KARACHI: Jamaat-i-Islami secretary general Liaquat Balouch has said that attacks on minorities’ places of worship are being carried out by those elements who want to destabilise Pakistan.

He was speaking at a reception organised by Jamaat-i-Islami as part of Independence Day celebrations to acknowledge the services of the members of minority communities in the establishment and progress of Pakistan.

The JI leader criticised those who imposed their views on others.

The reception was attended by followers of Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and other religions.

Describing the gathering as a representative Jirga of patriotic Pakistanis, Mr Balouch spoke about the first cabinet of Pakistan headed by the Quaid-i-Azam, recalling that Jogendra Nath Mandal and Sir Zafarullah were members of that cabinet.

The JI leader said, “We will jointly struggle against all those who are usurping the rights of minorities”.

Church of Pakistan representative Father Fradrak, Saleem Michael of Catholic Mission, Council of Sikh Association’s Sardar Ramesh Singh, ex-MPA Shankar Lal, Dr Jagpal of Pakistan Hindu Forum and others also expressed their views on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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LAHORE: Col Shuja Khanzada (retired) was known to maintain his poise in the most trying situations. The quality was amply displayed during his final assignment – fighting terrorism in Punjab, particularly in the presence of the National Action Plan that came about in the aftermath of the Peshawar Army Public School carnage in December 2014.

One of the more recent occasions where everyone looked for any signs of emotions on his part was when he announced the end of Malik Ishaq. This was a big occasion – the killing of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi leader along with 13 of his associates in Muzaffargarh on July 29 by the Counter-Terrorism Department that he headed as the provincial home minister. True to his reputation, the Khanzada from Attock managed to deliver his lines matter-of-factly even when others around him spoke of the threat of a blowback.

Col Shuja Khanzada had seen many fronts and been through many camps in his life. He was born on Aug 28, 1943 in a family belonging to the Yousufzai clan and settled in Attock’s Shadi Khan village. He was the scion of the area’s influential Chach clan and his was family that had traditionally lived by agriculture but had also produced many soldiers. He was the son of Mr Yousaf Khanzada. His grandfather, Capt Ajab Khan, was a member of the Indian Legislative Assembly. His uncle, Capt Taj Muhammad Khanzada (retired), was a member of Gen Ziaul Haq’s Majlis-i-Shoora and sat in the National and Punjab Assembly between1956 and 1990.

Mr Khanzada did his matriculation from the Public School Nowshera and graduation from the Islamia College, Peshawar, in 1966. He was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1967 and took part in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. He served as an instructor during 1974-78 and 1982-83, commanded 13 Lancers during 1983-85 and was awarded gallantry award “Tamgha-i-Basalat” in 1988. He was among the first few soldiers to arrive at the Siachin Glacier, in 1983.

He also remained associated with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He was posted as the military attache to the embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC during 1992-94. Later, he was seconded to the embassy of Pakistan as minister information.

A keen agriculturist who was considered close to Gen Pervez Musharraf, he was elected an MPA from his hometown in 2002 as a PML-Q candidate. He worked as the special assistant to the Punjab chief minister and as head of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT).

The 2008 election found him looking for a new political camp. He returned to the Assembly in 2008 as an independent candidate and joined the PML-N. A stint as the chairman, Chief Minister’s Task Forces on Agriculture and Police Training Reforms followed. He retained the seat in 2013 and was appointed as the Minister for Environment. He was given the portfolio of Home in 2014 after the Model Town incident – a selection which reportedly led to some tension within the ranks of the PML-N.

Col Khanzada was a relatively new face in the party, and there were rumours that some of those who enjoyed closeness with Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif were not happy with his rise to prominence. Not too long ago, the former colonel was quoted by an Urdu paper as saying that some in the party grudged him his position.

Col Khanzada had been trying to make an impact and had been searching around for suitable platform. Apart from his stints in Punjab from the platforms of PML-Q and PML-N, PTI Chairman Imran Khan remarked in a tweet that Mr Khanzada was one of the founding members of his party who “travelled with me in the early days, galvanizing” people.

Not the least because of his ability to understand the army’s idiom and way of working due to the years he spent on the force, Mr Khanzada was considered a key player in Punjab’s joint civilian-military fight against terrorism. He is credited with working long and hard for the overhauling of the CTD and contributing to the modernisation of the Punjab police. He was keen on raising the anti-terrorism force in the CTD on modern lines, seeking Turkish assistance in this regard.

In his tribute to the departing minister, ISPR Director-General Asim Bajwa said “Khanzada Shaheed was bold Offr (officer) whose sacrifice 4 (for) greater cause of cleansing Pak won’t go waste.”

