Asif Ali Zardari sworn in as president

ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Zardari has been sworn in as 12th president of Pakistan at a ceremony in Islamabad here on Tuesday.

The oath-taking ceremony was broadcast live from the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad.

Abdul Hameed Dogar, the chief justice administered the oath to president Zardari.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto Zardari were also present in the ceremony.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, members of the federal cabinet, Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, Army chief, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, three services chiefs, governors and chief ministers of four provinces, heads of political parties, members of parliament, foreign diplomats and civil and military bureaucrats attended the ceremony.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was also present on this occasion who was invited specially by Asif Ali Zardari.

PML-N president and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other central leaders were also present on this occasion.


Source : The News

Continue Reading...

Congress, SP seat-sharing talks make little headway

NEW DELHI: With Samajwadi Party stoutly resisting the possibility of "friendly" fights with Congress, seat-sharing talks made little progress and the second round of negotiations ended in just 15 minutes on Monday. Both sides dug in as the SP has sought to restrict Congress’s claims to about a dozen seats.

Congress is keen that SP either concede or agree to a compromise on some of its sitting MPs while Mulayam Singh Yadav’s colleagues have argued that any such concession will only end up strengthening the rival BSP camp.

Both parties argue that compromises on 'key seats' would trigger revolts in their local units. As a solution, Congress is insisting that the alliance be sealed with 'friendly fights' in its traditional seats like Pratapgarh, Rampur, Farrukhabad and Padrauna.

But SP is not ready for this. Congress is worried if these seats were to go to SP's kitty, it could trigger a split in local units, besides reflecting badly on the negotiating skills of party interlocutors.

SP's Ram Gopal Yadav argued that if strong candidates were sacrificed, these individuals could either quit the party or simply not back Congress, implying that BSP would be the beneficiary in such an arrangement. The sticking point saw SP and Congress leave the table, with Yadav saying he would discuss the option of 'friendly fight' with Mulayam, who has also flown to Delhi. This may well be the only way to iron out virtually irreconciliable positions.

AICC is confident the deal would be sealed with the SP and Congress taking on each other in five to six seats. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is part of team led by Rahul Gandhi and which includes UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna, said negotiations were cordial and a consensus had been struck on 90% seats. The negotiations could get tougher as sources said Samajwadis want to give only 12 seats to Congress — nine sitting MPs and three where Congress led SP in 2004 — Khurja, Domariaganj and Bareilly.

What is squeezing the scope for a compromise is personalised rivalries which the parties are not sure they can control and which would defeat the objective of containing BSP.

In Rampur, SP leader Azam Khan has a bitter battle going with former Congress MP Noor Bano, and would work against her even in an alliance while in Pratapgarh, CLP leader Pramod Tiwari and former MP Ratna Singh are unlikely to accept any decision to sit out for Akshaya Pratap Singh, a close aide of Kunda strongman Raja Bhaiyya.

SP is claiming Padrauna where independent MP Baleshwar Yadav, who joined the party during the trust vote, has sought nomination for Brahma Shankar Tripathi. AICC wants the seat for its MLA R P N Singh. The alliance has already set off a churn, with Kamlesh Paswan leaving SP in reserved Bansgaon seat as he saw no chance of getting a nod over Union minister Mata Prasad in an alliance.

Amid the bare-knuckle bargaining, Congress decision to take four SP MLAs in Madhya Pradesh has struck a sore point and, AICC sources said, the issue was brought to the notice of the top leadership.

Besides known seats, Congress sources said it had sought accommodation of SP rebel and actor Raj Babbar from Fatehpur Sikri, P L Punia from Barabanki and Beni Prasad Verma from Gonda.

But Samajwadis are learnt to be readying a BJP MLA for Sikri while they don't want to help Verma who is seen as a traitor. With the newfound allies eager to confront a strongly placed Mayawati with an eye on the post-poll scene, sources said Ajit Singh's RLD is also in contention, but was still to be discussed.

