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LAHORE: A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Monday against US citizen Raymond Davis for using an illegal weapon when he gunned down two men in Lahore.

The case against Davis has been registered on the investigation officer’s statement.

Davis is in the custody of the Lahore Police and is being questioned. Earlier, Davis was awarded a six-day physical remand by a court in Lahore.

Police have sent their investigation report to the Punjab government. The report states that Davis, the US embassy and the consulate in Lahore are not cooperating with the police. It states the officials concerned have not replied to a questionnaire sent to them. The report also claims that the Americans have not given the police information on the driver of a vehicle that ran over a third person during the incident.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government is set to inform the federal government of its investigations till now. It is also in contact with the US embassy and the consulate.

Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders including the chief minister, IG Punjab and the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore are meeting to discuss the police report.

Earlier, Pakistan had rejected the US demand to release Davis, saying that sub judice in a court of law and the legal process should be respected.

LAHORE: Hundreds of people cheated out of their hard-earned cash by fake travel operators are now made rolling stones between FIA and police as the question of who should handle their cases in terms of jurisdiction is adding to their woes, The Express Tribune has learnt.

In a latest development, Interior Minister Rehman Malik is understood to have stopped Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from taking any action against human traffickers, consultancy firms, promoters, travel and tour agencies accused of extorting money from people with the false promise of sending them abroad.

In compliance of the directive, the FIA headquarters have instructed subordinate offices that all those cases (of fraud) in which borders have not been crossed should be referred to the local police.

Interestingly, the local police are not authorised to take any legal action against those involved in this kind of racket as only FIA can take action under the existing Emigration Ordinance, 1979, sources said.

The latest instructions are seen as a kind of encouragement to the callous operators to continue preying on simple souls and robbing them of their cash.

With the new policy in force, more than 100 applications of people so defrauded are not being entertained by the FIA in Punjab alone.

Sources recalled that FIA headquarters had issued identical instructions through a letter on July 17, 2009 to zonal and circle offices countrywide to close pending inquiries and stop entertaining new applications against human traffickers, agents and consultancies.

Within four months of this directive, more than 500 inquiries were referred to the HQ from FIA’s Punjab office alone. Sometimes later, however, the HQ referred some of the cases back to the subordinate offices with the direction to take action against fraudsters.

The headquarters of premier law enforcement agency had then to revise the contents of its letter on November 13, 2009, which read: “Keeping in view the above position, the policy guidelines issued by above quoted letter dated July 17, 2009 are revised with the direction that all complaints constituting the offences under Emigration Ordinance, 1979, supported by authentic documents/affidavits may be entertained by the in-charge of concerned Anti Human Trafficking Circles (AHTCs) of FIA.

“However, no action shall be initiated on the complaints attracting application of section under 22(b) of the Emigration Ordinance without specific order of the zonal directors concerned. All previous instructions on the subjected may be treated as cancelled.”

According to a senior FIA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the orders issued on the direction of interior minister have no legal basis, and run contrary to the existing Pakistani laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2011.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and France will sign a treaty in May this year to enter into a strategic partnership to counter terrorism.

Intelligence sharing on terrorism and other related issues among the security forces of the two countries will be the part of the treaty, sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilani who will be signing the treaty on behalf of Pakistan will also take up the issue of transfer of civilian nuclear technology with President Nicolas Sarkozy during their meeting,” the sources added.

Pakistan will also purchase arms from France for its counter-terrorism efforts; under the agreement France will provide soft loans of 450 million dollars to Pakistan to meet its arms purchase requirements, the source said.

The agreement will pave way for the counter-terrorism training of the French army and police by Pakistani experts in Islamabad.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy offered to help Pakistan with civilian nuclear technology in talks with his counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, in Paris in May 2009.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, after that meeting in 2009, had described the French offer as being ‘a significant development’ adding that the two countries had agreed in principle’ on the move.

Zardari came away from his meeting at the Elysee Palace with a promise of 12 million euros ($16.2 million) in French aid for civilians fleeing fighting in the northern regions of the country.

During that meeting Zardari had insisted that the Pakistan Army will eventually prevail against the Taliban.

The French president had also reiterated his offer of civilian-nuclear technology when Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had met him a few days after President Zardari’s visit to France.

Sarkozy during his meeting with Kayani had also expressed his country’s desire for a strategic partnership with Pakistan against global terrorism.

