KARACHI: If talking about a problem makes it go away, then the fisheries department certainly requires frequent gatherings where the multitude of problems it faces are debated on in detail and sustainable solutions brought to the table.

And this was apparently the aim of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), which organised an interactive dialogue on Monday to talk about the fisheries policies in Sindh and the amendments urgently required to uplift the department’s workings.

The findings of a scientific study conducted by senior researcher Ely Ercelan were presented to fishermen, MPAs, representatives from the fisheries department, as well as spokespersons for NGOs to generate debate on the existing legislation and regulations of the department and the kind of problems small-scale fishermen face regularly.

According to the organisers, a representative of the provincial government was also invited to join the dialogue. However, the MPA did not show up and so no insight from the government’s point of view was shared; information about what projects, if any, are in place to improve the state of small-scale fisheries and fishermen was missing from the dialogue as a result.

The aim of the study is to introduce improved structural changes that will help uplift the lives of fishermen in general, which have degenerated as a result of departmental incompetence, lack of political will, and vested interests aiming for large developmental projects all at the cost of livelihoods and the ecosystem.

PFF programme coordinator Mustafa said: “Loopholes in the law have led to major violations against fishermen. One of the most direct violations is of this indigenous community’s right to having an equal chance of fishing.”

This is usually done to protect large development projects or by dumping sewage and toxic waste into water bodies used for fishing. As legislation does not protect fishermen from being exploited, they tend to lose livelihoods as a result.

The PFF is a rights based advocacy group and the study it conducted stressed the need to harmonise the Sindh Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2015 with the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries, which Pakistan has signed. Such adaptations should protect the rights of the fishermen who are facing deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the country.

Some of the proposed amendments the study suggests are promoting the livelihood of small fisheries, empowering the fisher community, close checks on fishing overcapacity and overexploitation of resources, as well as analysing the impact of large development projects on the socio-economic conditions of small fishermen.

The ongoing criticism levelled against the fisheries department because of the widespread corruption it allegedly has indulged in for decades, was openly discussed by many at the meeting.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker Syed Hafizuddin was very forthright in his criticism of government bodies that have taken funds for the development of various departments but have done nothing. Fisheries, he said, was one of many such departments.

Shujauddin Qureshi from the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research spoke about the need to provide social security to fishermen as it was their basic right. Asad Iqbal Butt from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan took this thread forward citing examples of human rights violations fishermen have to face. “These men risk their lives every day for the sake of their families. Yet we are unable to help improve their situation primarily because of lack of political will,” he said.

According to Aslam Ansari, deputy director in the fisheries department, fishing exports of the country have slumped, and many factors such as overfishing were blamed for it. With most fishermen not following the annual two-month ban on fishing, large populations of fish are decimated and natural stocks as a result are unable to be replenished.

Mr Ansari spoke about how illegal fishing nets are still widely used that don’t have room for juvenile fish to escape. As a result, most of such catch is reduced to trash and this is an irreparable loss.

Dialogue, according to the PFF, is the only way out of the conundrum the fisheries department is faced with. Thus a sustainable provincial fisheries policy must be formulated and implemented by government bodies with the help of fishermen and the many bodies working to protect them.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the law enforcement agencies are close to nabbing the culprits involved in attack on Col Shuja Khanzada and they will be arrested soon.

“We have got sufficient clues to the perpetrators of Attock attack (in which Punjab home minister and 19 others were killed on Aug 16)”. Those involved in the terrorist attack have been identified and soon the law enforcement agencies will nab them,” Mr Sanaullah told the Punjab Assembly on Monday.

He, however, declined to share more information in this regard in the House, saying it was not appropriate to make public the details of those involved in the incident at this stage.

The minister also told the House that four of the suspects involved in the killing of PML-N MPA Chaudhry Shamshad at Gujranwala had been arrested. “Some 13 suspects have been nominated in the FIR. Some of them have managed to flee the country for Dubai, along with their families. We will bring them back after getting their red warrants issued,” he said.

On a point of order, PML-N’s Chaudhry Arshad drew the attention of the chair towards the plight of sugarcane farmers. He said most of the sugar mills owners were not clearing the farmers’ dues. He said four sugar mills had defaulted and were sealed in 2013-14 and five others in 2014-15. The government claimed that a sugar mills in Chishtian had been sealed which was not factual, he added.

PML-Q’s Hasan Vikas Mokal said the government should check exploitation of the sugarcane farmers and help them get their dues.

Parliamentary secretary on food Chaudhry Asadullah said an amount of over Rs870 million was to be paid by sugar mills, which would be recovered by attaching its owners’ property to clear the farmers’ dues.

He ensured the House the government would clear all the farmers’ dues after selling the property of the defaulted sugar mills.

During the Question Hours, Auqaf Minister Ata Manika said 86 percent budget of his department was spent on administrative expenses. He said the government should give funds to the department for better upkeep of shrines in the province.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi police in a challan submitted in the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday claimed that additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) Tahir Khan Niazi was killed during a robbery.

