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Sunday, July 05, 2009 By Ansar Abbasi, The News, Pakistani Newspaper ISLAMABAD: While the two top civil service groups — the District Management Group (DMG) and Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) — continue to be at each other's throat over Jehanzeb Khan's appointment as the country's ambassador to Paris, a former chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has thrown his weight behind the DMG's Khan. In an e-mail to this correspondent, Arif Saeed, son of former chairman PIA Ahmed Saeed and nephew of Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, wrote: "Apropos your coverage of the appointment of a DMG officer, Jehanzeb Khan, as the Pakistani ambassador to France. I would like to recount my experiences with this gentleman to clear the air and hopefully the debate on whether merit has been compromised in this matter. "My first interface with him took place when I was chairman of the leading textile association in Pakistan. Jehanzeb Khan, a fluent French spe...

Even as some Western leaders try to ease tensions with the Muslim world, the president of France is refusing to accept one display of Muslim identity. President Nicolas Sarkozy is declaring that the Islamic burqa is not welcome in France. (June 23) Interview: Dr Nazreen Nawaz (Womens Media Representative Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain) responds to Nicolas Sarkozys ban burqa comments UPDATE PARIS, France (CNN) -- Al Qaeda threatened to "take revenge" on France "by every means and wherever we can reach them" because of a debate in France over whether the burqa, a traditional Islamic woman's covering, violates French law, according to a statement posted on radical Islamist Web sites. A woman wears traditionnal Muslim dress in Venissieux, near Lyon, France. A woman wears traditionnal Muslim dress in Venissieux, near Lyon, France. "We will not tolerate such provocations and injustices, and we will take our revenge from France," said the statement, signed by Abu M...

By Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi in his editorial column titled 'Rozn-e-Dewar Seh' According to a report, Pakistani president Zardari , during his recent visit to France, got to hear appreciation of a Pakistani Civil Servant from unofficial circles. In addition to that, French President Sarkozy also asked President Zardari about his whereabouts. Infact, Dr Jehanzeb served as the Commercial Councilor in Pakistani embassy in France for five years and it was heard that because of his performance and fluency in French language, he was widely known in the French economic, political and social circles. President Sarkozy was serving as a senior minister and hence knew about his work and performance. Asif Ali Zardari, after hearing about the good performance and reputation of the officer from various circles, on return inquired about the officer who had brought a good name for Pakistan . He came to know that the officer was serving in Grade 22 and belonged to the North West Fronti...

Vous avez fait supérieur travail The first time I heard about Jehanzeb Khan was in 2006 in Paris. I had a businessman friend who worked with French companies, he took me to a dinner party. It was a gathering of Paris's Businessmen , which was being attended by the Chief Executives, Directors and General Managers of big French companies. During the dinner, a French businessman revealed that he went to Karachi a few months ago on a tour, during which, his opinion about Pakistan and Pakistanis changed. I asked him "In what connection did you visit Pakistan?" He told me "I was taken to Pakistan by Jehanzeb Khan". After the Dinner I asked Makhdoom Abbas "Who is this Jehanzeb Khan?" Makhdoom looked at me and In turn asked me "Don't you know Jehanzeb Khan?" I nodded my head to show my ignorance. Makhdoom then told me "Jehanzeb Khan is the Commercial councilor In Pakistan Embassy in Paris and is extremely reknowned in French Buisness a...

Israel ' s Next War: Today the Gaza Strip, Tomorrow Lebanon? by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya In the Middle East, it is widely believed that the war against Gaza is an extension of the 2006 war against Lebanon. Without question, the war in the Gaza Strip is a part of the same conflict. Moreover, since the Israeli defeat in 2006, Tel Aviv and Washington have not abandoned their design to turn Lebanon into a client state. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, in so many words, during his visit to Tel Aviv in early January that today Israel was attacking Hamas in the Gaza Strip and that tomorrow it would be fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon .[1] Ehud Olmert and Nicolas Sarkozy Lebanon is still in the cross-hairs. Israel is searching for a justification or a pretext to launch another war against Lebanon. Washington and Tel Aviv had initially hoped to control Beirut through client political forces in the March 14 Alliance . When it became apparent that thes...

Born to a poor immigrant Muslim family, France's justice minister has had an astonishing political ascent, appearing in glamorous magazine shoots and holidaying with the Sarkozys. But now pregnant with a child whose father she refuses to name, and facing a rebellion by the country's judges over her 'incoherent policies', her future looks uncertain. Rachida Dati, petite in her trademark black suit and high heels, bursts into the gilded dining room of her justice ministry, late for breakfast. She beams her famous "Plexiglass smile" - polite but guarded - and flashes a look that says, "I'm not finished yet." Dati is a French icon, Nicolas Sarkozy's hand-picked symbol of change: the first Muslim woman to hold a major government post. She adores appearing on magazine covers but is defensive in briefings, bristling at critics and, when cornered, she repeats her unfailing devotion to her mentor Sarkozy and his right-wing policies. She doesn't l...