Jostling, jeering and jabbering

Hey, I have a question. Why does it always have to be the Bhutto/Zardari children who get to visit China? This truly hurts my feelings sometimes. I mean, what's wrong with my children? Why don't they ever get to fly a free flight to China? Trust me, my children are a good-looking lot too. They photograph very well, are entirely Pakistani, come from a lineage of taxpaying ancestors and, to top it all, one of them even looks Chinese! I am sure if somebody could teach them how to eat with chopsticks, they would literally shine in China. Don't you think it is a matter of human rights here? The VIP children are regular globe-trotters, whereas my poor kids haven't even seen the Karachi airport. Tusk tusk, and I thought we were a democracy.

Please don't think I have anything against the Bhutto children. Those of us who have grown up on Benazir Bhutto's politics, and find her life struggle hopelessly romantic, have sure followed the aspect of her life called motherhood. O sure we love the Bhutto/Zardari trio. Who wouldn't who has a heart? We still well up every time we see the baby pictures. But as BB's voters, what we sure don't understand is what exactly young Bilawal was doing sitting next to President Obama, or why his picture once appeared next to the Quaid's on a billboard, or why Asifa appears on a polio vaccine advertisement.

Hey, I have a question. When are they going to find something for Bakhtawar?

But then a very strong argument is: who cares? This seems to be a pretty weighty argument around here, this 'who cares?' business. Especially when there is so much going on inside the country, who really cares what the VIP kids clap at in China, or which governor they endorse on a billboard? The only people who care are the agents of the establishment, namely the J for journalists, constantly conspiring to discredit the government 24/7.

Hey, I have a question. Who was trying to discredit the government in the US when the Obama girls planned that trip to Indonesia along with their daddy? Although the trip was official with some tracing of familial roots thrown in, and was later cancelled; yet we did hear something that sounded like taxpayers' expense!

But then this is Pakistan where since time immemorial there has been a tradition of grooming the VIP children to become future leaders. So it is grooming that is happening in China these days. Hey, I have a question. Since it is OK to groom one's kith and kin while on job doing business for the country, what is wrong with Shahid Afridi's children? Why don't we allow him to groom his children on the field and rid ourselves of the cricket board? The only thing he will have to do is give them a cricket ball to chew, tie a blindfold around their heads, and let them loose around the field. The more they run around clueless, dropping catches, munching balls, and hurting their fingernails or earlobes, the more they will be groomed for the future of cricket in Pakistan.

You know, this suggestion of mine is quite a hit in the Punjab Assembly. All the MPs have decided to do some grooming and brooming while on job. The strategy is three 'J'ayed; focusing on the art and craft of jostling, jeering and jabbering. The learners can take notes if they want to. The only condition is that they will have to spell their journals with a G.

Or was it generals with a J? Hey, wait a minute, I have a question…

Jostling, jeering and jabbering

Hey, I have a question. Why does it always have to be the Bhutto/Zardari children who get to visit China? This truly hurts my feelings sometimes. I mean, what's wrong with my children? Why don't they ever get to fly a free flight to China? Trust me, my children are a good-looking lot too. They photograph very well, are entirely Pakistani, come from a lineage of taxpaying ancestors and, to top it all, one of them even looks Chinese! I am sure if somebody could teach them how to eat with chopsticks, they would literally shine in China. Don't you think it is a matter of human rights here? The VIP children are regular globe-trotters, whereas my poor kids haven't even seen the Karachi airport. Tusk tusk, and I thought we were a democracy.

Please don't think I have anything against the Bhutto children. Those of us who have grown up on Benazir Bhutto's politics, and find her life struggle hopelessly romantic, have sure followed the aspect of her life called motherhood. O sure we love the Bhutto/Zardari trio. Who wouldn't who has a heart? We still well up every time we see the baby pictures. But as BB's voters, what we sure don't understand is what exactly young Bilawal was doing sitting next to President Obama, or why his picture once appeared next to the Quaid's on a billboard, or why Asifa appears on a polio vaccine advertisement.

Hey, I have a question. When are they going to find something for Bakhtawar?

But then a very strong argument is: who cares? This seems to be a pretty weighty argument around here, this 'who cares?' business. Especially when there is so much going on inside the country, who really cares what the VIP kids clap at in China, or which governor they endorse on a billboard? The only people who care are the agents of the establishment, namely the J for journalists, constantly conspiring to discredit the government 24/7.

