ZemNews

ISLAMABAD: The political shakeup triggered by Zulfiqar Mirza’s allegations against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is likely to dominant the National Assembly session next month.

The house debates are also expected to revolve around subsequent calls by political parties for a judicial probe into Mirza’s diatribe against MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, in which the former Sindh minister called Altaf a ‘traitor’.

President Asif Ali Zardari summoned the house to meet on September 12, according to a handout issued by the presidential office on Monday.

Opposition parties said they would press for a thorough investigation by the top judges of Supreme Court, including Mirza’s allegations, as the suo motu hearing by the Supreme Court on the law and order situation in Karachi begun on Monday.

Dr Mirza, a former provincial senior minister and one of the top leaders of PPP, alleged that Altaf Hussain admitted in a meeting with him that he and his party (MQM) were partners in a plot by the United States (US) to divide Pakistan.

Mirza went on to blame MQM for backing target killers, extortionists and kidnappers to maintain its political influence in the city through terror. However, his allegations have not been independently verified and PPP has distanced itself from his statements. MQM was quick to deny these charges, saying they were baseless and rubbish.

Unsurprisingly, the denial by MQM did not appear to satisfy opposition parties who have high stakes in Karachi’s ‘bloody’ politics and are unwilling to lose an opportunity to dent MQM’s image. The Awami National Party (ANP), which represents ethnic Pakhtuns living in Karachi, said on Monday it would expect MQM’s top leadership to appear on the media for a ‘clear’ denial of allegations.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said it was also hoping a Supreme Court bench operating in Karachi these days would call Dr Mirza to appear before the court with proof of MQM’s backing for target killers.

“We will raise this issue during the session…we will keep on pressing our demand for a judicial probe. That is the only way we can clear the situation,” a spokesperson for the party told The Express Tribune.

As MQM leaders avoid phone calls by the media, it is not clear what policy the party will adopt to defend itself against the outburst by political rivals in the National Assembly.

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

QUETTA: Security forces arrested a suspect on Monday, in connection with the attack on the Peshawar-bound passenger train Quetta Express in Bolan district which left three passengers dead and 19 others injured on Sunday.

According to the Frontier Corps (FC) spokesperson, security forces had launched a search operation in the mountainous areas of Mach soon after the incident. “One of the suspects was arrested while efforts are underway to nab others,” he said, adding that FC also took a motorcycle into custody. A case has also been registered in the Mach Levies Station against unidentified persons under the anti-terrorism act. The defunct Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Home Secretary Nasebullah Bazai said security on the Quetta-Nasirabad route had been beefed up a few days ago, since the government had prior information about a possible terror attack. “The FC, police and Balochistan Levies had been deputed in sensitive areas,” he said. “A high-level meeting over the law and order situation will be called after Eid and to devise a strategy to prevent future attacks”.

The 19 injured who belonged to Punjab and Sindh were brought to the Sademan Hospital in Quetta. All of them are said to be out of danger. “The condition of all those who were injured in the attack is stable. If they want to return to their native town, the government will make all arrangements in this regard,” said Nasebullah Bazai.

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

Justice Sardar Tariq Masood put off the hearing till September 7. The petition was filed by Muhammad Bilal, a brother of Muhammad Aamir who died in the agency’s custody.

DAG Raja Javaid Ashraf informed the court that the intelligence agency needed to gather more information from Peshawar where the body was handed over to the family of the deceased.

Nominating the DG ISI and the Rawalpindi police as respondents in the case, Bilal alleged that in May last year, personnel of the intelligence agency had taken away his brother with 10 other men from the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after their detention orders were set aside by the high court.

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

LAHORE: A court in Lahore has sought from a police investigator the call data of a senior officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) who was allegedly involved in spreading a bomb hoax in the agency’s office in Lahore.

