SAHIWAL: Two police officials, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), allegedly committed suicide during the last 24 hours in the city.

Ayub Khan Baloch, assistant sub-inspector at the Farid Town police station, shot himself with his pistol in the police station.

Baloch was captured red-handed along with Rs10,000 bribe by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).

A corruption case against him was registered on Monday evening and he was put in the lock-up of his own police station.

Sources said that instead of putting Baloch in the lock-up, his colleagues allowed him to stay in one of rooms of the police station. He was to be taken to court for hearing of his case on Wednesday but during early hours of Tuesday he shot himself in the head and died on the spot.

The ACE had arrested him for taking bribe from one Naseem Akhter, the aunt of an accused, Hakim Bibi, a resident of Tandilyain, district Faisalabad.

He was investigating the case in which Bibi was booked and had allegedly demanded money from her to exonerate her.

Naseem Akhter reported the matter to ACE Sahiwal Director Mirza Shaukat Ali, alleging that she had already paid Rs800,000 to the ASI on different occasions and he was demanding Rs10,000 more.

On Monday, an ACE officer along with Civil Judge Rana Aneel Arshad raided a hotel where Naseem Bibi had paid Rs10,000 to ASI Baloch and arrested him.

In another incident, DSP Ghulam Muhammad Shaheen, the security officer of a coal power plant near Qadirabad, shot himself dead with his security guard’s rifle at his residence on Tuesday.

Shaheen, a resident of Burewala, was reportedly upset due to his domestic problems for the last many days.

Police handed over the DSP’s body to his family after the postmortem, however, ASI Baloch’s body was received by his family without postmortem as they did not allow it.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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FAISALABAD: International Kabaddi player Saba Sultana, who was allegedly shot at and injured, was booked in a murder case along with her father, two brothers on Tuesday when her “attacker” Imran succumbed to a bullet wound at the Allied Hospital.

The case was registered by Nishatabad police after Imran died and his relatives staged a protest demonstration at PMC Chowk.

The protesters blocked the road for traffic and also manhandled some motorists who tried to cross the barriers erected by them.They demanded action against Sultana and her family members.

Apparently, buckling under the protesters’ pressure, the police registered a murder case against the sportswoman, her father Abdul Sattar, brothers Abdul Salam and Bilal and another suspect, Saghar.

Earlier, on Aug 18, a case was registered against Imran on charges of opening fire on Sultana, 20, and injuring her outside her house in Waince Colony, in Nishatabad police precincts.

Though Sultana has been named, the FIR did not mention her role in the “murder”.

In his application submitted to the police, complainant Nasir Farooq, brother of Imran, said Saghar along with three others had come to his outhouse on Aug 17 last and asked about Imran who was not present there at that time.

The same day, he said, Imran had received a call on his mobile phone and left home saying he would return soon.

When he did not return, the complainant said, “we launched a search and found near Waince Colony Mor that Abdul Salam, Saghar, Bilal and Sattar were quarreling with Imran”.

He said Abdul Salam opened fire on Imran who fell on the ground. Imran was shifted to the Allied Hospital by Rescue 1122 personnel.

On Aug 18 last, on the complaint of Sattar the police had booked Imran under sections 324 and 325 of the PPC saying he had shot at and injured Sultana.

Imran tried to escape from the scene and injured self with a bullet when some of the villagers, including Sattar, tried to catch him.

Both the injured were being treated at the Allied Hospital.

Condition of Sultana was said to be stable.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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LAHORE: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition against physical remand of five accused in the Kasur child abuse scandal.

The counsel for Akhtar Ali Sherazi’s wife stated that an anti-terrorism court on Aug 11 remanded five accused in police custody for 28 days. She alleged that police arrested them on allegations of hurling threats to the victimised children.

The counsel argued that though minor offence was attributed to the accused in the FIR, the trial court granted extended physical remand unnecessarily.

He asked the court to reduce the remand, alleging that police had already killed an accused in a fake encounter. Therefore, he said, lives of the accused were at risk.

The bench headed by Justice Muhammad Anwarul Haq dismissed the petition and observed that proceedings of the trial court could not be intervened at the stage of investigation.

The other four accused are Muhammad Yahya, Waseem Abid, Aleem Asif and Attiqur Rehman.

Qasim Zia: PPP’s senior leader Qasim Zia on Tuesday approached the Lahore High Court for post-arrest bail in the stock exchange fraud.

Barrister Syed Ali Zafar filed a petition on behalf of the arrested leader and denied charges of fraud against his client.

The counsel said Mr Zia had already left the company -- Ali Usman Brokerage -- when it committed the alleged fraud.

He said NAB officials obtained physical remand of his client up to 16 days but failed to establish his involvement in the case. He asked the court to release his client on bail.

Qasim Zia’s judicial remand was extended by 14 days by an accountability court on Monday.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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LAHORE: The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department, in association with the intelligence agencies, arrested as many as 182 members of various banned outfits, including 39 from Lahore, during search operations in the past two days.

A CTD spokesman said a list of more than 500 members of banned outfits, including Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Sipah-i-Mohammad (SM), was prepared jointly by intelligence agencies and CTD spy wing.

