Shahbaz meets army chief

RAWALPINDI / LAHORE, Oct 30: Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif met Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Saturday and exchanged views on matters related to rehabilitation and reconstruction in flood-hit areas and the security situation.

Punjab government sources said it was a routine meeting where the role played by the army in rehabilitation of flood-affected people. However, some other sources said the meeting also focussed on the security situation, especially the role political parties could play in fighting terrorism.

The chief minister took the army chief into confidence about investigation into recent terror-related incidents in Punjab and reiterated his resolve that the PML-N would continue its support to efforts being made by the army for elimination of terrorism and extremism.—Online

Government, CNG association dialogue fails

ISLAMABAD: Dialogue between the government and the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Association failed on Monday after the government refused to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the CNG stations without load management for two days.

Sources informed Daily Times that in the meeting held at the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) Head Office, the government suggested that the CNG stations should close down two days a week because of the shortage of natural gas during winters.

Talking to Daily Times, Association Chairman Ghayas Paracha said they couldn’t afford to close stations for more than one day in a week. He said the association would call for a strike if their demand were not accepted. The association also threatened to violate the government orders if a decision was forced upon them.

The association has also demanded Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Syed Naveed Qamar end unannounced gas load shedding. Sources said the federal government had decided to start gas load shedding across the country during winter season and there would be no exception for any province.

“Qamar has said the domestic consumers will be exempted from load shedding this year,” sources added. According to a ministry official, the load shedding policy will be uniform for all provinces and every consumer will be treated equally. However, issues will be taken up in a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee likely to be held next week. He said that ministry would try to maintain the gas supply to all sectors, but keeping in view the gap between demand and supply, every one had to face some difficulties.

According to him, the government would fulfill its agreements and the gas supply to IPPs would continue till November 30, adding that other power companies would also be supplied with gas according to agreements.

CNG stations closed for 3rd day in Potohar region

ATTOCK: The CNG stations are closed for third consecutive day today in Potohar region from Attock to Jhelum, posing serious problems for commuters and motorists, Geo News reported Saturday.

The government announced to keep 597 CNG stations closed on 29 and 30 October in Potohar Region owing to the suspension of gas supply.

The CNG Association went on strike on October 28 one day before this schedule against this step.

Besides Potohar region, the CNG pumps remained closed for a total of three days in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, causing people to switch to costlier fuel petrol after their CNG gas was used up.

Also, the taxi drivers reved up their fares with thin public transport available on roads, posing problems for commuters.

According to a previous announcement, the CNG stations would be opened on Sunday morning.

PM urged on more commitment with country, not party

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif advised the government not to trample all principles for the sake politics.

Talking to media here, the PML-N leader said the government should be more committed to the country and democracy, adding ethics comes first and politics follows.

He said, ‘We all respect the freedom of the Supreme Court (SC). The government better correct itself and capitulate to the verdicts of the court.’

Nawaz Sharif said his party will not allow the institutions to clash one another, adding it grieves to see corruption on the rise and rampage in Pakistan.

He further stressed the price hike could be stemmed if corruption in certain institutions is tamped down.

Reacting to a query, the N-League leader remarked the Prime Minister needed to make prudent decisions and should have more commitment with the country than with the party.

If foreign money pours in only to be stolen here, then who will give his money for the second time, Nawaz Sharif observed adding the nations are ruined under one-man rule (autocracy).

‘We will not be impacted by any meeting between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q),’ he added.

Pakistan ranked 34th most corrupt country in 2010

Updated at: 1545 PST,  Tuesday, October 26, 2010
 KARACHI: Pakistan's decline continue in Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and now its Index Score is 2.3 against 2.4 in 2009, and out of 178 countries, its ranking as most corrupt country has slipped 7 ranks, from 42 in 2009 to 34 most corrupt country in 2010.

The 2010 CPI shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption), indicating a serious corruption problem.

Syed Adil Gilani, Chairman TI Pakistan said in last two year there have been unprecedented cases of corruption involving tens of billions of rupees in public sector organization, which under the Rule of Law, should have been taken up by the National Accountability Bureau.

He said the political will of the government to fight corruption is lacking which has resulted in the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo moto action against mega corruption in NICL, Pakistan Steel, Rental Power Plants.

The CPI 2010 reveals that corruption in Pakistan is increasing, while in Bangladesh it is decreasing. Bangladesh was perceived to be the most corrupt country in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and its ranking in 2010 is 39 most corrupt country.
Reduced corruption has paid dividends to Bangladesh whose annual GDP growth last year was over 5%, while Pakistan's GDP growth last year was near 2.4 %. Delay in formation of An Independent Accountability Commission by the parliament may further aggravate the situation.

Chairman TI Pakistan said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which has a declared policy of Zero-Tolerance for Corruption on 22 March 2009, in its order of 12th October, 2010 in NICL Case No.18 of 2010 involving six procurements is considers the Violation of Public Procurement Rules 2004 as a criminal act. It is a landmark order, treating violation of Public Procurement Rules 2004 as a federal crime and it will help reduction in Corruption.

The direct impact of increased corruption is witnessed in the rise in the prices of food commodities which according to the latest official data of Federal Bureau of Statistics, have increased up to 120 percent in last one year viz. sugar from Rs 54 to Rs 80, pulses from Rs 50 to Rs 110, eggs from Rs 35 to Rs 60, and the Foreign Direct Investment for the fiscal year 2009-2010 dropped to US $ 2.21 billion from US$ 3.71 billion in FY 2008-2009, and in July-Sept 2010 it is further dropped to US $ 387.4 million ( 68% of last year).

Foreign debt on Pakistan increased from US $ 40 Billion in 1999 to US $ 46 billion in 2008, whereas in last two years it has increased to US $ 53.5 billion.

Across the board Application of Rule of Law, Merit based appointments and easy Access to Justice is the only solution to save Pakistan from corruption, which is responsible for poverty, inflation, terrorism, illiteracy, lack of electricity and hording of essential food commodities.

In the 2010 CPI, Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore tie for first place with scores of 9.3. Unstable governments, often with a legacy of conflict, continue to dominate the bottom rungs of the CPI. Afghanistan and Myanmar share second to last place with a score of 1.4, with Somalia coming in last with a score of 1.1.

