ISLAMABAD: Confirming that there were two major irritants on the part of the government that hampered a long-term supply contract with Qatar for liquefied natural gas (LNG), Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi claimed to have received threats as well as offers of financial rewards from oil mafia in exchange for giving up on the LNG project.

Speaking at a press conference – his second in as many days – the minister criticised PTI chief Imran Khan for issuing “irresponsible statements unbecoming of a national leader” regarding Qatar and said that Pakistan was receiving messages asking that the country not be brought into disrepute, irrespective of whether or not the government was interested in the LNG purchases.

Also read-Editorial: Gas shortages

“There is an oil mafia... I was lured and intimidated not to work on the LNG terminal,” said the minister, adding that he was offered monetary benefits in exchange for signing some summaries that were brought before him. Asked why, being a federal minister, he did not expose such people, he said he preferred to deliver instead of wasting time.

The minister said he had held a meeting with Saeed Mehdi, chairman of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) board of directors, and had asked him to take care of the board and the company’s management, which could not deliver on LNG import.

He said that SNGPL’s system losses on the distribution network were more than 20 per cent, but the management put its average losses at around 11c.

Mr Abbasi said the government was in negotiations with Qatar Gas for a long-term LNG sale-purchase agreement for 15 years, but it was being hampered by two major impediments.

Firstly, he said, the ministries of petroleum, finance and power were required to finalise a payment mechanism for LNG import. “We have not been able to do this as of today,” he said.

Secondly, he said, the government was required to ensure standby letters of credit payable to Qatar Gas, while similar SBLCs were to be issued by independent power producers (IPPs) under the gas-supply agreement. He said this had also not been done thus far because LNG tariffs had not been determined by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

He said that on the basis of tariff determination, PSO would be authorised to notify LNG rates every month based on the value of the previous month’s cargo, as was the case with petroleum pricing.

Mr Abbasi said that over the past 10 years, three governments had made five attempts to import LNG and failed, but the current government had succeeded in importing the gas within 20 months, which was a boon given that domestic gas reserves were fast-depleting and all sectors such as fertiliser, electricity, transport and others were suffering.

He said the PML-N government was able to run 600MW power plants on LNG this year, which had been closed last year. He claimed that at any price, LNG would provide an annual $1billion in savings. He said the price of LNG was less than that of the gas which would be obtained from the proposed Iranian and Turkmenistan pipelines.

He said the petroleum ministry had anticipated teething problems at the outset and hence committed only 200MMcfd of LNG for first year under the terminal agreement with Engro, saying that otherwise, the terminal had the capacity to process 600 million cubic feet per day. He said that despite a number of problems, LNG imports were only half a ship behind the committed schedule. Eleven ships had been brought thus far and 13 more were expected during the remaining six months ending in March 2016.

He said the terminal charges secured in Pakistan were the lowest among 40 or so similar terminals operating across the globe. He also said that the terminal contract was not changed after the bidding process as was the case with many past agreements.

He said the additional LNG imports would ensure that three 3,600MW power plants would be operational in the summer of 2017. He said these plants would have the highest-guaranteed efficiency of 52.5pc, the most secured in Pakistan.

The minister conceded that port charges for LNG were quite high as some cargos were charged at $1 million and others at $700,000, compared to the $100,000 being charged to oil cargos. He said that LNG suppliers had previously demanded a $750m guarantee, which had now been reduced to $50m, or the equivalent of two shiploads of LNG, because of the government’s good reputation.

The minister said the government could secure cheaper LNG through negotiations but was constrained by procurement rules that required bidding, which had peculiar problems with such a product.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: On the fifth anniversary of the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) convener Dr Imran Farooq, London's Metropolitan police has reaffirmed its commitment for the investigation of the case, saying its detectives "remain committed to finding those responsible".

In a summary published on its official website Wednesday, the Scotland Yard shared details of the progress in Dr Farooq's murder investigation.

In connection with the probe, detectives from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command to date:

• spoke to 4,555 people
• reviewed 7,697 documents
• followed up 2,423 lines of inquiry
• and seized 4,325 exhibits

Dr Farooq, aged 50, was on his way home from work when he was murdered in Green Lane on September 16, 2010, outside his London home.

A five-and-a-half inch bladed kitchen knife and a house brick used in the attack were recovered at the scene, London police said in the report.

"It is thought Dr Farooq's murder would have required careful planning and help from other people, some of whom may have provided assistance or information unwittingly," the Scotland Yard said in the report.

It says Met police officers have been in regular contact with Pakistani authorities in order to collect evidence that could help in bringing to justice the killers of Dr Farooq.

According to the report, Met police officers named Mohsin Ali Syed and Kashif Khan Kamran as the two men wanted in connection with the murder.

Mohsin, 30, is a Pakistani national who lived in the UK between February 2010 and September 16, 2010 while Kashif, 36, is the other Pakistani national named in the murder case who was in the UK between early September 2010 and September 16, 2010.

