Islamist coup plot 'foiled' in Bangladesh
New Age Islam News Bureau
19 Jan 2012
• Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims
• Russia warns West over striking Iran
• Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s Hate speech the Congress forgot about
• "Islamic Calligraphy" kept at Malek Library
• Leftists, Islamists to March on Jerusalem
• Balochistan — Point Of No Return?
• Won't return to Pakistan for now: Pervez Musharraf
• Norway security chief quits in Pakistan agents row
• Pakistani, Indian MPs want ties normalised
• Progressive Muslims to share personal stories
• Indian Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha keeps date with 'sister' from Pakistan
• Pakistan crisis: Have always respected court, says Gilani in SC
• Pakistan, Saudi Arabia one nation two countries: Firdous
• Beware of The Islamization of Africa
• The United States of Islamophobia
• Former-cricket star Imran Kahn jolts politics in Pakistan
• Pakistan to export coal to India
• Slip between coup and lip
• 26/11: Pak panel to reach Mumbai on Feb 3
• Pakistan Taliban admit killing reporter MK Atif
• Bill Gates sad as Pakistani child prodigy dies
• Pakistan: a political timeline
• Pakistan cancels US special envoy Marc Grossman's visit
• Switzerland ready to cooperate with Pakistan in Asif Ali Zardari corruption cases
• Pakistan's anti-graft watchdog on Yousaf Raza Gilani's trail
• Gavaskar opts for Pakistan series in UAE
• People of Pakistan should show some love for their own culture
• Pakistan: Raids kill, capture Taliban suspects throughout country
• The New Muslim suffragettes of the United Kingdom
• KYRGYZSTAN: "We have not been able to pray and worship together"
• King Faisal Int''l Prize announces winners
• The Perfect Muslimah
• Shadia: The dream I share with Martin Luther King
• Ambiga tells of ‘ambush’ during rally
• HRP gets Muslim boost
• Peace for Life: An Islamic Response to Kairos Palestine
• CAIR Asks FBI to Aid Probe of Fire at Ohio Muslims' Home
• This growing culture of outrage doesn't extend free speech – it limits it
• Traffic study’s credibility questioned
• Muslim Student Reports Sexual Harassment, Gets Reported to FBI, Then Expelled
• Use of Sharia ‘courts’ increasing in UK
• ISI Chief briefs Abbottabad Commission
• HUSAIN: Terror in the dark
• Malaysian minister: Iran, pillar of Islamic world
• UK's first course in women, Islam and the media launched
• Christmas Day bomb suspect escapes from Nigerian police
• Pakistan's prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on collision course with Supreme Court
• UPDATE 1-Pakistan to re-open NATO routes to Afghanistan-official
• Pakistan court scores victory over government
• Pakistan Premier appears in court in contempt case
• Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary in favour of Pakistan Army?
• “Nawaz vows to establish “a new Pakistan”
Complied by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo:Divya Talwar explores why the use of Sharia law is increasing in the UK
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamist-coup-plot-foiled-bangladesh/d/6410
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Islamist coup plot 'foiled' in Bangladesh
19/01/2012 at 10:33 PM Online news: World
The Bangladesh army said Thursday it had foiled a plot last month by some "religiously fanatic" Islamist officers to overthrow the elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Bangladesh army said Thursday it had foiled a plot last month by some "religiously fanatic" Islamist officers to overthrow the elected government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"We have unearthed a heinous conspiracy to overthrow the democratic government through the army," army spokesman Brigadier General Masud Razzaq said in a written statement.
"The attempt has been thwarted with the whole-hearted efforts of army soldiers," the statement said, adding that the plot had been fomented by Bangladeshi expatriates in touch with "religiously fanatic army officers".
Hasina's government, which came to power in early 2009, made changes in June last year to bolster the secular character of the Bangladesh constitution, although Islam was retained as the state religion.
The move sparked a series of angry protests by Islamic activists in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries with a long history of coups and counter-coups.
Razzaq told local media that the plot involved up to 16 Islamist officers, both active and retired, raising fears about the prevalence of hardliners in the upper ranks of the 140,000-strong military.
Two retired officers including a colonel have been arrested and will be presented before a court of inquiry set up on December 28, while an alleged "co-planner" called Major Syed Ziaul Haq, a serving officer, is on the run.
Syed Ashraful Islam, the spokesman of the ruling Awami League party and an influential minister, said anyone found guilty would be handed "exemplary" punishment.
"There is no room for conspiracy in the army. Those who are involved in such conspiracy will be given exemplary punishment," he told reporters.
Giving details about the alleged plot, Razzaq said that Ziaul had circulated emails to different serving officers detailing a plan to overthrow the government on January 9-10.
The outlawed Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir, banned in Bangladesh in 2009 after it was linked to a car bomb on a politician, was accused of helping to circulate the messages.
There were rumours online late last month about a foiled coup attempt after the nation's main opposition leader Khaleda Zia accused the government of "incidences of disappearances" in the army.
The army hit back, terming the allegations "provocative and misleading".
Dhaka University professor Imtiaz Ahmed, a security expert, told AFP that "we've been hearing the rumour of a possible coup for the last couple of weeks. It appears that they handled the situation quite well."
He said it was important the armed forces "seriously dig into the matter as to how much the Islamists were involved, in which capacity and how big was the penetration."
Bangladesh has a history of bloodshed and political violence since gaining independence in 1971.
The country's first president was assassinated during his overthrow by the army in 1975 and Bangladesh was run by the military dictator again from 1982 to 1990.
Democracy was restored in 1991, but street battles between Zia and Hasina's supporters prompted the army to step in again in January 2007.
The government of Hasina, who came to power in 2009, was hit by a military rebellion later that year when 57 army officers were killed by renegade border guards.
The spokesman said the army has set up a court of inquiry on December 28 to try the alleged coup planners.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/275893/islamist-coup-plot-foiled-in-bangladesh-says-army
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Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims
By Divya Talwar
19 January 2012
The use of Sharia, or Islamic religious law, is growing in Britain, with thousands of Muslims using it to settle disputes each year, but women's groups and some others are objecting.
''You must speak the truth, sister. Because Allah is listening to your every word, you can lie to us but not to Him.''
