RAWALPINDI: Nine days after the Attock bombing, the Punjab government has determined that the incident took place due to negligence of the head of local police and removed him from his post on Monday.

The Punjab Home Department previously removed the head of the Rawalpindi Special Branch, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rana Shahid from his post immediately after the attack, for not passing on proper intelligence to local authorities regarding the threat to the home minister.

However, Attock District Police Officer Nadeem Hussain was not removed for more than week, despite the fact that local authorities had clearly failed to adopt adequate security measures for the minister.

Authorities failed to install walk-through gates or surveillance cameras at the home minister’s dera.

Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and 18 others were killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives close to the minister.

The outgoing DPO has been directed to report to the Establishment Division, as his replacement has yet to be announced by the provincial government.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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KARACHI: The Sindh chief minister was informed on Monday that the provincial government is working to replace 61 federal laws with the provincial ones in compliance with the 18th amendment to the Constitution.

Chairing a meeting here, CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah directed the chief secretary and the law department to expedite legislation work so that responsibilities and function of the departments devolved after the 18th amendment could be taken over.

Earlier, CM’s Adviser on Zakat Dost Mohammad informed the meeting that his department had already completed necessary legislation.

“Now the board of trustees is to be formed to implement the Zakat Bill,” he said, adding that he had already held a meeting with the Sindh Revenue Board which had been assigned the task of collection of Zakat.

He said that the Zakat collection in Ramzan was around Rs3 billion. “We will increase it from Rs3bn [next year] and utilise the amount for the needy people,” he said.

The chief secretary informed the CM that the legislation for devolving the Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) at the provincial level had been completed. “Presently, the labour department is preparing proposals for setting up the structure of the EOBI,” he said.

Labour Secretary Rasheed Solangi told the meeting that the Workers’ Welfare Fund (WWF) legislation had also been completed and his department would issue a notification for the board within a week.

He said that the WWF recovery might go up to Rs3bn.

The federal laws to be replaced with the provincial laws are on the following subjects.

The travel agencies, hotels and restaurants, tourists guides, wildlife protection, compulsory education, food authority, pure food, mother languages as compulsory additional subject at primary level, domestic violence (preservation & protection), environmental protection, The West Pakistan Historical Mosq­ues and Shrine Fund Cess, the protection of breastfeeding and child nutrition, injured persons (medical aid), industrial relations, cultural heritage preservation, archives, antiquities, borstal institution, Holy Quran (printing & Recording), vaccination, child welfare and protection, protection against harassment at workplace, senior citizens welfare bill, supervision of curriculum textbooks and maintenance of standard of education, child marriage prohibition, agriculture pesticides, seed, plant breeders rights, etc.

The meeting was attended by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief secretary Siddique Memon, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo and other senior officials.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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BHAWALPUR: A death row prisoner, convicted of killing four policemen, was hanged in Bhawalpur on Tuesday morning.

Condemned prisoner, Zulfiqar, was hanged in Central Jail Bhawalpur after he was found guilty of killing four policemen in 1997.

Pakistan lifted its moratorium on the death penalty in all capital cases on March 10.

Initially executions were resumed for terrorism offences only in the wake of a Taliban massacre at an army-run school in Peshawar which had claimed the lives of more than 150 persons, mostly schoolchildren, on December 16, 2014.

The United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on Pakistan to re-impose its moratorium on the death penalty.

LAHORE: The rural areas continue suffering over 16 hours loadshedding as the demand-supply gap widened to over 7,100MW, and the government decided to save major cities from inconvenience as much as it could because of socio-political reasons.

Against a demand of over 21,000MW (excluding K-Electric) on Monday evening, the total generation was recorded at 12,900MW – a gap of 7,100MW.

According to the calculations made by Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) officials, this gap, on average, should translate into just under 12-hour loadshedding at national level.

“But since the government has ordered (the company) to restrict (outages) in the major cities like Lahore to seven hours only, the load is naturally transferred to rural areas,” explains a Pepco official. “These cities are power guzzlers; only Lahore region accounts for around 25per cent of national supplies. If one has to save Lahore, which the power planners have been instructed to do, loadshedding in the rest of the country would go up by 15pc. Make similar calculations for other politically and socially ‘sensitive’ cities and it is not hard to understand disastrous situation the rural areas are currently facing,” he claimed.

Demand-supply gap widens to 7,100MW

According to the Monday generation chart, the hydle contribution was 5,850MW, the independent power producers (IPPs) chimed in with 5,230MW and the government-owned thermal units another 1,825MW. This generation of just under 13,000MW had to cater to average demand of 20,000MW and peak demand of (6.30pm to 11.30pm) of 21,000MW.

“The situation is disastrous,” says an official of the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC). “Almost the entire Guddu complex is offline as there is no gas for it. The AES Pakgen is closed for the last three months. The Nandipur is offline for the last two weeks. The liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies have dwindled, forcing the power managers to run some of the machines on expensive diesel, and run them at half of their normal capacity. Almost all plants around Lahore are either producing nothing or less than half of what they should have. The water supplies are only saving grace for the sector right now; Tarbela Dam is generating around 3,600MW, Ghazi Brotha around 1,000MW, Mangla Dam, another 750MW. Had these hydle generations not saved the sector, things could have simply collapsed by now,” he explained.