He said it was decided in the regional police officers (RPOs) conference that the members of banned outfits operating in different areas of the province would be arrested. Following the meeting, a campaign was launched against such elements, he added.

He said during the drive, 182 banned outfits members had been taken into custody from different regions and efforts were being made to track down others.

“As many as 39 members of LeJ and SM residing in different areas of the provincial capital have been arrested and shifted to undisclosed locations for interrogation”, he said.

He said in the light of intelligence reports search operations were being carried out with the collaboration of intelligence agencies in different areas, including Mustafa Town, Cantonment, Green Town, Badami Bagh, Johar Town and Masson Road.

He said there were reports that these suspects had been in contact with hardcore terrorists.

Replying to a question, he said earlier it was decided to start electronic surveillance of more than 1,600 Fourth Schedulers but due to some technical issues the law-enforcement agencies had not yet started installing tracking devices to monitor their movements.

He said the Fourth Schedule defines a terror suspect as a “person who is concerned with terrorism or belongs to a proscribed organisation”.

The spokesman said due to lack of evidence against the Fourth Schedulers, they could not be imprisoned and a majority of them were in contact with hardcore terrorists.

Through electronic surveillance they could be monitored easily, he added.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Punjab police Mushtaq Sukhera held separate meetings with RPOs and DPO’s of Sargodha and Faisalabad to discuss law and order situation of the regions.

He directed the authorities to enhance the security of important buildings, markets, bus terminals, public places and sensitive installations.

The IG said specials efforts should be made to guard the prisoners during the court hearings and checking of all the prisons should be ensured on a regular basis.

He also directed the authorities to enhance the monitoring of Fourth Schedulers in their respective areas and also ensure the security of minorities’ worship places.

Mr Sukhera directed the RPOs to address the grievances of the policemen and take steps for the force’s betterment.

MISSING: A member of a banned outfit who had been placed under house arrest allegedly went missing.

Police said Ghulam Raza Naqvi, of banned Sipah-i-Muhammad, a Fourth Scheduler, had been detained in his Hanjarwal house.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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TAXILA: Due to the apathy, bureaucratic and indifferent attitude of the officials of the Punjab department of archaeology, a gallery constructed to display newly- discovered antiquities in the Taxila valley could not be opened even after 15 years.

The gallery was constructed adjacent to the Taxila Museum at a cost of Rs5.5 million during the fiscal year 1999-2000.

According to sources, the department of archaeology hired a firm for the construction of the gallery to set up 22 showcases for displaying over 1,000 antiquities discovered after the construction of the archaeological museum in 1928. It may be noted that from 1947 to 2007, over 9,000 antiquities belonging to the ancient Gandhara civilisation and Buddhism were discovered in the Taxila valley, especially at the Bhir Mound (the first city of Taxila), Julian–II and the newly-discovered sites of Jinan Wali Dehri and Badalpur.

However, after the new building was ready, the local officials of the department refused to take it over quoting the use of substandard material and its construction against approved specifications.

In accordance with the law, the department fortified the security amount of the contractor after which the latter filed a case with a local court.

After many years of litigation the court issued its verdict in favour of the department in February 2013. Later the same year, the then director general of the department of archaeology ordered the officials concerned to decorate the 22 showcases of the gallery with antiquities.

However, so far neither the gallery has been opened for the public nor the showcases have been decorated with the antiquities piling up in a reserve store of the museum.

When contacted, Mohammad Irshad Khan, the deputy director department of archaeology, attributed the delay in the opening of the gallery to ‘technical’ reasons.

In reply to a question, he said as the contractor had filed an appeal against the decision of the lower court with an additional district and sessions judge Islamabad, the department could not open the gallery.

But as the court did not stop the department from executing the project, the department has now initiated work to display the antiquities.

In reply to a question, he said the head office had also approved the display of over 400 antiquities in the gallery.

Despite repeated attempts, the director general of the department of archaeology and museums Punjab could not be contacted for comments.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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NAKYAL SECTOR: India and Pakistan aborted rare talks on their festering conflict in Kashmir this weekend under a cloud of recriminations, while on the front line, villagers cowering from artillery in mud huts despair of ever seeing lasting peace.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz called off a trip to New Delhi for a planned “ice-breaking” meeting on Sunday with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval at the last minute amid a row over the agenda for the talks.

Read more: NSAs’ talks cancelled over Indian conditions

The cancellation dashed hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the nuclear-armed neighbours' long-fraught relations.

Shelling across the de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Kashmir, has been on the rise this month, with several civilians killed. The Himalayan region has been divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in full by both, since the two countries gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Nahra, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, just 400 metres from Indian army positions, is one of the worst affected villages, where locals say they were hit by shells almost every day last week. With no proper bunkers in which to take cover from mortars, residents are forced to hide in their mud-brick houses.

Also read: UN chief concerned at violence on disputed Kashmir border

Villager Muhammad Nazar, 53, described how his home was destroyed by an Indian barrage last week.

"I had just put my children to bed, they were afraid to sleep, then the Indian firing started and the walls of my house came crashing down," he told AFP.

"My children were screaming, I wrapped my arms around the children as we hid behind what was left of the walls," he added. "It ended early morning and I took my family to a neighbour's house where we live now — I have nowhere else to go."

