Anti-terrorist court lays formal charges against Sharif

KARACHI, Jan 19: More than three months after an Army coup ended civilian rule in Pakistan, an anti-terrorist court today formally charged deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with kidnapping, attempted murder, hijacking and terrorism.

Sharif and his six coaccused pleaded not guilty. The trial will begin January 26 in Southern Karachi, where the incident is alleged to have occurred.

Hijacking, terrorism and kidnapping charges all carry the death penalty or life in prison. The Army accusation of treason was not among the charges filed against Sharif. There was no explanation.

The charges against Sharif stem from an incident on Oct 12 — the same day the Army took power — in which Sharif is said to have refused to allow a commercial airline returning Gen Pervez Musharraf to Pakistan to land in Karachi.

When the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane did land there was barely seven minutes of fuel remaining and the Army was in charge and Sharif was in protective custody.

It was Gen (Pervez) Musharraf who not only hijacked the plane, but he hijacked democracy in Pakistan, Sharif told the court.

He unlawfully put a Prime Minister under detention. I was detained without being charged or without a trial.

The ex-Prime Minister accused the Army Chief, who now rules Pakistan, of staging the hijacking as a ploy to justify an end to democratic rule in Pakistan.

Sharif arrived at the courthouse in an armored personnel carrier amid tight security. More than 50 police vehicles packed with policemen in bullet proof vests, wielding machine guns.

The hearing was being held in the Karachi Municipal Corporation building which can accommodate more than 100 people. The reason for the venue was to allow observers to attend the trial, said Government officials.

Musharraf’s Army-led Government has promised to ensure that the trial is open, transparent and fair.

Judge Rehmet Hussein Jaffri while reading out the charges said that the accused is said to have committed the crime of hijacking and thus endangering the lives of 198 passengers and crew members, including Gen Musharraf and thus committed an attempt to murder and unlawfully placing them in confinement.

Charged along with Sharif is his younger brother, Shahbaz, former Chief Minister of the country’s populous Punjab province, Saeed Mehdi, a senior bureaucrat, Saif-ur Rehman, former Chief of the Anti-Corruption Cell, Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, former head of Pakistan International Airlines, Rana Maqbool Butt, former police chief and Ghaus Ali Shah, former Advisor on Sindh Provincial Affairs.

The former Chief of Oakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, Aminuddin Chaudhry, was given immunity when he agreed to testify against his fellow accused.

These are only the charges. We believe the prosecution has a weak case. We are confident and we don’t think the charges will stand up, said Khwaja Sultan, a member of Sharif’s defense team. (AP)

France rejects Ekeus nomination as Chief iraq arms inspector

PARIS, Jan 19: France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, today rejected the nomination of Swedish diplomat Rolf Ekeus as the new chief arms inspector for Iraq, calling for a professional and independent candidate to head the body.

France joined Russia in formally opposing the choice of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to head the UN monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for Iraq (UNMOVIC), effectively stalling his appointment, as his candidacy must be approved by all 15-members of the Council.

France wants the UNMOVIC to have more professionalism and independence headed by a new chief. So France’s UN delegate will oppose the move to make Ekeus the head of the Commission, a Foreign Ministry spokesman told newsmen here yesterday.

Ekeus, currently Sweden Ambassador to US, had headed the US Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM) from 1991-97 and was named on Monday by Annan as the new chief of the team to inspect Iraqi weapon sites.

Besides France and Russia, China has also opposed Ekeus’ candidacy where as the United States has favoured his name.

Baghdad has already opposed Ekeus’ nomination saying he was responsible for starvation of Iraqi children.

Iraq has been under UN sanctions since the Gulf war in 1990 and to have them lifted it has to meet disarmament requirements in biological, chemical and missile systems.

Ekeus, earlier in an interview, had said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had never given up plans to build biological and chemical weapons and that the Iraqis were not cooperating with the UNSCOM. (PTI)

It’s raining ice blocks, say baffled Spanish scientists

MADRID, Jan 19: Scientists in Spain are baffled by mysterious blocks of ice which have been falling from the sky for the last 10 days.

Around 25 blocks weighing from a half to around seven kilograms have crashed down from clear skies in various parts of the country, and experts say they have never seen or heard of anything like it before.

Most of the blocks have landed in the area between Valencia in the East and Murcia in the South, but several have also been found outside it.

In Tocina near Seville, a block weighing 1.8 kg damaged a parked car while in L’Alcudia De Carlet near Valencia, a block of 400 grams punched a hole in the roof of a garage.

On a country road near Valencia a lump the size of a basketball was flung down in front of a moving car and near Murcia a block weighing one kg fell close to where two children were playing.

Nobody has been injured so far. The total number of ice blocks is likely to be much higher than the 25 spotted so far since probably not all have been found.

Scientists admit they are stumped for an explanation but have suggested the blocks may be frozen toilet water falling from aeroplanes.

In 1996 a block of ice weighing two kg fell from the sky in Northwestern Spain. It was found later to contain disinfectant used on aeroplanes.

But many of the current blocks are falling far from any air traffic routes and the ice often has a very clear consistency which renders the aeroplane toilet theory unlikely.

The blocks are partly smooth and partly rugged and they appear to be made up entirely of water.

Scientists have ruled out oversized hailstones, saying these cannot weigh more than a kilogram. Before they fall hailstones are usually held aloft by currents of air and these could not hold the kind of heavy lumps that have been falling to earth.

Some scientists have suggested the ice blocks could have fallen from a passing comet. Comets - celestial objects which orbit the sun - consist of ice as well as minerals.

But nobody has seen a comet near spain and the comet theory also poses a number of questions such as why are no pieces of rock coming down with the ice, why are the ice blocks not all falling at the same time, and why are they falling only in Spain?

if the ice originated from a comet, it would also have melted before reaching the earth, astronomist Jose Angel Docobo said.

In short, it is a total mystery. Desperate scientists have even suggested it could all be a joke, with someone placing ice blocks in various places and people then imagining that they have seen others fall.

"the same sort of thing happens with UFOs," said Javier Armentia, director of the Pamplona Planetarium.

The Government has set up a panel of experts to investigate whether the ice blocks consist of water from the earth’s atmosphere, or sea water, river water or even water from outer space.

Experts say the origin of the ice may never be known for sure and the mystery could still remain. (DPA)

Former German Chancellor quits party post

BERLIN, Jan 19: Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s image as a post-war icon has taken a beating following his forced resignation as honorary Chairman of the main opposition Christian democrats over his involvement in a one million US dollar fund-raising scandal.

Sixty-nine-year-old kohl, who ruled the party with an iron fist for 25 years, 16 of them as Chancellor until his defeat in 1998, gave up his party post yesterday after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) executive issued an ultimatum to reveal names of donors or quit.

I do not consider myself in a position to renege on the promise that I made to a few people who supported me financially to work within the CDU, Kohl said in a communique released to the press shortly after the ultimatum was issued.

The decision to resign as honorary Chairman is difficult for me. I have belonged for 50 years to the Christian Democratic Union. It is and will remain my political home.

Analysts said Kohl’s decision was forced by his increasing isolation in the party which began to perceive him as a liability after the scandal erupted in November last.

With all respect for his experience and his achievements, the Kohl time has passed, According to Ole Von Beust, a local party leader in the city state of Hamburg.

Kohl, who strode post-war Europe’s political scene like a colossus during his term in office, the longest in German history, will, however, continue to be a member of the CDU and a CDU Deputy in Parliament. (PTI)

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