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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KARACHI: HeforShe, UN Women’s solidarity campaign for gender equality, has reached Pakistan and the goal is simple — “to bring together one half of humanity in support of the other half of humanity, for the benefit of all”. Inviting all segments of society to fight for equality among the sexes, a community meeting was held at the MAD School on Sunday and in attendance was an eclectic group of forward thinking individuals with the aim to make a difference.

With feminism being mistakenly painted as a means of inciting hatred against men, women around the globe are seen to be disassociating themselves from supporting this movement. As a result, UN Women decided to start the HeforShe campaign in which men play as important a role as women in the fight for gender equality.

The movement for gender equality has floundered and lost its momentum primarily because it has always being sidelined as a struggle for women, by women. However, the premise of HeforShe differs as it believes that social, economic and political equality is the right of all, and the campaign actively seeks to involve men and boys in attaining this goal.

HeforShe-Pakistan is a collaboration led by young Pakistani voices working in different professional fields who, despite their differences, have come together to further this campaign. These civil society activists, in collaboration with UN Women in Pakistan, have begun volunteering to share and spread the message of gender equality as widely as possible. The Pakistan-led campaign is headed by Noman Quadri, Awais Khalid, Marina Marri, Shiza Shaheen, Hassan Wasif Qavi, Yahya Iqbal and Ebad Ahmed.

The statistics highlight a disturbing trend: men too face harassment similar to women, though their percentage is much lower

An important emphasis of the campaign is that it strives for the creation of attitudes in society that believe in, encourage, and strive for equality rather than promoting one gender as being superior to the other.

A need assessment was carried out at the community meeting to identify the problems faced by both men and women out on the streets. Organisers shared statistics of incidents of sexual harassment, street harassment and the verbal diatribe that is frequented at public places such as dhabas, parks and markets which is intended to intimidate and evoke fear and insecurity. The statistics highlighted a disturbing trend: men too face harassment similar to women, even if their percentage is much lower.

Sexist slurs used against men and women was also a topic of discussion, and organisers spoke about a need to streamline a more overt struggle against the use of such words in our daily diction, friendly exchanges, songs and movies.

There is also a need for the media in Pakistan to empower women by portraying their rights, believes HeforShe-Pakistan. The debate is about freedom to be who we are and do as we please, for both genders. As men also suffer from the stereotypes society forces them to adhere to, the campaign aims to eliminate this form of discrimination too.

To make a difference, HeforShe-Pakistan believes change must come from the grass roots. This means educating the youth and propelling them to take the message forward. A network, according to the team, needs to be created to eliminate gender inequality. This brand of activism requires sustainable efforts to change the attitudes of people in society. Everybody needs to come onboard and fight harassment of all sorts, be it harassment faced by women, or men.

Hailing gender equality as not a “women’s issue, but a human issue,” HeforShe-Pakistan has set up innovation labs that target schools, colleges and universities to speak up about the problem and generate discourse, rather than stifle or ignore it.

Questions were also raised at the meeting about the lack of implementation of sexual harassment laws within work spaces, and the rural-urban divide which aggravates gender disparity in certain areas of the country.

Gender inequality is a problem that, according to HeforShe-Pakistan, needs to be addressed at home, at public places, in education systems, at workplaces, in the media, as well as in society in general.

HeforShe is a global campaign, and actress Emma Watson, also the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, officially launched the campaign at the UN headquarters in Sept 2014. Championing the cause of equality, she spoke about the disparity between what men and women are paid at their workplaces, and how women should also be involved in the formation of policies and decision-makings of their country.

“No country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality,” she said in her speech.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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RAWALPINDI: The suicide attack in Attock which claimed the lives of Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and others on Sunday has raised troubling questions about the possible presence of the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group in the area.

According to sources, the Counter-Terrorism Depart­ment (CTD) has in recent weeks been trying to verify reports that IS has set up a cell in Attock.

Officials privy to findings of the preliminary investigation into the attack said it had been carried out by the IS with help of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Also read: Agencies warn Punjab IS recruiting in Pakistan

Retired Colonel Khanzada was instrumental in setting up the CTD in Punjab to curb the spread of extremism and terrorism.

According to an intelligence official, law-enforcement and intelligence agencies were on the lookout for possible backlash in the wake of the killing of Malik Mohammad Ishaq, the leader of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, and had issued “alerts” about the possibility of attacks on important political leaders and government installations.

However, he said, they had not issued any specific alert regarding threats to Mr Khanzada’s life.

The suicide attack came about two weeks after the death of Ishaq and his two sons in a mysterious encounter with CTD personnel.