Beautiful, scarred

Nahra lies in Nakyal sector, a collection of half a dozen small villages strung out across a lush green valley typical of Kashmir, a region famed for its beauty but blighted by decades of conflict.

Unfortunately for the locals in Nakyal, the Indian and Pakistani troops occupy the heights on either side of the valley, leaving the civilian population stuck in the middle — and badly exposed.

Locals said around 100 families had fled villages to take cover in wooded areas on nearby hillsides. Crops have been destroyed, schools forced to close for weeks and shops open only long enough for people to buy essentials.

Javed Budhanvi, a member of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir parliament from Nakyal, said at least 15,000 people in around 10 villages had been affected by recent Indian firing.

"Children are terrified, they can't go to school, they can't step out of their homes to play and even in their homes they are not able to sleep because of the fear of Indian firing," he told AFP.

India insists it is simply returning fire that Pakistan has started.

"Pakistani soldiers have been firing mortars and guns without any provocation," a defence source in Indian-administered Kashmir told AFP.

"Our people in border villages have been suffering as well," Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said Pakistan was responsible for "91 ceasefire violations" since the two countries' prime ministers met at a regional summit in Russia last month.

Weary pessimism

That meeting, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agreement to attend another regional summit in Pakistan next year, raised hopes of a breakthrough after months of heightened tensions.

Little of substance was expected but the very fact that Aziz and Doval were to meet at all was seen as progress. But the plan faltered at familiar obstacles: Aziz's intention to meet Kashmiri leaders in New Delhi — an issue that scuppered foreign secretary-level talks last year — and India's insistence that the agenda should focus on terrorism.

Pakistan's failure to hand over or prosecute the alleged masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks has infuriated India, particularly when the suspected ringleader, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, was freed on bail.

Islamabad, for its part, insists talks must be wide-ranging and include thorny issues like Kashmir. Back on the front line, retired schoolteacher Muhammad Farooq, 52, has only weary skepticism for the whole idea of talks.

"Pakistan and India have been negotiating since 1947 but what's the result?" he said. "We are forced to live the life of a fugitive here in these forests — what have we done to deserve it?"

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday warned all members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to transparently answer the questions he raised or he will take to the streets once again.

Criticising the reply he received from the body over a letter he had sent questioning its shortcomings in light of the Judicial Commission report, Khan said it was his right to pose questions not only as a Pakistani but also as the chairman of a major political party.

The PTI chief said his lawyer had drafted and sent a letter to the election body, asking it questions over the body's “lapses” and “shortcomings” as detailed by the three-member Supreme Court commission, adding that the ECP's reply was a “joke”.

Read: ECP provincial officials have no moral standing left and should resign: Imran

“My letter was in fact extracted from the JC report in which the honourable judges found the ECP to have not conducted its job,” said Khan.

He said in response to his letter, the ECP had sent him a reply saying “the commission is a constitutional body and only a higher authority can seek explanations from it.”

The ECP in its letter said no “other party or agency” can intervene or dictate terms, adding that only the body itself can decide on action required after the JC report. The commission also expressed “dismay” over Imran Khan's “tone and tenor.”

A copy of the ECP's response to Imran Khan.

“They are saying who am I to ask them these questions? I am the head of the party that received millions of votes. I deserve to get answers.”

“Provincial members of the ECP got paid upto Rs800,000 per month, what were they paid for? There is no record of 250 million votes,” remarked Khan.

Lambasting the ECP for the reply he received, Khan said the ECP had insulted former chief justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk and his 40-point observations regarding the ECP.

Khan also added that a total of 213 petitions were submitted against the election results, out of which 80 per cent were dismissed on technicalities.

But Khan said he will exhaust all legal means to put the commission to task, and will then protest against the members at all forums.

“I will go to the Parliament and use all legal channels… I don’t want to go to the streets… so please don't make me do it,” said Khan, adding that he will even protest outside the ECP.

“When every stakeholder claims that the ECP was responsible for largescale mismanagement ... 21 political parties claim there was rigging in 2013, does the body not deserve to be taken to task?”

“Will the body that has received a no confidence vote from all corners manage local government elections and by-polls?”

Also read: NA-122 election tribunal deseats Ayaz Sadiq, orders re-polling

Khan said only the PML-N had faith in the present election commission, adding that this strengthened his belief that the ruling party had colluded with the ECP to “fix matches.”

Khan said he had tasked Shah Mehmood Qureshi to meet and gather all parties that had voiced discontent over the ECP to gather momentum against the body.

“We are evaluating moving the Supreme Judicial council over ECP's shortcomings and lack of transparency,” added Khan.

Earlier this week, Imran Khan had said that the ECP provincial officials have no legal or moral standing left and they should immediately resign.

Imran also had said that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chairman should also tender his resignation as he was part of covering-up the rigging that took place in the general elections of 2013.

Last week, Punjab election commission's tribunal had 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.

KARACHI: The Sindh home department has identified 49 madressahs having alleged links with ‘terrorist organisations’ against whom the ‘relevant authorities’ have been told to take action, it emerged here on Tuesday.

