King of Pakistani Judiciary

Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (Urdu: افتخار محمد چودھری) (born 12 December 1948 in Quetta) is the current Chief Justice of Pakistan. His supporters insist that he is still the de jure Chief Justice. He was appointed as Chief Justice by Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on May 7, 2005.[1] He was "suspended" by President General Musharraf on March 9, 2007, when he refused to oblige Musharraf by refusing to resign but was reinstated by an order of the Supreme Court on July 20, 2007. This was the first recorded case of such suspension in the history of Pakistan.
After having been elected as President for second term by the elected Parliament, Musharraf in November 2007 pre-empted an impending court decision against his re-election and suspended the constitution and declared a state of emergency.[2] Justice Chaudhry reacted promptly, convening a seven-member bench which issued an already prepared interim order against this action.[3]
In March 2009, Nawaz Sharif and the Lawyers started a decisive movement to reinstate Chaudhry Iftikhar and other deposed Judges. Long March from all over the country was declared. Finally the Government reinstated Chaudhry Iftikhar and other deposed Judges on 16 March, 2009.
Lawyers, activists, and political workers particularly those from the PML-N, Tehrik-e-Insaaf, and Jamaat-e-Islaami were marching towards the Islamabad from all parts of Pakistan to stage a grand protest and sit-in at the Constitutional Avenue. The sit in was supposed to take place on the 16th of March 2009. The march commenced on 12th March, and picked up mass support as thousands of lawyers broke barricades and defied a government clampdown to march towards Islamabad. As the electrifying events in Lahore started to give dangerous signals of a near revolt, top military and civilian leaders went into a long session of discussion to defuse the situation. After a flurry of meetings between the President, Prime Minister and the Chief of Army Staf General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the government decided to restore Chaudhary Iftikhar.
"I announce today that Iftikhar Chaudhry and all other deposed judges will be reinstated from March 21," said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in his televised address to the nation on PTV at 5:57 am PST.
Gilani said the federal government would file a review petition against the disqualification of the Sharif brothers. “I invite Sharif brothers to come forward to work together in the light of the Charter of democracy”.
The vast majority of the Pakistani public and the media welcomed the historic decision.

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Fatima Bhutto a surprise supporter for Musharraf

As a major surprise for the beleaguered Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto’s niece Fatima Bhutto has come out in his open support, saying that both PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif were enjoying power even without being a member of the National Assembly.

Fatima, who still strongly believes that Zardari was behind her father Murtaza Bhutto’s murder, further alleged that their coterie of advisers was also not elected to the National Assembly.

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US abandoned Benazir, says author of new book on US-Pak ties

An American journalist has claimed that the Bush Administration abandoned former Pakistan Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan People''s Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto, which needed Washington the most to make her political comeback in Pakistan after more than eight years of self-imposed exile.

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Benazir murder probe to cost UN 40 million dollar

The probe into the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will cost the United Nations 40 million dollar and the world body would generate the amount through its own resources.

The investigators and account authorities of the organisation have made the estimates, sources revealed.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked head of the UN Security and Under-Secretary General for Security and Safety Sir David Veness to dash to Islamabad to look into the security aspects in Pakistan.

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Pakistan police foil terror plot planned for Benazir’s 1st death anniversary

Islamabad - It will be all praise for Benazir Bhutto as Pakistan Saturday reveres its former prime minister on the anniversary of her assassination while campaigning for a third term in office.

Tens of thousands of followers were to assemble in the small town of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in the southern province of Sindh where Bhutto lies in a family tomb.

She was killed along with three dozen other people in a suicide gun-and-bomb attack soon after she completed an election rally in the garrison town of Rawalpindi on December 27 last year.

The attack was blamed on Islamist militants plaguing Pakistan's ungoverned north-western tribal region near the Afghan border.

Ardent supporters of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which now heads the national government, were converging on Garhi Khuda Bakhsh from all over the country
- some walking hundreds of kilometres in honour of their slain leader.