FIA Assistant Director Khwaja Hamadur Rehman had allegedly raised a false alarm, apparently to prevent FIA’s Additional Director General Zafar Qureshi from entering his office.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry Aurangzeb directed the police investigation officer, Zahiruddin Babar, to produce the call data by September 7. He was also directed to complete the investigation and report to the court on the next date of hearing.

The investigation officer informed the court that by spreading a bomb hoax, the accused wanted to thwart a meeting that Qureshi was scheduled to chair in the building.

Advocates Muhammad Asif Chattha and Muhammad Naeem Malik, who appeared on behalf of the accused, said that their client had been made a scapegoat in the case.  They also requested the court to direct the investigation officer to produce the call data for that day, which would prove that their client had sent the information he received on cell phone about a bomb threat.

Is it a crime for someone to receive a phone call regarding a bomb threat and inform his superiors about the threat, they asked.

Judge Aurangzeb directed the police investigator to complete his investigation and produce the FIA official’s call data on the next date of hearing.

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

KARACHI: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has written a letter to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani requesting him to constitute a judicial commission to probe the allegations levelled against him by former Sindh senior minister Zulfiqar Mirza.

Talking to reporters at the State Guest House on Monday after chairing a meeting on Karachi’s law and order situation, Malik said that Mirza had called him a traitor and a liar and accused him of supporting target killers, which has damaged his credibility as interior minister. “I can respond to these allegations myself but I have requested the prime minister to initiate an independent inquiry through a Supreme Court judge,” he said.

“I am facing threats to my life but will continue to work for restoring peace in the city,” he added, without specifying who was threatening him. He said that he had come to Karachi on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari and will remain here until the law and order situation improves.

Letter to attorney-general

The interior minister has also appealed to the Supreme Court to ban political parties from collecting Fitra (alms) and hides of animals sacrificed on Eid. The letter has been submitted through the attorney-general of Pakistan.

Talking to the media, Malik said that members of various political parties forcibly collect hides, adding that he has also briefed the prime minister on the matter and has his full support on ensuring a ban on such activities.

“We have found that a lot of people die in Ramazan over disputes on Fitra. This is why the government has decided to ban political parties from collecting it,” he said.

Regarding target killings, Malik said that six joint investigation teams have been constituted to probe the matter.

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

According to a report by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab, 2,487 militants trained in Afghanistan and 566 returnees from Afghan prisons have been identified.

The Punjab home department has directed the Inspector General of the Punjab police, as well as all senior police officials in the province, to immediately launch a crackdown against the Afghan-returned militants across the province.

The Punjab CTD has also placed the names of 2,120 suspected activists of sectarian or militant organisations on a watch list called the ‘fourth schedule’. Under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, placing terrorism suspects on this list gives police and law enforcement agencies considerable powers to observe such individuals and curtail their movements.

For instance, most of them are closely watched, and the people who meet them are also observed by the police. The people on the list cannot change their address and need police permission to leave the district. They are also frequently required to report to their local police station. If they violate any of these rules, they are liable to be arrested.

After conducting a survey and on the basis of field reports, the CTD further declared that 170 religious seminaries in Punjab were involved in suspected activities. The seminaries themselves were then bifurcated into two levels – category A and category B – depending on the level of threat that the police suspects emanates from them.

Category A, the more severe of the two, is a list that contains the names of 74 seminaries. Most of these seminaries are suspected of actively being involved in promoting extremist ideologies. Category B, the lesser of the two, has 96 seminaries on the list, and is generally considered a lower level of threat. A senior officer of the CTD said that the department’s achievements included the indexation of 42,800 militants /sectarian activists, arrest of 634 sectarian Proclaimed Offenders (POs) in collaboration with the local police, interrogation of 1,618 suspects/terrorists, and so on.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was formally created in 1995, and operates under the CID Manual, 1937. Starting as a small operational unit, it has now developed into a department with regional offices all over Punjab. The department was renamed as Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on July 21, 2010.

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

Last weekend, Karzai made a crucial visit to Riyadh where he met King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi intelligence chief and other officials. The president sought the country’s support to encourage the Taliban to join the peace process and come to the negotiation table.

