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ISLAMABAD: It’s come to an either-or situation. Either the US should define a role for Pakistan in the Afghanistan reconciliation process as Nato troop withdrawal draws closer – or continue to face a stalemate over the resumption of Nato supplies, the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) asserted on Saturday.

The parliamentary committee had been urged by the government in recent days to link the resumption of supplies with the Afghan Endgame.

“Washington should ensure ‘Pakistan’s key and well-defined role’ in the Afghan reconciliation process,” suggested a member of the PCNS, reviewing recommendations on Pakistan-US relations as well as foreign policy in general.

Meanwhile, a senior lawmaker who attended the meeting of the 12-member parliamentary panel meeting told The Express Tribune that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had demanded two points be added to the proposals being reviewed. Firstly, Dr Aafia Siddiqui be released, and second, a solution to the Kashmir issue. The additional inputs are likely to be included in the final draft of these proposals, officials said.

Lawmakers from the ruling alliance –Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – recommended that, “the Nato supplies resumption should also be linked to suspension of drone strikes in Pakistan.” The largest opposition in the National Assembly, the PML-N, also appeared to concur with this demand. For its part, the PCNS is seriously considering it.

However, chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman rejected such recommendations during the meeting saying, “Come what may, the Nato routes should not be reopened.” He (Fazl) will not attend PCNS meetings next time – if his recommendations are not entertained by the PCNS, one of participants quoting him as saying.

The committee also unanimously decided to amend three clauses, although these may be deleted from the final draft. The amended clauses concern US intelligence operators and security contractors in Pakistan, guarantees against US footprints on Pakistani soil and the use of military bases in Pakistan.

PML-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed suggested that the committee amend proposals while keeping in mind the changing political scenario in the region. “We should stand united to promote our friendship with neighbours – ensuring the US that we want peace in the region. The Afghan endgame is inevitable, and this message should go to Washington now.”

PCNS Chairperson Senator Raza Rabbani said that members of the committee will meet on a day-to-day basis till April 5. “It’s our (lawmakers’) prime duty to bring about such recommendations which could write a new chapter in the history of state’s foreign policy,” Rabbani said while briefing reporters on Saturday.

Petrol price crossed the Rs100 per litre barrier for the first time in the country’s history as the Ministry of Petroleum raised its price to Rs105.68.

A notification issued on Saturday increased the price of petrol by Rs8.02 to Rs105.68.

Price of high speed diesel was raised by Rs4.70 to Rs108.16.

Price of kerosene oil rise by Rs5.29 to Rs101.69.

The government has cited rising prices of oil products in the international market as the reason behind the increase.

CNG prices reach new highs

In a simultaneous move the government raised the prices of CNG by as much as Rs11.58 in the country.

CNG prices were increased by Rs9.53 in Sindh and Punjab.

While CNG prices were raised by Rs11.58 in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

LPG prices decreased by Rs18 per kg

Liquefied Petroleum Gas LPG prices were decreased by Rs 18 per kilogram. Prices of 11.8kg cylinder dropped to Rs212 and 45.5kg cylinder to Rs835, Patron-in- chief All Pakistan LPG Distributors Association APLDA Abdul Hadi Khan said on Saturday, adding LPG international prices had fallen in the international market by $202 to $993 per ton for April 2012, slashing its import price by Rs 18,400 to Rs 122,000 per ton.

He said Saudi Armco Contract Price had dropped due to a fall in butane prices by $185 per ton and propane up by $240 per ton. He urged producers to reduce price in the country in accordance with drop in international prices to stabilise LPG falling sales. He called for increase in local production which shrank to 900 to 1100 ton per day in last one year.

He said LPG use in automotive sector was slashed by 60% due to price jacks by producers and 1000 LPG outlets closed due to price hike. He suggested government withdraw sales tax on LPG import in Federal Budget for fiscal year 2012-13 to eliminate monopoly of producers.

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission probing Memogate on Saturday issued notices to respondents including former Pakistan Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF),Yasin Malik, and Director General (USA) Foreign office Ubaidur Rehman, among others to appear before the commission on April 5, 2012.

