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Stakeholders asked to explain proposals for PSM revival

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019
 
 
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 ...

Pakistan to get $10m for polio eradication

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

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.
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.”
He also thanked the LLF for the grant in addition to an earlier loan of $90 million for polio eradication, stated the press release.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019
 
 
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...

SC objects to misperception being created against CJP

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Title: SC objects to misperception being created against CJP
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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to "stage managed" misperception that Chief Justice of Pakistan As...

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.
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".
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.
This created an impression that the CJP was personally involved in the progress of the case before the special court, the statement said.
<blockquote>
Apex court statement rejects misleading news item, says Justice Khosa issued no directions to special court that handed down death sentence to Musharraf
</blockquote>
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.
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.
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”.
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".
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019
 
 
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...

Govt urged to brief parliament on decision to skip Malaysia summit

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Title: Govt urged to brief parliament on decision to skip Malaysia summit
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ISLAMABAD: Criticising Prime Minister Imran Khan for cancelling his planned visit to Malaysia at the eleventh hour, the opposition has asked...

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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
<blockquote>
PPP terms PM’s ‘secret decisions’ bad omen for Pakistan; PML-N believes the move shows Imran’s dithering conduct of foreign policy
</blockquote>
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dr Shah said that the government should also tell parliament "what money is being taken by the government and on what conditions".
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA and former foreign minister Khurram Dastagir Khan also criticised the government for its “wavering foreign policy.”
"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 Dawn.
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”.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019
 
 
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...

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

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Title: Every error can’t be called misconduct, says Justice Bandial
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ISLAMABAD: The code of conduct for superior court judges lays down the standard to be maintained by them so that the institution of judiciar...

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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
Justice Faisal Arab observed that unlike ministers who can be removed by the prime minister, a judge can only be removed by the SJC.
"A judge enjoys holding his office not on anybody’s pleasure," said Justice Maqbool Baqar.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
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.”
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.
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.
A duty has been given to the president and the executive to protect and defend the judiciary’s independence, the counsel said.
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.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019
 
 
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...

Two cops escorting polio team martyred in KP attack

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

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.
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.
The incident spread fear and panic not only across the Maidan area but other parts of the district also.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
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.
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.
Maidan was once a stronghold of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and in 2009 the TTP had taken control of the area.
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.
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.
He said the department had set a target to vaccinate more than 307,230 children during the drive.
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.
On Dec 18, 2009, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the police line mosque after Friday prayers, killing 15 worshippers and injuring 27.
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.
Meanwhile, KP Inspector General of Police Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan paid tribute to the professionalism and bravery of the two policemen who embraced martyrdom.
He said the two had embraced martyrdom for the defence of the nation and declared them real heroes of the nation.
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.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2019
 
 
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 ...

Trump impeached by US House on charge of abuse of power

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Title: Trump impeached by US House on charge of abuse of power
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President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to...

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.
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.
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.
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.
<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>
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.
Pelosi, once reluctant to lead Democrats into a partisan impeachment, now risks her majority and speakership to hold the president accountable.
“Today we are here to defend democracy for the people,” Pelosi said opening debate.
Also read: <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522889/trump-on-trial">Trump on trial</a>
Trump, who began Wednesday tweeting his anger at the proceedings, scheduled an evening rally in Battle Creek, Michigan.
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.
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.
<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>
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Republicans argued that Democrats are impeaching Trump because they can’t beat him in 2020.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
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.”
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.”
Republicans aired Trump-style grievances about what Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko called a “rigged” process.
“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.”
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.
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.
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.
The question for lawmakers was whether the revelations amounted to impeachable offenses to be sent to the Senate for a trial.
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.”
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.
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.
“This is not about making history, this is about holding a lawless president accountable,” said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.
GOP Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia said of the Democrats: “You’ve been wanting to do this ever since the gentleman was elected.″
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.
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.
The next day, Trump called Ukraine. Not quite four months later, a week before Christmas, Trump was impeached.
 
 
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...

Art installation draws attention to plight of Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad

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Title: Art installation draws attention to plight of Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad
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An art installation, titled 'Lost/Un-found', was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad, commemorating the ...

