous foreign and national security policies and corruption done during the military governments has always been condoned retroactively
The game plan of the establishment — at the cost of the economy and people’s nerves — apparently is to get President Zardari out. They have a two-pronged strategy: one, playing on the prevailing perception that all the corruption starts and ends with the prime minister and president. So they should be declared corrupt by the courts and unfit to rule; and two, that he is a threat to national security if the commission declares that Husain Haqqani wrote or dictated the mysterious memorandum.
Removing the president constitutionally is difficult because a two-thirds majority is needed in parliament to impeach him. It is not possible at this stage in view of the interests of the coalition parties. Once the new members to the Senate would be elected on March 2, it would be more difficult as under Article 47, the constitution requires two-thirds majority of parliament — Senate and National Assembly — for impeachment. It says: “…the president may, in accordance with the provisions of this Article, be removed from office on the ground of physical or mental incapacity or impeached on a charge of violating the constitution or gross misconduct.”
Continue reading ROVER’S DIARY: What’s the hurry to get the president out? – SDBabar Ayaz
– Round 1 to the Civilian Government
In the battle of nerves between the civilian and the military establishment in Pakistan, he who can stay the longest, wins
By Mohammad Taqi, Columnist, Daily Times
EVER SINCE the controversial Memo in October 2011, allegedly seeking American help in case of a military coup, trouble has been brewing in Pakistan. The latest is the sacking of Lt Gen (retd) Khalid Nadeem Lodhi as defence secretary on 11 January by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. The civilian-military relationship in Pakistan is going through a churn. The military wants to get rid of President Asif Zardari. The Supreme Court allowed itself to be dragged into the situation through a PIL. But the elected Pakistani civilian government, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partners are not going to give in without a fight. Under the circumstances, the sacking of Lodhi was inevitable. It sends a clear message in a long drawn out war of attrition that will ultimately decide which way the balance of civil-military relationship tilts.
The establishment has been speaking through press releases issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). On 11 January, it issued a fourth statement criticising the government. Previously, the prime minister had retaliated by implying the army was trying to become a State within the State and had issued a visa to Osama bin Laden. That did not go down well. The civil-military relationship has not recovered from this blow, and relations are souring. The judiciary appears to be allied with the military establishment or at least feels that their interests are in confluence.
The army wants the current PPP dispensation to go, but a text-book coup d’état is not possible in the present day. With an active social media, a questioning press and Pakistan’s economic condition, it is not a feasible option. The army is frustrated and is making this public but with everyone harping on about democracy for so long, it’s not easy for anyone — not Kayani, not the top judge — to sack the present system. They might be facing allegations of corruption or bad governance, but you have to vote them out.
Gilani’s statement says the army chief and the DG, ISI, Shuja Pasha did not follow the protocol in the Memogate proceedings in court. The briefs the three filed with the court were diametrically opposed to the government’s position in the Memogate scandal. Constitutionally, the ISI is under the prime minister. The army chief reports to the president and also the PM via the defence ministry. The defence secretary made a statement in the court saying the government has administrative and not operational control over the army and the ISI.
Prior to that, Pasha met Pakistan-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz in London. The ISI is an intelligence-gathering and not an investigating agency. He brought back evidence that is now being made admissible in the civil court. Pasha went without the permission of the civilian leadership. The PM was informed through Kayani only after he returned.
Things would have been different a decade ago; the army would have toppled the government. Today, it’s a battle of nerves. Whoever blinks first, loses. So far, Gilani has not blinked, but his options are limited. Even if he fires Pasha and Kayani, he has to select from a pool of 200 generals, as he has no one in the PPP to replace him. Pasha’s head is certainly on the chopping block, but the PPP will not win this by a knockout, but on points. Taking it to the last round will mean they have won. As long as Zardari, Gilani and Hussain Haqqani — and the general public — stick together, the civilian government will prevail.
