LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Ejaz Chaudhry has said those who termed Kasur child abuse case a property dispute should hang their heads in shame after the revelations by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

In a statement on Friday, Mr Chaudhry said: “I am ashamed to have learnt that such a lame explanation was presented by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah to defend the criminals.”

It was just out of question that police were unaware of the video clippings freely circulating in the area and rumours of abuse of innocent children, he said.

Mr Chaudhry said the so-called good governance of Khadam-i-Aala had embarrassed the entire nation at the national and international levels in the wake of Kasur scandal.

He said the entire nation wanted the chief minister fulfil his promise and give exemplary punishment to the culprits.

PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif always formed Joint Investigation Team when he did not want to resolve an issue and added that the JIT was the first step to linger on any issue till it went out of people’s minds.

Asking Rana Sanaullah to read HRCP’s report, she wondered why Shahbaz was so fond of Rana Sanaullah as he had been photographed with extremists and alleged by his own party members of killing 20 people.

PTI information secretary Andleeb Abbas said the HRCP report was comprehensive but the chief minister was not likely to pay any heed to it. She said the HRCP report had exposed the dirty face of Kasur police as the accused were blackmailing the children and threatening to make the videos public while the ignorant police were unaware of this heinous crime for seven years.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Officials investigating the terrorist attack in Attock have made a sketch of the suspected suicide bomber. They also arrested a man on suspicion on Friday from a seminary in Hazro, officials told Dawn.

They claimed that the sketch was made with the help of remains of the face belonging to a suspected suicide bomber which was reconstructed at the blast site.

“So far we have succeeded in reconstructing the face only,” they said, adding that at the moment efforts were being made to identify the suspect with help of the sketch. Punjab Home Minister (retd) Col Shuja Khanzada and 18 others lost their lives in the attack on the minister’s ancestral home on Sunday.

Also read: ‘Attock attack not being treated as suicide bombing’

According to the officials, keeping the sketch in focus, the suspect seems to be a Punjabi. However, this was not the final opinion, they added.

Meanwhile, law-enforcers and security forces picked up a student from a seminary in the Takik village, tehsil Hazro, in a joint raid.

Security forces identified the student as Shah Azam, a resident of Bara, Khyber Agency.

They added that he had been arrested on suspicion of being a facilitator of the unidentified suicide bomber.

The officials said during the last five days scores of arrests had been made from different areas.

The investigators, they added, were taking people into custody on suspicion and were interrogating them at different places.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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PESHAWAR: Two tribal elders were killed on Saturday in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Arang area of Bajaur agency.

According to security sources, tribal elders Malik Dawakhan and Haji Kareem died in the blast as the IED targeted their vehicle, injuring three others. A search operation in the area to apprehend suspects is under way.

Earlier this year, a pro-government tribal elder was killed in a remote-controlled IED blast in Bajaur's Bar Kamar area.

According to sources, tribal elder Malak Muhammad Jan was on his way to the Har area when an IED planted on the roadside went off.

The pro-government tribal elder and five of his companions had died in the blast while the vehicle they were travelling in was also severely damaged.

Bajaur is one of the seven districts in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt near the Afghan border, where militants are said to have held strongholds.

An extremist insurgency led by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) plagues the region and the area is known to be infested with militants, including those from Al Qaeda and other armed extremist organisations.

Several attacks on polio workers, peace committee members and suicide bombings have taken place in the tribal region in the past few years.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) late Friday night in a statement released on its website announced that its members’ resignations from all three legislative floors were final, adding that it would not partake in dialogue over the matter anymore.

The statement said the decision was taken at an emergency joint session of MQM’s Rabita Committees in London and Karachi.

The party says it will temporarily abandon parliamentary politics and focus on the “establishment of a province and welfare activities.”

The statement goes on to say the party had unanimously decided to tender resignations in protest and the government will have to “accept them at every cost.”

“Every MQM member in Senate, National Assembly and Sindh Assembly should be seen as having resigned.”

The meeting also observed that the government had “not valued Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s role" as a mediator to reconcile differences between the party and the government. The party also condemned “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s behaviour” during his recent visit to Karachi, terming it “arrogant and threatening.”

The party expressed dismay over the premier not visiting its critically injured MNA, Rashid Godil, in hospital.

Also read: MQM 'disappointed' by PM's Karachi visit

MQM also criticised Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s lack of initiative to form a monitoring committee to oversee the ongoing Karachi operation.

MQM lawmakers had simultaneously submitted their resignations in the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday August 12, 2015 due to reservations over the Rangers-led operation in Karachi.

The MQM legislators had accused the law enforcement agencies of discriminatory action against MQM, forced disappearances and extra judicial killings.

In response, the government remained reluctant to accept the resignations and tasked JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman with the assignment of persuading MQM to withdraw the resignations.

Maulana visited the MQM headquarters earlier this week but the mission remained inconclusive in the wake of an attempt on the life of Muttahida MNA Rashid Godil. However the two sides had agreed to put the talks on hold for a while and start the process again in a couple of days in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: The special court of customs, excise and taxation on Friday deferred supermodel Ayyan Ali’s indictment in currency smuggling case after her counsel objected to the challan submitted against her in the court.

The supermodel’s counsel, Khurram Latif Khosa, contended before the special judge of the court that the prosecution had mentioned its witnesses Mohammad Awais and Mumtaz in the case as accused, therefore, they should have been arrested by the customs authorities.

