Hizb-e-Islami-Hekmatyar to boycott Afghan election run-off

Former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD: The second armed resistance movement, Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, led by former prime minister, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, will boycott the run-off election next month as the two leading candidates favour a long stay of the American troops, a senior party leader said on Saturday.

Hizb-e-Islami, fighting the US-led Nato troops, took part in the April 5 elections and supported presidential candidate Qutbuddin Hilal. Hilal was placed fifth in the list of eight presidential candidates.

The Hizb participation was significant as it had joined the democratic process and isolated the Taliban.

“The Hizb-e-Islami’s central executive committee has decided to boycott the second round of the elections. The party leaders have endorsed the decision,” Ghairat Baheer, head of the Hizb’s political council, told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

Hizb had stayed away from the two previous presidential elections in 2004 and 2009 because of the presence of foreign troops.

As no presidential candidate secured the required 50% plus one vote in last month’s elections, the law requires a second round between the two top candidates.

Afghanistan Independent Election Commission’s (IEC) Chairman Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani says the run-off would be between Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Dr Abdullah and Dr Ghani are now involved in lobbying to win support of the other candidates to strengthen their position in the second round expected in mid-June.

Dr Abdullah succeeded to win the backing of Gul Agha Sherzai, the former governor of Kandahar and Nangarhar, who was placed 6th in the presidential elections. Section of the Afghan media had reported that Abdullah is struggling to seek the backing of Zalmai Rasoul, the former foreign minister, who was considered a choice of President Hamid Karzai.

“Hizb-e-Islami will neither support Dr Abdullah nor Ashraf Ghani as both want signing of a controversial pact with the US to prolong the American invasion,” Baheer said.

Karzai had refused to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) that allows the US to keep some troops beyond 2014.

“Their (Abdullah and Ghani) manifestos clash with the Hizb’s policies and that is why we have decided to boycott the election runoff,” the Hizb leader said.

He also said transparent elections are impossible in the presence of foreign troops, as fraud was seen in the April 5 elections. The Hizb leader, however, clarified that the party will not use force to disrupt the election process and would leave it to the people to decide whether or not to go to the polling centers.

Some former Hizb leaders, currently living in Kabul, announced on Friday their support to Dr Ashraf Ghani in the second round.

Baheer, however, said the dissidents cannot represent Hizb-e-Islami.

“Hizb-e-Islami is one party. Its leader and policies are known to everyone. Some people are using the party’s name for personal interests. We disown them,” he said.

The Hizb’s spokesperson, Haroon Zarghoon, told The Express Tribune the Hizb will not launch any attack on the polling centers or the election gatherings as the party only fights against the foreign troops.

The Taliban have announced to launch their traditional “Spring Offensive” across Afghanistan from May 12 and will step up attacks on foreigners and their Afghan supporters.

The Afghan Defence Ministry has dismissed the Taliban offensive as propaganda tactics and recalled that they had failed to disrupt the April 5 elections despite their tall claims.

The Defence Ministry has also started a big military operation aimed at “clearing the Taliban” from different parts of the country.

Two day trip: Nawaz heads to Tehran to smooth ties

Nawaz will be accompanied by a high-ranking delegation comprising of the finance minister, revenue minister and minister for petroleum and natural resources. PHOTO: AFP /FILE

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif undertake an official visit to Iran from May 11-12 on the invitation of President Hassan Rouhani, in a trip aimed at smoothing ties with the Western neighbour, and rejuvenate the stalled multi-billion dollar pipeline.

This will be the first leadership level visit since the formation of new governments in both Iran and Pakistan.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saturday, Nawaz will be accompanied by a high-ranking delegation comprising of the finance minister and minister for petroleum and natural resources.

The premier will take part in a bilateral meeting with President Rouhani in Tehran during which the spectrum of bilateral relationships between the two nations is expected to be reviewed.

According to MoFA, the agenda includes talks on improving economic ties. Moreover, the issue of enhancing physical connectivity between the two countries will also be talked about.

A number of agreements and MoUs in various fields concerned with bilateral ties are expected to be signed as well.

Along with the ministers, Nawaz will be accompanied by the Chief Minister of Balochistan, the adviser to prime minister on national security and foreign affairs and the special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs.

US urges Pakistan to probe lawyer's killing

Rashid Rehman. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

WASHINGTON: The United States Friday called on Pakistan to investigate the killing of a lawyer shot dead for defending a university lecturer accused of blasphemy.

“We were deeply saddened by the murder of Rashid Rehman, an attorney and human rights defender in Pakistan,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.

