Indonesia: For the record. Security officials warned of possible terrorist attacks on or around the 10th anniversary of the 12 October 2002, Bali bombings that killed 202 people. The nation's security alert has been raised to its highest level. Though officials would not reveal specifics, they said prominent visitors to Bali for memorial events, including Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, could be targets.
Comment: Indonesian authorities have reported no specific threats, but have done more to raise vigilance on the anniversary of the Bali bombings than US authorities did on the anniversary of the World Trade Center bombings. The Indonesian authorities understand Islamic extremists, who have much in common with the Indonesian communists (PKI), a half century ago.
Pakistan: After weeks of wrangling, the Supreme Court on Wednesday approved a third draft of an official government letter that will ask Swiss authorities to revive corruption investigations against Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, but with the proviso that any proceedings in Switzerland would be conditioned by the immunity available to the President under the Pakistan constitution.
Law Minister Farooq Naek submitted the draft letter to a five-judge bench which approved the draft.
The draft letter -- the third presented by the government to the court which objected to the contents of the previous two -- made it clear that any proceedings in Switzerland would be conditional to the immunity provided to the President by the Constitution and Pakistani and international laws.
In response to a Court request as to how long it would take the government to send the letter to Switzerland, Law Minister Naek said the draft would have to be translated into French and then sent through the Foreign Ministry. He sought four weeks to complete the process and the court accepted his request.
The court subsequently adjourned the case until mid-November.
Comment: Pakistani Prime Minister Ashraf remains accused of contempt of the Supreme Court for slow rolling this issue, but has not been convicted, as was his predecessor, Gilani. The compromise strengthens respect for the Court while providing the Ashraf government a way out of the confrontation between the judicial and executive branches of government.
Prudently, the key players ha