Earlier, the commission had asked the Supreme Court to extend the deadline till March 31, 2012, so that Haqqani could appear before the bench.

However, as the deadline passed waiting for a Supreme Court bench to rule on a petition by the former Ambassador to appear before the commission via a video link, it issued orders for a new date for him appear on.

On March 29, the apex court extended the term of judicial commission for another six weeks, observing that the commission’s probe is of high importance but stressed that it should conclude soon.

Cross examine Yasin Malik

On Saturday, Akram Sheikh Counsel for Mansoor Ijaz, the central figure in the case, asked the commission through an application to cross examine JKLF leader Yasin Malik. Malik had on March 26, 2012 recorded his statement wherein he rejected allegations of having met with a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief. The JKLF chief had on record said that Ijaz tried to cheat him into meeting a ‘suspicious’ person in Haryana.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) dissolved its Sindh Executive Council on Saturday, and has appointed former provincial minister Nadir Khan Leghari as the Sindh chapter president.

Imran Ismail, advisor to party chief Imran Khan, confirmed the development. However, PTI Sindh Information Secretary Sarwar Rajput was clueless about the new appointment and said that an emergency meeting of the (now defunct) ‘Sindh Executive Council’ was currently underway and included Naeemul Haque, who, till Saturday, was the head of PTI in Sindh. They would decide on a course of action soon, he said.

Sarwar added that ‘plots’ were being hatched by people who did not want to see the party progress, and that they would contact party head Imran Khan after their meeting. .

It is expected that the new leadership in the province will be reappointed.

Haque could not be immediately reached for a comment.

Laghari was a minister under the PML-Q government in Sindh

Nadir Khan Leghari has served as the provincial minister of irrigation and power, as part of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid government in 2002. He lost his seat (PS-7 Ghotki-III) to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sardar Ahmed Ali Khan Pitafi in the 2008 general elections by a slim margin.

PESHAWAR: The US has been forced to pull out of Afghanistan because of the Afghan Taliban movement, former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed has said.

Ahmed, speaking at a Meet The Press programme at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, said that the Taliban were a force to reckon with and a reality in geo-politics. “Until Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar is included, peace talks between US and the militant group will not be credible.”

However, he adamantly rejected the notion that theirs was an Islamic government. “The Taliban regime cannot be termed a model Islamic government, as little of what they did was Islamic.”

The Taliban, he said, should seek guidance from religious scholars. “They are students and need guidance from scholars.”

Post-US situation

Ahmed was sceptical of the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying it will be leaving at a time when the situation in the region is still unclear. “It is not clear what will happen if the US troops leave Afghanistan,” he said, adding that even the future of an Afghan constitution is ambiguous. “The Taliban want their own government, while the Hizb-e-Islami and other Afghan parties want an elected government.”

He said that Afghanistan’s neighbours, including Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, should arrange a dialogue in the war-torn country before the US departs to save the region from further anarchy.

Islamic world and Pakistan

Ahmed also lauded the Arab Spring and the consequent victory of Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia and also the Turkish resurgence. However, he regretted that while the Islamic world was making giant strides towards progress, Pakistan was going the other way.

“The Pakistani people have the key to change their future,” he said, asking them to elect a sincere leadership in the next elections, which can end to corruption and solve economic, power and other crises being faced by the nation.

He also stressed on the early completion of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project to overcome the energy shortage in the country.

Talking about reengagement with the US, Ahmed said: “This is not an alliance. Both countries have competing interests in this region and Pakistan needs to get rid of the US partnership.”

FAISALABAD / LAHORE: Master Abdul Qudoos, a well known Ahmadi school teacher was allegedly tortured to death while in police custody in the Rabwah city of Punjab on Friday.

The Chenab Nagar Police has registered a case against two accused police officials.

Master Abdul Qudoos Ahmad, 43, was taken into custody by the police in the first week of February for questioning in the murder case of Muhammad Yousuf, a stamp-paper seller from Nusrat Abad.

He was allegedly tortured ruthlessly during the interrogation, causing severe internal injuries.

