Shahzain Bugti bail plea hearing put off

QUETTA: Balcohistan High Court (BHC) adjourned on Tuesday the hearing of a bail plea filed by detained Baloch leader Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti in illegal arms case.

The court will now resume the hearing on Wednesday.

The counsel for Jamhori Watan Party (JWP) leader Shahzain Bugti had submitted the bail plea in BHC on Monday.

During the hearing, Prosecutor General sought more time to study the case, saying he did not get the relevant record.

The court then adjourned the hearing for one day.

Later, Bugti’s lawyer told newsmen that his client is a patient of blood pressure and that his bail denial could pose a life threat. TrendPK

Iran Hangs ‘Mossad Spy’: State Media

TEHRAN: Iran hanged on Tuesday a man found guilty of working as a “spy” for Israeli intelligence service Mossad, state news agency IRNA reported quoting the Tehran prosecutor’s office.

Ali Akbar Sadiat was hanged on Tuesday in Tehran after having been condemned to death for “working for Mossad,” IRNA reported, quoting the prosecutor’s office.

Sadiat was found guilty of having had links with Mossad for six years.

Punjab Prosecutor General Resigns

LAHORE, News Trends: Prosecutor General of Punjab Justice (Rtd) Zahid Hussain Bukhari has tendered his resignation to the government.

In resignation letter Bukhari said that he wants to give time to his personal engagements and practice, so as he has decided to quit the office of Prosecutor General.

The provincial government has accepted the resignation, sources said.

According to the sources, Justice (Rtd) Zahid Hussain Bukhari has resigned from the office due to differences with the government of Punjab.

SC to Hear NRO Implement Case

ISLAMABAD, News Trends: A 17-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, will hear the case pertaining to implementation of the apex court verdict on the NRO today (Wednesday).

The bench includes Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Shakirullah Jan, Justice Tasadduq Hussain Jilani, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, Justice Muhammed Sair Ali, Justice MA Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Jawwad S Khawja, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Rahmat Hussain Jaffery, Justice Tariq Pervaiz, Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday.

The NRO Review petitions set for today’s hearing include those filed by the federal government, former NAB Chairman Naveed Ahsan, former Prosecutor General Dr Danishwar, former Additional Prosecutor General Baseer Qureshi and former Attorney General Malik Qayyum.

According to the sources, the government is expected to plead the apex court for change of counsel.

Earlier, the SC rejected the government’s plea for changing its lawyer in the NRO review case and refused to allow more time to the government. The court decided that the case would be heard on October 13.

The government, through its petition, had taken the plea that Kamal Azfar, the counsel for Federation, had been appointed as adviser to the prime minister and due to this reason, he could not pursue this case under the Constitution, therefore, more time be allowed to the government to appoint the new counsel.

The government has once again decided to file an appeal in the court after its failure to seek time through the first plea. Law Ministry is facing an emergency situation due to the hearing of the NRO case and the ministry has issued directives to the Attorney General (AG) and other lawyers of the federation to make full preparations for October 13. The Law Ministry officials have stepped up efforts to devise a new strategy following the rejection of the government plea by the SC.

According to law experts, if the government again files an appeal to seek more time, there are rare chances that the court will grant more time.

Sources said that there was no possibility that the government would send a letter to the Swiss government to reopen the cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The government would stand by its stance.

On the other hand, a private TV channel has claimed, quoting official sources, that after the dismissal of the government plea by the SC about changing its lawyer in the NRO review case, the possibility remained that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani would appear in person before the court and he was mentally prepared on this count.

Official sources also said it would be very surprising if the prime minister appeared in the court. Sources said if the prime minister appeared in the court, he would present the government stance therein.

Danish embassy bombing suspects acquitted

ISLAMABAD: A Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court acquitted on Saturday three men accused of involvement in a 2008 suicide car-bomb attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, a public prosecutor said.

The court acquitted the trio on the basis of “insufficient” evidence against them, the prosecutor, Mohammad Tayyab, told Reuters.

“We produced 32 witnesses before the court. Two of those saw (the trio) them on the spot signalling attackers to go ahead and later identified them in a police station,” said Tayyab.

“But still the judge found insufficient evidence.”

