PAKISTAN will never get freedom from Makhdooms, Shahs

President’s Hala visit to benefit Makhdooms From the Newspaper | 7 hours ago HYDERABAD, Dec 25: President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Hala on Tuesday may politically benefit the Makhdooms, put into an uncomfortable position by their allies by forming a local political alliance. In his first visit to the Makhdooms house in Hala on Tuesday, he spoke to a gathering of notables, including local politicians, parliamentarians of the Pakistan People’s Party, ministers Naveed Qamar, Pir Mazharul Haque and Syed Murad Ali Shah. He praised the Makhdooms in the light of their long association with the PPP since their father, Makhdoom Mohamm-ad Zaman Talibul Maula, joined the PPP. He said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Amin Fahim’s son Jamiluz-zaman would together serve the people of Hala. He said the PPP would get votes on the basis of its performance. Host Amin Fahim, his brother Dr Rafiquzzaman and Jamiluz-zaman were also present. Mr Fahim had reached Hala on Monday night. It was his first appearance in his hometown after the formation of the Awami Ittehad Alliance, formed recently against the Makhdooms by local politicians associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and other parties. A 30-member delegation of notables and local politicians also called on the president. They included Sajjadanasheen of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s shrine Syed Nisar Hussain Shah. It is also learnt that former PML-F MPA Jalal Shah Jamote announced joining the PPP in the president’s presence. Dada Hashim Samoon – who has joined the Awami Ittehad Matiari – also announced his support for the Makhdooms. Others who announced their support for them included Jiandal Shah, a relative of Syed Shah Mohammad Shah, senior vice president of the Sindh United Party. SUP local leaders are also part of the alliance. Likewise, Sarfaraz Rahu, son of Nazeer Rahu, a close aide of Amin Fahim, attended the lunch though his father did not. “Our alliance is intact,” says Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote, convener of the alliance. According to him, Dada Hashim Samoon was pressured by Hyderabad SSP Farid Jan Sarhandi to announce his support for the Makhdooms. “He did it accordingly as he had no other option,” he adds. He says Jalal Shah Jamote joined the PPP considering that he would contest for PS-44, which Jalal Shah had won in 2002. Raees Nazeer Rahu, Raees Ali Ahmed Nizamani, once trusted men of the Makhdooms, did not attend the function.—Staff Correspondent ================ Politicking: Gohar Ayub, son to join PML-N this week By Muhammad Saqadat Published: December 26, 2012 Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. HARIPUR: Former national assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan and his son Omar Ayub have finalised a date to formally join the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N). Omar said on Tuesday that they would formally be announcing their move on December 27 at a press conference in Raiwand. He also said that Raja Faisal Zaman, the son of late Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) senior minister Raja Sikandar Zaman, would also be joining the PML-N. Youngest son of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Gohar won elections through the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) when the Islami Jamroohi Ittehad (IJI) came to power after controversial elections. Gohar, being a close associate of Nawaz Sharif, was then elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly. From 1993-1997 he served as Deputy Opposition Leader during the second tenure of the late Benazir Bhutto-led PPP government. He was then appointed the foreign minister in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet after the 1997 elections, but was removed from the position by General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf in October 1999. Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. He later joined the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) and fielded his son Omar on a PML-Q ticket in NA-19 Haripur as he did not have a bachelor’s degree at the time. Omar, although a political novice, defeated Pir Sabir Shah, the sitting provincial president of PML-N with a heavy margin and was chosen as minister of state for finance in the cabinet of then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz. However, the changing political dynamics eventually cost Omar his family seat during the 2008 elections and he lost to PML-N candidate Sardar Mushtaq Khan with a margin of over 40,000 votes, coming third. Both father and son continued to remain affiliated with the PML-Q that eventually divided into two more factions and being close relatives of the head of the PML-Q (Likeminded), Salim