This combo of handout pictures received from the Metropolitan Police Service on May 27, 2014 shows Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran and Mohsin Ali Syed, both named by British police in connection with the 2010 killing of Dr Imran Farooq in London. — AFP

Scotland Yard arrested three other people in connection with the investigation, but they were all released without charge, said its report.

Earlier Dawn newspaper reported that Mohsin and Kashif were said to have acquired British visa on the basis of their admission to the London Academy of Management Sciences in East London.

Mohsin went to the UK in February, 2010, and lived in a number of places in London. Kashif reached there in early September, 2010.

According to information shared by the UK, phone records showed that the two usually moved together and were allegedly in contact with a close relative of MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

They left the UK on Sept 16, 2010, hours after the murder for Sri Lanka before travelling to Karachi on Sept 19.

Mohsin Ali was arrested along with another accused, Khalid Shamim, by the Frontier Corps in Balochistan about two months ago.

During its visit to Islamabad in July the Scotland Yard team quizzed Khalid Shamim and another accused, Moazzam Ali Khan, who was arrested by law-enforcement agencies in Karachi this year. Moazzam Ali Khan was accused of arranging tickets, visa and finances for the UK visit of Mohsin and Kashif.

It has been reported that the Metropolitan police have reasons to believe that Mohsin and Kashif stabbed Dr Farooq to death before fleeing the country.

The whereabouts of Kashif are not known and there are rumours that he is not alive.

Khalid Shamim is accused of being a part of the murder plot and investigations suggest that he had met Mohsin and Kashif and arranged their meeting with Moazzam Ali Khan.

A three-member team of Scotland Yard returned to London on Sept 4 after interrogating Mohsin Ali as part of the probe, Dawn reported earlier.

Know more: Dr Imran Farooq murder suspects to be interrogated by Met police: Nisar

The team had come to Pakistan recently when Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was in the United Kingdom holding talks with British authorities.

Scotland Yard has asked people who can provide any information in relation to the murder probe to come forward and contact the police, assuring that the information will be dealt with sensitivity.

Profile: Dr Imran Farooq

MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq, aged 50, was on his way home from work when he was attacked in Green Lane on September 16, 2010 outside his London home. A post-mortem examination found that he died from multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head.

Farooq had claimed asylum in Britain in 1999. He was wanted in Pakistan over scores of charges including torture and murder but always claimed the accusations were politically motivated.

He had twice been elected as a lawmaker in Pakistan but went into hiding in 1992 when the government ordered a military crackdown against MQM activists in Karachi.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to the prime minister, the opposition leader in National Assembly and the NA speaker during the hearing of a petition seeking acceptance of resignations submitted by Muttahida Qaumi Movement parliamentarians.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali clubbed a similar petition on acceptance of resignations of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf parliamentarians.

Both petitions were filed by former Senator Syed Zafar Ali Shah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

According to the petitioner, the delay in the acceptance of resignations of MQM parliamentarians is a violation of the Constitution.

Know more: MQM says no more talks, resignations final

Shah also requested the apex court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue schedule for by-elections on the seats vacated by MQM and the PTI parliamentarians.

The bench adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.

Editorial: MQM resignations

Meanwhile, MQM maintains that its members’ resignations from all three legislative floors are final, adding that it would not partake in dialogue over the matter anymore.

The party says it will temporarily abandon parliamentary politics and focus on the “establishment of a province and welfare activities.”

The party statement said it had unanimously decided to tender resignations in protest and the government will have to “accept them at every cost.”

“Every MQM member in Senate, National Assembly and Sindh Assembly should be seen as having resigned.”

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani civilian was injured when Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) resorted to 'unprovoked' firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Rawalakot's Battal sector on Wednesday.

According to details, a civilian Ghulam Nabi, resident of Alam village of Battal sector, was wounded in the second incident of ceasefire violation from the Indian side in the last 24 hours.

Security sources told DawnNews that Pakistani troops responded to Indian firing in a 'befitting manner'.

Yesterday, a Pakistan Army soldier was killed in a similar incident in Battal sector.

Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) spokesman 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.

Pakistan lodges protest with India

Pakistan lodged strong protest with India over latest LoC violations and asked the Indian government to respect ceasefire agreement.

"Deputy Indian High commissioner J.P. Singh was called by the Foreign Office to lodge protest against the LoC violations over the past two days, which resulted into the killing of one Pakistani soldier and injured a civilian,” official sources told Dawn News.

Pakistan urged India to independently hold inquiry in the latest violations and share its findings with Pakistan.

The Foreign Office also asked India not to target civilian populations along the LOC.

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.

Related: India violates ceasefire despite recent promises of peace

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday visited South Waziristan and inaugurated multiple development projects as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan after the end of combat operations in the area, said a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The army chief, as part of his visit, inaugurated a cadet college in Wana which was funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The cadet college will provide education for upto 500 children of the area, according to the ISPR statement.

General Raheel Sharif also commissioned into service a 132-KV grid station, and a 54 kilometre long transmission line at Wana, as part of efforts to bring modern electrical infrastructure to the area. The new electrical infrastructure will fulfil a major demand of the local populace, said the ISPR statement.