A senior police officer had confirmed the presence of IS in Attock area in the past and said: “We received confirmed reports about its presence in the area and conducted several raids and search operations but failed to lay hands on any member of the organisation.”

In October last year, the Punjab home department had warned police that Chechen and Uzbek militants expelled from Waziristan during military operations were trying to get shelter under the IS, also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh.

In a letter to divisional police chiefs of Punjab and the CTD, the home department said some local militant groups were reportedly joining Daesh because of its anti-Shia policies.

However, it said that some militant groups were resisting attempts to establish IS in the country.

It quoted intelligence reports as saying a particular group had been attracted to Daesh which might be trying to secure support of jihadi outfits and militant groups in the country.

The home department directed law-enforcement agencies to keep an eye on individuals associated with banned outfits and check their activities.

Earlier, IS flags were found on electric poles in the sensitive area of Taxila.

Officially, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has been denying the presence of the IS in the country.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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KARACHI: The new Karachi police chief has termed the measures taken so far by police zone chiefs and senior superintendents of police to remove SHOs with ‘patchy service records’ and initiate departmental action against them in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order as ‘too soft and weak’, it emerged on Sunday.

“The action taken by the unit concerned is not according to the spirit of the Supreme Court order,” observed Additional Inspector General of Police, Karachi, Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar in his recent correspondence with senior officers.

“The action taken is too soft and weak in comparison with overall patchy service record and charges being reflected against the individuals [SHOs and other lower rank policemen],” the police chief was quoted as having told the officers.

This was revealed in a letter sent by the additional IG to DIGs of South, West and East zones and SSPs of South, city, East, Malir, Korangi, West and Central districts and SSPs of investigation and others, according to sources and documents reviewed by Dawn.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan in its order dated July 22, 2015 on a constitutional petition (89/2014) had issued directions for initiating action against policemen up to grade 16 with questionable character.

It was expected that such officers would not be given field work and formal proceedings would be initiated against them under Section 16.2 of Police Rules, 1934.

In compliance with the apex court order, a three-member committee led by Rapid Response Force DIG Aftab Pathan was appointed by the Sindh IG police to identify police officers/ constables having such questionable record.

The committee submitted its report that was circulated among all officials concerned.

However, the Karachi police chief directed the senior officers concerned to implement the apex court order in ‘letter and spirit’ besides initiating action against them.

The sources said his letter revealed that certain recommendations regarding SHOs’ posting were made ‘without due diligence and professional weightage’ which resulted in an ‘embarrassing situation’.

“The recommendation (for posting of SHO) shall be based on professional integrity and competence, the recommended SHO must be capable to fight crime and be good at public dealing”, the additional IG was quoted as having told the officers concerned that the “recommended SHO should not have previously been involved in corruption, public excesses, land grabbing, extortion and organised crime.”

Furthermore, the Karachi police chief asked the zonal DIGs, SSPs and SPs to keep an eye on performance of SHOs once appointed. He warned them that the failure on their part would be reflected in their evaluation report.

As per practice, the SHOs’ posting was based on the recommendation of SSPs and DIGs concerned. The city police chief office was ‘just an issuing authority’ for orders based on such recommendations. Therefore, the zonal DIGs and other senior officers had been advised to follow the SC guidelines issued on July 22 while making their recommendation.

The Karachi police chief also directed the zonal chiefs and other officers concerned to maintain character roles of all police officials, reflecting number of criminal cases registered against them or appreciation letter issued as a result of their good performance. Furthermore, all the service books should be computerised and manually maintained in safe custody in compliance with the Supreme Court order.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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SUKKUR: A couple and their two-year-old son were gunned down allegedly by the woman’s relatives in what was described as ‘honour killing’, in Ladh Munir Khoso village, officials at the B-Section police station of Kandhkot-Kashmore district said.

They said initial investigation suggested that the couple, Ahmed Ali Cholyani, 30, and Sodhi Cholyani, had married on their own freewill without the consent of the woman’s family and were under threat. They had left their villages and were at present living in Ladh Munir Khoso village.

On Saturday, they added, a group of armed men broke into their house and gunned down the couple and their two-year-old son, Shahbaz.

According to the police, their neighbours were alarmed when the family did not come out of the house as per the daily routine. They alerted the area police, who entered the house and found the victims shot dead inside.

The bodies were taken to the Kandhkot Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination before they were handed over to the heirs.

The police said that the heirs of the two victims did not ask for the registration of an FIR but an investigation was being conducted. The woman’s family members denied having anything to do with the incident.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) staff seized over 291 bus shelters and sealed more than 20 tuck shops constructed by contractors because of a breach of agreement as well as nonpayment of dues of over Rs50 million.

Action against KMC officials was also being initiated for non-recovery of dues over the years.

