SOUTH ASIA
SC Slams Raja’s Functioning
Supreme Court on Wednesday continued its critical observations on the 2G spectrum scam, taking exception to how the telecom ministry under A Raja had overlooked concerns raised by the prime minister on the allocation issue.
It also caught on to the fact that prospective licensees were given only 45 minutes to get all their documents in order, saying this did not indicate a transparent procedure was followed.
“The prime minister (Manmohan Singh) had made his reservations clear, but these were not treated with respect. There are requirements of collective responsibility. The government is not like a private business house. Its action has to be reasonable and in public interest,” a bench comprising justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly said.
“Bypassing the prime minister was not proper. The reservations were entitled to the highest respect.”
On another aspect of the case, the court ordered that the original tapes of conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and industrialists, politicians and journalists be handed over to it for safekeeping. The government did not object to it.
The day also saw Raja attack the comptroller and auditor general’s report, which indicts him, as “speculative and subjective”.
However, the court disagreed, telling his counsel “the CAG report makes a prima facie case for investigation against the former telecom minister”.
Asking solicitor general Gopal Subramanium some probing questions on the spectrum allocation, the bench wondered why prospective licensees were given only 45 minutes to submit complete all formalities in January 2008.
The CAG report says some applicants were given an unfair advantage, exposed by the fact that they were ready with bank guarantees and demand drafts drawn prior to the date of notification of the cut-off.
When Subramanium argued that a press release was issued, the bench retorted: “Making a press release doesn’t make it transparent. When companies are required to bring all documents with their rubber stamps on it… and you give just 45 minutes… by which standard is it transparent? Was it communicated through telepathy?”
“The fact is that all 16 companies turned up and no one complained. Can you call it a process consistent with rule of law? Would you consider this a reasonable way of functioning by the government department,” it asked, to which the solicitor general replied: “There needs to be a more transparent procedure.”
-HT
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistani Anti-graft body wants travel ban on Nawaz Sharif, kin
Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog has asked authorities to place ousted premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law on the Exit Control List to prevent them from leaving the country.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sent a formal request to the ministry of interior. The interior ministry officials confirmed that the NAB wrote that names of Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar should be put on the Exit Control List (ECL), which listed individuals not allowed to leave Pakistan.
The NAB argued that as the trial of the three nears its conclusion, it is feared that they would leave the country.
Earlier, a similar request to place name of finance minister Ishaq Dar on ECL was not accepted, allowing him to go to London and never return.
Sharif, 68, and his family this week filed an application with the accountability court seeking a fortnight’s exemption from personal appearance from February 19 onwards to let them go to London to see Sharif’s ailing wife. Three cases were filed against Sharif and his family last year, including Avenfield properties, Azizia & Hill Metal Establishment, and Flagship Investments.
Maryam and Safdar are accused only in Avenfield properties case. The NAB had filed two supplementary references against Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain regarding Al-Azizia Steel Mills & Hill Metal Establishment and Flagship Investment cases.
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistan “breaches obligations’ on nuclear arms reduction, UN court told
The Hague: Pakistan is violating its “obligations” to the international community by failing to reduce its nuclear arsenal, the Marshall Islands told the UN’s highest court on Tuesday.
The small Pacific Island nation is this week launching three unusual cases against India, Pakistan and Britain before the International Court of Justice.
Majuro wants to put a new spotlight on the global nuclear threat, its lawyers said yesterday, by using its own experience with massive US-led nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s.
“Pakistan is in breach of its obligations owed to the international community as a whole,” when it comes to reducing its nuclear stockpile, said Nicholas Grief, one of the island nation’s lawyers.
DeBrum warned that even a “limited nuclear war” involving the two countries would “threaten the existence” of his island nation people.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
In 1998, the rival neighbours both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability.
The ICJ’s judges are holding hearings for the next week and a half to decide whether it is competent to hear the lawsuits brought against India and Pakistan — neither of which have signed the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
A third hearing against Britain — which has signed the NPT — scheduled to start on Wednesday will be devoted to “preliminary objections” raised by London.
The Marshalls initially sought to bring a case against nine countries it said possessed nuclear arms: Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.
Israel has never admitted to having nuclear weapons.
But the Hague-based ICJ, set up in 1945 to rule in disputes between states, has only admitted three cases against Britain, India and Pakistan, because they have accepted the ICJ’s compulsory jurisdiction.
Pakistan’s lawyers did not attend Tuesday’s hearings.
It did however file a counter-claim against Majuro’s allegations saying “the court has no jurisdiction to deal with the application” and insisting that the case is “not admissible”, said ICJ President Ronny Abraham.
SOUTH ASIA
Bangladesh to drop Islam as official religion following attacks on Hindus
New Delhi: Bangladesh is likely to drop Islam as its official religion following a series of attacks on people from other faiths in the country. The country’s Supreme Court is hearing a plea challenging the status of the official religion of the country to Islam.
Bangladesh, which was declared a secular country after its formation in 1971, was declared an Islamic country following a constitutional amendment in 1988.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the plea has challenged the declaration of Islam as the national religion of the country.
The move is being supported by leaders from the minority communities like Hindus, Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
Bangladesh has 90 per cent of Muslims, 8 per cent Hindus and remaining constitutes Christians and Muslim minority Shiites.
In last month, a Hindu priest was hacked to death following an attack on a temple in Panchgarh district. Two others were seriously injured in the attack. There have been several lethal attacks on writers and bloggers.
According to a report in the Independent, Islamist groups Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team are believed to have carried out at least seven attacks on foreign and minority people in Bangladesh in the past year.
