‘Pakistan faced irreparable losses on being US ally’

TrendPK.com

DAVOS: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday said Pakistan had to pocket irreparable losses for becoming a close ally to the US on war on terrorism, reports TrendPK.

In an interview with a British television here, the premier said, keeping in view the importance of the US in global landscape, Pakistan is desirous of fast improving ties with the latter. “It is time for the US now to come to the term that Pakistan is the only country which has laid down many more sacrifices in war on terror than any other country,” Gilani notified.

To a question, the premier said all the institutions of the country mind their constitutional parameters, elaborating further, he said, he did not want any institution to be working under his control.

Earlier, in another interview with a US television, PM had said the former President who was a military dictator who overruled the constitution of Pakistan by declaring coup against the democratic setup would have to face arrest if he returned to Pakistan.

“Musharraf will be arrested surely because he is wanted in many cases of the grave nature including murder and the court has already declared him ‘proclaimed offender’,” the premier vowed. TrendPK

Report on 19th Amendment Bill presented in NA

trendpk.com: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday congratulated the nation and political leadership on successful training launch of Medium Range Ballistic Missile Hatf-V (Ghauri) and report of Constitutional Committee on 19th Amendment.

While speaking in the National Assembly, he said it was a good omen that the Chairman of Constitutional Committee Mian Raza Rabbani had laid the unanimously passed report of the Committee on 19th Amendment. He said it would give a strong message to those people who used to term the parliament as rubber stamp and powerless parliament.

Those who proclaimed the Parliament a rubber stamp with no powers should know that the present parliament is independent. I have remained the member of the National Assembly in 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993 and 2008. I have never seen such an independent parliament.

The previous parliament did nothing except raising the slogans of go Musharraf go, he said.He recalled that the former President addressed the previous parliament for only one time during his nine-year tenure.

Congratulating the members of Constitutional Committee, the Prime Minister said that the unanimously passage of the report on 19th Amendment bill by them would be written in the history.

He said the 1973 Constitution was presented by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the successive governments made a number of changes in it. It is not a unicameral system rather it is bicameral system. I am happy that not a single member opposed the bill.

While acknowledging the efforts of Raza Rabbani, the Prime Minister said, I appreciated the Chairman of the Committee for presenting the report in a short time. I also appreciate the political leadership for showing political maturity that has further dignified the parliament.

He praised the role of Supreme Court of Pakistan for referring the matter to the Parliament for review and reconsideration. I compliment the role of Supreme Court for referring the matter to the Parliament for a review. The judiciary has given the highest respect to the Parliament and the Parliament has reciprocated in the same manner.

We want to make the institutions stronger instead of individuals, he added.

IHC becomes operational today

Islamabad High Court (IHC) would become functional on Monday (today), however, the hearing would not be resumed because so far judges have not been appointed.

In April, the government has ordered revival of the IHC in the light of the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The high court will start functioning after appointment of judges. Law Minister Babar Awan said that the chief justice and judges of the IHC would be appointed from all units of the federation. Three judges for the IHC including the Chief Justice have been nominated, however the parliamentary committee would likely to notify more judges. The SC last year declared the Islamabad High Court as illegal, saying it had been established under the Provisional Constitutional Order imposed by former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf of Nov 3, 2007. In its July 31 judgment, the apex court had struck down the order of establishment of the IHC and reverted the judicial system to the status of Nov 2, 2007. All the judges who were part of the judiciary on Nov 2, 2007, had been ordered to return to original courts. All judges who were not part of the judiciary had been ordered to cease acting as judges. The IHC employees had been ordered back to their original positions or to the federal surplus pool. The Supreme Court, under Justice Hameed Dogar, had decided in favour of the establishment of IHC. But its creation was delayed because of a stay order issued by the Lahore High Court after its establishment was challenged. The IHC was to start functioning in Feb 2008.

CRC okays SC Proposals on Judges Appointment

News Trends: The Constitutional Reforms Committee (CRC) on Friday unanimously approved all the recommendations of the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the appointment of judges.

