Justice still inaccessible despite access to justice plan
Despite the Access to Justice Programme, people still suffer in police stations and the lower courts. According to the Planning Commission, the last installment of Rs 5.69 million has been released for the provincial programme, out of the total outlay of Rs 11.88 billion.
As such, 96 percent of the programme was completed. Rs 1.90 billion were also used on federal programme. Reportedly, there have been 250 policy actions taken under this programme in police stations and courts. It included freedom of police from interference, improved capacity, independent prosecution service, transparency and accountability, improved police-citizen liaison and public awareness of rights.
The policy actions proposed for lower judiciary consisted of better policy making, strong judicial independence, greater efficiency, legal empowerment of the poor, better judicial governance and human resource development.
In 2011, there were 2.5 million cases pending in the country, out of which 10 percent were in the Supreme Court and high courts. As of January 15, 2012, there were 2.2 million cases pending in the Punjab alone, according to the chief justice of Pakistan. Supreme Court budget has been increased by 112 percent to Rs 18 billion. There are 2500 judges in the country.
In session and district courts, new furniture, vehicles, computerization of record and new buildings was added under the programme. The salaries of the judges were also increased under the programme. But the fact remains that the justice has become all the more expensive for the common people. The people have to pay for stationery and conveyance in the police stations to get the culprits nabbed.
Report by Zulfiqar Ali
Coalition partners back PM
The meeting discussed the current political situation of the country after Gilani’s indictment in the contempt case on Monday.
The leaders agreed that they would continue to work together for continuation of the political and democratic process in the country.
The coalition partners expressed complete solidarity with Prime Minister Raza Gilani.
The meeting was attended by Choudhry Shujaat Hussain, Asfand Yar Wali Khan, Farooq Sattar, Munir Khan Orakzai, Rehman Malik, Syed Khursheed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and Raja Pervez Ashraf.
Mumtaz Rizvi assigned additional charge of FBR chief
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has approved the promotion of Mr Rizvi, a BS-21 officer of Customs and excise group, presently posted as Member (Customs) Federal Board of Revenue to BS-22.
According to notification issued by the PM office, Mumtaz Haider Rizvi is posted as member (Customs) by up-grading the post to Bs-22. He is also assigned additional charge of the post of Federal Board of Revenue Chairman with immediate effect.
No reason for Gilani to remain as PM: Imran Khan
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief said that Gilani should resign as the Prime Minister after being indicted in the contempt of court case instead of putting pressure on the Supreme Court.
He said this on the ceremony arranged for joining of PML-N member Hafizuddin’ the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf.
He said that in Karachi“Contempt was committed to safeguard the Rs5 billion of Asif Ali Zardari. Yusuf Raza is disrespecting the courts to protect this money” Khan said.
He said that PM Gilani has not breached rule of law for the national interest; rather he has broken law to secure President Zardari heavy amount in Swiss banks.
He sarcastically said that how the violator of law can bring justice and fair play.
He said that the he would endeavour to make the PTI more strong with the passage of time as there is no chance of alliance with any other party.
Commenting on current situation, he said that if Pakistan stops fighting the war on the part of the US, peace may be restored within 90 days. This is why I suggested during a meeting with the ISI chief. He said that his party is ready to have a dialogue with the armed groups.
Israeli diplomat’s car blown up in New Delhi, 2 hurt
An Israeli embassy car on Monday blew up in the Indian capital New Delhi, injuring two people, but the cause of the explosion was not immediately known, police said.
Two people were injured when the car exploded, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat, told AFP.
The car, which was parked down the street from the Israeli embassy in a residential neighbourhood of central Delhi, was badly burnt.
The vehicle had Israeli diplomatic plates, Vinod Tokas, a police officer at the scene said.
Pakistan textiles expect good gains after WTO trade waiver
It makes a change, but Pakistani textiles boss Asghar Hussain is pleased. A year ago, recession, power cuts and poor security forced him to sack most of his workers.
Now he s hoping for a major improvement in garment sales after the World Trade Organization approved unprecedented waivers allowing 75 Pakistani products duty free access to markets in Europe for two years.
The European Union is Pakistan s largest trading partner, receiving nearly 30 percent of its exports — worth almost 3 billion euros ($3.9 billion).
“It means we should expect good gains… as Europe is a huge market for Pakistani readymade garments,” said Hussain.
The signs are so good that Hussain has re-hired some workers, bringing his total staff to 50.
It is a fraction of the number he employed before devastating floods in 2010, but he expresses hope it could be a pointer to rosier times ahead.
The WTO passed the waivers as an unprecedented concession in order to help Pakistan recover from the floods, yet in 2011, the business climate had already started to improve.
Cotton prices rose to an all-time high of 229.67 cents a pound in March, and although they have since retreated to a modest 87 cents a pound, it is good news for Hussain, who says he exports 25 percent of his goods to Britain and Germany.
