Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Old Baloch`s advice
A NATION`S fate rests in the hands of an individual, says Allama Iqbal in his poem, `Budhay Baloch ki Naseehat` `An Old Baloch`s Advice`. Tragically, individuals who can help find a solution to the problems of bleeding Balochistan are a rare species. From among the few who could help, most, such as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, believe things may have gone beyond redemption. In a meeting in May last year, Sardar Mengal told Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani he had nothing to offer the government on Balochistan. The veteran nationalist expressed a similar sentiment in the company of Nawaz Sharif in Karachi on Monday. The only change is that his tone has intensified and his complaints are no longer complaints but rather caustic indictments of a so-called campaign for peace that has accelerated Balochistan`s advance towards total alienation from Pakistan. Sardar Mengal spoke with a sense of loss about the Baloch youth who have been pushed into the mountains. He spoke of Interior Minister Rehman Malik`s threats, said the government`s much flaunted Balochistan package is empty and,most significantly, pointed the finger at the `Punjabi army` Sardar Mengal was as gloomy as gloomy can be which makes it even more incumbent upon everyone else to urgently look for rays of hope. It may have taken time, but the Sardar now had by his side a politician representing the Punjabi heartland. Mr Sharif called the Baloch leader`s concerns `legitimate` and promised his party would talk to the angry Baloch youth. He has no time to waste, just as the leadership of the government and the army must immediately heed the Sardar`s words: `If one last effort is made with sincerity, Baloch youth might agree to discuss their grievances with Islamabad. But if atrocities continue the Baloch will never accept a united Pakistan.` Pakistan has no choice but to take Sardar Mengal limiting himself to a debunking of the interior minister as a positive sign. Let us assume that, deep down, he still wishes that the responsible men sitting above Mr Malik the politicians and the military will make an earnest attempt to rescue Balochistan, and work from there. That is the only option.
Pakistan - Guiding Principles of PTI by Akbar S Babar
Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), wrote a long letter of guidance after appointing Maalik al-Ashtar to be Governor of Egypt. He advises the new governor that his administration will succeed only if he governs with concern for justice, equity, probity and the prosperity of all.
The passages excerpted below illustrate the timeless applicability of Hazrat Ali's admonitions. The letter itself is contained in the Nahjal Balaagha, which is a collection of the letters and speeches of the fourth Caliph.
The letter below used to be our guiding light during the formative years of PTI. It says it all about good governance. Let us hope and pray that PTI remains steadfast to the letterr's guiding principals.
_______________________________
Manifest religious tolerance: Amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you [and] are brothers to you, and those who have religions other than yours, [who] are human beings like you. Men of either category suffer from the same weaknesses and disabilities that human beings are inclined to; they commit sins, indulge in vices either intentionally or foolishly and unintentionally without realizing the enormity of their deeds. Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you.
Equity is best: A policy which is based on equity will be largely appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common men, the have-nots and the depressed persons overbalances the approval of important persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be excused.if the general public and the masses of your subjects are happy with you.
The rich always want more: They are the people who will be the worst drag upon you during your moments of peace and happiness, and the least useful to you during your hours of need and adversity. They hate justice the most. They will keep demanding more and more out of State resources and will seldom be satisfied with what they receive and will never be obliged for the favor shown to them if their demands are justifiably refused.
A healthy society is interdependent: The army and the common men who pay taxes are two important classes, but in a well faring state their well-being cannot be guaranteed without proper functioning and preservation of the other classes, the judges and magistrates, the secretaries of the State and the officers of various departments who collect various revenues, maintain law and order as well as preserve peace and amity among the diverse classes of the society. They also guard the rights and privileges of the citizens and look to the performance of various duties by individuals and classes. And the prosperity of this whole set-up depends upon the traders and industrialists. They act as a medium between the consumers and suppliers. They collect the requirements of society. They exert to provide goods..Then comes the class of the poor and the disabled persons. It is absolutely necessary that they should be looked after, helped and provided..at least the minimum necessities for well-being and contented living..