“When his body could not take further torture, his relatives were blackmailed and he was released. He was admitted to a local hospital where doctors tried to save his life, but Qudoos died due to several injuries and excessive loss of blood,” Abdul Qudoos’s brother-in-law Imtiaz Ahmed said.

SHO Khadim Hussain of the Chenab Nagar Police Station told The Express Tribune that on the complaint of Imtiaz Ahmad, a case had been registered against the two police sub inspectors, Sujhat Ali and Manazar Ali under sections 302, 148, 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

He, however, maintains that the accused was picked up on March 24 and was released two days later as the police was convinced of his innocence. Hussain says a fatal disease could be the possible cause of death.

Hussain said the dead body was sent for postmortem examination, adding that if the autopsy proved the cause of death to be torture, action against the accused will be taken accordingly.

The spokesperson of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan, Saleemud Din condemned the incident, terming it ‘callous and inhuman’.

“The way Master Abdul Qudoos was tortured and brutalised is the lowest form of humanity. Police should investigate the murder case and whoever is involved should be brought to justice. The police have no right to pick up any person and subject them to extra-judicial torture,” Din said.

Saleemud Din alleged that the real reason for the teacher’s arrest was to taint the reputation of the local Ahmadiyya administration of Rabwah. “Master Abdul Qudoos was the President of Jamaat-e-Ahmediyya’s local chapter and he was arrested to defame the administration.”

Saleemud Din demanded the constitution of a high-powered commission to investigate the case. He also urged the government, as well as human rights organisations to take notice of the incident.

“The culprits behind the murder should be brought to justice so people can have faith in the police department,” Din said.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday revealed that police had foiled a plot to attack parliament during a presidential address and said a finance ministry official had been arrested.

“I commend the Islamabad police, they have foiled a plot to attack the parliament during the president’s address to the joint session,” Rehman Malik told reporters.

“Police has arrested a suspect and an official of the finance ministry involved in the plot.”

President Asif Ali Zardari addressed the joint sitting of the federal parliament on March 17 amid tight security.

In October last year, police unearthed a major plot and seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition in a raid on a house in a suburb of the capital.

While reviewing the law and order situation, Malik took notice of the increase in car thefts in Islamabad and said that he noticed 16 SHOs who were never posted to any other station.

He said that out of these, any SHOs against whom complaints are found will be transferred, adding that new blood has to be introduced because they can use their vigor in working against criminals.

ISLAMBAD: The government on Saturday removed Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Babar Awan from the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and replaced him with another senior party leader, Qamar Zaman Qaira. The committee is currently reviewing recommendations on Pakistan-US relations.

Sources have said that the decision was taken on Friday night. It has been said that the PPP leader is facing isolation because he refused to appear before the court to record a statement in favour of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the contempt hearing against him.

The committee is meeting today to review its recommendations on Pakistan-US relations and foreign policy. They will meet on a day-to-day basis till April 5.

The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), which drafted a 40-point proposal on terms of reengagement with the United States, is now considering a key opposition demand – to link the resumption of Nato supplies with a halt to drone strikes in tribal regions.

PPP representation in the committee is Raza Rabbani, Naveed Qamar and Qamar Zaman Qaira, while the PML-N representatives are Ishaq Dar and Mehtab Abbasi. Other parties who are part of the committee are JUI-F, MQM and ANP.

Suggestions of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) of not increasing prices of Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants (POL) products and setting tri-monthly instead of monthly rates have been dismissed and POL prices are likely to go up by Rs8.94 starting April 1, Express News has reported.

Petrol price is to increase by Rs8.02, becoming Rs105.68 per litre, HOBC by Rs8.94 , making it Rs135.81 per litre, kerosene oil by Rs5.29 making it Rs101.69 and light diesel oil by Rs5.45, making it Rs98.74 per litre.

Inland Freight Margin delivery costs will also increase by Rs0.64, becoming 2.26 per litre.

KARACHI: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director in Pakistan, Dr Andrew Sisson, inaugurated the newly renovated central warehouse at the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate on Friday.

The Karachi-based, centrally run warehouse is used to store and distribute a number of reproductive health products such as safe birthing kits, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis screening kits that are supplied to 140 districts in Pakistan.