A KMC statement issued on Sunday says that the then City district government Karachi had given contracts to three contractors in 2004 to construct bus shelters along with tuck shops and bathrooms at different locations in the city. In turn they were allowed to rent out the tuck shops and display advertisements at the shelters to recover their investment, and also pay a certain amount to the KMC annually.

One contractor, Sure Sign Company, constructed 220 bus shelters and had to pay Rs4.8 million annually to the KMC. Neither did the contractor pay any amount to the KMC nor did it maintain the shelters properly and many were found in dilapidated and unhygienic conditions. The contractor minted millions of rupees by displaying advertisements on the shelters.

Another contractor, United Construction Company, set up 51 bus shelters and 20 of these had tuck shops too. This contractor also breached the contract with KMC and did not construct bathrooms at the bus shelters. He was using the bus shelters on a commercial basis and had rented out the tuck shops and displayed advertisements on the shelters, making millions of rupees over the years. However, the contractor had still not paid dues to the KMC.

The third contractor, Shield Point, had to construct 50 bus shelters but it only set up 20. It had also displayed advertisements on the shelters and earned millions, but the KMC dues are still pending.

Administrator Shoaib Siddiqui ordered action against these contractors so over 291 bus shelters have been seized by KMC staffers and over 20 tuck shops have been sealed. The advertisements on display at the shelters have been taken off and action against the contractors has been initiated.

Mr Siddiqui also directed that stern legal action be taken against the KMC staffers / officers for criminal negligence as they had failed to recover dues of over Rs50 million from the defaulting contractors, adds the statement.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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HARIPUR: The ruling PML-N won the by-election for a National Assembly seat held here on Sunday.

According to unofficial results of 316 polling stations out of the total 513, the PML-N candidate from the NA-19 Haripur constituency Baber Nawaz polled 89,209 votes and his opponent Raja Aamir Zaman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf bagged 63,127.

Mr Nawaz was leading by over 25,000 votes as counting of ballots was continuing at remaining polling stations till late night.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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MUZAFFARABAD: A woman was killed and eight others were wounded on Sunday in the latest shelling by India from across the Line of Control, officials said.

The casualties occurred in Nakyal sector after intermittent shelling and firing for the past three days, local government official Nazakat Ali said.

“A woman was killed and eight other people, five women and three men, were wounded in shelling by Indian troops,” Mr Ali said.—AFP

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: On the third anniversary of the terrorist attack at Kamra air base, which is located in Attock district, the terrorists carried out another attack in the district – though this time around the target was a politician, Punjab’s home minister Shuja Khanzada.

The terrorists had launched an attack at Kamra air base from a remote village near the base in the early hours of August 16, 2013, which too was not the first terrorist attack in the district.

District Attock has seen a number of attacks as well as cases of target killings in the last one decade.

The Sunday attack also killed DSP Hazro Shaukat Shah, who had been critical of the alignment between criminals and the religious elements in ‘Chach’ area, which comprises mainly the Hazro tehsil of Attock district.

Exactly three years ago, the Kamra air base had been attacked

In October 2014, the late DSP Shaukat Shah had expressed concerns over isolated target killings, arguing that these killings proved that terrorists were present in the area.

He had said this after the killing of Latif Aalam Butt, a retired air force official who was an Ahmedi. Butt was killed near his house in a civilian residential colony outside the Kamra air base, district Attock.

A month earlier in September 2014, just two lanes away from the site a retired army personnel Sajjad Haider, who belonged to the Shia community, was also killed in a targeted attack.

Meanwhile, a colleague of Shaukat Shah, another DSP of the Punjab police, said that the Sunday attack was linked to the ongoing operations against terrorists in Punjab.

“The attack is aimed at pressurising the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab,” the police officer added, who was affiliated with a team that is investigating a sectarian attack in Attock district.

He highlighted that there were around 370 madressahs in Hazro tehsil.

Analysts are also of the opinion that Attock is home to extremist elements.

“Major terror attacks in Northern Punjab have been linked to people from the Attock area,” said Amir Mir, director at Pakistan Institute of Policy Studies (PIPS).

He said that, “A serious security audit is needed in Attock and Taxila region, which is not only very close to the federal capital, but also house sensitive installations.”

The first major attack in Attock was reported in April 2000, when 17 people killed in an attack on a Majlis in Malohwali village, Attock district.

The attackers were local clerics belonging to a seminary in the same village.

In 2004, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz too faced a suicide bomb attack during his election campaign in Fatehjang area of Attock district.

Though Mr Aziz survived, the attack claimed nine lives including that of his driver.

