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Case against Mairajul Huda of MMA
TV producer-artist Ghazanfar Ali found dead
Jobless man murders infant daughter, robbers killed driver
Load shedding-hit people turn violent in Pak Colony
2 blasts blow up railway track
Instead of justice, parliament gave her jail
4 militants, Afghan soldier killed in clashes
S. Arabia approves citizenship for expats
Case against Mairajul Huda of MMA
KARACHI: North Nazimabad Police have registered a case
against Ameer-e-Jammat-e-Islami Dr Merajul Hudda Siddiqui and 250 activists
of Islami Jamiat Tuleba for alleged illegal use of loudspeaker and blocking a
road in Nazimabad. The police have alleged that Meraj and other activists had
blocked the main road in front of Board Office Chowrangi in Nazmabad and also
used loudspeaker for expressing their political thoughts. However sources
said that Meraj and other activists had held a conference in order to pay
homage to Farhan Shaheed, a member of Islami Jamiat Tuleba. The policemen in
plain clothes had arrested Dr Siddiqui on Saturday, but later released him.
Meanwhile, Tauqfeeuddin Siddiqui and others have strongly condemned the
registration of case and announced to observe ‘Black Day’ on Friday
against the highhandedness of the police and murder of Farhan Shaheed.
TV producer-artist Ghazanfar Ali found dead
KARACHI: Well known television producer and artist
Ghazanfar Ali was found dead in his house in Gulistan-e-Jauhar late on
Saturday night, police said. Some of the area residents after noticing a bad
smell informed the police, which after a search recovered the body that was
lying in a flat situated in Erum Heights. The body was shifted to the JPMC,
where the deceased was identified as Ghazanfar Ali, 30, son of Muzaffar Ali
Kalwar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). Area police quoting the
medico legal experts told The News that Ghazanfar might have committed
suicide by taking sleeping pills. They told The News that deceased might have
died four or five days ago. The deceased was allegedly having marital
problems.
Jobless man murders infant daughter, robbers killed driver
KARACHI: A jobless man murdered his 7-year-old daughter on
Sunday, police said. M Younus, a jobless father murdered Maryam by slitting
her throat in Model Colony and surrendered himself in front of his father.
Grandfather of the girl took her to JPMC where she was declared dead.
ACCIDENTS: Four persons, including a woman and a girl, were killed in road
accidents in different areas of the metropolis. SHOT DEAD: Asmatullah, 30, a
minibus driver, sustained bullet wounds when he confronted robbers late
Saturday night in Mominabad. He was taken to the ASH, where he succumbed to
his injuries. SUICIDE: Sohail Asif, 29, resident of Bhittaiabad, ended his
life by hanging himself in his house. His body was shifted to the JPMC.
Load shedding-hit people turn violent in Pak Colony
KARACHI: The residents of Pak Colony on Sunday blocked the
main Manghopir Road and ransacked a customer centre of Karachi Electric
Supply Corporation (KESC) in protest of hour-long power breakdown.
According to details, residents of Pak Colony, Bara Board
and Old Golimar areas were facing hour-long power breakdowns since last many
days and despite lodging several complaints the KESC authorities failed to
rectify their complaints.
On Sunday, power supply broke down in the locality at
about 10am and despite passing five hours it could not be restored. At about
3pm enraged residents came out on street and blocked the main Manghopir Road.
They burnt tyres on the road causing suspension of
vehicular traffic. Some of the people rushed towards the Customer Complaint
Centre of the KESC situated at Manghopir Road and pelted stones.
Heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the areas
and tried to bring the situation under control. The KESC officials also tried
to calm down the angry protestors and assured them that their power supply
would soon be normalised. Upon such assurance, the protestors dispersed while
the power supply restored after 4pm.
The KESC officials said that the area of Pak Colony is
connected with the Haroonabad Grid. Due to some technical problems, a
transformer of the grid became faulty, which caused power disruption in the
area, which took about an hour to restore.
The officials, however, expressed ignorance about any
incident of violence in connection with the power breakdown.
A duty officer at Pak Colony police station confirmed the
incident and said that people were protesting against power failures in their
locality.
2 blasts blow up railway track
SUKKUR: Two powerful bomb blasts blew away a three-foot
portion of the railway track between Tangwani and Bijarani railway stations
within the limits of Dera Sarki police station late on Sunday. A pilot engine
coming on the down track at the time of the blast narrowly escaped the
disaster. Immediately, afterwards, the authorities stopped all the up and
down trains running on the Quetta-Kashmore Dera Ghazi Khan section at various
railway stations. The bombs were planted under the track and went off
simultaneously. A woman, Gulnaz Nandvani, of Hafeez Khoso village was injured
when hit by the splinters of the track. The patrolling of the security and
mobile teams to keep vigil at the railway track has been increased, he
further said.
Instead of justice, parliament gave her jail
ISLAMABAD: A mother of two infants from Faisalabad who
entered the high-security zone of parliament and took a seat in the National
Assembly before landing in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, wanted to see Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz to beg for recovery of her husband not seen for the
last six months.
