LAHORE - The PPP Punjab President, Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, on Thursday announced that President Asif Ali Zardari would address a public meeting at Mochi Gate on December 13 in connection with the party’s foundation day ceremonies.
Addressing the news conference here along with other office bearers after chairing a joint meeting of Punjab executive committee and party’s district and divisional presidents, he said that PPP did not believe in drawing room politics.
“This is the reason for holding the meeting at a public place. President Zardari will address the party workers telephonically from the Presidency to rejuvenate them,” he added.
Party’s Punjab Secretary-General Samiullah Khan, Information Secretary Dr Fakharuddin Chaudhry, Additional Secretary Dr Hasnat Shah and Deputy Secretary Usman Malik were present on the occasion.
Aftab said that the PPP was not worried about the security threats, as its workers and leaders had already sacrificed their lives for democracy. He said that Mochi Gate public gathering would mark the culmination of five-day events being organised by the PPP to celebrate its foundation day.
Giving details of other events starting from December 9, the PPP leader told the reporters that flag hoisting ceremonies will be held at all party offices at divisional and district level on December 9 besides display of portraits of PPP leaders at all famous roads.
It would be followed by Peace March on December 10 to be held at all district headquarters of the province. On December 11, he continued, a motorcycle march would be held in Lahore on all important roads in Lahore, whereas a vigil will be held in commemoration of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto the following day.
He told the media that the meeting expressed solidarity with President Zardari and vowed to foil conspiracies against him and democracy.
Source: nation.com.pk/
Friday, December 4, 2009
Operation against militancy to continue till logical end: Zardari
ISLAMABAD, Dec 4 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said the operation against militancy would continue till its complete elimination from the country. In a meeting with Chief Minister NWFP Ameer Haider Khan Hoti at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President said heinous incidents such as bomb blast across the country would not shake the government’s resolve to continue the fight to its logical end.
The matters that came under discussion included drive against militants and rehabilitation of displaced persons, law and order situation and development projects in the province.
The President also paid high tribute to the people of NWFP for their huge sacrifices in the drive against terrorism.
The Chief Minister briefed the President about various steps being taken by the provincial government to maintain law and order in the province.
ANP Senators Haji Mohammad Adeel and Afrasiyab Khan Khattak were also present during the meeting.
Source: app.com.pk/
The matters that came under discussion included drive against militants and rehabilitation of displaced persons, law and order situation and development projects in the province.
The President also paid high tribute to the people of NWFP for their huge sacrifices in the drive against terrorism.
The Chief Minister briefed the President about various steps being taken by the provincial government to maintain law and order in the province.
ANP Senators Haji Mohammad Adeel and Afrasiyab Khan Khattak were also present during the meeting.
Source: app.com.pk/
No one will be allowed to politicize Balochistan Package: Zardari
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday again made it clear that the government is quite serious on implementation of the Balochistan Package, urging that no one will be allowed to politicize it at any cost. The President expressed these views during his meeting with Chief Minister Balochistan, Nawab Aslam Raisani at the Presidency on Thursday on 2nd consecutive day. According to Sources, a host of issues came under discussion like law and order situation in Balochistan, Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package and other issues in depth. The President gave a complete mandate to the CM Balochistan regarding contact/dialogue of annoyed leaders adding undoubtedly they will be part of the package, sources said. The President said that the Parliament will definitely debate on the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package in the joint session of the parliament. It is the top priority of the government to safeguard the rights of the Balochis thick and thin, he pointed. Sources said that the President told the CM that financial problems will be resolved soon. He said that the province holds an important place in the country's strategic, economic and resource supply. On the other hand, Raisani said that thrashing differences of various political leaders on the package is the order of the day, adding that they will talk with angry politicians through the tool of dialogue.—Agencies
Source: regionaltimes.com/
Source: regionaltimes.com/
The unwritten script after President Zardari
WASHINGTON: As the super large bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan begins the fateful hearing of the NRO on December 7, the writing on the wall is getting clear that Pakistan is quickly entering the post-Zardari phase.
In this scenario either Mr Asif Ali Zardari will ultimately throw in the towel and retire overseas or he will stay bunkered as a lame duck inside the presidency facing public humiliation in the courts, the media and before the people every day.
In both cases the power will shift to the Prime Minister who will then become the focus of the media, the nation and the world. How he delivers will determine where the democratic system goes.
That the noose around Mr Zardari’s neck (this expression should not be taken in physical terms as many do in his camp) is tightening is evident from the panic and desperation inside the presidency where the entire focus is on how to escape the many high-speed freight trains, without working brakes, charging in his direction from many directions. These trains are no fiction or a product of any one’s imagination.
The fact that Mr Zardari got so desperate and cornered that he hit out at some media persons, including me, as a counter attack in his famous address to the uninterested PPP followers at the Mazar of the Quaid-e-Azam, shows that he has no plan and vision to stop these oncoming train wrecks.
The fact that the 007-Geneva operation ordered by Mr Zardari and conducted by an otherwise respected Wajid Shamsul Hasan has left the country with the thought that the gang sitting in Islamabad is on the run and trying to cover up its tracks, cannot be denied.
The fact that the boxes of hard evidence of the Swiss money laundering cases collected in Geneva and airlifted to London the same day have disappeared and no one is ready to own them, despite mute claims by NAB, shows how scared the Zardari camp is fearing the fate which is in store. That these cases may be reopened is a high possibility.
The fact that Zardari’s closest ministers and cronies (Babar Awan for one) are now being publicly named in multi-million rupees scandals, not by the media but by affected parties in the highest courts of the country, shows they will also soon be in the dock inside crowded court rooms, if they do not pay off their way to escape overseas.
The fact that a front-man of Mr Zardari has come on record to state that he had actually bought the Islamabad land years ago and kept it as an “amanat” (sacred trust) of Mr Zardari has confirmed that the president has been involved in such deals but has been hiding behind his political facade. That his involvement is a direct and blatant case of conflict of interest is obvious.
The fact that Zardari’s point-man for Pakistan Steel, infamous business manipulator Riaz Laljee, has escaped from the country and is now enjoying life in Dubai, where he was last seen with the step brother of Mr Zardari, Tuppee (his nick name), in a super latest sports Rolls Royce driven by Tuppee and with three sensational beauties, in front of Dubai’s biggest shopping mall, indicates these guys have made enough money to throw it publicly and worry about no one. That Riaz Laljee was not put on the ECL was also noted by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry in a recent suo moto case on the Pakistan Steel.
The fact that as the NRO’s fate is decided in coming days and weeks, many more cases challenging the qualification of President Zardari will be filed and heard by the Supreme Court is ominous.
The fact that all the other cronies of Mr Zardari who are not protected by any immunity will have to face the music once the NRO is struck down as a bad law which violated the constitution, ab initio, is already causing panic in the presidential camp and rats are jumping the sinking ship. Dr Asim Hussain of NRB and Petroleum Ministry is the latest example. Laljee has already escaped.
The fact that Zardari’s closest partner Zulfikar Mirza has already launched the Sindh card by picking up the ridiculous non-issue of violation of the sanctity of the Sindhi cap in a Geo TV talk show, shows how bankrupt the presidential camp is to defend itself. Will saving the Sindhi cap, which no one ever wants to desecrate or insult, save Mr Zardari and will Sindh pick up arms to separate from Pakistan for the ajrak or cap, is not even a debatable question.
The fact that the military and civilian establishment has now started dealing full time with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, as the man who is and should run the country, has already put in effect the so-called and dreaded Minus-1 formula in which Mr Zardari stays as a Rafiq Tarar with no direct say in government affairs, or goes away if he is allowed to.
The fact that during his historic Afghan strategy Obama speech and interviews later by Hillary Clinton nowhere was the government or Zardari offered any support or protection, but always it was the democratic system which was mentioned and was to be protected.
The fact is that despite all his political gimmickry and manipulation, Zardari had to sign away his powers to keep the nuclear button under his thumb and the NCA was transferred to the PM. This was a clear message to the presidency that powers could be taken away from him, despite his staying in that fortified palace, no matter what his political standing. The same may happen with the 17th Amendment powers and appointment of services chiefs etc. It is now clear that no one wants to trust or deal with Mr Zardari as a responsible leader of the country.
There may be many more such facts, which have eaten away Mr Zardari’s moral, political and executive authority to call the shots, as he had been doing in the last 18 months. His power tenure is almost over and the country has to move on.
At such a crucial stage enters Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani with full powers. Here lies the most serious challenge to the country’s developing and nascent democratic set-up. Mr Gilani will have to show that he is up to the job and will have to quickly get out of the shadows of Mr Zardari to remove the impression that he was being remote-controlled from the presidency.
For this the script writers already have a sketch of how he should move quickly, if he really wants to save the system and take control. This unwritten script for Mr Gilani could be the ultimate yardstick to judge where Pakistan will go.