Ali Zafar jumps to Katrina's rescue

Pakistani musician turned actor Ali Zafar has saved the day by coming to Bollywood siren Katrina Kaif’s rescue during shooting of romantic comedy Meray Brother Ki Dulhan.
Talking to Express 24/7, Ali said he jumped in to save Katrina when her hair got stuck in a pedestal fan on the set. His heroic act prevented Katrina from losing her hair.
Ali’s heroics have redeemed his first meeting with Katrina, where he failed to recognise her. But Katrina reportedly reacted politely and introduced herself to Ali.
It also seems Ali has won over Indian hearts after he gifted a stranger his lucky guitar.
The story goes that a stranger would come to the studios every day to watch the shooting, and Ali found out that the boy was a struggling musician.
Ali presented his lucky guitar to the stranger and wished him luck for the future.

Ecuadorean super-snorer wins siesta contest in Spain

A jobless security worker has won a competition billed as Spain's inaugural siesta championship, napping for 17 minutes in a busy shopping centre.

Ecuadorean Pedro Soria Lopez took first place and 1,000 euros (£890) for his efforts - or lack of them.
Judges praised the 62-year-old not only for the duration of his 40 winks, but also for his volume, notching up snores of 70 decibels - around talking level.
The contest was run by Spain's National Association of Friends of the Siesta.
It was part of a campaign to revive the Spanish power-napping tradition, which is seen as threatened by the fast pace of modern life.
Over the course of nine days, 360 competitors were challenged to sleep for as much of a 20-minute period allotted to them as possible.
Participants stretched out on sofas in the Madrid shopping centre while their pulses were monitored to check they were asleep.
Judges awarded points for the speed with which participants fell asleep, the volume of their snoring, the most original sleeping position and the best-dressed sleeper.

Ecuadorean super-snorer wins siesta contest in Spain

A jobless security worker has won a competition billed as Spain's inaugural siesta championship, napping for 17 minutes in a busy shopping centre.

Ecuadorean Pedro Soria Lopez took first place and 1,000 euros (£890) for his efforts - or lack of them.
Judges praised the 62-year-old not only for the duration of his 40 winks, but also for his volume, notching up snores of 70 decibels - around talking level.
The contest was run by Spain's National Association of Friends of the Siesta.
It was part of a campaign to revive the Spanish power-napping tradition, which is seen as threatened by the fast pace of modern life.
Over the course of nine days, 360 competitors were challenged to sleep for as much of a 20-minute period allotted to them as possible.
Participants stretched out on sofas in the Madrid shopping centre while their pulses were monitored to check they were asleep.
Judges awarded points for the speed with which participants fell asleep, the volume of their snoring, the most original sleeping position and the best-dressed sleeper.

Fight Taliban or lose funding, warns US

WASHINTONG: Obama administration officials have privately warned Pakistani leaders that continued inaction against Taliban and al Qaeda havens bordering Afghanistan could jeopardize some of the large U.S. cash payouts on which Islamabad depends.

According to US-based Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials also have periodically offered optimism and increased help, including proposing added military aid earlier this week.

The White House also has decided not to provide equipment or training to Pakistani Army units that have been accused of killing prisoners or civilians, according to a military official. That move follows a U.S. investigation into a recent video that showed Pakistani military personnel killing a prisoner. About a half dozen units will be affected by the new policy, reported first by The New York Times.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama dropped by a meeting of his top advisers and Pakistani officials, including the military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. A White House statement issued afterwards highlighted the need to "increase pressure on extremist safe-havens" but didn't repeat previous White House praise of Islamabad fighting militants.

Funding represents the greatest U.S. leverage over Islamabad. U.S. military and civilian funding for Pakistan totaled more than $3.5 billion over the last year, according to congressional estimates. But concerns have risen in Congress about how that money is spent and whether Pakistan is obstructing U.S. goals in Afghanistan.

The administration said this week it intends to increase annual grants for Pakistan to buy U.S. defense equipment, but officials warned that Congress could pare that back.

Administration and congressional officials also said hundreds of millions of dollars a year in so-called Coalition Support Fund payments, which reimburse Pakistan for its military operations against militants, could face future cuts.

The U.S. hasn't made any reimbursement to Pakistan since May 27; the Pentagon is reviewing the requests. The U.S. reimbursed Pakistan $1.3 billion between January and May for Pakistani operations conducted in 2008 and 2009, but has not paid for operations in 2010.

On Thursday, an official with the Pakistani military spy agency said Islamabad wants to take part in the peace contacts between Kabul and Taliban officials, warning that excluding Pakistan could jeopardize them.

Obama administration officials say they want to include Pakistani representatives, in part to help ensure that Islamabad doesn't try to scuttle the talks.

Some Western and Afghan officials say they believe Pakistan's spy agency arrested Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in February to halt talks that excluded Islamabad. Pakistan denies this.

US pledges $2 bn in military aid to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The United States will offer two billion dollars in fresh military assistance to Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday, hailing Islamabad's efforts against extremist groups.

The United States has "no stronger partner when it comes to counter-terrorism" than Pakistan, Clinton said while addressing a press briefing along side Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi following high-level talks between the two nations in Washington.

Clinton said that the military package, which is subject to congressional approval, would come over several years and be in addition to 7.5 billion dollars in civilian aid the United States has committed over five years.

The military aid is the latest twist in the uneasy partnership between the two nations since the September 11, 2001 attacks, after which Pakistan dumped support for Afghanistan's Taliban and backed US military efforts.

But the military aid may trigger unease in Pakistan's rival India, which President Barack Obama is set to visit in early November in a bid to forge a broader relationship.

Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed profound gratitude to the US government and its people for sending help to flood victims.

In pictures: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010

Bence Mate's photo of leafcutter ants in Costa Rica has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year main award. He said: "They were only active at night, which made my job very difficult." He used a flash behind the leaf for the silhouette.

Operation amid curfew decided for Karachi

KARACHI: Sindh Home Department decided to launch a search operation amidst curfew in various Karachi areas adversely affected by the target killings.
Home secretary Arif Ahmed Khan presided over a meeting in this regard. The meeting decided to undertake search operation in various badly affected areas after clamping curfew in the areas.

However, the sources said the Pak Army is not being sought to take responsibilities for the purpose.

Meantime, the sources said, the decision is not final, as Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza is not in the city.

The sources said the curfew may span a few hours.

