Only Afghan-led talks acceptable, PM tells US

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani reassured the US on Monday that Pakistan remained committed to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, but appeared little supportive of Washington’s direct contacts with Taliban, bypassing Islamabad.
“Pakistan sincerely desires peace and stability in the region to ensure development and prosperity,” he said in a statement which significantly emphasised that Islamabad only “supports Afghan-led reconciliation and peace process”.
Prime Minister Gilani also spoke to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and discussed the political process in Afghanistan and strains in Pakistan-US ties.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already distanced himself from the talks the US is having with Taliban by insisting that the Americans, and not his government, were spearheading the dialogue.
The US has said that the three meetings held with a group of Taliban representatives led by Tayyab Agha, an aide to Mullah Omar, in Qatar and Germany were just preliminary contacts.
The UK also confirmed last week that it was talking to the Taliban for a political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Gilani stated Pakistan’s expectations about any political dialogue with Taliban.
“Efforts should be to create conducive environment for negotiations leading to a situation acceptable to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US.”
Even as the prime minister’s office issued the statement in the context of a Pakistan-Afghanistan-US ‘core meeting’ to be held in Kabul on Tuesday, it was also meant to serve as the government’s rejoinder to comments made by US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman in the Afghan capital earlier in the day.
Mr Grossman had, at a news conference, said that Pakistan “now has important choices to make” and prove that it wanted an end to the Afghan conflict by acting against militant sanctuaries on its soil.
The envoy’s comments reflected the widening gulf between Islamabad and Washington over the endgame in Afghanistan.
Officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan will also meet separately after the trilateral core group meeting to pursue their joint efforts for peace and reconciliation.

MQM walks out of coalition

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement said here on Monday that it had decided to part ways with the Pakistan People’s Party and sit on opposition benches in the National Assembly, Senate and Sindh Assembly in protest against the postponement of election on two Karachi seats of the Azad Jamu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
But the most surprising announcement that MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar made at a press conference was of the resignation of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan.
A spokesman for the Governor’s House confirmed that Dr Ibad had sent his resignation to the presidency.
Later, the governor rushed to London to meet his leader Altaf Hussain, inform him about the situation in Karachi and take necessary instructions.
The MQM had quit the ruling coalition in January, but returned a week later.
And it is the second time that the party has upped the ante by asking its most trusted man, Dr Ibad who has held the highest constitutional position in the province for over eight years, to quit the governor’s office.
On a previous occasion, Dr Ibad had tendered his resignation to President Asif Zardari but it was not accepted.
The decision came a day after MQM chief Altaf Hussain accused the PPP of stabbing his party in the back, warning that by “deceiving a true ally the government has itself set off a process which will bring about its downfall”.
But the party’s decision to join the opposition will affect the PPP-led government neither at the centre nor in Sindh.
At the federal level, the PPP enjoys parliamentary support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q as well as the Awami National Party. In Sindh it has a simple majority in the 168-member house.
“This decision is not at all based on emotions… we have taken the decision in view of the country’s critical situation and dictatorial acts of the government,” Dr Sattar said.
Rejecting the election in Azad Kashmir, he said the government had asked the MQM to withdraw its candidate from one seat reserved for Kashmiri migrants in Karachi in favour of the PPP.
“We were told that if the MQM did not withdraw its candidate the election in Karachi would be postponed. When we refused, the government got the election postponed barely 24 hours before the start of polling on the pretext of security concerns.”
Dr Sattar said the election in Azad Kashmir was a test case. “If the PPP uses all dictatorial steps for the sake of one seat in Karachi, it is not difficult to foresee its attitude in the next general election.”
He alleged that “over 300 leaders and workers of the MQM have been killed during the three years of the present government and criminal elements were also used against the MQM”.
He parried questions about the possibility of a no-confidence motion against the government and whether the relationship between the two parties had reached a point of no return, but said his party would play the role of “constructive opposition”.
According to sources, the federal and provincial ministers belonging to the MQM had already sent their resignations. “All resignations have been sent and now it is up to the authorities when to accept them,” they said.
Reuters adds: Federal Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said at a news conference: “We will try to remove misgivings and our leadership will do this through consultation with the MQM.”

