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tuesday, 21 February, 2012 Rabi-ul-awal 28, 1433
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ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Underlining the need for adopting a collective wisdom on the Balochistan issue, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday said he was ready to convene sessions of both Houses of parliament separately or jointly and even the allparties conference to discuss and resolve the issue. Speaking in the Senate after the passage of the 20th Amendment Bill, he said the Balochistan issue was the number one priority of his government, added that the rights of Baloch people should be given to them. He congratulated the nation, parliamentarians and the political leadership of the country for adopting the 20th Amendment. “After the fall of Dhaka, it was the 1973 constitution which kept the country intact,” he added. He said a dictator defaced the 1973 constitution and the world wondered whether there was presidential or parliamentary form of government in Pakistan. He said the present parliament also rectified past mistakes. Boasting about the amendments made in the constitution which, he said, resolved the issue of appointing a caretaker set up in the country, the prime minister recalled the time when Pakistan used to “import” caretaker prime ministers and they were issued national identity cards after their arrival in Pakistan. He promised on his own and on the leader of the opposition’s behalf that they would resolve the issue of appointing a caretaker prime minister mutually and would not let the issue go to parliamentary committee, let alone the Election Commission. SENATE PASSES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILL: The House also passed “The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2012” to give protection to people affected by domestic violence. All the members supported the bill moved by Nilofer Bakhtiar. The legislation is ICTspecific, but the mover hoped that the provinces would also adopt it as a role model. JI senators including Prof. Khurshid introduced in the House “The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2012 which sought amendments in Articles 9 and 10 of the constitution which relate to security, life and liberty of a person.
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Balochistan issue number one priority: PM
Germany’s ‘president of hearts’ seeks to restore the faith
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Senate passes 20th amendment Bill after govt distributes Rs 360m among 60 senators as ‘goodwill gesture’ for their support Only two JI senators oppose the legislation, call it law of necessity and ‘ratification of constitution’s violation’ ISLAMABAD
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tahiR niaz
HOUGH the 20th Constitution (Amendment) Bill could not win a unanimous vote in the Senate on Monday due to opposition from the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) members, it was a win for the senators, especially those retiring in the next month, when they secured maximum possible out of the ‘legislation deal’ by making the government release their development funds and notify same perks and privileges for the retired ones as were being enjoyed by the sitting senators in exchange for their support for the bill. Before going to vote on the bill, the
senators were handed out copies of a notification to assure them that each retired senator and his spouse would enjoy the perks and privileges of a sitting senator. Around 60 other senators were given copies of letters to make known to them that their lapsed funds – of around Rs 360 million – had been restored and released for development in their respective areas as a “goodwill gesture” for their support for the legislation. JI senators Prof Khurshid Ahmad and Prof Ibrahim Khan severely opposed the bill as a “law of necessity” and an “attempt to indemnify a violation of the constitution”, as the voting ended in 74 votes in favour of the bill and two against it. All amendments proposed in the bill
iSlaMaBaD: prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani photographed with the pMl-n’s ishaq Dar, pMl-Q’s tariq azeem and ppp’s Raza Rabbani after the Senate approved the 20th amendment Bill. by Prof Khurshid were rejected by a majority vote. He was opposed to the validation of the 28 by-polls held when the Election Commission was incomplete, saying the 28 parliamentarians should get themselves re-elected. He also objected to the National Assembly speaker’s discretionary powers
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
iSlaMaBaD: activists of religious and banned outfits chant slogans during a sit-in protest at aabpara on Monday. afP
Protest rally in Islamabad demands sacking of defence minister for taking ‘american dictation’ ISLAMABAD SalMan aBBaS
Thousands of activists belonging to religious and banned outfits on Monday took to Islamabad’s streets under the banner of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) against US intervention in the country’s internal affairs, warning to wage jihad on the US if it did not end its meddling. Around 5,000 protesters gathered at the Aabpara Chowk, however, the capital administration had banned the entry of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed Ahmed and Sipah-e-Sahaba, generally known as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), leader Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi in Islamabad, so both of the leaders could not attend the rally. The protesters were chanting various slogans against the US, including
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US envoy warned again over Baloch resolution
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for constituting the committee to recommend the name of the caretaker prime minister, saying the relevant clause was vague and did not mention from which House of parliament the speaker would choose members of the committee.
“Death to America” and “America deserves one treatment: jihad, jihad”. The rally participants slammed the tabling of a resolution in the US House of Representatives, which said the Baloch nation had a historic right to self-determination. They warned that if the US continued to interfere in the internal matters of the country, they would wage a war against it. They warned the government not to open NATO supplies and to abandon the ‘American agenda’. The participants said America had killed hundreds of innocent Pakistanis in drone attacks, but the government was still silent on the issue and wanted to restore NATO supplies. They also demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, saying he had been following the policies of
America and failed to defend the country. DPC Chairman Maulana Samiul Haq said the country would have to be wiped clean of “American terrorists”. “We will not allow America to succeed in any of its conspiracies to break Pakistan. Balochis are our brothers and we will show our full support for them on February 27 by organising an All Parties Conference in Balochistan,” he said. Haq said the US wanted to occupy Balochistan so that it could create unrest in the region, adding that America was silent on the Kashmir issue. He said the DPC would not only bring peace to Balochistan but also extend its efforts to get freedom for the Kashmiri people. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawar Hasan called on the defence minister to resign immediately as
he had failed to defend the country and was following American dictation. He said the country did not need enemies in the presence of such a defence minister. Hassan said the discriminatory attitude of the country towards Balochistan had allowed outside forces to take advantage of the situation. He announced to attend the APC on February 27 that has been scheduled to look into the concerns of Baloch people. Former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General (r) Hameed Gul said their protests would turn violent if the government did not adopt the right path. “Intentions of America towards Balochistan are now evident,” he said, adding that the Pakistani nation would not allow Continued on page 04
Pakistan continued to vent its anger on the introduction of a resolution in the US Congress seeking separate state for the Baloch people by summoning the US charge d` affaires for the second time on Monday warning him that it could harm bilateral relations. “Ambassador Richard Hoagland, US charge d’ affaires was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. A strong protest was lodged with him with regard to the tabling of a resolution on Balochistan in the US Congress,” a Foreign Office statement said. “Ambassador Hoagland was told in clear terms that the move in the US Congress was contrary to the spirit of friendly relations and in violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and recognised norms of inter-state conduct,” it said. Ambassador Hoagland was asked to convey the serious concern of the government of Pakistan to the US administration.
Outages not ending anytime soon: PEPCO ISLAMABAD online
PEPCO Managing Director Rasul Khan Mahsud has clearly stated that load shedding would not be ending anytime soon. Talking to reporters, the PEPCO MD said load shedding could not be ended under the current circumstances, adding that unavailability of fuel had caused an electricity shortfall. Mahsud claimed that 4,000-5,000MW of electricity could be added to the national grid if fuel was supplied. Water and Power Secretary Imtiaz Qazi, who was also present at the news conference, said six thermal power plants had been closed due to the unavailability of fuel.