ISLAMABAD: Taking notice allegation that police personnel forced candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to withdraw from the electoral race in Punjab, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sought on Monday a report from the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

In a letter sent to the IGP on Monday, the ECP referred to media reports accusing senior police officers of coercing Lahore district candidates into withdrawing from the local government elections. The ECP said the alleged act was tantamount to sabotaging the constitutional sanctity of the election process.

The commission directed the IGP to seek explanation from police officers responsible for the offence and submit a report within 48 hours.

Take a look: Withdrawal of nomination: PTI men allege pressure, Hassaan denies

Also on Monday, a PTI delegation met the ECP authorities and called for replacing returning officers appointed for the important by-elections in Lahore (NA-122) and Lodhran (NA-154).

Sources in the ECP told Dawn that the PTI had suggested that new returning officers should be brought from provinces other than Punjab. The PTI delegation was, however, told that training of the officers had already been completed and it would not be possible to replace them at this stage.

The ECP also announced that an appellate tribunal comprising Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa and Justice Masud Abid Naqvi of the Lahore High Court (LHC) had been set up with the approval of President Mamnoon Hussain to hear appeals against decisions of the returning officer on nomination papers of candidates for the Lahore by-election Lahore.

Likewise, Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Arshad Mahmood Tabassum of the LHC are members of the appellate tribunal for the by-election in Lodhran.

Meanwhile, the ECP claimed that there were no differences in the ECP over the appointment of the tribunals. A spokesman of the ECP said the decision not to give extension to the tribunals beyond Aug 31 had been taken on June 22.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2015

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QUETTA: Security forces on Tuesday claimed to have arrested eight 'militants' allegedly involved in the recent attack on Jiwani airport.

The miscreants, who were arrested from Gwadar district, are also suspected of involvement in target killings and other subversive activities in the area, said Frontier Corps Spokesman Khan Wasey.

The suspects belong to a banned militant organisation operating in the area, he added.

The arrests were made during a joint operation conducted by intelligence personnel and the Frontier Corps. The arrested suspects were shifted to undisclosed locations for further interrogation.

Also read: Militants attack Jiwani airport in Balochistan, two killed

At least two engineers were killed as a result of the militant attack on Jiwani aiport, near the Pak-Iran coastal border in Balochistan's Gwadar district on August 30.

Militants had opened fire at the airport, killing electronics superintendent Khalilullah. They also kidnapped, and later killed, electronics engineer Mehmudullah Niazi.

Police had earlier said at least six miscreants riding motorcycles were involved in the attack.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee for Information Technology on Monday stressed upon the need for legislation to lift the ban on video-sharing website – YouTube – in Pakistan.

The recommendation came after a session of the committee, presided by Senator Shahi Syed, discussed the ban imposed on the site in Pakistan since September 2012.

IT Ministry officials told the committee that the website was banned on orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and can only be lifted if the apex court rules so, upon which the committee members agreed relevant legislation was required to get rid of the ban.

Also Read:Analysis: YouTube ban solution is in hand.

Ministry officials further told the committee that there was no way to remove blasphemous content from YouTube and the only solution was a local version of the website, for which talks were under way with YouTube's parent firm, Google Inc.

The video-sharing website has been blocked in Pakistan since September 2012 over its failure to take down the blasphemous “Innocence of Muslims” movie that sparked furious protests around the world.

The Supreme Court ruled at the time that the site should be banned until a way was found to block all blasphemous content.

In an earlier report published in Dawn last year, Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights also recommended that the government unblock the YouTube in Pakistan.

A resolution, which was passed unanimously, said the ban be overturned as no such provision was in place in any other Muslim country.

Committee chairman Afrasiab Khattak of the Awami National Party, while reading the resolution, pointed out: “There is no ban on YouTube in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”

Members of the human rights committee expressed concern over the long-running ban and maintained that YouTube could still be accessed through proxies and other means.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday announced a relief package of over Rs341 billion for farmers, which was earlier approved by his cabinet.