The meeting was told that at least 105 people were arrested until October 16 along with 60 arms. And they are being interrogated.

Toll from Pakistan political violence nears 40

KARACHI — Political violence in Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi claimed another five lives Tuesday, bringing to nearly 40 the toll from a series of killings surrounding a by-election, police said.
"Five people were shot dead today in targeted killing incidents," senior police official Fayyaz Leghari told AFP.
Late Monday the death toll had stood at 32 after three days of murders, he said. Police were searching for attackers in eastern and southern parts of city where the violence took place, Leghari said.
Sharmila Farooqi, an advisor in the provincial government of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, told AFP: "Some 50 people were injured and 60 people have been arrested in connection with the targeted killings" since Saturday.
She was able to confirm 36 deaths, she said.
Most of Karachi was open as normal, although witnesses reported violence in the volatile and low-income Layari neighbourhood.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik held talks in Karachi on Monday on how to end the violence, which has killed supporters of local coalition partners the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP).
Both parties accuse each other of killing their supporters, fanning political tensions within Karachi that reverberate to the capital Islamabad, where both factions are also members of the ruling federal coalition.
Karachi is plagued by ethnic and sectarian killings, crime and kidnappings.
A wave of violence that followed the August killing of MQM provincial lawmaker Raza Haider claimed 85 lives in the teeming city of 16 million.
MQM's Saifuddin Khalid easily won a by-election on Sunday to replace Haider in an election that ANP boycotted.
A founding member of the MQM, Imran Farooq, who was living in exile in Britain, was also brutally murdered outside his north London home in September.
The MQM represents the Urdu-speaking majority in Karachi, while the ANP is focused on Pashtuns who migrated from the northwest.
The government has not released exact figures, but rights groups say more than 260 targeted killings were reported in Karachi during the first six months of this year, compared with 156 during the same period in 2009.

The science of optical illusions

In the left image, the black and white spaces in the central pin-wheel seem to blend more than in the right image - though the two are the same

 
Optical illusions are more than just a bit of fun. Scientist Beau Lotto is finding out what tricking the brain reveals about how our minds work. Here he explains his findings.

Sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell. We believe what our senses tell us but most of all we trust our eyes.
But our brains are extraordinarily powerful organs.
Without us realising it, they are instantly processing the information they receive to make sense of the world around us.
And that has been crucial to our evolution.

Jungle scene

Take colour. Why do we need to see in colour? The next two images will show you why.
Here you see a black-and-white version of a jungle scene. Try to find the predator that's about to jump out at you. If it takes you more than a second, you are dead. Why is it so difficult to find? Because you are only seeing the surfaces according to the amount of light they reflect. Now click to the next image...

... this time in colour. Now you'll probably see the panther immediately (in the lower right corner).

Why is it so easy this time? The reason is because the image shows the surfaces according to the quality of light they reflect (not just their intensity).
In other words, your brain has a lot more information to go on in making its decisions.
So colour enables us to see a greater number of similarities and differences between objects, which is necessary for survival.
What is amazing about what you have just done (finding the panther in the coloured image) is that it is so easy for you.
But while it seems so easy, our best computers are hopeless at doing what you have just done.
Understanding how we see is one of the main aims of brain science (called neuroscience). And illusions hold the key to answering this question.

Brightness illusion

Below we have two physically identical squares. Not surprisingly, they also look the same. Explaining vision would be easy if all we had to do is see the image that falls onto the back of the eye (called the retinal image). But we don't.
In fact we never see what our eyes see. That's because the eyes have very little to do with what we see. This is good news: an image of the world is very different from the world itself.
For instance, the retinal image has only two dimensions, whereas the world of course has three. The retinal image is upside-down, but we see the world right-side-up. So what happens if I change the context surrounding the squares, but not the two squares themselves?
 

Toggle the image and the two identical squares now look different.

And yet all we've done is put them on different backgrounds. As a result, the small square on the dark background looks lighter than the one on the light background.
This is called the "brightness contrast illusion", which proves that context is everything when it comes to what we see, even when seeing the simplest qualities of the world, namely lightness.
But why is context everything?

Table and shadow illusion

Here we have two, smaller versions of an identical brightness contrast illusion - one on the right and the other on the left.
In both cases the tiles on the dark backgrounds look lighter than the tiles on the light backgrounds. So far so good. Now let's see if we can change the strength of these two illusions by changing the overall scene.
 

Notice that the illusion on the left is now much stronger. In other words, the tile in shadow under the table looks much brighter because the brain thinks it is in shade. The tile to the right looks as if it is under bright light so the brain assumes it is darker and tells us so.

On the other hand the illusion on the right is now much weaker. In other words, the two tiles, one on a black stripe the other on a light stripe, look nearly identical because the brain is interpreting them as two similarly reflective tiles under a shared light source.
This shows that we see illusions because the brain doesn't actually want to see the image on your eye, but to see the meaning of that image and here it finds that in the context of the table and the light from the window. And that meaning - and this is really important - is created from experience.

Cube illusion

Here we have two tiles that are identical in their colour. But what happens if we change their context in a specific way? Now if we're right that what we see is the meaning of an image, then it we should be able to create a really strong illusion by making the meaning of the two tiles very different indeed.
 

In their new context, the two physically identical tiles do indeed now look very different.

Why? The information in the image strongly suggests that the dark brown tile on the top now means a poorly reflective surface under bright light, whereas the bright orange one at the side means a highly reflective surface in shadow.
So you see them differently because your brain thinks they have a different meaning - given the rest of the information in the scene.

Table illusion

What's true for seeing colour is also true for seeing form and shape. In fact it's true about everything we see. When you look at this image, you are aware of two very differently sized tables.
The one of the left seems a lot longer and thinner than the one on the right. What if I tell you that the red table is simply the green table on its side, in other words that the dimensions of the two table tops is identical.
It is actually true. The only real difference between the tables is the angles at their corners (other than their colour, which is irrelevant in this case).
 

The two red and green lines are the same length. The length of the red table is the same as the width of the green table and vice versa.

So why do they look so different? Because your brain takes the image on the retina and creates what it sees according to what the information would have meant in the brain's past experience of interacting with the world.
In this case the angles suggest depth and perspective and the brain believes the green table is longer than it is while the red table appears squarer.
The beautiful thing about illusions is they make us realise things are never what they seem, and that our experiences of the world shape our understanding of it.