He argued that these two witnesses have been included in the category of suspects but the prosecution did not complete the process to implicate them. Customs authorities, however, said evidence clearly showed that Ayyan was involved in the currency smuggling case.

After hearing the arguments, the court directed the investigating officers to complete the challan after arresting the two suspects and submit it by September 4.

Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking inclusion of Ayyan Ali’s name in Exit Control List as the supporting documents were incomplete.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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KARACHI: Police investigators have suggested political rivalry and terrorism as a means to destabilise the city as possible motives for the deadly attack on Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker Rashid Godil, it emerged on Friday.

During the past two days, the police conducted search operations in different areas and detained over 30 people for questioning. Three of them were being grilled to help identify the motive for the attackers, said a senior police officer who is part of the investigation team.

With reference to the statement by Mr Godil’s wife, the senior officer said that CCTV footage showed the lawmaker being chased by suspects on a motorbike after he left his residence in Defence. But the suspects who shot at him did not appear to be the same indicating that one group chased him while another carried out the attack, he added.

Political rivals, jihadi elements suspected behind the attempted murder. Three of 30 suspects being grilled to find clues.

The footage gathered had not helped the police investigators to identify the attackers or the number plates on the motorbikes. Help of both local and foreign experts was also being sought, revealed the officer.

Another officer said on the condition of anonymity that district police were focusing on the possible involvement of activists from two political parties, while special units of the police were focusing on the involvement of jihadi elements.

“Rashid Godil was targeted because he belonged to the MQM, was a lawmaker and more importantly he appeared to be a soft target,” he added.

The officer said that investigations were focusing on a newly-formed militant group that had been targeting MQM workers and its members are found to be residing in the vicinity of Bahadurabad.

Condition improving steadily

Doctors at the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) said on Thursday Mr Godil’s condition was steadily stabilising two days after they took off the ventilator on a ‘trial basis’.

A spokesman for the hospital said Mr Godil was under ‘strict observation’ and was making progress without the breathing apparatus for the second day running.

“His condition is improving, yet doctors have not declared him out of danger,” said Anjum Rizvi, LNH spokesman.

He said Mr Godil was mentally alert and responding positively. His cerebral and kidney functions were normal as were his heartbeat and blood pressure.

He said the MNA was mentally aware and had not lost his memory. “Today, he opened his eyes and recognised his relations and friends surrounding him,” said Mr Rizvi.

Doctors said Mr Godil sustained five bullet wounds ─ two in the neck and three in the chest and abdomen. One bullet that affected his right lung was still in the body and would stay there as he was not stable enough to be operated on.

PPP leaders visit Godil

Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Friday visited the LNH to inquire about Mr Godil’s health.

He called the attack on the MQM leader as ‘terrorism’ and hoped that the provincial government would soon arrest and punish those involved in the attack.

Sindh senior minister for information and education Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, who also visited the ailing lawmaker, said Mr Godil talked to him. “I found him a brave person,” he added.

The minister said Mr Godil was still in the intensive care unit with a bullet in his body.

He said the investigators were getting clues to the attackers who would soon be apprehended. He said the attack was a conspiracy to cause a breakdown of law and order in the city, but the Sindh government was determined to ensure peace at all cost.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: In a midnight raid on a seminary in the heart of the capital, law enforcement agencies have picked up four men allegedly involved in the attack on the Punjab home minister in his hometown of Attock. However, the capital’s police was unaware of the action until the last minute, sources in the department told Dawn.

The Madaressah Haqqania is located on the green belt along Eighth Avenue – a stone’s throw from Faisal Mosque and Naval Headquarters – and was raided by a joint team from the police’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) as well as units from Rawalpindi police and paramilitary personnel.

Those taken into custody included Imadullah, the son of seminary administrator Qari Ahsanullah, as well as a teacher, Arshad, and two visitors to the seminary, one of whom was identified as Shoukat.

Officials said that the raid was carried out on the basis of solid information regarding the presence of a suspect linked with the attack in Attock.

At least 20 vehicles, including vans from the Banni and Sadiqabad police stations in Rawalpindi and Punjab Elite Force units also participated in the raid.

Local police not informed of raid on Madressah Haqqania until last minute | Punjab police, Elite Force and other agencies search seminary, adjoining mosque | Seminary administrator’s son among those in custody | IGP stays mum, no official word on raid, arrests

Perhaps due to their unfamiliarity with Islamabad, the raiding party first headed to E-7, then emerged from near the Faisal Mosque and headed wrong-way down Faisal Avenue and pulled up outside the seminary – which is located on the green belt between Eighth Avenue and Ismail Zabeeh Road – just after 1am on Friday.

Only after the raiding party arrived at the seminary were the local police informed, officials told Dawn, adding that the senior officer concerned and station house officer arrived at the scene along with the night-patrolling staff later.

“Why the raiding party did not inform the local police is a mystery. Either there was some urgency or other apprehensions, we don’t know,” senior police officials told Dawn.

As Islamabad police officials looked on, the raiding party entered the seminary and took four people into custody after searching the premises for over an hour.

Initially, the police party was not allowed to enter the seminary by those inside, officials said. However, they then broke down the door and entered forcefully, combing every nook and cranny of the building, especially the living quarters.

Officials told Dawn that the mosque adjacent to the seminary and the green belt was also searched thoroughly.

Suspicious links

The seminary’s administrator, Qari Ahsanullah, is a key leader of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) and his name has been on the Islamabad police’s watch list under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti Terrorism Act since 2009, officials said. He was put on the list for spreading sectarian hatred and hate speech.

