ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement protested in the National Assembly and Senate on Monday against the alleged extrajudicial killings and persecution of its workers and Urdu-speaking people by Rangers during the ongoing operation in Karachi.

The MQM members staged a token walkout from the National Assembly when the speaker did not allow them to move an adjournment motion on the Karachi situation, terming it a provincial subject.

Also read: Resolutions passed against Altaf Hussain in Sindh Assembly

On the other hand, Senate witnessed some emotional scenes when two women lawmakers of MQM burst into tears during their speeches while speaking on the recovery of the body of party activist Hashim, who had allegedly been arrested by Rangers two months ago.

MQM’s Senator Nighat Mirza had to take her seat without uttering a word when she could not control her emotions and started weeping.

Interior minister rejects Muttahida’s claim

The MQM MNAs wearing black armbands walked out of the house when PPP and PTI members were already out of the house in protest against the speaker’s ruling that he would not allow a debate on the Kasur children abuse case.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan rejected the MQM’s claim that the party was being victimised and asked the Muttahida members to give some advice to their party chief Altaf Hussain who, according to him, was the root cause of the problem.

The minister said the MQM leaders in Pakistan were powerless and were unable even to control the damage caused by remarks of the MQM chief against the Rangers and army. He rejected figures presented by the MQM about the arrested and missing party workers.

Claiming improvement in the law and order situation in Karachi, Chaudhry Nisar said that he had directed Rangers not to arrest any parliamentarian without his permission. He said that Rangers had also been directed to take notice of complaints about the missing people since it was not the government’s policy.

MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar later said that members of his party were talking about a real issue. “Where are our 150 workers?” he asked the minister.

In the adjacent Senate, the issue was raised by MQM’s Nasreen Jalil, who is also the head of the house committee on human rights. She alleged that 41 workers of the party had so far been killed extra-judicially during the Karachi operation. She claimed that some 150 MQM workers had been missing for the past three months.

The MQM senator said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar had told them that he had been facing “resistance” on the issue of the formation of a monitoring committee to oversee the Rangers’ actions in Karachi.

Ms Jalil alleged that the body of party activist Hashim, who had been arrested by Rangers on May 6, had been found in Jamshoro. She claimed that Hashim was a photographer and his only crime was that he had put on the social media photographs of the Rangers’ raid on the MQM’s headquarters Nine Zero.

“Be cruel to the extent, you yourself can bear,” a sobbing Ms Jalil said, while narrating how MQM workers were allegedly being tortured and victimised.

MQM Senator Tanvirul Haq Thanvi said that they had great respect for the armed forces of Pakistan, but it should not be “prejudiced” against any community. He said the MQM chief Altaf Hussain had raised voice against the action of law-enforcement personnel in plainclothes.

The MQM senators urged Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani either to form a special committee or refer the issue of the “extrajudicial killings of the MQM workers” to the committee on human rights.

But Mr Rabbani termed the issue a provincial subject and said he would inform the house about his decision or a ruling on the matter after taking it up with the interior minister.

Mr Rabbani was confronted by none other than his party colleague Farhatullah Babar who also urged the chairman to respond to the requests made by the MQM. He said it was true that there had been considerable decrease in incidents of target killings and extortions after the launching of the operation in Karachi, but it was also a fact that there had been a rise in cases of “killing and dumping and enforced disappearances”.

He said that all institutions were respectable but those people in the same institutions who did not abide by the laws were not respectable at all.

Sassi Palejo of the PPP criticised the MQM for putting the blame of extrajudicial killings on the Sindh government. She said the body of Raja Dahir, the son of eminent Sindhi writer Ata Muhammad Bhambro, who had been kidnapped a few months back had been recovered recently from Kotri. She said the PPP condemned such incidents against Sindhis, Baloch nationalists or against any community.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his official visit to Belarus signed 18 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, on Monday.

The MoUs cover the sectors of information, culture, education, scientific cooperation, information technology, forestry and agriculture.

An MoU was also signed declaring Islamabad and Minsk as sister cities.

“It is heartening to see that both countries have opened their resident missions at ambassadorial level in the two capitals. Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Belarus,” said the prime minister.

