PESHAWAR: Save Chitral Movement, an association of various political and civil society organisations, has blamed timber mafia for the recent flash floods and soil erosion in the district and demanded probe into the matter to award exemplary punishment to the people responsible for the destruction.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, former MNA Abdul Akbar Chitrali said that some influential people were involved in ruthless cutting of forests in Drosh tehsil and Arandu sub-tehsil. He said that the subsequent denudation in most of the areas caused the devastating floods, washing away people, livestock and land properties.

Flanked by representatives of various organisations and localities, the former lawmaker suggested that the government should specify a particular area where the farmers could graze their animals to avoid forest cutting for commercial purposes.

Expressing his shock over the delay in payment of compensation to the affected families, he said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had promised to pay Rs0.4 million for each destroyed house, but the provincial government was issuing cheques for Rs100,000 only, which had been creating doubts in the minds of the people.

Former MNA seeks probe into ruthless cutting of trees

He rejected the government’s announcement to waive the agriculture loans in the flood-hit district, saying that the beneficiaries were only the rich and influential people while the common people had got nothing. He alleged that an influential group in the district had links with the banks and it was in the habit of getting their loans written off every year. “We want an inquiry into the loans case so that the actual affected people could get the advantage,” he proposed.

The government, he said, should compensate the people who had lost fruit orchards, shops, houses and their vehicles in the recent floods as they had no other source of income and many of them were displaced and living in temporary camps.

Mr Chitrali pointed out that about 80 per cent of the district was affected by the floods and the students were unable to pay their admission and tuition fee. He said that the government should ensure free of cost education to the students for four years so that they could continue their studies.

He said that the government should establish a separate residential colony for the displaced people in Qaqlasht grazing field farm. He also demanded supply of clean drinking water in the affected localities. The former lawmaker urged the government to ensure speedy work for restoration of communication system by rebuilding the bridges and roads.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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http://www.dawn.com/news/1204521/chimera-of-terror-financing

QUETTA: Polio virus was confirmed in a five-year-old girl in Quetta on Wednesday, bringing the total number of such cases found in Balochistan this year to five.

Officials of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Balochistan identified the new patient as Gul Afshan.

An EOC spokesperson said the girl’s parents refused to get her vaccinated on religious grounds, adding the chronic refusal case had not been recorded in the tally sheet prepared by the polio teams.

The EOC Balochistan has taken serious notice of the fact that the refusal case had not been reported and launched an investigation into the matter.

“The EOC is closely monitoring the situation and will take every step possible to improve the quality of the campaign,” the spokesperson said.

A senior official said the anti-polio drive had not been launched in Quetta since April. He added that the number of missed children was high and this made the children of the provincial capital vulnerable to the crippling disease.

This is the third case from Quetta and the fifth reported from the province since the beginning of 2015. With this the total number of polio cases reported so far in Pakistan this year has reached 30.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Three members of a four-man commission on border crossing submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday a separate report stating that the customs department had collected Rs7 billion in duty and taxes at the Torkham post between 2013 and July 2015.

The report is independent of the details furnished on Tuesday by Additional Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Omer Farouk Adam, a member of the commission, which claimed that the national exchequer was being deprived of Rs5bn to Rs6bn a month due to undocumented economy at the Torkham border, Bara and the hawala/hundi market.

Also read-Editorial: Undocumented cross-border trade

But the new report, submitted on behalf of Additional Attorney General Mohammad Waqar Rana, FIA Director Jaffar Shah and chief (international customs) of FBR Dr Mohammad Zubair Yousfani, claimed that the amount collected as duty and taxes stood at Rs2.7bn in 2013-14, Rs3.5bn in 2014-15 and Rs870.5 million till July 2015.

Customs officials posted at the Torkham border seized contraband/offending goods worth millions of rupees, recovering Rs20.84m in 2013-14 and Rs24.96m in 2014-15. The narcotics seized from commercial cargo included 5.5kg of heroin and 26kg of Charas.

According to the report, the commission was informed that the federal government has started a project called “Integrated Transit Trade Management System” with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank to facilitate cross-border trade and combat illicit trade.

