SC disqualifies PM Gilani

 Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan has issued a short order declaring Yousaf Raza Gilani ineligible as Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan in the National Assembly (NA) Speaker ruling case.

SC issued the order here on Tuesday after Gilani was found guilty earlier over contempt of court charges.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard the similar petitions, filed by the PML-N, Tehreek-e-Insaf and others against the NA speaker’s ruling over the disqualification of the PM.

The Court directed the President of the Country of take due steps for the election of the new PM and ensure the flow of democratic process.

Election Commission of Pakistan is also told to issue notice of ineligibility to Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The seat of the PM is vacant since 26th April 2012, the court said.

Supreme court also stated that Yousaf Raza Gilani had 30 days to file an appeal against the decision.

Gilani is no longer Member National Assembly either and cannot hold any National seat for five years.

It is important to mention here that Yousuf Raza Gilani was convicted two months ago in contempt case over refusal to ask Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari stating that the President has constitutional immunity.

The court made it clear through the order as to who is the guardian and sole interpreter of the constitution.

People’s Party is said to have called a emergency session of the allied parties at 9pm to discuss the court order and future plan of action.

The ruling party and its allies have the necessary majority in parliament to elect a successor to Mr Gilani.

Seeking to overcharge consumers: gas utilities putting undue pressure on Ogra through MoP

The public gas utilities, Sui-Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and Sui-Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), are pressurising the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) through Petroleum Ministry to allow them to overcharge gas consumers by Rs 10 billion on account of Unaccounted for Gas (UfG) in the next fiscal year 2012-13, it is learnt.

Both the gas utilities have overcharged the gas consumers by Rs 38 billion in last two years, official documents available with Business Recorder revealed. Sources in Petroleum Ministry told this scribe that the authority had proposed the government UfG losses for both the gas utilities should not be over 5.46 percent, while the Petroleum Ministry and gas utilities are pressing Ogra to allow 7.58 percent UfG losses. Managing Director SNGPL Arif Hameed has requested the Petroleum Ministry for allowing 9 percent UFG losses in the premises of SNGPL.

In a letter written to the Petroleum Ministry and Secretary Planning division the Ogra has quoted example of Bangladeshi gas company (Titas Gas), which had brought down UfG losses from 7.06 percent to 0.81 percent within four years (from 2004-05 to 2008-09) and have suggested the government to adopt similar measure in bringing down UfG losses. According to officials gas theft in the country has reached at 400 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD), which is sufficient to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity that would reduce power load shedding to four hour daily.

“An extra burden to the tune of Rs 38 billion had been passed on to the consumers in financial year 2010-11 and 2011-12 as a consequence, Federal Government announced price increase of 13.55 percent with effect from August 07, 2011. In January 2012, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources (MP&NR) has increased sale price for various categories of consumers in the range of 13.98 percent to 20.7 percent. The whopping increase has added to the miseries of general public and created hue and cry countrywide. Furthermore, in case of SNGPL, Rs 12 billion of gas development surcharge has been eroded in 2011-12 alone,” said a letter written by Ogra to the Petroleum Ministry.

The letter stated, “It is submitted that Deputy Attorney General for Pakistan and the then Secretary Ministry of Petroleum had not supported Ogra’s stance in Lahore High Court for treating Late Payment Surcharge, Meter Manufact4ring Plants, Sale of gas condensate and Royalty from Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL) as operating income and fixing UFG targets per Ogra’s prescribed benchmark of 2.5 percent in the revenue requirement for FY 2010-11.”

According to sources in petroleum ministry then Secretary Petroleum Imtiaz Qazi requested the LHC to declare line losses, meter manufacturing plants, late payment surcharge as non-operating costs which would have no impacts on consumer gas prices. As per international business practices the authority considers abovementioned costs of gas utilities as operation costs. The authority has requested the government to revisit its stance in the larger public interest and take necessary actions to vacate the High Court’s stay order granted against Ogra’s above referred decisions.

courtesy :

MPs’ fist-fight recalls Assembly scenes of 70s

The fist-fight by the Parliamentarians in the National Assembly during the budget speech of Federal Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has reminded the people sitting in the visitors galleries the rowdiness and ugly scenes in the same house in mid-70s when the then ruling party led by PPP founding Chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had managed to physically throw the then opposition members including Moulana Mufti Mahmood out of the house by sergeant-at-arms.

Perhaps, after that sorry and ugly episode the country’s apex legislative body had not witnessed what it has witnessed on Friday when the Opposition and Treasury members were at dragger’s drawn and setting aside all Parliamentary norms were freely trading foul language and throwing paper pieces and plastic hand-fans on the members sitting on the treasury benches.