“The dynamic leadership of President Lukashenko has propelled the relationship between Pakistan and Belarus to new heights,” added the premier.

“By working together we can unlock the vast potential of mutually beneficial cooperation in industrial and agricultural sectors. We had a productive round of talks, and matters related to trade, industry, agriculture and investment were discussed in detail,” elaborated Nawaz Sharif.

Matters related to terrorism and narcotics were also discussed on the occasion, and both countries agreed to work together for the shared objective of peace and prosperity in the region.

Pak-Belarus joint ventures in various sectors were also discussed upon.

“We want bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in all fields,” said the president of Belarus.

“We would also like to participate in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. Pakistan has a good friend in Belarus,” stated Lukashenko.

The prime minister said on the occasion that he was grateful for the warm hospitality extended to him and members of his delegation.

The prime minister left for Belarus on a three-day official visit earlier on Monday.

During the visit, the premier was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with president of Belarus followed by delegation-level talks.

Earlier in May, the president of Belarus visited Pakistan in the first ever visit of the kind.

Take a look: Pakistan, Belarus vow to enhance bilateral ties.

A number of important agreements and MoUs were signed during the visit. The agreements and MoUs focused on agriculture machinery, tractor plant, milk and dairy industry.

Pakistan and Belarus enjoy cordial relations, with Belarus establishing its resident mission in Islamabad in November last year.

President Lukashenko's visit helped in strengthening the existing ties between the two countries.

LAHORE: In a landmark decision on a damages suit, the Lahore Consumer Court ordered on Monday a doctor to pay 212,267 pounds sterling (Rs33.963 million) and Rs13.07m to a man for causing permanent damage to the liver of his new-born daughter in 2007.

The court found Professor Dr Tahir Masood, a former dean of the Children Hospital, guilty of showing criminal negligence while treating Syeda Durr-e-Zahra, daughter of Syed Ali Murtaza, a government official.

The baby, however, survived after liver transplant in the United Kingdom.

The complainant stated in his petition that his daughter was born on May 31, 2007 and examined by Dr Masood in June.

He diagnosed ordinary jaundice and assured the father that the disease would go away within two months. But the condition of the child did not improve and Dr Masood continued to advise expensive pathological tests, Mr Murtaza said.

He alleged that the excessive tests of his daughter and ignorance shown by the professor in the treatment led to a permanent damage of the baby’s liver.

He said that he took his baby to the UK for liver transplant and spent 206,625 pounds at the Kings College Hospital in London. The Punjab government provided him 155,000 pounds for the transplant.

Dr Masood contested the allegation but failed to establish his innocence.

The judge, Syed Khurshid Anwar Rizvi, ordered Dr Masood to pay 155,000 pounds to the Punjab government.

He also ordered him to pay the complainant 57,267 pounds as partial cost of the treatment and Rs 13.07m as the cost of travel to the UK, stay there and recurrent medical expenditure of the infant.

He also directed the professor to pay Rs100,000 to Mr Murtaza as litigation charges.

The judge directed the provincial health secretary to ensure recovery of the amount for the government.

He directed the Punjab Healthcare Commission to determine whether medical practice being pursued by Dr Masood posed a threat to the lives of his patients.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists-Afzal Butt Group (PFUJ-Afzal Butt) on Monday organized a protest demanding the government to release the salaries of BOL TV employees.

The Rawalpindi–Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) was the host of the 24-hour long protest demonstration, which is scheduled to end on Tuesday noon.

The protest camp established in front of the Parliament House was participated by journalists and media workers, who reached the spot after marching from the National Press Club. The march was led by PFUJ-Afzal Butt President Afzal Butt, President RIUJ Ali Raza Alvi and Ikram Bukhari of Media Workers Organisation (MWO).

A large number of journalists belonging to central Punjab including Lahore and Gujranwala attended the protest camp.

Parliamentarians belonging to various political parities including Farooq Satttar of MQM, Senator Saeed Ghani of PPPP and Asad Umar of PTI visited the camp to express solidarity with the protesting journalists.

The legislators expressed support for freedom of press and freedom of information in the country. Information minister Senator Pervaiz Rasheed could turn up at the camp as he was out of the country along with the prime minister.

