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Prime Minister Gilani honours Arfa Karim with commemorative stamp
Intervention in Iran would trigger war and chaos, says Sarkozy
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Rs15.00 Vol ii no 205 22 pages islamabad — peshawar edition
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Apex court demands govt’s stance in writing within two weeks ISLAMABAD MASOOD REHMAN
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the government to present within two weeks its stance in writing that it had no intention to sack Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and InterServices Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha. A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez gave the orders after Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq, who appeared on notice, told the court that the government had no intention to remove the COAS and ISI DG and they would serve their tenure. He said the petition against any possible move to sack the military and intelligence leadership was based on assumptions and hypothesis. The chief justice observed that the situation
should move towards improvement. “It would be better if the government submits its stance in writing,” the chief justice said, and directed the attorney general to take formal instructions from the government and submit to the court the reply in writing over the issue within a fortnight. “We want to resolve the issues and it would be better in the interest of the country as well as the nation,” the chief justice said. The peti-
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Zardari decorates Naval Chief Admiral Asif Sandila with Nishane-Imtiaz (M) during a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday. online
MIAN ABRAR
President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had an informal exchange of views on Friday over the process of review of terms of engagements between Pakistan and NATO forces by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS). A source told Pakistan Today that both leaders met here at the Presidency after a ceremony held to decorate Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila with the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (M). “Both leaders had an informal discussion on the professional matters of the armed forces, post-NATO at-
Saturday, 21 January, 2012 Safar 26, 1433
SerIOuSly PM?
Power and gas shortage over in six months! Gilani says govt struggling to maintain balance among institutions g Says PPP respects the judiciary
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President and COAS discuss review of Pak-NATO relations
ISLAMABAD
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pakistantoday.com.pk
SC wants assurance COAS, ISI DG won’t be sacked g
‘Kiss’ and sex talk lands Ali Zafar’s film in trouble
tack strategy and the scope of recommendations finalised by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. Security issues were also discussed during the meeting between both leaders,” the source said, adding that both leaders exchanged views while the services chiefs were also present. “The president told the army chief that the recommendations by the PCNS had been finalised and they would now be presented in the joint session of parliament, which is likely to be summoned within the next 10 days,” said the source and added that the body language of both leaders suggested that tension between the presidential camp and the general headquarters was lowering. Defence Minister Chaudhry
tion seeking to block any attempts by the government to sack the military and intelligence leadership was filed by lawyer FK Butt a few weeks ago when the brewing tussle between the civilian government and the military leadership over the memo controversy had already led to the sacking of the defence secretary and triggered speculations that the government might take similar action against the army and intelligence chiefs.
No legal cover for 2008 polls ISLAMABAD TAHIR NIAZ
Amidst open criticism from certain quarters over the Supreme Court decision of staying the upcoming by-elections on existing electoral rolls, which contain bogus voters, and the possibility of moving an application in the court to get the 2008 general elections declared null and void on the same basis, the government has ignored giving legal cover to the 2008 general elections and found a remedy for the it in the 20th Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which it introduced in parliament to validate the status of 28 parliamentarians elected through by-elections when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was incomplete. On January 19, the apex court, on petitions moved by Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s slain former chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, issued a stay order against the upcoming by-elections as it maintained that the existing electoral rolls contained bogus votes. It asked the ECP to prepare verified voter lists first and then hold the elections in the respective constituencies. The ruling immediately affected by-elections scheduled in eight constituencies: five National Assembly (NA-9 Mardan-I, NA140 Kasur-III, NA-148, Multan-I, NA-149 Multan-II and NA-195 Rahimyar KhanIV); two Punjab Assembly seats (PP-18 Attock-IV and PP-44 Mianwali-II) and one Sindh Assembly seat (PS-57 Badin-I). Continued on page 04
Ahmed Mukhtar, Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Secretary General to the President M Salman Faruqui, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, senior officials and officers from the armed forces were also present on the occasion. The citation read on the occasion said Nishan-e-Imtaiz (M) was being conferred upon the naval chief in recognition for his long meritorious services. Admiral Asif Sandila is also a recipient of the Hilal-eImtiaz (M) and Chevalier de I’ Ordre National de Merite.
LAHORE
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ADNAN LODHI
RIME Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Friday that the government was aware of the current energy crises and was taking steps to resolve them, and that the gas and electricity shortage problems would be resolved in six months. The prime minister’s claim of overcoming power shortage might not be taken seriously by the people as his former water and power minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had made repeated claims and even gave deadlines to resolve the power crisis, but the situation only worsened. Gilani said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government respected the judiciary and was struggling to maintain a balance in all the institutions, adding that dictators who did not give anything to the country in their tenures did not stand a chance. Gilani told reporters after the 9th convocation ceremony of Lahore College of Women University (LCWU) here on Friday that those who did not give anything to this country should know they would never come into power in future. He said his appearance in the Supreme Court was proof that he respected the judiciary and added that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave a constitution to the country and the government was fighting for it now. He said the opposition was doing what it was supposed to and the government would run according to the mandate given to it by the people. The premier said the only
stable position rested with God Almighty. He said further that every institution must work within the ambit of the constitution and that the government had strengthened the state organs by restoring the constitution to its original form. He said those who came into power in the past but could not give anything to the country were now claiming they would end corruption and poverty, but they had failed to do so when they were in power. “It is the job of the opposition to criticise the government and the people should let them fulfil their duty. What did they do when they were in power?” said the prime minister. He also said he was the longestserving democratically elected prime minister of Pakistan. Talking about NATO attack on Pakistani checkposts in Mohmand Agency, the prime minister said the government had taken stern action against the attack and it was his government who had asked the United States to vacate the Shamsi airbase and also boycotted the Bonn Conference and blocked NATO supplies going through Pakistan. He said the joint session of parliament would decide whether NATO supplies would be resumed or not. He said the government took these steps because it was not answerable to any other country. Earlier, addressing the convocation ceremony as the chief guest, Gilani said only God’s throne was invincible and the state institution should consider their limitations and should perform their duties within the boundaries.