An art installation, titled 'Lost/Un-found', was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad, commemorating the International Migrants Day observed every year on December 18.
Present at the event were families of the Pakistani migrant workers imprisoned abroad as well as Senator Seemi Ezdi.
A project of the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), the art installation was conceived and developed by artist and storyteller Fahad Naveed and highlights the plight of nearly 11,000 Pakistanis imprisoned in foreign jails, including around 3,000 in Saudi Arabia alone.
It aims to underline Pakistan’s weak regulation of labour migration leaving thousands of mostly low-wage Pakistani workers vulnerable to human trafficking, forced labour, ill-treatment in detention overseas, and even the risk of death.
At the event, the 11,000 Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad were represented by 1,100 suitcases placed in an open public space and from within those suitcases emerged incoherent, jumbled sounds — stories of families waiting for the return of their loved ones, and of prisoners narrating their ordeal and the circumstances of their arrest and detention.
Several stories played simultaneously, creating a distressing and unnerving ambiance.
Take a look: <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522888/broken-lives">Broken lives</a>
“This installation is an attempt to raise questions about the thousands of migrant workers in jails around the world,” said artist Naveed, a graduate of news and documentary filmmaking from New York University. “By placing 1,100 suitcases — a fraction of the number of prisoners — in the open spaces of a park, I hope to get visitors to pause and think about those who are locked up, and do not enjoy these freedoms.”
The families of those imprisoned abroad appealed to the government to ensure their loved ones were brought back and consular protection provided to them. Senator Seemi Ezdi heard the plight of the families and assured them that the government was committed to providing relief to the inmates.
Talking to Dawn, Wakeel Khan, whose son is imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, said many of the workers who travelled for work and were imprisoned for minor crimes were languishing in jails.
“Their parents, wives and children here in Pakistan are disturbed and living a difficult life. Their wives have to work in houses; their children cannot go to school,” he lamented.
Similarly, Lahore’s Muhammad Naveed told Dawn that his mother was being treated poorly in a Saudi jail.
“I appeal to the government to help me bring back my mother who is totally innocent. I want to appeal on behalf of all the other prisoners also that they should be supported in their ordeal. I urge the Saudi government to support the inmates. We appeal to the prime minister because we have a lot of hope from him. He even promised the return of foreign prisoners, so we urge him to fulfil the promise now.”
Read | <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1478050">11,000 Pakistanis suffering in foreign jails: JPP study</a>
Senator Ezdi, while talking to Dawn, said: “The intending migrant workers must have valid documents, such as invitation letters, from their prospective workplace. They must also know the basic language of the country they intend to travel to because they work with the local population.”
She further claimed that Islamabad has had over 200 Pakistani inmates returned from abroad in a year. In the last 15 months, she added, 4,500 cases were disposed of and those inmates would return soon.
<figure class='media one-half palm--one-whole media--right'>
<div class='media__item'><img alt="Senator Seemi Ezdi and the families of prisoners speaking to JPP's Sarah Belal. — Photo by Nade Ali" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dfa6b9758356.jpg" /></div>
<figcaption class="media__caption">Senator Seemi Ezdi and the families of prisoners speaking to JPP's Sarah Belal. — Photo by Nade Ali</figcaption>
</figure>
According to JPP, many of those imprisoned abroad were indigent labourers who travelled for job opportunities and were forced by their handlers into carrying drugs. Others were victims of human trafficking or travelling on forged documents provided by dubious overseas employment agents.
They are then at the mercy of local courts without access to lawyers, impartial translators, or consular assistance from Pakistani diplomatic missions. Resultantly, they face the harshest punishments due to their lack of understanding of and assistance with the legal process, incapability to communicate directly with the court, and inability to produce evidence from Pakistan in their defence.
Sarah Belal, executive director of JPP, adds: “There is a power in art to move the coldest of hearts. We have brought this installation to the people of Islamabad for them to understand the horrors migrants face in prisons abroad and what their families go through back home. The government must wake up to this nightmare and do all in its power to ensure these indigent prisoners are not deprived of their fundamental human rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan.”
Earlier in February, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, during a welcome ceremony on his visit to Pakistan, had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1464413/pakistan-will-be-a-very-important-country-in-coming-future-says-saudi-crown-prince">promised</a> to do “whatever we can” after Prime Minister Imran Khan had made a "special request" to look into the hardships of Pakistani labourers working in Saudi Arabia.
"There are some 3,000 [Pakistani] prisoners there and we just would like you to bear in mind that they are poor people who have left their families behind," the premier had said.
A day after the pronouncement, federal minister Fawad Chaudhry had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1464580">tweeted</a> that MBS had “ordered the immediate release of 2,107 Pakistani prisoners from Saudi Jails”, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also tweeting about the release of Pakistani prisoners "with immediate effect", adding that "cases of the remaining will be reviewed".
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522997/art-installation-draws-attention-to-plight-of-pakistani-labourers-imprisoned-abroad">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522997/art-installation-draws-attention-to-plight-of-pakistani-labourers-imprisoned-abroad</a>

Art installation draws attention to plight of Pakistani labourers imprisoned abroad

An art installation, titled 'Lost/Un-found', was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad, commemorating the ...

KL Summit: 'Pakistan wishes to be part of the solution, not the problem,' says Awan

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Title: KL Summit: 'Pakistan wishes to be part of the solution, not the problem,' says Awan
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The government's chief spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said that Pakistan wishes to be "part of the solution and not p...

