PML-N moves privilege motion against Zardari

Islamabad, Sep 16 (ANI): The Pakistan Muslim League-N has moved a privilege motion in the National Assembly (NA) against the statement of President Asif Ali Zardari on giving the safe passage to the former president Pervez Musharraf.

The motion signed by 91 MNAs has been brought by Hanif Abbasi, Dr. Tariq Fazal and Anjum Aqeel, the NA Members of the PML-N.

It may be recalled that opposition leader in NA, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had announced to move a motion against Zardari the previous day, and demanded Zardari to present all the aspects of the deal – regarding Pervez Musharraf – in front of the nation and Parliament.

Earlier in the day, contradicting media reports over indemnity being granted to Musharraf, Zardari’s spokesman has said that there have been no negotiations with the so-called international guarantors to give indemnity to the former president.

In a statement, Farhatullah Babar said the President Zardari in an informal talk on Monday with reporters had remarked that national political leaders and parties had held negotiations among themselves to chase Musharraf out of office and restore Presidency to the democratic forces.

In the talk with journalists there was no mention of negotiations with the so-called national or international guarantors to give immunity to Musharraf subsequent to his exit, he said.

Zardari’s remarks of negotiations among national political parties to strategise the sacking of Musharraf have unfortunately been distorted and misrepresented as talks with so called guarantors for indemnity to Musharraf, Dawn quoted Babar, as saying.

He said no one denied the holding of negotiations among national political parties to drive Musharraf out of office.

Babar said it was the result of these negotiations that the national parliament and all provincial assemblies adopted resolutions calling upon Musharraf to quit.

It was also the result of these negotiations that the parties joined hands in preparing a comprehensive and historic charge sheet to impeach Musharraf in case he refused to quit, he said.

There was nothing new in Zardari’s remarks about negotiations among political parties to force Musharraf out of office, except for the distortion and spin now given to it, Babar added.

Babar said the noise and din raised over the alleged remarks wrongly attributed to the President is part of the campaign to discredit Zardari for anything and everything that goes wrong. (ANI)

UN strongly warns Lanka over continued holding of civilians in refugee camps

London, Sep 12 (ANI): The United Nations has strongly warned Sri Lanka that the world body cannot continue funding indefinitely the huge refugee camps in the north of the country, and asked the authorities to allow the hundreds of Tamil civilians to leave.

The senior UN official in the country hardened their stand when they said the camps should be a last resort for civilians with nowhere else to go.

Sri Lanka faces increasing international criticism over its treatment of the estimated 300,000 civilians held in camps, with the EU poised to cancel a trade concession worth one billion dollars to the government, The Independent reports.

Humanitarian aid groups have complained that conditions in the vast Menik Farms camp, where most people remain behind razor wire are still inadequate four months after the decades-long civil war ended.

“Nothing has changed over the past three months for the people in the camps. They are overcrowded, with poor sanitary conditions and inadequate health care. There are concerns about what may happen when the monsoon rains arrive in the next couple of months,” the UK-based Catholic Fund for Overseas Development said on Friday.

The UN’s senior official in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, told the BBC: “The best solution is, obviously, that as many people leave as soon as possible; and, for the people who have no place else to go, that the site can become an open one.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also said that he intends to speak directly to Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to protest against the decision to expel the spokesman for Unicef, accused by the government of acting as “propagandist” for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

He will also raise the issue of two UN workers in the Tamil-dominated north arrested in June. (ANI)

Holding of elections in Afghanistan important for both Pakistan, US: Expert

Washington, Aug.21 (ANI): An expert on South and Central Asia has welcomed the holding of the second presidential elections in Afghanistan, saying it is an important sign-if not of progress, not only for Afghanistan, but also for Pakistan and the United States.

According to Daniel Markey of the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), in the near term, interested parties can hope for less disruption and propaganda, some changes in terms of political leadership that will ultimately work well.

Markey, a Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, further says during an interview with the CFR web site, that the August 20 presidential elections in Afghanistan is a crucial step forward in what U.S. President Barack Obama has dubbed a “war of necessity.”

He says that as far as Pakistan is concerned, it would like a friendly government in Kabul that allows Islamabad to project its influence in Afghanistan.

