Stakeholders asked to explain proposals for PSM revival

<p>ISLAMABAD: The government has sought explanation from the Pakistan Steel Mills Stakeholders Group (PSMSG) over proposals made by it for the revival of the PSM closed since June 2015.</p> <p>The group comprising employees, pensioners, suppliers, dealers and contractors of the PSM has been asking the federal government and parliamentary panels for revival of the mills and investigation into the causes of its losses, corruption and closure.</p> <p>The group, which has claims of more than Rs75 billion over the mills on various accounts, has argued that the problem did not relate to the mills but arise from the people who have been running its affairs.</p> <p>In recent communications to the government, including the prime minister and interactions with the parliamentary panels, the PSMSG has proposed steps for the mills’ recovery, including rationalisation of steel imports to provide level-playing field to all players that would help revive the PSM and generate more than Rs100bn revenue for the Federal Board of Revenue per annum.</p> <p>On the directives of the Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production, the PSMSG has been approached by the corporate secretary of the mills to provide details of its proposals on at least four major counts. The Senate committee had recently “directed the PSM chairman and the Finance Division to sit with PSMSG convener Mumrez Khan in relation to the revival plan of the Steel Mills and send recommendations”.</p> <p>The group has been asked to come up with explanations as to which steel products required rationalisation of import tariff and also provide details of its suggestion as to how Rs150bn financial recovery could be made possible from persons at fault through initiation of a transparent accountability process.</p> <p>The PSM corporate secretary has also asked the group to provide follow-up details of its proposal to the performance audit of the management and board of directors of the mills and their appointing authorities and support its argument that the national kitty had suffered losses of $11bn from 2006 to 2019 due to non-performance of the accountability bureau and blunders of other agencies and top personalities of successive governments.</p> <p>The group had complained to Prime Minister Imran Khan that the revival plan proposed by it through appointment of professional management and transparent accountability was in line with his pre-election promises as opposed to switching priorities of his advisers for privatisation or public-private partnership. It alleged that the advisers had hired private consultants who were blamed by the Supreme Court for botched privatisation in 2006 and hence a conflict of interest and in the process lost almost 16 months and about Rs55bn in revenue, leading to its total liabilities and losses to Rs515bn from Rs460bn in July 2018.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523101/stakeholders-asked-to-explain-proposals-for-psm-revival">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523101/stakeholders-asked-to-explain-proposals-for-psm-revival</a>

Stakeholders asked to explain proposals for PSM revival

ISLAMABAD: The government has sought explanation from the Pakistan Steel Mills Stakeholders Group (PSMSG) over proposals made by it for the ...

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Pakistan to get $10m for polio eradication

<p>ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will receive $10 million for polio eradication from the Lives and Livelihood Fund (LLF), a partnership between the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, announced Hammad Azhar, federal minister for economic affairs, on Wednesday.</p> <p>The announcement was made at the launching ceremony of the Pakistan Polio Eradica­tion Programme (2019-2021), where the minister said, according to a statement released by the Economic Affairs Division, “Today, we are celebrating our long-established partnership with the IDB. Over the years, we have come to rely on it to help us combat polio.”</p> <p>He also thanked the LLF for the grant in addition to an earlier loan of $90 million for polio eradication, stated the press release.</p> <p>Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza also spoke at the event, stated the press release. The financial assistance provided by the IDB has strengthened operations and surveillance activities of the programme, he said.</p> <p>“It has made the polio eradication programme more adaptable and responsive to dynamic and rapidly changing polio eradication environment. The IDB has provided huge financial support to Pakistan for polio eradication and also contributed to bringing a ‘religious’ element in the programme which has positively influenced the community’s trust and acceptance,” he said.</p> <p>The IDB and LLF representatives i.e. Islamic Soli­darity Fund for Develop­ment, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Qatar Fund for Development, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development praised the government of Pakistan for its efforts in polio eradication and assured it of their continued support in the fight against poliovirus, stated the press release.</p> <p>The LLF mission also visited the outskirts of Islamabad Capital Territory and participated in an activity under the nationwide vaccination campaign which began on Dec 16, under which 39.5 million children under the age of five are being vaccinated.</p> <p>In November, the Pakistani government had assured its international donors and partners at an event held in Abu Dhabi of their renewed efforts in eradicating poliovirus amid serious concerns of a resurgence in the country.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523142/pakistan-to-get-10m-for-polio-eradication">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523142/pakistan-to-get-10m-for-polio-eradication</a>

Pakistan to get $10m for polio eradication

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will receive $10 million for polio eradication from the Lives and Livelihood Fund (LLF), a partnership between the Jedda...