Addressing farmers at a ceremony held at Kisan Convention in the federal capital, the prime minister said the relief package has been designed in four parts, with the first part being direct financial cooperation for farmers, second being relief in agricultural costs, third being provision of agricultural loans and fourth being facilitating the process of obtaining loans.

In wake of superfluous production of rice, the premier announced that small rice farmers would be provided Rs5,000 per acre cash support.

Referring to the plight of cotton growers, the premier said floods and rains have inflicted heavy losses on cotton farmers, Radio Pakistan reported.

Therefore, he said, the government has decided to give cash assistance of Rs5,000 to cotton growers as well.

Some Rs40bn will be spent for the provision of cash grants to rice and cotton farmers. This cost will be jointly borne by federal and provincial governments, the premier announced.

Nawaz said reduction in prices of commodities and increase in the prices of agriculture inputs has raised the cost of production.

He said in order to reduce costs of fertilisers, the government is setting up a fund of Rs20bn, as a result of which the cost of phosphate and potassium fertilisers per sack is being cut by at least Rs500.

With a view that farmers should have the facility of insurance for their fields but since most small farmers cannot afford to pay insurance premium, the government has decided to pay premium for the farmers, the prime minister announced. At a cost of Rs2.5bn, this facility will benefit some 700,000 farmers in case their fields are damaged, he said.

Interest-free loans will be provided to farmers who own 12.5 acres or less land for the installation of solar-powered tube-wells or conversion of existing tube-wells to solar system, Nawaz said.

Earlier, addressing the convention, Minister for National Food Security Sikandar Hayat Bosan said it is the priority of the government to decrease prices of agriculture inputs.

He said steps are afoot to enhance per acre agriculture yield.

http://images.dawn.com/news/1173853/is-amal-clooney-using-her-marriage-to-get-high-profile-cases-sharmeen-obaid-weighs-in

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif said on Tuesday that the military relations between China and Pakistan will reached unprecedented heights, according to a statement issued on the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) website.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif visited Bahadur Ranges (Attock) and witnessed Joint Field Exercise Warrior-III, while a senior-level Chinese military delegation under Gen Li Fayi represented People Liberation Army (PLA) on the closing ceremony of Pakistan-China special forces joint exercise for counter terrorism.

Speaking on the occasion, General Raheel Sharif lauded the young soldiers for their display of professionalism and skills during the exercise and said that the exercise had boosted military relations between Pakistan and China.

“The everlasting relation will grow to unprecedented heights as both countries will continue to work for elimination of terrorism in all forms,” the army chief said.

He commended Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) soldiers for their outstanding performance during Zarb-i-Azb and stated once again that the operation will continue till the elimination of the last terrorist.

Special Forces of Pakistan Army and China's PLA had conducted a seven week long exercise with focus on counter-terrorism operations.

WASHINGTON: Indian and Pakistani prime ministers will be in New York next week for the UN General Assembly but a bilateral meeting between the two leaders “is not on the cards”, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

US officials, who are urging both India and Pakistan to resolve their differences peacefully, also did not show much enthusiasm when asked at a recent briefing if Washington would try to persuade their prime ministers to meet in New York next week.

“These are issues for the two to resolve together, and that’s what we continue to encourage, a resumption of dialogue between the leaders of both India and Pakistan,” said US State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Take a look: India violates LoC ceasefire despite recent promises of peace: ISPR

But diplomatic sources told Dawn that despite its reluctance to get publicly involved in India-Pakistan disputes, the United States was “actively involved” in reducing tensions between the two nuclear neighbours.

According to these sources, the US and other permanent members of the UN Security Councils are urging both Indian and Pakistani leaders not to be confrontational in their addresses to the General Assembly.

India would also like Pakistan not to raise the Kashmir issue but there is an understanding in Washington that no Pakistani leader can afford to do so.