Hey, I have a question. Who was trying to discredit the government in the US when the Obama girls planned that trip to Indonesia along with their daddy? Although the trip was official with some tracing of familial roots thrown in, and was later cancelled; yet we did hear something that sounded like taxpayers' expense!

But then this is Pakistan where since time immemorial there has been a tradition of grooming the VIP children to become future leaders. So it is grooming that is happening in China these days. Hey, I have a question. Since it is OK to groom one's kith and kin while on job doing business for the country, what is wrong with Shahid Afridi's children? Why don't we allow him to groom his children on the field and rid ourselves of the cricket board? The only thing he will have to do is give them a cricket ball to chew, tie a blindfold around their heads, and let them loose around the field. The more they run around clueless, dropping catches, munching balls, and hurting their fingernails or earlobes, the more they will be groomed for the future of cricket in Pakistan.

You know, this suggestion of mine is quite a hit in the Punjab Assembly. All the MPs have decided to do some grooming and brooming while on job. The strategy is three 'J'ayed; focusing on the art and craft of jostling, jeering and jabbering. The learners can take notes if they want to. The only condition is that they will have to spell their journals with a G.

Or was it generals with a J? Hey, wait a minute, I have a question…

Govt sends Musharraf abroad under a mutual understanding: Nawaz

SIALKOT: Quaid PML-N Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has accused that the government wanted to protect former President Pervez Musharraf and he (Musharraf) was sent abroad under a mutual understanding.

Addressing to a public gathering on Saturday, the Quaid PML underlined that President Asif Ali Zardari was insisted several times for the accountability of Pervez Musharraf and he should have been accountable for dissolving judiciary, killing Nawab Akbar Bugti and starting Lal Masjid operation.

The Quaid PML-N has requested the court to take suo motu notice of all illegal actions taken by Pervez Musharraf.

He also said that after the elections, he reminded Asif Ali Zardari to fulfill promised made in to CoD that was inked between him and PPP Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, but President Zardari did not follow CoD with letter and spirit.

PML-N Quaid further emphasized that some sections of CoD were particularly designed in the interest of the country and to strengthen democratic process in the country.

He also remarked that actions should be taken against former dictator as American President has taken action against General Mc-Crystal as the nation wanted to bring the dictator in the court.

PML-N Chief clarified that PML-N dispelled the impression that N-League is a friendly opposition, adding that had PML-N friendly opposition, it would not have takeout Long-March against the ruling government. Quaid PML-N said that the party never taken any step for personal interests but remained at forefront for the national interests.

A South Asian legacy?

Pakistan has experienced so many dramatic events in the last three years that it is no longer the country the world knew in 2007. Back then, a supremely confident Pervez Musharraf moved between international power centres with ease and basked in the fame of his memoirs, In the line of Fire. He had a plan for another general election under his guidance and the question of taking off his military uniform was more a talking point in meetings with foreign visitors than a clear prospect. The Americans had grown used to dealing with one man in Pakistan who controlled the military as well as the political levers of power. While the exiled political leaders manoeuvred for their return, the west favoured a patch-up between Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto. Reconciliation with Nawaz Sharif, who had been toppled by the military, did not seem feasible for either party. And then, all hell broke loose.

What followed the fateful meeting between President Musharraf and Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was tumultuous even from the known standards of Pakistan's turbulent history. It was reality more powerful than fiction and nobody, including the main players, knew where they were heading. It was as if a powerful hand had clicked "fast forward" for Pakistan for the rest of 2007. But as the year wound to an and, the screen suddenly went black when Benazir Bhutto rose perilously from the hood of her armoured car to touch base with the people and was mercilessly assassinated. Her abrupt departure set into motion a new series of happenings culminating in the rise to power of Asif Ali Zardari and the ouster of Pervez Musharraf.

How many of us have given a second thought to all that the peaceful departure of a military strongman from power means for the future of this nation? It is hard to come across a serious analysis of the implications of Musharraf's reluctant handover of the post of army chief while continuing to serve as president. Nor do we hear much about the impact of Musharraf's ambiguous status of an exile for the future of civil-military power play in the years ahead. Will it encourage or deter a potential Bonaparte now that a precedent of dispatching a military ruler has been set?

