No plane waiting to take Musharraf: Saudi Arabia

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has dismissed as "fabricated" reports that it has an aircraft waiting to take former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to the kingdom where he could be offered asylum following his ouster.

"This news is totally lacking in truth and is fabricated," Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Awad Esseiri was quoted as saying by Okaz newspaper on Tuesday.

He was reacting to media reports that a Saudi plane was in Islamabad to transport Musharraf to Saudi Arabia amid speculation that he could be granted asylum in the kingdom after stepping down as President on Monday.

The envoy said the kingdom was interested in "security, stability and sovereignty of Pakistan and will not interfere in internal political affairs" of its close ally, the Saudi newspaper reported.

Saudi Arabia had earlier given asylum to former Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif after his government was toppled in a bloodless military coup by Musharraf in October 1999. Sharif and his family were sent into exile to Jeddah in 2000 before their return home last November.

Media reports in Pakistan also said that Musharraf was expected to travel to Saudi Arabia with his family for a pilgrimage to Mecca in the near future following which he would decide whether to live outside Pakistan.

The reports said Musharraf would remain in Pakistan for some time before travelling to Saudi Arabia.

Source : Times Of India

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Left Front urges Trinamool to postpone agitation at Singur

KOLKATA: West Bengal's ruling Left Front on Tuesday appealed to Trinamool Congress and other Trinamool allies to postpone the proposed indefinite agitation around Tata Motors project site in Singur demanding return of 400 acres of land to the "unwilling farmers".

The appeal was made ahead of the discussion slated for tomorrow between the state government and representatives of the Trinamool-led opposition after its chief Mamata Banerjee Mamata accepted Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's invitation for talks to solve the impasse.

Mamata, however, is sticking to her demand for the return of the 400 acres of land, acquired by the government, to their owners.

After a Left Front meeting, its chairman Biman Bose told reporters that he hoped a solution could be found through discussions.

Pointing out that the controversial 400 acres were in scattered fragments and not fit for farming anymore, he called upon Banerjee to take a realistic view of the situation and help find a solution.

Welcoming Mamata's positive stand towards the talks, Bose said, "Let the Trinamool give its arguments at the meeting. Let them say how they think the problem can be resolved. I think the process of dialogue should continue if a solution cannot be found at the meeting tomorrow. The issue should be resolved only through talks with one another."

Source : Times Of India

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Prachanda sworn in as Nepal prime minister

KATHMANDU: The leader of Nepal's Maoists, Prachanda, was sworn in as prime minister of the world's youngest republic on Monday.

The former rebel chief was on Friday overwhelmingly voted in as Nepal's new premier by lawmakers in the country's constitutional assembly, which had abolished the unpopular monarchy in May.

"I will remain faithful to the nation and my countrymen, and promise in the name of the people that I will remain faithful to the sovereign nation of Nepal," he said in his oath of office.

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Chiranjeevi seeks Advani's blessings

NEW DELHI: A day after announcing his political debut, Telugu filmstar Chiranjeevi called up BJP leader L K Advani on Monday from Hyderabad seeking his blessings.

With Chiranjeevi set to launch his party on August 26, barely months before Lok Sabha polls, Advani wished him well for his political career.

While the conversation didn't go beyond exchange of pleasantaries, it assumes significance as it opens up possibilities for electoral understanding in the state's already crowded political scene where the TDP, TRS, CPM-CPI, BJP and Congress provide a wide array of options for voters.

Chiranjeevi has been hobnobbing with the Left parties - CPM and CPI - in the state for a long time now but the fact that he has kept his options open is also clear from the manner in which he is reaching out.

Source : Times Of India

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Left calls for Bihar bandh tomorrow

PATNA: The joint co-ordination committee of five Left parties has urged the masses for extending support to their call for Bihar bandh on Wednesday.

A meeting held on Monday by senior leaders of CPI, CPM, RSP, Forward Bloc and Bharatiya Janvadi Forward Bloc reviewed preparations made for the bandh. The meeting was presided over by veteran CPM leader Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi.

The call for Bihar bandh has been given to protest against price rise, crisis in agri sector, irregularities in BPL lists, black-marketing of ration and kerosene and waterlogging in the state capital, according to a CPI press release issued here on Monday.

Essential services have been exempted from the purview of the bandh.


Source : Times Of India

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Musharraf's fate in balance after resignation

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pervez Musharraf faced an uncertain fate on Tuesday after his resignation as president of Pakistan, as the country's fractious ruling coalition prepared to pick a replacement for the key US ally.

Coalition leaders were to meet later Tuesday to discuss a replacement for Musharraf and the fate of dozens of deposed judges, a party spokesman said.

"The leaders will discuss the post-Musharraf resignation issues, including the election to the presidency, the restoration of judges and the political situation," Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for the party of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto, told AFP.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party is the biggest in the coalition, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-N of 1990s prime minister Nawaz Sharif and a clutch of ethnic and religious parties.

The meeting will take place at the Islamabad residence of Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower, Babar said.

Musharraf bowed out in a televised address on Monday to avoid the threat of impeachment charges by the nuclear-armed nation's government, nine years after he grabbed power in a bloodless military coup.

Speculation swirled that Musharraf's decision came after a deal brokered by Pakistan's powerful military and the United States to avoid criminal charges, but it remained unclear where he would spend his retirement.

Officials from both the ruling coalition and the security services said that in the wake of his resignation Musharraf would travel to close ally Saudi Arabia in coming days to perform Muslim rites.

A senior coalition official told AFP that Musharraf would then head for London or Turkey, but his aides insisted he would return after his religious duties in the Gulf kingdom.

The party of Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted by Musharraf in 1999, has said that the former president should not be granted a safe exit but the Pakistan People's Party, has remained quiet.