However, secretary information invited the delegation of journalists to discuss the demands which include release of salaries and allowing the TV channel to become operational.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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QUETTA: The Levies Force and police officials in the Quetta block have been directed to assist polio eradication teams in persuading 4,443 ‘chronic’ refusal cases. These are cases about the children who have never been inoculated as their parents always refused to do so during polio drives.

The chairman of the Emergency Operation Centre in Balochistan, Dr Syed Saifur Rehman, said that out of the 25 poliovirus cases reported in 2014 from Balochistan, 44 per cent were refusal cases.

Know more: Balochistan government to provide adequate security for anti-polio drive

Quetta Division Commissioner Kambar Dashti and Dr Rehman jointly chaired a meeting at the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) to review the ‘chronic’ refusal cases in the Quetta block comprising Quetta, Pishin and Qila Abdullah. Top officials from World Health Organisation, Unicef, the chief of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Masood Jogezai, National Stop Transmission of Polio officer Aftab Kakar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Yaqoob Marri, ADC Pishin and Qila Abdullah were also present at the meeting.Officials from the district administration said they would constitute committees to reach out to ‘chronic’ refusal cases.— Correspondent

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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TIMERGARA: Chief of a local peace committee was killed in a bomb blast at Suri Pao village in Maidan area of Lower Dir on Monday, residents and police said.

Dilawar Jan was returning from a mosque after Fajr prayer when the remote-controlled blast occurred, killing him on the spot. Security forces cordoned off the area soon after the incident and started search for the attackers.

The Zaimdara police station registered the case.

Dilawar Jan had been heading the peace committee since 2009 and was active in efforts against militants.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have been called by a Senate committee for a briefing on Tuesday on steps being taken by the two institutions to eradicate corruption from the country.

The briefing for members of the Senate Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights is being arranged at a time when NAB’s performance is already under scrutiny in the Supreme Court and the parliament.

Know more: NAB ‘following SC order to improve performance’

The matter was referred to the committee headed by Muhammad Javed Abbasi of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) by the house after a debate on a motion moved by retired Col Tahir Mashhadi about corruption in federal government departments.

According to agenda of the meeting, the committee members will receive a briefing on NAB’s mandate, its jurisdiction and performance.

The NAB officials will also brief the committee members about the bureau’s powers to transfer cases from the FIA. They have also been asked to inform the committee about the standard operating procedure for working.

The committee has also asked the officials to inform it of details of the cases, initiated by NAB on its own and on the information of some other people or organisations, and about the number of prosecutions in the federal government departments.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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LAHORE: A faction of the All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran (Apat) said on Monday it would start a series of countrywide protests against withholding tax on banking transactions from Aug 18.

Goods transporters followed suit, saying they would hold protests outside press clubs across the country on Aug 17 and organise a rally from Babu Sabu Interchange to the Punjab Assembly on Aug 22.

Talking to reporters at a hotel, Apat Chairman Khawaja Shafique said traders would wear black armbands, hold sit-ins and rallies and besiege 16 regional tax offices on Aug 18 and gather in front of the headquarters of the Federal Board of Revenue in Islamabad on Aug 21.

Also read: Traders united against withholding tax, divided in their protest

Mr Shafique, who earlier held a meeting with representatives and office-bearers of Apat and allied traders’ bodies to chalk out the next strategy, said traders had been requested to boycott banking transactions across the country on Aug 25.

He said if the government did not withdraw the tax, “we will give another strike call for Aug 25”.

The meeting of traders from all over the country was attended by central and provincial office-bearers of Apat, Qaumi Tajir Ittehad and Karachi Sindh Ittehad.

However, the Balochistan chapter of Apat kept itself away from the meeting.

A previous such meeting on July 24 had led to the Aug 1 strike.

Apat’s Khalid Pervez group and Ashraf Bhatti group had disassociated themselves from the Aug 1 strike and observed a shutter-down on Aug 5, showing division among traders.

Khawaja Shafique said he took responsibility for division among traders and urged the two factions to join hands with his group in the `fight for a common cause’.

