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WEEKLY
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| Government issues list of 8,041 names |
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
NRO beneficiaries exposed
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: With the release of the first ever official list of those accused of robbing the masses blind, of killing and torturing adversaries, the ugly truth of abuse of power has a face. Eight thousand and forty one faces to be precise. On Saturday, Minister of State for Law, Afzal Sindhu released the official list of the 8041 beneficiaries of the shameless law called the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
Sindhu released the list of NRO beneficiaries including 248 politicians at a crowded press conference here. The highest number of NRO beneficiaries belong to the province of Sindh as 7,793 people have benefited from the ordinance there.
The prominent figures in the list are: President Asif Ali Zardari, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Ambassador to United States Husain Haqqani, Ambassador to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Salman Faruqui, AR Siddiqui, Haji Nawaz Khokhar, Anwar Saifullah, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Jehangir Badr, Rana Nazir, Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, Tariq Anis, Sardar Maqsood Leghari, Agha Siraj Durrani, Mushtaq Awan, Usman Faruqui, Brig Aslam Hayat and Brig Imtiaz.
Afzal Sindhu said persons who had been benefiting from NRO’s Article-2 in Sindh and in lieu of the Review Board, included MQM chief Altaf Hussain, Babar Ghauri, Ishratul Ebad Khan, Dr Imran Farooq, Nouman Sehgal, Dr Farooq Sattar, Saleem Shehzad, Kanwar Khalid Younis, and Safdar Baqri.
He said in Sindh, 7,793 people benefited from the ordinance. Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Saeed Mehdi, is also among the NRO beneficiaries.
Likewise, he said political figures from the NWFP who benefited from the ordinance included former NWFP chief minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Ghaniur Rehman, former provincial minister Haji Gul Sher Khan and former senator Habibullah Kundi.
“Similarly from Balochistan, Mir Baz Khan Khaitran also benefited from the ordinance. There were two cases against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, but he has been acquitted in both cases. The name of his wife is not on the list,” he added.
The minister said many corruption cases were pending for decades. “Only one case was decided, after which three judges had to resign,” he added.
In reply to a question, he said NRO was brought to the Parliament on the orders of the Supreme Court, adding his party had always accepted court verdicts.
He said cases filed against the PPP leaders by the NAB during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif were totally based on political victimisation.
When asked that cases were also registered when Farooq Leghari was the president of Pakistan, he said he (Farooq) faced the repercussion as well.
“Despite being an elected MNA, Farooq Leghari even cannot dare to attend the session of the Parliament,” Sindhu added.
He said under Article 248 of the constitution, the president enjoyed immunity and no criminal case could be filed against him. “The president is the symbol of the federation and should be given the status of the president as well,” he added.
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Three killed as Sh Rashid escapes attempt on life
By Shakeel Anjum
RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief and a candidate for NA-55 (Rawalpindi) by-election Sheikh Rashid Ahmad was wounded, while three people — a guard and two party workers — were killed when four gunmen more |
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12 soldiers killed in South Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Twelve soldiers embraced martyrdom while two others were injured in a clash with militants during the ongoing operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency (SWA), the ISPR said on Monday.
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Plan to attack five-star hotel foiled
By our correspondent
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Addressing a press conference, SS more |
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Govt taking court for a ride
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Pakistan against arms race: Gilani
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KARACHI: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said Pakistan does not want to be engaged in an arms race with any country.
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Punjab-Sindh water row Centre’s intervention sought
By our correspondent
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The Punjab has sai more |
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French, Dutch fight over giving LNG to Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin and his team is all set to thwart the attempt of an unscrupulous combine of oil industry heavyweights and some functionaries of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Re more |
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Nine killed as no let-up in rains
By Nisar Mahmood
PESHAWAR: Nine people were killed and scores of others injured as heavy rains and snowfall lashed various parts of the country for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.
Reports from the Shangla district more |
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Malik orders NUML closure as protest enters 5ht day
ISLAMABAD: The protest of the students of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) against thrashing of Professor Malik Tahir by Registrar Brigadier (R) Obaidullah Ranjha entered its fifth consecutive more |
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Malik insists no Blackwater in Pakistan
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik while responding to an accusation from a PML-N parliamentarian told the National Assembly that Blackwater was not providing security to the president and the prime mini more |
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FBR gets list of properties rented out to foreigners
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ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received list of properties from Foreign Office, which were in use of foreigners in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore, but these were not shown in annual tax more |
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Repealing of 17th Amendment
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The prime minis more |
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Three suspects held in Mohmand
By our correspondent
GHALLANAI: The security forces arrested three suspected persons during search operation in Safi subdivision of Mohmand Agency, official sources said Monday. The sources said the security forces carried out sear more |
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No presence of Blackwater, DynCorp in Pakistan, NA body told
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Govt urged to take up water issue with India
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat while urging the government to take up the issue of ‘water terrorism’ with New Delhi, has question more |
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Avalanche kills 17 Indian soldiers in held Kashmir
HELD SRINAGAR: Seventeen Indian soldiers were killed on Monday in an avalanche that slammed into a group of 70 combat troops at a high-altitude warfare training camp in Kashmir, the army said on Monday.
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Taliban defiant as Afghans flee ahead of assault
KANDAHAR: The Nato commanders urged the Taliban to surrender as troops dug in on Monday for a major assault on their key stronghold in southern Afghanistan, sending thousands of residents fleeing.
The Ta more |
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Plea to freeze foreign accounts
By our correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered the federal government to submit a reply within four weeks on a petition seeking freezing of accounts in foreign banks and recovery of illegal assets accumu more |
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Attack on Sh Rashid
RAWALPINDI: The PML-N candidate for by-polls from NA-55, Malik Shakil Awan, has announced suspension of electioneering for a day to mourn the death of those killed in the attack on the office of his rival, Shei more |
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Indian forces to halt Kashmir rally outside UN office
HELD SRINAGAR: The held Kashmir authorities deployed thousands of police and troops on Monday to prevent a protest outside the UN office here over the recent killing of two teenage boys by Indian security force more |
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briefs...
20 die in Afghan floods, avalanches
KANDAHAR: Twenty people have died in floods and avalanches triggered by some of the heaviest rain and snow in Afghanistan for 50 years, an official said on Monday. At more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