In January last year, it said, the prime minister had constituted a steering committee headed by the finance minister and comprising six relevant federal ministers/secretaries to look into the project. The committee has so far held five meetings and a feasibility report for the $320m project has been approved by Central Development Working Party. It will be presented before the Executive Committee of National Economic Council on Friday. Due diligence, environmental and socio-economic analysis, technical evaluation and project appraisal had been completed, the report said.

The project is primarily aimed at improving infrastructure and installation of state-of-the-art security equipment (scanners, weighbridges, CCTV cameras, etc) to strengthen customs’ control over three major border crossing points for trade –Wagha, Torkham and Chaman – to ensure security of supply chain.

At present immigration functions are being performed by the political administration, with Khyber Agency’s Tehsildar acting as chief immigration officer. “No record is being maintained of the travellers crossing the international border, except for those who travel with valid documents and wish to get their passports stamped,” the report said.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that only government officers, employees of the NGOs, big businessmen and people who want to travel onwards to other foreign destinations from Pakistan cross border with valid documents. About 600 to 700 such passengers travel on a daily basis.

Since no record of the passengers travelling without valid documents is kept, their numbers are based on estimates. It has been observed that most of the pedestrian traffic (around 99 per cent) cross border without any documentation.

Under the Torkham Interim Development Initiative led by the HQ 11 Corps, NLC and Fata Secretariat, officials of Nadra and FIA have been deployed at Torkham for registration and clearance of pedestrian traffic with valid travel documents.

“Since the status of the FIA Act is yet unclear and the SOP for treating Afghan nationals who do not possess valid travel documents is yet to be put in place, the agency is not keeping the record of persons entering Pakistan through Torkham,” the report said.

About 15,000 people cross the Torkham border every day for various reasons, including business, social obligations, medical treatment, cultural events, marriages, etc, in terms of easement rights provided under the 1893 agreement between tribes and the British government.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Doctors and paramedic staff of five government-run hospitals in the federal capital have announced a two-hour strike daily from today (Thursday) to press their demand for unfreezing of their health risk allowance.

Dr Sartaj Ali Khan, Chairman of their Joint Action Committee (JAC), told reporters at Polyclinic on Wednesday that they also plan a rally and a sit-in outside the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Finance because they had been protesting for over a month but nobody listened to their grievance.

“From Thursday, out patient departments of all five hospitals will remain closed from 11am to 1pm, though the emergency and intensive care units will remain open,” he said. “On September 8 we will go to the PM Office and the Ministry of Finance to record our protest.”

Member JAC Dr Sharif Astori said that the medical staff did not wish to resort to strike but the denial of the risk health allowance had created severe financial problems for them.

“The government should consider the problem of the staff and unfreeze their rightful allowance, which involves an additional amount of only Rs30 million. But the government is taking our misery lightly,” he said.

“We don’t wish to go on strike and street protests but disdainful officials have left us with no other option,” he added.

Dr Sartaj recalled to Dawn that Additional Secretary Finance Naseem Khokhar had sought one week to address the issue when the JAC members met him on August 20.

“When we met again on August 26, Mr Khokhar requested two more days and on the 28th he told us that he had forwarded a summary to the finance secretary and the next time we should contact the secretary. But Secretary finance Dr Waqar Masood refused to meet us,” he said.

That made the JAC team seek out Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. “He was present in his office, but had no time for us. His staff promised to call us later but never did.”

Since Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed had told it during a meeting on August 21 that he had written a letter to the Secretary Finance, the Joint Action Committee team again turned to him.

“Although Mr Aftab called and suggested to the secretary finance to solve our problem, it seems the officialdom is not bothered by our right to the allowance nor our misery,” said Dr Sartaj.

“This leaves us no option but to observe strike in the hospitals and agitate in the streets,” he said.

They blocked the road in front of the Polyclinic on August 6 and staged a protest rally outside the National Press Club on July 11 to register their anger.

The health risk allowance was approved by the last PPP government in 2011 in the wake of a 35-day continuous protest by the medical staff outside the Parliament building.

According to the agreement reached then the health risk allowance was to be increased every year equal to the increase in the basic salary. But the current year’s federal budget froze the allowance.

Since the announcement of the budget in June, the affected health workers of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), Polyclinic, Capital Hospital, Federal General Hospital and National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, have been protesting and demanding the unfreezing of health risk allowance.