The reconciliation process has failed to achieve much success so far. Afghan officials have admitted that the joint commission of Pakistan and Afghanistan for peace and reconciliation and the Afghan High Peace Council have made no progress to convince the Taliban leaders to join the peace process. The Taliban-US talks are also reportedly on a deadlock as disclosure to the media about the talks has annoyed the Taliban leadership.

Hizb-e-Islami’s (Gulbudin Hekmatyar Group) head of political affairs, Dr Ghairat Baheer, is also said to be in Saudi Arabia to discuss the country’s support in the reconciliation process. A spokesperson for Hizb-e-Islami confirmed Baheer’s visit to The Express Tribune, but avoided further comments.

Afghan sources told The Express Tribune that Saudi Arabia had invited several Afghan leaders mainly for Umrah, but the visit provided an opportunity to Afghans to share proposals for the reconciliation process.

There are reports that some Taliban leaders were invited by the Saudi government during the time President Karzai was visiting the country.

However, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid denied that the Taliban leaders ever visited Saudi Arabia. “These are just rumours,” was the short response by Mujahid when his reaction was sought via email.

The Afghan diplomat, who requested not to be identified, said that the Afghan president in his meeting with King Abdullah sought Saudi help in the ‘urgently needed’ reconciliation efforts to end more bloodshed.

He also confirmed meetings between the Afghan delegates and top Saudi intelligence officials, who had been deeply involved in Afghanistan for years.

On Sunday, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Janan Muszai confirmed to reporters in Kabul that reconciliation with the Taliban was discussed during Karzai’s talks with Saudi leaders. He avoided, but did not deny, reports that Taliban representatives had been in Saudi Arabia at the same time.

The head of the Afghan government’s Media and Information Centre, Dr Abdolhakim Asher, said in Kabul that the main issues discussed between President Karzai and the Saudi king were reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan.

The development coincides with Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar’s Eid message. Contrary to his previous statements, Mullah Omar softened his stand on the possibility of having talks. In his message, the Taliban leader reiterated his calls for withdrawing foreign troops to resolve the issue and admitted to talks between Taliban and what he called ‘parties for the release of prisoners’.

An Afghan analyst Syed Hossein Alemi Balkhi said in Kabul during a TV debate that in the past Saudi Arabia was reluctant to cooperate because of the presence of Osama bin Laden and his relations with the Taliban. However, with the killing of the al Qaeda chief on May 2, Riyadh is more inclined to cooperate towards the peace process in Afghanistan.

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

KARACHI: A blast took place on Tuesday morning at the Abu ul Hasan Isphahani road in the Gulshan-e_Iqbal area of Karachi when explosive material was detonated by two motor cyclists.

According to eyewitnesses, two of the motorcyclists transporting the explosives were killed in the explosion. The motorcycle was packed with about 3-5 kg of explosives.

The blast took place near Noor Plaza on Abu ul Hasan Ispahani Road.

Damage was caused to the walls of nearby houses and police have cordoned off the area to conduct an investigation.

A nearby gas pipeline and electricity supply line were also damaged.

LAHORE: A day after the spokespersons of every major political party called for a judicial investigation into the explosive allegations leveled by former Sindh senior minister Zulfiqar Mirza, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and National Assembly Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also chimed in, saying that they think it would be a good idea too.

The olive-branch extended by Pakistan is accepted by Indian blossoms completing the image of the divided sun in the same colour.  The painting began in Pakistan was completed in India.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) India invited the Funkor Child Centre to participate in a workshop, ‘Peace across Borders through writings of Tagore and Faiz’, in collaboration with the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Nivesh and HHACH in Delhi, as part of the Ghummakkad Narain Travelling Literature festival for children.

