KARACHI: Karachi, Pakistan's biggest and most diverse city, was once home to a famous nightclub scene where alcohol flowed freely and luminaries from the world of jazz played to packed crowds eager for a taste of Western culture.

Today, a new generation is seeking to revive the partying traditions of their parents and grandparents ─ albeit behind closed doors.

At a luxury hotel in the metropolis of 20 million ─ better known for bitter political acrimony, gang violence and bloody turf wars ─ it is after midnight and the private party has just started.

In a room decorated with chandeliers, several hundred guests are letting their hair down. The music is loud and the bar is busy.

A young female DJ, tanned and tattooed, is in control of the beats. Men dressed in suits and ties chain smoke as they listen to the electro-funk of Daft Punk, as women in slinky dresses strut across the dance floor.

In this photograph taken on August 21, 2015, an owner of private nightclub performs with other musicians in Karachi. —AFP

The partygoers are from a generation that tasted the freedom of a foreign university and overseas travel before returning home to Pakistan.

The party was not advertised ─ and from the street you would never know it was happening.

Before the creeping religious radicalisation from the late 1970s that fundamentally altered the country, Pakistan's nightlife was legendary.

The golden-era began in the 1950s and rolled on until prohibition in 1977, which was followed by a slew of policies that drastically altered society.

Alcohol flowed freely in downtown bars and American jazz musicians Dizzie Gillespie and Duke Ellington played to huge crowds.

Clubs such as Playboy, Excelsior, Oasis, Samar, Club 007 all competed to be the place to be seen by Karachi's hip young crowd.

"We used to have a good nightlife with bands, drinks and dancing but it's gone," recalls Imtiaz Moghal, the manager of the Metropole Hotel, once one of Karachi's hottest nightspots, but which now lies semi-derelict as it awaits renovation.

In this photograph taken on August 22, 2015, manager of the Metropole Hotel manager Imtiaz Moghal gestures from the roof of the now-closed hotel in Karachi. - AFP

"It is a haunted house," he said as he wandered through the crumbling remnants of the once-grand hotel. Gesturing at the carpark, he said: "That used to be a club and a disco. It hurts to think about it now."

Bhutto's overthrow

In Karachi's heyday, politicians, young people, belly dancers, foreign diplomats, the cabin crew of foreign airlines and musicians from touring Southeast Asian orchestras were all swept up together in the melee of the city's nightlife.

"The order of music was that you would warm up and then play some more popular songs, and (then) you played the louder music... towards the end of the evening you wind down because people had romantic intentions," recalls former bandmember Leon Menezes.

From 1970 to 1975, sporting long hair and oversized sunglasses, Menezes' band The In Crowd was one of Karachi's most popular.

The group played at the 1972 inauguration of president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, father of Pakistan's first female prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The elder Bhutto was a regular at many of Karachi's nightspots and was known to enjoy his whisky.

Menezes, now a teacher at a Karachi business school, recalled the day of the inauguration as an "incredible piece of history".

In this photograph taken on August 22, 2015, Pakistani management professor and former rock-band musician Leon Menezes speaks during an interview with AFP in Karachi.

"In the afternoon we were walking into his house to set up and there was Mr Bhutto... I was carrying an amplifier and a guitar in one hand. And I said, 'Good afternoon, sir'. And he said, 'Good afternoon'. I said, 'Sir, will there be dancing?' He said, 'I don't know but (if there is) please don't hide yourself'."

Five years later, Bhutto caved in to pressure from increasingly influential Islamists and banned alcohol, before being overthrown and ultimately hanged by the military government of Ziaul Haq.

"That completely changed the hotel industry in all of Pakistan," said Happy Minwalla, owner of Metropole Hotel. "Karachi was all about entertainment, about fun, about people doing things. Sadly the situation has changed."

Velvet underground

Prohibition was the death knell for the clubs, but it did not eradicate the thirst for a nightlife.

Today, most parties happen behind the closed doors and high walls of private homes. "Wine shops" sell alcohol to locals, while bootleggers deliver high-end liquor to the doors of the wealthy.

An airline pilot turns his home into a club twice a month for a select group of guests with Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and modern hits blaring out.

In this photograph taken on August 21, 2015, a bar-tender prepares drinks at a club in Karachi. - AFP

"This is a private place, we don't put (it) on any social media, Facebook, we don't advertise it at all. It is just between friends," he explains, as he pulls out his electric guitar to the delight of his guests.

"We do not have pubs (in Pakistan), and this place is the closest to it," said a woman, as she sways to the music in the early hours.

"We end the evening with friends on the beach. Will you come with us?"

Also read: Karachi re-imagined: How the City of Lights Festival brings civic pride back

─ Reported by Guillaume Lavallie

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA), on Thursday, finally decided to freeze the salaries of around 250 officers for not submitting their educational credentials for verification.