The last major terrorist attack took place in August 2012 when militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons attacked Minhas base, at Kamra. All the eight militants were killed, while one soldier lost his life; in addition there was significant material loss to the air force.

Two years later in June 2014, a suicide bomber killed two colonels of the Pakistan army near Tarnol.

This location fell in the Fatehjang tehsil of Attock. These officers were posted in a sensitive installation in Attock.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Two committees of the National Assembly and Senate will next week take up the issue of the setting up of a national commission for protection of rights of the children.

The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights is scheduled to discuss the matter on Monday triggered by the child abuse in Kasur. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice will take up a government bill on the child rights commission on Thursday.

Besides discussing the Kasur incident and the national commission on child rights, members of the Senate’s human rights committee will also take up the issue of bringing security agencies under the umbrella of parliament.

The issue was referred to the committee by the Senate chairman when during a debate in the house, PPP’s Farhatullah Babar called for establishing a parliamentary oversight over the working of intelligence agencies.

The human rights committee is headed by Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who is among those eight party senators who had submitted their resignations from Senate to protest against alleged victimisation of the party by Rangers during an ongoing operation in Karachi.

An official of the Senate Secretariat said the meeting had not been cancelled and members could choose any member to preside over the meeting in the absence of Ms Jalil.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice, under the chairmanship of Chaudhry Bashir Virk, is meeting on Thursday to take up a government bill titled “the National Commission on the Rights of the Child Bill, 2015”.

The bill was moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed on behalf of Law Minister Pervez Rashid in the National Assembly on April 20.

The committee was to take up the same bill in its meeting last month, but it could not be taken up due to a lengthy agenda, prompting a protest by some civil society organisations over the delay in the passage of the bill.

The bill suggests formation of an independent commission comprising 18 members, including the chairperson, with powers of a civil court.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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ATTOCK: Punjab home minister Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada was killed in a suicide attack on his political office in Shadi Khan village, Attock, Sunday, along with 16 others.

Punjab Police Inspector General Mushtaq Sukhera inspected the blast site later in the day and confirmed that 14 people, including the Punjab home minister, died in the suicide blast.

At least 23 people were injured in the attack and are currently under treatment at different hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, said the Punjab police chief and prayed for the early recovery of the injured victims.

Three injured in critical condition later passed away at DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi, hospital sources confirmed, raising the death toll from the attack to 17. The driver of home minister Khanzada, Ghareeb Nawaz, was also among the dead.

“There were two suicide bombers, one stood outside the boundary wall and the second one went inside and stood in front of the minister,” Sukhera told reporters.

“The blast by the bomber standing outside ripped the wall which caused the roof to fall flat on the minister and people gathered there,” he said.

Sukhera added police were investigating whether the attacker inside the building detonated a bomb.

He said police could not rule out the involvement of banned sectarian militant outfits against whom the government had launched a crackdown.

The impact of the explosion caused the roof of the building to collapse, and shattered windows in nearby houses.

Between 50-100 people were estimated to have been in attendance at a jirga being held at Khanzada’s political office. Many of them were buried underneath the wreckage as the entire structure had been razed to the ground by the explosion.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Hazro Syed Shoukat Shah was among the dead recovered from the site. Ten other policemen were present at the scene when the blast occurred.

—DawnNews screengrab

LeJ involvement

Sources in the interior ministry claim that banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has taken responsibility of the suicide attack on Khanzada. They alleged Khanzada was under threat following the killing of LeJ chief Malik Ishaq in July.

The Rawalpindi regional police officer confirmed the attack was a suicide blast.

Also read: Lashkar-i-Jhangvi chief Malik Ishaq, two sons killed in Muzaffargarh 'encounter'

Shuja Khanzada was given charge of the home department in October 2014 and had been actively involved in major operations against terror outfits. The provincial department he headed was responsible for the maintenance of law and order, and protection of life and property of citizens. He had previously held positions as Provincial Minister Punjab and Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab.

—DawnNews screengrab

Earlier this year, Khanzada had said the Punjab government received threat alerts for airports, prisons, schools and sensitive installations, besides targeted killing of known personalities and kidnap for ransom.

The minister had said all banned organisations had been stopped from operating, and lists of NGOs and seminaries working against “national interests”, as well as a person delivering provocative speeches, had also been prepared and action would be taken against them on “solid evidence”.

Also read: Terror-linked madressahs to face action: Khanzada

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the terrorist attack. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan similarly condemned the incident and directed federal and provincial institutions to carry out immediate rescue activities.

Rescue operations are still underway at the scene of the attack.

Condolences

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was grieved to learn of Shuja Khanzada's death. He said the home minister was one of the founding members of the PTI and had travelled with Khan 'in the early days, galvanising people'.

