LHR 12-12-2011_Layout 1 12/12/2011 1:29 AM Page 1
‘Truth’ behind Veena Malik’s nude pictuers
Pakistan eyes $1 billion marble export
Pakistan look to win after Younus Khan double ton
PAGE 19
PROFIT | PAGE 01
PAGE 20
pakistantoday.com.pk
rs15.00 vol ii no 165 22 pages lahore edition
Monday, 12 december, 2011 Muharram-ul-haram 16, 1433
ANP likely to suffer blow as Bilours mull joining PML-N ISLAMABAD taHIR NIaZ
KHaRaN: the last flight carrying US personnel and equipment leaves Shamsi air Base. oNLiNe
Asif Zardari frustrated by US ISLAMABAD RaNa QaISaR
Frustrated with the United States for not supporting him on the ‘memo’ issue, President Asif Ali Zardari was equally disappointed with his close aides on a number of political and legal issues when he left for Dubai on December 6, one day after he had separately spoken with three important people – Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, US Ambassador Cameron Munter and British High Commissioner Adam Thomson. What transpired in his talk with General Kayani is not known, but diplomatic sources confirmed that the president was upset particularly when he spoke to the US ambassador, complaining that his country had not come forward with the support he (Zardari) was expecting. The United States had termed the ‘memogate’ scandal Pakistan’s internal issue. At a meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s core committee last month, the president was visibly disturbed for, what a source said, a friendly country, understandably the United States, not standing by him. In this meeting, the source said, the president did not give even a slightest indication that the army had turned against him. But, the source admitted, that after this meeting the situation had considerably changed with the explosive ‘memo’ controversy surfacing with all guns trained at the Presidency. What disheartened the president the most and made him feel betrayed was the unexpected opposition from the coterie of his avowed comrades on a number of issues primarily his address to the joint session of parliament. An emotional outburst, the source said, aggravated the president’s health condition on December 5 when he told the people around him that he had been betrayed. Another source, who was privy to the president’s argument with his close aides over his resolve to address the joint session of parliament, said that seemingly the president had not consulted his legal and political advisers before taking this decision as they strongly opposed the idea after it was announced. The president, the source said, was taken aback when his advisers, whom he had supported and promoted, disagreed with his plan to appear in front of the elected representatives of the people and speak his heart out. Though the reports from Dubai suggest that he will return soon, it, however, depends on the advice of his doctors who have yet not concluded as to what exactly had caused an emergency situation that compelled President Zardari’s children to insist on him leaving the country for medical treatment abroad. Continued on page 04
envoys to disCuss post-attaCks situation | page 02
US vAcAted ShAmSi Air bASe within time limit
Govt will approach current assembly for Saraiki province: PM Denies any secret talks with Taliban g Says army not trying to push president out of office g
ISLAMABAD
P
app
RIME Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said in an interview with BBC Urdu on Sunday that the Saraiki province was the desire of the people and it was an important matter that could not be left to the next parliament, so the government would approach the incumbent assembly for the creation of the Saraiki province. The premier said the United States had vacated the Shamsi air base within the time limit given to it and the base was now under the control of Pakistani forces. A statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday said: “Last flight carrying leftover US personnel and equipment departed Shamsi
base today and the base has been completely vacated. The control of the base has been taken over by the Army.” To a question about his statement that he would resign but would not write a letter to the Swiss government to reopen cases closed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), the prime minister said he had never said this and his statement was presented wrongly. NO TALKS WITH TALIBAN: Gilani also denied that secret talks were being held with the local Taliban and said dialogue with the militants would only be held if they renounced violence. Continued on page 04
us drones to be shot down | page 04 ttp denies being in talks with govt | page 04
The Awami National Party (ANP) may face a severe blow in the coming days as the Bilour brothers from Peshawar are negotiating their entry into the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with the top leadership of the party, Pakistan Today learned on Sunday. According to sources close to the Bilours, all was not well between the Bilour brothers ( Federal Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Senator Ilyas Bilour and KhyberPakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour) and the ANP top leadership. They said that ANP leadership had assured the brothers that after two years of the beginning of the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Assembly, Bashir Ahmad Bilour would replace Ameer Haider Hoti as chief minister of the province. However, they added, the ANP leadership did not fulfil the commitment, which has caused frustration amongst the Bilours. The sources said talks between the Bilours and the PML-N leadership were at the very initial stage; however, they termed it a very significant development at party- and national-level politics. The move is also indicative of the ‘high hopes’ attached with the PML-N by various political players visà-vis results in the next general elections, the sources added. As the political chess game is getting thrilling with each passing day, some more changes on the political horizon of the country are also being expected in the coming days. According to sources, former Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) Senator Azam Khan Swati, who had resigned from his Senate seat and JUI-F basic membership some days ago, had been denied candidature for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister position by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI). The sources said after leaving JUIF, Swati had set the condition of being given the candidature for the chief minister’s position before joining the PTI, however, the top PTI leadership turned him down. Swati and the PTI leadership are still busy in negotiations over the former joining the Imran Khan-led party, however. The sources said further that earlier, Swati had approached the PML-N to join up but he was flatly refused because of opposition from within the PML-N. Laiq Muhammad Khan, brother of Azam Swati, is an MNA on the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Continued on page 04
SC resumes hearings on ZAB reference today g
Hearing may continue till Dec 16 on a daily basis g PPP leaders including Bilawal, PM expected to witness proceedings ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The Supreme Court (SC) will today resume the hearing on a presidential reference seeking revisiting of the death sentence given to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979. An 11-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will resume hearings after a break of more than five months. According to sources in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gilani are expected to witness the reference proceedings today or in future. Earlier, during a preliminary hearing, the federation’s counsel Babar Awan had informed the bench of the prime minister’s desire to witness the reference’s proceedings. In a letter sent on November 27 to the chief justice of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari urged him to fix an early date for the reference’s hearing on a day-to-day basis in order to conclude it soon. The plea was made through a special messenger a day after the apex court had rejected the federation’s petition for a review of its decision to declare the con-
troversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) illegal and unconstitutional. On April 2, Zardari approached the SC through a presidential reference under Article 186 of the constitution to seek its opinion on revisiting Bhutto’s murder trial. In March 1979, a seven-judge SC bench, in a four-to-three split verdict, had upheld a Lahore High Court verdict sentencing the former prime minister to death during the military regime of General Ziaul Haq, who had overthrown Bhutto’s government in July 1977. When the hearing on the presidential reference was adjourned on June 29, Attor-
ney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq was presenting his point of view after federation’s counsel Babar Awan had concluded his arguments. The attorney general had sought time to prepare answers to the questions the president had referred to the court. The court has asked the counsels for the parties to ensure their presence for the case, as it is likely to proceed from December 12 to December 16 on a day-to-day basis, keeping in view that the court will adjourn for winter vacations from December 19 to December 31. Notices to all parties concerned, including the Supreme Court Bar Association president, have already been issued.