Withdrawal of judges restoration notification case adjourned

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) adjourned the hearing of case of reversal of notification regarding judges restoration.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry headed a 17-member bench hearing suo motu case related to media reports alleging that the government was considering withdrawal of the notification of March 16, 2009 about restoration of the judges of superior courts.

The committee constituted to probe the authenticity of the news story, submitted its interim report and time has been requested until the finalized report is submitted.

According to the report, the reporters of news channel pleaded for more time, as they said they would not uncover the name and source of the news leaker.

The committee called reporters to appear on October 22.

Nawaz asks Zardari to apologise from nation

LONDON: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif on Saturday has advised President Asif Ali Zardari to apologise from the nation and return all the looted fortunes of the country to its people.
In a press conference held in London, the PML-N chief said that the president had breached all the promises and agreements in the past. Had Zardari restored the judiciary earlier as promised the nation would not be in such a mess, he added.
He blamed the president for the crisis and said that he should not exploit the country for his own benefits.
Nawaz said that Pakistan was in difficult situation and it was a high time to save the country. Pakistan needs a new social contract, he added.

karachi violence killed 23

KARACHI: In a fresh spate of violence that erupted in the metropolis city Saturday, one day ahead of by-polls, has left at least 23 people killed and over four dozens others injured while unknown armed men forced shops in different areas to close.
Meanwhile, five vehicles including an OB van of a private television channel have been reportedly torched in different areas during the violence-ravaged incidents.

The violence spread in several parts of the city after unidentified attackers opened fire and injured a man named Zafar in PS-94 constituency of Orangi Town where by-election is due to be held today.

In another firing incident at Katti Pahari area where armed men opened indiscriminate firing on a passenger bus, killing a youth identified as Tausif and injuring two others.

A man identified as Akbar was shot dead and two others sustained injuries when unknown armed motorcyclists opened fire at Abul Hasan Ispahani Road.

In yet another firing incident in Garden area 3 men were killed.

In similar such incidents at Kamran Chowrangi, Ayub Goth, Banaras one man each was shot dead while two men were injured in Ranchor Line.

According to hospital sources, more than four dozens men were injured in firing incidents.

Most of the areas are still blanketed with tension while police claimed to have apprehended four miscreants in Orangi Town and they have been moved to unidentified location for investigation.

Pakistan rejects Indian army chief allegations

Pakistan rejects Indian army chief allegations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday took a serious exception to reported statement of Indian Army Chief about his threat perception from Pakistan, war under a nuclear scenario and uncalled for and gratuitous comments on the internal affairs of Pakistan.

In a statement, a Foreign Office Spokesman here on Saturday said that the repetitive mentioning by Indian High Command about war under the nuclear scenario is not only irresponsible but also jingoistic and unwise.

"Such statements and grandstanding by India are evidently unhelpful to the cause of promoting peace, security and stability in South Asia," he added.

He said Pakistan remains committed to a purposeful and result-oriented dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

Secret talks on peace begin with Taleban

KABUL - Secret high-level negotiations between the Afghan Government and the Taleban leadership aimed at ending the war have begun, diplomatic sources have revealed.

Meetings which included delegates of the Quetta Shura, the Taleban's Pakistan-based governing body which is overseen by Mullah Mohammed Omar, are believed to have taken place in Dubai.

The Taleban high command had previously rejected any political negotiations until Western forces had left Afghanistan.

Talks have also taken place in Kabul with "indirect representatives" of the insurgency. It remains unclear whether this is a parallel process to the one in the United Arab Emirates.

According to reports, Pakistani officials led by former Foreign Minister Aftab Ahmed Shirpao, were present at meetings at the Serena Hotel in the Afghan capital.

The Dubai discussions are said to have centred on the conditions under which the Taleban would agree to call a ceasefire. They have dropped the demand that Western forces withdraw fully from Afghan soil before any peace talks can open but insist on an agreed timetable for the exit of Nato troops.

The extreme Islamist movement ran Afghanistan between 1996 and the United States-led invasion in 2001 and was notorious for its hardline interpretation of Islam, banning such things as music and education for girls. The movement was branded a terrorist organisation by the US after being toppled.

According to diplomats, representatives of the Taleban could initially be brought back into governance at local levels as part of a reconciliation process.

It is also claimed that a deal may involve Mullah Omar, the one-eyed religious leader who fled Afghanistan on a motorbike shortly after the 2001 invasion.

Some of his lieutenants could also be given immunity from future prosecution and go into exile in Saudi Arabia under a deal.

Human rights and women's groups have long feared a political settlement which would allow the Taleban back into power and potentially water down rights guaranteed under the constitution.

Military setbacks are thought to have influenced renewed US backing for the idea of negotiating an end to the conflict.

The White House yesterday said that President Barack Obama "supports" attempts to negotiate with the Taleban, but stressed its members must pledge to respect Afghan law and lay down their arms.

Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman, said the US was not directly involved in the talks. However, clandestine meetings are believed to have taken place between senior Taleban members and CIA officials, according to Pakistani officials.

An indication of the determination of the Pakistani authorities to take a central role in talks to ensure a pro-Islamabad government in Afghanistan came this year when Pakistani troops and US agents captured Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taleban's operational commander.

His capture was reported to have been fortuitous but it has since emerged that the Pakistanis had been monitoring his whereabouts and decided to detain him because he had brokered secret peace talks with the Afghan Government of Hamid Karzai.

The most recent talks do not include the Haqqani network, which operates inside Afghanistan but is based in Pakistan and has strong links to the Pakistani spy agency the ISI. The group has been systematically targeted in US cross-border air attacks recently even though Pakistani officials have been pressing the Karzai Government to open dialogue with the network.

Last week General David Petraeus, the US commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, said senior Taleban leaders had "sought to reach out" to the top level of the Karzai Government. The general, who is due to give an assessment of the conflict to Obama in December, effectively laying out an exit timetable, added: "This is how you end these kinds of insurgencies."

Steffan de Mistura, the head of the UN mission to Afghanistan, said both sides in the conflict had realised that a negotiated settlement was the only way to end the violence.

"There is no military solution, we all know it. The Taleban know it too. [The only format] is political dialogue, reconciliation, deal."