Senior officials in the provincial home department said they had got reports from intelligence sources listing 49 madressahs ‘having linkages with terrorist organisations’.

The officials, who have prepared a report based on the latest information and submitted it to Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, avoided naming the militant groups those madressahs had ties with. However, they said the information had been shared with the Sindh police and Rangers for ‘appropriate action’ against them.

The latest report prepared by the home department said 26 of the seminaries linked with the banned groups were in Karachi, 12 in Hyderabad, seven in Sukkur and four in Larkana.

517,695 students are enrolled in all seminaries

Officials said such madressahs were identified with convincing evidence and legal action against them was being planned.

The provincial authorities have updated their previous figures relating to the number of madressahs in Sindh — said to be more than double the number the government had shown recently.

In a report the government released in April, the number of madressahs in Sindh was said to be around 4,000, while in the latest report, the home department says 9,590 madressahs are functioning in the province — 6,503 registered and 3,087 unregistered.

The report said 517,695 students were enrolled in all the seminaries.

The government has sealed just 167 unregistered madressahs in Hyderabad and Benazirabad while 2,920 of them are still running –– a dominant majority of them are in Karachi’s west district.

Officials said six of the unregistered seminaries had been searched elsewhere in Sindh but none in Karachi.

“The unregistered madressahs which have not yet been sealed are under strict surveillance of the law enforcement agencies and will be sealed if they hindered the registration process any further,” said a senior official in the home ministry.

They said the registration of seminaries was under way and necessary coordination had been made to launch a search operation soon.

The officials had originally made the same statement during Ramazan in which they said the search of all the unregistered madressahs would begin after the holy month, but they have not yet specified a deadline for it.

Officials said construction of a madressah in the future would only be allowed after obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the home department for which the industries department had been asked to amend rules which made the home department’s NOC compulsory in addition to that of the deputy commissioner concerned and the Sindh Building Control Authority.

Officials said the fewest seminaries were located in Tando Allahyar district while Karachi West was the district with the most madressahs. The exact number of seminaries in Karachi West is still uncertain, admitted the officials.

The report said a dominant majority of madressahs was owned by Wifaq-ul-Madaris Arabia (Deoband), followed by Tanzeem-ul-Madaris Ahle Sunnat (Barelvi), Wifaq-ul-Madaris (Fiqh Jafria) and Wifaq Al-Sulfia (Ahle Hadith).

Officials said the provincial apex committee, supervising the ongoing targeted operations in Sindh, had finalised a pro forma for registration of seminaries in the province.

Officials said the pro forma would require management of a madressah to fill in the details of students, teachers and sources of fund, if any, it received.

However, a final decision to make madressahs in the province oblige the authorities was expected to be taken at the coming meetings of the apex committee, said an official.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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PESHAWAR: An Ehtesab court sent provincial minister Ziaullah Afridi to prison on judicial remand on Tuesday, a day after the Peshawar High Court granted him bail in a case of misuse of authority and corrupt practices.

The development comes as the Ehtesab Commission claimed the minister was granted bail in one of the cases against him and not in two other cases in which he was booked for alleged misuse of office and corruption.

The daylong drama with large number of supporters of Ziaullah Afridi, who was arrested on July 9 by the Ehtesab Commission, awaiting his release outside the office of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission in accordance with the high court’s order culminated in the afternoon when he was taken out in an armoured personnel carrier from the lock-up of the commission and transported to the Peshawar central prison.

Supporters and lawyers for Ziaullah believed that arguments before the high court had taken place in the entire cases and therefore, the court order regarding his bail was applicable to all the cases.

PHC had granted minister bail on Monday in a case of misuse of authority and corruption

However, the legal team of the commission including deputy prosecutor general Zahid Aman and additional deputy prosecutor general Barrister Qazi Babar Irshad were of the view that the high court had released a short order wherein it had accepted an application filed by Ziaullah’s brother Hidayatullah Afridi, and that application was related only to the initial case in which the minister was arrested.

As the physical custody of Ziaullah with the commission in a case of alleged facilitation of illegal mining in Abbottabad had to end on Tuesday and therefore, large number of his supporters turned up in the morning outside the Federal Judicial Complex where the Ehtesab courts are situated in Hayatabad.

They were sure that as the high court had granted bail to Ziaullah on Monday, therefore, he would be set free from the court.

However, the Ehtesab Commission did not produce the suspect before the court citing security concerns.

The judge, Subhan Sher, ordered the commission to set the suspect free if his release order was related to all the cases otherwise he should be shifted to prison on judicial remand.

Ziaullah’s lawyer Danish Afridi told the court that they had been fulfilling legal requirements of furnishing bail bonds at the high court following which the release order would be prepared and they would submit it to the commission.

When the supports came to know that he would not be produced before the court, they then converged outside the offices and lock-up of the commission, housed in few rented bungalows at Hayatabad.

The jubilant workers continued dancing to drumbeats. They had also brought floral wreaths and garlands.

Finally, at around 2:00pm, relatives of Ziaullah brought the release order to the Ehtesab Commission. Following three hour long deliberation, it was decided not to release him and instead send him to prison on judicial remand in two cases pertaining to illegal mining in Charssada and Abbottabad.