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SC objects to misperception being created against CJP

<p>ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to "stage managed" misperception that Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa had played any role in the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522774">conclusion</a> of Pervez Musharraf’s treason trial by a special court.</p> <p>In a rather strong reaction, the apex court said the news item that was aired and published by a section of print and electronic media was "baseless, concocted, false, stage managed, out of context and contrary to the facts".</p> <p>The news item concerned with an informal meeting of Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa with the Press Association of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the statement said, adding some misleading and out of context news items were aired/published by different TV channels and newspapers without identifying any source.</p> <p>This created an impression that the CJP was personally involved in the progress of the case before the special court, the statement said.</p> <blockquote> <p>Apex court statement rejects misleading news item, says Justice Khosa issued no directions to special court that handed down death sentence to Musharraf</p> </blockquote> <p>The Supreme Court explained that its different benches had been hearing different aspects of the case of former president Pervez Musharraf and had passed different orders for early disposition of the treason trial.</p> <p>For instance, the petition against the Islamabad High Court judgement, passed on Feb 9, 2015, in the Abdul Hameed Dogar case, was heard and decided in 2016 by a three-judge SC bench comprising then Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Tariq Pervez.</p> <p>In that case, the SC passed the order that “the special court is therefore expected to proceed with the trial of respondent No. 2 (Pervez Musharraf) with all convenient dispatch and without any unnecessary delay”.</p> <p>Similarly, in another civil review petition in the Lahore High Court Bar Association versus Pervez Musharraf, a different three-judge bench comprising the chief justice, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar had held that "the special court shall proceed with the trial on the next date of hearing. In case the accused surrenders and appears before the court, he would be entitled to record his statement under Section 342 of the CrPC and lead any other defence under the law. However, in case the accused fails to appear on the next date of hearing, being a proclaimed offender, the special court is empowered to proceed against the accused even in his absence under Section 9 of the Act".</p> <p>The statement made it clear that the chief justice of Pakistan had not issued any direction of any sort to the special court other than the judicial directions issued by the relevant benches of the Supreme Court in these cases, which already stand published in the law reports of the country.</p> <p>“To ensure accuracy in reporting it is expected that this clarification will be aired/published with the same prominence as the earlier incorrect news items were carried,” a statement issued by the Supreme Court said, adding it was expected that accuracy of reporting would be ensured in future.</p> <p>Meanwhile, at the launch of a research study on “Impact of militancy on administration of justice in former FATA and PATA” held at the Federal Judicial Academy on Wednesday, the Chief Justice of Pakistan highlighted the need for adopting a multi-pronged approach to defeat the scourge of militancy and terrorism.</p> <p>Enlightening the audience with the history of militancy and terrorism in different countries, the CJP observed that militancy was a form of terrorism and since time immemorial it had existed in one form or another in various parts of the world and civilians had been victims of terror acts.</p> <p>He said, “We must learn from those countries and nations which defeated terrorists. We need to rethink our strategies to deal with it in a more successful manner.”</p> <p>The chief justice also read out extracts from a Supreme Court judgement in order to tackle the scourge of militancy and terrorism in an effective manner and quoted a few inspiring lessons from a book titled, “21 Lessons for the 21st Century”, written by Yuval Noah Harari.</p> <p>About the importance and scope of research culture, CJP Khosa said: “Without research there is no progress, and with no progress there is no learning. It really augurs well that our judicial officers have undertaken research on a very important topic. This research will make them more analytical in their approach.</p> <p>“Research should always be original. It should always be conducted on the area and also in close contact with the people who are subject matter of the research in question. It should not be academic and bookish.”</p> <p>Sounding his optimism, the chief justice expressed the hope that this research would enhance the competency and professionalism of the judges who conducted it and a mechanism would be developed to push forward suggestions and recommendations.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523091/sc-objects-to-misperception-being-created-against-cjp">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523091/sc-objects-to-misperception-being-created-against-cjp</a>

SC objects to misperception being created against CJP

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to "stage managed" misperception that Chief Justice of Pakistan As...

