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ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday increased the prices of petroleum products by up to Rs7.67 per litre effective from Wednesday, following a rise in global oil prices.

The price of compressed natural gas (CNG) has also been increased by up to Rs7.02 per kilogram following a hike in petrol price.

This is the second consecutive hike in petroleum product rates due to an increase in global oil prices. The new prices will remain effective for the next two weeks from August 1 to 16.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had proposed that the federal government cut the rate of the petroleum levy to save consumers from the rising trend in oil prices during Ramazan. However, a senior official at the petroleum ministry said that the finance ministry shot down the proposal, as petroleum levy was an easy source of collecting tax from the consumers to bridge its budget deficit.

The official said that the government would collect over Rs15 billion from consumers on account of the petroleum levy and General Sales Tax (GST) during the first two weeks of August.

According to Ogra notification, the price of petrol has been raised by Rs7.67 per litre, High Octane Blending Component (HOBC) Rs7.64 per litre, kerosene Rs4.64, High Speed Diesel (HSD) Rs4.58, Light Diesel Oil (LDO) Rs4.78, and the price of jet fuel JP-1 has been increased by Rs4.44 and JP-8 by Rs4.73 per litre.

Following the hike the price of petrol has jumped up from Rs85.90 to Rs93.57 per litre, HOBC from Rs112.52 to Rs120.16 per litre, kerosene oil from Rs88.19 to Rs92.83 per litre, HSD from Rs97.21 to Rs101.79 per litre, LDO from Rs85.33 to Rs90.11 per litre .The prices of jet fuels, JP-1 has increased from Rs77.92 to Rs82.36 per litre, JP-4 from Rs69.31 to Rs 74.04 per litre  and JP-8 from Rs77.60 to Rs 82.05 per litre.

The CNG prices are linked with 60% parity of petrol. Keeping in view this, the prices of CNG have also gone up.

The price of CNG in region-I has been increased by Rs 7.02 per kg from Rs 78.65 to Rs 85.67 per kg and Rs 6.34 per kg raise in region-2 from existing Rs71.92 to Rs 78.26 per kg. The region-I includes the areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar and Balochistan and region-II includes Punjab and Sindh.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2012.

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday increased the prices of petroleum products by up to Rs7.67 per litre effective from Wednesday, following a rise in global oil prices.

The price of compressed natural gas (CNG) has also been increased by up to Rs7.02 per kilogram following a hike in petrol price.

This is the second consecutive hike in petroleum product rates due to an increase in global oil prices. The new prices will remain effective for the next two weeks from August 1 to 16.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had proposed that the federal government cut the rate of the petroleum levy to save consumers from the rising trend in oil prices during Ramazan. However, a senior official at the petroleum ministry said that the finance ministry shot down the proposal, as petroleum levy was an easy source of collecting tax from the consumers to bridge its budget deficit.

The official said that the government would collect over Rs15 billion from consumers on account of the petroleum levy and General Sales Tax (GST) during the first two weeks of August.

According to Ogra notification, the price of petrol has been raised by Rs7.67 per litre, High Octane Blending Component (HOBC) Rs7.64 per litre, kerosene Rs4.64, High Speed Diesel (HSD) Rs4.58, Light Diesel Oil (LDO) Rs4.78, and the price of jet fuel JP-1 has been increased by Rs4.44 and JP-8 by Rs4.73 per litre.

Following the hike the price of petrol has jumped up from Rs85.90 to Rs93.57 per litre, HOBC from Rs112.52 to Rs120.16 per litre, kerosene oil from Rs88.19 to Rs92.83 per litre, HSD from Rs97.21 to Rs101.79 per litre, LDO from Rs85.33 to Rs90.11 per litre .The prices of jet fuels, JP-1 has increased from Rs77.92 to Rs82.36 per litre, JP-4 from Rs69.31 to Rs 74.04 per litre  and JP-8 from Rs77.60 to Rs 82.05 per litre.