This meant around 10 to 18 hours loadshedding, depending on the socio-political importance of the areas, he explained and added: “If one takes around 650MW supplies to Karachi, the national figures drops further, making situation horrible for the rest of the country. Ad hocism is the core reason for the pathetic situation the country faced. Almost the entire sector is being run either by ad hoc heads of different power companies or bureaucrats sitting at the top. This is an explosive situation, to say the least. One can only hope and pray for some improvement in weather in next 24 hours, otherwise crisis would persist, if not worsen.”

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The Elec­tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) de-notified on Monday National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as MNA from NA-122 (Lahore-V) with effect from Aug 22.

The ECP issued the notification after receiving the verdict of an election tribunal in Lahore which had declared the election void and ordered a by-election in the constituency. The tribunal annulled the results while allowing a petition of PTI chief Imran Khan who had challenged the election of Ayaz Sadiq.

Ayaz Sadiq, a candidate of the PML-N, had defeated Imran Khan in the 2013 general elections. Mr Sadiq bagged 93,389 votes and Mr Khan 84,517.

The former speaker has announced that he will challenge the tribunal’s decision in the Supreme Court.

A senior PML-N leader said that Mr Sadiq’s lawyers had prepared a comprehensive petition.

NA-122 was among the four constituencies where the PTI had been demanding verification of voters’ thumbprint. The other three are NA-110 (Sialkot), NA-125 (Lahore) and NA-154 (Lodhran).

BIOMETRIC PROJECT: The ECP has announced the biometric results of the by-election in NA-19 (Haripur) held on Aug 16. The biometric system was introduced for the first time as a pilot project in 30 polling stations of the constituency.

According to a statement issued by the ECP, 60 biometric machines were used at 60 polling booths. The total number of registered voters in 30 polling stations was 37,924 and 15,723 votes were polled. The turnout was 41 per cent.

As per readings recorded by Nadra, the biometrically verified voters were 46pc and unverified 54pc. The reasons for unverified votes were because of non-availability of fingerprints in Nadra database, invalid or blocked CNIC and calloused fingers.

The ECP said the entire exercise had been carried out purely on an experimental basis and the impact – positive or negative – of use of biometric machines did not disturb the electoral process.

It said the project was successful because its main objective was to practically examine on ground the overall performance of processes and procedures carried out during the test run of biometric machines.

The commission said that multiple pilot projects using biometrics would continue in different by-elections till the achievement of successful rate close to perfection where no legitimate voter would be deprived of being authenticated only because of any technical or operational reason.

BY-POLL SCHEDULE: The ECP has announced that by-election in PP-16 (Attock-II) will be held on Oct 6.

The seat fell vacant after the killing of Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada in a suicide attack on Aug 16.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The tragic incidents of terrorism and the Zarb-i-Azab military operation had allowed friction between Ahmed Ludhianvi-led Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and the Malik Ishaq-led Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ), the banned militant outfits, to go unnoticed.

However, the July 30 killing of Malik Ishaq in an encounter with police has highlighted these differences and observers have noted that the Ludhianvi’s ASWJ showed no reaction to the event as it has neither condemned the killing nor announced any protest against it. The only noticeable protest against the killing reported by the media was held in Quetta where some protesters were detained by law-enforcement personnel.

“It is the policy of Chairman Allama Ahmed Ludhianvi and of ASWJ to not support arson, terrorism and aggression,” said Oneeb Farooqui, the spokesman for the ASWJ’s Islamabad chapter.

Take a look: ASWJ unlikely to protest Ishaq’s killing

He argued that apart from minor demonstrations, his party did not take any step that could have caused any damage or discomfort to the public even after the party had lost 20 of its members to target killings in Rawalpindi-Islamabad alone.

For some observers this silence is merely a cosmetic measure. Critics felt that the desire of Ludhianvi and his party to be accepted in the mainstream is far stronger than their need to protest against the killing of Malik Ishaq.

However, this is not the entire picture. In fact, differences between Ahmed Ludhianvi and Malik Ishaq are said to be a reason for the former’s silence.

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

Though office-bearers of both the parties acknowledge the differences between the two men, they do not want to take them on record. It appears that Malik Ishaq and his supporters were not happy with Ludhianvi.

This friction began following Malik Ishaq’s release on bail in July, 2011, after serving 14 years in prison. Ludhianvi went to the prison to welcome him and they both later addressed a rally.

However, Ludhianvi’s hopes of transforming Malik Ishaq into a political leader as he imagined for himself dashed quickly as the LJ chief had made it clear to many what his interests were.

Among those who met Malik Ishaq just prior to his release was well-known cleric, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi.

“When Malik Ishaq’s bail was approved by the then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry I tried to persuade him to shun his old activities,” Tahir Ashrafi said, adding that “he agreed but later his old company, the land mafia which showered him with money, and the leaders of the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) convinced him to go otherwise again.”

“My last meeting with Malik Ishaq was in 2013 and I clearly told him to renounce LJ and fight the ASWJ leadership politically,” he added.

