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1,244 online bank fraud cases reported in 10 months, Senate told

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ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry on Wednesday informed the Senate that during the first 10 months of the current year as many as 1,244 complaints were received regarding unauthorised transactions made through automated teller machines (ATMs) and Internet Banking Fund Transfers.

Of the 1,244 complaints, 524 were turned into regular inquiries and 35 into FIRs while 463 were being verified at the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Seventy-six suspects were apprehended.

The ministry provided the information in response to a question put by independent Senator Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan, who wanted to know about the total number of complaints regarding illegal and unauthorised bank transactions made through ATMs or other means since January 1 and details of the persons apprehended in the cases during the period.

He also asked about the total number of complaints that were pending with FIA and the steps being taken by the government to curb the menace of illegal transactions made in connivance with banks.

In a written reply, State Minister for Interior Shehryar Afridi said a total of 1,244 complaints had been registered by November 8, of which 222 were still pending with the FIA’s cybercrime wing.

However, he said, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was the regulatory body for all commercial/national banks as well as international banks in the country with regard to any sort of transaction.

“Therefore, SBP is in a better position to apprise about the measures taken in this regard. Moreover, FIA is an investigation agency and takes legal action on the receipt of complaints from customers of different banks involved in such illegal transactions from their bank accounts,” said the minister’s reply.

Cybersecurity is a major concern among managers of the global financial system. Only last month it was reported by some news organisations that data of major Pakistani banks had been hacked.

It was also revealed that information about bank accounts and passwords were actually “sold” in the international market through the “dark web”. As a result, some Pakistani banks had suspended the use of debit cards abroad and a number of them advised their account holders to change their ATM pin numbers.

On the other hand, SBP had said the banks had taken various steps to protect their information technology systems after instructions from the central bank. It had assured the account holders that they would not lose their money in case a mishap took place.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018


‘Biotech crops can help tackle Pakistan’s water and food crises’

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KARACHI: Pakistan urgently needs to adapt to modern agricultural technologies to help tackle its water and food crises exacerbated by increasing salinity, deforestation and high population growth.

This point was raised at a press conference held on Wednesday at the Latif Ebrahim Jamal (LEJ) National Science Information Centre, Karachi University, with an objective to create awareness about the potential commercialisation of biotechnology offers for Pakistan’s sustainable development.

This year’s International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) report highlighting global status of commercialised biotech/genetically modified crops was also launched at the event.

According to the report, biotech crop area in 2017 attained new record-high adoption at 189.8 million hectares worldwide. Top five countries (USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and India) planted 91 per cent of the global biotech crop area of 189.8 million hectares.

“Biotech countries in the Asia and Pacific region were led by India with the biggest area of biotech crops at 11.4 million hectares of cotton followed by Pakistan [three million hectares cotton], China, Australia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam and Bangladesh.”

Speaking about global food insecurity, Prof Iqbal Choudhary, director of the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, presented some recent statistics that showed that 60pc of the world’s people hit by food insecurity lived in 19 countries facing conflict and climate change crisis situations whereas high risks of famine were recorded in Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, where 20 million people were severely experiencing hunger.

Coming to Pakistan’s food and water crises, he cited a recent UN report according to which Pakistan continued to have high neonatal mortality and that 44pc of its children were stunted. Water availability currently in the country stood at around 865 cubic metres.

“Hunger will only be defeated if countries translate their pledges into action, especially at the national and local levels. It is extremely important to ensure that people have the conditions to continue producing their own food,” he observed, adding that biotech crops over the last 22 years had contributed to food security and sustainability increasing crop productivity and helping alleviate poverty in many countries.

He appreciated Pakistan’s progress on biotech cotton and said that it had increased its biotech cotton area by 3.4pc or 100,000 hectares from 2.9 million hectares to three million hectares.

He added that this was expected to increase cotton production by 14.04 million bales.

Sharing some estimates of the latest ISAAA report, he pointed out that an estimated 725,000 smallholder Pakistani farmers had been benefiting from the economic gains in using biotech cotton.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

Peshawar private schools outperform government’s

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PESHAWAR: Private schools have outperformed the public sector educational institutions in Peshawar district by producing better results in the last intermediate examination despite the government’s heavy spending on the latter, reveals a recent survey conducted by the elementary and secondary education department.

The survey found that the government spent Rs10,770 a month on every student enrolled in the intermediate classes of the government higher secondary schools, while the private schools charged students Rs3,000-Rs7,500 monthly fee each.

Twenty higher secondary schools from the government and private sectors each were selected for the comparison of the results of the annual FA/FSc examination taken by their students in April.

Study shows top grades in intermediate exam were secured by 66pc students of private schools and just 12pc of govt’s

The survey findings were taken up in a meeting on Oct 16, which was chaired by the then education secretary, Mukhtiar Ahmad and attended by chief planning officer of education department Idrees Azam, chairman of the Peshawar Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Fazlur Rehman, then director education Farid Khattak and independent monitoring unit director Adeel Shah.