The French president told the army chief that Paris would help Pakistan build up capabilities of meeting the challenges it was facing in the war against terrorism.

France had also offered similar technology to India but an accord between the two countries has been delayed. This has been due to a precondition by India which France has so far not accepted; India wants Paris to include a safety clause in the agreement which will make France responsible for any mishap at the facility it supplies. Indian laws enacted after the Bhopal disaster demand that the supplier accept the onus in case of a Bhopal-like disaster.

Pakistan while seeking French civil nuclear technology has not attached any pre-condition to the agreement.

Pakistani and French leaders during their meeting in Paris in May will also discuss economic issues, the source revealed.

A French company has also shown interest in investing over 450 million euros in Pakistan’s dairy industry. Pakistan is currently the sixth largest milk producer in the world.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and France will sign a treaty in May this year to enter into a strategic partnership to counter terrorism.

Intelligence sharing on terrorism and other related issues among the security forces of the two countries will be the part of the treaty, sources told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilani who will be signing the treaty on behalf of Pakistan will also take up the issue of transfer of civilian nuclear technology with President Nicolas Sarkozy during their meeting,” the sources added.

Pakistan will also purchase arms from France for its counter-terrorism efforts; under the agreement France will provide soft loans of 450 million dollars to Pakistan to meet its arms purchase requirements, the source said.

The agreement will pave way for the counter-terrorism training of the French army and police by Pakistani experts in Islamabad.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy offered to help Pakistan with civilian nuclear technology in talks with his counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, in Paris in May 2009.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, after that meeting in 2009, had described the French offer as being ‘a significant development’ adding that the two countries had agreed in principle’ on the move.

Zardari came away from his meeting at the Elysee Palace with a promise of 12 million euros ($16.2 million) in French aid for civilians fleeing fighting in the northern regions of the country.

During that meeting Zardari had insisted that the Pakistan Army will eventually prevail against the Taliban.

The French president had also reiterated his offer of civilian-nuclear technology when Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had met him a few days after President Zardari’s visit to France.

Sarkozy during his meeting with Kayani had also expressed his country’s desire for a strategic partnership with Pakistan against global terrorism.

The French president told the army chief that Paris would help Pakistan build up capabilities of meeting the challenges it was facing in the war against terrorism.

France had also offered similar technology to India but an accord between the two countries has been delayed. This has been due to a precondition by India which France has so far not accepted; India wants Paris to include a safety clause in the agreement which will make France responsible for any mishap at the facility it supplies. Indian laws enacted after the Bhopal disaster demand that the supplier accept the onus in case of a Bhopal-like disaster.

Pakistan while seeking French civil nuclear technology has not attached any pre-condition to the agreement.

Pakistani and French leaders during their meeting in Paris in May will also discuss economic issues, the source revealed.

A French company has also shown interest in investing over 450 million euros in Pakistan’s dairy industry. Pakistan is currently the sixth largest milk producer in the world.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

ISLAMABAD: A day after reported truce between warring tribes in Kurram Agency, armed Taliban lashkar from Lower Kurram attacked neighbouring tribe Toori Bangash’s village Blashkhel on Sunday, sources said.

The Express Tribune has learnt that strong resistance repulsed the attack, but heavy fighting continued.

In an emergency meeting on Sunday, elders’ council of Toori Bangash tribe in Kurram Agency said the incident was part of state-supported terrorism and accused the Commandant Frontier Corps and security forces of pressuring the tribe into giving shelter to the Haqqani group.

The tribal elders said the government should punish the commandant FC through court martial “because he had tortured our tribesmen”. “Otherwise we will raise our protest with the United Nations and Amnesty International against four years of inhuman siege, state’s support for fleeing Taliban,” they threatened. They said that they will not shelter the Haqqani group Upper Kurram.

On Saturday morning, Commandant FC had announced that a convoy being escorted by FC from Parachinar to Thall city, was blocked when it reached Bagan village of Lower Kurram by armed Taliban and their local supporters, who said that they did not accept any deal for opening the road. The convoy had to return, while the FC took no action, sources said.

Earlier, The Express Tribune has learnt that a grand tribal jirga in Parachinar had negotiated a truce between warring tribes after three years of fighting, which left over 2,000 dead and at least 3,500 injured. Sajid Toori and Munir Orakzai, two lawmakers from Kurram Agency, had said that a formal announcement of the truce will be made on Monday at a news conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

ISLAMABAD: A day after reported truce between warring tribes in Kurram Agency, armed Taliban lashkar from Lower Kurram attacked neighbouring tribe Toori Bangash’s village Blashkhel on Sunday, sources said.