The CNG prices are linked with 60% parity of petrol. Keeping in view this, the prices of CNG have also gone up.

The price of CNG in region-I has been increased by Rs 7.02 per kg from Rs 78.65 to Rs 85.67 per kg and Rs 6.34 per kg raise in region-2 from existing Rs71.92 to Rs 78.26 per kg. The region-I includes the areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar and Balochistan and region-II includes Punjab and Sindh.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2012.

ISLAMABAD: The government’s defence of the contentious contempt law got off to a rather unexpected start on Tuesday.

The federation’s counsel admitted in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Contempt of Court Law 2012 could have been aimed at saving the skin of newly-appointed Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf – thereby conceding an important point of contention against the new law: it violates the concept of equality as a person-specific law.

“Yes, this could be a motive,” the counsel for the federation, Abdul Shakoor Paracha, shockingly acknowledged while responding to Justice Khilji Arif Hussain’s no-nonsense question: “(Are you saying) the new law has been introduced to save the prime minister?”

The apex court was questioning over two dozen petitioners about the legal status of the contempt law when Paracha conceded a possible ulterior motive. Since the law was passed, the government has never admitted that the purpose of the legislation was to save the incumbent premier from disqualification.

“Everything (regarding the law) is known and I will not hide anything or lie just because the federation has engaged me as a counsel,” Paracha told the court. But the counsel was also quick to add, “Democratic institutions will not become strong if democratic prime ministers are sent home.”

Federation’s arguments

The government’s counsel didn’t seem to make much of an impression on the court.

While managing to agree on a possible political motive behind the law, Paracha and the court did not see eye to eye on much else. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed that the court was not fond of disqualifying prime ministers.

When Paracha pointed to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case and the disqualification of one prime minister already, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja observed, “… No this is not the case, [the government] has passed a new law in three minutes.”

Paracha then argued that  insisting on the implementation of the NRO judgment was not conducive. “Corruption will not end in one day. Fresh elections are around the corner and things will get better after some time,” he added, to which the chief justice curtly responded: “We have nothing to do with elections.”

The federation’s counsel then took a different tack, arguing that every institution should perform its own role, but the chief justice was quick to respond to this as well: “It is [the government’s] duty to take steps to strengthen democracy whereas it is our duty to interpret law. It is not our job to deal with load-shedding.”

Paracha himself had acknowledged earlier during proceedings that state institutions had failed to deliver, to which Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan observed, “The mere resignation of the chief executive is not enough when state organs fail to deliver; he should be held accountable.”

Referring to the lack of a precedent, Paracha argued that none of the petitioners were aggrieved by the new law, and had only challenged it on the basis of mere apprehensions. There was not a single case in which the court had exercised its jurisdiction on the basis of apprehensions, he added.

The federation’s counsel further requested that the apex court refer the matter to the high courts. Justice Khawaja declined, saying that to do so would merely open a “new Pandora’s box”. Paracha also said that all the petitioners had failed to establish how the new law violates Article 2A of the Constitution and Islamic law.

The chief justice remained unconvinced, saying that the new law had violated the concept of equality in Islam, adding that this had been argued by several petitioners.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2012.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States signed a new deal on Tuesday governing arrangements for Nato convoys travelling to Afghanistan until the end of 2015. The new deal replaces verbal arrangements in place since the Musharraf-era, and signals yet another step towards gradual rapprochement between the two allies.

The pact, signed by Additional Defence Secretary Rear Admiral Farrokh Ahmed and Deputy US Ambassador in Islamabad Richard Hoagland, was the culmination of protracted negotiations over a period of seven months, in which the fractious allies fought hard to secure their respective interests.

Seemingly a quid-pro-quo arrangement, the agreement inked at the defence ministry in Rawalpindi will see the US release $1.1 billion due under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) to reimburse Pakistan for its efforts in the war on terror, in exchange for the reopening of vital supply lines into Afghanistan.

