By Tarek Fatah
It was the summer of 1966. We were mere teenagers meeting Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had just resigned as Pakistan’s foreign minister and was about to launch a new left-wing political movement, the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Daily Archives: 26/12/2011
Tribute to Benazir
Time servers in Sindh are joining PTI
Who will join PTI in Sindh?
By Imtiaz Ali and Jan Khaskheli
Sindh: With the PTI’s momentous rally at the Quaid’s mausoleum in the city on Sunday, Sindh’s political landscape is likely to undergo significant changes within the next 15 days, as political loyalties are going to alter at an alarming rate.
Some influential political leaders of the province are likely to join the fast-growing Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf in the next few weeks. Liaquat Jatoi from Dadu may join the party by January 15 while Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Arbab Ghulam Rahim would jump on the PTI bandwagon during Imran Khan’s rally in Thar in January, sources told The News. The sources said that the change of political loyalties would see its climax on February 15. …
Read more » The News
Memogate: ‘Pasha stepped beyond jurisdiction when he briefed Kayani’
By Faisal Shakeel
ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday said that Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Shuja Pasha stepped beyond his jurisdiction when he briefed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Ashfaq Pervez Kayani about his meeting with Mansoor Ijaz in London.
“He should have known who he was supposed to report to,” the federal government stated this in a reply submitted to the Supreme Court in the form of an affidavit. The nine-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, had asked the federal government on December 19 to “accept or deny” the statements filed by Kayani, Pasha and others in the memo case.
The reply said the COAS did not immediately inform the prime minister of his meeting with the ISI chief on October 24 with regard to the details on the memo. However, he chose to divulge the details to the prime minister on November 13.
Both Kayani and Pasha have taken an entirely different position to that of the government before the nine-member bench of the court on Memogate.
The generals insist that the memo is authentic and needs to be thoroughly investigated, while the government has termed it a conspiracy and urged the SC to dismiss petitions outright.
Courtesy: The Express Tribune
Showcause to Kayani’s Man Over Affidavit on Memogate
By Rezaul H Laskar
Excerpt;
At loggerheads with the powerful Army, the Pakistan government has issued a showcause notice to the Defence Secretary for submitting an affidavit on the memo scandal to the Supreme Court without seeking approval from the Defence Minister.
Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi considered to be very close to army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was issued the notice last week, official sources said. …
… The PPP insiders further said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s sharp criticism of the Pakistan Army on Thursday was triggered by Lodhi’s refusal to obey a directive from the government.
… Sources said Lodhi submitted the affidavit without getting it cleared by Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar.
… The following day, Gilani issued a directive that Lodhi should submit a fresh affidavit that was more in line with the government’s stance but the Defence Secretary refused to obey, officials of the PPP and other sources confirmed. …
… It was after Lodhi refused to obey the government’s directive that Gilani strongly criticised the military in two separate speeches on December 22. …
…. Speaking in parliament, Gilani said it was unacceptable for the army to function as a “state within a state” and questioned the military’s failure to detect Osama bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan for six years. …
Read more » Out Look
Ignoring history – By: Dr Mubarak Ali
Do it at your own peril
It is conventional wisdom that one can learn from history and avoid committing the same mistakes which were committed by our predecessors in the past. It is not wholly true. Of course one can gain an understanding of human nature by reading past history and can find the solution to problems of the present in its light. However, some people, particularly politicians of all ilks, try to find solutions to current problems by exclusively situating them in the present context believing that there is no need to learn from history. This approach sometimes leads to disastrous consequences. One cannot fully ignore the past. …
Read more » Pakistan Today
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