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Govt urged to brief parliament on decision to skip Malaysia summit

<p>ISLAMABAD: Criticising Prime Minister Imran Khan for cancelling his planned visit to Malaysia at the eleventh hour, the opposition has asked the government to brief parliament as to why Pakistan has decided to skip the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522976">Kuala Lumpur summit</a> soon after the PM’s visit to Saudi Arabia.</p> <p>Terming it a sensitive issue", PPP information secretary Dr Nafisa Shah, who is an outspoken member of the National Assembly, said in a statement on Wednesday that any decision made while keeping parliament in the dark would not be acceptable to the opposition.</p> <p>“The cancellation of the Malaysia visit of the ‘selected prime minister’ is a very serious issue,” Dr Shah said and asked the government to bring the matter to parliament for a debate.</p> <p>Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced on Tuesday that there would be no representation from Pakistan at the summit of some 20 Muslim countries which started in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.</p> <p>Pakistan was one of the first countries with which Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad shared his plans for holding the summit when he met PM Khan along with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York in September.</p> <blockquote> <p>PPP terms PM’s ‘secret decisions’ bad omen for Pakistan; PML-N believes the move shows Imran’s dithering conduct of foreign policy</p> </blockquote> <p>Later, PM Khan formally conveyed his <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1519612/pm-to-attend-kuala-lumpur-summit-on-ummahs-problems">acceptance of the invitation</a> for attending the summit when Deputy Foreign Minister of Malaysia Marzuki Bin Haji Yahya called on him in Islamabad on Nov 29.</p> <p>After Imran Khan’s <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522337">recent visit</a> to Saudi Arabia, reportedly due to pressure exerted by the kingdom, which had extended a helping hand to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government during its early days to stave off economic crisis, the PM decided to stay away from the Kuala Lumpur summit.</p> <p>FM Qureshi confirmed that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had concern about the summit, saying the two countries were worried that the event could cause “division in Ummah” and lead to setting up of an organisation parallel to the existing Saudi-dominated Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.</p> <p>In view of the reservations about the summit, Mr Qureshi said, it was decided that Pakistan would seek to bridge the gap between Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur and if that did not work there would be no participation in the summit.</p> <p>PM Khan’s trip to Saudi Arabia, he said, was aimed at bringing Saudi Arabia and Malaysia closer and not for getting permission to attend the summit.</p> <p>Dr Nafisa Shah, however, is of the view that as a nation, Pakistan should not be supporting any one side at the international level. She alleged that Prime Minister Khan was "taking every decision secretly" which did not bode well for the country.</p> <p>Dr Shah said that the government should also tell parliament "what money is being taken by the government and on what conditions".</p> <p>Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA and former foreign minister Khurram Dastagir Khan also criticised the government for its “wavering foreign policy.”</p> <p>"The cancellation of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Kuala Lumpur is the most recent example of his dithering and craven conduct of foreign policy, which is comforting Pakistan’s enemies and dismaying our friends," he said while talking to <em>Dawn</em>.</p> <p>The PML-N leader said the “weak excuses” the prime minister had given “to justify” staying away from the Kuala Lumpur summit signified his “inability to balance Pakistan’s long-term foreign policy interests with temporary benefits”.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523103/govt-urged-to-brief-parliament-on-decision-to-skip-malaysia-summit">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523103/govt-urged-to-brief-parliament-on-decision-to-skip-malaysia-summit</a>

Govt urged to brief parliament on decision to skip Malaysia summit

ISLAMABAD: Criticising Prime Minister Imran Khan for cancelling his planned visit to Malaysia at the eleventh hour, the opposition has asked...

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Every error can’t be called misconduct, says Justice Bandial