The things went out of control when the Opposition members started raising indecent slogans against Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and tried to push back the human shield prepared by the treasury members in front of the Prime Minster and the Finance Minister who was delivering budget speech. This infuriated some of the members belonging to PPP and one of them pounced on the opposition members and then it become free for all as the house witnessed the ugliest of unruly scenes never seen in the Parliament in the recent past.

Most of the members from the protesting PML-N were not reconciling with the fashion of protest their colleagues had adopted and were staying a bit farther from the main protesting crowed.

One of them later sharing his sentiments with The Nation said that he simply thought he was protesting at some downtown venue in Rawalpindi.  Even Leader of Opposition Ch. Nisar Ali Khan was seemed perturbed over the way things were heading during the brawl and later he admonished some of his own party members who were trespassing the limits of decency.

Some of the members who remained neutral in the whole episode viewed the ugly scenes in the house as unfortunate and an attempt to undermine the sanctity of the Parliament.

They said that the politics of indecency and offensiveness of 90s had not revived rather it had pushed back to the politics of 70s when the ruling party used to physically throw opposition members out of the house.

One of the senior Parliamentarians jokingly said, “Thank God our Parliamentarians have not got the air of the Parliamentarians of Japan or France.”

No one will believe it: Syed Talat Hussain

The government was supposed to indicate its seriousness with regard to the Balochistan issue. But getting Rehman Malik, the interior minister, to announce the so called amnesty for the “naraz” Baloch is hardly the way to show seriousness. His credibility is not even feather-weight. In Balochistan is the butt of cruel political jokes, and symbolises all that is wrong with the center’s approach to this national crisis. He is flippant in his formulations and never backs up his statements with any action. In fact there are good reasons to believe that his statements are really his own inventions and reflect no real policy decision at any level. It is difficult to see his Amnesty offer becoming the bait that the insurgents would take. The olive branch policy looks nothing more than the ploy to pass time now that this has been announced by Mr Malik. It would have carried some semblance of sobriety and official empathy if the prime minister himself had bothered to un-veil the peace package. But he chose to stay in the background and instead allowed Mr Malik to become the face of the effort. This tardy and tactless. In Balochistan’s brittle environment symbolism is the key to finding the way forward. And Rehman Malik can never be the right symbol for anything serious and thoughtful.

Courtesy: Saach Media

Aqib Javed resigned and joining UAE Team

Pakistani bowling coach Aqib Javed resigned,

It is speculated that this decision came when he received an offer to join the UAE team as coach.

PCB is left stranded when it comes to bowling coaches, first after loosing Waqar Yunus and now Aqib Javed leaving the side PCB is now on the look-out for a new bowling coach for team Pakistan.

Pakistan has produced the game’s best fast and spin bowling attack since the very beginning. Bowling assets like Shoaib Akhtar and Waseem Akram have previously claimed to be on-call when ever the national side needs them.

Player Sold in BPL T20

Dhaka Gladiators bought Shahid Afridi for 700 thousand US Dollar.
Khulna Royal Bengals bought Neil o’brien for 80 thousand US Dollar
Dhaka Gladiators bought Naved Ul Hasan for 100 thousand US Dollar
Barisal Burners bought bought Ahmed Sehzad for 50 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Royals bought Edwards for 60 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Roayls bought Kamran Akmal for 100 thousand US Dollar

Chittagong Kings bought Mahmudullah Riad for 110 thousand US Dollar
Khulna Royal Bengals bought Abdur Razzak for 85 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Royals bought for Imrul for 50 thousand US Dollar
Duronto Rajshahi Junaed Siddique for 70 thousand US Dollar
Dhaka Gladiators bought Mashrafee Murtaza for 50 thousand US Dollar
Barisal Burners bought Yasir Arafat for 80 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Royals bought Trego for 75 thousand US Dollar
Duronto Rajshahi bought Tahir for 50 thousand US Dollar
Khulna Royal Bengal bought Russel for 85 thousand US Dollar
Khulna Royal Bengal bought Sanath Jayshuria for 110 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Roayls bought Brad Hogg for for 50 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Royals bought Sahil Tanvir for 100 thousand US Dollar
Sylhet Royals bought Summy for 55 thousand US Dollar
Duronto Rajshahi bought Samuels for 360 thousand US Dollar