The CDA had begun the degree verification process in 2012 and after a three-year exercise, the authority finally decided not to pay salaries to those officers who had still not submitted their degrees after the final deadline passed.

“Today, upon expiry of final deadline, we have decided to freeze the salaries of around 250 officers who have failed to submit their degrees,” CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said.

He said that the CDA management had ordered that the monthly salary and allowances of all officers who failed to submit their documents.

In 2012, CDA initiated the process of officers’ degree verification and set a one-month deadline for their submission. But despite the passage of three years, this process had not be completed.

The officer said that authority issued a number of reminders to officers, but despite this, over 300 officers had yet to submit their degrees.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Most political parties on Thursday objected to the Election Commission’s plans to bar MNAs and MPAs from campaigning in the local government elections and opposed the appointment of government officers as election staff.

The representatives of almost all major parties, who had been invited by the ECP to a consultative meeting on the local bodies’ elections in Punjab and Sindh, also asked the commission to hold polling in Lahore and Lodhran in the third phase of the electoral process because of the by-elections in the two National Assembly constituencies on Oct 12.

Also read: ECP members not to resign; ready to face SJC proceedings

According to sources, the PPP and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) represetatives reiterated their demand for resignation of all four ECP members, but Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza told them that it was not the forum to raise such a demand and advised them to adopt a constitutional path for the purpose.

The sources said that when the representatives of political parties asked the ECP to appoint judges as returning officers, they were told that the Supreme Court had already turned down the commission’s request in this regard. The ECP advised them to collectively approach the Supreme Court for the purpose.

ECP plan to bar lawmakers from campaigning in LG polls criticised

Talking to Dawn after the meeting, PTI’s Ishaq Khakwani said his party had submitted written proposals to the ECP for holding the local bodies’ elections in Punjab and Sindh in a transparent manner. He termed the holding of consultations a “very late move” by the ECP, saying the exercise should have been carried out at the time of delimitations in the two provinces.

In reply to a question, Mr Khakwani said that almost all political parties, including the PTI, wanted the ECP to delay the local government elections in Lahore and Lodhran because overlapping of campaigns would create complications and problems for the ECP as well as the parties.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Afrasiab Khattak of the Awami National Party (ANP) asked why such consultative meetings had not been held at the time of local government elections in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He claimed that during the meeting every party, except the PTI, had complained about rigging in the LG polls in KP. Mr Khattak said the parties had asked the ECP to appoint returning officers either from the judiciary or civil society.

PPP’s Sherry Rehman regretted that the ECP did not have its own staff to conduct the elections and to oversee arrangements. She said the commission was holding the polls at a time when about 100 petitions challenging the delimitations were still pending in Sindh.

She said that MNAs and MPAs should be allowed to take part in campaigns and a ban should be imposed only on government officers.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad confirmed that the parties had objected to the appointment of government officers as ROs and made different proposals. He said some of the appointments had been made in Punjab after the announcement of election schedule and the ECP was looking into the matter.

He said no decision had been taken on using the biometric system in the LG elections. He said only one per cent additional ballot papers would be published for the upcoming polls.

The ECP secretary ruled out the possibility of delaying the local bodies’ elections because of Haj and Muharram. He said the commission would soon hold a meeting to consider the demands and proposals made by the parties.

Earlier, the CEC told the parties’ representatives that the ECP was working to bring democratic and political stability to the country. He assured them that the commission would take all possible measures to hold the upcoming local government elections in a free and fair manner in accordance with the constitution.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The father of a convict in the Bannu jailbreak case has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the sentence of a military court.

In a petition filed with the IHC, Shah Khan stated that the military court had convicted his son Tahir Khan without giving him a proper opportunity of defence.

On September 2, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had approved death sentences to ‘hardcore terrorists’, including Tahir.

According to the ISPR, Tahir was an active member of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He was involved in attacking/breaking the Bannu jail after which a number of terrorists escaped.

Petitioner says his son was sentenced to death in the Bannu jailbreak case without giving him an opportunity to defend himself

He was also found involved in attacks on law enforcement agencies in which a soldier was killed and another injured. It said Tahir had confessed to his offence before a magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on three charges and awarded the death sentence, it added.

In April 2012, over 200 armed Taliban militants travelling in several vehicles attacked the central jail in Bannu, releasing 384 prisoners, including Adnan Rashid, a former junior technician of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), involved in Pervez Musharraf attack case.

The petitioner’s counsel, Babar Awan, contended before the court that Shah Khan, a resident of Pipal Bazaar in Bannu, was working as a labourer in the local fruit and vegetable market. In February 2014, unidentified people abducted his son Tahir. He said the matter was reported to the Bannu police but Tahir could not be recovered.