Markey also says Pakistanis tend to see incumbent President Hamid Karzai as the best option “simply because he’s a known quantity.”

In so far as to what is at stake for Pakistan, he says Islamabad’s concern has to do with basic political and military stability in Afghanistan.

“From a Pakistan perspective, an Afghanistan that returns to deep instability as it has in the past, specifically in the 1990s, would be a cause for concern for Pakistan because it would probably bring greater instability inside Pakistan. An election that works and yields a legitimate government of some kind are basic interests from a Pakistan perspective,” he says.

However, he said, Pakistan is preoccupied with its own politics and security situation, both of which have been precarious in recent years.

“For many Pakistanis, the Afghan election is a bit of a sideshow and much less relevant or exciting than it was the last time around,” he says.

He also said that for the US, the elections in Afghanistan are very significant because the United States, the international community, and to some degree a significant proportion of the Afghan people have staked a bet on the idea that a new democratic Afghanistan is a project worth pursuing. (ANI)

Outcry after college bans Muslim girl from wearing a veil in Mangalore

Mangalore, Aug 21 (ANI): College students of various colleges under the banner of the Dakhina Kannada Students Federation (DKSF) held a protest march here against a city college after it barred a Muslim girl from attending classes for wearing a burqa (veil).

Seventeen-year-old Aysha Asmin, a first year B. Com student of Sri Venkataramana Swamy College, Bantwal, was allegedly prevented by the college authorities from entering college campus wearing a burqa.

Holding placards and raising slogans, the students demanded action against the college authorities.

“We want justice. It means we don’t want to do any inequality in the campus. We want equality. But we want to follow our fundamental rights,” said Ruksana, president, Girls Islamic Organisation.

Seetharama Mayya, Principal, Sri Venkataramana Swamy College, said that Asmin can continue with her studies in the college but she has to abide by the rules of the college.

“She can remain in the college. She can continue her education, provided she abides our rules and regulations. Except classes…They can come with their dress, with their burqa in the college and they can keep it in the ladies room and while going back they can wear it again. That’s our tradition. That has been happening for several years,” said Mayya.

Meanwhile, the college is contemplating a dress code for students at the campus. (ANI)

Shanghai firm rolls out antiviral drug to combat swine flu

Shanghai, June 27 (ANI): A pharmaceutical company in Shanghai has rolled out the first batch of antiviral drugs to combat Influenza A (H1N1) virus, which is responsible for the swine flu pandemic around the world.

The Shanghai Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. Ltd. has manufactured 256,000 Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules, after all the quality tests required were passed.

“The antiviral drug, or the Chinese version of Tamiflu by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding, was first produced in 2005 to cope with the bird flu outbreak with the authorization of Roche,” said Xinhua quoted Wu Jianwen, president of Shanghai Pharmaceutical, as saying.

The Shanghai Pharmaceutical had closed down production of Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules in 2007, however, following a call from the central government to combat the A(H1N1) flu, it resumed production of the pill in April 2009.

“Currently, we’ll be able to turn out 2 million pills per month, and we can expand the output capacity in the future if the flu epidemic shows new changes,” said Wu Jianwen.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Health, China has at least 570 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) flu, but no fatalities have been reported.

Meanwhile, China has also set up laboratory tests on the country’s first developed A(H1N1) flu vaccine, with the help of the seed virus that they have received from a World Health Organization (WHO) lab.

The vaccine will undergo a 14 day safety tests in labs and two-month of clinical tests from July. Subsequently, it is expected to be available in markets in September. (ANI)

Cricket South Africa CEO lauds success of IPL-Two

Johannesburg, May 26 (ANI): Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola has declared the DLF Indian Premier League a resounding success, saying all parties should feel proud of the collective effort that saw the IPL moved from India to South Africa at short notice.

Speaking after the Deccan Chargers beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs in the final at the Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium on Sunday night, Majola said: “CSA’s main reason for taking on the challenge of hosting the IPL was to assist an ICC member country who had problems hosting a major tournament for reasons beyond its control.