Admittedly, we have pressing domestic and foreign issues to address and cannot go into soul-searching right now. Foreign diplomats posted in Islamabad aver that with so much happening in and around Pakistan, they never have a dull moment. Afghanistan, Kashmir and parts of FATA are likely to remain theatres of military operations for years to come. With domestic political, economic and judicial crises aplenty, the international community is not betting on the return of stability to Pakistan in the foreseeable future. But our partners do realise that whatever happens to Pakistan in the months and years ahead is not merely going to profoundly affect this country but is full of far-reaching implications for South and Central Asia.

It is one thing to speculate on the map of Pakistan in a few years' time while sitting in well-resourced American think tanks, but more challenging to forecast the ripple effects of destabilisation of Pakistan on countries like India, Iran and Afghanistan. When the Indian leaders speak of their good wishes for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan, these should not be considered as empty words. India, more than any other country, will receive the fallout of trouble in Pakistan. The US and the EU want to develop ties with India for their own interests and pay lip-service to India's claim for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. They quietly caution India that the settlement of disputes with Pakistan would only help strengthen its candidacy for a seat at the world's premier forum. But the underlying concern is that their investments in India would not be secure without security and stability on the Subcontinent. Therefore, the imperatives of dialogue process between Pakistan and India have to be considered beyond the bilateral context and assessed in a regional and global setting.

India's willingness to resume the dialogue with Pakistan signals New Delhi having reached the conclusion that the policy of no-talks had run its course. Or that India could maintain pressure on Pakistan within the framework of the dialogue process or through the intermediary of big powers for cracking down on anti-India militants. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might have leaned on the opponents of talks with Pakistan in his well-known persuasive manner. Pakistan had adopted a reasonable but firm position of being interested in a result-oriented dialogue and not mere talks. Why would Mr Singh push for jumpstarting the dialogue when he could easily take shelter behind the pretext of Pakistan-based groups still remaining active? The answer probably lies in the life-long struggle of a man who had to study by candlelight, as his native village of Gah in Chakwal District had no electricity. He would later excel in studies at Chandigarh, Cambridge and Oxford. The boy from Gah rose through the ranks of international civil service and India's academia and financial institutions to become the country's reformist finance minister.

The same Manmohan Singh has emerged as India's great benefactor since Jawaharlal Nehru. If Nehru consolidated India's democracy, Singh transformed an outdated Licence Raj into a liberal economy and turned India into an economic player of world standards. He could never get elected to the Lok Sabha and accepted to be in the upper house against the reserved quota of Assam. But that did not stop him from becoming the first prime minister since Nehru to get re-elected after completing a full five-year term.

Manmohan Singh's legacy for India is already firmly in place. What more can he wish at the age of 78 with four years to go before the next general election? Can this time be used to extend his legacy beyond India's borders into something more durable on the scale of the Subcontinent? One thing is almost certain. There might not be another prime minister of India born on this side of the border. It is difficult to imagine two leaders so markedly different in their outlook as Manmohan Singh and Pervez Musharraf, but they shared the belief that having taken birth on the other side of the divide, they could work together with greater conviction to reduce acrimony between the two countries. Manmohan ji is not our last hope for Indo-Pak rapprochement but as good as there will ever be.

Sharif:Nation United Against Terror

LAHORE: The chief of Pakistan Muslim League-N and former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday visited the Darbar data and has condemned the suicide attack on the Shrine of Ali Hazart Hajvery (RA) in the strongest terms.

Talking to media after his visit to the shrine, he expressed his deep sense of sorrow and grief for the loss of precious lives and injuries to hundreds of people during the terrorist attack.

Terming the attack as an act of cowardice against innocent people, Nawaz Sharif said that the nation is united to foil the evil designs of terrorists.

He said it was the worst incident in which dozens of people were martyred add not only the people of Pakistan complaint about this act of terrorism, but also people from other countries.

He said that the country’s political leadership must move forward by putting aside differences to evolve a common strategy to solve the problems facing the country.

He urged the nation and political parties to forge unity in their ranks to fight terrorism.

PPP asks Punjab CM to sack Sanaullah

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has asked Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to sack Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan without delay as his “links with banned outfits” are stopping him to launch a ‘genuine’ crackdown on militants.