ADSJ Niazi was murdered on August 5 in a broad daylight at his house in Satellite Town, Rawalpindi.

In addition to other important cases, the judge had been hearing a murder case involving Imtiaz Khokhar alias Taji Khokhar, a brother of the former National Assembly deputy speaker Haji Nawaz Khokar. A decision by the court was expected by the end of August.

According to the police, Mr Niazi’s wife heard the doorbell at around 1:30pm. When she opened the door she found a stranger who forced his way into the house and snatched her mobile phone.

While Mr Niazi was trying to overpower the intruder, another man entered the house and shot him, injuring him critically.

According to the police, the accused were three. Two entered the house while the third one was waiting outside the house on a motorcycle on which they (the accused) escaped. They also took away Mrs Niazi’s mobile phone.

The Sadiqabad police traced the accused through the mobile phone and later arrested them.

As per the challan, all the accused were robbers and they killed the judge during the robbery.

The accused told the police that they selected the house of slain judge randomly.

As per the statement of the accused persons, which the police incorporated with the challan, the robbers learnt that they had killed the judge through the media.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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KARACHI: The customs authorities at the seaport are yet to register a case against an exporter who tried to smuggle furs out of the country, it emerged on Monday.

Sources said the delay was being caused by lack of forensic evidence needed to register an FIR.

They said two containers declared as consignments of used clothing/jackets were confiscated at the port about two months back. Upon inspection, they were found to have more than 100 furs.

“It wasn’t difficult to identify that most of the furs were of the red fox as the head of the animal was also attached with its skin. Some appeared to be of the common jackal while some looked artificial skins. Both animals are found in Pakistan,” an official close to the investigation process told Dawn.

The Sindh wildlife department, however, refused to verify the species in writing, arguing that the species needed to be scientifically identified through DNA sampling as simple physical identification could create legal problems at a later stage, he added.

The fur samples, the sources said, were later sent to a research centre in Islamabad, where experts tried to identify the species with the help of local DNA testing kits but failed.

“The reason is heavy chemical processing of the fur. So, now, the samples would be tested with the help of imported testing kits,” another official said.

The species identification, in his opinion, was necessary to start proper legal process, though the case had enough grounds for prosecution.

The exporter hadn’t declared that the consignments had furs. Besides, he didn’t present a certificate of origin (the place of the species origin) that was mandatory under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to which Pakistan is a signatory.

The sources said that the exporter had told the customs authorities that he had bought the stuff in a second-hand clothes market.

“This recent case is yet another indicator showing the increasing scale of wildlife smuggling in Pakistan. There is a dire need for tougher laws, their implementation as well as for training the staff engaged in checking wildlife trade,” a customs official said.

According to media reports, the country has reported a number of cases of wildlife smuggling this year. They included three cases of smuggling of freshwater turtles from Karachi and Lahore and a major case of smuggling meat and parts of over 4,000 freshwater turtles.

The seizure was said to be the largest smuggled consignment in the history of Pakistan. Its investigation is still under way. Cases of houbara bustard and falcon smuggling have also been reported in various parts of the country.

Pakistan, he said, recently became the first country in the region to adopt the DNA bar-coding method to control the illegal wildlife trade. The method was used by officials in the confiscated turtle meat/parts consignment which was being shipped out of Pakistan under the label ‘fish meat’ for a black market destination in Southeast Asia.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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LAHORE: The three factions of All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran on Monday issued a ‘charter of demands’, asking the government to defer the Withholding Tax on banking transactions till Dec 31, 2015 and constitute one central and 14 regional committees to resolve the traders’ issues.

Addressing a press conference at the Press Club, APAT central secretary general Naeem Mir presented the 12-point charter of demands on behalf of all the three APTA groups respectively led by Naeem Mir, Ashraf Bhatti and Khalid Pervaiz.

He reiterated that traders were still ready for talks with the government which should call the “real stakeholders” for a dialogue instead of holding meetings with chambers representatives.

“If traders are not invited for dialogues to resolve the issue, they will have no option but to hold protest demonstrations and shutdowns across the country,” he said.

Come up with a ‘charter of demands’

Mir said the business community of Lahore had agreed upon countrywide shutdowns on Sept 9 and Oct 7 against the imposition of 0.3 percent WHT on banking transactions.

The traders had one-point agenda of developing consensus on the date of the strike, he said, adding the three APAT factions had decided to reject forced collection of the tax.

Listing other points of the charter, Mr Mir urged the government to defer WHT on banking transactions till Dec 31, 2015.

He said 0.3pc WHT on cash withdrawal for filers should be suspended and the tax collected since August 2015 should be refunded to the taxpayers.

He suggested that Sales Tax Act 1999 should be amended and entire ST should be deducted at manufacturing and import levels while traders should be exempted from value-added tax.

The charter also demands that Income Tax Ordinance 2001 should be amended and slab and GP systems be abolished, introducing a simple tax mechanisim.

Turnover tax should not exceed the ratio of 0.25pc and new slab system (sector to sector) should be started, it said.