“Kashmir is very important it has to be discussed,” said a senior Pakistani diplomat when asked if the PM would raise the Kashmir issue in his address.

Apparently, the Indians also realise that due to the current tensions along the LOC, Pakistan is likely to raise the Kashmir issue “more forcefully than ever before in the recent past”, as a diplomatic source said.

Reports in the Indian media indicate that this is one of the reasons that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not addressing the 70th UN General Assembly.

Although Mr Modi may address a summit meeting on sustainable development on Sept 26, he would let his Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to represent India at the General Assembly.

Reports in the Indian media quoted officials in New Delhi as saying that since alphabetically India comes before Pakistan, Mr Modi would have addressed the UNGA before PM Nawaz Sharif.

This would have deprived Mr Modi to respond to the issues Mr Sharif is expected to raise in his speech. But as foreign minister, Ms Swaraj would speak after Sharif and thus would be able to respond to Mr Sharif’s remarks.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: A soldier of the Pakistan Army was killed on Tuesday during firing by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC) in Rawalakot's Battal sector.

An Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) spokesman said that 'Pakistani troops responded befittingly to unprovoked firing by Indian forces'.

The statement further said that the 20-year-old soldier, identified as Sepoy Shams, was a resident of village Shanglot in Gopis Tehsil of Gilgit Baltistan's Ghizer district.

Read: India violates LoC ceasefire despite recent promises of peace: ISPR

The latest bout of border skirmish follows a bi-annual meeting between commanders of Pakistan's Rangers and India's Border Security Force, in which the two sides had agreed to stop border violations along the LoC, check smuggling and ensure expeditious repatriation of those who inadvertently cross borders.

Pakistan Rangers Director General Major General Umar Farooq Burki returned via Wagha after a three-day bi-annual meeting with his Indian counterpart. These talks are a regular feature and are held alternately in Pakistan and India.

Ceasefire violations along the Working Boundary were discussed at length and it was agreed that all necessary measures will be ensured to avoid such incidents in the future to save the lives of innocent civilians.

Also read: Pakistan Rangers, Indian BSF agree to halt ceasefire violations

Earlier, it was reported by Dawn that 26 Pakistanis had been killed in over 200 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary over the past three months.

The next bi-annual meeting will be held in 2016 in Pakistan.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's minister for elementary and secondary education, Mohammad Atif Khan, said on Tuesday that a draft bill has been prepared for the establishment of a regulatory authority to regularise private schools in the province.

Talking to a delegation which comprised of members from the Consumers Protection Council (CPC), All Pakistan Parents Association (APPA) Peshawar and a large number of parents of private school students, the provincial minister assured the participants that his government is deeply committed to the cause.

The proposed regulatory authority, he said, will consist of representatives from both private and public sector schools and parents.

"The authority will not only define policy guidelines for private schools, but will also implement it in letter and spirit."

The minister, however, said that in an open market economy, school's cannot be forced to cut down their fee structure.

Peshawar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Riaz Khan Mehsud, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Osama Ahmad Warraich and officials of the education department were also present on the occasion.

He agreed with the proposal to categorise schools and to make sure that no hidden charges are collected. The proposal suggested a proper procedure for increase in school fee.

Talking about reforms initiated by the provincial government in the education sector, the provincial minister said that the government has its full focus on schools, and the problem would be resolved only after improvement is brought into public sector schools.

He added that that the registration of private schools will become mandatory after establishment of the proposed regulatory authority.

Atif Khan urged the parents to seek prior information about their concerned schools' performance and the qualification of teachers before enrolling their children.

He was of the opinion that after improving the quality of education in public sector schools, "none of the parents would like to send their children to private schools."

"The provincial government has recruited 13,000 teachers on pure merit and four thousand more will be recruited during the current financial year," he said.

Similarly, a fund of Rs800 million has been allocated for the training of teachers and another hefty amount of Rs8 billion has been sanctioned for the provision of missing facilities, which will be spent through Parents Teachers Committees (PTCs), announced the provincial minister.