Saifullah Khan, jumped into his boat. About three months ago, when the leadership of PML-Q (Likeminded) and PML-N agreed on a seat adjustment and announced Omar as joint candidate for the next elections, the sitting MNA Sardar Mushtaq said he would join the Pakistan Peoples Party instead. This cleared obstacles that Omar and his father faced. They also convinced Nawaz Sharif to soften his stance on accepting those who left the party at earlier dates. Sources say that the PML-N chief had no other option but to accept Omar as he has no electable candidate for NA-19 after the defection of Sardar Mushtaq to PPP. It has yet to be seen how effective Omar will prove for Nawaz Sharif as Dr Raja Amer Zaman, the elder son of late Raja Sikandar Zaman, is also considered as strong candidate from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Although it has yet to be seen if the PML-N can win the seats required for forming the next government, Nawaz Sharif’s ‘backtracking’ from his previous stand of not accepting those who had abandoned him indicates that he is to win maximum seats. Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012. ===========

PPP nominates Makhdoom Shahbuddin for new PM

Updated 4 hours ago [PPP nominates Makhdoom Shahbuddin for new PM] [Print] ShareThis109 73 18 Email0 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has nominated the name of Makhdoom Shahbuddin for the office of Prime Minister, sources said. According to the sources, the decision was taken in a meeting of senior leaders of PPP held here on late Tuesday under the chairmanship of President Asif Ali Zardari. The meeting also decided that the National Assembly session would be summoned on Thursday for the election of the leader of the house, sources added. Earlier, sources said that former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had expressed reservations over the name of Shahabuddin during the meeting of coalition partners. Coalition partners entrusted President Asif Ali Zardari to nominate new prime minister. Et tu, Hassan Nisar? By Saeed Qureshi - Jun 18th, 2012 (1 Comment) 5 Karachi: If Hassan Nisar is also one of the recipients of the graft money from Malik Riaz, the Pakistan’s billionaire property tycoon: then it definitely betokens the demise of fair journalism in Pakistan. His name is there in the list with the soul-dampening information that, “ he received 1 Crore and 10 Lakhs Rupees: Money transferred from Account Title Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited, Account Number42279-2 at Habib Bank Limited, LDA Plaza Branch, Lahore, Code 1315, SWIFT: HABBPKKAX315 10 Marla Plot in Bahria Town. In the TV Talk appearances as a guest or as a host in his own popular program “Choraha”, or in his Jang columns, he unleashes an avalanche of blistering censure against the corrupt individuals and agencies in Pakistan. He is adored and acknowledged as one among the whole crowd of journalists for scathing views and tongue lashing against a whole range of corruption, greed, moral degeneration and a failed system of governance. He is the most aggressive and unsparing critic of the incumbent government and the power wielders and their sleazy exploits in self-aggrandizement and money grabbing. His defiant rhetoric did not spare the army generals, the bureaucrats, the highly placed government functionaries and exploitative business magnates and classes for plundering Pakistan at the cost of the peoples’ burgeoning woes. But all of a sudden , his image looks so besmirched and hollow that one tends to believe as if his assertion of moral principles and manifestation of pious platitudes was a mere charade that has been lifted in such a freakish fashion. The fundamental question stands out that why this former Bahria Town boss was squandering big chunks of money on a bunch of leading and most prominent journalist whose programs are watched both in and outside Pakistan by countless people. Understandably it was to purchase their loyalties in favor of the exploitative groups, lobbies and individuals whose front man is Malik Riaz. The charge could be credible that the perks and grafts given to Arsalan Iftikhar was aimed at silencing or blackmailing the chief justice for going soft on the gubernatorial cases pending against the powerful persons. Human suffer from temptations for worldly pleasures and enticements and Hassan Nisar is no exception. But what is intriguing or painful is that he was an icon among the journalists for his fiery exhortations against the evil forces. A drastic downgrading from that sublime stature is not only mind boggling but squarely distressing for his admirers. How is he going to cope with this sordid turn of events is too hard a feat to be conjectured correctly? The writer is a senior journalist and a former diplomat. He can be reached at qureshisa2003@yahoo.com.