The government's chief spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said that Pakistan wishes to be "part of the solution and not part of the problem" when it comes to ties between Muslim countries.
Awan's remarks came during a media briefing in Islamabad regarding a meeting between the core committee members of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
A meeting of the party's core committee had been called by the premier today at 5pm to discuss "the current political situation", according to DawnNewsTV.
Awan said that PM Imran and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed the core committee on the decision to <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522854/pakistan-skips-malaysia-moot-to-avert-division-in-ummah">not attend</a> the Kuala Lumpur Summit. "The prime minister and the foreign minister spoke in detail about the backdrop in which the decision was made," she said.
The PM's aide said that Pakistan has strategic interest in the region, especially with regard to the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).
"OIC is a platform which 57 countries of the Muslim ummah are a part of and the ummah's unity is the need of the hour," said Awan.
She said that Pakistan wishes to play the role of a country that unites the ummah.
"The premier's vision to bring together the Muslim world means that Pakistan does not wish to align itself with any country's individual interests.
"Pakistan will stand with the overall cause and interests of the Muslim ummah," explained Awan, adding, "It wishes to play a central role for the betterment of the ummah and its solidarity."
Awan also briefed the media on other discussions held during the meeting, including those on the subject of the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522774/former-military-dictator-musharraf-handed-death-sentence-in-high-treason-case">verdict</a> issued by the special court a day earlier against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.
"The prime minister told the core committee that the institutions of Pakistan are the pillars of the state and the state's interest will always be supreme at any cost," she said.
"We have to bolster our support to the state's institutions and make them independent and stand by the rule of law.
"So the legal team will inform the committee, the cabinet and the party after reviewing these priorities and we will then present the government's stance on this."
She said that the issue of the pending appointments in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) — especially that of the chief election commissioner — were also discussed in the meeting.
Awan reminded the audience that the issue has been facing a delay due to a lack of consensus in the parliament.
"The parliamentary committee formed by the prime minister comprising PTI and its government allies has been given the task of getting together with the National Assembly Speaker and deciding on a final course of action," said the PM's aide.
She said that the committee is expected to develop consensus on a candidate and "to fulfil its constitutional and legal responsibility to restore the ECP's functioning".
Awan termed the practice of two parties getting together to decide on the appointment of a regulator as "contrary to the parameters of democracy".
"A regulator is never hand picked or appointed out of choice."
She recommended that the parliament review the criteria of appointment for the future because a regulator must be appointed "on merit, competency, qualifications, and overall with a fair and free mechanism".
"It is important to empower an institution rather than parties or individuals," she stressed.
Awan said that the prime minister instructed the parliamentary committee to figure out the constitutional and legal way forward in this so that "we can rid ourselves" of this current method of ECP appointments.
<hr />
More to follow.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522991/kl-summit-pakistan-wishes-to-be-part-of-the-solution-not-the-problem-says-awan">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522991/kl-summit-pakistan-wishes-to-be-part-of-the-solution-not-the-problem-says-awan</a>

KL Summit: 'Pakistan wishes to be part of the solution, not the problem,' says Awan

The government's chief spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said that Pakistan wishes to be "part of the solution and not p...

Army chief visits SSG headquarters, vows not to let stability be affected 'at any cost'

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Title: Army chief visits SSG headquarters, vows not to let stability be affected 'at any cost'
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Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the military's Special Services Group (SSG), a tweet by the di...

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the military's Special Services Group (SSG), a tweet by the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The visit by COAS comes a day after former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, who was from the SSG, was handed a death sentence in the high treason case.
Gen Bajwa during the visit lauded the contribution of SSG personnel towards the defence of the country.
“We have brought stability by failing all inimical forces operating against Pakistan. We shall never let it go away at any cost," the army chief was quoted as saying.
"SSG is our pride with myriad contributions towards defence of [the] country through its valiant officers and soldiers since the creation of Pakistan," Gen Bajwa added.
<figure class='media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch media--uneven media--embed'>
<div class='media__item media__item--twitter'>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" xml:lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1207284750458720256"></a></blockquote>
</div>
</figure>
A special court in Islamabad on Tuesday had awarded death sentence to Musharraf in absentia for suspending the Constitution on November 3, 2007. It marked the first time in Pakistan's history that a military chief was declared guilty of high treason and handed a death sentence. The verdict was split 2-1.
In a sharp and quick reaction to the ruling, the media wing of the armed forces had said: “The decision given by special court about General Pervez Musharraf, retired, has been received with lot of pain and anguish by rank and file of Pakistan armed forces. An ex-army chief, chairman joint chief of staff committee and President of Pakistan, who has served the country for over 40 years, fought wars for the defence of the country can surely never be a traitor.”
The statement by the DG ISPR had come after a meeting of the top military leadership was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi in the wake of the judgement, according to sources.
“The due legal process seems to have been ignored including constitution of the special court, denial of fundamental right of self-defence, undertaking individual specific proceedings and concluding the case in haste,” it had added.
The ISPR had said the armed forces expected that justice would be dispensed in line with the Constitution.
<hr />
More to follow.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522990/army-chief-visits-ssg-headquarters-vows-not-to-let-stability-be-affected-at-any-cost">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522990/army-chief-visits-ssg-headquarters-vows-not-to-let-stability-be-affected-at-any-cost</a>

Army chief visits SSG headquarters, vows not to let stability be affected 'at any cost'

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the military's Special Services Group (SSG), a tweet by the di...

US House opens session ahead of historic vote on Trump impeachment

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Title: US House opens session ahead of historic vote on Trump impeachment
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The US House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald T...