Atif Khan went on to say that monitoring of teachers has improved their attendance in schools and 720 cases have been registered against the employees of the education department.

Earlier on Monday, according to a Dawn report, parents of schoolchildren used an event organised by DC Peshawar Riaz Mehsud at Nishtar Hall to heap criticism on Peshawar's privately-owned educational institutions for being "moneymaking machines".

Furthermore, they highlighted problems concerning the quality of education and other facilities in private schools and also presented proposals for their solution.

Until now, the education department has failed to categorise private schools and formulate fee structure mechanism for them causing educational institutions to increase monthly tuition fee at will besides charging students on other heads.

Take a look: How the private schools' fee hike is holding education hostage in Pakistan

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa division of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday arrested the vice-chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Dr. Ihsan Ali, and three other high-level educationists in the province over charges of misuse of authority.

According to a press release issued by the accountability watchdog, the other three apprehended accused were former vice-chancellor of Hazara University, Professor Dr. Syed Sakhawat Shah; the chairman of NIMS College of Medicine Abbottabad, Dr. Muhammad Aziz Khan and former chairman of Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA), Professor Hamayun Zia.

The accused were allegedly involved in the misuse of authority and have swindled students seeking admission in medical colleges by luring them into an "illegal and unregistered" medical institution, stripping them of more than Rs 550million.

During the course of inquiry, it surfaced that Prof. Dr Ihsan Ali and Prof. Dr Sakhawat Shah, both former vice chancellors of the Hazara University, granted affiliation to National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) Abbottabad with "ulterior motives" and conducted illegal examinations, without having a medical faculty at the institute.

The illicit institution did not meet the mandated requirements as provided in the Khyber Medical University (KMU) Act 2006.

They not only leaching students and parents of their hard-earned money, but also played with the future of the innocent students, said the accountability body.

It was also discovered that the accused Chairman NIMS Dr Muhammad Aziz Khan admitted students who were ineligible for admission into the institute, purely for monetary gains.

The unlawful admissions were made prior to the institute's recognition as envisaged in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) Ordinance 1962 and the Apex court's 2007 decision prohibiting the training of medical students by an unrecognised institution.

Furthermore, the accused Hamayun Zia, former Chairman HERA, in connivance with others illegally registered NIMS by overlooking serious eligibility criteria for registration and also failed to pay periodic regulatory visits.

The accused will be produced before the accountability courts for physical custody.

NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said it is aggressively looking into the matter since it brings the "future of the nation at stake," apart from the great financial loss it has caused.

PESHAWAR: Helicopter gunships and bulldozers destroyed dozens of shops in a restive tribal area of South Waziristan on Tuesday after a bomb attack on a military convoy wounded five soldiers, officials said.

The incident took place in Wana, the main town of troubled South Waziristan district, where the military is battling Taliban militants.

“At least five soldiers were wounded when a bomb planted on a roadside exploded as a military convoy passed,” a local security official told AFP.

Security forces immediately launched a search operation and called in air support, he added.

Local administration, intelligence officials and residents said helicopters bombed the market at Wana by-pass road and later bulldozers razed dozens of shops belonging to suspected militants.

A curfew has been imposed in Wana and military helicopters were hovering above, they said.

Earlier on Monday, a major-ranked officer of the Pakistan Army and five militants were killed during an attack on a checkpost in Spin Wam area of North Waziristan tribal region's Mirali tehsil.

Militants attacked Dandi Kuch checkpost situated in Kaka Ziarat area of Spin Wam near the Pak-Afghan border killing an officer of the Pakistan Army identified as Major Ismail. The area lies adjacent to Afghanistan's Khost province.

Security personnel resorted to retaliatory firing killing five militants.

Pakistan has been battling an insurgency since 2004, following the US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001 and the subsequent spillover of militants across the border.

Officials say more than 3,500 militants have been killed since the launch of the latest offensive in neighbouring North Waziristan last year.