“These development projects would improve quality of life of the common people, create job opportunities and usher this area into economic prosperity, which is our main objective,” stated the army chief.

In Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan), the army chief also inaugurated a USAID funded 62km road between DI Khan and Tank.

“Operation Zarb-i-Azb is in its final stage, and Pakistan Army has evicted terrorists from the area with the support of the entire nation,” stated General Raheel Sharif.

The army chief, on the occasion also appreciated the support lent by the tribals of the area, and paid a tribute to their sacrifices. He urged the tribals to continue their support to the ongoing security and rehabilitation operations.

Military operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched in North Waziristan on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on Karachi's international airport and the failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.

Authorities have since vowed to intensify operations, using air strikes, artillery and mortars to take back territory both in the border regions and other parts of the country.

North Waziristan is one of the seven regions in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) governed by tribal laws which is situated along the Pak-Afghan border.

KARACHI: The counter-terrorism department (CTD) on Wednesday claimed to have arrested the alleged 'key financier' involved in the Safoora bus carnage, the incident in which more than 40 people including women and children were killed.

The suspect, Sheeba Ahmed, was detained from the Defence area of Karachi, said CTD's Senior Superintendent of Police Investigation, Naveed Nisar Khwaja.

Khwaja said Ahmed allegedly 'brainwashed' the suspects accused of carrying out the Safoora massacre and provided them with key financial support,

Speaking at press conference at his office, the senior officer said Ahmed was detained over information provided by the arrested accused — Saad Aziz and Azhar Ishrat.

During initial probe, the suspect told investigators that he belonged to a religious party, Tanzeem Islami. However, the officer added that "he was also the financier of the outlawed al Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent".

It was alleged that Ahmed was involved in "chemical business" in Pakistan and neighbouring Islamic countries and the money earned through this trade was being used to provide funds to militants to carry out terror acts.

“The held suspect, apart from brainwashing the main accused of Safoora tragedy, also provided them complete financial support,” claimed the CTD official.

Naveed Khuwaja revealed that another suspect, Hasan Zaheer, who was recently arrested in Lahore, also informed investigators that Sheeba Ahmed had provided financial support to a hospital in Lahore for treating alleged injured terrorists there.

“We are also interrogating him to this effect,” added the police officer.

Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Hyder Jamali, AIG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi and DIG CTD Arif Hanif announced cash and other rewards for the police party which detained the alleged terrorist.

Over 40 members of the Islamili community, including women, were killed when armed men attacked their community bus near Safoora Goth on May 14, according to a report by Dawn.

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday that a missing key witness in two corruption references against former president Asif Ali Zardari was now available to testify in the cases.

Additional deputy prosecutor general (ADPG) of NAB, Chaudhry Riaz while arguing in an appeal filed against the acquittal of Mr Zardari in ARY gold and Ursus tractors corruption references told the court that former joint secretary Ehtesab Cell, Hassan Waseem Afzal, was untraceable during the last government of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He said that during the court proceedings against co-accused in the corruption references, Mr Afzal was summoned a number of times but he neither responded nor turned up to the court adding that the whereabouts of the witness were also not known at that time.

According to him, due to unavailability of the witness, the prosecution had to drop him from the witnesses list.

IHC division bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi and Justice Aamir Farooq remarked that the prosecution could have issued arrest warrants for the witness to procure his attendance.

The bench, however, asked NAB to present the record of the trial in ARY and Ursus corruption references within a fortnight.

An accountability court in Islamabad acquitted Mr Zardari in the two corruption references (Ursus Tractors and the ARY gold import) on December 12, 2014 under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code which empowers a judge to acquit an accused if the evidence against him is insufficient.

The accountability court acquitted Mr Zardari after his counsel Farooq H. Naek informed the judge that the co-accused in both the references had already been acquitted by the accountability court.

ADPG Riaz told the IHC that during the trial of the co-accused the bureau did not place evidence against Zardari on the judicial record as at that time being president Mr Zardari was enjoying immunity under Article 248 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Article 248 (2) says that no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be instituted or continued against the President or a Governor in any court during his term of office.

After the end of the immunity when Mr Zardari relinquished the president’s office, the bureau revived references against him and wanted to place the evidence before the court but he was acquitted under section 265-K, the additional deputy prosecutor general argued.

He contended before the court that the charges against Mr Zardari were framed by the Ehtisab bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) but the accountability court did not conduct his trial under the charge sheets issued to him by the bench.

The ARY corruption reference is related to granting licences to ARY traders for import of gold and silver which caused losses to the public exchequer, amounting to approximately Rs18.2 million.

Ursus tractors case deals with alleged misappropriation in the purchase of 5,900 Russian and Polish tractors at a cost of Rs150,000 each, for the then Awami Tractor Scheme. The deal allegedly caused a loss of Rs268.3 million to the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan now known as Zarai Tarqiati Bank and Rs1.67 billion to the State Bank of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2015

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BADIN: Police recovered 46 bonded peasants, including women and children, after conducting raids on farmlands in Badin and Mirpurkhas districts on Wednesday.