PROSPECTS FOR PEACE: CAN A DEAL WITH THE INSURGENTS BE DONE

The Taleban has long insisted that no peace deal is possible until all foreign forces have left Afghan soil, an impossible concession for Nato, which knows full well that President Hamid Karzai's Government and its fledgling security forces would swiftly fall without its support.

Yet preliminary discussions in Dubai suggest that Taleban leaders may be willing to drop this deal-breaker under certain conditions.

There is speculation a deal may be possible if:

* Western forces agree to leave Afghanistan on an agreed timeline. In return the Taleban would call a ceasefire ahead of their departure.

* Taleban representatives take local government jobs as part of a reconciliation process. To an extent this is already happening, with some MPs and senators sympathising with the militants if not actually backing them.

* Mullah Mohammad Omar and his lieutenants on the Quetta Shura, or Taleban governing council, receive immunity from prosecution and go into exile, probably in Saudi Arabia. Other Taleban prisoners are to be released. The Saudi Government, however, will only allow the exile clause if the movement disavows all links with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, a condition the Americans will also insist on.

But there are a number of sticking points with no obvious resolution. Among them are:

* The insurgents are extremely decentralised and special forces raids, taking place at record intensity, exacerbate this by killing new leaders as they emerge. What one band of insurgents accepts may be intolerable for another.

* There is also the question of large, nominally pro-government constituencies resisting or sabotaging a peace deal. Many Afghans from ethnic groups unaffiliated with the predominantly Pashtun Taleban see overtures to insurgents as a betrayal.

Plot to kill Pakistan's PM

Several people have been taken into custody over an alleged plot to kill Pakistan's Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Police said the suspects claimed to be getting orders from a militant in the country's volatile tribal region.
Police official Babar Bakhat Qureshi said officers arrested several suspects who were plotting to attack the compound of Gilani in the Punjab city of Multan.

Be part of the news. Send pics, video and tips to nzherald.

Workers killed for moving LR Bill: MQM

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Convener of Rabta Committee of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Dr Farooq Sattar said the five party workers were killed as a punishment for moving Land Reforms Bill in National Assembly, Geo News reported Thursday.

Addressing a press conference here, he said innocent workers of the party are being victimized, as five workers and sympathizers were killed in a matter of just two days.

It should be mentioned here that bodies of three MQM workers were found from Malir. He continued saying, ‘We condemn the killings of workers and well-wishers of Muttahida.’

The criminals of Liyari gang war are on the rampage terrorizing in the city and the same elements are involved in abductions for ransom and bank robberies, Farooq stressed adding the Law-enforcers are not taking action against these saboteurs.

He added even a single culprit involved in killings of MQM workers was not nabbed, as they are operating under cover of some elements in government of Sindh.

The MQM leader observed at least 200 workers including MPA Raza Hyder were killed since 2009 to date, adding anti-country elements want to sabotage the city.

But, MQM is putting up with it for the sake of peace.

Egyptian ministry officials jailed over Van Gogh theft

An Egyptian court has found 11 culture ministry employees guilty of negligence, after the theft of a Van Gogh painting from a Cairo museum.

The officials include Deputy Culture Minister Mohsen Shalan, and the museum's director.
They have been sentenced to three years in jail but each given bail of about $1,750 (£1,100), pending an appeal.
The Van Gogh painting was stolen in broad daylight from the Mahmud Khalil museum on 21 August.
The work - known as both "Poppy Flowers" and "Vase and Flowers" - was cut out of its frame.
It is valued at more than $50m (£32m).
Security shortcomings The investigation found that none of the museum's alarms and only seven of 43 security cameras were working.
In addition, the museum had reduced its security personnel, meaning that often there was only one guard on duty.
During the course of the trial, a number of museum officials said they had known about security problems but they were given no budget to improve things.
Mr Shalan, who heads the department of fine arts, said he had asked the culture minister for nearly $7m (£4.4m) to upgrade security systems, including those at the Mahmud Khalil museum.
He said only $88,000 (£56,000) was approved.
Culture Minister Farouk Hosni testified during the trial and dismissed his subordinates' complaints.
The missing work is believed to have been painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1887, three years before his death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has offered a $175,000 (£110,000) reward for information leading to the recovery of the painting, but it is still missing.

Govt to move plea against NRO implement ruling today

ISLAMABAD: A day before the hearing of the NRO implementation case in the Supreme Court tomorrow (Wednesday), the PPP government has now decided to move a new petition before the judges to straightaway challenge the implementation process of the NRO judgment of December 16, 2009.

The new petition, probably to be filed today (Tuesday), is a bid to ease the mounting pressure on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to write a letter to the Swiss authorities against President Asif Ali Zardari.

President Zardari is said to have issued fresh instructions to legal aides in this regard late Monday night after he was briefed about the Supreme Court’s unexpected decision of not allowing the government to bring a new lawyer in place of Kamal Azfar after he was notified as the prime minister’s adviser on disaster management.

After hearing arguments of his legal team, President Zardari is said to have given a go-ahead to his team to file a new petition in the Supreme Court and challenge the process of implementation of the NRO, which threatens the foundation of the PPP government after judges decided to show zero tolerance on the decision not to reopen the Swiss cases against the president.

A source said the real importance of this new development can be judged from the fact that the new review petition might be filed by the PPP government legal team most probably today (Tuesday) — a day before the Supreme Court takes up the NRO implementation case on Wednesday.

The source said the government legal team would also file another petition challenging the decision of the Supreme Court to disallow it to bring a new lawyer to defend its review petition.

The new petition is likely to argue why it is important for the government to bring a new legal team to defend the NRO in its review petition and what are those circumstances, which led to the removal of Kamal Azfar. A long list of arguments has been prepared by the legal team of President Zardari to justify the transfer of Kamal Azfar from the NRO review petition case.

Another source said there was a strong possibility that one of the new members of new legal team may shock even the Supreme Court judges if a final decision is taken by the government by Tuesday to ask him to appear before the court to defend all cases against his ‘friend’ Asif Ali Zardari.

The sources said a top government team remained busy in giving final touches to the new petition challenging the implementation of the NRO judgment to justify as to why the government was not ready to write a letter to the Swiss authorities in line with the earlier direction of the court. The sources said like the judges, now this time the PPP government too had decided to apply a zero tolerance towards the Swiss cases and subsequently use all the available legal and constitutional options to stop the SC from putting pressure on the executive to take steps against the president of Pakistan.

