Pakistan PM Gilani's son in Rs 7 bn drug scam

 A Rs 7 billion (USD 77 million) "drug quota allotment" scam allegedly involving Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani' son has surfaced in Pakistan, Geo News reported.

A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry heard a case on Thursday against the Health Ministry illegally allotting a quota of a bronchodilator drug "ephedrine" worth Rs 7 billion to two Multan-based companies.

The case was filed by Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to bring the culprits to the task but its lawyer, Abid Zulfiqar, pleaded before the court on Thursday that his client wanted to withdraw the case.

When the Chief Justice asked Zulfiqar what was stopping the ANF from pursuing the case, he revealed that ANF was under extreme pressure regarding its probe into the Health Ministry's violations of rules, while awarding a quota of 9,000 kg ephedrine drastically exceeding the legal limit of 500 kg.

The lawyer disclosed that one "Tauqeer Ali Shah", who claimed himself to be the secretary of PM Gilani's son Ali Musa Gilani, had been pressurising the ANF to sweep the case under the carpet.

In the line of duty, the ANF also tried to summon Ali Musa Gilani on March 12, but to no avail, the ANF counsellor told the court.

Besides, ANF chief Brig Fahim Chaudhry told the court that it was Secretary Anti-Narcotics Department who put a full stop to the investigation by stating that an important political personality was not happy with the probe.

Summoned all the parties, the Supreme Court later adjourned the hearing till April 20.

'US to rely on India if Pak doesn't open NATO route'

The US will have to default and rely on India and Northern Distribution network if Pakistan does not open up its crucial Afghan supply route, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers on Thursday.

However, the Pentagon official testifying before a Congressional subcommittee did not gave details of the Indian network, on which it can depend for its crucial supplies to Afghanistan.

"If we can't negotiate or successfully negotiate the reopening of the PAK GLOC (Ground Lines of Communication) we have to default and rely on India and the Northern Distribution Network, our increased strat airlift," Marine Corps Lieutenant General Frank Panter, the Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, told lawmakers.

Both are expensive propositions and it increases the deployment or redeployment, Panter said in his testimony before the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

Islamabad has closed the NATO supply route after the November 26 cross-border fire that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

At the same time, the Pentagon official indicated that this (India) is a sensitive issue.

"There's always that sensitive issue about the nations. We're dealing with the Indian network in itself. If for some reason there's additional political strain related to these countries, that restricts the flow as well. Redeployment timelines, by not being able to use the PAK GLOC, will increase along with, as you mentioned, ma'am, the cost as well," he said.

"Despite all these challenges, though, TRANSCOM and CENTCOM, they do have mitigation strategies in place. I would be more than happy to talk about those as well. There are quite a few of them. But negotiations are ongoing, as you know, to reopen the PAK GLOC," Panter said.

Army Lieutenant General Raymond Mason, Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics, said the Pak GLOC is critical and it has been closed since November.

"The good news is, because of a lot of really great planning, our logistics situation is in very good shape. Fuel we watch very closely," he said.

"But back to the issue of retrograde out of Afghanistan. We're getting it out by air, so as aircraft come in and we fill the aircraft as they depart, both Air Force aircraft as well as commercial aircraft so we're using every available aircraft to go back out again," Mason said.

"The Northern Distribution Network, it's three to four times more expensive because it's three to four times lengthier. It's very complicated, a variety of different methods -- rail, ferries, truck -- so significant amount of changing and loading and unloading, so that adds to the cost as well," he added.

'US won’t punish soldiers over NATO strike in Pak'

 The US military has decided that none of its soldiers involved in a NATO airstrike in November last year that had killed 24 Pakistani soldiers will face disciplinary charges, an incident that had plunged the bilateral ties to a new low.

A second inquiry to determine whether any American military personnel should be held accountable for the incident concluded that the Americans fired in self-defence and should not be punished, reported quoting three senior military officials.

"We found nothing criminally negligent on the part of any individual in our investigations of the incident," a senior American military official was quoted as saying.

The other mistake that contributed to the fatal cross-border strike was the regrettable result of battlefield confusion.

Ties between the US and Pakistan plunged to a new low after the November incident, which had also complicated the allied mission in Afghanistan.

An American investigation in December had found that both US and Pakistani troops were to be blamed for the deadly exchange of fire, but had noted that the Pakistanis fired the first shots from two border posts.

The investigation had found that the Pakistani soldiers had kept firing even after the Americans tried to warn them that they were shooting at allied troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has rejected these conclusions and blamed the American forces for the deadly incident. After the December investigation, the American chain of command in Afghanistan and at the Central Command set out to determine culpability of its soldiers involved.

"The military's decision is expected to anger Pakistani officials at a time when the two countries are gingerly trying to patch up a security relationship left in tatters over the past year from a series of episodes," including the shooting of two Pakistanis in Lahore by a CIA contractor and the Navy SEALs raid in Abbottabad that killed bin Laden, the NYT said.