The warehouse is managed by the population programme wing of the federal government’s planning and development division. With American assistance, the storage capacity was increased from 18,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. The facility was equipped with better storing tools, enabling the central depot to handle the ever-growing volume of health commodities needed in the country.

The state-of-the-art warehouse now has three storage blocks apart from the administration block, a modern pallet and racking system and three forklifts. A warehouse management system has also been developed to automate shipments and inventory, and to handle all transactions through barcode scanning.

“In 1985, the warehouse was initially designed and constructed by the US government support,” said Dr Sission. “The expansion and rehabilitation project is part of a broader effort by the US government to assist the Pakistani government in improving the operations of the country’s health and population sector.”

He said that proper warehousing means storing supplies so that they are always available, accessible, and in good condition. “The project has not only increased the storage capacity but will also improve the supply chain mechanism of essential healthcare products throughout the country by strengthening logistics management information systems, streamlining distribution systems, identifying financial resources for procurement and supply chain operations,” Dr Sission said. “The project has enhanced forecasting and procurement planning.”

A logistics management information system adviser, Inamullah Khan, said that in 2008, the population welfare ministry requested USAID-Pakistan to help improve the existing warehouse. USAID provided $2.7 million to its community rehabilitation and infrastructure support programme in 2009 to begin the expansion work, which was completed in 2011. Under a contract, the programme will help procure contraceptives worth $89 million from 2010 to 2014. In the financial year of 2011 only, the project procured health commodities worth $23.2 million. USAID plans to ship healthcare commodities worth $20 million during 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

KARACHI: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director in Pakistan, Dr Andrew Sisson, inaugurated the newly renovated central warehouse at the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate on Friday.

The Karachi-based, centrally run warehouse is used to store and distribute a number of reproductive health products such as safe birthing kits, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis screening kits that are supplied to 140 districts in Pakistan.

The warehouse is managed by the population programme wing of the federal government’s planning and development division. With American assistance, the storage capacity was increased from 18,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. The facility was equipped with better storing tools, enabling the central depot to handle the ever-growing volume of health commodities needed in the country.

The state-of-the-art warehouse now has three storage blocks apart from the administration block, a modern pallet and racking system and three forklifts. A warehouse management system has also been developed to automate shipments and inventory, and to handle all transactions through barcode scanning.

“In 1985, the warehouse was initially designed and constructed by the US government support,” said Dr Sission. “The expansion and rehabilitation project is part of a broader effort by the US government to assist the Pakistani government in improving the operations of the country’s health and population sector.”

He said that proper warehousing means storing supplies so that they are always available, accessible, and in good condition. “The project has not only increased the storage capacity but will also improve the supply chain mechanism of essential healthcare products throughout the country by strengthening logistics management information systems, streamlining distribution systems, identifying financial resources for procurement and supply chain operations,” Dr Sission said. “The project has enhanced forecasting and procurement planning.”

A logistics management information system adviser, Inamullah Khan, said that in 2008, the population welfare ministry requested USAID-Pakistan to help improve the existing warehouse. USAID provided $2.7 million to its community rehabilitation and infrastructure support programme in 2009 to begin the expansion work, which was completed in 2011. Under a contract, the programme will help procure contraceptives worth $89 million from 2010 to 2014. In the financial year of 2011 only, the project procured health commodities worth $23.2 million. USAID plans to ship healthcare commodities worth $20 million during 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain says people must step up to protect themselves given the harrowing and dangerous conditions in Pakistan.

The call for self-defence came as Altaf Hussain expressed concern at the increase in the number of terrorist activities and cases of robberies, vehicle thefts, street crimes, extortion and kidnapping being recorded countrywide. In the past week, one MQM activist and his brother was killed and two others injured in PIB Colony. Three Awami National Party workers have also died in targeted killings. The MQM has also spent a considerable part of the past month sounding alarm bells over cases of extortion in Karachi.

“At some points it becomes important for people to bear a burden for the sake of their security,” he said. The MQM chief has offered a number of suggestions to Pakistanis to help deter crime in their areas. He appealed to people to form vigilance committees in every lane, neighbourhood and in small and main markets.