Police would regularly obtain surety bonds of good behaviour from him, and the last one was obtained quite recently.

“But during the Friday congregation, Qari Ahsan criticised the raid in his sermon and declared it a highhanded action of the government. He also accused the forces behind the raid of being American agents,” an official told Dawn. Following the sermon, police have begun collecting evidence in this regard and have also asked Special Branch to prepare a report and recommend action against him, sources said.

The seminary was first checked by capital police on Monday, shortly after the attack in Attock, they stated. “The information shared by the seminary administration did not mention presence of any outsiders on the premises,” an official said, adding that, “but after the arrests, it is clear that they lied to the police”.

“Now Islamabad police has initiated its own investigation to establish whether or not those two strangers were staying at the seminary when it was checked by law enforcement agencies on Monday,” the officer said, adding that they would face strict action if it was found that they lied to the police.

Inadequate checks

“Police cannot check each seminary and verify their students, teachers and visitors on their own and rely on the information provided by each administration,” an official said.

Under the previous PPP government, the interior minister had allowed capital police to raid any seminary they suspected and collect details from there, he said, adding that the current interior minister had categorically asked the police not the do so without any concrete information.

There was no official confirmation over the raid and the arrests. Inspector General of Police Tahir Alam Khan, however, did not confirm or deny the raid, saying only, “We are collecting the details”.

When asked for further comment, he said, “If anyone is arrested from there in connection with terrorism, action will be initiated against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act.”

Another police official, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the arrests suggested that the administration of these seminaries was not cooperating with law enforcers. He also said that it was not enough to simply obtain details of teachers, students and visitors from the seminary administrators to avoid the presence of suspected terrorists there, he added.

Seminaries run by those who are included in the Fourth Schedule should be searched by officials of the capital administration and police, he suggested.

‘Highhandedness’

Qari Ahsanullah, however, decried the raid, saying that it was conducted without any warrants or the presence of a magistrate or assistant commissioner. “The reason behind the raid and the location of those who were detained is not known,” he added. He told Dawn that he had visited the CIA and CID office, as well as Margalla police station, but the detainees were not there. “Police is not giving us any information on their whereabouts,” he said.

He also told Dawn that a meeting of around a dozen scholars was called at the madressah after the raid to devise a strategy to deal with the situation.

Although officials stated that four people were arrested from the premises, he insisted that only three people were picked up. “Earlier, police arrested two persons – a teacher and a visitor – and left the building. But they returned shortly afterward and also took my son,” he said.

“My son holds an MPhil degree and is a religious scholar who is pursuing a PhD in Hadith from the International Islamic University Islamabad, he said. The teacher, Mohammad Irshad, who was also picked up was the brother of a Frontier Constabulary official, Faizul Amin, who was killed in Waziristan.

When asked who the third person was, Ahsanullah claimed ignorance, but said that his CNIC was checked when he arrived at the seminary on Thursday to collect the belongings of another student who had left the madressah and enrolled in another seminary – Ashrafia – located at Mandi Mor.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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LAHORE: An election tribunal will announce on Saturday (today) its verdict in alleged rigging case of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s constituency NA-122, Lahore.

Tribunal member Kazim Ali Malik had on Aug 17 reserved verdict after speaker’s counsel concluded his arguments against the petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, the runner-up candidate from the constituency.

Strict security arrangements have been made on the premises of the Punjab Election Commission office where the tribunal holds its proceedings. No irrelavent person will be allowed to enter the premises on Saturday.

The tribunal has issued special passes to five persons from each side -- PTI and PML-N -- to hear the decision.

Abdul Aleem Khan, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Shoaib Siddiqi, Khurram Qureshi and Advocate Anees Hashmi will appear from the PTI side, while speaker’s son Ali Ayaz, retired Col Mubashar, Muhammad Abid, Advocate Khwaja Saeeduz Zafar and Barrister Asjad Saeed from the PML-N side.

It is to be mentioned here that proceedings of the Imran Khan’s petition remained suspended for a year. The Lahore High Court on Nov 4, 2013, had granted a stay to the NA speaker against the proceedings before the tribunal. The court on Nov 20, 2014, recalled the stay order and allowed the tribunal to proceed with the case.

The PTI chief visited the election tribunal twice firstly on Nov 26, 2014, with a request not to combine decisions of NA-122 and PP-147 and secondly on Dec 6, 2014, to record his statement. The NA speaker also recorded his statement before the tribunal on Feb 7, 2015.

The tribunal appointed a retired sessions judge as local commission on Dec 8, 2014. On tribunal’s order, Nadra held an inspection of the constituency record and submitted its final report on May 9, 2015. The authority submitted a supplementary report on May 30.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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Ever since their turn in TV drama Humsafar as star-crossed lovers Khirad and Asher, fans have been waiting for Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan to reunite.

The wait is over, even if the reward is pretty small: Mahira and Fawad appear together in an ad to promote the upcoming Lux Style Awards.

Also read: Lux Style Awards: will the show get its groove back this year?

While rumours are abound that the duo might host the awards this year, the stars have yet to confirm. One thing's for sure — if they do host, they're sure to draw a crowd!

Fawad looks dapper in a white jacket

Mahira glows in a gold gown

The ad sent many hearts aflutter as fans on Twitter oohed and aahed over Mahira and Fawad's chemistry:

Here's hoping for an even bigger, grander onscreen pairing soon!

