Coalition on the rocks:JUI-F decides to join Opposition benches in Centre

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam on Thursday announced to sit on the Opposition benches in the joint session of the Parliament convened by the President on Dec 18, trendpk.com learnt.

Sources revealed that the JUI is likely to give a proper application to the Speaker National Assembly to get their seats allotted in Opposition benches. Former federal minister Maulana Ataur Rehman who resigned in protest against the sacking of Azam Swati, ex-minister for Science & Technology, has returned his official vehicle and staff and vacated his office as well, party sources divulged. On the other hand, JUI is also considering to part ways with the provincial governments both in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

JUI ministers from GB and Balochistan met with Maulana Fazalur Rehman and deliberated upon the status quo.

Maulana also asked his partys ministers to stay ready to quit anytime soon. It merits to mention that Haji Gulbar Khan, Minister for Health, Youth Affairs and Ashr-o-Zakat besides two parliamentary secretaries at GB. Balochistans Deputy Speaker Syed Mutee Ullah also belonged to JUI besides three other cabinet ministers.

The JUI-F had first announced its decision to part ways with the PPP-led coalition government after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked JUI-F member and Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati from the federal cabinet.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Defence Ahmed Mukhtar has stated that Pakistan Peoples Party had chalked out a strategy to bring JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman back into the government. He was optimistic that PPP would woo Maulana, adding that he would return to the government soon.

Awan takes aerial view of crash site

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Baber Awan took the aerial view of the crash site and reviewed rescue operations.

Talking to media at this occasion, Awan expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives and directed the high officials of district administration to submit initial report about the incident.

NA Speaker, others grieve plane mishap

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Dr Fahmida Mirza, Deputy Speaker Faisal Kareem Kundi, Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naek, Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammed Jamali and various federal ministers, state ministers and other political personalities voiced deep regret and sorrow over the accident of plane crash that killed several people today, Geo News reported Wednesday.

In their separate condolence messages, they have expressed grief and mourning over the sad incident.

Those who were grieved over the incident include Leader of the House in Senate Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Opposition Leader Wasim Sajjad, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar , the MQM’s Deputy Parliamentary Leader in the NA Hyder Abbas Rizvi, Minister for Sates and Frontier Regions (Safron) Najmuddin Khan, Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Abdul Razzaq Thahim, Federal Minister for Housing and Constructions Rehmatullah Kakar and State Minister for communication Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Warriach.

The leaders prayed for the eternal peace of the deceased and peace of heart for the bereaved.

PML-Q MNA declares suicides as God’s will

ISLAMABAD: Some of the treasury and opposition members have demanded abolishment of Islamic Ideology Council and Islamic court whereas Riaz Pirzada of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) has declared suicide incidents as will of God.

Earlier, only 30 members were present in the House when the National Assembly session begun on Friday.

During debate on budget, Fouzia Wahab of PPP tried to speak without permission on which her microphone has been closed on the orders of deputy speaker, however she has managed to continue and urged US and Paris club to write-off Pakistan’s loans as an acknowledgement of role of Pakistan in war against terror.

Riaz Pirzada of PML-Q said Islamic Ideology Council and Federal Islamic courts should be abolished and further added that it is not the duty of court to paralyze government. He also dubbed suicides incidents as will of God.

Bushra Gohar of ANP supported Pirzada’s stance on Islamic Ideology Council and said Maulana Sherani is a political person and he should not be the chairman of the council.

Kundi rules out clash of state organs

DI KHAN: Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi Sunday said government will not allow the state institutions to have a clash, assuring that the decisions of judiciary will be honored and the situation will not be allowed to enter a blind alley.

He was replying a question while talking to media men in Dera Ismail Khan.

Faisal Karim Kundi disclosed that Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani will be holding a meeting with the Law Minister and expressed optimism that the judicial issues will soon be resolved.

Earlier, he handed over Pakistan People’s Party’s ticket to Dawar Kundi for contesting by-elections.

Pakistan, Russia agree to consolidate anti-terror cooperation

TASHKANT: President Asif Ali Zardari and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Thursday agreed to consolidate cooperation to root out militancy and terrorism from the region.

The two leaders who met here Thursday night on the sidelines of the 10th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), exchanged views on the matters relating to bilateral ties, situation in the region as well as the matters of international importance.

Russian President supported the inclusion of Pakistan in SCO since Pakistan is an important country in the fight against terrorism and militancy.

The two presidents discussed bilateral relations, anti-terror cooperation and drug control.

The Russian President supported Pakistan”s candidacy for membership of SCO.

Both Presidents agreed to enhance cooperation in bilateral relations to strengthen the efforts to dismantle the networks of terrorism across SCO region.

President Zardari invited the Russian President to visit Pakistan, which he accepted. President Zardari will also be visiting Moscow next month.

The two presidents expressed satisfaction over the current level of bilateral engagement between Pakistan and Russia and hoped the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various fields will gain further strength.

President Zardari, who arrived here on Thursday will address the summit Friday.

The member countries of SCO include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan, India and Mangolia are observer countries.

The summit will also discuss giving permanent membership to observer countries.

The SCO, over the years has assumed significance as it seeks to promote peace and stability in the region besides combating terrorism, extremism and organized crime.

The Organisation has also been able to further expand its mandate to include economic and cultural cooperation. It has also extended its outreach to include observers and dialogue partners.