The sources said the PPP government has made up its mind that it will be preferable to go down fighting instead of being seen as dictated by the court and then made to go home or collapse under the burden of the NRO judgment and its implementation. The sources said there was a realisation within the ruling elite that the superior courts would not give them any breathing space, despite the fact the government showed some positive gestures in the past to make the SC judges believe that it was seriously trying to implement the judgment wherever it was possible for the executive. “PM Gilani was not ready to hand over his own president to Swiss authorities as he feared that if he wrote any letter to Swiss authorities, then it would amount to withdrawing the immunity and he would face charges of violation of Article 6, which is punishable with death penalty,” the sources added.

The sources said now the government was once again under pressure because it will be asked the same old question as had the prime minister directed the Law Ministry to write a much disputed letter to the Swiss authorities or not? But the sources said the like the past nine months, this time too, the PPP government does not have any ‘news’ to share with the judges tomorrow (Wednesday).

The sources said in this background, it had been decided to immediately challenge the process of implementation of the NRO and the Supreme Court would be asked to form a larger bench to hear the review petition challenging the implementation of the NRO verdict.

Google tests cars that drive themselves

As ZDNet’s Sam Diaz reported, when Google CEO Eric Schmidt told an audience at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference that “Your car should drive itself. It’s amazing to me that we let humans drive cars. It’s a bug that cars were invented before computers,” many analysts suggested that he needed to be just a little less disruptive and a lot more focused on search. Even Sam suggested

Schmidt wasn’t implying that such technology is coming. It was more of a side thought in a speech that he delivered about the interactions that computers and humans can have to share day-to-day tasks and learn from each other.

Guess what? Not only is the technology coming, but it’s already here and Google is already testing it extensively. Google announced today that its drivers had logged over 140,000 miles in the company’s self-driving cars around the San Francisco Bay area. According to a blog posted today by Google Distinguished Engineer, Sebastian Thrun,

Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use.
So we have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. Our automated cars, manned by trained operators, just drove from our Mountain View campus to our Santa Monica office and on to Hollywood Boulevard. They’ve driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe.

I find it a bit interesting that Google announced this on a Saturday when both Web and Bay Area traffic would be lighter than during the week. After all, as Sam, who is almost as big a Google fan as I am, called the idea “creepy.” How will average consumers, let alone the Google conspiracy theorists, feel about it?
And, at least from my perspective, the most important question is what Google gets from self-driving cars? Obviously, Internet-connected cars, Android-powered car interfaces, and ad-serving GPS devices would be a boon for Google, but clearly the company has invested a fair amount of money in cars whose computers do a lot more than send you to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts. Sebastian Thrun says that Google founders “Larry and Sergey founded Google because they wanted to help solve really big problems using technology.” I’m sure that’s true, but Google’s business is search and advertising. Where do self-driving cars come in? I don’t think that it’s to let consumers spend more time using their Android phones while their cars take them to work.
Actually, Thrun’s post gives us a couple of clues:

• All in all, our self-driving cars have logged over 140,000 miles. We think this is a first in robotics research.
• This is all made possible by Google’s data centers, which can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by our cars when mapping their terrain.
• By mapping features like lane markers and traffic signs, the software in the car becomes familiar with the environment and its characteristics in advance.

A quick read of the post would suggest that pure altruism is behind all of this and I’m sure that elements of Google’s “Don’t be evil” mantra are in there somewhere. However, the self-driving car has some serious potential growth implications for the company that don’t stray as far as one might think from its core business.

JUD not a soft underbelly: Musharraf

LONDON: India and Pakistan had almost reached an agreement on Kashmir issue, said former president Pervez Musharraf, and tried to clarify his earlier remarks on training militants by stressing many "motivated" outfits had existed before he came to power.

Talking about Jamaat Ud Dawah (JUD), he said it was never easy to overcome the outfit, adding that JUD has never been a soft underbelly as it and its chief Hafiz Saeed enjoy popular public support.

"We were as close as drafting the final agreement," Musharraf said, referring to a four-point formula floated by him in December 2006, which included phased demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir, maximum self-governance, joint supervision by India and Pakistan and softening of the Line of Control (LoC).

Speaking in London, the former military ruler said the draft of the resolution was also shared and discussed between both sides "through back channel".

"We were drafting and in fact on the other two issues (Siachen and Sir Creek) we could have signed any day," he said. "We carried out the joint survey by the two navies of the Sir Creek area and we know exactly the disputed area in the land and in the sea."

The former president, who came to power by overthrowing the civilian government of the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999, also sought to clarify his earlier statement in which he had admitted that Pakistani army was involved in training militants and sending them across the border.

Musharraf said due to prevalence of anti-India sentiment, people "themselves" are "motivated" and "indoctrinated" to cross the border "because there are gaps and it's a porous border".

"They don't need training. They themselves want to go. They want to learn and want to go," he said, arguing other outfits such as Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed existed much before he came to power.

"Great public support, great public sympathy among the people of Pakistan gave rise to all of them," he said, adding, "Every individual in Pakistan knew that people are volunteering to go and they are going into Kashmir to fight the Indian Army."

Prince's Diamond Car

This is a handmade diamond car special order for prince walid bin talal...it costs 4.8 million$$
he is one of the richest people in the world.
Prince Walid is a mover and shaker, owns a part of Fox News, largest shareholder in CitiGroup inc., the world's largest bank, owner of The Savoy in Paris, large shareholder in AOL.

UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that this car couldn't possibly be totally covered in diamonds and only cost $4.8 million. So I did a search and found a blog post about an Austrian company that makes vehicles covered in a mix of diamonds and Swarovski crystals. Although Karl Seelos as head of the team (said) that the customers remain anonymous and (he was) unwilling to reveal the real prices, obviously the Prince had to brag about his 'diamond car'.

LHC moved against new Nab chief

LAHORE: The appointment of Justice (rtd) Didar Hussain as new chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), has been challenged in Lahore High Court (LHC),

Barrister Iqbal Jaffery filed the petition which said Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Opposition were not consulted for the appointment of Justice Didar as Nab’s next Chairman.