A police team raided the farmland of Haji Ramazan Mallah near his village late on Wednesday night and got released 31 bonded peasants, including 12 children and 13 women, after one Kewal Kolhi filed an application in the Badin district and sessions court, appealing the court to rescue his family members from the captivity of the landlord.

The applicant said that the landlord had kept his family members in chains and deprived them of their just share in harvest for the past many years. Police said the liberated peasants would be produced in court on Thursday.

In Mirpurkhas, the district and sessions court on Wednesday set at liberty 15 peasants, including women and children, after recording their statements.

Jhuddo police had carried out raid on the farmland of Abdul Razzaque Leghari near Dajero Mori on Tuesday and recovered 15 peasants, including women and children, after one Sono Kolhi filed an application in the court, accusing the landlord of detaining his relatives at the farmland.

On Wednesday, police produced them in the court which recorded their statements and set them free.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Water and Power has identified three major technical and procedural problems with the 525MW Nandipur power project and sought action against people responsible for the shortcomings.

Highly placed sources in the ministry told Dawn that the selection of a low capacity furnace oil treatment plant (FOTP) for such a big project, flaws in the long-term outsourcing of operation and maintenance (O&M) contract and awarding the contract to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors on a short-term basis were key shortcomings leading to failure of the project.

Moreover, the poor quality fuel believed to have been adulterated on its way to Nandipur from Karachi caused initial problems.

According to Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the 525MW power plant will not have any technical problem if it is run on natural gas. He is reported to have opposed last year the selection of dual fuel combined cycle technology for the project on technical grounds but was overruled when a high-level meeting was informed that banks were not ready to extend funds unless the plant had alternative fuel.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered three separate investigations into the project. These are a probe by a team of the ministry and its attached departments on technical aspects, another by an audit firm of international repute and third by the Auditor General of Pakistan to look into procedural lapses, irregularities and misappropriations.

Take a look: PM orders audits of Nandipur project

Petroleum Minister Khaqan Abbasi says the power unit will not have any technical problem if run on natural gas

The sources said the ministry had completed its inquiry and blamed the management of the project and the Punjab chief minister without directly naming him. The sources pointed out Shahbaz Sharif’s all-out support for the Nandipur project management, even going to the extent of recommending conferment of a civil award on the managing director.

The sources said it was an unusual move to appoint a bureaucrat as head of a crucial project whose machinery had been rusting at ports for years. According to them, usually engineers are made project directors till commercial operation is achieved and only after test trials these could be handed over to management experts appointed as managing directors.

The ministry has concluded that the FOTP installed at the plant is of inadequate capacity. It is capable of treating only 24 tons of furnace oil per hour against the required capacity of 32 tons. Due to the inadequate treating capacity of FOTP, the plant could not be operated on the total capacity of 425MW which otherwise has a designed capacity to touch 525MW on natural gas.

“The Nandipur management did not bring this serious issue to the knowledge of the board of directors as well as the ministry,” said the report seen by Dawn. The management has remained unable to resolve the issue till to date.

The report also pointed out that post-bid changes had been made in the contract documents and agreed with the bidder in violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules. Secondly, the O&M contract was being outsourced for 10 years. The bidder quoted one year on furnace oil and for the next nine years the price had been left open and was subject to revision after conversion of the plant into natural gas. “Therefore, the bid price is inconclusive and not final,” said the report.

Moreover, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) “has not yet given tariff on gas because gas is not yet available at the plant site and has directed for submission of tariff request after conversion of the plant into gas”.

It has been noted that the prices quoted in the O&M bid were not in line with Nepra’s determined tariff. The calculations in original bid evaluation report are based on 90 per cent plant factor which was highly unrealistic for thermal power plants.

“The O&M cost per kilowatt hour based on these calculations has been substantially reduced and is misleading because normally 60pc plant factor is used,” the report added.

Against a Nepra allowed O&M cost of about 30 paisa per unit (kwh), the cost quoted for O&M contract in this case was 25 paisa per unit higher (about 55 paisa per unit) with an annual financial impact of more than Rs80 million per year.

In case of profit-sharing for efficiency factor, the 50pc better efficiency was to be shared, 70pc by the government and 30pc by the contractor in original bid, but this was later changed to a 50:50pc basis, which was “highly questionable”, the report said.

On top of that, the pricing mechanism quoted by the bidder contained too many variables due to which it was difficult to assess the exact pricing of the O&M proposal. It has also been reported that a trained team of 40 to 50 engineers and technical staff was posted at the Nandipur project, but it was not allowed to get conversant with the plant’s operations during installation and testing. “Due to this reason, the plant is not able to operate even after completion of reliability test run (RTR),” the report said.

It said the award of the O&M contract to the EPC contractor on a short-term basis was also mishandled. The board of Genco-III allowed the project management to enter into a time-gap arrangement with Dongfang Electric Corporation Ltd (DECL) for a period of six months.