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday declared the former chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Karachi Tanzeemi Com­mittee (KTC), Hammad Siddiqui, as absconder pertaining to a case involving a gun attack on the rally of a nationalist party.

The hearing for the case was presided over by Justice Saleem Raza Baloch of ATC-III.

The Investigation Officer (IO) of the case informed the court that a previously arrested individual, Amir Ali alias Sarphata, confirmed that Hammad Siddiqui had ordered the attack on the rally. The IO added that multiple suspects were involved in the crime, as confirmed by Amir who is in custody.

Dawn newspaper report

The court directed the relevant authorities to arrest the suspects, and produce them into court. The next hearing of the case was adjourned until October 6.

Read: Spotlight on MQM 'Muscle body'

An anti-terrorism court had issued a warrant for the arrest of Hammad Siddiqui, and others in a case pertaining to the gun attack, according to a Dawn newspaper report published on August 12.

According to the prosecution, the Awami Tehreek took out a ‘Love Sindh Rally’ from Lyari to march towards the Karachi Press Club on May 22, 2012. When the procession was passing through Napier Road, it was attacked by gunmen, killing six people, including a woman, and wounding nine others.

A case was registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder) 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997 at the Kharadar police station.

QUETTA: Frontier Corps foiled a major bid of terrorism by seizing more than 4,000 kilogrammes of explosives close to Pak-Afghan border on Tuesday, officials said.

On intelligence reports, security forces conducted a raid near Kurram area of Pishin district close to the Afghan border.

The spokesman for the paramilitary force, Khan Wasey, said three accused were also arrested during the operation conducted in the remote area.

He further informed that 500 detonators and other weapons were recovered from the possession of alleged miscreants.

Wasey said FC also took two vehicles of the miscreants into custody.

The suspected militants were then shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

Also read: Multiple terror bids foiled in Balochistan

The security personnel are currently interrogating the accused in connection with the possession of huge cache of explosives and other weapons.

Security forces have intensified their actions in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan after the announcement of the National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali on Tuesday said providing Rangers with accountability powers was unconstitutional, adding that the paramilitary force did not have the mandate to conduct such action in Karachi or any other area.

Referring to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan's recent call for Rangers to conduct an anti-corruption operation in Punjab, Nisar said he was “surprised” that such a demand came from the leader of a political party.

“Calling upon the Rangers or the army for political scoring is not only synonymous with creating controversy in these institutions, but it will ultimately cause the Karachi operation to shift from its primary motives.”

Nisar said while everyone had the right to express themselves freely, there were certain limits to freedom of speech.

Terming the PTI chief's demand as “senseless and inappropriate,” the interior minister said it was unwise to bring the role of security forces under question as “any interference in state institutions for political purposes obstructs the survival of the democratic system and weakens it.”

Chaudhry Nisar further said that the Pakistan of today is “far better than what it was in 2013” with peace returning to Karachi and the law and order situation in the country “visibly improving.”

Imran Khan had yesterday demanded “third-party, independent inquiries of mega corruption scams in Punjab” and invited all federal agencies, especially Rangers and NAB, to begin crackdowns against corruption in Punjab and “even in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” where his own party rules.

“Agencies should come to Punjab, and even KP to clean what we have been unable to.

“But it is more important than ever to cleanse Punjab because the biggest scams will be found there,” Imran had said.

ISLAMABAD: Former president and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said the first and foremost demand of establishing true democracy is that all the state institutions respect the limits imposed on them by the Constitution.

"Fighting militancy and corruption are laudable aims but shall not be used as an excuse to overstep the constitutional limits and authority," he said.

In a statement issued on the eve of ‘International Day of Democracy’ the PPP leader said that democracy is more than merely holding elections periodically to distribute political power among parties and individuals according to their electoral strength.

“Rule of law, restraining oneself within the constitutional limits, transparent and across the board accountability and tolerance to criticism are critical elements that constitute a democracy,” the former president said.