The meeting’s minutes, a copy of which is available with Dawn, showed that from the selected 20 government schools, 1,218 students sat the FA/FSc Part-II examination and 700 of them were declared successful putting the pass percentage at 57.4.

Of them, 12 per cent got A1, A and B grades.

However, the private schools’ students performed far better than them as 66 per cent of them obtained A1, A and B grades.

The minutes also declared that the public sector higher secondary schools didn’t produce good exam results despite huge investment by the government.

They added that the results of 12th grade examination conducted by the Peshawar educational board spoke volumes about the massive failure of the education department and teachers in improving the learning and teaching levels in government schools.

The minutes said the upgradation of a high school to the higher secondary level was very costly affair as Rs37 million was required to put up a new block and that after upgradation, the department appointed 17 teaching staff to it for intermediate classes.

They said the daily intermediate classes in the government higher secondary schools lasted four hours due to 40- minute six periods, whereas the private schools and colleges had six-hour such classes every day with eight periods having the 50 minutes duration.

It was revealed that on average, the effective teaching and learning process in higher secondary schools was not more than six months a year as the students were free for home studies in the first week of March every year, as the intermediate class teachers joined the matriculation board examination duties.

However, the intermediate course students of private schools are free for home studies 10 days before examination, while teachers are present on campus for their guidance until the summer vacation.

The academic session of private schools lasts eight months.

After thorough discussion, the participants decided that there would be seven periods each of 50 minutes duration in the government higher secondary schools, including one for practical purpose.

The education director was directed to issue a standard timetable for all government schools in this respect.

The meeting also decided that like the students of private schools, those of the government higher secondary schools would not be free for home studies 10 days before the start of the intermediate examination.

It also decided that all educational boards would design a separate cadre for examination duties on the pattern of NTS and would engage retired teachers and government officers, officials of good reputation and young university graduates for examination supervision and marking of papers to ensure the teachers’ presence in schools.

Adviser to the chief minister on E&SE Ziaullah Bangash was not available for comments.

However, an official of the education department told Dawn that the study conducted in the provincial capital’s urban areas depicted a bleak picture of the performance of the students from government schools.

“Situation of the government higher secondary schools located in far-off areas of the province is even worse than the urban areas’,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

‘Mentally ill’ man kills wife, two children

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TIMERGARA: A mentally-challenged man axed to death his wife and two children in Malakand Payeen village of Balambat here on Wednesday, residents and police said.

They said Zahid Khan killed his 35-year-old wife and two children -- three-year old Haseeba and 18-month-old Huzaifa. The bodies were shifted to the district headquarters hospital and later handed over to the heirs.

The motive behind the brutal act could not be ascertained. However, the accused, who is stated to be mentally-retarded, shut himself up in a room after the crime.

The Balambat police fired tear gas shells near his room and arrested him on the spot. Moving scenes were witnessed during the funeral prayers of the deceased.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

GB opposition leader calls for judges’ appointment on merit

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GILGIT: The opposition leader in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly on Wednesday alleged that two judges posts, including that of chief judge of GB Supreme Appellate Court, had been kept vacant deliberately.

Captain retired Mohammad Shafi Khan said some leaders from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Islamabad and Pakistan Muslim League-N in GB were trying to induct their blue-eyed persons onto the posts, according to a press release issued by the opposition leader’s office.

He pointed out that chief judge of the appellate court Rana Mohammad Shamim got retired earlier this year, while post of a judge got vacant after the death of justice Shahbaz Khan two years ago.

“Only one judge is serving in the three-judge Supreme Appellate Court,” he pointed out.

He said litigants in the highest court of the region faced difficulties due to absence of judges.

“Many prisoners are awaiting hearing of their cases in the court, but there is no judge to hear such cases,” he deplored.

Shafi Khan said divisional bench of the court was not being constituted for want of required judges.

He alleged that GB Order 2018 was being amended to appoint an over-aged person to the post of the chief judge. He appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure appointment of eligible candidates on vacant posts.

Meanwhile, a six-year-old boy died after falling into a snow hole in Roundu valley of Skardu on Thursday. The nursery class student identified as Muntazir of Hango village was going to school along with his brother, and when they were crossing a water channel, Muntazir fell into a snow whole.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

Man ‘seeking ransom after killing friend’ arrested

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HYDERABAD: Police on Wed­nes­­day recovered the body of a 25-year-old man from a water tank in the house of the suspected killer who allegedly kidnapped and murdered his own friend two days ago.

The police arrested the suspected killer identified as Naeem Rajput, who admitted his crime.

Ahsan, son of Dr Jamil Kazi, had gone missing on Dec 16 from outside his house in Rehman Town within the jurisdiction of the Pinyari police station.

His family reported the matter to the Pinyari police which allegedly didn’t give a positive response to the family initially.

Later Ahsan’s father, Dr Kazi, currently posted in Larkana district health department, requested the Larkana commissioner to intervene upon which the police started work on the case.

The family received a call for payment of Rs300,000 ransom. The caller wanted the delivery of the payment at Hyderabad’s railway station.