“We knew that CSA had the climate, facilities, know-how and a cricket-loving public to back up the successful hosting of this second IPL tournament even at this short notice. To see it all come together with a full house at the Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium for the final was incredible.”

“Before our national elections last month, South Africa was experiencing a lot of doom and gloom politically and economically, and the IPL tournament lifted spirits enormously. Our tourist industry also got an extra bite of the cherry against the negative world travel trend. CSA must add its warmest gratitude to the South African Government which gave its wholehearted support to CSA hosting this prestigious tournament right from the start.”

“This endorsement made a big difference between us getting the final nod from the BCCI and the IPL organisers to host the tournament. The Government effort throughout was superb, right from the Presidency to every level of support service that was needed to make this such a huge success.

“It also showed the world that South Africa was ready and able to do a great job in hosting FIFA’s two most important events: the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“We also think it had a positive impact on the holding of India’s month-long and peaceful elections on a sub-continent fraught with internecine strife.

“The tournament also heightened interest in cricket worldwide. Certainly, at home it added even more value to cricket following the Proteas’ most successful season and the eventful tours in and out of Australia.

“It has given a number of young South African cricketers a chance to play top level cricket against, and with, many of the world’s greatest stars. This will give them huge confidence going into the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 in England.

“Finally, the 2009 IPL has re-confirmed South Africa as a wonderful host to major sporting events, and a home for the world’s rainbow cultures. It has also brought in unexpected and very welcome funds for the further development of South African cricket, mainly in previously disadvantaged communities.

“Internationally, it has changed the landscape of world cricket.

Properly handled, the IPL concept will bring about the real globalization of the sport for the first time. This should enable the longer forms of cricket to prosper, but only if they are made to be publicly attractive in the 21st century and beyond, Majola concluded.” (ANI)

Tibetans in-exile stage anti-Chinese demonstration in Shimla

Shimla, May 24 (ANI): Tibetans living-in-exile in Shimla held an anti-Chinese demonstration on Saturday, denouncing violence by the Chinese administration in their homeland.

Hundreds of Tibetans gathered to participate in the protest march, which also marked the 58th anniversary of 17-point agreement that was forcefully imposed by Chinese authorities on them in 1951.

Holding their national flags and banners, the Tibetans marched through the streets of Shimla, raising slogans against the Chinese authorities and also seeking the support of United Nation and the international community.

Passang, President of Tibetan Youth Congress hoped that India would continue to support the Tibetan cause.

“They (The Indian government) has extended their support for the cause of our freedom in the last fifty years and we are hopeful that they will continue doing so in the years to come,” said Passang, President, Tibetan Youth Congress.

Apart from scores of locals, several foreigners also joined the rally to show their solidarity with the Tibetans.

Jay, a tourist from United Kingdom said that if everyone unites, then the hinese government would be forced to free Tibet.

“There are so many of us. If we do unite and make our voice known they (the Chinese) will have to be forced to do something about it (Tibetans’ woes). If we pretend that we can’t do anything about it then nothing will be done,” said Jay, a tourist from England. (ANI)

Brit, Canadian Tamils vow to sustain Ealam struggle

London/Ottawa, May 22 (ANI): Large Tamil communities in Britain and Canada have vowed to continue the struggle for Tamil self-determination rights in Sri Lanka following the death of LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

Holding portraits of Prabhakaran, who was killed by Sri Lankan army soldiers earlier this week, the Tamil diaspora in these two countries are mobilizing to play a part in what leaders describe as a new phase in their struggle for an independent homeland.

According to The Telegraph, following the military defeat of the Tamil Tigers, the talk now is of employing democratic means to address Tamil concerns.

The paper says this goal could be tested, however, by a growing number of young expatriate Tamils who have become radicalized by the oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Like others around the world, British Tamils say their priority is the welfare of tens of thousands of refugees.

British Tamils have always donated generously to Tamil charities, but not without controversy.

Suren Surendiran, a spokesman for the British Tamils Forum, an umbrella organization, says that in the longer term, the events of recent weeks have radicalized the younger generation of Tamils abroad.

“The first phase of the fight for freedom, from 1948 to 1983, was about political negotiations,” he said.