He said a committee headed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa traders’ leader Haji Abdul had been constituted which would contact Khalid Pervez and Abdur Razzaque Baber to chalk out a joint strategy.

Mr Shafique said the government should collect tax after consulting stakeholders. Traders could not afford to pay a direct tax, he added.

He said the government’s statement that the withholding tax was applied only to non-filers was untrue because it was being deducted on cash withdrawal by filers also.

Traders would not hold talks with the government until removal of the tax, he declared.

“Traders reject the IMF’s conditions and appeal to the prime minister to remove the finance minister and the FBR chairman immediately. We are ready to pay taxes and help the government broaden the tax base, but it must listen to our reservations,” he said.

Apat President Ajmal Baloch challenged Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to name a single country where withholding tax was deducted on banking transactions.

He alleged that FBR officials had removed the data of two million taxpayers after receiving bribes.

Apat General Secretary Naeem Mir suggested that the government should suspend the deduction of withholding tax for four months if it wanted to hold talks with traders.

He said the FBR had yet to provide a formula to traders for collecting sales tax and turnover tax and simplifying the tax form.

The general secretary of the All Pakistan Transport Owners Federation, Waseem Khokhar, said they had decided to hold protests outside press clubs all over the country.

He said transports would hold a rally outside the Punjab Assembly if the tax was not withdrawn.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has approved a 30-year levelised upfront tariff of Rs9.345 per unit for a 350MW coal-fired power plant to be set up at Port Qasim by Siddiqsons Energy Limited (SEL).

The tariff for the first 10 years has been set at Rs10.61 per unit which will be reduced to Rs6.98 per unit for the next 20 years after completion of debt-servicing. The average levellised tariff for 30 years would work out at Rs9.345 per unit.

SEL, a subsidiary of Siddiqsons Group, had filed a request for unconditional acceptance of upfront tariff for the plant which will use imported coal and will be financed locally as announced by Nepra in June last year.

Nepra has approved the request for levellised tariff and is currently in the process of granting a generation licence to the plant, estimated to cost $600 million. The capital cost of the project has been approved at $455m that would also attract financing charges of about 3.5 per cent and Sinosure fee of 7pc. This will take the total project cost to $598m.

The upfront tariff has been determined on the basis of debt-equity ratio of 75:25. The return on equity would be permissible at 26.5pc and the plant would be required to deliver thermal efficiency of 39pc. It will be required to use supercritical coal technology.

After the approval of tariff the company will move into the project implementation phase to achieve financial close by March 31 next year.

The supercritical technology is considered efficient for coal-based power generation with lower carbon footprint than conventional thermal power plants.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: With the case of alleged sexual abuse of children in Kasur district of Punjab making headlines, the issue of successive governments’ failure to effectively legislate for child protection has yet again come to the fore.

During the ongoing session of the National Assembly, the house was provided with a list of initiatives which are in the pipeline specifically to safeguard the rights of children. At best, these measures looked superficial and did not have anything that could be presented as a way forward to address the abuse of child rights.

The information was placed before the lower house of the parliament by federal Minster for Law and Justice Pervez Rashid, who is holding the additional charge of the ministry, besides looking after his prime responsibility of chief spokesperson of the government as information minister.

The most tangible measures, according to written reply submitted to the National Assembly by the minister, were the presentation of the two drafted bills for the establishment of National Commission on Child Rights, and Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2015, for protection of child rights. The amendment in the criminal law deals with child sexual abuse and child pornography.

The bills have been introduced in the National Assembly and referred to the Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights. Moreover, the juvenile Justice System Bill, 2015, has been prepared to address the issue of juvenile delinquency as well as violence and offences against children, the minister said in his reply.

Asked as to why successive governments had failed to address the issue of child rights, a former PPP federal minister and incumbent MNA, Navid Qamar, who is also sitting on the law and justice committee, accepted their (lawmakers) negligence. “Yes, such legislation must have been done long ago. The PPP has legislated on a number of social issues, but, I hope the present government will now speedily address it.”

Unfortunately, child rights have never been on the priority of any government, be it military-led or democratic, a senior member of the ruling party conceded.