The US House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, who is poised to become the nation's third president to be impeached.
The vote on charges against the Republican president, expected to come later on Wednesday, is expected to fall along party lines in the Democratic-controlled chamber.
An enraged US President Donald Trump said he was being subjected to an "attempted coup" and a witch trial.
In an extraordinarily angry six-page letter, Trump on Tuesday told Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the Democratic-led House of Representatives, that "history will judge you harshly".
<figure class='media one-half palm--one-whole media--right'>
<div class='media__item'><img alt="A letter from President Donald Trump to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., is photographed on Tuesday, in Washington. — AP" src="https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5df9a7505b8cb.jpg" /></div>
<figcaption class="media__caption">A letter from President Donald Trump to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., is photographed on Tuesday, in Washington. — AP</figcaption>
</figure>
Referring to a famous miscarriage of justice and religious extremism in the 17th-century United States, resulting in 20 executions, Trump said he had been given less rights than "those accused in the Salem Witch Trials".
The letter came just minutes before Pelosi announced that the House would vote on Wednesday to make Trump only the third US leader ever impeached and placed on trial in the Senate.
Read | <a href="http://dawn.com/news/1522987/">Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote</a>
"The House of Representatives will exercise one of the most solemn powers granted to us by the Constitution as we vote to approve two articles of impeachment against the president of the United States," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic colleagues on Tuesday.
"During this very prayerful moment in our nation's history, we must honor our oath to support and defend our constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic," she added.
<h2 id='5dfa374782f32'>Frustration and fury</h2>
Trump is accused of attempting to force Ukraine into what would have been a damaging announcement of an unfounded probe into a main 2020 reelection rival, Joe Biden.
He is also accused of obstructing Congress by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment investigation, barring staff from testifying and holding back documentary evidence.
The two articles of impeachment are certain to pass in the House, where Democrats hold a firm majority.
That will send the case to the Senate, where a trial of Trump is expected to open in January, and his acquittal is equally expected, given the Republicans' control there.
Even with that likely outcome, Trump poured out his frustration and fury in the letter to Pelosi defending his record and attacking Democrats.
The letter, on White House paper and ending with his characteristic oversized signature in thick black pen, accused the veteran Democratic politician of "breaking your allegiance to the Constitution" and "declaring open war on American Democracy".
It repeated his claim that the entire case against him is a "hoax" and a "colossal injustice".
It said Democrats were being driven in impeachment "by your most deranged and radical representatives of the far left".
<h2 id='5dfa374782f51'>Democrats do the numbers</h2>
Pelosi dismissed the letter as "really sick". Wednesday's debate will last six hours, with a vote expected in late afternoon or evening.
With the exception of just two, the 235 Democrat members in Congress appeared poised to stand united in voting through the formal impeachment charges.
While some members from relatively conservative districts face the possibility of being voted out of office next year for their stance, they stood together under Pelosi's political wrangling.
"My military service taught me to put our country — not politics — first, and my time as a federal prosecutor taught me about the importance of the rule of law and of justice," declared Mikie Sherrill, a first-term representative from a Trump-leaning district in New Jersey.
"I will be voting in favor of the articles of impeachment."
"I know some people will be angry at my decision, but I was elected to do what is right, not politically safe," said Anthony Brindisi, another first-term Democrat, from a conservative New York constituency.
Protests in support of impeachment broke out in several cities including New York, Boston, New Orleans and Los Angeles.
Demonstrators waved signs urging Congress to "Dump Trump" and "Protect our Democracy". One sign wished fellow protesters a "merry impeachment," in reference to the approaching Christmas holiday.
<h2 id='5dfa374782f69'>Tensions in Congress</h2>
At a hearing in the House Rules Committee, which sets out the procedures for votes, senior Republican Doug Collins accused Democrats of trying to rush through the impeachment.
"There will be a day of reckoning," Collins warned. "Whatever you may gain will be short-lived."
And the top two senators butted heads over what form the trial will take.
Democrats are insisting on calling White House officials as witnesses.
Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer wants Trump's chief of staff, former national security advisor and two others to testify.
But Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who can largely set the rules, rejected this and dismissed any idea that the trial wasn't a purely political exercise.
"I think we're going to get almost an entirely partisan impeachment," he said.
"This is a political process. There is nothing judicial about it. I'm not impartial about this at all."
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522969/us-house-opens-session-ahead-of-historic-vote-on-trump-impeachment">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522969/us-house-opens-session-ahead-of-historic-vote-on-trump-impeachment</a>

US House opens session ahead of historic vote on Trump impeachment

The US House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald T...

Former PAF chief Zafar Chaudhry passes away

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Title: Former PAF chief Zafar Chaudhry passes away
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Former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief retired Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry passed away due to a cardiac arrest, the PAF announced on Wed...