Hoagland told reporters that Washington would release the funds following the formalisation of the new deal. The US last released CSF payments to Pakistan in December 2010, amounting to about $633  million (approximately Rs55 billion).

Officials at the ceremony gave no details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) nor did they release a copy at a news conference.

The development comes just a day before the chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam, begins a three-day visit to Washington for talks with the head of the CIA.

‘Increased transparency’

Richard Hoagland hailed the MoU between the two governments.

“This MoU is a demonstration of increased transparency and openness between our governments, in respect of Pakistan’s sovereignty as requested by the Pakistani parliament,” he said, adding that the process had also opened new channels for the two countries to resolve other issues.

“Of course, it’s clear to our political leadership in both capitals … that we have a number of other issues to work on,” he added. Newly appointed Defence Secretary Asif Yasin Malik, who attended the ceremony, said the deal would contribute to the stability of the region and hailed it as a “landmark achievement.”

“With this agreement, there are no grey areas left in the process,” said Malik.

Islamabad agreed to reopen land routes for Nato goods on July 3 – ending the longest border closure of the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

The closure was in protest against Nato air raids that killed 24 Pakistani troops last November. However, a row over security guarantees and compensation has delayed a resumption of normal traffic.

Parliament’s guidelines

The deal lasts until the end of 2015, well beyond the 2014 departure date for the bulk of Nato’s 130,000 combat troops from Afghanistan, and can be renewed for one-year intervals beyond that.

Interestingly, both countries can discontinue the MoU at any time by informing each other in advance

The deal specifies routes to be taken and has a list running to several pages of lethal supplies that may not be transported through Pakistan, as per the guidelines laid out by parliament earlier this year, although armoured vehicles and Humvees are permitted provided they are not mounted with weapons. However, Afghan security forces are exempt from this clause.

Furthermore, a central coordination authority will also be established at the defence ministry to monitor Nato supplies. In order to ensure the implementation of the new agreement, officials from both sides will meet regularly.

A Pakistani security official said the agreement gave Islamabad the right to refuse or reject any shipment and special radio chips would be fitted to containers for monitoring.

(Read: New deal on NATO supplies)

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2012.

Addressing hundreds of protesters, the chief minister said that the federal government had left the citizens of the Punjab no choice but to come out onto the streets after depriving them of electricity for 18 hours a day.

He said that 700 megawatts of electricity that was rightly the Punjab’s share was being rerouted to other provinces. He appealed to the protesters to stay peaceful and not damage property.

PML-Nawaz MNA Naseer Bhutta said that the chief minister had made an unplanned appearance at the protest.

The MNA said that he had been scheduled to address the protest, but the chief minister had not been expected.

Bhutta said that the massive electricity shortage had led to an increase in crime while damaging industry and agriculture. He said that President Zardari was to blame for the shortage and he must call early elections to prevent the country from sliding into anarchy. He said that the president was pursuing personal interests rather than that of the masses.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2012.

ISLAMABAD: The Inspector General of Frontier Constabulary (FC) Major General Obaidullah Khattak provided a signed written assurance for taking step towards improving the law and order situation in Balochistan to the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Advocate General Balochistan Amanullah Kinrani produced before a three-judge bench of the apex court a joint statement which bore the signatures of the newly appointed secretary defence Lt General (Retd) Asif Yasin Malik.

Kinrani had earlier submitted the report in the court without the IG FC’s signature. The court, sensing IG FC Obaidullah Khattak’s reluctance, had returned the report and asked the advocate general to get it signed by the IG FC.

Chief Justice Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry hearing the case said “you are the main person who can deliver.”

Khattak said that it was a matter of national interest but said that the interior secretary had barred him from signing the joint statement. But the Chief Justice Chaudhry was adamant and said “but we order you to sign it.”

The uniformed general of the Pakistan army, obliging the order, signed the statement and handed over it to the bench.