Accepting verdict, PPP begins hunt for new PM Shahab­uddin report­edly frontr­unner; key party meetin­g today. By Zia Khan Published: June 20, 2012 An emergency meeting of coalition partners was held in the Presidency on Tuesday.PHOTO: APP ISLAMABAD: Surprisingly, confrontation does not seem to be the option the embattled government has opted for. It has opted, instead, for pragmatic planning after two emergency meetings – first of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)’s Central Executive Committee and then of the leaders of coalition partners. Hours after the country’s top court rendered the longest-serving elected prime minister of Pakistan disqualified, it was finally decided to elect a new prime minister to replace Yousaf Raza Gilani. Consequently, a crucial National Assembly session for the vote is expected within the next couple of days. While speculation is rife, no official confirmation has come on the candidate. Leaders of coalition partners empowered President Asif Ali Zardari to nominate anyone from his party to become the next premier and assured him of their full support for the elections, likely to take place on Thursday. Top leaders from the allied parties decided not to go into confrontation with the judiciary and the verdict was accepted despite private reservations on it. Gilani, after being apprised by the legal team, refused to go for an intra-court review of the decision – and a presidential pardon for Gilani was also decided against. The new PM A participant of the high-level huddle told The Express Tribune that some names were discussed at the meeting but the final decision would be taken at the parliamentary party meeting of the ruling party when it meets today (Wednesday evening). According to media reports, during the day, some stalwarts from PPP were being considered as replacement for Gilani. The most probable among them was Makhdoom Shahabuddin, a party leader from southern Punjab. South Punjab, or the Seraiki belt, is the region the PPP is targeting for the upcoming general election — making the candidature of Shahabuddin stronger and giving him an edge over other contenders. An insider told The Express Tribune that Shahabuddin’s name had been finalised and none of the government allied groups raised any objections to it. Water and Power Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar was the other candidate to be the next prime minister for the remaining nine months of the PPP’s tenure, scheduled to end by March next year. Mukhtar was a strong candidate for the premiership after the PPP won the general election back in 2008, but could not make it to the top slot. Hailing from Gujrat district of central Punjab, Mukhtar is considered to be an arch-rival of the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) — the largest of PPP’s allied group. He won against PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in 2008 in one of the most closely-fought contests. Religious Affairs Minister Khursheed Shah, a PPP diehard from its stronghold of Sindh, was also in the limelight for the top slot — with some officials claiming that he was being backed by a majority of the party. But the problem with Shah’s selection is that the PPP can not afford to give all the important slots to the same province. Some media reports suggested the PML-Q was lobbying for former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. But a participant stated that, neither was his name considered, nor did the party push for it. No early elections According to insiders present at the meeting, the president had ruled out any possibility of calling for fresh parliamentary polls at any cost, saying he would not bow down to the forces out to derail the democratic system. “I know democracy is under threat from all sides but [no one can] force us to hold early elections. I will not run from the battleground,” an insider quoted Zardari as telling the leaders of allied parties. “Over my dead body… As long as I live, nobody can force us to dissolve the government even a day ahead of our term,” Zardari said in a defiant tone, insinuating that his party members should be well prepared for a long political and legal battle. CEC meeting Earlier in the day, the president held emergency talks with central leaders of the PPP. “Though we have reservations about this judgment, we will take advice from the allied parties and legal experts and will then chalk out a strategy for the future,” Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters after the meeting. “The Central Executive Committee has advised all party workers to remain calm and show patience and not to protest against the verdict,” he added. Asked whether the PPP was considering a presidential pardon for Gilani, the information minister said “no such suggestion is under consideration”. PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badar said the party’s executive committee had given Zardari “complete authority… to take any decision after taking advice from the allied parties”. (Read: A judicial coup?) Published In The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2012. == Profile: Shahabuddin’s journey His portfo­lios includ­e the treasu­ry, planni­ng and develo­pment, health and textil­es. By Kashif Zafar Published: June 21, 2012 Makhdum Shahabuddin's nominated by President for PM elections. BAHAWALPUR: Despite his background as a student of law, Makhdoom Shahabuddin has