PPP asks MQM to reconsider decision

ISLAMABAD: Although the People’s Party faces no threat to its governments at the centre and in Sindh, it has asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to ‘reconsider’ its decision of quitting the ruling coalition.
On the other hand, the MQM, which has been a part of governments at the centre and in the province for over a decade, has claimed that “this time we are determined to stick to our decision”.
“For the time being, the party’s doors are closed for the PPP,” said Wasay Jalil, an MQM spokesman and member of the party’s coordination committee. A spokesman for PPP co-chairman and President Asif Ali Zardari told Dawn that the presidency had not received the resignations of Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad or the Muttahida’s ministers. Mr Zardari is currently in London on a private visit.
Farhatullah Babar, who was scheduled to reach London by Tuesday morning, said the PPP would continue to pursue the policy of reconciliation in the interest of political stability and would “urge the governor to reconsider his decision to resign”.
Mr Babar said the issues facing the country and, particularly Sindh, were “too many” and “complex”. He called for strengthening the ongoing policy of reconciliation with all political forces.
The spokesman expressed the hope that the Sindh governor would reconsider the decision.
In reply to a query, Mr Babar said no meeting between the President and Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain was scheduled during Mr Zardari’s stay in London. However, Mr Babar did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders in the wake of the recent development.
He said the president would be staying in London till July 2 and that he would only be able to confirm any such meeting only after reaching there.
Wasay Jalil, a spokesman for MQM, said the party’s decision was “final as it has been taken after a thorough review of the situation and after consultations within the party”.
THE PRESIDENT’S SISTER: Zahid Mehmood, the MQM’s coordinator for Punjab, held PPP MNA Faryal Talpur, the sister of President Asif Zardari, responsible for the crisis, alleging that she had been supporting a particular candidate for the AJK polls and it was because of her insistence that the PPP even sacrificed its alliance with the MQM. He said the MQM felt that the PPP’s attitude had become “dictatorial after it won the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q as it no more required the MQM’s support for getting the budget passed in the National Assembly”.
Mr Mehmood said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was a figurehead as the government was being run by people like Faryal Talpur, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Agha Siraj Durrani and Nadir Magsi.
A love-and-hate game between the two parties has continued since the formation the coalition government in 2008, with the MQM coming out of the federal cabinet and even the federal government once and threatening several times to walk out of the Sindh coalition.
This time, however, the chances of a patch-up, according to some political experts, seem to be slim because the MQM is not ready to trust even Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who had always played a role of a mediator between the two parties in the past due to his personal relations with MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
INTERESTING TIMES
The country has been facing political turmoil since the day the then Sindh home minister, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, made a controversial speech in Karachi on Dec 13 last year, and also after the sacking of Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and JUI-F’s minister Azam Swati over the Haj scam the following day.
Angered by the sacking of Mr Swati, the JUI-F announced parting of ways with the PPP-led coalition government and decided to sit on the opposition benches.
On the same day, the MQM gave a 10-day ultimatum to the PPP asking it to explain Dr Mirza’s remarks blaming the MQM for target killings in Karachi. On the expiry of the deadline the MQM quit the federal cabinet and its two ministers submitted their resignations to President Zardari.
Later the MQM decided to sit on the opposition benches when the government raised oil prices.
However, when the government withdrew the increase in oil prices and the prime minister visited the MQM’s headquarters in Karachi in January, the party announced that it would again sit on treasury benches, but categorically refused to join the federal cabinet.
At that time, the MQM had stated that although the main concern for the party was the law and order situation in Karachi, the government’s decision to raise oil prices had just provided the party an opportunity to quit the ruling coalition.
The 25-member MQM rejoined the federal government last month when it was left with no other option due to an intelligent move by PPP to lure the PML-Q into the cabinet and sidelining of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza by President Zardari.
The recent AJK elections finally ended the marriage of inconvenience between the two parties.
The numerical strength of the political parties shows that the PPP now enjoys a comfortable majority both in the National and Sindh assemblies. Even without the MQM, the PPP, which has 128 MNAs, enjoys the support of some 200 MNAs in the 342-member lower house – thanks to the PML-Q’s decision to join the ruling coalition.
The MQM’s decision is not expected to affect the PPP’s government in Sindh as the party enjoys a comfortable majority in the Sindh Assembly with more than 100 MPAs sitting on the treasury benches in the 168-member house.
The composition is very interesting as representatives of all political parties, whether sitting on treasury or opposition benches, are members of the provincial cabinet.
The opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Madad Ali Khan, is from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), whereas two members of the party are ministers and two others are advisers to the chief minister.

One killed in Karachi grenade attack

KARACHI: One person was killed and 19 others were wounded when unidentified men lobbed a hand-grenade at a hotel in Lyari on Monday night.
Police said the incident occurred at Luck Star hotel at Meranaka, in the remit of Chakiwara police station. Eyewitnesses said they had seen two men flee the scene on a motorcycle.

Mushrikana Hajj in Pakistan -

kia yeh islam hai? (ki karan dae Oo)

Mushrikana Hajj in Pakistan -

Twelve killed in Waziristan drone strike

PESHAWAR: At least 12 people were killed in a suspected US drone attack in South Waziristan on Monday,
US spy planes fired four missiles at a car traveling in Birmal Tehsil of South Waziristan killing at least twelve suspected militants.
Locals began retrieving bodies as the death count seemed to be rising.

PML-N worker gunned down in Bhimber

MIRPUR: An activist of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), AJK chapter, was Sunday gunned down in a clash between workers of PPP and PML-N during the polling for AJK Legislative Assembly elections in electoral constituency (LA-6) Samani valley of Bhimber district, police said.

Additional Superintendent of AJK Police Raja Irfan Salim said that deceased was identified as Raja Muhammad Ifikhar son of Muhammad Younis, Resident of Bandli village.

The Additional SP said the armed clash between workers of two rival parties occurred at Bindli village during the polling.