Kinrani informed the court that a committee headed by Defence Minister has been constituted and they have come to the court after attending its meeting. He said another meeting of the committee would be held on Wednesday, while its third meeting would be held in Quetta on Thursday. He said it was the first step towards improving the law and order situation in Balochistan and he was optimistic that the situation would improve.

The court inquired from the IG FC when would the eight missing persons be recovered. The officer replied that they were making all efforts to recover the men. He said that it was not right to doubt his honesty since it was their desire too to recover the missing men. The chief justice addressing him said that if sincere efforts are made by the IG FC, then law and order situation can improve within seven days.

The chief justice went on to add that if all resources are utilised, the situation in Balochistan can improve, especially Dera Bugti. The apex court chief was of the view that both the agencies were playing a frontline role in defending the country and should adhere to the law of the land, while pointing towards a news item which reported a case has been registered against the MI and ISI DGs in a missing persons case in Lahore.

The court ordered the federal and provincial governments to deal with the persons involved in the target killing and kidnapping in Balochistan province and recover the missing persons. Chief Justice Chaudhry said there would be no compromise on the fundamental rights. He said that law and order situation worsening day by day in Balochistan.

The chief justice said that people are being picked up for ransom, but the law enforcement agencies are not taking actions against those involved in it. He noted that the possibility of ulterior political or other motives behind this failure could not be ruled out either.

The chief justice said that now they have now come to a conclusion that the federal and the provincial governments are also responsible for the worsening law and order situation in Balochistan.

The court adjourned the hearing till September 3 but not before directing the the federal and provincial governments to take solid and effective measures to improve the law and order situation in Balochistan. The court also directed the concerned officials to submit a weekly report to the Supreme Court

ABBOTABAD: All stakeholders should come together and devise a national security policy for Pakistan, said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Haider Abbas Rizvi on Tuesday.

Speaking to media in Abbotabad along with the leader of Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara, Rizvi said the country is facing a law and order situation both internally and externally and it needs to have a policy based on consensus for coming 10 to 20 years.

Rizvi further said that a committee should be formed with representatives from all the concerned parties and it should be tasked with setting an agenda for future policy.

“The policy should focus on security, power crisis and all other challenges faced by the country,” he said.

“Everyone should sit and discuss the issues in detail and form a policy based on consent,” he added.

MQM has been meeting various political parties in its attempt to hold a roundtable conference to discuss national issues featuring stakeholders – including military leadership, religious and political leaders and intellectuals.

ISLAMABAD: In line with the new chief election commissioner’s promise of free and fair elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday published fresh electoral rolls compiled on the basis of computerised national identity cards.

“Today is a significant day. The printing of new electoral rolls marks the commencement of the election process. Registration of new voters will continue till the schedule for the polls is announced,” Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim said at a news conference.

The lists are available in soft and hard copies throughout the country and can be viewed on the ECP website as well as the commission’s district offices.

The new list released by ECP contains 84.36 million registered voters. The updated rolls will be used for all forthcoming polls as under the law once new lists have been published the older ones are declared redundant.

The publication of voters’ lists will minimise the chance of multiple entries. NADRA had maintained earlier that 37% of the entries in the rolls compiled for the 2008 general elections were either duplicates or fake.

Though Fakhruddin G Ebrahim has ruled out the chances of fake and multiple entries in the new electoral lists, he said there might be an issue in the change of addresses of certain voters.
Ebrahim said some voters have been registered on the basis of permanent addresses stated on their NICs, but have changed their residence and want to vote from where they are currently residing.
He has asked such voters to approach ECP’s district offices and get their addresses updated.

Election Commission Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said 4 million overseas Pakistanis have also been given the right to vote. He, however, said the mode through which they will cast their votes has not been determined yet, adding that postal ballot was the only viable option, but requires due legislation.

Break-up

According to the break-up, the list has a total of 47.77 million males and 36.59 million females.
Punjab has the most number of voters with 57% of the total number registered from the province. Of the 48.3 million voters in Punjab, 27.29 million are males while 21.01 million are females.