“We encourage Pakistani authorities, as we have in similar cases in Pakistan and around the world, to swiftly investigate this crime and bring to justice those responsible.”

Gunmen stormed Rehman’s office late May 7 and started firing indiscriminately, killing him and injuring two others.

Psaki spoke as Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns was visiting Pakistan Friday at what he said was a “moment of opportunity” in US-Pakistan ties.

Burns met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as other top ministers and advisors and army chief General Raheel Sharif.

“After some difficult years, our relationship is on a positive trajectory – a trajectory we hope to not only maintain, but accelerate,” Burns said in a statement.

Washington supported the prime minister’s bid “to reestablish authority over all Pakistani territory in whatever way Pakistan deems appropriate.”

And the US wanted to “especially urge him to sustain pressure on militant groups, deny them a safe-haven, and prevent cross-border attacks,” Burns said.

“Militancy continues to threaten Pakistan’s revival. Few countries have paid a heavier price than Pakistan in the fight against extremism.”

Ties have improved markedly since almost collapsing in 2011 amid a series of crises including the US raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The US has also reduced the number of drone attacks on the unruly border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan where al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents are believed to be hiding. Islamabad has publicly denounced drone attacks as a violation of sovereignty.

“Countering cross-border militancy and shutting down safe havens is critical not only for Pakistan’s long-term peace and prosperity but also for positive relations between Pakistan and all its neighbors, including Afghanistan,” Burns added.

The Alchemy festival brings Pakistani culture to London

As opposed to the regular themes of violence, the festival is much more fun, it includes cricket and satire and performances of South Asian female comedians. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LONDON: 

The Southbank Centre in London is hosting the Alchemy festival – dedicated to bringing South Asian culture to the UK’s capital.

An entire day has been  dedicated to discussing everything in Pakistan, from its politics and satire to art and cricket. It will be curated by author Kamila Shamsie and culminate in a comedy show by Saad Haroon.

Rachel Harris, the programmer of Alchemy, echoed Haroon’s sentiments that the festival does have more of a focus on Pakistan than it did before. “We are aware that there is a certain image of Pakistan in the news and we want to show London an alternative view, the range of work and insight into the amazing creativity that comes from that part of the world,” she said.

In London, she believes, artistes from South Asia can come together in a neutral space which may not be possible otherwise. “The Southbank Centre is a cultural organisation that responds to and reflects its surrounding community, and gives people a sense of connectivity on an international level,” said Harris.

“We want the widest possible audience to attend, not just South Asians who will be familiar with some of the names featured, but also mainstream audience,” she added.

“We want to hold a mirror up to the diversity in the UK,” she said, adding that, “the idea is to do something that resonates with the communities in London.”

Commenting on the free Citizens Archive of Pakistan exhibition, Rachel said that they have an amazing repository of memories, artifacts and oral histories to which she hopes people in the UK may be able to add.

Saad will be performing his show titled Factory Life, which he has previously performed in New York.

He describes it as a one-man show with a mixture of storytelling and stand-up comedy, which focuses on his life working in his father’s textile factory, his experience returning to Pakistan after college and how he broke out of his mould of a young Pakistani born into a business family.

He wrote it keeping a non-Pakistani audience in mind, unlike his previous shows, because he wanted a show “that talks about Pakistan, but is not about terrorism.”

Speaking about Alchemy he said it is great that this time around the festival has more of a Pakistan-centric “because we do not get many opportunities to showcase our art. It always ends up being around the themes of violence, this time around the festival is much more fun, it includes cricket and satire and performances of South Asian female comedians.”

“I’m looking forward to the diversity of voices within South Asia that will come forward,” he added.

Hamza Arshad, a comedian of Pakistani descent, whose online series Diary of a Bad Man has over 50 million views on Youtube, will be performing at the festival as well and visitors will also get to see an art installation by artist Bashar Mahmood.

Ahead of Varanasi: Election campaign ends with clashing visions

Congress Party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi gestures to supporters from atop a truck as he makes his way through the streets of Varanasi during the final day of campaigning in the elections. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI: 

Ruling Congress party frontman Rahul Gandhi warned Saturday of an India divided by caste and creed if the Hindu nationalist opposition wins power, as campaigning ended ahead of the last round of voting in the nation’s multi-stage election.

Gandhi, scion of India’s most famous political dynasty, sought to muster a final show of strength in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi with the party struggling to snatch victory from the jaws of a widely forecast defeat by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP “only wants to divide people, make people fight each other”, Gandhi told a rally in Varanasi, one of the last constituencies due to vote in Monday’s final day of balloting.