Former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief retired Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry passed away due to a cardiac arrest, the PAF announced on Wednesday.
He had served as the 8th Air Force chief from March 3, 1972 to April 15, 1974. PAF Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan expressed profound grief over his demise.
Chaudhry was among the founding members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. HRCP Chairperson Dr Mehdi Hasan in a statement on Wednesday announced a reference in his memory on December 30 in Lahore.
"A committed human rights activist, he was instrumental in supporting HRCP as an independent human rights organisation in the mid-1980s, when no such body existed," Hasan said.
"The Commission is indebted to him for helping establish its secretariat in Lahore. The entire HRCP family will feel his loss keenly, in particular the friends and comrades with whom he worked so closely," it added.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522986/former-paf-chief-zafar-chaudhry-passes-away">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522986/former-paf-chief-zafar-chaudhry-passes-away</a>

Former PAF chief Zafar Chaudhry passes away

Former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief retired Air Marshal Zafar Ahmed Chaudhry passed away due to a cardiac arrest, the PAF announced on Wed...

Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote

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Title: Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote
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US President Donald Trump is facing a likely impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Only two US presidents have bee...

US President Donald Trump is facing a likely impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Only two US presidents have been impeached — Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 — although both survived a trial in the Senate that would have removed them from office.
Richard Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.
Here's what you need to know ahead of the historic House vote:
<h2 id='5dfa253a6022e'>The whistleblower</h2>
In an August 12 complaint, an unknown whistleblower in the intelligence community said Trump was “using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 US election.”
The whistleblower's complaint stemmed from a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
<h2 id='5dfa253a6024d'>The phone call</h2>
During the call, Trump asked Zelensky to “look into” his potential 2020 Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who served on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
Trump is accused of withholding $391 million in military aid for Ukraine and a White House meeting for Zelensky in exchange for a probe of the Bidens.
Trump insists he did nothing wrong but Democrats said the demand for an investigation of the Bidens constituted an abuse of power.
The White House released the transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call on September 25 following newspaper reports about the whistleblower complaint.
<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>
<h2 id='5dfa253a60266'>The Bidens</h2>
Hunter Biden served from 2014 to 2019 on the board of Burisma, which has been accused of engaging in corrupt practices.
As Barack Obama's vice president, Joe Biden and other Western leaders pressured Ukraine to get rid of its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, because he was seen as not tough enough on corruption.
Trump has claimed that Biden, in seeking the removal of Shokin, was seeking to protect his son. But that allegation has largely been debunked and there has been no evidence of illegal conduct in Ukraine by the Bidens.
<h2 id='5dfa253a6027e'>Impeachment hearings</h2>
The House Intelligence Committee interviewed more than a dozen witnesses in public and private including senior State Department and National Security Council officials.
The White House ignored House subpoenas and several requested witnesses declined to testify including former National Security Adviser John Bolton and White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Following the open hearings, the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment on December 13 accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
<h2 id='5dfa253a60294'>Opinion polls</h2>
Fifty percent of the respondents in a Fox News poll said they support impeaching and removing Trump from office. Forty-one percent opposed impeachment.
Forty-five percent of the respondents in a CNN poll said Trump should be impeached and removed while 47 percent said he should not.
<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>
<h2 id='5dfa253a602aa'>House vote</h2>
Democrats hold 233 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives to the Republican's 197 and are likely to have enough votes for impeachment, which requires only a simple majority.
No Republicans lawmakers have come out in favour of impeachment but the sole independent in the House has said he would vote in favor.
If Trump is impeached, the case will go to the Senate.
<h2 id='5dfa253a602bf'>Senate trial</h2>
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts will preside over a January trial in the Senate, where Republicans enjoy a 53-47 majority.
Representatives from the House would act as prosecutors, and the president's attorneys would present his defense.
Two-thirds of the Senate is needed to remove Trump from office and unless Republicans break ranks the president is likely to be acquitted.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522987/trump-impeachment-what-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-vote">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522987/trump-impeachment-what-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-the-vote</a>

Trump impeachment: what you need to know ahead of the vote

US President Donald Trump is facing a likely impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Only two US presidents have bee...

Police arrest muezzin over alleged sexual assault of minor boy in Muzaffargarh

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Title: Police arrest muezzin over alleged sexual assault of minor boy in Muzaffargarh
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Police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy in Muzaffargarh. A First Information Report (FIR), dated Dec...

Police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy in Muzaffargarh.
A First Information Report (FIR), dated December 17, was registered on the complaint on the victim's father at Sethpur station under Section 377 (unnatural offence) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
As per the FIR, the complainant's son went to a nearby mosque inside a shrine to study the Quran at around 6:30am. However, unusually, he returned early crying and told his father and others about the incident that had taken place.
According to the FIR, the suspect visited the mosque daily to offer prayers and is also a muezzin (who leads the call to prayer).
The report said that the suspect took the boy outside of the Tadrees-e-Quran room into the Darbar Sharif, where he allegedly assaulted him. The suspect also gave the victim Rs10 in an attempt to silence him but the victim refused and ran home.
Sethpur Station House Officer Malik Sharif Malana said that police arrested the suspect as soon as they received information of the incident and registered a case.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522984/police-arrest-muezzin-over-alleged-sexual-assault-of-minor-boy-in-muzaffargarh">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522984/police-arrest-muezzin-over-alleged-sexual-assault-of-minor-boy-in-muzaffargarh</a>

Police arrest muezzin over alleged sexual assault of minor boy in Muzaffargarh

Police arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy in Muzaffargarh. A First Information Report (FIR), dated Dec...