“Then, the armed struggle from 1983 until last week ensured that the oppression and discrimination of Tamil people was highlighted on an international stage, Surendiran said, adding that in the third phase, Tamil diaspora will pursue their goal through political and democratic channels, the ultimate goal being a Tamil homeland in some form.
Young second-generation Tamils have been the driving force behind a largely peaceful occupation of Parliament Square, in front of the House of Commons, although protesters have clashed with police when hundreds of demonstrators attempted to block traffic during peaks in the recent fighting in Sri Lanka.

Across the Atlantic in Canada, home to the world’s largest Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, community leaders are holding up Quebec as a path for resolving Sri Lanka’s ethnic problem.

“This model of autonomy could work for us,” says Ramani Balendra, an ethnic Tamil from Sri Lanka who is a member of the Tamil Action Committee that has been organizing protests in recent weeks.

Sympathy for the Sri Lankan Tamil struggle has in fact been highest among Quebec’s nationalist intellectuals, according to Narendra Balasubramanian, an associate professor of political science at McGill University who has been studying the conflict.

“The Quebec nationalists feel an affinity with Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism,” he says.

Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon earlier this week said Canada was prepared to assist Sri Lankan efforts to “find political reconciliation and a lasting peace.”

Professor Balasubramanian, however, says Canada’s role will be limited to humanitarian assistance, and perhaps monitoring. (ANI)

Anti-Terrorism Day being observed today

New Delhi, ay 21 (ANI): The Anti-Terrorism Day is being observed throughout the country today.

It was on this day in 1991 that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi fell to the designs of terrorists.

The day is observed to generate awareness in the country among all sections of people, about the danger of terrorism, violence and its dangerous effect on the people, the society and the country as a whole.

The objective behind the observance of the day is to wean away the youth from the terrorist/violence cult by highlighting the suffering of the common people and showing how it is prejudicial to the national interest.

These objectives are aimed to be achieved by organizing debates/discussions in schools, colleges and universities; holding of symposia or seminars, lectures on the dangers of terrorism and violence and a determined and sustained drive to bring about a mass awakening against terrorism and violence.

Voluntary organizations, social and cultural bodies organize their own programmes through lectures, talks, discussions, musical and recitation programmes and cultural functions.

Mass education programmes are held to highlight the ill effects of violence and terrorism. Anti-terrorism/anti-violence pledge will be taken in all Government offices, public sector undertakings and other public institutions. (ANI)

Anti-Terrorism Day to be observed tomorrow

New Delhi, May 20 (ANI): The Anti-Terrorism Day will be observed throughout the country tomorrow.

It was on this day in 1991 that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi fell to the designs of terrorists.

Anti-terrorism or anti-violence pledge will be taken in all the government offices, public sector undertakings and other public institutions.

The Day is observed to generate awareness in the country among all sections of people, about the danger of terrorism, violence and its dangerous effect on the people, the society and the country as a whole.

The objective behind the observance of the day is to wean away the youth from terrorism or violence by highlighting the suffering of the common people and showing how it is prejudicial to the national interest.

These objectives are aimed to be achieved by organizing debates or discussions in schools, colleges and universities; holding of symposia or seminars, lectures, on the dangers of terrorism and violence and a determined and sustained drive to bring about mass awakening against terrorism and violence.

Voluntary organizations, social and cultural bodies should organize their own programmes through lectures, talks, discussions, musical and recitation programmes and cultural functions.

Mass education programmes should held to highlight the ill effects of violence and terrorism. (ANI)

Tibetan exiles protest against Panchen Lama’s detention

New Delhi, May 17 (ANI): The Regional Tibetan Women Association (RTWA) organised a peaceful protest march here on Sunday for the detention of eleventh Panchen Lama, who they allege has been held captive by China.

The eleventh Panchen Lama, also known as Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, is said to be under detention for the past 13 years.

Holding banners and raising slogans against the Chinese government, the protestors asked China to furnish verifiable information about the young Panchen Lama.

“We appeal to the United Nations (UN) and the World Human Right Organisation (WHRO) to pressurise the Chinese leaders to confirm the whereabouts of eleventh Panchen Lama. We also appeal to our international supporters, peace loving countries, NGOs and individuals to take up our cause at all levels to ensure early restoration of human rights in Tibet,” said Rinzing Ongmu, RTWA President.