Sonia Naz, mother of a six-month-old girl and two-year-old
son, landed in trouble after 340 MPs on Friday last felt threatened from her
presence in the house where she entered erroneously. Someone had advised
Sonia to meet the prime minister for removal of her complaint as the latter
has recently opened a complaint cell to address the public grievances.
Sonia, in her 20s, was investigated by four agencies for
24 hours before being sent to Adiala Jail on charges of
"trespassing" the National Assembly and putting lives of MNAs at
"big risk". Sonia left her two minor children with her sister in
Lahore promising to return the same evening after handing over an application
to the prime minister. Sonia had come to Islamabad hoping to get her husband
released, who has been detained by the Faisalabad police. Her family
confirmed to The News from Wapda Colony in Lahore that her daughter Sakina,
whom she breastfed, did not take milk since her mother left for Islamabad
four days ago.
Sonia has even been termed as a terrorist. Before
registering a criminal case under Section 452, which deals with an offence
that is not only non-bailable but also carries seven-year rigorous
imprisonment, none of the MPs including dozens of women legislators belonging
to different parties bothered to know her ordeal.
MNA Mehnaz Rafi, a known proponent of women’s rights in
the NA, raised the issue of Sonia’s presence in the House. The matter
immediately became topic of a heated discussion among the parliamentarians.
According to information collected from various people
such as brother of the victim Ayaz Ali, MNAs Sardar Tufail and Mehnaz Rafi,
ASP Tahir Ayub, Inquiry Officer Abbas, Rao Salim, personal secretary to
Sardar Tufail, and others, Sonia belonged to Lahore and was married to Asim,
a resident of Faisalabad who was working in the Excise department in some
low-ranking post. On a complaint, the Faisalabad police arrested 14 officials
of the Excise department on charges of corruption. However, the police failed
to establish the case and 13 accused except husband of Sonia were released.
Sonia’s brother alleged the police took a huge sum from
the 13 arrested officers of the Excise and Taxation department. The relatives
of Sonia claimed they met a senior Faisalabad police officer for release of
Asim but he allegedly demanded some "cash" for his release. They
claimed they started selling their properties and even borrowed money from
friends and relatives to arrange the money demanded from them. But this did
not help them, as later the police claimed they had no clue about him. The
family moved the Lahore High court but the court order also failed to recover
Asim.
This frustrated the young woman. Someone advised Sonia to
go to Islamabad if she wanted to get her husband released. She was told to
reach the parliament building and try to meet the prime minister with a
request for release of her spouse.
Incidentally, Sonia met MNA Sardar Tufail and his Private
Secretary Rao Salim at the main gate of the Parliament House and told them
that she wanted to go inside and needed a reference to get a security pass. A
humanist, Sardar Tufail asked Rao Salim to arrange a security pass for her
after checking her national identity card. Rao Salim got her a security pass
after completing all procedures.
When Sonia reached inside the parliament building, she
enquired from security guards where to sit in the NA. Someone told her the
prime minister would come to the hall anytime and she should stay there until
she gets a chance to talk to him. Without checking her security pass, the
guard deputed at the NA entrance allowed her to go inside, assuming that she
was a member of the National Assembly belonging to the Muttahida
Majlis-e-Amal. The woman, who had no idea about procedures, formalities and
sanctity of parliament, straight away went inside and sat besides Mehnaz
Rafi.
Mehnaz Rafi told The News that as the veiled woman sat
with her, she immediately asked why was she there, and when she came to know
that the woman was not a member of - the parliament, she told her to go away
and also summoned sergeant-at-arms to take Sonia out. Mehnaz Rafi claimed
that after some time she again spotted the woman in the visitors’ gallery,
went to her, asked what was her problem and if she could help her. But,
according to Mehnaz Rafi, the woman replied that she was a niece of former
MNA Begum Abida Hussain. This created doubts in the mind of the MNA because
she knew that Abida Hussain had no brother or sister, so question of her
niece did not arise.
However, Sonia did not lose heart and sat in the visitors’
gallery hoping that the PM would come. But Mehnaz Rafi said she developed
serious suspicion about the lady keeping the security situation in view. She
stood up in the NA and started delivering a speech on the issue of security
lapse. Mehnaz Rafi claimed she had done a right thing to point out the
security lapse, as it was not a joke that an ordinary woman came and sat in
the assembly.
The issue became a hot topic when MNAs from opposition
benches stood up and started blasting the government over the poor security
arrangements. Even then, Sonia had no idea as to what was going on and that
this debate would seal her fate. So, she sat in the gallery with the only
purpose she had in mind.
Finally, the issue was blown to such an extent that Sonia
was taken into custody, and physically searched and checked by the concerned
agencies to know whether she was carrying any dangerous material. But they
could not find anything from her. However, serious doubts have been raised by
then. Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain too got serious and services of Interior
Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao were immediately sought to get a criminal case
registered against Sonia. Finally, Sonia was handed over to the woman police
station after investigation by the secret agencies and a case was registered
against her. She was kept at the woman police station where once again an
inquiry officer by the name of Abbas was deputed to further question her.