The dejected workers showered rose petals on the APC carrying Ziaullah and were shouting slogans in his favour.

Barrister Babar Irshad told Dawn that the high court in the release order had clearly mentioned that he should be set free if not required in any other case.

When contacted, a lawyer for Ziaullah, Barrister Mudassir Amir, said another petition filed by Hidayatullah wherein all the charges against Ziaullah had been fixed for hearing on Aug 27 (Thursday) and that his lawyers would highlight their contentions before the high court in that case.

He said he was hopeful that the court would order his client’s release in all cases.

After his arrest, Ziaullah, a PTI MPA, had denied in involvement in any wrongdoings and blamed his arrest on Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary for Aviation Mohammad Ali Gardezi on Tuesday assured the National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat that the New Islamabad Airport would be ready by October 2016.

However, he said he was not certain if the construction of the access road to the airport would be completed by that time.

The meeting of the committee chaired by MNA Rana Mohammad Hayat Khan was held in the Parliament House on Tuesday.

Mr Gardezi said according to his information work on the access road by the National Highway Authority (NHA) had been delayed due to non-completion of the land acquisition.

Secretary Aviation Mohammad Ali Gardezi says he is not sure if construction of access road to airport will be completed in a year

“There is a clause in the rules that the road can be constructed without the land acquisition. The NHA may consider this option to complete the project on time,” he said.

Rana Hayat, the chairman of the committee, told Dawn that he was considering calling the NHA to the committee to listen to their point of view.

“I believe that only Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif can decide about the fate of the new airport,” he said.

The new airport project was conceived in 1984 and the same year the purchase of land started near Fatehjang. The land was purchased from Rs30,000 to Rs500,000 per kanal with the average rate of Rs70,000 per kanal.

In 2004, the then prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, laid the foundation of the airport. The construction work was started without the approval of any design and the contract was awarded to 17 contractors.

The initial PC-I of Rs37 billion was approved in 2008 but it had no mention of the fuel system, radar and radio control building, aprons, sewage treatment plant, electricity and availability of water.

The delay in the appointment of a design consultant, unavailability of an access road, illegal occupation on the land and improper sequencing of the award of work delayed the project. Moreover, there was also a delay in the preparation of the design and time loss during an investigation and litigation.

Currently, Benazir Bhutto International Airport caters to three million people per year and has 20 check-in counters and parking area for 400 vehicles. The new airport with 90 check-in counters and parking facility for 2,200 vehicles will cater to 15 million people every year. Mr Gardezi said 83.46 per cent work on the new airport had been completed.

He said the access road which the aviation department had suggested from Golra Chowk to the new airport passing through Haji Chowk was the most appropriate.

“The road suggested by us also had the option of a metro bus or a train service but in the new design of the road, which passes from housing societies of Zone I, there is no such facility,” he said.

MNA Rana Hayat gave a proposal to use the motorway as the access road for the airport. However, Mr Gardezi said he was not in favour of it because of the nature of the traffic on the motorway and for the airport.

In reply to questions by the committee members, Mr Gardezi said after a terror incident in which an attempt was make to hit an aircraft at Peshawar airport, it was decided that constructions would not be allowed at a distance of seven kilometres around the new airport.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday slammed Pakistan Muslim League – N for ‘pressurising’ and ‘threatening’ election tribunal judges after 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 in a TV show of hurling life threats at him.

Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik broke his silence on Tuesday when PML-N stalwart and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah repeated Mr Rashid’s allegations, claiming that NA-122 election tribunal member Justice (retd) Malik’s son was refused a PML-N ticket.

Sanaullah’s allegation— which Malik refuted immediately on the TV show — was understood to have been an explanation for why the tribunal judge gave a verdict against former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who was stripped off his NA membership on Saturday.

Take a look: NA-122 election tribunal deseats Ayaz Sadiq, orders re-polling.

Responding to Sanaullah’s claim, the tribunal judge denied the allegation vehemently on a private television channel, and challenged the PML-N minister to present evidence to back his assertion.

“Neither my son nor I have any affiliation with any political party. If Rana Sanaullah can produce evidence that my son is even a member of the PML-N, I will tender my resignation.”

Taking notice of Sanaullah’s allegations and Malik's denial on media, Imran Khan set out to Twitter late night, saying the minister’s remarks were proof that the “PML-N used pressure tactics and bribes to fix election results.”

In a series of tweets, Khan said: “Election tribunal judge Kazim A Malik stated on TV he is being threatened by PML-N; which shows how ET judges have been under pressure from PML-N.”

Imran goes on to say that in his judgment on NA-122 polls, Kazim A Malik “states how he had to struggle against demands of doctrine of necessity to stand for truth and justice.”

The PTI chief said the episode reflected he was “right in demanding Nawaz Sharif’s resignation as a necessary factor to get justice in the election inquiry.”

Imran Khan said attacks like those on Kazim Malik were nothing new for the PML-N, which had attacked former chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah as well.

But PTI in contrast accepted the Judicial Commission’s report, he said, “even though the verdict did not reflect the findings.”

ISLAMABAD: Amid legal and operational hiccups, the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) officially conceded on Tuesday its inability to ensure smooth supply of 300 million cubic feet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) until October, raising fears of a continued gas shortage in winter.