The petition stated that on September 3, 2015, the petitioner heard that his son Tahir had been awarded the death penalty for his alleged involvement in the Bannu jailbreak.

It alleged that the military authorities had denied access to the petitioner to meet his death-row son which was a violation of fundamental rights.

Besides, the petition claimed that Tahir was not given a proper opportunity of defence which was a violation of Article 10-A, which guaranteed a fair trial.

It added that the petitioner had also been denied documents related to the charges leveled against his son.

The petition cited the ministry of interior and the state as respondents. It requested the court to direct the respondents to trace the whereabouts of Tahir and facilitate his father’s meeting with him.

On the request of Babar Awan, the court declined to issue a stay order against the execution of the death sentence.

The court, however, issued notices to the respondents and sought their comments. Further hearing was adjourned till a date to be fixed by the registrar office.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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If Zia Mohyeddin's Dheti Deewarain was a critique of an authoritarian older generation, Fawad Khan’s Baba Jalinoos will be peeling off layers of hypocrisy in our society.

The play, which is an adaptation of the famous French playwright Moliere’s Tartuffe, will be staged from September 11 (this evening) at NAPA under The Repertory Theatre of the National Academy of Performing Arts.

The play has been directed by theatre actor and NAPA alumnus Fawad Khan, while its script has been penned by veteran actor and writer Khalid Ahmed.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Fawad said that the audience should be able to relate to the play because it addresses hypocrisy: “The play is basically about this man, Azam, who belongs to an upper-middle class and falls for this jaali baba, who is a fake maulvi. He gets in awe of him and is willing to do anything for him. It’s a comedy about these hypocrites and those who end up falling for them.”

But this isn’t the first time that someone has attempted to translate Tartuffe. Tehrik-i-Niswaan has also performed it before: “Tehrik-i-Niswan has performed it before by the name of Behrupiya with a different script and they didn’t do the whole play,” said Fawad.

Fawad, who is also part of the Daastangoi group, is solely directing the play: “Generally when I am directing plays, I don’t act. It’s always easier if you have a good actor and you don’t have to act yourself. And if I act, I would always prefer that I had a director whom I can trust. And in case I am doing both, I have people assisting me whom I can trust as a director. But I prefer not to act.”

Fawad has previously directed several plays, including Badal Sarkar’s Janab-i-Wala Marr Chuke Hain, Raagni, based on Death and the Maiden and Chhe Kirdar Aik Musannif Ki Talash Mein, an adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author.

He has high hopes for this one: “I am hoping that people will enjoy it and have a lot of fun because it’s a comedy with which they can relate to and, I hope nobody gets offended.”

The cast includes Farhan Alam, Zakiullah Khan, Mahvash Faruqi, Hasan Raza, Asma Mundrawala, Erum Bashir, Kaleem Ghory, Hammad Siddiq, Muzaina Malik, Faraz Saad, Danish Ahmed and Danish Akber. The one-and-a-half hour play starts at 8pm today and will be staged till September 20.

The tickets, priced at Rs1000 each and Rs500 for students, will be available at NAPA, T2F and Alliance Francaise.

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Thursday dismissed a petition against conviction of an alleged member of a proscribed organisation by a military court on murder charges.

The bench comprising Justice Abdul Sami Khan and Justice James Joseph observed that the petition was not maintainable.

The military court had awarded death sentence to Muhammad Sabir Shah for his involvement in abetting murder of Advocate Syed Arshad Ali in Lahore.

Laila Bibi, mother of the convict, in her petition said the convict was a juvenile at the time of occurrence and was not given the right to fair trial.

Her counsel said the family had come to know about the military court’s decision through an ISPR press release. He said a habeas corpus plea against detention of Shah was pending before the high court.

He also said the case had been pending since 2011 before an anti-terrorism court whereas military courts were established in 2014. He asked the court to set aside the military court’s sentence decision being unjust and unfair.

An additional attorney general stated the constitutional courts could entertain appeals against the cases wherein trial of a suspect was done unlawfully or with mala fide. He pointed out that the convict had never raised the point of being juvenile before the ATC. Thus, he said, the plea was not maintainable.

The bench dismissed the plea.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The civil and military leadership on Thursday decided to tighten the noose around terrorists, crush those challenging the writ of the state and speed up implementation on the National Action Plan (NAP).

These decisions were taken at a high-profile meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The army chief and heads of intelligence agencies, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, provincial chief ministers, and the AJK PM and the Gilgit-Baltistan CM were also present.

Briefing reporters after the marathon meeting, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan – who chaired the working session that preceded the meeting led by the PM – said that action would be taken against those trying to create unrest through violence with help from religious leaders, the media and different segments of society.