The men were arrested several months after the attack that killed six people. An al Qaeda leader said one of the bombers had come from Saudi Arabia.

Tayyab said he would challenge the acquittal in the high court.

“We believe our case is very strong and the high court will analyse our

SC orders arrest of Adnan Khwaja, Brig. (retd.) Imtiaz

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Adnan Khwaja, chairman of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Brigadier (retd.) Imtiaz in a court contempt case.

According to court, both the accused have violated the Supreme Court’s verdict on the NRO case.

The court has ordered to submit bail bounds within three days.

“The post of secretary law will not be given honour if the courts are not respected,” said Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

The Supreme Court has also taken notice of the delay in the transfer of the NRO record to the NAB Prosecutor General. It has also directed authorities to present the implementation record of the NRO verdict. SAMAA

Police Submitted Spot Fixing Evidence to Prosecutor

Three Pakistani players Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Amir and Salman Butt are facing allegation of spot fixing and they are also going through the phase of investigations by Scot Land Yard team. According to latest information Scot Land Yard team has submitted initial evidences to the prosecutor. ICC has suspended these players from playing any type of cricket.

Scotland Yard spokesman said that Metropolitan Police Service has submitted their initial evidences to the Crown Prosecution Service. Wahab Riaz is fourth Pakistani player who is going through investigation phase although he is not suspended by ICC. Spot fixing scandal has disturbed Pakistan game so much that after losing Test match and T-20 series Pakistan is now on the edge of losing ODI series.

Match and spot fixing is not restricted to Pakistan, it is spread all over the world. Maga event of India IPL 2 was also considered doubtful in respect of match fixing. It was also considered that two Australian were also involved in Spot fixing.

All three suspended players are now in Pakistan and they will make available to investigation teams whenever they will be asked to appear. PCB said that Pakistan players are innocent until proven guilty. Ijaz Butt said that he requested ICC chief to remove suspension on Pakistani players.

Iran ready to free detained American woman

TEHRAN: Iran is prepared to release on bail a U.S. woman, one of three Americans it has held for more than a year accused of espionage, Iran’s English language Press TV quoted a Tehran prosecutor as saying on Sunday.

“The American spy could be released on $500,000 bail. She is not barred from leaving Iran,” the prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said. “The other two detained American hikers will remain in jail.”

Sarah Shourd was detained near Iran’s border with Iraq at the end of July 2009 along with two males, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. Their families say the three were on a mountain hike in northern Iraq at the time.

Dolatabadi did not say when Shourd would be freed. Officials had said last week that one of the three might be freed on Saturday, but the release was postponed.

They have not been formally charged, but under Iran’s Islamic law,

Iran ready to free detained American woman

TEHRAN: Iran is prepared to release on bail a U.S. woman, one of three Americans it has held for more than a year accused of espionage, Iran’s English language Press TV quoted a Tehran prosecutor as saying on Sunday.

“The American spy could be released on $500,000 bail. She is not barred from leaving Iran,” the prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said. “The other two detained American hikers will remain in jail.”

Sarah Shourd was detained near Iran’s border with Iraq at the end of July 2009 along with two males, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. Their families say the three were on a mountain hike in northern Iraq at the time.

Dolatabadi did not say when Shourd would be freed. Officials had said last week that one of the three might be freed on Saturday, but the release was postponed.

They have not been formally charged, but under Iran’s Islamic law,

Afridi facing tough task in boosting Pakistan

CARDIFF: Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi admitted he had a job on his hands to raise the morale of his scandal-hit side after they were bowled out for just 89 by England in a thumping Twenty20 loss.

Pakistan were dismissed for their lowest Twenty20 score in 40 matches at this level at Sophia Gardens here on Tuesday as England won by six wickets to wrap up a 2-0 series win with a mammoth 36 balls to spare.

World Twenty20 champions England, who completed a 3-1 Test series win over Pakistan last month, will now look for fresh success when the teams meet in the first of five one-day internationals at Chester-le-Street, northeast England, on Friday.

“We were very bad, inexperienced and immature from my side and from all the batsmen,” Afridi told reporters. “I think we played very bad cricket.

“It will be a big challenge to compete in the one-dayers,

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