Ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has become majority political party in Senate upper house of the parliament with 23 Senators including the newly elected uncontested members. In Wednesday election, Adnan Khan and Farhat Qamar Abbass of PPP were elected to the Senate on reserve seats for technocrats and women. The two other Senators-elect were Afrasiab Khattak and Farah Aqil Shah of ANP.
The electoral college of Senate consists of four provincial legislatures and National Assembly. In NWFP media was stopped from the coverage of the election which prompted protest by the journalist community. Afrasiab Khattak, a former chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and provincial president ANP bagged 55 votes followed by Adnan Khan of PPP by securing 45 votes. Farah Aqil Shah and Farhat Qamar Abbas obtained the same number of votes.
Ali Gohar Khan, an independent candidate obtained 14 votes followed by Iqbal Zafar Jhagra of PML-N, who secured 9 votes of his parliamentary party. Shahida Akhtar Ali of JUI-F and Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli of PPP-Sherpao, two other women candidates obtained 14 and 9 votes respectively.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Kidnappers deadline for Solecki`s life ends today
QUETTA ( 2009-03-05 09:37:46 ) :The kidnappers four-day life threat deadline of John Solecki, a UNHCR official, is coming to an end on Thursday.
Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) spokesman said three days ago that UN was handed four days to play its role in release and recovery of 1109 missing Baloch people but UN failed to do so.
He said Solecki would be released in exchange of 1109 missing Blaouch people if UN played part to get them recovered.
In order to address the issue of Solecki’s abduction, a committee, headed by Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani, was formed with MPAs, parliamentary leaders from all major political parties, Provincial Interior Minister, Chief Secretary and local police officials as its members.
Umpires question security measures, voice anger
SYDNEY: Australian cricket umpire Steve Davis slammed Pakistan on Thursday for failing to protect him and other officials who came under fire during the attack earlier this week on Sri Lanka’s cricket team.
The comments by Davis came one day after match referee Chris Broad said Pakistan had not provided adequate protection for the team and the officials in Lahore.
‘There’s a bit of anger there that we were let down – we had all sorts of assurances before and I’m sure the (Sri Lankan) team feels that way too,’ Davis told reporters at Melbourne airport.
‘Despite all that, this was still able to happen and we were put in a very vulnerable position and felt very helpless.’
Davis and other match officials were travelling in a convoy towards the Gaddafi Stadium.
Davis said he realised quickly just how serious the attack was when the bus driver was shot dead.
‘The driver’s foot was lodged on the accelerator and it was revving at a million miles an hour,’ he said.
‘Eventually a police officer came from somewhere, dragged the driver’s body out, and drove us at top speed to the stadium.’
Australian umpire Simon Taufel, who was also caught up in the shoot-out, said he did not know how the security detail had failed, but that he felt let down by Pakistan’s efforts.
‘We were promised a nine (out of ten security) and got delivered a two,’ Taufel said upon his arrival home Thursday.
‘The gunfire ... it just kept going. We thought, when’s it going to stop? Who’s going to come and save us, how are we going to get out of here?’ Taufel said, adding he found it ‘amazing’ that none of the gunmen had been caught.
‘You tell me why supposedly 20 armed commandos were in our convoy and when the team bus got going again, we were left on our own? I don’t have any answers to these questions.’
Davis said he needed time to think through his shattering experience.
‘I try to think what my feelings were and I don’t know,’ he said.
‘I think I’m still numb. I’m fully expecting to crash at some stage but not in front of you people, I hope.’
‘I don’t know – anger, amazement, how could this happen? I don’t know.’
Taufel, 38, said he was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he survived the attack.
‘On Tuesday morning we were caught in a war ... It’s just a bloody game of cricket, not a war. It’s not the way the way life should be or sport should be,’ he said.
‘Sometimes if we have a bad day out on the field and perhaps we (umpires) don’t get everything right, at least we say nobody’s died.’
‘Well, on Tuesday, people died and I can’t explain why I’m here. There is no reason for us to still be here.’
The comments by Davis came one day after match referee Chris Broad said Pakistan had not provided adequate protection for the team and the officials in Lahore.
‘There’s a bit of anger there that we were let down – we had all sorts of assurances before and I’m sure the (Sri Lankan) team feels that way too,’ Davis told reporters at Melbourne airport.
‘Despite all that, this was still able to happen and we were put in a very vulnerable position and felt very helpless.’
Davis and other match officials were travelling in a convoy towards the Gaddafi Stadium.
Davis said he realised quickly just how serious the attack was when the bus driver was shot dead.
‘The driver’s foot was lodged on the accelerator and it was revving at a million miles an hour,’ he said.
‘Eventually a police officer came from somewhere, dragged the driver’s body out, and drove us at top speed to the stadium.’
Australian umpire Simon Taufel, who was also caught up in the shoot-out, said he did not know how the security detail had failed, but that he felt let down by Pakistan’s efforts.
‘We were promised a nine (out of ten security) and got delivered a two,’ Taufel said upon his arrival home Thursday.
‘The gunfire ... it just kept going. We thought, when’s it going to stop? Who’s going to come and save us, how are we going to get out of here?’ Taufel said, adding he found it ‘amazing’ that none of the gunmen had been caught.
‘You tell me why supposedly 20 armed commandos were in our convoy and when the team bus got going again, we were left on our own? I don’t have any answers to these questions.’
Davis said he needed time to think through his shattering experience.
‘I try to think what my feelings were and I don’t know,’ he said.
‘I think I’m still numb. I’m fully expecting to crash at some stage but not in front of you people, I hope.’
‘I don’t know – anger, amazement, how could this happen? I don’t know.’
Taufel, 38, said he was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he survived the attack.
‘On Tuesday morning we were caught in a war ... It’s just a bloody game of cricket, not a war. It’s not the way the way life should be or sport should be,’ he said.
‘Sometimes if we have a bad day out on the field and perhaps we (umpires) don’t get everything right, at least we say nobody’s died.’
‘Well, on Tuesday, people died and I can’t explain why I’m here. There is no reason for us to still be here.’
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