Firstly, without losing a day, Mr Gilani will have to get rid of the tainted and corrupt cronies of Mr Zardari from his cabinet. This may be a little unpalatable for the presidency but the PM has to put his foot down.
Then he has to get the 17th Amendment out of his way as quickly as possible and get the PML-N leadership on board in his cabinet, with important portfolios so that the much desired and much needed credibility and consensus, backed by the force of a moral popular authority, is built.
The next task of Mr Gilani would be to let the chips fall where they may by allowing the courts to judge the NRO beneficiaries on their merits, acquit or punish them. Similar should be the case for all cases against the president and if he is disqualified, Mr Gilani should be ready to nominate and get a new president elected, as soon as possible, someone with integrity and having a moral face to provide respect to the system.
The most important task of the PM would be to show good governance and cut corruption. For this he needs the services of the best available, clean and honest, bureaucrats from the civilian and military bureaucracy, whether in active service or retired. He still has a small reservoir of upright and competent civil servants who may be ready to provide stability and vision to his government, despite the pressure of political jugglers sitting as ministers.
The present set-up of challenged bureaucrats has to go immediately with Mrs Nargis Sethi, (nothing against her personally) posted out to an appropriate position but a seasoned, competent and respected officer brought in her place to handle the bureaucracy.
If Mr Gilani does not handle this properly his government will soon fall short of space and then the entire democratic and elected set-up will be attacked by all the hawks in the political, civil and military establishment, saying the politicians are simply incapable of running the country.
Mr Gilani has also to convince Mian Nawaz Sharif to immediately get himself elected to the National Assembly and sit in the Parliament to lend it strength and support. He should be included in top decision-making and a team of experts, technocrats, retired judges, executives and others may be formed on the side as a super think tank to provide the vision and strategic depth to the elected government.
This is critical as Pakistan has to face the new American strategy in Afghanistan, fight off the terrorists at home, control the desperate helplessness of the people who have lost all hope and are being crushed under the burden of spiralling inflation and unemployment. The money flowing into Pakistan has to be spent for the people, in a transparent and effective manner.
Mr Zardari has already wasted his chance to become a national visionary leader who could take the country forward. But as I had stated before he ran for the office of the president, he was just not fit for that job, did not have the capacity to handle or grow into it and he would drown in his own corrupt juices, trying to extricate himself. The more he did that, the more the noose tightened around his neck and he is now about to hang himself. That was a political prediction, which is about to come true in a matter of days or weeks.
But it is now Mr Gilani’s neck on the line and he has to rise and fill the big shoes. He needs the support of all those who want the democratic system to work and the PM has to show vision, tolerance and patience to accommodate all points of view. He has to be upright and transparent in his dealings. Mr Gilani has tons of unwanted debris lying at his doorstep, thanks to Mr Zardari’s tunnel vision, arrogance, corruption and incompetence.
Source: thenews.com.pk/
In this scenario either Mr Asif Ali Zardari will ultimately throw in the towel and retire overseas or he will stay bunkered as a lame duck inside the presidency facing public humiliation in the courts, the media and before the people every day.
In both cases the power will shift to the Prime Minister who will then become the focus of the media, the nation and the world. How he delivers will determine where the democratic system goes.
That the noose around Mr Zardari’s neck (this expression should not be taken in physical terms as many do in his camp) is tightening is evident from the panic and desperation inside the presidency where the entire focus is on how to escape the many high-speed freight trains, without working brakes, charging in his direction from many directions. These trains are no fiction or a product of any one’s imagination.
The fact that Mr Zardari got so desperate and cornered that he hit out at some media persons, including me, as a counter attack in his famous address to the uninterested PPP followers at the Mazar of the Quaid-e-Azam, shows that he has no plan and vision to stop these oncoming train wrecks.
The fact that the 007-Geneva operation ordered by Mr Zardari and conducted by an otherwise respected Wajid Shamsul Hasan has left the country with the thought that the gang sitting in Islamabad is on the run and trying to cover up its tracks, cannot be denied.
The fact that the boxes of hard evidence of the Swiss money laundering cases collected in Geneva and airlifted to London the same day have disappeared and no one is ready to own them, despite mute claims by NAB, shows how scared the Zardari camp is fearing the fate which is in store. That these cases may be reopened is a high possibility.
The fact that Zardari’s closest ministers and cronies (Babar Awan for one) are now being publicly named in multi-million rupees scandals, not by the media but by affected parties in the highest courts of the country, shows they will also soon be in the dock inside crowded court rooms, if they do not pay off their way to escape overseas.
The fact that a front-man of Mr Zardari has come on record to state that he had actually bought the Islamabad land years ago and kept it as an “amanat” (sacred trust) of Mr Zardari has confirmed that the president has been involved in such deals but has been hiding behind his political facade. That his involvement is a direct and blatant case of conflict of interest is obvious.
The fact that Zardari’s point-man for Pakistan Steel, infamous business manipulator Riaz Laljee, has escaped from the country and is now enjoying life in Dubai, where he was last seen with the step brother of Mr Zardari, Tuppee (his nick name), in a super latest sports Rolls Royce driven by Tuppee and with three sensational beauties, in front of Dubai’s biggest shopping mall, indicates these guys have made enough money to throw it publicly and worry about no one. That Riaz Laljee was not put on the ECL was also noted by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry in a recent suo moto case on the Pakistan Steel.
The fact that as the NRO’s fate is decided in coming days and weeks, many more cases challenging the qualification of President Zardari will be filed and heard by the Supreme Court is ominous.
The fact that all the other cronies of Mr Zardari who are not protected by any immunity will have to face the music once the NRO is struck down as a bad law which violated the constitution, ab initio, is already causing panic in the presidential camp and rats are jumping the sinking ship. Dr Asim Hussain of NRB and Petroleum Ministry is the latest example. Laljee has already escaped.
The fact that Zardari’s closest partner Zulfikar Mirza has already launched the Sindh card by picking up the ridiculous non-issue of violation of the sanctity of the Sindhi cap in a Geo TV talk show, shows how bankrupt the presidential camp is to defend itself. Will saving the Sindhi cap, which no one ever wants to desecrate or insult, save Mr Zardari and will Sindh pick up arms to separate from Pakistan for the ajrak or cap, is not even a debatable question.
The fact that the military and civilian establishment has now started dealing full time with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, as the man who is and should run the country, has already put in effect the so-called and dreaded Minus-1 formula in which Mr Zardari stays as a Rafiq Tarar with no direct say in government affairs, or goes away if he is allowed to.
The fact that during his historic Afghan strategy Obama speech and interviews later by Hillary Clinton nowhere was the government or Zardari offered any support or protection, but always it was the democratic system which was mentioned and was to be protected.
The fact is that despite all his political gimmickry and manipulation, Zardari had to sign away his powers to keep the nuclear button under his thumb and the NCA was transferred to the PM. This was a clear message to the presidency that powers could be taken away from him, despite his staying in that fortified palace, no matter what his political standing. The same may happen with the 17th Amendment powers and appointment of services chiefs etc. It is now clear that no one wants to trust or deal with Mr Zardari as a responsible leader of the country.
There may be many more such facts, which have eaten away Mr Zardari’s moral, political and executive authority to call the shots, as he had been doing in the last 18 months. His power tenure is almost over and the country has to move on.
At such a crucial stage enters Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani with full powers. Here lies the most serious challenge to the country’s developing and nascent democratic set-up. Mr Gilani will have to show that he is up to the job and will have to quickly get out of the shadows of Mr Zardari to remove the impression that he was being remote-controlled from the presidency.
For this the script writers already have a sketch of how he should move quickly, if he really wants to save the system and take control. This unwritten script for Mr Gilani could be the ultimate yardstick to judge where Pakistan will go.
Firstly, without losing a day, Mr Gilani will have to get rid of the tainted and corrupt cronies of Mr Zardari from his cabinet. This may be a little unpalatable for the presidency but the PM has to put his foot down.
Then he has to get the 17th Amendment out of his way as quickly as possible and get the PML-N leadership on board in his cabinet, with important portfolios so that the much desired and much needed credibility and consensus, backed by the force of a moral popular authority, is built.
The next task of Mr Gilani would be to let the chips fall where they may by allowing the courts to judge the NRO beneficiaries on their merits, acquit or punish them. Similar should be the case for all cases against the president and if he is disqualified, Mr Gilani should be ready to nominate and get a new president elected, as soon as possible, someone with integrity and having a moral face to provide respect to the system.
The most important task of the PM would be to show good governance and cut corruption. For this he needs the services of the best available, clean and honest, bureaucrats from the civilian and military bureaucracy, whether in active service or retired. He still has a small reservoir of upright and competent civil servants who may be ready to provide stability and vision to his government, despite the pressure of political jugglers sitting as ministers.
The present set-up of challenged bureaucrats has to go immediately with Mrs Nargis Sethi, (nothing against her personally) posted out to an appropriate position but a seasoned, competent and respected officer brought in her place to handle the bureaucracy.