<p>ISLAMABAD: The code of conduct for superior court judges lays down the standard to be maintained by them so that the institution of judiciary continues to enjoy the nation’s confidence, Justice Umar Ata Bandial observed on Wednesday while presiding over a 10-judge full court hearing challenges to the filing of a presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.</p> <p>"Not every error on the part of a superior court judge constitutes misconduct. The accountability of judges creates a perception among the people that a judge should be above an ordinary person and ordinary mind," Justice Bandial said.</p> <p>The observation came in reply to senior counsel Hamid Khan’s argument that mere generalisations in the code of conduct do not define the "red lines" for judges.</p> <p>Hamid Khan is representing four petitioners in the case — the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Quetta Bar Association president Mohammad Asif Reki, the Balochistan Bar Council and Punjab Bar Council vice chairman Shahnawaz Ismail.</p> <p>The counsel contended that Article 209 of the Constitution, which deals with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), was deficient in many aspects since it did not provide any remedy to a judge facing allegations before the council.</p> <p>Since no multiple remedy is envisaged in Article 209, the SJC seems to be more powerful than any other tribunal in the country, the counsel observed.</p> <p>"It is incumbent upon the apex court that while deciding the matter at hand, it should define misconduct by drawing some red lines missing from the code of conduct."</p> <p>Once appointed as superior court judge, the counsel said, the individual has a right to continue and should have the protection of tenure. This amounts to creating civil rights in favour of the judge, Hamid Khan observed.</p> <p>Justice Faisal Arab observed that unlike ministers who can be removed by the prime minister, a judge can only be removed by the SJC.</p> <p>"A judge enjoys holding his office not on anybody’s pleasure," said Justice Maqbool Baqar.</p> <p>Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed that Article 209 of the Constitution requires the president to be a neutral person who advances neither the cause of the federation nor that of the executive.</p> <p>Hamid Khan argued that an important feature of the Constitution was separation of powers and the president had an obligation to ensure that trichotomy of powers was maintained.</p> <p>When the president receives some material from the executive, his office demands that he should ensure that the material against the judge was collected in a fair manner and that the executive power used in collection of the information should not be misused for any other collateral purposes, the counsel said.</p> <p>"The president has to keep in mind the sensitivity attached to credibility of the judiciary because when a reference against a judge is sent to SJC, it affects the judge’s credibility."</p> <p>The president is bound to act on the executive’s advice only in the performance of executive functions, and not in relation to the legislature or judicial actions, Hamid Khan contended.</p> <p>He said that since all actions of the executive are taken in the name of the president, the executive’s advice is binding on the president only vis-à-vis executive actions. “But actions taken under Article 209 do not come under the executive domain.”</p> <p>Bar associations are worried that in case the SJC took a decision against a judge, no appeal or remedy is available to the individual concerned, Hamid Khan added.</p> <p>At this, Justice Baqar observed that the counsel was asking the court to be more cautious while deciding petitions in the absence of a remedy or appeal.</p> <p>A duty has been given to the president and the executive to protect and defend the judiciary’s independence, the counsel said.</p> <p>During the hearing, Justice Bandial observed that the Assets Recovery Unit collected material about the offshore properties of Justice Isa from Britain but not from the judge’s house.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523105/every-error-cant-be-called-misconduct-says-justice-bandial">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523105/every-error-cant-be-called-misconduct-says-justice-bandial</a>

Every error can’t be called misconduct, says Justice Bandial

ISLAMABAD: The code of conduct for superior court judges lays down the standard to be maintained by them so that the institution of judiciar...

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Two cops escorting polio team martyred in KP attack

<p>TIMERGARA: Two policemen escorting a polio vaccination team were martyred when armed men opened fire on them at Markhanai Bridge within the jurisdiction of Lal Qila police station on Wednesday, residents and police said.</p> <p>They were identified as Farmanullah of Toormang and Mukkaram Khan of Sangolai. Sources said both were on their way to join a polio team in the Bishgram union council of Maidan. The attackers targeted them when they walked to Markhanai Bridge.</p> <p>The incident spread fear and panic not only across the Maidan area but other parts of the district also.</p> <p>No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.</p> <p>Security for polio teams was enhanced in the neighbouring Bajaur district. Police launched a search and strike operation in the area after the incident. The Lal Qila police registered a case and started investigation.</p> <p>Funeral prayer for the martyrs was offered at the Timergara police line. DPO Arif Shahbaz Wazir, Com­mandant Dir Task Force Col Mujtaba Haidar and other civil and military officers attended the funeral.</p> <p>Maidan was once a stronghold of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and in 2009 the TTP had taken control of the area.</p> <p>The militants were flushed out after a military operation in the area. Maidan is also the native town of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadi chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad.</p> <p>When contacted, Lower Dir DPO Shaukat Ali said the polio eradication campaign was halted only in the Bishgram union council where the incident occurred, adding that the district polio eradication committee would decide about the fate of the drive.</p> <p>He said the department had set a target to vaccinate more than 307,230 children during the drive.</p> <p>The Lower Dir police in collaboration with civil society and Shakil Shaheed Development Organisation were observing the 10th anniversary of a devastating bomb blast at the Timergara police line on Wednesday but martyrdom of the two policemen disturbed the programme.</p> <p>On Dec 18, 2009, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the police line mosque after Friday prayers, killing 15 worshippers and injuring 27.</p> <p>A function and walk was held to remember the martyrs of the police line blast. Deputy Commissioner Saadat Hassan, SSDO chief Peer Imtiaz Ahmad, social activists Akbar Khan and Ibrash Pasha paid tribute to the deceased. Floral wreaths were laid on Yadgar-i-Shuhada on the occasion. The speakers condemned the attack on the policemen in Maidan and termed it a cowardice act.</p> <p>Meanwhile, KP Inspector General of Police Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan paid tribute to the professionalism and bravery of the two policemen who embraced martyrdom.</p> <p>He said the two had embraced martyrdom for the defence of the nation and declared them real heroes of the nation.</p> <p>He said that the welfare of the heirs of both martyrs and solution of their confronting problems was his prime responsibility and vowed that those involved in the gruesome act will be brought to justice very soon.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019</em></p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523089/two-cops-escorting-polio-team-martyred-in-kp-attack">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523089/two-cops-escorting-polio-team-martyred-in-kp-attack</a>