Head of the US military's Central Command Gen James Mattis is scheduled to hold long-delayed meetings this week in Islamabad with Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss the airstrike probe, as well as new border coordination procedures to prevent the episode's recurrence.

Mattis is also expected to discuss opportunities for training, arms sales and improving border coordination centres, military officials said.

The November attack had set in motion two inquiries with the first investigation concluding that Pakistani troops fired first on a joint Afghan-American patrol, prompting the Americans to respond with fire.

The investigation had determined that it took about 45 minutes for a NATO operations officer in Afghanistan to notify a senior allied commander about Pakistan's calls that its outposts were under attack, one of several breakdowns in communication that contributed to the airstrike.

American military legal experts said that the episode illustrated the difficulties of assigning blame when an unintended chain of events results in tragedy.

US troops have taken several steps in the wake of the airstrike to ensure such an accident does not happen again. These include reviewing and harmonising all directives related to border operations, increased training and coordination, improved surveillance before missions and more current information on the location of border installations on both sides.

"Cross-border communications have been improved, command levels at border coordination centres have increased, and command relationships have been redefined where needed," NATO spokesman Jimmie Cummings said.

Pakistan's Parliament is scheduled to resume debate this week on its review of relations with the United States. Obama is also expected to meet Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani in Seoul, where the two will take part in the nuclear security conference.

Pakistan Parliament set to take up ties with US

Pakistan's Parliament is set to finally reveal new terms of engagement with the United States next week, almost five months after a cross-border skirmish with NATO forces that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead and ties at their lowest in years.

The new terms will likely include the re-opening of supply lines to US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan, closed since November 26, but with many new qualifications and restrictions, a prominent opposition lawmaker said on Saturday.

"Broadly, all the parties agree on this," said Ayaz Amir, an opposition member of the National Assembly who sits on its foreign affairs and defence committees. "I don't think anyone is in favour of permanently blocking off NATO routes. There will be riders, qualifications, and the military will have a heavy input in this."

Pakistan has been directly ruled by its military for more than half of its 64-year history and indirectly for much of the rest. It largely controls foreign and security policies, and has taken the lead in relations with the United States.

"All of this, the break in relations, the army viewpoint is colouring Pakistan's response," said Amir, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) faction headed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Relations with the United States reached a crisis point after the November incident in which NATO aircraft killed 24 Pakistani troops. Pakistan shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan and demanded an apology.

The United States expressed regret for the loss of life and accepted the bulk of the blame, but has not apologised.

Amir spoke a news agency just before Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari was scheduled to address the opening of a joint session of parliament, the fifth time he has done so. That is more than any previous civilian president of the unstable, nuclear-armed South Asian nation.

Zardari could be the first civilian president to serve a full five-year term, having so far weathered numerous political crises and showdowns with both the military and the Supreme Court.

Still, if he addresses US-Pakistan ties at all, he is likely to issue only already widely-accepted recommendations to parliament, given that the national security committee has been working on the new terms for months with heavy input from the military.

The recommendations are almost certain to be accepted by the Parliament when they are finally issued later this week.

"Regardless of the opposition these recommendations face when they are presented before parliament, the government has a majority and will not face difficulties affirming them," Amir said.

"I think it should be done within a week, that's my expectation."

But Zardari is hugely unpopular in Pakistan, accused of corruption and mismanagement, and opposition politicians have pledged a rowdy welcome to Zardari, a Pakistani daily newspaper reported. A symbolic walkout near the end of the speech is expected.

Russian-made ammunition found in al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's house

Russian-made ammunition has been found in al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a media report said on Friday.

The inquiry commission probing the US commando raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden on May 02 last year has learnt that Russian-made ammunition was found in the compound.

The ammunition was in a cupboard, sources told Dawn.

One casing of a used bullet was found.

The US operation was carried out without tipping off the Pakistani military, straining ties between Islamabad and Washington.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani admits Pak cannot afford war over Kashmir

 Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday acknowledged that the Kashmir issue would have to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Pakistan "cannot afford wars" in the 21st century.

Four wars have already been fought on the Kashmir issue and the region still "was a flashpoint", but in the 21st century "we cannot afford wars", Gilani said.

"We want to resolve issues through dialogue, diplomacy, prudent policy and national consensus," he said while addressing a convention at the Prime Minister's Secretariat to mark 'Kashmir Solidarity Day'.

Gilani said the Kashmir issue remained the cornerstone of the country's foreign policy.

"We are committed to continue with the moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris. The whole nation, including all the political parties, is united on the cause of Kashmir," he said.

Since Pakistan is a responsible country and a responsible nuclear power, it has to make responsible policies, Gilani said.

Pakistan's policies should be made through national consensus and by the chosen representatives of the people, and not by individuals, he said.

