Benazir murder case: Sauz, Shehzad handed over to FIA on 8-day remand

The Anti-Terrorism Court of Rawalpindi on Friday handed over Former City Chief Police Officer Saud Aziz and SP Khurram Shehzad to FIA on 8-day physical remand in Benazir murder case.

Investigation Officer of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) Asghar Jatoi filed the plea against both the accused in the Anti-Terrorism Court in which they requested for 9-day physical remand. But lawyer Malik Waheed Anjum opposing the request said that mobile was recovered from Khurram Shehzad so there was no need of further physical remand.

The court rejecting Maliks arguments ordered FIA to present the both accused before it on January 22.

FIA sends forensic report on Governor Salman’s murder

ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) team has sent its murder site’s forensic report to the head of the joint investigation team on Thursday (today).

According to FIA spokesman, the forensic report has been sent to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (operations) Bin Yamin, who is head of the joint investigation team.

The FIA spokesman informed that yesterday its forensic team collected proofs from the murder site and after completion of all tests a report was compiled.

He added that FIA is a part of the joint investigation team on the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. TrendPK

China will stand by Pakistan thru thick and thin, assures Wen

Terming Pak-China friendship as evergreen, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao assured consistent support to combat the difficulties facing Pakistan, saying that both the countries will continue to stand by each other in future, trendpk.com reported Sunday.

Addressing the joint session of the Parliament, Jiabao said Pakistan gave emergency aid to China when it faced great earthquake in 2008.

Chinese public and army made it possible for the relief good to access to far-flung areas amidst recent flash floods in Pakistan. Wen Jiabao is the first Chinese top executive and 13th among world personalities to address the joint session of the Parliament. Pakistani people are a great nation and I feel at home here. Pak-china friendship is in our blood; this is an evergreen friendship, he stressed adding Pakistanis and Chinese are brothers.In all decisive moments Pakistan stood by China, he said adding China will help Pakistan in every thick and thin.He hoped that Pakistani people will come over the troubles facing it and the Sino government and people will stand by them to jointly brave these troubles away.Jiabao said Pak-China relations will get stronger as the time passes. The seventh anniversary of bilateral ties is about to come when the two countries will attempt to forge together constantly to help each other.Terrorism be not linked to a particular religion and dual standards should not be adopted in this connection, he said.On this occasion, Chinese PM pledged to give at least 500 scholarships to Pakistani students; China will conduct at least 2000 cataract operations. He said China will also offer 100 Pakistani people to opportunities to learn Chinese language. He also recalled a Pakistan saying, A good neighbor is Allahs blessing, and narrated a parallel China saying which says, Value your neighbor more than your relatives living far away.

Later, while addressing the parliament, PM Gilani thanked the Chineses PM for addressing the joint session, acknowledging the deep-rooted friendship between both the countries.

Pak-China friendship has been testified through years, and announced to celebrate 2011 as Pak-China Friendship Year. Out ties are very strong, the PM maintained.

Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar, while addressing, said that Wens address would lead to new vistas of Pak-China friendship. Its a historical day; Pakistan would always prove itself an all-weather friend to China.

The session commenced with the recitation of the holy signs from Glorious Quran. On this occasion, massive security arrangements were made avert any untoward incident.

Earlier, Chairman Senate Farooq H Naik received the honorable guest on his arrival at the House to address the joint session. A four-point agenda has been set for the session.Later on, Speaker National Assembly Dr Fahmida Mirza, who is currently presiding the joint session, presented the reception speech in honor of the Chinese Premier. She address the honorable guest, We attach great importance to your address today, as we want to hear a great visionary who earned laurels as great statesman. She said the address the of the third Chinese Prime Minister is a historic occasion.

The parliament is proud to hear Chinese PM address it, she added wrapping her speech with Long Live Pak China Friendship. Chinese PM Jiabaos address to this joint session of parliament marks the wrap-up of three-day visit to Islamabad that concluded deals worth around 35 billion dollars.

Govt. decides to call joint parliamentary session on Dec. 18

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided on Thursday to call a joint parliamentary session on December 18 and National Assembly’s session on December 20.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has sent an official summary, for calling both sessions, to President Asif Ali Zardari.

During the joint session, one house will present other house’s rejected bills, under the 18th Amendment, for the approval. Before 18th Amendment a mediation committee was formed for such rejected bills.

According to sources, in the session of National Assembly, on December 20, the Reformed General Sales Tax Bill can be presented for discussion. Trend Pk

U.S thinking military options on Iran

WASHINGTON: The United States needs to be realistic about its efforts to engage Iran, whose leaders are lying about Tehran’s nuclear program and are on a path to building nuclear weapons, the top U.S. military officer said.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in comments released on Friday that the U.S. military has been thinking about military options on Iran “for a significant period of time” but added that diplomacy remained the focus of U.S. efforts.