Pakistani students from Khaldunia high school Islamabad, Ammar Khan, Khadija Saleem, Khadija Javed, Dawar Aziz, Aischa Aimon, Wardah Jadran and Waleed Alam started the mural at the Funkor Child Centre under the guidance of Fauzia Minallah, a social activist, who accompanied them to India as resource person. She helped the Indian and Bangladeshi students to complete the mural their guests from Pakistan had brought with them.

“It is all about building bridges and filling gaps,” said Ms Minallah, explaining the idea behind the Rang-i-Amn mural.

“It was a tribute to the colourful poets of India and Pakistan, Rabindranath Tagore and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, their timeless words and was actually inspired by the famous poem Prayer by Tagore:

“Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit”

and Faiz’s “bol ke lab azad hain tere.”

These lines from the two poets are depicted in the shape of the ‘sun of hope’ right above the ‘stream of reason’ whose flow from Pakistan into India could not be blocked by barbed wire boundaries. In the world of reality however the sun of hope and the stream of reason are both tragically absent.

Fauzia Minallah said they were welcomed in India as people on both sides wanted peace and friendship which politics was obstructing. The aspirations of peace were “difficult to achieve in the current political situation,” she added.

Ms Minallah said people on both sides were the victims of the differences between the two neighbours. It were they who were suffering the loss and experiencing the pain. Terrorism, she added, was a common concern causing doubts between the two countries. But it was Pakistan which suffered the most from this menace. It should bring the two neighbours closer instead of creating distances.

She said that increased people to people contact could help in creating an atmosphere favourable for moving towards durable peace between the two nuclear neighbours who share common culture and history beside other things.  

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

“The powers of all institutions are described clearly in the constitution,” said the prime minister, while addressing the Supreme Court Bar Association at the auditorium in the Supreme Court compound in Islamabad.

“Institutions should not enter each other’s space. They should each work in their respective domains,” said Gilani.

He did, however, hasten to clarify that the government had no intention of violating any orders passed by the judiciary, and believed in the separation of powers laid out in the constitution.

“We respect the Supreme Court and will respect all its verdicts,” he said.

This is not the first time that the prime minister has issued a veiled warning to the judiciary. On several earlier occasions, notably involving the transfers of officials in the civil service and law enforcement institutions, the government had claimed that the court was interfering in administrative matters beyond the scope of its constitutional powers.

(Read: Govt, judiciary back away from confrontation)

Monday’s speech was less explicit in its rhetoric, focusing more on the building of institutions and the current administration’s commitment towards strengthening the country’s democratic set-up through the 18th and 19th amendments to the constitution.

Yet given the fact that the prime minister’s speech comes on the heels of the restoration of Zafar Qureshi – the lead investigator in the embezzlement scandal at the state-owned National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL) – the remarks may be seen as the prime minister seeking to demarcate the scope of his powers as chief executive of the country.

Much of his speech was devoted to highlighting what the prime minister felt were the services of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to the cause of judicial independence.

For instance, he pointed out that, upon assuming office in March 2008, the government immediately ordered the release of all judges who had been placed under house arrest by the administration of then-president Pervez Musharraf.

While he did not mention it, the prime minister was also reported to have been advocating the restoration, in 2009, of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who had been ousted by Musharraf in 2007.

Poor reception

Despite announcing Rs200 million in government aid to construct a new building for the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the prime minister’s speech was neither well-attended nor well-received by the legal fraternity.

Only about 40 people or so attended the speech, and most of the prominent members of the SCBA – Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmed Kurd and the like – were not present.

Soon after his speech, the executive body of the SCBA – though not its president Asma Jahangir – condemned the prime minister’s warning to the Supreme Court as being disrespectful of the judiciary.

Legal assistance

The prime minister noted that while the Lawyers’ Movement (2007 – 2009) galvanised the nation around the idea that the judiciary should be independent and impartial, the country would need to move forward with the next phase of judicial reform: making justice affordable for all.