If Mr Gilani does not handle this properly his government will soon fall short of space and then the entire democratic and elected set-up will be attacked by all the hawks in the political, civil and military establishment, saying the politicians are simply incapable of running the country.
Mr Gilani has also to convince Mian Nawaz Sharif to immediately get himself elected to the National Assembly and sit in the Parliament to lend it strength and support. He should be included in top decision-making and a team of experts, technocrats, retired judges, executives and others may be formed on the side as a super think tank to provide the vision and strategic depth to the elected government.
This is critical as Pakistan has to face the new American strategy in Afghanistan, fight off the terrorists at home, control the desperate helplessness of the people who have lost all hope and are being crushed under the burden of spiralling inflation and unemployment. The money flowing into Pakistan has to be spent for the people, in a transparent and effective manner.
Mr Zardari has already wasted his chance to become a national visionary leader who could take the country forward. But as I had stated before he ran for the office of the president, he was just not fit for that job, did not have the capacity to handle or grow into it and he would drown in his own corrupt juices, trying to extricate himself. The more he did that, the more the noose tightened around his neck and he is now about to hang himself. That was a political prediction, which is about to come true in a matter of days or weeks.
But it is now Mr Gilani’s neck on the line and he has to rise and fill the big shoes. He needs the support of all those who want the democratic system to work and the PM has to show vision, tolerance and patience to accommodate all points of view. He has to be upright and transparent in his dealings. Mr Gilani has tons of unwanted debris lying at his doorstep, thanks to Mr Zardari’s tunnel vision, arrogance, corruption and incompetence.
Source: thenews.com.pk/
Zardari urged to relinquish powers
Pakistan's main opposition party has called on Asif Ali Zardari, the country's president, to relinquish much of his powers.
The latest call on Sunday from Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, comes amid growing clamour for Zardari to assume a ceremonial role or resign.
Zardari's position as president has been weakened by the expiration of an amnesty protecting him and several key allies from graft prosecution, raising the possibility of legal challenges to his rule in the coming months.
The Pakistani president has promised to give much of his powers to the prime minister, in line with Pakistan's original constitution, but has been accused of foot-dragging by an angry opposition.
Zardari transferred command of the country's nuclear arsenal to Yousef Raza Gilani, the prime minister, on Friday and promised to surrender other key powers by the end of 2009, including the authority to fire an elected government and appoint top military chiefs.
'Abolish amendment'
Shahbaz, who is chief minister of Pakistan's largest province, Punjab, said Zardari must act now on promises he made earlier on abolishing the measure known as the 17th constitutional amendment.
"I would ask the president to immediately abolish the 17th amendment," Sharif said to reporters in the Pakistani city of Lahore.
"The nation would appreciate this act."
Zaradari's deepening unpopularity has put Washington in a bind over its avowed commitment to political stability in Pakistan.
If Zardari is forced from power, either on corruption charges or through a collapse of his ruling party, the US might have to deal with new leaders who are no better able to solve the country's problems.
However, a military coup to oust Zardari appears unlikely, as does impeachment since he heads the largest party in parliament.
The upheaval comes as the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, is expected to announce a new strategy this week for defeating the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan and on Pakistan's northwestern border.
Zardari inherited sweeping presidential powers from General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power after a 1999 military coup and resigned last year.
Source: aljazeera.net/
PPP will continue to strengthen democracy: Zardari
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will continue to resolve the problems facing the people and strengthen democracy in the country, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday. Adressing a party meeting, the president said the PPP knew how to take opposition in normal stride. Later briefing the media, the president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in the meeting party workers expressed their views on a host of issues of significance to the people, governance and the party and made a number of suggestions. Reposing confidence in the leadership of PPP Co-Chairman President Asif Ali Zardari, they reaffirmed their determination to politically fight the opponents. They also talked about the problems of their constituencies and sought government assistance in resolving the issues. The president assured them that the issues raised by them with respect to their constituencies would be forwarded to the government. Babar said the president also highlighted measures adopted by the government to alleviate poverty. He said the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was giving 12 percent shares to workers in state-owned enterprises, was reinstating sacked workers and was distributing state land among poor women in the command areas of the new dams to be built in all provinces. staff report
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/
Pak Chief Justice constitutes bench to hear Zardari amnesty case
Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chudhary on Thursday constituted a 17-judge larger bench to hear petitions challenging the amnesty granted to President Asif Ali Zardari and close aides under a controversial law that expired last month.
The larger bench, which will be headed by the Chief Justice, will begin hearing the petitions and other cases related to the National Reconciliation Ordinance from December 7, said a statement issued by the apex court.
The NRO, issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf two years ago, granted immunity in graft cases to over 8,000 people, including Zardari and his close aides like Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Salman Faruqui, secretary general to the President.
The law expired on November 28 after the government failed to get it endorsed by parliament within a deadline set by the apex court.
Source: zeenews.com/
The larger bench, which will be headed by the Chief Justice, will begin hearing the petitions and other cases related to the National Reconciliation Ordinance from December 7, said a statement issued by the apex court.
The NRO, issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf two years ago, granted immunity in graft cases to over 8,000 people, including Zardari and his close aides like Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Salman Faruqui, secretary general to the President.
The law expired on November 28 after the government failed to get it endorsed by parliament within a deadline set by the apex court.
Source: zeenews.com/
Obama speaks to Zardari
ISLAMABAD, US President Barack Obama on Tuesday phoned President Asif Ali Zardari with a view to taking him into confidence over his government's new Afghan policy under which the US would send additional 34,000 troops to Afghanistan. Sources said that Obama phoned President Zardari and informed him about the new US strategy to handle the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.
The sources said the US President assured President Zardari that the new surge of troops in neighbouring Afghanistan would not have any negative impact on Pakistan as Pakistan had expressed some reservations about the spillover effect from Afghanistan side due to fresh reinforcement of the ISAF forces stationed there.
Source: pakwatan.com/
The sources said the US President assured President Zardari that the new surge of troops in neighbouring Afghanistan would not have any negative impact on Pakistan as Pakistan had expressed some reservations about the spillover effect from Afghanistan side due to fresh reinforcement of the ISAF forces stationed there.
Source: pakwatan.com/
ANALYSIS - U.S. struggles to get Pakistan policy right
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration may be putting out a fire in Afghanistan, but the dynamite factory is next door in nuclear-armed Pakistan, commented Democratic lawmaker Gary Ackerman this week.
In other words, if President Barack Obama wants to achieve his goal to defeat al Qaeda, the strategic prize is Pakistan and its border area with Afghanistan, a region Obama called the "epicenter" of violent extremism when he announced his new Afghan war policy Tuesday night.
"My constituents keep asking? Is it worth risking the lives of those who respond to the fire in a place that may or may not hold a lot of value in and of itself," Ackerman, a U.S. congressman from New York, told Obama's defense and diplomatic chiefs.
The hard part, said ex-CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, was to get Islamabad to cooperate in the fight against extremists in what is an increasingly complex political climate in Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari's government is teetering and public opinion still staunchly anti-American, albeit less so than under the Bush administration.
Too much U.S. pressure makes Zardari's position even more precarious, particularly with the army and police.
"It is a very delicate balancing act," said Riedel, now with the Brookings Institution think tank. "You don't change Pakistan's strategic behavior very easily. It is not something that will change in the course of months or years," he added.
Source: reuters.com/
In other words, if President Barack Obama wants to achieve his goal to defeat al Qaeda, the strategic prize is Pakistan and its border area with Afghanistan, a region Obama called the "epicenter" of violent extremism when he announced his new Afghan war policy Tuesday night.
"My constituents keep asking? Is it worth risking the lives of those who respond to the fire in a place that may or may not hold a lot of value in and of itself," Ackerman, a U.S. congressman from New York, told Obama's defense and diplomatic chiefs.
The hard part, said ex-CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, was to get Islamabad to cooperate in the fight against extremists in what is an increasingly complex political climate in Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari's government is teetering and public opinion still staunchly anti-American, albeit less so than under the Bush administration.
Too much U.S. pressure makes Zardari's position even more precarious, particularly with the army and police.
"It is a very delicate balancing act," said Riedel, now with the Brookings Institution think tank. "You don't change Pakistan's strategic behavior very easily. It is not something that will change in the course of months or years," he added.
Source: reuters.com/
President, PM strongly condemn Rawalpindi blast
ISLAMABAD, Dec 4 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Friday strongly condemned the bomb blast in a mosque in Rawalpindi, killing several persons. In his message, the President said the perpetrators of such heinous crime would not be spared. He expressed condolence over the loss of innocent lives and said the government was committed to root out terrorism from the country. In a separate message, the Prime Minister said terrorists and extremists were the country’s biggest enemies and every effort would be made to eradicate them at all cost.
He directed the concerned authorities to investigate the matter and asked the medical staff to ensure better treatment of the injured.
Source: app.com.pk/
He directed the concerned authorities to investigate the matter and asked the medical staff to ensure better treatment of the injured.