The Express Tribune has learnt that strong resistance repulsed the attack, but heavy fighting continued.

In an emergency meeting on Sunday, elders’ council of Toori Bangash tribe in Kurram Agency said the incident was part of state-supported terrorism and accused the Commandant Frontier Corps and security forces of pressuring the tribe into giving shelter to the Haqqani group.

The tribal elders said the government should punish the commandant FC through court martial “because he had tortured our tribesmen”. “Otherwise we will raise our protest with the United Nations and Amnesty International against four years of inhuman siege, state’s support for fleeing Taliban,” they threatened. They said that they will not shelter the Haqqani group Upper Kurram.

On Saturday morning, Commandant FC had announced that a convoy being escorted by FC from Parachinar to Thall city, was blocked when it reached Bagan village of Lower Kurram by armed Taliban and their local supporters, who said that they did not accept any deal for opening the road. The convoy had to return, while the FC took no action, sources said.

Earlier, The Express Tribune has learnt that a grand tribal jirga in Parachinar had negotiated a truce between warring tribes after three years of fighting, which left over 2,000 dead and at least 3,500 injured. Sajid Toori and Munir Orakzai, two lawmakers from Kurram Agency, had said that a formal announcement of the truce will be made on Monday at a news conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

NICL scam: Amin Dada still at large

A two-member team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) helped by local police raided on Sunday several places in Karachi to apprehend Amin Qasim Dada, including his residences, offices and houses of his relatives.

The FIA team comprises Deputy Director Javed Shah and Assistant Director Muhammad Chaudhry. FIA officials believe that Dada has escaped from the country using illegal means.

Meanwhile, FIA again arrested Muhammad Malik, the manager of one of the companies run by Moonis Elahi, on charges of opening accounts using fake particulars and withdrawing Rs100 million from it.

The accounts, FIA officials said, were opened in connivance with employees of the Allied Bank Limited’s Airport Road and Multan Road branches. They said that a total of Rs320 million were withdrawn through these accounts.

The first account was opened in the ABL’s Airport Road branch in the name of a fake firm called Adil Traders, which was supposedly run by one Adil Manzoor. The opening of the account was facilitated by branch manager Rizwan Ali Bhatti. Muhammad Malik later withdrew Rs220 million via four cheques drawn between April 28 last year and May 5.

Another account was opened in ABL’s Multan Road branch in the name of a different bogus firm named Khadim Traders said to be run by a man named Khadim Rasool. Branch manager Khalil Ahmed is said to have colluded in opening of this account, from which Malik later withdrew Rs100 million through three cheques between May 6 and May 10 last year.

The real Adil Manzor is a resident of Chak 185/6-R in Mian Channu tehsil of Khanewal district and a former employee of the Phalia Sugar Mills, while Khadim Rasool runs a crockery shop in Saida Sharif in Phalia tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin district.

In both cases, opening forms of the two accounts gives Muhammad Malik’s residence as the address of account holders. When FIA investigators summoned the actual Adil Manzoor and Khadim Rasool, they denied ever having come in contact with either of bank managers.

FIA officials have secured a four-day physical remand of Malik and one-day physical remand of the two bank mangers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2011.

NICL scam: Amin Dada still at large

A two-member team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) helped by local police raided on Sunday several places in Karachi to apprehend Amin Qasim Dada, including his residences, offices and houses of his relatives.

The FIA team comprises Deputy Director Javed Shah and Assistant Director Muhammad Chaudhry. FIA officials believe that Dada has escaped from the country using illegal means.

Meanwhile, FIA again arrested Muhammad Malik, the manager of one of the companies run by Moonis Elahi, on charges of opening accounts using fake particulars and withdrawing Rs100 million from it.

The accounts, FIA officials said, were opened in connivance with employees of the Allied Bank Limited’s Airport Road and Multan Road branches. They said that a total of Rs320 million were withdrawn through these accounts.

The first account was opened in the ABL’s Airport Road branch in the name of a fake firm called Adil Traders, which was supposedly run by one Adil Manzoor. The opening of the account was facilitated by branch manager Rizwan Ali Bhatti. Muhammad Malik later withdrew Rs220 million via four cheques drawn between April 28 last year and May 5.

