PML-N submits privilege motion against Altaf Hussain

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday submitted a privilege motion against the statements issued by Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain.

At least 87 PML-N members signed the privilege motion which was submitted in the National Assembly Secretariat.

The motion says that the statement issued by Altaf Hussain is against the spirit of democracy and the sanctity of the parliament. The motion will be forwarded to the national assembly’s standing committee on privilege.

President Zardari slams MQM chief’s pro-martial law statement

Reacting to MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s support to martial law to weed out corrupt politicians and feudal lords, President Asif Ali Zardari said no one in his right mind will want to take this responsibility and that only democracy can carry this yoke.

In an interview to Western journalists,  Zardari denied that the country’s worst humanitarian disaster would impair the military’s fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants, conducted under US pressure in the northwest.

The president called on Washington to make more efforts to win over hearts and minds from entrenched anti-Americanism, such as by reducing tariffs on cotton exports.

Zardari denied that the country’s worst humanitarian disaster would impair the military’s fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants.

14 arrested in Sialkot lynching case

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that 14 people including four policemen have been held in the brutal public killing of two brothers in Sialkot.

Addressing the media in Sialkot, Malik said the culprits involved in the heinous crime would be duly punished. He appealed to the citizens of Sialkot to come forward and provide any information they had regarding the incident. He added that authorities have compiled a list of names of those under investigation and the federal government will be providing support in terms of intelligence and logistics as investigations continue.

Strike announced

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Liaqat Baloch also visited the family of the two brothers who were beaten to death by a mob in Sialkot. He said the party has announced a nationwide strike on Friday against this atrocity.

Updated from print edition (below).

Prime suspect SHO Rana Ilyas escapes from custody

The prime accused in the lynching of two brothers in Sialkot, SHO Rana Ilyas, managed to evade custody on Saturday and is currently at large. Ilyas, who fled from the office of the DSP Sialkot, was brought to the office so that he could be produced before a court for a judicial remand.  The District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sialkot, Mujahid Sher Dil, has confirmed that the lynched youths had no criminal record. Sher Dil held the Sialkot police responsible for the incident as police officials witnessed the whole incident as silent spectators.

Police claimed to have arrested two police officers and five others who were present at the time the two brothers were beaten to death in public. Police contingents also stepped up efforts to apprehend six other officers who witnessed the murder but made little attempt to stop the mob.

Out of sight, but still in their minds

KARACHI: As the second wave of floods threaten Sindh, some solace can be drawn from the fact that relief efforts are being made across borders and oceans.

The Muslim Students Association at Columbia University, New York is part of this struggle to help those affected thousands of miles away. Even though school is closed, students rallied to raise $15,000 (nearly Rs1.2 million) from different fund-raising activities, including going door-to-door, in Muslim communities, mosques and churches in New York city.

“This money will be donated to the great work being done by the Rural Support Programme and the Armed Forces of Pakistan, while the goods we have received will be air shipped,” Taimur T Malik, president of the Columbia Muslim Students Association told The Express Tribune via email.

Across the ocean, in London, four people, Adil, Fatima, Naz and Hammad, decided that they would hit 10 tube stations for donations and collections on Aug 19 at 8:00 am and Aug 20 the same time. The effort, aptly named ‘Tube Collections for the Pakistan floods’, will ultimately benefit the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Relief Fund. They can be contacted on facebook or at allforpakistan@gmail.com. Meanwhile on the home front, Iqra University (IU) is also stepping up its game. University management held a meeting with students to discuss relief efforts for people across the province. “We need to play our part as students,” said IU Registrar Akif Hasan. “We have a platform from where we can gather and make efforts to help those in distress.”

‘This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens’

LONDON: “This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens,” said President Asif Ali Zardari outside the prime minister’s weekend retreat of Chequers, northwest of London.

The leaders of Britain and Pakistan moved Friday to shelve a row over a British attack on Islamabad’s security record, pledging to step up their cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

President Asif Ali Zardari had vowed to confront British Prime Minister David Cameron over recent claims suggesting that elements in Pakistan back the “export of terror,” which triggered the diplomatic spat.