Also read: Arms licences to be computerised by Dec 31

He said that all the arms licences not renewed by the end of the current year would stand cancelled and, in the future, only computerised arms licences would be issued. He said Punjab and Sindh had already computerised their arms licences and the two other provinces had been asked to follow suit.

He claimed that even though the terrorists’ backbone had been broken, they had not been completely eliminated and the war against terrorism still continued. He was optimistic that the menace of terrorism and militancy would soon be stamped out and observed that isolated incidents of terrorism – including the recent spate of attacks against mediapersons – reflected their frustration.

The interior minister claimed that progress on nearly three-fourths of NAP was termed encouraging, while in other cases, the need to build further momentum was stressed.

He said there were certain hurdles to the implementation of certain aspects of NAP, citing the example of the issue of Afghan repatriation. He said Afghan refugees could not be repatriated with dignity until the government settled matters with Kabul. He said he had opposed a proposal to document the estimated 1.5 million unregistered Afghans living in Pakistan because that would mean extending them some form of legality.

He claimed that certain high-profile militant leaders had agreed to lay down arms, but did not specify whether he was referring to Baloch militants or elements linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Nisar claimed that only Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory had worked on mapping religious seminaries so far.

He also confirmed that Sindh had expressed reservations about federal organisations encroaching upon its domain and said the PM had assured them that their reservations would be addressed.

He said the meeting had expressed its dissatisfaction over the performance of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), though the arrest of former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain did not come up during the meeting.

He said that cameras would be installed at mosques and imambargahs that were suspected of being involved in the dissemination of hate material. He no one would be allowed to label someone ‘an infidel’ or ‘liable to death’.

Talking about the Dr Imran Farooq murder case, the minister said that a Scotland Yard team had completed its investigations in Pakistan. Being a responsible state, Pakistan had met its international obligations and shared evidence with the team, he said, adding that UK authorities had not sought custody of any of the accused in the case so far.

Matters pertaining to domestic and international NGOs, security companies and the illegal bullet-proofing of vehicles also came under discussion. Nisar said that a new policy on NGOs was ready and would be shared with the provinces before it was launched.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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http://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141197/does-the-victimised-woman-sell-better-than-the-empowered-one

KARACHI: The south zone police on Thursday claimed to have arrested eight suspected hit men allegedly belonging to a “famous political party of Karachi,” the Karachi-south DIG said.

Speaking at a press conference at his office, Dr Jamil Ahmed added that the held hit men had ‘confessed’ to killing at least one dozen people in different parts of the city.

The DIG-South said the suspects — Mohammed Kalam Bihari; Kamran, alias Kami; Adnan, alias Audi; Farhan; Haider Aijaz; Shahbaz; Syed Shahroz and Ateeb — were detained in the Lyari and Malir areas.

Two Kalashnikovs, two pistols, one car and several mobile phones were seized from their possession, he added.

They have allegedly killed people in Orangi Town, Pakistan Bazaar, Iqbal Market, Zaman Town, North Nazimabad and Nazimabad areas.

Asked about identity of the victims, Dr Jamil merely said that the suspects had no personal enmity with them (victims). Apart from targeted killings, they were involved in extortion and street crimes, he added.

He said that Mohammed Kalam Bihari and Haider Aijaz were “known target killers” while the rest were their accomplices.

Replying to a question, the DIG-South admitted that street crimes were a serious problem as there were many complaints of citizens specially in Clifton and Defence areas regarding it.

He added that he had given special task to SSP-South Dr Mohammed Farooq to control street crimes in Clifton and Defence and that a new police station, Sahil, had been set up for this purpose.

Dr Farooq said that street crimes were a more serious issue in South especially in Clifton and Defence than targeted killings.

He said over the past one month, the police had conducted targeted raids on almost daily basis and conducted search by closing entry and exit points in both localities and during these actions at least 45 criminals wanted in different crimes had been detained while three suspects were killed in ‘encounters’.

Moreover, 21 suspects were held red-handed in over 41 encounters that took place last month. The DIG-South said that besides street crimes, the so-called ‘VIP culture’ was also an issue for them as law-abiding citizens did not like it.

The crackdown on vehicles with tinted glasses, without official registration number plates and carrying personal guards had been started, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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LAHORE: The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has hurled life threats at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s six senior leaders after making two attempts on the life of party MPA Mian Aslam Iqbal.

The timing of the attacks and the threat is crucial as the PTI has launched by-election campaign in NA-122 and PP-147.

Claiming responsibility for the attacks, a TTP spokesperson through an email on Sept 7 threatened fatal attacks on PTI national organiser Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Punjab organiser Chaudhry Sarwar, NA-122 candidate Abdul Aleem Khan, opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, MPAs Mian Aslam Iqbal and Malik Taimoor.