The Kashmir policy had been the focus of the Pakistan People's Party-led government in line with the vision of the party's founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said.

Rallies were held across Pakistan to mark 'Kashmir Solidarity Day', which is a public holiday.

The day has been observed by Pakistan since 1990 to highlight the Kashmir issue. During the rallies, Pakistanis pledged to continue supporting the Kashmiris for what they claimed was their "right to self-determination".

Special prayers were offered at mosques and hundreds of people formed a human chain in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Banners calling for Kashmir's freedom were put up along roads in cities and towns across Pakistan.

Citing the policy of Pakistan-China friendship, Gilani told the convention at the PM's Secretariat that the whole country was united on this policy.

As in the case of Pakistan's policy on China, there was no difference of opinion on the Kashmir cause, he claimed. Gilani noted that there were question marks about Pakistan's policy on Afghanistan as it was made by a dictator who wore the four hats of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Army chief, the president and the chief executive.

Despite his power, the dictator could not sustain pressure after a call from a US under secretary, he said. In contrast, the democratic government closed NATO supply lines, got the US to vacate Shamsi airbase and boycotted the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan after NATO attack on Pakistani border posts in November last year, he said.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a special message, reiterated Pakistan’s "fullest moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris".

In a separate message, Gilani said "a peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is a must to ensure peace and prosperity in the region".

Hina Rabbani Khar: 'Pak won’t tolerate unilateral US actions'

Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has warned that Islamabad will not tolerate any further unilateral action by the US, like the raid that killed former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in his Abbotabad hideout.

"No unilateral action at any level, of any type. Like Abbottabad. Like what happened in Salala," Khar, as saying.

A Pakistani parliamentary committee is reviewing the troubled relationship with the United States amid outrage over a NATO raid in November that mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border at Salala.

Khar insisted that although the upcoming report would recognise the importance of a healthy relationship between both countries, it "will redefine what is uncompromisable for Pakistan”.

"It is the Parliament of Pakistan that must decide whether it is time for military action in one area or not," she said.

US forces had killed bin Laden in a raid in May in Abbottabad, home to Pakistan's top military academy, without giving any advance warning over fears that Pakistan might have stopped the raid or cautioned bin Laden.

Meanwhile, the US has expressed its deep concerns over links between Pakistan's premier spy agency the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) and some extremist organisations.

Although Washington avoided commenting on the BBC story on a leaked NATO report that linked Pakistan to the Afghan Taliban, Pentagon spokesperson Captain John F Kirby said: "We have long been concerned about ties between elements of the ISI and some extremist networks."

US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta "believes the safe havens in Pakistan remain a serious problem and need to be addressed by Pakistani authorities”.

Yousuf Gilani: Pakistan to review all accords with US, Nato, UN

Pakistan will review all its agreements with the US and NATO in the aftermath of the November 26 airstrike that left two dozen Pakistan Army soldiers dead, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.


Gilani said in Lahore on Sunday that the government had decided to review the agreements made by then president Pervez Musharraf's government with the US, NATO, UN and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), reported Dawn.

The NATO airstrike on two checkposts in Mohmad Agency late last month left 24 Pakistan Army soldiers dead, sparking outrage in the country. Islamabad promptly stopped NATO supply through the country.

Gilani said: "Soon after the NATO attack... we took up this issue very seriously by involving all stakeholders, including military and political leadership."

He said the political and military leadership, along with the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC), see the Nov 26 incident as a reason to revise the entire terms of business (ToBs) on all national and international issues such as war on terror and security of the region, made by the Musharraf government with the US, NATO, ISAF and the UN.

Pakistani Army do not accept NATO’s apology

Pakistani Army on Monday said that it does not accept NATO apology for a cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Expressing its disgust over the whole incident, Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas warned that NATO’s action could lead to serious consequences.

According to Geo News, Abbas said NATO’s apology is not enough.

Fury spread in Pakistan on Sunday over the attack that could undermine the US effort to wind up the war in Afghanistan.

NATO described the killings as a "tragic unintended incident" and said an investigation was underway. A Western official and an Afghan security official who requested anonymity said NATO troops were responding to fire from across the border.

It's possible both explanations are correct: that a retaliatory attack by NATO troops took a tragic, mistaken turn in harsh terrain where identifying friend and foe can be difficult.

"All of this is extremely murky and needs to be investigated," said a US official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Our goal today is ... that the investigation gets mounted in a way that is confidence-building on all sides."

Militants often attack from Pakistani soil or flee after combat across a porous border that NATO-led troops, under their United Nations mandate, cannot cross.

What is clear is the incident could undermine US efforts to improve ties with Pakistan so that the regional power helps stabilise Afghanistan before NATO combat troops go home by the end of 2014.

The attack was the latest perceived provocation by the United States, which infuriated Pakistan's powerful military with a unilateral special forces raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May.