Born on April 25, 1989, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was named by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as the eleventh Panchen Lama on 14 May, 1995, when he was aged six years.

However, three days later, on May 17, he and his parents were reportedly missing.

On May, 15, 1996, the Chinese government admitted to holding the eleventh Panchen Lama and his parents in their ‘protective custody’.

Over the years, China has provided conflicting reports about the whereabouts and well being of the Panchen Lama, ranging from rumours of his death towards the late 1999 to a set of photos that Chinese officials displayed briefly, but did not hand over to European human rights activists.

Reportedly, the photos showed the young Gedhun Choekyi Nyima playing table-tennis and writing Chinese characters on a blackboard.

In 2001, the International Campaign for Tibet obtained a new photo purporting to be of 12-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. However, nothing is known of the authenticity of the photograph.

Lately, China claimed that the Panchen Lama is attending school and leading a normal life somewhere in China, and that his whereabouts are kept undisclosed to protect him, but all requests for access to Gedhun Choekyi Nyima have been repeatedly refused so far.

Tibetan Government-in-exile based at Dharamsala in India claims that the young Panchen Lama and his family continue to be political prisoners, and have called him the ‘youngest political prisoner in the world’ while a few others have named him as ‘The Stolen Child of Tibet’. (ANI)

Protests in Kashmir over atrocities against Sikhs in Pakistan

Poonch (J-K), May 15 (ANI): Hundreds of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim devotees took out a protest march in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district against the excesses of the Taliban in Pakistan and urged the international community to take note of it.

Holding placards and raising slogans against Taliban, the protesters hit the streets and blocked traffic near Gurdwara Singh Sabha.

“A protest was taken out by the members and leaders of all religious communities here against the barbaric acts of Taliban in Swat valley. All have condemned the atrocities, ” said Narendra Singh, President, Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee.

The protestors said the Indian government along with the international community should view the situation as a serious infringement on human rights by the Taliban.

Thousands of people, including many from the minority Sikh community, have fled Pakistan’s Swat Valley, as government troops battle Taliban fighters after a February peace pact to end violence in the valley collapsed.

Indian Sikhs say the government in Pakistan was doing little to protect the lives of Sikhs.

Reportedly, the Taliban outfits demolished at least 11 houses belonging to the Sikh community in the Orakzai Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan after they refused to pay ‘Jazia’.

‘Jazia’ was a tax imposed on non-Muslims for their protection that prevailed during the Mughal era. (ANI)

Srinagar police seize five kilograms of explosives

Srinagar, May 6 (ANI): Police seized five kilograms of explosives in Srinagar on Wednesday, a day before citizens of the area cast their votes during the fourth phase of general elctions.

Police sources said the explosives were retrieved from a gas cylinder lodged inside a stationary van on one of the city’s streets.

The recovery of the explosives came even as the city observed a shutdown in protest against the holding of polls.

Security forces patrolled streets to prevent untoward incidents ahead of the polls. (ANI)

Agitated Sikhs burn effigy of Taliban in Amritsar

Amritsar, May 1 (ANI): Activists of various Sikh organizations burnt an effigy of the Taliban here on Friday to express their anguish and protest against the barbarism being meted out to Sikhs in Pakistan’s North West Front Povince (NWFP).

Holding placards, the protestors shouted slogans against Taliban and the Pakistan Government.

They demanded that Dr. Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government should intervene in the matter and ensure the security and safety of the monitories living in Pakistan.

While condemning the Taliban, Jaswinder Singh Advocate, a member Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), said that the SGPC has always taken care of the interests of the Sikh community.

We have already conveyed our concern to the authorities in India, he added.

Harnam Singh Dhooma, the head of the Damdami Taksal warned the Taliban that the Sikh community is a peace loving community and always respects all communities and religions, but if anyone hurt their sentiments, they could expect a befitting reply.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) has appealed to Manmohan Singh to ask the Government of Pakistan to protect its Sikh minorities against the fiendishness of Talibans.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makar, in a letter to Dr. Manmohan Singh, requested that the Government of India to ask the Government of Pakistan to protect the Sikhs from the Taliban.