The RLD is seen as a factor in western UP and a broader alliance with him would not let Mayawati have a free run as in the Assembly polls.

However, AICC may want to get extra seats for him when the Samajwadis would want to get him coupled with the Congress share.
Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

Chiru fans turn to Gandhigiri

TIRUPATI: It’s a metamorphosis the Mahatma would smile at. After goondagiri, Chiru’s fans are now moving towards Gandhigiri. This comes as not too long ago ardent fans of the star attacked the actor couple Rajasekhar and Jeevitha as Rajasekhar, in response to a question by the media, said that Chiru lacked the experience to enter politics.

But that was when Chiru was yet to launch Prajarajyam. Now, the party, which purportedly is inspired by the Mahatma, among others has made Gandhigiri its credo. Give bouquets in response to brickbats, even if they are of the verbal variety. Here’s how Prajarajyam activists swept the roads in the temple town of Tirupati in a symbolic protest against TDP Telugu Mahila wing chief R K Roja’s remarks against the matinee idol. In a typical Gandhigiri fashion, they offered flowers to the photograph of the film actor-turned TDP activist.

“Henceforth, we would offer bouquets to her whenever she visits the district,” a Prajarajyam leader said. The trigger to the floral response? Addressing mediapersons after the party’s SC Cell meeting here on Monday evening, Roja said Chiranjeevi is a novice in politics whereas she is a known face not only in Andhra Pradesh, but also in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as an actor as well as a politician.

The firebrand actor, who made serious allegations against the Prajarajyam chief a couple of days ago, once again spit fire at Chiranjeevi saying films and politics are two different fields. “We might have acted in films, but in politics we belong to two different parties and we are rivals,” she thundered.

Denouncing the Prajarajyam chief’s comments against the Congress and the TDP, Roja said it would be better for Chiranjeevi to be clear on his party’s policies and agenda instead of throwing mud at other parties.

On the protests by the Prajarajyam workers over her remarks against Chiranjeevi, she said: “Criticisms and counter-attacks are part and parcel of politics. Prajarajyam claims it follows the Gandhian way, but why should its workers stage protests?” she questioned. But who can deny that the roja (rose) offered to her photo and the promise to offer bouquets when she comes visiting by Prajarajyam’s activists are Gandhian enough?

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

CPM vows to continue battle on nuclear deal

NEW DELHI: Calling the NSG waiver "another surrender by the Manmohan Singh government", CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday said the battle against the nuclear deal would be fought in the political arena.

Briefing newspersons after the party's two-day politburo meeting, Karat said the Left would continue to struggle against the deal and when a new government came to power after the next elections, it would demand termination of the 123 agreement.

"The struggle to rescind the agreement is not over. We had told the government to go to the people and seek a verdict," Karat said, adding that the NSG waiver was "neither clean nor unconditional".

"It will bind India to all the conditions set out in the Hyde Act. Whatever be the claim of the ruling coalition, India had made all these commitments to the US in 2005," he said, adding that the Left's basic opposition was to the 123 agreement and the Hyde Act.

The NSG waiver, Karat said, ensured that the voluntary moratorium on testing had now become part of a multilateral commitment. Restrictions on transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology would continue. It would mean that India had committed itself to US efforts to deny Iran the fuel cycle, he said, adding that joining US efforts on Iran was one of the conditions of the Hyde Act. "India has become part of the non-proliferation regime which it always held to be discriminatory," he said.

Giving details of the politburo meeting, Karat said the party took stock of its poll preparedness and possible tie-ups. He said in the last central committee meeting, it was decided not to tie up with any ally of UPA. It would mean no truck with DMK, RJD and others. In Andhra Pradesh, Karat said nothing had been decided. There is talk of the Left tying up with actor Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam.