To that end, he said that the government had amended the Legal Practitioners’ and Bar Council Act 1973 to make it mandatory upon the government to provide financial assistance to bar associations. He did not, however, link that aid to any provision of legal assistance to poorer citizens who do not have the means to afford representation in courts.

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

Last week, the court had taken notice of three months of continuous violence in the megalopolis that claimed over 400 lives, in what has been described as one of the deadliest spells of violence the city has ever experienced.

The five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, told Sindh government counsel Abdul Hafeez Pirzada that the allegations and confessions in the report submitted by the Sindh police are not substantiated.

Addressing Sindh Police Inspector-General Wajid Durrani, the chief justice said, “You need to show some seriousness, Mr IG,” which perturbed Pirzada who sprang to the police’s defence. “This report was prepared with the utmost responsibility and several days and nights of efforts went into [producing] this comprehensive report,” he said.

Durrani then sought to convince the court of his force’s commitment to securing the city, stating, for instance, that the police had arrested 20 target killers in just one month.

Responding to a question by the court about these shooters, Durrani said that these killers claim support from political groups or parties. “When contacted, these groups or parties disown the men and we end up in a cul-de-sac.”

(Read: Karachi killings are politically motivated, agree experts)

The chief justice then asked Durrani to define the term ‘target killer’. “Those who kill people without a motive or to avenge the killing of men from their community at the orders of some leader,” Durrani explained.

Justice Ghulam Rabbani, a member of the bench, inquired whether a record is maintained of the claims made by these shooters, or whether such suspected groups are monitored by any intelligence or law enforcement agency.

“We are working on that. The joint investigation team’s reports are there but we can’t do anything as incriminating evidence is missing,” Durrani told the court, adding that he is noting the bench’s guidance.

Another member of the bench asked if the police named the alleged terrorists in its custody or those killed in alleged encounters.

The bench then asked if the police had interrogated the 18 men who the target killers had taken into custody and later released due to intervention from Interior Minister Rehman Malik. “Have you interrogated Asim, the man who managed to escape the clutches of alleged target killers? He is valuable evidence,” the CJ said.

“He is a drug addict and was under stress,” Durrani answered, saying they had not questioned any of the released men.

“You should have rehabilitated him and made attempts to get the required information,” the bench said.

(Read: Govt report on Karachi violence lacks facts, says Supreme Court)

No-go areas

“The situation is such that people speaking one language cannot pass through or go into an area which is populated by another ethnic group,” Durrani told the court, to which the chief justice asked him: “According to you, isn’t it a violation of the constitution that people are unable to move freely in their own city?”

Do you admit, as chief of police, that it is not possible for members of one community to go to an area of another community? the bench asked. Durrani then appeared to contradict himself and said that “no-go areas” were a misconception among ordinary citizens and, as far as the police is concerned, there are no such areas in Karachi.

Police bus attack

During the Durrani’s briefing, the court also raised questions and doubts about the police bus attack. “It is not conceivable that these police officials were travelling in a private bus,” observed Justice Amir Hani Muslim, another member of the bench.

Durrani explained that the deputy inspector-general leading the force in Chakra Goth had asked for reinforcements. Upon his request, DSP Quaidabad was coming in with 50 reserved policemen in a private bus as the official bus was out of order. These policemen, however, were armed, Durrani said and agreed to the bench’s suggestion that someone had leaked information about this movement.

The bench then told the government to inform it about violation of basic constitutional rights of citizens, including that of protection of life and property and collection of extortion money, during the fighting.

Adjourning hearing till Tuesday (today), the court asked the attorney-general of Pakistan to file reports by at least two intelligence agencies regarding the causes of violence in Karachi.

After this report is filed, the bench will hear arguments of the Sindh government’s counsel and other stakeholders including the Jamaat-e-Islami, the Awami National Party, Supreme Court Bar Association President Asma Jahangir, Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) President Anwar Mansoor Khan and the Sindh Bachao Tehrik.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after the proceedings, Pirzada said that the court can only guide the government and reiterated the government’s stance that the Sindh police is capable of controlling the violence in Karachi if only it is allowed some time.

