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Reckless driving claims 6 lives
Drownings in Karachi down as lifeguards take charge
MQM set to form district govt
Sanad-holders cannot contest LB polls: SC
Demand for action against vote ban on women
Madrassa foreigners will have to go: Musharraf
'Let Pakistan know what happened to me', Sonia Naz
Reckless driving claims 6 lives
KARACHI: At least six persons lost their lives in separate
road accidents on Monday, police said.
According to details, Abdullah, 29, Naveed, 22, and Adeel,
25, all residents of Hijrat Colony, were seriously injured when a recklessly
driven minibus of route No ‘N’ hit their motorcycle near Defence Library.
The injured youth were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate
Medical Centre (JPMC), where Abdullah died.
Ismail, 50, a resident of Lyari, was crushed by a
recklessly driven vehicle that hit his motorcycle near the Native Jetty
Bridge.
Asad Baloch, 26, a labourer and a resident of Yousuf Goth,
was killed by a recklessly driven car while he was crossing the road in Murad
Memon Goth.
Ibrahim, 50, another labourer, and resident of Lee Market,
was killed by a hit-and-run vehicle at the Zero Point near Hub Chowki, where
he had gone in search of a job and was crossing the road.
Siddique, 43, was knocked to death when a carelessly
driven hit-and run vehicle ran over him near Northern Bypass, while he was on
his motorcycle.
An unidentified, 50-year-old man was crushed to death when
a speeding hit-and-run vehicle ran over him near Bheempura, while he was
crossing the road.
Drownings in Karachi down as lifeguards take charge
Karachi: On a given year, the number of people who would
drown off Karachi’s beaches was over 250. This year, however, despite some
high profile incidents in the past few months, the annual toll of people
dying from drowning in the sea has reduced significantly.
The reason for the drop in such unfortunate incidents can
be attributed to the formation of the Pakistan Aquatic Life Saving (PALS), a
private initiative which is now making extra effort to protect the over 1.5
million people that visit Karachi’s beaches every year.
The man behind PALS is Reza Samad, who said that the
reason why he set up this life saving service was because: "I have seen
several drowning cases and rescued countless people myself. The depressing
drowning incidents MADE me take the initiative of setting up a lifeguard
service."
PALS was formed with the core objective of providing a
public service to the people visiting the beaches and to provide employment
to deserving youth from underprivileged communities residing near the
coastline.
"We have hired 175 lifeguards up till now who patrol
these beaches on Sundays only, but we aim to hire more people who would carry
out patrolling on daily basis with more responsibilities, including boat
rescue (fishing & recreation) up to three miles offshore, boat fire
suppression, underwater search and rescue, missing persons and related
emergencies as well as ambulance transportation to city hospitals." Reza
Samad said.
MQM set to form district govt
HYDERABAD, Aug 29: The Haq Parast Group backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement claims to have grabbed 416 seats of councillors including nazims and naib nazim in 52 UCs.
The party is sure to stake its claim for district and taluka nazims, party sources said on Sunday.
It is in a comfortable position also to grab the posts of nazim and naib nazim of the City and Latifabad talukas.
Of 676 seats of the district’s 50 UCs, the HPG-backed candidates won 416 seats of 47-UCs. The result of UC-4 and UC-16 taluka city had been withheld by returning officers in the wake of disturbances on polling day on Aug 25.
Fresh polls will be held on two polling stations of each of both the UCs.
Around 338 votes are required for winning district nazim’s slot.
Of 221 total seats of 20-UCs in city, the HPG grabbed 186 out of 221 seats of Latifabad whereas it won 214 seats in city taluka out of 260.
About 51 per cent of the total votes are required to win the slot of taluka or district nazim. The election for naib district or taluka nazim will be held from within the taluka and district council.
“We are confident that if number of councillors backed by HPG in the UCs where recounting has been sought or result is withheld is to be included then the score of our winning seats would increase”, said the party sources.
Sanad-holders cannot contest LB polls: SC
ISLAMBAD: The Supreme Court on Monday declared Madrassa
"Sanad-holders" disqualified from contesting the local bodies
elections. The SC maintained that Sanad holders of Deeni Madaris who have not
passed additional subjects are not qualified for LB polls.
