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6-4-1 formula agreed in Punjab

LAHORE – Major political parties in the Punjab have reached a 6-4-1understanding over Senate elections in a rare gesture meant to create a greater political harmony in the country.
According to this grand compromise, the Senate candidates nominated by them will be elected unopposed without any contest.
The new-found arrangement reached between the leaders of major parties that included PPP, PML-N and PML-Q suggests that the number of candidates taking part in the Senate elections will not exceed the number of seats available. All the extra candidates will withdraw on the instructions of their party leadership, making once an all-important Senate elections a mere formality.
The initiative, started by none other than President Asif Zardari, has already been implemented successfully in Sindh, where all the candidates in the run have been declared unopposed.
The adjustment in the Senate on the part of major political forces will make Senate elections absolutely safe and sound for the candidates in the run, free of any blackmailing from certain quarters, extensive and irksome canvassing and involvement of money often witnessed in Senate elections.
With now a compromise formula put in place, PML-N will bag six, PPP four and PML-Q one Senate seat. It is pertinent to mention here that as many as 11 Senators will be elected from Punjab. Senate elections will be held on March 4.
On general seats, PPP’s Jahangir Badr and Salahuddin Dogar, PML-N’s Zafar Ali Shah, Mushahidullah, Pervaiz Rasheed and Raja Zafarul Haq will be the lucky ones to make their place to the Upper House.
Similarly from PML-Q Ch Shujaat Hussain will return unopposed. Here Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was the PPP’s front man to negotiate with the Chaudhrys on behalf of Asif Zardari
On women seats, Sughra Imam of PPP and Najma Hameed of PML-N will have no problem whatsoever in becoming members of Senate and that too unopposed.
Likewise on the strength of technocrats those who will benefit from this understanding are PPP’s Kazim Shah and Sajid Mir of PML-N.
All other candidates who earlier were in the fray will withdraw their papers in a day or two on the instructions of their parties. Already Mushahid Hussain Syed and Rozina Alam of PML-Q have withdrawn their papers.
As per this arrangement, the PML-N would be slightly in an advantageous position by virtue of having the support of PML-Q’s forward bloc. But the PPP and PML-N will not lose much in the process.
Irfan Bukhari from Islamabad adds: Well-placed sources Tuesday revealed to The Nation that the withdrawal of PML-Q candidate on technocrat seat, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, came after a basic understanding between Governor Punjab Salman Taseer and PML-Q leaders Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi while the PML-N leadership was conveyed the messages through the PML-Q.
“The PML-N has 170 members while it has the support of 38 dissidents of the PML-Q which takes the tally to 208. This number is good enough to get four general seats, one technocrat and one woman seat,” said the sources.
“Under the agreement, the PML-Q leadership has given support to the PPP for one technocrat and one woman seat and the PPPP would be the major beneficiary of the deal,” added the sources. Elaborating the party position, the sources said the PPP had a strength of 107 Provincial Assembly seats which would get it two general seats.
“However, the PPP could not get one technocrat and another woman seat without the support of PML-Q members. The PML-Q has withdrawn its candidates as a Confidence Buliding Measure (CBM) with the PPP and the PPP would return the favour to the PML-Q in the near future. Now the tally of PPP Senators from Punjab would rise to four,” added the sources.
Meanwhile, PML-Q candidates Senator Mushahid Hussein Sayed and Senator Razina Alam Khan Tuesday announced to withdraw their nomination papers from the Senate elections.
Both the candidates had filed their papers for technocrat and woman seats respectively from Punjab. PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain announced the withdrawal of both the PML-Q candidates from Punjab in a press conference, saying that the decision had been taken to uphold the democratic traditions ‘and defeat the menace of horse-trading and switching loyalties from the country’.