Special trains are also being run to the town, where Bhutto's widower, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, will lead the mourning ceremonies at the weekend.

At least 50,000 people had arrived at the tomb by Friday afternoon and the numbers were expected to swell enormously through the day, PPP spokesman Jameel Soomro said.

Crowds of people chanted slogan "Bibi (Bhutto) is alive" on the arrival of every new caravan of mourners.

Authorities threw a security blanket over the area amid fears of violence during the mammoth commemoration. Thousands of police were deployed to provide security to high-profile participants, including Zardari's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani will be among several parliamentarians attending the ceremonies.

More low-key ceremonies are also expected to take place at the site of Bhutto's assassination in Rawalpindi, where a group of PPP loyalists Friday were sitting next to huge portraits of the slain leader, surrounded by floral wreaths and earthen lamps.

"One year has passed but we come here every night to pay homage to her," a PPP activist, Aafaq Khan, said as he laid flowers at the site.

"We feel like orphans today. In her absence, we see devastation everywhere. She was not only a political leader but we regard her also as our spiritual leader," an aged party worker said with tears in his eyes.

Grand banners, party flags and posters of the world famous leader were displayed at the gates to the park where Bhutto made her last public speech.

"Life will go on even without you, but it will be very gloomy and restless," read one of the posters.

Meanwhile, Pakistan was issuing a commemorative 10-rupee coin and a postage stamp Saturday, which has been declared a national holiday in memory of the charismatic leader who became the first woman to reign over a Muslim nation.

The government has already renamed several towns, buildings and roads after Bhutto.

Dubbed the "Daughter of the East," Bhutto was granted a posthumous United Nations award for human rights earlier this month.

A spokesman of PPP-led Pakistani government and Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters in Nou Dero, home village of Bhutto, that the government was striving to accomplish the dream of slain leader to make Pakistan a welfare state.

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UN wants to investigate Benazir Bhutto''s assassination

Ahead of the first death anniversary of Pakistan's former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, the UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon has assured Pakistani people of his commitment to investigate the Bhutto's assassination case.

Ban ki-Moon issued a statement saying that a commission would be set up to investigate the murder of the former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto, The News reported.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, after addressing an election rally in a suicide bomb attack in Rawalpindi.

UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said that Ban had assured the Pakistani people and government of his commitment to search for the truth and justice in Bhutto's assassination case.

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Student Unions Ecstatic at Lifting of Ban

Student Unions Ecstatic At lifting of ban

* Praise govt decision and distribute sweets amongst students
* Say decision will strengthen democracy in Pakistan, will usher in new leaders
* Want student elections as soon as possible

By Adnan Lodhi

LAHORE: Student unions distributed sweets amongst students on Saturday following the speech by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani in which he announced lifting the ban on student unions in educational institutions.

Student leaders welcomed the restoration of student unions, saying it would promote leadership qualities on campuses.

Former Pakistani president Gen Ziaul Haq had banned student unions in educational institutions in 1984. Student politics in Pakistan has a history of mixed fortune. It also has a history of rich democratic tradition. Before Ziaul Haq banned student unions, their activities were conducted through regular annual elections in universities and colleges. Student parties that participated in these elections played an important role in looking after vital academic, cultural and political interests of students.

The National Students Federation (NSF), Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), Muslim Student Federation (MSF), Anjuman Talaba Islamia (ATI), People’s Students Federation (PSF), Imamia Students Organisation (ISO), Mustafvi Students Movement (MSM) and the recently formed Insaaf Students Federation are among political groups active in student politics in Punjab. Although there was a ban on them, elements belonging to these groups were active in various capacities in educational institutions.

People’s Student Federation (PSF): PSF workers at the Punjab University, Forman Christian College University, University of Engineering and Technology, MAO College and a few technical colleges in distributed sweets and shouted slogans in favour of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government.