The only initiative the government is undertaking against the menace of child sexual abuse is at the regional level. “South Asia Forum to end Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC), an apex body of the Saarc, has been established to focus on five thematic areas, i.e. child marriages, child labour, child trafficking, child sexual abuse and exploitation and corporal punishment,” the minister explained in his response.

The minister said the National Commission for Child Welfare and Development-led initiatives (NCCWD) was working for realisation of child rights. These included: A project, titled “Ending Violence Against children in Pakistan” with the support of Saarc Development Fund; A legal review has been in process to facilitate ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UNCRC on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

Moreover, the National Child Protection Centre is providing temporary shelter to the homeless/street children, victims of violence and runaway children.

Training on child rights and protection have been organised for the public sector stakeholders at federal and provincial level, including Gilgit-Baltistan and AJ&K.

Moreover, Training of Trainers (ToT) has been organised at the provincial headquarters for the public sector stakeholders and civil society organisations.

A national campaign has been launched with the support of Unicef to end corporal punishment. In order to harmonise the juvenile justice system in conformity with international standards, reforms are being undertaken. Accordingly, consultations with stakeholders have been conducted.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution vehemently condemning the child sex abuse scandal in Hussain Khanwala village in Kasur disctrict that has sparked widespread criticism and shock throughout the country.

The resolution asks the Punjab government to investigate reports of child molestation and blackmail through videos, urging exemplary punishment for the culprits.

Read: More arrests in Kasur child sex abuse scandal.

Tabled by multiple parties in the house, the resolution expresses sympathy with the victims of abuse and their families and calls upon implementation of child protection laws.

A copy of the resolution passed by NA on Monday.

Opposition walkout

Earlier during the session, opposition lawmakers had staged a walkout from the NA after speaker Ayaz Sadiq did not allow PTI members to table an adjournment motion over the Kasur scandal, saying the matter came under the provincial government's domain.

"This is a provincial matter; I cannot break the law," Sadiq asserted.

An adjournment motion if accepted allows the house to set aside normal business to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance.

After not being given the chance to speak on the assembly floor, members of the Pakistan Peoples Party and those from Jamat-i-Islami also supported PTI in their walkout.

Meanwhile, members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also walked out of the NA session, protesting over the alleged extra-judicial killings of its workers in Karachi.

MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan must provide guarantees to their party in relation to the ongoing Karachi operation.

Earlier in the day, while speaking on the floor of National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar had asked MQM to “control their chief Altaf Hussain,” and told MQM lawmakers they “have no control on what happens in London” where party supremo Altaf Hussain has been residing for years.

Read: Nisar asks MQM to 'control' supremo Altaf Hussain.

ISLAMABAD: Both houses of parliament vehemently condemned on Monday “horrendous incidents” of serial child abuse in the Kasur district of Punjab, with the National Assembly vowing to enact an additional legislation to protect child rights.

In unanimously passed resolutions, both the National Assembly and the Senate demanded immediate arrest of all culprits and their accomplices and an exemplary punishment for them.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq allowed a lengthy debate in the lower house only on points of order after an opposition uproar over his refusal to allow an adjournment motion proposed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and a call-attention notice from the Pakistan People’s Party that also sparked token walkouts by all opposition parties.

Also read: More arrests in Kasur child sex abuse scandal

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had earlier told the house that the government had no objection to a debate on the Kasur affair, but the speaker said he would allow the discussion only on points of order but not through an adjournment motion or a call-attention notice on what he called a provincial subject.

After speeches from both sides of aisle, the resolution passed by the National Assembly said it was “greatly distressed and concerned” to notice the reports of sexual abuse of numerous children” in Hussain Khanwala village of district Kasur and expressed its “deepest sympathies with victims and their families”.

“This house calls upon the provincial government to ensure that all the culprits and their accomplices are apprehended immediately and investigated completely on a priority basis so that the guilty persons can be awarded exemplary punishment of their crimes,” said the resolution moved by Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada and signed by the leaders of all parties in the house.

Reiterating what it called its commitment to support enforcement of laws relating to protection of rights of the child, it said the house “resolves to enact appropriate additional legislation in this regard at the earliest”.

PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who had earlier demanded, without success, that the speaker entertain his party’s adjournment motion on Kasur incidents, said he did not want to make it an issue of political divide but alleged that the people of Kasur were not satisfied with a judicial inquiry ordered by the Punjab government because of the fate of an earlier inquiry into last year’s deadly police shootout at the headquarters of Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

PPP’s Nafeesa Shah disagreed with the speaker that the issue was a provincial subject, calling it a question of child rights, which, she said, were part of fundamental rights. She regretted that local authorities had initially denied the incidents and then tried to belittle their significance.

In the Senate, following the passage of the resolution, moved by MQM’s Nasreen Jalil, Chairman Raza Rabbani referred the issue to the house committee on human rights.

He asked the committee to formulate recommendations for setting up a special commission to protect the rights of the child and to deal with all issues such as child labour, child pornography and child abuse as, he noted, Pakistan had already signed an international charter for the protection of child rights.

He said the committee could also propose amendments in the Pakistan Penal Code regarding offences against children.

Ilyas Bilour of the Awami National Party proposed that the case should be sent to a military court for a speedy trial.

PPP’s Farhatullah Babar said the committee should also investigate the matter to see as to who had been protecting the culprits since the crime had reportedly been continuing for the last seven years.

The Senate also unanimously passed a resolution condemning what it called brutal action by the Capital Development Authority and the Islamabad administration for the removal of “kaachi abadis”.

The house asked the government to make an appropriate strategy to evacuate slum-dwellers and to facilitate them in their rehabilitation compatible with the international human rights laws.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways (PR) authorities appear to have been displeased by the National Accountability Bureau’s investigation into the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club scam, believed to be one of the major scandals in the railway’s history.

The club was established in Lahore in 2001 on a prized plot of Railways sold allegedly to a private firm at a throwaway price.

The case was earlier being investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency but it was referred to NAB in 2012.

The case is in the Supreme Court but NAB is looking into the matter as part of a comprehensive investigation into PR’s financial crisis.

“We have repeatedly asked NAB to expedite the investigation into the biggest scam in the railways’ history,” PR’s Director General (legal) Tahir Pervez told Dawn.

He said NAB had been told that the trial in the apex court did not stop the bureau from further investigating the matter.

He said last meeting between PR and NAB officials took place a month ago in which different cases were discussed. “The attitude of NAB officials was disappointing. They did not even know the history of the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club case.”

The case was being discussed or investigated at different levels since 2007. According to an estimate, the land deal has caused Rs10 billion loss to the national exchequer.

According to a report prepared by a standing committee of the National Assembly, land measuring 141 acres was sold at a nominal price by reducing the land utilisation charge from Rs52.43 to only Rs4 per square yard, bringing the total price by Rs4.82 billion.

PR officials said NAB had also been asked to expedite investigation into the Business Train case but nothing had been done so far.

“In this case, the railways has so far suffered a loss of over Rs2.5 billion as the firm running the train is paying Rs2.2 million per day to the PR instead of Rs3.1 million as agreed in the contract.”

The bureau is also investigating some other cases relating to the Railways.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2015

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QUETTA/PISHIN: The bodies of five men and two women were recovered from Balochistan's Quetta and Pishin districts on Tuesday morning.

Police sources told DawnNews that bullet-riddled bodies of two men and as many women were found in Killi Paind Khan area of Quetta. The sources further said that all victims had received multiple bullet wounds, adding that they were shot from a close range.

Motive behind killing was not known. The corpses were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta for postmortem.

Also read: One killed, three bodies recovered in Balochistan

Levies personnel also claimed to have recovered three bodies from the Pishin district of Balochistan. The bodies were spotted by locals of the area who then informed Levies officials about the discovery.

Security personnel reached the site and cordoned off the area as a probe into the incident went underway.

The corpses were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Pishin. The identity of the victims could not be ascertained.

Also read: Two mutilated bodies found in Mastung

Last week was abuzz with news that Mahira Khan has refused to do intimate scenes with her Raees co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui. While the actress herself didn't bother to debunk the rumour, her director Rahul Dholakia took to Twitter and did so in his most sarcastic tone, reported The Indian Express.