Sindh has a total of 18.42 million voters, of which 10.21 million are males and 8.21 million are females.
Of the 12 million registered voters in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 6.9 million are males while 5.1 million are females.

Balochistan, at 3.27 million, has the least number of registered voters. The province has 1.88 million male voters while 1.39 million are females.

The federal capital has a total of 325,795 males and 279,007 females registered in the list.
The number of voters, however, has not increased in all the provinces. While Punjab and K-P registered an increase of 3.66 million and 1.27 million, respectively, the number of voters in Sindh has declined by 1.1 million and in Balochistan by 1.02 million.

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) inquiry into the Dr Arslan Iftikhar case until August 2 and also rejected the request to form a larger bench in the case, Express News reported on Tuesday.

During today’s hearing, NAB’s Prosecutor General KK Agha stated that the court should not have issued stay order for the inquiry.

While Iftikhar’s counsel Sardar Ishaq argued an inherent bias for investigators since the inquiry team included Islamabad police official Faisal Memon, who had served as Malik Riaz’s security guard during his appearance before the apex court.

Justice Jawad S Khawaja has sought replies from interior secretary, Memon and his assistant Tahir Malik in this regard.

Earlier on July 30, Riaz had appeared before the NAB’s Joint Investigation Team and responded to a questionnaire that he was given in the previous hearing.

He, however, failed to submit any further proofs except the documents that he had filed in the Supreme Court earlier.

“Malik has been claiming dolling out over Rs230 million, but so far the documentary evidence placed shows no more than Rs10 to 15 million,” sources privy to the proceedings of JIT had told The Express Tribune.

LAHORE: The government has approved an increase in CNG and petroleum prices on Tuesday, reported Express News.

The petrol price has been reportedly increased by Rs7.67, taking it to Rs93.57/ltr, while the price of High Speed Diesel has been increased by Rs4.58 taking it to Rs101.79/ltr. The price of Kerosene oil has been increased by Rs4.64, making its new price Rs92.83/ltr.

The price of CNG in Region one, consisting of Potohar, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, has been raised by Rs7, making the new price Rs84.65/kg. The CNG price in Punjab and Sindh, making up Region two, has been increased by Rs4.2, taking it to Rs78.12/kg.

Move opposed

Earlier during the day, the Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) had opposed the proposed increase in petrol prices, saying that it will affect all sectors of life.

PIAF Chairman Engineer Sohail Lashari had urged the government to not increase the petroleum prices since the economy is already facing multiple challenges and cannot afford any further hike in POL prices.

He said that the government should focus on the promotion of alternate fuel as the trade deficit was fast widening due to heavy imports under the head of petroleum products.

He further demanded the government to remove the carbon tax to save the industry from collapsing.

ISLAMABAD: Everyone should know what is the source of income of Pakistani journalists, TV anchors, media house owners and advertising agencies, said Hamid Mir on Tuesday.

Speaking to media outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan, senior journalist Mir and Absar Alam elaborated about the petition they had filed seeking formation of an accountability commission for the media.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan also issued notices on Tuesday to all media houses owners, advertising agencies, Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and real estate tycoon Malik Riaz for August 27.

Commenting on media losing its credibility, Mir said that they have presented themselves for accountability because they wanted to restore media’s integrity and make sure those responsible for this are held responsible.

Meanwhile, Alam stated that media can bring positive change in the society, but it can only do so if its own way of working is correct. “We want to improve our performance through accountability,” he emphasised. “The culprits among us should be brought to justice,” he argued.

Mir mentioned secret funds of various ministries which are used to manipulate the media. He has asked the court to make the details of such funds public. He said that they have records that can prove that the petition is not filed against anyone specific but to prevent future corruption of media with billions of rupees.

“We have also asked the court to investigate how government gives undue favours to some media organisations through advertisements and that is why we have included advertising agencies in our petition,” Mir said.