The petition said his appointment is in violation of 14 Articles of the Constitution and against merit as well; instead, the appointment serves to protect personal interests.

The petitioner requested that the appointment made on political ground be immediately revoked.

S Deedar Hussain appointed Chairman NAB

ISLAMABAD: In another strange move, the PPP-led government has appointment Justice (Retd.) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Geo News reported Friday.

The decision was made at a consultative meeting chaired by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani here.

Sources told Geo News that the meeting was by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan and some other members of the federal cabinet.

The meeting agreed to appoint Justice (Retd.) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as Chairman NAB before the expiry of the period allowed for the purpose by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

According to sources, President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the summary proposing the appointment of Justice (Retd.) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as Chairman NAB. The notification in this regard will be issued by tonight or tomorrow.

Opposition leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar had already rejected the name of Deedar Hussain Shah for the position of NAB Chief. Chaudhry Nisar referred to Deedar Hussain Shah’s election as MNA on PPP ticket in the past, thus, considering the latter ineligible for the position of Chairman NAB.

The meeting Chaired by the Prime Minister also said that a strategy is all set to deal with the complications that might arise as a result of his appointment.

The decision is bound to trigger fierce debate and controversy, as the government has apparently failed to engage the opposition in the process of consultation prior to the appointment of Chairman NAB, which has been made mandatory through the passage of 18th amendment bill.

Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Pervez Rasheed said in reaction to the latest development that the opposition leaders were not taken on board in the decision of the appointment of Justice (Retd.) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as Chairman NAB.

“We had no knowledge whatsoever in this regard, so it is going to be difficult for us to accept this decision,” he said.

US regrets Pakistani soldier deaths: Mullen

ISLAMABAD: The top US military official conveyed his "most sincere condolences" to Pakistan's army chief Thursday, over a fatal cross-border Nato strike that strained relations between the countries.

"We take this incident very seriously," Admiral Mike Mullen said in a letter to Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, the US embassy said.

"I wanted to send my most sincere condolences for the regrettable loss of your soldiers killed and wounded on 30 September near your border with Afghanistan."

Mullen said senior commanders would review an investigation into the incident thoroughly in the hope of "avoiding recurrence of a tragedy like this."

"The death of our soldiers in combat is always tragic, but under these circumstances, it is even more difficult to accept," he said.

The letter was made public a day after US ambassador Anne W. Patterson issued an apology for the incident last Thursday in which a cross-border Nato chopper strike killed at least two Pakistani soldiers mistaken for militants.

Chimp Charlie dies at 52 despite smoking habit

A chimpanzee famous for smoking cigarettes has died at a South African zoo, aged 52.

Charlie the chimp started smoking when some visitors to Mangaung zoo, in Bloemfontein, threw him lit cigarettes.
Zoo spokesman Qondile Khedama said Charlie had become an institution, entertaining thousands of visitors every year with his antics.
An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death.
For years, zookeepers had been trying to get the chimp to kick the habit, and they discouraged visitors from giving him cigarettes.

But Mr Khedama said he did not believe the addiction had ended Charlie's life prematurely, as he had lived around 10 years longer than the average chimp.

"He was on serious medications and in and out of the vet," he said.
"Even though he has been receiving special care, and a special diet including protein shakes, vitamin and mineral supplements, he succumbed to old age."
Charlie is not the only chimp to have picked up human bad habits.
In February, it was reported a Russian chimpanzee was being sent to rehab after he started pestering visitors for alcohol and cigarettes.
Mr Khedama said the zoo hopes to find a new companion for its female chimp, Judy.
But he said: "We realise it will be almost impossible to replace a character like Charlie."

Rs18 bn paid for only 90 MW electricity: Justice Ramday

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhamamd Chaudhry Wednesday hearing a case on alleged corruption in Rental Power Plants said in his remarks that the government cannot go ahead with an agreement that is impractical while Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday expressed his shock saying ‘how strange it is that only 90 MW electricity was obtained after making payments amounting to Rs18 billion’.

Member National Assembly Faisal Salah Hayat presented before the apex court documents in connection with alleged corruption for executing the projects of Rental Power Plants (RPPs).
He said trumped up figures of power shortfall were highlighted for acquisition of rental power projects against which, he said, 55 million dollars were paid in advance although the project’s actual worth is 25 million dollars.
Faisal further stressed the report of Asian Development Bank (ADB) on rental power projects, is a charge sheet against the government, adding the report uncovers several violations.

He requested the court to ask National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) as to what procedure it follows to arrive at power tariffs.

Zawwar out, Sohail in; lawyers continue strike

 LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) sent District Session Judge Lahore Zawwar Ahmed Sheikh on four-month leave and appointed Sohail Nasir to act as the District Session Judge Lahore,

Meantime, the lawyers are continuously on strike in the entire Punjab province including Lahore on call by Punjab Bar Council.

It should be mentioned here that the lawyers and judges were locked in a dispute over the transfer of Zawwar Sheikh for four months and the issue aggravated for past six days.

The LHC, in a bid to diffuse the standoff, appointed Sohail Nasir to replace Zawwar Ahmed Sheikh.

Punjab Bar Council demanded strict action against police personnel involved in torture on the lawyers; otherwise, the spate of protest will continue.

Sindh govt approves flood tax

KARACHI: Sindh government has approved the imposition of one time flood tax in the province, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab said Monday.

Meanwhile, MQM, a coalition partner of PPP led government, has condemned the unilateral decision. Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed and Youth Affairs Minister Faisal Sabzwari said that their party was not taken into confidence.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had rejected and vehemently criticised the imposition of 'Flood Surcharge', saying it would further burden the salaried class while asking the government to impose the new tax on the agricultural income of feudal lords.

A four-member delegation led by MQM's parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar conveyed the rejection of the proposed tax to the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in a meeting in Islamabad last Thursday.