Another account was opened in ABL’s Multan Road branch in the name of a different bogus firm named Khadim Traders said to be run by a man named Khadim Rasool. Branch manager Khalil Ahmed is said to have colluded in opening of this account, from which Malik later withdrew Rs100 million through three cheques between May 6 and May 10 last year.

The real Adil Manzor is a resident of Chak 185/6-R in Mian Channu tehsil of Khanewal district and a former employee of the Phalia Sugar Mills, while Khadim Rasool runs a crockery shop in Saida Sharif in Phalia tehsil of Mandi Bahauddin district.

In both cases, opening forms of the two accounts gives Muhammad Malik’s residence as the address of account holders. When FIA investigators summoned the actual Adil Manzoor and Khadim Rasool, they denied ever having come in contact with either of bank managers.

FIA officials have secured a four-day physical remand of Malik and one-day physical remand of the two bank mangers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2011.

ISLAMABAD: In spite of a lacklustre fashion week, the organising members have won themselves a contract with the World Fashion Organisation for their Pakistan Chapter. This cataclysmic news was announced at a press conference held on site at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad where the fashion week was being held.

The World Fashion Organisation has been established to “increase participation in world fashion and to integrate Pakistan on the world fashion arena,” said Paco de Jaimes, the founder of the organisation, who saw Pakistan’s inclusion as an effort at “building global bridges of understanding across nations”. The purpose of the World Fashion Organisation is to eradicate poverty and use fashion as a tool for development and peace since “it is the largest source of industrial development, affecting billions around the world,” De Jaimes stated.

The World Fashion Week will take place in New York in 2012 where one Pakistani designer shall participate with designers from all over the globe. As the designated CEO of the Pakistan chapter, stylist Tariq Amin, the creative head behind the Islamabad Fashion Week, will personally handpick a designer for the task. “Wow!” exclaimed Amin. “Will try to keep my feet on the ground. I will be monitoring who gets to go to the World Fashion Week. This is just the beginning and we will put Pakistan and Islamabad in the world of fashion.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday said it was monitoring the events unfolding in Egypt but would only evacuate its citizens from the Arab country if the situation worsened there.

The Foreign Office did not say exactly how it plans to bring back around 150 Pakistani families from the troubled Arab state whose people were on the streets for a sixth day of anti-government protests. “We are in touch with our mission in Cairo (Egyptian capital). We are watching what is happening there,” Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said.

Several countries, including the United States and India, have already sent commercial airplanes to Cairo to bring back their citizens from Egypt.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

ISLAMABAD: Two former generals who controlled Pakistan Railways during General Pervez Musharraf’s regime (1999-2002) – Lt General Javed Ashraf Qazi and Lt General Saeeduz-Zafar – have now contradicted each other in their written statements before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which will resume its hearing on Monday (today) in a multi billion rupees scam.

The scam relates of the lease of 141 acres of land to a foreign firm for construction of Royal Palm and Country Club in the heart of Lahore, as ex-Railways Minister General Qazi claimed that he had nothing to do with the decision to award contract but former secretary PR General Saeed disclosed that the “correct decision was taken with the knowledge and consent of [the then railways minister] General Qazi”.

Lt General Qazi, Lt General Zafar and Major General Hamid Hassan Butt (GM Railways), who would appear before Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary on Monday to explain their roles in the deal, have joined hands in shifting the blame onto the shoulders of low ranking officials of Pakistan Railways, who were members of the Evaluation Committee, which according to these retired generals, had actually negotiated and finalised the deal with the foreign party.

These three retired army generals who were at the helms of PR during Musharraf’s rule at different positions, have also protested that the Pakistan Army was being defamed by those who had filed petitions in the court, as two of the respondents, were members of Evaluation Committee, which inked the deal.

These retired generals have also defended the whole deal and termed it the best in Pakistan’s interests. They have also defended the deal and said it was in best the interests of Pakistan railways.

A three member SC bench presided over by the chief justice would resume its hearing on Monday (today) on the case after admitting a writ petition filed by former minister Ishaq Khan Khakwani and Dr Mubashir Hassan.

Former chairman senate Wasim Sajjad has been hired by Lt General Qazi while Ahmer Bilal Sofi will represent Lt General Zafar, Major General Hamid Hassan Butt, and former federal secretary Khurshid Alam Khan.