Hyderabad senior superintendent of police Sarfaraz Nawaz Shaikh told journalists at a briefing that Rs300,000 was arranged of which Rs150,000 was paid by the police to the family.

The family delivered the amount at the decided location, from where the suspect secretly collected the money.

“But the hostage was not handed over to the family. The caller told them to reach Makki Shah to find Ahsan. The family rushed to the area but didn’t find Ahsan despite ransom payment,” the SSP said.

The SSP said that the accused had used the mobile phone of the deceased to contact his family.

The SSP said Naeem and Ahsan had 15-year-old friendship.

Naeem told police that he needed Rs300,000 to buy new mobile phones and some other things, the SSP added.

“Naeem took Ahsan to his home on his motorbike where he gave him some papers to read. Naeem tried to hold Ahsan and after a scuffle hit him with a stick on his head repeatedly,” SSP said.

SSP said that when Ahsan succumbed to his injuries Naeem threw his body in an under-construction water tank of his house as his own family was away.

He added that Naeem then again used Ahsan’s mobile phone to contact his family. The SSP said that after tracing Naeem’s location police picked him up.

“What prompted police to pick up Naeem was the fact that he became an unwanted visitor to Ahsan’s family after his deceased friend’s disappearance and requested that they should pay ransom to the caller to save his friend. Ahsan’s family also cast doubts about his movement,” the SSP told Dawn.

He said that Naeem told the family members to bring money and after placing it on the platform they may leave the area.

He himself collected the money after the family went away.

Police apprehended Naeem on Dec 18 after analysis of mobile phone data of Ahsan and Naeem, he said. The police said that there were some bruises on Naeem’s face and hands due to resistance offered by Ahsan.

Naeem told journalists that he bought two mobile phones, two water-pumping machines and one mobile phone charger.

He said that he only needed Rs300,000 and that’s why he didn’t demand more than that. He admitted that he committed a “huge mistake”.

Police recovered Rs127,000 from Naeem.

Around Rs70,000 to Rs80,000 had been spent by Naeem and he “lost” one packet of currency notes.

The post-mortem examination was conducted and a kidnapping and murder case was being registered at the Pinyari police station.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

Seven more children die in drought-hit Thar

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MITHI: Seven more children died from complications caused by malnutrition, waterborne diseases and viral infections over the past two days in drought-hit Thar, raising the death toll to 635 this year so far.

The number of deaths is the highest in a year over the past five years since the onslaught of drought and subsequent natural and manmade disasters.

Six of the children died in Civil Hospital Mithi where they were brought from remote villages while one breathed his last in Kaloi village.

Parents of the victims and ailing children complained of shortage of drugs prescribed by doctors at the civil hospital and said that not only children but also the elderly were facing a number of ailments which were mainly caused by harsh winter season.

They said that they had to travel along with their sick relatives long distances to reach Mithi since the healthcare units in their villages were often short of essential and life-saving medicines.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had expressed anger over inadequate facilities in Thar hospitals, including in Civil Hospital Mithi, during his recent visit to the desert region.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

Defamation case against PM adjourned

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PESHAWAR: A local court on Wednesday adjourned hearing into a defamation suit filed by former PTI MPA Fauzia Bibi against Prime Minister Imran Khan due to his lawyer’s failure to turn up.

Additional district and sessions judge Shah Waliullah Hamid Hashmi fixed Jan 3 for the next hearing observing that the court will hear arguments about a requestof Mr Imran to return the lawsuit for lacking jurisdiction to hear it.

The former MPA, who was elected on reserved seats for women on the PTI’s ticket, has filed the lawsuit for recovery of damages to the tune of Rs500 million for defaming her through leveling ‘baseless’ allegations against her of horse trading in the Senate election.

The suit was filed in June this year under the Defamation Ordinance, 2002. The only defendant in the lawsuit is Mr Imran as PTI chief.

Lawyer Habib Qureshi appeared before the court and said as Imran’s counsel Babar Awan was busy with some case hearings in the Supreme Court, he was not able to visit Peshawar to appear before the court in the case.

He sought the adjournment of the hearing.

During a hearing, Mr Babar had filed the application under Order 7 Rule 10 of Code of Civil Procedure, saying the press conference in question addressed by his client was held in Islamabad and not in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He had said the committee constituted for taking action against the plaintiff was also constituted there.

The lawyer added that as the cause of action arose there, therefore, it was not in the jurisdiction of the present court to deal with this case.

Syed Gufranullah Shah, lawyer representing the plaintiff, said the defendant’s counsel had been using delaying tactics.

He requested the court to dismiss the application filed on behalf of Mr Imran as the court had the jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit.

The lawyer said his client was member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and the statement of Mr Imran was related to her stint as member of the assembly. He stated that the allegations against the plaintiff were leveled in connection of Senate Elections for which she had cast vote at the KP Assembly.

He argued that the Defamation Ordinance 2002 was a special law and it had overriding effect over other laws. He added that under the said law the Peshawar district court was the relevant forum for hearing the defamation suit.

