500,000 WOMEN OFFER PUJA ON TEEJ AT PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE Kathmandu, 19 Sept. Nearly 500,000 women offered puja at Pashupatinath temple Tuesday on Teej Tuesday, Pashupatinath Area development board said. All doors of the temple were open from there in the morning until late evening. nnnn PAKISTAN PM TELLS SUPREME COURT IT WILL COMPLY WITH REQUEST TO REOPEN CORRUPTION CASE AGAINST PRESIDENT Kathmandu, 19 Sept.: Pakistan´s prime minister told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the government would comply with a longstanding demand to reopen an old corruption case against the president, defusing a conflict that has roiled the country´s political system and led to the ouster of the last premier, AP reports from Islamabad. President Asif Ali Zardari is likely in little immediate danger from the case in Switzerland, where he is recognized as enjoying immunity from prosecution as a foreign head of state. But the decision came as somewhat of a surprise to many in Pakistan, given the government had refused for months to follow the court´s order to write a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen the case. Both sides have come under public criticism for their focus on the case, rather than dealing with what are perceived as more serious problems facing the country, such as the weak economy, pervasive electricity shortages and a bloody Taliban insurgency. Pakistani Law Minister Farooq Naek recently traveled to Switzerland to talk to officials about the case, and analysts said the government may have decided the risk of the Swiss reopening the proceedings was low enough to write a carefully worded letter. "My view is that the government would never write a letter if they had not foreclosed any risk from doing so," said Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a political science professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences. "They seem to be certain that nothing will happen to the president, and even if there is a slight chance the case is reopened, they will be able to invoke presidential immunity." Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said he finally ordered the law minister to write to the Swiss "in the larger interest of the country, in the larger interest of the people of Pakistan and in the larger interest of the integrity of Pakistan." "I don´t want to be seen standing on the wrong side of the history," Ashraf said, appearing before the judges. Rais, the political science professor, said both the government and the court seemed exhausted by the conflict over the case and were seeking a way to move forward. "The case is irrelevant compared to the enormous problems of law and order, energy, governance and the effectiveness of the judiciary in other cases," said Rais. The case relates to millions of dollars in kickbacks that Zardari and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly received from Swiss companies when she was in power in the 1990s. Pakistan was originally a civil party to the case because it was trying to reclaim the money. But it withdrew in 2008 after the Pakistani government issued an ordinance giving Zardari and other politicians immunity from prosecution in old corruption cases. The Supreme Court declared the ordinance unconstitutional in 2009 and demanded the government write a letter to the Swiss to reopen the case, but it refused, citing the president´s immunity from prosecution while in office. The prime minister said Tuesday that the letter written by the law minister would ask the Swiss to ignore the government´s previous withdrawal from the case. The Swiss indicated last year that they have no plans to continue with the case, at least while Zardari is in office. The Pakistani government´s supporters have accused the Supreme Court of relentlessly pursuing the case because of bad blood between Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and Zardari. The judges convicted former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of contempt of court for refusing to follow their orders and ousted him from office in June. The government then rallied support in parliament to elect the current prime minister. The lead judge hearing the case, Asif Saeed Khosa, has struck a more conciliatory tone this time around, possibly because of public criticism of the court for actions that could lead to the downfall of the first civilian government poised to finish its five-year term in the country´s history. Past governments were toppled by direct or indirect intervention by the country´s powerful army, often with help of the judiciary. The current government´s term ends in early 2013. There is little chance of a coup, but some expected the government would be forced to call early elections. Khosa thanked the prime minister Tuesday for giving "us a commitment to make serious, sincere efforts to implement the orders of the court." He gave the