The committee meeting was chaired by Senator Raza Rabbani. It recommended that the name of a judge will be sent to the president via the prime minister for final approval. According to the recommendations, the parliamentary committee for judges appointment will have eight National Assembly members and four of the Senate. In case the national assembly is dissolved, the Senate members will finalise names of the judges. Three out of four members of the Senate will be able to accept or reject the name of a judge for a post. The reforms committee has decided to table the 19th amendment for the approval of the recommendations during the National Assembly session starting on December 22. It has also formed a six member sub committee to finalize the draft of the 19th amendment. The apex court last month asked the parliament to change a two-pronged criterion for judges appointment devised by the committee by inserting a new article (175-A) into the 18th constitutional amendment.

Accordingly, the government revived the Parliamentary Committee of Constitutional Reforms to undertake the task. After initial meetings earlier this month, the committee decided to explore various options to accommodate the Supreme Court order, including introducing a 19th amendment or passing a resolution in a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate.The Supreme Court, in its interim order, had asked the parliament to amend the mechanism for judges appointment in a way that it gives the chief justices the final say in nominating judges.

Babar asks Shahbaz to treat allies like N MPAs

Federal Law Minister Babar Awan on Sunday called upon Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to treat his allies in the same way as he treats his party MPAs.
Talking to mediamen at Lahore Airport, Babar quipped that the Punjab government should give due heed to dengue virus instead of political virus, adding that the former could catch mosquitoes, if not the absconders.
Replying to a question about the interim short order by the Supreme Court regarding the judges appointment issue in 18th amendment, the minister said the SC orders are being implemented in letter and spirit and the government would assist the apex court and Bars in the formation of judicial commission, which would be set up soon.
When asked for his take on the court ruling, he said I would speak on it in the Parliamentary Committee for Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) meeting, scheduled to be held on November 1. About Safdar Abbasis party membership suspension, the minister said that nothing such thing happened. Public has no interest in the political cases, they just want the rulers to address their grievances, Babar maintained.

French Senate passes pension bill in final vote

PARIS: France’s upper house of parliament gave a final vote of approval on Friday to an unpopular pension reform bill that has caused a series of nationwide strikes and protest marches.

Senators voted 177 for and 153 against the legislation to raise the retirement age, after the government used a special measure to speed the voting process.

The bill now needs a joint parliamentary commission to rubber stamp changes from the original text, and approval from the constitutional council, the highest constitutional authority in France. AGENCIES

Babar Awan calls on SC Bar President, gives Rs. 1 million cheque

Federal Law Minister Babar Awan called on the President of Supreme Court Bar Association Qazi Anwar here on Monday, Dunya News reported. The federal minister gave a cheque worth Rs. 1 million to Qazi Anwar.
Qazi Anwar welcomed the minister upon arrival in the bar in Islamabad. Qazi Anwar said that the cheque was due since March this year and soon after receiving the cheque he gave it to the employees of the bar. Qazi Anwar told the media personnel that he has advised the federal minister that there should be a continuous contact and correspondence between the bar and the federal law ministry.
Federal Law Minister said that there are a few matters that require all of us to sit together and resolve. He also said that there is a need of strengthening the constitutional system of the country to progress and develop. We cannot afford to amend or alter the constitution, he added, legislative process is not up to the expectations. The law ministry seeks guidance from the bar councils, bar associations and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

Prime Minister says his words be trusted

Islamabad:- The Prime Minister in his address said although some people said ratification through parliament of executive order restoring judges is necessary, ‘I continued to stick to my decision of reinstatement of judiciary’.

Prime Minister  has assured the nation that no clash of institutions is possible during Pakistan Peoples Party’s term of government.

He said that he did not even know about the rumor of the executive order for reinstatement of judges being taken back. In tonight’s address from Islamabad, the prime minister said that he remained undeterred while reinstating the higher judiciary. “We were told that executive order, if promulgated, could invite an application of the Article 6 of the Constitution”, the PM added, “but we remained undaunted and undeterred”. He also said that ignoring Prime Minister’s denial is equivalent to ignoring his constitutional stature.

Prime minister also expressed his consent to sit together with the judges to resolve all the conflicts.