Barely a week after upcoming film Jawani Phir Nehi Aani's (JPNA) latest trailer release, lead actor Hamza Ali Abbasi has posted a status to his Facebook page that distances himself from the film.

Also read: This 'Jawani Phir Nahi Aani' trailer made Hamza Ali Abbasi give up his PTI post

In the post, Hamza says he feels two of JPNA's songs are "very inappropriate and show indecent visuals," and drops the bomb that he might not be part of the film's promotions if those very songs aren't removed: "But I will only be part of promotions if these 2 songs are taken out, otherwise I will refrain from it."

Explaining why he appeared in the film even though he deems some of its content inappropriate, Hamza stated: "I found out abt these songs much later into the shoot of the film and if I backed out, it would have caused a lot of trouble to my best friends, so I had to do it, even though I oppose such things."

Hamza appears in the movie with Humayun Saeed, Ahmad Ali Butt, Vasay Chaudhry, Mehwish Hayat, Suhai Abro, Ayesha Khan, Sarwat Gillani, Javed Sheikh and Bushra Ansari.

Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed, Ahmad Ali Butt and Vasay Chaudhry in a still from the film

Explaining his post to Dawn.com, Hamza reiterates that he might not be playing a huge role in promoting JPNA, though he denied that this decision would impact his relationship with his co-stars. "We’re all friends," he says, "and they [my co-stars] realize I have nothing against them personally, even if they do staunchly disagree with me."

"I know I'm being branded an attention seeker," he adds, "but there is a line between decent and vulgar, and it's pretty hard to tell what is what, and I think the 100 percent of the fault lies with our censor board."

The outspoken actor has previously defended his statements and opinions, saying"I am an actor, but I mustn’t be barred from speaking on these matters. In order to progress in this society, we need to break these taboos.”

Jawani Phir Nahi Aani has already cost the actor his PTI post, which he resigned from in March.

Let's hope this latest outburst doesn't cost the actor some friends!

LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday directed the Punjab government to adhere to the National Action Plan (NAP) and ensure its implementation, said a report published on Radio Pakistan.

While chairing a meeting in Raiwind — which was attended by Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Inspector General Punjab Police among others, — the premier was also briefed in detail on the measures taken in order to implement the NAP in Punjab.

Know more: Over 10,000 arrested as National Action Plan against terror continues

Earlier on Friday, PM Nawaz chaired another meeting to review the internal security situation in the country and implementation of the NAP.

The meeting was held at Prime Minister House and attended by Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi and other high-ranking officials.

Read more: PM chairs high-level meeting on national security

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif constituted a special committee for the implementation of the National Action Plan for counter-terrorism in December, 2014, in the wake of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism.

LAHORE: Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) said on Saturday the Lahore election tribunal’s decision against National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had vindicated their stance that the 2013 general elections were rigged and called for strict action against all those involved.

Speaking to Dawn, PTI’s central organiser Jahangir Khan Tareen pointed out that the election tribunal’s decisions with regard to rigging allegations in two of the four key constituencies were now in favour of the PTI.

He said PTI Chairman Imran Khan had written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner urging him to identify all those who committed irregularities and “rigging” in the elections and launch criminal proceedings against them.

Mr Khan, he said, had announced that the PTI would stage a sit-in in front of offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan if the complaints against the officials concerned were not addressed within the next two weeks.

Soon after the general elections, the PTI chief had called for an inquiry into four constituencies where he claimed large-scale rigging had taken place. Of these, the seats in Lahore were of considerable importance.

The assertion was that the PML-N was particularly possessive about Lahore, the Sharifs hometown, and wanted to retain the city at any cost.

Elections on two Lahore seats — NA-122 and NA-125 — have now been declared to have been so grossly affected by irregularities that re-election has been deemed by the tribunal to be unavoidable there.

Meanwhile, there still are legal battles ahead for PTI. Mr Sadiq, who had been declared the winner from NA-122 against Mr Khan in a result that had surprised many, is going to move the Supreme Court against the ruling of the tribunal.

Politically, however, the PTI will be hoping that the vindication of its stance on rigging will prove to be permanent, notwithstanding any setback it may suffer in the Supreme Court.

The PTI’s defence against the judicial commission’s validation of the election results has been built around similar lines. The party has accepted the commission’s verdict on a formal level but it is otherwise heard declaring that the ruling was adversely affected by its terms of reference which prevented a fair investigation.

Many PTI leaders indicate that this is the line they will take as they plead their case among the people. They also believe that this is more than a moral victory for PTI. This is going to have real impact on the national politics and may lead to a revival of Mr Khan’s fortunes in his fight against those who are in power ‘by deceit’.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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KARACHI: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah contacted MQM leader Farooq Sattar Saturday, persuading him to reconsider his party’s decision to cancel talks on the issue of MQM’s resignations from Parliament, according to a statement from the MQM.

Sattar expressed his party’s reservations over Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s attitude during his visit to Karachi. According to the party, all three leaders assured Sattar that MQM’s grievances will be addressed.

The statement says Sattar conveyed to Khursheed Shah his party’s concerns over the role of Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, who has not responded positively to MQM’s demand for a committee to monitor the Karachi operation.

MQM says Khursheed Shah also later talked to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over telephone and apprised him about his talk with Farooq Sattar.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged Farooq Sattar to continue the dialogue process on the matter of MQM’s resignations, saying the government had given him complete mandate for talks on the matter.

