Count us out, Nawaz tells Gilani

LAHORE: A clear-cut ‘no-cooperation’ message by ally and the arch rival Nawaz Sharif has reportedly panicked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, making him publicly talk of ‘conspiracies’ being hatched against his government.

The PML-N chief has reportedly told the prime minister unequivocally that in future he (PM) should not expect any co-operation from his party.

A source informed Dawn on Tuesday that Nawaz Sharif’s message had panicked the prime minister as it was indicative of some ‘serious move’ to send his government packing.

“Though apparently, Mr Sharif has expressed his annoyance with the prime minister for backing out of his commitment to constitute an independent commission to monitor the relief work and funds collection for the flood-affected people, the premier believes that the PML-N is seriously contemplating to pose a challenge to his government at the behest of the establishment,” he said.

PML-N senior leader MNA Khawaja Asif has also confirmed that the PML-N chief had given a “clear-cut message” to PM Gilani about his (Nawaz’s) party’s future stance. “Our leadership has made it clear to PM Gilani that it will not support him on any issue and also in case a move is initiated to bring about a constitutional change.”

“Rather we will go for an in-house change. It’s a number game in parliament to bring a no-confidence motion against the prime minister. When we will have the required number we will go for it,” Khawaja Asif added. To a question about the possibility of PML-N ‘merger’ with the PML-Q in this regard, he said it was out of question, hastening to add there could be a possibility of “cooperation” between the two leagues, however, over the issue (of bringing no-confidence move against the prime minister). “We are ready to show flexibility for democracy and national interest,” he said.

The PML-Q and PML-Functional have already announced a merger of the factions.

PML-Q senior vice-president Senator Wasim Sajjad said his party would not be part of any unconstitutional move to topple the present set up. “The present government should complete its tenure. We are also not in favour of supporting a no-confidence motion against PM Gilani,” he said.

About unification of PML-N and Q, Senator Sajjad said: “We have personal contacts with the N leaders, however, there are efforts under way for the merger.”

Premier’s son MPA Abdul Qadir Gilani told Dawn the PPP was ready to face any such challenge. “Governments come and go. We accept the challenges with an open heart,” he said.

Junior Gilani said since Mian Nawaz Sharif had clarified that he would not support any unconstitutional change, the PPP was not worried.

APC to hammer out anti-terror policy: Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the Senate on Thursday that consensus on a “national policy against terrorism” would be the aim of an all-parties conference (APC) he plans to convene on a suggestion from PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif.

But he did not indicate when he would call the conference for which he said “we will first do homework” and talk to each party separately, in remarks after the upper house unanimously adopted a flagship pro-poor government bill named after the assassinated PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.

“That will be a national policy against terrorism,” the prime minister said about the possible outcome of the APC, without clarifying whether it would mean altering or advancing what the government calls its policy of “three-Ds” – dialogue, development and deterrence – applied so far in tackling Taliban militants in the Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

It was in a telephone talk between them early this month that Mr Sharif made the APC proposal, which Mr Gilani said he had “accepted readily” to take the country’s political leadership into confidence on issues such as violence in Balochistan, target killings in Karachi and what he called the “scenario in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab”.

The prime minister’s remarks came when a senior PML-N senator, Raja Zafarul Haq, suggested that Mr Gilani should have an “exchange of views” with parliamentary leaders on the government’s anti-terrorism strategy that he said needed to be reviewed.

The Senate vote, without any opposition, on the Benazir Income

Support Programme (BISP) Bill, which was passed by the National Assembly on June 28, now leaves only a formal signature by President Asif Ali Zardari to make the 25-clause draft into a permanent law with his wife’s name inscribed on it.

The programme which the bill said sought “to provide financial assistance and other social protection and safety net measures to economically distressed persons and families has already been in operation under a presidential ordinance.

The PML-N had sought to rename the BISP in the National Assembly as Qaumi (national) Income Support Programme but withdrew its amendment after loud protests from PPP members.

No such move was made in the Senate although PML-N’s Pervaiz

Rashid objected to what he saw as a waste of money in frequent media advertisements of the programme, to which the prime minister agreed in his remarks later while assuring the house that there would be no political discrimination in the distribution of funds.

Nawaz had advised Gilani against extending COAS’ tenure

LONDON: Nawaz Sharif’s consistent advice to both Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari not to give extension to COAS Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has failed to get the desired results.