Indeed, the infighting between the group led by Malik Ishaq, along with his trusted aide Ghulam Rasool Shah of Bahawalnager, and the ASWJ was not a secret.

Mufti Awais, a former member of Taleemul Quran Action Committee, who belongs to the JUI-F, when asked about the rift, acknowledged that this had been discussed among religious circles.

“We all heard that there were serious threats from Malik Ishaq as he and his supporters wanted to take over key mosques and madressahs in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.”

Earlier, Malik Ishaq and his men were able to wrest control of mosques in south Punjab.

“By 2012 almost 70 to 80 per cent of mosques and madressahs affiliated with the defunct Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan were under the control of the Malik Ishaq group, mainly in Bhawalnagar and Raimyar Khan region, and he moved with a large number of gunmen,” said Gulzar Ahmed Chaudhry, president of the Bahawalnagar Press Club.

As the differences deepened, the group also made significant inroads into Jhang district and the son of SSP leader Azam Tariq also joined Malik Ishaq, in early 2013.

However, the Malik Ishaq group had lost to the Ludhianvi group in the intra-party polls held in May, 2013.

The nominee of the Malik Ishaq group for the key post of the president of Punjab chapter of ASWJ was Muawia Azam, the son of Maulana Azam Tariq, but he could not get more than a dozen votes against 1,200 votes by Shamsur Rehman Muawia, who was shot dead in Lahore in December, 2013.

After Muavia’s death, Malik Ishaq was expelled from the ASWJ. For those watching the developments, he was thrown out because the top leadership suspected his involvement in the killing.

Tahir Ashrafi differs with the notion that the killing was due to the defeat in the party elections.

“It was more to do with money as they wanted to cut deals with the same individuals in the land mafia,” he said. Some other observers also agree with this assessment.

Sheikh Waqas Akram, a political rival of ASWJ from Jhang, said that the control over the party and resources has created many groups in the party but the most prominent ones were the one led by Malik Ishaq and by Ahmed Ludhianvi.

“Soon after the release from prison, Malik Ishaq and his former accomplices started claiming that the strength of the party was due to the sacrifices rendered by militants,” Sheikh Waqas said. “But Ludhianvi and his group maintained that they have been running from pillar to post to protect the party from complete collapse,” he added.

Some go even further and claim that the rivalry between the two men led to some killings.

Even intelligence officials claim that ASWJ office-bearers had been hit by their own old comrades, who had joined hands with the Malik Ishaq group.

“There was and possibly is a serious threat to ASWJ president Aurangzeb Farooqi which is why he was arrested,” an intelligence officer told Dawn, pointing out that the charges for which Farooqi was arrested were unclear.

Aurangzeb Farooqi was arrested along with members of his family near Taxila, on June 5 and he was accused of violating a ban on his entry into Islamabad.

However, he had acted as the chief guest at a public gathering in Aliot area of Murree just a day earlier and had been moving in the Rawalpindi district for some days.

“Apart from a few hours long protest on the night he was arrested, the party has not pressed for his release nor they are pursuing the matter seriously in courts to get a bail for him – two months after his arrest,” the intelligence officer said, adding that “the party knows what is going on”.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the ASWJ’s Islamabad branch acknowledged that Malik Ishaq was told by the chairman Allama Ludhianvi to leave the party in December, 2013, due to his inclination towards militant ways that were against the current party lines.

The LJ was founded by Riaz Basra, Malik Ishaq, Ghulam Rasool Shah and Akram Lahori in January, 1996. Three of them have been killed, and one, Akram Lahori, is on the death row in a Karachi jail.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Ahead of a high-level technical delegation from Iran, the Ministry of Commerce on Monday explored various avenues to enhance bilateral trade to $5 billion in the next five years after lifting of international sanctions against Iran.

A delegation from Iran will visit Islamabad on August 25-26 to revive the trade links. Pakistan has a narrow export basket to Iran because 63 per cent of exports comprised of rice alone.

Pakistan’s exports to Iran fell to a low level of $43 million in 2014 from $182m in 2010. While Iranian imports fell to $186m in 2014 from $884m in 2010.

Pakistan signed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Iran in 2006. Iran is not willing to convert PTA into a free trade agreement.

Tariff concessions were granted to Iran on 309 tariff lines while Pakistan was offered concessions on 338 tariff lines. Major sectors covered under the PTA were rice, fruits, cotton, cotton yarn, pharmaceutical products and cutlery.

In April 2015, Pakistan and Iran decided to prepare a five-year plan to enhance bilateral trade to the tune of $5bn. The visiting delegation will also discuss expansion of PTA. Experts predict that payment mechanism normalisation will pave way for diversification of exports to Iran.

The meeting held on Monday in the commerce ministry was attended by officials from Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. The meeting discussed the trade complementarity with Iran and decided to actively pursue policies to enhance exports of agricultural products to Iran.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday suspended the execution of a death-row prisoner, who was sentenced to death by a military court after he was found to be involved in terrorism.

Haider Ali, now 21 years old, was arrested by security forces in 2009, when he was 14 years old and a 10th grade student at the Malakand Public High School, Swat.

