Mr. Zardari as President Of Pakistan

[zia ul haq]

Asalamo-a-laikum.

Pakistan unveils cybercrime laws
By M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Karachi


Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has issued a decree making internet crime punishable with death or imprisonment with heavy fines.

The law will be enforced with retrospective effect from 29 September, the official APP news agency said.

It defines any cyber crime that causes a death as "cyber terrorism", which will be punishable with death or imprisonment for life.

Pakistan has more than 10 million internet users.

According to the law, the offender, whether a person, group or organisation, will be deemed to have committed "cyber terrorism" if they access a computer, electronic system or an electronic device with a view to engaging in a "terroristic act".

The law defines a terroristic act as an attempt to "alarm, frighten, disrupt, harm, damage or carry out an act of violence" against people or the government.

According to the law, "cyber crime" also includes "stealing or copying" classified information or data required to make chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

It says the mere intent - before the crime is actually committed - would also constitute a crime.

The law prescribes various durations of imprisonment and fines for other crimes, such as cyber fraud, stalking and spamming.

A similar decree issued by former President Pervez Musharraf in December 2007 was widely criticised by legal experts as being vague and therefore contrary to basic rights.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ia/7714714.stm

Published: 2008/11/07 04:58:32 GMT

© BBC MMVIII









He's getting pissed off with people on this forum slagging him off all the time.

We have been warned!!!

[Mohammad Ilyas]

The authorities are openly declaring that they are obliged to the Western powers for their own safety and prevalence as rulers which means that they have no control on even the practical offenders. The theoratical then remains far ahead.

[Zain Abbass]

So they are going to punish by death yet try to get the death penalty removed in Pakistan? What sort of idiots are running this country?

[abaig]

He has kept his reputation as Mr increasing percent % !

A well-known builder/constructor (name with-held) in KHI, a distant relative, was asked for few million $$$ by the thugs of Agha Siraj Durrani (local bodies) openly saying 'its for Zardari sahib'. Which compelled that builder to run off to Dubai with his precious hard earned money.

[Mohammad Ilyas]

Zardari being the President of the country keeps his family out of the country and himself remains the least days of the month in his dominion. There is a foreign office also.
Bein casual in manners he may take stronger steps also but should not be expected to make a longer stand on.

[SSAAD]

Zardari continues to impress......NOT!!

Useless trips and idiotic management combined give the following, another idiotic master-mind by our suave Ambassador Haqqani. After the amazing failure of PM Gilani's trip to the US, now he brings part two of the dismal failure with Zardari's trip. Read the part about the gum at the UN...this President of ours is as uncouth as they come..

Presidential trip the United Nations
By Masood Haider
Monday, 17 Nov, 2008 | 03:59 AM PST |
NEW YORK: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari looks on at the Culture of Peace meeting of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters November 13, 2008 in New York City.
NEW YORK: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari looks on at the Culture of Peace meeting of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters November 13, 2008 in New York City.

NEW YORK: On Friday, Haqqani (Nov 14) sat down with 10 odd Pakistani reporters at the centre to claim that Zardari’s visit was a success. He disagreed with some reporters’ already-published dispatches, telling them to check their facts before writing. ‘Please google’ he told them over and over again.
Haqqani's tirade against journalists came when reporters complained about an apparent tension between Pakistani missions in Washington and United Nations over the handling of President's programme here.
Husain Haroon, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the United Nations, reportedly was pressured to relinquish all control over the President's activities in New York to Haqqani. As a result, there was confusion and no one gave a briefing ahead of the Interfaith Conference and about the presidential preoccupations.
The result: the reporters were left to fend for themselves. (Foreign Minister Qureshi who left New York early Friday did promise to look into the disconnect between the Washington embassy and New York Mission.
In the highly restrictive security atmosphere, the reporters were left guessing and seeking other sources about whether the president shook hand with Israeli President Shimon Peres or whether he would meet with lame-duck President George W. Bush. While a Pakistan television channel claimed that Zardari will meet with the Israeli leader at the dinner hosted by the UN Secretary General for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and other attendees at the United Nations, Zardari decided to stay away and sent his foreign Minster Shah Mahmood Qureshi in his place. The reporters were never told that.