Giving its detailed verdict in a petition filed by
Sanaullah Khan and other versus district returning officer and other in a
civil petition, the Supreme Court said: "The petitioners have failed to
satisfy the requirement of Section 152 (1) (e) of the Local Government
Ordinance, 2001 and stand unqualified to contest the Local Government
Ordinance."
Earlier, on August 16, a three-member bench of Supreme
Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, in its short order,
had declared that sand of Deeni Madaris cannot be considered equivalent to
matriculation certificate unless they have passed the examination in
additional subjects of English, Urdu and Pakistan Studies.
The Supreme Court said contention that the Election
Commission of Pakistan by issuing a notification on July 29, 2002, has
allowed Sanad holders from Wafaq Tanzeemul Madaris and individual
institutions to contest the election of parliament and provincial assemblies,
"therefore such sand holders are also qualified to contest the local
government election is without any basis, because firstly that notification
is not under consideration in the present proceedings and secondly the
educational qualification for the election of parliament and provincial
assemblies is different from the educational qualification of a Nazim and
Naib Nazim under section 152 (1) (e) of the Local Government Ordinance
2001." It said the question of validity or otherwise of the notification
issued by the Election Commission will be considered separately at
appropriate time.
Demand for action against vote ban on women
PESHAWAR, Aug 29: Women voters of the Katozai union council in the Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda district on Monday staged a protest demonstration against barring women from casting votes in the local council elections.
They criticized local politicians and elders who, in several parts of the NWFP, kept women out of the electoral process.
The enraged women who, do not belong to any political party or NGOs, came in hired vehicles and staged protest demonstration in front of Peshawar Press Club.
The women were led by newly-elected women councillors Hameeda Begum and Mrs Bashir. They were chanting slogans against local elders who did not allow them to cast their votes.
They were also chanting slogans against the Election Commission for not taking seriously the issue depriving half of the population of their democratic right to vote.
The protesters demanded of the Election Commission to nullify the elections of those union councils where women were barred from casting vote and fresh elections be held there.
They also urged of the government to take legal action against people who were active in organizing jirgas which decided to bar women from taking part in the election process.
Madrassa foreigners will have to go: Musharraf
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that
foreigners studying in Islamic seminaries would have to leave Pakistan.
Weíll make no compromise over foreign madaris students
expatriation. They will have to go back since this is what is in our national
interest,î the president told a seminar on global terrorism here.
He said security forces, in recent raids on Islamic
seminaries, captured wanted militants from tribal areas. ìWeíll raid
suspected seminaries in other parts of the country as well and will capture
more militants hiding there, he said.
He said forces have been cracking down on religious
extremists and militants to protect its vital interests and not to please the
West. ìAnd let me tell you weíll never compromise on national interests.
He said he had announced ways and means to plug sources of
religious fanaticism and militancy in February 2001. However, they could not
be translated into action due to lack of proper infrastructure. But now we
are determined to boot religious fanatics out of the country, he said.
He said extremist groups would have to be barred from
collecting donations and funds from within the country and abroad. ìForeign
donations for extremist outfits must stop and countries must mutually share
intelligence to fight them, he said.
He said he would not allow anyone to use mosque pulpits
for promoting religious bigotry and militancy. The re-emergence of banned
Jihadi and religious outfits under new banners would not be allowed, he
declared.
He said he would set up a special cell in Pakistan to
interpret Islamic laws in true perspective to fulfil the modern era needs. He
said the jugular vein of terrorism would automatically slit if the West
sorted out Kashmir, Palestine, Bosnia, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan like
political conflicts judiciously. There is a need for inter-faith harmony.
Faiths must not be linked to terrorism. Weíll have to differentiate between
terrorism and extremism and find out their reasons before efficiently
attending to them.
He said Islam had nothing to do with terrorism since it
condemned killings and violence in all their forms and manifestations. He
said terrorists followed no faith and they were motivated by vested
interested. In the long-term, he said, the government is addressing the issue
of curriculum and syllabi of educational institutions as part of its
endeavours to revive and project real values of Islam.