Former chief justice of the Lahore High Court Justice Allah Nawaz is appearing on behalf of Khakwani and Dr Hassan.

The Evaluation Committee comprised Director Marketing, Director Land and Property, Brig Akthar Ali Baig and then divisional superintendent. The names of Director Marketing Khalid Naqi and Aslam Alam were said to be also part of the team which signed the deal.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2011.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has allowed Dr Faqir Hussain to continue as the Supreme Court Registrar on a contract basis “in the best interest of the institution.” He added that Hussain’s continuation was not blocking the promotion of any other officer.

According to a press statement issued on Sunday, the re-employment of Hussain was found in compliance with the instructions contained in Rule 14(1) of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, and was in public as well as institutional interest.

The Supreme Court while hearing a suo motu case recently directed the establishment division secretary and the chief secretaries of the provinces to ensure that the case of any civil servant or other persons who have been re-employed will also be examined in terms of the provision of law.

The cases of three officers – the incumbent Registrar and two Deputy Registrars – who have been re-employed or employed on contractual basis in the court were reviewed.

It was noticed that two De­puty Registrars – Arjan Ram K Talreja, at the Branch Registry in Karachi and Pervez Ahmed at the Branch Registry in Lahore – were working on contractual basis.

When the two Deputy Regis­trars were offered the contract, no one was eligible for such a promotion. However, after the SC’s judgment, their cases have been reviewed and it has been noticed that due to their contractual employment, the promotional prospects of the eligible Assistant Registrars, who otherwise qualify to be considered for promotion as Deputy Registrars, are apparently blocked.

The press statement said in the third case, the re-employment of Hussain on contractual basis as Registrar of the Supreme Court for two years does not create any obstacle for other officers of the SC; therefore, no rectification is required.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

LAHORE: Chief of his own faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif on Sunday postponed his scheduled tour to the UK. Sharif was supposed to leave on Monday on a private visit but he cancelled his plans owing to his current engagements.

Sources in the PML-N said that the US has put immense pressure on Nawaz Sharif to relieve the US official involved in the Lahore shootings. The Punjab government is involved in litigation and investigation against US Embassy official Raymond Davis. Party members said that US Ambassador in Pakistan Cameron Munter on Saturday asked Nawaz Sharif to resolve the issue.

They said that Nawaz has held several meetings with seasoned party officials, discussing the matter in depth, adding that Munter told Nawaz that the federal government had assured the ambassador it will not create any hurdles if the Punjab government was ready to facilitate Davis’ release.

Party members said that Nawaz has assigned PML-N office-bearers the task of persuading the family of the dead person to pardon Davis. Nawaz has cancelled all other party activities and is taking a personal interest in the matter, they said.

According to PML-N officials, the federal government has informed foreign diplomats that the Punjab government is responsible for legal procedures against Davis because he committed the crime in Lahore. They said that the Punjab government’s involvement in the Davis issue and the US’ pressure on Nawaz have forced the PML-N chief to cancel his foreign visit.

Religious parties and various factions of the Pakistan Muslim League have started a campaign against Davis and if Nawaz takes a wrong step, he risks losing his popularity. On the other hand if he refuses to cooperate with the US, he could lose his good reputation there, a party official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

ISLAMABAD: Amid calls from the United States for the release of its ‘diplomatic official’ Raymond Davis, Pakistan has made it clear that he will not be handed over to Washington because the matter is being probed by a court of law.

The US embassy has claimed diplomatic immunity for Davis, who is under investigation on double murder charges after allegedly killing two young motorcyclists on Thursday. A third man was crushed to death by a US consulate car that went to help Davis following the shooting. Abdul Basit, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, told The Express Tribune that the matter was sub judice in a court of law and the legal process should be respected.

Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar also made a similar statement. “Investigations are ongoing and the legal process will have to be respected,” he told the media on Sunday.

However, Babar quashed the impression that the government was under pressure from the US. “It is wrong to say that the government has already decided to send Davis to the US,” he said.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also broke his silence on the issue on Sunday. “The federal government is not silent over this matter. This matter  is in the court,” Gilani told reporters in a live televised press conference from Multan.

“The Punjab government is conducting an inquiry into this matter and I would not comment till it is completed,” he added.