The traders demanded that new filers having capital of Rs500 million, one home, one shop and one vehicle should be exempted from audit for five years under ‘Accounts Regularization Scheme’.

They also sought elimination of Sale Tax on power bills for commercial consumers, besides extension in tax returns date.

They demanded the government should pledge that Wealth Tax would not be imposed and that Khyber Pakhtunkhawh should be exempted from Income Tax for three years due to terrorism.

The regional committees should be constituted in Lahore, Karachi, Sargodha, Sialkot, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sukhur, Quetta, Pishawar, Gujranwala, Pindi and Islamabad, they demanded.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers informed an antiterrorism court on Monday about 90-day preventive detention of another senior official of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) for inquiry on charges of embezzling funds to finance terrorism.

Rangers personnel with their law officers produced the chief financial officer of the SSGC Mohammad Amin Rajput in the chamber of ATC-III Judge Saleem Raza Baloch and submitted that he was picked up within the jurisdiction of the Gizri police station.

The Rangers submitted an application with a jail warrant and a detention order and contended that the suspect was arrested on receiving credible information about his involvement in the offences related to misappropriation of funds to support terrorism and other criminal links and such offences were punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Therefore, he was placed under preventive detention for three months to hold an inquiry as provided in Section 11-EEEE (1) of the ATA, the paramilitary force submitted and added that the detainee was produced with relevant documents for the information/record of the court.

The Rangers had also detained on Aug 29 deputy managing director of the SSGC Shoaib Warsi, senior general manager Kamran Naqi and former MD Zuhair Siddiqui on similar charges.

The swoop in the top bureaucratic circle of the energy company coincides with the detention of Dr Asim Hussain, former adviser/minister for petroleum and close aide of Pakistan Peoples Party leader Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Hussain was also placed under 90-day preventive detention on Aug 27 for inquiry on the charges of misappropriation of funds to support terrorist activities.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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PESHAWAR: The arrest of several government officials by accountability bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over corruption has caused resentment and fear among bureaucracy.

Over the last few months, the National Accountability Bureau and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission have arrested several senior officials over the alleged involvement in corrupt practices.

There are also rumours about many more such arrests in near future.

Some officials told Dawn on condition of anonymity that arrest of senior members of bureaucracy had struck fear into their hearts, especially about financial matters.

Officials say so fearful that they’re reluctant to decide on financial matters

An official said the August 26 arrest of industries secretary Sajid Jadoon by the Ehtesab Commission was interesting as he was the member of the cabinet committee on Ehtesab law reforms.

According to him, the committee is led by senior minister for local government Inayatullah Khan and has health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai as member.

Jadoon, who is also the president of the Provincial Civil Service Officers Association, had submitted a working paper about reforming the accountability law.

“The arrest of Mr Jadoon, who led the PCS officers’ movement against Pakistan Administrative Service, is meaningful as all those arrested so far belong to the provincial service. There is resentment among the provincial service officers, who feel they are being targeted,” the official said.

He said the arrests being made by the Ehtesab Commission were premature as first, they arrested people and later investigated corruption charges tarnishing their image.

“Jadoon was called for interview and was picked up by the commission,” he said, adding that ideally, the commission should not arrest those cooperating with investigators.

The official said compared to NAB, where a board authorised arrests, the Ehtesab Commission director general gave the go-ahead to arrests on his own.

He said in the first instance, the government officials were subjected to the Government Servants (Efficiency And Discipline) Rules.

The official said the procedural lapses were first needed to be investigated by a departmental panel and involved civil law but the commission’s intervention turned such cases into criminal ones.

He said government officials were reluctant to decide about monetary matters.

“The finance and planning and development departments are now not allowing their officials to attend meeting of the department consultant selection committee (DSCS), procurement and purchase committees,” he said.

A planning and development official said his department had formally directed its officials to stay away from meetings on procurements, bid opening and consultant selection in future through a notification issued on July 13.

He said the notification was issued following the arrest of a deputy secretary of the department by the anti-corruption establishment on June 29.

A senior official at the mining department, which has been the subject of NAB and Ehtesab Commission investigations, told Dawn that every day or second, people of accountability bodies showed up and began quizzing officials on one matter or the other.

“It is spreading fear among officials, who now fear signing official papers,” he said.

The official said bureaucracy was not opposed to accountability but felt there should be mechanisms to protect people’s reputation and good name.

“If these (accountability) guys arrest me on the corruption charges and tomorrow such charges are not proved, even then I won’t be able to face my family, friends and colleagues,” he said, adding that there was no escape from the label of being a corrupt.

When contacted, senior minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, who is also the member of the cabinet committee on the Ehtesab law reforms, said the panel was thoroughly examining the matter.

“We have listened to the government officials as well as Ehtesab Commission DG on the accountability law issue and are committed to bringing improvements to the law,” he said. Shahram however said the committee had so far not made any decision.

“We’ve heard about premature arrests and other issues related to the law. No one should be arrested without investigation. It is also against the fundamental rights of the people,” he said.