The health care allowance is given to the healthcare personnel who are exposed to different types of blood-borne and radiation-related diseases, for example Hepatitis B and C, Cancer, Needle or Sharp instrument stick injuries, Tuberculosis etc, while providing care to infectious patients.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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http://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141062/pakistans-bahadur-heroes

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court was told on Wednesday that Naheed Khan, political secretary of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, had asked the slain prime minister to wave hands to a charged crowd after a rally at Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007.

Testifying in the Benazir murder case, Javed Rehman, a driver of Zardari House, claimed that Ms Khan had asked Ms Bhutto’s servant Razzaq Mirani to open the escape hatch of the vehicle and encouraged her to wave hands to PPP workers and supporters.

The driver, who is currently serving at Zardari House in Islamabad, claimed that Ms Khan herself tried to open the escape hatch but failed and then asked Mirani to do that.

Take a look: The Benazir murder mystery

He stated before the court that former interior minister Rehman Malik was in one of the four back-up vehicles which had left Liaquat Bagh before the departure of Benazir Bhutto.

During the cross-examination, Javed Rehman said his brother Khizer Hayat was driving the vehicle in which Mr Malik was travelling. He said about 20 minutes after the attack on Ms Bhutto, his brother called him and said Mr Malik was asking why he (Javed Rehman) did not reach the Zardari House. The witness said he told his brother that Ms Bhutto had been injured in the attack and he was near Chandni Chowk.

He said when Ms Bhutto was injured, Naheed Khan asked him to rush to hospital.

Judge Rai Ayub Marth adjourned the proceedings to Sept 14.

Reacting to the witness’s statement, Naheed Khan said she neither advised Ms Bhutto to wave hands nor asked anyone to open the escape hatch.

Ms Khan said she could not understand why such things were being presented before the court after about eight years of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

“The revelations have been made by a witness who is still a personal servant of Mr Asif Ali Zardari. I will surely respond after examining his statement,” she said.

Expressing doubt over the investigation and prosecution, Ms Khan said it was an exceptional case because the prosecution did not record statements of those who were sitting in the vehicle with Benazir Bhutto.

She said besides her, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and her spouse Safdar Abbasi were also travelling in the vehicle, but investigators never approached them to record their statements.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Air show rehearsals for Defence Day celebrations were under way at Islamabad's Fatima Jinnah Park.

The Pakistani Air Force rehearsed with JF-17 Thunders multi-role fighters, F-16 Falcon fighters and K-8 Advanced Jet Trainers, along with helicopters.

Defence Day is celebrated to commemorate the sacrifices fallen heroes of the 1965 war. It is observed on September 6 in memory of the sacrifices rendered by the Pakistani armed forces.

— Photos by AFP and Muhammad Usman

A F-16 fighter drops flares during rehearsals to mark Pakistan Defence Day. -AFP

Pakistani special forces during rehearsals for Defence Day. -AFP

K-8 Advanced Jet Trainers practicing aerobatics with smoke dispensers turned on. -APP

K-8 Advanced Jet Trainers practicing aerobatics with smoke dispensers turned on. -APP

Also read: Defence Day: After N Waziristan, army chief heads to Bannu

ISLAMABAD: The expansion of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Lahore, came under the microscope on Wednesday when the Supreme Court decided to examine how a commercial enterprise could be vested with excessive powers to extend its peripheries, of its own accord.

“It does not augur well for the good name of honourable members of an institution who have shed their blood to secure the country’s borders,” regretted Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja.

“A few individuals are exploiting the situation in utter disregard of the Constitution, law and morality by [using] the name of martyrs, widows and orphans,” Justice Dost Muhammad Khan lamented.

Also read: ‘Is the DHA accountable to the government’

The case at hand involves the possession of 156 kanals of land, which DHA Lahore has dubbed ‘Phase 7’, despite the fact that the individual from whom it purportedly purchased the land for Rs920 million did not own it. In fact, the court was told that the title belonged to one Nusrat Jehan Khatoon.

In addition, the ownership of this piece of land was already under dispute and a civil court had issued a status quo on April 2, 2004. But DHA, Lahore, not only acquired the land in 2006, even though the title was not in its name, but also issued notifications under relevant laws, announcing that the land had been acquired by the authority.

