ISI paid off leading political figures during former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan regime

Payments were made to several noted politicians by ISI during former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan regime.

Former federal minister and PPP leader Abida Hussain confirmed while talking to a private TV channel that she was information minister in the cabinet of Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and she had secured 5 million rupees to join IJI. This money was sent by Saudi prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz through Mehmood Haroon, she added.

Reacting to the charges, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Liaqat Baloch said there was no substance in the reports that his party had got 5 million rupees from ISI. Such charges had surfaced up on several occasions earlier but JI had refuted them every time. No one has ever provided any evidence against JI in this connection. These are sheer charges which should be investigated, he demanded. A thorough probe should be conducted into these allegations as they are creating mistrust, he stressed.

Citing to affidavit filed by former ISI chief Gen (Retd) Asad Durrani on July, 24, 1994, a private TV channel reported that as per affidavit Rs 10 million were paid to Mir Afzal in NWFP, 3.5 million were paid to Mian Nawaz Sharif, 5.6 million to Lt Gen (Retd) Rafaqat for publicity purpose, Rs 5 million to JI, Rs 1 million to Begum Abida Hussain, Rs 500000 to Mustafa Sadiq and Altaf Hussain Qureshi, Rs 5 million to Ghulam Mustafa Jatio, Rs 5 million to Jam Sadiq, Rs 2.5 million to Muhammad Khan Junejo, Rs 2 million to Pir Pagara and others.

Air Marshall (Retd) Asghar Khan said he had written a letter to the then chief justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah when the matter came to his notice. Former Chief Justice Saeed ul Zaman Siddiqui also heard the case but he gave no reply, he added. The matter should be got investigated to guard against recurrence of such incidents, he demanded.

I was pressurized during Musharraf regime to provide information against Nawaz Sharif, Benazir: Brig (Retd) Imtiaz

Former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Brig (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmad had alleged he was kept under detention for 9 months without arrest warrants during Musharraf regime and he was pressurized to provide information against Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.

Former chief of IB told that on his refusal he was involved in false cases of corruption by NAB and was convicted and sentenced in a case in which high court had already exonerated him.

He strongly refuted the charges of accumulating billion of rupees through drugs smuggling. ” I had shown my assets which I had not accumulated through illegal means”, he added.

Lahore high court Rawalpindi bench had acquitted me from all these charges but National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reopened the case saying that high court had not considered some points. “I was pressurized during my 9 month detention I should provide information against Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto”, he told.

NAB violated double jeopardy and he was convicted in the case in which high court hard already acquitted him, Brig (Retd) Imtiaz stated.

It may be recalled NAB had charged Brig (Retd) Imtiaz with accumulating billion of rupees through heroin smuggling. He was alleged to have purchased foreign exchange certificates valuing $20 million out of drug money.

PML-Q invites Jaswant to Pak to launch book on Jinnah

Opposition PML-Q party has invited former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh to Pakistan to launch his controversial new book on the country’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, saying that it would be a step towards promoting intellectual and people-to-people understanding.

PML-Q secretary general Mushahid Hussain Sayed telephoned Singh and congratulated him on his book, which he described as a “landmark and historical work which sets the record straight”.

“I spoke to Singh yesterday and told him his book reversed the wrongs of history and reflected his commitment to truth and his moral courage. We invited him to launch his book in Islamabad as it would be a step towards promoting intellectual and people-to-people understanding,” Sayed said.

Sayed said Singh had told him he would visit Pakistan after the holy month of Ramzan for the launch of his book ‘Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence’.

PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has also written a letter to Singh to express his appreciation for his book. Meanwhile, one of the persons who was to host Singh in Pakistan for a visit scheduled for this week today claimed the former BJP leader was unable to make the trip as he had been denied security clearance by the Indian government.

Muhammad Yusuf, who was coordinating with Singh on behalf of a leading book store, said he had spoken yesterday to the former external affairs minister, who told him that he would be unable to come to Pakistan this week.

“He was denied security clearance by the Indian government. He will visit Pakistan at a later date,” Yusuf said, adding that Singh had even been issued a visa by Pakistan for the proposed visit.

Other persons involved in organising Singh’s visit too claimed the Indian government had blocked his trip by refusing to issue a “no-objection certificate.” They insisted that all preparations had been completed for Singh’s visit.

Indian nuclear tests were failed:Pokhran II coordinator

A former top official who coordinated India’s nuclear weapons programme has cautioned that India should not be “railroaded” into signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as the 1998 Pokhran tests were not sufficient from the security point of view.

“We can’t get into a stampede to sign CTBT. We should conduct more nuclear tests which are necessary from the point of view of security,” K Santhanam said.

“We should not get railroaded into signing the CTBT,” Santhanam said when asked about reports of the US pressuring India to sign the CTBT and fresh efforts by the Obama administration to revive non-proliferation activism.

Santhanam, a former official with the Defence Research and Development Organisation, said that the thermonuclear or hydrogen bomb tests – the first and most powerful of the three tests conducted on May 11, 1998 – did not produce the desired yield.

Department of atomic energy (DAE) chief R Chidambaram is on record as saying that the bombs yield was 45 kilotons (45,000 tonnes of conventional explosive).