Dr. Pritpal Singh, the convener of the American Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (AGPC), said over phone that they have conveyed their concern to the US State Department and urged them to get an assurance from the Pakistan for the safety of the Sikhs. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)

Rihanna wants $1m borrowed jewellery back from cops

Washington, April 25 (ANI): Rihanna wants LAPD to return the nearly million-dollar worth jewellery taken into evidence for investigation in her alleged beating case.

The singer, who was allegedly punched, choked, and bitten by her former boyfriend Chris Brown before the Grammy’s, had borrowed the expensive accessories from four jewellers, who now want it back.

The R and B lady was said to have been trying to recover the bling from the officials since late March.

“Since there appears to be no evidentiary value to the continued holding of this jewelry … we respectfully [ask] the court to order the return of this property to [Rihanna] without further delay,” People magazine quoted her attorney Donald Etra as writing in a court request filed earlier this week.

“If the DA doesn’t need the items, and the LAPD doesn’t need the items, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be returned,” Etra added.

Etra further said that the owners of the items would hold the 21-year-old responsible if the items were not returned and the total cost and damages for their late return could run up to more than 1.4 million dollars.

LAPD refused to comment and as per the court papers, there is yet to be a response for the requests of the jewellery’s return.

DA spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said: “At this stage, we’re not even sure what evidence is going to be entered into the case. For now, we don’t have any further comment on this matter.”

Meanwhile, Brown, who pleaded not guilty to two felony counts, is due to return to the court on April 29. (ANI)

Nawaz party sets ‘precedent’, to support government from opposition

Islamabad, April 16 (IANS) Holding that a ‘precedent’ was being set, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said Thursday his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would not join the government but would support it from the opposition benches.

‘We are setting the first-ever precedent from Opposition side to support the government,’ APP news agency quoted him as telling reporters after a meeting of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) here.

‘No party can handle the (current tumultuous) situation single-handedly and our cooperation will remain with the government to get Pakistan out of the present crisis,’ Sharif maintained.

He also wanted the government to complete its tenure.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has on two occasions during the past one month invited the PML-N to return to the cabinet, which it walked out of last year.

Observers here viewed the PML-N’s decision to do so as Sharif’s method of giving himself greater room for political manoeuvering.

For instance, he came up with a new demand Thursday: that all judicial appointments be made by parliament and not by the executive.

Hitherto, Sharif had been demanding the repeal of the controversial 17th constitutional amendment that transferred executive key powers – including that of appointing the Supreme Court chief justice – from the prime minister’s office to the presidency.

Now that this has been agreed to and a parliamentary committee is being formed to work out the modalities of the repeal, Sharif went one step further.

‘After public scrutiny, the proposed names should be discussed in parliament for the final appointment,’ he said at his press conference.

‘We do not want to adopt the previous example of appointments of ill-reputed judges in the courts,’ Sharif added for good measure.

The repeal of the amendment was one of the two key issues on which the PML-N had walked out of the coalition headed by the Pakistan Peoples Party after President Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP co-chair, reneged on the Charter of Democracy governance agenda the two parties had agreed on in October 2007.

The other was the reinstatement of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the other apex and high court judges then president Pervez Musharraf had sacked after declaring an emergency Nov 3, 2007.

The judges were restored last month after Sharif led a high-voltage lawyers’ ‘long march’ to Islamabad and Zardari caved in after being virtually read the riot act by Gilani and Pakistani Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

At his press conference, Sharif also demanded Musharraf’s trial, holding him responsible for violence, militancy and the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

‘The people of Pakistan strongly want the trial of the former president, who imposed martial law and is responsible for spreading militancy across the country,’ Sharif contended.

Musharraf, as Pakistan’s army chief, had overthrown Sharif’s elected government in a bloodless coup in October 1999 and sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia a year later. Sharif had returned to the country in dramatic circumstances in November 2007.