The PTI chief also said in a statement that his party as a gesture of respect will not field a candidate in the by-poll for the provincial assembly seat that fell vacant after Shuja Khanzada's assassination.

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Asim Bajwa condemned the terrorist attack on the Punjab home minister, saying that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had ordered intelligence agencies to help find the perpetrators.

Bajwa went on to say the attack would not deter national resolve to eliminate the menace of terrorism, and lauded Khanzada as a bold officer.

Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqi expressed heartfelt condolences towards those killed in the suicide bombing.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif said Khanzada's death was a loss to the country.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the Attock attack.

Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad condoled the death of Shuja Khanzada and others in the suicide attack.

The Punjab government has announced three days of mourning following Khanzada's death in a suicide attack. Flags on all government buildings will remain lowered during the three days.

Funeral prayers offered

The deceased home minister's funeral prayers were offered at Police Lines, Attock, along with slain DSP Hazro Syed Shoukat Shah.

The funeral was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and other senior officials.

Khanzada will be laid to rest at his native village in Attock.

ISLAMABAD: Security forces on Sunday carried out aerial strikes in Shawal Valley that killed 40 terrorists, said a statement by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the army's media wing.

The statement said “security forces in ongoing Operation Zarb-i-Azb carried out precise aerial strikes killing 40 terrorists. Strikes were carried out in Shawal Valley.”

"There are reports of many terrorists injured in strikes", the statement said.

The area is off-limits to journalists, making it difficult to independently verify the number and identity of the dead.

The army says it is conducting the final phase of Operation Zarb-i-Azb to flush out Taliban terrorists from their remaining strongholds along the border with Afghanistan.

Read: Preliminary phase of Shawal operation successful: army.

In June a senior military official had told Dawn during a background briefing on the eve of the first anniversary of the commencement of Zarb-i-Azb that “preliminary preparations for the final push have started, which will begin next month.”

A large number of militants fleeing the operation in other parts of North Waziristan are believed to have taken refuge in Shawal Valley, which is considered to be an Al Qaeda sanctuary and a stronghold of Gul Bahadur, a warlord once considered pro-government.

Shawal has also been the focus of US drone attacks this year with multiple strikes hitting targets in the valley in which dozens of suspected militants were killed.

Pakistan Army launched Operation Zarb-i-Azb, a grand operation in the North Waziristan tribal region, following a Taliban attack on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi in June 2014.

Since the beginning of Zarb-i-Azb, militants have fled to other tribal regions, including Khyber and its Tirah Valley and Shawal, all of which border Afghanistan.

In June this year, on the eve of the operation's first anniversary, the army said it had eliminated 2,763 terrorists during the year. There has, however, been no explanation as to how this precise figure about militant casualties has been collected because a large number of them are said to have been killed in strikes by Pakistan Air Force jets.

At that time, officials had said another 218 terrorist had been killed in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted in other parts of the country to prevent the feared backlash of Zarb-i-Azb. The IBOs are flaunted by the military as a major success story.

But, this has come at the cost of 347 troops and displacement of over a million people.

KARACHI: Senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has left for Singapore for medical treatment.

MQM spokesman Aminul Haq told Dawn that Mr Siddiqui flew to Singapore from Islamabad two days ago on a scheduled visit.

He said Mr Siddiqui would return home soon after the treatment.

Mr Siddiqui is an MQM member of the National Assembly from Hyderabad.—Staff Reporter

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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LAHORE: The Punjab police sees the involvement of banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) in the assassination of Punjab Home Minister retired Col Shuja Khanzada.

A preliminary report submitted to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif by Inspector General of Punjab Police (IGP) Mushtaq Sukhera revealed that the home minister was killed in retaliation of the killing of LeJ chief Malik Ishaq and 13 others, including his two sons, in July 29 in Muzaffargarh district.

Terming the martyrdom of Col Shuja Khanzada a national loss, the IGP said the morale and courage of the police force could not be demoralized with such incidents.

Sees LeJ behind attack

The IGP paid rich tributes to shaheed DSP Shaukat Husain Shah, 40, who had joined the police department in 1998 as an inspector. He left behind a widow and a daughter.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that intelligence reports had warned about attacks on senior government functionaries, including the Punjab home minister.

He said that intelligence reports suggested the government to increase security of ministers and cabinet members.

He said the police under National Action Plan (NAP) carried out raids in different parts of the province and killed militants at their hideouts and foiled several attempts of terrorism.

On the instructions of the IGP, the security has been beefed up across Punjab in the wake of the Attock incident. The force will perform the security duty strictly in accordance with the SOP.

Quoting the IGP, a spokesman for the Punjab police said the force would remain on the frontline in war against terrorism while crackdown on terrorists would continue.

