PM Will Be Indicted If Zardari Immunity Is Not Proved

LHR 02-02-2012_Layout 1 2/2/2012 5:17 AM Page 1 Pakistan exerting Pakistan continues to Pakistani cinema’s insuﬃcient pressure consider India existen - going through a on militant groups: CIA tial threat: US rough patch: Ali PAGE 22 NATIONAL | PAGE 06 PAGE 15 Rs15.00 Vol ii no 217 22 pages Lahore — edition pakistantoday.com.pk thursday, 2 February, 2012 Rabi-ul-awal 9, 1433 PM will be indicted Pakistan not aiding taliBan g Secret NaTO report says ISI aware of the locations of if Zardari immunity senior Taliban leaders g Khar says charges are ‘old wine in an even older bottle’ is not proved: SC ISLAMABAD/LONDON Shaiq huSSaiN/aGENCiES Pakistan strongly refuted NATO allega - ISLAMABAD Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Os - KaBul: foreign Minister MaSOOd rEhMaN many, Justice ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz tions on Wednesday that it was assisting hina rabbani Khar Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Taliban militants fighting the US-led for - shakes hands with her USTICe Nasirul Mulk, the head of Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed, told Aitzaz eign troops in Afghanistan, warning that afghan counterpart the seven-member special bench of Ahsen to conclude his preliminary arguments such baseless accusations could further zalmai rasool after a the Supreme Court (SC) hearing the by Thursday (today). harm the already strained relations be - joint press conference National Reconciliation Ordinance Justice Mulk told Ahsen that if he could tween Islamabad and Washington. on Wednesday. afp (NRO) implementation case, told not convince the court that President Zardari A secret NATO report obtained by JAitzaz Ahsen, counsel for Prime Minister enjoyed complete immunity under Article 248 the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC said. “A BBC correspondent says to non-interference in Afghanistan. Yousaf Raza Gilani, during a hearing on of the constitution, it would proceed in the (BBC) had said the Taliban in the report is painful reading for inter - Pakistan has suffered enormously be - Wednesday to convince the court that Presi - matter in accordance with the law and frame Afghanistan were being directly as - national forces and the Afghan govern - cause of the long conflict in dent Asif Ali Zardari had immunity or the charges against the prime minister. He said sisted by Pakistani security services. ment,” it added. The report also alleges Afghanistan. A stable and peaceful court would indict the prime minister for con - the prime minister should have written to “The leaked report, derived from thou - that Pakistan knows the locations of Afghanistan is in our own interest and tempt of court. Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against sands of interrogations, claims the Tal - senior Taliban leaders. However, For - we are very much cognizant of this.” Ahsen stuck to his position that no mala the president before invoking the defence of iban remain defiant and have wide eign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit fide was involved in the prime minister’s state - immunity for the president. Ahsen then re - support among the Afghan people,” the said in a statement: “We are committed Continued on page 04 ment before the court and it should be treated quested the court to give the premier the ben - as informal. His argument was that the prime efit of doubt, as he said his client had obtained minister was an ordinary citizen, but the court proper advice and then decided not to write did not agree to his submission and ques - letter to the Swiss authorities. Justice Mulk 15 FC men, 7 militants killed in Bolan gun battle tioned how he could be an ordinary citizen told Ahsen that if he proved the president’s when all resources of the government were immunity, the court would not proceed fur - QUETTA FC had held Baloch self-exiled leader Wednesday morning, reinforcements available to him and he was also a legislator. ther in the matter. Ahsen continued to argue Shahzada zulfiqar Nawabzada Hairbyar Marri responsi - and choppers were sent to the Margut Ahsen, however, did not budge from his posi - that the prime minister honestly believed the ble. According to reports, the Baloch area to collect the dead and injured. All tion that the letter to the Swiss authorities president enjoyed immunity. Justice Mulk At least 15 soldiers of the Frontier militants were estimated to be over dead bodies and injured were moved could not be written as long as the president noted that the prime minister had stated be - Corps Balochistan were killed and 12 three dozen in number and attacked through a helicopter to Quetta. The in - was in office. He also said there was no harm fore the court that the decision of not writing others left injured in a fierce gun battle checkposts in the coalmine fields of jured were admitted to Combined Mil - in