|
Section 144 imposed in Punjab for 3 days
 LAHORE: Section 144 was imposed
across the Punjab on Tuesday for three days effective from Wednesday.
Under this section, no protest march or gathering of people at one place would be allowed.
District Nazim Lahore Mian Amir Mahmood said that the decision to impose section 144 has been taken in view of the security fears and to maintain law and order situation.
Shahbaz
asks police, admin to defy unconstitutional orders
 LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged police and administration to defy unconstitutional orders.
Speaking to newsmen at Raiwand here, he said that people would fully take part in long march as per schedule.
Sharif said that the government could not stop the people from joining the long march.
People shall reach Islamabad at all costs, he added.
Fazl awaits PML-N response on reconciliation
 ISLAMABAD: Amir Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman Tuesday said he is waiting for Pakistan Muslim League-N response over the efforts made for reconciliation and that deadlock now seems to be from their side.
Talking to media along with Interior Advisor Rehman
Malik, Fazl said Mian Nawaz Sharif put forward two demands:
PML-N position be restored to February 24 and lawyers be invited by President Zardari for negotiations.
“President Zardari has conceded to both the demands,” Fazl-ur-Rehman informed. However, he said, what is the guarantee that the lawyers will not stage sit-in after they are invited on negotiation table.
He said Mian Nawaz Sharif demanded that all the matters must be resolved before March 11. But, Fazl said, issues cannot be resolved in a matter of a single day.
He further said that President Zardari had linked ending of the Governor rule with cancellation of the long march while appeal will be filed against Sharif brothers’ disqualification.
“President Zardari said he is ready to hold negotiations with the lawyers if they assure that they would not go ahead with the long march.”
Fazl-ur-Rehman said the paths changed when PML-N decided to sit in the opposition. We are trying our best to find some way out and now Asfandyar Wali and I are awaiting response of PML-N, he added.
Zardari not restoring judges because of NRO: Nawaz
LAHORE: Chief of Pakistan Muslim League-N Mian Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said President Asif Ali Zardari is not restoring the deposed judges because of NRO.
Talking to PML-N members in Raiwind, Nawaz Sharif said in order to save the country he would even offer sacrifice of his life.
He said: “We would have been standing by Zardari if he had been true to his words.”
PML-N Chief said Asif Zardari and PML-N had a common agenda in the beginning but now Zardari has changed his mind.
PPP always caused damage to country: Aijaz
 ISLAMABAD: Central leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Q Aijaz-ul-Haq Tuesday said Pakistan People’s Party always caused damage to the country.
Addressing a press conference here, he said PML-N and Q should join hands now. “Together they can form government in Punjab,” he added.
Aijaz-ul-Haq said in order to sort out the issues, Governor rule be ended in Punjab and a party with majority be allowed to form government there.
Long march to decide country fate: Sabir Shah
PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) NWFP President Sabir Shah said on Tuesday that the future of country was linked with long march and if it failed the country might not see real democracy.
Speaking to newsmen here, he said that 50, 000 workers would leave for Islamabad on March 16.
He warned that government would be responsible for any unpleasant situation if it tried to block the caravan. Shah further said that government wanted to prove the majority as minority though horse-trading.
Punjab govt ignores public holiday, reshuffles eight officers
LAHORE: Despite public holiday in the country, the government of Punjab has transferred and appointed eight senior officers, including commissioners and secretaries today (Tuesday).
Capt (Retd.) Rao Iftikhar Ahmed has assumed the charge of Punjab Home Secretary.
According to notification issued by Punjab government Services Wing, Special Secretary for Local Bodies Tahir Hussain has been replaced by Zahid Saeed as Commission of Faisalabad. While Zahid Saeed has been appointed as Commissioner
Rawalpindi.
Hasseb Athar has been asked to report to the Punjab Services department.
Besides, members of Punjab’s Board of Revenue Tariq Yousuf and Najam Saeed have also been transferred.
