Veteran politician and former PTI lawmaker Javed Hashmi on Monday described the politics of sit-ins as disaster for Pakistan and alleged Imran Khan of being under the control of foreign powers, DawnNews reported.

Talking to media persons in Multan, Hashmi claimed that the “mere agenda of Imran Khan is to oust the Prime Minister through unconstitutional means”.

“Imran is deviating from his own statement that he would follow the rulings of Supreme Court on Panama issue,” said Hashmi.

The former PTI lawmaker claimed that “the party takes dictation from foreign powers”.

Know more: Verdict darkened Imran’s political future, says Hashmi

Earlier, the former president of PTI had alleged that former Inter-Services Intelligence chief General Shuja Pasha was the brain behind PTI’s 126-day protest in Islamabad.

Hashmi had claimed that workers had been instructed to drag Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif out of his official residence, while Tahirul Qadri’s workers had been asked to ransack the Parliament with support from PTI.

He had also claimed that Imran Khan had been in regular contact with General Kayani and General Pasha during the protest movement.

Suspended by his party in September 2014 following allegations against Imran Khan, Hashmi had announced his resignation from PTI's presidency and its membership soon afterwards.

At that time Hashmi had said he could no longer continue being member of a party 'conspiring' to dismantle democracy in Pakistan.

A district and sessions court in Lahore on Monday awarded a death sentence to a person after he was found guilty of murdering his daughter for not making ‘gol roti’, DawnNews reported.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Asghar Khan, after hearing arguments from both sides, remarked that such an individual cannot be pardoned who murdered his daughter in cold-blood over a minor dispute.

In addition to the death sentence, the court also ordered the convict to submit a fine of Rs0.5 million.

Last year in September, a person in Azeem Park area of Lahore had beaten his daughter to death reportedly for not making the chapattis properly.

The 12-year-old girl was found dead outside Mayo Hospital where she was dumped by her father who then filed a case of kidnapping and murder, police had said.

A senior police official, at the time of arrest, had said: “Khalid and his son kept shedding crocodile tears to hoodwink the police but the mother took off the lid on how brutally they beat the 12-year old to death.”

QUETTA: Supreme Court Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai said on Monday that terrorists could not stop bench and bar from providing justice to the masses by committing acts of terror like that of Aug 8 suicide bombing at the Quetta Civil Hospital which left more than 70 people dead and score others injured.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), had claimed responsibility for the bombing. 

They said that the Aug 8 suicide bombing claimed precious lives of several lawyers and other people, but pledged that the bar and bench were not afraid of the terrorists.

“We will continue providing justice to the masses as we are not afraid of terrorists,” they pledged.

The two judges were addressing a full court reference at the Balochistan High Court premises to pay tribute to lawyers killed in the suicide bombing.

Justice Isa said that such a large number of lawyers had never been killed in a single act of terrorism.

“Martyrs are alive and we will always remember our martyred lawyers,” he said.

He said that terrorists could not force judiciary and lawyers to give up their duty of providing justice to the masses.

Chief Justice Meskanzai also said that acts of terrorism could not stop the judiciary from providing justice to the masses.

“The nation is fighting a war on terror which is a war between the right and the wrong,” he said, adding that several lawyers were killed in the Aug 8 suicide bombing.

He, however, expressed the hope that young lawyers would play their role in ensuring provision of justice to the people.

Senior judges and lawyers attended the reference.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

QUETTA: A Chinese firm has submitted a feasibility report on the proposed Quetta mass transit train system and a delegation from the neighbouring country will arrive on Thursday to finalise details of the project.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri disclosed this in one of the several meetings he chaired at his secretariat on Sunday.

He had announced the project soon after taking the oath and the provincial government had allocated in the annual budget Rs2 billion for the 30km transit train which would ply between Ispezind and Kuchlak.

Discussing the pace of work on various development projects, the meeting gave approval in principle to the Rs4bn Quetta expressway scheme which was part of the Balochistan Development Programme. Mr Zehri asked the authorities concerned to prepare the PC-1 of the project.

The chief minister expressed resentment over reports of prolonged closure of a water treatment plant on Spiny Road and ordered its early revival.

He reviewed a plan to install solid waste management plants north and south of the provincial capital and said he had allocated funds for the purpose.

Pledging more funds, Mr Zehri sought implementation of the orders and decisions by the officials at all levels.

Nawab Zehri called for sending the PC-1 of a special development package for Quetta, granted by the prime minister for providing better civic services to the people.

The chief minister was informed that a pipeline had been laid for supplying clean water to residents in Sariab and that all illegal occupation on tube-wells in Dasht and Mastung had been cleared.

He sought the feasibility report for construction of underpasses at the GPO Chowk and Serena Hotel.

He reviewed the development programme for Nasirabad division and was briefed by the deputy commissioners on the progress of the schemes.

Mr Zehri asked the officials and representatives to make no compromise on the quality of the work.

Some 1.5 million residents of Sariab have also been demanding construction of a sewerage system in the area through the Rs5 billion grant given by the prime minister for the city.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Monday confirmed that Pakistan will be attending the upcoming Heart of Asia conference scheduled to be held in India.