case the letter was written but argued that the letter was his own. between security forces and Baloch Margut area of Bolan on Tuesday after - itary Hospital (CMH) for treatment if the letter was not written, it did not warrant Justice Khosa noted that the prime minis - militants in Bolan district, the FC said noon using light and heavy weapons. while the bodies were sent to their an - contempt of court. From his arguments before ter had stated that he was ready to go to jail on Wednesday. The paramilitary forces returned fire cestral villages for burial. Some sources the court, it seems that the government is but would not write the letter. “Is that not dis - Seven attackers were also reported that led both parties into a gun battle reported that the FC Balochistan per - adamant not to reopen cases against President obedience of the court order?” he asked. He to have been killed in the clash, how - which lasted several hours in the diffi - sonnel on Tuesday came across seven Zardari as the court was again informed that said further that the prime minister was acting ever, no official source or militant group cult mountainous region. bodies of civilians during a search op - the letter could not be written because the on the advice of his subordinates but was not confirmed the toll. The Balochistan Lib - Due to darkness and difficult ter - eration, believed to be those of the at - president enjoyed immunity under Article 248 ready to obey court orders. eration Army claimed responsibility for rain, reinforcements could not reach tackers. However, official sources as of the constitution. The special bench, headed the attack later at night, however, the the battle site on Tuesday. However on well as FC spokesman did not confirm. by Justice Mulk and comprising Justice Asif Continued on page 04 LHR 02-02-2012_Layout 1 2/2/2012 5:18 AM Page 2 02 News Thursday , 2 february 2012 LAHorE nEwS forEIgn nEwS Today’s ‘library of Congress’ only galaxy of knowledge in world Pakistan to reset uS ties on equitable basis: Sherry romney leads uS republicans after big florida win Quick Look Story on Page 08 Story on Page 05 Story on Page 17 Police probe anthrax parcel sent to PM’s House fIa seals three firms ISLAMABAD afP/STaff rEPOrT manufacturing deadly Isotab Police on Wednesday said they were investigating how and why a parcel containing anthrax was sent to the prime g Efroze chemicals, Swiss Pharmaceutical and Zafa Pharmaceutical raided minister’s official residence in Islamabad last month. It appeared to be the first reported case of anthrax sent to a KARACHI government office in the country. “The parcel containing iSMail dilaWar anthrax powder was sent last month, about 20 days ago. After the laboratory test confirmed that the parcel con - He Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) tained anthrax we registered a case against unknown peo - on Wednesday raided at least three ple,” said police officer Hakim Khan. pharmaceutical firms for manufactur - In his application, PM Secretariat Administration Deputy ing medicine Isotab, which claimed Secretary Abdul Hafeez told secretariat police that on Oc - T several lives in various hospitals of Lahore. tober 18, 2011, during the scanning of Prime Minster’s According to FIA, while seizing raw material mails, they found a letter which carried anthrax. Upon from two of the raided firms, Swiss Pharmaceuticals this, the secretariat police registered an FIR under section and Zafa Pharmaceuticals, the agency also sealed a (270) against unidentified accused on Tuesday night. Karachi-based factory of efroze Chemical Indus - There was no immediate confirmation from the Prime tries. The FIA also put names of three owners of the Minister’s House. Neither was it immediately clear who raided firms on the exit Control List (eCL) besides was responsible, or how they could have accessed anthrax, blocking the official website of efroze Chemicals. of any quality, in Pakistan. Police said the parcel was The sealed factory was located at Godam Chowrangi posted from the Jamshoro district in Sindh. in Korangi Industrial Area, while its head office was “We have sent a police team to investigate it and to find situated at PeCHS. the culprits there,” said Khan, an officer at the secretariat “I had ordered the raids in which we sealed asked why only efroze Chemicals was singled out for the seized raw material would be sent for further police station. But in Jamshoro, 180 kilometres (113 efroze Chemicals while some raw material was also being seized, Ansari replied that because the com - laboratory tests, after which owners of the firms miles) northeast of Karachi, police said they had not been seized from two other firms,” FIA Sindh Director pany had “negative” reports given by lab researchers would be arrested. informed by Islamabad of any anthrax delivery, instead Moazzam Jah Ansari told Pakistan Today.

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