Then there was speculation that such a meeting may take place at a reception hosted by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan. Although Zardari went there, but the Israeli leader did not show up. In any case, Zardari just stayed there just s ten minutes or so informed sources here said. Even though the visit was short, there were a number of sidelights; before his address to the UN general Assembly, Zardari got up to receive the Saudi King, stayed at the gate for five minutes shaking hands with the king and his delegation. He followed with a lavishing praise on the Saudi monarch, a major part of his speech.
Every leader brought his speech with him, but Zardari's text was carried by an officer, who placed it on the dais while the president waited and then he read it. Then Zardari took a chewing gum or cardamom out of his mouth and put it on the dais, while cameras showed the awkward moment around the world.
He also made effort an effort to shake hands with President Bush as he walked towards the dais. Bush told him, ‘You are doing an excellent job,’ a remark that apparently tickled Zardari.
Apparently Pakistani mission lobbied hard to have Zardari speak right after Bush, hoping the US leader would listen to the speech. But Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Zalmay Khalilzad and the entire US delegation left the hall as soon as Bush finished his speech. Nobody waited for Zardari.
Rice stayed in the hall for less than an hour, at least a dozen diplomats came and posed for pictures with her while she sat on her seat before Bush's speech. But Zardari must have been disappointed that Bush and his delegation left before he delivered his speech that was mainly written for the American audiences.

[Mohammad Ilyas]

Zardari continues to impress......NOT!!


Presidential trip the United Nations
By Masood Haider
Monday, 17 Nov, 2008 | 03:59 AM PST |
Every leader brought his speech with him, but Zardari's text was carried by an officer, who placed it on the dais while the president waited and then he read it.
Then Zardari took a chewing gum or cardamom out of his mouth and put it on the dais, while cameras showed the awkward moment around the world.

Mr. SSaad! The gum was really too awkward and humiliating for the nation. The other thing about the text is generally attached to the mentality of this region where a man in work is considered to be degraded. In many cases others make a joke of such things to the people of this region for not doing their minor manual work like high officials feel ashamed even to carry a paper in own hands. If one carries, is looked down upon by others forthwith.

[affendi]

zardari speaks with CBS

LINK

[Munir]

Learning on the job? Hardly a learing person... A failed person.


CCN:
SLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's president has assured rival India he would not be the first to use atomic weapons in any future conflict and proposed the idea of a nuclear-free South Asia.


Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari waves in front of a portrait of his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistan's nuclear doctrine, unlike India's, does not contain a clause saying the country will not use its weapons first in conflict.

It was not clear if President Asif Ali Zardari's comments, made Saturday during a video conference question-and-answer session organized by The Hindustan Times newspaper of India, represented a formal change in policy.

Asked by a student whether Pakistan was prepared to say it would not use a nuclear weapon first, Zardari said: "Most defiantly, I am against nuclear warfare altogether," he said.

The moderator then asked the question again, pointing out to Zardari that his earlier answer was a "headline." Zardari again replied, "Definitely."

Zardari proposed the idea of a nuclear-free South Asia, saying he could persuade lawmakers to support such a plan, the reports said.

"I am sure I can get my parliament to agree with that, straight on. Can you say the same?" he asked those in attendance, which including government and business leaders.

He gave no more details on the idea, which Pakistan -- six times smaller than India -- has proposed before.

Predominantly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan have fought three wars since they were created in the bloody partition of the Indian subcontinent at independence from Britain in 1947.

[Sassad]

Asked by a student whether Pakistan was prepared to say it would not use a nuclear weapon first, Zardari said: "Most defiantly, I am against nuclear warfare altogether," he said.

The moderator then asked the question again, pointing out to Zardari that his earlier answer was a "headline." Zardari again replied, "Definitely."

Zardari proposed the idea of a nuclear-free South Asia, saying he could persuade lawmakers to support such a plan, the reports said.