made a name for himself primarily as a politician and agriculturalist – his portfolios at various times throughout his career include the treasury, planning and development, health and textiles. He hails from Mianwali Qureshian, an important political centre in Rahim Yar Khan and is known to be more interested in finding jobs for the unemployed rather than the development of the region – he is responsible for the employment of hundreds during the time Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has remained in power. He is the Sajjada Nasheen of the Darga Sharif Makhdoom Hameeduddin Hakim in the Meo Mubarak village. Shahabuddin matriculated from Sadiq Public School Bahawalpur, spending his first intermediate year at Government College Rahim Yar Khan before migrating to FC College Lahore. His close ties to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi are on account of their time spent studying with him in FC College. After his graduation, Shahabuddin studied law at Punjab Law College Lahore. While Shahabuddin’s political career started with the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), he largely witnessed success as part of PPP. He contested his first election from NA 148 in 1988 with the PML ticket, losing to his uncle contesting the constituency with a PPP ticket. Contesting the same constituency in 1990 with the PPP ticket, Shahabuddin defeated his cousin and was elected as a member of the National Assembly. In 1993, he won the constituency’s seat again, defeating his uncle Makhdoom Ruknuddin, and served as the treasury minister in Benazir Bhutto’s government subsequently. Shahabuddin was elected as the chairman of the Southern Peoples Party, when President Asif Ali Zardari, as acting PPP chairman, established a separate chapter for southern Punjab. He is also part of PPP’s central executive committee. Before Yousaf Raza Gilani’s disqualification as premier, Shahabuddin was part of his Cabinet as textiles minister. Published In The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2012. ========= Pakistan president nominates party loyalist for PM ReutersBy Qasim Nauman | Reuters – 1 hr 28 mins ago * Email * * * Share0 * * Print ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's president has nominated ruling party veteran and textiles minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin to replace the ousted prime minister, state media reported on Thursday, in an apparent bid for continuity ahead of elections due early next year. The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani ineligible for office for refusing to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, triggering a new crisis in nuclear-armed Pakistan. At the time, a senior aide to Gilani said only parliament could dismiss the prime minister, raising the possibility of a confrontation between court and government, but by nominating a new man the president has accepted the ruling and backed away from a fight. Shahabuddin is expected to file his nomination papers on Thursday. The ruling coalition has a comfortable majority in parliament, which meets on Friday in an extraordinary session to elect a new prime minister. Shahabuddin will face mounting public frustrations over a staggering range of problems, and a Supreme Court chief justice who prides himself on standing up to Pakistan's most powerful players. Gilani's removal is likely to heat up the Pakistani political arena, where the civilian leadership, the powerful military and the Supreme Court square off against each other at the expense of a public longing for stability and a stronger economy. Pakistan's relations with the United States, which provides it with billions of dollars in aid, are at their lowest point in years. Taliban militants still pose a major security threat, despite numerous army crackdowns. The economy is struggling and analysts predict Pakistan will again have to turn to the International Monetary Fund to keep it afloat. Chronic power cuts, which triggered violent protests this week, show no signs of easing. Shahabuddin, who enjoys smooth ties with coalition partners, was seen as a safe bet for the ruling Pakistan People's Party, which is gearing up for a general election due early next year. But the former deputy finance minister will likely face the same pressures as did Gilani from Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to reopen old corruption cases against Zardari. Thousands of corruption cases were thrown out in 2007 by an amnesty law passed under former military president Pervez Musharraf, paving the way for a return to civilian rule. Two years later, the Supreme Court ruled that agreement illegal, and ordered the re-opening of money laundering cases against Zardari that involved Swiss bank accounts. Gilani and his government refused to obey the court's order to write to Swiss authorities asking them to look again at those cases, arguing that Zardari had immunity as the head of state. The United States is hoping for stability in Pakistan so that Islamabad can engage Washington and work to improve ties damaged by a series of events, most recently a NATO cross-border raid in November which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan closed supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan to protest against the attack, and negotiations on re-opening the lines are deadlocked. (Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)