“In spite of calls from several moderate religious forces, the PML-N government does not seem to fire the law minister. It seems that Sanaullah is the chief minister’s blue-eyed boy,” says PPP Punjab Information Secretary Dr Fakharuddin Chaudhry.

At a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Tuesday, the PPP leader said Sanaullah instead of quitting his “Kalashnikov-wielding friends” was levelling allegations against federal ministers Rahman Malik and Babar Awan.

“I want to tell him that both the ministers are pillars of the party as they were also the most trusted fellows of Benazir Bhutto,” he said and asked the chief minister to rethink about retaining Sanaullah in the cabinet.

He also asked PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to remove Sanaullah on “moral grounds”.

Dr Fakharuddin Chaudhry also criticised the judiciary for summoning the parents of President Asif Ali Zardari. He said some forces were helping a particular party to establish a “dynasty” in Punjab, but the PPP would not let them succeed.

PPP’s Punjab Finance Secretary Aurangzeb Burki alleged that the provincial government was patronising “extremists and militants”. “The governor’s rule cannot be ruled out if those living in a palace in Raiwind do not stop patronising such people,” he warned.

He further alleged: “Raiwind is the headquarter of ‘Lahori Taliban’, and the Punjab government must shun its support to extremists.”

PPP Central Deputy Information Secretary Haider Zaman Qureshi said the PML-N’s “soft policy” on terrorism had been encouraging extremists to strike at will. “We only want the Punjab government to come hard on militants for the sake of the people,” he said.

Party’s Lahore chapter president Asghar Gujjar demanded resignation from the Lahore High Court chief justice saying he had lost his mandate to remain in his office after making comments against the PPP.

“He should resign and contest election,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lahore PPP women’s wing President Faiza Malik said making Swiss cases a “matter of ego” would weaken the country and democracy.In a statement, she said the PML-N instead of demanding mid-term polls should utilise its energies in fighting terrorism. She said to press the government for holding talks with Taliban was tantamount to committing treason.

She said the PPP would strengthen democracy in face of all conspiracies.

Row in NA over ‘fightback’ by President Zardari

ISLAMABAD: The government and the opposition crossed swords over a perceived political fightback by President Asif Ali Zardari at the start of a National Assembly session on Monday after both sides agreed to put off a debate on Karachi violence until Wednesday.

Strangely, at least two members of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from Karachi walked out of the house to protest over the handling of the situation in the country’s commercial capital where more than 35 people had been killed in four days of violence until Sunday.

Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan initiated the move to postpone the debate because of the absence of Interior Minister Rehman Malik due to his prolonged presence in Karachi, to which he objected, after Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi had fixed the last two hours of the sitting to discuss the situation as demanded by two opposition adjournment motions.

But Mr Khan later used a point of order to lash out at what he saw as the president’s talk of danger to him from undemocratic forces, alleged threats for the use of the so-called “Sindh card” in his defence and recent resolutions passed by the provincial assemblies of Sindh, the NWFP and Balochistan expressing confidence in Mr Zardari.

However Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan came out with an equally rhetorical rejoinder to the opposition leader’s tirade against recent speeches made by the president in an apparent move to counter a hostile propaganda campaign against him and alleged threats from unspecified non-parliamentary sources.

The minister particularly defended the resolutions of the provincial assemblies which he said had supported an elected leader rather than a dictator or somebody like the ancient Roman emperor Nero to whose fabled fiddling (when Rome was burning) Mr Khan had referred while speaking of the president’s moves. “There is a difference between Nero and a hero.”

Mr Awan dismissed allegation that the president sought to use “Sindh card” in his defence, saying the PPP had no such desire and pointed out that the party not only led the coalition governments in the centre and Sindh and Balochistan but was also a coalition partner in Punjab and the NWFP.

The opposition leader said his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) would not be a party to any move for confidence resolutions in the Punjab Assembly, where it is the majority party, or in the National Assembly and the Senate, where it sits on opposition benches. But he said he would be the first person to support the president if he came to parliament to expose the alleged “danger from undemocratic forces” and “if it were true what he said”.

Mr Awan did not say if Mr Zardari would make such a disclosure, but told the house that president would come to parliament and “take you into confidence” in a mandatory address at the start of the new parliamentary year on March 16.