Ensure an honest judiciary: You must select people of excellent character and high caliber with meritorious records. When they realize that they have committed a mistake in judgment, they should not insist on it by trying to justify it, they should not be corrupt, covetous or greedy. They should not be satisfied with ordinary enquiry or scrutiny of a case but must attach the greatest importance to reasoning, arguments and proofs. They should not get tired of lengthy discussions and arguments. They must exhibit patience and perseverance and when truth is revealed to them they must pass their judgments.These appointments must be made without any kind of favoritism being shown or influence being accepted; otherwise tyranny, corruption and misrule will reign. Let the judiciary be above every kind of executive pressure or influence, above fear or favor, intrigue or corruption.
Poverty leads to ruination: If a country is prosperous and if its people are well-to-do, then it will happily and willingly bear any burden. The poverty of the people is the actual cause of the devastation and ruination of a country and the main cause of the poverty of the people is the desire of its ruler and officers to amass wealth and possessions whether by fair or foul means.
Corruption undermines national well-being: I want to advise you about your businessmen and industrialists. Treat them well. They are the sources of wealth to the country. One more thing.you must keep an eye over their activities as well. You know that they are usually stingy misers, intensely self-centered and selfish, suffering from the obsession of grasping and accumulating wealth. They often hoard their goods to get more profit out of them by creating scarcity and by indulging in black-marketing.
Stay in touch with the people: You must take care not to cut yourself off from the public. Do not place a curtain of false prestige between you and those over whom you rule. Such pretension and shows of pomp and pride are in reality manifestations of inferiority complex and vanity. The result of such an attitude is that you remain ignorant of the conditions of your subjects and of the actual cases of the events occurring in the State.
Peace brings prosperity: If your enemy invites you to a peace treaty, never refuse to accept such an offer, because peace will bring rest and comfort to your armies, will relieve you of anxieties and worries, and will bring prosperity and affluence to your people. But even after such treaties be very careful of the enemies and do not place too much confidence in their promises, because they often resort to peace treaties to deceive and delude you and take advantage of your negligence, carelessness and trust. At the same time, be very careful never to break your promise with your enemy; never forsake the protection or support that you have offered to him, never go back upon your word and never violate the terms of the treaty.
History reveals all: Do not reserve for yourself anything which is a common property of all and in which others have equal rights. Do not close your eyes from glaring malpractice of officers, miscarriage of justice and misuse of rights, because you will be held responsible for the wrong thus done to others. In the near future your wrong practices and maladministration will be exposed and you will be held responsible and punished for the wrong done to the helpless and oppressed people.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Pakistan - immunisation failure
REPRESENTATIVES of the government and international donor agencies who met in Karachi the other day have expressed their reservations about the efficacy of the annual anti-polio drives and the overall public immunisation programme targeting children. The problem is particularly serious in Sindh, recent statistics reveal. The highest number of polio cases, 30 to be precise, in the country have been reported from this province alone this year. Certainly, all is not well with the inoculation initiative. The moot was also told that the teams administering the antipolio drops lacked enough women workers who go door to door to immunise children under five years of age. Male health workers are not always welcome inside the homes where women may observe purdah. Besides, certain logistic and clinical aspects, such as maintaining the cold chain of the vaccine, making an assessment as to which child may need intravenous administration and for whom the oral vaccinewill suffice or keeping track of when a booster dose should be administered, also remain largely unaddressed.
While the shortage of women health workers tasked with administering the vaccine and the need for more clinical vigilance can be met by pumping more funds into the immunisation programme, another critical aspect of the problem is social attitudes tied to lack of awareness, culturalissues and even certain taboos that have come to be attached to immunisation. There is absolutely no truth, for instance, in the rumours spread by certain sections of society that immunisation may cause infertility. The only way to negate such false propaganda is to formulate and implement a cohesive public communication and awareness strategy by involving local communities where needed. Failing this, Pakistan will continue to be one of the three highrisk countries in the world where polio and other preventable diseases still claim victims.
While the shortage of women health workers tasked with administering the vaccine and the need for more clinical vigilance can be met by pumping more funds into the immunisation programme, another critical aspect of the problem is social attitudes tied to lack of awareness, culturalissues and even certain taboos that have come to be attached to immunisation. There is absolutely no truth, for instance, in the rumours spread by certain sections of society that immunisation may cause infertility. The only way to negate such false propaganda is to formulate and implement a cohesive public communication and awareness strategy by involving local communities where needed. Failing this, Pakistan will continue to be one of the three highrisk countries in the world where polio and other preventable diseases still claim victims.