The minister said accountability should take place but it wouldn’t prudent if the people of good reputation were detained on mere charges and tomorrow nothing was proved against them.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: PPP Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari finally broke his silence on Monday over the recent arrests of fellow party members and accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of “repeating the politics of the 1990s”.

In a hard-hitting statement issued from London and released by the PPP’s Media Office here, Mr Zardari alleged that the steps being taken by the government “clearly indicated” that the rulers were “dividing” the nation in an attempt “to save their natural allies Taliban and the terrorists” and to “weaken” the war against terror.

Political observers believe that the recent arrest of his close friend Dr Asim Hussain forced Mr Zardari to issue such a harshly-worded statement.

The statement came two days after PPP leaders declared in Islamabad that the party had decided to end its policy of reconciliation and would no longer be supporting the PML-N government in any political crisis.

Declares end to reconciliation, warns of ‘disastrous consequences’

He said that first it was Qasim Zia, the former PPP Punjab president. Then, Senator Saifullah Bangash’s son was picked up from Lahore and now Dr Asim Hussain, who is also the chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commis­sion, had been arrested in Karachi. 

And immediately afterwards, he said, arrest warrants for former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and ex-commerce minister Mak­hdoom Amin Fahim, who was seriously ill, had also been issued.

Mr Zardari demanded that “politics of revenge” should be stopped immediately. Otherwise, he warned, there could be “disastrous consequences”. He also alleged that the actions being taken by the federal agencies in Sindh were in clear violation of the Constitution.

“If they want to conduct accountability fairly, they should first take action against the federal minister who gave a confessional statement before a magistrate that he was involved in money-laundering for the Sharif brothers. Only then will we know how clean PML-N supporters are,” he said, in an apparent reference to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Mr Dar has reportedly submitted an affidavit before the National Accou­ntability Bureau (NAB) in a corruption reference against the Sharif brothers.

The PPP co-chairman also alleged that bureaucrats in Sindh were being harassed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

“The chief secretary of Sindh is on bail. All this unmistakably presents a clear pattern of political harassment and revenge,” he said. Sindh had been immobilised under direct orders from the Prime Minister’s House, he claimed.

Mr Zardari had left Karachi on June 25, a few days after delivering a controversial speech against the armed forces, and his sudden departure had sparked speculation that he had fled the country in anticipation of law-enforcement action against him.

His sister Faryal Talpur and son Bilawal Bhutto also flew to the UAE around the same time. But after criticism that the family had left the party in a lurch, Bilawal was sent back to lead the party. Ms Talpur has also since returned, but Mr Zardari is now in London.

But in his latest statement, Mr Zardari has praised the country’s armed forces for their role in the ongoing war on terror.

The former president said that at a time when innocent citizens were being killed by enemy bombing on border villages, and when the Pakistan Army was fighting a war against terrorists, Nawaz Sharif was targeting PPP and other political opponents, instead of challenging the real enemy.

Mr Zardari said the PPP stood fully with the army in the ongoing war against terrorism.

The former president said that in Punjab a video had surfaced in which a provincial minister Rana Mushhood was seen receiving money on behalf of the Mian brothers, but he had not been arrested yet. 

 “It seems that Nawaz Sharif has not learnt any lessons from the past. We are not the ones who fled to Jeddah after seeking a pardon,” he said, in an apparent reference to the deal struck by the Sharifs with then-army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf in the year 2000.

“We accepted the results of the 2013 general elections for the sake of democracy, although those elections were the elections of the returning officers (ROs). The decisions recently announced by election tribunals have proved our point that the PML-N had outside help,” he said.

The PPP leader also called to make public Justice Najafi’s report on the Model Town incident. “Those who killed 14 people, including women, in the Model Town tragedy, weren’t they terrorists? Why are they not being arrested,” he asked.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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KARACHI: Legal proceedings remained suspended at the subordinate judiciary on the second consecutive working day as lawyers continued the boycott on Monday against the killing of a colleague of theirs.

The Sindh Bar Council had given a province-wide strike call for Saturday and Monday after the murder of Advocate Ameer Haider Shah, who was gunned down in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Aug 28. The Pakistan Bar Council had also announced a country-wide boycott for Monday.

The courts wore a deserted look and hundreds of cases fixed for Monday could not be taken up for hearing since the undertrial prisoners were not brought to the courts as the lawyers also locked the main entrances to the City Courts.

The legal work at district courts in Malir also remained suspended as the lawyers stayed away from courts.

The legal fraternity had also boycotted courts on Saturday and staged a sit-in outside the headquarters of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is monitoring the situation at the India-Pakistan border following the recent upsurge in violence along the disputed border and has urged restraint on the part of both governments.

Eleven civilians were reportedly killed (8 Pakistanis and 3 Indians) in the latest cross-border firing.

“We continue to monitor situation about the reports of recent escalation of violence along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan,” UN spokesman Stefane Djuarric said on Monday.

Know more: At least 11 killed as Indo-Pak border troops exchange fire

In an earlier statement, UN Chief called upon the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise maximum restraint and take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians.