In a detailed statement issued on Friday with suggestions for neighbourhood security, Altaf Hussain said that these vigilance teams should have a “strong alarm system that can alert the lane and neighbourhood in the case of any danger or if a robber is in the area.” He believes that people need to defend themselves. “In front of every lane there are at last ten houses on each side. If there are teams of five that do an eight-hour shift for these 20 houses, then the rotation of one person from the vigilance team can be every five days.”

Along with an alarm system, Altaf Hussain suggested that the vigilance teams can surround any criminal in the area and should have whistles similar to those scouts and civil defence staff have, and can alert the police and other law enforcement agencies to take the criminal(s) into custody.

Hussain has asked people that since they have responded to his appeals in the past, they should try out his suggestions for a week and see the results for themselves.

The MQM’s Wasay Jalil said that Altaf Hussain’s call is because of the rise in crime, and the tried-and-tested efforts by the MQM in 2007 and 2009 of initiating neighbourhood watches. “The MQM supporters and workers are already doing this and there are law enforcement agencies, but society needs to step up because these crimes are in societies and neighbourhoods,” Jalil said.

The MQM chief has also repeatedly asked the president and prime minister to look into the security conditions of Karachi. In a phone conversation on Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari reassured Altaf Hussain that he will call a meeting in Karachi soon on the city’s security situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain says people must step up to protect themselves given the harrowing and dangerous conditions in Pakistan,

The call for self-defence came as Altaf Hussain expressed concern at the increase in the number of terrorist activities and cases of robberies, vehicle thefts, street crimes, extortion and kidnapping being recorded countrywide. In the past week, one MQM activist and his brother was killed and two others injured in PIB Colony. Three Awami National Party workers have also died in targeted killings. The MQM has also spent a considerable part of the past month sounding alarm bells over cases of extortion in Karachi.

“At some points it becomes important for people to bear a burden for the sake of their security,” he said. The MQM chief has offered a number of suggestions to Pakistanis to help deter crime in their areas. He appealed to people to form vigilance committees in every lane, neighbourhood and in small and main markets.

In a detailed statement issued on Friday with suggestions for neighbourhood security, Altaf Hussain said that these vigilance teams should have a “strong alarm system that can alert the lane and neighbourhood in the case of any danger or if a robber is in the area.” He believes that people need to defend themselves. “In front of every lane there are at last ten houses on each side. If there are teams of five that do an eight-hour shift for these 20 houses, then the rotation of one person from the vigilance team can be every five days.”

Along with an alarm system, Altaf Hussain suggested that the vigilance teams can surround any criminal in the area and should have whistles similar to those scouts and civil defence staff have, and can alert the police and other law enforcement agencies to take the criminal(s) into custody.

Hussain has asked people that since they have responded to his appeals in the past, they should try out his suggestions for a week and see the results for themselves.

The MQM’s Wasay Jalil said that Altaf Hussain’s call is because of the rise in crime, and the tried-and-tested efforts by the MQM in 2007 and 2009 of initiating neighbourhood watches. “The MQM supporters and workers are already doing this and there are law enforcement agencies, but society needs to step up because these crimes are in societies and neighbourhoods,” Jalil said.

The MQM chief has also repeatedly asked the president and prime minister to look into the security conditions of Karachi. In a phone conversation on Thursday, President Asif Ali Zardari reassured Altaf Hussain that he will call a meeting in Karachi soon on the city’s security situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

KARACHI: Sindh’s public sector hospitals and medical colleges came under fire during the meeting of Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Friday.

The main issue was buying spurious medicines and irregularities in the money spent by public hospitals to buy equipment.

The officials of the audit department briefed the committee members. While giving details, they said that the administration of the Government Hospital, Saudabad in Karachi, and the Services hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad, bought medicines worth Rs62 million, from 2007 till 2009, but did not have the drugs tested by a lab. From 2006 to 2009, there were irregularities in millions of rupees which was used to buy equipment.

The audit officials said that Rs12.3 million was paid to the health department for equipment for government hospitals. The equipment was bought, but it was not used.