Reiterating that the petition is not targeting a single journalist or media organisation, Mir said the petition only seeks accountability to restore the credibility of Pakistani media and that they had willingly put themselves in a position to be held accountable for what they do before any one else.

“If anyone has any kind of proof against us, it should be provided in the Supreme Court of Pakistan,” Hamid said.

Alam added that the court has adjourned the hearing till August 27 and till then anyone can provide any proof they have against media personnel to the court. “A public notice will also be issued in this regard,” he said.

Commenting on how Pemra’s code of conduct is flouted by the channels, Mir lamented that no practitioner follows the guidelines nor does Pemra try to enforce it.

“We have asked for a media commission where all the stakeholders can come together and make a code of conduct,” he said.

Explaining further why they have approached the highest court, Alam said there are influential and rich people who manipulate journalists and media owners for their own goals and we want such activities to be exposed. “We want to get all this cleared up. We want to know what is done legally and what is not, everything should be brought to the table,” he said.

Mir mentioned that their petition also seeks an inquiry into Midas media company, which has a case filed against itself in an anti corruption court. “The case has been hushed up by the Punjab government,” Alam added.

ISLAMABAD: Senators from the treasury and opposition benches on Tuesday strongly condemned the ongoing massacre of Muslims in Myanmar and vowed to move a resolution after taking the Foreign Office on-board.     

Leader of the Opposition in Senate Ishaq Dar, speaking on a point of order, strongly condemned the killings of Muslims in Myanmar, and added that the Foreign Office should be consulted before finalising the condemnation resolution.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haidery, Shahi Syed, Rubina Khalid also condemned the killings.

On the other hand, Senator Zahid Khan said that the killings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi should also be kept in mind while condemning the massacre in Myanmar.

India lodged a “strong protest” with Pakistan over a secret tunnel recently discovered along the international border of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Indian Kashmir, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported on Tuesday.

The report quoted a senior Border Security Force official who confirmed that a protest has been lodged with Pakistani Rangers, and a protest note with evidence was also handed over to Pakistani authorities at a flag meeting in the Jammu district.

Last week, a PTI report had claimed that a 400-metre long tunnel was discovered by authorities along the Samba district.

Senior Superintendent of Police in Samba Israr Hussain had said that the tunnel, with a height and width of three feet, was running between Indian Kashmir’s Chillayari border outpost and Azad Kashmir’s Lambriyal border outpost.

The police official had said a local villager, Baldev Singh, working in the fields had observed the cave in and reported the matter to the BSF on finding the plastic pipe on Friday evening.

KANDAHAR: The Taliban have expressed delight over the reopening of Nato supply route to Afghanistan which was blocked after a US airstrike on a Pakistani check post which killed 24 soldiers, Associated Press (AP) reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, Taliban insurgents have illegally received millions of dollars from security firms in Afghanistan for not attacking the trucks carrying supplies to the forces fighting in the war-torn country.

“Stopping these supplies caused us real trouble,” a Taliban commander who leads about 60 insurgents in eastern Ghazni province said.

“Earnings dropped down pretty badly. Therefore the rebellion was not as strong as we had planned.”

Another Taliban commander said: “We are able to make money in bundles, therefore the Nato supply is very important for us.”

Pakistan reopened the Nato supply routes after US secretary of state Hilary Clinton offered an apology for the cross border attacks.

Pakistan and the US also signed a new agreement today replacing the existing Memorandum of Understanding in place since 2004. The new deal is part of an overall review Pakistan had sought in its ties with the US.

As per this deal, Pakistan will not allow transportation of arms and ammunition, as demanded by the parliament in its foreign policy recommendations.

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani judge on Tuesday separated a runaway Afghan couple who married for love after a disabled man appeared in court purporting to be the woman’s first husband.

It was an about turn for the judge, who last week appeared to accept that Mariyam and Hewad married legitimately by ordering that they be protected and given accommodation together in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar.

