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| May 24, 2007 | Thursday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 07, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Chief Justice not immune from accountability: Aitzaz Ahsan ISLAMABAD, May 24 (APP) Chief Justice of Pakistan is not above or immune from accountability, the counsel of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry told the full court here Thursday. The counsel, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, however contended that the reference against his client was based on “malafide” intentions. He was giving arguments on the question of maintainability of the petition filed by Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry against the composition of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and its powers. The counsel said that the petition was maintainable and the Supreme Court had jurisdiction to hear it. On the question of powers of the SJC under Article 209 of the Constitution, he argued that this body could not be constituted without the presence of chief justice. He said the SJC has no powers of review or appeal after the finalization of the opinion on the basis of inquiry in accordance with Article 209 after receiving a reference from the Referring Authority. Only, the Referring Authority has “veto powers” to decide about the judge even after receiving opinion from the SJC because the opinion of the body is not binding for the referring authority, Aitzaz Ahsan said. Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman, heading the 13-member full court, observed that some remedial forum should be available to a judge as even if a clerk is removed from service he has remedial forums, including an appellate forum. Regarding Aitzaz Ahsan's arguments, Justice Ramday asked the counsel as to why he should you not wait till the decision of the Referring Authority if the opinion of the Council is not even binding. “I should not wait because greater malafide is from the side of the Referring Authority,” the counsel responded. Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar observed, “We should not assume that if there is no forum of review or appeal against the opinion of the SJC then Supreme Court would work as appellate forum.” The full court will resume the hearing of the case Friday. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
Laal Masjid students free two policemen ISLAMABAD, May 24 (AFP) Students of Laal Masjid freed two policemen in Islamabad Thursday after holding them hostage for almost a week, an AFP reporter witnessed. The students had seized four officers last Friday in retaliation for the detention of 11 students. The two policeman, wearing plain clothes, walked out accompanied by Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of two brothers running the mosque, and were driven away in a white car. “We have released the two policemen on Islamic and humanitarian grounds because their relatives came to us with requests to free them,” said Ghazi. The policemen said they had been well treated by their captors but were happy to go home. “Both of us are very happy because we are going back home and will be able to spend time with our families,” said officer Aurangzeb Awan. “The attitude of the students was excellent. They did not misbehave with us during our stay at the mosque.” (Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Karachi will remain city of peace: President Musharraf DERA GHAZI KHAN, May 24 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf said here Thursday said that Karachi would remain a city of peace and brotherhood and the attempts to give an ethnic colour to the recent killings there would fail. Addressing a public meeting at Dera Ghazi Khan Sports Stadium he regretted that a judicial issue was politicized and attempts were made to give ethnic colour to May 12 incidents in Karachi. He said the lawyer community was being instigated by elements that wanted to spread disruption and subvert the ongoing national development. Punjab Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former President Farooq Ahmed Leghari, federal minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, district nazim Sardar Maqsood Ahmed Leghari, parliamentarians and PML leaders were also present on the occasion. He also said terrorism and extremism are hurdles in the way to progress and prosperity and if this trend of extremism was not checked the ongoing progress and industrialization would come to a halt and the country would revert to backwardness. President Musharraf said this year is the election year and the nation should vote those to power who want progress and prosperity. He announced to establish a university and a medical college in the area as well as a cadet college at Fort Munro and a grant of Rs 500 million for the development of DG Khan and Rajanpur districts. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Lal Masjid cleric warns Musharraf ISLAMABAD, May 24(AFP) –Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi whose mosque is holding two policemen hostage has said his followers backed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and predicted the political upheaval would further the students' goal of a pure Islamic state. “If the government tries to suppress the change that our movement is demanding, then there is a likelihood of Talibanisation,” the 43-year-old Ghazi said. “I can see it happening.” “We are not only challenging Musharraf, we are challenging the system,” Ghazi told AFP on Wednesday, speaking inside the Jamia Hafsa seminary next to the mosque. Bearded men with Kalashnikov rifles stood guard during the interview. “The country's system has totally failed and needs to be changed because it is not giving any relief to 99 percent of the people,” he added. “We know that if Musharraf goes away, another Musharraf would come instead. The system we want is an Islamic system.” Ghazi said the students empathised with Chaudhry, “We have sympathy for the chief justice's plight, which is because of the system that has allowed Musharraf to do this kind of thing,” said Ghazi. “The man who is meant to give justice to the people is begging for justice himself.” Ghazi said the Lal Masjid students mostly come from the tribal areas of Pakistan, and claimed that the 6,000 male students and 4,000 females belonging to the mosque's two seminaries have received messages of support from Muslims around the world. Ghazi, who worked for a short time for the UN in Islamabad and says he is widely travelled, said he saw no easy resolution to the hostage drama. “We are not in talks with the authorities at the moment,” he said. “We made goodwill gestures to them, but had no response, so we stopped negotiating.”(Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Israel arrests 33 senior Hamas figures JERUSALEM, May 24 (AFP) - Thirty-three senior Hamas figures were arrested by the Israeli army in the West Bank early on Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman said.The operation, mainly in the town of Nablus, netted Palestinian education minister Nasseredine al-Shaer, three lawmakers and four mayors, among others. The arrests were aimed at stopping the militant group from firing rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, the spokesman said. The Hamas officials had been arrested because they “supported the firing of rockets,” he said.(Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Abbas urges truce after Israel seizes Hamas officials GAZA, May 24, (AFP) - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas called for a halt to rocket fire and a truce with Israel on Thursday after the army seized 33 senior Hamas figures in the latest crackdown against the Islamic group. “We don't need these futile firings of rockets and they have to cease so that we can reach a reciprocal truce with the Israelis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” Abbas told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Asked if he believed Israel's arrests of the Hamas members were justified, Solana replied “No,” and also appealed for an end to Israeli air raids in Gaza, rocket fire and Palestinian infighting. (Posted @ 23:22 PST)
China calls economic talks with U.S. successful WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - Two days of China-U.S. high-level economic talks were concluded “successfully,” Chinese Assistant Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said on Thursday. Zhu told reporters the two sides “respected each other and listened carefully” to their respective views on a range of trade and financial issues. (Posted @ 22:18 PST)
Qazi Hussain for parliamentary body to probe Karachi killings Karachi, May 24 (PPI) Addressing lawyers at the Malir Bar Association, President Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Qazi Hussain Ahmed Thursday demanded of the government to form a Parliamentary Commission to probe the May 12 violence in Karachi. Holding Sindh government responsible for killings of innocent citizens in the city he demanded for the immediate dismissal of Sindh Home Advisor. He also demanded President Pervez Musharraf to resign and form an independent interim government. He said that MMA was holding an All-Parties Conference (APC) on May 25 in Islamabad to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to get rid of the dictatorship as soon as possible. All opposition parties, heirs of the missing persons, civil society organizations and others had agreed to participate in the APC, saving the PPP-P. He urged PPP-P to join Grand Alliance for joint struggle for restoration of democracy and independence of judiciary in the country. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Pakistani Sikhs protest against 'blasphemy' in India LAHORE, Pakistan, May 24 (AFP) More than 200 Sikhs rallied in Lahore Thursday to demand the arrest of a rival sect leader, as anger about the issue spread across the border from India. They chanted slogans against the chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect who had appeared in a newspaper advertisement dressed in the attire of a revered Sikh guru. “We are here to express solidarity” with Indian Sikhs, said Bishen Singh, a leader of Pakistan's Sikh community. (Posted @ 21:12 PST)
CJ lawyers scandalizing judicial matters: Barrister Saif ISLAMABAD, May 24 (APP) Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, one of the lawyers on the government panel, Thursday said the lawyers of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry were trying to scandalize judicial matters by giving political statements outside the court. Addressing a press conference here, he said their behaviour is not only against the Supreme Court's code of conduct but also tantamount to contempt of the court. The government, he added, is considering filing a case against Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan for criticizing the armed forces and judiciary. He said Imran Khan has committed contempt of court by stating that the people would come on to the streets if the Supreme Court gives verdict against the chief justice. (Posted @ 21:08 PST)
