NKorea paid bribes to Pak military for nuclear know how: Khan

North Korea paid several million dollars to top Pakistani Army officials to gain access to secret nuclear tech and sensitive equipments required in manufacturing a nuclear bomb, disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan has claimed by releasing a secret letter in this regard, a major American daily has reported.

According to the letter posted by 'The Washington Post' on its website, which is accompanied by a story, Jon ByongHo, Secretary of the Workers party of (North) Korea, in a letter dated 15th July, 1998 asks A Q Khan, who then was the project director of the Kahuta Research Center, to give "agreed documents" and "components" to a North Korean Embassy official in Islamabad.

In the letter, the authenticity of which according to The Post has been confirmed by senior US and western officials, Jon says that "3 million dollars have already been paid to Army Chief Gen J Karamat and half a million dollars and 3 diamond and ruby sets have been given to Gen Zulfiqar Khan".Both Karamat and Khan have refuted the allegations.In an e-mail from Lahore, Karamat said that Khan, as part of his defense against allegations of personal responsibility for illicit nuclear proliferation, had tried "to shift blame on others".

He said the letter's allegations were "malicious with no truth in them whatsoever", The Post said.

Khan called the letter "a fabrication".

It is not on any official letterhead and bears no seal.

"The reference to alleged payment and gifts to senior Pakistani military officers is ludicrous," the daily said.

The Washington Post said the letter was provided to it by former British journalist Simon Henderson, who the daily verified had obtained it from Khan.

A US intelligence official who tracks nuclear proliferation matters said it contains accurate details of sensitive matters known only to a handful of people in Pakistan, North Korea and the United States, the daily noted.

"If the letter is genuine, it would reveal a remarkable instance of corruption related to nuclear weapons.US officials have worried for decades about the potential involvement of elements of Pakistans military in illicit nuclear proliferation, partly because terrorist groups in the region and governments of other countries are eager to acquire an atomic bomb or the capacity to build one," the daily said.

Olli Heinonen, a 27-year veteran of the International Atomic Energy Agency who led its investigation of Khan before moving to Harvard Kennedy School last year, said the letter is similar to other North Korean notes that he had seen or received.

They typically lacked a letterhead, he said; moreover, he said,”He has previously heard similar accounts originating from senior Pakistanis of clandestine payments by North Korea to Pakistani military officials and government advisers," the Post said. media agencies

S Africa's Zuma calls for 'urgent' Libya peace process

South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday called for Libya to urgently begin peace negotiations, after his talks with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a NATO meeting.

"We emphasised the importance of starting negotiations urgently, and we requested NATO to assist to persuade the TNC (the rebel's Transitional National Council) to remove some of the preconditions that are making it hard or impossible to start with the negotiation process," Zuma said.

Zuma is part of a team leading efforts by the African Union to push a regional peace plan to end the conflict -a blueprint so far rejected by the rebels, who insisted that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi must first cede power.

The AU plan calls for both sides in the Libyan conflict to hold talks and for a multinational peacekeeping force organised by the United Nations to supervise a ceasefire.During his visit to Sochi, Zuma also met with NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who was there for a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council."We were also very pleased that President Medvedev assured us of his country's support of the AU roadmap.We agree that the military solution is not the correct way to resolve problem," Zuma said in a statement.

Zuma said South Africa had "reiterated our concerns about the misinterpretation of the UN resolution" authorising a no-fly zone over Libya, which NATO has used to justify its bombing campaign.

Pak suspend FIA officer on NICL corruption scandal

Another ugly turn in NICL corruption scandal investigation, the federal government Monday night suspended a competent senior FIA officer, Zafar Ahmad Qureshi, on the pretext of his “speaking to media”.A recent government attempt to remove Qureshi, who is FIA additional director general (ADG), from the multi-billion rupees corruption case was thwarted by the Supreme Court on Friday as the court cancelled his transfer orders. The chief justice lauded the officer, saying that Qureshi has recovered 1.75 billion rupees to the national exchequer, which was record recovery in a criminal case.The ministry of interior has appointed Shafqat Naghmi as an inquiry officer and asked him to submit report in one week. LAHORE – In yet another ugly turn in NICL corruption scandal investigation, the federal government Monday night suspended a competent senior FIA officer, Zafar Ahmad Qureshi, on the pretext of his “speaking to media”.
A recent government attempt to remove Qureshi, who is FIA additional director general (ADG), from the multi-billion rupees corruption case was thwarted by the Supreme Court on Friday as the court cancelled his transfer orders. The chief justice lauded the officer, saying that Qureshi has recovered 1.75 billion rupees to the national exchequer, which was record recovery in a criminal case.
The ministry of interior has appointed Shafqat Naghmi as an inquiry officer and asked him to submit report in one week.Media Source said that Zafar Qureshi, who was heading investigation team probing corruption in the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL), has been suspended for his bringing the case on the media.
Significantly the suspension order for Zafar Ahmad Qureshi was issued after Senior Minister Prevaiz Elahi accompanied by Minister for Interior Rehman Malik called on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Prevaiz Elahi’s son Moonis Elahi is involved in the scam and he has been under detention for the last few months.
The move that will further delay the probe – which the apex court wants to be completed at the earliest possible – has been justified by the government saying that the FIA ADG talked to the media, an area prohibited to the bureaucracy. Source claimed that it was unclear how the top court will proceed on the subject.
With his restoration orders the apex court had also directed FIA DG to facilitate ADG Qureshi in NICL scam investigation. But instead of facilitating the ADG, the DG on the very same day transferred all investigation team members assisting the ADG in the NICL case to remote and difficult posts. An FIA officer said that he was suspended only to teach him a lesson.Report Pak nation