Government Hospital, Liaquatabad bought mammography machines worth Rs4000,000 for their breast cancer diagnostic centre in 2005. “But the machine has not been installed yet,” said one of the audit officers. When the medical superintendent was asked why, he said that since the centre’s building had not been built they could not install the machine. He said that if the money would not have been used to buy the mammography machine then the budget would have lapsed. “We did not have trained staff otherwise the equipment could have been used,” he said.  According to Audit DG Ghulam Akbar Sohu, Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro took around Rs14 million to buy equipment in 2008. But instead of doing that, the money was transferred into personal accounts of the officers who drew the money and disbursed it. On the other hand, the hospital officials were under the illusion that the money was transferred into the hospital’s account but there was something wrong with the records.

Sohu said that Rs63 million was spent on medicines and equipment for hospitals in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and other hospitals without inviting tenders, which was illegal. He said that Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad had purchased medicine worth Rs8 million, at higher rates. The committee then asked the health secretary to issue show-cause notices to hospital administrations.

The audit records showed irregularities in the money spent on ambulances. Around Rs6.6 million were spent by hospitals without the approval of higher officials. Moreover, Rs19 million, collected via CT scan charges and student fees, was used up by the hospital administration for other projects. But the medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, Karachi and the principal of Shaheed Benazirabad Medical University, Nawabshah argued that they were allowed by law to do so.

To this Sohu retorted, “It seems that these people [the doctors] have made up their own rules by violating the ones prescribed by the government.” The PAC chairman, Jam Tamachi Unar, then asked his secretary to seek the opinion of finance department for the matter.

Following up on the complaints, the committee said that they will write to the chief minister, governor, health minister and the chief secretary to take strict action against the responsible officials.

Chairman Unar also suggested that the board of governors be revived to look after the public hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

KARACHI: Sindh’s public sector hospitals and medical colleges came under fire during the meeting of Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Friday.

The main issue was buying spurious medicines and irregularities in the money spent by public hospitals to buy equipment.

The officials of the audit department briefed the committee members. While giving details, they said that the administration of the Government Hospital, Saudabad in Karachi, and the Services hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad, bought medicines worth Rs62 million, from 2007 till 2009, but did not have the drugs tested by a lab. From 2006 to 2009, there were irregularities in millions of rupees which was used to buy equipment.

The audit officials said that Rs12.3 million was paid to the health department for equipment for government hospitals. The equipment was bought, but it was not used.

Government Hospital, Liaquatabad bought mammography machines worth Rs4000,000 for their breast cancer diagnostic centre in 2005. “But the machine has not been installed yet,” said one of the audit officers. When the medical superintendent was asked why, he said that since the centre’s building had not been built they could not install the machine. He said that if the money would not have been used to buy the mammography machine then the budget would have lapsed. “We did not have trained staff otherwise the equipment could have been used,” he said.  According to Audit DG Ghulam Akbar Sohu, Liaquat University Hospital, Jamshoro took around Rs14 million to buy equipment in 2008. But instead of doing that, the money was transferred into personal accounts of the officers who drew the money and disbursed it. On the other hand, the hospital officials were under the illusion that the money was transferred into the hospital’s account but there was something wrong with the records.

Sohu said that Rs63 million was spent on medicines and equipment for hospitals in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and other hospitals without inviting tenders, which was illegal. He said that Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad had purchased medicine worth Rs8 million, at higher rates. The committee then asked the health secretary to issue show-cause notices to hospital administrations.

The audit records showed irregularities in the money spent on ambulances. Around Rs6.6 million were spent by hospitals without the approval of higher officials. Moreover, Rs19 million, collected via CT scan charges and student fees, was used up by the hospital administration for other projects. But the medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, Karachi and the principal of Shaheed Benazirabad Medical University, Nawabshah argued that they were allowed by law to do so.

To this Sohu retorted, “It seems that these people [the doctors] have made up their own rules by violating the ones prescribed by the government.” The PAC chairman, Jam Tamachi Unar, then asked his secretary to seek the opinion of finance department for the matter.