Mariyam and Hewad, both 22, said they fled Kabul last month to wed in the leafy town of Abbottabad in northwest Pakistan, where US troops found and killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

The woman said her parents wanted her to marry her dead sister’s husband and that if she is sent back to Afghanistan she would probably be murdered for marrying someone of her own choice.

On Tuesday, her mother and brother appeared in court with the 48-year-old man in a wheel chair claiming he was her real husband.

Her mother Raazia, 65, told AFP that Mariyam had consented to the match and married him six and a half years ago. Two years later, the man had a stroke and has been left partially paralysed, she said.

“The court should hand over the girl to us, we will not kill her,” Raazia said.

Judge Dost Muhammad Khan referred the matter to a family court, ordering Mariyam into a women’s shelter and sending Hewad for questioning.

The case should be decided “within 40 days”, said Khan, who intervened personally after media reports said the woman’s life was in danger.

Hewad, who like many Afghans goes by one name, also told AFP last week that he faced serious threats from Mariyam’s family.

“I am sure they can harm me here and if we are sent back to Afghanistan, they will simply shoot us,” he said.

Despite progress in recent years and improved legal protection, women suffer chronic rights abuses in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Earlier this month a video emerged of the public execution of a woman accused of adultery in Afghanistan, who was shot dead as dozens of men cheered.

Activists fear that women’s rights in Afghanistan are under particular threat as Nato troops prepare to leave in 2014 and Kabul seeks peace with the Taliban, who brutally repressed women during their 1996-2001 rule.

LONDON: After Pakistan’s sole female representative in the Olympics swimming event Anam Bandey was knocked out, the country’s other swimmer, Israr Hussain, also failed to keep afloat at the mega event. While Pakistani shooter Khurram Inam too was blown away in the skeet event.

National champion Hussain dived into the pool for the men’s 100m freestyle today but only to finish last.

With a time of 57.86, Hussain ranked 54 in the list of 56 swimmers and last in his pool.

Shooter Inam ranked 28 amongst 36 shooters with the total score of 112. He scored 21, 23, 23, 20, 25 in the six rounds respectively.

Hussain had earned a wild-card entry to the London Games after his show in the Shanghai qualifiers.

Hussain hails from the suburbs of Rawalpindi where he used to swim in a lake and, in order to pursue his passion for swimming, he enlisted himself in the Army and has been participating in local events for the last 10 years.

“Participating in the Olympics has been my life-long dream and it is about to come true,” Hussain had told The Express Tribune from London before the start of the mega event. “I have been personally training for it since 2008. It is my first time at the Olympics so I am thrilled and nervous at the same time.”

RAWALPINDI: A new agreement on Nato supplies has been signed between Pakistan and the US on Tuesday, replacing the existing Memorandum of Understanding in place since 2004.

The new deal was part of an overall review Pakistan had sought in its ties with the US in the wake of last year’s Nato cross-border raid which killed 24 soldiers — consequently causing the suspension of the ground lines of communication for Nato-led foreign forces in Afghanistan for over seven months.

According to the new accord, Pakistan will not allow transportation of arms and ammunition, as demanded by the parliament in its foreign policy recommendations approved in April. However, military equipment for the Afghan National Army would be permitted to pass through the country.

Pakistan will also not provide any warehouses or storage facilities for Nato goods.

NEW DELHI: India’s northern and eastern power grids collapsed on Tuesday, blacking out half the country and affecting hundreds of millions of people in the second day of electricity chaos.

“We are busy with the revival right now… Both the Northern and Eastern grids have collapsed. Please allow us to address the problem,” VK Agrawal, the general manager of the northern grid, told AFP.

In New Delhi, the metro train system came to a standstill and many traffic lights were out for the second day in a row after the northern grid failed on Monday in the worst power outage in a decade.

“Drivers of all the metro trains have been asked to stop at the stations. No passengers will be allowed in the metro station until power is restored,” a metro spokeswoman told AFP.

About 400 trains were affected by the power outage, a spokesman for the railways told AFP.