Further investigations were in progress, he added

PPP victory in AJK is expression of public confidence: Warraich

LAHORE: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Punjab President Imtiaz Safdar Warraich said that victory of PPP in AJK election is overwhelming expression of people's satisfaction on the party and its policies.

He was addressing "Waseela-e-Haq" cash distribution ceremony held at a local hotel on Monday. Safdar Warraich distributed Rs 300,000 among 36 people from different districts of Punjab under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to enable them to start their own business.

"Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had to face worst defeat even after moblisation of the entire machinery of Punjab government under the supervision of Punjab Police. PML-N showed worst election hooliganism in the history of Lahore, Gujranwala and tehsil Daska by harassing the returning officers," he alleged.

Imtiaz Safdar said that Punjab government converted the province into a "battle field" by harassing the returning officers through police officials and regretted that "No responsible officer has been transferred or suspended yet."

He expressed his felicitations to President, Prime Minister, PPP leaders and workers. He added that people who were trying to prove decreased popularity of PPP, should now accept that the party is still the "biggest political party" of the country.

Talking about Benazir Income Support Programme, he said that BISP is innovative programme entirely for the welfare of poor people, adding that it is benefitting deserving people in a transparent manner--without any political favouritism.

Safdar Warraich said that BISP is in line with the vision of Shaheed Zulifkar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

He highlighted that shares worth Rs 116 billion, of 80 public sector units, were given to labourers and they have been provided given seats in their boards of directors.

He asked the Punjab government to constitute commissions for investigation into Qarz Utaro Mulk Sanwaro, yellow cab and Sasti Roti schemes so that people could see the corruption and malpractice of PML-N

Gunmen kill senior Pakistani Taliban commander

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Gunmen riding in a car with tinted windows near the Afghan border on Monday shot and killed a senior Pakistani Taliban commander who helped train and deploy the group’s suicide bombers, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
Shakirullah Shakir was riding on a motorcycle near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, when he was shot, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Shakir was a senior commander and spokesman for the Fidayeen-e-Islam wing of the Pakistani Taliban. He once claimed to a local newspaper that his group had trained more than 1,000 suicide bombers at camps in North Waziristan.
No group has claimed responsibility for his killing.

Hague court issues arrest warrant for Gaddafi

TRIPOLI: The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant Monday for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and rebels trying to oust him said their forces had advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of the capital Tripoli.

The court approved warrants for Gaddafi as well as his son Saif al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity. ICC prosecutors allege they were involved in the killing of protesters who rose up in February against Gaddafi's 41-year rule.

Celebrations erupted in Benghazi after the ICC ruling. People honked their car horns, waved flags, fired shots into the air and flashed victory signs in the street

Gaddafi has "absolute, ultimate and unquestioned control" over Libya's state apparatus and its security forces, presiding judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng said in reading out the ruling.

She added that both Gaddafi and Saif al-Islam "conceived and orchestrated a plan to deter and quell by all means the civilian demonstrations" against the regime and that al-Senussi used his position of command to have attacks carried out.

Gaddafi's government denies targeting civilians, saying it was forced to act against armed criminal gangs and al Qaeda militants.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China had had contact with both sides in the Libyan conflict.

"We hope that the issue of Libya will be resolved through political peaceful means to reduce the humanitarian harm -- in particular the harm to innocent civilians," said Wen, speaking through a translator during a news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Anti-Gaddafi rebels, based in the Western Mountains region southwest of Tripoli, made their biggest breakthrough in weeks to reach the town of Bir al-Ghanam, where they are now fighting pro-Gaddafi forces for control, their spokesman said.

The advance took them about 30 km (18 miles) north from their previous position and closer to Tripoli, Gaddafi's power base.

FIGHTERS KILLED

"We are on the southern and western outskirts of Bir al-Ghanam," Juma Ibrahim, a rebel spokesman in the nearby town of Zintan, said by telephone.

"There were battles there most of yesterday. Some of our fighters were martyred and they (government forces) also suffered casualties and we captured equipment and vehicles. It's quiet there today and the rebels are still in their positions."

A Reuters reporter in the center of Tripoli heard at least two loud explosions Sunday. The location of the blasts was not clear. A plume of smoke could be seen rising from the direction of Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound.

Gaddafi's administration had no immediate reaction to the ICC ruling. Speaking Sunday, government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said the court was guilty of double standards and followed a Western political agenda.

"The ICC has no legitimacy whatsoever," Ibrahim told reporters.

"NATO has been committing crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya now. They have never even considered investigating the killing of many civilians in Iraq, many civilians in Afghanistan, many civilians in Libya."

In Benghazi, in eastern Libya, the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) said the arrest warrants made any attempt at negotiating with Gaddafi irrelevant.

"We are extremely happy that the whole world has united in prosecuting Gaddafi for the crimes he has committed," NTC spokesman Jalal al-Galal told Reuters.

"It is premature to talk about any negotation. After this warrant, it is all irrelevant. We cannot negotiate with war criminals. The world has confirmed what we have been saying all along. He's a war criminal, and he should be tried for it."