It also informed the federal government in writing that the cost of LNG supplies offered by some private parties would be higher than that of high sulphur furnace oil (HSFO) and low sulphur furnace oil (LSFO).

As a consequence, the basic premise for LNG import – fuel cost savings – had been lost, an executive of the state-run PSO told Dawn. He said the LNG import was basically considered as a replacement of furnace for being 20-25 per cent cheaper.

This comes at a time when a team of the Qatar Gas management, which visited Islamabad on Monday, declined to enter into a long-term agreement with the PSO because of at least five major shortcomings on part of the government.

The PSO said Qatar Gas had also turned down its request to extend validity of offer for LNG supply from four ships a month to two and further reduction in price by 20 cents per MMBTU.

The shortcomings include non-finalisation of a tripartite agreement among three state-run companies – SSGCL, SNGPL and PSO –, absence of a standby letter of credit (SBLC) to be provided by the PSO, shortfall in dredging at the port to enable Qflex ships and absence of commercial agreements with independent power producers for payment mechanism. On top of that, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has not yet finalised an LNG sale price. A sale-purchase agreement between Qatar Gas and PSO has also not been finalised.

The PSO reported that there was a lack of interest on part of LNG suppliers and bids for its supplies in September attracted only a single party. It offered LNG prices at 15.56pc and 16.45pc of Brent.

“As per the pricing formula, the rate per MMBTU appears to be on the higher side, compared to the current prices of HSFO and LSFO being imported by the PSO. Moreover, these are the highest rates we have received so far since the LNG import was started in April this year,” wrote PSO’s pointman for LNG, Babar Hameed Chaudhry, to the Ministry of Finance.

Expressing its inability to extend any help in the given situation, the PSO said the only option available to it was to scrap the tender and ask SSGCL to maintain the lowest gas flow of 100-150MMCFD to avail of the services of terminal up to Sept 23.

It reported that since the regasified LNG price had not yet been finalised by Ogra, low supplies and no fresh cargo would be the most appropriate option to minimise the financial exposure.

At the rate offered for LNG supply, an official of the petroleum ministry said, the government would also have to make a mandatory payment of $272,000 per day to Engro Terminal. As a consequence, LNG terminal charges would go beyond $2.45 per MMBTU – almost four times the average bid rate of 66 cents per unit.

“This means Interstate Gas Company Limited, which originally prepared the LNG transaction, and PSO, which was responsible for importing the commodity, have failed to deliver on one of the most important energy supply projects,” the official said.

He said the country had been facing a shortage of over 1.6BCFD of gas during winter and part of this shortfall was planned to be partly bridged through injection of 400MMCFD LNG, which has now become uncertain. “It is ironic that neither a transaction structure could be finalised nor smooth supplies could be ensured in more than six months,” the official regretted.

He said the two gas companies were still not willing to sign a tripartite agreement in the absence of a side agreement the PSO was required to sign under a previous decision.

Under the leadership of PSO’s former acting chief Shahid Islam, the organisation had agreed to take responsibility through a side agreement for its failure to ensure committed LNG supply.

Mr Islam is no more in the driving seat following inquiries started by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the gas companies are not ready to take those risks on behalf of the PSO.

And given the fact that the entire top hierarchy of PSO, including all deputy managing directors and members of the board of management, were removed early this year, the third tier executives were in no position in legal terms to take a major decision.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The testimony of the US lobbyist, Mark Seigel, the star witness against fromer president retired General Pervez Musharraf in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, has been delayed until October.

Mr Seigel was scheduled to testify before the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi on Wednesday and the Rawalpindi adminisration had finalised the arrangements for video conferencing at the commissioner office.

However, an email from the Pakistan embassy in Washington informed the district administration on Tuesday that Mr Seigel was unable to testify before the ATC on Wednesday, the district coordination officer (DCO), Rawalpindi, Sajid Zafar Dall told Dawn.

He said the email said Mr Seigel was undergoing a surgery and was not available on August 26.

The DCO Dall, however, said as per the email sent by the embassy, Mr Seigel would appear before the court sometime after October 1.

According to a senior prosecutor, the Pakistan embassy in Washington had made all the arrangements for recording the statement of Mr Seigel declaring the embassy’s premises an extension of the ATC, Rawalpindi. The DCO said the district administration had conveyed the information (the delay) to the ATC Judge Rai Mohammad Ayub Marth who was supposed to record the statement of Mr Seigel.

ATC has so far recorded the statements of former interior secretary Kamal Shah and former director general National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC). While the name of former director general Intelligence Bureau Ejaz Shah, another witness, has been withdrawn by the prosecution.

As per prosecution, Mr Siegel claimed that on September 25, 2007, in his presence at the office of Congressman Tom Lantos in Washington, Ms Bhutto received a telephone call from Musharraf which she later described a very ‘bad call’.

The statement said the former military ruler had warned Ms Bhutto that “her safety depends on the state of their (Musharraf and Benazir’s) relationship”.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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Fawad Khan's been keeping a low profile these days, preferring to let his onscreen appearances do the talking for him.