Indian court refuses to stop implementation of citizenship law

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Title: Indian court refuses to stop implementation of citizenship law
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India's Supreme Court turned down a plea on Wednesday to stop the implementation of a new citizenship law based on religion that has set...

India's Supreme Court turned down a plea on Wednesday to stop the implementation of a new citizenship law based on religion that has set off violent protests in the country, but said it would hold hearings next month on the sweeping measure.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) makes it easier for non-Muslims from the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who settled in India prior to 2015 to gain Indian citizenship.
Thousands of people have protested, saying the law is anti-Muslim and the latest in a series of measures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government to marginalise the community.
"We want a stay order in the CAA case," said Kapil Sibal, a lawyer for petitioners who challenged the law in court, adding it was in conflict with parts of the Indian constitution guaranteeing equality to all.
Supreme Court Chief Justice S.A. Bobde refused requests to hold off the implementation of the law, which came into effect last week. The court will, however, hear petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the law on January 22.
Modi's government says the law was intended to address the persecution of minorities such as Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in the Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Those groups, many of whom have been languishing in India for years without rights, will now get an automatic path to Indian nationality if they came from these three countries before 2015.
But protesters say the exclusion of Muslims shows a deep-seated bias against the community, which makes up 14 per cent of India's population, the third largest Muslim population in the world.
The new measure follows the revocation of the special status of occupied Kashmir, and a court ruling clearing the way for the construction of a Hindu temple on the site of a mosque razed by Hindu zealots.
On Wednesday, police fired shots in the air in a Muslim-dominated part of Delhi to push back thousands of demonstrators throwing stones and glass bottles demanding the law be withdrawn.
More protests are planned for Wednesday in Delhi.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522978/indian-court-refuses-to-stop-implementation-of-citizenship-law">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522978/indian-court-refuses-to-stop-implementation-of-citizenship-law</a>

Indian court refuses to stop implementation of citizenship law

India's Supreme Court turned down a plea on Wednesday to stop the implementation of a new citizenship law based on religion that has set...

India's Supreme Court delays hearing pleas against citizenship law

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Title: India's Supreme Court delays hearing pleas against citizenship law
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Indias Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed hearing pleas challenging the constitutionality of a new citizenship law that has sparked opposi...

Indias Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed hearing pleas challenging the constitutionality of a new citizenship law that has sparked opposition and massive protests across the country. The court said it would consider the pleas on January 22.
Protests and widespread condemnation have been growing against the Citizenship Amendment Act, with demonstrations erupting in India over the last week.
The new law applies to Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities who are in India illegally but can demonstrate religious persecution in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It does not apply to Muslims.
Critics say that the new law is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist-led government's agenda to marginalise India's 200 million Muslims and that it goes against the spirit of the country's secular constitution. Modi has defended it as a humanitarian gesture.
Its passage last week follows a contentious citizenship registry process in northeastern India's Assam state intended to weed out people who entered the country illegally.
Nearly 2 million people in Assam were excluded from the list, about half Hindu and half Muslim, and have been asked to prove their citizenship or else be considered foreign.
India is building a detention center for some of the tens of thousands of people the courts are expected to ultimately determine have entered illegally. Its passage also came as an unprecedented crackdown continues in occupied Kashmir, which was stripped of its special status in August. Since then, movement and communications have been restricted in the region.
Read: <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522576">Violence flares at Delhi university as protests continue against Indian citizenship law</a>
University students across India have been leading a campaign to have the citizenship law overturned.
On Sunday, marches by students at New Delhis Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh descended into chaos when police fired tear gas and beat unarmed protesters with wooden sticks. Scores of students were injured. Police say they acted with restraint.
The police response to the protests has drawn widespread condemnation. It also has sparked a broader movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Demonstrations have erupted across the country, with thousands rallying in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, authorities tightened security restrictions, implementing a curfew in the northeastern state of Assam, where ongoing protests have disrupted daily life in Gauhati, the state capital.
They also restricted assembly in a Muslim neighbourhood in New Delhi where demonstrators torched a police booth and several vehicles on Tuesday.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522978/indias-supreme-court-delays-hearing-pleas-against-citizenship-law">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522978/indias-supreme-court-delays-hearing-pleas-against-citizenship-law</a>

India's Supreme Court delays hearing pleas against citizenship law

Indias Supreme Court on Wednesday postponed hearing pleas challenging the constitutionality of a new citizenship law that has sparked opposi...

Muslim leaders gather in Malaysia for summit shunned by Saudi

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Title: Muslim leaders gather in Malaysia for summit shunned by Saudi
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Leaders and senior representatives from some 20 Muslim nations flocked to the Malaysian capital on Wednesday to discuss issues agitating Mus...