Aziz confirmed Pakistan’s participation while talking to journalists in the federal capital.

The Heart of Asia conference will be held during the first week of December in Amritsar, India.

“We have started an effective campaign for the cause of self-determination of Kashmiri people,” said the foreign affairs adviser.

Aziz added that 56 countries condemned India’s heavy handed tactics in India-held Kashmir during a conference in Tashkent last week.

In comparison, India had pulled out of the Saarc summit in Islamabad which was scheduled to be held in November.

The announcement came amid growing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the attack on an Indian army base in held Kashmir.

The Foreign Office, in its response after India’s withdrawal from the Saarc summit, termed the Indian announcement as unfortunate in an official statement released.

Soaring tensions

The Indian prime minister stepped up a drive to isolate Pakistan diplomatically after the Uri army base attack.

Hours after the attack occurred, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh termed Pakistan a 'terrorist state'. India also accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack.

The Uri attack occurred days before Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was set to address the United Nations General Assembly regarding Indian human rights violations in held Kashmir.

Following the attack, India claimed to have conducted a cross-border 'surgical strike' against 'launch pads of terror' in Azad Jammu and Kashmir ─ a claim Pakistan has strongly rejected.

Pakistan maintains India is attempting to divert the world's attention away from 'atrocities' committed by government forces in India-held Kashmir.

Pakistan and India have locked horns over the Kashmir issue since Indian forces stepped up a crackdown against protesters after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by government forces in July.

ISLAMABAD: The national security adviser to the British prime minister, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, spent a busy day here on Monday during which he held meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other senior government functionaries, including military officials, who stressed the need for the resolution of the Kashmir issue for a lasting peace in the region.

Sir Grant called on the prime minister at the PM House in morning. Mr Sharif said during the meeting that the world community must take note of grave human rights violations and atrocities committed by Indian forces in held Kashmir.

The Kashmir dispute was the core issue between Pakistan and India and its resolution would ensure a durable peace in the region, Mr Sharif said, adding that the issue must be resolved according to UN resolutions.

He said the longstanding issue of Kashmir needed to be resolved as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir which were guaranteed to them by the UN resolutions.

The prime minister informed the UK security adviser that over 100 innocent people had been killed, thousands injured and hundreds blinded by the use of pellet guns by Indian security forces in held Kashmir over the past few months.

Mr Sharif said Pakistan was a peace-loving country and pursued a policy of maintaining friendly relations with all its neighbours.

Sir Grant appreciated the policy of the Pakistan government of reaching out to neighbouring countries for establishing cordial relationships with them.

“We encourage and support your efforts for peaceful cooperation with your neighbouring countries”, he told the prime minister.

The UK security adviser paid tribute to the sacrifices made by Pakistan’s armed forces, police and other law enforcing agencies in the war against terror and commended the government for achieving substantial successes in this war.

He said the commitment of the political government and armed forces supported by the people of Pakistan had resulted in the phenomenal victory against terrorists.

Sir Grant later called on Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif at the GHQ, Rawalpindi. They discussed matters related to regional security.

The visiting dignitary was apprised of action taken by Pakistan to improve the security situation within the country, including the Zarb-i-Azb operation and the National Action Plan aimed at rooting terror networks out of the country.

Sir Grant acknowledged significant achievements made by Pakistan in their fight against terrorism and continued efforts for regional peace and stability.

The UK security adviser held separate meetings with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua.

In the meeting between Sir Grant and Mr Janjua, relations between Pakistan and Britain and other issues were discussed. The two advisers exchanged views on strategic stability of the region.

Mr Janjua highlighted Pakistan’s policy of ‘peaceful neighbourhood’ and briefed his interlocutor on steps being taken by Pakistan to improve relations with its neighbouring countries.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday moved the Sindh High Court seeking adequate security and permission to travel with personal guards across the country.

He filed a constitutional petition through his counsel, Advocate Akhtar Hussain, seeking court’s directives for the federal and provincial governments to ensure provision of a round-the-clock security cover as there were serious threats to his life in view of reports of the security agencies.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari asked the court to direct the authorities to allow him to carry his personal security guards with licensed arms while travelling or addressing public meetings throughout the country.

He stated in the petition that being the chairman of the PPP he had to travel across the country to address public gatherings and discharge public duties for the welfare of the people at large.

The PPP chairman said the security agencies had issued reports regarding serious threats to his life. Therefore, there was a grave concern about his security, he added.

He submitted that he had apprehension about his security as he had been receiving death threats from terrorist organisations.

He also recalled that his mother, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in a public gathering in Rawalpindi, whereas his father being the co-chairman of the party had been receiving threats from extremists.

He said that the law and order situation in the country was precarious and several political leaders and important personalities had been assassinated in the past.

The petitioner submitted that in view of the law and order situation and security threats, his life and property were in serious danger, therefore, he needed adequate security.

He asked the court to direct the federal and provincial governments to provide him adequate security during his visits across the country.