"I am sure I can get my parliament to agree with that, straight on. Can you say the same?" he asked those in attendance, which including government and business leaders.

This guy is an uneducated jahel retard, he has no idea what he's talking about. such an idiot, sheesh, he has no idea what he is saying in english, let alone the fact that he can't speak it properly. looking at "gunda" and "ghaddar" type of people, trying to act as if they were educated makes me laugh.

he hasn't a single clue about the complex and strategic geo-political factors that stress the world. I want to thank the army for staying out of politics this time, certainly they have picked the best time to do it.

[A.A. Khan]

I can't clearly imagine a situation in which the army would let such a major shift in strategy go down easily. Could we expect the army to intervene with such ambitions as they did before when the government tried to put the ISI under the interior ministry?

[Naveed]

In Geo TV Show " Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath" Gen(r) Tarmezi, said :

"His recent shocking announcement of no first use of nuclear weapons, Pakistan is even in greater danger....Indian with in 24Hrs of this foolish announcement preparing itself to get some sort of agreement or pact with Pakistan with the help of USA.....and this pact will not be like agreement with Nawaz Shraif ...Once the agreement will be in place you can not back out.....and this situation is like a dream come true for India.

Pakistan does not have strategic depth or 2nd strike capability and this no first use posture make its nuke arsenal completely useless. President has not consulted with any adviser or Army Chief and made a blunder that will cost so much "


God bless Pakistan

[saadahmed]

meh, Pakistanis voted for him.

Pakistan dry or pakistan wet, Pakistan bankcrupt or Pakistan success, Pakistan nuclear free or pakistan nuclearized ... nothing matters to these people. They just orgasm at the sounds of 'Democracy'

And I don't speak of democracy the system, i speak of Democracy the Word.

[FarazA]

I am not sure where to post this article. Mods if you like you can create a new thread or move it.

Thanks

Another good read.

The poverty of people and the emptiness of minds



In the national interest

By Kamal Siddiqi
The writer is editor reporting, The News

The Sindh government is in a limbo. Owing to the fact that Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza, who is a personal friend of President Zardari, calls the shots, there is increasing pressure on Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to try and take back his charge. He seems to be the man in the middle. But there are moves to remove him. And the charge is being led by senior ministers of his own cabinet. There is some merit in this, however.

The only problem is that the alternatives are not better. In fact they are worse. It is somewhat a shame that the Sindh government, which is almost entirely run by the PPP, the party at the Centre, is so poor in terms of administration and governance. Too many ministers, too little to account for. The problem does not end there. Many of these ministers commit actions that cannot be defended.

Like Sherry Rehman in the Centre, the information queen in Sindh, Shazia Marri, is given the unenviable job of defending the actions of her colleagues and government. Many of the actions and steps taken by the people’s government in the past months or the inactions and ineptitude of the government and the ministers have been highlighted in the press. Shazia Marri cannot defend them but has to do her job as information minister. That is why on many occasions she has decided to stay silent instead. She is right in doing so but has earned the ire of the chief minister in this. Another tussle, another issue that the chief minister has wrongly homed in on.

How long will we be made to suffer a chief minister who is happy to attend diplomatic functions and marriages but has no time for listening to public complaints or working on his job of providing good governance? Some say that much of the time of the chief minister is spent in plotting against the City Government of Karachi it seems. Thanks to his “initiative,” the proposal for a mass transit system for Karachi has now been shelved.

It is in this economic powerhouse of Karachi that we saw this week eight children being handed to Edhi Foundation as their parents said that they could not take care of them owing to the rising costs of living. This is a sad commentary on the state of poverty in Pakistan. But not all agreed that this was so. Many conspiracy-theorists said that there was more to this then met the eye.

Some alleged that Edhi Foundation pulled off this stunt to gain public sympathy as it is now in a war of funds with the alternative Chippa Welfare Organisation. The Chippa organisation, which has emerged over the past couple of years, now rivals the Edhi Foundation in its number of ambulances, but that it almost all that it does. One person quipped that for Rs300,000, Edhi Foundation got publicity both in Pakistan as well as abroad. Another pointed out that, by strange coincidence, the day the children arrived at Edhi Foundation, Chippa also received some abandoned babies.