Duronto Rajshahi bought Abdul Razzak for 100 thousand US Dollar
Barisal burners bought Brad hodge for 140 thousand US Dollar
Chittagong Kings bought Shoib Malik for 150 thousand US Dollar
Chittagong Kings bought Sayeed Ajmal for 100 thousand US Dollar
Chittagong Kings bought Bravo for 150 thousand US Dollar
Chittagong Kings bought Muttiah Muralitharan for 100 thousand US Dollar
Barishal Burners bought Chris Gayle for 530 thousand US Dollar
Dhaka Gladiators bought Pollard for 300 thousand US Dollar
Khulna Royal Bengal bought Nasir Hossain for 200 thousand US Dollar

Complete list of Player for each team

Barishal Burners
Chris Gayle $550,00
Yasir Arafat 80,000 $
Darean Sammy 50,000 $
Ahmed Sehzad 50,000 $
Suhrawadi Shuvo 45,000 $
Hamid Hossian Hassan $40,000
Mohammad Mithun $80,000
Ramiz Raja Jn $25,000
Souwrav
Sohag Gazi $25,000
Nazmul Hossain Apu $50,000
Alauddin Babu $65,000
Farhad Hossain $20,000
Mohminul Hoque $20,000
Nazmul Hossain Opu $50,000
Al Amin $20,000
Kamrul Hossain Rabbi $20,000
Kamrul Islam Rabbi 20,000 $
Brad Hog

Chittagong Kings
Shoaib Malik 100,000 $
Mutthiah Muralidaran 100,000$
Mahmudullah Riyad 110,000 $
Farad Reza 55,000 $
Nasir Jamshed $100,00
Farhad Reza $55,000
Jahurul Islam $110,000
N. Jamshed $100,000
K. Cooper $25,000
L. Simmons $25,000
Sanjamul Islam $40,000
Faisal Hossain$20,000
Ziaur Rahman $40,000
Shamsur Rahman $45,000
Enamul Hoque Jr. $55,000
Arafat Sunny $50,000
J. Taylor (WI) 50,000 $

Dhaka Gladiators

Saeed Ajmol ($ 100,000)
Kerion Pollard ($ 3000,000 )
Rana Naved ul Hasan $ 100,000
Mashrafi Bin Mortaza $ 50,000
Nazimuddin $ 85,000
Elius Sunny $75,000
Darren Steve (England) $25,000
Imran Nazir (Pakistan) $85,000
Stuart Mcgill $50, 000
Nazmul Hossain $ 30,000
A Kervezee $35,000
Imran Nasir $85,000
Anamul/Enamul Huq Bijoy $20,000
Tanvir Haider
Mosharraf Rubel
Mosharraf Hossain $65,000
Aftab Ahmed $ 20,000
Diman Ghosh $ 20,000

Duronto Rajshahi

Abdur Razzak $100,000
Junaed Siddiqui 70,000 $
Imran Tahir 50,000 $
Marlon samuels 360,000 $
Riaz Cheema $ 25,000
Mohammad Sami $70,000
Kaisar Abbas $25,000
Md. Sammy (pak) $70,000
Muktar Ali $20,000
Shabbir Rehman $40,000
Syed Rasel $ 20,000
Ariful haque
Mizanur rahman
Shumaya Sorkar $20,000
Saqlain Sajib $35,000
Asif Hossain Ratul $20,000
Fuad Alom (pak) $45,000
S. Ervine (ZIM) $25,000
Asif Ahmed Ratul 25,000 $

Khulna Royal Bengals
Dwayne Bravo 100,000 $
Shahid Afridi (700,000 $)
Abdur Razzak (85,000 $)
Nasir Hossain (200,000 $)
Andrew Russle 85,000 $
Sanath Jaysuria 110,000 $
Nial O Brien $80,000
Shafiul Islam $65,000
Shivnarine Chanderpaul $25,000
Shafiul Islam $ 65,000
J. butler $25,000
Maishukur
Sahagir hossain
Shamsur rahman
Marshal Ayub
Nazmul Hossain Milon $35,000
Nazmul Hossain $35,000
Dollar Mahmud $20,000
Shadaat Hossain $20,000
H. Gibbs (SA) $100,000
D. Smith (WI) $50,000

Sylhet Royals 
Peter Trego $ 75,000
Imrul Kayas $ 50,000
CBrad Hogg $ 50,000
Sohel Tanvir $ 100,000
Kamran Akmal $ 100,000
Feidal Edwards $ 60,000
D. Summy $ 55, 000
Rubel Hossain $70,000
Naeem Islam $ 90,000
Faisal Iqbal $25,000
Shuvagoto Hom Chowdhury $80,000
Alauddin Babu $65,000
Noor Hossain $20,000
Arafat Salauddin $20,000
Talha Zubair
Nabil Samad
Nadif Chowdury $30,000