Source: app.com.pk/
Zardari vows to fight back
* President says PPP govt has right to complete term
* Handful of political actors, not political parties, establishment trying to derail system
* Calls on opponents to wait their turn
By Irfan Ali
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari vowed on Wednesday to foil all conspiracies against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and rebuked attempts to blackmail him and other leaders by “pranksters who were masquerading as political actors”.
“We are not afraid of conspiracies and if there are any, we will fight,” said Zardari, who is also the PPP co-chairman, in an address to party workers and leaders on PPP’s foundation day.
In a live telecast address from the Presidency, Zardari said “political jokers” wanted to destabilise the government. “These pranksters should not [be allowed to] waste the time of the masses ... it is the constitutional right of the democratically elected government to complete its five-year term,” said Zardari. An opposition from the legitimate opposition is welcome, but we turn down an opposition of political pranksters,” he said, and warned that conspiracies against Pakistan and the PPP would not be tolerated.
Wait for turn: Zardari also called on parties and individuals who boycotted the last general elections to wait for their turn instead of resorting to “undemocratic, immature and unconstitutional ways”. “Political parties or the establishment do not want [to derail the system] ... it is only a handful of political actors. They should wait for their turn till the next elections,” the APP news agency quoted him as saying. The president also vowed to continue the war on terror, and said terrorism was a “murderous cancer for the country”.
The PPP hosted the gathering to renew party pledges at the same place where Benazir Bhutto was scheduled to address her homecoming rally.
Reacting to criticism against him for highlighting his Sindhi origin and wearing a Sindhi cap during his Afghanistan visit, Zardari said, “The pranksters masquerading as political actors don’t know that Sindhu (Indus) is today’s Pakistan,” he said.
He said Sindh had laid the foundation of Pakistan and saved the country, and the PPP remains committed to this political belief.
He criticised a private news channel for “anti-democracy propaganda and demonisation of the government and the Presidency”. He said “conspirators” were unhappy because the PPP government had given rights to the people of the Tribal Areas and Gilgit-Baltistan and tabled a Balochistan package.
Zardari said he considered the opposition a great asset for democracy, adding that the PPP wanted to see the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and other parties thrive and strengthen democracy in the country. He called on the party’s opponents to let the masses decide the PPP’s fate in the next elections.
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/
* Handful of political actors, not political parties, establishment trying to derail system
* Calls on opponents to wait their turn
By Irfan Ali
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari vowed on Wednesday to foil all conspiracies against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and rebuked attempts to blackmail him and other leaders by “pranksters who were masquerading as political actors”.
“We are not afraid of conspiracies and if there are any, we will fight,” said Zardari, who is also the PPP co-chairman, in an address to party workers and leaders on PPP’s foundation day.
In a live telecast address from the Presidency, Zardari said “political jokers” wanted to destabilise the government. “These pranksters should not [be allowed to] waste the time of the masses ... it is the constitutional right of the democratically elected government to complete its five-year term,” said Zardari. An opposition from the legitimate opposition is welcome, but we turn down an opposition of political pranksters,” he said, and warned that conspiracies against Pakistan and the PPP would not be tolerated.
Wait for turn: Zardari also called on parties and individuals who boycotted the last general elections to wait for their turn instead of resorting to “undemocratic, immature and unconstitutional ways”. “Political parties or the establishment do not want [to derail the system] ... it is only a handful of political actors. They should wait for their turn till the next elections,” the APP news agency quoted him as saying. The president also vowed to continue the war on terror, and said terrorism was a “murderous cancer for the country”.
The PPP hosted the gathering to renew party pledges at the same place where Benazir Bhutto was scheduled to address her homecoming rally.
Reacting to criticism against him for highlighting his Sindhi origin and wearing a Sindhi cap during his Afghanistan visit, Zardari said, “The pranksters masquerading as political actors don’t know that Sindhu (Indus) is today’s Pakistan,” he said.
He said Sindh had laid the foundation of Pakistan and saved the country, and the PPP remains committed to this political belief.
He criticised a private news channel for “anti-democracy propaganda and demonisation of the government and the Presidency”. He said “conspirators” were unhappy because the PPP government had given rights to the people of the Tribal Areas and Gilgit-Baltistan and tabled a Balochistan package.
Zardari said he considered the opposition a great asset for democracy, adding that the PPP wanted to see the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and other parties thrive and strengthen democracy in the country. He called on the party’s opponents to let the masses decide the PPP’s fate in the next elections.
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/
Zardari wasn't eligible for contesting polls: Bar
LAHORE - Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Anwar Qazi has said that the ministers who got benefit from controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) should immediately resign from their offices and face cases before courts. After the lapse of NRO, he added, Asif Ali Zardari’s nomination as President was now ‘open to question’ and the SC would have to decide his (president) candidature in any case.
He was addressing a Press conference after the maiden meeting of SCBA’s executive body at Karachi Shuhada Hall of the Lahore High Court Bar Association here on Tuesday.
“I want to clear one thing. I have no personal animosity against Zardari. In my opinion, Zardari was not eligible to contest presidential election at all because corruption cases were pending against him at that time”, Anwar Qazi clarified. He said that under article 248, 41, 62 and 63 he (Zardari) was not eligible to contest elections at the time of his nomination.
He cited the example of Italy where a constitutional court had recently overturned a law granting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immunity from prosecution while in office because the judges said immunity violated the principle that all citizens were equal. He said that system in Pakistan had crippled down, as everyone was busy in looting money by hook or crook. “Menace of corruption, bribery and dishonesty has taken its toll on the national resources that has destructed our very foundation,” he added.
Qazi pledged that the lawyers would continue their struggle for uprooting these evils, which has made people lives miserable.
Source: nation.com.pk/
He was addressing a Press conference after the maiden meeting of SCBA’s executive body at Karachi Shuhada Hall of the Lahore High Court Bar Association here on Tuesday.
“I want to clear one thing. I have no personal animosity against Zardari. In my opinion, Zardari was not eligible to contest presidential election at all because corruption cases were pending against him at that time”, Anwar Qazi clarified. He said that under article 248, 41, 62 and 63 he (Zardari) was not eligible to contest elections at the time of his nomination.
He cited the example of Italy where a constitutional court had recently overturned a law granting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immunity from prosecution while in office because the judges said immunity violated the principle that all citizens were equal. He said that system in Pakistan had crippled down, as everyone was busy in looting money by hook or crook. “Menace of corruption, bribery and dishonesty has taken its toll on the national resources that has destructed our very foundation,” he added.
Qazi pledged that the lawyers would continue their struggle for uprooting these evils, which has made people lives miserable.
Source: nation.com.pk/
Zardari’s front man admits 300 acres was ‘Amanat of my friend’
ISLAMABAD: The front man who bought nearly 2,500 kanals (over 300 acres) of Islamabad land, now worth Rs2 billion or more, for President Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal in mid-90s, has finally come forward to make some candid confessions, on the record, admitting that the land was an “amanat” (trust) of Mr Zardari and in 2004-05 when he was almost dying of sickness, he had asked Mr Zardari “to get this land off my name.”
The six-foot tall, healthy looking, pony-tailed Mohammad Nasir Khan, sat down with The News team in a five-star hotel in Karachi a fortnight back to discuss the entire land episode and spoke frankly, mostly off the record, but allowed some portions of his interview to be printed. He did not use Mr Zardari’s name in his talk but always referred to him as “my friend”. But several times when he was asked whether by “my friend” he meant President Zardari, his answer was always ‘yes’.
It was clear from his long conversation that he knew little about the manner in which the land was transferred to another friend of Mr Zardari, Faisal Sakhi Butt, for just Rs62 million. But Nasir Khan owned up everything that had been done in the courts, including a case filed by Faisal Butt against him and later transfer of the court decree in the name of Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Mr Zardari and his son.
What emerged clearly after talking to Nasir Khan was that the court proceedings invoked in the controversial transfer of 2,460 kanals of Islamabad land early this year were just a cover up to give legal shape to what was already settled and sealed between the concerned parties.
The interview with Nasir Khan was possible after a wild goose chase for him by the entire investigation team of The News, including his contacts and addresses in the United States and digging out his CNIC record from Nadra because there were strong rumours that he had died several years ago.
In the interview Nasir Khan himself confirmed that even a police team arrived at his house in Karachi recently to check whether he was alive or dead. Who and why the police team was sent could not been explained.
Background interactions, documentary evidence and the interview with the most important player of this deal make the case far more suspicious than what it was considered earlier, as the middle link, Faisal Sakhi Butt, has mysteriously gone underground and is totally inaccessible to the media, refusing to even show his face for a picture from a zoom lens.
Butt, who had bought the land from Nasir Khan using the legal process to transfer it to Mr Zardari, was brought in the picture after Nasir Khan had sent the secret message to Mr Zardari, who had probably left Pakistan by then. Interestingly neither any evidence was produced in the court of any legally acknowledged transaction in this sale-purchase deal nor any other source including the seller, Nasir Khan, could show anything in this regard.
