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rs22.00 Vol II No 226 96 Pages Islamabad — Peshawar Edition
It is leaders’ turn to make sacrifices, PM tells workers Gilani says party will continue struggle per Benazir Bhutto’s manifesto
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JARANWALA AgencieS
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RIMe Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers had rendered enough sacrifices for the sake of democracy and party and it was now their leaders’ turn to make sacrifices for the just cause. “PPP workers have never sold themselves or gotten frightened,” he told a public rally in Jaranwala. “I am proud of the devotion of the party workers who remain steadfast and have rendered sacrifices for strengthening the democratic process,” he added. Gilani said PPP workers had rendered many sacrifices and the party was fully aware of them and would remember them always. The prime minister said Benazir Bhutto struggled for the freedom of media and judiciary and “we will keep serving the people per her manifesto, whether in or out of power”. He said the only politician who brought revolution in the country was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. “Many politicians talk about revolution, but ZA Bhutto was the only political leader who made it happen,” he said. The prime minister said, “We will continue the politics of reconciliation introduced by Benazir Bhutto and after the completion of five years, the PPP will go before the masses on the basis of its performance.” He said the progress made during his tenure was unmatched by any other regime. He said PPP was not a political party, but a movement, which had played an important role in the progress, prosperity and development of the country. Gilani said the PPP raised the slogan of Roti, Kapra and Makan and remained committed to it, adding that Benazir Bhutto came to Pakistan to launch a movement for the restoration of judiciary, give the people their rights and fight against dictatorship. “We promise to remain committed to the vision, thoughts and ideas of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and carry forward their politics of reconciliation,” he said. The prime minister said the PPP would continue the mission of serving the nation and people. “Today, every party is claiming to bring change and defeat all others. even some are claiming to take many wickets on ‘one ball’, but the people have not given them any chance,” he said. The prime minister said the response of the people in PPP’s public meetings was due to its achievements and measures taken for the welfare of the people. earlier, Gilani inaugurated a mega gas project worth Rs 710 million in Jaranwala. The project would ensure gas facility to about 200,000 people of 57 union council of Jaranwala tehsil. He also announced early completion of the gas supply project, roads’ construction and electricity projects at a cost of Rs 10 billion. Regarding the demand to declare Jaranawala a district, he said if all representatives of the area agreed, he would ask the provincial government to take the decision on priority basis. He also announced to set up an IT university in Jaranwala and promised to take steps for establishing an industrial zone in the area.
Not so uPbEat GIlaNI sEEms rEady to facE coNtEmPt | PaGE 04
sunday, 12 february, 2012 rabi-ul-awal 19, 1433
Dejected Shaikh won’t take up advisory role KARACHI: After failing to secure a Pakistan People’s Party Senate ticket from Sindh, former federal minister for finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has decided not to accept the responsibility of adviser to prime minister offered to him by the government. Sources close to Shaikh told Pakistan Today on Saturday that the financial wizard was disappointed by the decision of the committee formed to decide about PPP candidates for the Senate from Sindh. The final list of the PPP candidates from Sindh does not include Shaikh’s name. The sources said the finance minister had now decided to turn down the advisory role offered by the government and leave for Dubai. QAzi ASif
Afghan forces kill three in cross-border raid QUETTA ShAhzAdA zulfiQAr
Personnel of Afghan border forces intruded into Pakistani territory in the Qila Saifullah district, abducted three Pakistani nationals and killed them on Afghan soil, officials said on Saturday. According to reports, over two dozen personnel of Afghan security forces in two vehicles crossed into Pakistani territory near the Badini area of Qila Saifullah on Friday and took away three Pakistan nationals to Afghanistan. They later shot the
three men dead on Afghan soil. However, local tribesmen said the Afghan forces raided a house owned by local tribal elder Sadullah Kakar on the suspicion of harbouring the Taliban. They said the Afghan forces took away three men, identified as Abdullah, Mohammad Din and Mohammad Sarwar Shabozai. Quoting sources across the border, the tribesmen claimed that all three Pakistanis were executed and their bodies had not been returned. They said efforts were being made at the tribal level to take possession of the
bodies. On the other hand, Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Secretary Naseebullah Bazai said only two Pakistanis were taken away by Afghan forces and killed. He said he had informed the Foreign Ministry as well as the provincial high ups. Bazai said an immediate meeting had been convened with the Afghan Consul General in Quetta through the Foreign Ministry to discuss the incident. He said the Balochistan government would register a strong protest over the incident, as well as the violation of border by Afghan forces.