He said an inquiry into the Attock incident would be conducted and the elements involved in it would not be spared.

Meanwhile, a large number of people belonging to all walks of life gathered outside the residence of Col Shuja Khanzada in Lahore on Sunday night and lit candles there to pay him tributes.

The security in and around the residence of late Col Shuja Khanzada has been tightened.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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KARACHI: The provincial government is waiting for guidelines from the federal government to launch action against banned organisations, which are working with new names in Sindh, it emerged on Sunday.

“The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has been requested to provide a list of the religious outfits, which are banned but reemerging under the changed nomenclature,” said a senior official in the provincial home department while speaking to Dawn.

He said the MoI was to send policy guidelines. However, till the specific directives arrived, he added, the hierarchy of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, and the inspector general of police, Sindh, had been requested to take action against the outlawed outfits.

“Such organisations should not be allowed to hold public gatherings and meetings but they are openly active across the province,” admitted the official.

Another official said the MoI’s guidance had been sought for taking action against the organisations, which reemerged with new names or titles, particularly against their office-bearers and key activists.

The provincial authorities, in their communication with the MoI, suggested that the databank of such organisations and activists be regularly updated and shared with the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and the provinces.

However, Nacta itself had blamed Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan authorities for failing to come up with their anti-terrorism policies, which all the provinces and regions had been asked to do after the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December last year.

Officials in the home department admitted that for a host of reasons they had not yet been able to submit to the Nacta the reports outlining their plans to combat terrorism as required in the National Action Plan (NAP).

Sindh’s major failure is in mapping thousands of madressahs in its territory unlike the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which have already finished the job.

The provincial authorities find them unable to seal unregistered madressahs, which is evident from the fact that it had sealed just 167 unregistered ones in Hyderabad and Benazirabad while none out of around 1,000 such schools has been sealed in Karachi.

The Nacta, in a recent letter to Sindh, requested the provincial authorities to send reports on implementation of key NAP points with mapping of madressahs on the top but the authorities concerned are still unmoved despite claims they are in the process of finishing the job.

“We are going to submit it soon,” said an official vaguely, without elaborating the timeframe and progress they had made so far with regard to the issue.

Sources in the provincial government said the reluctance in mapping the madressahs and closing unregistered ones which were operating unlawfully was because the provincial authorities wanted to avoid resistance by certain religious parties, which considered the seminary students as their street power.

Similarly, many outlawed outfits too have greater stakes in the increasing number of madressahs as a number of them provide them cadres to propel their agenda.

An official report says a total of 388,327 students are enrolled in all the madressahs in Sindh. The number of students enrolled with 2,598 registered madressahs is 269,325 while 119,002 students are documented as being enrolled with 1,423 unregistered madressahs.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has condemned the assassination of Punjab Home Minister retired Col Shuja Khanzada and termed it a cowardice act of terrorism.

Talking to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on phone, Mr Shah expressed deep sorrow and grief over the killing of Mr Khanzada and other people and offered condolences to the bereaved families.

Also read: Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada killed in terror attack

He paid tribute to the late minister for his untiring efforts and actions against terrorists under the National Action Plan.

Mr Shah said that such cowardice acts of terrorists could not affect the determination of the nation to eliminate terrorism.

He said the “country is at war and it will be continued till the last terrorist is eliminated”.

He said the sacrifices of law-enforcement personnel would not go in vain as terrorists, extremists and anti-state elements would never succeed in their nefarious designs.

“The government and people of Sindh share the grief of those who have been martyred in this tragedy,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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KARACHI: Police have ‘neutralised’ more individuals and gangs allegedly involved in heinous offences in the city in the first seven months of the current year than the criminals they had eliminated last year.

According to the performance report on the ongoing Karachi operation prepared by the Sindh home department, police have already recorded 935 shootings against criminal gangs and individuals by the end of July, which are 66 more than the 869 encounters last year.

A total of 596 gangs have been busted – 118 more than the 478 gangs eliminated last year, while 386 ‘criminals’ have been ‘neutralised’ – 125 more than the alleged criminals gunned down in 2014.

Know more: Robbed at gunpoint: Citizens vulnerable despite Rangers operation

Giving a break-up of violent offenders killed in shootings with police, the report said 136 of them were ‘terrorists’ belonging to various banned organisations who had history of involvement in militant attacks against citizens and law-enforcement agencies. Last year, just 28 ‘terrorists’ were eliminated in exchanges of fire with police.

Two of the ‘criminals’ killed in encounters were involved in kidnapping for ransom, while no kidnapper was killed in a similar manner last year.