Courtesy: Tehelka.com
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main51.asp?filename=Op210112Round.asp
Pakistan army warns PM Gilani over criticisms
Pakistan’s military has publicly rebuked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over an escalating row.
The army warned of “serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences” after the PM criticised military leaders in a media interview.
Meanwhile, Mr Gilani has sacked his defence secretary, who is seen as having close ties to the military.
Tensions have been rising in recent months between Pakistan’s civilian government and military leaders.
The latest row is a serious source of instability in Pakistan, where the military has ruled for more than half the country’s history after seizing power in a series of coups.
‘Unconstitutional‘
On Monday Mr Gilani was quoted telling China’s People’s Daily Online that Pakistan’s army chief and head of intelligence acted unconstitutionally ….
Read more » BBC
ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen (Retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi was removed from the post of Defence Secretary by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday, a move that is likely to create further friction between the government and the military. “Prime minister has terminated the contract of defence secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi for gross misconduct,” a senior government official told AFP.
Nargis Sethi has been given the additional charge of Defence Secretary. …
Read more » The Express Tribune
According to reports, Supreme Court Bar Association President Yasin Azad says they will not accept any unconstitutional act.
via » Twitter
Malik makes Nawaz-Musharraf deal public
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday distributed the copies of pardon agreement between former President Pervez Musharraf and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, DawnNews reported. The agreement was signed by Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif and Husain Nawaz.
Speaking to media representatives, the minister said that political parties other than Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took more advantage of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). “Only five people of PPP benefitted from NRO,” he added.
He said that the ordinance was cleared by the cabinet of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz and was approved by the army. Malik asked the PML-N chief to explain his links with the central character of memeogate scandal Mansoor Ijaz.
The minister indicated that his life was in danger and he was playing with fire. “Contact my son Barrister Ali to get all proofs and documents if I am killed,” he added. Malik said that he has handed over evidences against so many people including Nawaz Sharif to his son.
Courtesy: DAWN.COM
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani once again on Monday took what appeared to be a potshot at the military when he said affidavits submitted to the Supreme Court by the Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha on `memogate` were `unconstitutional and illegal`.
In an interview with the People`s Daily Online of China, which was released by the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency, Mr Gilani said since the COAS and ISI DG had submitted their replies to the court without seeking approval of the competent authority under the rules of business, the statements carried no legal import.
`No summary seeking approval of the competent authority was initiated by the ministry of defence nor was any approval obtained fromthe defence minister,` the prime minister was quoted as saying by the APP.
The media wing of the prime minister`s secretariat confirmed the statement.
Soon after the APP released excerpts of the interview, it was picked by major news search engines and online editions of newspapers all over the world.
Some saw it as an obvious reference to the ongoing tension between the government and the military establishment. …
Read more » DAWN.COM
http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/10/army-isi-chief-statements-to-sc-not-approved-by-govt-pm.html
By AFP
OTTAWA — Research In Motion vowed Tuesday to defend the legal privacy rights of BlackBerry users after a judicial commission in Pakistan ordered copies of smartphone communications in a scandal probe.
The Canadian firm reacted to news that a Pakistani commission was seeking records for a probe into an unsigned memo purported to ask for Washington’s help to rein in Pakistan’s military.
The highly controversial memo was allegedly an attempt by a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari to enlist the US military’s help to head off a military coup in May in Pakistan. …..
ISLAMABAD: Renowned lawyer Asma Jahangir on Sunday refused to continue as former Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani’s counsel in the memogate case, DawnNews reported.
Asma Jahangir said that she did not trust the commission formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the memo-scandal, alleging that the Supreme Court judges were under the establishment’s influence.
Asma also told DawnNews in an exclusive interview that Hussain Haqqani feared the powerful spy agencies may force him into giving a statement. This fear was the reason behind the former ambassador’s stay at the prime minister’s house, she said.
Moreover, she said that the Supreme Court’s decision on the memogate petition was a victory for the country’s establishment. The law was being used to transform the country into a ‘security state’, she said.