The project management pointed out risks in giving the O&M contract to the EPC contractor (DECL). “The O&M cost negotiated with DECL for three months is $3.5 million, which is very high, compared to other similar contracts. Moreover, the management did not submit proper agenda to the board for consideration,” the report concluded.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2015

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http://images.dawn.com/news/1173749/tbt-these-pictures-of-meera-from-times-past-are-a-lollywood-fans-dream

LAHORE: A Lahore sessions court on Thursday granted bail to film actor Meera while adjourning until October 1 the next hearing of a case filed against her by her alleged former husband Atiqur Rehman.

The actor, who appeared in court today, was granted bail against surety bonds worth Rs 50,000.

Earlier today, she was held in judicial custody after her late arrival in court.

During today's hearing, Meera's counsel argued that her alleged former husband Atiqur Rehman is blackmailing the celebrity through a fake and forged marriage certificate and termed the whole exercise a campaign to malign the actor who is a recipient of civil awards.

Read: Non-bailable arrest warrant issued for Meera

Earlier on July 31, the court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant after she had been summoned for multiple court hearings which she did not attend.

Atiq had earlier registered a case in court alleging that Meera married one Captain Naveed while she was already in wedlock with Atiq.

After reports of a tiff between Meera and Atiq surfaced, she vehemently denied being married to him. Atiq alleged that the actor had threatened to have him killed, and had stolen furniture from a house which he had gifted to her. Meera, in turn, had also sought to register a case against Atiq for threatening and attempting to murder her.

When news of Meera's marriage to Captain Naveed came to light, Atiq in 2012 made a media appearance stating the actress was unable to marry Capt Naveed since she was still married to him, and the court was yet to decide on the matter of their marriage.

QUETTA: Iranian forces fired mortar shells at Pakistan's bordering town of Mashkail on Thursday morning spreading fear and panic in the area, officials said.

There was no loss of life or property reported in the shelling.

Read: 7 injured as Iranian border guards fire rockets in Balochistan's Kech

The mortar shells landed close to Mashkail Bazaar, however, there was no human loss, a levies official told DawnNews on the condition of anonymity as he was authorised to speak to the media.

Personnel of levies and frontier corps reached the spot as investigation in the attack went underway.

Security was tightened around the Pak-Iran border in the aftermath of mortar shell attack.

Also read: Iranian forces fire mortar shells into Pakistani territory

Panic prevailed among the residents of Mashkail and nearby villages after repeated attacks by the Iranian border guards.

In the past, the Iranian border guards had fired rockets and mortar shells at Mashkail causing human losses.

Also read: Iranian border personnel fire mortar shells inside Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have shelved a raft of agreements that promised to more than triple cross-border trade, officials said, as economic ties seen as key to regional stability fall victim to rivalry and suspicion.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani struck the trade deals with Pakistan soon after taking office last year as part of a broader rapprochement that included plans to share intelligence on Taliban insurgents active in both countries.

That cooperation was aimed at tackling the Islamist militant movement, which has separate Afghan and Pakistani branches whose violent campaigns kill thousands of people each year and hamper much-needed development.

The trade deals were supposed to be a step towards warmer relations and boosting Afghanistan-Pakistan trade from $1.6 billion now to $5bn by 2017.

But officials told Reuters that the agreements, which include reducing tariffs and granting each other preferential trade status, have stalled.

“There has been no progress or further meetings for months since those agreements were signed,” said Musafer Qoqandi, the Afghan Commerce Ministry's spokesman.

The key bone of contention was whether Pakistan would allow trade from old rival India to cross its territory.

The setback first emerged in April, but neither side was willing to discuss it amid attempts to salvage the agreements and maintain the appearance of unity.

But political relations deteriorated after a spate of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan last month, including several large blasts in Kabul, and the impasse over trade spilled into the open, further complicating efforts to save the deals.

Some Afghans blame Pakistan for supporting the Taliban, charges that Pakistan denies.

As diplomats from the two countries swap blame, some are wondering how they can control militancy together if they cannot make progress on trade.

“If Pakistan and Afghanistan aren't able to agree on relatively simple trade initiatives that benefit both countries, how can they be expected to make progress in security cooperation?” asked Vaqar Ahmed, deputy executive director at Islamabad's Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

A labourer moves sacks of onions to a truck bound for Afghanistan at a transit depot in Peshawar, September 15, 2015. — Reuters

Disagreements over India

Muzamel Shinware, Afghanistan's deputy commerce minister, told Reuters that it was “illogical and unfair” not to include Indian trade crossing Pakistan into Afghanistan.

Under the terms of the agreements, Pakistan was to have been allowed to ship its goods to markets in Central Asia and beyond via Afghan territory.

But the row over Indian goods has jeopardised the deals, with India and Pakistan locked in a decades-old standoff.

“If you put India on the table, then the whole thing stops,” said a Pakistani official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pakistani Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan confirmed that progress was stalled and blamed Afghanistan for failing to deliver promised lower levies on Pakistani transit trade and to begin negotiations on a preferential trade agreement.

Afghanistan, in turn, blamed Pakistan.

A senior Afghan official, who asked not to be named, said that the progress on trade made since Ghani's visit to Pakistan in November “could, frankly, have been made in two weeks if we were serious”.