Govt sitting on ticking bomb: A.A. Saeed

The unprecedented judicial restraint adopted by the Supreme Court by just suspending the 28 Parliamentarians and not de-seating them on one hand has provided the much needed breathing space to the ruling alliance to get the matter resolved through the adoption of the 20th Constitutional Amendment from the Parliament while on the other hand added to the problems of the government, already struggling to attain the two-third majority in the National Assembly by placing the bar on another six solid votes of the PPP who were among the suspended MPs.Political and legal experts said that by not disqualifying the 28 MPs the apex court had given a great favour to the incumbent political dispensation and just suspended these MPs whose fate was linked with the passage of 20th Amendment.These analysts said that in case the 28 Parliamentarians which included three Senators, two of them sitting Federal Ministers, nine MNAs and rest of MPAs, if disqualified by the apex court, which it could rightly do under the law, could have pushed the crises-marred incumbent government into another turmoil. But once again by adopting judicial restraint, the apex court has given a breathing space to the government, so that it could settle the matter in the Parliament by passing the 20th amendment for which the government was holding negotiations with the main opposition party – PML-N.But at the same time the suspension of the 28 MPs, which included nine MNAs, the government’s dependence on PML-N has also increased as out of these nine MNAs four belonged to PPP while one each from PML-F and PML-Q, both allies of ruling alliance and an independent, who would also have leaning toward the ruling coalition. So in all seven out of the total nine members would be casting vote in favour of the 20th amendment. Hence the already short of strength ruling coalition would further be pushed down and now just the support of JUI-F would not be enough for the ruling alliance to get the 20th amendment through as they remain short of three to four votes to attain the golden figure of 228 required for the passage of the 20th amendment.So the reliance of the ruling PPP on PML-N has increased and that was the reason PPP was compelled to accept the demands of the PML-N, which they wanted to be annexed with the 20th amendment draft. The PML-N demands list included fixation of the term of eight members of the Election Commission of Pakistan at five years instead of two years, appointment of independent Chief Election Commissioner strictly in the line of the 18th Amendment, and appointment of the independent interim government, not by just consultation with the opposition but by evolving consensus with the opposition.Sources in the ruling PPP informed that now the government has comfortable time to woo the PML-N support as the court had adjourned the hearing in the case till February 21 and by that date both the ruling PPP and PML-N would definitely strike some common ground to have a way forward, as surely neither the ruling PPP nor the PML-N would avoid deadlock as the deadlock and clash-like situation between the treasury and opposition benches would provide an opportunity to forces of status quo to take advantage to the disadvantage of the ongoing political process. The political observers and analysts were optimistic that the politicians both sitting in government and those on opposition benches would let the ball of democracy rolling and would not take any step, which would derail the system.

Labs to kill the poor: Syed Talat Hussain

Away from the hype of high-flying contempt case against the prime minister of Pakistan, tucked away in the dark and dingy streets of inner cities and forgotten villages, are stories of the lives of real people. They only make headlines when they die—in larger numbers as otherwise they are just a statistic in the brief-news corner. Property number 2, New Town, Multan Road, is one such area where lives have been lost in considerable number to draw our attention. This is where the Orient Laboratory was located that collapsed four days ago burying dozens in its five-story large debris. During my ongoing Lahore visit, I have seen findings of some of the inquiry reports on the incident. The facts of this tragedy are revealing. They show utter, and consistent contempt of the rights of the people by a system that treats ordinary lives like trash. The building’s original office record is unavailable. It was in April 2006 that public complaint against the illegal nature of this construction was brought to the notice of LDA, which planned demolition of the structure, but the owner first agreed to stop his activities then moved the court and got a stay order. Then the High Rise Commission found the owner to be in violation of construction rules and the laboratory was sealed. The owner, by now a very rich man thanks to the booming business of fake live saving (life taking in reality) drugs, pulled his weight and de-sealed the premises initiating a contempt of court proceedings against officials. This matter continued till the whole structure came down last week throwing up all of the accumulated crimes against humanity. The owners, who have several houses all across the country, employed very women from the shanty town who toiled for long hours for a pittance. They manufactured spurious drugs in millions that were then supplied through hundreds of drugs stores across Pakistan affecting millions of unsuspecting (and again poor) patients, possibly killing any number of them. However, they have been swift on their feet and have disappeared—as they always do—in thing air along with all of their near and distant relatives. Incredible! Such factories are in their hundreds and can be found everywhere. These work day and night to kill the poor the Pakistan. I hope someday this contempt is also taken notice of, not by the judges, but by those who get votes from the wretched of Pakistan and then abandon them to work in places like the Orient Laboratory.