Mr Ban again urged India and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Tension has mounted between the two countries after talks between the national security advisers of the two counties were called off after India refused to discuss Kashmir during the meeting.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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A FLOCK of vultures feed on an animal carcass in a Nagarparkar village.—Photo courtesy IUCN

KARACHI: A project to protect and conserve vulture population was launched on Monday in the Nagarparkar area of Tharparkar district at a ceremony held at the office of a non-governmental organisation.

The two NGOs collaborating in the project are the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Baanhn Beli.

According to an IUCN press release, speakers at the ceremony highlighted reasons for the disappearance of vulture — a large carnivore bird that is quite well known due to its scavenging nature.

“The principal reason for the rapid and alarming decline in the vulture population is the use of a pain-killer, diclofenac, normally administered to livestock, that also increases the recipient’s weight and milk producing capacity,” they said.

The drug, they said, had proved to be fatal for the internal organs of vultures, that scavenged on animal carcasses.

“A similar decline in vulture population has been seen in India, Nepal and several countries in Africa. In 2006, the Pakistan government had banned production and use of veterinary medicines containing diclofenac to save vulture population in this country but unauthorised human use of the drug continues, posing an abiding threat to this remarkable species,” said Nadeem Mirbahar representing the IUCN at the ceremony.

He informed the audience that the IUCN had set up its Asia regional steering committee on vultures in 2012 and the ministry of climate change also notified its national vulture recovery committee in the same year to ensure better IUCN-govt coordination for vulture conservation at the national level.

The adverse effects of the decline in vulture population had already been known, he said, adding that some of them were contamination of soil and water, infection in other animal species and human beings, increase in the number of feral dogs that fed on the dead animals and threaten human beings with infection.

Mr Mirbahar underlined the need for creating awareness of the bird’s importance that was usually looked down upon as an ugly, dirty and smelly creature.

Speaking on similar lines, Baanhn Beli president Dr Shankar Lal said that the bird had become a highly endangered species in Pakistan in recent years. Concerted efforts at the local, provincial, national and regional levels were required to prepare and implement an effective strategy for its protection and conservation, he stressed.

“Serving as a unique scavenger bird for 50 million years, the bird cleans the landscape from dead or rotting carcasses and is a vital link in the web of nature and ecosystems,” he observed.

According to him, the vulture population in Pakistan has steeply declined over the past two decades. Nagarparkar taluka is one of only two or three areas in the country where small colonies of vultures exist.

Over 200 residents of villages in Nagarparkar taluka participated in the launching ceremony, which was also attended by volunteer-leaders of Baanhn Beli and officials of the wildlife and forest departments as well as the local administration.

Those who spoke included Allah Rakhio Khoso, Faiz Mohammad Junejo, Mohammad Khan Marri, Shahnawaz Hingorjo, Ravi Shankar, Sikandar Ali, Suleman Khoso and Jahangir Chakki.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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KARACHI: Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch asserted on Monday that there would be “no question of turning back” from recent position of actions against terrorism and corruption.

In a TV talk show, Mr Baloch emerged as the first federal minister to endorse the recent moves by law-enforcement agencies against corruption hours after PPP Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari accused the PML-N government of targeting leaders of his party in the name of accountability.

“If anyone has a doubt that there would be any compromise on recent action against terrorism and corruption, so let me tell you that there is no question of turning back,” he said.

Also read: Nawaz Sharif has reverted to revenge politics of the 90s: Zardari

“Dr Asim [Hussain, former federal minister and chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission] was arrested on serious allegations that included terror funding. The security agencies have enough evidence against him and if they [PPP] want those charges to be made public it can also be done.”

He supported the Rangers action and said the paramilitary force had authority to move if it had enough evidence against anyone. However, he said the government must ensure that no-one should be victimised.

“If Mr Zardari wants to abandon his policy of reconciliation and trigger a war, the PML-N would welcome the move. But one should understand that there is no question of turning back because the actions of law-enforcement agencies enjoy ownership of Pakistan’s people who support every move to bring peace and eliminate corruption,” said the minister.

Earlier, Mr Baloch met Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and exchanged views with him on the overall law and order situation in Sindh, including Karachi.

No official statement was issued after the meeting, but it is reliably learnt that the chief minister informed the federal minister about his reservations on “overstepping” by federal agencies in the affairs of the provincial government.

According to sources, they exchanged views on the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain. The chief minister termed such actions of the agencies’ interference in the provincial affairs and provincial autonomy and said his government had extreme reservations and the federal government should take notice of the situation.

The sources said the federal minister assured the chief minister that he would convey provincial government’s complaints to the prime minister.

They exchanged views on the law and order situation in the province with specific reference to Karachi.

The two leaders had a detailed discussion on registration and repatriation of Afghan refugees in Sindh, especially in Karachi, and agreed that all institutions concerned would formulate a policy with consultation.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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What’s brown, decadently rich and utterly luxurious?