Two cops escorting polio team martyred in KP attack

TIMERGARA: Two policemen escorting a polio vaccination team were martyred when armed men opened fire on them at Markhanai Bridge within the ...

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Trump impeached by US House on charge of abuse of power

<p>President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors.</p> <p>The historic vote split along party lines, much the way it has divided the US, over the charges that the 45th president abused the power of his office by enlisting a foreign government to investigate a political rival ahead of the 2020 election. The House was also voting on a charge that he then obstructed Congress in its investigation.</p> <p>The articles of impeachment, the political equivalent of an indictment, now go to the Senate for trial. If Trump is acquitted by the Republican-led chamber, as expected, he would have to run for reelection carrying the enduring mark of impeachment on his purposely disruptive presidency.</p> <p>Democrats led Wednesday night’s voting, framed in what many said was their duty to protect the Constitution and uphold the nation’s system of checks and balances. Republicans stood by their party’s leader, who has frequently tested the bounds of civic norms. Trump called the whole affair a “witch hunt,” a “hoax” and a “sham,” and sometimes all three.</p> <figure class='media four-fifths palm--one-whole media--center'> <div class='media__item'><img alt="Presidents who have been impeached or threatened with impeachment by the House of Representatives. — AFP" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dfa1cf35638a.jpg" /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption">Presidents who have been impeached or threatened with impeachment by the House of Representatives. — AFP</figcaption> </figure> <p>The trial is expected to begin in January in the Senate, where a vote of two-thirds is necessary for conviction. While Democrats had the majority in the House to impeach Trump, Republicans control the Senate and few if any are expected to diverge from plans to acquit the president ahead of early state election-year primary voting.</p> <p>Pelosi, once reluctant to lead Democrats into a partisan impeachment, now risks her majority and speakership to hold the president accountable.</p> <p>“Today we are here to defend democracy for the people,” Pelosi said opening debate.</p> <p><strong><em>Also read: <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522889/trump-on-trial">Trump on trial</a></em></strong></p> <p>Trump, who began Wednesday tweeting his anger at the proceedings, scheduled an evening rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.</p> <p>As the House debated the articles of impeachment throughout the day, Trump registered his anger with the process on Twitter, in all capital letters: “SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!” he wrote.</p> <p>What Pelosi called a sad and solemn moment for the country, coming in the first year that Democrats swept control of the House, unfolded in a caustic daylong session that showcased the nation’s divisions — not only along party lines, but also by region, race and culture.</p> <figure class='media four-fifths palm--one-whole media--center media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item'><img alt="The US impeachment process. — AFP" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dfa1cf4b9eb2.jpg" /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption">The US impeachment process. — AFP</figcaption> </figure> <p>The House impeachment resolution laid out in stark terms the two articles of impeachment against Trump stemming from his July phone call when he asked the Ukraine president for a “favour” — to announce it was investigating Democrats ahead of the 2020 election. He also pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to probe unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Joe Biden, the former vice president and 2020 White House contender.</p> <p>At the time, Zelenskiy, a young comedian newly elected to politics, was seeking a coveted White House visit to show backing from the US ally as it confronts a hostile Russia at its border. He was also counting on $391 million in military aid already approved by Congress. The White House delayed the funds, but Trump eventually released the money once Congress intervened.</p> <p>Narrow in scope but broad in its charge, the resolution said the president “betrayed the nation by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections,” and then obstructed Congress’ oversight like “no president” in US history.</p> <p>“President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” it said.</p> <p>Republicans argued that Democrats are impeaching Trump because they can’t beat him in 2020.</p> <p>“This vote is about one thing, and one thing only: They hate this president,” said Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. “They want to take away my vote and throw it in the trash.”