The JUI-F chief told MQM he had discussed the matter with the prime minister.

At this, Sattar lamented the government’s non-seriousness on MQM’s resignations, adding that the premier had entirely neglected the issue.

“If the prime minister was serious, he would have called MQM leaders and heard their concerns,” Sattar added.

Take a look: MQM 'disappointed' by PM's Karachi visit.

The MQM leader said his party had decided to abandon talks after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the megapolis, which was a disappointment for his party.

Listening to Sattar’s arguments, Maulana assured him of discussing all points with the premier and vowed to play his role in addressing MQM’s reservations.

MQM lawmakers had simultaneously submitted their resignations in the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday August 12, 2015 due to reservations over the Rangers-led operation in Karachi.

Read: MQM lawmakers tender resignations.

The MQM legislators had accused the law enforcement agencies of discriminatory action against MQM, forced disappearances and extra judicial killings.

In response, the government remained reluctant to accept the resignations and tasked JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman with the assignment of persuading MQM to withdraw the resignations.

Maulana visited the MQM headquarters earlier this week but the mission remained inconclusive in the wake of an attempt on the life of Muttahida MNA Rashid Godil. However the two sides had agreed to put the talks on hold for a while and start the process again in a couple of days in Islamabad.

But before the next round of talks could begin, MQM in a statement said its members’ resignations from all three legislative floors were final, adding that it would not partake in dialogue over the matter anymore.

Also read: MQM says no more talks, resignations final.

The party said it had made the decision after the government's apathy towards its grievances, which was clearly visible when the premier visited Karachi but did not establish any contact with the party.

MQM in its statement went on to say that the government had “not valued Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s role” as a mediator to reconcile differences between the party and the government.

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz on Saturday said that he was saddened that the Indo-Pak security adviser level talks had been virtually cancelled and added he is 'still willing to visit New Delhi without preconditions'.

Talks between India and Pakistan, scheduled for August 23 and 24, fell into trouble as both nations reached a deadlock over Pakistan's insistence to ignore Indian ‘advice’ against holding a meeting with Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi on August 23.

Read: Indo-Pak security adviser level talks in jeopardy

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital city, Sartaj Aziz said that India had imposed new conditions on the security adviser level talks and added that, "We haven’t formally canceled the talks. We will see what comes out of the situation. We are still ready to hold the talks. But without any preconditions."

Talking about the 'virtual cancellation of talks from the Indian side' Aziz said, "India does not want the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan is concerned about the detention and arrests of Hurriyat leaders which is a violation of fundamental human rights."

Aziz also urged the international community to ponder over India’s attitude and decision to cancel the talks "on such flimsy grounds, especially when the main purpose of the meeting was to reduce tensions on the Line of Control and restore trust by addressing each other’s concerns regarding terrorist activities sitting across the table rather than through the media."

Also read: India rows back after arresting Hurriyat leaders

Responding to a question he said, "Pakistan wishes to resolve all issues with India on the negotiating table, but no serious talks with India are possible without discussion on the core issue of Kashmir."

"We had agreed to discuss all outstanding issues and Kashmir is definitely a part of it."

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security said that, "Indian claims that Pakistan was trying to distort the agenda agreed at Ufa and was imposing 'new conditions' for the talks could not be farther from the truth."

Aziz said that the three-point agenda proposed by Pakistan was fully in line with the Ufa statement.

Giving details of Pakistan's proposals he said, "The first point called for discussion on all issues related to terrorism."

"The second point calls for reviewing progress on actual decisions made at Ufa which included prompt release of fishermen, better arrangements for religious tourism, and activation of mechanisms for restoring peace across the LoC and the Working Boundary," he added.

"The third point was intended to explore the modalities for discussions on all other outstanding issues including Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachen," Aziz said.

The most important sentence of the Ufa agreement according to Aziz was, “India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues”.

He said that India seems reluctant to recognise that the most important outstanding issue between the two countries is the future of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the UN resolutions.

Sartaj Aziz said that India had introduced a new condition, which was never mentioned in the Ufa agreement, "through its 'advice' that Pakistan should not meet Hurriyat leaders, thus assuming the right to determine the guest list for the High Commissioner’s reception."

Aziz dispelled ‘India’s wishful narrative’ according to which ‘only Pakistan’s military establishment is pushing the agenda towards the Kashmir issue’ saying that the Indian foreign policy establishment has failed to realise that the entire Pakistani nation stands united and fully committed to provide political, moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris struggling for their right of self-determination.

He claimed that India has been conducting a part of its diplomacy through its media which had been saying that Pakistan was looking for an exit due to apprehensions over the dossier which India's ex-spymaster and incumbent national security adviser Ajit Doval has prepared for presentation during the talks.

Aziz countered the Indian media's claim by saying, "In fact I will also be carrying three dossiers on RAW’s involvement in promoting terrorism in Pakistan. If I do not get this opportunity on 24 August, I hope I will get a chance to hand them over to Mr Doval in New York next month, if he accompanies Prime Minister Modi for the UN General Assembly."

He added that, "After handing over these dossiers to Mr. Doval, I can then also share them with the UN Secretary General."

Read: Indian PM Modi accepts invite for first Pakistan visit: joint statement

Sartaj Aziz concluded his speech urging Indian Premier Modi to ponder over the most important part of the Ufa Statement (that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues) and think of ways and means of initiating serious dialogue on these outstanding issues.