Enterprising marketing managers would like you to believe its Magnum Ice-cream. To put their point across they rolled out the 'brown' carpet this past weekend, splurged on their budgets and latched onto something else that is rich, luxurious, glamorous and could also be brown … fashion!

Five top-tier designers were roped in to create chocolate-inspired capsule lines for the brand's party by the sea this past weekend: Shehla Chatoor, Khadijah Shah of Elan, Maheen Karim, Nomi Ansari and Omer Farooq of Republic.

Two amongst fashion’s wackier progeny – Fahad Hussayn and Ali Xeeshan – were taken on-board to create thematic installations for the event. The chandeliers were lit, a glossy catwalk was set up and as the party began to roll, an illuminated floating sign declaring it to be ‘Magnum Party 15’.

Installations by Fahad Hussayn (left) and Ali Xeeshan — Publicity photos

It was indulgent, luxurious and emulated the brand philosophy that identifies with Magnum the world over. The premium ice-cream brand is well-known for dabbling with everything glamorous, from special lounges at Cannes to seasonal parties that have taken over Regent Street to celebrity brand ambassadors like Orlando Bloom and Kareena Kapoor, who are more than happy to strike poses while gorging happily on ice-cream bars.

Closer to home, the Magnum lounge at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week two years ago was a huge hit and who can forget 2012’s Magnum Chocolate Party with its old European décor, gilded masks, floating table girls and star-studded guest list? This year’s party attracted in a similar bevy of stars, starlets, pretty social butterflies and the requisite milieu of bloggers and journalists for don’t we all like to truss up in our (chocolate-colored) designer digs, forget the humdrum realities of life and find happiness in taking pictures, promptly posting them on social media and scoring a decent number of ‘likes’.

On the 'brown carpet': Anoushey Ashraf and Mohsin Ali, HSY and Ali Xeeshan — Publicity photos

Frieha Altaf and Tapu Javeri — Publicity photos

Abbas Jafri and Nadia Hussain — Publicity photos

The wheels of social media are turning at full-speed in Pakistan and they adroitly raised hype and hoopla for Magnum this weekend. From brown carpet images to videos of the fashion show itself, it all quickly filtered online, showing the world that chocolate ice-cream on a stick could be pretty glamorous. With HUM Network playing media partner, the show is also set to subsequently air on TV.

On the 'brown carpet': Momal Sheikh, Amin Gulgee and Zeba Bakhtiar — Publicity photos

Huma Amir Shah, Sana Askari, Sarwat Gillani and Fahad Mirza — Publicity photos

But does this high fashion veneer actually boil down to sales in the somewhat staid, fluctuating Pakistani economy?

Will these images of slinky, glittering gowns be entrancing enough to lure the college student, the harried working mother or the office-bound employee to buy an ice-cream which is slightly pricier than its counterparts?

Statistics show that Magnum’s glamorous image has helped augment its sales internationally and the same result is hoped to be achieved in Pakistan, confirms Azka Waqar, Brand Manager at Magnum Pakistan. “One of our favorite taglines at Magnum is that ‘A day without pleasure is a day lost’ and an extravaganza like this is about enjoyment, living in the moment and high-flying fashion. Our guest-list, aside from the city’s who’s who, includes our regular Magnum clientele and we will be reaching out to a bigger audience through TV and social media coverage. It helps create a greater awareness of the ice-cream as a premium brand.”

And it is tried and tested that any brand wanting to associate with luxury usually manages to do so by leaping onto the fashion bandwagon. The designs showcased at the Magnum party ran the gamut from wacky to sophisticated and allowed designers to delve into their creative sides. The one exception was Republic by Omer Farooq which stood out as the only menswear line but otherwise, presented a line of conventional menswear which lacked the drama required for a show like this.

Republic by Omer Farooq's menswear collection lacked drama — Publicity photo

The womenswear, though, was on a roll:

Khadijah Shah played with structure, multiple tiers of chocolate-colored ruffles, long trains and a Magnum bar print.

Maheen Karim stuck to her signature flair for draping, off-shoulder evening wear and a cocktail gown cut with the finesse that is rare amongst local designers.

Nomi Ansari’s capsule line was a delectable effigy to Belgian chocolate, dripping down towards a hemline, shaded into scallops on a short skirt or tapering the length of an ombre ball-gown.

Shehla Chatoor, meanwhile, took Zara Peerzada and actress Sohai Ali Abro as her showstoppers and dabbled with embellished Magnums on a gown, gold rivets on a chocolate-colored leather skirt and fabulously quirky clutches emblazoned with shiny Magnum bar shapes.

It was the kind of extravagant, fun fashion that has been long missing in the recent spate of fashion weeks.

The designers created the collections pro bono for as Khadijah Shah explained, the publicity and hype generated by an event like the Magnum party is well worth the effort and expenditure.