BREAKING STALEMATE

The rebels -- backed by NATO air support -- have been battling Gaddafi's forces since late February, when thousands of people rose up against his rule, prompting a fierce crackdown by Gaddafi's security forces.

The revolt has turned into the bloodiest of the Arab Spring revolts against autocratic rulers rippling across the Middle East.

For weeks now, rebels in their stronghold in the east and in enclaves in western Libya have been unable to make significant advances, while NATO air strikes have failed to dislodge Gaddafi, straining the Western alliance.

Analysts say that if insurgents outside Tripoli start gaining momentum, that could inspire anti-Gaddafi groups inside the capital to rise up, a development many believe could be the most effective way of toppling him.

In Libya's neighbor, Tunisia, three Libyan ministers, including the foreign minister, were holding talks with "foreign parties," the Tunisian state news agency reported, in a possible sign some in Gaddafi's circle were seeking a settlement.

Tunisia's state news agency TAP reported late Sunday that Libyan Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi was in talks on the island of Djerba, in southern Tunisia."

It gave no details on the talks. Libya's rebel leadership, in the eastern city of Benghazi, said last week it was in indirect contact with Gaddafi's government, via foreign intermediaries, about a possible peace settlement.

Obeidi was joined at the Djerba talks by Health Minister Ahmed Hijazi and Social Affairs Minister Ibrahim Sherif, the Tunisian news agency reported

Pakistan must show it wants Afghan peace: US

KABUL: Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan said on Monday that Pakistan must prove it wants an end to the war by preventing militants from hiding out on its soil and enabling those who launch attacks on the Afghan side of the border.
Marc Grossman, US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in Kabul that discussions among Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States being held this week in the Afghan capital are important to coordinate efforts to find a political resolution to the nearly decade-long war.
He said they also are an opportunity to clearly convey to Pakistani officials that part of their responsibility for bringing peace is to stop supporting insurgent safe havens and those who attack Afghans and international forces in Afghanistan.
“We’ve been pretty clear that going forward here, we want the government of Pakistan to participate positively in the reconciliation process,” Grossman said at a news conference. “Pakistan now has important choices to make.”
Grossman and representatives from more than 40 nations are attending a meeting of the International Contact Group. The group’s 11th meeting comes after President Barack Obama announced last week he was ordering 10,000 US troops home by year’s end; as many as 23,000 more are to leave by September 2012. That would leave 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan.
The 33,000 total to be withdrawn is the number Obama sent as reinforcements in December 2009 as part of an effort to reverse the Taliban’s momentum and hasten an eventual political settlement of the conflict. The US and its allies plan a full combat withdrawal by the end of 2014.
Michael Steiner, German representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said at the news conference that the international community’s engagement will not end in 2014, when Afghan security forces are to have the lead responsibility for security across the nation, a process he said is on track.
“I think we have a strategy which is working despite the difficulties we have,” Steiner said. “I am not painting here any illusions. We will have problems ahead. But I think we have a realistic strategy.”
Separately, the UN World Food Program announced Monday it will cut food assistance to more than 3 million Afghans in about half the country’s 34 provinces because of a shortage of money from donor nations.
The UN agency said it had planned to help feed more than 7 million people in Afghanistan this year, but a shortage of donor funds means only 3.8 million people will be helped through meals provided at schools and training and work programs. It said it needed an additional $220 million to continue its work in Afghanistan at the level originally planned.
The program will focus food assistance on helping the most needy Afghans, especially women and children, said Bradley Guerrant, the agency’s deputy country director.
“We are working hard to raise the funds needed to restart these activities as soon as we can,” he said.
Also, two roadside bomb blasts killed seven civilians Monday in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said. A vehicle struck one of the bombs in Qarabagh district, killing four civilians, including two children, the ministry said. Another vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Ghazni city, killing three civilians