But both leaders put on a show of unity after their talks near London, saying the bond between Pakistan and Britain was unbreakable, while Cameron accepted an invitation to visit Islamabad soon.

“This is a friendship that will never break, no matter what happens,” Zardari said outside the prime minister’s weekend retreat of Chequers, northwest of London.

Musharraf expected to return in September

LAHORE: Former president Pervez Musharraf is expected to announce his election manifesto in September on his return to the country.

This was announced by All Pakistan Muslim League Chief Coordinator Chaudhry Shahbaz during a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday.

He said the former president will face all charges against him, adding that the government is even free to probe Nawab Akbar Bugti’s assassination and the Lal Mosque carnage.

Shahbaz also disclosed the merger of the All Pakistan Muslim League and PML-Q in the days ahead.

TWENTY RICHEST WORLD LEADERS

1. King of Thailand, £20bn

The longest-serving monarch in the world as well as the richest, 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s wealth includes large amounts of land and property. However the Thai government has disputed his position as the wealthiest head of state, saying that much of this is not part of his personal wealth. Regardless of his personal finances, in a country where the rural poor are currently locked in violent protests against an unpopular government, he remains a universally loved figure.

2. Sultan of Brunei, £13.5bn

Brunei’s oil and gas reserves have kept the Sultan among the world’s richest, and he spends accordingly: as well as having a love for luxury cars, for his 50th birthday in 1996 he hired Michael Jackson to perform.

3. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (President of UAE), £12bn

As the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa has been a driving force during its recent spending spree in its attempts to establish itself as a cultural hub. A pro-Western moderniser and camel-racing fan.

4. King of Saudi Arabia, £11.5bn

Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves are behind the wealth of King Abdullah, whose grandeur is such that he has a city named after him – King Abdullah Economic City – currently being constructed on the west coast of the country.

5. Silvio Berlusconi, £6bn

Varied business interests – including television stations, magazines and his beloved AC Milan – have made the Italian prime minister a very rich man indeed. His many critics charge that he has used his political career to maximise that wealth.

The Zardari we do not get to know

KARACHI: Considered as one of the most powerful personalities of the country, President Asif Ali Zardari in his private life presents a picture very different from what is portrayed by both the national and international media.

On his recent visit to Karachi, The Express Tribune pieced together the way Mr President lives – what his likes and dislikes are, who he meets, and what he does when he wants to relax.

A humble personality by appearance but also seen as an arrogant party chief, Zardari is very much a family man. He makes it a point to make time for his family members, especially when he comes to Karachi. Every day, he calls his father, Hakim Ali Zardari, at different times to check on his health. The elder Zardari has been unwell of late and has been receiving treatment at a local hospital.

Riaz Lalji returns home

KARACHI: Business tycoon Riaz Lalji has returned home on Monday after remaining missing for nearly 24 hours in Karachi with his driver and gunman.

Karachi CCPO Waseem Ahmed said that they are making all efforts to hunt down the kidnappers.

Talking on Riaz Lalji’s return, Interior Minister Rehman Malik lauded the police in their efforts for his successful recovery.

Present government in no danger, says Zardari

NEW YORK: President Asif Ali Zardari has voiced full confidence in the stability of Pakistan’s present democratic set-up, saying neither the government nor the parliament was in any danger.“The 18th Amendment to the Constitution is a reflection of the great maturity, I feel, democratic forces in Pakistan have achieved,” he said when asked during an interview with Newsweek whether the government was in danger of falling.

“I think all the political forces sitting today in the parliament have reinvented themselves,” the president observed during the interview published in the US weekly magazine’s latest issue.

US sees Afghan ‘jirga’ as boost to Karzai

WASHINGTON: The United States wants next week’s peace “jirga” to boost Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s credibility but is counting on him not making major overtures to the Taliban until momentum has shifted on the battlefield.

“What we hope is that this process will help demonstrate Karzai as a true national leader,” said a senior Obama administration official of next week’s jirga, a traditional gathering of Afghan elders and notables to discuss prospects for peace in the nine-year war.

“This is really just the beginning of an important process and the Afghan government will be seeking some consensus on how to proceed,” added the official, who declined to be named.