Punjab’s deputy prosecutor-general, meanwhile, claimed that they have sufficient evidence indicating that Davis didn’t have a diplomatic status at the time of his arrest.

Rana Bakhtiar told The Express Tribune that it was not a case of ‘self-defence’ because Davis had shot the motorcyclists in the back. He added that Davis was not entitled to diplomatic immunity because he was holding a business visa.

Investigators also endorsed this view. They said no shot was fired from the guns recovered on the bodies of the dead motorcyclists – Faizan and Faheem. This shows Davis had not fired gunshots in ‘self-defence’.

According to the rules, every diplomat is issued a card while entering a host country and then he is listed with the protocol section that is called P2.

But official sources said Davis was not listed with the Foreign Office as a diplomat. And that a three-day delay from the US embassy in establishing Davis as a diplomat complicated the case. They added that Davis would have to face charges against him.

A former top bureaucrat said that only diplomats enjoy immunity, but that too is not blanket immunity. “It depends on the situation. A diplomat is granted immunity when he commits a crime while on official duty,” the former foreign secretary told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.

Quoting Article 49(2) of the Vienna Convention, international law expert Ahmer Bilal Sufi said that immunity is granted to only those people in possession of diplomatic visa. Davis had neither diplomatic visa nor was he on official duty.

Nonetheless, the US embassy insists that David is a member of its embassy’s ‘technical and administrative staff’.

The US embassy said in a statement that “Article 37 of the (Vienna) Convention specifically extends the same criminal immunity that diplomats have to members of the technical and administrative staff of an embassy.”

Since Davis is entitled to full criminal immunity, he cannot be lawfully arrested or detained in accordance with the convention, the statement said.

The Western media, however, revealed that Davis was associated with a security contractor from a Florida-based firm, Hyperion Protective Consultants, LLC. The reports did not specify the nature of the mission he was working on in Pakistan.

Additional reporting by Rana Tanveer in Lahore

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2011.

LAHORE: About 40,000 people rallied in Lahore on Sunday in the latest protest against proposed reforms of a controversial blasphemy law, police said.

Religious groups have held protests in several Pakistani cities since former Punjab governor Salman Taseer vowed to amend the law, that was recently used to sentence a Christian woman to death. Taseer’s stance enraged the country’s increasingly conservative religious base and he was assassinated on January 4 by his own security guard, who has said he killed the governor over his support for reform.

Under intense pressure from religious parties, Pakistan’s government has since said it had no intentions to amend the law.

Demonstrators from religious parties Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity linked with 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, held banners in support of Mumtaz Qadri — the police commando who shot dead Taseer.

Participants chanted slogans including “Free Mumtaz Qadri”, “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the honour of Prophet Mohammad” and “Changes in blasphemy law not accepted.”

An AFP reporter saw activists carrying effigies of Pope Benedict XVI and Pakistani minorities affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti shouting slogans “Allah-o-Akbar.”

Local government official Tariq Zaman put the overall number of protesters at 40,000.

Leaders of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz and Quaid-i-Azam group also addressed the rally.

Event organisers called the brothers of two Pakistani men shot dead by a US national in Lahore on Thursday to the stage and pledged their support for the victims’ families in pursuing a murder case.

The US man, named as Raymond Davis, is being held at a police station on double murder charges over the shooting of the two motorcyclists.

The US embassy had claimed diplomatic immunity on his behalf while Davis, who has been held at a Lahore police station since the incident, told a magistrate’s court Friday that he had fired in self-defence.

ISLAMABAD: Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said on Sunday that the detained American Raymond Davis who shot dead two Pakistani men in Lahore will not be released despite pressure on the government.

Speaking at a ceremony, Babar admitted that the government was facing pressure in the case. However, he insisted that the decision will be taken by the courts since the matter is subjudice. He added that authorities were looking into the case to see whether the American had diplomatic immunity or not.

Meanwhile, authorities have sent a list of questions to the US consulate and embassy regarding the individuals who fled in a Land Cruiser after running over a third man in Mozang.

ISLAMABAD: In the latest development in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, the  joint investigation team conducting the inquiry has managed to recover the cell phones of two leading suspects.

Prior to this, the suspects in the case SP Rawal Town, Superintendent Police Khurram Shehzad and former CPO Saud Aziz both refused to provide the cell phones they had used on the day of Bhutto’s assassination. Both suspects initially claimed that they had lost their sets, and  later also reportedly provided the investigation team with fake phones.