Israel approves plan to repel new Gaza flotilla

JERUSALEM: Israel’s security cabinet on Monday ordered the navy to stop an international aid flotilla from breaching a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, but also to avoid clashes with activists on board.
“Members of the (security) cabinet decided today following a debate on the flotilla that the state of Israel will be determined in stopping the flotilla’s arrival in Gaza,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.But forces would be ordered to do so “with minimal confrontation, as far as possible, with those on board the ships,” it said without giving further details.  Also on Monday, Netanyahu said a threat to punish foreign journalists in the convoy by barring them from entering Israel for up to 10 years would not be carried out.
The premier’s office said he had been unaware of the original warning.
“When this was brought to the prime minister’s attention, he ordered that normal procedures taken against infiltrators and those entering illegally not be applied to journalists,” the statement said.
Netanyahu also said he would allow reporters to accompany the naval vessels sent to intercept the flotilla “in order to allow transparent and trustworthy coverage of the events.” Organisers said that between 30 and 50 journalists were expected to sail with the flotilla.
The closed-door cabinet meeting was the second session on the flotilla in as many days.
On Sunday, ministers in the forum were briefed on the military’s preparations for the 10-ship convoy which is expected to set sail from Greece later this week.
During the meeting, ministers decided not to allow the ships to anchor in Gaza, although they would be allowed to unload their cargo at the Israeli port of Ashdod or Egypt’s El-Arish port for checks, media reports said.
If no weapons or ammunition were found, the cargo would be transferred to the Gaza Strip.
Public radio said Cairo had already agreed to allow the ships to dock at El-Arish which lies some 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the Gaza border.
In Greece, organisers said they would try and rendezvous their boats off the coast of Crete on “Thursday or Friday” and then head for Gaza.
(Thursday or Friday, nine or 10 boats should meet up in the Libyan Gulf,( Vaguelis Pissias said at news conference.
(We really hope that despite the pressure from Israel and other countries, the Greek authorities are not going to stop us leaving.” Israel Hayom newspaper quoted navy chief Eliezer Marom as telling ministers that his men were better prepared than they were last May, when marine commandos stormed the lead ship of a previous flotilla, killing nine Turkish nationals.
“Our forces are ready to stop the flotilla and not to allow the ships to reach Gaza,” an unidentified political source also told the paper.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and several international leaders have urged the flotilla not to set sail, and Washington has warned US nationals not to join the attempt to break the Israeli embargo.
Some 350 pro-Palestinian activists from 22 countries including Canada, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain are set to join “Freedom Flotilla II” in a bid to break Israel’s five-year blockade on Gaza where 1.5 million Palestinians live.
Israel first imposed a blockade on the enclave in 2006 after militants there snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a deadly cross-border raid. He is still being held.
A ban on civilian goods and foodstuffs was eased last year but many restrictions remain in place.
Around seven of the vessels due to join the flotilla are already docked in Greece while several other will join them later, media reports said.
But the Mavi Marmara, the Turkish-owned ferry where the bloodshed took place last year, will not take part in a move welcomed by Israeli officials that has helped ease fears in Israel of a violent confrontation, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday.
Organisers said the boats would set sail from various Greek ports this week, and were to give further details at a news conference in Athens later on Monday.
Two cargo vessels will carry medicines, a fully-equipped ambulance and cement.
Last week, Washington slammed the flotilla plans as “irresponsible and provocative,” saying all aid to Gaza could be delivered through Ashdod.

PPP Sindh rejects MQM's allegations

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon rejected the accusations leveled by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) saying they are false and have no basis, 

The minister said the MQM's allegations were false and we would reply in detail. PPP was following the policy of reconciliation, he said.

'MQM is consulted on every issue and the decision to quit governments is taken in haste.'

MQM quits, Sindh Governor also resigns

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has decided to quit from the Pakistan People's Party led governments in centre and Sindh, senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar told the media on Monday.

Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat ul Ebad Khan would also quit from the office of Governor Sindh, he said.

The longest serving Governor in the history of Pakistan has sent his resignation to President Asif Ali Zardari. Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan took oath of office of the Sindh Governor on Dec 27, 2002.

“The MQM leadership reached the conclusion that it is no longer possible for the party to continue functioning as part of the Pakistan People's Party-led coalition governmnet, keeping in view its undemocratic and dictatorial attitude," he said.

He said PPP was unwilling to mend its ways leaving MQM with no other option but to quit the coalition government, adding that from now on MQM lawmakers in federal and provincial assemblies would sit on opposition benches.

“MQM ministers were powerless and not allowed to work independently,” Farooq Sattar said and added that issues were raised in core committees with the PPP leadership on regular basis but to no avail.

Rehman Malik told MQM to stay away from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir assembly's Karachi seat and even threatened to postpone elections, MQM leader said.

MQM today also filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the deferment of June 26 scheduled Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) elections for the Karachi seats, which is expected to be placed for hearing tomorrow.

Shujaat calls Altaf

ISLAMABAD: PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Husain telephoned Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and sought time to resolve issues, 

Altaf asked Chaudhry Shujaat to join MQM on opposition benches, while PML-Q leader sought 12 hours to bridge the differences.

Paula the Octopus in action for women's World Cup

BERLIN: During last year's World Cup in South Africa, Paul the Octopus shot to fame for his accurate match predictions, so for the women's competition starting in Germany on Sunday, step forward ... Paula.

The tentacled tipster was put through her paces on Friday in Konstanz in southern Germany, but made the shock choice that Canada will win Sunday's opening match against the hosts in Berlin.

The octopus, whose gender is actually unknown, had to choose between two compartments in a plastic box in its tank, one with a Germany flag and one with a Canada one, with each containing a tasty morsel.

The prediction is a bold one as Germany, whose women are hoping to win their third consecutive World Cup, have never lost any of their previous nine matches to Canada.

Paula, however, is only one of eight salty soothsayers housed at eight different Sea Life centres in Germany competing to become the official successor to British-born Paul, who lived in an aquarium in Oberhausen.

All eight will be asked to predict the outcome of all Germany's matches in the June 26-July 17 women's competition.