Contesting the fashion was an unconventional chocolate feast with ‘YUMbyAMNA’ molding chocolate into high heels, clutches and corsets and a wall dripping chocolate. Nabila’s N-Pro played stylist, Frieha Altaf’s Catwalk produced the show and worked alongside RAKA on the décor and all the tiny quirks and myriad details came together to raise the bar of what an event should be like. Humdrum ‘red carpet and fashion presentations’ with high-teas are no longer exciting. Even Magnum’s ‘party’ wasn’t really as much a party as a fashion show but it was exciting fashion, presented in a unique way and that’s how it was different.

YUMbyAMNA — Publicity photo

In fact, while staging a marketing ruse, Magnum also managed to do a favor to local fashion, shaking it out of the ennui of retail-friendly drab silhouettes and hackneyed digital prints and allowing it to go a bit wild, get a tad experimental, think beyond merely retail to create statements. Let’s hope the creativity persists in the upcoming round of fashion weeks.

Maliha Rehman is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with a penchant for writing, all the time! Log on to Twitter for more updates @maliharehman

LAHORE: A gang posing as a team of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA), including a woman impersonating PFA director Ayesha Mumtaz, was caught red handed by Nishter Town police on Monday while it was swindling eateries in the area.

Police said they had received complaints from the owners of various eateries that a four-member team, led by a woman, claiming to be PFA director Ayesha Mumtaz, was raiding their food outlets and blackmailing them. They also reported that the team used to flee after getting handsome amount of cash from them.

Police, led by Nishter Colony SHO Asif Zulfiqar, caught the swindlers red handed when they were ‘raiding’ and swindling the eateries.

All the four members of the gang, including the ringleader, Naheed Akhtar, were arrested. The other three members of the gang were identified as Ejaz, Naeem and Jameel. Police also recovered PFA cards, video cameras, Rs7,500 and a van from them and registered a case.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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A collection of reports from the Dawn newspaper archives provide a day by day account of the India-Pakistan 1965 war.

August 31: Hundreds killed

September 1-3: Enter Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force

ISLAMABAD: Following former president Asif Zardari’s incendiary statement on Monday, Information Minister Pervez Rashid extended an olive branch in an attempt to calm tensions between the ruling party and the PPP, but promised no let-up in the ongoing law enforcement action against key party leaders and Sindh government officials.

Mr Rashid, who usually plays the part of a provocateur in his press conferences, said that the PML-N government had nothing to do with the current Rangers, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) action against PPP leaders in Sindh.

Mr Rashid also gave the impression that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not aware of Dr Asim Hussain’s arrest. “The PM ordered an inquiry into Dr Asim’s arrest two days ago.”

This was in contrast to remarks made earlier in the day by Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar. In a press conference held to announce the modalities of the new law for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, she said: “Everyone knows who was behind the corruption in PMDC”, a thinly-veiled reference to Dr Asim Hussain.

Rashid tries to defuse tensions with PPP, says party leaders will be exonerated if found innocent

The information minister said that Mr Zardari had either been given inaccurate information or he had misunderstood that the action against the PPP leaders was being carried out at the PML-N’s behest. “Nawaz Sharif and former PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto buried the ‘politics of revenge’ when they signed the Charter of Democracy in May 2006,” he said.

Mr Rashid said that since 1999, the PML-N had not instituted any cases against politicians and the cases against PPP leaders were registered before their time in power.

However, the minister stopped short of assuring the annoyed PPP leadership of any relief from the law enforcement action, saying only that “if the leaders facing investigation are not involved in any crime, they will be exonerated”.

In reply to a question, he said that the PPP co-chairman was a seasoned politician and the government should listen to him patiently. “Governments should give due weightage to the opposition’s voice. We exhibited the same spirit during the sit-in staged last year, when abusive language was used against ruling party leaders,” he said.

To a query about the PTI’s demand for removing four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Mr Rashid said that if they were sent home, the whole ECP would stand dissolved and the forthcoming local government elections and by-elections would not be possible.

“In fact, the PTI wants to escape the by-elections, which is why it is demanding the removal of commission members,” he said.

Talking about the ongoing negotiations between the government and the MQM, aimed at bringing the latter back to parliament, the minister said: “There is no delay in the talks and there will be good news soon.”

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2015

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QUETTA: Security agencies and police have arrested two high-profile 'target killers' involved in the murder of two journalists and an accountant in Quetta along with other terrorist activities.

Security sources say the accused belonged to a banned militant outfit.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Safaraz Bugti during a press conference at the Home Ministry on Tuesday said security agencies had arrested the murderers of slain journalists Irshad Mastoi and Abdul Rasool, and accountant Muhammad Younas.

Home Secretary Balochistan Akbar Hussain Durrani was also present on the occasion.

Bugti said armed men had stormed inside the office of news agency Online and killed Bureau Chief Irshad Mastoi, reporter Abdul Rasool and part-time worker Muhammad Younas on August 28, 2014.

Also read: Journalists – the forgotten terror victims

He said that the arrested target killers had confessed to the killing of journalists in Quetta. "The target killers are being interrogated," he added.

The Home Minister said the accused arrested by security agencies were also involved in 30 bomb explosions and a series of targeted killings in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

The arrested men also confessed to have killed Balochistan National Party (Mengal) Central Secretary General Habib Jalib Baloch.

