Zardari Reaches Kabul For Karzai Inauguration

KABUL: President Asif Ali Zardari flew into Kabul Wednesday to attend the inauguration of his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai for a second five-year term in power, Karzai’s office said.

Security was tight in and around Kabul as “foreign guests” including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived to attend the ceremony, scheduled to take place at the presidential palace on Thursday.

“Pakistan’s President His Excellency Asif Ali Zardari just arrived,” Hamid Elmi, a presidential palace official told a foreign news agency.

“Other guests are arriving and others are expected to arrive tomorrow,” he said, without giving further details.

Karzai was declared the winner of August 20 fraud-tainted elections after his rival Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from a run-off vote.

May Complete Full Four Year Term,Zardari

KARACHI: Citing political analysts, a financial newspaper report of the upper world, Financial Times, said that President Asif Zardari, is likely to complete their four-year term as president. “Political commentators in Islamabad now predict that the man considered as an acolyte wretched, tainted by allegations of corruption, can complete a full four-odd years as elected Pakistani leader,” said the report.

According to the report, the country of Pakistan has reached a state of equilibrium between its president rarely accidental, half-competent prime minister, a chief of the army prepared to stay in barracks and an opposition willing to wait his chance. ”

“The optimism felt in the streets of Islamabad and Lahore, where fears of attacks have declined, financial markets, enjoying a modest recovery. Some of this is thanks to the help of money and foreign investment. $ 11.3bn A rescue package International Monetary Fund is in place. donors including the UK, Saudi Arabia and Japan have pledged another $ 5.5bn, U.S. Congress is about to approve legislation providing $ 1.5 billion a year, “the report said.

Zardari To Hold Law And Order Meeting Today

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari to chair a high level meeting on security and law and order at Presidency today.

Spokesperson of President former Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that the meeting will be attended by concerned federal ministers, all provincial Chief Ministers, Governor Frontier, Prime Minister Azad Kashmir, Chief Executive Northern Areas, Secretary Interior, all chief secretaries, all IGPs, DG ISI and DG IB.

The meeting has been convened on President’s directive given during his visit to Karachi. The meeting will review the security situation in the wake of operation against militants in Swat.

Zardari Meet Sindh Cabinet Today

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari will chair a high level meeting on Law and order a Sindh cabinet meeting on development projects and other issues today (Wednesday).

President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Karachi on a two-day visit to Karachi.

According to the sources President Zardari will chair a special meeting of Sindh cabinet at Chief Minister House here. The ministers will present the performance reports of their departments in the meeting.

In a separate meeting the president will be briefed about the mega projects including Thar Coal Project, water projects including construction of small dams and canal lining in the province.

President Zardari will also chair a meeting on law and order and will be given a detailed briefing pertaining to grave law and order situation, migration of Swat affectees and other issues.
attended by Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Federal Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah, Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat ul Abad, CM Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Provincial Minister Interior Dr Zulfikhar Ali Mirza, DG Rangers Sindh Major General Liaqat Ali, Chief Secretary Sindh Fazal ur Rehman, besides other high level officials of Law Enforcement Agencies.

During his stay in Karachi, President Zardari is expected to meet a delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement to discuss differences in Sindh coalition over some issues.

Pakistan Nuclear Programme Are Safe: Zardari

WASHINGTON: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari  has rejected US concerns that some of Pakistan nuclear weapons are at risk of being acquired by members of the Taliban.

In an interview Zardari said the region is not at risk of falling into the Taliban control.

“We have a 700,000 [man] army. How could they take over?” he asked.

Zardari also brushed aside U.S. concerns Taliban sympathizers within Pakistan’s army could help the organization acquire some of the country’s nuclear weapons.

“There aren’t any sympathizers for them,” he said. “There is a mindset in the local area maybe who feel they are akin to the same religion etc. But nothing that should concern anybody as far as the nuclear arsenal or other instruments of such sort.”

Zardari also reacted to the New York Times’ report that Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied American requests for more information on the location of the country’s nuclear weapons.

“I think it’s on a need-to-know basis information,” he said of the weapons’ location. “If it comes up we might and I might not share it with them, it depends.

Sharia Law in Swat Valley Approved by Zardari

Islamabad: On a day of fast moving developments, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari late on Monday approved the imposition of Sharia laws in parts of the country’s restive northwest, including Swat, in return for a controversial deal with the Taliban for laying down their arms.

Zardari signed the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation after Parliament approved the measure earlier on Monday, Geo TV quoted senior North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour as saying.

The regulation will see the imposition of Sharia laws in the Malkhand division of NWFP that comprises seven districts, including Swat, where the writ of the Taliban largely runs.

Zardari had given his nod for the February 16 deal between the NWFP government and Taliban-linked radical cleric Sufi Mohammad but balked at acceding to it in face of growing international pressure.

“We respect the mandate of the provincial government and congratulate the people,” Geo TV quoted Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani as saying after the house cleared the measure, following a walkout by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members.

Speaking earlier on Monday after the pact was tabled in the National Assembly, Gilani said this had been done as the government wanted to build national consensus on the measure.

“We did not want to by-pass the house as the Parliament is sovereign,” Gilani was quoted as saying.

“We want that our hands should be strengthened and that the whole nation is behind us,” he added.

“The President gave his consent (to signing the accord). He gave a go ahead to have an agreement with the local authorities. The agreement was done with our consent,” Gilani maintained.

Observers here saw the statement as Gilani’s bid to downplay reports that the Swat accord had become a hot potato for Zardari, who had tossed this into Parliament’s court, instead of ratifying it.

At the same time, it is a fact that Parliament was not consulted when Zardari gave his nod for the accord.

According to The News, “Zardari does not want to be held responsible for any negative fallout if this deal backfires in future, as then Parliament will be responsible”.

Many Western nations, including the US termed the deal a “retrograde” step as it was seen as bowing before the Taliban and getting in return too little for giving up too much.

The deal appeared to have come unstuck last week with Sufi Muhammad winding up his peace camp and leaving Swat to protest Zardari’s delay in acceding to the accord. He then clarified the pact was intact but was dependent on Zardari signing it.Gilani, The News noted, “was also said to have been caught off guard when he received the copy of Nizam-e-Adl from the Presidency to table it before Parliament as he, too, like rest of the politicians was expecting the President to sign the agreement”.

What apparently tipped the balance was Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan, who advised the President against taking responsibility for the deal.

“Awan was of the view this deal should be sent to Parliament for discussion, debate and subsequent approval or rejection,” The News said, adding the minister said that if Parliament, representing the people of Pakistan, was ready to ink the deal with Taliban, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government “would not be singled out in case the deal went wrong at any stage”.

Protracted fighting between the Pakistani security forces and the Taliban has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee Swat. Estimates vary, but human rights monitors believe that up to 800,000 of the valley’s 1.8 million people may have left.

Not to Extend Drone Attacks in Balochistan, US Promised: Zardari

Lahore: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the United States has promised not to extend the drone strikes to Balochistan.

In an interview with The Daily Times, Zardari said the Pakistan government has communicated its discontent over Washington’s plan to carry out missile strikes against terror hideouts in Balochistan, replying to which the US had assured that it would not target the new region.

Zardari hoped that Balochistan’s problem would be solved by the year end.

Zardari said the number of `missing people’in Balochistan were neither in the thousands nor in the hundreds.

“There are a few people, and they would be released after the due process of law,” he added.

Commenting on the heightened tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack, Zardari blamed New Delhi for replying negatively to Islamabad’s bold peace proposals.

He expressed hope that the stalled peace talks between the two countries would resume after general elections in India.

Zardari also expressed concern over the thirty percent increase in the Indian defence budget.

Zardari to Address Parliament Today

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari, in line with democratic traditions, will address the joint session of the National Assembly and Senate today dilating upon various national issues and government’s future course of action.

This will be President Zardari’s second address to the joint sitting in seven months. At the end of every parliamentary year, president’s address is mandatory under the Constitution.

According to the article 56 (3) of the Constitution, at the commencement of the first session after each general election to the National Assembly and at the beginning of the first session of each year, the President shall address the joint session of the parliament.

President Zardari’s first address was on September 20 last year.

Official sources say the President’s address holds great significance in the backdrop of country’s economic downturn, which it mainly inherited from the previous regime, law and order and the situation in tribal areas.

“The President is expected to give fresh guidelines on Pakistan’s foreign policy in view of the situation on western borders,” sources added.

Major opposition party PML (N) is hoping that a timetable for implementation of charter of democracy (CoD) will be given by the President during his address, on which their decision whether to join the government or not rests.

“We hope that President Asif Zardari will announce a framework and timetable to implement the charter of democracy to turn the dreams of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif into reality,” a PML-N leader told reporters.

Throughout his hold on to power for nearly a decade, former President Pervez Musharraf could only once muster the courage to address the joint sitting, which was a flagrant violation of the Constitution.

Zardari Back and Meeting With Gilani on Current Political Situation

Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari returned to Islamabad from Tehran late on Wednesday night.
President Zardari convened an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Governor of Punjab Salman Taseer to discuss the ongoing political crisis.
As per the sources, the situation sparked by the crackdown on lawyers and on opposition political leaders in view of lawyers’ long march and sit-in would have ruled the discussion.
Earlier, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dismissed reports of an Army takeover of the troubled country once again. Sharif, who has urged the masses to defy a government clampdown and join a nationwide protest, said the “chances of Army takeover is absolutely nil”.

Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and discussed the political and security situation in the country. The meeting comes against the backdrop of a major crackdown on lawyers and opposition party activists ahead of a nationwide protest.

Kayani called on Gilani at the Prime Minister’s House and discussed matters of national importance, state-run APP news agency reported without giving details.

Failure is not an Option against Terrorist: Zardari

Washington: “Failure is not an option” in Pakistan’s battle against terrorism, President Asif Ali Zardari said in an op-ed piece published in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal.

“This is an existential battle. If we lose, so too will the world. Failure is not an option,” the President said a day after a Mumbai-style attack on members of Sri Lanka’s cricket team in Lahore killed eight people including six Pakistani policemen and two civilians.

Tuesday’s attack, said Zardari, “shows once again the evil we are confronting.”

Speaking for his government, Zardari also said “we have not and will not negotiate with extremist Taliban and terrorists,” adding that the recently struck deal in the troubled Swat Valley was not with the Taliban.

“The clerics with whom we have engaged are not Taliban,” he said, adding that Pakistan had made clear to the clerics “that it is their responsibility to rein in and neutralize Taliban and other insurgents” in their area.

Zardari warned, however, that “our security forces will act accordingly” if the Swat Valley authorities were unable to control the insurgents.