Egypt's Military Rulers Dissolve Parliament

Egypt's military rulers took sweeping action to dismantle the autocratic legacy of former President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday, dissolving parliament, suspending the constitution and promising elections in moves cautiously welcomed by pro-democracy protesters.
In this frame from video , officials remove a portrait of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at... Expand
In this frame from video , officials remove a portrait of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the main Cabinet building in Cairo, on Sunday, Feb. 13 2011. Egyptians are removing portraits of ousted President Hosni Mubarak which have hung in public and private institutions throughout his three decades in power. (AP Photo / APTN) Collapse
(AP)

They also met with representatives of the broad-based youth movement that brought down the government after an 18-day uprising that transfixed the world.

The caretaker government, backed by the military, said restoring security was a top priority even as labor unrest reflected one of the many challenges of steering the Arab world's biggest nation toward stability and democracy.

On Sunday, prominent activist Wael Ghonim posted on a Facebook page he manages notes from a meeting between members of the military council and youth representatives, which he described as encouraging.

The military defended the caretaker government, stocked with Mubarak loyalists, as necessary for now in the interests of stability but pledged to soon change it, said Ghonim and another protester, Amr Salama, in the statement.

"They said they will go after corrupt people no matter what their position current or previous," the statement added. Amendments to the much reviled constitution will be prepared by an independent committee over the next 10 days and then presented for approval in a popular referendum to be held in two months, they said.

The military also encouraged the youth to consider forming political parties — something very difficult to do under the old system — and pledged to meet with them regularly.

"We felt a sincere desire to protect the gains of the revolution and an unprecedented respect for the right of young Egyptians to express their opinions," Ghonim said.

Even amid the efforts to build a new system, Egypt's upheaval has splintered into a host of smaller grievances, the inevitable outcome of emboldened citizens feeling free to speak up, most for the first time.

U.S. Postpones Meeting With Pakistan and Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The United States this weekend postponed high-level talks to be held in Washington with Pakistan and Afghanistan, a sign of the displeasure with Pakistan over the arrest of an American official accused of murder.
Related

    *
      Pakistan Extends Jailing of American Held in 2 Deaths (February 12, 2011)

The talks scheduled for Feb. 23 and Feb. 24, held annually to discuss the war in Afghanistan, involve foreign ministers and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

United States officials have said that a variety of visits and assistance to Pakistan were in jeopardy if the Pakistani government did not quickly resolve the case of the American, Raymond A. Davis, an official who killed two motorcyclists in Lahore on Jan. 27 while driving his car.

The State Department did not give a precise public explanation for the postponement of the talks except to say that “in light of the political changes in Pakistan” the talks would not go ahead.

PPP launches media campaign against Shah Mehmood

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—The U.S.do not talks in Washington included Pakistan due to an escalating diplomatic row over the detention last month of an American employed by the U.S. government who shot dead two armed men.A U.S. State Department statement Sunday said the high-level meeting involving Pakistan,
Afghanistan and the U.S. was  called off "in light of the political changes in Pakistan." Pakistan's government Friday announced cabinet changes that removed Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the country's former foreign minister, from his post.

But a senior Pakistan foreign ministry official said Washington's cancellation of the meeting was intended to pressure Pakistan to release the U.S. government employee.

Pakistan police say preliminary investigations have shown the man, who they have named as Raymond Davis, is likely to be charged soon with murder.

Pakistani authorities say Mr. Davis is an employee of a U.S.-based security company who was working under contract for the U.S. government in Pakistan.

The U.S. government has given few details about the man, who it hasn't named. The embassy in Islamabad said the man, who it claims fired in self-defense, is covered by diplomatic immunity and should be immediately released.

Pakistani officials have publicly questioned whether Mr. Davis acted in self-defense and have said he may have known the attackers, but they have given no clear picture of what they think occurred.

The U.S. last week suspended several bilateral engagements with Pakistan after a high court barred Pakistan's government from releasing Mr. Davis, Pakistani officials said.

Abdul Basit, a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman, said the cancellation of the Washington meeting won't affect the long-term strategic partnership between the two nations.     

Pakistani officials said the Obama administration also has threatened to call off an upcoming state visit to Washington by President Asif Ali Zardari if the standoff over Mr. Davis doesn't end.

The visit was expected to take place in March, though no date was fixed.     

No official at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad was available for comment.

Mr. Davis shot and killed two gunmen who tried to intercept his car in a congested market place in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Jan. 27. A second car, which came to extricate Mr. Davis from the situation, ran over and killed a bystander. Police arrested Mr. Davis and have held him in detention since then. The driver of the second car, who wasn't named, escaped arrest.

Egypt's Military Rulers Dissolve Parliament

Egypt's military rulers took sweeping action to dismantle the autocratic legacy of former President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday, dissolving parliament, suspending the constitution and promising elections in moves cautiously welcomed by pro-democracy protesters.
They also met with representatives of the broad-based youth movement that brought down the government after an 18-day uprising that transfixed the world.
The caretaker government, backed by the military, said restoring security was a top priority even as labor unrest reflected one of the many challenges of steering the Arab world's biggest nation toward stability and democracy.
On Sunday, prominent activist Wael Ghonim posted on a Facebook page he manages notes from a meeting between members of the military council and youth representatives, which he described as encouraging.
The military defended the caretaker government, stocked with Mubarak loyalists, as necessary for now in the interests of stability but pledged to soon change it, said Ghonim and another protester, Amr Salama, in the statement.

League and MQM are not threat to government

LAHORE:Minister Ahmad Mukhtar has say the collaboration between Muslim  MQM and League is

not a point out to the government. “They are welcome to launch their long-march from

Islamabad,” Mukhtar said.

saying to reporters at the Lahore Polo Club, he asked that the Punjab government has taken

Raymond Davis case to the court and it can control it in a better manner. “I can not comment

on this problem. The case will become clear in next hearings.” Terming Shah Mehmood Qureshi

a failed foreign minister, he said that his rechange “will be successful with the help of

the government”. He said that MQM “is a regional party but is trying to gain a foothold in

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab”.