The petitioner also pleaded to the court to direct the authorities concerned to allow him carry his personal security guards and use vehicles with tinted glasses.

His counsel told Dawn that a division bench would take up the petition on Tuesday (today).

Rangers told not to arrest MQM-London leader

A division bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto directed the Rangers and other respondent authorities not to unlawfully arrest Advocate Sathi Ishaq, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s London coordination committee.

The bench directed the paramilitary troops and other law-enforcers to “act strictly in accordance with law”.

The court also issued notices to the interior secretary, home secretary, Rangers director general and the Sindh police chief directing them to file their respective replies on the petition by Nov 8 when the matter would be taken up again.

The petition was filed by Advocate Ishaq’s wife, Advocate Shabana Ishaq, against the alleged harassment at the hands of the law enforcement agencies.

She submitted that the paramilitary troops were persecuting her and other family members to obtain information about the whereabouts of her husband.

The woman petitioner said she apprehended about her husband’s safety as his whereabouts were unknown to her.

She submitted that on Oct 22 her husband and she were busy in routine work at their office when they received a phone call from her son back home, informing them about the raid carried out by the Rangers.

She said the raiding team misbehaved with her son and daughter and kept them under illegal detention for an hour in an attempt to elicit information about her husband’s whereabouts.

The petitioner said that her husband, being a member of a political party and a citizen, was entitled to protection of his fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

She said there was serious apprehension that her husband would be denied fundamental rights, adding that he would be detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

The petitioner asked the court to direct the law-enforcers to immediately submit complete details of the FIRs and criminal cases, if any, registered against her husband.

She further requested the court to restrain the law-enforcers from harassing the petitioner and other family members.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court restrained National Accoun­tability Bureau (NAB) chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry on Monday from approving deals for voluntary return (VR), a provision under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, that allows people guilty of corruption to pay a certain portion of the embezzled money and be released without any stigma.

The NAB scheme even allows federal and provincial government servants to resume work in their departments after availing the NAB’s VR facility.

“In the meanwhile the NAB chairman is restrained from exercising jurisdiction under Section 25(a) of the NAO till the next date of hearing,” says an order issued by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali after hearing the suo motu case on a note of the SC registrar.

The suo motu action was taken on the basis of a Sept 2 observation of Justice Amir Hani Muslim in Karachi during the hearing of a NAB appeal in which the judge had criticised powers of the NAB chairman that allow an offender to go off scot-free after paying a certain amount of the embezzled money under the voluntary return (VR) facility of NAB.

Prosecutor General Waqas Qadeer Dar was also ordered by the court to submit a comprehensive list before the court before Nov 7 showing officers who were still holding offices after availing the NAB’s VR scheme.

The NAB, through an earlier report, had submitted that 1,584 civil servants, 165 of them federal government employees and 1,419 provincial government officers, enjoyed the VR facility of NAB by paying Rs2 billion.

“It is unfortunate that basic issues are being compromised at the altar of politics,” the chief justice observed, wondering how such “brazen and blatant acts” become law and make the country a laughing stock across the world.

Justice Muslim, also a member of the bench, hinted at issuing ord­ers to prosecute those who had benefited from the VR scheme even though they had been accused of plundering colossal sums of money.

Justice Muslim asked the NAB prosecutor general to submit a statement showing the amount received so far by NAB in the shape of VR and then deposited with the state exchequer without deducing a certain percentage.

The NAB PG, however, shed light on a standard operating procedure of depositing 34 per cent of the money upfront by an individual found guilty of corruption.

Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali, who appeared on a court notice, suggested that there might be another way of restraining the NAB chairman from exercising his powers. He said that section 25(a) was a declaration of law, lkthough the government could make amendments.

Learning from NRO episode, the AG explained, had the original Ehtesab Act formulated by the PML-N government been considered, the court would have realised that this provision of VR had been drafted correctly.

But the AG hastened to add that a letter had been issued from his office to departments concerned for identifying officers who were still holding offices.

Justice Muslim said that through section 25(a), the bureau had told everyone about loopholes in law, adding that NAB had “destroyed everything”.

There are several members of National and provincial assemblies and high-ranking government and autonomous organisations’ officers who are still holding respective offices despite committing corruption and have availed the VR facility of NAB chairman and that too by paying a portion of the embezzled amount in instalments.

“A thing which cannot be settled through courts because it has to apply judicial mind in the larger public interest, can be done by NAB over a cup of coffee,” the chief justice regretted.

“It is like a VR on sale in the open market,” Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed lamented.

Out-of-turn promotions

The same bench also issued notices for Nov 2 in a separate suo motu case against alleged illegal appointments and out-of-turn promotions of former military officers in National Accountability Bureau.

The case was initiated by the chief justice on an anonymous letter, drawing the court’s attention towards appointment of 16 former military officers on deputation in senior grades from BPS-20 to BPS-21 out of the total 32 officers working in similar grades.