Senior counsel Shahid Hamid, representing Eden Gardens, Lahore, revealed that the Lahore Cantonment Cooperative Housing Society had transformed itself into DHA, Lahore, in 1999 after the promulgation of the DHA Ordinance by the Punjab government in 1999.

Thereafter, in 2002, then chief executive Gen Pervez Musharraf issued Chief Executive Order No 26. Soon after the promulgation of the law, DHA initiated similar housing projects in different cities such as Bahawalpur, Multan and Gujranwala.

These provincial laws, the counsel argued, were in direct conflict with similar laws at the federal level, especially when the Lahore corps commander or general officer commanding were appointed as heads of the provincial commercial entity in question.

The counsel also submitted newspaper advertisements showing that DHA even allotted plots among buyers without disclosing that the title of the land had not been transferred in its name.

The Punjab prosecutor general informed the court that a criminal investigation in this regard had been initiated by the Federal Investigation Agency this year. Investigation Officer Mumtaz Hussain had even sent a 10-part questionnaire to DHA, but the authority refused to reply, claiming immunity as a military establishment.

On the face of it, both legal instruments suffered from serious legal and constitutional issues as to the vires of these laws, the court noted. A number of questions arose, including the vesting of excessive powers to expand in a body that appeared to be a commercial enterprise.

The court recalled that the Punjab government had also opposed DHA’s expansionist designs when a summary to this effect was sent to the Punjab chief minister on Feb 4, 2011. Consequently, Punjab Advocate General Navid Rasul Mirza was asked to state the province’s position, for which the counsel said he needed time.

DHA Lahore’s counsel Asim Hafeez explained that the areas in question could not be declared as DHA-developed land since it had not yet been acquired or leased by the authority.

The court, however, ordered the authority to take out advertisements in leading newspapers, explaining to intending buyers that the land in question had not been acquired by the authority and they should purchase the land at their own risk.

The court also took exception to DHA’s claims of immunity from an audit of their accounts under Article 170 of the Constitution, as a result of which, their accounts had never been audited.

The court observed that after the 18th Amendment it had now become the responsibility of the auditor general of Pakistan to audit the accounts of all institutions.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan has assured the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf that technical mistakes made during the 2013 polls will not be repeated in the next general elections.

The assurance was given to a PTI delegation, headed by Chairman Imran Khan, which had called on the CEC here on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Imran Khan said he had raised the issue of what he called unsatisfactory response by the Election Commission to his letter seeking explanation over the findings of the poll inquiry commission.

Also read: Incomplete ECP can’t hold elections: minister

He said he was delighted to know that the ECP had started work on all the findings of the poll commission. He quoted the CEC as saying that the findings of the inquiry commission were being looked into to address all shortcomings identified by it.

The PTI chief said he had also conveyed to the CEC his party’s position on termination of contracts of election tribunals because most of the cases pending for about two years were in final stages.

He alleged that the decision to remove judges like Kazim Ali Malik had been taken under the PML-N pressure. He said two ministers had threatened Kazim Ali and tried to tarnish his image after he ordered the deseating of former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on his petition.

According to the PTI chief, the CEC said the demand for reinstating election tribunals till disposition of all pending cases would be considered.

He accused the Punjab police of working for the PML-N and demanded deployment of army troops in and outside the polling stations during the coming by-elections in Lahore and Lodhran.

He said he had also raised the issue of release of development funds ahead of the local government elections in Punjab and the CEC assured him that the ECP would not allow use of such funds to influence elections.

Mr Khan replied in the negative when asked if the PTI would boycott the by-polls if there was no change in the ECP set-up and said he was not the one who would flee the arena.

But, he said, there was no justification for the ECP members, who he alleged had rigged the 2013 polls, to conduct future elections. All the commission’s members had been appointed by the government and the opposition under a “flawed procedure” introduced through the 18th Amendment, he alleged.

Specifically targeting the ECP member from Punjab, retired Justice Riaz Kiani, the PTI chief said the judge had no moral ground to continue to hold the office and hide behind the constitution.

About the CEC’s response to the issue, he said Justice Raza Khan talked about the constitutional position of the members while he (Imran Khan) stressed the need for meeting the demand of justice.