The Punjab government has directed the PTI leaders to restrict their movement for a few days, till the government hunts down perpetrators of the attack on Aslam Iqbal’s residence and trace origin of the email.

Sarwar says TTP made two attempts on the life of MPA

It is learnt that some PML-N top leaders are also under threat.

Punjab PTI organiser Mr Sarwar has written a letter to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif telling him that the attacks and the threat had come at a time when the party had launched a full-fledged electioneering in NA-122 and PP-147. He complained that the Punjab police had not taken any action till date.

Responding to the situation, sources in the Punjab government told Dawn that a meeting of the District Intelligence Committee (DIC) held on Thursday asked the PTI leaders to restrict their movement and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to hunt down the culprits.

The DIC meeting chaired by DCO Muhammad Usman and attended by the ISI, FIA, CTD, Special Branch, police, district administration and PTI representatives discussed the TTP email in detail. The committee devised a security strategy and directed that the PTI leaders should not move without informing the focal person. It also discussed threat to PML-N leaders.

The committee has directed the DIGs of operation and investigation wings to ensure foolproof security to PTI leaders.

In his letter to the chief minister, Mr Sarwar explained that an onslaught was attempted on MPA Iqbal at his political office in Samanabad by unidentified motorcyclists on Sept 5. He stated the incident was immediately reported to police. But before they could make any progress, Mr Iqbal’s same office was again attacked by four motorcyclists on Sept 6.

He said Mr Iqbal escaped the attack as he was busy in a public rally for Abdul Aleem Khan.

Mr Sarwar said the two failed attempts were claimed by TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani through a media statement. He asked the chief minister to provide police protection to six party leaders.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2015

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Shaan-e-Pakistan seems to have come at an opportune time.

After muchhullabuloo about perceived insults by movies and movie stars, here's an event that trying to bridge the gap between Pakistan and India, and it starts that effort with a tried-and-tested combination: good food and even better music.

'Aik Shaam Pakistan Kay Naam', the kick-off event to this three-day cultural expo taking place in New Delhi, treated its guests to a culinary feast prepared by Pakistani chef Gulzar and his Indian counterpart Osama Jalali, while Pak-India favourite Amjad Sabri delivered yet another soul-stirring qawwali performance.

In addition to Pakistani food and music, guests got a slight taste of Pakistani style yesterday, as the host Anoushey Ashraf cut an impressive figure in her Asifa and Nabeel ensemble:

And Javed Sheikh, seen below with the lovely Salma Agha, upped the celebrity quotient of the event when he dropped by:

The three-day event, which is organised by Huma Nassr whose label Braahtii has stores both in Karachi and New Delhi, aims to foster a more cordial relationship between the neighbouring countries for better trade in the future. A fashion show and two-day exhibition is now taking place, and a week-long Pak-India food festival is also on the cards at Eros Hotels.

Huma and Fahd Nassr — Photograph by Movie Shoovy

ISLAMABAD: Senator Mushahid Hussain on Friday chaired a meeting of the Senate Defence Committee at Parliament House during which a unanimous resolution was passed condemning 'unprovoked firing and shelling by India' along the Line of control (LOC) and Working Boundary.

The resolution stated that the committee feels that enduring peace, security and stability in South Asia can only be attained once India starts to abide its commitment to United Nations' resolutions regarding the right of self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The resolution stated further that ever since Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Modi took over as the Indian Prime Minister, actions and statements of the Indian government have become aggressive, jingoistic and war like, even boasting about India's role in the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971 and openly admitting covert operations against Pakistan using terrorists as an instrument of policy.

The committee also termed Modi's statement as unwarranted and aggressive.

The committee called upon the UN, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC) and other international organisations to take immediate notice of Indian aggression along the LoC and Working Boundary.

Speaking before the committee, Secretary Defence Lt.Gen (r) Alam Khattak warned India not to underestimate Pakistan's military might and said strong and befitting reply would be given if war is imposed.

"India wants to impose war but let it be known that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers and eruption of a war would destroy both countries," Gen Khattak stated.

Senior military officials also briefed the committee on the occasion and said that, "Since June 9 of this year, Indian forces have committed 221 violations of the LoC ceasefire agreement in which 26 civilians were killed and 75 others injured."

“Indian forces routinely target civilian zones inside Pakistan, and Pakistan retaliates by returning fire on legitimate military targets only, and not civilian zones inside India,” the defence official maintained.

The committee also rejected PPP Senator Farhatullah Babur's objections over inclusion of Modi's name in the resolution.

KARACHI/LAHORE: At least 4,000 kilograms of unhygienic meat was seized from Karachi's Empress Market on Friday during a raid conducted by Deputy Commissioner South.

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui talking to Dawn confirmed the seizure of unhygienic meat and added that such action would continue under the Sindh Pure Food Laws.