In November, Pakistan promised faster clearance of Afghan cargo, greater access for Afghan traders to Pakistan's railway system and to set up 'parallel track' Afghan customs at Karachi.

Dastagir Khan says most of those steps have been implemented, although some officials privately concede that progress in recent months has stalled as relations chilled.

Experts say part of the problem is that the Pakistani military retains the final say in bilateral ties.

“(The Pakistani commerce ministry's) hands are too tied,” said an Islamabad-based consultant who has worked closely with the ministry.

“(They) need to take clearance on each and every petty issue on Pak-Afghan trade.”

One country benefitting from the chill between Pakistan and Afghanistan is neighbouring Iran.

Afghan transit trade with Iran has increased steadily since 2007. In 2011, it supplanted Pakistan as Afghanistan's largest transit trade partner in terms of containers shipped, according to SDPI.

“Perhaps Pakistan thinks that it is twisting Afghanistan's arm by stopping these trade initiatives,” said Ahmed of SDPI.

“But very soon, Iran could make Pakistan irrelevant.”

QUETTA: Six officials of Balochistan Development Authority (BDA), who were earlier kidnapped from Killa Saifullah district of Balochistan were recovered from Afghanistan’s Paktika province on Thursday.

Family members of the kidnapped individuals confirmed to DawnNews that tribesmen in Paktika province played a vital role in the safe recovery of the individuals.

The kidnapped officials were recovered from the Sharan area of Paktika province, and were brought to the residence of a local tribal elder, Azam Khan.

Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch had taken notice of the incident, and the provincial government contacted the Afghan authorities to ensure safe recovery of the kidnapped officials.

Security forces had also launched search operations following the kidnapping, but were unable to apprehend the kidnappers as they had crossed the international border into Afghanistan.

Militant commander surrenders

A militant commader, along with six other militants, surrendered to security forces in Sibi on Thursday.

The militant commander belonged to the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and surrendered to the authorities during an event arranged for the same.

The militants handed over their weapons to the authorities and announced to adopt peaceful lives.

PESHAWAR: Systematic implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police has saved the settled areas of the province from becoming safe heavens for terrorists, Inspector General Police (IGP) Nasir Khan Durrani told DawnNews.

“As the decisive anti-terror operation Zarb-i-Azb started, it was understood that settled areas of KP would the first targets of militancy and it was the biggest challenge for us, which we accepted and were successful in tackling," said Durrani.

KP's IGP said that the anti-terror operation in the province was divided into two phases, defensive and offensive.

Read: Nearly 5,000 cops punished in KP during the past two years

In the defensive phase, some laws and acts were introduced and information gathering mechanisms were introduced and strengthened while during the second phase, raids were conducted to directly arrest terrorists and suspected militants.

Statistics from the two phases of operation

Sharing the operation's statistics, KP's top cop said that during the first phase, militants were denied safe heavens under the new Tenant Information Form (TIF) and a total number of 4,413 First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against landlords while 756 FIRs were lodged against hotels for non-submission of the form.

Separately, 348 FIRs were also lodged in the ‘Action against fake National Identity Cards (NICs)' while 536 individuals were arrested.

A total of 13,929 illegal migrants were taken into custody while almost 6,712 cases were registered in this regard.

During the first phase, action was taken against those involved in hate speech and distribution of divisive material with 147 individuals taken into custody, while 812 cases of confiscating such material were also recorded.

Durrani added that, when compared to other provinces, the ratio of hate speech and related material is quite low in KP.

Sharing the document from the second phase, the IGP maintained that during the ‘Search and Strike Operations', 38,113 suspects were detained while 10,512 firearms were confiscated and almost 340kg of explosive was seized.

The KP police also established 35,042 road blocks for snap checking and during the exercise 69,783 suspects were detained along with 5,409 arms and 174,863 rounds of different caliber were confiscated.

Around 5 kilograms of explosive material was also seized during snap checking.

At least 361 militants were challaned during the second phase.

Interestingly, not a single case of extra judicial killing has been reported throughout the province during the operation to implement NAP.

Related 15 committees tasked with implementation of National Action Plan

PESHAWAR: More than 25,000 people refused to vaccinate their children with the anti-polio vaccines in the recently concluded three day immunisation drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

According to EPI incharge Raheem Khattak, at least 25,800 parents from 19 districts of KP did not allow the health workers to administer polio drops to their children under the age of five.

Read: Three-day polio immunisation drive kicks off in KP amid tight security

Khattak said that more than 0.2 million children could not be administered the vaccine due to their unavailability at homes while about 4.2 million children were vaccinated in the three day door to door campaign.

A three-day polio immunisation drive kicked off in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province earlier this week, amid tight security.

According to the National Immunisation Database (NID) 14,705 mobile, 1,586 fixed, 737 transit and 107 roaming teams comprising of 17,135 health workers took part in the three-day drive.

The total number of cases registered in Pakistan during the current year are 32, with the last two reported in Khyber Agency.