Ali Ammar, Punjab PSF information secretary, said that credit went to the PPP government for restoring student unions. Students from across Pakistan had demanded a lifting of the ban, he added.

He said, “We had promised students that the ban will be lifted and now it has. PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will soon visit Lahore and the PSF will announce a special package for students.”

Muslim Students Federation (MSF): Hundreds of MSF workers celebrated in MAO College and distributed sweets amongst students.

Afzal Sultan Gujjar, MAO College MSF chairman, said that the decision was historical and important, as the country needed leaders. He said that the decision to lift the ban on student unions would strengthen democracy.

Sheikh Shahid Iqbal, MAO College MSF president, said that the role of student unions was very important in providing leaders to Pakistan. He said, “We struggled a lot for the restoration of unions and many workers sacrificed their lives for this moment.”

Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT): IJT workers distributed sweets amongst Punjab University students at the hostels.

IJT Nazim Attiqur Rehman said that dictatorship on campuses was over and students would take charge and improve their lives. He said that the IJT would celebrate the decision across the country from tomorrow (Sunday) to April 5.

Imamia Students Organisation (ISO): ISO workers praised the prime minister’s decision and distributed sweets at the Punjab University and University of Engineering and Technology hostels.

Pakistan ISO President Arif Hussain Qambri said that the organisation praised the decision and realised that now it was the responsibility of students to gather on one platform and work for each other’s welfare. He said student unions would set educational goals and abstain from getting embroiled in politics.

Students Action Committee (SAC): SAC, a body of students working for the restoration of the judiciary, also praised the prime minister’s decision.

Haleema, SAC communication adviser, said, “SAC members are spread across 21 universities in the city and each one of them has praised PM Gillani. We have always demanded restoring student unions and have been forcing students to work for Pakistan’s welfare.”

Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM): MTM President Raheel Shah said that the decision to lift the ban on student unions was commendable. “The prime minister has provided us with the opportunity to grow in a democratic environment. We have called an MTM meeting for next week and have invited representatives of all student unions. We will formulate a policy and schedule for student elections and will make sure everyone works together.”

Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUSA): FAPUASA President Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Salik praised the decision, saying that the entire teaching community was happy. “Dictatorship tendencies in educational institutions are over forever. The government should announce the schedule for student elections. We oppose the policies of the Higher Education Commission in institutions and demand the prime minister restore employees who were fired after being implicated in plagiarism cases.”

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Record sale of Benazir Bhutto’s pictures

On the eve of her first death anniversary, the sale of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's portraits and pictures, touched a record high.

The Rawalpindi city is flooded with the stalls selling Bhutto's pictures, however, the largest collection of Benazir Bhutto's pictures was available near Liaquat Bagh, where she was assassinated on December 27, 2007, The News reported.

Bhutto has acquired the status of `heroine of democracy' in the Pakistan post her assassination.

"We can never forget our great leader who sacrificed her life for democracy," Yousaf Ali, a local visiting one of the stalls expressed his sentiments.

Another such purchaser was Saheen Khan who said, "I have a large collection of Benazir Bhutto's pictures, which I have displayed in my house."

Some of these picture stalls also put Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's pictures on display.

"I have been selling the photographs of Benazir Bhutto soon after her assassination and I will continue selling these for the rest of my life to pay homage to our great leader," an emotional stall owner, Ikram said.

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Benazir’s murder mystery likely to remain under wraps forever

Fears are being expressed that Pakistan's former premier Benazir Bhutto's murder would always remain under wraps, as people privy to the proceedings and progress in the investigations say that unravelling of the mystery shrouding the crime could lead to startling revelations, if ever made public, with serious political implications.

The chances of Benazir's assassination remaining unresolved, like other high-profile murder cases in the country's chequered history, appears to be high, The News reported.