Zardari was of the view that the perception of powerful institutions overstepping their constitutional limits and treading into the domain of other institutions is not a good omen for the stability of a democracy and needs to be addressed urgently and meaningfully.

“Such perceptions must not be allowed to gain strength", he said.

RelatedZardari cautions military establishment for stepping out of domain

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairperson maintained that Pakistan has seen democratic setups assaulted by devices such as the doctrine of necessity, the so called Legal Frame Work (LFO) order and Provisional Constitution Orders (PCOs).

"The enemies of democracy constantly change their faces and tactics," he remarked.

Asif Ali Zardari also cautioned against threats to democracy from extremists, who in his view seek to arbitrarily impose their agenda.

Congratulating the democratic forces in the world in general and in Pakistan in particular on the 'International Day of Democracy' the former President expressed the hope that the celebrations today would enhance the awareness of people of Pakistan to the new forms of threats to democracy and guard against them.

He also paid glowing tributes to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto as icons of democracy and the countless political leaders and workers, belonging to different political parties, who rendered huge sacrifices for the cause of democracy.

If dictatorship has not been able to take roots in Pakistan it is because of the huge sacrifices rendered by all democracy loving people, the former president said.

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday informed the Senate that efforts were being made for resumption of reconciliation talks between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government.

The adviser said the announcement about Mullah Omar’s death had caused suspension of the talks. He stated that now Mullah Omar's son, Mullah Yaqoob, had himself confirmed that his father had never left Afghanistan, died of tuberculosis and hepatitis and was buried in Afghanistan.

“Mullah Omar’s son has confirmed that his father had died and was buried in Afghanistan,” said the adviser.

Aziz also strongly rejected reports that Mullah Omar had died in Pakistan and termed them baseless.

Responding to a question regarding the resumption of the stalled dialogue process, Aziz said it now depends on the Afghan government, and they can resume the process if they are willing to.

Earlier in July, the leadership of the Afghan Taliban had disassociated itself from a process Pakistan had been facilitating to encourage the group’s dialogue with the government of Afghanistan for peace and reconciliation.

Pakistan’s role in facilitating the reconciliation process has always been considered as crucial. But Pakistani officials have all along been cautioning about the limits of their influence on the Taliban.

Afghanistan in August had sought the help of Maulana Samiul Haq to urge the Taliban to resume the Pakistan-brokered peace talks, which had been halted after the announced death of Taliban chief Mullah Omar.

Pakistan had hosted a meeting between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban representatives in Murree on July 7, 2015, which was also attended by representatives from China and the United States.

The second round of the talks, which was scheduled to be held in Pakistan on July 31, 2015, was postponed after reports regarding the death of Mullah Omar and the ensuing leadership crisis among the Taliban.

RAWALPINDI: The special court of customs, excise and taxation on Tuesday adjourned the indictment of model Ayyan Ali in a currency smuggling case until after the Eid holidays.

Ayyan appeared before the court for the fourth time since her release on bail.

Judge Rana Aftab Ahmed took up the case, where customs authorities told the court that the complete application against the accused could not be presented because the matter is sub judice at the high court. Ahmed said that a copy of the high court decision has not yet been received.

Ayyan Ali’s counsel Latif Khosa told the court that the high court issued a verdict in his client’s favour, and that the state is also a party to the case.

Ahmed then adjourned the indictment until a copy of the high court decision is received.

The indictment of the accused has been deferred, and hearing was adjourned until September 28 – after the Eid break.

Ali was arrested at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) in Islamabad with $500,000 on March 14 this year. The model was arrested on charges of trying to travel to Dubai with this amount, and was released on bail after four months in prison.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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KARACHI: The banners and stickers on car bumpers and windshields read ‘No fee till low fee’ and ‘Stop thinking of parents as ATMs’. And the desperate parents gathered outside the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday chanted similar slogans.