A report published in Dawn Newspaper on September 8 stated that Fata recorded 179 polio cases and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had 68 cases of the 306 reported countrywide in 2014. In 2013 the tally was 65 and 11 cases respectively, out of the 93 cases registered at national level.

KP also registered 27 cases and Fata had 20 cases of polio in the nationwide tally of 58 cases in 2012.

Fata along with KP was declared the hub of polio virus, which poses risk to children in the countries that had long been declared polio-free.

Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic but efforts to eradicate the disease have been severely hindered in recent years as militants continue to attack immunisation teams and polio workers.

Also read: Anti-polio campaign to be carried out every month

THE stench of rotten meat in Punjab is spreading and has seemingly reached Karachi. The social media and the news channels have been abuzz with reports about eateries and shops being sealed over the issue of dubious quality meat, the commodity being seized and people selling it being arrested. If Punjab became infamous for donkey meat and pork allegedly being offered for consumption, Sindh won’t be left behind either. We must also make a name for ourselves; dog and snake meat just might get us there.

Where Punjab has provincial Food Minister Bilal Yaseen, Punjab Food Authority Director Operations Ayesha Mumtaz, or Livestock Department Deputy District Officer Dr Rahat Ali, Karachi has deputy commissioners whizzing around town conducting raids. It was said that during the recent crackdown the butcheries at Empress Market had been sealed. But follow any well-fed cat in the area and it will lead you to where the cleavers are still at work and the knives are still carving cuts out of the carcasses hanging from hooks.

Take a look: The real meat

“No, no the market wasn’t sealed,” says one butcher selling beef and proudly pointing out the violet stamp on it. “They just paid us a visit and during inspection realised that several shops here were selling veal, which they said isn’t ok since the animals are too young to be butchered. What I have is beef, perfectly legit,” he beams.

Behind him, at another shop, a couple of animal leg cuts sway from the hooks. One looks like mutton from the size of it but the other one is bigger, though not big enough to be beef. “It’s veal, sister,” the butcher tells me. And how did he survive the visit or raid? “I’m a rickshaw driver. I bring only as much as I can sell. I will soon have the ribs, cubes and mince ready for delivery to my regular customers, which I do myself. You see, beef is Rs200 and over for a kilogramme, and veal is only Rs100. Restaurants demand it so that they can pass it off as mutton. I also deliver it to several homes that feed it to their dogs.”

When asked where he gets it from, he smiles. “From somewhere near the regular slaughterhouses in Bhains Colony, Sohrab Goth or Mawachh Goth,” he says, adding a justification: “Look, the livestock owners are doing this themselves. But they only slaughter male calves, which can be a burden, drinking up to six litres of their mother’s milk. The females, of course, are bred.”

Another butcher has his own assessment about the drive in Punjab. “The government wants to export meat and with Bakra Eid just around the corner, there is a bit of a shortage of animals for slaughter. So they raised this issue about the meat here not being good enough for consumption or it coming from wild boar and donkeys, to put people off meat so that it can be exported,” he laughs.

“It is happening, too,” interrupts his colleague. “But you go to Lyari and inquire about the price of a donkey. At over a lakh, they are more expensive than bulls and cows. That’s where the dead donkeys, horses and dogs come in.

They are cut to look like beef or mutton and sold by the sweepers and janitors responsible for the disposal of carcasses. Some of us, on the other hand, are only guilty of fulfilling certain specific demands of our customers.

“For instance, some parts of the cow’s stomach or intestines are wanted by foreigners to make sausages. They are also exported, and they’re used to make surgical thread. Then we also get several Chinese customers with iceboxes in hand. They buy everything,” the butcher says. “We have snake charmers bringing us snakes all the time and the Chinese are willing to pay us in the thousands for such delicacies.”

“The news channels and the social media just exaggerate things,” says Saif Saleem, manager of popular eatery Student Biryani, one of whose outlets had been reported as having been sealed. “No, it wasn’t sealed. Our branch in Gulshan-i-Iqbal was fined for keeping coal in a sack instead of storing it in a proper bin. Another eatery right next to ours was fined for not using good quality ginger. There was no issue of meat with us. We are all big names keeping our good reputations intact. If the authorities in Karachi want to share the limelight for holding successful raids like those in Lahore, they’ll have to look elsewhere.”

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz has said that Pakistan can host another round of Afghan reconciliation dialogue, if Kabul wants it to do so.

“We can host the second round only if Afghanistan wants us to facilitate,” Mr Aziz said while briefing Senate on key foreign policy issues on Thursday. “We can only facilitate, it has to be an Afghan initiative.”

Mr Aziz had during his visit to Kabul earlier this month for attending Regional Economic Conference on Afghanistan offered the Afghan leadership on the sidelines of the conference to help restart the process that got disrupted after it became public that Taliban chief Mullah Omar was dead.

Know more: Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to end ‘blame game’: Sartaj Aziz

Pakistan hosted the first round of the talks between the Afghan government and Taliban on July 7 and was set to hold the second round on July 31 when the news about Mullah Omar’s death became public. The disclosure forced the cancellation of the planned second round. But the subsequent uptick in Taliban violence in Afghanistan and succession dispute within the Taliban pushed the reconciliation effort into zone of uncertainty. With the leadership issue now settled, it is likely that Taliban’s position on resumption of dialogue would become clear.