Pakistan - Missing Containers
IT is hardly unusual for goods to go missing en route to Afghanistan there have been several incidents of the sort. Yet the sheer scale of recent revelations makes such incidents worthy of notice.
On Thursday, Minister of State for Production Khwaja Sheeraz informed the Senate that after conducting an internal inquiry, the Federal Board of Revenue found that nearly 29,000 containers carrying Nato and Afghan Transit Trade goods had gone missing inside the country. This was the first time the issue has been raised in parliament. Its gravity can be gauged by the estimate given by federal tax ombudsman Dr Shoaib Suddle, appointed to look into the matter. He has said that the containers that are missing have caused a loss of Rsitr to the national exchequer.
There are multiple aspects to this matter, one of the more curious being that neither Nato nor Isaf have officially complained to Pakistan about the nondelivery of goods on this scale. That notwithstanding, it is well established that large quantities of goods bound forAfghanistan, mainly under the ATT, end up in Pakistani markets, as was shown by an inquiry report prepared earlier this year by Dr Suddle.
Yet the most disturbing dimension of this issue is the light it sheds on the operations of the National Logistics Cell, a subsidiary of the Pakistan Army that, according to the ATT agreement, has exclusive rights to transport transit trade goods through Pakistan`s road network.
Mr Sheeraz told the Senate that amongst others, notices in terms of the missing containers have been issued to the NLC. It is worth noting that in July, the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly directed the Ministry of Defence to take action against three retired NLC generals. If there is corruption within the NLC, particularly on so large a scale, it is time to thoroughly investigate the functioning of the organisation. The issue of goods going missing in Pakistan is not just about the losses incurred, but also piercing the fog of secrecy that surrounds many of the military`s subsidiary interests.
On Thursday, Minister of State for Production Khwaja Sheeraz informed the Senate that after conducting an internal inquiry, the Federal Board of Revenue found that nearly 29,000 containers carrying Nato and Afghan Transit Trade goods had gone missing inside the country. This was the first time the issue has been raised in parliament. Its gravity can be gauged by the estimate given by federal tax ombudsman Dr Shoaib Suddle, appointed to look into the matter. He has said that the containers that are missing have caused a loss of Rsitr to the national exchequer.
There are multiple aspects to this matter, one of the more curious being that neither Nato nor Isaf have officially complained to Pakistan about the nondelivery of goods on this scale. That notwithstanding, it is well established that large quantities of goods bound forAfghanistan, mainly under the ATT, end up in Pakistani markets, as was shown by an inquiry report prepared earlier this year by Dr Suddle.
Yet the most disturbing dimension of this issue is the light it sheds on the operations of the National Logistics Cell, a subsidiary of the Pakistan Army that, according to the ATT agreement, has exclusive rights to transport transit trade goods through Pakistan`s road network.
Mr Sheeraz told the Senate that amongst others, notices in terms of the missing containers have been issued to the NLC. It is worth noting that in July, the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly directed the Ministry of Defence to take action against three retired NLC generals. If there is corruption within the NLC, particularly on so large a scale, it is time to thoroughly investigate the functioning of the organisation. The issue of goods going missing in Pakistan is not just about the losses incurred, but also piercing the fog of secrecy that surrounds many of the military`s subsidiary interests.
Pakistan - Zardari`s return to Pakistan
PRESIDENT Zardari`s return to Pakistan in the early hours of this morning is a significant moment in the context of the speculation that has dominated Pakistan in recent weeks.
The word put out by the PPP over the weekend suggested that the possibility of a fatal collision between the government and the army has been averted for now. Prime Minister Gilani`s meeting with Gen Kayani, the telephone conversation between President Zardari and Gen Kayani and the prime minister`s confident-sounding statements to the press suggested the PPP had seen off any imminent danger, if indeed there had been in the first place. Now with President Zardari returning to Pakistan and hopefully appearing in public soon, the rumours about the president`s health and threats to his presidency should subside.