Later, eight senior officers of the bureau moved a joint application before the Supreme Court to become a party to the case with a pleading that the out-of-turn promotions of the former military officers were hindering their promotions to next grades.

Already NAB Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Zaman and Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf are on notice in the case.

In the anonymous letter, the author had alleged that NAB had not only violated the basic service structure and service laws of the country but also grossly put the Supreme Court’s order in sheer disregard vis-a-vis its appointment and promotion orders.

The letter explained that these 16 officers, a majority of them former military officers on deputation, had been posted on OPS (own pay and scale) against higher gra­des, particularly director generals of different regional NAB offices.

A majority of them were posted in NAB on a deputation period of three years — from 1999 to 2002 — but later were absorbed permanently. 

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee has passed a bill that on becoming law will require re-election in a constituency where women voters’ turnout remains less than 10 per cent.

The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2016, seeking an amendment to the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) 1976, had been introduced in the upper house by Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). It was passed by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs which met here on Monday with Senator Saeed Ghani in the chair.

An important amendment to Section 42 of the ROPA 1976 says: “In any constituency in which less than 10 per cent registered female voters have voted in the election, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) shall declare election of such constituency void in accordance with sub-section (1), and order re-polling within thirty days of the declaration of the decision of the Commission.”

A new sub-section, 5A, suggested in Section 39 states: “All the ballot papers shall also be shown disaggregated by gender in the consolidated statement.”

The bill suggests insertion of a sub-section (7) in Section 78 of the ROPA which defines “corrupt practice” during an election. The sub-section reads: “A person is guilty of corrupt practices if he has knowledge of; been privy to; or has personally or through any representative, made an agreement, understanding or promise of any kind, written or unwritten, by which women voters are to be or have been restrained or hindered in casting their votes in any manner whatsoever which may include any type of threat, coercion, force, intimidation or duress.”

The proposed law provides the right of appeal to a person aggrieved by the ECP decision to order re-polling in a constituency on the basis of the proposed law.

“If the commission declares election in a constituency void, any person aggrieved by a decision of the ECP, within fifteen days of the announcement of the decision, may appeal to the Supreme Court for a final decision and the Supreme Court shall give a final decision within fifteen days of the submission of the appeal.”

The statement of objectives and reasons attached to the bill says: “There have been numerous reports during every election in recent years whereby women voters have been restrained from voting in the election as a result of an agreement or understanding between different persons which have included politicians, persons representing political parties, the clergy and leaders of the community.

“This process of systemically disqualifying women is a clear violation of their fundamental rights and amounts to an outright discrimination and negation of rights guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution. This bill seeks to address such barriers.”

Moreover, it says, “the bill seeks to make available gender disaggregated data, not only an effective, transparent and clear method of documentation, but also a tool to identify gender breakdown of voting structures and to identify and understand the number of women voting, the issues they face, how to eliminate them.”

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The government claimed on Monday that the army had no role in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) planned ‘lockdown’ of the capital city and contended that party leaders were merely giving that impression in order to topple the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

“Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid are fooling the nation into believing that the army is with the PTI and will make their agitation a success,” said PML-N MNA Tallal Chaudhry.

Addressing a press conference at the Press Information Department (PID) alongside Privatisation Commission Chairman Mohammad Zubair, he said that if the impression of army backing were to be set aside, the PTI’s “lockdown” plan carried no weight.

However, he was reluctant to respond when asked why the government did not ask the army to issue a statement or a tweet to remove the ambiguity about the army’s role. “The information minister and other government functionaries have tried a number of times in the recent past to dispel this impression and have assured the nation that the army has nothing to do with PTI’s agitation,” he added.

Mr Chaudhry said Imran Khan had also given a similar, false impression during the 2014 sit-in when he implied that a “third force” was backing his party. “But if that was true, it would have come to the fore,” the PML-N MNA said.

He questioned Mr Khan’s tendency to drag the army into politics. “The entire nation respects our armed forces and admires their sacrifices for the sake of our motherland, but Imran Khan is trying to drag this otherwise respectable institution into the political sphere,” he added.

When asked about the possibility of arresting PTI leaders, including Imran Khan, ahead of the Nov 2 lockdown, the PML-N MNA said that all steps would be taken to ensure peace and order in the federal capital.

“No one will be allowed to take law into their hands. No one will be allowed to revolt,” he said.

He accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak of planning to use provincial government machinery to bring PTI workers to Islamabad.

Mr Zubair asked why Mr Khan, who was so quick to accuse others of money laundering, tax evasion and establishing offshore companies, did not reply to similar allegations that were levelled against him,” he added.

When asked why the government did not present this evidence before a court of law, Mr Zubair claimed that such offences could not be challenged in a court as they had been committed 27 years ago, in 1983. “However, we laid them before the appropriate forum — the office of the National Assembly speaker — who has forwarded a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan for action,” he said.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

UMERKOT/MIRPURKHAS: A health department employee accompanying a mobile polio team was shot and wounded near Bachao bund in Pithoro town of Umerkot district on Monday.