The adviser said that Pakistan was still waiting for the Afghan government’s response to its offer for facilitation.

During his meeting with Mr Aziz in Kabul, President Ashraf Ghani had promised to respond to the offer for facilitating the resumption of the process after consulting his government allies and other political leaders.

Mr Aziz said there were differences in Kabul over the reconciliation process. “Some support the dialogue while others oppose it,” he observed.

The Afghan government has looked supportive of the reconciliation process, but the disagreement, it looks, is on the Pakistan’s role.

The adviser’s assessment contrasted the US reading of the situation.

Acting US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Jarrett Blanc had after the conclusion of his visit to Kabul and Islamabad earlier this week said that it was for the Taliban to decide whether or not they wanted to return to dialogue. The other stakeholders, Mr Blanc had then said, were ready for the negotiations.

FO BRIEFING: Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah at the Foreign Office briefing avoided comments on reports about the end of succession dispute in Taliban after Mullah Omar’s brother and son pledged allegiance to new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.

However, he expressed the hope that Afghan Taliban would end violence and join intra-Afghan dialogue for peace in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan will facilitate the dialogue, as before,” he said.

UNGA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Mr Khalilullah said, would address the UN General Assembly on Sept 30.

“The visit programme and speech of the prime minister are being finalised,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2015

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KARACHI: Former president retired General Pervez Musharraf called on Wednesday for extending the tenure of Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif and warned against a change in the military leadership. Otherwise, he said, “everything would go to waste”.

In an interview with Samaa TV, Mr Musharraf, who himself got five-year extension as army chief, said he was happy to see growing popularity of Gen Sharif because he was doing a “wonderful job” which needed to be continued.

“I wish he carries on with all this he is doing,” he said. “What he is doing right now, it needs continuity and if there is any change in the leadership amidst this all, all good work which has been done so far would go in waste. So I can only wish and suggest that he should stay there.”

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Gen Raheel Sharif is due to retire in November next year.

When asked if there was any “drought” in the military leadership that the departure of the army chief would create and everything good done so far would go to waste, Mr Mushrraf said there was always a difference among people and the country needed Gen Sharif to stay at his office.

“One needs to understand that there is a difference between people,” he said. “I don’t mean that there is a drought of leadership in army but I want to say that if he departs then every good work he has done would be wasted. Whenever he goes, everything he has done good, would be changed — there would be rigging again, National Accountability Bureau would step back and army courts would be wound up.”

When asked to comment on the crisis his old ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement was passing through, he said if any party or individual had done anything wrong they were answerable and the MQM was facing the same phase.

“I think the cases of money laundering and Dr Imran Farooq murder are coming to their conclusions,” he said. “You see MQM is the only urban political force in Sindh. You have to deal with that political force which represents millions of people. We must understand that there are majority of Mohajirs or Urdu speaking people in Karachi and they must be isolated from terrorists and extortionists.”

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2015

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NOWSHERA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan while speaking to the press on Thursday said that the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) should be made a part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Imran said a separate province for Fata is not viable because a new province cannot be made near the border.

The PTI leader said the cabinet would have to consult with Fata's tribal leaders, elders and experts on the matter to reach a consensus on the issue, and discuss how the "old British system" could be done away with.

He said the people of Fata should be given the opportunity to become a part of Pakistan and be given their due rights.

Also read: Idea of Fata-KP merger rejected

'Kissan package biggest pre-poll rigging'

The PTI Chairman strongly criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan. "Why did they not allow us to campaign for NA-122 by-polls?" he asked.

"Nawaz Sharif's kisaan package is the biggest pre-poll rigging," he said. "If he wanted to announce a package, why didn't he put it in the budget? It is gimmickry to say that the province will pay for half the cost of fertiliser. The province doesn't have any money ─ It's been dispersed already, so how can they pay for it? If he was sincere about the package, he would have announced a relief package when the budget came out."

Also read: PM Nawaz announces relief package of over Rs341bn for farmers

Corruption cases

"When you go after money used to finance terrorism, money collected through corruption goes alongside it," Imran claimed.

Referring to the PPP, Imran said, "They’re telling them to hold off and exerting pressure on Nawaz, who is telling his ministers to go easy on them," adding, "The masses want accountability from the corrupt people ─ who are looting this country and buying Rs4.3 billion worth of property in Dubai in two years."

"The Rangers should not be doing this; it is not the Rangers' job — it is the government's job," he said.

"I only took action against Ziaullah Afridi after he started hurling accusations at everyone in the party and blackmailing them," he said.

"If there were corruption charges against him, he should have come forward with them. This is just like Zardari and Nawaz, they both accuse each other of being corrupt. This is not the way things are done in a democracy," Khan said, adding that Afridi's duty was to clear his own name.

"This happens in KP because our NAB is free and won't spare anyone," he explained.

Also read: KP cabinet full of ‘smugglers,’ says Ziaullah Afridi