On registration of madaris, the president said the
government would encourage imparting of education in modern disciplines like
science and technology and said the five major Wafaqs (Boards), who control
the majority of religious education are on board in this respect.
He lauded Madaris for being NGOs providing boarding and
lodging to about one million poorest of the poor children across the country.
However we will not let any madrasa to harbour terrorists or teach extremism
and militancy,î he said.
President Musharraf also informed the international
gathering that a national discourse will seek to project real values of Islam
and said the Government has invited leading scholars of Islam from around the
world who have show willingness to work here for achieving the objective for
the betterment of the entire Muslim world.
Our aim is high, we have to carry out a Muslim
renaissance, let Pakistan be source of light and a centre of understanding of
real values of Islam. In a journey of thousand miles, Pakistan will take the
first step,î he said. Pakistan, he said, is an Islamic republic, where the
majority of people are religious but moderate.We will take it forward as a
progressive, dynamic Islamic Republic,î he declared.
'Let Pakistan know what happened to me', Sonia Naz
FAISALABAD: "Let Pakistan know what happened to
me," she said, overcome with grief but determined to fight for justice.
Will there be no end to harassment and the horror of rape,
torture and humiliation of women -- mostly, at the hands of those who are
supposed to be the guardians of law -- in this country?
You wonder: So does a 23-year-old mother of two kids,
Sonia Naz, who, if most of us have not already forgotten her, is the
unfortunate woman arrested from the National Assembly in April this year for
mistakenly wandering into the august House -- in the naïve assumption that
she could seek help from it for her missing husband.
She was subsequently, jailed for the
"infringement" -- on the orders of Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.
It has now emerged, after in-depth investigations by The
News that Sonia's long line of tragedies, according to her, had only begun
when she was arrested from parliament.
She alleges she was later kidnapped for 15 days and raped
by Jaranwala SHO Jamshed Chishti -- on the orders of SP Investigation Khalid
Abdullah -- soon after her release from Adiala jail.
"I belong to a Syed family. It would have been better
for me if I had not been bailed out by an Islamabad court judge on charges of
entering the Parliament as, at least, my honour would probably have been
intact within the four walls of Adalia jail," she said in a detailed
interview.
"I had no idea that an SP level officer could be so
cold-hearted and criminal," Sonia said before breaking into sobs.
"I have solid evidence to establish my claim that I
was raped by SHO Jamshed Chishti in the presence of SP Abdullah. I will give
all evidence before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, if asked. But, now I and
my kids live in mortal danger after my decision to break the silence," a
terrified Sonia said.
Sonia has given a written affidavit to The News in which
she has directly accused SP Abdullah Khalid — known in Faisalabad by the
moniker "Saddam Hussain" because of his resemblance to the former
Iraqi dictator — of kidnapping and raping her.
"SP Abdullah had a striking resemblance with my late
father. When I first met him in a bid to get my husband released, I thought I
was meeting my deceased father — in police uniform. But, I had no idea the
monster resembling my father would actually get me raped.
"After I was raped and driven out of my missing
husband’s house, I wanted to kill myself. But, the cries of my two small
kids stopped me (from doing so) as they have already lost their father,"
Sonia said, herself crying.
To hush up the crime, Sonia reveals, the Faisalababad
police have already registered several criminal cases against herself, her
mother, brother and father-in-law Malik Yousaf.
To rub salt into her wounds, her family has been accused
of hiding her husband, Asim Yousaf.
After failing to get any relief from the Lahore High
Court, where they had filed petitions, they have all left their homes in
Faisalabad and Lahore — to save themselves further torture and humiliation
at the hands of the Faisalabad police.
Entrapment: Earlier, Sonia’s husband, Asim Yousaf, a
junior clerk in Local Excise Office, along with 17 officials, was arrested on
charges of preparing fake registrations for stolen cars from Karachi and
other parts of the country.
But, instead of following the accepted legal procedure
against Asim and the others, the Faisalabad Police confined them in illegal
custody on the pretext of investigation. The Excise Department also conducted
its own inquiry. But, without waiting for the outcome of the departmental
inquiry, SP Abdullah began a crackdown.