Still, with the Supreme Court to resume hearing of the Memogate petitions this morning, the latest bizarre episode in Pakistani politics cannot be assumed to be over. Also, still unknown is the circumstances in which Mr Zardari has returned. Does it suggest that some kind of understanding with the army hasbeenreached and that wobbly civil-military relations will stabilise in the days ahead? Or has the president returned to personally take charge of the po-litical leadership`s response to thinly veiled attacks from other institutions? There is also the question of what the Supreme Court will elect to do. Announcing a replacement for Tariq Khosa, who declined the court`s request to lead a one-man inquiry into the memo that Mansoor Ijaz delivered to Adm Mike Mullen (retd), may be on the cards as well as further directions to the government. Alternatively, the court could push the matter into the new year, giving time and space to the political government, the opposition and the army to de-escalate. Given that all sides do not appear to be keen to climb further up the ladder of escalation but are also wary of appearing as if they have backed down under pressure, time and space may be just what are needed to stave off a fresh round of crisis.
Of course, much depends on the actions of President Zardari. The preferred course of action, from the point of view of national political stability and institutional harmony, would be for the president to send a signal that he is ready to use his authority to reduce the tensions between Islamabad and Pindi. The more unfortunate course would be if the president were to come out swinging against foes, real and perceived.
Pakistan could do with fewer unfortunate choices at the moment.
The word put out by the PPP over the weekend suggested that the possibility of a fatal collision between the government and the army has been averted for now. Prime Minister Gilani`s meeting with Gen Kayani, the telephone conversation between President Zardari and Gen Kayani and the prime minister`s confident-sounding statements to the press suggested the PPP had seen off any imminent danger, if indeed there had been in the first place. Now with President Zardari returning to Pakistan and hopefully appearing in public soon, the rumours about the president`s health and threats to his presidency should subside.
Still, with the Supreme Court to resume hearing of the Memogate petitions this morning, the latest bizarre episode in Pakistani politics cannot be assumed to be over. Also, still unknown is the circumstances in which Mr Zardari has returned. Does it suggest that some kind of understanding with the army hasbeenreached and that wobbly civil-military relations will stabilise in the days ahead? Or has the president returned to personally take charge of the po-litical leadership`s response to thinly veiled attacks from other institutions? There is also the question of what the Supreme Court will elect to do. Announcing a replacement for Tariq Khosa, who declined the court`s request to lead a one-man inquiry into the memo that Mansoor Ijaz delivered to Adm Mike Mullen (retd), may be on the cards as well as further directions to the government. Alternatively, the court could push the matter into the new year, giving time and space to the political government, the opposition and the army to de-escalate. Given that all sides do not appear to be keen to climb further up the ladder of escalation but are also wary of appearing as if they have backed down under pressure, time and space may be just what are needed to stave off a fresh round of crisis.
Of course, much depends on the actions of President Zardari. The preferred course of action, from the point of view of national political stability and institutional harmony, would be for the president to send a signal that he is ready to use his authority to reduce the tensions between Islamabad and Pindi. The more unfortunate course would be if the president were to come out swinging against foes, real and perceived.
Pakistan could do with fewer unfortunate choices at the moment.
US Troops finally got out of Iraq
IRAQ-KUWAIT BORDER, Dec 18: The last US forces left Iraq and entered Kuwait on Sunday, nearly nine years after launching a divisive war to oust Saddam Hussein, and just as the oil-rich country grapples with renewed political deadlock.
The last of roughly 110 vehicles carrying 500-odd troops mostly from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, crossed the border at 7:38am (0438 GMT), leaving just 157 military trainers at the US embassy, in a country where there were once nearly 170,000 troops on 505 bases.
It ended a war that left tens of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 American soldiers dead, many more wounded, and 1.75 million Iraqis displaced, after the US-led invasion unleashed sectarian killings.
`I am proud all Iraqis should be proud, like all those whose country has been freed,` 26-year-old baker Safa, who did not want togive his real name, told AFP in Baghdad.
`The Americans toppled Saddam, but our lives since then have gone backward.
