Breakthrough claimed in talks with Swat militants
The ANP-led NWFP government claimed on Tuesday that a breakthrough had been made in their talks with the Taliban militants in Swat. Awami National Party’s provincial chief Afrasiab Khattak told journalists that the next round of talks, to be held soon, was expected to lead to the signing of an agreement. Ali Bakht, a Taliban Shoora member, said: “Our main demands are enforcement of Sharia in Swat, withdrawal of troops from the area, release of prisoners taken into custody during the insurgency and compensation for affected families”.
Article: Breakthrough claimed in talks with Swat Militants
Author: Zulfiqar Ali
Publication: The Dawn
Deposed High Court judges reject fresh oath offer
The federal government of Pakistan has offered fresh oath to the deposed judges of the High Courts. Several judges, such as Justice Khwaja Mohammad Sharif, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar of the Lahore High Court were said to have received such offers via a colleague of the Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool but none of them have accepted. Similar offers have been made to judges in NWFP and Sindh and the general response is that they are refusing to accept these offers unless similar offers are made to the members of the pre-emergency Supreme Court.
Article: Deposed High Court judges reject fresh oath offer
Author: Syed Faisal Shakeel
Publication: The Dawn