Most of the ‘criminals’ who have met a violent end have been called bandits or dacoits. The report said 248 bandits had been killed in encounters — 15 more than the figure of the whole last year.

The comparative crime statistics given in the report show that 522 people were killed by the end of July – less than half of the 1,090 who lost their lives during the corresponding period last year.

The report said 49 kidnappings (for ransom) were reported in the first seven months of last year while just a single such case was reported so far this year.

Against 264 cases of extortion last year, the number of such cases has ‘significantly dropped’ to 115 this year.

Some 421 robberies were committed in the city in the first seven months of last year and the number re­­ported so far this year was 393.

The report claimed that murders or targeted killings in the city hit an all-time low.

“The analysis of first seven months shows that average murders reported in 2015 are 2.7 per day as compared to 5.7 murders per day in 2014,” said the report. It said the numbers of targeted killings were even graver in 2013 when around nine people a day had been killed.

The report described the police performance in Lyari as a ‘success story’ and said 120 members of dozens of criminal gangs were ‘neutralised’ during 2015.

It said eight bank robberies took place during seven months of the current year as compared to 21 in the same period last year.

The cases of other types of robbery declined ‘exceptionally’ to 19 from 68 during the corresponding period of last year.

The report claimed that the number of social ‘vice dens’ had declined by 90 per cent, but did not substantiate its assertion through figures.

Explaining the crime scenario of Sindh, it said a 60pc decrease was recorded in the incidents of extortion as compared to 2014. It said there were 233 such complaints this year as compared to 543 in the corresponding period last year.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Con­dem­n­ing Sunday’s attack in Attock in which Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada was killed, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reaffirmed his government’s determination to pursue the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism with full force.

He called for adopting a pre-emptive strategy to counter terrorists’ plans and asked law-enforcement agencies not to lower their guards till the elimination of last terrorist.

According to an official statement issued by the Prime Minister House, Mr Sharif also stressed the need for changing tactics and going for a preventive operational methodology. He said terrorists would be chased to their last hideout and eliminated with national resolve and unity.

Also read: Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada​: Military man and politician

On the other hand, Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif directed intelligence agencies to trace perpetrators of the attack on the Punjab home minister.

Army chief directs agencies to trace perpetrators of attack on Khanzada

Condemning the terrorist attack, “the COAS directed intelligence agencies to help find perpetrators”, said ISPR Director General Maj Gen Asim Bajwa in a message on social media.

He quoted the army chief as saying that “such dastardly coward attempts cannot dent our national resolve to eliminate the menace”.

The army chief paid tribute to the deceased home minister, who had served in the army, for the services rendered by him. “Shuja Khanzada was a bold officer whose sacrifice for greater cause of cleansing Pakistan (of terrorism) will not go waste,” the army chief said.

The prime minister said the courage and valour of retired Col Shuja Khanzada was a message to masterminds of terrorist attacks that they were bound to be defeated.

President Mamnoon Hussain also paid glowing tribute to the unflinching resolve of Shuja Khanzada in the fight against terrorism and said his martyrdom would not go in vain.

The nation, he said in a message, would always remember the commendable services of the late minister for the cause of motherland.

Strongly condemning the terrorist attack, the president reiterated the nation’s commitment to eradicate the scourge of terrorism and extremism from the country.

The president also expressed condolences for other people who lost their lives and commiserated with their families. He directed the authorities to expedite rescue efforts and provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.

PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari said no words were strong enough to condemn the brutal and cowardly attack on Shuja Khanzada.

“The attack today is a manifestation of the dying kicks of dying militants,” the former president said, adding that such cowardly attacks would not deter the nation from taking their fight against the militants to the finish.

Mr Zardari called for gearing up all resources and energies to apprehend the culprits and their masterminds and bring them to justice.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah demanded an investigation into the attack to prevent such incidents in future.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said Shuja Khanzada’s death was a national tragedy and he would be remembered for his valour and courage.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Abbasi, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani and Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri also condemned the attack and offered condolence over the death of the Punjab home minister and others.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the governments of Punjab and Sindh have decided to defend the proposal to hold local government (LG) elections in the two provinces in three phases in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the commission held here on Monday. The meeting was attended by Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, members of the ECP, the election commissioners of the two provinces as well as the chief secretary of Sindh and the LG secretary of Punjab.

Know more: ECP submits new local govt poll schedule to SC

The two provincial officials briefed the commission on preoccupation of the provincial and district administration in rehabilitation of flood-affected people and the law and order situation, particularly in Ashura days.

The commission was informed that more than 100 appeals had been filed in high courts of Punjab and Sindh on delimitations of constituencies, which needed to be disposed off before issuance of the LG election schedule.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2015

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