Thai PM Abhisit Faces Court

BANGKOK: Thailand’s prime minister is due in court on Monday as his party tries to fend off a possible ban that threatens to further shake the kingdom’s fractured political landscape.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, alongside other executives, faces a five-year ban from politics and the ruling Democrat Party could be dissolved if it is found guilty of corruption by the Constitutional Court.

The premier is set to be a witness for the defence in what could be the final hearing before judges rule on the case, which centres on claims of misuse of a 29-million-baht (900,000-dollar) state grant in 2005.

“We are satisfied with the facts we have presented to the court and confident our party has done nothing wrong,” Democrat lawyer Virat Kalayasiri said.

The party faces accusations that it paid 23 million baht to advertising firms, despite only having permission to spend 19 million on billboard marketing.

Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) in April called for the party to be abolished over the claims as well as a separate case alleging an undeclared political donation.

Abhisit on Sunday rejected accusations that a member of his party had attempted to influence the court’s decision.

“It is not necessary to do that. The Constitutional Court should be independent and we do not want to see any lobbying,” he said on his weekly television show.

The Prime Minister added that the court is likely to reach a verdict next month.

Judicial rulings have played a pivotal role in shaping the kingdom’s politics in the past.

The Democrats, Thailand’s oldest party, came to power two years ago after controversial court decisions ousted allies of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was dislodged in a 2006 military coup.

Two premiers were deposed from office by the judiciary in 2008 — one of whom, Samak Sundaravej, was removed for taking payments for hosting TV cooking shows.

Uncertainty over the government comes at a difficult stage for the deeply divided country.

April’s EC intervention coincided with a tense standoff between troops and “Red Shirts”, which descended into violence that left over 90 people dead and almost 1,900 injured during two months of unrest.

Experts question whether powers thought to support Abhisit’s ruling coalition — including the military and Yellow Shirt movement, representing the Bangkok elite in palace circles — would allow the Democrats to be toppled.

Author and former Thai diplomat Pavin Chachavalpongpun said he does not believe the party will be disbanded.

“What is the point of staging a military coup in the first place when they know the party they rely on will have to be dissolved?” he said.

However, he said one potential motive would be as a gesture to the Red Shirts to rebuff allegations of double standards in the legal system.

Pavin said “even then, they will have a plan B”, with rumours that a new party would swiftly rise from the ashes of the old.

“They will still carry on the mission of maintaining the status quo but that is a deeper, more complicated game. I still don’t believe that the Democrat party will be dissolved,” he said.

Michael Montesano, of the Institute of South East Asia Studies in Singapore, said: “It is possible that there will be dissolution of the Democrat Party and it could happen for one of several reasons.”

He said it could be that the Yellows “decided that the Democrats and Abhisit had outlived their usefulness”, or the judge makes the decision on the basis of the law. Another reason would be as a concession to reconciliation efforts.

Montesano said it appears a new party — “Democrat in all but name” — would try to boost its electoral chances ahead of next year’s poll.

But Montesano said those involved still had not managed to reach out to the rural poor and working class.

“There is every indication that the Democrats and their allies do not really know what to do in order to reshape the political landscape so that they can win the next election.” he said.

No clash of institutions possible during our tenure: says PM

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has addressed and assured the nation that no clash of institutions is possible during Pakistan Peoples Partys term of government. He said that he did not even know about the rumor of the executive order for reinstatement of judges being taken back.
In tonights address that was broadcast from Islamabad, the prime minister said that he remained undeterred while reinstating the higher judiciary. We were told that executive order, if promulgated, could invite an application of the Article 6 of the Constitution, the PM added, but we remained undaunted and undeterred. He also said that ignoring Prime Ministers denial is equivalent to ignoring his constitutional stature. Prime minister also expressed his consent to sit together with the judges to resolve all the conflicts.
Prime Minister said that ensuring speedy justice tops his governments priorities. Time is testing us again, the PM said, let us not waste time in futile efforts of survival. The prime minister said that he is ready to constitute forums of all kinds for the welfare of masses. He also told the nation that the government has decided to reorganize 8 state-run institutions that are operating in financial deficit.

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