Pro-democracy demonstrators marched through cities in Moroccao

Pro-democracy demonstrators marched through cities in Moroccao:
In Moroccao, thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators marched through cities on Sunday to protest constitutional changes they say fail to ease King Mohammed VI's autocratic grip on power.At least 1,000 people marched in the capital, Rabat. Thousands more rallied in Morocco's main economic hub, Casablanca, where pro-government supporters clashed with demonstrators. There were also pro-democracy protests in the port city of Tangiers and the popular tourist destination of Marrakech.The February 20 Movement, whose protests over the past few months prompted the king to initiate the reforms, denounced his new constitution as window dressing meant to preserve the monarchy's authority.

Under the proposals, the Prime Minister would no longer be appointed by the king, but would be selected by the majority party in parliament and designated as President of the government. The charter broadens the powers of the country's elected politicians and grants the judiciary more independence.Moroccan officials say 98 percent of Friday's voters approved the new constitution with a stunning 72 percent of the country's 13 million registered voters casting a ballot. The United States, European Union, France and Spain have welcomed the referendum in Morocco, which has strong ties to the West.

Wimbledon:Bhupathi-Vesnina mixed doubles runners-up

Indian tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi failed to notch up his third Wimbledon mixed doubles title as he and his partner Elena Vesnina were outplayed by Jurgen Melzer and Iveta Benesova in straight sets in the final in London on Sunday.The fourth seeded Indo-Russian pair lost 3-6 2-6 to their ninth seeded opponents in a 51-minute summit clash at the center court.Austrian Melzer and Czech Republic's Benesova, who have not lost a single set on their way to the title, were the dominant pair for most part of the final match with better serve and returns.

Bhupathi and Vesnina found their opponents' serve too hot to handle most of the time as the Austrian-Czech duo had as many as seven aces to the Indo-Russian duo's two -- with Melzer serving at lightning pace without reply on many occasions.Bhupathi and Vesnina were broken serve in the fourth game as Melzer and Benesova raced to 4-1 lead before winning the first set 6-3 in 24 minutes.

In the second set, Bhupathi and Vesnina were broken in the third and seventh games to lose it in 27 minutes and surrender the match.With the loss, Bhupathi failed to equal his once estranged doubles partner Leander Paes' 12 Grand Slam titles as he remained on 11 Major crowns -- seven in mixed doubles and four in men's doubles.

Syria: Hama’s Governor faces Prez wrath;

President Assad of Syria has dismissed the Governor of the city of Hama, a day after it was the scene of one of the biggest demonstrations yet against his rule. The sacking of Ahmed Khalid Abdul Aziz was announced on Syrian State television. His departure follows huge protests on Friday,with some reports putting the turn out in the city at half a million. It is not clear whether the Governor of the city of Hama was sacked for failing to take action to quell the protests or was the move to appease the demonstrators themselves.
Meanwhile, the death toll in yesterday's clashes between protesters and security forces in Syria has risen to 28. Most of yesterday's victims were killed in the Idlib province, where troops backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers have swept through villages to crush dissent against Assad's regime. Human rights activists say, 16 people were killed in Idlib and another 10 were killed when security forces opened fire to disperse protests in several cities.

US :No- to vacate Shamsi base

US No-to vacate Shamsi base
Friday, July 01, 2011
US rejects demands to vacate Shamsi base WASHINGTON: The United States is rejecting demands from Pakistani officials that American personnel abandon a military base used by the CIA to stage drone strikes against suspected militants, US officials told Reuters.US personnel have not left the remote Pakistani military installation known as Shamsi Air Base and there is no plan for them to do so, said a US official familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive material."That base is neither vacated nor being vacated," the official said. The information was confirmed by a second US official.

On Wednesday, federal Minister for Defence Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said that US had been asked to stop using the base for drone strikes and vacate it.Relations between the two uneasy allies deteriorated after the May 2 raid by US SEALs in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden. Wednesday’s statement by Mr Mukhtar was the latest salvo.“We have been talking to them (on the issue) for some time, but after May 2, we told them again,” he told Reuters on Thursday. “When they (US forces) will not operate from there (Shamsi base), no drone attacks will be carried out.” Reports-Dawn-daily.

Earlier this week, Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told the Financial Times that Pakistan had already stopped US drone operations there.On Thursday, Mukhtar told Reuters: "When they (US forces) will not operate from there, no drone attacks will be carried out."

He said Islamabad had been pressuring the US to vacate the base even before the May 2 commando raid in which US Navy SEAL commandos killed Osama bin Laden. After the raid, Mukhtar said, "We told them again."

A senior Pakistani military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that when US forces first launched counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan "provided Americans two bases in Jacobabad and Shamsi. Jacobabad base has been vacated for long time ago, but Shamsi is still with them."

"They are vacating it," the official insisted. "Shamsi base was for logistic purpose. They also used it for drones for some time but no drones have been flown from there."
Media-Agencies