Pakistan sends wicketkeeper Ahmed to India

Pakistan is flying out Sarfraz Ahmed to India as a reinforcement for injured wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Sunday.

“The tour selection committee has sent a request for a second keeper as Akmal has a finger injury which has worsened. The national selectors will now decide on the replacement,” a board spokesman said.

Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said that Ahmed, who led Pakistan to the ICC Youth World Cup title last year and has been tipped as a future replacement for Akmal, had been chosen and would join the team by Tuesday. “We see him as a good long-term investment for the team,” the chief selector said.

Pakistan lost the third one-day international on Sunday in Kanpur and trail 2-1 in the five-match series.

[Reuters]

‘I expect an apology!’ – President tells Daily Telegraph

President Musharraf has said in his press conference today that he expected Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper to apologise to him over an editorial which contained an expletive. The president was speaking a day after Islamabad ordered three Daily Telegraph reporters, including its regular capital correspondent, to leave the country within 72 hours because of the “foul and abusive language.”Musharraf responded angrily when questioned about the expulsions at a news conference here, a week after he declared a state of emergency which included strict curbs on the media.“Would you accept a word of that sort if I was to use it, if any one of my reporters were to use (it) against your president?” he asked.

The editorial was sharply critical of the West’s relations with Musharraf, and used a quote containing the words ‘sonofabitch’ to describe the key ally in the US-led “war on terror.” 

The President said he was “really shocked” by the language used.

“Now if there is anybody who does not have a sense of how to speak and how to write … I mean, I can’t, I don’t have words to express, what I can say about it? In fact I would say, I expect an apology.”

The Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper said on Saturday it could not immediately comment on the expulsions.

NO ONE has the right to use such foul language against our leaders. Granted Pakistan is going through enough turmoil lately but that is our INTERNAL affair! We do not give the right to ANY one in the world to downgrade us and our leaders!

Read the controversial article here

Recruitment in FIA postponed for indefinite period in Peshawar

The Provincial government of NWFP has postponed admission tests for the recruitment of constables in the FIA for indefinite period due to the law and order situation. The test was to held in Col. Sher Khan Stadium but it was postponed due to the unpleasant situation and threats of suicide attack, while on the other hand PAF selection centre Peshawar has also been closed. It is worth mentioning that few months ago about 27 people have lost their lives in a suicide attack when they appeared for recruitment in Police at Line Police in Dera Ismail Khan.

[Source]

India go up 2-1 against Pakistan despite Salman Butt’s century

India clinched a 46-run win in the third one-day international against Pakistan on Sunday, despite a career-best 129 from Salman Butt, to take a 2-1 lead in the five-game series. Left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh underlined his form with a neatly paced 77 to help lift India to 294 for six before Pakistan were bowled out for 248 in 47.2 overs on a slow turning track.

The 23-year-old Butt made a valiant bid after reaching his fourth one-day hundred, all against India, after Pakistan lost the explosive Shahid Afridi (12), who returned as opener, and Younis Khan (21), who hit a match-winning 117 in the last game. The turning point came with the dismisal of Misbah-ul-Haq followed by the unfortunate run out of Sohail Tanvir, leaving Salman Butt high and dry with the tail-enders to suffice with. The left-handed batsman was ninth out, ending a 142-ball effort studded with 17 fours.

354 lawyers granted bail

Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) judge Shabbir Hussain Chattha on Saturday granted bail to 354 lawyers and adjourned a hearing on petitions by 45 others till November 17. The lawyers were arrested on November 5 from Lahore High Court (LHC) premises. Lawyers Azam Nazir Tarar and Aftab Ahmad Bajwa had moved over 400 bail petitions, but only those who were not active in anti-government protests were granted bail. Pakistan Bar Council member Ramzan Chaudhry, LHC Bar Association Secretary Sarfraz Ahmad Cheema, Supreme Court Bar Association Media Adviser Muhammad Azhar Siddiq and PBC members Yasin Sohal, Tariq Javed, Zaman Mangat, Iftikhar Iqbal, Shahid Mahmood, Aftab Sherazi, Tariq Javed, Shahid Bilal, Rana Zia Abdul Rehman and Abdul Rashid Qureshi were among those not granted bail. The court had already granted bail to eight lawyers.

[Source]

Musharraf schedules first press conference during emergency rule

President Pervez Musharraf is expected to make important announcements Sunday at a press briefing in Islamabad during his first formal meeting with the media since he imposed a state of emergency eight days ago.
He is under heavy international pressure to restore the constitution, quit as head of the powerful army and set a date for legislative elections, which so far he has only said will be held by mid-February. “The president is most likely to make announcements about the elections,” said Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, a Musharraf confidant.

[Source]

U.s. Strategy For Pakistan Looks More Fragile – NYT

An interesting read regarding the current situation in Pakistan.

In pushing for the deal that took Benazir Bhutto back to Pakistan, the Bush administration hoped to build a broader base of support that might help Gen. Pervez Musharraf stay in power.

But General Musharraf’s sweeping crackdown over the last week has raised questions about that strategy, not least when he sent thousands of police officers on Friday morning to prevent Ms. Bhutto from leading a protest rally against his imposition of de facto martial law.

The images coming out of Pakistan — of police forces blanketing the site of a planned rally by Ms. Bhutto, the opposition leader, and then barricading her inside her residence — were hardly consistent with the kind of cooperation the United States promoted.

Bush administration officials and Pakistani experts say they still believe that a power-sharing agreement between Ms. Bhutto and the general can survive. “We hope we’re seeing a little bit of political theater here,” a senior State Department official said… 

 Click to see the complete article 

Bush sees positive signs in Pakistan

President Bush stepped up praise of Pakistan’s President Gen. Pervez Musharraf Saturday, hailing “positive steps” the general took by promising to lift emergency rule, resign as army chief and hold elections.

Indeed, Bush refused to pointedly criticize Musharraf at a joint news conference here with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, continuing the cautious and measured response he’s embraced in the week since Musharraf imposed the crackdown.

Bush did, however, dodge a question whether Musharraf’s moves, seen by many as an attempt to cling to power, constitute a dangerous distraction from the battle against al-Qaida insurgents.

Speaking after two days of meetings with Merkel, the president said he has confidence in the commitment of Pakistan’s leadership to stick with the U.S. in the fight against global terrorism. “We share a common goal,” Bush said.

[More]

Intel Agencies get Sweeping Powers

President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday promulgated an ordinance to amend the Pakistan Army Act 1952 allowing the military courts to try civilians for serious offences like terrorism. The ordinance, named as Pakistan Army (Amendment) Ordinance, 2007 gives sweeping powers to the security and intelligence agencies as for interrogation of civilians involved in terrorism and other serious offences.

According to Attorney General Malik Abdul Qayum, after the amendments in the Army Act, the army could interrogate the civilians suspected for involvement in terrorism. He said that the people suspected of targeting military personnel and installations could be interrogated by the army and their cases could be sent to the military courts. However, the police could not arrest such people and only the army would deal with them.

Islamabad seems to be setting the ground for something major, perhaps an operation or a crack down on the militancy spreading across Northern Pakistan.

Read more at The Nation