Ali's hanging was suspended after his parents filed a petition in PHC, challenging his death sentence.

Read: PHC moved against conviction of ‘10th grader’ by military court

His parents maintained in the petition that their son was arrested by security forces in 2009 on charges of terrorism, but they did not have any information about him after the arrest.

It was only recently, six years after Ali's arrest, that they found out their son was imprisoned in a jail in Timergara, in Lower Dir district, and was sentenced to death by a military court, the parents said in the application.

Therefore, the implementation of the military court's verdict should be immediately stopped, the petition said.

Announcing the court's decision on the petition, a two-judge bench of the PHC comprising Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Younis Theem ordered to halt implementation of the military court's verdict of Ali's death sentence until September 8.

The court subsequently adjourned the hearing while issuing notices to the federal government, defence secretary, home secretary, General Officer Commanding Malakand and other concerned officers.

Earlier on Saturday, the Supreme Court office declined to entertain a petition moved by Zahir Shah, the father of Haider Ali, in which he sought orders for the authorities to provide the record of the trial court proceedings so that a proper appeal challenging the judgment of the military court could be filed either before the Supreme Court or the high court.

Examine: SC refuses to admit plea seeking record of military court verdict

Advocate Zulfikar Ahmed Bhutta filed the petition before the Supreme Court on behalf of Mr Shah.

On Saturday, the Supreme Court registrar returned the plea to the petitioner on the grounds that he had not approached the high court concerned or any other appropriate forum available to him under the law for the same relief.

The Parliament passed the 21st Amendment and the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, to establish the special courts after the massacre in the Army Public School, Peshawar, last year.

On April 16 the apex court had suspended executions of six militants who were awarded death sentence by these military courts.

Also read: SC stays military courts executions

Earlier in August, the Supreme Court in a majority ruling upheld the establishment of military courts in Pakistan.

Know more: Military courts get Supreme Court nod

While dismissing petitions challenging the 21st amendments, a 17-judge full court of the Supreme Court, in a majority judgment, had reaffirmed that any order passed, decision taken or sentence awarded by the military courts will be subject to judicial review by the high courts and the Supreme Court on the grounds of being coram-non-judice, without jurisdiction or suffering from mala fides including malice in law.

Rockstars take note: last week two moments in pop culture said a lot about the way society thinks about you.

First, Ali Zafar brought the house down with his cheeky song 'Rockstar' on Coke Studio.

The song, an original composition written by Ali himself, pokes fun at how we stereotype rockstars by adopting the persona of cliched pop celebrity: someone who we like to believe parties all night, falls endlessly in love, wears dark glasses indoors — the works. It goes:

"Kaali kaali rato main kalay chashmay pehan ke aata ho/In the dark of the night, I walk in wearing sunglasses... Ulte seedhay ganay gata hoon/I sing random, nonsensical songs... I'm a superstar, mujhe roze hota hai pyaar/ I fall in love every day."

Ali admits the song is a parody: "When it came to the lyrics, I knew I didn't want to write cliched lyrics about "a" girl. I thought why not [write about] girls and why not [write] about my life and how I feel in general. And then I thought, I dare not take myself seriously, so why not parody my own self. I think sometimes we all need to relax and not take ourselves too seriously."

He also admits that he doesn't quite know what a 'rockstar lifestyle' is, and that his own life is probably quite dissimilar to what people might consider common for a celebrity musician.

"My life is a mixture of various lifestyles," he says. "I have to wear different hats in a day and I like to do justice to each one of them. I want to be the best dad, the best husband, the best son and the best role model, but I also like my freedom and my time to write and create."

While 'Rockstar' may be Ali's self-parody, the song reflects prevalent societal attitudes towards rockstars and musicians in general.

It brought to mind a commercial that aired last week, which highlighted the worryingly common perception that music men (and women, we presume), are the stuff of parental nightmares. Featuring Mikaal Zulfiqar as a spirited punk rocker performing onstage, the ad pans over to his parents who look horrified, and then ask, "Yeh hamara hee beta hai?"

The ad prompted music buffs to jump to the rockstar's defense:

The ad makes one wonder whether the joke is on the parents for buying into the outdated notion that musicians are lazy or unreliable, or the rockstar, for being socially unacceptable because of his profession.

"I was very upset with the commercial," shared Yasir Jaswal, who was associated with bands like Irtash and Call.

"It's not just that they picked up the musician stereotype — everyone uses stereotypes because it's just an easy way to connect a question with an answer — but for a brand like Ufone to take a hit on music, which they've repeatedly used to sell their services is surprising. How one dresses or their choice of music is an individual's personal choice; you can't be calling people out on personal choices that don't affect anyone else. Besides, in Pakistan, even our rockers don't dress the way it was shown in the ad."

Ultimately, one has to ask some questions, like, why do we love to hate rockstars, and, isn't it about time we stopped?

Music is a notoriously hard field to pursue in Pakistan.

Dwindling concert culture, a heavy reliance on corporate sponsorship and copyright issues combine with the above societal judgment to proscribe entry into the field. Even Fawad Khan needed more than EP to keep him going! Musicians usually have to dabble in many crafts besides in order to cobble together a sustainable life, and it's worth remembering that those who 'make it' have made it against all of these odds.