Leaders and senior representatives from some 20 Muslim nations flocked to the Malaysian capital on Wednesday to discuss issues agitating Muslims globally at a summit Saudi Arabia decided to snub, forcing Pakistan to duck out after first agreeing to attend.
Speaking to a group of journalists on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522790">confirmed</a> that Pakistan would not participate in the event after concerns from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Read more: <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522854/pakistan-skips-malaysia-moot-to-avert-division-in-ummah">Pakistan skips Malaysia moot to ‘avert division in Ummah’</a>
No agenda for the Kuala Lumpur Summit has been released, but it could address age-old disputes in Kashmir and the Middle East, the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority, and mounting outrage over China's camps for Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang — a subject that will doubtless upset Beijing — as well as how to counter the spread of Islamophobia in the world.
Two of the world's most outspoken leaders, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan will be giving their views during the four-day summit, which begins with a welcome dinner on Wednesday and wraps up on Saturday.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamid Al-Thani, whose countries have tense relations with Saudi Arabia, are also attending.
Explaining its decision to stay away, Saudi Arabia said the summit was the wrong forum for matters of importance to the world's 1.75 billion Muslims, though some analysts suspected the Kingdom feared being diplomatically isolated by regional rivals Iran, Qatar and Turkey.
Saudi state news agency SPA reported that on a call with Mahathir on Tuesday, Saudi King Salman reaffirmed that such issues should be discussed through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
A Saudi source said Saudi Arabia was invited but would only attend if the meeting was held under the auspices of the OIC.
“They are very concerned about it,” the source said of the summit, declining to be named as he was not authorised to talk to media.
The Saudi government's centre for international communication did not respond to a request for comment.
The absence of Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, whose king also holds the title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madina, demonstrates some of the divisions in the Muslim world.
“The issue is that you've got blocs,” said James Dorsey, a senior fellow at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies and Middle East Institute in Singapore.
“You've got a Saudi-UAE bloc, Turkey-Qatari bloc, and Pakistan in the middle trying to hedge their bets.”
Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, would be represented by Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, a cleric overseeing the country's fight against radicalisation and terrorism.
Even as delegations were arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian officials were unable to provide a final list of who would be attending. Mahathir's office said that invitations had been sent to all 56 OIC member states, but officials said only about 20 were sending delegations, and fewer would be led by heads of state.
Defending the summit, Mahathir's office issued a statement saying there was no intention to create a “new bloc as alluded to by some of its critics”.
“In addition, the Summit is not a platform to discuss religion or religious affairs but specifically to address the state of affairs of the Muslim Ummah,” it said.
Speaking to Reuters last week, Mahathir expressed frustration with the OIC's inability to forge a united front and act decisively.
During that interview, the Malaysian leader also raised the possibility that the alleged mistreatment of Muslim Uighurs in China's Xinjiang would be discussed.
Beijing describes the camps where Uighur Muslims are being held as “vocational training centres”, while critics say they are mass internment camps.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522976/muslim-leaders-gather-in-malaysia-for-summit-shunned-by-saudi">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522976/muslim-leaders-gather-in-malaysia-for-summit-shunned-by-saudi</a>

Muslim leaders gather in Malaysia for summit shunned by Saudi

Leaders and senior representatives from some 20 Muslim nations flocked to the Malaysian capital on Wednesday to discuss issues agitating Mus...

US, India look to bolster ties as rights worries emerge

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Title: US, India look to bolster ties as rights worries emerge
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The United States and India meet on Wednesday in their latest bid to ramp up defence and political ties, but concerns over minority rights i...

The United States and India meet on Wednesday in their latest bid to ramp up defence and political ties, but concerns over minority rights in the south Asian giant could mar the celebratory mood.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper will hold a day of talks in Washington with their counterparts from India, one of only three countries to enjoy annual so-called "2+2" talks with the United States — a format meant to encourage deep, strategic relations.
The talks come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bolstered by a convincing election win earlier this year, increasingly looks to solidify ties between the world's two largest democracies.
But India has been facing significant criticism for the first time since the Cold War rivals began building relations two decades ago as Modi pushes ahead with his Hindu nationalist agenda.
"We are working together more closely than many thought possible only a few years ago," said Alice Wells, the top US diplomat for South Asia.
The United States will seek ways with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to boost cooperation on peacekeeping, judicial training, space and science, Wells said.
The 2+2 talks — the second such meeting after last year's inaugural edition in New Delhi — is also expected to showcase India's growing defense purchases from the United States.
The two sides could formally sign a deal for India to spend more than $2 billion for 24 Romeo helicopters, which are designed to knock out submarines and ships.
The talks reflect "what has been a very strong bipartisan consensus of successive administrations on the importance of this strategic partnership," Wells said.
<h2 id='5df9c16bdb947'>Unrest in India</h2>
India has nevertheless come under the microscope in Washington in recent months.
At least six people have died in major protests in the country over a citizenship law promoted by Modi that fast-tracks citizenship only to non-Muslims from neighbouring countries.
Modi says the measure is meant to protect persecuted minorities, but critics see it as part of a masterplan to define India as a Hindu nation and move away from its secular foundations.
India will likely watch closely whether and how vocally the United States raises the issue at a joint news conference.
The State Department has urged New Delhi to "protect the rights of its religious minorities in keeping with India's constitution and democratic values".
But observers in both countries say that the US administration is in an awkward position to raise concerns, considering President Donald Trump himself has called for the exclusion of Muslims and cast Mexican immigrants as criminals.
Criticism has been harsher from other parts of the US government, especially the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has called for the consideration of sanctions on Indian Home Minister Amit Shah over the new law.
The US Congress is also considering a bill that would press India to end all communications restrictions in occupied Kashmir and release hundreds taken into detention after Modi in August stripped Kashmiris of the special autonomy they had for seven decades by repealing Article 370 of the constitution.
While not triggering the same kinds of street protests, trade has also emerged as a sticking point in relations.
The nationalist-minded Trump earlier this year removed India from a trade preference pact under which it exported $5.6 billion in goods in 2017 — unwelcome news for Delhi as economic growth slows down.
The United States and India could also see frank exchanges on Afghanistan, from which Trump is hoping to pull out thousands of troops and end America's longest war through negotiations with the Taliban.
India is one of the most enthusiastic backers of Afghanistan's internationally recognised government and has contributed $3 billion since 2001.
But the talks on the whole may also be overshadowed. As the four ministers meet, the House of Representatives is expected to vote to impeach Trump
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522972/us-india-look-to-bolster-ties-as-rights-worries-emerge">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522972/us-india-look-to-bolster-ties-as-rights-worries-emerge</a>