Earlier, the chair allocated the last two hours of the day to discuss the Karachi situation after Mr Awan announced “no objection” to the adjournment motions moved by PML-Q’s Marvi Memon and PML-N’s Birjees Tahir and said that the debate could be wound up by the interior minister on his return due on Tuesday.

But the opposition leader, disagreeing with his own party member Birjees Tahir for an immediate debate, said his side would agree to it if Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani could sit through the two-hour proceedings, otherwise the house must wait for the presence of the interior minister.

After Mr Babar’s consultations with leaders of all parliamentary groups and a suggestion from the prime minister that the house must wait for an inquiry report in possession of the interior minister, the debate was put off to Wednesday because it could not be held on a private members’ day on Tuesday.

PPP MEMBERS’ IRE: Later speaking on points of order, PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel surprised the house by staging a walkout after alleging a discriminatory operation by Rangers in Lyari area and saying it would be wrong to portray all Pathans as Taliban, Baloch as drug mafia and Sindhis as land-grabbers and demanding action against all those against whom first information reports (FIRs) had been registered.

He questioned the interior minister’s right to decide “who is a PPP member and who is not” in Karachi as he was not the party chairman.

He was followed by party member Sher Mohammad Baloch who complained that PPP MNAs from Karachi were excluded from and those of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were invited to a PPP-MQM meeting held on Sunday to discuss the issue.

Another PPP member from Sindh, Nawab Yousuf Talpur, also went out of the house in apparent sympathy with the walkout, but returned afterwards, although, despite the chair’s request to some ministers to bring them back, his other colleagues were not seen in the house before it was adjourned until 10am on Tuesday.

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Miliband reiterates Britain's support to Pakistan

SLAMABAD: Pakistan has offered to supply Pakistan-made ammunitions to coalition forces in Afghanistan, Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced after his meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Saturday.

Pakistan welcomes the initiative and will participate positively and constructively, said Qureshi.

The British foreign secretary assured his counterpart of UK's participation in the public and private partnership meeting under the FODP through the private and corporate sector.

Miliband said Britain will support Pakistan's initiatives in the education sector, and announced that the Pak-UK Taskforce on education will meet on Monday to decide areas of progress and development.

He also said Pakistan's relations with the European Union are underdeveloped and the UK will play its role in this regard.

Foreign minister Qureshi said Pakistan is passing through a difficult phase and the Friends of Democratic Pakistan or FODP should come forward with solid initiatives.

Foreign Secretary Miliband assured his counterpart that the UK will extend every possible support in improving bilateral trade, rehabilitation of all IDPs and the infrastructure and development of Pakistan.

Qureshi also raised the issue of UK visas and the difficulties faced by the Pakistani community in Pakistan and the UK. He stressed that the UK visa office should be shifted back to Islamabad.

The two ministers agreed on establishing a Pak-UK foundation to bring the people of both countries closer and to enhance existing bilateral and cordial relations.

The ministers also discussed the upcoming London conference on Afghanistan, set to take place on the 28th of this month.

Earlier, on his arrival at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Miliband said that Pakistan is a country of enormous potential and Britain is very much looking forward to strengthen the ties with Pakistan. Britain values the sacrifices Pakistan has made in the war against terrorism, he stated.

“I'll be discussing how Pakistan is rising to the challenge against terrorism and addressing the dangers that it faces,” he added.

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SC directs officials on missing persons’ recovery

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench hearing the missing persons’ case on Tuesday warned the country’s top security officials against failing to recover hundreds of missing persons despite court directions.

The court directed the Attorney General to consult the Interior and Defence ministries’ secretaries as well as heads of intelligence agencies for the missing persons’ recovery.

The missing persons’ case has dominated court proceedings for more than four years now.

The missing persons’ relatives allege their loved ones were picked up by intelligence agencies and were never produced before the court.

Human rights groups across the country have also been taking out rallies on a regular basis to keep the issue alive.

However, so far very few of the missing persons have been recovered.

The majority of the missing was reported in the Balochistan province during the military operation conducted by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The government has repeatedly assured the relatives of the missing, but nothing has materialised regarding their recovery.

Now the apex court has once again warned top security officials against inaction saying no agency is above the law.

Zardari calls for national commitment against terror

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said Pakistan needs a united national commitment in order to successfully eliminate terrorism from the region.

Speaking at the 92nd passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy, the President also expressed confidence in the country’s armed forces and said the military is capable of countering any external or internal threats to Pakistan.

