Shujaat, brothers’ meet President Musharraf • 05.15.08
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain called on President Musharraf at the President House in Islamabad. “The president has consented that Chaudhry Shujaat will continue to lead the Pakistan Muslim League-Q”, sources said. The leader of opposition in National Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chaudhry Wajaat Hussain and senator Muhammad Ali Durrani also attended the meeting that was continued for three hours.The meeting was held amidst speculations of handing over the PML-Q top office to Pir Pagara or Hamid Nasir Chattha.The president had also met Hamid Nasir Chattha on Wednesday.
President Pervez Musharraf will be meeting in the next few days Muslim League-Q members annoyed with Chaudhry brothers, while Chaudhry brothers and Faisal Saleh Hayat will not be invited in this meeting. Senior journalist Saleh Zafar said that Faisalabad members Rana Asif Tauseef and Chaudhry Asim Nazir had threadbare discussions with President Musharraf in this regard and the meeting was expected in the next 2/3 days. Sources said that the envisaged meeting was an attempt in the direction of laying down the foundation of a new Muslim League constituting of dissenting members, which would have a leaning towards the Pakistan People’s Party, who would lend helping hands to the ruling alliance in case of Muslim league-N parted ways from the alliance. Analysts said that Chaudhry Shujaat and Asif Zardari have turned unacceptable to each other, while Shujaat seemed preferring increasing ties with ML-N, which President Musharraf well aware of confirmed this meeting with the dissenters in next few days.
Pakistan was the best country for making investment told President Pevez Musharraf to a Yemen delegation visiting Pakistan and calling on him at the Rawalpindi camp office here. The Yemen delegation showed deep interest in Pakistan’s different sectors and expressed their desire to make investments besides exchanging views on boosting Pak-Yemen co-operation in economic and trade sectors. Federal Minister, Raja Pervaiz was also present on this occasion.President Musharraf said that lucrative incentives have been given to foreign investors in Pakistan, following the economic reforms and added that vast opportunities for making investments existed in different sectors over here. The President underscored the need of expanding the volume of Pak- Yemen bilateral trade. Yemen delegation, appreciating Pakistan economic policies, expressed their keen desire for making investments in energy, telecom, housing and other sectors. The delegation told the President that Yemen was finalizing agreements with Pakistan for boosting co-operation in commerce, education and infrastructure sectors.
Fatima Bhutto, the daughter of slain Murtuza Bhutto, has said that so long as there is an American occupation of Afghanistan, President Musharraf will remain viable and indispensable. In an interview carried by CounterPunch she also says that Musharraf came into power because people were fed up with Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.Then, according to her, Nawaz and Benazir came back to Pakistan, because people were fed up with Musharraf. “And when people are finished with Asif Zardari and Nawaz, they will go back to Musharraf.” Answering a question about Musharraf’s future, she says Musharraf has played his cards badly inside the country. He has lost a lot of control and power within the country.”Personally, I think his role in the government is to wait and watch. He has enabled this government to come forward and perhaps quite wisely. This is the government that has to deal with price inflation, greenage shortages; it has to deal with a civil war that is brewing across the country, which is no longer in the tribal areas. This is the government that has to deal with renewed American strength in Pakistan.We’ve seen since 2008 a tremendous amount of American air strikes, and they are reported as having great accuracy and tremendous precision, but it is never explained to us who is allowing the Americans to come in almost directly and conduct their business on Pakistan soil. So this government has to deal with a de facto American invasion and occupation of parts of Pakistan.”She adds: “I think Musharraf prefers that these other politicians and parties deal with that, while he sits on the sidelines and waits for them to fail. But the question is will they allow him to do this and have any part of it? Will he have any future once this government disintegrates? I think that is looking increasingly unlikely as time goes by.”
Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is still undecided whether he should contest the June 18 bye-elections or not. Party spokesman Siddiqul Farooq told Business Recorder on Saturday that Nawaz had obtained nomination papers to be a candidate from two vacant seats - Lahore NA-123 and Rawalpindi NA-52 - which could be filed with the returning officers till May 10.He said at a meeting here on Friday that Nawaz sought opinion of his party colleagues about his election bid. “There is a division in the party as 50 percent parliamentarians favoured and 50 percent opposed it, he added.However the PML (N) had decided that PML (N) President Mian Shahbaz Sharif would contest for a Punjab Assembly seat to assume office of the chief minister. It may be recalled that Nawaz Sharif had filed nomination papers to contest two National Assembly seats in January 8 general elections, but the Election Commission disqualified him as he was convicted in PIA hijacking case.Nawaz did not exercise his right of appeal against his disqualification. He contended that he did not recognise the post-PCO superior courts as validly constituted courts. Nawaz wrote to the Election Commission, saying that he was being prevented from standing for political reasons.Analyst say that the Election Commission can reject Nawaz’s nomination papers for the bye-election on the same grounds, which will be a setback for the party in the changed environment. Therefore, the party leadership is reluctant to take a chance.They say Shahbaz Sharif’s case is different. In December 2007, he was facing murder charges in an anti-terrorist court, thus his nomination papers were rejected. But now the court has absolved him of such charges and he could contest the bye-election. Meanwhile, PML (Q) leaders Chaudhry Shuja’at Hussain and Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi have said that they would oppose the candidature of the Sharif brothers.The PML (N) spokesman said that majority of members of Central Working Committee and the parliamentary party felt that Nawaz had achieved such a high stature in the national politics where it was irrelevant whether he was sitting in the parliament or not.He said Nawaz was also of the opinion that since he had been out of the country for seven long years, he should, therefore, give more time to the party re-organisation and prepare the workers for a long and sustained struggle for restoration of democracy. He said Nawaz was presently focusing all his energies on the restoration of the pre-November 3 judiciary, which he considered number one item of the coalition government’s agenda.
Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that parliament is supreme and supremacy of president over parliament is unacceptable, Aaj TV channel reported. Asif said that reinstatement of judges is a legal issue, therefore we have included Abdul Hafeez Pirzada and Aitzaz Ahasan in a committee to sort out these legal issues.He said that Pakistan People’s Party led the lawyers’ movement and party workers gave their lives for this cause. Zardari said that we need solution of judges’ issue and no judge should be affected after reinstatement of deposed judges. Answering to a question regarding reinstatement of deposed judges on 12th, 2008 Asif Zardari said that committee should be asked for this question, TV channel added. APP adds; Asif Ali Zardari returned on Friday night in Islamabad after a week- long stay in Dubai. He was accompanied among others by Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik.
A meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was held Tuesday at the presidential camp office in Rawalpindi to discuss key national issues.The president and prime minister in the talks agreed to avoid any clash for the sake of democracy and democratic institutions. President Musharraf reiterated to support the government under the constitution and will work to reinforce democracy in the country. Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani when reached the presidential camp office from Islamabad, was received by President Musharraf.According to the sources, the president and prime minister discussed law and order, price hike and Pakistan-India peace parleys. They also exchanged views over the political situation in the country, they added.
President Pervez Musharraf has stressed the need for bridging the gap between policy formulation and implementation as well as their sustainability and continuation.He was addressing the participants of 88th National Management Course (BPS-18) and 3rd Senior NMC (BPS-19 and above) at National Management College here on Saturday.The President said, “Government sector is faced with two major problems- big gap between policy formulation and implementation as well as lack of their sustainability and continuation.”He observed there is a culture of changing policy by doing away with the policies of the previous government, which hinders the development of the country.Musharraf said, “You represent various professions of public departments and you are indeed the backbone and driving force of the government.”He called upon the officers to pay heed to implementation of policies, besides ensuring their sustainability.Another grave problem is time delay in decision making which due to both vertical (delay within the department) and horizontal (time delay among the departments) create obstacles in policy implementation, he maintained.”We must apply our minds on smooth functioning and continuation of policies,” he added.He pointed out that there is no systematic grooming of officers and weaknesses in Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs). The officers must show moral courage while writing the ACRs, he asserted.The President said nepotism is another menace of whole of Pakistan and the departments, which badly affects the working of departments. He stressed the need for selecting right persons and putting them on right job.
President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday reaffirmed Pakistan’s support to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and reiterated Pakistan’s firm position on Taiwan and Tibet issues. Foreign Minister of China Yang Jiechi, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, called on President here on Saturday. President congratulated the Chinese people on the forthcoming Olympics in Beijing and said that Pakistan was firmly opposed to any efforts to undermine or politicize this mega sports event.He thanked the Chinese government for continued assistance and support to Pakistan. President mentioned that Pakistan and China enjoy a broad based, all encompassing relationship. People of Pakistan admired the great success of the Chinese people and greatly valued their traditional friendship with China, he said and added this friendship spans over half a century and is imbued by a high degree of trust and commonality of interests.President said Pak-China friendship has matured into a comprehensive cooperative partnership, which is of great importance for Pakistan’s socio-economic development as well as for regional peace and stability. “Our relations are marked by convergence of views on regional and global issues. Both countries closely cooperate with each other at international fora”, he added.The architecture for sustained development of economic and trade relations is now in place between the two countries.Pakistan-China Joint Five Year Economic Plan signed in November 2006 and the Free Trade Agreement operational since last year have bolstered our economic cooperation, he added. President said bilateral trade between the two sides is now $ 6.8 billion and both sides are committed to achieve a trade target of $ 15 billion by 2011. Pakistan-China Joint Investment Company, established in 2007, is geared to promote joint ventures and investments. In recent years, Chinese investments in Pakistan have shown an upward trend. Several projects of national significance are being executed with Chinese assistance. Chinese Foreign Minister congratulated President over the smooth democratic transition and expressed China’s support for Pakistan’s sovereignty, social stability and economic progress. He described Pakistan-China friendship as “time-tested” and “all-weather” and expressed full satisfaction over the continued growth in bilateral ties. He greatly lauded President Musharraf’s contribution for the promotion of bilateral relations and conveyed the greetings of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Foreign Minister said that President’s recent visit to China had further solidified our strategic partnership.Underscoring the importance of our special relations, Foreign Minister Yang reaffirmed China’s determination to take these relations to greater heights. Chinese Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s important role in promoting peace, security and regional stability and its contribution in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Foreign Minister said that China will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts for economic development and more Chinese corporations and business entities will be encouraged to invest in Pakistan.He said that China wishes to enhance its cooperation in all mutually beneficial fields, in development of communications network, telecommunications, energy, mineral sector and education.He also stressed the need to intensify people-to-people contacts.
The European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana has said war against terror in the region would continue and President Musharraf would retain presidency till retirement.
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