The PTI chief announced that a “historic public rally” would be held in Islamabad on Friday to press the demand for resignation of all four ECP members.

He said the PTI was now a party different from what it was and had the street power and volunteers which no other party could match. He said the polling agents and volunteers were being trained.

Answering a question, he said strict action would be taken against those who had violated party discipline during the recent local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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KARACHI: Police on Wednesday said they were examining handwritten letters of and drawings by the two teenage classmates who were found shot dead on Tuesday morning in a private school in Patel Para in Soldier Bazaar. They said they were treating it as a suicide case.

Sixteen-year-old Nauroz Hamidi killed his classmate Saba Fatima Bashir, 15, before shooting himself dead with the licensed pistol of her father on Tuesday morning, as the two had decided to end their lives after finding that their families were unhappy about their friendship.

Know more: Two teenage classmates found shot dead in school

“The teenage classmates apparently took this extreme action as they feared that they would not be allowed to marry outside their sect or caste,” said Jamshed SP Akhtar Farooq.

The boy belonged to the Ismaili community, added the officer.

‘Fear of not being allowed to marry outside their sect or caste caused teenagers to kill themselves’

The SP said the investigators found more handwritten letters and drawings in the bag of the boy, which indicated their extreme love for each other.

These letters also indicate that they had been planning this act for a long time. One of the drawings, prepared by the boy, shows their funeral prayers. The boy intended to commit suicide by taking some toxic chemicals, one of the letters shows. Another letter shows that they started liking each other just last year.

The officer said investigation showed that the girl brought the licensed pistol of her father in her bag and she later handed it over to him.

It emerged during the initial probe that the boy and the girl were introvert and tended to avoid mixing with other classmates. Besides, they had no interest in sports. The boy was not good in studies.

However, the SP said, as per the initial statement of their families the teenage classmates did not exhibit any unusual attitude. The girl’s family stated that on Tuesday night, Saba refused to eat dinner at home and insisted on having a burger.

Meanwhile, the school where the teenagers studied remained closed on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in an emergency press conference called early Thursday morning announced its decision to withdraw from talks with the government once again, alleging that the government was not serious about the dialogue process.

The party had simultaneously resigned from the National Assembly, Senate and the Sindh Assembly last month over what it said were “excesses” committed by security forces against its workers and members during the Rangers-led operation in Karachi.

Following the party’s resignation from the three legislative floors, the government was reluctant in accepting the resignations and tasked Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam –Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to hold talks with MQM in an attempt to persuade the party to withdraw its resignations.

But talks broke down abruptly almost immediately after they began when an assassination attempt was made in Karachi on MQM MNA Rashid Godil, whose driver was killed in the gun attack. The attack had happened as Maulana was holding talks with an MQM delegation at Nine Zero in Karachi.

Subsequently, after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit to Karachi, MQM had announced it would not continue dialogue on the matter of resignations anymore, saying it will instead focus on relief work and the “creation of a new province.”

But the government, through Maulana Fazl, was able to break through yet again, convincing MQM to come back to negotiations. In a joint press conference with federal minister Ishaq Dar and an MQM delegation led by Farooq Sattar, Fazl announced that a grievances redressal committee would be formed to address all of MQM’s reservations.

Addressing reporters on Thursday, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said the government’s nonseriousness had pushed the party to withdraw from the dialogue process, adding that “in the current scenario dialogue is useless.”

Take a look: MQM lawmakers tender resignations

He said the government had failed to constitute a grievances redressal committee to address concerns over the “forced disappearance of 150 party workers, extrajudicial murders of 45 activists and justice for thousands of workers who have been killed.”

Sattar said “baseless stories are being created to put MQM on a media trial,” adding that the party had been “politically victimised.”

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

He said that there was an unannounced ban on MQM and the party’s role had been eliminated from mainstream politics.

The MQM leader went on to say the party had approached all forums – including the judiciary and the federal government – with its reservations but to no avail.

“During the last 20 days since we tendered our resignations, the situation has been at a stand still,” he added.

Sattar said during dialogue with the government, MQM had raised three core issues: the ban on MQM’s political activities, relief activities and speeches of party chief Altaf Hussain.

Sattar was of the view that these issues were not up for discussion and had to be addressed by the federal government.