Following up on the complaints, the committee said that they will write to the chief minister, governor, health minister and the chief secretary to take strict action against the responsible officials.

Chairman Unar also suggested that the board of governors be revived to look after the public hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

The attorney-general failed to produce the required inquiry reports during Friday’s hearing at the Supreme Court, saying he was not aware of their whereabouts.

At the previous hearing of the case – against the alleged role of intelligence agencies in rigging the 1990 elections – the court had asked the attorney-general to produce inquiry commissions’ reports on Habib Bank and Mehran Bank.

The court had also asked the attorney general to seek instructions from the government if these reports should be made public.

At Friday’s hearing, however, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said he was not aware of the reports’ whereabouts.

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said it seems that quarters concerned are deliberately hiding these reports.

“I will not agree with the court on this,” Haq said.

The reports are of ‘very important’ nature and it is the court’s right to go through them, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said. “If you are not ready to hand over these reports to us, why is such a futile exercise being carried out by the court,” he added.

Who had issued the notifications for commissions to probe these scams, asked the chief justice.

The law ministry, the federation’s attorney replied.

The notification for Mehran Bank’s inquiry commission was issued on June 17, 1994, and the notification for Habib Bank’s commission was issued on January 11, 1996 by the law ministry, he added.

The reports must go back to the authority that issued the notification, the chief justice said. The bench ordered the attorney general, the law ministry and the law division to produce the reports at the next hearing on March 23, and sought replies from the federal government.

If the reports have disappeared, there is a legal way to cure this error, the chief justice said, adding that the Federal Investigation Agency can be ordered to look into the matter, find the reports in search operations and file cases against officials responsible.

IB’s role in 2009

The focus of Friday’s hearing, however, was the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) alleged interference in the Punjab in the lead-up to and during the eventual imposition of governor’s rule in 2009.

The attorney-general requested for an in-camera hearing for briefing on IB’s role but did not submit any written reply. The Express Tribune’s reporter and executive editor were also told that they would be served notices in relation to a story published on March 14, 2012 which disclosed that the current government withdrew Rs270 million from IB’s fund, allegedly for pushing its political agenda.

Defending his stance, the paper’s correspondent submitted documentary evidence before the court.

Noting the paper’s credibility, the court made the documents part of the record.

If a statement is not rejected by the accused, it is considered to be true, the bench said. The IB has not denied the accusations as yet, it added.

The reporter, Asad Kharal, informed the court that the amount was withdrawn before the imposition of governor’s rule, in 2008, during the tenure of then-DG IB Tariq Lodhi.

IB Director-General Aftab Sultan also appeared before the court and said that he could not verify the news report from the record.

In response to the court’s concern, he said that a record keeper was not available and after going through the record he will inform the court about the details, in-camera.

After going through the audit report and relevant regulations of IB to utilise the funds, the court will examine circumstances in which such a large amount was withdrawn from the agency’s secret account.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

The attorney-general failed to produce the required inquiry reports during Friday’s hearing at the Supreme Court, saying he was not aware of their whereabouts.

At the previous hearing of the case – against the alleged role of intelligence agencies in rigging the 1990 elections – the court had asked the attorney-general to produce inquiry commissions’ reports on Habib Bank and Mehran Bank.

The court had also asked the attorney general to seek instructions from the government if these reports should be made public.

At Friday’s hearing, however, Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said he was not aware of the reports’ whereabouts.

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said it seems that quarters concerned are deliberately hiding these reports.

“I will not agree with the court on this,” Haq said.

The reports are of ‘very important’ nature and it is the court’s right to go through them, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said. “If you are not ready to hand over these reports to us, why is such a futile exercise being carried out by the court,” he added.

Who had issued the notifications for commissions to probe these scams, asked the chief justice.

The law ministry, the federation’s attorney replied.

The notification for Mehran Bank’s inquiry commission was issued on June 17, 1994, and the notification for Habib Bank’s commission was issued on January 11, 1996 by the law ministry, he added.

The reports must go back to the authority that issued the notification, the chief justice said. The bench ordered the attorney general, the law ministry and the law division to produce the reports at the next hearing on March 23, and sought replies from the federal government.

