KARACHI: Former president Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Aitzaz Ahsan admitted that a delay was being carried out in the implementation of court?s order, but was quick to add that the government should be given more time.

He was speaking at a dinner hosted in the honor of former SCBA president Munir A. Malik here on Tuesday.

Ahsan ruled out any confrontation between judiciary and government.

?I am a PPP activist. I don?t see my role in the government in future, ? he said.

On this occasion, lawyer leader Ali Ahmed Kurd said that parliament and judiciary both were not living up to the expectation of people.

He further said that there was currently no clash between judiciary and parliament, but warned that if it happened, lawyers would not remain silent.

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah today met with Governor Ishratul Ebad in a bid to defuse the rising tension between Pakistan People Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The meeting took place in the wake of provocative statements made by provincial ministers Agha Siraj Durrani and Zulfiqar Ali Mirza against the MQM during Sindh Assembly?s session.

The tension between PPP and MQM grew further after MQM Deputy Convener Anis Kaimkhani held a news conference at Nine Zero, slamming Durrrani and Mirza.

Later, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also spoke to MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Qaim Ali Shah on phone to bring down the temperature between two parties.

ISLAMABAD: India has hinted at resumption of composite dialogue process with Pakistan, diplomatic sources told Geo on Tuesday.

According to diplomatic sources, India wants to resume the comprehensive talks that have been stalled after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

When contacted Shah Mahmood Qureshi told Geo Pakistan has always maintained that dialogue is the only way forward for both countries.

He confirmed there were some indications from India about resumption of stalled peace talks.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that there was no justification to increase the prices of petrol products as oil price in international markets dropped.

In a statement issued from Lahore today, the PML-N chief said his party rejects the recent raise in POL prices and demands its immediate withdrawal.

He said that the increase has doubled the sufferings of people, saying the government should have taken the Parliament and government into confidence before announcing the new tariff.

?The economic policies have failed to provide any relief to the poor people, he said, adding, the government is recovering a Rs300 billion deficit incurred from PIA, Railways and Pakistan Steel Mills over mismanagement from the poor people.?

WASHINGTON: The top US military officer on Tuesday urged Congress to approve billions of dollars for the war in Afghanistan, warning the Taliban was gaining influence across the country.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that “without your continued support, we will not be able to show the meaningful progress in Afghanistan that the commander-in-chief has ordered, the American people expect and the Afghan people so desperately need.”

He warned that the “Taliban have a growing influence in most of Afghanistan’’s provinces, and the border area between that country and Pakistan remains the epicenter of global terrorism.”

President Barack Obama on Monday asked Congress for 33 billion dollars in supplemental funding this year to pay for a surge of US troops and for 159 billion in the 2011 defense budget to cover the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As part of Obama’’s surge of 30,000 reinforcements, nearly 4,500 troops have deployed and about 18,000 forces would be in place by “late spring,” Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He said the remaining troops would arrive “as rapidly as possible over the summer and early fall.” Defense officials said the pace of the surge was on track.

The surge meant that more US troops would be in Afghanistan than Iraq by the middle of this year, said the admiral, who was joined at the hearing by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

“Right now, the Taliban believe they”re winning,” Mullen said.

But he said that in 18 months, “if we”ve executed our strategy, we”ll know that they won”t — that they can”t.”

He acknowledged that prevailing would mean “more sacrifice and more bloodshed” but added: “the stakes are too high for failure.”

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms Tuesday agreed on establishment of regular benches of high court in Hyderabad, Larkana, Turbat and Mingora.

The committee presided over by Senator Raza Rabbani reviewed constitutional clauses about superior judiciary.

The meeting also made proposal to repeal of 18th Amendments besides 17th Amendment, for which debate was underway.

The committee will hold its next meeting on Friday.

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Syed Munawar Hasan has lashed out at the Sindh coalition partners for the prevailing law and order situation in Karachi, in which up to 39 people were killed in five days.

In a statement issued from Lahore, Hasan said people of Karachi have been left at the mercy of murderers.

The Government of Sindh has failed in curbing the violence in Karachi, he said, continuing that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been held hostage by its coalition partner.

Hasan said that the target killing of innocent people is under way while there is no presence of government in the city.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani chaired a meeting of party?s senior leadership at the Presidency her on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Senator Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Rehman A. Malik, Syed Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Jahangir Badr, Ms. Rukhsana Bangash, Ms. Fauzia Habib, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi and Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar.

Briefing the media, spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the meeting discussed overall political situation, local government elections, recently held by-elections and the forthcoming by-elections.

The President?s forthcoming visits to NWFP and Balochistan province also came under discussion.

The meeting also reviewed President?s just concluded visit to Karachi where he held several political and development meetings before returning to Islamabad on Monday night.

MIRANSHAH: At least 17 people were killed when numerous missiles fired from the US drones hit a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border, Geo reported Tuesday.

Up to 18 missiles were fired from about five US spy aircrafts on a militant compound in Dattakhel village, according to sources.

At least 17 people were killed in the strikes and the toll is expected to rise.

A number of US strikes in early January are reported to have targeted Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, but he then dispelled rumours of his death in an audio recording, also vowing revenge for the drone programme.

MIRANSHAH; At least 10 people were killed when several missiles fired from the US drones hit a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border, Geo reported Tuesday.

At least 13 missiles were fired from about five US spy aircrafts on a militant compound in Dattakhel village, according to sources.

At least 10 people were killed in the strikes, and the toll is expected to rise.

A number of US strikes in early January are reported to have targeted Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, but he then dispelled rumours of his death in an audio recording, also vowing revenge for the drone programme.