India will talk on all outstanding issues when terror and violence end: Swaraj

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj admitted that though the 'resolution of all outstanding issues' was preamble to the Ufa agreement, India had made it clear on August 18 that the scheduled meeting between national security advisers will only discuss issues related to terrorism.

"No other topic will come under discussion," she said.

The Indian foreign minister said that outstanding issues including Kashmir are part of the composite dialogue between the two countries but the composite dialogue has not yet resumed.

Also read: Pakistan rejects Indian 'advice' on meeting with Hurriyat leaders

Referring to the invitation, extended to Hurriyat leaders from India-held Kashmir for a reception hosted by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, Swaraj said India has always maintained that there will be no third-party in Indo-Pak talks. "Hurriyat cannot be a party," she added.

The Indian foreign minister said that the incumbent ruling government had come under immense internal pressure after repeated attacks and exchanges of fire between Indo-Pak troops along the Line of Control and Working Boundary but the government had still decided to go ahead with the talks.

"Terror and talks not possible but talks on terror desirable," she added.

Swaraj said that Sartaj Aziz was more than welcome to visit New Delhi as long as no other issue apart from terrorism is discussed and no third party is included in the talks between the two countries.

Both drugs named Valtec are pictured here.

ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) is preparing a computerised database of all medicines available on the open market after two medicines for radically different maladies appeared on the market at the same time with the same name.

“There are around 72,000 registered medicines available in the market, of which as many as 52,000 have been registered in the database. After the compilation of a centralised database, the chances of two drugs being registered under the same name will be greatly reduced,” Drap Chief Executive Officer Dr Muhammad Aslam told Dawn on Friday.

“There has only been one case where the same name was given to two different medicines, but now that error has been rectified,” he said.

The case he is referring to involves two drugs named ‘Valtec’. According to the website www.druginfosys.com, one of them belongs to Genome Pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd while the other is manufactured by Tabros Pharma.

Pharmacist Fakhir Raza Chaudhry told Dawn that he could not believe it when he learnt about the error.

“I was convinced that something like this could not happen, but then I checked the website and was shocked to discover that there were indeed two medicines with the same brand name. One medicine of them is a treatment for epilepsy while the other is for people who suffer from blood pressure,” he said.

“When prescribing medication, doctors don’t normally write the chemical or scientific name, and consequently, the pharmacist can easily give the customer the wrong drug if there are two medicine with the same name. In addition, many medical stories employ normal salesmen without the oversight of a licenced pharmacist, so it is very likely that they will just look at the name of the drug and hand it over without checking the chemical contents,” he said.

“This blunder indicates that such duplication of names is a very real possibility and there may yet be more drugs out there like this. The concerned departments should ensure that only one medicine is be registered under a brand name, otherwise people’s lives can be put at risk,” he said.

A doctor at Polyclinic, requesting anonymity, said that while this kind of an oversight is not possible in most parts of the world, “but anything can happen in Pakistan”.

“I just cannot believe that two drugs were registered with the same name. Drap should take steps to avoid such a blunder in the future,” he said.

“Unfortunately, government officers spend most of their time in internal politics and corruption and do not focus on serious issues within their jurisdiction. Handing over a brand name to a particular drug is a very sensitive issue and should be taken seriously,” he said.

The Drap CEO, however, maintained that brand registration was done manually in the past, adding that because of this “it was very difficult to ensure that there are no two medicines with the same name. So the Health Ministry used to get an affidavit from the company testifying that there is no other drug available on the market with the same name,” he said.

“Drap learnt about the Valtec issue in June 2014. It was then decided that since Tabros Pharma registered medicine first, it could continue using the same name, while Genome Pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd was told to change the name of its drug to ‘Dirite’,” he said.

Abdul Rehman, a representative for Genome Pharmaceutical confirmed to Dawn that his company had registered the drug named Valtec.

“We were not aware that another drug with the same name was already available in the market. When the first batch went out, we were told by healthcare practitioners that there has been a duplication of names. We contacted Drap and informed them about the problem and suggested that it register our medicine under the Dirite name,” he said.

Mr Rehman said that while choosing the name of a new drug, companies depend on the website www.druginfosys.com. Drap also ensures that drugs with the same name are not already present in the market, but still there is still a chance of error because not all drug names were available on the website.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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A view of Link Sar which Jon Griffith and Andy Houseman climbed.

ISLAMABAD: Two British climbers managed to summit the Link Sar, a mountain which few have attempted to climb in the past.

While Jon Griffith and Andy Houseman climbed the 7,041 metres high mountain in Charakusa valley, in July the news was confirmed by the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) on Saturday.

“The two climbers could not make it to the Main Summit, but managed to reach the Link Sar West Summit at 6,938 metres,” said ACP Press Secretary Karrar Haidri.

Mr Haidri explained that illness, lack of food and unfavourable weather conditions prevented the climbers from reaching the main summit. He said that it took the duo five days to climb the Northwest Face of the mountain and another day to descend.

This was the same route that Jon Griffith and Kevin Mahoney followed, while attempting to climb the peak in 2014. Mr Haidri said that this beautiful mountain is one of the most difficult to climb.

“The peak has seen few attempts,” the ACP official said.

Karrar Haidri explained that 2015 has been an unusually tough year for climbers. Excessive heat in the Karakorum Range caused several wide crevasses to form, which coupled with avalanches thwarted the efforts of many mountaineers.

