DINA for the issue of December 23, 2011

----------------------------------------------------------------
D A W N I n t e r n e t N e w s A l e r t
----------------------------------------------------------------
December 23, 2011 Friday Muharram 27, 1433
----------------------------------------------------------------
The DAWN Internet News Alert (DINA) is a free daily news-service
from Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, the Daily
DAWN.

We encourage comments & suggestions. We can be reached at:

e-mail webmaster@dawn.com
WWW http://dawn.com
fax +92(21) 35693995
snail-mail DAWN Media Group,
Haroon House, Karachi 74200, Pakistan

(c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 2011

The link at the end of each extract can be used to access the
complete story on DAWN - the Internet Edition.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
Govt, Army on collision course
-----------------------------------------------------------------
By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: A sense of foreboding gripped the country on Thursday as a showdown between the civilian arm of the government and the army-led security establishment looked imminent, with the Supreme Court also making it abundantly clear that instead of backing off from the so-called 'memogate' scandal, it would like to take it to its logical conclusion.

Although the federal capital had been on edge since the eruption of the memo controversy, some candid and caustic remarks by the Prime Minister hinting at a conspiracy to remove the government, and criticism of the Army and the ISI led to rumours that the conflict may result in direct military intervention. Although most Islamabad-watchers and seasoned analysts immediately brushed aside reports of an immediate coup, some were of the view that an endgame of sorts might have begun...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/government-army-on-collision-course.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
SC receives host of affidavits, pleas
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Nasir Iqbal
FRENETIC activity was the order of the day in the Supreme Court on Thursday when a host of affidavits to petitions were filed in addition to a regular hearing of the memo case.

In a counter-affidavit pencilled in after his meeting with his counsel, former ambassador to US Husain Haqqani cast suspicions on the motive of Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz in starting the scandal with his newspaper article of Oct 10 and "the motivation of the entire exercise" that followed it...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/sc-receives-host-of-affidavits-pleas.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
US concedes mistakes led to killing of Pakistani troops
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, Dec 22: The location Pakistan received from a Nato coordination official was 14 kilometres away from the intended target, so they confirmed that they did not have troops in that spot but Nato forces raided nearby Pakistani border posts and killed 24 soldiers, said an official US investigation report released on Thursday.

The US Central Command, which conducted the investigation, blamed "inadequate coordination" for passing on this half-truth to the Pakistanis, offered its "deepest regret" and urged the United States and Pakistan to bridge their trust gap to prevent future incidents...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/us-concedes-mistakes-led-to-killing-of-pakistani-troops.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
Report rejected
----------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Thursday rejected the US probe report on Nato attacks on Pakistani border posts, saying it was deficient.

"Pakistan Army does not agree with the findings of the US/Nato inquiry as being reported in the media," ISPR chief Maj-Gen Athar Abbas said in a late night statement.—Baqir Sajjad Syed...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/report-rejected.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
Move afoot to bring down govt: PM
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Raja Asghar & Khawar Ghumman
Responding to intriguing questions being raised from right and left, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani made a strong assertion of parliamentary supremacy in the National Assembly on Thursday, declaring that all state organs, including the military, were answerable to parliament and none could claim to be "a state within the state".

His sharp comments in the lower house — as well as in a speech earlier in connection with the birthday of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah — followed some dire speculations relating to a defence ministry reply to a Supreme Court query and some challenging remarks by opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan about the state of the government's control over the military...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/move-afoot-to-bring-down-govt-pm.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
EC expresses inability to comply with SC deadline
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Iftikhar A. Khan
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The Election Commission mildly put across a message to the apex court on Thursday that it was not technically possible to bring forward the deadline for the revision of voters' lists.

The submission followed an order by the Supreme Court on Wednesday that the commission must complete the process of preparing fresh electoral rolls by Feb 23...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/ec-expresses-inability-to-comply-with-sc-deadline.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
Interference affects power firms' work, say officials
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Khaleeq Kiani
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: Political interference, lack of policy guidelines, ad hoc appointments to key posts and security situation in the country are hampering the functioning of Wapda's distribution companies on professional lines, affecting the power sector reforms aimed at benefiting consumers.

This was the gist of a rare feedback shared by the newly-constituted boards of directors of power companies at a seminar organised by the Planning Commission on Thursday...

http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/23/interference-affects-power-firms-work-say-officials.html


----------------------------------------------------------------
Karachi Stocks Up 23.07 Points:
----------------------------------------------------------------
KARACHI, Dec 22: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11291.62, up 23.07 points.
----------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------
Forex Update:
----------------------------------------------------------------
KARACHI, Dec 22: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 90.5 to the US Dollar in the open market.
----------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------
*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*DINA*
--------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this mailing list, please fill the form located at: http://www.dawn.com/alerts
--------------------------------------------------------------