Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Sunday filed her nomination for the January 8 general elections while her arch rival and Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif, who returned from seven years in exile, will file his papers on Monday.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday dismissed major legal challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election even as the general reportedly made plans to visit Saudi Arabia for talks with its ruler on the possible return of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Bhutto had been handed down a seven-day detention order on November 13 at the residence of a Pakistan People's Party leader in Lahore to prevent her from leading a 'long march' to Islamabad against the emergency. Jahangir, the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, was put under house arrest in her residence in Lahore shortly after President Pervez Musharraf proclaimed the emergency on November 3.
Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has cast doubts on President Pervez Musharraf's ability to prevent extremists from getting hold of the country's nuclear arsenal. "General Musharraf says that he is in firm control of the nuclear arsenal and the army is a very disciplined army but we have been facing chaos, growing chaos for some time," the former Pakistan prime minister said.
Bhutto, who survived the terror attack in Karachi on October 18 that killed nearly 140 people and injured hundreds more, said the restoration of democracy is a must to save Pakistan.
It sought a report within a week from senior officials of Sindh province and the federal interior secretary Syed Kamal Shah.
PCB chief executive Shafqat Naghmi said the South Africans did not want to play in Karachi following last week's bomb attacks on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's convoy that killed 139 people.
A senior police official probing the suicide attack on former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto's convoy in Karachi has been removed in the wake of objections raised by her Pakistan People's Party. DIG (Investigation) Manzoor Mughal, who was heading the probe, has applied for leave and will no longer be handling the probe, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said.
Over 14 people were injured on Saturday when angry members of the Pakistan People's party clashed with the police, blocked roads and forced closure of shops to protest against Thursday night's attack on the convoy of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto that killed 165 people. Groups of PPP supporters, some of them waving the party's flag, pelted stones, burnt tyres and caused traffic snarls at Safoora Goth, University Road, Sachal Goth, Lyari, Mauripur Road, Gadap areas.
The South Africans said they are satisfied with the assurances given to them by the PCB and their security officials, but will monitor the situation on a daily basis.
Almost all security measures agreed to by the government and the Pakistan People's Party for the homecoming of former premier Benazir Bhutto were compromised due to the massive turnout of her supporters.
Through the night, private vehicles and ambulances ferried the wounded and dead to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Aga Khan University Hospital and others where utter chaos prevailed as doctors struggled to attend to the hundreds of victims.
Bhutto, who was making a grand homecoming after eight years in self-exile, was rushed from the site of the blasts to her home, Bilawal House, soon after the explosions past Thursday midnight, Pakistan People's Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said.
Musharraf and Aziz had both asked the Pakistan People's Party chief to defer her homecoming and the government had said she faced a threat from pro-Taliban militants, especially rebel leader Baitullah Mehsud.
Intelligence reports suggest that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan, that country's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has said. She said if a Pakistan Peoples' Party government came to power it will honour its commitment to India and extradite Dawood Ibrahim, who is allegedly the mastermind behind the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is determined to return to Pakistan from self-exile on October 18, the Pakistan People's Party said in Islamabad on Monday. The government had asked Bhutto to postpone her homecoming till the Supreme Court decides on petitions against President Pervez Musharraf's re-election and a law giving Bhutto amnesty in graft cases. PPP spokesperson Sherry Rehman there was no confusion about the two-time prime minister's return programme.
Australia have postponed their planned cricket tour of Pakistan because of security fears, the countries said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The two countries said they planned to meet in Dubai next weekend to discuss the possibility of rescheduling the tour that was due to start on March 29.
Describing the re-election of President Pervez Musharraf as a "perversion of democracy," a leading US daily has asked his "enablers" in Washington to make it clear to the general that he must respect the decision of Pakistan's Supreme Court.
Bhutto said she was expecting the National Reconciliation Ordinance -- which would grant amnesty to political leaders in corruption cases -- to come out on Thursday.
A day after Pakistan agreed to grant former prime minister Benazir Bhutto an amnesty from prosecution in corruption cases against her, Interpol has put the govt in a fix by enquiring about her status. Interpol had issued red corner notice on Bhutto.
Acknowledging that she has met secretly with President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has said that the power sharing deal with the general is not possible unless he takes concrete steps towards democracy.
The United States must henceforth adopt policies that treat Al Qaeda and the Taliban as a hostile state, says scholar Harold Gould.
Akhtar, who is linked to Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and was head of the outlawed Harkatul Jihad al-Islami, fought along with the mujahideen during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. He also trained Jehadi fighters who were sent to Jammu and Kashmir during the 1990s.
Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, for the second successive day at a Washington, DC, news conference said that if she returns to power she would make available Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to the IAEA.
Addressing a public rally in Kohat, Durrani said that contrary to her claims for the last seven years that she won't back Musharraf, Bhutto was now convinced that Musharraf's development agenda had nationwide support.
Benazir, who pledged to turn over A Q Khan to IAEA if she comes to power, also called on the US to fund international monintoring team to make sure Musharraf doesn't rig the elections.
The Pakistan prime minister will be from Pakistan People's Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz joint secretary Siddique-ul Farooq said on Friday.
'Given the past practice in the Pakistan army, this delay is most unusual,' notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has warned Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf that failure to reach an agreement with her could lead to a people's uprising in the country.
Slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto's much-talked about last book, which speaks of her vision for the Islamic world, will be launched in Washington on February 20. The book, which the former premier put together with the help of her long-time friend and associate Mark Siegel in the last few months of her life, will be released at the National Press Club. It will feature a short afterword by Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari and their children.
Asserting that Musharraf was 'breathing his last,' Sharif said, "So why he should be supported. The end of the dictatorship is necessary and it will be ended after all."
The Pakistan President has rejected any pressure or ultimatum in making a decision to quit as army chief
Asked if he would agree to a power-sharing deal with Musharraf, Zardari told a magazine: "It's too early and our wounds are too deep to think of having any working relationship with the ruling party or President Pervez Musharraf."
President Pervez Musharraf has admitted that he's negotiating with all political outfits in Pakistan, including the parties of former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Our top leaders want to see Sharif as the Prime Minister in case our party does badly in the upcoming general elections," the Dawn quoted the ruling party sources as saying in Islamabad.
The United States has said that it supports free and fair elections in Pakistan and would like to see a moderate political force coming into power at the end of the democratic process, which will fight extremism in the country.
The former prime minister also expressed apprehension of President Musharraf continuing in office and still wearing his uniform as Chief of the Armed Forces.
Bhutto confirmed that her party and Musharraf were in negotiations but said no agreement has been reached so far.
Saying it was below his dignity to answer a question about whether he had 'blood on his hands', Musharraf said he was brought up in a very educated and civilised family with beliefs and values.
On a question regarding the difficulties faced by tribal people in Naxal-affected areas, Antony said steps had been taken to solve their problems and the issue was discussed at the meeting of chief ministers convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances