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Pakistan police arrest former president Musharraf
Pakistan’s Musharraf under house arrest (AFP) / 19 April 2013 A Pakistani court put ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf under house arrest on Friday, an unprecedented move against a former army chief of staff, after he surrendered to a magistrate. The Islamabad High Court had ordered his arrest on Thursday over charges dating back to his 1999-2008 rule after the retired general returned to Pakistan from four years in self-imposed exile to contest historic May polls. It is the first time that the judiciary has ordered the arrest of a former army chief of staff. Nuclear-armed Pakistan has been ruled for around half its existence by the army, considered the most powerful institution in the country. The 69-year-old, who left court with his bodyguards, is now holed up in his plush but heavily fortified home on the edge of Islamabad, where police have massed outside. “General Musharraf has been sent on a two-day judicial remand and he will stay at his farmhouse,” said a spokesman for his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party. An official at the magistrates court in Islamabad confirmed the order. APML spokesman Muhammad Amjad said the magistrate had ordered Musharraf to appear before an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi after two days. “Musharraf himself surrendered before the court Friday morning,” Amjad said, denying media reports that he had been arrested prior to going to court. Live TV footage showed Musharraf arriving dressed in a traditional shalwar kamiz and waistcoat — a departure from his normal preference for Western clothes — surrounded by police and paramilitary. His team said they would seek bail in the Supreme Court later Friday. Pakistan’s top court is already hearing a petition demanding that Musharraf face trial for treason for imposing emergency law in 2007, punishable by death or life in prison. He is also accused of conspiracy to murder opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and over the death of a rebel leader during a 2006 military operation. He had been granted bail repeatedly since his homecoming on March 24. It has been a humiliating return to Pakistan for the man who promised to “save” the nation from poverty and rampant insecurity by contesting the May 11 vote until judges on Tuesday disqualified him from standing. His APML party is now considered unlikely to win any seats but his team has sought to present life as normal. “He is in high spirits…. He is sipping coffee and smoking cigars,” his lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri told reporters on Thursday. Political analyst Hasan Askari warned that any arrest or trial risked overshadowing the elections, set to mark the first democratic transition of power after a civilian government has completed a full term. “If the court starts his trial he will entangle others to save his skin. The case can go in the wrong direction and it may undermine the elections,” Askari told AFP. “The judiciary is overdoing it. It should show some restraint…. It can grant bail now and take up the case after the election which should be our primary objective,” he added. Musharraf’s supporters say the arrest order was nothing more than a settling of scores for his dismissal of judges nearly six years ago. The Islamabad High Court separately summoned the capital’s police chief to explain on Friday why Musharraf has not been arrested. On Thursday, Judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui said Musharraf had “spread fear in the society, insecurity amongst the judicial officers, alarm in the lawyers’ community and terror throughout Pakistan”. Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup, which was widely welcomed at the time in Pakistan, but he was forced out and threatened with impeachment in 2008. The elected prime minister he ousted, Nawaz Sharif, is now the front-runner in the campaign for the May general election. Continue reading
A Fix For Europe’s Emissions Problem
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/329f0798-a762-11e2-9fbe-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2QpKvqtJe The EU carbon trading scheme needs a serious overhaul The EU’s emissions trading scheme was supposed to bestow global leadership in tackling climate change. In practice, it has long been an embarrassment. A combination of industry lobbying and recession has so swamped the market with permits to emit carbon that prices have slumped and no longer impose any constraint on behaviour. Brussels has tried to bolster the market with half measures. But its bluff was called this week when the European parliament rejected a quick fix that would have propped up prices by postponing the auction of a big tranche of new permits. MEPs rightly refused to court personal unpopularity to no environmental purpose. Much deeper reforms are needed to rid the ETS of its flaws. One is the way that it imposes costs on the production, not consumption, of carbon. This creates bizarre incentives, resulting in the closure of industrial plants in Europe to make way for more polluting ones in Asia. Not only does this seem unforgivably self-defeating at a time when Europe