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

“All our political offices have been closed. Raids are being conducted on our programs and our role in politics has been halted. What would we do in the assemblies?”

He said the party had decided after lengthy internal deliberations to not pursue dialogue anymore, asserting that resignations from all three legislative floors were final.

Farooq Sattar demanded that the government accept the resignations of MQM’s legislators.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday announced the schedule for second phase of local government (LG) polls in Sindh and Punjab, to be held on Nov 19.

According to the notification by ECP, candidates will file nomination papers with the returning officers between Sept 13 and 17.

Returning officers will scrutinise the papers from Sept 26 to Oct 1 and the candidates may withdraw their nomination papers till Oct 13. The final list of the candidates will be published on Oct 14.

The districts of Sindh are: Khairpur which has 86 union councils (UCs), Sukkur 63 UCs, Ghotki 64 UCs, Larkana 67 UCs, Shikarpur 55 UCs, Qambar-Shahdadkot 52 UCs, Jacobabad 44 UCs and Kashmor-Kandkot 41 UCs.

The districts of Punjab are: Lodhran having 70 UCs, Vehari 105 UCs, Okara 140 UCs, Pakpattan 54 UCs, Bahawalnagar 135 UCs, Faisalabad 189 UCs, Bhakkar 64 UCs, Lahore 274 UCs, Kasur 125 UCs, Nankana Sahib 65 UCs, Gujrat 129 UCs and Chakwal 71 UCs.

District Returning Officers (DROs), Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) have already been appointed by ECP for this purpose, and they have been asked to fulfill their duties in accordance with the provision of law and rules and maintain neutrality and impartiality.

According to the notification by the ECP, severe action will be taken against those returning officers who fail to fulfill their responsibilities.

Furthermore, the commission has declined the requests of the provincial governments and provincial election commissioners (PECs) of Punjab and Sindh for the replacements of DROs, ROs and AROs, directing that the proposal for any changes — if required in the public interest — may be sent to the ECP for approval with full justification and compelling reasons.

A notification by the ECP regarding second phase of LG polls in Sindh — Courtesy: ECP website

A notification by the ECP regarding second phase of LG polls in Punjab— Courtesy: ECP website

Earlier on Aug 26, the ECP announced the schedule for the first phase of LG elections in Punjab and Sindh, the process of which will commence in September and will come to an end with polls scheduled for October 31.

Last month, the ECP filed a petition in the Supreme Court for a 30-day extension in the date for holding local government elections in Punjab and Sindh province.

Also read: Sindh proposes local polls in phases

The ECP had said that it would be difficult to print nomination papers as the Sindh government intends to change election rules.

MITHI: After hearing that the Thar desert received record rainfall, nearly 350 mm this year, many believed that the downpour will bring fortune for the desert's 1.6 million inhabitants — but the reality is otherwise.

The people of Thar, who prayed and waited for the rains with baited breath, did celebrate the first showers but their their celebrations could not last long and when the rains continued to lash the area forcing the Tharis to pray for the stoppage of rains.

The heavy downpour, according to the locals, washed away all the seeds of grass and herbs, which usually surface on the sand tracts after the first few days of downpour.

Even the seeds of traditional crops were washed away incurring huge losses to the farmers who had bought the seeds by taking loan.

Its a common practice that Tharis generate money for buying the seeds by mortgaging their gold and other valuables with the local traders in Mithi, Diplo, Nagerpaekar Islamkot, Dahli Chhachhro, Kaloi and other towns of the desert.

Related: Poverty forcing people to take their own lives in Thar

People living in the barrage areas, who came back with their livestock, hoped to get enough or at least sufficient fodder for their animals but they found nothing.

Mushkoor Falkaro, the historian, writer and environmentalist, who has recently written a book on Thar, "The Folk Wisdom of Thar and Science", while talking to Dawn.com said that "the phenomenon of the climate change in the recent years has totally changed the lives of the inhabitants of Thar".

"The current situation could pose an existentialist threat to the Tharis in the coming years, if corrective measures are not taken to stem the root cause."

Falkaro blamed the global climate change, the deforestation, the fast changing modes of the cultivation as reasons for the current deteriorating climate situation.