While Paula and an eight-legged colleague in Munich both backed Canada on Friday, the fishy forecasters in Berlin, Koenigswinter and Oberhausen plumped for Germany, making the combined predictions 3-2 in the hosts' favour.

But the method of enticing the underwater oracles to predict the winner proved to be far from fool-proof -- three octopuses in other locations in Germany snubbed the treats on offer and ignored both boxes.

This was determined by aquarium officials to mean that they expect a draw.

Meanwhile one-year-old African elephant Nelly got in on the forecasting act at the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, near Hanover, by predicting a win for Germany after opting to kick a ball into the Canada net when given a choice.

But it is all a far cry so far from last summer's performances by Paul -- who has become something of an icon here -- after he kept a clean sheet in the men's competition in South Africa.

He correctly foretold the outcome of all Germany's games, even a defeat to Serbia in the group stage and to Spain in the semi-finals, as well as Spain's eventual victory in the final.

In the process he cost bookmakers a fortune and won worldwide fame, with rolling news channels in Germany carrying live coverage when he was asked to choose -- as they did with Paula on Friday.

Paul died aged nearly three in October, sparking hundreds of messages of condolence from his fan club on social networking website Facebook, whose ranks have more than tripled since his death to more than 200,000.

FBI looking to restock its '10 Most Wanted' list

WASHINGTON: With the death of the world's most wanted, Osama bin Laden, and the arrest of Boston crime figure James ‘Whitey’ Bulger on Wednesday, the FBI's ‘10 Most Wanted’ list has a couple of vacancies. 

And it's not immediately clear who will fill the gap. An FBI spokesman said the bureau was trying to find replacements, but did not yet know who they would be.

Started in 1950 by the FBI's first director, J. Edgar Hoover, the list is "designed to publicize particularly dangerous fugitives who might not otherwise merit nationwide attention," according to the FBI website.

To choose the replacements for bin Laden, whose face on the 10 Most Wanted list now has a red "deceased" stripe across it, and Bulger, whose mugshot now reads "captured," the FBI's 56 local offices submit their "candidates" to the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division.

According to the FBI's website, the nominees are reviewed by special CID agents, and ultimately forwarded to the FBI director, who gives the final approval. To be chosen, the individual must have a lengthy criminal record or be considered particularly dangerous.

The FBI must also believe their capture will be aided by the extra publicity the list provides.

A minimum reward of $100,000 is offered for any information leading to the arrest of any of the fugitives. Bin Laden merited a $25 million reward, and Bulger, who was added to the list in 1999 at the age of 69, a $2 million reward.

Among the remaining Ten Most Wanted are Jason Dereck Brown, accused of murder and armed robbery. According to the Most Wanted list, Brown speaks fluent French and has a masters degree in international business.

Robert William Fisher is also on the list, wanted for allegedly killing his wife and two young children, then blowing up the house in which they lived.

According to the description on the FBI website, Fisher "has a noticeable gold crown on his upper left first bicuspid tooth" and "may walk with an exaggerated erect posture and his chest pushed out due to a lower back injury

Kadhafi agrees to stay out of Libya talks: AU panel

PRETORIA: Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has agreed to stay out of negotiations on ending his country's four-month conflict, African leaders said in a communique after talks Sunday in South Africa. 

The African Union panel on Libya "welcomes Colonel Kadhafi's acceptance of not being part of the negotiations process," the statement said, without elaborating.

AU peace and security commissioner Ramtane Lamamra read out the communique but refused to take questions.

'Dabangg' wins six awards at 'Bollywood Oscars'

TORONTO: Screen tough guy Salman Khan's corrupt cop romp "Dabangg" (Fearless) won a clutch of awards including best picture at the "Bollywood Oscars," held late Saturday for the first time in North America.

The film directed by Abhinav Kashyap won in the hugely important music categories for best female playback singer, best male playback singer and best music direction, as well as best screenplay.

Actor Sonu Sood also picked up the award for best performance in a negative role as the evil head of a regional political party in the film. He thanked his mother when accepting the award.

"My Name is Khan" followed with four nods for best story, best lyrics, best director for Karan Johar and best actor for Shah Rukh Khan's portrayal of a Muslim suffering from Asperger's syndrome who is detained at a US airport after his disability is mistaken for suspicious behaviour. The making of the film was "emotional and therapeutic," Johar said after the win, adding it taught him "restraint and love."

Tens of thousands of fans swarmed Toronto's Rogers' Centre stadium for the 12th annual Indian International Film Academy awards, and another 700 million were expected to have watched it on television.

Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor ("Slumdog Millionaire") and the Deol family were among the dozens of Bollywood superstars in attendance, along with Oscar-winners Hilary Swank and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Salman Khan, however, could not make it to Toronto as he was reportedly shooting his next film "Bodyguard," a romantic action movie with Kareena Kapoor. "I love you so much," screamed Mamta Sharma over and over, after winning the award for best female playback singer for the song "Munni Badnam."