Murree: A woman takes a photograph of her family members as they pose with a snowman after heavy snowfall in Murree on Saturday. reuters
sBP keeps policy rate unchanged Terming financing of country’s fiscal and external current account deficits as a basic challenge, the central bank Saturday kept the discount rate unchanged at the pre-2008 level of 12 per cent to revive business confidence in the crises-hit country. State Bank, declared achievement of the budgeted Rs1.952 trillion tax collection targets as “ambitious” and projected that the fiscal deficit was difficult to be arrested at revised target of 4.7 per cent and was likely to swell beyond 5.5 per cent of the GDP by the end of FY12. Citing provisional estimates, the central bank said the fiscal deficit for H1-FY12, from the financing side, showed a deficit of Rs532 billion or 2.5 per cent of GDP. Given that the fiscal deficit was always higher in the second half of a fiscal year, at least by 0.5 per cent during the last 10 years, containing the FY12 fiscal deficit close to the government’s revised target would be difficult. The regulator said given a steady flow of workers remittances, the external current account deficit is expected to remain in the range of $3.5 billion to $5.5 billion, or 1.5 to 2.4 per cent of GDP, by end-June. “Central Board of Directors of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to keep the per cent policy rate unchanged at 12 per cent,” Governor SBP, Yaseen Anwar, announced here at SBP while unveiling the Monetary Policy Statement for the next two months. Projecting the backbreaking inflation (average) to remain in double-digit, ranging from 11 to 12 per cent, for the current fiscal year, SBP governor said there were indications of underlying inflationary pressures in the economy on account of non-food CPI items.
dEtaIlEd story | PaGE 21
Brigadier, four others face court martial over Ht links ISLAMABAD ShAiQ huSSAin
The army has decided to court martial Brigadier Ali Khan and four other officers, who were arrested last year for alleged ties with banned extremist organisation Hizbut Tahrir. Brigadier Khan and the other four serving army officers were arrested last year on May 6 on charges of having links to Hizb, which is said to be involved in activities aimed at overthrowing of what it believes is a pro-US Pakistani government. Brigadier Khan was serving at the General Headquar-
ters of the Pakistan Army when he was arrested. Khan’s family has denied the charges levelled against him. Khan’s lawyer, Colonel Inam Rahim, had reportedly said after his arrest that his client had claimed that he was detained for demanding that someone within the army must be held accountable for the covert US raid that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2, while keeping Pakistan in the dark. A security official said on condition of anonymity that Brig Khan was formally indicted last week and court martial proceedings against him would commence soon.
“Khan has been formally indicted and the summary of evidence in support of the charges levelled against him is also attached with the charge sheet,” he said. There has been no confirmation or denial so far by the ISPR as for the army’s decision to start court martial proceedings against Khan, but the security official said Khan’s family had contacted a noted lawyer of court martial cases, Colonel (r) Muhammad Akram, to defend him in the military court. “The charges against Khan suggest that he was in contact with Hizb, had meetings with its activists and had assured them of his support to their
cause. He also allegedly tried to impose Hizb’s agenda in the GHQ and tried to win over some of his colleagues at the GHQ,” the official said. He said the other military officials arrested with Khan and some activists of Hizb would also have to face the court martial proceedings. Hizbut Tahrir, which has been banned for being an extremist organisation, has been reportedly involved in distribution of pamphlets in different cities that called on army officers to establish an Islamic caliphate. It is also said to be involved in issuing appeals to the sol-
diers to rise against the leadership of the Pakistan Army for keeping ties with the United States.