The bearded sheikh is instructing his first client of the day to explain why she is unhappy in her marriage.
Sitting behind a small desk in the back room of a converted terrace house, Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad is a representative of the Islamic Sharia Council, the largest Sharia body in the UK, based in Leyton, east London.
The woman has come to the council for an Islamic divorce because her husband refuses to grant her one.
''I'm not happy. He's never at home and I've seen messages from other women on his phone. He doesn't even give money to help support the kids,'' the woman tells the sheikh.
It is easier for a Muslim man to end a marriage in Islam, but a wife must persuade the judges to grant her a dissolution if her husband is opposed to divorce.
The case is typical of those case dealt with by Sharia councils, as thousands of Muslims are turning to them to help resolve family, financial and commercial problems in accordance with Sharia principles.
Growing demand
An estimated 85 Sharia councils could be operating in Britain, according to a 2009 report by the think tank Civitas.
Several bodies like the Islamic Sharia Council have seen a large increase in their cases in the past five years.
''Our cases have easily more than tripled over the past three to five years," says Sheikh al-Haddad.
''On average, every month we can deal with anything from 200 to 300 cases. A few years ago it was just a small fraction of that.
''Muslims are becoming more aligned with their faith and more aware of what we are offering them,'' he explained.
The principles of Sharia govern all aspects of a Muslim's life. It is derived from a combination of sources including the Koran, the Hadith, which is based on the example of the prophet Muhammad, and fatwas, which are rulings of Islamic scholars.
Continue reading the main story
'Closure in the eyes of God'
Saba Zia is a practising Muslim who lives in Reading with her three children. She became a single mother when her husband walked out on her after 13 years of marriage.
"He went to Pakistan for three years and stopped paying the bills and the mortgage.
"I let myself and my kids go. I started starving myself. I would go on average three days not eating anything at all. I remember on one occasion it was seven days. I even started cutting myself. I was aware of what I was doing but I had no control."
Two and a half years after her husband left her, Saba asked him for an Islamic divorce. It was more important to her than her civil divorce.
"I just picked up the phone and said to him: 'Give me a divorce.' But he wasn't going to make it easy for me. That's when I went to the Sharia council."
The Sharia council supported Saba and helped her get the religious divorce she was seeking.
"For me the religious divorce, the Talak, was the first port of call, the most important. The civil divorce was something that could come later. I had to have closure in the eyes of God first.
"I felt like I wasn't alone. They recognised my rights and they helped me move on with my life."
Sharia has been operating in the UK, managed by locally-appointed councils, in parallel to the British legal system since 1982.
But the informal councils have no legal powers and they cannot impose any penalties.
They deal with civil cases alone, but many Muslims are choosing to voluntarily accept rulings made by the scholars.
Omar Hannan, 28, from Solihull, turned to Sharia instead of the British courts after an ownership dispute broke out between the British Muslim partners at his industrial cleaning company.
''It fulfilled my Islamic spiritual principles which was the main reason I went to a Muslim tribunal.
''But it was also very quick. We resolved it in three to four months,'' he said.
''It only cost a couple of hundred pounds, and you can imagine how much it would have cost through the English legal system,'' he added.
As a demand for Sharia thrives, a number of British law firms are starting to tap into the booming market.
Muslim Lawyer Aina Khan has launched one of the first Sharia departments at her London-based law firm.
She offers clients advice that is in keeping with both English and Islamic law.
''I am surprised that the majority of people that I am dealing with are under the age of 50. They are British Muslims who want to satisfy their British identity as well as their Muslim one.
''So I give them solutions to their problems that satisfy both legal systems all under one place.''
'Discrimination'
Sharia judges hear cases in which Muslims volunteer to accept their rulings
Despite the growing demand for Sharia law in Britain, there is also increasing opposition by some groups who argue that the practice discriminates against women.
The Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation (IKWRO) is campaigning to bring an end to the practice.
''We have spoken to many women and all of them tell us the same story; Sharia law is not providing them with the justice they seek. The councils are dominated by men, who are making judgements in favour of men,'' said Diana Nammi.
Concerns such as these have led crossbench peer Baroness Cox to introduce a bill before the House of Lords, aimed at introducing regulation of Sharia organisations in the UK.
The bill has received its first reading and is expected to get a second reading later this year.
But for groups like IKWRO the bill does not go far enough.
''We think there shouldn't be any religious law practising in Britain - all Sharia bodies should be banned. That is the only way we can ensure equality of justice for all women," argues Diana Nammi.
But while a demand for Sharia continues in Britain, Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad says the practice cannot be banned.
''We are not forcing people to walk through our doors. They are voluntarily coming to us,'' he said.
''If you ban us, then British Muslims will find somewhere else to go.
''Many will go to Muslim countries abroad, where there will be no way to protect them.''
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16522447
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Russia warns West over striking Iran
MOSCOW –19 jan 2012, Russia warned on Wednesday that an attack on Iran would cause a catastrophe and said US and European Union sanctions against Tehran were aimed at triggering popular discontent by “strangling” the economy.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western sanctions against Iran and talk of a potential attack undermine efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ensuring it does not develop nuclear weapons.
Speaking at his annual news conference, Lavrov said Western nations must focus on efforts to revive long-dormant talks between global powers and Tehran “and not on sanctions, let alone threats to use force”.
Full Report At:
http://dailymailnews.com/0112/19/FrontPage/index.php?id=11
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Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s Hate speech the Congress forgot about
January 19, 2012
While Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal wants to crack down on hate speech over the internet and his Ministry last week granted sanction to prosecute Facebook, Google and other websites for “instigating enmity between different groups of people,” the coalition government run by his Congress party in Maharashtra has been dragging its feet on prosecuting Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray for hate speech crimes that are much more serious.
Full Report At:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article2811883.ece?homepage=true
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"Islamic Calligraphy" kept at Malek Library”
17 Jan 2012
The English version of "Islamic Calligraphy", a book by Sheila S. Blair is available at Malek Library.
IBNA: According to the public relations department of Malek museum and library institute, Sheila S. Blair is well known by the lovers and researchers of Islamic studies particularly the field of Islamic arts.