Courtesy: DAWN.COM
Husain Haqqani’s lawyer, Aasma Jehangir, speaks to Aljazeerah
Read more: Pakistani Siasat
Beyond the mandate
ASMA Jahangir, legal counsel of Husain Haqqani in the memo hearings in the Supreme Court, may have had in mind a robust defence of her client while making strong statements about the political role of the ISI but her remarks in Courtroom No 1 on Tuesday are worth reflecting on in a wider context. Also, while ‘memogate’ may have pitched the elected government against the powerful army, the hearings in the Supreme Court could become a way of addressing hitherto taboo subjects, such as the responsibilities of the ISI, official and otherwise. The rub of the present matter is that the ISI appears to have ‘investigated’ its own political leadership and determined that the political leadership has grave charges to answer. In fact, from the statements of ISI chief Lt Gen Pasha filed in the Supreme Court, it would appear that the army prima facie believes the allegations of Mansoor Ijaz regarding the role of Husain Haqqani, and someone more senior to him on the civilian side, in the drafting of the now-infamous memo.
Did the ISI itself transgress official boundaries in the present instance? Also, what is the ISI’s legal mandate: is it a counter-intelligence and external-oriented organisation or does it have a more expansive domestic role? Part of the problem is historical. While there is some irony that the PPP’s founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, is believed to have given the ISI a larger role and ingress into domestic politics, the real boost for the organisation proved to be the Afghan war in the 1980s. Organising and equipping the Afghan jihadis while serving the domestic needs of dictator Ziaul Haq, the ISI was an infinitely more fearsome institution at the end of the ’80s than it was at the start. By the time the so-called decade of democracy rolled around, the ISI was confident and capable enough to aggressively intervene in the democratic process. As the self-appointed custodians of the national interest, the army and the ISI established their own rules that only as a matter of convenience appeared to fit into the scheme of a constitutional democracy. For the civilians to assert their control over the country’s armed forces and its intelligence apparatus, many years, much sophistication in approach and honesty of purpose will be required. Sadly, none of that has been evident to date on the civilian side.
Inevitably, perhaps, the courts also must shoulder some of the blame. Had the verdict in the Asghar Khan case, which looked into the manipulation of elections by the ISI in the 1990s, been handed down, the hearings into the memo affair may not have become necessary. Having said that, the present hearing could be used to try and establish the mandate and parameters of the ISI.
Courtesy: DAWN.COM
ISLAMABAD: The role of the country’s premier intelligence agency came under the spotlight at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, as Asma Jehangir, counsel for former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani, defended her client in the Memogate case.
In an assertion that blurred the boundaries between the alleged perpetrators and the victims in the case, Jehangir termed Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha’s visit to London as a venture against the government.
“Many of us inside this courtroom are guilty of treason if the ISI’s statement is to be believed,” Jehangir said to a nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
“The likes of Benazir Bhutto and Wali Khan are also traitors by its standards,” she said. …
Read more » The Express Tribune
More details » BBC urdu
Washington: Pakistani military had harboured Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden with the knowledge of former president General Pervez Musharraf, ex-army chief General Ziauddin Butt has said.
An article on the Jamestown Foundation website, which cited Butt, said that despite denials, evidence is emerging that “elements within the Pakistani military harboured Osama with the knowledge of Musharraf and Kayani”. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is the current army chief.
Ziauddin Butt, a former chief of the Pakistan army, told a conference on Pakistani-US ties in October that according to his knowledge, then director general of Intelligence Bureau, Brigadier (retd.) Ijaz Shah, had “kept Osama bin Laden in an Intelligence Bureau safe house in Abbottabad”.
Osama bin Laden was gunned down May 2 by US commandos who mounted a daring operation using stealth helicopters.
Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/musharraf-kayani-knew-about-osama-s-whereabouts-ex-pak-army-chief-160512&cp
— o — o — o — o —
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdRrcSxxtdk
» YouTube
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday night hosted dinner in the honour of Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo which was not attended by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Geo News reported. …
…. However, Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani did not attend the dinner. COAS had also stayed away from the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday.