"Some of the leads that we have obtained from the entangled evidence, both physical as well as circumstantial, guide us to certain personalities but any disclosures at this stage might cause extremely serious repercussions," said one member of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

"There is no doubt that we are in possession of highly sensitive information that our investigations have led us to and we have reason to believe that any premature exposure of this information would open up a Pandora's Box that would be difficult to handle."

"However, I would say that there have been stages in the course of the investigation, where we felt it was almost impossible to proceed any further," The News quoted the source, as saying.

Certain points have already been widely discussed in the public, and one of these is the `elimination' of two very important persons whose statements would have been extremely useful for the investigators.

One is the death of Nahid Bhutto, a cousin of the late Benazir Bhutto, in a road accident near Hyderabad on her way to Karachi from Naudero, less than a week after the tragic assassination of the then-PPP chairperson.

Insiders claim while cousin Nahid Bhutto was busy talking to somebody in Australia over telephone from the Naudero house in Larkana after the burial of Benazir Bhutto, she is believed to have touched upon something sensitive, overheard by somebody present there but without her knowledge.

As soon as she realised the presence of the other person, Nahid quickly wrapped up her conversation, saying she would discuss the matter on her arrival in Karachi the next day. She never arrived as intended.

A second hurdle to the probe is the assassination of Khalid Shehanshah, the personal bodyguard of Bhutto and a key eyewitness to the tragedy.

He stayed close to Bhutto wherever she went after her return and was always in the back of the vehicle that Bhutto rode during her election campaign. It will be instructive to recall that his behaviour on the stage the day Bhutto delivered her last speech at Liaquat Bagh had been questioned but the issue was tactfully hushed up.

The investigators believe that he was in the know of important facts concerning the assassination of the 54-year-old leader. His murder was part of a larger scheme to silence anybody who could become a source of vital information that would help resolve the mystery shrouding the assassination, the paper said.

What exactly he knew and why he was eliminated are the questions agitating the minds of people. Some are trying to divert attention from his killing by saying he had connections with the underworld dons, who might have orchestrated his murder.

Another very interesting aspect that surfaced during the investigations by The News was the late-night meeting of the head of an intelligence agency with Bhutto. Reliable sources said the gentleman came to meet Bhutto at around 1:30 am on the night of December 26, 2007 (early hours of Dec 27) and went straight into the meeting, also attended by Rehman Malik, then security adviser to the former premier.

One source privy to the discussions claimed the spy chief categorically told Bhutto not to go to Liaquat Bagh to address the rally. He said credible information had been received that there would be an assassination attempt on her life during the public meeting.

Now that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is in power, it is intriguing why the government has not made any effort to reinvestigate the case. The government did promise that a UN probe into Benazir's death would be initiated, but there has since been complete silence on the part of the PPP government, baffling many

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Sharif, Shujaat say Benazir’s death an irreparable loss for Pakistan

Pakistan's main opposition parties have said that the death of former premier Benazir Bhutto is an irreparable loss for the country.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif said Benazir spent her life struggling to turn Pakistan into a real democracy.

In a statement on her first death anniversary, Sharif said they had signed the Charter of Democracy to bring real democracy in the country, adding December 27 called for implementation of the charter and expediting the struggle for restoring real parliamentary system in the country.

He said genuine democracy would have been restored in Pakistan if Benazir was alive.

However, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid president Shujaat Hussain said despite having political differences with the PPP's former chairwoman, he saw Benazir's death not only as loss for the people of Pakistan.

He said the country was passing through a very critical situation and all the political forces should put aside their egos and combat it together.

Shujaat told reporters "the two biggest parties are in power and they should take the initiative to start dialogue with other parties on all national issues especially the present situation".

He said he was very surprised that one party was part of the government and the opposition simultaneously, adding it should decide whether it was with the opposition or the government.

To a question, he said the current situation demanded unity among the political forces in the country. Shujaat said his doors were always open for dialogue but the other parties' response was not as positive.

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