President Musharraf calls for rapid development in remote areas KHALIDABAD, Ghotki, May 24 (APP) President Pervez Musharraf called upon public representatives to speed up pace of development schemes so that the people could get early benefits of these schemes at their doorstep. He was talking to notables and public representatives at the residence of State Minister for Railways Sardar Khalid Khan Thursday. Sindh Irrigation Minister Nadar Akmal Leghari said during the meeting the President underlined the need for rapid development in the province particularly in remote areas so that poverty and unemployment could be addressed on priority basis. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Bush says summer critical for Iraq strategy WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) President George W. Bush told a news conference Thursday this summer will be a critical time for his troop buildup strategy in Iraq and predicted heavy fighting in the weeks and months ahead. Bush said that the last troops in a 30,000-troop buildup should be in place by mid-June, and that “we expect heavy fighting in the weeks and months” ahead. More American and Iraqi casualties should be expected, he said. (Posted @ 21:02 PST)
Iran three to eight years from nuclear weapon: IAEA chief LUXEMBOURG, May 24 (AFP) The head of the UN's atomic watchdog said Thursday Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in three to eight years and voiced frustration over his agency's deteriorating access to Tehran's programme. “We are moving toward Iran building capacity and knowledge without the agency in a position to be able to verify the nature or the scope of that programme,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed Elbaradei told reporters in Luxembourg. “If we continue in that direction, we will end up with a major confrontation, we would reduce the possibilities of a peaceful resolution of that issue,” he said on the sidelines of a conference on preventing nuclear catastrophe. (Posted @ 20:28 PST)
Thirteen killed in Baghdad bus attack BAGHDAD, May 24 (Reuters) Gunmen stopped a minibus at a fake checkpoint in a district Baghdad's northern outskirts Thursday and killed all 11 passengers, police said. Police said the gunmen then hid a bomb among the bodies which exploded when officers arrived at the scene, killing two civilians and wounding four people, including two policemen. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Four wounded in new Israeli air raid in Gaza GAZA CITY, May 24 (AFP) Four Palestinians were wounded Thursday in a new Israeli air strike on a building of Hamas's paramilitary force in Gaza City, medics and witnesses said. Earlier a Palestinian farmer was killed by Israeli fire in the northern Gaza Strip. (First Posted @ 12:20 PST Updated @ 18:18 PST)
Methane blast at Siberian coal mine kills 38 workers MOSCOW, May 24 (AP) A methane explosion tore through a coal mine in southern Siberia, killing 38 workers and injuring seven others, emergency officials said Thursday. Soon after the blast, 179 miners were brought to the surface, including seven with injuries, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry said. Another ministry spokeswoman, said 217 people had been working in the Yubileinaya mine in Novokuznetsk, 3,000 kilometres east of Moscow at the time of the blast. (First Posted @ 12:40 PST Updated @ 18:14 PST)
Seven houses burnt in Pakistani village UBAURO, Sindh, May 24 (PPI) Seven houses were completely burnt when one of them caught fire during cooking at village Paryal Doho of Union Council Ranwiti near Ubauro district Ghotki Thursday. Two infants sustained serious burn injuries. (Posted @ 18:12 PST)
Lawyers, opposition resume anti-Musharraf protests after Karachi bloodshed ISLAMABAD, May 24 (AP) Thousands of President Pervez Musharraf's opponents rallied nationwide Thursday, the first street protests since a burst of political violence in Karachi deepened the judicial crisis. About 3,000 lawyers, opposition activists and civil rights campaigners gathered for about an hour in central Lahore, chanting anti-Musharraf slogans. About 200 lawyers gathered in Karachi Thursday, raising their fists into the air and chanting. ''The blood of the May 12 martyrs has flowed into the lawyers' movement,'' Iftikhar Javed Qazi, president of the Karachi Bar Association, told the gathering in front of the city's press club. Another 200 lawyers rallied in Multan. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Eight coaches of Shalimar Express derail near Mehrabpur NAWABSHAH, May 24 (APP) Eight coaches of Lahore Bound 27-Up Shalimar Express were derailed at Mehrabpur Station on the main railway track at about 1:15 pm Thursday. A railway official said all passengers of derailed bogies remained safe and there were no casualties. (Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Roadside bombs kill at least 10 Afghan police KHOST, Afghanistan, May 24 (Reuters) At least 10 policemen and a district chief were killed by two roadside bomb blasts Thursday in Afghanistan, officials said. One of the blasts killed six police officers and the district chief while they were travelling in a vehicle in Yahya Kheil district of southeastern Paktika province, provincial governor Akram Khpelwak said. Hours later, four policemen died in a similar attack in the southern province of Kandahar, provincial officials said. Several more were wounded in the explosion, they said. (Posted @ 18:06 PST)
Nation has initiated soft revolution to get rid of dictators: Hameed Gul MULTAN, May 24 (PPI) Describing the judiciary as the front defence line of country, former ISI Chief Lt. Gen. (R) Hameed Gul said the rulers were weakening it. Addressing the members of Multan Bar Association here Thursday he said that lawyers were waging a struggle for the independence of Judiciary and the nation. He said, ''the nation has initiated a soft revolution to get rid of dictators.” (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