</p> <p>But Democrats warned the country cannot wait for the next election to decide whether Trump should remain in office because he has shown a pattern of behaviour, particularly toward Russia, and will try to corrupt US elections in 2020.</p> <p>“The president and his men plot on,” said Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., of the Intelligence Committee that led the inquiry. “The danger persists. The risk is real.”</p> <p>The outcome brings the Trump presidency to a milestone moment that has building almost from the time the New York businessman-turned-reality-TV host unexpectedly won the White House in 2016 amid questions about Russian interference in the US election — and the rise of the “resistance.”</p> <p>Democrats drew from history, the founders and their own experiences, as minorities, women and some immigrants to the US, seeking to honour their oath of office to uphold the constitution. Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., spoke in Spanish asking God to unite the nation. “In America,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., “no one is above the law.”</p> <p>Republicans aired Trump-style grievances about what Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko called a “rigged” process.</p> <p>“We face this horror because of this map,” said Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Ala., before a poster of red and blue states. “They call this Republican map flyover country, they call us deplorables, they fear our faith, they fear our strength, they fear our unity, they fear our vote, and they fear our president.”</p> <p>The political fallout from the vote will reverberate across an already polarised country with divergent views of Trump’s July phone call when Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Democrats in the 2016 election, Biden and his son, Hunter, who worked on the board of a gas company in Ukraine while his father was the vice president.</p> <p>Trump has repeatedly implored Americans to read the transcript of the call he said was “perfect.” But the facts it revealed, and those in an anonymous whistleblower’s complaint that sparked the probe, are largely undisputed.</p> <p>More than a dozen current and former White House officials and diplomats testified for hours. The open and closed sessions under oath revealed what one called the “irregular channel” of foreign policy run by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, which focused on investigating the Bidens and alternative theories of 2016 election interference.</p> <p>The question for lawmakers was whether the revelations amounted to impeachable offenses to be sent to the Senate for a trial.</p> <p>Few lawmakers crossed party lines without consequence. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-N.J., who is considering changing parties over his opposition to impeachment, sat with Republicans. Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan conservative who left the Republican party and became an independent over impeachment, said: “I come to this floor, not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as an American.”</p> <p>Beyond the impeachments of Andrew Johnson or Bill Clinton, this first impeachment of the 21st century is as much about what the president might do in the future as what he did in the past. And unlike investigation of Richard Nixon, who resigned rather than face the House vote over Watergate, the proceedings against Trump are playing out in an America already of mixed views over Trump.</p> <p>Rank and file Democrats said they were willing to lose their jobs to protect the democracy from Trump. Some newly elected freshman remained in the chamber for hours during the debate.</p> <p>“This is not about making history, this is about holding a lawless president accountable,” said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.</p> <p>GOP Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia said of the Democrats: “You’ve been wanting to do this ever since the gentleman was elected.″</p> <p>Top Republicans, including Rep. Devin Nunes on the Intelligence Committee, called the Ukraine probe little more than the low-budget sequel to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.</p> <p>Mueller spent two years investigating the potential links between Moscow and the Trump campaign, but testified in July that his team could not establish that Trump conspired or coordinated with Russia to throw the election. Mueller did say he could not exonerate Trump of trying to obstruct the investigation, but he left that for Congress to decide.</p> <p>The next day, Trump called Ukraine. Not quite four months later, a week before Christmas, Trump was impeached.</p> <br /> <br /> source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1523135/trump-impeached-by-us-house-on-charge-of-abuse-of-power">https://www.dawn.com/news/1523135/trump-impeached-by-us-house-on-charge-of-abuse-of-power</a>

Trump impeached by US House on charge of abuse of power

President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to...

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