The lawyer said in the Senate polls held on Mar 3, his client had followed the direction with effect to cast vote in favour of all the candidates of her party nominated against general and reserved seats for women and technocrats.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed that after the Senate polls, Mr Imran began uttering, spreading and resorting to publication, communication and circulation of maliciously false, baseless and unfounded oral statements and representation against the plaintiff.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018


Sindh CM leaves for Beijing to present projects for inclusion in CPEC

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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah left for China where he would attend the CPEC Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting scheduled for Thursday in Beijing.

The meeting participants would review progress made so far to implement approved projects of the economic corridor.

The chief minister besides taking up the approved Sindh projects in CPEC in its sixth meeting held in 2016 pertaining to Karachi Circular Railway, Dhabeji Special Economic Zone and Keti Bandar, would also present the case for including Canal lining project from Guddu to Sukkur Barrage, low-delta agriculture crops, Green Sindh project for improving environment through massive plantation from Karachi to Kashmore and installation of mega desalination plant in Karachi.

Sources told Dawn the canal lining project had a lot of importance for Sindh.

Seepage is one of the factors that lead to approximately 30 to 40 per cent loss of irrigation water in canals.

Applying the right irrigation canal lining would help minimise the impact of seepage.

The canal lining is the impermeable layer applied at the sides and at the bed of the canal to boost its discharge capacity and life.

Sindh could also learn a lot from Chinese experience by cultivating low-delta crops in which China had made tremendous progress by getting more yield with the use of less water. The Chinese cooperation would give boost to the agriculture products, if the project is included in CPEC.

Forests in Sindh have also been degraded to a significant degree.

A report by the forest and wildlife secretary reveals that there has been an 80pc decline in the actual forest cover since 1971 and the present forest size is of 100,000 acres, which is less than 0.3pc of the entire surface area.

In the present circumstances, there is a strong need to formulate a dynamic policy for tree plantation to revive the ecosystem.

Similarly Karachi gets only 450 million gallons per day (MGDs) against its requirement of 1,200 MGDs.

A majority of the city residents are using groundwater, which is contaminated and groundwater reserves will be depleted soon if Karachi’s residents kept on extracting it. “In such a condition, Karachi can only get water through desalination.”

At the sixth meeting pleading the case for the KCR, the chief minister had drawn attention towards importance of Karachi and its transportation problems. He had said the solution of traffic problem lay in effective mass transit system, which included revival of KCR, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and Light Rail Transit.

The JCC decided to include the project and asked the Sindh government to present its feasibility within next three months.

The chief minister said construction of new jetty at Keti Bandar would also exploit full potential of Thar coal reserves.

It would minimise cost of electricity produced from Thar coal.

He requested the JCC to approve the project in principle as discussed in the Transport Infrastructure Joint Working Group in November 2016.

He vowed to present detailed bankable feasibility in the next working group meeting. The JCC included the Keti Bandar Power Park and Seaport project in CPEC and decided to conduct feasibility study.

The chief minister pleaded the case for Dhabeji Special Economic Zone.

The JCC decided to give a Special Economic Zone to every province, including Sindh.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

Sindh govt comes under fire in SC for failing to shift Napa from Hindu Gymkhana

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KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a reply from the Sindh government regarding provision of an alternative space to accommodate the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) and its shifting from the iconic Hindu Gymkhana building.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, was hearing a petition filed by the Shree Ratheshawar Maha Dev Welfare seeking a ban on construction on the premises of Hindu Gymkhana.

Take a look: Napa turns 10

At the outset, the bench expres­sed extreme displeasure over the failure of the provincial government in getting the premises of the heritage building vacated and shifting Napa to some other place.

The court has ruled that the heritage building will have to be vacated at any cost

An additional advocate general expressed the government’s inability in proposing alternative land to Napa stating that the government was even short of land to establish its own offices.

At this, Justice Ahmed remarked that the government might shift Napa to the Chief Minister House, if need be.

He observed that how a heritage building could be used for any purpose other than what it was meant for and asked what steps the government had taken to provide alternative space to Napa to shift it from the gymkhana building.

The judge came down hard on the law officer saying commercial buildings could be built at any place in this way.

He observed that the heritage building would have to be vacated at any cost and asked the law officer to submit a reply on behalf of the provincial government regarding provision of alternative land to Napa and shift it there from the Hindu Gymkhana.

The Shree Ratheshawar Maha Dev Welfare had approached the court in 2014 through Advocate Neel Keshav submitting that the heritage site belonged to the Hindu community of Karachi before partition as the gymkhana building was established for the promotion of social and religious activities of Hindus, but the government took it over as an evacuee trust property after partition.

Therefore, the petitioner asked the court to issue a directive to Napa to vacate the building and hand it over to the Hindu community.

Ex-policeman challenges his dismissal

The same bench issued notices to the inspector general of police, Sindh, the provincial law officer and others on a petition filed by a former police inspector challenging his forced retirement.

Petitioner Syed Naveed Nasir submitted that he was serving as an inspector in the Sindh police, but a departmental inquiry into the allegations of his alleged assistance in the targeted killings of political workers was conducted and subsequently he was forcibly retired without providing any charge sheet against him.