Though the number of people arrested during today's raid were not confirmed, commissioner Karachi said that those found responsible for the sale of substandard and unhygienic food items would be brought to justice.

Read: 4,088kg unhealthy meat seized

550kg unhygienic meat seized in Lahore

A raiding team of the City District Government of Lahore’s livestock wing seized about 550 kilograms of unwholesome meat from various localities in the city on Friday.

The team, led by Livestock Department Deputy District Officer Dr Rahat Ali raided various illegal slaughterhouses at Babu Sabu interchange, Rajgarh, Nishtar Colony and Chungi Amar Sidh areas, and seized some 550kg unhygienic meat.

The seized meat was being transported to Lahore from other cities through the illegal butcheries.

The team arrested seven butchers during the four raids and registered First Information Reports (FIR) against them in various police stations across the city.

Earlier on Monday, Dawn reported that various teams of the CDGL livestock wing seized 450kg of unhygienic meat and had four butchers arrested in various parts of Lahore.

Authorities in Punjab have been going around Lahore fining, warning and sealing any establishment dealing with food that are found in 'unsatisfactory' (read unhygienic) conditions – from high-end, expensive restaurants to low-end, small food businesses.

As part of the drive, the authorities have also seized large quantities of unwholesome meat from slaughterhouses across the province within the last few months.

ISLAMABAD: Former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Friday expressed grave concern over the sentencing of party's Sindh MPA Syed Ali Nawaz Shah by an accountability court in Karachi.

Zardari termed Shah's conviction as misuse of judicial process for political victimisation.

A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court convicted Ali Nawaz on Thursday along with his nephew, Syed Imtiaz Ali Shah, and cousin, former MNA Syed Khadim Ali Shah, in a case pertaining to land revenue fraud worth millions of rupees.

The veteran politician and PPP lawmaker was disqualified from holding membership of the legislature for ten years and was sentenced to five years in prison

"If such (political) victimisation becomes the norm and judicial processes are misused and manipulated to secure convictions of political opponents... things will go far too far," said the former president.

The Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairperson said that Ali Nawaz Shah enjoyed a good reputation among the political and social circles of Sindh and sending him to prison in a case registered years ago has again brought forth the old tradition of using federal institutions for political victimisation.

He further warned against the natural and inevitable consequences of what he called the regressive policy of political witch hunting and victimisation.

"Federal agencies should not push us to the point of no return," said Zardari while announcing to challenge the court verdict.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah along with senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah met the jailed leader in prison today and pondered over challenging the NAB court verdict.

Ali Nawaz Shah, who was first elected as member of the Sindh Assembly in 1977 also served as federal minister for industries in 1989. He has been elected a Senator and MPA three times since then.

Belonging to Umerkot in Sindh, Shah was also a federal Minister during government of party’s former chairperson and iconic leader Benazir Bhutto.

PESHAWAR: An unprecedented number of police officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police have been awarded punishments on multifarious grounds since October 2013, a document obtained by DawnNews reveals.

It is the first time in Pakistani history that senior level-officers including Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and acting Superintendents of Police (SPs) have been removed from service on account of misconduct.

Between October 2013 and September 2015, 4,934 police officials have been either removed from service or awarded other punishments on disciplinary grounds, the document shows.

The policemen include 15 DSPs and acting SPs, 44 Inspectors, 328 Sub-Inspectors, 321 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 385 Head Constables and 3,842 Constables.

Of these officials, 10 DSPs and acting SPs, four Inspectors, 42 SIs, 34 ASIs, 51 HCs and 446 Constables have been removed from service.

All these punishments have been awarded after following due procedure of law.

Whenever a complaint against a police official is brought to the attention of the Inspector General Police (IGP), it is forwarded to three different agencies for verification and subject to an initial fact-finding inquiry.

This procedure is to be completed within 24 hours. If the official is found guilty in the initial inquiry, he is suspended and the initiation of departmental disciplinary proceedings are ordered under the KP Police Efficiency and Discipline Rules.

On completion of these proceedings, the delinquent official, if found guilty, is awarded appropriate punishment in line with the recommendation of the inquiry officer.

According to the KP police spokesman Riaz Khan, the effective internal accountability mechanism is a pre-requisite of bridging the ever-increasing gap between the public and police.

KP's IGP Nasir Khan Durrani has developed an organised Police Access System to address public complaints within the shortest possible time. He also introduced the I-call system, establishing a round-the-clock direct link between himself and the public.

IGP Durrani with a subordinate- Photo by author

"Through the efforts of IGP Durrani, the KP Police Efficiency and Discipline rules were amended in 2014, resultantly empowering supervisory officers to initiate disciplinary proceedings against their subordinates and award them punishments," Riaz Khan said.