There was also a fall in Islamist and sectarian violence in the second half of 2011 and power cuts also diminished owing to priorities being given to industry.
“The situation isn t ideal. Cotton prices have decreased again, but power supply is better and industrial peace is there,” said Hussain.
Textiles dominate Pakistan s trade with the EU, accounting for more than 70 percent of its exports to the trading bloc.
The products chosen for the waiver, which needs to ratified at the WTO general council meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, would amount to around 900 million euros in import value, about 27 percent of EU imports from Pakistan.
Pakistani textiles are currently hit with a 7.19 percent import duty in the European Union. If approved, the waiver will apply until end-2013.
“Such concessions will bring life to our dying industry,” said Shehzad Salim, Chairmen of Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), without providing precise figures.
“Our value-added textile industry s exports have suffered a lot because of electricity and gas shortages, devaluation of rupee and many other factors. The EU s package is promising and seems a breather for a choked economy.”
Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, textiles advisor to the prime minister, revised down an initial estimate that the EU package may increase exports by 400 million euros, agreeing with independent analysts who forecast a slightly lower figure.
Most believe the waiver will equate to a 0.7 percent increase in Pakistan s overall exports and a 1.5 percent increase in its textile exports.
“This package would increase Pakistan s exports by $175 million a year,” said Furqan Punjani of Equity Research, a market research firm.
The package includes over 30 products of non-value added textiles — items such as gray cloth, cotton yarn and fabric — 23 of textile garments and the rest made up of home textiles, value-added leather, footwear, raw leather and ethanol and vegetables.
“We estimate an increase of 0.7 percent in Pakistan s overall $25 billion exports for the year while it would contribute 1.26 percent to our $13.8 billion textile exports,” said Baig.
“The increase is a good positive for our economy, yet it should not be called significant given the fact that a ceiling has been imposed on our 15 quality products.”
A.B. Shahid, an independent analyst, was more cautious.
“The WTO waiver is a positive development, yet it is too little to handle the increasing negatives the economy is accumulating,” he told AFP.
That caution is something that skilled garment worker Mohammad Wahid understands only too well. When he was sacked two years ago, he struggled to feed his family of five until he was rehired 10 months later.
“Life is better now,” he said.
“Concessions in Europe are good, yet no-one knows how long this job lasts. In Pakistan, the feeling of insecurity never bites. It stings fatally.”
Golf: Westwood takes lead in Dubai Desert Classic
England s world number three Lee Westwood shot a five-under par 67 and surged to the top of a crowded leaderboard at the $2.5 million Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday.
Overnight joint leaders Rory McIlroy and Denmark s Thomas Bjorn struggled as conditions became slightly tougher on the third day of the European Tour event, but Westwood was solid to open a one-stroke lead going into the final day.
In tied second place at 14-under par 202 was the trio of Spain s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (70), Scotland s Stephen Gallacher (68) and German Marcel Siem (68).
McIlroy was a shadow of his hitting form over the past two days and mixed four birdies with four bogeys in an even-par round of 72 which tied him for the fifth place at 203 alongside world No4 Martin Kaymer (70), Scotland s Scott Jamieson (70) and Sweden s Joel Sjoholm (66).
Bjorn, champion here in 2001 when he beat Tiger Woods in a memorable showdown, hit his second shot into the water on the par-5 18th and finished with a double bogey to be tied ninth at 12-under par 204.
Westwood was fast off the block as he made three birdies in his first four holes before sandwiching his fourth birdie on the seventh with bogeys on the sixth and eighth holes.
Making the turn at two-under, he was again three-under for the first four holes of his inward journey, which was how he finished at 67.
The Englishman, who has been a regular in this tournament since 1994 and has finished runner-up twice, said he was confident of closing the deal this time.
English FA will explain everything after Capello’s exit
England s Football Association will give its version of the events that led to Fabio Capello s resignation as coach when it holds a media conference Thursday.
Capello quit Wednesday, angry that he had not been consulted about the FA s decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.
Capello said Terry should have led the side at the upcoming European Championship since his criminal trial for racially abusing an opponent is not scheduled until after the June 8-July 1 tournament.
Capello s resignation came on the same day that the man most favored to replace him, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, was cleared of tax evasion in a London court.
Af-Pak Jihad attracting foreign fighters: Officials
The Afghan-Pakistan jihad is attracting fewer foreign fighters following the death of Osama bin Laden, the growing threat posed by US drones, and lack of funds, Western security officials say.
While no precise figure is available, it would appear that the number of would-be jihadists from abroad has been drying up, according to one security official who declined to be named.
However, more Pakistanis are willing to take up the fight and make up the numbers, he also warned.
“Over the past six months, young Frenchmen there have nearly all left Pakistan. There were 20 to 30 of them, who had either converted (to Islam) or had links to the Maghreb; today there are hardly any left,” he said.