His counsel pleaded to annul his client’s forced retirement and order his reinstatement.

However, the bench members observed that it would be appropriate to first examine the evidence, if any, available against the petitioner before passing any order since there were serious allegations.

The bench issued notices to the IGP, AG Sindh and others to submit their replies by the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2018

PTI files disqualification petition against Zardari for 'concealing' NY flat in nomination papers

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The Pakistan Teh­reek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Karachi, seeking the disqualification of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for concealing his assets.

According to the application filed by PTI Sindh MPA Khurram Sherzaman with the Provincial Election Commissioner, Zardari had failed to declare an apartment he allegedly owns in Belaire Condominiums located at 524 East 72nd Street, New York, New York, United States of America, in his nomination form for the 2018 general elections.

PTI MPA  Khurram Sherzaman speaks at the ECP office in Karachi. — DawnNewsTV
PTI MPA Khurram Sherzaman speaks at the ECP office in Karachi. — DawnNewsTV

The PPP leader is a member of the National Assem­bly from NA-213, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh.

"Because of this act of his, Mr Asif Ali Zardari under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Rules of the Election Commission of Pakistan, ... as per past precedent, should be disqualified from holding public office under Article 62 (1)(f), as in my opinion he ceases to be truthful and sagacious," says the application.

Editorial: Zardari’s oblique warning

Sherzaman in his letter said he was attaching documents of the property in question along with Zardari's Form B, "which shows that he did not declare this property".

A document submitted with the application and obtained by Dawn shows Asif Ali Zardari as having an address at 524 East 72nd Street, New York, New York. A second document purports to show that one Ms Mehreen Shah was granted the power of attorney for the condo unit by Zardari. The veracity of the documents could not be independently confirmed.

"This serious violation of the law needs to be examined by you since Mr Zardari is a former president of Pakistan and co-chairs one of the major political parties of this country," the application read.

The PTI lawmaker urged the ECP to investigate the matter, "and if proven true and accurate", disqualify and deseat Zardari as an MNA under Article 62 (1)(f).

I request you to investigate this matter and if proven true and accurate, take the appropriate action, which is disqualification/de-seating from the National Assembly as prescribed by the law and Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution.

Although Provincial Election Commissioner Muhammad Yousaf Khan Khattak reluctantly accepted the application filed by Sherzaman, he informed the PTI MPA that any action on the petition would be taken by the ECP's Islamabad headquarters.

Speaking to reporters outside the ECP office, Sherzaman said they also wanted the National Accountability Bureau to investigate the means used to allegedly purchase the New York property by Zardari.

Answering a question regarding the evidence submitted by him, the MPA said information regarding the ownership of properties in the United States could "very easily" be obtained online.

"Now it is Asif Ali Zardari sahib's responsibility to prove us wrong," he declared.

PPP to file disqualification petitions against PM, Vawda

Also on Thursday, the PPP filed applications in the ECP's Islamabad office seeking details of assets of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda.

After a PPP delegation met with the ECP secretary, party leader Farhatullah Babar told reporters they had asked the commission to provide details of assets submitted by the premier for all elections he has contested in the past.

"The money trail of Imran Khan's properties is suspect," Babar alleged, adding that his party will prove that Khan holds undeclared properties abroad.

The PPP has also submitted applications in concerned institutions to seek details of assets owned by the prime minister's sister, Aleema Khan, and of business interests of Jahangir Tareen, a senior PTI leader.

He said the PPP will file a disqualification reference against Khan and others "based on the evidence we are gathering".

"We want everyone in the government and the opposition to be held accountable under the same law," Babar said, adding that the PPP will face all cases against it through legal channels.


With additional reporting by Fahad Chaudhry in Islamabad.

Bilawal vows to oppose another extension for military courts

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PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday said he would vehemently oppose the extension of military courts, and regretted that parliament had previously sanctioned such legislation.

"I will oppose the extension of military courts' laws at every forum," Zardari said in a brief chat with media representatives in Islamabad.

The PPP leader also assailed the parliament for granting a two-year extension to military courts in 2017 — a decision he said was akin to the house "slashing off its nose".

In March 2017, military courts were revived for the next two years after then president Mamnoon Hussain had ratified a National Assembly bill on the matter.

The extension, however, had come after more than two months of deliberations and a tug of war between between government and opposition parties over the technicalities of military courts' functioning.

The PML-N government at the time had argued that the revival of military courts was imperative keeping in view the "recent spate of terrorism in the country".

The PPP, however, had opposed the extension, with veteran leader Naveed Qamar lamenting the state of affairs in the country and saying he "does not believe things will improve in the next two years even if the military courts are revived".

The legislation was aimed at granting legal cover to the military courts for trying civilians charged with terrorism.

The two-year extension to military courts is set to expire in March 2019.

Kashmir dispute 'not a bilateral issue' between Pakistan and India, PM tells UN chief

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Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday telephoned United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to convey his "deep shock and grave concern" at the human rights violations committed by Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir, a statement issued by his office said.

