INDEPENDENT UN PROBE INTO BHUTTO KILLING STARTS WORK IN PAKISTAN

The independent commission charged with examining the facts and circumstances behind the December 2007 assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto arrived today in Islamabad as it began its first working visit to the country.

During their visit the members of the Commission of Inquiry are expected to meet with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and a number of senior Government officials and others in relation with their investigation.

The Commission formally started its activities on 1 July and has already begun preliminary work on the ground in Pakistan.

It is headed by Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz of Chile, and its other members are Marzuki Darusman, the former attorney-general of Indonesia, and Peter Fitzgerald, a veteran of the Irish National Police who has also served the UN in a number of capacities.

Set up following a request from the Pakistani Government, the Commission will submit a report to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon within six months. Mr. Ban will then share the report with the Government and submit it to the Security Council for information.
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Afghan, Pakistani Leaders Back Regional Power Project.

"Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan gave crucial support Friday to a World Bank-backed $680 million regional electricity transmission project.... The two leaders issued a joint statement backing the Central Asia-South Asia electricity transmission and trade project -- code named CASA 1000 -- after talks in Washington with World Bank President Robert Zoellick...." [Agence France Presse (5/8)/Factiva]

UzReport.com adds that "...this is the first phase of a program to create a regional electricity market by facilitating electricity trade between the energy-resource rich countries of Central Asia, and the energy-deficit countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia. A transmission link from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan was opened recently, and the planned CASA 1000 project will link Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic to South Asia...." [UzReport.com (Uzbekistan, 5/11)/Factiva]

Pajhwok Afghan News writes that "...the presidents recognized that the completion of CASA 1000... will catalyze additional energy investments and trade both in the four CASA countries as well as in the region. It could have a positive demonstration effect on other regional infrastructure projects between Afghanistan and Pakistan, such as the upgrading of the Peshawar-Kabul Road and the Peshawar-Kabul Rail Link, they believed...." [Pajhwok Afghan News (Afghanistan, 5/9)/Factiva]

BAN CALLS ON PAKISTAN’S LEADERS TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES THROUGH DIALOGUE

BAN CALLS ON PAKISTAN'S LEADERS TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES THROUGH DIALOGUE
New York, Mar 13 2009 7:01PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, concerned about the current political crisis in Pakistan, has called on the country's leaders to engage in dialogue to resolve their differences.

There is reportedly growing tension in the South Asian nation amid a dispute between President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif concerning the restoration of fired judges and other issues. This has been accompanied by increasing demonstrations around the country.

"The Secretary-General is concerned about the current political and security situation in Pakistan," UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.

"Pakistan's leaders, whether in power or in the opposition, have the responsibility first and foremost to ensure the safety and security of the Pakistani people," Mr. Haq said. "Any action that they undertake should bear this in mind.

"The Secretary-General calls upon Pakistan's leaders to solve all their differences through an honest dialogue to be able to deal with the multitude of challenges the country and the region face," the spokesperson added.
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