The politburo, Karat said, has also demanded stern action against Bajrang Dal.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

SP wooing Chiru to fight Maya

HYDERABAD: The Samajwadi Party unfolded its political gameplan of entering South India as well as extending its fight with BSP leader Mayawati south of the Vindhyas by wooing newly-turned politician Chiranjeevi here on Sunday.

In a message clearly intended to convey to Chiranjeevi that the SP can match him in glamour and grandeur, the party's general secretary Amar Singh flew into Hyderabad in a private plane from New Delhi and was met with by his party MPs Jaya Bachchan and Jayaprada, who came in from Mumbai. The trio then drove down to the Prajarajyam party office in a black Rolls Royce around 4.30 pm and had an hour-long meeting with Chiranjeevi.

According to sources, the SP has decided to exploit AP for both political and business interests. The former, because TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu has already established a tie-up with the SP's arch rival Mayawati both at the national and state level. "After the vote of confidence motion, the left-Mayawati-TDP combine wants to cement their bonhomie further. It is only natural for the SP to counter it as well as scout for new terrain and Chiranjeevi, the novice, was the best bet," one leader said.

The business interests for SP in AP too are huge. Top businessman Anil Ambani, who along with Amar Singh, Mulayam Singh and Amitabh Bachchan have knit themselves into a powerful politico-business-entertainment lobby, has huge interests in the state. Apart from the oil interests in the Krishna-Godavari basin, telecommunications, and entertainment, Anil Ambani's Reliance Fuel Resources Limited ( RFRL) is planning to lay a Rs 16,000-crore natural gas pipeline from Kakinada to Dadri in UP where he wants to set up a power plant.

"Therefore, it would make great sense for the SP to look for some sort of tie-up with Chiranjeevi as they would benefit greatly if he is swept to power. A lot of issues figured in the meeting," one leader said. The private aircraft for Amar and the Rolls Royce for the party leaders were said to be courtesy Anil Ambani.

For the record though, Amar Singh told the media that the meeting was 'purely a courtesy call.' "It was only a courtesy call. We came here to congratulate him as he took a decision to tread a very difficult path. Amitabh Bachchan also asked me to convey his best wishes to Chiranjeevi as they are good friends. Amitji is abroad and therefore could not join us," he said.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

President-elect Zardari prepares to be sworn in

ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Zardari is expected to be sworn in as Pakistan's president on Monday, capping a remarkable rise from jail, exile and his wife Benazir Bhutto's assassination just nine months ago, an official said.

The controversial frontrunner won more than two-thirds of the vote among lawmakers on Saturday, taking power in the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic state and frontline US "war on terror" ally.

In a short television address following the result Zardari said his triumph was a victory for democracy, a barbed reference to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, whose August 18 resignation triggered the election.

Bhutto's widower was hailed by world leaders soon after, with the United States and Britain pledging to work closely to secure stability and economic prosperity in Pakistan.

Zardari will take charge of a country that has been riven by Islamic militancy, with nearly 1,200 people killed in bombings and suicide attacks in the past year.

The economy is also in trouble with rampant inflation and a plunging stock market that has lost around 40 percent of its value since January, in a country already reliant on foreign aid.

The militant threat was underscored in the northwestern city of Peshawar during voting Saturday, when a suicide car-bomber rammed a police checkpost killing 16 people and wounding more than 80.

The unrest is seen as a backlash by militants angry at former president Musharraf's support for the United States.

Tensions rose further this week after a failed assassination attempt on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, whose car was hit by sniper fire as it drove to meet him at an airport on Wednesday.

Zardari, 53, defeated retired chief justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, who was backed by former premier Nawaz Sharif, and Mushahid Hussain, a close aide of Musharraf, in Saturday's election.

As co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, formerly led by his wife, Zardari already heads a fragile coalition government which, although still in office, recently lost the backing of Sharif's party.

But Bhutto's widower and political heir will now gain wide powers, including the right to dismiss governments and appoint leaders of the military, which has ruled Pakistan for half of its 61-year existence.