Iran defies fresh nuclear sanctions threats TEHRAN, May 24 (AFP) Iran Thursday dismissed threats of new UN sanctions after the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed its atomic programme was expanding, saying the drive would not pause even “for a moment”. “The enemies aim to prevent us from using peaceful nuclear technology, not for scientific reasons but because they want to eradicate the roots of the principles of the Islamic republic,” said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “Therefore if we stop…they will achieve their aims,” he told a group of elite Revolutionary Guards commanders, according to Iranian news agencies. The IAEA said Wednesday that Iran was defying UN Security Council demands to stop enriching uranium and is expanding the work. (Posted @ 17:18 PST)
Export of gram pulse suspended to check rising prices: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, May 24 (APP) The government has suspended the export of gram pulse with immediate effect to check price hike in domestic market, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz announced Thursday. Aziz was talking to mediapersons after chairing a special meeting to review the prices of essential commodities. Prime Minister Aziz said the government would not allow increase in the prices of daily use items so as to facilitate the common man and if export of gram pulse and wheat go unchecked, the result would be uncontrollable price hike. He termed supply management an effective way to control prices and said suspension in export of wheat and gram pulse would yield fruitful results. (Posted @ 17:14 PST)
More than 20 militants killed in Afghanistan KABUL, May 24 (AFP) More than 20 militants, including seven foreign Al-Qaeda insurgents, have been killed in new clashes across Afghanistan, officials said Thursday. Most of the rebels were killed Wednesday by Afghan and foreign forces in southern and eastern parts of the country. Thirteen were killed in a battle in the southern province of Helmand, the interior ministry said in a statement. The same day, five more Taliban were killed in separate gunfights in the province's Sangin district, the ministry said. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Mine explosion kills six Turkish soldiers, wounds ten ANKARA, Turkey, May 24 (AP) A landmine believed to have been planted by Kurdish rebels killed six Turkish soldiers and wounded 10 others Thursday in southeast Turkey’s Sirnak town, the governor's office said. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
Two killed in India army helicopter crash SHIMLA, India, May 24 (AFP) Two pilots were killed Thursday when an Indian army helicopter crashed in a northern hill state, police said. The multi-purpose Cheetah craft went down after getting tangled in wires from a pulley system transporting goods across a mountain gorge. The crash took place in Himachal Pradesh, about 200 kilometres north of the state capital Shimla. (Posted @ 15:55 PST)
Car bomber kills 27 at funeral in Iraq FALLUJA, Iraq, May 24 (Reuters) At least 27 people were killed and more than 30 wounded Thursday when a suicide bomber in a car packed with explosives drove into a crowd of mourners at the funeral of Allawi al-Isawi, a local contractor in Falluja, 50 km west of Baghdad, police said. Allawi al-Isawi was killed earlier Thursday, a police officer said. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
16 wounded in new Lebanon bomb blast ALEY, Lebanon, May 24 (AFP) - Sixteen people were wounded when a bomb exploded in a popular Lebanese mountain resort late Wednesday night, the third such bombing in the country in a week. “The explosive charge was placed in a small suitcase near the entrance of a residential building,” a security official said. The blast damaged several buildings and shops along the street. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
Two US soldiers killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, May 24 (AFP) - Two US soldiers were killed in fighting on Wednesday in Iraq's restive western province of al-Anbar, the US military said on Thursday. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
China coal mine blast kills 11, 2 missing BEIJING, May 24 (Reuters) - A coal mine explosion at the Xinglong Mine in Sichuan Province killed 11 miners and two others are missing, the offical Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. Local official said 36 miners were underground when the blast occurred on Wednesday but 24 were rescued from the shaft. (Posted @ 11:35 PST)
30 die as wall collapses in southern India CHENNAI, India, May 24 (AFP) -At least 30 people died and five injured Wednesday when a wall weakened by rain collapsed onto a liquor store in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, officials said. The victims had lined up to buy liquor when the wall fell onto the tin roof of the store and crushed them.(Posted @ 11:15 PST)
Tigers attack Sri Lanka base, 35 troops dead COLOMBO, May 24 (AFP) - Tamil Tiger rebels Thursday overran the naval facility at Delft, an islet off the Jaffna peninsula, under the cover of darkness, killing at least 35 sailors, a rebel spokesman told AFP. Four rebels were also killed, he said. Sri Lankan military confirmed the rebel attack, but gave no further details.(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 167.24 points: KARACHI, May 24: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 12663.41, up 167.24 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, May 24: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.83 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:17 PST)
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