Meanwhile, Dai Bingguo, State Councilor China, called on Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at General Headquarters separately.
Read more » The News
The language of the talk show is urdu (Hindi).
Courtesy: Geo TV (Capital Talk with Hamid Mir, CT – 20-11-11)
via » ChagataiKhan » YouTube
We do not appreciate meeting of Chief Justice with Richard Holbrooke: Dr. Arif Alvi
By Ahsan Mansoor
The Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has issued a statement that the people of Pakistan, do not appreciate the meeting of the Chief Justice of Pakistan with Mr Richard Holbrooke in his chambers on Friday.
We struggled long and hard for his restoration and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf does respect the Supreme Court, but for matters of dignity and norms the Chief Justice should not have met a political official of the US Government,
(ISLAMABAD – December 19) The Central Chairman of the Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP), Engineer Jameel Ahmad Malik as a citizen has today prayed the Supreme Court (SC) on the ongoing controversy of memo gate scandal for immediate removal of Lt. General Pasha from the post of Director General, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
He filed the Constitutional Petition under the Articles 184(3) and 244 of the Constitution. He stressed that after memogate scandal, Lt. General Pasha is not now eligible to remain on the post of DG (ISI) under Article 244 of the Constitution.
For interim relief, Engineer Jameel prayed the Supreme Court for immediate direction to Federation for suspension of Gen. Pasha from DG (ISI) till the disposal of this petition. ….
Read more » Aboriginal Humanity
http://aboriginalhumanity.blogspot.com/2011/12/cpp-urged-to-supreme-court-for-removal.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F7uY7nPSxck
Courtesy: ARY News Tv (Off The Record 21st December 2011 – p3)
MoD reply: We only handle administrative matters of ISI, not operational
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General Shuja Ahmed Pasha filed their written replies to the Supreme Court over the Memogate scandal late on Wednesday night, Express News reported.
According to details, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in its written reply said that it was not in a position to comment on the operational details of either the army or its intelligence wing since it had no control over the army or ISI. It further added that the MoD only tended to the administrative matters of the armed forces. Attorney General of Pakistan confirmed the submission of the replies. ….
Read more » The Express Tribune
For more details » BBC
– No hope of justice in memo case: Chandio
Federal Law Minister Maula Bukhsh Chandio has said he knows justice will not be done in memo case, a private TV channel reported. …
Read more » PakistanToday
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/12/no-hope-of-justice-in-memo-case-chandio/
Never since Mujibur Rehmen, has the fauj (army), its pithus & media so obsessively targeted a man as they are targeting President Zardari.
Source – http://twitter.com/#!/NadeemfParacha
By Joshua Partlow and Karin Brulliard
A former Afghan official said Karzai is regularly frustrated by what he sees as the United States’ failure to take stronger action against Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan or pressure Pakistan’s military or intelligence agency to address the problem.
“We put all our eggs in the American basket,” he said. “The problem is, that basket has a huge hole in it, and it’s called Pakistan.”
KABUL — The Afghan police general watched on television as Pakistani soldiers solemnly saluted the coffins of 24 of their comrades who were killed in a U.S. military airstrike Saturday.
The general stood up in disgust. “That’s the best thing America has done in 10 years here,” he said.
While U.S. officials from the war zone to the White House offered contrite condolences to the families of the dead and scrambled to repair the tattered relationship with Pakistan, Afghan officials have taken a tougher line. Frustrated by a Taliban insurgency they are convinced is supervised by and based in Pakistan, they have expressed little remorse, even accusing Pakistan of exaggerating the gravity of the situation to deflect attention from its own meddling in Afghanistan.
Afghan officials said the strike — which followed an operation by U.S. Special Operations forces and Afghan army commandos — was justified because the troops came under fire first from a Pakistani border post. “We have absolutely nothing to apologize for,” a senior official said.
