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SC to resume memogate case hearing today
Karzai will accept Taliban office in Qatar
Afghanistan: Girl locked in toilet for 5-month recovered
11 killed in northern Mexico
No oil through strait if sanctions applied: Iran VP
Chinese yuan still undervalued: US treasury
Dense fog: Motorway closed from Thokar to Sheikhpura
US briefs Pak Army chief on investigation
CNG stations in Sindh, Balochistan to be closed
Quetta: Doctor shot dead
Faisalabad: DSP tortured minor
Backdoor diplomacy starts to improve Army, govt relationship
Another hike in power tariff
Legal notice served to 13 Olympians
Pak receives US report regarding Salala attack: ISPR

SC to resume memogate case hearing today

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During the hearing of the memo case on Tuesday, the Attorney General of Pakistan said the memo was just a piece of paper and the Supreme Court should not conduct hearing, as parliamentary body was probing it. The CJP asked the AG as to what happened to the probe into Benazir Bhutto murder case after the lapse of four years. The CJP further said no one can bar the apex court from hearing any case. The AG said no one was barring the court, to which Justice Jawad S Khwaja responded by saying let the court look into the matter. If the memo is fake, the government will stand vindicated, he added. The court said Mansoor Ijaz has sent 32 pictures of his BlackBerry. Both the accused and the one who wrote the memo want the probe to be conducted, added the court. Justice Ijaz Afzal said the endangered sovereignty could endanger the country itself. Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq reiterated that parliament’s national security committee should investigate and not the court, which has been asked by the opposition and intelligence chief to order an independent inquiry. The memo was allegedly an attempt by a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari to enlist American help to head off a feared military coup in May in exchange for overhauling the country s powerful security leadership. The scandal has fuelled rampant speculation that Zardari’s days are numbered and a decision from the Supreme Court to investigate would build pressure on the president, with most observers expecting early elections sometime in 2012.

Karzai will accept Taliban office in Qatar

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Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said he will accept Taliban insurgents opening a representative office in the Gulf state of Qatar for the purpose of holding peace talks, although Saudi Arabia or Turkey would be preferable venues. Karzai said if the United States insisted that the insurgents establish a liaison office in Qatar, "we are agreed." Karzai s statement Monday came despite the government in Kabul repeatedly emphasizing it would allow no foreign intervention in its plans to seek a negotiated peace with the Taliban. Afghan media reports in recent weeks have speculated that the U.S. and other foreign governments with a stake in the war were trying to strike a separate deal with the Taliban. The Islamist group has not publicly responded to peace offers.

Afghanistan: Girl locked in toilet for 5-month recovered

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Sahar Gul, 15, was found in the basement of her husband s house in northeastern Baghlan province late on Monday after her parents reported her disappearance to the police. "She was beaten, her fingernails were removed and her arm was broken," district police chief Fazel Rahman told AFP. Three women including the teenager s mother in-law had been arrested in connection with the case but her husband had fled the area, he added. The case highlights how women continue to suffer in Afghanistan despite the billions of dollars of international aid which has poured into the country during the decade-long war. "The 15-year-old girl was brought to hospital with severe shock," said Pul-i-Khurmeri hospital chief Dr Gul Mohammad Wardak. "She had injuries to her legs and face and the nails on her left had been removed." Sahar Gul was married to her husband seven months ago in the neighbouring province of Badakhshan, but she was brought to Baghlan to live with her husband, said Rahima Zareefi, the provincial head of women affairs. During this time her parents were unable to contact her, she said. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission logged 1,026 cases of violence against women in the second quarter of 2011 compared with 2,700 cases for the whole of 2010. And according to figures in an Oxfam report in October, 87 percent of Afghan women report having experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence or forced marriage. Sahar Gul s case comes after a woman known as Gulnaz was pardoned and released earlier this month after spending two years in prison for "moral crimes". She was jailed after she reported to police that her cousin s husband had raped her. Gulnaz gave birth to the rapist s child in prison. Last month, the United Nations said that a landmark law aiming to protect women against violence in Afghanistan had been used to prosecute just over 100 cases since being enacted two years ago.

11 killed in northern Mexico

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In Ciudad Juarez, the city across the border from El Paso, Texas, known as Mexico s crime capital, a 45-year-old nurse and her 25-year-old son were found shot to death inside of a van. The local prosecutor said seven people were killed in attacks allegedly perpetrated by gang members linked to drug trafficking in different parts of Chihuahua state as it grapples with a confrontation between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. In Nuevo Leon, a state that also borders the United States, two men were killed and another two wounded in an attack by unidentified gunmen on a vehicle in Apodaca near Monterrey, the state capital and the third-largest city in Mexico. The country is experiencing a violent end to the holiday season this year, after Mexican troops made a grisly Christmas discovery when they found 13 bodies in a truck in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. Investigators say the murders are linked to Friday s discovery of 10 bodies in the town of Tampico Alto, in neighboring Veracruz state, and attacks by gunmen last week on three buses that left 16 people dead. More than 45,000 people have died in a wave of violence since the government launched a nationwide crackdown on the cartels five years ago. Civilians are often caught in the crossfire between feuding drug cartels as well as clashes between security forces and drug traffickers.