The city has become a focus of national attention with two star candidates — one of them Narendra Modi, a charismatic but controversial figure tipped to lead the BJP to power and become prime minister.

The other is anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal who vaulted to national prominence as leader of the Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal said he was confident of “a huge majority” in the temple-studded city.

Even though Congress — running a local candidate — is given little chance in Varanasi, the broader national battle is between the party, which Gandhi’s family has steered since 1947, and BJP.

The two parties engaged in a last campaign duel with Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi deriding what the Hindu nationalists have called a “tsunami of support” for Modi as “a chimera”.

“The BJP is fast discovering that its estimates are nothing but guesses,” Singhvi told reporters. Results of the election that began in early April will be known on Friday.

BJP leader Rajnath Singh fired back, telling a news conference voters are “eager to be rid of the Congress”.

Modi launched a blistering attack Saturday on the Gandhi family. The 63 year old mocked Gandhi and his party president mother, Sonia, as the “mother-son government” and appealed for a “good, strong mandate in Delhi to work for the people”, wagging his finger in a gesture now familiar to the nation.

“Till the time you end these dynastic politics, things won’t improve,” Modi said to cheers in Robertsganj, another constituency voting Monday in the pivotal state of Uttar Pradesh.

Top party organiser Amit Shah said the electorate had supported the BJP “irrespective of caste (and) religion”, seeking to dispel notions Modi’s muscular Hindu nationalism was a stumbling block.

Meanwhile, the Gandhi family made a last-ditch push with Rahul, his mother and sister, Priyanka, all on the hustings.

On Saturday, Rahul, 43, reaffirmed Congress’s commitment to “empowering the poor”, charging a BJP government would not “benefit anyone but business”.

Who will make the magic 272 number?

Investors, confident of a BJP win, have driven shares to record highs. Few observers, though, expect the BJP to reach the magic 272 number needed for a parliamentary majority by itself.

Many anticipate fierce bargaining as regional heavyweights trade parliamentary support for political concessions.

Rahul, groomed for the party’s leadership by his mother, has been dubbed the “reluctant crown prince”, preferring a backroom role. Local media has judged his campaign performance uninspiring.

Priyanka, 42, regarded as more politically talented, has strongly attacked the BJP and called the election a “fight for the heart” of Hindu-majority but constitutionally secular India.

Pakistan opposes creation of new permanent seats at UNSC

“The only way to move forward is to explore a compromise solution that reflects the interests of all member states,” said Pakistan's permanent representative to UN Masood Khan. PHOTO: PID/FILE

Permanent representative of Pakistan at the United Nations Masood Khan said that Pakistan opposes the creation new permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

“We are against the creation of permanent seats and new centers of privilege,” said Khan.

Speaking at the United Nations Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council Reform, Pakistani envoy said that the G-4 countries, namely Brazil, India, Germany and Japan, are the real minority, four countries, no more no less. The G-4 wants all the other countries to support their exaltation to the Council as permanent members, as they think that they are now akin to the existing P-5.

The envoy said that the G-4 thinks that “they are now rich and powerful and therefore would want to join the rich countries’ elite club”.

He further alleges that, “by entering into the Council as permanent members, they also want to qualify for unwritten advantages and privileges such as overrepresentation in UN bodies, Specialised Agencies and the Secretariat.”

Accusing the G-4 for pursuing their national interests not representing the Uniting for Consensus (UfC), the envoy said that the G-4 countries are monopolizing the discourse in many forums, including this one, and creating the illusion that they are speaking on behalf of the majority or the largely disenfranchised developing countries.

“Their minority interests have been moved to the center stage and are now being peddled as majority positions,” said Khan.

Supporting the UfC’s Italy-Colombia proposal, the envoy said, “The only way to move forward is to explore a compromise solution that reflects the interests of all member states.”

The UfC’s proposal is designed to aggregate the interests of all states – small, medium-sized and large – the entire family, not the privileged few, added Khan.

Elaborating the proposal, he said that it would increase non-permanent seats; and will create long-term seats in the Council for 3 to 5 years or six years maximum through immediate re-election of the 2-year term seats.

Leave me Alone : KAREENA.

Please leave me alone - Kareena Kapoor Khan .

Please leave me alone – Kareena Kapoor Khan

Bollywood’s Fashionista Kareena Kapoor Khan is pretty miffed these days. The reason behind her ire is that everyone is speculating about her career which is not going great guns at the moment. But still the Diva makes it on the front page in dailies. After her alleged rivalry with Deepika, who ended up receiving some plum offers which were first offered to Kareena, she was also accused of ignoring Priyanka Chopra during the recently concluded IIFA Award ceremony.