A tense moment followed when a fan grabbed Shah Rukh Khan onstage, leading the "King of Bollywood" to complain that the man was hurting his leg. "This is the problem, only men grab my thighs," Khan joked as his assailant was escorted off stage

Pakistan firing missiles into Afghanistan: Karzai

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai accuses Pakistan of firing 470 rockets into two of its eastern border provinces in a three-week barrage.
Afghan security forces said Sunday that 36 people have died in the barrages, which hit civilians in areas where Nato forces have withdrawn.
After the civilians fled, Pakistani Taliban came in and occupied the cleared areas, Afghan border officials said.
Afghan security officials say joint Nato and Afghan border units have fired back into Pakistan. Nato and Pakistan military officials, however, have denied any knowledge of border skirmishes.

Four cops among six hurt as ‘seized explosives go off’ in Multan

MULTAN/LAHORE: The blast at Qadhafi police post here on Sunday which left at least six people including four policemen injured took place when fireworks and explosive material placed inside the post went off, Dawn learned reliably.
Sources privy to the investigation of the incident told this reporter that a large quantity of fireworks and other explosives which were placed in storeroom of the police post exploded with a big bang.
They said apparently the incident happened owing to police negligence as fireworks and other explosives, possibly seized from anti-social elements, were not disposed off.
The blast at the post of New Multan police station was initially termed a terrorist attack by some police officials who claimed it was caused when explosives fitted on a motorbike parked along the outer wall of the post were detonated.
District Coordination Officer Zahid Zaman also initially told some TV channels it was a suicide terror hit.
The blast that was so intense that it was heard several kilometers away from where it occurred partially damaged an outer wall of the police post and an adjacent house.
Three of the injured, who were shifted to Nishtar Hospital immediately after the blast, were identified as policemen Khadim Hussain, Irshad Ahmed and Qaisar Abbas. The three other injured people, Danishwar, Sajjad and Imran, were in the police lockup adjacent to the storeroom where the blast occurred.
According to hospital sources, two of the injured policemen, Khadim and Irshad, were in critical condition.
Ruling out the possibility of explosive material planted outside the post, Civil Defence District Officer Shahid Pervez said as the debris of the collapsed wall fell outside the building it showed the blast occurred inside the post.
He said that judging from the intensity of the blast it could be estimated that some seven to eight kilogram explosive material caused it. He, however, said the explosives were not in the form of finished devices used by terrorists to cause maximum number of casualties.
Gulgasht SP Atif Khan said that initial inspection of the site showed the blast occurred inside the post. He, however, said investigation was no to ascertain what caused the blast.
New Multan police station SHO Gulzar Tulla denied presence of any explosive material inside the post. However, he was not sure what actually caused the blast.
According to a news website, police have taken a bearded man in custody in connection with the blast. It also said that security at the post situated on Lahore-Multan National Highway was poor.

Grandson of Bugti dies in clash at dance party

KARACHI: A grandson of the late Nawab Akbar Bugti and five other people were killed and six injured in what police described as an armed clash during a dance party in a DHA bungalow after Saturday midnight.
Police said the bungalow in DHA Phase VII, Khayaban-i-Rahat, had been rented by one Faisal and the party had been organised by a person named Saif.
The organisers had sought security assistance from a political party.
Talei Bugti, police said, entered the bungalow after agreeing to leave his armed escort outside. Clifton SP Tariq Dharejo said: “The shootout began after a heated argument between Mr Bugti and the organisers first inside the bungalow and later outside.”
Mark Joseph, Kamran Shafi, Dr Iqbal and Kamran Gul died on the spot while Mr Bugti who suffered gunshot wounds in the chest was taken to a private hospital where he died.
Another injured man, Ziauddin, died in a hospital on Sunday afternoon.
According to a law-enforcement official, the party was well organised with paid entry. The organisers had made arrangement for valet parking.
The official, who visited the house after the bodies and injured had been removed said there were spots of blood all over the place because the injured might have rushed inside. There were traces of blood in the swimming pool as well.
The arrangement for the party, he said, was quite elaborate with two bars and a DJ system.
He said the owner of the bungalow, Nasir Khan, was there when the firing took place.
He told police that he had rented the premises to Faisal and Saif for the night for Rs20,000.
The SP was not sure if any weapon had been seized from the place or from some people detained by police. “We are verifying” details, he said.
Another police official claimed that the sound system and some cars and motorcycles had been impounded from the premises.
Spent bullet casings of 9mm pistols and AK-47 rifles had been found, police said.
Although police claimed to have detained nine suspects from the place, sources said no-one involved in the firing as among them. The source said a number of injured people and four bodies had been taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre at about 3am.
According to hospital sources, almost all of them had been hit by bullets fired from a close range.
The funeral prayers of Talei Bugti were held in Sultan Masjid and he was buried in the Phase IV graveyard.
Although the organisers claimed that they had the Defence Housing Authority’s permission to hold the party, law-enforcement officials said the permission was for a private party, not for a commercial event.
Gizri police registered an FIR on Sunday night under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324(attempt to murder), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons) of the Pakistan Penal Code on behalf of the state against Arif Roger and others.