Full Report At:
http://www.ibna.ir/vdca00n6w49nuy1.tgk4.html
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Leftists, Islamists to March on Jerusalem
The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report
January 19, 2012
Jerusalem has been a centre of the three monotheistic world religions for more than 1,000 years. This plurality has been threatened since the creation of the state of Israel and more so with the occupation of east Jerusalem and its annexation, in violation of international law. Jerusalem’s Palestinian inhabitants are subjected to a continuous process of expulsion from the city.
Full Report At:
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.11260/pub_detail.asp
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Balochistan — Point Of No Return?
Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Balochistan’s first chief minister, recently said after a meeting with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif that the situation in Balochistan had reached a “point of no return”, adding that he had “no control” over the disillusioned Baloch youths who had taken to the hills to wage a war of liberation. The Baloch are angry with Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The above three, they complain, organise marches against US foreign policy or in support of Palestine but they do not stage similar long marches in major cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to condemn the military’s violation of human rights in Balochistan.
The Baloch feel betrayed by the judiciary’s silence over the ‘kill and dump’ operations going on in the province. Although the Chief Justice of Pakistan is a native of Balochistan, the apex court seems to have abstained from playing a proactive role in halting the killing and dumping of those who disappear in the province. Perhaps, the army chief should sanction an independent inquiry into the cases of the missing persons.
The federal government should undertake a comprehensive list of confidence-building measures to bring Balochistan back from the ‘point of no return’. These should include economic and constitutional packages and will have to be implemented over a long period of time.
Full Report At:
http://pakistannewstoday.com/2012/01/12/balochistan-point-of-no-return/
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Won't return to Pakistan for now: Pervez Musharraf
London/Islamabad: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf will not return to Pakistan in the near future. Musharraf changed his plan to return to Pakistan by the end of January on Thursday after almost three years in self-exile in London.
Leaders of Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League told the media that he had delayed his plans to return to Pakistan later this month after consulting friends and party leaders.
"Musharraf may not return to Pakistan this month. Close friends are advising him against returning now," said Muhammad Ali Saif, the former president's spokesman.
Addressing a political rally on January 8 in Karachi, Musharraf had promised that he would be back in Pakistan between January 27 and January 30 to take part in the general elections, expected to be held later in 2012.
Musharraf's announcement came just a day after Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the Senate or upper house of Pakistani Parliament that the former president would be arrested on return.
Full Report At:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9024322/Pakistans-prime-minister-Yousuf-Raza-Gilani-on-collision-course-with-Supreme-Court.html
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Norway security chief quits in Pakistan agents row
By Gwladys Fouche
Jan 19, 2012
(Reuters) - Norway's internal security chief resigned late on Wednesday after revealing confidential information that the country had intelligence agents in Pakistan, government officials said.
Full Report At:
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/19/norway-pakistan-security-idINDEE80I02H20120119
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Pakistani, Indian MPs want ties normalised
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian parliamentarians on Tuesday agreed that they had a cardinal role to play in influencing governments of the two countries to take a joint leap forward to normalise relations. On the first day of two-day Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue-III, the MPs also called for improving trade and economic relations between the two neighbours. Full Report At:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C01%5C18%5Cstory_18-1-2012_pg7_11
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Progressive Muslims to share personal stories
an 19, 2012
By Kristy Wallace
Shahla Khan Salter, chair of the Muslims for Progressive Values Canada organization, is excited for the upcoming Progressive Muslim Identities: Personal Stories from the U.S. and Canada presentation and book launch at the Ottawa Public Library's main branch.
EMC news - Shahla Khan Salter is a lawyer, and mother of three children.
Full Report At:
http://www.emckanata.ca/20120119/news/Progressive+Muslims+to+share+personal+stories
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Indian Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha keeps date with 'sister' from Pakistan
Pakistan President General Mohammad Zia-ul Haq, with whom he had an emotional meeting here today.
Jan 18, 2012
The special brother-sister relationship, which the two have nurtured for the past over 25 years, was rekindled with a warm get together at the latter's residence in Islamabad. The bond which developed when General Zia was alive continues till date, the ups and downs in Indo-Pak ties notwithstanding.
Taking time out from the visit of Indian parliamentarians to Pakistan, Sinha accompanied with his BJP colleagues Yashwant Sinha and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and NCP leader Supriya Sule went to General Zia's residence to meet his daughter, who regards him as an elder brother.
"She was very happy after seeing me... she is my darling sister and I love her very much," said the Bollywood actor-turned-BJP leader.
Zain Zia hosted us warmly and served 'lajawab' (delicious) food including biryani, fish fry and a lots of vegetarian dishes which she herself had cooked, Sinha said.
She enquired about Poonam Sinha and showered praise on their daughter Sonakshi for her performance in the Bollywood hit movie "Dabaang", Sinha popularly known as Shotgun Sinha, said.
General Zia's daughter said she and her family had watched Sonakshi's debut movie opposite Salman Khan several times. "Love and emotional attachment knows no boundary... this is a special relationship of brother-sister between us which is deep rooted unmindful of relationship between the two neighbours," he added.
Besides, Zen Zia, her brother and former Pakistan minister Ijaz-ul-Haq and his family were also present on the occasion.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Shotgun-keeps-date-with---sister---from-Pakistan/901114/
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Pakistan crisis: Have always respected court, says Gilani in SC
Jan 19, 2012
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday appeared before the Supreme Court in a contempt of court case and said he had always respected the institution.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-crisis-Have-always-respected-court-says-Gilani-in-SC/articleshow/11549958.cms
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Pakistan, Saudi Arabia one nation two countries: Firdous
ISLAMABAD - Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Aawan on Wednesday said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are one nation living in two different countries.
Talking to media at a dinner hosted by Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz Al-Ghadair for the newly appointed ambassadors to Pakistan, the minister said, "We share the same socio-cultural values and the relation is not government to government, rather its people to people contacts that are growing in the hearts of people of both countries."
Appreciating the efforts of the Saudi ambassador, the Firdous said that his personal role is very positive to strengthen the ties between the two countries.
Moreover, Firdous appreciated the way Saudi Arabia extended brotherly hand in the floods of 2010.