There are other theories too. Some said that this was a ploy by the parents to earn some money. The fact that Abdus Sattar Edhi gave the families Rs100,000 each was seen as enough proof to make this theory credible. Some quarters even suggested that it has become a business amongst some to sell their children or make a show of it in order to gain sympathy. Where do we go from here? How can we say such things?

But in terms of theories, the cake goes to Sindh law minister Ayaz Soomro who said that it was a conspiracy to topple the elected PPP government in Sindh. In trying to understand this statement one can only wonder at the level of thinking within the Sindh cabinet. It is said that when our ministers put tinted glasses in the windows of their government-owned Prados, they also shut out the voices of the people—whether from the lower- of middle-income groups. They are oblivious to the plight of the masses.

In all this, the return of Syed Saleem Shehzad, one of the pillars of strength of the MQM in its earlier days, has raised alarm bells in the Sindh administration. Many want to know why he has been brought back at this juncture. His arrival comes at a time when there are rumours of trouble brewing in Karachi. One has to only look at the number of arms licences issued in the past year to understand that the city is becoming more unsafe with each passing day. There is talk that the MQM is being denied its rightful place in the federal cabinet, which otherwise has accommodated everyone and his uncle.

The good news amidst all this doom and gloom has been that the rupee gained against the dollar, although nominally, in the open market. This has less to do with the public humiliation of Messrs Khanani and Kalia and more with the finalising of a loan agreement with the IMF. Possibly we are one of the few countries that celebrate when we take loans from international financial institutions.

There are many, however, who argue that the IMF should have driven a harder bargain. The conditionalities it has imposed target interest rates, subsidies and tariffs. The area of concern is our rising non-development budget. Why can’t we hire less people for the government? Why should the salaried and middle-income groups keep suffering at the expense of the rich and powerful? Syed Naveed Qamar, former minister for finance, tells us with glee that there will be tax on agriculture.

Coming back to the statement by Sindh minister Ayaz Soomro, to rival it was the statement this week of Post Office Minister Israrullah Zehri who said that women cannot be marginalised and that he has always come forward to lend support to the cause of women’s development and never endorsed violence against them. The only conclusion one can draw from this is that the minister does not consider shooting and burying of women as violence against them.

However, the beauty of the People’s Party government, and one must acknowledge this, is that it takes its criticism in its stride. Instead of sending goons to the houses of journalists, federal minister Khursheed Shah sent a clarification through the Press Information Department over his alleged misuse of government funds and theft of electricity. One can hope that other governments also behaved like this.

There are some things, however, on which mere listening is not enough. The spread of Talibanisation in Pakistan and the increasingly bold attacks on our people should put the government to shame. The past week was an especially bloody one with the deaths of people in Swat, Bannu, Bajaur and Dera Ismail Khan. If it was not the Taliban, it was the US that was killing Pakistanis. One can only hope for some initiative on the part of this government to make the country a safer place. So far we have seen nothing.

Our wealth should be spent on the people of Pakistan, not on fighting others. For example, why can’t 24-year-old Mohammad Jamaluddin Thaheem from Hyderabad go to Italy for his PhD on his HEC scholarship? He was awarded the scholarship under the HEC’s UESTP Programme and has completed all formalities, including the visa, but is waiting for the HEC to allocate the required funds. We have money for everything but for the people of Pakistan. Makes one wonder when we will start investing in our future.

Email: kamal.siddiqi@thenews.com.pk

http://www.thenews.com.pk/editorial_....asp?id=148552

[abaig]

. Owing to the fact that Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza, who is a personal friend of President Zardari,

Thanks for the article!

Also, Zulfikar Mirza is also a close relative of Zardari. Jang had published a whole article, when Zardari won Presidency.