Musharraf's decision to quit came after the coalition said it was ready to press ahead with impeachment as early as Tuesday on charges that reportedly included violating the constitution.

His troubles began last year after his move to sack the judges sparked mass protests. He declared a state of emergency in November and then was compelled to quit as army chief within weeks.

He was also backed into a corner by the resurgence of Islamic militants in the tribal areas along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, who launched a massive wave of attacks last year that left more than 1,000 dead.

In his lengthy television address, the linchpin in the US-led "war on terror" said that charges against him would never stand up, but said he was resigning to avoid a damaging battle with the coalition over his impeachment.

Meanwhile the coalition, which defeated Musharraf's allies in elections in February, was set to begin discussions on the next president and on the restoration of senior judges sacked under the ex-General's emergency rule in November.

Law Minister Farooq Naik said coalition leaders would meet to resolve the judges issue.

"The issue of judges is likely to be resolved today," he told reporters, adding that "any decision about Musharraf's accountability will be taken by the leaders of the coalition parties."

Senate chairman Mohammedmian Soomro -- who also served as caretaker prime minister during emergency rule -- is standing in as acting president.

An official at Pakistan's election commission said that a new president had to be chosen within 30 days of Musharraf's resignation.

Bhutto's widower and the most powerful figure in the coalition, Asif Ali Zardari, is likely too much of a divisive figure to stand for the presidency, officials in both coalition parties said.

The government was considering a candidate from one of Pakistan's smaller provinces, the officials said, including Mehmud Khan Achakzai, from a nationalist party in southwestern Baluchistan province, and Aftab Shoban Mirani from southern Sindh province.

It could also opt for a female candidate including the speaker of the national assembly, or lower house of parliament, Fehmida Mirza, or Zardari's sister Faryal Talpur, the officials added.

Divisions between the coalition partners, who feuded throughout the 1990s, could further threaten Pakistan's stability and even herald fresh elections as it combats a spiralling economic crisis and mounting Islamist militancy.

World leaders urged Pakistan to place a premium on stability and unity following Musharraf's resignation.

"President Bush looks forward to working with the Government of Pakistan on the economic, political and security challenges they face," US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement on behalf of the US leader.

Source : AFP

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Pak coalition to meet on Musharraf's safe exit

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's ruling coalition will meet again on Tuesday to decide on key issues like granting a safe exit to Pervez Musharraf in the wake of his resignation and the restoration of deposed judges.

Well, deciding what to do with Musharraf is proving to be tough for the ruling coalition partners Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif of the PML-N.

The coalition held discussions for over four hours on Monday after Musharraf announced his decision to step down but were unable to reach any conclusions

Top leaders of the coalition, including Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, held discussions for over four hours after Musharraf announced his decision to step down but were unable to reach any conclusions, sources said.

However, sources said the leaders of the two main parties in the alliance had differences over the modalities for the reinstatement of judges who were deposed by Musharraf during last year's emergency. When the PPP and PML-N announced their plans to impeach Musharraf on August seven, they had said that the deposed judges would be restored immediately after the President's removal.

The sources said Sharif in particular had pressed for the restoration of the deposed judges without any delay.

A brief statement issued by the PPP on Monday night said the leaders of the coalition would "meet again tomorrow to discuss the post-resignation issues and strengthen democracy".

Monday's meeting also discussed the election of Musharraf's successor. According to the constitution, a new President must be elected within 30 days of the post falling vacant.

Prolonged wrangling over Musharraf's position hurt financial markets in the nuclear-armed country of 165 million people, and raised concern in Washington and elsewhere that it was distracting from efforts to tackle militants, especially in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Musharraf's resignation lifted Pakistan shares on Monday to their biggest one-day rise in eight weeks, and helped the rupee recover slightly. But analysts said the rebound was temporary.

"It's a major victory for the new government but there is still a lot of uncertainty going forward," said Sayem Ali, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank.

Mushtaq Khan, a London-based analyst at Citi, said the government could now focus on the economy, taking concrete steps to restore investor confidence shattered by the political turmoil.

These include shrinking the trade deficit by banning imports of non-essential items such as luxury consumer goods, and cutting government spending by abolishing all fuel subsidies, Khan said.

QUESTIONS
Divisive questions still hang over Musharraf's fate. There was no announcement on Monday on whether he would get immunity from prosecution and be allowed to live freely in Pakistan.

Coalition officials had said Musharraf sought immunity from prosecution, but he said in his resignation address to the nation he was asking for nothing.

"I leave my future in the hands of the nation and people," he said.

One main coalition party, that of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif whom Musharraf ousted in 1999, has insisted he face trial for treason. Bhutto's party says parliament should decide.

With the coalition partners' preoccupation with Musharraf out of the way, the United States and other allies will be keen to see the government focus on security.

Hundreds of people have been killed in a wave of suicide attacks in Pakistan in recent months and the U.S. Pentagon said in June insurgent havens in Pakistan were the biggest threat to Afghan security.

President George W. Bush said he appreciated Musharraf's efforts to fight al-Qaida and other extremists, and was committed to a strong Pakistan that strengthened democracy and fought terrorism.

Old rival India reacted cautiously to Musharraf's resignation. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters: "India will continue to have an amicable relation with Pakistan in the days to come".

Pakistan is committed to a peace process with India launched under Musharraf, but India fears a weak civilian government will not have his influence over the army and military spy agency, which India suspects has a hand in most attacks on its soil.

The chairman of the Senate, Mohammadmian Soomro, will be acting president until a new one is elected within 30 days, but it is not clear who that will be. Traditionally, Pakistan's president has been a figurehead, although under Musharraf the office was much more powerful.

Source : Times Of India

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