Unanimously they decided to stop paying exorbitant fees to the private schools where they sent their children to study. “We have no option but to send our children to private schools. Had the government schools been any good, we would have had that option at least but it is not like that,” said Masood Iqbal.

“What do I call this? A decent way for extortion. Is this the new face of bhatta mafia?” asked another parent, Faraz Ahmed, who is paying Rs22,000 each as school fee for his three children.

Javed Iqbal said that apart from the fee, he was paying for the school van fee and all kinds of things under an extra ‘miscellaneous charges’ section. “I delayed my third child’s admission until after Eid to save myself from the extra charges for two months,” he said.

Eraj Kashif said she was paying Rs50,000 for her son who studied in class IX. “He is too senior now for me to think of changing his school,” she said. “My son’s school has a different slab for each class.”

Ayesha Rizvi said she with other parents protested outside her children’s school at 7.30am every day. “No one there cares to even come out and speak to us,” she said.

Humayun Bin Rather, another protesting parent, said that the schools could raise the fee by 5pc but only if the government approved. “But there are no checks and balances here. Our hard-earned halal income is being turned into the haram they are making this way,” he said. When asked if they had approached the various private school associations, the father said: “But they are the beneficiaries in all this. Don’t you get it?”

Meanwhile, Sharaf-uz-Zaman, chairman of the All Private School Management Association, said that most of the parents seen protesting over the fees hike were parents of children who attended ‘Hi-fi schools’. “There are 21,000 private schools in Karachi and these parents calling us ‘private school mafia’ don’t even make 10 per cent of them. There are schools in Landhi, Malir, Safoora, Korangi, Orangi Town, etc, that have banners outside their schools offering admissions and free school bags with exempting two-month fees. The protesting parents live in big houses and luxury apartments not in 60- or 80-yard houses who pay Rs300 to 400 a month as school fees. For 37 years now I run schools that charge that little as fees and the education offered is on a par with the private schools of affluent neighbourhoods. So please don’t give a bad name to all private schools like this because all are not raising fees,” he said.

“There are only 8,500 registered private schools among the 21,000. The rest are unregistered. There was a time when the certificate issued to private schools also carried the fee structure but after 2003 it was removed. Now the fee for last year and the current year is written in file submitted to the Directorate of Private Institutions Sindh. I would advise to bring back the fee schedule on the certificate. That’s my solution to this problem taking care of the checks and balances.”

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ordered Inspectors General of Prisons and home secretaries of the four provinces on Tuesday to submit reports on conditions in different jails and suggestions to improve them, particularly health facilities. The reports should also highlight measures being taken to improve pathetic conditions.

The order was issued by a two-judge bench consisting of Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan which had taken up a case on a suo motu about pathetic condition of prisoners, particularly women, in jails all over the country.

The order came against the backdrop of a report prepared by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) in August last year pointing fingers at federal and provincial ombudsmen offices for their failure to implement their mandate and authority to address and rectify systematic failures that resulted in maladministration at the cost of prison inmates’ sufferings.

The LJCP had been mandated by the Supreme Court to meet federal and provincial ombudsmen and officials of other departments and submit a detailed report in this regard.

In its order of May 28, 2015, the Supreme Court had held that it was not sufficient for ombudsmen offices to just address individual complaints, rather they must address systematic failures that were the root cause of maladministration and formulate and enforce standards of good governance as had been envisaged by the law.

The Supreme Court had also regretted that there was a near complete failure of the regulatory framework in relation to the prison conditions and that no official or organisation appeared to have been effective in regulating the implementation of prison laws and rules to ensure prisoners’ welfare as was required under the law.

On Tuesday the court recalled that prisons in Pakistan were constructed during the British era but regretted that the government had failed to set up more despite the fact that jails were overcrowded and their population was increasing with the passage of time.

It was the job of monitoring judges of provincial high courts to examine pathetic conditions of jails, the court observed.