When Nasir Khan was asked repeatedly in the interview how the money had been transferred and through which account, he sought refuge behind the argument that all financial matters were “private and confidential” and could not be discussed.
Nasir Khan made some revealing disclosures and his dates and time line for several developments in the deal make the entire transaction more than shady.
What makes Faisal Sakhi Butt a totally irrelevant actor in this whole case was the admission of Nasir Khan that he had sold the land in 2003 and had in 2004-2005 requested his friend (Asif Ali Zardari) to “get it (the land) off my name.”
Mr Khan said that it was only after this demand that the land should be transferred from his name, that the court procedure was pursued. “Whatever happened in court was with my consent,” he said giving blanket approval of the legal shuffling that was done, but his dates and time left many questions unanswered.
Faisal Sakhi Butt, it was thus established, had knocked the door of the courts only to ensure the smooth transfer of land from Nasir Khan to President Zardari’s company called M/s Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Ltd.
The court papers show that the case, filed by Butt, was never contested by Nasir Khan, who admitted to The News that all that had happened after 2003 was with his consent.
But mystery was added when he was asked about the case, names of lawyers etc and he knew no one. He neither knew the name of the counsel, who represented him in the Islamabad courts in this case, nor did he remember the date and even month of the sale agreement.
Nasir Khan also could not recall the price for which he sold the land but repeatedly said that whatever was reflected in the “sale agreement” as produced before the court was correct.
When further probed as to how much money did he get from Mr Zardari in 2003 for this land, he declined to share details, arguing that payment issues were personal issues and could not be disclosed in public.
Nasir Khan met with a team of The News in a restaurant of a leading Karachi hotel, where Mr Khan was invited for the meeting. Humble but smart Khan was extremely cautious about the words he chose and was too choosy and careful as to where would he be quoted on the record. His foremost concern was not to say anything that might hurt ‘his friend’.
He revealed that a number of Karachi policemen visited his home recently to inquire if he is dead. Why and who sent them he did not disclose.
Khan insisted that the land was his and not of Mr Asif Ali Zardari when he bought it in mid 90s. Around 2003, he said, he was badly in need of money so he contacted his friend (Mr Zardari), who, he recalled, had promised him at the time of the purchase of the land that he (AZ) would pay or get some one pay double the amount for the land whenever he would need the money.
In return, he said that some payment was made to him. “How did he (Mr Zardari) arrange that, I don’t know,” Khan said perhaps realising that Mr Zardari was in jail in the year 2003.
“And then when I got ill in 2004-05 and was close to death, I sent him (Mr Zardari) a message to get it (the land) off my name,” he said, adding that this was how the court process started. “Whatever happened in the court was with my consent,” he admitted and owned up every document produced before the courts.
However, he knew nothing about what was written in the sale agreement or in the court papers. The sale agreement as was produced before the Islamabad court, and signed by Nasir Khan and Faisal Sakhi Butt, in the very beginning says that it was made on January 18, 2007. Mr Khan, however, did not remember the date or the month.
When pressed to recall, he said that it was perhaps signed a week or so before the murder of Benazir Bhutto. The former prime minister was assassinated on Dec 27, 2007. He was thus off the mark by about a year.
When asked about the amount for which the land was sold and as mentioned in the agreement, he said that he did not remember what amount did he receive but hurriedly added, “The amount is mentioned in the agreement.” He said, “Whatever is in the agreement is correct.”
Every page of the three-page agreement has the signatures of both Khan and Butt. The agreement is also annexed with a “Receipt” that is signed by Nasir Khan on January 18, 2007 and confirms the receipt of a sum of US $15,000 from Faisal Butt as “advance payment in connection with the sale of 2460 kanals and 17 marlas of land at Sangjani, Islamabad for a total sale consideration of Rs62,000,000 (Rs62 m) only.”
There is no mention if the said payment was made through bank. In US such transactions in cash are not permitted. Nasir Khan could land in serious trouble if he did not disclose the transaction in his US tax returns or other financial papers.
When asked about this Nasir Khan said that he would not discuss and disclose such financial issues, as they were personal matters.
Asked to tell the name of the counsel that he had hired to represent him in the Islamabad courts in the civil suit that Faisal Butt had filed against him, he said that he did not remember his name.
Nasir Khan had neither appeared in person before the civil court nor before the Islamabad High Court, which issued the decree initially in favour of Faisal Sakhi Butt and subsequently in favour of Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Ltd.
In another mysterious twist Nasir Khan’s counsel, who had appeared on his behalf in the courts, also never met his ‘client’ nor does he remember to have ever spoken to him either before the initiation of the case, during its proceedings or after its conclusion.
Senior advocate of Supreme Court, Bashir Kiyani, represented Muhammad Nasir Khan in the courts. When approached by The News, Bashir Kiyani said that he neither knew nor ever met Muhammad Nasir Khan. “Some of my colleagues, whose name I will not mention, referred this case to me and gave a Wakalat Nama of Muhammad Nasir Khan,” Kiyani revealed, adding, “I don’t remember if I have ever spoken to him.”
When Kiyani was asked that in the court documents his (Kiyani’s) address was given as “service address” of Muhammad Nasir Khan so he should disclose who had given him Wakalat Nama of Nasir Khan, Kiyani replied that he would not disclose the identity of that person.
There was no mention in the court papers of the National Identity Card number (NIC), National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis number (NICOP), Pakistan Origin Card number (POC) or any of the US Social Security Number or identity number of Mr Khan.
Bashir Kiyani, however, said: “You can write it as my legal opinion that none of these identifications are required for transfer of land from one person to another person.”
In these situations where all the facts are contradictory, full of doubts and questionable, Faisal Sakhi Butt is the key missing link and he has shut himself up, not making himself available to the media.
Despite repeated requests made to him through his personal secretary, Mr Butt is not available for his views. Not only that, in the past repeated efforts were made to get his comments and he was again contacted after The News’ interaction with Nasir Khan but to no avail.
In 1997-98, the then Sharif government had alleged that the same land belonged to Mr Zardari, who had forcibly bought it from the locals during Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure but had transferred it in the name of what was said to be his front man, Nasir Khan.
In 1997 the Ehtesab Bureau headed by Mian Saifur Rehman had initiated a case against Mr Zardari while the FIA had arrested some persons in the case. Media reports in 1997 had then stated that Zardari had forcibly acquired 2,500 kanals of land, uprooting 300 families, to set up a polo ground and a riding pavilion in Sangjani, 25 minutes from main Islamabad. Now Mohammad Nasir Khan has confirmed that the reference filed by Mian Saifur Rehman was genuine.
Source: thenews.com.pk/
The six-foot tall, healthy looking, pony-tailed Mohammad Nasir Khan, sat down with The News team in a five-star hotel in Karachi a fortnight back to discuss the entire land episode and spoke frankly, mostly off the record, but allowed some portions of his interview to be printed. He did not use Mr Zardari’s name in his talk but always referred to him as “my friend”. But several times when he was asked whether by “my friend” he meant President Zardari, his answer was always ‘yes’.
It was clear from his long conversation that he knew little about the manner in which the land was transferred to another friend of Mr Zardari, Faisal Sakhi Butt, for just Rs62 million. But Nasir Khan owned up everything that had been done in the courts, including a case filed by Faisal Butt against him and later transfer of the court decree in the name of Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Ltd, owned by Mr Zardari and his son.
What emerged clearly after talking to Nasir Khan was that the court proceedings invoked in the controversial transfer of 2,460 kanals of Islamabad land early this year were just a cover up to give legal shape to what was already settled and sealed between the concerned parties.
The interview with Nasir Khan was possible after a wild goose chase for him by the entire investigation team of The News, including his contacts and addresses in the United States and digging out his CNIC record from Nadra because there were strong rumours that he had died several years ago.
In the interview Nasir Khan himself confirmed that even a police team arrived at his house in Karachi recently to check whether he was alive or dead. Who and why the police team was sent could not been explained.
Background interactions, documentary evidence and the interview with the most important player of this deal make the case far more suspicious than what it was considered earlier, as the middle link, Faisal Sakhi Butt, has mysteriously gone underground and is totally inaccessible to the media, refusing to even show his face for a picture from a zoom lens.
Butt, who had bought the land from Nasir Khan using the legal process to transfer it to Mr Zardari, was brought in the picture after Nasir Khan had sent the secret message to Mr Zardari, who had probably left Pakistan by then. Interestingly neither any evidence was produced in the court of any legally acknowledged transaction in this sale-purchase deal nor any other source including the seller, Nasir Khan, could show anything in this regard.
When Nasir Khan was asked repeatedly in the interview how the money had been transferred and through which account, he sought refuge behind the argument that all financial matters were “private and confidential” and could not be discussed.
Nasir Khan made some revealing disclosures and his dates and time line for several developments in the deal make the entire transaction more than shady.