Can local brands, the media and musicians' families stick to celebrating our rockstars rather than tearing down their profession of choice?

Only time will tell.

You would think that in light of recent events, a drama taking on the horrors of rape would be a way to sensitize audiences.

Sangat, the latest offering by HUM TV, takes on sexual assault as well as the fallout of such a traumatizing experience.

Setting the stage for tough conversations: family planning and motherhood

The first episode was quite fast-paced and wasted no time in establishing all the central characters. Ayesha (Saba Qamar) is the hyper-efficient housewife speeding though her day – a Sunday at that – that begins with early morning shopping for groceries, clothes, cacti (!) and ends with her cooking, cleaning and serving up a three-course meal. All with a happy smile and nary a valium in sight.

Along the way we are treated to gems that writers love to toss our way such as women only get respect if they know their way around a kitchen served up with Ayesha’s unrelenting cheer. It’s enough for me to want to hunt down the writer and use him for dart practice, replacing the darts with weapons better suited to impalement. Then again, writer Zafar Mairaj has to atone in some way for his last debacle that was Ashk.

Ayesha wants to have children, but her hubby doesn't — Photo courtesy Sangat's Facebook page

We aren’t shedding any tears (yet) as Ayesha coasts on being the perfect bahu, bhabhi and biwi. She is the obedient bahu to her cantankerous taweez-yielding mother-in-law played by the bankable Samina Ahmad. She's a good-humoured bhabhi to her nand Farah (Kiran Haq), who's chic in oversized glasses to drill home the point about her being a young college going-studious type. And a loving and patient wife to college beau and now-husband Adnan (Mikaal Zulfikar).

While she might be hard to fault, things are far from picture-perfect in the household. Thankfully, there are moments of dysfunction — Ayesha’s sadness at being childless, Adnan’s casualness about her wishes for a family, Farah being annoyed at her mother, her mother’s own emotional blackmailing abilities — that make this family rather believable. This gloss of normalcy is established rather nicely and helps chisel out a little more by way of character development for each of them.

The mother-in-law finds fault in most things Ayesha does and even more for not having produced any progeny despite being married for two (yes, count them, two) whole years.

The mother-in-law finds fault in most things Ayesha does and even more for not having produced any progeny despite being married for two (yes, count them, two) whole years. Though Ayesha in good wife form takes on the blame, her patience runs thin and she finally puts Adnan in her saas's line of ire by informing the family at the dinner table that Adnan is holding off on parental bliss till he can gain a financial foothold, preferably abroad.

In the ensuing awkwardness, family planning is docked as the family hopes for happier times ahead.

When a plot hinges on rape and sexual violence

A fateful night that Ayesha spends at her mother’s home, however, takes the narrative into trickier territory. Robbers barge into the house armed with insider information on the mother's valuables as well as ignoble designs on her daughter. The normalcy of Ayesha’s mundane quotidian life is shattered by the brutality of rape.

While our dramas are bound by the power of suggestion, there is also the need to understand and thereby visually reflect that violence. The viciousness of the act needs an equally brutal image to show that rape is an act of sexual intrusion, committed by force against a person’s will, which was sorely missing here.

The shock of the incident still managed to bookend the relaxed beginning of the episode. As in most cases of rape, the perpetuator is known to the victim and with the unmasking of the assailant (Zahid Ifthekar) it seems clear that Ayesha too knows his identity. As far as cliffhangers go, it is a decent one to end on.

Ayesha is the perfect biwi, bahu and bhabi — Publicity photo

Rape isn’t new to our dramas and was most recently dealt in Chup Raho. Both Saba Qamar and Mikaal Zulfikar also played similar roles of a couple dealing with the aftermath of rape in Pani Jaisa Pyar (HUM TV 2011). So will Sangat bring anything different to our screens?

As with most dramas dealing with sexual assault, the focus usually shifts from the victim to the family and thereby echoing society at large. It becomes about how the family deals with the fallout of such a heinous crime.

Hiding the truth, not seeking help for the victim to deal with the physical and emotional scarring and even more nauseatingly portraying the woman at fault — all become plot points for these stories to revolve around. It might be conjecture at this point, but Sangat doesn’t seem any different.

What is promising, however, is that at its helm is the very talented director Kashif Nisar.

His last drama Ullu Baraye Farokth Nahi was rich with all shades of familial, political and sexual intrigue. One can only hope he can move this story beyond clichés.

The main leads – Saba Qamar and Mikaal Zulfikar, as well as the supporting cast are all strong actors who can potentially infuse their performances with the angst and pain that this traumatic experience brings but can also show their sheer mettle in being able to find an inner strength within themselves and each other to rise again from the ashes of their grief.

Sadaf Siddique is freelance writer, film and drama enthusiast and sometime drama queen not necessarily in that order.

KARACHI: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday visited Army Air Defence center in Karachi's Malir Cantonment area and laid floral wreath at the Yadgar-i-Shuhada monument.

Army chief General Raheel Sharif was briefed about the training activities at the center which was founded in 1989.

He also pinned the badges of rank on the shoulders of Lieutenant General Zamir Ul Hassan Shah, Adjutant General Pakistan Army to formally install him as Colonel Commandant of Army Air Defence.

General Raheel Sharif also addressed all officers and men of the Garrison. He is also scheduled to visit Corps V Headquarters also known as Karachi Corps later during the day.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif arrived in Karachi, on Monday evening amid strict security, to review the overall security situation of the provincial capital city.

BALOCHISTAN: A Levies official and an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of police were killed in two separate incidents of firing in Quetta and Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan on Tuesday.

Police sources told DawnNews that unidentified armed men opened fire at a police ASI on Quetta's Sariab road, killing the police officer, identified as Ali Nawaz, on the spot.

The assailants sped away on their motorcycle after the attack, the sources added.

The policeman's body was shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta for postmortem.

Law enforcement personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the area as a probe into the incident went underway.

Know more: Two policemen, woman killed in Quetta

In another incident, armed men opened fire and killed a levies official in Gandawah, the district head quarter of Jhal Magsi district.

Levies sources said the assailants fled from the scene after committing the crime.

The victim's body was shifted to Gandawah District Headquarter Hospital.

Motive behind the killing could not be immediately ascertained.

ISLAMABAD: A meeting between a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) delegation and government representatives pertaining to the formation of a committee to address their grievances is under way at Punjab House.

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed along with other government officials are present in the meeting with Dr Farooq Sattar heading the MQM delegation.

The meeting is expected to discuss the terms of reference (ToR) for the grievances redressal committee as MQM will reconsider its decision regarding resignations after receiving assurances from the government regarding their concerns.

Know more: After talks with govt, MQM agrees to review resignations: Fazl

Yesterday, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced that the MQM had agreed to review its decision to resign from Parliament after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he will form a committee to address their grievances.

Fazl had said an MQM delegation detailed its grievances in talks with the government yesterday, adding that the premier heard all their reservations and assured the party they will be dealt with swiftly.

In this regard, Fazl had announced that the premier had ordered the formation of a grievances redressal committee for today (Tuesday).

The JUI-F chief had said the MQM welcomed the prime minister's initiative, agreeing to reconsider its decision to resign from the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly.

The committee, he had said, will be mandated to record in detail the grievances presented by the MQM and will find ways in which these can be dealt with.

The Maulana said all further modalities will be finalised at the time of constitution of the committee, which will include lawmakers from the government and other political parties.

Responding to a question, Fazl had said a time frame for the committee to finalise its conclusions will also be decided when the committee is constituted.

Take a look: MQM agrees to meet PML-N over resignations, sources say

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.

The prime minister had then requested the JUI-F head to hold talks with the MQM leadership in an attempt to convince them to withdraw their resignations.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman 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.

KARACHI: The condition of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Abdul Rashid Godil has stabilised and his life is out of danger, according to a statement issued by Liaquat National Hospital spokesperson, Anjum Rizvi, on Tuesday.

Addressing media personnel, LNH spokesperson said that Godil's condition has gradually improved and he was able to walk with the assistance of doctors. Rizvi added that no decision has yet been made to shift the Muttahida leader from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Read: MQM's Rashid Godil critical after Karachi attack

He said that although Godil still had a bullet lodged in his ribs, the bullet did not pose a threat to his life.

LNH spokesperson, while talking about the measures taken by the hospital for the security of the wounded leader, said that even the staff working on the floor where Godil is being treated are searched to ensure his security.

Earlier on Monday, Liaquat National Hospital spokesperson Anjum Rizvi had said that Rashid Godil is now able to eat food and drink liquids, and that his condition had consistently improved after being taken off the ventilator.

Rizvi also stated that the MQM leader had sat on a wheelchair on Sunday, and that his gaining of full consciousness was a positive step in his path to a full rehabilitation.

Also read: Godil's condition is improving, but not out of danger: LNH spokesman

MQM leader Rashid Godil was critically wounded after unidentified armed men opened fire at his vehicle near his residence in Karachi's Bahadurabad area on August 18 following which he underwent emergency surgery at the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH).

According to doctors, Godil was hit by five bullets (two in the neck and three in the chest and stomach).

The attack occurred as Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was in talks with senior MQM leaders regarding the party's resignations from the federal and provincial assemblies, and the Senate last week.

Police investigators on Friday said that they have focused on political rivalry and terrorism for destabilisation as possible motives behind the attack on Godil. It was also suggested that a nexus might exist between the two elements.

Abdul Rashid Godil: A profile

Rashid Godil has served as MQM's deputy parliamentary leader in the National Assembly until MQM lawmakers' recent submission of resignations from the assemblies. He was elected as a Member of National Assembly (MNA) from Karachi's NA-252 constituency during the 2013 general elections.

ISLAMABAD: At least three security personnel were killed on Tuesday during a militant attack on a security checkpost in South Waziristan's Ladha area.

Security sources told DawnNews that, "Terrorists attacked a security check post in Ladha and opened fire, resulting in the demise of three security personnel: Jafar Hussain, Mohammad Ali and Arsalan Khan."

The sources added that the assailants escaped after the attack.

Ladha, once a stronghold of the Taliban, lies between Kaniguram and Makeen. It is the largest of the agency’s administrative sub-divisions in terms of population. The army had regained control of Ladha from the Taliban in 2009 during Operation Rah-i-Nijat. The region is mountainous and has several Taliban sanctuaries.

Meanwhile, gunship helicopters of the army aviation destroyed a terrorist training camp and ammunition depot in Gurbaz village of North Waziristan's Shawal district, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The statement added that a number of suspected terrorists were also killed in air strikes. The details could not be independently verified as access for media personnel is severely restricted in the region.

North and South Waziristan are among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and al Qaeda operatives, among others.

According to the ISPR, troops have been deployed along its border with neighbouring agencies to block any movement of terrorists in and out of the region.

Many militants have fled to other parts of Pakistan, and some into Afghanistan, complicating the US-backed Kabul government's fight against its own Taliban insurgency.

Army launched Zarb-i-Azb, a grand operation in the North Waziristan tribal region, following a Taliban-claimed attack on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi last year.

LAHORE: The Lahore election tribunal judge whose decision in the NA-122 case has deprived National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq of his office accused Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid of hurling life threats at him.

Retired district and sessions judge Kazim Ali Malik, of the one-man Lahore election tribunal, said in a TV talk show: “I know by whom he (Mr Rashid) is (trying to) frighten me. I’ve understood to whom he gave the message.”

The tribunal, in a verdict on Saturday, declared the 2013 election in NA-122 null and void after finding irregularities in the election process committed by the Election Commission and ordered a re-poll in the Lahore constituency where Mr Sadiq had defeated PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

Also read: ‘Threats’ to NA-122 judge prove PML-N fixed election results: Imran

The verdict earned ire of the PML-N and Pervaiz Rashid termed it biased and said that the head of the tribunal was concerned more about his own projection instead of justice while issuing the judgment.

Mr Malik broke his silence on Tuesday when Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah repeated Mr Rashid’s allegations and claimed that the tribunal head had personal issues with the PML-N which had declined to give a party ticket to his son.

As anti-corruption establishment director-general, added Rana Sana, Mr Malik had problems which led to his summoning by the Privileges Committee of the Punjab Assembly.

Terming the verdict a stain on the independent judiciary, the provincial minister said had there been any judge other than Kazim Ali Malik, he would not have heard the case (because of personal issues).

Responding to the allegations, the judge told a couple of TV channels that he would resign if Rana Sana proved what he had alleged.

He said in the past he had given 30 verdicts in favour of the PML-N but the party never accused him of being biased.

He said he had written a letter to Pervaiz Rashid and would decide about serving a legal notice on the minister after receiving his response.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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KARACHI: Karachi Metropolitan Corporation staffers in the early hours of Tuesday sealed Markaz-i-Ilm-o-Saqafat Hall located near Ayesha Manzil over non-payment of KMC dues and for illegally subletting the premises.

A statement issued by the KMC says that the KMC had handed over the premises to a company so that cultural activities could take place at the hall, but they rented out the hall to another party that converted it into a cinema house.

Speaking to Dawn, KMC spokesperson Bashir Sadozai said that initially during the tenure of Jamaat-i-Islami mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani, it was planned by the name of Markaz-i-Islami to have hostels, a library, a picture gallery, a research hall for 100 people and an auditorium for around 350 people. Then during the mayorship of the JI’s Niamatullah Khan, it was planned that a Quran-o-Sunnat Academy would be set up there, he added.

Responding to Dawn queries, KMC Culture, Sports and Recreation senior director Raza Abbas Rizvi said that this facility was renovated during the tenure of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal. It was then renamed as Markaz-i-Ilm-o-Saqafat where various cultural activities were to be held. It was later given on a contract to M/s Funrama (Furqan Haider) on a rent of Rs200,000 per month.

About a year and a half back the then KMC administrator signed a new agreement with M/s Funrama allowing it to screen pictures, hold theatre shows, and other cultural programmes. After some time, M/s Funrama handed over the premises to M/s Cinepax Cinemas on Rs500,000 per month and cinema halls were set up there.

Mr Rizvi said the cinema had been sealed and action would be taken against M/s Funrama as it had not paid dues to the KMC for the past four months while it had also sublet the premises illegally.

Asked if action was being taken against the KMC staffers responsible for monitoring activities on the premises, he said the staffers had reported the matter to the KMC and a case was being prepared that could take some time.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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KARACHI: A policeman was killed and another wounded in an armed attack in the Saddar area on Tuesday, officials said.

They said the two policemen signalled four men on two motorbikes to stop on main Daudpota Road near Jehangir Park, but they fired at them and rode away.

“The firing left both policemen wounded. They were moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi where Muhammad Ibrahim, 40, died,” said Preedy SHO Inspector Amjad Kaliar.

“Muhibullah, 33, is out of danger and being treated at the health facility.”

He said the victim policemen were posted at the Garden headquarters and were deputed in the Saddar area a few days ago on security duty that included assistance to the traffic police and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation staff in their anti-encroachment operation in parts of Saddar.