A 50-year-old mother-offour who gave her name only as Umm Mohammed added: `I don`t think we can ever forgive the Americans for what they did to us.
The Americans were also happy. `It feels good, it feels real good` to be out of Iraq, Sergeant Duane Austin said after getting out of his vehicle in Kuwait.
`It`s been a pretty long year it`s time to go home now.` The 27-year-old fatherof-two, who completed three tours in Iraq, added: `It`s been a long time, coming and going. It`s been pretty hard on all of us. ... (It will) be a nice break to get back, knowing that it`s over with now.
The last vehicles transporting US troops out of Iraq left the recently handed over Imam Ali Base outside thesouthern city of Nasiriyah at 2:30am to make the 350km journey south to the Kuwaiti border.
They travelled down a mostly deserted route, which US forces paid Shia tribal sheikhs to inspect regularly to ensure no attacks could take place.
Five hours later, they crossed a berm at the Kuwaiti border lit with floodlights and ringed with barbed wire.
The withdrawal comes as Iraq struggles with renewed political deadlock as its main Sunni-backed bloc said it was boycotting parliament and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved to oust one of his deputies.
Mr Maliki sent a letter to parliament urging MPs to withdraw confidence in Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlak, a member of the secular Iraqiya party, after Mr Mutlak accused him of being `worse than Saddam, an aide to the premier said.
-AFP
The last of roughly 110 vehicles carrying 500-odd troops mostly from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, crossed the border at 7:38am (0438 GMT), leaving just 157 military trainers at the US embassy, in a country where there were once nearly 170,000 troops on 505 bases.
It ended a war that left tens of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 American soldiers dead, many more wounded, and 1.75 million Iraqis displaced, after the US-led invasion unleashed sectarian killings.
`I am proud all Iraqis should be proud, like all those whose country has been freed,` 26-year-old baker Safa, who did not want togive his real name, told AFP in Baghdad.
`The Americans toppled Saddam, but our lives since then have gone backward.
A 50-year-old mother-offour who gave her name only as Umm Mohammed added: `I don`t think we can ever forgive the Americans for what they did to us.
The Americans were also happy. `It feels good, it feels real good` to be out of Iraq, Sergeant Duane Austin said after getting out of his vehicle in Kuwait.
`It`s been a pretty long year it`s time to go home now.` The 27-year-old fatherof-two, who completed three tours in Iraq, added: `It`s been a long time, coming and going. It`s been pretty hard on all of us. ... (It will) be a nice break to get back, knowing that it`s over with now.
The last vehicles transporting US troops out of Iraq left the recently handed over Imam Ali Base outside thesouthern city of Nasiriyah at 2:30am to make the 350km journey south to the Kuwaiti border.
They travelled down a mostly deserted route, which US forces paid Shia tribal sheikhs to inspect regularly to ensure no attacks could take place.
Five hours later, they crossed a berm at the Kuwaiti border lit with floodlights and ringed with barbed wire.
The withdrawal comes as Iraq struggles with renewed political deadlock as its main Sunni-backed bloc said it was boycotting parliament and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved to oust one of his deputies.
Mr Maliki sent a letter to parliament urging MPs to withdraw confidence in Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlak, a member of the secular Iraqiya party, after Mr Mutlak accused him of being `worse than Saddam, an aide to the premier said.
-AFP
Pakistan - Imran Khan`s campaign will gather more steam.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: Imran Khan`s campaign will gather more steam when a group of about 30 politicians, including some sitting legislators and former federal ministers, will quit their parties on Monday to join his Pakistan Tehriki-Insaaf, Dawn has learnt.
The members of the group, led by MNA from Rahimyar Khan Jahangir Tareen, will announce their decision to join the PTI at a news conference with Imran Khan at Islamabad`s National Press Club, confirmed PTPs newly-appointed information secretary Shafgat Mehmood, who is in the city to oversee arrangements for the event.
In reply to a question, Mr Mehmood said the list of those joining the party was with Mr Tareen and that only he could disclose the names of his group members.
A group member Ishaq Khan Khakwaniproudly provided names of some prominent figures joining the PTI with him on Monday.