Is he recovering from time spent on the sets of Kapoor & Sons, or is he just enjoying family life? We wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter because the Khoobsurat star has proved once and again that though he may be a superstar, he's got his heart (and priorities) in the right place.

He never fails to share the spotlight with his lovely wife Sadaf and makes clear that family is the most important thing to him. All of this, of course, just makes us love him more!

Here are 11 times Fawad made our hearts melt:

1. When he shared his old wedding photos, and didn't care that he looked less than perfect:

2. When he admitted that he could never manage his life without his wife:

3. When he told us his son was his greatest blessing:

4. When he called his wife his 'strength' and posed for this adorable picture after winning the Filmfare award:

5. When he looked the happiest he's ever been in this family picture:

6. When he shared with the world a detailed explanation for just why his wife is so awesome (cue swoon):

7: When he got excited about a man-purse:

8. When he didn't shy away from saying 'Us' :

9. When he got a puppy and rounded out the 'perfect family' look:

10. When he admitted there's no place like 'home':

11. When he proved that he's starstruck by his wife and thinks she's just gorgeous:

Fawad, is there anything you do wrong?

ISLAMABAD: After surrendering at the I-11 katchi abadi, which was demolished by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) last month, slum dwellers have been reorganising themselves to resist against possible operations against other slum areas in the capital.

On Tuesday, a large number of katchi abadi residents gathered outside the National Press Club and protested against CDA plans for more operations against slums.

They also called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the forced eviction of slum dwellers and urged the judiciary to ensure the right of shelter for those who lived in these settlements.

CDA demolished the I-11 katchi abadi on July 31 on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and is now said to be planning the demolition of 34 more slums in the federal capital.

AWP claims 34 more katchi abadis across capital slated for demolition

Hundreds of katchi abadi dwellers, including both Muslims and Christians, gathered under the aegis of the World Minorities Alliance and the All Pakistan Alliance for Katchi Abadis, on Tuesday.

Residents of katchi abadis from H-9, G-7, G-8, I-9, I-10 and G-6/2 also held a rally and marched from H-9 to the press club, along with activists from the Awami Workers Party (AWP), in the searing heat.

Vowing to continue their peaceful struggle against forced evictions in Islamabad, the demonstrators stressed that the basic housing needs of the city’s working classes had been given no consideration by the city’s planners and administrators, and asked that the CDA must make a proper plan for the slums residents’ relocation and resettlement before they can consent to vacating the land they currently occupy.

Addressing the participants of the rally, AWP representative Alia Amirali said: “We will not stop our struggle; despite the fear of terrorism charges and threats of dire consequences.”

According to an AWP statement, CDA and police personnel have made announcements in various slums in I-9, I-10, H-11, H-9 and G-8 and asked residents to vacate the premises immediately, without any mention of relocation, resettlement or offer of negotiation to consult with the slum dwellers about the timing and the modalities of their relocation.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Top Commanders of Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) are scheduled to meet in New Delhi from September 9 to 13, sources in Pakistan's paramilitary force told DawnNews.

"As per border ground rules 1961, a routine, biannual meeting of Inspector General BSF and Director General Pakistan Rangers is scheduled to take place in New Delhi starting September 9, 2015," a spokesman for Pakistan Rangers told DawnNews.

Pakistan would take up the matter of 'unprovoked' Indian firing along the Line of Control (Loc) and Working Boundary, and the killing of its civilians, the spokesman said.

He added that matters related to smuggling and other border issues are also likely to be discussed in the meeting.

Also read: Pakistan, India border guards abandon customary Eid greeting

A meeting was earlier held between representatives of Rangers and BSF at Wagah border to coordinate modalities of the September meeting and to finalise the meeting's agenda, the Rangers spokesman said.

The meeting will follow days of bickering between India and Pakistan, as the Pakistani government on Saturday decided to cancel the planned meeting of national security advisers with India, citing New Delhi’s refusal to allow an expanded agenda and a meeting with Kashmiri leaders.

Know more: NSAs’ talks cancelled over Indian conditions

The Indian external affairs ministry immediately termed the decision “unfortunate” and tried to wash its hands of the controversy that led to the cancellation of the meeting by saying that it “did not set any preconditions".

Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz was to have travelled to the Indian capital on Sunday for the Aug 24 meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.

Besides a discussion on terrorism, Pakistan had sought inclusion of two additional points in the agenda -- a review of the progress on decisions taken in Ufa regarding release of fishermen, facilitating religious tourism and restoring peace along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary; and exploration of the modalities for discussions on other outstanding issues, including Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachen.

Rejecting Indian pressure for cancelling Mr Aziz’s planned the meeting with Hurriyat leaders, the Foreign Office reiterated that it could not change the longstanding practice of holding meetings with the Kashmiri leadership during visits of Pakistani leaders to India.

Examine: NSA talks were doomed, but why?

India-Pakistan relations are at their lowest point in over a decade, with the two regularly trading fire over the disputed de facto border of Kashmir in recent months.

MULTAN: The election tribunal will announce its verdict on the petition of former secretary general of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Jahangir Tareen on Wednesday (today) against alleged rigging in NA-154 in 2013 election.