Full Report At:
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/01/pakistan-saudi-arabia-one-nation-two-countries-firdous/
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Beware of The Islamization of Africa
18 JANUARY 2012
RONI DRUKAN
2011 saw the rise of political Islam across Northern Africa. Arab Spring revolutions which were typically led by secular modern youth, gave way to veteran religious Islamic leaders which gained political power.
In Egypt, the Muslim parties won 2/3 of the seats in Parliament. Top parties in Egypt's incoming parliament have agreed to select an Islamist politician as house speaker for the first time in decades.
Full Report At:
http://www.rightsidenews.com/2012011815403/editorial/world-opinion-and-editorial/beware-of-the-islamization-of-africa.html
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The United States of Islamophobia
January 19, 2012
President Barack Obama's signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on December 31 shocked many people who hoped that Obama, a former constitutional law professor, would reverse the abuses routinely committed by the administration of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
But while the NDAA--with its provisions that authorize the military, on the say-so of the president, to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens--is ominous, it certainly isn't Obama's first assault on civil liberties. After spending his presidential campaign in 2008 criticizing the Bush administration for providing a "legal" justification for torture, Obama has refused to take action against Bush-era officials for violating international law, and he has made sure the U.S. government's repressive apparatus remains in place, at home and in countries around the world.
Full Report At:
http://socialistworker.org/2012/01/19/united-states-of-islamophobia
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Former-cricket star Imran Kahn jolts politics in Pakistan
Jan 18, 2012
A. Majeed
Since October, Imran Khan has twice attracted more than 100,000 people to rallies in Pakistan’s major cities.
In a time of deep disillusion with Pakistan’s politicians, Imran Khan’s star is rising.
The 59-year-old former playboy, cricket star and philanthropist is a celebrity outsider in a country dominated by patronage, politics and the military. Now, he may be poised to influence or even form Pakistan’s next government.
Although his party has won only a single seat in parliament in its 15-year history, Mr. Khan stands to benefit from the deadlock and divisions that torment Pakistan’s politics.
As a vocal critic of his country’s corrupt political system and its close military ties to the United States, Mr. Khan is widely regarded as a “clean” politician who could transform a decrepit system.
Full Report At:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/01/18/goodspeed-analysis-former-cricket-star-imran-kahn-jolts-politics-in-pakistan/
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Pakistan to export coal to India
19 January 2012
KARACHI: Pakistan is likely to start exporting coal to India shortly under the Indo-Pakistan Trade Agreement. Coal was put on the list of exportable items from Pakistan when the Agreement was extended till March 21, 1963, in December last.
Traders are already making inquiries from the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), which has now an area of 32,213.48 acres on lease from the government for coal-mining. Their estimated reserves total 37.64 million tons and the leases, when fully developed, would yield 3,800 tons of coal per day.
Full Report At:
http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/19/pakistan-to-export-coal-to-india-soon.html
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Slip between coup and lip
Indrani Bagchi
Jan 19, 2012
"I am not answerable to any individual, only to parliament," said Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, as he defiantly refused to retract his critical statements against two of the most powerful men in Pakistan - the army and ISI chiefs. The sudden show of political backbone by an otherwise beleaguered civilian government is as interesting as the fact that the Pakistani army appears strangely unwilling to throw off its sheep's clothing.
'Democracy' may have attained its "kolaveri di" moment in Pakistan as the Gilani government uses it as a weapon to hit the army with. Between Pakistan's politicians and vigilant media, there is an overwhelming sense that change must come through elections, not muscle. Even Imran Khan - speculated to be the army's favourite politician - is playing this tune.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Slip-between-coup-and-lip/articleshow/11541640.cms
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26/11: Pak panel to reach Mumbai on Feb 3
Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: Thursday, January 19, 2012, More than three years after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a Pakistani judicial commission probing the attacks will arrive here on February 3.
The Bombay High Court last week gave its permission to the Pakistani judicial commission to arrive in the city to interview key persons linked to the probe into Mumbai terror attacks.
The High Court had informed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that the in-principle approval for the visit of the Pakistani judicial commission has been given.
The MHA is also expected to convey the High Court's approval for the visit to its counterpart in Pakistan through diplomatic channels.
Full Report At:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/26-11-pak-panel-to-reach-mumbai-on-feb-3_753545.html
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Pakistan Taliban admit killing reporter MK Atif
19 January 2012
Mr Atif complained of receiving threats before he was murdered
The Taliban in Pakistan have said they killed a journalist while he was praying in a mosque near the city of Peshawar on Tuesday.
Full Report At:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16612030
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Bill Gates sad as Pakistani child prodigy dies
LONDON:Jan 18, 2012, Microsoft chief Bill Gates was saddened to learn about the death of Pakistan's Arfa Karim who became the world's youngest Microsoft certified professional in 2004 when she was barely nine.
Arfa Karim Randhawa was 16. She died Saturday night after complications resulting from an epileptic stroke.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Bill-Gates-sad-as-Pakistani-child-prodigy-dies/articleshow/11539853.cms
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Pakistan: a political timeline
Pakistan has alternated between eras of civilian rule and decades under the control of its powerful military.
18 Jan 2012
For just over half of its 64 years of independence, Pakistan has been ruled by its powerful military. Democratically elected governments have struggled to complete their terms, being alternately dismissed by presidents or removed from power by army chiefs.
Indeed, only one parliament has ever completed its five-year term - and it was headed by General Pervez Musharraf, a military dictator, as both president and army chief.
Al Jazeera traces through Pakistan's complex political history in this interactive timeline.
The periods in orange represent civilian rule, and in blue represent military rule. The black markers represent key events. Hover over them for more information.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2012/01/20121181235768904.html
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Pakistan cancels US special envoy Marc Grossman's visit
Jan 18, 2012
WASHINGTON: US special envoy Marc Grossman's visit to Pakistan for consultation on exploratory talks with Taliban has been put off as Islamabad rejected the move, a State Department official said.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-cancels-US-special-envoy-Marc-Grossmans-visit/articleshow/11538124.cms
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Switzerland ready to cooperate with Pakistan in Asif Ali Zardari corruption cases
by Faisal Farooq
January 18th, 2012
The government of Switzerland showed its consent to cooperate with other states requesting mutual legal assistance through established ways despite expressing complete neutrality on the corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
“Contrary to misperception, Swiss banking regulation is no obstacle for authorities to prosecute. It was regularly lifted in all kinds of investigations including tax offences and money laundering cases, a report in Express Tribune stated quoting the Swiss Embassy in Islamabad.
