Pakistan Views

Candidates can file their nomination papers for the presidential election schedule to be held on Sept 6 in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) here on Tuesday.

Nomination papers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Asif Ali Zardari have been submitted by their party members early today. Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Law Minister Farooq H Naek, party leader Baber Awan along with coalition partner ANP chief Asfandyar Wali have submitted the nomination papers of Asif Zardari.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were due to submit their candidates’ nomination papers.

PML-N named former justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui while PML-Q fielded Senator Mushahid Hussain as their candidates for the presidential election.

Lawyers’ community have nominated Dr. AQ Khan as their candidate for the post of president.

The process to collect nomination papers has started early today in election commission office. The intending candidates can file their nomination papers till 12.00 noon today.

Nomination paper will be scrutinized on August 28. Presidential candidates could withdraw their nomination papers by August 30.

Final list of presidential candidates will be released on August 30 while election is scheduled on September 6.

Polling for the presidential election will be held on Sept 6th at the joint session of Senate and National Assembly and provincial assemblies from 10.00 in the morning till 3.00 pm.

Dr. Aafia’s lawyer Elizabeth Fink demanded to US government that Dr. Aafia should immediately be admitted to the hospital because of her critical health condition.

Addressing a press conference, Elizabeth said Dr. Aafia should be hospitalized immediately as her health was worsening.

She revealed: “A letter has been sent by US officials in which they have admitted to have the custody of her son”

The lawyer further said Dr. Aafia was being incarcerated and abused on the name of search by US authorities.

Public campaign would be launched for her release, she said and added post cards would be sent to US government at first step.

She said Pakistani lawyer Salim Rizvi has been added to her legal time on Dr. Aafia’s request.

Renowned poet Ahmed Faraz passed away, his son Shibli Faraz said on Monday night.

Talking to media here, Faraz’s son said his father expired and is no more among us.
Faraz was ailing for a long time and went to US for medical checkup.

Ahmed Faraz was born on January 14, 1931 and left us today on August 25, 2008. Faraz is considered one of the greatest modern Urdu poets of the last century and greatest living Urdu poet of present times. Faraz was his pseudonym ‘takhallus’, whereas his real name was Syed Ahmed Shah.

Faraz, who has been compared with Mohammad Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, holds a unique position as one of the best poets of current times, with a fine but simplistic style of writing, even common people can easily understand and identify with. Ethnically a Pashto-speaking Pashtun, Ahmed Faraz learned and studied Persian and Urdu at the Peshawar University where he taught these subjects later.

There had been rumour on state TV that he died on 17 July, 2008 due to kidneys failure during treatment at a Chicago hospital in America. This news was denied by by his physician Tahir Rohail, brushing aside the earlier report of his death aired by state TV, saying he is alive and still under medical treatment at a local hospital in Chicago, America.

The candidates of Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League (N) and other parties are filing their nomination papers for presidential bid on Tuesday.

Federal Law Minister Farooq Naek has submitted the nomination papers of Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Zardari to Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhamad Farooq.

Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman, ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali, Minster for Water and Power Pervez Ashraf, Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khurshid Shah, Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, Senator Baber Awan, Senator Raza Rabbani, advisor to prime minister Manzoor Watto, Rehmatullah Kakar and others were also present at this occasion.

A larger number of Peoples Party workers were gathered outside Election Commission, chanted slogans in favour of Asif Zardari.

PML-N has nominated former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui whereas PML-Q nominated Senator Mushahid Hussain as their presidential candidate. The papers would be filed till 12:00 noon today.

Scrutiny would be held till August 28 whereas candidates could withdraw papers till August 30.

The final list would be issued on August 30. Returning officer of presidential election chief election commissioner is receiving nomination papers.

The United States said on Monday that the withdrawal of former premier Nawaz Sharif’s party Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) from the ruling coalition would not hamper joint ‘war on terror’ efforts.

“That is very much an internal Pakistan matter,” said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. “I don’t anticipate it would have any impact on our joint efforts to combat extremism.”

He said that it was “important” for Pakistan and the United States to co-operate closely on fighting the Taliban and other militants “who threaten the stability not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan.”

Nawaz Sharif said on Monday after a meeting of his party PML-N which was the second largest party in the coalition — that it would quit the coalition over differences on the restoration of judges sacked by former president Pervez Musharraf.

The political showdown came two weeks before lawmakers were to choose a new president following Musharraf’s resignation one week ago, and as Pakistan tries to keep a lid on militants from the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Nawaz had set on Monday deadline for some 60 judges to be reinstated, but Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — the largest in the coalition — had refused to give a time frame on when that would happen.