“I’ll make submissions regarding constitutional provisions, legal issues and make suggestions for controlling violence in Karachi,” he said.

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

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Latif Khosa said that Shahbaz Taseer, son of late Salman Taseer, is still alive, Express 24/7 reported on Monday.

Khosa said significant clues regarding Shahbaz’s abduction have been found during the investigation.

However, the Punjab Governor expressed dissatisfaction over the investigation which is being conducted by the provincial government.

Khosa claimed that the investigation was being carried out at a slow pace.

Earlier, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani met Taseer’s family at their residence in Lahore to assure all support for Shahbaz Taseer’s recovery.

Gilani assured the family that the federal government will help the Punjab Government in recovering Shahbaz. He added that police and other security agencies were working round the clock on the case.

As yet, investigations into Shahbaz Taseer’s abduction have led Lahore police to interrogate two servants, and seven employees and guards at his company.

ISLAMABAD: Two terrorists, allegedly planning a massive attack in the capital, were arrested from Islamabad on Monday, reported Express 24/7.

Express 24/7 correspondent Sohail Chaudhry reported that the Islamabad police shifted the terrorists to an undisclosed location, and are investigating into the tip-off received about the attack.

Earlier, police in Islamabad and security agencies claimed that they foiled a terrorist plan in the city by arresting five suspected terrorists. A suicide vest and hand grenades were also seized, the police said.

Police officials claimed that the suspects were planning to attack a Friday congregation in Islamabad on Jumatul Widah and were waiting for the suicide bomber to arrive from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Security forces in Dera Ismail Khan on Monday also claimed to have foiled two terror plots after arresting two people, including one suspected suicide bomber.

RAWALPINDI: An Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi on Monday issued arrest warrants for two suspects in the Shahbaz Bhatti murder case.

According to sources, Sikandar Bhatti, the brother of former federal minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, is following the case of his brother’s murder. Sikander has said that these men are involved in the murder of his brother.

He submitted an application in the ATC nominating two people Ziaur Rehman and Malik Abid, as the suspected murderers.

Justice Pervaiz Ali Shah issued the arrest warrants of the accused.

The police station investigating the matter said that the men have fled the country and gone to Dubai. The two suspects belong to Faisalabad.

The court issued arrest warrants of both suspects and registered their names as the accused in the Shahbaz Bhatti murder case.

Federal Minister for Minority affairs Shahbaz Bhatti was killed in the I-8/3 area of Islamabad in March by three unidentified gunmen.

Bhatti had voiced his fears that he believed he would be “the highest target” following the assassination of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer for speaking out against the blasphemy law.

A Pakistani student from Beaconhouse has set a new world record by achieving 28 A’s in the University of Cambridge’s O-level examinations.

Nineteen-year-old Syed Zohaib Asad who belongs to Wah Cantonment in Taxilla aced in subjects like world geography and travel tourism in Pakistan.

He had to gather content all by himself, given the reason that these subjects were unique and are not covered well.

Zohaib expressed his concern for Pakistan and said that he’s worried about the rough phase that Pakistan is going through.

But Zohaib is hopeful and holds a belief that the country can be steered out of crisis through hardwork and honesty.

“I see the problems of Pakistan in line with the political scenario, the economic condition and educational structure. I aspire to contribute in the economic sector and will join the ministry of finance one day.”

Zohaib’s father Syed Asad Ali said that he is grateful to Zohaib’s teachers who taught him devotedly.

“It’s a pleasure for me that he has done a great job, not just for our family, Pakistan but the whole Muslim community.”

He further said that Zohaib is going to Canada for pursuing higher studies with an aim of doing something big for his nation when he returns.

Last year, a student in Islamabad, Ibrahim Shahid, had set the previous world record by scoring 23 As in Cambridge O level exams. Shahid, a student of a private school in Islamabad, sat for 24 subjects and scored 23 As.