According to Karrar Haidri, Jon Griffith and Andy Houseman made a summit push on July 14 and reached as high as 6,100 metres. More snow fell while the climbers recuperated and on July 15, the duo climbed for 17 hours before they reached 6,800 metres. That evening Jon Griffith fell ill with a fever.

Mr Haidri narrated that the two climbers were forced to rest for two days and on July 17, climbed to the West Summit at 6,938 metres.

The Main Summit is one kilometre from the West Summit, but the ridge connecting the two summits is very challenging and the team decided not to attempt to climb any higher.

Karrar Haidri quoted Jon Griffith as saying, “I feel our expedition was a success. It was a shame that we could not reach the Main Summit but we had run out of supplies and lost the window of favourable weather. We came down just as the bad weather began rolling in and it is not a mountain you can risk coming down in unfavourable weather conditions.”

The mountaineer said that their attempt would have turned into a serious fight for survival, had they descended in worse weather.

“If I had not fallen sick, we would have given it a shot. We had a tight weather window and we used it the best we could,” he said.

According to ACP, this was Jon Griffith’s fourth attempt on the mountain and Andy Houseman’s second.

In 2014, Kevin Mahoney and Jon Griffith were forced to abandon their summit push just 300 metres below the peak, due to bad weather and dangerous climbing conditions. The two had been just half a kilometre away from West Summit.

Two years ago, rain and bad weather prevented Jon Griffith and Andy Houseman from becoming acclimatised and they were forced to cancel their final summit bid when Andy Housemen fell ill.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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LAHORE: Punjab election commission's tribunal on Saturday ordered re-polling in National Assembly constituency, NA-122, declaring the election in the constituency null and void – accepting Imran Khan's petition challenging the 2013 election result.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had defeated PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the 2013 general elections from NA-122 after which PTI had challenged the results.

The tribunal's decision, which was expected at 10am today, was released after an unexplained delay of several hours.

Reactions

Imran Khan gestures alongside party members after a tribunal deseated Ayaz Sadiq as MNA. – courtesy PTI Facebook page

Imran Khan in a tweet said he was grateful to God and thanked his supporters for standing by him in his "fight for justice against all odds." He said the tribunal decision was a victory for "justice."

Addressing supporters in Lahore later at night, Imran Khan criticised the election commission for failing to conduct elections without massive irregularities. He said the judicial commission probing the general election had also blamed the ECP for lapses and shortcomings.

Imran Khan addressing supporters in Lahore after a tribunal ordered re-polling in NA-122. – DawnNews screengrab

“The election commission has still not replied to our letter, sent three weeks ago. If they do not respond within two weeks, we will hold another sit-in outside the chief election commissioner’s office,” said the PTI chief.

He took on the PML-N, saying the ruling party had colluded with returning officers to “fix matches.”

“My mission was to improve the electoral system in Pakistan, which I undertook two-and-a-half years ago,” said Imran Khan.

Khan also severely criticised Nadra and its chief for failing to verify thousands of voter thumbprints, levelling charges of malpractice on the Nadra chairman.

Imran Khan said he was “unhappy” for ex-speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and his family.

PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to DawnNews, termed the decision as historic, adding that it would go a long way in ensuring a transparent election system in Pakistan.

Imran Khan's counsel, Anis Hashmi, while talking to DawnNews, said the “election tribunal had deseated Ayaz Sadiq” as member of the National Assembly, adding that he was “no more the speaker of the house.”

Ayaz Sadiq's son, Ali Sadiq, while talking to media personnel said the tribunal's decision had not mentioned the word "rigging" anywhere.

Ayaz Sadiq's lawyer said Imran Khan had claimed results were manipulated through rigging but this claim could not be proven. He said the tribunal judgment ordered re-polling because the “election machinery was materially affected by irregularities of officials.” But there is no question of rigging, he added.

Meanwhile Ali Sadiq said his father had the right to appeal the decision in the apex court. “We have the right to appeal. We will discuss this internally and make a decision.”

Later, talking to media personnel, Ayaz Sadiq announced he would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court over reservations. The deseated MNA said he respected the tribunal's decision but said he did not agree with the judgment, which had declared the election void due to "failures of the election machinery."

Sadiq emphasised that the tribunal's decision to order re-polling was based on a technicality and not on grounds of rigging.

Responding to a question, Sadiq said "I am no more an MNA, how can I be the assembly's speaker anymore."

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a statement said the tribunal's decision was part of the legal process and all political parties should respect that. The premier went on to say that his party will use its constitutional right be challenging the decision in the apex court.

A large number of supporters from Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had gathered outside the election commission office before the verdict's release, chanting slogans in support of their leaders and against each other's.

PTI supporters celebrated the tribunal verdict by distributing sweets, exploding fireworks and dancing to music in various parts of the country.

PTI workers and leaders celebrating the tribunal decision in Lahore. – DawnNews screengrab

Tribunal member Kazim Ali Malik had on Aug 17 reserved the verdict after Sadiq's counsel concluded his arguments against the petition filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the runner-up candidate from the constituency.

Read: Verdict in NA-122 rigging case today

The tribunal had issued special passes to five persons from each side — PTI and PML-N — to hear the decision.

NA-122 was among the four controversial constituencies — the other three being NA-110 (Sialkot), NA-125 (Lahore) and NA-154 (Lodhran) — where PTI had demanded for voters’ thumbprint verification in the hopes of finding a solution that might be acceptable to all concerned.