government until Sept. 25 to write the letter to the Swiss. The move could leave Zardari open to the risk of prosecution after his term ends in 2013. But there has also been debate about whether the case´s statute of limitations will have expired by then. nnnn ________________________________________ ANOTHER UNITY BID IN MADESHBADI PARTIES Kathmandu, 19 Sept.: In their bid to forge “possible” party unity, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav and Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party chief Mahanta Thakur have held several rounds of talks in the past one and a half months, Pranab Kharel writes in The Kathmandu Post.. The move of the two Madhes-centred parties comes as part of their policy to form a single Madhes-based party or have a strong alliance of “like-minded parties”. “We are for unification with any Madhes-based party and in this regard our chairman has held talks with Mahantaji,” said an MJF-Nepal leader, requesting anonymity. The leader said the party had formed a three-member team headed by its General Secretary Ram Sahaya Yadav to forge unity with other parties following the Constituent Assembly dissolution. “However, the delay in the reformation of the TMLP talks team has hindered negotiations,” said the MJF-Nepal leader. TMLP has formed talks team under Vice-chairman Hridayesh Tripathy. Informed sources said MJF-N had requested for another talks team. TMLP Spokesperson Sarbendra Nath Shukla said they were equally serious about holding unity talks. “Process in this regard will start in a couple of days,” said Shukla. Sources privy to the development told the Post that TMLP is set to form new talks team headed by Shukla. Analysts point out that one of the reasons for the possible unity among parties is an “environment of election”. “As parties are floating election options, the two Madhes-centred parties are thinking of their merger,” says Dipendra Jha, who keeps close tabs on the Madhes issues. The move, according to Jha, could also be seen as the two leaders’ attempt to “prevent Bijaya Gachhadar from gaining ground” as he is “believed to advocate only for Tharus and is not very committed to other issues of Madhes”. Jha states that unification of the two parties is mutually beneficial as both Thakur and Yadav have strong legitimacy factors. “While Thakur commands respect across Madhes, Yadav has the legacy of the 2007 Madhes movement,” he remarked. “TMLP consists mainly of upper caste groups of Madhes, while Upendra brings with him the support of Yadavs, the largest caste group in Madhes.” Nnnn 1ST NEPAL. US ARMY EXERCISE CONCLUDES Kathmandu, 19 Sept.: More than 300 persons from the Nepal Army, the United States military and locals attended the closing ceremony of the Operation Pacific Angel at Machhapuchhre Higher Secondary School in Pokhara on Monday. Nepal Army Chief of Staff Lt Gen Nepal Bhusan Chand, Western Division Commander Maj Gen Victor Rana and Maj Gen Russell J Handy of the US Air Force attended the closing ceremony, the US embassy said in a statement. “We are honoured to have worked alongside the Nepal Army through our Pacific Angel programme and deeply appreciate the hospitality our Nepali hosts have extended to us,” the statement quoting Maj. Gen.Handy said. Over 4,195 local villagers were given free medical assistance in pediatrics, optometry, physiotherapy, public health infection control, food safety, women’s health and pre- and post-partum nutrition care, by a combined team of over 200 Nepal Army, US Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Mongolian Armed Forces members from 10 to 15 September. Three construction and renovation projects were completed at the Machhapuchhre primary and secondary schools and at the Machhapuchhre district post. nnnn CONFLICT VICTIMS CONDEMN US DECISION TO TAKE MAOISTS OFF TERRORIST LIST Kathmandu, 19 Sept.: The Conflict Victims’ National Society has expressed concerns over the US Department of State’s recent decision to remove the CPN-Maoist from its terrorist list. Submitting a memorandum to the US Embassy in Kathmandu, the society blamed the Maoists of not being true to their words and not abiding by the 12-point agreement. A press statement released by the society said that the Maoists had not returned property seized during the 10-year conflict and was ignoring issues of human rights, an independent judiciary and the freedom of the press by not endorsing democratic norms and the multiparty system. The society has further denounced the Maoists of not “giving up weapons and violence”. The statement said that the US, as an advocate of democracy, had not paid proper attention to the Maoist issues and stances in removing them from the terrorist list, hurting the sentiments of thousands of wartime victims. The society also expressed concerns over the Maoist failure to conclude the peace agreement and not guaranteeing the issuance of a new democratic constitution. nnnn