Courtesy: Saach Media

LB rift threatens Sindh coalition: A.A. Saeed

Even President Asif Ali Zardari has failed to narrow down differences between his party’s Sindh chapter and MQM on local bodies’ setup in the province and widening cracks could ultimately lead to the break-up of coalition once more.

Sources aware of the background negotiations taking place between the two sides over the past several months and for which a committee, comprising the provincial leadership of both the coalition partners, failed to resolve the differences between the two sides and finally President Asif Ali Zardari had to rush to Karachi, but despite all his efforts the matter could not be resolved. A source in the ruling PPP told TheNation the only positive thing was that the two sides were still engaged in dialogue and searching for some mutually acceptable solution to the problem.

Sources in PPP said that they were caught in a very difficult situation as apart from MQM they have to take care of the concerns of other coalition partners in the province  ANP and PML-F. Both these parties are against the complete reversion to the district government system while most of PPP Sindh leaders also want a return to the old municipality system.

It was in this backdrop that MQM was dithering on extending support to the government on 20th constitutional amendment and they could ditch the ruling PPP any time. The MQM also expressed its resentment on fresh increase in petroleum products prices by walking out of both the houses of parliament the other day.

Sources in the PPP said it was due to this flip-flop on MQM’s part that the PPP was looking for support from opposition parties, including PML-N, to have smooth passage of 20th amendment from the parliament and keep check on its junior coalition partners at the same time.

Sources said that the differences between the MQM and PPP took new turn when the PPP leadership took up the matter of holding pre-schedule general elections with its junior coalition partners. MQM sharply reacted to the move and asked the PPP leadership to settle the matter of local bodies in Sindh before taking any decision on holding of pre-time elections after the presentation of annual budget.

Political observers say if the general elections in Sindh would be held with the commissionerate system in place and old five districts of Karachi restored, MQM would surely be at a disadvantage and that was the reason they were struggling hard to get the things reversed ahead of the general elections.

Sources said that there is a strong possibility that MQM would once again part ways with the ruling PPP if their demands regarding the local bodies system were not met.

A dangerous game of bluff: Syed Talat Hussain

The contempt of court proceedings have come to a natural point of conclusion. The government’s slow, incremental but deliberate and persistent defiance of court orders, couched in the argument of ‘executive prerogative’ was bound to rebound on prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani. Moreover, there has been neither consistency nor merit in the line of reasoning that the government’s various representatives, including Barrister Aitezaz Ahsan, adopted to deal with the one, simple Court demand that the order on the NRO be implemented in letter and spirit. They have used all sorts of tactics: for instance on writing the letter to the Swiss authorities their stance has been “We don’t want to write it because it is useless’, “Cant write it because it involves the president who has immunity”, “Did not write it because we thought the president had immunity”, “Did not write it because the prime minister was wrongly advised by the law secretary and the former law minister”, “Will not write it come what may because this is the decision of the whole party”, “The prime minister did not write it but by not writing it did not commit contempt of court”, “The prime minister has the highest regard for the Court but will not write the letter for reasons we don’t want to explain.” These are all mutually contradictory positions and not sustainable in a simple table talk much less before a determined and learned bench that has been hearing weired and untenable postulations. What will the government do now? They will first go for an intra court appeal to gain (waste) more time. In the interim they will build pressure and create scare that somehow the clash of institutions is going to bring down the whole system. In the end they may sacrifice the prime minister to get high moral ground. The prime minister might resign a day before his conviction and thus save himself from disqualification. This is how would live to fight another election; while writing to the Swiss authorities would be lost in the ensuing political chaos or musical chairs over the next premier. The ultimate beneficiary, President Asif Ali Zardari, continues in office and may be in a position to handpick the next interim government for supervising the upcoming elections. The government also thinks that with half the media on their back and fourth year of their term closing, they are still quite strong in the game of public perceptions. The Court proceedings are a deep cut yes, but not a fatal wound. However, the government is playing a dangerous game and that too on the edge. One miscalculation can cause them to fall badly. The prime minister’s political career can finish for ever if he does not take this case seriously. And president Asif Ali Zardari’s immunity would be put to the shredder if the Court orders a special bench to write to the Swiss authorities by-passing completely the government and its machinery.

Courtesy: Saach Media