Q and A: T-shirt politics, Thailand’s color-coded agitators

(Reuters) – The founder of Thailand’s “yellow shirt” protest movement, which was behind the week-long occupation of Bangkok’s main airports late last year, was shot and wounded early on Friday, a spokesman for his movement said.

Sondhi Limthongkul’s People’s Alliance for Democracy was not involved in the country’s latest bout of political violence when red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra laid siege and faced off with a new group wearing dark blue T-shirts.

Here are some questions and answers about the main extra-parliamentary groups and the different colors they have adopted for their activists on the street.

WHAT DO THE RED SHIRTS WANT?

Supporters of ousted leader Thaksin, they want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and the holding of new elections, which they would be well placed to win.

The “red-shirts” invaded the venue of an Asian summit in the resort town of Pattaya last weekend forcing the cancellation of the meeting.

The protests ended on Tuesday when the activists, who had been occupying the grounds of Government House, surrendered to the hundreds of troops surrounding the building, the main office of Abhisit.

Their action echoed the tactics of Sondhi’s anti-Thaksin “yellow shirts,” who occupied it for several months last year.

WHO ARE THE YELLOW SHIRTS?

The yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were not involved in recent clashes but were gearing up to join in if the red shirts looked like winning.

The PAD is an extra-parliamentary group of royalists, academics, former military people and Bangkok’s middle classes united in their loathing of Thaksin, a former telecoms billionaire who draws his support from the rural poor.

The PAD’s color honors Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej — many Thais wear yellow on Mondays, the day on which the king was born.

Last year, when a pro-Thaksin government was in power, yellow-tinged protests — involving another siege of Government House that lasted for months — turned ugly and a state of emergency was enforced for a couple of weeks in September.

Their most audacious and disruptive action was the storming of Bangkok’s two main airports in late November, stranding up to 250,000 foreign tourists and cutting the country’s main international link for over a week.

The yellow shirts ended their protests in December, claiming victory when the constitutional court disqualified the pro-Thaksin prime minister for electoral fraud.

WHO ARE THE NEW MOB IN BLUE SHIRTS RISE

Last week in Pattaya, a new group wearing dark blue T-shirts bearing the phrase “Protect the Institution” — thought to be a reference to the monarchy — clashed with the red shirts.

The identity and aims of the masked men in blue shirts armed with sticks, clubs and iron rods remain unclear. Red shirts have accused them of being a militia of pro-government thugs, perhaps affiliated to the military. The government denies this.

WHAT’S BENEATH THE SHIRTS?

A deeply divided country, which has seen 18 coups since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

Thailand has been in a state of political crisis on or off since late 2005, when the streets protests that eventually helped oust Thaksin began.

For a TIMELINE of the turmoil click on

The media-friendly color coding has kept the groups in the public eye and brings back memories of revolutions in Eastern Europe — Ukraine’s 2004-2005 “Orange Revolution,” for example — although those places never had such a color clash.

(Writing by Gillian Murdoch; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Roche’s Humer said to have had Genentech buy doubts

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Roche Chairman Franz Humer, the driving force behind the company’s acquisition of the 44 percent of Genentech it did not already own, apparently did not always think that was good idea.

David Mott, who was chief executive of MedImmune when it was acquired by AstraZeneca (AZN.L), said on Tuesday that he had sought Humer’s advice in 2007 as Mott pondered his future with AstraZeneca shortly after that $15.6 billion deal was announced.

“Our model is a lot like your model with Genentech. We’re going to have an independent operating entity and run it that way,” Mott recalled telling Humer of his integration plan.

“He laughed at me and he said, ‘it will never work because if we owned all of Genentech we would kill it’,” Mott said Humer told him at the time.

“‘We wouldn’t be able to resist tinkering and playing with it and AZ owns all of you, so they say it’s going to be independent but we’d never be able to have that discipline,’” Mott said, quoting Humer.

Mott, who left AstraZeneca a year later, was speaking on a panel at the Windhover Pharmaceutical Strategic Outlook conference at a New York hotel when he related his anecdote about the then CEO of Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX). Mott is currently general partner of venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates.

Roche now believes it can resist the kind of tinkering that might kill the golden goose.