What makes Faisal Sakhi Butt a totally irrelevant actor in this whole case was the admission of Nasir Khan that he had sold the land in 2003 and had in 2004-2005 requested his friend (Asif Ali Zardari) to “get it (the land) off my name.”
Mr Khan said that it was only after this demand that the land should be transferred from his name, that the court procedure was pursued. “Whatever happened in court was with my consent,” he said giving blanket approval of the legal shuffling that was done, but his dates and time left many questions unanswered.
Faisal Sakhi Butt, it was thus established, had knocked the door of the courts only to ensure the smooth transfer of land from Nasir Khan to President Zardari’s company called M/s Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Ltd.
The court papers show that the case, filed by Butt, was never contested by Nasir Khan, who admitted to The News that all that had happened after 2003 was with his consent.
But mystery was added when he was asked about the case, names of lawyers etc and he knew no one. He neither knew the name of the counsel, who represented him in the Islamabad courts in this case, nor did he remember the date and even month of the sale agreement.
Nasir Khan also could not recall the price for which he sold the land but repeatedly said that whatever was reflected in the “sale agreement” as produced before the court was correct.
When further probed as to how much money did he get from Mr Zardari in 2003 for this land, he declined to share details, arguing that payment issues were personal issues and could not be disclosed in public.
Nasir Khan met with a team of The News in a restaurant of a leading Karachi hotel, where Mr Khan was invited for the meeting. Humble but smart Khan was extremely cautious about the words he chose and was too choosy and careful as to where would he be quoted on the record. His foremost concern was not to say anything that might hurt ‘his friend’.
He revealed that a number of Karachi policemen visited his home recently to inquire if he is dead. Why and who sent them he did not disclose.
Khan insisted that the land was his and not of Mr Asif Ali Zardari when he bought it in mid 90s. Around 2003, he said, he was badly in need of money so he contacted his friend (Mr Zardari), who, he recalled, had promised him at the time of the purchase of the land that he (AZ) would pay or get some one pay double the amount for the land whenever he would need the money.
In return, he said that some payment was made to him. “How did he (Mr Zardari) arrange that, I don’t know,” Khan said perhaps realising that Mr Zardari was in jail in the year 2003.
“And then when I got ill in 2004-05 and was close to death, I sent him (Mr Zardari) a message to get it (the land) off my name,” he said, adding that this was how the court process started. “Whatever happened in the court was with my consent,” he admitted and owned up every document produced before the courts.
However, he knew nothing about what was written in the sale agreement or in the court papers. The sale agreement as was produced before the Islamabad court, and signed by Nasir Khan and Faisal Sakhi Butt, in the very beginning says that it was made on January 18, 2007. Mr Khan, however, did not remember the date or the month.
When pressed to recall, he said that it was perhaps signed a week or so before the murder of Benazir Bhutto. The former prime minister was assassinated on Dec 27, 2007. He was thus off the mark by about a year.
When asked about the amount for which the land was sold and as mentioned in the agreement, he said that he did not remember what amount did he receive but hurriedly added, “The amount is mentioned in the agreement.” He said, “Whatever is in the agreement is correct.”
Every page of the three-page agreement has the signatures of both Khan and Butt. The agreement is also annexed with a “Receipt” that is signed by Nasir Khan on January 18, 2007 and confirms the receipt of a sum of US $15,000 from Faisal Butt as “advance payment in connection with the sale of 2460 kanals and 17 marlas of land at Sangjani, Islamabad for a total sale consideration of Rs62,000,000 (Rs62 m) only.”
There is no mention if the said payment was made through bank. In US such transactions in cash are not permitted. Nasir Khan could land in serious trouble if he did not disclose the transaction in his US tax returns or other financial papers.
When asked about this Nasir Khan said that he would not discuss and disclose such financial issues, as they were personal matters.
Asked to tell the name of the counsel that he had hired to represent him in the Islamabad courts in the civil suit that Faisal Butt had filed against him, he said that he did not remember his name.
Nasir Khan had neither appeared in person before the civil court nor before the Islamabad High Court, which issued the decree initially in favour of Faisal Sakhi Butt and subsequently in favour of Park Lane Estates (Pvt) Ltd.
In another mysterious twist Nasir Khan’s counsel, who had appeared on his behalf in the courts, also never met his ‘client’ nor does he remember to have ever spoken to him either before the initiation of the case, during its proceedings or after its conclusion.
Senior advocate of Supreme Court, Bashir Kiyani, represented Muhammad Nasir Khan in the courts. When approached by The News, Bashir Kiyani said that he neither knew nor ever met Muhammad Nasir Khan. “Some of my colleagues, whose name I will not mention, referred this case to me and gave a Wakalat Nama of Muhammad Nasir Khan,” Kiyani revealed, adding, “I don’t remember if I have ever spoken to him.”
When Kiyani was asked that in the court documents his (Kiyani’s) address was given as “service address” of Muhammad Nasir Khan so he should disclose who had given him Wakalat Nama of Nasir Khan, Kiyani replied that he would not disclose the identity of that person.
There was no mention in the court papers of the National Identity Card number (NIC), National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis number (NICOP), Pakistan Origin Card number (POC) or any of the US Social Security Number or identity number of Mr Khan.
Bashir Kiyani, however, said: “You can write it as my legal opinion that none of these identifications are required for transfer of land from one person to another person.”
In these situations where all the facts are contradictory, full of doubts and questionable, Faisal Sakhi Butt is the key missing link and he has shut himself up, not making himself available to the media.
Despite repeated requests made to him through his personal secretary, Mr Butt is not available for his views. Not only that, in the past repeated efforts were made to get his comments and he was again contacted after The News’ interaction with Nasir Khan but to no avail.
In 1997-98, the then Sharif government had alleged that the same land belonged to Mr Zardari, who had forcibly bought it from the locals during Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure but had transferred it in the name of what was said to be his front man, Nasir Khan.
In 1997 the Ehtesab Bureau headed by Mian Saifur Rehman had initiated a case against Mr Zardari while the FIA had arrested some persons in the case. Media reports in 1997 had then stated that Zardari had forcibly acquired 2,500 kanals of land, uprooting 300 families, to set up a polo ground and a riding pavilion in Sangjani, 25 minutes from main Islamabad. Now Mohammad Nasir Khan has confirmed that the reference filed by Mian Saifur Rehman was genuine.
Source: thenews.com.pk/
Zardari calls for South Waziristan rehabilitation
ISLAMABAD: As the military operation in South Waziristan enters the final stage, President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the NWFP Governor Owais Ghani to finalise the rehabilitation and reconstruction plan for the tribal agency, DawnNews reported.
The President’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar told the media that a plan will be put into action soon after the operation officially ends in South Waziristan Agency
In the short term the displaced people will be rehabilitated in their homes and the damaged infrastructure repaired. In the medium term new developmental projects will be undertaken that provide new economic opportunities to the people.
In the long term measures will be taken to reform the militant mindset through education, social and political reforms and giving people ownership in mega development projects through public private partnership.
Meanwhile, at least six militants were reported killed and several others injured when a gunship helicopter pounded hideouts in the Spairkot area of central Kurram.
Official sources who confirmed the reports claimed that the militant hideout was allegedly being used by the TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud.
There are also reports that following the militay operation in south Waziristan, militants have fled to the central Kurram and Orakzai agency.— DawnNews
Source: dawn.com/
Zardari, Baloch ministers discuss Balochistan’s empowerment package
ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday met Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Khan Raisani and discussed matters relating to the province. In a meeting with provincial ministers from Balochistan at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the issues including Balochistan’s empowerment package, law and order situation and developmental projects came under discussion.
Mir Mohammad Asim Kurd Gello, Minister for Finance Balochistan, Mohammad Younas Mullazai, Minister for Information Balochistan and Mir Mohammad Sadiq Umrani, Provincial Minister for Communication and Works attended the meeting.
Source:
Reforms committee for clipping president’s powers
ISLAMABAD: The Special Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms on Thursday proposed clipping off the president’s powers to make appointments and remove the prime minister.
The committee favoured restoration of the prime minister’s powers as the chief executive laid down in the 1973 Constitution.
The committee revisited articles 91 and 92 of the Constitution regarding the president’s powers to appoint a prime minister and cabinet members.
The committee has held 29 meetings since it formation in April and completed the review of Article 90 pertaining to the executive authority of the office of president.
President Asif Ali Zardari has already expressed willingness to surrender the powers he had inherited under the 17th Amendment introduced by former president Pervez Musharraf.
The committee also proposed repeal of three of the eight clauses of Article 91 and revival of the Constitution in its 1973 position.
The document, before amendments, provided for the ascertainment of the prime minister by a simple majority in the National Assembly.
Some members proposed an upper limit for the cabinet in order to keep its size at a reasonable level.
According to sources, the proposal was not carried as an amendment to the relevant article. The Pakhtunkhwah Milli Awami Party suggested that it should be made mandatory for the prime minister to take a vote of confidence from the Senate.