Read: NA-122 ‘rigging’: Imran files another plea for thumb impressions’ verification

It is to be mentioned here that proceedings of Imran Khan’s petition remained suspended for a year. The Lahore High Court on Nov 4, 2013, had granted a stay to the NA speaker against the proceedings before the tribunal. The court on Nov 20, 2014, recalled the stay order and allowed the tribunal to proceed with the case.

The PTI chief visited the election tribunal twice; first on Nov 26, 2014, with a request not to combine decisions of NA-122 and PP-147 and the second time on Dec 6, 2014, to record his statement. The NA speaker also recorded his statement before the tribunal on Feb 7, 2015.

Take a look: Only 40pc votes verified in NA-122 polls: Nadra

The tribunal appointed a retired sessions judge as local commission on Dec 8, 2014. On tribunal’s order, Nadra held an inspection of the constituency record and submitted its final report on May 9, 2015. The authority submitted a supplementary report on May 30.

Ayaz Sadiq — a profile

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who replaced Dr Fehmida Mirza to become 19th speaker of the National Assembly in 2013, had hit headlines when he defeated PTI Chairman Imran Khan from NA-122 (Lahore) in 2002 general election with a big margin.

He repeated the feat by again beating Imran Khan in the May 2013 general elections from the same constituency when the PTI leader was riding a new wave of popularity and the party was expecting a major share from Lahore’s 13 constituencies.

Born to an Arain family of Kasur in 1954, Ayaz graduated from prestigious Aitchison College, Lahore, and earned his degree in commerce from Hailey College of Punjab University.

Besides Imran Khan, former opposition leader in National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar, KP chief minister Pervaiz Khattak, Baloch leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Zulfiqar Magsi were his fellows at Aitchison.

KOHAT: Unidentified armed men shot dead the sole eyewitness in a terrorism case related to the murder of four Customs officials in Muhammadzai village here Saturday.

Police said that Hukam Khan, a watchman at a filling station, had given a statement in court of law and on his identification the killers of Customs officials were arrested on February 2, 2015.

The CID department, which had been handed over the case, told Dawn that according to eyewitness some armed men came to Wahab CNG, snatched weapons from the watchmen and manhandled them. While going back, the armed men opened indiscriminate firing on the vehicle of Customs department, standing along the road.

Inspector Abdul Wahab of Karak, constable Shamim Iqbal of Shakardarra and driver and constable Hidayatullah and Mohammad Hafeez, both residents of College Town, were killed in the firing. Hukam Khan, Abdul Wahab and Mohammad Wahab were injured in the firing. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.

The case was being investigated by the Counter -Terrorism Department. Three suspects were arrested and they were in Kohat prison on judicial remand.

On Saturday, armed men shot dead Hukam Khan. Eyewitnesses told police that the gunmen fled towards Ublan refugee camp and disappeared in the mountains after committing the crime.

The City police registered a case and launched hunt for the attackers.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers broke into celebrations on Saturday evening soon after an election tribunal set aside the NA-122 and PP-147 elections and ordered re-polling.

They chanted their favorite slogan — ‘Go-Nawaz-Go’, and ‘Insaf has finally won’ — dancing on party songs.

They said it was a “Lucky Day” for the PTI as they had won a second legal battle against the PML-N. Earlier, the election tribunal had also set-aside the NA-125 elections. The party leaders and workers also distributed sweets to celebrate the tribunal decision.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan soon after the tribunal decision tweeted: “I want to thank all our supporters, especially the youth and women, who stood resolutely by me throughout the struggle for justice and against rigging in 2013 general elections”. He also said that he was grateful to Allah for giving him the strength and perseverance to fight for justice against all odds. “The NA-122 Election Tribunal decision is victory for Insaf”, read his another tweet.

PTI Lahore organiser Shafqat Mahmood said the tribunal decision had served as great vindication of PTI stance. “We had asked for detailed scrutiny of four constituencies. Two results declared – both in PTI favour,” he tweeted. He also commented on the judicial system as saying, “What a system, where millions have to be spent and years wasted to get justice as in NA-122. Unworkable appeal system favours rigging”.

PTI Punjab Organiser Chaudhry Sarwar congratulated the party and nation on historic victory of the party. He said the PTI would ensure dispensation of justice to masses, when it would form a government.

PTI chairman’s political adviser Ejaz Chaudhry said the tribunal decision proved that the PTI was right in demanding investigations into the rigging in 2013 general elections. He said the tribunal decision had upheld justice and democracy and slapped worst-ever defeat to the PML-N. He said the PTI’s 126-day sit-in struggle proved fruitful and added that a fake-mandate Speaker had continued running the National Assembly for two-and-a-half years.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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MINGORA: Swat police claimed on Saturday to have arrested a high profile terrorist in Matta tehsil.

According to Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Mian Syed, a resident of Bara Bamakhela area in Matta tehsil, was arrested on a tip-off. He was wanted by law enforcement agencies in several terrorist activities in Swat.

“Mian Syed was one of the terrorists, who were involved in the slaughtering incident of a Class-IV employee identified as Iqbal in Matta police station in 2009,” said an official of Counter Terrorism Department.

The arrested person was shifted to an unidentified location for investigation.

Meanwhile, the bullet riddled body of a young man was found at Asharo Pezo area of Charbagh tehsil. The deceased was identified as Adnan Khan, a resident of Cham area in Charbagh tehsil.

Police shifted the body to a hospital for postmortem and started investigation. According to police sources, a pistol was also found near the body.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2015

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