Full Report At:
http://www.newspakistan.pk/2012/01/18/switzerland-ready-cooperate-pakistan-asif-ali-zardari-corruption-cases/
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Pakistan's anti-graft watchdog on Yousaf Raza Gilani's trail
18th January 2012
Pakistan’s main anti-corruption watchdog is considering a proposal to file a case of misuse of authority against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, under which he could face a prison term of 14 years if convicted.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is contemplating action against Gilani in connection with the appointment of Adnan Khwaja as chairman of the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company despite his conviction by court, The News reported.
The serious reprimand of NAB chairman Fasih Bokhari by the Supreme Court for his inaction in certain high-profile illegal appointments may lead to a formal case against Gilani, the daily quoted an NAB source as saying.
Gilani and Khwaja had been detained in jail together during the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2088127/Yousef-Raza-Gilani-Pakistani-anti-graft-watchdog-PMs-trail.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
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Gavaskar opts for Pakistan series in UAE
Gavaskar will be the expert commentator for the Pakistan-England third Test
January 18, 2012
Dubai: India's former captain Sunil Gavaskar, who is the most popular commentator during an India series will be the commentator for the ongoing Pakistan-England series.
Gavaskar will be the expert commentator for the Pakistan-England third Test and the following One-day series and Twenty20 matches.
"Gavaskar will not be going for India's One-day series in Australia but will be in Dubai to give expert comments on the Pakistan-England series," remarked Ajay Sethi, the Chairman of the Dubai based Channel 2 Group.
Full Report At:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/gavaskar-opts-for-pakistan-series-in-uae-1.967661
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People of Pakistan should show some love for their own culture
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
by Muhammad Qasim Hassan
People of Pakistan should show some love for their own culture
If there is one thing that Pakistan needs to do right away, it is to get rid of the notion that their culture is “out-dated” and not good enough to grip firmly.
While a lot of people will argue that dressing up in jeans and t-shirts, putting our English speaking skills on exhibition at every given opportunity, watching American films, eating at restaurants such as KFC, Hardees and McDonalds are all harmless activities,
the fact is that these activities are borrowed from another country and do not represent the Pakistani culture.
Full Report At:
http://www.newspakistan.pk/2012/01/18/People-of-Pakistan-should-show-some-love-for-their-own-culture/
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Pakistan: Raids kill, capture Taliban suspects throughout country
Islamabad, 18 Jan. (AKI) - Nine suspected Taliban militants were killed and 23 captured by Pakistani security forces across the country, Pakistan's Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
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Full Report At:
http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Security/Pakistan-Raids-kill-capture-Taliban-suspects-throughout-country_312872009576.html
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The New Muslim suffragettes of the United Kingdom
By Charlotte Rachael Proudman
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
An increasing number of Muslim women activists are receiving death threats, fatwas and even hate-mail from extremist male and female Muslims. Their crime: Rescuing fellow Muslim women from violent and life threatening situations.
With heightened media sensitivity surrounding forced marriage, honour based violence and domestic violence we are all too aware of the suffering experienced by vulnerable and marginalised Muslim women. But we know little about the Muslim women activists who risk their lives to fight for the rights of oppressed Muslim women. These women are the New Muslim Suffragettes (NMS) of The United Kingdom.
Full Report At:
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/01/18/the-new-muslim-suffragettes-of-the-united-kingdom/
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KYRGYZSTAN: "We have not been able to pray and worship together"
By Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18 News Service
Since July 2011, "we have not been able to pray and worship together", an Ahmadi Muslim complained to Forum 18 News Service. Kyrgyzstan's State Commission for Religious Affairs (SCRA) has denied registration – or the right to legally exist - to their communities in four locations, citing a National Security Service (NSS) secret police claim that Ahmadi Muslims are a "dangerous movement and against traditional Islam". Only 135 communities of the state-backed Muslim Board and three Russian Orthodox have gained registration since the repressive Bakiev-era Religion Law came into force in January 2009. Hundreds of mosques, Protestant churches, Jehovah's Witness and Hare Krishna communities have been left without registration, which requires not only 200 adult citizen founders and SCRA approval but approval from local keneshes (councils). Jehovah's Witnesses failed in their court challenges over three keneshes' refusal to approve their lists of founders. "The deputies do not like the Jehovah's Witnesses, and made a decision to refuse to endorse their list," Ardak Kokotayev, Chair of Naryn city Kenesh, told Forum 18.
Full Report At:
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1657
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King Faisal Int''l Prize announces winners
1/17/2012
Director General of King Faisal International Prize (KFIP), Governor of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal
RIYADH, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- Director General of King Faisal International Prize (KFIP), Governor of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, announced winners of the prize on Monday.
Addressing a ceremony, Prince Khaled said KFIP has been attempting to contribute to the service of humanity and science.
Full Report At:
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2215201&language=en
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The Perfect Muslimah
January 18, 2012
by Nancy Shehata
The perfect Muslimah. She is shy and retiring. She covers from head to toe in voluminous black clothing, uncovering nothing of her face and only one eye to see her way on the road. She walks silently and with gaze downcast. She avoids talking and laughing so as not to allow the sound of her voice to fall within the hearing of a non-related man. She keeps to the shadows, emerging from her home only rarely. She allows her husband to shop for food, clothing, and other necessaries so she can avoid the boistrous and unpious marketplace. She eschews TV for her Qur’an, reciting ayahs throughout the day and night. She stands in prayer five times during the day and late into the night. She cleans her home with a thoroughness that would shame the keepers of the Ka’aba. She never contradicts her husband, always cooks his favorite food, defers to him in all financial issues, bears with silent endurance any shorting of her rights. She is the perfect Muslimah.
Full Report At:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/muslimahinprogress/2012/01/the-perfect-muslimah.html
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Shadia: The dream I share with Martin Luther King
By Mona Shadia
January 18, 2012
I had the honor of being part of a round table discussion on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy at Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine on Saturday.
And it got me thinking about my early impressions of the man whose passion and humanity brought this country closer to fulfilling its creed that all men are created equal.