Other members of the team told officials at the Pithoro police station that two assailants riding a motorcycle targeted Gul Mohammed Mirza, who received two shots in the chest. The victim was taken to the Pithoro Taluka Hospital, where doctors referred him to the Mirpurkhas Civil Hospital.

Pithoro SHO Aziz Senhro said that two suspects, Ghulam Nabi Dal and Sikandar Dal, along with two unknown suspects, were booked and arrested a few hours after the incident but were released on personal bond.

Umerkot SSP Usman Aijaz Bajwa told Dawn that the attack seemed to be linked with and old dispute between Dal and Mirza families involved in a litigation.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) celebrated on Monday the 69th anniversary of liberation from the Dogra regime with a pledge to play a pro-active role for an early settlement of the longstanding Kashmir dispute.

A number of functions were held across the state but a police parade as well as an exhibition of Kashmir’s cultural heritage in the K.H. Khurshid mini-stadium was the main event.

Acting President Shah Ghulam Qadir was the chief guest at the ceremony that was attended by a large of people, including Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, former premier Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, cabinet and assembly members and government officials.

This year, all government departments and educational institutions were given special instructions by the prime minister to observe the anniversary in a befitting manner. A committee led by Additional Chief Secretary Farhat Ali Mir managed the events.

Girl guides, schoolchildren and Rescue 1122 personnel also participated in the parade and police commandos displayed their skills. Various departments prepared floats to depict the evolution of the official machinery and institutions in AJK, its tourism potential, culture, art and craft and the situation across the Line of Control (LoC).

The acting president paid tribute to the people of India-held Kashmir for their heroic struggle against illegal Indian rule.

He said the Kashmiris had a history of unrelenting struggle against despotic regimes and their sacrifices would not go in vain.

Mr Qadir made it clear that peace could hardly find way in the region unless the Kashmir issue was settled in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Warning India against any misadventure along the dividing line, he said AJK’s people would fight them shoulder-to-shoulder with the Pakistan Army.

He called upon the international community to show seriousness towards settlement of the lingering Kashmir issue, warning that otherwise establishment of peace would remain a distant dream.

Later, he gave presidential police medals to six personnel in recognition of their gallantry.

Talking to reporters, Prime Minister Haider condemned the shelling by Indian troops from across the LoC and Working Boundary and asked India to fulfil its pledges regarding a free, fair and impartial plebiscite in the disputed state, instead of vitiating the atmosphere in the region.

He said the people of AJK were the first line of defence of Pakistan, and India dare not cross the LoC for strikes.

The more India stepped up repression, the more Kashmiris would accelerate their struggle for freedom, he said.

The University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir also organised an event on the eve of the foundation day.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

LAHORE: Hundreds of real estate businessmen violated court orders and might of the city administration and blocked The Mall on Monday and created one of the worst traffic jams.

Police claimed there were around 500 protesters, but independent sources put the number even lower. Life on and around The Mall came to a standstill; all arteries leaving and leading to the main city road were blocked for hours.

“It seems the government has simply gone missing from the city and its roads,” said Mansoor Ahmad, a motorist, who was stuck in the jam for more than two hours.

He said the government maintained rallies violated Section 144 and court orders. “Why does it keep mum when every Tom, Dick and Harry assembles a few dozen protesters and blocks the entire city?”

The real estate agents had taken out a protest rally to express disapproval of the recently imposed tax on sale and purchase of plots and houses, and assembled before the Punjab Assembly building where the legislative branch of the province was meeting. They gathered there around 4pm and ended their protest a little before midnight.

According to the city administration, the protesters had neither given a time schedule nor wished to see any government official to end their protest.

“It was total chaos on the roads,” said Muhammad Tahir. “Police were diverting traffic from the Regal Chowk to narrow arteries where thousands of vehicles were stuck,” he lamented.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: A lawyer who defended two convicts who were later executed despite pendency of their jail appeals moved a petition on Monday requesting the Supreme Court to take legal action against public servants responsible for the illegal act.

“The hanging of innocent persons amounts to killing of all human beings as ordained by God in the Holy Quran which contains orders and commands of the Creator,” said Advocate Aftab Ahmed Khan, who represented Ghulam Qadir and Ghulam Sarwar, before the apex court in their jail appeals.

The counsel also asked the court to order payment of a heavy compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased who were convicted by the trial court as well as the Lahore High Court’s Multan bench for committing multiple murders.

Despite the grant of June 10, 2010 leave to appeal by the Supreme Court, the two convicts were executed in the Bahawalpur central jail on Oct 12, 2015, after their mercy petitions were rejected by the president of Pakistan.

Ironically, a three-judge Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik on Oct 6, 2016 accepted the jail appeals of the convicts and set aside the May 26, 2009 upholding of conviction by the Lahore High Court’s Multan bench.

In his fresh petition, the counsel named secretaries of the interior and home department Punjab, Sadiqabad additional sessions judge and superintendents of Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalpur district jails as respondents in his petition.

The counsel conceded about the absence of any law under court rules but argued the instant case of unprecedented nature, where the two convicts were hanged before the final decision of the apex court invites suo motu exercise of inherent power.