No oil through strait if sanctions applied: Iran VP

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No oil will be permitted to pass through the key oil transit Strait of Hormuz if the West applies sanctions on Iran s oil exports, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi warned on Tuesday. The threat was reported by the state news agency IRNA as Iran conducted navy war games near the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the oil-rich Gulf. "If sanctions are adopted against Iranian oil, not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz," Rahimi was quoted as saying. "We have no desire for hostilities or violence... but the West doesn t want to go back on its plan" to impose sanctions, he said. "The enemies will only drop their plots when we put them back in their place," he said. The threat underlined Iran s readiness to target the narrow stretch of water along its Gulf coast if it is attacked or economically strangled by Western sanctions over its nuclear program. In Washington, US State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner dismissed the latest Iranian remarks. "I just think it s another attempt by them to distract attention from the real issue, which is their continued non-compliance with their international nuclear obligations," Toner told reporters. The United States accuses Iran of using its uranium enrichment program to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charges. More than a third of the world s tanker-borne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States maintains a navy presence in the Gulf in large part to ensure that passage remains free. Iran is currently carrying out navy exercises in international waters to the east of the Strait of Hormuz. Ships and aircraft dropped mines in the sea Tuesday as part of the drill, according to a navy spokesman. Although Iranian war games occur periodically, the timing of these is seen as a show of strength as the United States and Europe prepare to impose further sanctions on Iran s oil and financial sectors. The last round of sanctions, announced in November, triggered a pro-regime protest in front of the British embassy in Tehran during which Basij militia members overran the mission, ransacking it. London closed the embassy as a result and ordered Iran s mission in Britain shut as well. Tehran in September rejected a Washington call for a military hotline between the capitals to defuse any "miscalculations" that could occur between their militaries in the Gulf. An Iranian lawmaker s comments last week that the navy exercises would block the Strait of Hormuz briefly sent oil prices soaring before that was denied by the government. While the foreign ministry said such drastic action was "not on the agenda," it reiterated Iran s threat of "reactions" if the current tensions with the West spilled over into open confrontation.

Chinese yuan still undervalued: US treasury

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But it refrained from saying Beijing manipulates the currency, which could lead to retaliatory action by Congress. "The real exchange rate of the renminbi (RMB) is persistently misaligned and remains substantially undervalued, though the degree of this undervaluation appears to have declined significantly," the Treasury said in a semi-annual report to Congress. The Treasury said the yuan had risen 7.5 percent against the dollar in the 18 months since Beijing began allowing a managed appreciation, and by 12 percent if China s high inflation rate is figured in. Based on that, on China s shrinking current account surplus and on Beijing s commitment to make the yuan more flexible, the Treasury said it could not conclude that the currency was being manipulated to boost its exports to the United States. Nevertheless, it said, "Treasury assesses that movement of the RMB to date is insufficient and more progress is needed." The Treasury s report is required by the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, which calls for the department to determine whether any of the country s major trading partners manipulates its currency for unfair trade gains. Many lawmakers have accused Beijing of doing just that to maintain its huge trade surplus with the United States, and have called for retaliation. But the Treasury has maintained consistently since 2010 that China has become more flexible and that Beijing recognizes the need to let the yuan rise to push much-needed adjustments to its economy, the world s second largest. "The Chinese leadership has identified shifting away from growth driven by exports toward a greater reliance on domestic consumption as a critical goal for sustaining growth in the medium term," the Treasury report said. It noted as well that at the G-20 summit in Cannes in November, China pledged to move more quickly to market-based exchange rates and to allow the yuan to better reflect the strength of its economy. The Alliance for American Manufacturing, linked to the US steel industry, condemned the Treasury conclusions and called for Congress to retaliate anyway. "I m disappointed that President (Barack) Obama has now formally refused to cite China six times for its currency manipulation, a practice which has contributed to the loss of hundreds of thousands of American manufacturing jobs," AAM executive director Scott Paul said in a statement. "The House of Representatives should pass currency legislation as soon as it returns in January."

Dense fog: Motorway closed from Thokar to Sheikhpura

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The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted dense fog from Peshawar to Sawabi, Islamabad to Lahore and Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad. Motorway police have diverted the traffic to GT Road, advising the drivers to drive at a low speed and keep the fog lights on.