According to him, MNA Awais Leghari and Senator Jamal Leghari, the two sons of former president Sardar Farooq Ahmed Leghari, are the most prominent among those joining the party, besides Senator Mir Mohabbat Khan Marri from Balochistan.
Although the group joining the PTI comprises members from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and tribal areas, a majority of them belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and hails from southern Punjab.
Political analysts believe that the PTI, which has already acquired a significant strength in south Punjab after last month`s joining of former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, will definitely become a strong force in the region after joining ofthe new batch, comprising a number those who had been participating and winning their seats in almost all the previous elections.
The other prominent figures joining the PTI on Monday are former minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan from Taxila, former defence minister Col (retd) Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, former minister Dr G.G.
Jamal, Sikandar Bosan, former MNA Azhar Khan Yousufzai, Umar Khan Miankhel and Dr Javed Hussain.
Sources told Dawn that the group, mostly comprises PML-Q dissidents, had been negotiating terms for joining the PTI or having an electoral alliance with it for the past nine months. However, the group took a final decision during a meeting with Imran Khan in Islamabad on Friday, they added.
Mr Khakwani, who was the minister of state for railways in the Musharraf regime,said the group was joining the PTI `for the sake of Pakistan` as Imran Khan was vying to bring a credible change in the country.
He said the group took considerable time to take a final decision as earlier some of its members were opposed to the idea and only wanted to have an electoral alliance with the PTI.
After lengthy deliberations and brainstorming, he said, the group came to the conclusion that it should not form a separate party when it had another platform in the shape of the PTI which was pursuing the same agenda.
`When we saw another platform doing the same thing we wanted, we decided to join it instead of creating two fragmented groups,` he said, adding: `if people having divergent views and ideologies can join hands and form the government just to share the power and loot the country then why those having the same programme ofsaving Pakistan cannot join hands?` Mr Khakwani said the group had actually come into existence when PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain decided to join hands with the Pakistan People`s Party.
The sources said some members of the group, including Awais Leghari, were of the view that they should form their own party and only talk with Imran Khan to have an electoral alliance.
When asked about Mr Leghari`s reluctance to join the PTI, Mr Khakwani said difference of opinion was part and parcel of democracy. He said some members wanted to only have cooperation with Imran Khan, but finally they agreed and decided to go with the viewpoint of the majority of the members.
When asked about the terms and conditions agreed with Mr Khan, Mr Khakwani .aid theyVVCIC 11UL joining the PTI for `power politics` and to form the government, but only to bring the country out of present chaotic situation due to poor economic policies of the rulers.
When asked about the strategy to deal with the anti-defection clause which would be applicable on the sitting legislators after their joining the PTI, he said, they had thoroughly deliberated upon the matter and it would be announced soon.
He neither confirmed nor denied if the sitting legislators would announce resigning from the National Assembly and Senate like Shah Mehmood Qureshiat the time of the joining the PTLPTI information secretary Shafgat Mehmood denied that the party had struck any deal with Mr Tareen-led group. `All of them are joining us unconditionally,` he claimed.
Mr Mehmood said it was a stated policy of the PTI that it would accept people into its fold without any conditions. `As far as the tickets for the elections are concerned, the parliamentary board of the party will decide it on merit without considering the background and stature of any person,` he said.
Former minister and now a PML-F legislator Jahangir Tareen had announced in July to form a new political party of `clean politicians` to provide an alterna-tive to the PPP and PML-N in the next elections. He had even announced at that time that the new party could forge an alliance with the PTI due to similarities in their objectives.
PTI chief Imran Khan, who had surprised political stalwarts with his impressive rally in Lahore, had already shown his willingness to accept people from other political parties and some of them, including former ministers, had already joined him.
Besides the PML-Q dissidents, the sources in the PTI said, a number of dissidents from the PPP and the PML-N were also in contact with Imran Khan and negotiating terms for formally joining the PTI.
The members of the group, led by MNA from Rahimyar Khan Jahangir Tareen, will announce their decision to join the PTI at a news conference with Imran Khan at Islamabad`s National Press Club, confirmed PTPs newly-appointed information secretary Shafgat Mehmood, who is in the city to oversee arrangements for the event.