Zardari also warned that Pakistan's peaceful policies should not be considered a weakness and that the country is perfectly capable of defending itself.

Being a peaceful country, Pakistan does not want get into a regional arms race with any of its neighbours, he further said

Nazims’ reign ends in three provinces

ISLAMABAD: The local government system became a provincial subject after midnight on Thursday.

Provinces have decided to retain the system after making some amendments required in their jurisdictions.

Except in Sindh, all district Nazims will stop functioning from Jan 1 and administrators from the bureaucracy will be appointed to serve in their place till fresh LB elections are held.

President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, deleted laws concerning local governments from the sixth schedule of the Constitution.

Deletion of Balochistan Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XVIII of 2001), North West Frontier Province Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XIV of 2001), Punjab Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XIII of 2001) and Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001 (XXVI of 2001) allowed the provinces to make changes in the local government laws.

The president’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, said Mr Zardari described it as a new year gift to the nation which would promote provincial harmony.

“As the clock strikes midnight heralding the advent of 2010, the provinces are free to make their own laws relating to the local bodies either through legislation or ordinances. They are free to hold fresh elections or appoint administrators.”

A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s House said Mr Gilani observed that the provinces, according to their need and circumstances, may make laws and hold local bodies’ elections.

He further observed that omission of laws from the sixth schedule was a valuable dividend of democracy.

It is believed that there would be no uniformity in the LG system in the provinces because some will retain it while some will scrap it.

It has been learnt that except for Sindh, administrators would be appointed soon in provinces till the holding of fresh elections.

President Zardari has expressed the desire that the provinces should hold fresh LG polls within 90 days.

However, Punjab and NWFP governments have decided to hold elections in three and six months respectively.

“Our party has prepared a bill concerning amendments in the LG system and it is likely to be passed soon,” PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn.

He advocated non-uniformity in the LG system, saying the provinces should have autonomy to take a decision according to their conditions and requirements.

“Actually the uniformity in the system was desired by former president Pervez Musharraf who wanted to control the provinces through the LG ordinance,” Mr Ahsan alleged.

ANP’s senior leader Haji Adeel said his party had also prepared a draft bill containing proposed amendments in the LG system. Fresh election would be held within six months, he added.

Former chairman of the National Reconstruction Bureau Daniyal Aziz, who along with his predecessor Gen (retd) Tanvir Hussain Naqvi, gave a new concept of LG system, told Dawn that the system should not be wrapped up and if required amendments should be made.

He said he had been urging the provincial governments not to scrap the system because it was made for the betterment of people and to delegate powers to the grassroots level.

Mr Aziz recalled Article 140-A of the Constitution, which says: “Each province shall, by law, establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the ‘elected representatives’ of the local governments.”

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has rejected the proposal to appoint administrators and said the Sindh government should hold LG elections in three months.

When the term of LGs lapsed in October, the Punjab government had sent a resolution, or draft amendment, to the president with three main points: appointment of administrators, revival of magistracy and postponing of LG polls.

Not only Punjab but the NWFP and Balochistan have also demanded that the local governments’ mandate should be restricted to municipal functions. Uplift projects and tax functions should be reviewed and assigned accordingly, the suggested.

They pleaded that law and order should be purely a provincial subject and executive magistracy should be introduced.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the ministry of local government said the provinces did not want wrapping up of the whole LG system, but demanded some amendments to put it under provincial set-up.

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Mohmand clashes leave seven dead

GHALANAI: Four children, a woman and two security personnel were killed in an exchange of fire and shelling in Mohmand tribal region on Monday and Tuesday.


Local people said the children were killed when a mortar shell hit a playground in Sagai Bala area of Safi tehsil on Tuesday. Another shell hit the house of Qazi in Chamarkand area, killing the woman.


The two security personnel were killed when suspected militants attacked a checkpost in Chamarkand with rockets on Monday night. Five personnel were injured.

Troops hit back, killing one militant and injuring several others.Militants’ hideouts were pounded with artillery, but there was no report about casualties.

Local Taliban spokesman told newsmen on phone that one militant had been killed and one injured. He claimed that 14 security personnel were killed in the attack.

Helicopter gunships pounded militants’ positions also in Shiekh Baba, Soran Dara, Golono and Sagai.