India’s opposition leads to rejection of EU tariff deal

ISLAMABAD: The European Union has failed to get approval at the World Trade Organisation from member nations, especially India, for granting trade preferences to Pakistan on 75 items, it is learnt.
A senior government official told Dawn: “We have been informed unofficially by EU trade officials that the preferential trade package announced last year for Pakistan is a gone story.”
He said the EU officials were of the view that the issue would no more be pursued at the WTO because India was not allowing the adoption of the package.
The EU had announced to give a time-bound duty-free access to Pakistan for 75 items to compensate losses caused by last year’s devastating floods. The package was scheduled to come into effect in January this year.
The EU had recently approached the WTO to seek a waiver for one year on trade preferences to Pakistan on these products amounting to almost 900 million euros.
A trade source said the EU itself did not appear to be interested in pursuing the issue. “EU doesn’t care much about us,” he commented.
A source in the WTO secretariat confirmed that there would be no fresh initiative from the EU to persuade India to agree to allow the
preferential package.
He said the seeking of a waiver from WTO members was a request which would be kept lingering on unless withdrawn or approved. So technically it would be wrong to say that the EU had withdrawn the preferential package because there was no deadline for the waiver, he added.
A source in the commerce ministry said apart from India’s opposition the issue was handled badly by the government, especially the commerce ministry. The ministry is virtually being run by a secretary who is most of the time on foreign visits with the prime minister or the president.
The WTO wing at the ministry has also been abandoned because it has no boss to deal with such issues or give feedback to the Pakistan’s WTO mission in Geneva.
It is said the commerce minister seldom visits his ministry and therefore, everything is referred to the secretary.

Kashmir polls leave major parties at loggerheads

ISLAMABAD: Election for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly raised the political temperature across the country, with three main parties accusing each other of rigging and poll-related clashes claiming lives of two political workers.
The Pakistan People`s Party (PPP) accused the Punjab government of using its administrative machinery, holding presiding officers hostage and creating rumpus in order to manipulate polling for all nine seats in the province.
The N-League levelled similar allegations against the PPP and claimed that the elections had been held on bogus voter lists.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) boycotted the polls in an aggressive manner and threatened to again part ways with the ruling coalition.
The party decided to file a petition in the Supreme Courts of Pakistan and the AJK against postponement of election in some constituencies on the pretext of law and order.
The AJK election commissioner postponed the polling for LA-37 (Valley 2) — one of two seats in Lahore – because of poor security situation. Elections for LA-30 (Jammu) had been postponed earlier.
“We are being asked by party workers to leave the government,” MQM leader Zahid Mehmood said.
When asked about media reports that MQM leaders in the federal cabinet had presented their resignations to party chief Altaf Hussain, he said: “No, it has not been done so far.”
But he hinted that MQM leaders could resign from the cabinet in two or three days. “We had rejoined the government recently because we wanted to safeguard democracy, but the regime has proved that it has nothing to do with democracy,” he said.
Mr Mehmood alleged that Interior Minister Rehman Malik had put pressure on the MQM for adjustment on several seats in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab where, he said, there were strong possibilities of victory of the party`s candidates. “Mr Malik asked the MQM to cede the LA-30 and LA-36 seats,” he claimed.
PML-N leader Siddiqul Farooq alleged that in order to manipulate the polls, the PPP had made three voters` lists and “the fourth list, which was handwritten, was distributed among workers and polling staff on the election day”.
“Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Mazoor Wattoo, had accepted that voter lists were bogus and agreed at a recent meeting that the date of the election would be extended for 10 days to ratify them. But the polls were held with the same bogus lists,” he said.
Mr Farooq alleged that a cell set up in the presidency and comprising Mr Malik, Mr Wattoo and PPP leader Babar Awan was supervising the rigging.
He said offices of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) remained open for the whole day on Sunday so that PPP`s voters could get their national identity cards to cast votes.
“But unfortunately there was no prior official announcement about the opening of Nadra office and thus workers of PML-N and other parties could not benefit from the facility,” he said.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said she had no information that her party and its coalition partners, including the MQM, had any understanding for the elections.
She said complaints were being received about rigging in different areas of Punjab. “In Delaywala in Headmarala police limits, MPA Rana Iqbal and his son stopped polling for half an hour and manhandled the PPP agent,” she claimed. The Kashmir Affairs minister accused Punjab police of stopping Rangers from discharging their duties.
He alleged that PML-N workers had captured all polling stations at 8am. “The credibility of polling for nine seats in Punjab is dubious,” he said.
“The PML-N has violated the sanctity of elections and undermined our efforts to show the world free, fair and transparent elections for the AJK Legislative Assembly,” he said.
An activist of N-League was reportedly killed in a clash with PPP workers in Samani valley of Bhimber district.
PPP`s information secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira said PML-N workers had attacked Zikria Butt, media adviser to Punjab PPP chief Raja Riaz. “The PML-N should accept the result of the elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Punjab Governor Latif Khosa told journalists that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had refused to attend a telephone call made by the governor. According to later reports, Mr Sharif called Mr Khosa and discussed the law and order situation during polling in the province.