Next Pak Prez should be preferably from Baluchistan: Sharif

Islamabad: Pakistan seems to be entering into a new era. President Pervez Musharraf is on his way out as the ruling coalition draws up a 100 page long chargesheet against him.

In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif strongly indicated that Pervez Musharraf’s days are numbered as the President of Pakistan. And, at the same time, Sharif also dismissed speculation about him taking over the presidential post.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

When will Musharraf go?

Nawaz Sharif: He has to decide. I don’t think there is much of an option for him now. You will hear the announcement perhaps in one of these days. If he wants to fight, or he wants to face the charges, it is his choice. I think next three,four,five days are very crucial. So you will see something happening in the next few day.

No safe exit for Musharraf?

Nawaz Sharif: Well, I don’t know what they are negotiating, because on one side we are preparing a chargesheet against him and chargesheet is very clear. No preparation is needed for a charge sheet everybody knows what he has done to the country and the havoc he has played with the country and the institutions of the state. So I don’t know whether they are in negotiation with this man. There should not be a safe exit for people who play havoc with the country, who derail the system, who subvert the constitution, who try to ridicule the judges, throw them out of office and you talking of safe exit for such people.

Who will be the next President?

Nawaz Sharif: I am not personally interested. It should go to a person who actually enjoys the support of the people of Pakistan. I think best would be somebody from Balochistan of course there is a sense of deprivation in the province of Balochistan, perhaps that will be a better choice.

Source : IBN Life

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JMM meet to review support

RANCHI(INDIA): Independent ministers have begun to get in touch with JMM chief Shibu Soren after he threatened to withdraw support to the Madhu Koda government.

A source close to Soren claimed that all the independents ministers have contacted Guruji. Telephone conversations have become more frequent after the JMM chief got an appointment with Governor Syed Sibte Razi for Sunday.

"The moment Guruji made public his intention to withdraw support to the UPA government both at the Centre and in the state, the independent ministers started contacting him to get a feel of things. A couple of them have also bargained regarding ministrial posts in case Guruji takes over as CM," a source said.

He revealed that some independent ministers had even expressed their displeasure over the style of functioning of the present government under influence of some central UPA leaders.

"The independent ministers don't want an early election. When they came to know of Guruji's plan to meet the Governor and his threat to withdraw support to the Koda government all of them started contacting him through different sources," the source said.

Deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi has also been trying the guage the mood in the JMM camp through his old associates in the party, he claimed. One of the independent ministers is even ready to accompany the JMM delegation to the Rajbhawan, a JMM insider said.

JMM organizing secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya confirmed that some independent ministers are in touch with Guruji. He, however, declined to name the ministers who are in touch with the party chief.

Source : Times Of India

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SIMI arrests expose UPA's inability to tackle terrorism: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP has welcomed the arrests of SIMI members involved in the Ahmedabad and Surat bomb plots and said the role of the banned organization exposed UPA's inability to tackle terror as at least three senior coalition leaders had only last week welcomed the decision of a tribunal to lift the ban on the outfit.

Though the ban had been promptly restored by the Supreme Court, BJP claimed that the action of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Congress's newest ally, SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav, in welcoming the "relief" to SIMI had exposed their desperate votebank compulsions. "Today is a day of shame for UPA," said party general secretary Arun Jaitley.

Speaking to the media after the Gujarat police announced the arrests, Jaitley complimented the Gujarat
police for the swift investigation and pointing to the depth and spread of the SIMI network, asked whether the extremist organisation's backers in the UPA would now clarify their positions.

"At least three UPA members support SIMI while a fourth, the PDP, talks of marching to Muzzaffarabad in PoK," Jaitley said.

The party clearly views the breakthrough in the Ahmedabad and Surat investigations as an important boost to its claims of being tough on terrorism and Jaitley immediately demanded that the Centre allow Gujarat and Rajasthan to have their versions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, which are currently awaiting presidential sanction.

Jaitley said that those arrested in terror cases would be put to speedier trial under MCOCA-like laws in the absence of which the accused were often able to get bail. The essential provisions of special laws like admissibility of wire taps and confessions before a magistrate, tough bail conditions and quicker trials were important to waging the war on terror. BJP-ruled states are not being allowed to have recourse to such laws despite they being available to Congress-administered states.

Jaitley said that the Centre, in particular home minister Shivraj Patil, had often observed that law and order was a state subject. But at the same time, the Manmohan Singh government has deliberately prevented Gujarat and Rajasthan from having special laws in order to propiate its Muslim support base.

Source : Times Of India

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Musharraf must quit by Sunday: Pak govt

ISLAMABAD: Mounting pressure on beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's ruling coalition on Saturday set a 24-hour deadline for him to resign or face impeachment in parliament next week as his chances of getting legal immunity dimmed.

Musharraf is "short of time" and if he does not quit by Sunday, the impeachment proceedings will start, senior Pakistan People's Party leader and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in Multan.

Pakistani media reported that with no resolution in sight to the political impasse, the ruling coalition may be turning to army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani to hasten the ouster of the President who has reportedly sought Saudi mediation but this was dismissed by Qureshi.

Speculation continued that Musharraf may step down in next 48 hours but the embattled President is holding out, making last-ditch efforts to strike a hard bargain.

Musharraf is reportedly not ready to accept anything short of an "honourable" stay in Pakistan with full presidential protocol and benefits and legal cover for his actions in the event of his resignation.

But a key ally of the ruling coalition, the PML-N led by former premier Nawaz Sharif, ruled out legal cover for Musharraf. "Legal guarantees are out of question," party spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq said.

The ruling coalition is giving final shape to a comprehensive chargesheet to initiate impeachment proceedings against Musharraf. The impeachment motion would be tabled in parliament within a couple of days, Farooq said adding, it contains Musharraf's "unconstitutional acts and corruption."


Source : Times Of India

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