“Other European countries whose nationals used to go to Pakistan to join the jihad have drawn the same conclusion — a drastic reduction over recent months,” he added.
The “Arab Spring” revolts also acted as a magnet, with a number of jihadists moving to Libya to join the fight to remove Moamer Kadhafi from power, he said.
“Fighting in Afghanistan is also less attractive because of the idea that the Afghan taliban want to concentrate more on home fighting and that world jihad is less and less their cup of tea,” he added.
For Frank Cilluffo, who co-authored “Foreign Fighters” for the Homeland Security Policy Institute, “first and foremost, military actions, including the use of drones, has made the environment less hospitable to foreign fighters traveling to the region, by disrupting Al-Qaeda s (and associated entities ) training camps and pipelines.”
Direct and indirect accounts by jihadists also speak of disarray within Al-Qaeda in northwestern Pakistan where activists avoid coming together for fear of being attacked and whose weapons training now takes place indoors because of aerial and satellite surveillance.
In a report, entitled “Militant Pipeline” describing the links between the northwestern Pakistani frontier and the West, researcher Paul Cruickshank quotes one Ustadh Ahmad Faruq, described as a Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda spokesman who recently acknowledged his network s difficulties.
“The freedom we enjoyed in a number of regions has been lost. We are losing people and lack resources. Our land is being squeezed and drones fly over us,” he reportedly said in an audio cassette.
“It s difficult to have reliable figures,” on the number of foreign fighters, according to Cruickshank, who is a fellow at New York University s Center on Law and Security.
“I think the drone strikes have been a major issue for the militants, the death of bin Laden is going to be a very big challenge as well. He was so important for a lot of these militants — he was the Al-Qaeda brand.
“By going over there they were joining his cause. The fact that he has been removed from the scene is likely to be a great recruiting challenge for Al-Qaeda,” he said.
“But the conflict is still going on in Afghanistan and in the radical circles it is still viewed as a very legitimate jihad. So it s likely that the number of volonteers is going to be diminished, but as long as there are US soldiers to fight, I don t think it s going to dry up entirely,” he added.
Hafiz Hanif, a 17-year-old Afghan who trained in northwest, recently told Newsweek magazine the number of foreign fighters there was dwindling.
“When new people came they brought new blood, enthusiasm and money. All that has been lost. Now leaders seem to spend all their time moving from one place to another for their safety,” he said.
Asian stock falls on China inflation, Greece delays
Asian markets were mostly lower Thursday after marathon talks over Greece s massive debt ended without firm agreement as China s annual inflation rate hit a three-month high.
Tokyo dipped 0.38 percent, Sydney was down 0.40 percent and Seoul lost 0.64 percent in morning trade, after closing at a half-year high on Wednesday.
Hong Kong, which also reached a six-month high on Wednesday s Asian market rally, lost 0.51 percent while Shanghai shares were flat, up 0.02 percent.
Greek coalition leaders ended lengthy talks on austerity measures Wednesday, with one remaining point of disagreement — pensions cuts — keeping alive fears it may default, a result that would send shockwaves across the eurozone and beyond.
Agreement on new measures demanded by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank and on a debt writedown by banks would open the way for a second rescue package for Greece, and close a key chapter in the eurozone s debt crisis.
The money is vital to prevent Greece from defaulting on 14.5 billion euros ($19.2 billion) worth of payments to bond holders, due next month, as the country struggles under a 350-billion euro debt mountain.
Investors are now awaiting meetings of the European Central Bank and Bank of England on Thursday, with the focus firmly on what stand they will take on further stimulus for slowing regional economies.
China said annual inflation hit 4.5 percent in January, its highest level in three months, after slowing to 4.1 percent in December as government efforts to curb bank lending and surging property prices took effect.
The rise was mainly attributed to the Lunar New Year holiday last month.
Retail spending typically soars during the festival, the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar, as consumers splash out on food, wine and gifts for family and friends.
“The CPI (inflation) numbers will have a negative effect on the market. Continued high inflation means policy will continue to be tighter than the market had expected,” Chen Wei, an analyst at China Minzu Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires.
Before January, China s inflation had eased for five straight months after hitting a more than three-year high of 6.5 percent in July and analysts said the downward trend would likely resume in February as the economy slowed.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.04 percent by the close Wednesday while the broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.22 percent and the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.41 percent.
The euro was under pressure in early Asian trade, hitting $1.3215 against the dollar before gaining ground to change hands at $1.3251 and 102.22 yen, from $1.3260 and 102.14 yen in New York late Wednesday.
The dollar was at 77.13 yen, edging up from 77.03 yen in New York.
New York s main oil contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in March, gained 22 cents to $98.93 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for March was up 20 cents to $117.40 in morning trade.
Gold was at $1,732.40 an ounce at 0350 GMT, little changed from New York on Wednesday.