He will become the 14th president in Pakistan's short but turbulent history and is likely to be sworn in on Monday.

"The decision will be taken shortly and the swearing in ceremony is expected to take place probably on Monday," PPP
spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.

"There is no set programme for Sunday. Party leaders and officials are expected to meet Asif Ali Zardari and greet him on his election win," he added.

Zardari had been the clear favourite to take power after Musharraf's nearly nine-year rule, which came to an end when he quit office under threat of impeachment.

Leaders in Western countries joined Pakistan's neighbours Iran and Afghanistan in congratulating Zardari's victory.

In Washington, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said US President George W. Bush "looks forward to working with him ... and the government of Pakistan on issues important to both countries."

Those include "counterterrorism and making sure Pakistan has a stable and secure economy," he added.

Zardari, once dubbed "Mr Ten Percent," spent a total of 11 years in jail on charges ranging from corruption to murder.

An amnesty signed by Musharraf cleared him of all corruption charges last year and allowed him and Bhutto to return to Pakistan and end years in exile.

Source : Hindustan Times

Continue Reading...

PM, Pranab welcome end of isolation

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who had the biggest stakes in the drama that was played out in Vienna for three days, duly welcomed the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) decision on Saturday after the war was won.

The Prime Minister — who had risked the stability of his government on this issue — said after the 45-nation club that controls global nuclear commerce agreed in Vienna to grant India a wavier for conducting international trade that it would end India’s 35-year-long isolation from the nuclear mainstream.

He said the waiver was a “recognition of India’s impeccable non-proliferation credentials and its status as a state with advanced nuclear technology.”

Pranab Mukherjee said the waiver was a culmination of a process which had started three years back. “The journey has not only been long but required several steps to be taken sequentially including intense bilateral negotiations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Singh also came in for praise from the US President George W. Bush for his “strong leadership.” Bush called Singh minutes after the news of the NSG clearance came in from Vienna and praised his handling of the entire issue, PMO officials said.

Foreign Ministry officials said the turning point in the talks came on Saturday morning, when both the US and India reasoned with China about the importance of granting the waiver to New Delhi.

“President Bush spoke to President Hu Jintao and asked him to be reasonable. Here in Delhi, the Chinese ambassador was spoken to and it was conveyed that Beijing’s stand in the NSG should reflect the strategic partnership between the two countries,” the official said.

The Chinese opposition to the waiver at the 11th hour was cited by Samajwadi Party as proof of the deal being in national interest. “There was never a question on the deal being not good for the country,” SP general secretary Amar Singh said.

“China first tried to build internal resistance to the deal through its friends here and when it failed, it tried to take its opposition to the international level.”


Source : Hindustan Times

Continue Reading...

Zardari set to be new Pak president as poll begin

ISLAMABAD: Members of Pakistan's parliament and four provincial assemblies began voting in a presidential election on Saturday to choose a replacement for Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month. ( Watch )

Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, whose Pakistan People's Party (PPP) heads a coalition government, is expected to win.

The result is due later on Saturday. "God willing, the PPP has a clear majority and the PPP will win. Mr Zardari will become president and will make the democratic and parliamentary system strong," PPP spokeswoman and member of parliament Farzana Raja said on her way in to the assembly to vote.

Investors hope the election by members of the two-chamber parliament and four provincial assemblies will bring some stability after months of political turmoil that helped drag stocks and the rupee sharply lower.

Whoever wins will have to contend with a host of problems that have raised fears for the prospects of the nuclear-armed US ally, including surging militant violence and an economy in crisis.

Zardari, known as a polo-playing playboy in his younger days, was thrust into the centre of politics by his wife's assassination on December 27.

A February parliamentary election win by their Pakistan People's Party (PPP) made him one of the most powerful figures in the country.

His decision in August to begin impeachment proceedings against Musharraf led to the latter's resignation, and cleared the way for Zardari to win the top job.