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal took notice of the incident and sought a report from the DIG-South.

“The minister also announced Rs2 million compensation to be paid to the heirs of the deceased policeman. One of his children would be given a job in the police department,” said a spokesman for the home minister.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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KARACHI: A court was informed on Tuesday that 17 senior officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, including a former managing director, have been booked for illegally sanctioning a commercial water connection in Korangi.

The court was hearing a suit filed by Safiullah Khan against the KWSB for a permanent injunction.

The plaintiff claimed that he had obtained a commercial hydrant connection at Malik Goth, Manghopir, but the KWSB officials were creating problems with the intention to ruin his business.

However, Senior Civil Judge (east) Ghulam Murtaza Metlo observed that it was found that the plaintiff fraudulently filed forged documents in court and had also scanned and manipulated a permission letter actually granted to Ghulam Mustafa Memon of M/s Indus Water Supply.

On Tuesday, the court order stated that the Anti-Corruption Establishment’s law officer, Arif Siati, produced a final report which said during a comprehensive inquiry it was found that the plaintiff’s permission letter was forged.

The law officer also informed the court that the sanction of the commercial water connection in favour of M/s Indus Water Supply was also illegal and 17 officials of the KWSB, including then MD Misbahuddin Fareed, had sanctioned the connection by misusing their authority.

Therefore, a case was registered against them after the approval of the chief secretary, it added.

While dismissing the suit, the court directed the SHO of the City Courts police station to lodge an FIR against the plaintiff.

Earlier in May, the court had observed that the then local government minister, Aga Siraj Durrani, and an adviser to then president Asif Ali Zardari were found involved in the illegal grant of a commercial water connection to Mr Memon in 2011 and ordered the ACE an inquiry into the matter.

The court in its May 29 order observed the then LG minister had granted a simple application moved by Mr Memon in 2011 seeking a commercial connection to sell water in Korangi.

Initially, the then KWSB MD had called a report from the department concerned and subsequently declined the application, it added.

However, the court ruled that the application was again placed before the MD and while misusing his authority he had granted the commercial connection without any feasibility report and inquiry to the applicant merely on the “requests” of the then LG minister Aga Siraj Durrani and a president’s adviser.

However, the ACE final inquiry report was silent about the involvement of the then LG minister and the president’s adviser.

Mugger sentenced to death for killing engineer

A district and sessions court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death in a murder case.

Ejaz Nawaz was found guilty of killing Mudassir Hayat, a solar energy engineer in the Defence area, during a robbery at Korangi Crossing in May 2012.

District and Sessions Judge (Malir) Farooq Ali Channa also directed the convict to pay Rs100,000 as compensation to the heirs of the deceased.

The court also sentenced him to three years in prison in the offence of a robbery bid and imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on him.

However, the judge ruled that the capital punishment was subjected to the confirmation of the high court.

The court observed that the evidence of two passers-by and a sister of the deceased, who was also an eyewitness, remained unshakable on material points and the documentary evidence also corroborated their testimonies.

According to the prosecution, the victim and his sister, a university student, were waiting for the varsity bus and in the meantime two men riding on a motorbike tried to rob them. The robbers shot dead Hayat when he put up resistance. Area people present around the crime scene managed to capture the accused while his accomplice Naveed alias Zain escaped, it added.

A case was registered on the complaint of the deceased’s father at the Ibrahim Haideri police station.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) will not consult Pakistan Railways (PR) in implementing the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project. It says the PR has no expertise in laying such rail track and running state-of-the-art metro trains.

The LDA is also of the view that it is not legally bound to consult the railways before or while implementing this Rs165 billion project.

According to LDA officials, two construction firms have been shortlisted for completing infrastructure-related work -- the 25.1km elevated concrete track and 2km underground portion (from Jain Mandir to Lakshmi Chowk) -- and other structural tasks such as platforms and depots/workshops. It is likely to award this component of the project to the firms within a couple of days.

LDA Chief Engineer Israr Saeed told Dawn on Tuesday two construction firms had won tenders after their bids remained lowest among the 18 who had participated in the process. Habib Construction offered Rs21.4 billion to complete Package-1 (Dera Gujaran to Chauburji). Maqbool Kolson submitted Rs18 billion to complete Package-2 from Chauburji to Ali Town, Raiwind Road via Multan Road and Thokar Niaz Baig, he added. These companies had also offered Rs8 billion to complete depots and other structures on the route.

The LDA official said purchase of modern trains, tracks, required electric/mechanical goods and bringing them to Lahore and then operating them would cost Rs95 billion.

“These tasks would be exclusively carried out by China Railway and Norinco. Rest of the funds will be spent on land acquisition, administrative work and environment-related activities. These would be done by authorities concerned in Lahore,” Saeed explained.

He further said the project would be launched and completed on Build, Operate and Transfer basis; China Railway and Norinco would be responsible for operations as well as receiving revenue for 25 years in order to recover the loan of Rs150 billion approved by the Chinese government.

He said the Punjab Metro Bus Authority had been renamed as Punjab Mass Transit Authority and it would be responsible for monitoring operations of the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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