He maintained that apart from the devastating climate change and its impacts on the desert, the use of tractors in fields after the rains is hazardous as it damages the fertility of the soil.

"If the soil of desert is ploughed deeper, it becomes of no use," he added.

Falkaro urged the locals and government functionaries to make efforts to stem the the Devi trees, which according to him, are totally unfriendly to other trees which provide fodder to the animals and vegetables to the local people.

A local official of Pakistan Metrological Department, Danesh Meghwar, said Thar needs good spells of rain of around 80 to 100 millimetre with the intervals of 15 to 20 days from mid June to last week of August or first week of September.

He informed that now the chances of more rains are very dim and even if it rains it would be of no use, not for the cultivation of crops nor for the growth of fodder.

A local NGO is working in 75 remote villages to provide clean drinking water to Thairs. The NGO's programming manager, Theerath Kumar, said "despite torrential rains Thar was still bleeding".

Spreading to about 19,623,square km, Thar desert is home to about 1.6 million souls and 60 million cattle.

Malnourishment is high in the area, while health facilities and the number of doctors are insufficient.

So while the ever coming droughts is a major factor, the situation has been aggravated by the neglect of the desert region by successive governments for the last three decades or more.

It's been a spectacular year for Jami, as Moor continues to get rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

But Jami is not one for taking a break.

He has already started work on his fourth film, he revealed in a tweet.

Titled Hasht Roch, this film will be based on Lyari, and Jami's working with students from Karachi University on the project.

While cameras are yet to roll on this one, next year is time for Downward Dog's release. This is a film noir based in Karachi that stars Joshinder Chaggar, Sajid Hassan, Nayyer Ejaz and Ali Sheikh. In production since November 2012, the film was delayed when Jami stepped in to direct O21.

Downward Dog, in Jami's own words, is about "a writer gone greedy with a novel and all hell breaks loose."

Imran Khan seems to be fighting battles on every front these days — and his love life is no exception.

The PTI Chairman Imran Khan took to Twitter today to dismiss rumours that his ex-wife Jemima is running a smear campaign against his current wife, Reham Khan.

Earlier, The Daily Mail had run a story citing an anonymous source, who said that Jemima is behind the negative stories that have recently been appearing in the media, such as the story about Reham's suspect educational degrees.

"We know what Jemima is doing," claimed the source, allegedly a cousin. "We know that she is behind this smear campaign. She doesn't want Imran's marriage to succeed because she is jealous."

The source continued: "Jemima can't get her own man, that's why she doesn't want Imran's marriage to succeed."

Even though Imran and Jemima divorced in 2004 after being married for nine years, Jemima continued to tweet her support for his political career and reportedly supported Imran's early 2015 marriage to Reham.

A few weeks ago, Reham's ex-husband Ijaz Rehman had spoken to The Daily Mail and alleged that Reham had falsely claimed to have been a victim of domestic violence. He told the paper Reham had used him “like toilet paper to clean up her image.”

This was a few days after Imran Khan's announcement that Reham wouldn't attend PTI events in the future.

Also read: Reham won't attend PTI events in future, says Imran

He said he was "appalled & disgusted by attacks on Reham" after a PTI candidate faced defeat at the hands of PML-N leader Babar Nawaz in Haripur, and also stressed that if Reham had ever attended PTI events in the past, it was only at the insistence of PTI workers.

Whatever the case may be, there's no denying it — there have been an awful lot of rumours circulating about Reham... but we have our doubts about Jemima's role in the mudslinging!

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Co-ordination Council on Thursday banned the export of donkey hides in the country till all the four provincial governments devise ways to dispose of donkey meat in an appropriate manner.

The decision was taken during a ECC session presided over by Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar who approved the ban.

The ban was imposed keeping in view the sale of donkey meat in the garb of beef and mutton in different cities of the country.

The ECC asked the Ministry of Food Security to convey the decision to the provincial governments, and to ensure that a proper mechanism for disposal of donkey remains was enforced as soon as possible.

The ECC also directed the ministry of finance to release funds to the trading corporation for the import of 50, 000 metric tonnes of urea.

Import of electricity from Iran also came under discussion during the meeting and the ECC decided to continue the import.

Related Donkey, horse meat seized

Police have busted numerous butchers and gangs involved in selling donkey meat in the recent past.