Dholakia mocked all those reporters who were spreading the false rumours:

He also tagged co-writers Harit Mehta and Vashi Ashish, who also responded in an equally amusing way:

Although most sources quoted Bollywood Life, it is now certain that the actor hasn't given such a statement because the very case was baseless. Mahira who is making her Bollywood debut in Raees alongside Shahrukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui earlier said in an interview with Dawn that both producers and directors already know about the way she wanted to go about things:

"Raees’ producer Ritesh Sidhwani and director Rahul Dholakia were very kind with me from the onset. They listened to my reservations, explained things to me and told me repetitively not to worry," she had said.

Mahira plays a Muslim girl from Gujarat in the film, which is slated to be released on Eid in 2016.

LAHORE: One person was killed and around a dozen others were injured after a building caught fire in Lahore's Ichra area on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

A view of people trapped inside the burning building.— DawnNews screengrab

A view of the plaza which caught fire in Lahore's Inchra area.—DawnNews screengrab

A blaze erupted in a building which quickly spread, engulfing the entire structure with fire and smoke.

Rescue sources told DawnNews that the fire was a result of a short circuit.

Several people were trapped inside the burning building as the fire engulfed the exits.

Three people had jumped from the building to escape the blaze, and were shifted to a nearby hospital where their condition was reported as critical. One of the victims succumbed to his wounds during treatment.

Several other victims were shifted to the Services Hospital for treatment of burn injuries and smoke inhalation

The fire was brought under control after several hours of hectic efforts of the Rescue 1122 firefighters.

Fires at commercial buildings and homes kill or wound dozens of people every year in Pakistan, where smoke detectors are rare.

After being the beaming recipient of an honorary doctorate degree, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday has now also been made an honorary professor by the Belarus State University. It appears that the prime minister with his achievement has become the dream of many a South Asian family.

He is one of the few Pakistanis, including Malala Yousufzai, Imran Khan, and squash legend Jahangir Khan, to have been bestowed with an honorary post outside the country.

The prime minister already holds a local honorary PhD, awarded to him by the Government College University (GCU) in January 2014.

There is a long list of politicians and prominent figures who have been awarded honorary degrees from various educational institutions in the country.

Premier Sharif himself was earlier awarded with an honorary PhD degree in January 2014.

Other personalities awarded with honorary degrees include Syed Qaim Ali Shah from the Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah andchief justice of the Federal Shariat Court, Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan from the University of Sindh.

Former interior minister Rehman Malik had also made headlines when he had receveied an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Karachi in October 2011.

Dr Abdul Salam, the first Pakistani Nobel Laureate was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Punjab University in 1957. Sindh Muslim College awarded former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto an honorary doctorate.

General Ziaul Haq. Soon after he abrogated the Constitution of Pakistan and declared himself Martial Law administrator, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Law by the University of Punjab.

The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, had awarded a Doctorate in Science to former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and president of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan, Engr Shamsul Mulk last year.

The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) had also awarded honorary doctorate degrees to renowned social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi in November 2006 and former prime minister Shaukat Aziz in 2005.

ISLAMABAD: A woman who was critically injured last week during an exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) succumbed to her injuries at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Tuesday.

Ms Fareeda, 28, was a resident of Nadheri district in Kotli and was shot in her belly when Indian and Pakistani troops traded fire in Jandrot sector along the LoC. She was shifted to CMH Rawalpindi for treatment.

Read more: Pakistani woman critically wounded during exchange of fire along LoC

An Indian news website had quoted an unnamed defence official as saying that the exchange of fire had been initiated from the Pakistani side. The website added that 120mm mortal shells were also fired by the Pakistani forces.

Earlier in August, 3 people were killed and at least 22 injured as Indian and Pakistani security forces exchanged fire in across the Working Boundary in Sialkot.

In July, Pakistani officials blamed the BSF for killing four civilians in two separate incidents of cross-border firing in Sialkot's Chaprar sector and Rawalakot's Neza Pir sector.

India moreover accused Pakistan of killing three border guards and one civilian.

Also read: Pakistan moves UNMOGIP over unprovoked Indian firing along LoC

A border ceasefire agreement signed by the neighbours in 2003 has largely held, but both frequently accuse each other of breaching it.