In the east, the city of Kolkata was without power as were most parts of the surrounding state of West Bengal, an official at the West Bengal State Electricity Supply Corp, B Mukherjee, confirmed to AFP.

The eastern grid covers five states including West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, and Orissa.

“This is a big crisis. We are working to restore power. Many states overdraw power and this has caused a complete collapse in eastern and northern India,” said a senior official at the ministry of power in New Delhi.

On Monday, the northern grid collapsed for six hours shortly after 2:00 am (2030 GMT Sunday), causing travel chaos and widespread inconvenience in nine states including the capital New Delhi.

Major hospitals and airports in the region were able to function normally on emergency back-up power, but train services were severely disrupted.

Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde called it a “failure” but he also boasted that India had been quick to restore power, unlike the United States which took days to restore electricity a 2003 blackout on its eastern seaboard.

He and the rest of the government woke up Tuesday to a barrage of calls for urgent reform of the power sector.

Leading the charge were business lobby groups who said Monday’s outage – the worst to hit the country in a decade – underlined the government’s inability to address India’s perennial electricity shortfall.

“The increasing gap between electricity supply and demand has long been a matter of concern,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The CII, Banerjee said, has “consistently highlighted” the need for urgent steps to improve supplies of coal to thermal power plants and reforming state distribution utilities.

“This latest outage is just an urgent reminder for addressing these issues as a priority,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing petitions agains the contempt law, has said that the parliament has the right to form those laws which are needed and have a reason behind them, Express News reported on Tuesday.

The case was being heard in the Supreme Court by a five-member bench comprising Iftikhar Chaudhry, who headed the bench, and Justices Shakirullah Jan, Khilji Arif Hussain, Jawad S Khawaja and Tassadduq Hussain Jilani.

During the hearing, the federation’s counsel, Abdul Shakoor Paracha, said the parliament’s authority over law making could not be challenged, reports Dawn.com.

He argued that the new law did not restrict the judiciary’s power in any way and that the law had not been passed to undermine the judiciary, to which the chief justice said that the new law, contradictory to the government’s beliefs, had flaws and being a matter of public interest, could be moved to court.

The petitions had been filed against the new contempt law the very next day after it was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari.

The contempt law was said to be aimed at protecting newly elected Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf from being forced to write the Swiss letter.

In the previous hearing, the Supreme Court had refused the federation’s request for more time to prepare arguments.

ISLAMABAD: Urging the civil society to step forward now to play their part, Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim said on Tuesday that the electoral rolls have been finalised and would ensure transparent elections.

CEC Ebrahim was briefing the media after the finalisation of the electoral rolls. He said that transparent elections are madatory for the country’s future, adding that if people want change, they would have to play a role in it.

“Vigilance is the price of liberty,” said Ebrahim, adding that people should gauge right now which political party would suit the needs of the country best instead of complaining later.

Ebrahim said that although the electoral process had begun from today and the lists had been finalised, the process would continue till the election date was announced in order to accommodate all those who become eligible to vote after today till the date’s announcement.

“The voting lists have been made extremely transparent,” said Ebrahim. He informed the public about the new checks and balance system initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and NADRA.

“You can find out about your voting information from your cell phone,” he said.

“Dial 8300 on your mobile to find out your name, NIC number, your electoral area and even the number your name is on in the voting list!”

Ebrahim said that this initiative would be extremely helpful if people would find out their information now and if there was an error, they could inform the relevant authorities.

“Make sure your name comes on the electoral rolls,” said Ebrahim, reiterating that this was the only way to ensure free and fair elections.

“More than seven million people have taken advantage of the new service,” he said, urging more people to do so.

He accepted that they had made mistakes in the past, but added that now was not the time to complain but the time to act and to be ready.

“We think we are ready, we have done our best,” said Ebrahim. “Our aim is free and fair elections,” he said.

“That is our only goal because that is where future of Pakistan lies. Either you have free and fair elections or you have a physically handicapped Pakistan,” Ebrahim added.