His two rivals for president are Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former judge, nominated by ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a senior official of the party that backed Musharraf and ruled under him.

The PPP has the most electoral college votes and despite some doubts about Zardari's suitability, party members will stick by him, making victory virtually a foregone conclusion, analysts say.

JAIL, DOUBTS
Zardari, 53, spent 11 years in jail on corruption and other charges stemming from his time in government when his wife was prime minister in the 1990s. He was never convicted and said the charges were politically motivated. But in an indication of the doubts Zardari faces, a poll by Gallup Pakistan found only 26 per cent of about 2,000 people questioned thought he should be president, while 44 per cent didn't want any of the three candidates.

Political uncertainty, exacerbated by a split in the PPP-led coalition last month, together with security and economic worries have sapped investor confidence and dragged Pakistani stocks down 34 per cent this year.

The main index rose 1 per cent on Friday, helped by optimism the vote will bring some clarity. The rupee has lost 20 percent to the dollar this year but firmed to 76.40/50.

Dwindling foreign reserves, a widening current account deficit and sliding rupee could result in a ratings downgrade as doubts mount over its ability to meet external debt obligations.

But it will probably avoid sovereign debt default as its stability is such an important geopolitical factor institutions such as the International Monetary Fund will eventually help it meet its obligations, analysts say.

Zardari is close to the United States and has repeatedly stressed Pakistan's commitment to the campaign against militancy.

But he will take office as anger with the United States is boiling after a bloody incursion by US ground troops into a remote village on the Afghan border this week.

Musharraf saw his popularity dive partly because he was viewed as too close to President George W Bush.

Zardari will walk a tightrope as he tries to assure Washington of his support on security while trying to calm public anger.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

Former Bangla PM Khaleda Zia may be released next week

DHAKA: Detained former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, languishing in prison for over a year on graft charges, may be freed on bail by next week, her lawyers have claimed.

However, she will have to go through legal procedures for her release, a senior government leader has said.

"We expect her to be released as she now needs bail from courts in only two cases," the Prothom Alo newspaper quoted one of Zia's counsels as saying, a day after her high profile elder son Tarique Rahman, who was being tried in a number graft charges was released.

The lawyer's comment came as Commerce Adviser of the interim cabinet Hossain Zillur Rahman said yesterday that the government was “advancing the political process” without hampering the legal procedure for the release of Zia, the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

“She (Zia) has to seek bail in all the cases she is facing... She will be released once she is granted bail,” Rahman told newsmen.

Zia's archrival Sheikh Hasina of Awami League was released on government ‘executive order’ in June this year for treatment abroad.

The government at that time had said a process was underway to free the BNP chief in identical manner.

Both the former premiers have been charged under a number of corruption cases as part of a massive anti-graft campaign launched by the interim government soon after its installation with crucial military support after the January 11, 2007 proclamation of the state of emergency.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

Zardari backs US against terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan stands with the US against international terrorism, the Muslim nation's presidential front-runner wrote in a column appearing on Thursday amid furor over a US-led cross-border attack in Pakistani territory.

The raid in the South Waziristan tribal region was the first known foreign ground assault in Pakistan against a Taliban haven. The Pakistani government summoned the US ambassador to protest the incursion, which officials said killed at least 15 people, including civilians.

An American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US troops conducted the raid Wednesday about 1 mile beyond the Afghan frontier.

The boldness of the thrust fed speculation about the intended target. But it was unclear whether any extremist leader was killed or captured in the operation, which occurred in one of the militant strongholds dotting a frontier region considered a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida's no. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned the attack in an impassioned speech to lawmakers on Thursday, saying it “violated the sovereignty of Pakistan.” He also said “no important terrorist or high-value target” was killed.

“Innocent citizens, including women and children, have been targeted,” Qureshi said. Officials said they had no indication US forces captured anyone in the raid. A foreign ministry spokesman said the government had no information al-Qaida leaders were in the area at the time.


Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...