The election tribunal on Aug 20 had reserved its verdict after the lawyers of both the parties completed their arguments.

According to results, Mr Tareen’s rival, an independent candidate Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch who later joined the PML-N was declared successful by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Mr Tareen alleged Mr Baloch had fake degrees besides he committed rigging on the election day.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court proposed on Tuesday that a renowned architect be employed to rebuild a Hindu temple in Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as had been done in case of a temple in Shahalmi Market of Lahore a few years ago.

A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja asked the PML-N MNA from Tharparkar, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, KP Home Secretary Arbab Mohammad Arif and Karak Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shoaib Jadoon to sit together and come up with a plan to rebuild the Shri Paramhans Ji Maharaj’s Samadhi in Teri village of Karak.

Take a look: Footprints: A saint without a shrine

The chief justice said that the order must not be defied and should be implemented at all cost. Mr Jadoon assured the court that its earlier order about restoration of the temple had been carried out and a boundary wall had been built around it.

The DC submitted photographs to substantiate his claim.

“We have also given a right of way to reach the Samadhi through the house of Maulvi Iftikharuddin who was earlier in possession of the temple,” the DC explained.

But the court declared that the efforts put in by the provincial administration were not enough and proposed construction of a new building instead of just erecting boundary walls.

The surrounding walls will spoil the area, observed the chief justice, recalling how a temple in Shahalmi Market, Lahore, was reconstructed by architect Kamil Khan, who had a clear understanding of architectural heritage and had provided free consultancy to rebuild the temple.

The chief justice said the court could ask the architect to conserve the Karak temple. The next hearing has been scheduled for Sept 7.

When Justice Dost Mohammad Khan inquired about the cost of the reconstruction work, the DC replied that the cost was estimated at around Rs550,000 but the provincial government had earmarked Rs2 million under the annual development plan.

Mufti Iftikharuddin who appeared before the court submitted an application with a request to make him a party in the case since he was the lawful owner of the property. The house in which he resides belongs to the Evacuee Property Trust but was occupied by his father, late Mufti Chiragh Din in 1950.

On April 16, the apex court had ordered the KP government to restore and rebuild the temple, whose preservation has led to a rift between the minority community and local religious leaders.

The shrine and temple were built at the place where a Hindu notable, Shri Paramhans, died in 1919 and was buried. His followers visited the temple frequently till 1997 to pay respects but some fanatics dismantled the temple.

Followers of Shri Paramhans tried to rebuild the temple but the land was allegedly under occupation of a local mufti, Iftikharuddin.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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RAWALPINDI: General Lloyd J. Austin Commander United States Central Command (Centcom) on Wednesday called on Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, according to a tweet by Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asim Bajwa.

During the meeting matters of mutual interest and regional security were discussed.

US Centcom Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin acknowledged Pakistan Army's efforts and sacrifices rendered during the war against terrorism to bring peace in Pakistan and the region.

Gen Austin also paid homage to army martyrs and laid a floral wreath at martyrs’ monument.

The US Centcom chief also called on Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood during which both military leaders discussed matters related to mutual interest.

General Lloyd Austin acknowledged the role played by the armed forces of Pakistan in fighting the menace of terrorism.

Earlier in January this year, General Lloyd J. Austin III had held a meeting with COAS Gen Raheel Sharif at GHQ during which matters of mutual interest, including bilateral defence cooperation and the overall regional security situation with special emphasis on Afghanistan, came under discussion.

Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, during his visit to the United States in November last year, had called on US Centcom chief General Lloyd J. Austin in Tampa, Florida during which the two had discussed regional security and stability.

Gen Lloyd Austin had also met Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, in May 2014, to discuss on the post-2014 situation, particularly in the context of the Afghan-US Bilateral Security Agreement and bilateral military-to-military cooperation.

ISLAMABAD: Despite recent optimism surrounding Pakistan's economy, the country is facing an “existential crisis” stemming from its woeful tax collection rates and inability to finance itself, a report said Wednesday.

Pakistan's economy grew at 4.24 per cent during the 2014-2015 fiscal year with per capita income rising a significant 9.25 per cent, markers that come as investor confidence in the long-underperfoming South Asian giant have also increased.

But according to the report by non-profit organisation Raftar, funded by Britain's Department for International Development (DFID), Pakistan's economy continues to rely heavily on “commercial loans, concessionary donor loans and aid”.

The country's tax-to-GDP ratio of 9.4 per cent is among the lowest in the world, leading to a public debt of 17 trillion rupees ($163 billion). This an almost three-fold increase since 2008 for the $232 billion economy, with 44 per cent of tax revenue going toward interest payments.

The report blamed the lack of a “tax culture” on non-revenue sources of funds the country has historically enjoyed in the form of foreign aid and loans.

It said 68 per cent of tax revenue was being generated through indirect taxes on fuel, food and electricity, which unfairly penalises the poor.

The lack of revenue collection also negatively affects infrastructure development including power generation, with the country facing a massive shortfall of up to 4000MW in the summer that shaves about $15 billion off the country's GDP.

Pakistan is currently in a $6.6 billion loan programme with the International Monetary Fund, which was granted on condition that Islamabad carried out extensive economic reforms, particularly in the energy and taxation sectors.