I got to America only four months before Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1999, and it was around that time when I first heard of him.
I was surprised when I learned he had to march to demand God-given rights for people of color. It must have been the fact that I was a naive 15-year-old, but before then, I never knew that America didn't get to where it is overnight.
Full Report At:
http://www.coastlinepilot.com/news/opinion/tn-hbi-0119-shadia-20120118,0,1107126.story
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Ambiga tells of ‘ambush’ during rally
By WONG PEK MEI
Thursday January 19, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk S. Ambiga took the stand at the Suhakam public inquiry to testify about her experience at KL Sentral during the rally.
She said she was at the KL Sentral underpass exit after they left KL Hilton to proceed to Stadium Merdeka when police fired tear gas canisters towards them.
“I really thought I was going to die. There was an excessive use of tear gas.
“I could not breathe ... I could not see. My bodyguard had to literally drag me out,” she testified before an inquiry set up to look into alleged human rights violations by the authorities during the rally on July 9.
Full Report At:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/19/nation/10290194&sec=nation
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HRP gets Muslim boost
Meas Sokchea
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Members of Cambodia’s Cham Muslim community celebrate Ramadan in 2010 at a mosque in Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district.
Sith Ybrahim, president of the Khmer Islam Movement and former Funcinpec parliamentarian, said he had led representatives from 12 Muslim groups to join as party members of the Human Rights Party.
Full Report At:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012011954030/National-news/hrp-gets-muslim-boost.html
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Peace for Life: An Islamic Response to Kairos Palestine
WRITTEN BY PEACE FOR LIFE
19 JANUARY 2012
An Islamic Response to Kairos Palestine is an initiative of the Muslims in Peace for Life (PFL), a global solidarity network of peace advocates rooted in faith communities engaged in various forms of resistance to state terrorism and Empire and committed to interfaith, South-South and South-North solidarity and progressive faith-based responses to the urgencies of justice and peace.
The Kairos Palestine – a Moment of Truth1 is a declaration issued in 2009 and signed by most Palestinian Christian leaders. Its signatories described the document, drawn up after “prayer, reflection and an exchange of opinion,” as a
[…] cry from within the suffering in our country, under the Israeli occupation, with a cry of hope in the absence of all hope, a cry full of prayer and faith in a God ever vigilant, in God’s divine providence for all the inhabitants of this land. Inspired by the mystery of God's love for all, the mystery of God’s divine presence in the history of all peoples and, in a particular way, in the history of our country, we proclaim our word based on our Christian faith and our sense of Palestinian belonging – a word of faith, hope and love.
Kairos Palestine has resonated across the world and numerous communities and religious leaders have responded to it. It is a heartfelt call from our oppressed Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters to the world to act in the face of their daily humiliation and dispossession. PFL is deeply committed to intensifying the solidarity of the global religious community against Israeli Apartheid, and the PFL Muslim members feel a particular moral duty to respond to Kairos Palestine from an Islamic perspective. We say to our Christian sisters and brothers in Palestine: “We hear your cries; you are not alone. We need each other now more than ever before and we commit ourselves to walking the journey towards freedom and justice in Palestine side by side with you.”
Full Report At:
http://www.justinternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5110:peace-for-life-an-islamic-response-to-kairos-palestine&catid=45:recent-articles&Itemid=123
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CAIR Asks FBI to Aid Probe of Fire at Ohio Muslims' Home
By Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Jan. 18, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 18, 2012 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) today called on the FBI to assist local law enforcement authorities who are investigating the cause of a fire at a Muslim family's home in that state.
Full Report At:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/18/outrage-culture-limits-free-speech?newsfeed=true
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This growing culture of outrage doesn't extend free speech – it limits it
Suddenly, anyone, anywhere, is offended by everything. Where do these permanently aroused delicate flowers live?
Diane Abbott … what she said may have been crass, but it was true. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian
I found a great image the other day, online obviously. It has a cat sitting in front of a computer screen. At the top it says: "OMG I have been offended." And at the bottom: "And on the internets of all places." The internets is, of course, where we go to be offended and then display our moral superiority, maybe by tweeting or blogging. There is no offence that can't be hashtagged, no Facebook group that cannot collect itself at great speed.
You Can't Read This Book: Censorship in an Age of Freedom
by Nick Cohen
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Tell us what you think: Star-rate and review this book
If one's default setting is now to be part of some anonymous but offended mob, somehow the hierarchy of outrage implodes into meaninglessness. Thus it can appear that a whole rump of the populace is as upset by the torture of Syrians as the pomposity of Greg Wallace on MasterChef. The dismantling of Disability Allowance is a bummer, but it is not as bad as Ricky Gervais being no longer funny.
Blink, though, and you can miss a joke or a "scandal". Until this week I was only vaguely aware of who Tom Harris was (Labour MP for Glasgow South). Now he has lost his job as Social Media Tsar after making a spoof Downfall parody with Alex Salmond as Hitler. If you have seen the multiple Downfall parodies, then you will know they are everywhere and some are great.
But though I understand that Scottish nationalism is never funny (snigger), I don't know why this man had to go. Labour has bigger problems than its social media operation (such as its lack of a realistic vision for the future?) but personally I think someone needs to sort out Ed Miliband's Twitter feed, which appears to be that of a robot without the usual quirky social skills.
Nonetheless the "outrage" over Harris, as with Diane Abbott and Jeremy Clarkson and even the Racist Tram Woman, is overplayed. Public discourse often just is vulgar and offensive. I really don't know where these delicate flowers who are permanently aroused live.
This culture of offence has also produced the concomitant baffling culture of fake apology. Someone says something "offensive" and they are summoned to apologise. What Abbott said may have been crass, but it was true. Yet we have seen politicians issue retrospective apologies for slavery, which is insane, as long as it still exists.
Some of this offence culture comes from bleeding-heart liberals but much is fuelled by rightwing trolls and bloggers who are now devoid of purpose. Having got a state-slashing Conservative government, they have little aim apart from garnering individual scalps and providing forums for nasty racism and sexism. That's their business. Literally. So to see them crying crocodile tears over a remark such as Abbott's is a croc itself.