US, India look to bolster ties as rights worries emerge

The United States and India meet on Wednesday in their latest bid to ramp up defence and political ties, but concerns over minority rights i...

Two policemen on polio duty gunned down in Lower Dir

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Title: Two policemen on polio duty gunned down in Lower Dir
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Two policemen, deployed on a security detail for polio teams, were martyred after unidentified assailants opened fire at them in Lower Dir, ...

Two policemen, deployed on a security detail for polio teams, were martyred after unidentified assailants opened fire at them in Lower Dir, police confirmed on Wednesday.
Lower Dir DSP Saeedur Rehman said the incident took place in Maidan area of the city. "The policemen were on their way to a basic health unit when they were targeted," he added. No officials from the polio vaccination team were hurt as they were at a distance from the firing, Rehman said.
He said a search operation had begun to find those responsible for the deaths. "According to initial reports, the suspects managed to escape from the scene," he added.
<h2 id='5df9c0ffcaa59'>Polio campaign under way</h2>
Wednesday marks the third day of the five-day <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522156">polio campaign</a> currently underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Around 22,925 teams have been constituted to vaccinate 6.75 million children below the age of five. The campaign is focused on reaching and vaccinating every child in order to stop the transmission of the virus as well as its outbreak in the region.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522973/two-policemen-on-polio-duty-gunned-down-in-lower-dir">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522973/two-policemen-on-polio-duty-gunned-down-in-lower-dir</a>

Two policemen on polio duty gunned down in Lower Dir

Two policemen, deployed on a security detail for polio teams, were martyred after unidentified assailants opened fire at them in Lower Dir, ...

No one above law, says Amnesty on Musharraf’s conviction

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Title: No one above law, says Amnesty on Musharraf’s conviction
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WASHINGTON: Amnesty International, a leading campaigner for human rights, said on Tuesday that Pakistan’s judgement against former military...

WASHINGTON: Amnesty International, a leading campaigner for human rights, said on Tuesday that Pakistan’s judgement against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf proved that no one was above the law but strongly opposed the death sentence.
Earlier in the day, Gen Musharraf was <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522774/former-military-dictator-musharraf-handed-death-sentence-in-high-treason-case">convicted</a> of ‘high treason’ and sentenced to death for suspending the Constitution when he imposed a state of emergency in November 2007.
Responding to the conviction Amnesty International’s Deputy South Asia Director, Omar Waraich, said: “No one is above the law, and it is encouraging to see Pakistan break with a history of impunity for powerful generals. At the same time, it is crucial that he receives a fair trial without recourse to the death penalty.”
Amnesty has been campaigning for decades for the abolition of death penalty.
“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment; it metes out vengeance, not justice,” said Mr Waraich while explaining the group’s position on this issue.
Amnesty, however, demanded that Gen Musharraf and the government he led must be held to account for all human rights violations committed during their time in office, not just a select few.
The <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/12/musharraf-must-face-accountability-for-all-crimes/">statement</a> also listed the violations that the Musharraf government committed while in power. “It includes extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detentions, deaths in custody, unlawful killings and other serious human rights violations committed against the political opposition, human rights defenders, members of civil society and suspected members of armed groups,” the group said.
During Gen Musharraf’s nearly nine-year rule, Amnesty International documented widespread human rights violations conducted by his government, including the killing, enforced disappearances and torture of members of armed groups, political activists and human rights defenders.
Rimmel Mohydin, a campaigner for Amnesty International, said that while Gen Musharraf “deserve(d) punishment” and has “committed many, many crimes”, awarding of a death penalty was “wrong”.
Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2019
 
 
source <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1522833/no-one-above-law-says-amnesty-on-musharrafs-conviction">https://www.dawn.com/news/1522833/no-one-above-law-says-amnesty-on-musharrafs-conviction</a>

No one above law, says Amnesty on Musharraf’s conviction

WASHINGTON: Amnesty International, a leading campaigner for human rights, said on Tuesday that Pakistan’s judgement against former military...

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