Wakil Ahmed has been appointed as DCO Dera Ghazi Khan while Tassaduq Hussain Bukhari was posted as RPO
Sheikupura.
PPP to move no-confidence motion against Speaker, Dy Speaker: Riaz
 LAHORE: PPP Punjab Parliamentary Leader Raja Riaz said Tuesday that no-confidence motion would be tabled against Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly in the next session.
Speaking to Geo News here, Raja Riaz said that Speaker Rana Iqbal and Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood Khan had become controversial and biased.
They now stand disqualified for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, he said.
He further told that the decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and attended by PPP Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmed and Zikria Butt.
Deposed CJ needs to offer sacrifice: Shujaat
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday said that deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will have to give sacrifice in order to improve the overall political situation in the country.
“We are ready for reconciliation,” he said.
Shujaat quoted deposed justice Ramday saying: “We are ready to resign if government announces the restoration.”
Malik chairs meeting to review security for long march
ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting is underway in Islamabad to review the security arrangements for long march on March 16.
Interior Adviser Rehman Malik is chairing the meeting while Chief Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner,
IG, SSP and ISP Traffic Islamabad, DIG Rawalpindi, DCO, DIG Motorway and other officials are also present.
The meeting will discuss security arrangements in twin cities during long march.
Karachi
police’s 500 personnel to be sent to Islamabad
 KARACHI:
Karachi police have resolved to send their 500 police
personnel to Islamabad for stepping up security measures
during lawyers’ long march, police sources said on
Monday.
Sources
also said, the date for putting this decision into
practice has yet to be finalized.
Malik threatens Sharifs with sedition
ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, while putting up a brave face in the face of the upcoming long march by the lawyers to Islamabad, said the government would facilitate the long marchers like it did the last time. However, he warned that the long marchers would definitely not be allowed to get close to the Constitution Avenue, the area that the organisers of the long march have set as their goal to reach.
Talking to the media at a press conference, the adviser also warned the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif to refrain from raising rebellious slogans or incite public feelings, for which the government has enough evidence that a case under clause 124-A of the Constitution could be initiated against him on the charges of sedition, that could land him in jail for life.
About the upcoming long march, Rehman Malik said the government has no objection to a peaceful demonstration within the parameters of law. “They are most welcome to do whatever they may like to but we would not allow them to disrupt normal life of the people of Islamabad. Constitution Avenue is the security zone where hundreds of diplomats are living, the entire governmental system is running from there. Besides, we have received written request from the traders, from the civil society, from the residents of Islamabad to keep away all the processions from the main area of Islamabad and that is what the government intends to do,” he said.
To a question, he said that the government has already proposed two sites inside Islamabad, one located in sector G-11 and the other one is the old Exhibition Site behind Shakarparian, where these long marchers can come and stage a sit-in and speak.
“Chief Commissioner Kamran Lashari, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Qalb-e-Abbas and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Farooq from Rawalpindi are already in touch with them. Right now negotiations are going on. We hope they may agree to our proposal. We are not opposed to them coming to Islamabad but they should choose a specific place so that the citizens of Islamabad should not face problems,” he said, adding: “In the past in the backdrop of the post-Lal Masjid operation period there were a lot of peaceful processions but we lost a number of our policemen in Islamabad. We have information that such threats are still there, not the long march specific but overall. We inherited a worsening law and order. So, the enemy who attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore can do such thing in the long march or some procession as well. In such a situation it is our duty to resolve the issues jointly and peacefully.” He said the Sharif brothers have openly said that they are raising the flag of rebellion.
While quoting what is written under the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 124-A, which is sedition, the adviser said that Mian Nawaz Sharif has more than once and at many different places has openly said that he does not accept the decision against him and his brother and declared the court as a ‘fake court’.
Rehman Malik further quoted Mian Nawaz Sharif as saying in all his public rallies: “I have asked Shahbaz Sharif to go to Assembly and establish your government again. He is Constitutional Chief Minister of Punjab. I have ordered the police not to obey their government orders and wage jehad against them.”