[A Khan]

Dealing with India


Reality check

Friday, November 28, 2008
by Shafqat Mahmood

President Zardari has caused a stir in security circles by suggesting that he is ready to sign a no-first-use treaty with India on nuclear weapons. It came so suddenly that there is some doubt whether he quite understood the implication of his words. It is one thing to express a distaste for nuclear weapons, as many of us do, and quite another to change a long-held position of the Pakistani state in a TV dialogue.

The Indian establishment, after it recovered from the shock of how we make and announce policy, must have been pleasantly surprised. It has been trying for a while to induce Pakistan into signing a non-first-use treaty but Pakistan has always refused. The reason is simple. India has a much larger military force with a wider array of conventional weapon systems. Pakistan sees its nuclear capability as a deterrent to a possible Indian aggression. By agreeing to a non-first-use regime, Pakistan in one stroke would eliminate its principal weapon of defence.

It is possible Mr Zardari does not believe that agreements are worth the paper they are written on. After all he signed multiple documents with the PML-N and reneged on all of them. He might have a similar view of international treaties but it is time he understood that there are important differences. It is true that nations throughout history have broken or by passed many such treaties but these infamous acts are remembered with contempt and become a permanent blot on their record. They are used as examples of infamy, the most well-known being Hitlerian Germany which invaded countries at will, caring little for its treaty obligations.

In other words, it is important for our leadership to understand that international treaties are not to be taken lightly. They are something to be mulled, deliberated carefully over a period of time and every line, comma and full stop negotiated fiercely to protect national interest. If a concession has to be made, and sometimes they are necessary to obtain a larger goal, they must be offered in a manner that obliges the other side to reciprocate. It should not be done haphazardly and in a casual manner.

President Zardari would also do well to remember our recent history. The late (in political terms) and not-so-lamented dictator, Pervez Musharraf, had this penchant for announcing major policy initiatives in thank-you speeches after Iftar dinners. This completely bamboozled the Indian establishment which is perhaps the most rule-bound and bureaucratic entity in the world. It could not get over this unconventional style of negotiation and never responded.

For all his troubles and the long neck he stuck out on, among other things, Kashmir, the Indians gave him nothing. They did not even agree to do the doable like removing forces from Siachen or solving the Sir Creek problem. And on Kashmir, they were completely unresponsive despite Musharraf's out-of-the-box thinking and articulation of some really crazy formulas.

The simple fact is that there is a kind of elite arrogance in India which translates into a total lack of interest in resolving any dispute with Pakistan except strictly on its terms. This particular mindset thinks nothing of soldiers continuously dying of cold on icy slopes of Siachen or the cost, both moral and financial, of maintaining seven hundred thousand troops in occupied Kashmir.

It is this attitude that has made the Indian state kill hundreds of thousands of people not just in Kashmir but in Punjab during the Sikh unrest of the eighties. It continues this practice now while dealing with many insurgencies in different parts of the country. Its record of human right abuses is perhaps the worst in the world but it does not care and covers it up with largely successful propaganda blitzes such as incredible India or India shining.

It is therefore necessary to have a hardnosed appreciation of what the Indian establishment is about. I am a huge enthusiast for the peace process with India and have over the years strongly criticised the Pakistani military for taking a hardline stance on it. But, this enthusiasm has waned over time because there are no partners for peace among those who matter in India. There are some civil society groups and a few in the Indian media who have been vocal advocates for peace but it appears that in the Indian context their voice is feeble. The establishment pays no attention to them or to their peace agenda.

It is this realisation that must temper the strong political and societal consensus in Pakistan that peace with India is a good thing. President Zardari is not out of line when he makes bold moves forward to embrace India. Mr Nawaz Sharif is equally enthusiastic as are leaders of important regional parties such as the ANP, the MQM and even the mullahs of the JUI F. Even among the twenty thousand people who make public opinion in this country – and this includes the so-called civil society, trading organisations, intelligentsia and the media - the notion of peace with India is hugely popular.