Most members proposed to make the cabinet collectively responsible to both houses of parliament. At present the cabinet was only responsible to the National Assembly.
They also suggested the removal of clause 5 of Article 91 which provided that ‘the prime minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the president’.
Clause 4 of the article states: ‘The cabinet, together with the ministers of state, shall be collectively responsible to the National Assembly.’
The sources said the committee was unanimous on retaining all four clauses of Article 92 relating to the appointment of ministers and ministers of state and ministers’ oath and procedure of their removal.
The committee’s chairman, Senator Raza Rabbani, refused to divulge details about the proceedings. He, however, hinted at early convening of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to discuss the new US strategy on Afghanistan.
Rabbani also presided over a meeting of the special cabinet committee on Balochistan to review implementation of the package unveiled last week.
Source: dawn.com/
Monday, March 2, 2009
Asif Ali Zardari (Urdu, Sindhi: آصف علی زرداری)
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Asif Ali Zardari (Urdu, Sindhi: آصف علی زرداری) (born 26 July 1955) is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Zardari is the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who twice served as Prime Minister of Pakistan. When his wife was assassinated in December 2007, he became the leader of the Pakistan People's Party. He is one of the top five richest men in Pakistan with an estimated net worth of US$1.8 billion (2005).
Asif Ali Zardari belongs to the Baloch Muslim family settled in Sindh. He is from the town of Nawabshah in Sindh. He is the son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a Pakistani cinema owner, a politician in Pakistani Politics since the 1970s and the leader of the Zardari Clan. His mother is from the family of Khan Bahadur Hasan Ali Effendi, who was among the founders of the first educational institution in Sindh, "Sindh Madarsa-tul-Islam Karachi".
Zardari acquired his primary education from the Karachi Grammar School [5] and his secondary education from Cadet College, Petaro. While a candidate for parliament, a position for which a 2002 rule requires a college degree, Zardari claimed to have graduated from a college in London.
Asif Ali Zardari (Urdu, Sindhi: آصف علی زرداری) (born 26 July 1955) is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Zardari is the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who twice served as Prime Minister of Pakistan. When his wife was assassinated in December 2007, he became the leader of the Pakistan People's Party. He is one of the top five richest men in Pakistan with an estimated net worth of US$1.8 billion (2005).
Asif Ali Zardari belongs to the Baloch Muslim family settled in Sindh. He is from the town of Nawabshah in Sindh. He is the son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a Pakistani cinema owner, a politician in Pakistani Politics since the 1970s and the leader of the Zardari Clan. His mother is from the family of Khan Bahadur Hasan Ali Effendi, who was among the founders of the first educational institution in Sindh, "Sindh Madarsa-tul-Islam Karachi".
Zardari acquired his primary education from the Karachi Grammar School [5] and his secondary education from Cadet College, Petaro. While a candidate for parliament, a position for which a 2002 rule requires a college degree, Zardari claimed to have graduated from a college in London.
Meeting with Governor Sarah Palin
While in US, Mr. Asif Zardari met Governor Sarah Palin, the U.S. Republican Party's Vice Presidential candidate. He told her that she is "gorgeous" and said: "Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you." When the photographers asked the two to keep shaking hands, he replied: "If he insists, I might hug you." These remarks sparked controversy in Pakistan, where members of the public accused the president of flirting with Governor Palin when Pakistan is passing through difficult times.
2008 Interview with Wall Street Journal
In an interview published on October 4, 2008 in The Wall Street Journal Zardari referred to Kashmir Militants as "terrorists" while asking for $ 100 billion in aid for his country. This statement was widely criticised in Pakistan.
2008 Interview with Wall Street Journal
In an interview published on October 4, 2008 in The Wall Street Journal Zardari referred to Kashmir Militants as "terrorists" while asking for $ 100 billion in aid for his country. This statement was widely criticised in Pakistan.
President of Pakistan
Zardari was elected president of Pakistan, as Chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq announced that "Asif Ali Zardari secured 281 votes out of the 426 valid votes polled in the parliament," In Sindh, Zardari had 62 of the 65 electoral votes while his two main opponents got zero votes; in North West Frontier Province Zardari got 56 votes against 5 by Siddiqui and one by Hussain; in Balochistan, 59 votes while Siddiqui and Hussain got 2 each. However, Zardari did not win the majority in the nation's biggest province, Punjab, where the PML-N's Siddiqui got a clear majority. BBC reported that Zardari "won 481 votes, far more than the 352 votes that would have guaranteed him victory."[30] New York Times said that Zardari would be sworn in "as soon as Saturday night or as late as Monday or Tuesday, diplomats and officials said."
Zardari was challenged by Justice (Retired) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former judge nominated by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who was nominated by the PML-Q, which backed Musharraf. According to the Constitution of 1973 presently in vogue (but declared for major amendments by Zardari) the President of Pakistan, who must be a Muslim and a male, is elected by an electoral college composed of members of the two houses of parliament - the 342 seat lower house National Assembly and the 100 member upper house Senate, as well as members of the four provincial assemblies - Sindh, Punjab, North West Frontier and Balochistan. The assemblies have total of 1170 seats, but the number of electoral college votes is 702 since provincial assembly votes are counted on a proportional basis. The new president, who obtains the largest number of votes, will serve for five years as Pakistan's 11th president since 1956, when the country became an Islamic Republic, excluding acting presidents and CMLAs during times of military rule. Voting was in progress at the Parliament House, while the Senate members finished casting their votes.[34]
Zardari was sworn in by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar in a ceremony at the presidential palace on September 9, 2008.[35] He addressed the parliament for the first time on September 20, 2008, but the event was overshadowed by the suicide bomb blast which destroyed the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad. Zardari picked China for first state visit after being elected in September. He went to the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly.
Zardari was challenged by Justice (Retired) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former judge nominated by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who was nominated by the PML-Q, which backed Musharraf. According to the Constitution of 1973 presently in vogue (but declared for major amendments by Zardari) the President of Pakistan, who must be a Muslim and a male, is elected by an electoral college composed of members of the two houses of parliament - the 342 seat lower house National Assembly and the 100 member upper house Senate, as well as members of the four provincial assemblies - Sindh, Punjab, North West Frontier and Balochistan. The assemblies have total of 1170 seats, but the number of electoral college votes is 702 since provincial assembly votes are counted on a proportional basis. The new president, who obtains the largest number of votes, will serve for five years as Pakistan's 11th president since 1956, when the country became an Islamic Republic, excluding acting presidents and CMLAs during times of military rule. Voting was in progress at the Parliament House, while the Senate members finished casting their votes.[34]
Zardari was sworn in by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar in a ceremony at the presidential palace on September 9, 2008.[35] He addressed the parliament for the first time on September 20, 2008, but the event was overshadowed by the suicide bomb blast which destroyed the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad. Zardari picked China for first state visit after being elected in September. He went to the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly.
Presidential candidacy
Zardari, in alliance with Nawaz Sharif, was preparing to impeach president Pervez Musharraf, and a charge-sheet and draft of impeachment had already been prepared, when Musharraf, in accordance with his advisors, resigned from the presidency on 18 August 2008. Chairman Zardari was confirmed by the Central Executive Committee of the PPP as well as endorsed by the rival ethnic party MQM as candidate for the post of President of Pakistan. There was nevertheless strong disagreement among the current coalition partners, and Nawaz Sharif's PML-N party was threatening to leave the coalition as a result. According to the Constitution, elections must be held within 30 days of the previous president stepping down. The electoral college is composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies.
Pakistan's Election Commission on 22 August announced that a presidential election would be held on 6 September, and the nomination papers could be filed from 26 August.
The New York Times reported that Zalmay Khalilzad, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, had been unofficially advising Asif Ali Zardari. Khalilzad, an Afghan native, is rumored to be flirting with the possibility of returning home to challenge President Hamid Karzai when his term expires next year. Should Khalilzad return home, a good working relationship with Islamabad would be critical
Pakistan's Election Commission on 22 August announced that a presidential election would be held on 6 September, and the nomination papers could be filed from 26 August.
The New York Times reported that Zalmay Khalilzad, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, had been unofficially advising Asif Ali Zardari. Khalilzad, an Afghan native, is rumored to be flirting with the possibility of returning home to challenge President Hamid Karzai when his term expires next year. Should Khalilzad return home, a good working relationship with Islamabad would be critical
Marriage and prison term
Marriage and prison term
Before his marriage with Benazir Bhutto on 18 December 1987, Zardari was a well-known chutiyah figure on the political scene of Pakistan. He became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and also served as the Minister of Environment and money laundering during his wife's second term as the Prime Minister (1993–1996).