The premier during the conversation "underscored [the] UN's role to end these violations", the statement added.

Citing the recent escalation in violence in the restive valley, especially the killing of more than a dozen civilians and injuries to over 300 protestors, Khan termed the situation as “unacceptable”.

"Jammu and Kashmir dispute is not a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India but an internationally recognised dispute and an outstanding agenda item in the UN Security Council," the statement quoted the prime minister as telling the UN chief.

Khan urged Guterres to intervene and "stop India from perpetrating state repression, violence and brute force against Kashmiri youth, women and children".

He demanded that a Commission of Inquiry be urgently dispatched to investigate the situation in occupied Kashmir, as was recommended in a June 2018 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. He also reiterated the proposal to appoint a special UN representative for resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

The premier expressed the fear that the imposition of presidential rule in occupied Kashmir could "further aggravat[e] the already serious situation".

'Terrorist act' in Kashmir

Khan's call to the UN chief comes days after he strongly condemned the killings of innocent civilians at the hands of Indian security forces in Indian occupied Kashmir's Pulwama area.

"Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future," the prime minister had said in a tweet, vowing that his government will raise the issue of Indian's human rights violations in occupied Kashmir and demand that the UN Security Council "fulfil its J&K plebiscite commitment".

At least seven civilians were killed and over three dozen injured when Indian forces fired at protesters in Pulwama over the weekend. Residents had accused troops of directly spraying gunfire into the crowds.

The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had condemned the shooting at demonstrators as a "terrorist act" and called upon the international community to intervene.

Saturday’s shooting ignited fresh anger across the region that has witnessed its bloodiest year since 2009 and increasingly violent public opposition to Indian rule.

Popular support for the Kashmiris fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan has grown in recent years and villagers, sometimes in their thousands, swarm the sites of gun battles with government forces to assist fighters.

The weekend violence also saw three fighters and an Indian soldier killed in a shootout.

Cabinet directs interior ministry to remove names of Mohsin Dawar, Ali Wazir from ECL

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The federal cabinet on Thursday directed the Ministry of Interior to "immediately" remove names of MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir from the Exit Control List (ECL), reported Radio Pakistan.

The directives were issued during a meeting of the federal cabinet being chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Thursday.

The same was confirmed by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a press conference later in the day.

The two lawmakers from North Waziristan were placed on the ECL after a case was registered against them in Swabi. The lawmakers came to know about the ban on their travel abroad on Nov 30 when they were offloaded from a Dubai-bound flight on Peshawar airport. They were travelling to Dubai to participate in a Pakhtun cultural event, but were offloaded from the aircraft of a private airline before departure by the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) officials.

Both the lawmakers had been detained by the FIA for three days.

FIA Peshawar Director Mirwaiz Niaz had confirmed the arrest, saying the lawmakers' names were on the blacklist and were wanted by the Swabi police.

A day earlier, FIA Director General Bashir Ahmed told the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights that the lawmakers' names were placed on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) at the request of the inspector general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He expressed regret before the committee that the MNAs had not been informed that they were barred from leaving the country.

Swabi case

Earlier in August, both the lawmakers were charged with multiple offences, including rioting and removing the country’s flag from a building after a public meeting in Swabi.

An FIR was registered under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including 123-B (removing national flag from a building), 131 (seducing soldiers for mutiny), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 153 (provocation to rioting), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Later, the superintendent of police (investigation), Swabi, had sent a letter to the administration of North and South Waziristan tribal districts asking them to arrest the said leaders as they had been absconding.

In September, a Peshawar High Court (PHC) bench had admitted for hearing a writ petition requesting for quashing of a case registered against the two members of the National Assembly.

Advocate Muhammad Ayaz Khan, who appeared for the petitioner, had contended that the FIR was based on rumours and not facts. He argued that the lawmakers had exercised their fundamental rights of freedom of expression, saying that nothing objectionable had taken place in that public meeting.

NA approves motion for formation of PAC and Standing Committee on Law

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The National Assembly on Thursday approved a motion for the formation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Standing Committee on Law.

The motion was presented by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan.

Members of the committee include: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Syed Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Hina Rabbani Khar, Ayaz Sadiq, Malik Aamir Dogar, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Rana Tanveer, Iqbal Muhammad Ali, Riaz Fatyana as well as other political leaders.

On Dec 13, after months of political wrangling, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan had decided not to oppose Shahbaz Sharif if he insisted on heading the PAC.

The development was a major breakthrough as the impasse between the government and opposition parties over the PAC chairmanship had hampered legislative proceedings since the PTI assumed power in August.

Members of the Law and Justice committee notified today include: Khawaja Saad Rafique, Nafisa Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk, Riaz Fatyana, Kishwar Zehra as well as other political leaders.

According to Radio Pakistan, members of the concerned committees will elect their respective chairmen and the speaker of the NA has the authority to make any changes in the committee members.


LHC orders Punjab govt to ban employment of children under the age of 15 as domestic help

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The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered the Punjab government to ban the employment of children under the age of 15 as domestic workers, and take legislative measures on the issue.