Knowledgeable sources confirmed that every time Nawaz Sharif met either PM Gilani or President Zardari, he did not fail to tell them how he was treated on that fateful night of October 12, 1999 at the hands of the top military commander, whom he had picked after ignoring his senior General Ali Kuli Khan.

The dramatic news of extension in service of the Army chief is said to have come as a major surprise for the Nawaz Camp here in London, as he was not expecting this to happen. He has been telling the media in the past that in his view, General Kayani would not apply for an extension. In his interview with Geo TV in December last year, Nawaz Sharif had said the same thing; he did not think General Kayani would be interested in getting an extension in service. The indirect message for General Kayani was that he should not consider the option of extension and go home with honour and dignity.

Sources revealed that when last year Prime Minister Gilani visited the Sharif brothers at Raiwind, he gave the impression that the military was fully behind him. But Nawaz cautioned him to be more circumspect. He told him that during his second tenure, one day a file was brought to him with the note to allot 25 acres of land in the name of the corps commander, Rawalpindi, who belonged to Faisalabad. When he showed reluctance to sign, his confidant told him there was no harm in granting this favour to a corps commander who might be of some help to his government one day. Nawaz bought his argument and signed the file but was shocked to see on October 12, 1999, the same general walking towards him in the besieged PM House to force him to resign. This same general not only threatened Nawaz but also ensured that he was handcuffed and transported to Karachi in a faulty plane, which took several hours to reach its destination.

Soon after this meeting at Raiwind, Sharif had met President Zardari in Islamabad at a dinner and once again Nawaz narrated to his host how he was betrayed and mistreated by General Musharraf for whom he had gone an extra mile to make him the Army chief. Nawaz also recalled how General Zia treated ZAB. In 1998, Nawaz repeated the mistake of ZAB and appointed Musharraf after ignoring General Ali Kuli and Musharraf too would have liked to send him to the gallows had Bill Clinton not come to his rescue.

The sources said Nawaz had been trying hard to convey to the Gilani-Zardari duo that politicians should not give extension to generals and should only appoint the senior-most army commander as the Army chief, as this would bring professionalism to the Army.

Nawaz had advised Gilani against extending COAS’ tenure

LONDON: Nawaz Sharif’s consistent advice to both Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari not to give extension to COAS Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has failed to get the desired results.

Knowledgeable sources confirmed that every time Nawaz Sharif met either PM Gilani or President Zardari, he did not fail to tell them how he was treated on that fateful night of October 12, 1999 at the hands of the top military commander, whom he had picked after ignoring his senior General Ali Kuli Khan.

The dramatic news of extension in service of the Army chief is said to have come as a major surprise for the Nawaz Camp here in London, as he was not expecting this to happen. He has been telling the media in the past that in his view, General Kayani would not apply for an extension. In his interview with Geo TV in December last year, Nawaz Sharif had said the same thing; he did not think General Kayani would be interested in getting an extension in service. The indirect message for General Kayani was that he should not consider the option of extension and go home with honour and dignity.

Sources revealed that when last year Prime Minister Gilani visited the Sharif brothers at Raiwind, he gave the impression that the military was fully behind him. But Nawaz cautioned him to be more circumspect. He told him that during his second tenure, one day a file was brought to him with the note to allot 25 acres of land in the name of the corps commander, Rawalpindi, who belonged to Faisalabad. When he showed reluctance to sign, his confidant told him there was no harm in granting this favour to a corps commander who might be of some help to his government one day. Nawaz bought his argument and signed the file but was shocked to see on October 12, 1999, the same general walking towards him in the besieged PM House to force him to resign. This same general not only threatened Nawaz but also ensured that he was handcuffed and transported to Karachi in a faulty plane, which took several hours to reach its destination.

Soon after this meeting at Raiwind, Sharif had met President Zardari in Islamabad at a dinner and once again Nawaz narrated to his host how he was betrayed and mistreated by General Musharraf for whom he had gone an extra mile to make him the Army chief. Nawaz also recalled how General Zia treated ZAB. In 1998, Nawaz repeated the mistake of ZAB and appointed Musharraf after ignoring General Ali Kuli and Musharraf too would have liked to send him to the gallows had Bill Clinton not come to his rescue.

The sources said Nawaz had been trying hard to convey to the Gilani-Zardari duo that politicians should not give extension to generals and should only appoint the senior-most army commander as the Army chief, as this would bring professionalism to the Army.