In 1990, Zardari was accused of threatening to kill a businessman with a remote-controlled bomb unless he withdrew money from a bank as pay-off. Zardari earned the nickname, "Mr 10%" following allegations of corruption. Zardari was released from jail in 1993 and became a government minister. From 1997 to 2004, Zardari was kept in jail on corruption charges and accusations of murder. Pakistani investigators accused Zardari and his wife Benzair for embezzling as much as US$1.5 billion from government accounts. He was also accused of allegedly plotting the murder of Murtaza Bhutto, the brother of his wife Benazir Bhutto. He was later cleared.
A New York psychiatrist found in March 2007 that the time in jail left Zardari with difficulty with memory. Zardari claims to have been tortured. When Zardari stood for the Pakistani presidency in 2008, the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, said that Zardari had no current mental condition requiring psychiatric help or medication.
Before his marriage with Benazir Bhutto on 18 December 1987, Zardari was a well-known chutiyah figure on the political scene of Pakistan. He became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and also served as the Minister of Environment and money laundering during his wife's second term as the Prime Minister (1993–1996).
In 1990, Zardari was accused of threatening to kill a businessman with a remote-controlled bomb unless he withdrew money from a bank as pay-off. Zardari earned the nickname, "Mr 10%" following allegations of corruption. Zardari was released from jail in 1993 and became a government minister. From 1997 to 2004, Zardari was kept in jail on corruption charges and accusations of murder. Pakistani investigators accused Zardari and his wife Benzair for embezzling as much as US$1.5 billion from government accounts. He was also accused of allegedly plotting the murder of Murtaza Bhutto, the brother of his wife Benazir Bhutto. He was later cleared.
A New York psychiatrist found in March 2007 that the time in jail left Zardari with difficulty with memory. Zardari claims to have been tortured. When Zardari stood for the Pakistani presidency in 2008, the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, said that Zardari had no current mental condition requiring psychiatric help or medication.
Co-chairman of the PPP
Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007, shortly after returning to Pakistan from exile. On 30 December 2007, Asif Ali Zardari became the co-chairman of the PPP, along with his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is currently studying at Oxford. Bilawal is intended to fully assume the post when he completes his education.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Zardari reaffirmed his lack of interest in the prime ministership.[16][17] Chairman Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, leader of the PML-N, along with some smaller political parties, joined forces in an electoral coalition that won a heavy majority in the elections and unseated Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q). After the election, he called for a government of national unity, and divided cabinet portfolios among coalition partners on proportionate basis. Asif Ali Zardari and former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on 21 February 2008 that their parties would work together in the national parliament after scoring big wins in the election. On 5 March 2008, Zardari was cleared of five corruption charges as part of a court ruling which "abolished the cases against all public office holders", including corruption and illegal use of property under NRO, the National Reconciliation Ordinance. He had another trial on the remaining charges on 14 April 2008, when he was cleared under the same NRO. On 19 April 2008, Zardari announced in a press conference in London that he and his sister, Faryal Talpur, would participate in the by-elections taking place on 3 June and that, if necessary, he would contest to become the country's next Prime Minister, even though his party voted by a 2/3 majority to announce that Yousaf Raza Gillani would be the PM for a five year term.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Zardari reaffirmed his lack of interest in the prime ministership.[16][17] Chairman Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, leader of the PML-N, along with some smaller political parties, joined forces in an electoral coalition that won a heavy majority in the elections and unseated Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q). After the election, he called for a government of national unity, and divided cabinet portfolios among coalition partners on proportionate basis. Asif Ali Zardari and former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on 21 February 2008 that their parties would work together in the national parliament after scoring big wins in the election. On 5 March 2008, Zardari was cleared of five corruption charges as part of a court ruling which "abolished the cases against all public office holders", including corruption and illegal use of property under NRO, the National Reconciliation Ordinance. He had another trial on the remaining charges on 14 April 2008, when he was cleared under the same NRO. On 19 April 2008, Zardari announced in a press conference in London that he and his sister, Faryal Talpur, would participate in the by-elections taking place on 3 June and that, if necessary, he would contest to become the country's next Prime Minister, even though his party voted by a 2/3 majority to announce that Yousaf Raza Gillani would be the PM for a five year term.
Controversies
Money laundering
An associate of Bhutto said: "Mr Zardari has an image problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image.”
Zardari was accused of money-laundering activities in a US Senate report on private banking and money-laundering.
Zardari was under criminal investigation in Switzerland over receipts of kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies while his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto, served as the country's prime minister in the 1990s, a Swiss judge and two Swiss lawyers close to the case told NEWSWEEK. Judge Daniel Devaud continued investigations despite pressure from US officials.
In Britain, the decade-old civil proceedings focus on Zardari. Zardari is accused of using illicit funds to acquire the 365-acre Rockwood estate, a $6.5-million property featuring a Tudor-style mansion and two adjoining farms in the Surrey district. The estate was bought and refurbished in 1995 through trusts in the Isle of Man and Liechtenstein and the Caribbean firms linked to Bhutto, Zardari and the alleged kickbacks, according to the lawsuit. Zardari steadfastly denied ownership until January 2006, when he acknowledged he owned the property, according to British court records. The judge did rule that there is a “reasonable prospect” of proving that funds used to refurbish the estate were “the fruits of corruption,” according to the documents.
NRO beneficiary
Zardari is a beneficiary of the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) issued by the former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. Chief beneficiaries of this ordinance include Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik and MQM workers and leaders.
An associate of Bhutto said: "Mr Zardari has an image problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image.”
Zardari was accused of money-laundering activities in a US Senate report on private banking and money-laundering.
Zardari was under criminal investigation in Switzerland over receipts of kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies while his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto, served as the country's prime minister in the 1990s, a Swiss judge and two Swiss lawyers close to the case told NEWSWEEK. Judge Daniel Devaud continued investigations despite pressure from US officials.
In Britain, the decade-old civil proceedings focus on Zardari. Zardari is accused of using illicit funds to acquire the 365-acre Rockwood estate, a $6.5-million property featuring a Tudor-style mansion and two adjoining farms in the Surrey district. The estate was bought and refurbished in 1995 through trusts in the Isle of Man and Liechtenstein and the Caribbean firms linked to Bhutto, Zardari and the alleged kickbacks, according to the lawsuit. Zardari steadfastly denied ownership until January 2006, when he acknowledged he owned the property, according to British court records. The judge did rule that there is a “reasonable prospect” of proving that funds used to refurbish the estate were “the fruits of corruption,” according to the documents.
NRO beneficiary
Zardari is a beneficiary of the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) issued by the former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. Chief beneficiaries of this ordinance include Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik and MQM workers and leaders.
Controversies
Money laundering
An associate of Bhutto said: "Mr Zardari has an image problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image.”
Zardari was accused of money-laundering activities in a US Senate report on private banking and money-laundering.
Zardari was under criminal investigation in Switzerland over receipts of kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies while his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto, served as the country's prime minister in the 1990s, a Swiss judge and two Swiss lawyers close to the case told NEWSWEEK. Judge Daniel Devaud continued investigations despite pressure from US officials.
In Britain, the decade-old civil proceedings focus on Zardari. Zardari is accused of using illicit funds to acquire the 365-acre Rockwood estate, a $6.5-million property featuring a Tudor-style mansion and two adjoining farms in the Surrey district. The estate was bought and refurbished in 1995 through trusts in the Isle of Man and Liechtenstein and the Caribbean firms linked to Bhutto, Zardari and the alleged kickbacks, according to the lawsuit. Zardari steadfastly denied ownership until January 2006, when he acknowledged he owned the property, according to British court records. The judge did rule that there is a “reasonable prospect” of proving that funds used to refurbish the estate were “the fruits of corruption,” according to the documents.
NRO beneficiary
Zardari is a beneficiary of the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) issued by the former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. Chief beneficiaries of this ordinance include Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik and MQM workers and leaders.
An associate of Bhutto said: "Mr Zardari has an image problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image.”
Zardari was accused of money-laundering activities in a US Senate report on private banking and money-laundering.
Zardari was under criminal investigation in Switzerland over receipts of kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies while his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto, served as the country's prime minister in the 1990s, a Swiss judge and two Swiss lawyers close to the case told NEWSWEEK. Judge Daniel Devaud continued investigations despite pressure from US officials.
In Britain, the decade-old civil proceedings focus on Zardari. Zardari is accused of using illicit funds to acquire the 365-acre Rockwood estate, a $6.5-million property featuring a Tudor-style mansion and two adjoining farms in the Surrey district. The estate was bought and refurbished in 1995 through trusts in the Isle of Man and Liechtenstein and the Caribbean firms linked to Bhutto, Zardari and the alleged kickbacks, according to the lawsuit. Zardari steadfastly denied ownership until January 2006, when he acknowledged he owned the property, according to British court records. The judge did rule that there is a “reasonable prospect” of proving that funds used to refurbish the estate were “the fruits of corruption,” according to the documents.
NRO beneficiary
Zardari is a beneficiary of the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) issued by the former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. Chief beneficiaries of this ordinance include Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik and MQM workers and leaders.
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