Musharraf sacked the judges last year under emergency rule to ensure there would be no legal challenges to his re-election as president while holding the dual role as head of the powerful military.

On Washington’s position on the sacked judges, Wood said it had advocated “all along that whatever happens with regard to those judges, they be in accordance with Pakistan’s constitution.

“And that remains our policy,” he said.

The political bickering has underlined concerns for Pakistan’s stability as the country battles militants in a troubled tribal region near the Afghan border.

Swiss authorities on Monday shelved a long-running probe into alleged money laundering against martyred former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari, Swiss news agency ATS reported.

Zardari is now the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate to replace Pervez Musharraf as president, and the shelving of the probe by Geneva’s prosecutor general means he will not face new charges.

Benazir Bhutto, who was martyred in December, and Zardari were suspected of using Swiss bank accounts to launder about 12 million dollars (8.4 million euros) in alleged bribes paid by companies seeking customs inspection contracts in Pakistan in the 1990s.

The couple were formally sentenced by decree on the charges in Geneva in 2003 after a first investigation, but the ruling was overturned on appeal.

Geneva’s prosecutor general said he had taken into account an October 2007 amnesty issued by Musharraf to Bhutto and Zardari, and the failure to find evidence confirming Zardari had received bribes, ATS reported.

On the 2nd death anniversary of former chief minister of Balochistan, tribal chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti ‘Black day ‘is being observed throughout the Balochistan on Tuesday.

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, tribal leader, Chief Jamhori Watan Party (JWP), and renowned nationalist leader was killed during a military operation on Aug 26 in his cave at Tarnai, near Kohlu, an area in Balochistan.

Nawab Bugti and Balaach refused to surrender to the usurpers and preferred martyrdom.

The lover of Bugti by wearing black band at their arms and hosting black flags at their homes observing the mourning day.

DIG operation Wazir Khan Nasir told a press conference that joint patrolling teams had been formed to maintain peace in the city.

Jamiaat-E-Ulemai Islam chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman has said on Monday that Asif Ali Zardari’s remarks regarding PPP-PML-N agreements have developed new situation of non-trust, adding JUI now find it difficult to keep the coalition with the PPP.

He was talking to media persons during visit to relief camps set up in Peshawar.

Rehman expressed his concerns over remarks of Asif Ali Zardari about political agreements signed with the PML-N. It was his message to all political powers of the country, he commented.

Meeting of JUI’s Central Working Committee has been called to review the present situation, he said, adding Asif Ali Zardari will be asked to explain his position with the JUI.

JUI chief further said JUI would neither vote nor oppose resolution to be tabled in NWFP Assembly on Zardari’s election as president.

About PML-N, he said his party has nothing against Nawaz league. “Our party was made part of ruling coalition on the condition that operation in tribal areas would be stopped,” Rehman said.

He demanded that government should hold talks to resolve issues in this regard.

Indian security forces detained two top Muslim leaders in Kashmir amid strict curfew to prevent Kashmiris from holding a pro-independence rally.

Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the leaders of two factions of pro-independence All Parties Hurriyat Conference, were detained in overnight raids on their residences in the Srinagar and shifted to an undisclosed place.

The two have been leading a series of large demonstrations over the past two weeks, reviving calls for independence from Indian rule in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.

They had planned to hold a rally on Monday in Srinagar’s Red Square, where India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru promised in 1948 that Kashmiris would get the right to self-determination through a referendum — a pledge that has not been upheld.

“The two have been arrested to prevent today’s rally,” a police officer who asked not to be named told the media.

He said the curfew was being kept in force in Srinagar and other Muslim-majority towns for a second straight day on Monday.

Policemen were urging the residents through loud-speakers not to defy curfew restrictions after some separatist leaders said they will try to reach Lal Chowk.

Thousands of troops have been deployed at and around the venue.

The situation grew even tense on Sunday evening, when a man was shot dead by the police after he defied the curfew.

Some 50 people were hurt across Kashmir in police actions when they failed to heed the curfew and held small anti-India demonstrations on Sunday.

PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari told The News: “deposed judges will be reinstated but after some debate in parliament and I am not sure if the judges could be restored today”

Talking to Jang Group English daily ‘The News’ Asif Ali Zardari said some debate in the parliament was necessary on the issue of restoration of judges sacked by Pervez Musharraf.

About former president’s indemnity, he confirmed that Pervez Musharraf would be provided conditional indemnity.