The Home Minister revealed that the arrested 'target killers' were also planning to target Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Hafiz Hamdullah and Vice Chairman for Baloch Missing Persons Mama Qadeer.

"A major conspiracy has been foiled," he said, referring to the high profile target killers' arrests.

Also read: Two journalists shot dead in Quetta

Suspected militants killed in Gwadar

Three suspected militants were killed and one arrested during an exchange of fire with security forces in Balochistan's Gwadar district early on Tuesday morning.

Master Majeed, Siobhan and Jamal were killed, while Asghar Ali was arrested during an operation in the Kalaunch area of Pasni tehsil, Levis sources told DawnNews.

Levies sources told DawnNews that the operations were conducted at two locations. It is yet to be confirmed whether the militants were involved in the attack at Jiwani Airport, Levies sources said.

PESHAWAR: At least six people, including a Khasadar Levy man, were killed and 56 others were injured in a suicide attack in Khyber Agency's Jamrud area on Tuesday.

The casualties were shifted to Peshawar's Hayatabad Medical Complex. Security sources say six of those injured were in critical condition.

Political Agent (PA) Shahab Ali Shah told DawnNews that the suicide bomber was aiming to enter his office but the plot was foiled because of the strict security measures in place at the complex. Therefore, the bomber could not enter the premises and blew himself up at the entrance gate, Shah said.

The PA said six people, including a Khasadar Levy man were killed in the blast, while 56 other people were injured. At least 16 Khasadar Levy personnel were among the injured.

Khyber Agency is one of Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous regions governed by tribal laws and lies near the Afghan border. The Taliban and other Al Qaeda-linked groups who stage attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan are also known to have strongholds in the zone.

Pakistan has been suffering from frequent bomb and suicide attacks blamed on extremist militant groups and the country's troops have for years been fighting homegrown armed groups in the tribal belt.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to journalists.

Read more: Suicide bomber kills himself during raid; wife and sons also die

Mawra Hocane is back in news -- only this time the news is about her upcoming Bollywood debut and not about Shaan Shahid, Phantom or other aspects of the recent social media war she was embroiled in!

The Bollywood film the actress has been busily shooting finally has a name, and it's tentatively titled Sanam Teri Kasam reported The Indian Express.

Dubbed a 'love story' by Mawra, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and is directed by duo Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, known for their film Lucky, No Time For Love which had Salman Khan in the lead.

The much talked about shot of Mawra from a photo shoot with Paul Aiken Photography

Talking to Dawn.com, Mawra said she can't reveal too much about the film's production, but that something special is in store: "It's too early to speak about it," she exclaimed. "I just want everyone to be patient for good things take time."

Although director Vinay Sapru also chose to remain silent on most of the film's details he confirmed to Indian Express that the film's production was proceeding as planned. "But everything is in a state of flux," he added. "It’s too early to talk about Sanam Teri Kasam.”

In an earlier interview to Dawn, Mawra had said that she aims to explore B-Town: "Now that I have entered Bollywood, I have to explore new horizons as an actor. Our people always take time to adjust whenever something new is done and that’s exactly what happened with my shoot. I'm absolutely fine with the general public reaction, however, I'm very thankful to my fans for such a huge positive response."

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted protective bail to PPP leader and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for seven days in nine cases registered against him in the Trade Development Authority (TDAP) scandal.

A single bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi granted protective bail to Gilani for seven days in nine cases and directed him to furnish surety bonds of Rs100,000 in each cases.

Earlier, the former prime minister appeared at IHC, accompanied by lawyers and supporters, to seek pre-arrest bail in eight cases. Upon finding out that another case has been registered against him, Gilani sought protective bail in nine cases.

Gilani's counsel Malik Javed Iqbal Wayne submitted petitions in the IHC to grant the PPP stalwart ‘protective bail’ in the cases pending against him, a move which will prevent FIA from arresting him till he appears in the anti-corruption court in Karachi.

The court accepted his petitions for hearing and the single member bench of IHC granted protective bail for seven days to Gilani.

Speaking to media after the acceptance of his bail plea, Gilani said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) can not take any action without consent of the government, implying government's role in the action taken against him.

An anti-corruption court on August 28 had issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Yousuf Raza Gilani and his fellow PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

The order against the former prime minister and the senior PPP leader was issued after FIA presented a challan (charge sheet) with cases — relating to multi-billion rupee scandal in the Trade Development Authority (TDAP) — registered against the two before the court.

Gilani had announced that he will appear before the anti-corruption court on August 31 and the government need not arrest him but he failed to appear before the court citing the murder of a former secretary general of the Karachi District Bar Association.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Gilani said he had consulted his counsel, Farooq H Naek, over the issue who suggested that he (Gilani) should not appear before the court as the lawyers had announced boycotting the courts’ proceedings in protest against the killing.

Cases against the two PPP leaders, some former and serving senior officials of the TDAP and others were registered by FIA for their alleged involvement in approving and disbursing fraudulent trade subsidies of billions of rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and backdated cheques.