When this correspondent contacted Abbas, he said he did
not know anything about the case. He had also applied for a physical remand
of Sonia but the court did not entertain his request. When this correspondent
called policewoman Farzana, who was on night duty at the woman police station
in Islamabad, refused to give the contact number of the inquiry officer.
However, ASP Tahir Ayub turned out to be cooperative and gave details of the
case. He said the government had asked for registration of a case against the
woman, and she had been sent on judicial remand. He said Sonia had told the
police that she had gone to the National Assembly to seek justice for her
husband. He said it was true that she had no idea about the procedures of the
assembly.
Talking to ‘The News,’ MNA Sardar Tufail said it was
the last day of the NA session on Friday when a woman approached him
requesting to help her get a security pass. He said he asked his personal
secretary to arrange a pass after checking her identity card. He said he
returned to the National Assembly after two hours, and was surprised to know
that she was arrested.
Talking to ‘The News,’ Minister for Parliamentary
Affairs Dr Sher Afgan also criticised registration of a case against Sonia.
He said the speaker and other organs of the state should have exercised
restraint after coming to know about the facts. He wondered as to how does it
amount to an insult of the NA if a woman erroneously entered the hall. What
these MPs have been doing for the last three years on the floor of the house,
he asked, did not it amount to insult of the house? He was of the view that
the government should withdraw the case and provide justice to Sonia.
Tayyab Shah, the lawyer of Sonia, told ‘The News’ that
he had already moved a bail application in the court of senior civil judge,
but he was absent on Saturday so she would be required to stay in jail. He
said now the bail plea would be taken up on Monday.
Ayaz Ali, brother of Sonia, termed it a big injustice done
to her sister and the family. "Nobody in Islamabad is bothering to
realise that her two kids are in a terrible condition back home in Lahore
because of her prolonged absence from home," he commented.
4 militants, Afghan soldier killed in clashes
KABUL: US and Afghan soldiers backed by warplanes and
artillery battled suspected insurgents in clashes near the border with
Pakistan, and four fighters and one Afghan soldier were killed, the US
military said on Sunday.
Elsewhere, an Afghan soldier was killed and another
injured when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a land mine east of
Kandahar, said US military spokesman Sgt Terry Somerville. A car bomb also
exploded in the capital.
The bloodiest clashes occurred on Thursday near Gayan, 160
km south of Kabul in Paktika province, a military statement said. Another
Afghan soldier was wounded, and no Americans were reported hurt.
The Afghan soldier and two of the militants died when
Afghan forces and troops from the US-led force in Afghanistan engaged about
20 gunmen near the border with Pakistan with small arms and called in
artillery and warplanes. At the second battle as the insurgents tried to
retreat killed two more militants, the military said.
Moreover, US aircraft appear to have inflicted heavy
casualties on the rebels, and commanders hope an amnesty offer will sap their
strength. At least three members of the Taliban government have this week
taken up the offer, whose details remain murky.
"The government of Afghanistan continues to offer the
insurgents a means by which they can stop the fighting and come together to
forge a brighter tomorrow. But until then, we’re fully prepared for
anything," Brig Gen Jack Sterling, a senior US commander, said in the
statement.
In the latest anti-drug operation, police destroyed a
heroin laboratory in the Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province, an
official told The Associated Press. One person was arrested during the
operation on Saturday, Faizan ul-Haq, a spokesman for the provincial
government said.
An explosion hit a convoy in Kandahar province on Sunday,
and the Romanian defence ministry said one Romanian soldier was killed and
two were wounded. "It was a transport vehicle on a patrol mission, and
it went over an unidentified explosive device," said ministry spokesman
Liviu Flutur. "I don’t think it was a bomb, maybe a roadside
mine."
S. Arabia approves citizenship for expats
RIYADH, April 24: The government of Saudi Arabia has amended a bylaw to the Naturalization Law as a result of which qualified expatriates can apply for Saudi citizenship from May 23. Application forms will be available at the Civil Affairs Department from next Saturday, the Arab News said on Sunday.
“The new bylaw came into effect on Friday, when it was published in the official gazette,” Nasser Al-Hanaya, undersecretary at the Interior Ministry for civil affairs told the daily.
He said some articles of the existing naturalization law were amended to meet job requirements and realize the interests of the Kingdom and its citizens, and added that professionals like doctors and engineers would be given preference.
However, Dr Ahmed Al-Salim, undersecretary at the Interior Ministry, dashed their hopes. “Many have misunderstood the amended law as they thought it has made the road to Saudi citizenship easy,” the Okaz Arabic daily quoted him as saying. “There’s no major change in conditions and regulations,” he pointed out.
He was echoing a previous statement by Mr Hanaya in which he had said that the amended law did not imply any large-scale handout of Saudi citizenship to non-Saudis.
Mr Hanaya said: “Applicants who have fulfilled the necessary conditions may not get citizenship as the decision to award citizenship depends on the state’s discretion.”
To qualify for citizenship, the applicant should have stayed in the Kingdom continuously for at least 10 years and should be a professional required by the country.
The new law allows the government to withdraw citizenship from a naturalized Saudi within 10 years if he is convicted of any crime related to honour or undermining security.