He said that the decision should not be taken as deal. “No agreement or deal has been made as the decision is aimed at achieving the goal of unopposed elections as has been done in Sindh”, he said, adding that PML-Q had sacrificed one seat just to make sure that horse-trading episode was not repeated in Senate polls.
Flanked by Mushahid Hussein Sayed, Razina Alam Khan, Ch Wajahat Hussain, Marvi Memon and others, Shujaat alleged that certain political parties were encouraging horse-trading, which was harmful for democracy. “We have made efforts to ensure unopposed elections for Senate. We had also done so in Punjab in year 2006 and our same tradition has been repeated in Sindh this time. However, the stories of sale of loyalties is on the rise as is being reflected by the media,” he said.
Staff Reporter from Lahore adds: In a significant development ahead of Senate elections, PPP Secretary-General Jahangir Badr Tuesday called on PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif at the latter’s residence in Raiwind. During the meeting, he said that if PPP and PML-N agree on seat adjustment in upcoming Senate polls, it will have positive effect on future relations between the two parties.
The meeting, that continued for more than an hour, discussed different issues regarding Senate elections as well as the need for initiating efforts to improve the ties between PPP and PML-N besides law and order situation, imposition of Sharia in Swat, war on terror, new US steps to counter terrorism, lawyers’ long march and sit-in, charter of democracy and functioning of the Punjab government. PML-N president and Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif was also present on the occasion.
Talking to Badr, Nawaz Sharif said maintained that his party had always prayed for the long life of the democratic system in the country. He said survival of PPP-led government was directly linked with its own attitude and actions. According to him, the PML-N would never support any movement, leading to dislodge the government. “We will save the system at any cost,” he added.
He also reiterated his resolve to join the long march. “Democracy cannot be promoted in any country without justice, peace and rule of law,” he maintained.
He said the government has failed on all fronts including economic, internal and external, adding that economy cannot be strengthened by using crutches like loan from IMF. He said PPP had no option but to adhere to the Charter of Democracy. He said: “Restoration of parliamentary system is essential to save country from crisis.” Underling importance of the supremacy of parliament, he said, “It is essential to ensure peace, justice and political stability in the country.” He said the policy of taking decisions on important national issues on the basis of liking and disliking of a person was against the spirit of democracy and totally unacceptable. He said PML-N would leave no stone unturned for strengthening democracy in the country, asserting “we are in favour of completion of tenure by the federal government despite manoeuvrings to keep him (Nawaz) and his brother (Shahbaz) out of parliament.” “We showed extreme patience, but Asif Ali Zardari failed to honour promises and restore judges,” he said. He said the policy of showing politeness should not be considered as weakness, adding that PML-N does not want to repeat politics of the 80s and 90s. He said some unwise friends of President Asif Zardari were ill advising him against democratic forces but he should show wisdom and farsightedness. He said terrorism in all its forms and manifestations was the condemnable. He proposed review of country’s foreign policy with the emphasis on establishment of good relations with neighbouring countries. He said there was also need for finding out reasons as to who was responsible – whether those were armed forces or politicians – for failure of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
After the conclusion of the meeting, Jahangir Badr held a press briefing, hoping that meeting would go a long way in furthering relations between PPP and PML-N. He said it would be augur well if PPP and PML-N agreed on seat adjustment in Senate polls. He said that Sharif brothers assured that PML-N would harness its energy for the continuation of the system.
Meanwhile, German ambassador Jorge Clark, heading five-member delegation of members of German parliament called on PML-N chief Mian Muhammad Nawaz Shairf at his residence in Raiwind. The meeting remained focused on Pak-German ties, US policy on war on terror, drone attacks in FATA, tumultuous relations between India and Pakistan after Mumbai mayhem and role of international community in countering the terrorism.