Trigger warning: sexual assault/child abuse

After the shocking findings about child sexual abuse (CSA) crimes in Kasur, a Facebook page called The Parting Project has taken an encouraging initiative to stand in solidarity with all the victims.

The page taglined 'There's beauty in parting' is known for its mini-stories about longing and lost love, but the owner of the page, student/graphic designer Syed Faizan Raza Rizvi, decided to use it as a platform to create CSA awareness by inviting all CSA survivors to share their experience. Promising anonymity, Faizan puts gripping excerpts of their stories on the posts he designs, and lets their stories run in their entirety below it.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Faizan shares the reasons for using his page to give voice to the silent survivors in our society:

"The horrific story that surfaced from Kasur wasn't an isolated incident," Faizan said. "Child sexual abuse happens all around us, but we're not aware of it. Or rather, we choose not to acknowledge it precisely because it's a taboo topic. Parents think that they're keeping their children's innocent by not talking about these things. What they don't realize is that they're actually endangering them further and making them more vulnerable. When the child won't know what's happening with them is wrong, they won't let anyone know and the offender will continue their advancements."

While social media is yet to raise a real uproar, Parting Project is already on its way to show support to all those who have faced CSA. Explaining his initiative, Faizan delved deeper in the issue: "People have to start supporting victims who wish to come forward. That's the only way to keep conversation around the topic alive. We can either pretend that everything is rainbows and sunshine just to continue the charade of caring about children's innocence and morality, or we can actually step up, break the taboo of not talking about sexual abuse and truly protect this new generation. This is why I'm doing what I'm doing."

Faizan reveals that he has received a heartrending response from the people:

"There's no one word to describe how the responses are. They're heartbreaking yet extremely inspirational. They're eye-opening. Most of the stories I've received are by people belonging to educated and privileged families. It just shows that this menace is everywhere, and your children aren't protected by barriers and gun wielding men outside your gate. It's not just girls opening up, but also boys."

With CSA considered taboo, Faizan believes that people are in desperate need for a safe space to express their feelings.

In a culture where victim shaming is common, many request to remain anonymous and Faizan thinks they all have their reasons to do so: "They all have reasons, all very genuine and it's not just one. But if you take a quick look at our society that blames earthquakes on girls wearing jeans, you'll get the answer you're looking for."

While Faizan laments that few raise their voices against CSA, he admits that it doesn't come as a shock to him: "Over the past few years I've realized you're a fool if you expect a considerable majority to rise for a cause that doesn't directly affect them. Sure you can continue asking because that's part of making noise around issues, but don't expect a befitting response."

Ignorance is considered bliss in many cases, but when it comes to harassment, lack of awareness is dangerous. Faizan stresses that raising awareness is one of they key objectives of The Parting Project: "For decades, we've ignored awareness of issues like CSA and we have its result in the form of the Kasur incident and countless similar ones that are happening closer than we think. If we ever wish to change that, we have got to start awareness right now."

This isn't the first time that 22-year-old Faizan has taken an initiative; when Karachi was hit by the recent heatwave, he raised funds by selling designs of artwork online and was able to accumulate considerable amount of money for the victims. But is it always easy to gather people for a cause?

"People have always been supportive of whatever project I undertake. Precisely because I surround myself only with people who're supportive where supportive doesn't mean always appreciating, it means criticising in ways that I can use to better my approach," says Faizan.

"As for negative criticism, I've heard some very condescending comments every now and then, but I make sure that becomes a two-way lane. Also, I've been told I go overboard in supporting certain causes, but I believe in every single one of them matter how controversial or anti-religion they sound because half the time I'm standing up for myself, and that matters a lot to me."

There is no doubt that social media can play a vital role in times like these whether it be about raising awareness or assembling like-minded individuals. Faizan deems social media to be credit worthy but adds that it is not the sole solution: "After the news broke, if social media had not pushed back against the 'this is just a land dispute' narrative, this would've been buried again and the efforts of the reporters and journalists who uncovered the story would've been in vain. But social media alone isn't the answer. Social media along with concrete steps is. You can't just tweet and post. You have to be out there helping, while you tweet and post."