The futility of much of this is actually a block on real debates about free speech. Nick Cohen's magnificent new book You Can't Read This Book: Censorship in an Age of Freedom reminds us that pre-publication self-censorship "is the most suffocating form there is". This self-censorship is all around us: people are afraid to call Mossad killings murder for fear of being called antisemitic or still talk of the horrific murder of women as "honour killings" for fear of being Islamophobic.
Cohen takes us back to what I call the big bang of cultural relativism: Salman Rushdie and the Satanic Verses. People were killed by zealots who had never even read this book. The boundaries of the free world were remapped. Suddenly "respect" for religions meant some got far more respect than others. We know that a cartoon of the Prophet can cause death, but the ridiculing of Christianity is everyday. Cohen quotes the inimitable creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who said: "It's really open season on Jesus. We can do whatever we want to Jesus and we have."
Actually, though, this current climate of outrage is depoliticised in its democratic "anyone, anytime, anywhere can be offended" mode. What Cohen does so refreshingly is to insist on the primacy of the political. A real culture war, as opposed to these Twitter scuffles, means understanding that the political is as much a part of our identity as the religious. We can feel "the offence as deeply as any believer who has had his God or prophet questioned". This means not bowing down to the religious right, be it Muslim or Christian or Hindu. It means questioning the kind of self-censorship that went on in corporate financial structures before the banking collapse.
Standing up for the principles of free speech is much more difficult than saying online that someone else's joke is not very good. I was offended, for instance, by David Cameron's patronising "calm down, dear" remarks, but no one died, as we say. The point is that people do die for the sake of free expression.
Cohen says of the internet that if it has a soul, "a loathing of censorship stirs it". I'm not so sure. Lately this soul is fairly delusional and this culture of outrage denies rather than extends civil liberties. Do not mistake it for a real argument about free speech when it functions as the diametric opposite. You have, you see, every right to offend me. But not to censor me. And vice versa. That difference, often lost in cyberspace, is the one worth defending.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/18/outrage-culture-limits-free-speech?newsfeed=true
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Traffic study’s credibility questioned
By L.H. Tiffany Hsieh
Jan 18, 2012
The credibility of an Islamic Society of Markham-commissioned traffic study for the 16th Avenue mosque is being questioned after a group lobbying for the mosque’s relocation claimed the study contains a number of mistakes and errors.
The assertion before town council comes as a group of churches came out in support of local Muslims and their right to worship.
Members of the Markham Residents for Responsible Community Planning resumed their efforts to have the planned mosque relocated in another public deputation at Markham Civic Centre Tuesday night.
The mosque was not on the agenda, but as usual, one person was allowed to speak for the group for 10 minutes.
Full Report At:
http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1282033--traffic-study-s-credibility-questioned
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Muslim Student Reports Sexual Harassment, Gets Reported to FBI, Then Expelled
January 18, 2012
1 person recommends this
A Muslim student at Connecticut's University of Bridgeport was expelled after attempting to report another student for sexually harassing her. After her school did nothing about it, the student or someone related to him apparently reported her for being a terrorist; she was subsequently investigated by the FBI and was dismissed from her school.
It started in 2008 when Balayla Ahmad enrolled in the university with high hopes of becoming a chiropractor. Not long after, a male student began sexually harassing her by making "sexual advances and graphic offensive comments about wanting to have sex with her." When she expressed her complaints to teachers, she was given dismissive responses and asked not to take it any further. When she spoke to the dean, he replied, "My hands are tied. What do you suggest I do?"
Full Report At:
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981035339
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Use of Sharia ‘courts’ increasing in UK
Baroness Cox said she was deeply concerned about Sharia law in the UK
Growing use of Sharia by UK Muslims (bbc.co.uk, 16 January 2012)
Sharia law compatible with human rights, argues leading barrister (guardian.co.uk, 16 January 2012)
Bill to tackle Sharia will help curb anti-women prejudice (07 November 2011)
Baroness Cox’s Sharia Bill criticised by Islamic council (17 June 2011)
New Bill tackles Sharia courts (08 June 2011)
Wed, 18 Jan 2012
The use of Sharia ‘courts’ is on the increase in Britain with thousands using Islamic law to settle disputes, according to the BBC.
The news comes as a leading barrister claims that Sharia law is compatible with human rights, and beneficial to communities.
However, critics say the courts discriminate against women and should not operate as a parallel legal system.
Full Report At:
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/use-of-sharia-courts-increasing-in-uk/
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ISI Chief briefs Abbottabad Commission
ISLAMABAD – The commission probing the May2 US raid in Abbottabad in which Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed was briefed by DG ISI Lt. General Shuja Pasha.
The DG ISI provided the commission with a detailed briefing on the events of May 2. The commission which is headed by Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal also held a question answer session with the DG ISI. Meanwhile, An Islamabad sessions court discarded a plea calling for the registration of a criminal case against Mansoor Ijaz, the central character in the memogate scandal.
The petition was filed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) activist Khalid Javed. Earlier, Raja Israr Ahmed Abbasi, the petitioner’s counsel, had stated in the court that Ijaz was “a secret agent of an anti-Pakistan lobby trying to defame patriotic forces and to destabilise the democratic government by publishing fake and baseless memo-related documents”.
http://dailymailnews.com/0112/19/FrontPage/index.php?id=7
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HUSAIN: Terror in the dark
BY FAISAL HUSAIN
Thursday, January 19, 2012
While U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice engages in a hackneyed pious outcry over Syrian atrocities that the world has become accustomed to hear from the United States whenever an enemy state violates human rights or U.N. resolutions, America’s complicity in oppression is being ignored. America’s protégés in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are murdering, torturing, imprisoning and demolishing houses of worship in the dark with American military and political support.
Full Report At:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/jan/19/husain-terror-in-the
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Malaysian minister: Iran, pillar of Islamic world
Kuala Lumpur, Jan 19, IRNA – Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said that the Islamic Republic of Iran was the pillar of the Muslim world.
Making the remarks in a meeting with Iranian senior cleric Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani on Thursday, he thanked the ayatollah for accepting the invitation of the Malaysian prime minister to take part in the international conference of Global Movement of Moderates.
He said it was very important for his country to have extensive and consolidated ties with Iran as an Islamic state.
