ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has warned the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) against turning the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) into a PPP show, Aftab Sheikh said while talking to The News from Hyderabad. He said that Sheikh Liaquat and Senator Mustafa Kamal would represent MQM in the August 23 meeting of the GDA.

"We want to send a clear message to the GDA not to allow the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to leave the alliance, otherwise the GDA will turn into a PPP show."

The PTI and PAT have refused to attend the meeting citing lack of notice and consultation on the agenda as reasons. The PPP and Awami National Party (ANP) are behind the move to initiate debate in the August 23 GDA meeting to expel these two small parties because of their pro-government statements.

Aftab said: "MQM also feels that there should be proper consultation on the GDA agenda, resolution and final communique. The PTI and PAT have strong reasons for being unhappy and to this extent I support them. But then their reaction should not be so intense, as such matters could be resolved through dialogue."

The two main issues to be discussed by GDA are the PP Aamendment and the recent announcement by NRB Chairman General (retd) Tanveer Naqvi that the Constitution will see at least two amendments to legalise the Local Bodies Plan 2000.

KARACHI: The Nazimabad police shot dead two bandits on Sunday. Police said that two bandits armed with TT pistols barged into house No 75/10 in Nazimabad No II, owned by Hidayatullah. They made the inmates hostage on gunpoint, blindfolded them and forced them to sit in a room.

They were collecting valuables when one of the neighbours sensed their presence and phoned the police. The police and rushed to the spot and as soon as they broke the door to get inside the house, the bandits started firing while trying to escape. Police retaliated and shot dead both of them. During initial investigation police identified the dead as Nafees Khan and Saifullah and shifted the bodies to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

MIRPURKHAS: Twenty-four bonded labourers, including women and children, were liberated on Saturday from a private jail in district Umerkot. A raid was conducted, on the complaint of three peasants, at "Cheema Farm" in Taluka Pithoro of district Umerkot.

The additional district magistrate Umerkot and SDM Pithoro along with heavy contingent of police -- in presence of a three-member team of International Human Rights Commission -- got released 24 bounded labourers, including nine women and eight children of up to one month of age.

The peasants alleged that the henchmen of landlord Maqsood Cheema strangulated one Hari Pahlaj Bheel and threw his body into canal when he objected over their misbehaviour with female peasants.

The Shadi Palli police have taken into custody one liberated peasant Richard, who claimed to be an eye-witness of this horrible murder, and arrested three men of landlord from Cheema Farm. The arrested culprits were identified as Waghio Bheel, Naroo Bheel and Khemchi Kolhi.

IHRC Sindh Coordinator Shazia Siddiqi told The News that their office had received complaint from three peasants, Chandoo, Chanoo and Raku about the high-handedness of landlord, who kept Haris and their families at his farm against their will.

She said IHRC is making efforts to lodge an FIR against landlord Maqsood Cheema. When contacted, DC Umerkot Mushtaque Sheikh told The News that the matter was being investigated by District Vigilance Committee and in the light of its recommendations "I on my part will ensure justice to the victims."

NAWABSHAH: Only four of the total 600 students were present in the Habib College of Technology at the time of the visit ofArmy monitoring official on Saturday. Major Ata-ul-Haq, who has been assigned the task of monitoring educational activities, told newsmen that at the time of his visit tothe college at 8:00 am, only two peons were present, while 10 of the 40 teachers entered the college around 9:00 am. He said he was told that some members of the teaching staff were on leave while others were absent. Major Ata expressed his anger over the pathetic condition of the college. He also visited a branch of Habib College located at the University Road and found only two lab assistants there.

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to remove over 40 per cent bogus votes from the voters lists and include women's names in the new lists, officials said here on Sunday.

They said the Election Commission, the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) and the provincial governments have jointly started working on this agenda.

The officials said in the 1997 elections, 507 million voters were included in the electoral rolls. With the age limit coming down to 18 years, additional 25 million new voters would be enlisted and at the same time, 17 million bogus voters' names would be removed from the present lists.