SC takes suo moto notice of torture on lawyers

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday took suo moto notice of an incident of Friday which occurred on the premises of District Courts (Aiwan-e-Adl), Lahore, in which reportedly police brutally beat up lawyers.
“The use of excessive force and resorting to high headedness and brutality clearly violate the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights i.e. right to life, liberty and dignity. Therefore, the matter has been registered under Article 184(3) of the Constitution,” says a press note issued here.
According to reports after the police torture, lawyers were seen throwing stones on police and beating up media personnel on Saturday.
The notices were issued to the Home Secretary, Punjab, Commissioner and DCO Lahore, PPO, Punjab, CPO, Lahore, DIG, Operations and concerned Superintendents of Police, through PPO, to appear in person on Monday and explain the untoward incident in which excessive force was used resulting in injuries to lawyers including female lawyers.
They are also required to explain their position and produce record, if any, showing whether any action has been initiated against police personnel responsible for using excessive force. Notices have also been issued to the Attorney General for Pakistan well as the Advocate General, Punjab to assist the Court.
The TV Channels and media persons have also been asked to provide CDs/DVDs of the incident. It would also be appreciated if they could play the CDs/DVDs in the Court, if required.
The suo moto was taken on reports of electronic and print reports which showed that the police personnel entered the court premises including bar rooms and library and brutally beaten the lawyers resulting in injuries to many, including females. – Agencies

Punjab Bar bans Justice Sharif, Qazi Anwar, Aitezaz

LAHORE: Punjab Bar Council banned Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice, Justice Khawja Sharif, his two lawyer sons, son-in-law and Punjab law minister and 11 other senior lawyers hailing from Hamid Khan’s group to enter the bar rooms, Geo News reported Saturday.

The Bar banned them to enter the bar rooms and cancelled their licenses.

The lawyers whose licenses were cancelled include Lawyers’ leader Hamid Khan, Chaudhry Aitezaz Ahsan, Former President High Court Bar Justice (rtd) Nasira Javed, President Supreme Court Bar Qazi Anwar and Justice (rtd) Tariq Mehmood and Athar Minallah.

Punjab Bar Council also banned the bar rooms entry for Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Lahore High Court (LHC) chief Justice, Justice Khawja Muhammed Sharif, his two sons—Khawja Bilal and Khawja Lateef and his son-in-law Azhar Hameed and cancelled their licenses.

Musharraf comeback looks remote: Analysts

Pakistan's ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf has spent two years building a Facebook following and cultivating the media but few believe his audacious plan to recapture power has any chance of success. Aside from the small matter of possible death or arrest if he steps foot on home soil, there is little sign he can win over the politicians he alienated, the judges he sacked, his former underlings at the military or the Americans.
From the comforts of self-imposed exile in London, the 67-year-old unveiled the All Pakistan Muslim League on Friday and has said he would contest elections in 2013.
The current climate could not be more uncomfortable for President Asif Ali Zardari and his Pakistan People's Party (PPP), facing an onslaught of criticism at home over perceived economic, political and governance failings.
With the military said to be mulling ways to shake up the coalition, the Supreme Court flexing its muscles and the media calling for Zardari's head, now could be the perfect time for the return of a leader remembered for his firm grip on power.
The government's perceived shambolic response to floods, a deadly threat from Taliban militants and an economy in meltdown have all shaken a country still getting used to democracy after almost a decade of military rule.
But aside from a tiny band of loyalists, none of the principal powerbrokers and few people on the street believe Musharraf is the answer.
"I wouldn't read too much into him announcing his party. The going would be very, very tough for him if he did decide to return," Pakistani political and security analyst Imtiaz Gul told AFP.
"Those chances are remote in the near term because Pakistani people already suffered him for nine years and neither the military nor the Americans would like to hedge their bet on a person who has outlived his utility."
No prominent politician has declared support for Musharraf. Both the PPP and its main rival, the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) loathe him.
When asked recently about Musharraf's possible return, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani snapped back that he would be "received by the chief justice."
The meaning was clear -- the current government wants Musharraf back in Pakistan only in the dock, standing trial in the highest court in the land.
To form a government and become prime minister, Musharraf would need to win at least 172 seats in the 342-member national assembly.
Pakistan's most popular politician today is Nawaz Sharif, head of the PML-N and considered the probable victor of the country's next election.
But relations with Musharraf could not be worse. It was Sharif whom he ousted as prime minister in his 1999 bloodless coup, then saddled him with hijacking and attempted murder charges.
Musharraf would have to reunite the parties who supported his rule the first time round -- but even former allies have remained silent.
"We are trying to unite all the factions of the Muslim League and then Musharraf will lead that alliance," Amoon Pasha, a self-described leader in the new All Pakistan Muslim League, told AFP in Islamabad.
That ambition for the moment appears to rest on Pir Pagara, the elderly head of Pakistan Muslim League-F, which has just one seat in the national assembly.
"Pagara has assured us full support and has started meeting with senior Muslim League's leaders and parliamentarians," said Pasha.
While Musharraf brushes off the threat of treason charges, he has admitted there are "other dangers", including assassination attempts from Islamists who twice tried to kill him when he was in power.
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have been blamed for killing more than 3,700 people in three years of devastating attacks, including the 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto after her return from exile.
Nor do analysts rate Musharraf's chances of winning support in Washington, which appears determined to stick by civilian rule in ally Pakistan.
"Why would the Americans go to an ex-general? The Americans will look for a player who is relevant today. It could either be a political leader or a (current) general in the army," said political analyst Hasan Askari.
If Musharraf does return home, many expect Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to summon him over the 2007 arrests of senior judges -- Chaudhry included -- as the general attempted to cling onto power.
"On balance, the odds seem to be against Musharraf. It will not be entirely surprising to see him backtrack on his promise to return to Pakistan soon and let his enthusiasm cool," said a recent editorial in Dawn newspaper.

Imran Farooq assassination: Scotland Yard recovers Knife

Friday, October 01, 2010  LONDON: Scotland Yard has recovered the knife used to stab Dr Imran Farooq and a house brick killers used to kill him, Geo News reported. According to a press release issued by the police, detectives have recovered a five and a half inch-bladed kitchen knife and a house brick, which were used in the attack on Dr Imran Farooq in Edgware two weeks ago. The knife and brick were found in Green Lane where 50-year-old Dr Farooq was assaulted shortly before 17:30hrs on Thursday, 16 September. 'Officers are trying to trace two Asian men in connection with Dr Farooq's murder.' They retain an open mind as to a motive. No arrests have been made, statement added. 'A number of witnesses have already contacted police, but officers believe there are other people who may hold vital information about the incident and they continue to urge them to come forward,' news release said. 'Officers from the Specialist Operations Counter Terrorism Command want to speak to anyone who saw the attack or was in the area at the time.'