PPP Parliamentary Party in Sindh Assembly meets

KARACHI: A meeting of the PPP Parliamentary Party in Sindh Assembly was held here on Thursday at the Chief Minister House.

The Sindh PPP Parliamentary Party leader Pir Mazhar- ul- Haq presided over the meeting.

Leader of the House in Sindh Assembly, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Deputy Speaker of Sindh Assembly, Ms. Shahla Raza, Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza, Syed Ali Nawaz Shah, Manzoor Hussain Wassan, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Agha Siraj Durrani, Makhdoom Jamil-uz-Zaman, Akhtar Hussain Jadoon, Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, Ms. Shazia Atta Marri, Ms. Nargis N.D. Khan, Ms. Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto, Agha Taimoor Khan, Rai Naz Bozdar, Dr. Mohan Lal, Zahid Hussain Bhurghari, Rafiq Engineer, Sharjeel Inam, Pir Ghulam Shah Jilani, Ms Humaira Alwani, Ms Aisha Khoso, Mir Hussain Khoso, Najamuddin Abro, Haji Munawar Ali Abbasi, Muhammad Nawaz Chandio, Dr. Sikandar Mehndro, Anwar Jatoi, Imran Zafar Leghari, Imdad Patafi attended the meeting.

An announcement here on Thursday said that a total of 68 MPAs attended the meeting, which began with recitation from the Holy Quran.

Fateha was also offered for `Isal-i-Sawab” to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah spoke about the significance of the provincial budget.

It was stated that a meeting of the Sindh Cabinet would be held on June 11 to approve the provincial budget, which would be presented the same evening at 05:00pm at the Sindh Assembly session.

Qaim Ali Shah said that various programmes are being initiated for providing relief to the poor people.

At the meeting the members of the Sindh Assembly came up with various suggestions.

Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq asked the MPAs to actively participate in the budget session of Sindh Assembly commencing from June 11.

MQM, PPP Trade Barbs in Sindh Assembly

KARACHI, Pakistan News: MQM members staged walkout from Sindh Assembly Tuesday after Sindh Local Bodies Minister Agha Siraj Durrani and Muttahida ministers exchanged harsh words in the assembly during the debate over the performance of Karachi city government and nazims.

Siraj Durrani in his speech said the city government was interfering in the functioning of the Sindh government and advised the city nazim to correct his behaviour. “We are pursuing reconciliation policy of President Zardari but it should not be considered our weakness,” he said.

“We have no need of dictation from anyone. The nazims have broken the record of corruption,” he added.

MQM MPA Faisal Sabzwari has said that these statements harm the reconciliation process and such statements should be avoided.

Provincial minister Dr. Sagheer Ahmed said that the land mafia and drug mafia have been imposed over Karachi under a conspiracy.

An extremely impolite attitude has been adopted towards MQM, which has been unacceptable. Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza is taking sides and three ministers and the deputy speaker stopped me to speak. “People’s Party ministers are calling us mad,” “we want to inform President Zardari that you are talking about reconciliation but your ministers behaving impolitely with us.”

“We want to give message to President Zardari to take notice of the utterances by your ministers,” he added.

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MQM, PPP Trade Barbs in Sindh Assembly was first posted on February 2, 2010 at 4:50 pm.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Meets Tomorrow

The newly elected Jammu and Kashmir legislative Assembly is set to meet on Wednesday and the first item on its agenda is to elect a new Speaker, officials said Tuesday.

“The House (legislative assembly) will meet at 10 am Wednesday and the process for the election of speaker will commence,” said Mohammad Ramzan, secretary of the Assembly.

National Conference, the leading partner in the ruling coalition, may stake its claim to the post of Speaker. Though the party has not revealed its choice as yet, but the names doing the rounds in the political circles are of a former minister Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, who won from Handwara in northwest Kashmir, and former Deputy Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone, who was elected from Sonawari constituency of Bandipore district in north Kashmir.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and his son, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, are currently not in town to confirm the party’s final choice.

While Abdullah senior is in London, the chief minister is camping in New Delhi, party sources said.

It is also unclear whether the ruling alliance of National Conference and Congress would give the post of deputy speaker to the opposition or allot it to the Congress.

After the election of Farooq Abdullah and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to the Rajya Sabha, the effective strength of the two parties in the House of 87 has been reduced to 42 – 16 of the Congress and 26 of the National Conference.

Sources in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that articulating peoples’ grievances was more important to them than getting the Deputy Speaker’s post.

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Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Meets Tomorrow was first posted on February 24, 2009 at 12:07 pm.

Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant Arrested in Jammu And Kashmir

Security forces have arrested a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said here Thursday.

On a tip off, army laid an ambush and intercepted LeT militant Mohmmad Yasin Boru alias Nora Bhai on Jammu-Srinagar national highway at Batote area in Ramban district last night, they said.

Boru was arrested when he was on his way to Banihal forest belt from Doda, they said, adding one chinese pistol, 70 rounds, three sim cards and some money was recovered from him.

The militant revealed during interrogation that he was going to deliver pistol, ammunition and sim card to self styled Lashkar district commander Abu musa in Chamalwas forest belt in Banihal, they said.

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Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant Arrested in Jammu And Kashmir was first posted on February 19, 2009 at 1:09 pm.