Additional Advocate General of Punjab Razak A. Mirza told the court that there were 35 jails and the provincial government had allocated funds for reconstructing five more jails. Besides, he said, five jails would be renovated next year.

Justice Dost Muhammad Khan recalled that when he was the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court a delegation of foreign donors had offered him during a meeting to build a high-security prison in Malakand, but they were advised to contact the provincial government. So far no such jail had been built in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the judge lamented.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Secretary conceded that prisons in the province were crowded as the prison population had tripled, but the government was planning to build more jails in Mardan and expand the Peshawar prison.

Both law officers from Sindh and Balochistan informed the court that no plans for construction of more jails in the two provinces were under consideration of their respective governments.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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SAHIWAL: In at least sixth such incident during the last two weeks, a woman was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon while she was alone on the street.

The latest incident occurred on Monday evening when the wife of Ghulam Husain, a resident of Scheme No 3, was returning home after jogging in Ladies and Children Park in Farid Town.

Like the previous incidents, a motorcyclist intercepted the woman and stabbed her in the chest with a sharp-edged weapon. She received deep cuts and had to be taken to the hospital for dressing and treatment. Out of the six women who were attacked, three would regularly jog in the park.

Farid Town police said no such case was reported.

These attacks have created panic among the women, especially the working ones, the students, regular walkers and those who have to frequently visit markets for buying grocery and shopping alone.

Ms Rasheeda, a regular evening walker, said many women felt threatened because of these incidents.

According to the data gathered by Dawn after contacting the family members of five women in Barki Street, Bilal Colony, Tariq Bin Ziyad Colony and Farid Town areas, the pattern of all attacks was similar.

In all the cases, except one, those attacked were housewives. So far only one student has been targeted.

Those discussing these incidents in local social circles are of the opinion that the attacks could be work of a psycho, a jilted lover or some fanatic associated with some sectarian outfit. Many local women rights activists say these incidents are further curtailing the independence of women who are already under pressure because of various social and cultural taboos.

“Already women have to face many cultural taboos while moving out (alone) but such attacks on them are enough to force them to stay home,” says Ms Asifa Asif, the field coordinator of a Lok Sujag, a body working to highlight social, cultural and rights issues.

Despite gravity of the issue, the local police are making no efforts to trace the culprit(s). Similar incidents had been reported in Chichawatni last year but no tangible results could be achieved by the police because of various factors, including their lack of interest.

Chichawatni police record shows six such attacks on women were reported there.

Police sources admitted that though one or two guys were interrogated in this connection but these turned out to be isolated incidents motivated by personal grudge.

“Many are convinced we (police) failed to arrest or trace the right guy,” a police insider admitted seeking anonymity.

Concerned circles claim that more than 60 such incidents occurred in Chichwatni but the victims and their families chose not to report to police for fear of being stigmatised.

Rao Shafiq, a former educationist, says: “Male members or heads of family prefer not to report such matter to police in a patriarch​ society.”

The women who regularly jog or walk in the Ladies and Children Park demanded while talking to Dawn that police should not wait for victims to report and ply a proactive role in nabbing the culprit(s).

“Threat has been created in the community. Now it is time to respond effectively,” Naeem Naqvi, a political worker, said.

“Many of the regulars have stopped jogging in the park. Now it is our duty to respond to the critical situation instead of waiting for more victims,” Ms Saima Ahmed of Y-Block said.

Ms Naheed, a bank manager, apprehended that the pattern of attacks on women could be used to settle personal scores.

“It’s already established the attacker will not be arrested,” she added.

Mr Sabah Masood, a feature writer of a local news website, said: “What if the victims are not daring to report the matter to police. The community at large knows this is regularly happening around us. Is it not enough for law enforcing agencies to respond and restore the depleting confidence of women who move alone,” he argued.

According to sources, out of five victims, the family of only one dared to report the incident to Farid Town police and got registered an FIR (624/15) on Sept 5.

Investigation Officer Muhammad Arif said no progress could be made in the case.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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