The problem is that one-sided love does not get anyone very far. There is little or no reciprocity from a similar slice of Indian society. The result is that despite pious intentions and much mouthing of the right cliches over the last ten years, we are not very far from where we were after the bad days of Kargil. The Indian occupation in Kashmir and egregious human right abuses continue with equal ferocity. Soldiers of both countries continue to die on Siachen and the visa regime continues to be tight.

If anything new tensions have cropped up. The stoppage of Chenab river waters after the commissioning of the Baghliar Dam has highlighted the tricky issue of sharing river waters. There have also been credible reports of Indian involvement in stoking up the insurgency in Balochistan.

The conclusion thus is inescapable. Let alone meet half way, the Indian establishment is not giving up the path of confrontation. In such circumstances, how long can the one-sided love affair of the Pakistani elite last towards peace with India.

These are the hard facts that the Pakistani leadership, particularly President Zardari, needs to internalise. In the last few months he has used radical rhetoric – calling the freedom fighters in Kashmir terrorists and talking of a tight embrace politically and economically. Now he is offering no first use. What have the Indians given him in return? They are not even ready to ease the visa regime let alone deal with hard issues like Kashmir.

The Pakistani government also needs to understand that elections in India are due next year. The ruling party will not get into any serious dialogue even if it was interested and it is not. The Congress record vis a vis peace with Pakistan is in some ways worse than the Hindu fundamentalists of the BJP. We need therefore to take a deep breath and hold off on any major moves until the Indian election is over.

We should certainly start offering concessions on hugely important issues such as no first use of nuclear weapons. In the history of nations, there is a time to act and a time to wait. This is the time to show patience.



Email: shafqatmd@gmail.com
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=149338

[pshamim]

FYI-if you care to watch.
Zardari is going to be on CNN in the Larry King Live" tonight.at 6:00 pm Eastern time.

[sparten]

Pakistan being represented by Zardari....................... what kind of nightmare is this.

[Sassad]

President of Pakistan, Asif Zardari on Larry King Live

Zardari: Larry, non-state actors have caused wars in the past. like for example, terrorists caused World War II by killing Prince Rudolph...

[asimM]

salaams,

well again that fool zardari stated that pakistan will adopt the "no first use" policy when it comes to our "special" weapons!!!

rafi sahib it seems that the message still hasnt gotten through to ghaddari from the military brass when it comes to making these foolish statements that essentially would make us defenseless. any other updates rafi???

[abaig]

What amazes me ...... is not how the USA has managed to give him a face uplift or personality make-over ..... but how they managed to enhance this feudal's general knowledge and communication skills.

[Hamza T]

President of Pakistan, Asif Zardari on Larry King Live

Zardari: Larry, non-state actors have caused wars in the past. like for example, terrorists caused World War II by killing Prince Rudolph...

I hope this is a joke. If not its outrageous.

[Sassad]

I hope this is a joke. If not its outrageous.

it's very real... not a joke, Zardari said this on Larry King Live. you can see the videos floating around on youtube. this is the sad fate of Pakistan.

[Rauf]

US Report per yahoo

"Pakistan's army remains the country's most powerful institution, even after the election of Zardari's civilian government this year. Rice began her meetings in Islamabad with the man sometimes described as Pakistan's shadow ruler, Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani."

Take a heart from it, let politions do politics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/..._st_pe/as_rice

[H Khan]

Rs 10 coin to be issued on Benazir’s death anniversary

ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday decided to issue Rs 10 coins to commemorate Benazir Bhutto’s first death anniversary on December 27. The State Bank of Pakistan will issue 300,000 such coins. The waxing crescent moon and a star in a rising position, is in the centre on the obverse side of the coin. Along the periphery ‘Islami Jamhuria Pakistan’ is inscribed in Urdu script. In the centre of the reverse side, the coin bears the portrait of Benazir under which ‘Dukhtar-e-Mashriq Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’ is inscribed in Urdu. On the left and right sides of the portrait respectively, her years of birth and demise are inscribed. The existing Rs 10 notes will continue to be legal tender and will remain in circulation along with the coins. nni