Current Roche management, including Humer and new CEO Severin Schwan, have insisted they will preserve the informal California science-based culture at Genentech that has produced a remarkable number of innovative and lucrative medicines.

The nearly $47 billion deal made sense for Roche as it not only gives it full U.S. revenue from Genentech’s multibillion-dollar cancer drugs, such as Avastin and Herceptin, but fills out what had been a rather sparse developmental pipeline for the Swiss drugmaker.

Following the panel discussion on the ability of biotech companies to survive within big pharmaceutical companies, Mott was asked what he thought Humer might tell him today about Roche owning all of Genentech.

“That it’s going to work,” Mott said with a chuckle. “It’s pretty interesting with hindsight, isn’t it?”

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Roche says Genentech’s Levinson to stay on board

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX), which last month acquired Genentech Inc, said on Tuesday that Arthur Levinson, the biotech company’s chief executive, would stay on as chair of a new Genentech board.

Levinson will no longer be CEO, but will be charged with steering integration of the two companies, serve as a scientific adviser and be nominated to the Roche board, the Swiss company said in a statement.

Roche has appointed several of its own executives to top non-research positions at Genentech as of May 1, including Pascal Soriot as CEO.

Roche said Susan Desmond-Hellmann, president of product development at Genentech, will hand over her responsibilities by mid-year, after which she will also act as an adviser to the company and join the scientific advisory board.

During the eight-month-long takeover battle that ended in March, Roche had said it expected Genentech senior management to stay on, but some shareholders and analysts have surmised that the biotech company’s prolific scientists and top managers would view the acquisition as an opportunity to leave.

Roche said Richard Scheller, executive vice president of Genentech research, will lead an independent research and development group within Roche, which will report directly to Chief Executive Severin Schwan.

Roche also said that William Burns, CEO of the Roche pharmaceutical group, will retire next January 1 and will also be nominated to the company’s board.

In addition, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, currently executive vice president of Genentech research drug discovery, will succeed Scheller as head of research and be appointed as Genentech’s chief scientific officer.

On the commercial side, Roche said Soriot, currently responsible for operations of the pharmaceutical division at Roche, will be appointed as CEO of Genentech, where he will lead all pharma activities in the United States.

Ian Clark, head of commercial operations at Genentech, will take over as head of global marketing and chief marketing officer for Roche’s entire pharmaceutical division.

Pat Yang will continue as head of technical operations at Genentech, while Hal Barron, currently head of Genentech development and chief medical officer, will become head of global development for oncology, immunology/tissue growth repair and virology.

Roche said David Ebersman, Genentech’s chief financial officer, and Steve Juelsgaard, chief compliance officer, will be leaving the company.

(Reporting by Deena Beasley, editing by Matthew Lewis and Tim Dobbyn, Gary Hill)

GM bondholders prepare case against bankruptcy plan-WSJ

NEW YORK, April 12 (Reuters) – General Motors Corp’s (GM.N) bondholders are preparing legal arguments against the automaker’s bankruptcy plan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

A plan to split the corporation into a “new” company made up of the most successful units, and an “old” one of its less-profitable units, is seen as the most sensible configuration, a source familiar with GM’s plans told Reuters last week.

The Journal said bondholders are worried that the process will push them to accept hefty losses on their investments. It said members of an ad hoc committee representing GM bondholders have made their concerns known to the Obama administration’s task force.

The lead attorney representing the bondholders’ committee declined to comment to Reuters on the matter.

Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s last week cut certain debt ratings of GM and Chrysler Holding LLC [CCMLPD.UL], citing lower likelihood of recovery by their debtors in the event either carmaker defaults on the loans or files for bankruptcy. [ID:nN10331619]

In a separate article, the paper reported that GM faces a lawsuit in Canada from unsecured bondholders over dividends GM paid from a Nova Scotia unit last May to its U.S. operations.

The bondholders claim the company wrongfully pulled around $600 million from the Canadian subsidiary because company officials should have known the U.S. business was near insolvency, according to the Journal.

GM has said in court filings that the allegations are false and that it was acting within its rights, the report said.

A GM spokeswoman was not immediately available to comment. (Reporting by Michael Erman; Additional reporting by Walden Siew; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)