However, answering questions, he said that the government has no intention of filing any case against the Sharif brothers under Section 124-A. ìI just explained to you what is there in the Constitution in this regard. We have no such intention. Neither there is any plan to detain them ahead of the long march. We are not afraid of anything as we have been saying all along that let them demonstrate. We will deal it politically,î Rehman Malik said. He, however, advised the Sharif brothers to refrain from using abusive language against the president and the judiciary. “We are not reacting to all this instigations. However, he should know that there is always a limit to things and he should not cross the limits,” the adviser said.
To a question, he said that both Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif “begged pardon from Pervez Musharraf in writing.” “Yes, it is there, in full detail. In writing, as well as signed. They definitely have begged pardon (from Musharraf) but we would not like to go into the details. The fact remains that whenever they were asked if they ever entered into any agreement, they denied but today I say yes, they did. If you wish to see that, then give me two, three days and fix a time. I will present that to you as well.”
Gilani wants early end to governor’s rule
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday wished governor’s rule in the Punjab was lifted in a day and said for this maturity should be demonstrated.
“I am not in favour of governor’s rule. I desire it should go tomorrow instead of two months. For this, we need to show maturity. Today everybody is looking towards the PML-Q,” he said while speaking in the Senate on the heels of apparently all-out confrontation between the PPP and the PML-N.
The prime minister said he believed in mutual respect and also respected the mandate of the party in whatever province it had. “If we are not in a position to show majority, we should not mind to sit on the opposition benches,” he said, as the PPP stepped up efforts to muster enough support to form the government in the Punjab.Gilani said Pakistan was passing through new experiences and this situation called for tolerance and prudence. He said he had no objection to the planned long march, but emphasised it should be peaceful and added they also had been involved in long marches.
“But, if there is loss of life or property, the government would be blamed for it. Let the march be peaceful, we would have no objection,” he maintained. “I would say, please do not disturb peace,” he reiterated while referring to the last year’s long march when the government had provided food, water and stage and uninterrupted power supply.
About Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, the premier said he had respect for both and hoped that the PPP and the PML-N would be together again, as they were earlier. He said: “Keeping in view the rights of minorities, our government awarded tickets of the Senate to minority members. We believe that better brains should come to the house.”
The prime minister described as valid the concerns of legislators on the ongoing confrontation between the two major parties and said it was regrettable. However, he warned against portraying this as a confrontation between the Punjab and Sindh. He appreciated that the House had reposed confidence in him unanimously and assured that he would support a unanimous amendment bill on the Charter of Democracy and the 17th Amendment, if brought.
“I have myself rendered sacrifices for the independence of the judiciary and the media. I have been leading rallies for the restoration of the judges. I was detained and my house was declared sub-jail,” he said.
“Even then, I am not bitter. Politics is a day-to-day affair. We are not angry over cases and detention because all this contribution was for the restoration of democracy,” he added. Gilani said both the government and the opposition had their roles. “It is like a musical chair. Today’s opposition is government of tomorrow. But, our prime consideration should be strengthening our institutions.”
He said it was on the recommendation of this House that the government had stopped the privatisation of the Qadirpur gas field and a committee headed by Raza Rabbani was constituted to reinstate the terminated employees.
The prime minister announced Commercially Important Persons (CIP) Lounge facility for ex-senators and promised that members of the Upper House would continue to get the development funds.
“The Senate is a symbol of the federation and has more responsibility and I have great respect for it,” he said and appreciated the performance of the House in guiding the nation and the government on important issues.
“We have assured funds for members of the Upper House as well as provided them share in the Benazir Income Support Programme,” Gilani said. He greeted the chairman, the deputy chairman and members for their important contribution in legislation, guiding the government and working of the committees. Gilani also eulogised the leader of the House and the leader of the opposition for unprecedented support to run the House smoothly.
|