The petition contended that the sessions court judge, home secretary Punjab, interior secretary as well as the superintendent of jails had failed miserably to discharge official and sacred duty, the performance of which is mandated under Article 190 of the Constitution.

The necessary information of granting leave to appeal of June 16, 2010, by the Supreme Court, the petition argued, was given to the respondent executive authorities who were bound to wait for the final determination of the case before the appellants were sent to the gallows.

The petition said that it was highly unprecedented and deplorable that the capital punishment of the convicts was executed despite the knowledge of the pendency of their appeal before the apex court. It added that the right to life was a fundamental right under Article 9 of the Constitution which cannot be taken away without due process of law.

The act by the executive authorities, if condoned without taking departmental proceedings, the counsel said, would result in giving unbridled power.

“In other words the existence of the forums rendering justice stands nugatory which should not be permissible in a democratic set of the government”, he added.

According to the counsel, sending the appellants to the gallows was deplorable and cannot be excused on any hypothesis especially when the appellants were honourably acquitted by the Supreme Court on Oct 6, 2016, and were declared innocent as having committed no offence.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The people of Pakistan earnestly hope that the United Nations will play its due role for the resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the aspirations of Kashmiri people and will help them to achieve their right to self-determination, says Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.

Talking to reporters after the launch of the Urdu version of a UN book Basic Facts about the United Nations at the Quaid-i-Azam University here on Monday, he emphasised that the UN should play its role in resolving the issue of Kashmir.

While referring to the violations of the Line of Control by India and its forces’ shelling across the working boundary, he said Pakistan hoped that the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan would submit a report to the Security Council and its members so that the international community could know the facts.

Answering a question, he said that a dossier on the Indian interference in internal affairs of Pakistan was being prepared and would soon be presented to the Security Council and its members since Pakistan had solid evidence of Indian involvement.

The United Nations Day, observed on Oct 24, is an important day with reference to the Kashmir issue since the moral and legal strength of the issue comes from the Security Council resolutions. It is also important that the international community, including India, implement the UN resolutions in accordance with the UN Charter. Pakistan fully respects the UN Charter and follows its principles. Kashmir was the oldest issue together with the issue of Palestine on the UN agenda, he said.

Mr Chaudhry said Pakistan had strongly protested over Indian violations of the LoC and the working boundary. The protest has also been registered at the diplomatic level. Pakistan fully respects the ceasefire of 2003 and has never made any violation of the LoC or the working boundary. The country had always responded to the Indian firing, he added.

The foreign secretary regretted that Indian forces targeted civilian population across the LoC. He said Pakistan hoped that the Indian government would refrain from violations at the LoC and take steps for solving the issues.

When asked about the arrival of an Afghan Taliban delegation in Islamabad, the foreign secretary said he was unaware of any such delegation, but said Pakistan wanted to see the reconciliation process in Afghanistan moving forward.

In this regard, he referred to the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) consisting of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States wherein it was decided that member countries of the group would maintain contacts with the Taliban in their own ways and move forward the reconciliation efforts. Pakistan was also making efforts to move forward the reconciliation together with other QCG member countries, he said.

Basic facts about UN

The Urdu translation of the book Basic Facts about the United Nations was launched to mark the United Nations Day.

The event was attended, among others, by UN Resident Coordinator Neil Buhne and Vice Chancellor of the Quaid-i-Azam University Dr Javed Ashraf.

The book provides an overview of the organisation’s work throughout the world, including current peacekeeping and peace-building missions along with essential information on UN membership and structure.

“The UN has made enormous progress in international law, peace and development after the end of the Cold War,” said Mr Chaudhry. “The Urdu translation of this handbook will increase awareness about the UN’s work,” he added.

“With 60 per cent of the population below 30 years of age, Pakistan is playing a leading role in the UN in many ways. It can only continue to do so if more Pakistanis are aware of the UN and its mandate,” said Mr Buhne.

“It is extremely important for the UN to reach out to Urdu speakers in Pakistan,” said the Director of the UN Information Centre, Vitoria Cammarota. “To meet the challenges of the globalised world today, it is essential that citizens all over the world are informed about the work of the United Nations so that they actively contribute to it,” he added.

A ‘UN Corner’ was also unveiled at the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) library. It is a bookshelf that serves as a repository of newsletters, journals, reports, magazines and books published by the UN.

“This UN Corner provides a treasure of knowledge to support students in their research work and to empower Pakistani youth for their future careers,” said Swiss Ambassador Marc P. George, adding that the Swiss Development Cooperation had decided to support the roll-out of the UN Corner to all government universities throughout the country.

“The Quaid-i-Azam University is a microcosm of Pakistan, truly representative of our culturally diverse national demography. The UN Corner will prove to be a knowledge hub for both our students and faculty,” said Director of SPIR Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

LAHORE: Maulana Ihsanul Haq of the Aalmi Tableeghi Jamaat on Monday said that though the Jamaat neither issue fatwa (religious edict) nor can go for the media campaign, it does support vaccination of children against polio.