US briefs Pak Army chief on investigation

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The American military has briefed Pakistan s army chief on its investigation into US air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghan border last month, officials said Tuesday. A report by military investigators was delivered to General Ashfaq Kayani on Sunday by a US officer based in Islamabad, who explained the findings to the general, Pentagon spokesman Captain John Kirby told reporters. The full report from the joint US-NATO investigative team was not released publicly until Monday to allow time for the Pakistani leadership to read the findings first, Kirby said. "We wanted General Kayani to be able to see the entire thing," he said. The approach represented "an appropriate professional courtesy" to Kayani, he added. A summary of the report was released Thursday and the officer who led the investigation, Brigadier General Stephen Clark, briefed reporters by phone the same day. The air strikes have damaged the precarious US-Pakistani partnership and provoked outrage in Islamabad, which has retaliated by cutting off NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. The United States and Pakistan disagree about the precise sequence of events in the deadliest single cross-border attack of the 10-year war in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies shooting first, and has accused the Americans of an intentional attack on its troops. The US report provides more details on the November 25-26 air strikes that Clark says were the result of a series of mistakes and botched communications on both sides -- reflecting an underlying mistrust between the two countries. It took the NATO-led force 84 minutes to halt air strikes after a Pakistani liaison officer first alerted US and coalition counterparts that Pakistani troops were coming under fire from American aircraft, the report said. The probe also said the US military had failed to notify the Pakistanis in advance of the night raid near the border and that a coalition officer mistakenly gave the wrong location of the US troops to his Pakistani counterpart. The probe found that Pakistani soldiers fired first at American and Afghan forces and kept firing even after a US F-15 fighter jet flew overhead. And the Pakistanis failed to tell the Americans about new borders posts in the area.

CNG stations in Sindh, Balochistan to be closed

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Gas supply to all the CNG stations will be suspended on Wednesday 9 am and will be restored on Thursday 9 am. According to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), closure of CNG stations has become essential to make enough availability of gas to domestic consumers.

Quetta: Doctor shot dead

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According to police, Dr Ayub was on his way to home after shutting down his clinic, when some unidentified armed men opened fire, killing him on the spot and managed to flee. Police have shifted the body for autopsy and started investigation.

Faisalabad: DSP tortured minor

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A 10-year-old boy S/O Abdul Jabbar, residential of Mustafa Abad, quarreled with son of DSP Zafarullah Niazai. On that, the DSP along with other cops attacked Jabbars’ house and brutally tortured his son and left him in critical condition. People staged protest against the police and demanded strict against the officials. Punjab IG directed RPO Faisalabad to submit report regarding the incident within 12-hours.

Backdoor diplomacy starts to improve Army, govt relationship

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According to sources, backdoor diplomacy has been started to improve Pak Army and the government’s relations regarding memogate scandal. The sources said that UAE, China and Saudi Arabia are playing important role in the backdoor diplomacy. The three countries started their active role after Gilani’s address to the National Assembly and PNC, the sources added.

Another hike in power tariff

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The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) approved the increase of Rs 2-4 per unit price under the monthly fuel price adjustment formula for the month of July. The new rates will be implemented from July bills. The power consumers are paying GST twice as they had paid it earlier and now it would be paid on consumed units.

Legal notice served to 13 Olympians

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The PHF on Tuesday sent a legal notice to 13 former Olympians over complaint to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani regarding the human trafficking. According to sources, Khalid Mehmood, Shahnaz Sheikh, Salim Sherwani, Sami Ullah, Tahir Zaman, Naveed Qamar, Mohammad Ayaz, Saeed Khan, Qamar Zia, Qamar Ibrahim, Shahbaz Senior, Islahuddin, Saleem Nazim wrote a letter to PM Yousaf Raza Gilani, stating that the PHF was allegedly involved in human trafficking.

Pak receives US report regarding Salala attack: ISPR

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Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General confirmed that the report was received. “However, the report has been analyzed and after studying it a press release would be issued in this connection,” he added. Sources said that copy of the investigative report pertaining to the NATO attack perishing 24 Pakistani soldiers in Mohmand Agency along Afghan border was also handed over to president and prime minister of Pakistan as well. Pak Army has handed over the report to Directorate of Military Operation, said the sources. At the dawn of November 26, NATO raided Pakistani post causing causalities and resulted in restraining Pak-US relations as it created reaction across Pakistan. Pakistan blocked supply to NATO in Afghanistan as an immediate step and ordered US to vacate Shamsi base, operative station of US. After the incident Pakistan even started rethinking over its foreign policy and reviewed its relations with US by calling conference of Pakistani envoys. Several NATO countries including US and Turkey vowed to launch impartial probe into the incident and prepared a detail report in this connection last week, however, Pakistan had disagreed with findings of the investigation. According to US State Department, Pakistani Army chief was told that a brief team would be send along with the report.  The Pentagon insisted that a NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border was in no way a deliberate US attack on Pakistan. The incident over the weekend infuriated Islamabad, with Pakistani officials saying the air strike was unprovoked and possibly a premeditated act of aggression. But Pentagon officials said a military investigation would uncover exactly what took place on Saturday along the Afghan-Pakistani border and maintained that the United States had not set out to kill Pakistani troops. "Whatever happened on the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan was a tragedy. We ve expressed regret for it as well as condolences for the loss of life. In no way, shape or form can this be construed as an intentional attack on Pakistan by the United States," US Defense Department spokesman George Little told reporters. Meanwhile, the top US military officer rejected accusations by Pakistan s army that NATO s cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers was a deliberate act of aggression.

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

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