In an earlier report in The Express Tribune, Public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar had revealed that the police officers had not given the mobile phones which they had used on the day of the assassination.

“Saud Aziz gave mobiles phones of 2008 and 2009 models. After forensic laboratory tests it was proven that this phone was not used by the police officials and in fact was in the use of Ramzan, a resident of Karachi,” the prosecutor maintained.

The unique International Mobile Equipment Identity number on the suspect’s cell phones has now opened new leads for the investigation team. The most important lead is the numbers of several government officials with whom the former suspects had been keeping in touch on the day of the assassination.

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentarian from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made a fortune through fraudulent land deals with the help of senior officials of the National Police Foundation (NPF), Islamabad, documents with The Express Tribune showed.

A confidential inquiry report, which was submitted before Federal Interior Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry earlier this month, said that a member of the National Assembly, Anjum Aqeel Khan, is involved in a six-billion-rupee land scam in which he was aided by four former NPF officials, including former managing director Iftikhar Ahmed Khan. Others named in the report are former housing additional directors Abdul Hannan, Khuda Baksh and Laeeq Ahmed Khan.

Before Aqeel won a National Assembly seat in 2008 on a PML-N ticket, he acted as a ‘broker’ for the NPF through his M/S Land Linkers. His job was to find land for the foundation’s residential colony.

The report alleges that Aqeel had hundreds of NPF housing colony’s plots allotted to his nominees without any formal agreement. The NPF allotted these plots in accordance with the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) 54:46 formula, which governs the affiliation of private land with government housing schemes.

According to the formula, a private landowner has to surrender and provide 46 per cent of his land for roads and streets. Aqeel was allotted 162 kanals of developed land and, as per this ratio, he has to provide 300 kanals. To date, he has provided only 71 kanals and he is yet to provide 229 kanals on account of affiliation of land and an additional 100 kanals on account of double purchase, the report says.

Now, however, Aqeel is accused of fraud as he has allegedly not transferred 329 kanals of land to the NPF. He is also facing charges of selling 39 kanals of land to the NPF a number of times.

Newly-appointed NPF MD Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, who also holds the dual charge of the chief of NPF, said: “I will look into the … matter and those found guilty will not be spared,” he said.

MNA Aqeel Anjum Khan, later, acknowledged that he had arranged the land on behalf of the NPF but denied causing any loss to the NPF or being part of any such scam. “I made deals with the NPF till 2002 but after that, I did not enter into any land deal with them,” he said.

Aqeel claimed that a NPF officer had demanded money from him but he had refused, following which this report was compiled against him. “[NPF Estate Director] Shahid Iqbal has himself given me a clearance certificate which establishes that fact that I do not owe anything to the foundation,” he claimed.

However, when The Express Tribune contacted Iqbal, he challenged the claim that Aqeel had been given a clearance certificate. He said that he had documentary evidence of the fraud committed by Aqeel in connivance with former NPF officials. He said he has already sent an inquiry report to the interior ministry.

The report says that under an agreement, Aqeel was purchasing land for NPF. On May 16, 2002, he requested affiliation of 75 kanals and submitted a list of 178 nominees. The NPF accepted the requested and allotted 41 kanals to 120 of his nominees. On August 25, 2003, he again requested affiliation of 60 kanals and NPF allotted 33 kanals to his nominees. However, to-date, he has not transferred any land to the NPF. He has not submitted any revenue papers or even a rough map of the land.

On April 29, 2004, Aqeel again requested for affiliation of 50 kanals without proper documentation and 40 kanals of developed land were allotted to his nominees.

Then, on September 9, 2004, Aqeel surrendered 20 allotment letters and requested the authorities for commercial conversion of the area for building flats.

However, he had surrendered only allotment letters since no land was available. But, the request was accepted and 48 kanals, which previously belonged to SSP Nawaz Kiani, former inspector general Chaudhary Manzoor and his wife, and other police officers, were allotted to Aqeel even though he had not asked or paid for it, and neither had he transferred it in the name of the NPF. This piece of land is currently worth Rs4 billion.

As per the NPF’s records, all four of Aqeel’s requests are on his letterhead. It says that Aqeel successfully sold these plots and made good money by “surrendering fictitious letters as a goodwill gesture” and even commercial areas were allotted on his letterhead to different parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th,  2011.