Full Report At:
http://www.irna.ir/News/Politic/Malaysian-minister,-Iran,-pillar-of-Islamic-world/30772431
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UK's first course in women, Islam and the media launched
University of East Anglia degree module will cover topics including veil wearing, 'honour' crimes and arranged marriages
David Shariatmadari
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 January 2012
The UEA course aims to challenge stereotypes about Islam and will look at the representation of Muslim women in the media. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Women, Islam and the media are topics often found in close conjunction, and not always in the happiest of circumstances. So in a canny move, the University of East Anglia (UEA), which often gives better-known institutions a run for their money in terms of column inches, has developed a course entitled exactly that.
Full Report At:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/19/uk-first-degree-women-islam-media?newsfeed=true
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Christmas Day bomb suspect escapes from Nigerian police
BY MIKE PFLANZ
JANUARY 18, 2012
The Islamic militant suspected over the Christmas Day bomb attack on a Christian church in Nigeria has escaped less than 24 hours after his arrest. Pictured, a car burns at the scene of a bomb explosion at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla, Suleja, just outside Nigeria's capital Abuja, December 25, 2011.
Photograph by: Afolabi Sotunde, Reuters
The Islamic militant suspected over the Christmas Day bomb attack on a Christian church in Nigeria has escaped less than 24 hours after his arrest.
Kabiru Sokoto, said to be the deputy commander of Boko Haram, a radical Nigerian Islamist sect, is alleged to have masterminded the attack on Roman Catholic worshippers at a church close to Abuja, the capital.
Full Report At:
http://pakistannewstoday.com/2012/01/12/balochistan-point-of-no-return/
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Pakistan's prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on collision course with Supreme Court
Thursday 19 January 2012
Pakistan's prime minister set himself on a collision course with the country's highest court by refusing on Thursday to re-open corruption proceedings against the president.
Journalists, security officials and cabinet ministers crammed into the Supreme Court to witness Yousuf Raza Gilani's appearance.
He had been called to explain why his government had refused an order to kick-start the investigation.
Mr Gilani said he was acting in accordance with the constitution.
"We have the highest regard for the Supreme Court and respect its decision," he said.
"But what I have been advised, and it is my complete conviction, is that he has full immunity inside and outside the country."
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Pakistan's government faces multiple threats as it tries to become the first civilian administration to complete a full five-year term.
Mr Gilani faces contempt proceedings and imprisonment for refusing to implement an order to re-open an investigation into allegations that President Asif Zardari made millions of dollars from kickbacks when his wife, Benazir Bhutto, was prime minister in the 1990s.
At the same time, an investigation into an unsigned memo that sought US support for a shake-up of the highest military ranks, has angered the army and also threatens the government's survival.
Meanwhile, gas and electricity shortages have led to angry demonstrations against what many see as an ineffective and incompetent administration.
The tensions have led to feverish speculation that the military is plotting to oust the president.
Many observers now believe the the government will be forced to call early elections in the autumn.
The hearing was adjourned to January 30.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/9024322/Pakistans-prime-minister-Yousuf-Raza-Gilani-on-collision-course-with-Supreme-Court.html
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UPDATE 1-Pakistan to re-open NATO routes to Afghanistan-official
Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:50am GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text [+]
(Adds comments from official, background)
ISLAMABAD Jan 19 (Reuters) - Pakistan expects to re-open supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan, halted after a NATO cross-border air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, but will impose tariffs, a senior security official told Reuters on Thursday.
The official said the fees were designed to both express continued anger over the Nov. 26 attack and raise funds for the state to fight homegrown Taliban militants.
No date was given for reopening the supply routes.
The NATO attack plunged relations between troubled allies Pakistan and the United States to their lowest point in years.
Full Report At:
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E8CJ4O620120119
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Pakistan court scores victory over government
January 19, 2012
QUICK READPakistan's top court scores victory against government in presidential graft case
(AP) -- Pakistan's top court scored a victory against the beleaguered government Thursday, when the lawyer for the country's prime minister agreed to debate whether the president enjoys immunity from prosecution on a past corruption case.
The Supreme Court gave Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's attorney two weeks to prepare his argument. The government caved in after the court threatened...
http://www.newsday.com/news/pakistan-court-scores-victory-over-government-1.3460603
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Pakistan Premier appears in court in contempt case
ISLAMABAD, Jan 19 (KUNA) -- The Prime Minister of Pakistan appeared before the Supreme Court in a "contempt of court" case, Thursday, and defended his decision for not opening Swiss corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
It was a historic incident as all eyes were set on the court proceedings, security was on red alert, and all roads leading to the court were blocked with one of the worst traffic jams.
The Prime Minister himself drove to the court building along with his lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan. The court had issued the Prime Minister a contempt of court notice and directed him to personally appear before the bench and explain why he has not complied with the court's previous verdict in the controversial NRO case.
Full Report At:
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2215792&language=en
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Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary in favour of Pakistan Army?
Altamash Hashmi
New Delhi: He's the Chief Justice who hit the streets of Pakistan four years ago demanding justice. His crime - suspicion that he and other judges were preparing to unseat then military leader General Pervez Musharraf.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary and other judges suffered dismissal, violence and jail. But he went on to lead an agitation by lawyers that eventually unseated Musharraf.
Yet although victimised by the army, Chief Justice Chaudhary's actions appear to benefit only the army.
Full Report At:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chief-justice-chaudhary-in-favour-of-pak-army/222106-56.html
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Nawaz vows to establish “a new Pakistan”
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday vowed that he would establish “a new Pakistan” if he gets another chance to rule, DawnNews reported.
“I have always talked about Pakistan’s progress,” he said while addressing a public gathering in Sargodha.
He said it is not easy to become prime minister and serve the nation.
Sharif said ‘people’ have arrived to deceive youth of the country. “I had never deceived the youth,” he added.
The PML-N chief said that “a military dictator had wasted 10 precious years of his and people’s life.”
He said that he has never been involved in politics of interests and vowed to change the fate of the country if gets another chance.
http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/18/nawaz-vows-to-establish-%E2%80%9Ca-new-pakistan%E2%80%9D.html
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamist-coup-plot-foiled-bangladesh/d/6410