Related Gang selling donkey meet as beef busted

Earlier in June, Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid (PML-Q) submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly against the sale of donkey meat and hides.

MPA Amir Sultan Cheema submitted the resolution which demanded strict action against those responsible for running this business. The bill also called for a ban against the export of donkey meat.

Pakistan has one of the largest donkey populations, which number around nine million and are mostly used for transportation or pulling carts.

KARACHI: A district and sessions court on Thursday disposed of an application filed by an Indian lawyer seeking information and custody of a deaf and dumb Indian woman – Geeta – who is stranded in Pakistan.

Geeta, now 21, was found by police 13 years ago, sitting alone and disorientated on a train that had come across the Wagah border into Lahore.

As no one claimed her, officers took Geeta to the Edhi Foundation, Pakistan's largest and best-known charity, in whose care she has remained ever since.

Momin Malik, an Indian lawyer and social worker, moved an application under Section 552 (power to compel restoration of abducted females) of the criminal procedure code and asked the court for the custody of the woman in order to hand her over to her parents in India.

He named Mr Edhi, the founder of Edhi Foundation, and others as respondents in the application.

After recording Geeta’s statement and hearing arguments from both sides, district and sessions judge Ahmed Saba observed that the applicant had no privilege to seek such remedy directly, adding that the proper way to go about the matter is to use diplomatic channels since the matter involved Pakistan and India.

Both countries are signatories of agreements that include matters such as the one in question, said the court, adding that it was the specific domain of the Indian high commission to move the ministry of foreign affairs to transmit the request through Sindh’s home department.

The court had also earlier summoned Edhi Foundation chairman Abdul Sattar Edhi and other representatives of the charity to record their statements.

Also read: Efforts on to bring Geeta home, says Indian minister.

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday responding to the Indian army chief's statements earlier this week, said that Pakistan is ready for a small scale or prolonged war if Indian leadership proceeded with the same, Radio Pakistan reported.

Asif said that Pakistan is a firm believer of peace in the region and world at large, but was fully prepared to respond 'befittingly' if provoked.

"Our forces crushed the Indian dreams of occupying Lahore back in 1965 and will do the same in future," the defence minister said.

He said that Pakistani forces have been fighting a war against terror on their own soil and are ready to deal with any external enemy, if the need arises.

Read: India is the only external threat, says military

Asif claimed that the country’s political leadership ─ including the prime minister ─ would not hesitate to offer any sacrifice for the defence of Pakistan if the two countries were to lock horns.

Indian Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh on Tuesday had said that India is prepared to face offensive military action on its borders should the need arise, and that any future conflict was expected to be short and swift.

Indian newspaper The Hindu had quoted him as referring to the ceasefire violations along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir, which have put relations between India and Pakistan under strain.

Also read: Indian army chief says military ready for short, swift war

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday acknowledged that confidence level between Islamabad and Kabul on security matters was at a historic low and urged the top Afghan leadership to stop its anti-Pakistan propaganda, a top official told Dawn.com.

The official at the Foreign Office said “National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz will deliver a clear message to Afghan leadership in this regard when he meets them on Friday.”

“Afghanistan has to stop anti-Pakistan remarks and carry out measures to build trust,” asserted the FO official, who requested not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Aziz, the official maintained, would also stress that “peace and stability in Afghanistan lies in intra-Afghan dialogue and therefore Kabul must sit in the second round of peace talks with Taliban and other groups”.

Moreover, the official rejected Afghan allegations accusing Pakistan of abetting the recent terror attacks in Kabul. He maintained that 80 per cent of the insurgency in Afghanistan originates from within.

The official admitted that the agreement on security and counter terrorism between the intelligence agencies of the two countries was now a dead document because it was not approved by the Afghan parliament.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Foreign Office in a statement confirmed that the adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, will visit Kabul on September 4 (tomorrow).

During his visit Aziz will lead the Pakistani delegation in the ministerial meeting of the sixth Regional Economic Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA-VI).

The FO spokesman said the premier’s adviser will also hold consultations with the Afghan leadership on important bilateral issues.

Tensions have flared in recent weeks, with Ghani accusing Islamabad of failing to act against extremists operating along the porous border.