“It is a noble task which should be supported,” he told the participants in a briefing that was convened to brief religious scholars of the party on polio. Some individual members and doctors of the party have already supported the cause.

Maulana Haq said the International Research Council for Religious Affairs would support religious scholars working for the cause. He said with support of religious scholars, Pakistan would soon get rid of polio.

Participants from the regional office (Karachi, Rawalpindi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) also met him and supported the programme.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2016

RAWALPINDI: Both the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the PML-N government are making plans for Nov 2 with the PTI asking workers to prepare for a three-day sit-in while the Special Branch of the police has given the government lists of people to arrest before the party lays siege to Islamabad.

The PTI told workers of the plans for the protest after a meeting chaired by Imran Khan on Monday night.

“Local leaders have been informed that all six roads will be closed on Nov 2. The I.J. Principle Road will be closed at CDA stop, G.T. Road at Rewat T-Chowk, Kashmir Highway at Golra Mor and Murree Road at Bhara Kahu,” a senior party leader told Dawn.

He said the Islamabad Expressway would be closed at Khanna Bridge and that the area between Faizabad and Zero Point would be used as the main sit-in site.

“This plan will be implemented if the government stops party workers and supporters from entering Islamabad. The protest has been planned for three days but the tables will be turned before Nov 4,” he said.

Govt prepares list of people to arrest ahead of protest, PTI informs workers of alternative sit-in locations

The politician said the party had asked local leaders to make food arrangements for participants of the sit-in at four points. He explained that two groups would coordinate with the district management committee for the arrangements with one group looking after food and the second ensuring workers are present at the site.

“PTI leader from Sialkot Usman Dar and Lahore MPA Shoaib Siddiqui visited the various routes on Monday morning in order to ascertain if they were suitable for the protest,” he said.

The PTI leader added that party leaders in Lahore would finance the event and that workers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rawalpindi and Islamabad would close all roads. Workers from across the province have started arriving in the twin cities and some 350 houses have been arranged for accommodating them, he said.

On the other hand, the Special Branch has submitted three lists of 450 PTI activists in the district to the local administration and the federal government.

“The police will arrest the workers named in List A and List B, which are of PTI office-bearers and List C which includes public representatives, under the Maintenance of Public Order, in accordance with the directives of the district coordination officer,” a senior official of the City District Government Rawalpindi told Dawn.

He said the plan would be implemented after the Nov 1 hearing of the Supreme Court. The official added that the government wanted to resolve the issue via politics and had not yet asked the police to implement the plan, only to prepare ahead.

“The government does not want the PTI to have time to seek relief from the high court as the PTI has already formed a committee of lawyers for the purpose,” he added.

“A 20-member committee of lawyers has been formed which is led by Farrakh Dar and they have prepared to get party workers and leaders out in case of arrest via the courts,” said PTI Punjab North President Amir Kiani.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Kiani said the party wanted more and more people to come to Islamabad in order to pressure the “corrupt” government to step down, adding that the police will not be able to take action against party workers and leaders in the presence of thousands of supporters.

Meanwhile, former PML-N MNA Malik Shakil Awan said the ruling party would be patient and not resort to action unless someone tries to take the law in their hands.

“The PTI wants destruction and the PML-N wants development. The government is drafting strategies for dealing with the issue and will not allow for problems to be created for the government officials and residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi,” he said.

Mr Awan added that the interior minister will be coming up with a strategy for maintaining law and order in the twin cities so that schools, hospitals and offices can remain open.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2016

HYDERABAD: Senior Minister for Food and Parlia­mentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will be the biggest hurdle in the way of an “non-political attempt” aimed against democracy.

He was responding to questioners, at a ‘Meet the Press’ programme held in the local press club on Monday, who wanted to know about the PPP strategy with regard to the Nov 2 lockdown of Islamabad planned by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Mr Khuhro said that his party always fought against anti-democracy elements and rendered matchless sacrifices for a sustainable democracy in the country.

“The PPP is strong today because of the struggle it waged and sacrifices it rendered for democracy to flourish in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the party could not be weakened because it believed in resolving all political issues through purely political and democratic means. “If any individual or party tried to harm democracy through an nonpolitical struggle, the PPP will be the biggest hurdle in the way,” he categorically stated.

Mr Khuhro referred to the services rendered by PPP founder chairman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the nation, and said that his successors and followers also tried their best to keep it up. He said that PPP strongly believed that democracy was inevitable for the survival of the country and prosperity of the nation.

“The party fulfilled the promises it had made to the masses during the Move­ment for the Restora­tion of Demo­cracy (MRD),” and in this regard cited the restoration of the 1973 Constitution as well as unprecedented progress towards provincial autonomy through legislation.

‘PTI stands isolated’

Mr Khuhro observed that PTI got itself isolated in its struggle to unseat Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Once supported by almost all opposition parties, the PTI today did not find a single party behind it, he said, adding that even the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) that played its strongest supporter in 2014 was now refusing to support PTI’s Islamabad lock-down plan.