“I still think it’s important we focus on the dialogue, we focus on the engagement, but also do it in a realistic way that looks at whether Iran is actually going to tell the truth, actually engage and actually do anything,” Mullen said in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS due to air on Sunday.

Iran has agreed to meet with a representative of the six big powers over its

US Senator to freeze promotions in defence dept.

US Senator Jim Webb is threatening to freeze high level US defence department promotions and hiring in a dispute over plans to close a military command in his state.
Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat, says he can not get answers about the planned closing despite weeks of asking. Webb wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday, saying he would impose a Senate hold, or freeze, on new nominations until he gets the information. The Senate must approve top civilian and military promotions. Webb opposes plans to close the Joint Forces Command, based around Norfolk. The Pentagon has ordered the closure as part of a cost-cutting plan.

Pentagon plans steps to slash security budget

WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that he would close a military command, restrict the use of outside contractors and reduce the number of generals and admirals across the armed forces as part of a broad effort to rein in Pentagon spending.

Gates did not place a dollar figure on the total savings from the cutbacks, some of which are likely to be challenged by members of Congress intent on retaining jobs in their states and districts.

But they appear to be Gates’s most concrete proposals to cut current spending as he tries to fend off calls from many Democrats for even deeper budget reductions, and they reflect his strategy of first trying to squeeze money out of the vast Pentagon bureaucracy.

While large headquarters have been combined and realigned over the years, Pentagon officials could not recall a time when a major command was shut down and vanished off the books, even though some jobs will probably be added elsewhere to carry on essential parts of the mission.

The White House, which is under intense political pressure to address the rapid increase in the national debt, quickly stepped in to back Gates, saying his plan would free money that could be better spent on war fighting.

“The funds saved will help us sustain the current force structure and make needed investments in modernization in a fiscally responsible way,” President Obama said in a statement.

The potential savings Gates outlined are likely to be relatively modest in the context of a total Pentagon budget, including war fighting costs, projected to top $700 billion next year. The most significant step — in symbol and in substance — was his plan to close the military’s Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va.

The command includes about 2,800 military and civilian positions supported by 3,000 contractors at an annual cost of $240 million. Its responsibilities, which include managing the allocation of global forces and running programs to press the armed services to work together on the battlefield, will be reassigned, mostly to personnel working under the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

Gates also called for a 10 percent annual reduction in spending on contractors who provide support services to the military, including money for intelligence-related contracts, and he placed a freeze on the number of workers in the office of the secretary of defense, other Pentagon supervisory agencies and the headquarters of the military’s combat commands.

Iran guards warn US against attack over nuclear work

TEHRAN: Iran will make the strategic Gulf region unsafe for all if it comes under attack by the United States over it nuclear programme, the deputy head of the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday.

“If the Americans make the slightest mistake, the security of the region will be endangered. Security in the Persian Gulf should be for all or none,” Yadollah Javani told the official news agency.

“The Persian Gulf is a strategic region and if it is endangered they (Americans) will suffer losses and our response will be firm.

“We will defend ourselves if America or Israel resort to any hostile measures against our vital values,” he added.

The international community led by the United States has stepped up pressure on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme amid concerns that the Islamic republic is engaged in a covert nuclear weapons programme, a charge Tehran vehemently denies.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out a military strike to stop Iran”s alleged atomic ambitions.

Javani”s declaration preceded comments by the top US military officer on Sunday that a plan to attack Iran was ready, if needed to stop the Islamic republic from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was “extremely concerned” about the possible repercussions of such a strike.

Iranian officials have frequently vowed a crushing response to any US and Israeli attacks.

Indian Currency Symbol Will Be Changed

Indian rupee currency symbol will be changed, at list 3000 designer are participate in Indian rupee currency symbol competition,

Designer D Uday Kumar will be pass her symbol in indian currency, which approved by Union Cabinet, and awarded by 2.5 lakh rupees, D Kumar is post graduate in Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), gave it’s approval to the symbol combines the Roman capital letter ‘R’ with the Devnagri ’Ra’

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the symbol which is reflects the indian culture and ethos, and after a cabinet meting to the press reporter the symbol will not be printed on indian currency and coins, Currency symbol is easily printed in the electronic and print media. The symbol is adopted in a six month in a country and globally 18 to 24 months,

Admiral Mullen calls on President Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of United States called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Saturday.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson were also present during the meeting.

Matters relating to Pak-US bilateral relations, fight against militancy and regional security situation were discussed during the meeting.

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