Read more » The Washington Post
Pakistan alerts forces over NATO raids
(Nov 27, 2011) The commander of the Pakistan’s army has ordered the country’s military to firmly respond to ‘irresponsible’ NATO attacks on the country’s territory.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani condemned the US-led NATO helicopter strikes on two military checkpoints in the country’s northwest, which killed 28 soldiers earlier in the day, English-language domestic daily the Nation reported.
General Kayani ordered that the Pakistani forces make necessary arrangements for retaliatory measures, should the Western military alliance repeat such offensives. ….
Read more » PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212359.html
via » Siasat.pk
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Pakistan is a nuclear power — unlike Afghanistan or Iraq — and the US would have to think “10 times” before it begins unilateral action in North Waziristan, Pak army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has told parliament, media reports said ….
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/think-10-times-before-you-raid-us-kayani-warns-us/862508/
A charismatic envoy’s sudden downfall is the chance for Washington to move from engagement with Islamabad to containment.
BY SADANAND DHUME
It’s not every day that an ambassador’s departure from office makes international headlines. But then Husain Haqqani, who resigned Tuesday after serving for more than three years as Pakistan’s envoy to Washington, was no garden-variety diplomat. He managed to be unapologetically pro-American, while representing one of the most anti-American places in the world.
The extraordinary circumstances of Mr. Haqqani’s departure reveal much about Pakistan’s precarious politics. He was forced to step down, reportedly under pressure from the country’s notorious intelligence agencies, amid unconfirmed allegations that he secretly sought U.S. assistance to weaken the grip of the military. His exit should …
Read more » The Wall Street Journal
The language of the talk show is urdu (Hindi).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FuBK4v9e1s&feature=player_embedded
Courtesy » Duniya TV (Crossfire with Mehar Bukhari – 24th November 2011)
If President Zardari is forced out for his alleged ‘ineptness’ or ‘collusiveness’ with Ambassador Haqqani’s alleged ‘memo’, then there will be questions about those who are accused of being ‘inept’ or ‘collusive’ in the Osama bin Laden case.
Why must every scandal cause a section of the media to conclude that the democratic edifice is about to cave in? Why is news no more reported but presented with juicy blandishments? Why are political and institutional rivals ever so prone to trumpeting ‘j’accuse’, forgetting their own acts of omission and commission? And why do the grave social and economic problems of the common man not arouse such rage and fury in the media as does the clash of interests among powerful individuals and institutions; after all, more than six million flood-affected IDPs are helplessly confronted with the onset of a harrowing winter in Sindh. …..
Read more » Daily Times
“In the foreseeable future, Islam will remain a factor in Pakistan’s politics. Musharraf and his likely successors from the ranks of the military, promising reform, will continue to seek U.S. economic and military assistance; yet the power of such promises is tempered by the strong links between Pakistan’s military-intelligence apparatus and extremist Islamists”.
Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military— Husain Haqqani
By SALMAN MASOOD
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Husain Haqqani, the embattled Pakistani ambassador to the United States, resigned Tuesday in the wake of accusations that he had sought American help to rein in the powerful Pakistani military.
Although he had hoped to stay on, Mr. Haqqani offered to resign last week. But on Tuesday, the prime minister said he should resign so that an investigation into the accusations could be “carried out properly.”
The accusations center on a memo that Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistani origin, said Mr. Haqqani asked him to have delivered to Adm. Mike Mullen, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. According to Mr. Ijaz, the memo asked for American help in heading off a possible military-led coup and promised concessions in return.
The accusations, which Mr. Haqqani denies, created a political storm in Pakistan, where anti-American feelings run high and Mr. Haqqani is considered by some to be an apologist for the United States.
He has also made enemies among some in the military for his criticisms of the army before he became ambassador. Some analysts believe that the military’s leaders, who wield the real power in the country, pushed for the government to oust Mr. Haqqani.
Some American officials on Tuesday expressed concern that Mr. Haqqani’s exit could complicate attempts by the United States and Pakistan to repair badly strained relations. …
Read more » The New York Times
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