"This was believed essential for effective and efficacious supervision. Prior to the amendments, a District Police Officer (DPO) was unable to punish officers above the rank of SI."

Similarly, a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) had no powers to punish officers of any rank. It rendered SDPOs ineffective while DPOs were reluctant to post Inspectors as SHOs.

Likewise, the Regional Police Officer (RPO) had no means to discipline SDPOs as the power to punish rested with the IGP.

A special appellate board has also been incorporated through these amendments for redressal of grievances of the police officials in a professional, transparent and judicious manner.

"The special appellate board consisting of the IGP and senior officers of the rank Additional IGP and DIG provides an opportunity of second appeal," the KP police spokesman said.

Owing to the constitution of this board, the high courts have also taken exception towards deciding any appeal in favour of applicants, Riaz Khan said.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday stressed upon the need for enhancing Pakistan’s exports to bring it at par with other countries of the region and world in the field in order to overcome the ever increasing financial woes of the country.

Speaking at a high-level meeting, attended by heads of chambers of commerce, representatives of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) and exporter groups, the premier said that increasing exports is the only way traders can bring revenue to the ' heavily indebted' country.

He assured the business community that the government is ready to help it in whatever way possible to increase the exports and can even subsidise some export commodities.

“But we cannot provide subsidy until and unless we do not get equal returns. Providing subsidies is no permanent cure for increasing exports and it sometimes causes heavy losses to the national kitty,” maintained Nawaz.

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan and Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi are attending the meeting.

Traders viewpoint

While apprising the prime minister about their problem, traders cited the increasing production cost as the biggest hurdle in the increase of country's exports.

The community leaders stated that impositions of a number of surcharges on electricity prices is the biggest factor in ever increasing production cost thereby leaving the country’s industrial products noncompetitive in the global market. They added that the continuous shortfall and resulting loadshedding has made the matter worse.

The Industrialist community was of the view that if their grievances are not addressed timely, more and more production houses will move to neighbouring Bangladesh and China, who offer more favourable work conditions.

After listening to the traders' viewpoint, Nawaz Sharif announced that he has already directed the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to reduce power tariff by 2.19 rupees adding that a number of energy projects are under construction to overcome the energy crisis.

About the security situation in the economic hub, Karachi, the PM maintained that the ongoing operation against terrorists in the city has improved the situation bringing traders and industrialist back to the city.

"We Know the terrorists' might has decreased and they are attacking journalists as their last efforts to survive," he said.

The meeting was called to consult the trading community for measures to increase exports. The meeting will also consider various initiatives to improve quality and competitiveness of Pakistani exports and the issues exporters are facing including the energy crisis.

The problems and demands of the industrial sector are also being discussed.

According to an earlier report published in Dawn Newspaper, the PM was also expected to announce a bailout-cum-incentive package to support country’s falling exports.

A five-member ministerial committee on Thursday concluded talks with textile exporters on the package that would be taken up for approval by the prime minister.

The prime minister will also spend five hours with Aptma today to resolve problems relating to textile exports, Aptma leader Ejaz Gohar told Dawn after the ministerial committee meeting.

This comes at a time when Pakistan’s merchandise exports fell 3.5 per cent last fiscal year and 17pc in July 2015 on a year-on-year basis.

Responding to claims by siasat.pk – a local online forum – that they were forcibly shut down by the government, Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) spokesman Khurram Mehran said “no such action has been taken by the telecommunication regulatory body.”

Following the closure of their website, the administrators of siasat.pk tweeted that the government had taken down the website without any prior notice or warning.

The website's administrators had also posted an image of an email allegedly received from their domain host, informing them that the website's DNS entries had been removed after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had asked them for an immediate shutdown.

But no one from the FIA could be reached for a comment, while sources in the interior ministry stated that they were not aware of the shutdown.

Pakistan practices extensive internet censorship, the state's regulatory body blocked YouTube in 2012 following the release of a low-budget film disrespectful to Islam. Websites for Baloch separatist movements in the country's are also banned.

Also read: YouTube to remain blocked 'indefinitely' in Pakistan: officials

In 2010, the government blocked both YouTube and Facebook when objectionable content was increasingly shared on them.

Pakistan had also blocked YouTube before when sacrilegious sketches started appearing in 2008.

Also read: PTA blocks website aimed at country’s gay community

PESHAWAR: The special police unit in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday claimed to have arrested an alleged suspect involved in firing shots at a commercial PIA aircraft last year in June at the Bacha Khan International Airport, killing a woman passenger.

Police arrested Noor Muhammad alias Yar Muhammad on Friday from Peshawar's Ring Road area after receiving a tip off from security agencies.

Authorities claimed that during initial investigation, the accused had confessed to firing multiple gunshots at PIA's Boeing PK-756 as it was landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport in June 2014.