The PPP leader accused the PTI of playing the B-team of [former president] General Pervez Musharraf arguing that it’s chairman, Imran Khan, used to appreciated the dictatorial regime.

“Mr Khan’s most recent statement, that Nawaz Sharif will be responsible if the ‘third power’ stepped in..., is somewhat astonishing,” he said, and said a person with such views should have no right to do politics in democracy.

Mr Khuhro said Mr Khan had already moved a court of law against Mr Sharif’s alleged corruption and at the same time moved on to lock down the capital which, he said, was something strange.

Kamal’s allegations

In reply to several questions about PPP’s long-time ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the senior PPP leader said the MQM was at present in the process of dismemberment with groups emerging one after the other. However, he said, the party’s lawmakers had achieved the mandate with the ‘Long live Pakistan’ slogan. “And now when their mentor, Altaf Hussain, disowned the slogan, the lawmakers disowned him by parting ways with him,” he said.

Regarding former mayor Mustafa Kamal’s allegations against Governor Ishratul Ibad, Mr Khuhro argued why Mr Kamal remained silent for such a long time over what he claimed to be ‘facts’ despite being a power mayor during the Musharraf regime. He had billions of rupees put at his disposal for development in Karachi, he recalled.

Adviser to the CM on Information Maula Bux Chandio and several other senior PPP leaders accompanied Mr Khuhro.

Speaking to the audience, Mr Chandio criticised Imran Khan for his attitude that, according to him, led to the isolation of his party. “Initially, all major opposition parties stood with the PTI but perhaps [Awami Muslim League chief] Shaikh Rasheed advised Imran Khan to take a solo flight in his movement against PM Nawaz Sharif,” he said.

Commenting on Mr Khan’s statement about possible intervention by the ‘third power’, Mr Chandio said if such a thing happened, it would mean success of a conspiracy. “And the PTI would become the next Q-League in such a case,” he quickly added to clearly refer to Pakistan Muslim Leauge-Quaid’s coming to power with the blessings of the 1999 coup leader, Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Published in Dawn October 25th, 2016

A police officer was killed and a Bomb Defusal Squad personnel injured in two separate Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts targeting a polio team in Peshawar's Daudzai area Tuesday morning, police said.

A polio team was hit when the first IED was detonated, police said.

A second blast occurred when the BDS attempted to defuse another IED found during a search operation in the area, they added. A BDS personnel was injured in the blast.

Polio vaccination drives are underway across Pakistan, one of only two polio endemic countries left in the world.

Last year, the number of polio cases recorded in Pakistan soared to 306, the highest in 14 years. Pakistan has, however, witnessed a 62 per cent drop in polio cases in 2016, according to the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS).

Attempts to eradicate polio have been badly hit by militant attacks on immunisation teams due to claims propagated by the Taliban that the vaccination drive is a front for espionage or a conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.

These rumours have also made inhabitants of lesser-developed parts of the country more wary of allowing immunisation.

The Taliban stepped up attacks targeting polio immunisation teams after Pakistani doctor Shakeel Afridi was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to set up a hepatitis immunisation drive as part of efforts to track down Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

LAHORE: The ministry of interior told the Lahore High Court on Monday that the government did not want to take any action in haste against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and its London-based head for anti-state activities.

Interior Secretary Arif Khan stated this before a full bench adding that any action taken hastily could have serious repercussions as the party had its political following especially in Sindh.

The bench headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi was hearing multiple identical petitions demanding a case of high treason against Altaf Hussain and cancellation of MQM registration as a political party.

As the bench resumed hearing, the interior secretary appeared before the court flanked by Additional Attorney General Naseer Ahmad Bhutta and other law officers of the government.

Asked if any action was taken by the government on the issue, the secretary told the bench that all the provinces in general and Sindh in particular had been engaged in consultation to seek their advice about any action.

He said the consultation process was to measure the impact of the government’s action.

The bench observed, “It seems that no serious action has been taken so far.”

“The government has a visible track record of not taking action even on grave issues,” Justice Naqvi observed when Mr Bhutta argued that Article 17 (2) of the Constitution did not require the government to take action in such matter within any specific time period.

The period of 15 days given in the article was for the government to send a reference to Supreme Court after taking an action against a political party, the law officer said and added the government did not want to take any action in haste.

Responding to subsequent queries to specify the government’s actions against the party in question, the interior secretary said besides engaging the provinces in consultation, the government also sought an advice from law division on the matter.

He said the government could be able to make a decision after best possible feedback from the provinces especially Sindh.

Justice Naqvi said everybody in the country wanted to know about actions by the government especially after the Aug 22 speech delivered by the London-based leader of MQM.

“Inaction on the part of the government could have serious consequences,” the judge said in his remarks.

The secretary asked the bench to grant some more time to come up with a clear response to the queries. The bench allowed the request and directed the secretary to submit a report by Nov 10.

Advocate Aftab Virk, Abdullah Malik and others had filed petitions for cancellation of MQM’s registration as political party and action against Altaf Hussain under treason charges.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2016