If the reports have disappeared, there is a legal way to cure this error, the chief justice said, adding that the Federal Investigation Agency can be ordered to look into the matter, find the reports in search operations and file cases against officials responsible.

IB’s role in 2009

The focus of Friday’s hearing, however, was the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) alleged interference in the Punjab in the lead-up to and during the eventual imposition of governor’s rule in 2009.

The attorney-general requested for an in-camera hearing for briefing on IB’s role but did not submit any written reply. The Express Tribune’s reporter and executive editor were also told that they would be served notices in relation to a story published on March 14, 2012 which disclosed that the current government withdrew Rs270 million from IB’s fund, allegedly for pushing its political agenda.

Defending his stance, the paper’s correspondent submitted documentary evidence before the court.

Noting the paper’s credibility, the court made the documents part of the record.

If a statement is not rejected by the accused, it is considered to be true, the bench said. The IB has not denied the accusations as yet, it added.

The reporter, Asad Kharal, informed the court that the amount was withdrawn before the imposition of governor’s rule, in 2008, during the tenure of then-DG IB Tariq Lodhi.

IB Director-General Aftab Sultan also appeared before the court and said that he could not verify the news report from the record.

In response to the court’s concern, he said that a record keeper was not available and after going through the record he will inform the court about the details, in-camera.

After going through the audit report and relevant regulations of IB to utilise the funds, the court will examine circumstances in which such a large amount was withdrawn from the agency’s secret account.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

WASHINGTON: A US federal court in Alexandria has sentenced Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, the director of the Kashmiri-American Council, to two years in jail and three years of supervised release.

In December last year, Dr Fai had pleaded guilty to two charges: 1.) “To falsify, conceal and cover up material facts he had a duty to disclose in matters within the jurisdiction of executive branch agencies of the US government”; 2.) “To defraud the Treasury Department by impeding the lawful functions of the IRS in the collection of revenue.”

Arrested in July 2011, Dr Fai was accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. He has been accused of, and later pleaded guilty to, taking money from the Inter-Services Intelligence to run his US-based NGO.

In a press release issued by the Department of Justice, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Neil MacBride, said “Mr Fai lied to the Justice Department, the IRS, and many political leaders throughout the United States as he pushed the ISI’s propaganda on Kashmir.”

Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said, “Fai is today being held accountable for his role in a decades-long scheme to conceal the fact that the government of Pakistan was secretly funding his efforts to influence US policy on Kashmir.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

WASHINGTON: A US federal court in Alexandria has sentenced Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, the director of the Kashmiri-American Council, to two years in jail and three years of supervised release.

In December last year, Dr Fai had pleaded guilty to two charges: 1.) “To falsify, conceal and cover up material facts he had a duty to disclose in matters within the jurisdiction of executive branch agencies of the US government”; 2.) “To defraud the Treasury Department by impeding the lawful functions of the IRS in the collection of revenue.”

Arrested in July 2011, Dr Fai was accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. He has been accused of, and later pleaded guilty to, taking money from the Inter-Services Intelligence to run his US-based NGO.

In a press release issued by the Department of Justice, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Neil MacBride, said “Mr Fai lied to the Justice Department, the IRS, and many political leaders throughout the United States as he pushed the ISI’s propaganda on Kashmir.”

Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said, “Fai is today being held accountable for his role in a decades-long scheme to conceal the fact that the government of Pakistan was secretly funding his efforts to influence US policy on Kashmir.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.

“I have full confidence in the judiciary and I will be acquitted in all cases instituted against me.”

Talking to The Express Tribune Niazi said:

“The Supreme Court had not placed my name on the Exit Control List (ECL). The government had put me on the ECL. A medical board was constituted for me on the orders of the Supreme Court. On the basis of the medical board’s reports I was admitted to a hospital.  Citing the medical board’s reports I had applied for permission to visit Bangladesh for treatment. Since there was delay in getting an appointment with the relevant physician, I had to postpone my journey. When I reached Bangladesh and after undergoing medical examination I returned to Pakistan after a two-day stay there.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2012.