"The rights of domestic workers have been violated ever since Pakistan came into being," the court remarked before directing the provincial lawmakers to regulate the wage structure and working hours of domestic help.

Read: ‘Child domestic labour is modern-day slavery’

The high court was hearing a March 2018 petition moved by Advocate Sheraz Zaka questioning failure of the then provincial government to implement the rights of domestic workers.

The petitioner stated that in 2015 the Lahore High Court had already instructed the government to legislate on the rights of domestic workers but its orders were not implemented.

The court today ruled in the case after the incumbent Punjab government furnished a draft of Domestic Workers Bill 2018.

The state prosecutor told the court that as part of the proposed bill, domestic workers' shifts will be limited to eight hours, whereas special courts and committees will be formed to resolve their problems.

The court, upon learning that the proposed draft plans to proscribe the employment of under-15 children as domestic help, expressed its satisfaction and deemed it a positive measure.

In March, after taking up the said petition, the high court had constituted a commission comprising the labour department secretary, a representative from Unicef and three lawyers to ensure that the provincial government takes legislative measures to protect fundamental rights of domestic workers.

Justice Jawad Hassan had at the time observed that domestic workers were being subjected to long hours of work and were also being harassed by their employers as recently several incidents surfaced involving torture of underage domestic workers.

The judge had further observed that if wages of workers in industrial establishments could be notified under Minimum Wages Act 1969, the wages of domestic workers should also be notified.

SHC orders private schools to implement fees structure set by Sindh govt

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The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday ordered private schools to implement the fees structure fixed by the Sindh government, that restrained them from increasing the tuition fee by more than five per cent.

A larger bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, was hearing the contempt of court applications moved by parents of students over alleged non-implementation of court orders regarding the increase in annual tuition fees.

The SHC bench also sought a copy of the Supreme Court's order that called for a cut in the schools’ tuition fees by 20 per cent.

On September 3, the SHC had declared a more than five per cent increase in the tuition fees by private institutions as illegal and had ordered their management to refund the excess fee within three months.

The SHC had ruled that its order would apply to all students and private institutions and schools governed under the Sindh Private Educational Institutions Ordina­nce, 2001 and Sindh Private Educational Institutions Rules 2005.

The high court on December 3 also ordered private schools to restore the fee structure in place on September 20, 2017, and reimburse any fees they may have charged from parents in excess of it.

During Thursday's hearing, a lawyer representing Generation School submitted a revised fee challan and stated that his client had started the implementation of the court's order. Furthermore, the tuition fee for all classes was being revised, he added.

In response to the court's query about other charges aside from tuition fees, the lawyer expressed his lack of knowledge and asked the court for more time to submit a reply on this matter.

The lawyers for Beacon House School and the City School also submitted revised fees challans. They added that the data for all the campuses of the schools were included.

The parents of the different schools informed the bench that the private schools had been charging from Rs27000 to Rs34000 as tuition fees for each class.

In response, City School's lawyer denied the claim and said that these were only rumours.

The petitioners also stated that the private schools had failed to submit proper documentation that the court had asked for, and were misleading them.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar inquired about the implementation on the court’s order regarding the fees structure. The private schools' counsels replied that proper documents were submitted before the court in this regard.

The bench observed that the private schools did not appear to be complying with the court's order. Justice Abbasi remarked that those private institutions which avoid the court's orders must be closed.

The court also directed that the SC's order regarding the private school be produced.

The apex court on December 13, ordered a 20 per cent decrease in fees charged by upscale private schools, and ordered them to return half the fees they had charged for summer vacations. The order was applicable to private schools across the country whose fees are in excess of Rs5,000.

The bench was informed today that the students who were not able to pay tuition and examination fees were not allowed to sit in exams after which the SHC directed the schools' managements to allow them to sit for exams.

The court also restrained the school management from harassing the students and directed the parents to pay tuition fees as per the revised fee structure.

City School’s lawyer informed the court that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials had taken the record of schools into their custody and pleaded the court to pass an order to return the documents.

The court adjourned hearing till January 14.

National Assembly speaker issues Saad Rafique's production orders

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National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday issued production orders of MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique, DawnNewsTV reported.

The orders were issued under Rule 108 of 2007's Rule of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly. According to the rule, the speaker or the head of a committee can issue production orders of a parliamentarian or member of the committee, who is under custody for a non-bailable offence, if his presence is considered necessary.

Rafique, a PML-N parliamentarian, is named in the Paragon Housing scam reference and is currently under the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Lahore. He was arrested by the bureau on Dec 11, along with his brother Salman Rafique, for allegedly receiving "millions of rupees as commission" in the housing scheme scam.

Following the issuance of the production orders, NAB requested an accountability court in Lahore to grant it transit remand so that Rafique can be transferred to Islamabad. The appeal was accepted and the court granted a seven-day transit remand, which ends on Dec 26.

Rafique was subsequently shifted to Parliament Lodges in the capital, where his residence was declared a sub-jail.