is struggling for competitiveness; it is not even much good for the environment. European nations may be cutting carbon production, but consumption, when imports are counted, has been shooting up – something that spells more pollution, not less. In addition, the focus on production actually thwarts the development of the ETS into a global system – a vital necessity if companies are to be able to compete on equal terms. So first, a mechanism must be found to tax imports from countries outside the system. Second, European leaders need to agree longer-term targets for cutting emissions. Recession has made it easy for the EU to meet its current 2020 targets. A 2030 or 2050 target would help to convince businesses of the need for investment in “green” technologies. Third, the EU needs to deal with the overhang of permits, and find a mechanism to prevent it accumulating again. One idea is to set a time limit, say of three years, after which an unused permit would expire. Another would be to create an independent body with a mandate to achieve cuts of a certain level, taking account of the economic cycle. Whatever it does, the EU must find a way to end the system’s absurdities. If politicians cannot build a system that commands public confidence and creates a credible market, the risk of Europe moving to more coercive measures, or abandoning effective climate policies, will only increase. Continue reading
Getex Spring: Catering to various student profiles
Getex Spring: Catering to various student profiles Staff Reporter / 18 April 2013 Indian national and 19-year-old student of Murdoch University, Sanjana Mani, has her eyes set on Hollywood: “But for now, it is just an alternative. I know I want a career in film production and as far as I know, the opportunities here in the film industry are still limited,” said Mani. Mani was one of the several students who attended the first day of the 25th edition of the Getex Spring 2013 — one of the biggest education and training events in the Middle East and Asia — being held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, running until April 19. More than 400 institutions are taking part in the conference this year, which will showcase over 2,500 academic, vocational and training programmes with organisers expecting over 35,000 visitors. Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development inaugurated Getex Spring 2013 on Wednesday. This year however, the exhibition features segments that broadly cater to different student profiles including General and Higher Education, Vocational and Occupational Training, and Professional Development. The first day of the event was attended mostly by Asian expatriate students. Universities from the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Lebanon, Cyprus, China, UAE, India, Turkey and Pakistan are participating in the exhibition. Courses on offer include Aviation, Hospitality, Medicine, Humanities, and Teaching and Education. Even though a major section of the exhibition is hosting universities from the UAE, several students who spoke to Khaleej Times said they would prefer pursuing their higher studies outside the country. Students like Murtuza Khety (18) and Qasim Nasir (18) said they want to pursue their undergraduate studies in India and Pakistan, respectively, as education is cost-effective in both these countries: “I am looking to do my graduate studies in Business Management from India. Studying here is still expensive and you have more opportunities in India than you do in the UAE,” said Khety. Students and parents checking out the universities and courses on offer on the opening day of Getex Spring 2013 in Dubai on Wednesday. — KT photos by Mukesh Kamal A second year Environmental Studies student from Murdoch University, Trisha Advani, expressed similar concerns: “I want to do my higher studies in the US or Australia. It is not about the cost for me. Career opportunities for Environment Studies are far more superior in these countries. Once things look up in the UAE, I might move back here,” she said. Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak pointed out that Getex is gaining strategic significance as one of the most prominent and leading education events at regional and global levels: “The continued success of Getex reflects the UAE’s important role in the global educational domain, boosted by the steadfast support of the country’s leaders to develop the education sector and create an integrated learning environment to encourage creativity and innovation,” he added. Getex is strongly supported by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR). The General Education segment this year presents school-goers with a gateway of information intelligence on day-scholar, residential/boarding schools and summer camps. The Higher Education segment offers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses that highlight the Middle East as one of the fastest growing student populations. The Vocational Occupational Training segment aims to bridge the divide between education and industry by encouraging learners to acquire skills in specific job profiles, empowering them to quickly enter the workforce and gain career independence. dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