An FIR has been registered in Badabair Police Station against the shooter, police said, adding that the suspect will be handed over to the concerned police station.

Know more: Target: Airport

PK-756 was coming from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to Peshawar with 196 passengers on board when it was attacked by unidentified gunmen on June 24, while landing at the airport, killing a woman and injuring two flight stewards on board.

Airline officials said the gunmen had aimed specifically at the highly flammable fuel tank as they sought to blow up the aircraft, as well as the cockpit, to kill the pilot.

Army and police personnel conducted a search operation and arrested over 100 suspects after the attack.

Earlier last year, security forces and police jointly carried out a raid in Suleman Khel area of Peshawar on intelligence information and arrested Waliullah, a militant commander of Dara Adam Khel associated with the Shahid Group working under the umbrella of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in connection with firing on the PIA plane.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Friday accused Rangers of “extra-judicially” killing four party workers Thursday night near the Northern Bypass in Karachi's Sohrab Goth area.

The paramilitary force had Thursday night claimed to have killed four suspects in an ‘encounter’ on Northern Bypass near Sohrab Goth.

“They were arrested by Rangers a month ago,” Farooq Sattar said, adding that family members of the deceased had identified them as Mohammd Adeel, Kashif Khalil, Shahid Ghulam and Zohaib Ullah.

Sattar said his party had given a list of 150 “disappeared” workers to the prime minister, his cabinet members, Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah and the DG Rangers.

“But no action has so far been taken on our demand and at least four of those 150 workers have been extra judicially killed,” alleged Sattar.

But the paramilitary force, which has been in charge of the security operation in the city since 2013, in a press release on Friday said MQM's allegations were “baseless propaganda.”

Rangers identify alleged target killers as MQM workers

Rangers reacted to the allegations levelled by MQM and released the identities of alleged terrorists killed on Thursday, saying that all four were members of MQM.

They were identified as Zohaib alias Bholo, Kashif Khalil alias Mechanic, Shahid alias Chitta and Mohammad Aqeel.

The spokesperson for the paramilitary force claimed that the alleged target killers were involved in the killing of lawyer Husnain Bukhari and several police officials.

The Rangers press release said action had been initiated in the area on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of suspects allegedly involved in the killing of one advocate Hasnain Bukhari – a senior lawyer from the minority Shia sect and a counsel for several MQM activists, who was killed on March 4, 2015, in Korangi.

On seeing the Rangers, the suspects started shooting at security forces, after which Rangers personnel retaliated. During the exchange of fire, four suspects were killed while a Rangers official was wounded, said the force's spokesman.

The Rangers spokesman claimed that all the four men killed on Thursday had been hiding in “safe houses” at MQM's behest and labelled the party's allegations an attempt to mislead everyone.

The paramilitary force further added that the security operation in Karachi would continue “till the elimination of the last target killer, facilitator, sympathiser and financier.”

Farooq Sattar said MQM will observe a day of mourning on Saturday, September 12, to protest the alleged extrajudicial killings of its party workers.

He requested traders and transporters to support their protest by shutting down their businesses tomorrow.

The party leader further said a protest rally will be staged from Liaquatabad to Mazar-e-Quaid.

NEW DELHI: Pakistani and Indian border security forces agreed on Friday to maintain restraint on their disputed Kashmir frontier, as they sought to defuse tensions that have been heightened in recent months by militant attacks that each side blames the other for.

The heads of India's Border Security Force and the Pakistani Rangers met in New Delhi to find ways to de-escalate tensions along the border as part of a series of measures agreed by the leaders of the two countries in July.

The border chiefs agreed to hold back cross-border firing and not to retaliate immediately to violations of a 15-year ceasefire, an Indian interior ministry official said.

“Both have decided not to immediately retaliate against firing from either side and to contact the other side to know the cause of firing,” the official said, reading from a draft text the two governments agreed.

Tens of thousands of soldiers are massed on either side of Kashmir, one of the world's most militarised regions, and in recent months they have stepped up cross-border firing.

Last month, nine people were killed by the firings on the day the nuclear-armed neighbours marked the 50th anniversary of a war between them.

India says Pakistani soldiers provide cover firing to help militants cross over and carry out attacks in its part of Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has promised a tougher response to such violations than previous administrations, and last year the two armies engaged in the most serious exchanges since the 2003 ceasefire.

Pakistan denies giving material support to the Kashmir militants, but blames India for refusing to hold talks to resolve the 68-year-old territorial dispute.

Modi cancelled top level talks between the national security advisers of the two countries last month, objecting to Pakistan's plan to meet Kashmiri separatists.

But the two governments agreed to let the border chiefs meet. The two forces will have greater communication to ensure things do not spiral out of control, the Indian official said.