The former railways minister will attend the ongoing NA session.

The opposition parties had been demanding the speaker to issue Rafique's production orders since his arrest earlier this month. When the speaker did not comply, the parties registered their protest by repeatedly staging a walkout from the parliament.

The pressure to issue the orders had built up after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's coalition partners, MQM-P and BNP-Mengal, backed the opposition's demands and considered the parties' protests justified.

PML-N seeks PTI govt’s support for creation of South Punjab province

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Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday declared that the PML-N was ready to extend its "full cooperation" for the creation of a South Punjab province and the restoration of the Bahawalpur province in Punjab.

Taking the floor, the PML-N president said his party was considering tabling a private bill for this purpose and demanded that the government extend support in this regard.

Sharif said the PTI had also promised to create the South Punjab province and it should now take steps for its implementation. "Don't run away from the [creation of the] province; the government itself had promised it," Sharif reminded the treasury benches.

He also assured the government of his unconditional support for the project. "We are ready to establish the southern Punjab province with our heart and soul," he added.

When PTI lawmaker Amir Dogar accused the opposition parties of "point scoring" on the issue, Sharif responded by saying, "This is not point scoring. Don't talk about the past or a Pandora's box will open [...] support the private bill [for the creation of the province]."

Dogar was of the view that the PML-N was politicking on the the issue by seeking the restoration of the Bahawalpur province.

"The Bahawalpur province is not viable: how can three districts be declared a separate province?" he asked, adding that a committee should be constituted to look into the matter.

Editorial: South Punjab province

Also speaking on the matter, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called for a political consensus over the issue.

Taking the floor, he suggested that a parliamentary committee comprising the senior leadership of all political parties be constituted to look into the pros and cons of bifurcating Punjab. Meanwhile, the lawmakers should avoid political point scoring on this matter, he requested.

Qureshi also invited all political parties to support the PTI government in the Punjab Assembly, the National Assembly, and the Senate for the creation of the South Punjab province.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari claimed the credit for highlighting the issue of South Punjab province, saying he was proud that the PPP had taken up the issue of creation of provinces.

"We will get support for the bill in the Senate as well as the National Assembly," he said and hoped that the PTI government will not back off from the issue.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-(Fazl) lawmaker Maulana Abdul Wasay cautioned that every step for the creation of a new province should be taken with great care, as it may lead to new demands for the creation of more provinces out of other federating units.

Taking part in the debate, PPP Leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said all political parties had promised the creation of a South Punjab province and no point scoring should be done in this regard.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Tariq Bashir Cheema, however, called for the creation of the Bahawalpur province instead of the South Punjab province.

He suggested a referendum be held in Bahawalpur to establish whether the people wanted a Bahawalpur province or a South Punjab province.

“Bahawalpur is a separate entity having nothing to do with the South Punjab province,” Cheema said, adding that he was in favour of restoring the Bahawalpur province instead of making it part of a larger South Punjab province.

"The speeches of the prime minister are on the record [in which he] promised to create the Bahawalpur province," the PML-Q leader said.

PPP asks ECP to provide details of assets owned by Imran, Vawda

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ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a tit-for-tat move, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Thursday approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to seek details of assets of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda which they had submitted with their nomination papers at the time of contesting the July 25 elections.

A three-member PPP delegation comprising party secretary general Farhatullah Babar, MNA Dr Nafeesa Shah and Punjab general secretary Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed met ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad and also asked him to provide them details of the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) which had been filed by a party dissident Akbar S. Babar.

The move from the PPP came hours after PTI’s Sindh MPA Khurram Sherzaman filed an application with the ECP in Karachi, seeking the disqualification of PPP co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari for allegedly concealing his foreign assets.

Talking to Dawn, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said that the party planned to seek details of assets of Aleema Khanum, the sister of Prime Minister Imran Khan, from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), besides seeking details of the businesses of former secretary general of the PTI Jahangir Tareen from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in the next couple of days.

A party leader says details of assets of Aleema Khanum from FBR and Tareen’s from SECP will also be sought

Chaudhry Manzoor said that though details of assets of Mr Khan and Mr Vawda were available on the official website of the ECP, they wanted “certified copies” which were required for legal proceedings.

The PPP leader said that if the ECP and other institutions did not provide them the details, then the party would be justified in believing that, prima facie, all assets owned by Aleema Khanum and Mr Vawda and those in the name of the party actually belonged to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Denying that the party had taken this step in response to the application filed by the PTI seeking Mr Zardari’s disqualification, he recalled that the party had been raising these issues for the past many months at every forum.

He said the future line of action in this regard would be announced by the legal team of the party.

Earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari presided over a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group in the Parliament House.

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a spokesman for the PPP chairman, when contacted, said that in the meeting the participants mostly discussed matters related to the parliamentary proceedings.

He, however, said that in the meeting the party leaders expressed their concerns over the ongoing media trial of the opposition leaders by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the PTI.

Mr Khokhar said the party had decided to respond to the government’s “propaganda” in an effective manner and at every forum.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2018

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