Santhanam’s remarks are set to create a flutter in the non-proliferation establishment in the US and may raise doubts about the future of the India-US nuclear deal which will unravel if New Delhi were to test again.

Santhanam’s assessment is set to bolster India’s opposition to signing the CTBT – an issue that may figure in the discussions when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to the US in November. India has opposed CTBT on grounds that it is discriminatory and tends to divide the world into the nuclear haves and have-nots.

Pir Mazahar ul Haq beats people

A video footage is released by a local TV channel in which Provincial Minister of Education in Sindh Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, is seen beating the people who were standing in the line to buy flour on discount rates.

According to that footage the Education Minister slapped three guys; one of them was standing silently in the line when the Minister slapped him on the right side of his face.

After this unethical act by the Provincial Minister people who came there to buy flour, become aggressive and start protesting against the Minister.

Pir Mazahar ul Haq is Provincial Sr.Minister for Education & literacy Government of Sindh.

Magazines and newspapers to get ‘video ads’

An American company has invented a video player with which video ads can be viewed in newspapers and magazines. First such ad will be published in the American Showbiz Magazine ‘Entertainment Weekly’ next month.

Display screens of the size of mobile phones screens will be used for the screening purpose. Rechargeable batteries will be installed in the screens. The videos will be visible on turning the page and a video of 40-minute can be saved on this chip.

In the first video ad, the details of American TV Network CBS programs and ads of a drink company will be screened. The magazines containing these ads will be available in Los Angeles and New York from September 18.

Speaking Mona Lisa stuns viewers in China

Mona Lisa, masterpiece by world renowned artist Leonardo da Vinci has been spell binding the world for five centuries but a speaking painting of Mona Lisa stunned the viewers at an exhibition in China.

A beautiful combination of art and science, this unique exhibition of ancient masterpieces has attracted Chinese from all age groups.

The specimens and characters of classical art have been presented in an innovative way through holographic and three dimensional techniques. Painting of Mona Lisa answers to the people’s questions, changes expressions, raises eyebrows and waves to the people. Greek gods Apollo, Nike, Venice and Hermes also perform in a theater in the exhibition.

A holographic image of Vinci’s another masterpiece Last Supper is also being showered with praise by the viewers.

TTP new Chief Hakim Ullah Mehsud confirms Baithullah Mehsud death

New Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Commander Hakim Ullah Mehsud has confirmed the death of TTP Chief Baithullah Mehsud here on Tuesday, while talking to a foreign based news network.

According to media reports New TTP Commander Hakim Ullah Mehsud confirmed the death of TTP Chief Baithullah Mehsud by stating that, he died on 23rd August after being injured in a Drone strike on 5th August.

New TTP Chief Hakim Ullah Mehsud confirmed that Baithullah Mehsud was wounded critically in a drone strike of 5th August and from that time; he had gone unconscious and died at last on 23rd August (Sunday) owing to injuries.

TTP commander Wali-ur-Rehman further affirmed that Hakim Ullah Mehsud was new TTP Chief and there were no differences among TTP.

PML-N warns Altaf to quit maligning PML-N and Nawaz Sharif

PML-N Spokesman, Siddiq ul Farooq after the issuance of notice to Altaf Hussain via Sindh High Court charging him for leveling false allegations on PML-N, has urged Altaf Hussain to come Pakistan and face the court.

While addressing a press conference in Lahore, Siddiq ul Farooq PML-N said that he honored political capacity of MQM, however, no terrorists would be allowed in Pakistan to move freely. He said that Altaf Hussain must not fear death as there is MQM government in Karachi and there are also MQM MNAs in National Assembly.

Siddiqui ul Farooq said that if Altaf Hussain still feared his return home than he must come to Punjab and Punjab government will provide him protection. He further said that Punjab government was ready to provide him special charter plane if Altaf Bhai is ready to return home and he will be provided every kind of security.

Siddiqui ul Farooq said that there must be probe of 1992 military crackdown and it must be from 1992-1996. He said that there must be investigation of operation started in the PPP era on the directives of Naseer Ullah Babar, and 12th May tragedy of lawyers who were burnt to death and this investigation must be on pattern of Mumbai attacks.

He said that PML-N was ready to face every kind of allegations, however, Altaf Hussain and Afaq Ahmad must appear before the court. Sidique ul Farooq said, Why MQM has not raised the issue in the era of Pervez Musharraf.

he said that PML-N was still committed to stance of trial of Musharraf , and would not quit its stance in future too. He said that if Altaf Hussain did not stop maligning PML-N and Nawaz Sharif than PML-N would be compelled to disclose secrets of Altaf Hussain.

Saudi Govt offers conditional release of 5 arrested Pakistanis

Saudi Government has offered conditional release of 5 Pakistanis detained under drug smuggling charges in Saudi Arabia in return for the release of 3 Saudi citizens.

According to a private TV channel report 3 Pakistanis out of 8 apprehended under a drug-case have confessed to their crime, resultantly the Saudi Government has offered conditional liberty for the 5 detained Pakistani prisoners.

In return the Saudi Government has demanded for the freedom of 3 Saudis apprehended in Pakistan