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First blast after peace deal kills 8

First blast  after peace deal kills 8

PESHAWAR – As many as eight people including two assailants were killed and 17 others got injured, many of them critically, when a bomb planted in a car blew up outside the house of Union Nazim Bazid Khel, Faheemur Rehman, in Badabair area here Tuesday, police said.
The blast occurred a day after the NWFP government signed a peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in Swat.
The blast damaged outer walls of the Nazim’s house and two neighbouring homes, besides two other cars, however, the nazim remain unhurt.
The deceased included Zar Muhammad, Ali and Qari Khalid, while the names of the killed attackers could not be confirmed till the filing of the report. The attackers were killed when people sitting in the residence of Faheemur Rehman opened fire at them.
The injured persons were rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital where some of them were stated to be in critical condition.
The personnel of law-enforcement agencies rushed to the blast site and cordoned off the area. They also collected evidence from the site and started investigation.
Talking to TheNation, SSP Investigations Ghulam Muhammad said it would be premature to term the blast a suicide attack. Investigations were in progress and most probably it was car bomb blast, he added.
He said the local people had apprehended three suspected persons who were being interrogated. He also said that no one had claimed the responsibility for the attack so far. Around 15 to 20 kg explosive had been used in the blast, he added.
Agencies add: At least eight people, including two terrorists, were killed as a car bomb exploded in Peshawar on Tuesday, a security official said. “Six people were killed and 16 were injured when a bomb fixed with a car parked at Bazid Khel locality of Peshawar went off,” said an intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
‘The two terrorists tried to escape after the blasts but local people spotted them fleeing and shot them dead,” Peshawar City Police Chief Iffat Ghayor told reporters. He also said that a young girl was among the victims of the blasts.
Meanwhile, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has strongly condemned the blast and termed it a cowardly act of terrorism. He also expressed deep shock and grief over the loss of precious lives.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the bomb blast.
The President and the Prime Minister said the government was committed to ensure writ of the government at all costs and would not bow down to the extremists, militants and terrorists.
President Zardari said acts of violence, bomb blasts and terrorism were a serious threat to the country and would be countered with an iron hand.
The Prime Minister said that the government was committed to bring peace across the country and address the issue of militancy through multi pronged approach of development, deterrence and development.
Gilani asked the provincial government to submit a report at the earliest and take measures to nab the perpetrators.

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Hostile forces stirring up China jobless: official |

“Hostile” forces stirring up China jobless: official
Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:31am

By Ian Ransom

BEIJING (Reuters) – China must guard against “hostile forces” within and outside the country working to stir up trouble among its masses of newly unemployed workers, a senior trade union official said in comments published on Wednesday.

Beijing’s Communist Party leadership has issued repeated warnings that legions of idle rural workers gathered in the country’s struggling export hubs could pose a threat to the social stability.

Clashes between police and unpaid workers locked out of failed factories have flared up across China in recent months, but the government bans independent trade unions, depriving workers of a key channel for resolving disputes.

Sun Chunlan, vice-chairman of the state-backed All-China Federation of Trade Unions, said police taskforces had been “rushed” to all regions to “understand the situation with regional social stability,” the Beijing News paraphrased him as saying during a teleconference with officials.

Authorities needed to guard against “hostile forces within and outside China using the difficulties of some enterprises to infiltrate and bring trouble to rural migrant workers,” Sun said. He did not elaborate.

After enacting a landmark labor law last year giving greater protection to the country’s 130 million migrant workers, labor rights groups have accused officials of turning a blind eye to violations amid economic hardship to help factory owners survive the financial crisis.

Sun said China’s official trade unions would extend aid to more than 10 million migrant workers, in the form of job training or “living assistance.”

But about 20 million jobs alone have been lost in Guangdong province, southern China’s manufacturing hub where a third of the country’s exports are produced, an official from China’s top planning agency said on Tuesday.

In Dongguan, one of China’s largest factory belts in the Pearl River Delta, the labor market on the ground remained tight for many returning migrant workers.

Workers in Changping, a mid-sized industrial town, congregated outside factory gates ahead of recruitment drives and massed on street corners where ad-hoc job recruiters with foldable tables touted work.

“A lot of factories are looking for workers but they’re mainly looking for skilled employees or women,” said Yang Yun, a jobless 25-year-old from southwestern Guizhou province walking alone along a dusty avenue carrying all his possessions.

Other workers said the situation was not yet desperate, but many were lowering wage expectations to under 1,000 yuan ($145) a month, hoping to make up the shortfall with more overtime.

A senior Guangdong police official on Tuesday warned of a “grim” public security outlook in the province bordering Hong Kong, warning that ranks of jobless workers could be “tempted by crime and become a factor of instability.”

Police in neighboring Fujian province shot two robbery suspects, killing one, after they resisted arrest and injured five policemen during a raid, Xinhua news agency said in a separate report.

The two were among nine members of a gang that carried out armed robberies at construction sites across Fujian ’s Quanzhou city, injuring dozens and stealing more than 1 million yuan ($146,000), the agency said, citing police.

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