In reply to a question, Mr Mehmood said the list of those joining the party was with Mr Tareen and that only he could disclose the names of his group members.
A group member Ishaq Khan Khakwaniproudly provided names of some prominent figures joining the PTI with him on Monday.
According to him, MNA Awais Leghari and Senator Jamal Leghari, the two sons of former president Sardar Farooq Ahmed Leghari, are the most prominent among those joining the party, besides Senator Mir Mohabbat Khan Marri from Balochistan.
Although the group joining the PTI comprises members from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and tribal areas, a majority of them belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and hails from southern Punjab.
Political analysts believe that the PTI, which has already acquired a significant strength in south Punjab after last month`s joining of former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, will definitely become a strong force in the region after joining ofthe new batch, comprising a number those who had been participating and winning their seats in almost all the previous elections.
The other prominent figures joining the PTI on Monday are former minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan from Taxila, former defence minister Col (retd) Ghulam Sarwar Cheema, former minister Dr G.G.
Jamal, Sikandar Bosan, former MNA Azhar Khan Yousufzai, Umar Khan Miankhel and Dr Javed Hussain.
Sources told Dawn that the group, mostly comprises PML-Q dissidents, had been negotiating terms for joining the PTI or having an electoral alliance with it for the past nine months. However, the group took a final decision during a meeting with Imran Khan in Islamabad on Friday, they added.
Mr Khakwani, who was the minister of state for railways in the Musharraf regime,said the group was joining the PTI `for the sake of Pakistan` as Imran Khan was vying to bring a credible change in the country.
He said the group took considerable time to take a final decision as earlier some of its members were opposed to the idea and only wanted to have an electoral alliance with the PTI.
After lengthy deliberations and brainstorming, he said, the group came to the conclusion that it should not form a separate party when it had another platform in the shape of the PTI which was pursuing the same agenda.
`When we saw another platform doing the same thing we wanted, we decided to join it instead of creating two fragmented groups,` he said, adding: `if people having divergent views and ideologies can join hands and form the government just to share the power and loot the country then why those having the same programme ofsaving Pakistan cannot join hands?` Mr Khakwani said the group had actually come into existence when PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain decided to join hands with the Pakistan People`s Party.
The sources said some members of the group, including Awais Leghari, were of the view that they should form their own party and only talk with Imran Khan to have an electoral alliance.
When asked about Mr Leghari`s reluctance to join the PTI, Mr Khakwani said difference of opinion was part and parcel of democracy. He said some members wanted to only have cooperation with Imran Khan, but finally they agreed and decided to go with the viewpoint of the majority of the members.
When asked about the terms and conditions agreed with Mr Khan, Mr Khakwani .aid theyVVCIC 11UL joining the PTI for `power politics` and to form the government, but only to bring the country out of present chaotic situation due to poor economic policies of the rulers.
When asked about the strategy to deal with the anti-defection clause which would be applicable on the sitting legislators after their joining the PTI, he said, they had thoroughly deliberated upon the matter and it would be announced soon.
He neither confirmed nor denied if the sitting legislators would announce resigning from the National Assembly and Senate like Shah Mehmood Qureshiat the time of the joining the PTLPTI information secretary Shafgat Mehmood denied that the party had struck any deal with Mr Tareen-led group. `All of them are joining us unconditionally,` he claimed.
Mr Mehmood said it was a stated policy of the PTI that it would accept people into its fold without any conditions. `As far as the tickets for the elections are concerned, the parliamentary board of the party will decide it on merit without considering the background and stature of any person,` he said.
Former minister and now a PML-F legislator Jahangir Tareen had announced in July to form a new political party of `clean politicians` to provide an alterna-tive to the PPP and PML-N in the next elections. He had even announced at that time that the new party could forge an alliance with the PTI due to similarities in their objectives.
PTI chief Imran Khan, who had surprised political stalwarts with his impressive rally in Lahore, had already shown his willingness to accept people from other political parties and some of them, including former ministers, had already joined him.
Besides the PML-Q dissidents, the sources in the PTI said, a number of dissidents from the PPP and the PML-N were also in contact with Imran Khan and negotiating terms for formally joining the PTI.
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