This forced the families of these detainees to negotiate
the release of their kinfolks with police high-ups and the Investigation
Department of Police allegedly took Rs15million from them in bribe.
Those who failed to give money were allegedly booked in
cases and some of them have now managed to get bail after remaining six
months in jail.
In desperation to save her husband torture in police
custody, Sonia says, she gave a hefty sum to the SHO.
In a sudden twist, Asim managed to abscond. But, the
police picked up two young brothers-in-law of his married sister as a
bargaining chip to have Asim surrender.
Asim’s sister was asked to put pressure on her brother
to give himself up or get divorced.
Caught in a dilemma, the family secured the services of
some middlemen, who assured them they would strike a deal with SP Abdullah.
As a consequence, Asim surrendered himself before the
police. Sonia, who was pregnant then, used to visit the police station daily
to give her husband meals.
Asim’s family alleges that he was kept in police custody
for many months without proper case and despite paying Rs1.4million to SP
Abdullah for his release.
Asim’s family says, it sold two shops in Faisalabad to
pay the sum to SP Abdullah for his release but the deal could not be
finalised as the SP allegedly demanded an additional Rs5million.
"When they could not fulfil the new demand, the SP
did not free Asim," Sonia said.
In the meanwhile, they alleged, the police started
propagating that Asim was never arrested and he was absconding in the case.
This created panic in Asim’s household, forcing Sonia to unwittingly rush
to Islamabad where she surprisingly breached the security to enter the
Parliament — to seek justice.
The family suspects Asim might have been killed by the
police during torture in custody.
After getting bail from an Islamabad court, Sonia went
missing. This followed media interviews in which Sonia spoke out against the
Faisalabad police, exerting pressure on the Punjab government to take action
against the powerful SP Abdullah.
"Had parliamentarians and Punjab government given me
justice, I might have been saved the worst humiliation possible," Sonia
wailed.
When this correspondent went to the house of Sonia in
Faisalabad located in Duglaspura opposite to Jhang Road Police Station, her
neighbours confirmed the entire family had fled the city after police started
raiding their homes.
"Rapist" cop’s version When The News contacted
SP Investigation Faisalabad Abdullah Khalid, who was recently promoted from
rank of DSP to get his point of view, he appeared indifferent.
On the other hand, SP Abdullah started using derogatory
language when he heard Sonia’s name. He passed many insulting comments on
her character. But, when this correspondent pressed the SP to respond to the
serious charges made against him, he outrightly rejected Sonia’s
allegations.
"Look, Sonia only wants to become the Mukhtaran Mai
of Faisalabad. I had also told the Lahore High Court judge that she would
become (Mukhtarian Mai) to malign me," SP Abdullah shrugged off,
sarcastically.
The SP claimed Sonia had changed 60 SIMs of different
mobile phones to avoid arrest. But, he vowed that he would trace her and the
rest of her family members soon as "I have widened my network all over
Pakistan".
"Last time, she was reported to be hiding in Landhi,
Karachi. Although, Landhi is a big area but do not worry, I am after
her," Khalid Abdullah said, adding "she is a liar and I did not do
anything to her", SP Abdullah said.
But, when this correspondent contacted IG Police Punjab
Major (retd) Ziaul Hassan to get his views on the alleged rape by the cops,
he refused to take telephone calls.
Moment of reckoning: Sonia vacillated for almost a
fortnight before allowing this correspondent to publish her ordeal. She was
reluctant to tell her tale of alleged abduction, torture and rape by the
custodians of law, fearing the disclosure may ruin the future of her two
children, who will continue to carry a social stigma earned by their mother
for the rest of their lives.
"I don’t care how anyone will think about me after
the report of my rape is published as I have already been driven out of home.
My only worry is what will happen my kids in its wake," she said.
"Everybody would taunt my daughter and son for being
the children of a woman who was raped. It would be difficult for my six
month-old daughter to survive when she reaches the age of marriage,"
Sonia said, explaining her initial reluctance.
"The father of my children is missing for the last
one year. Now, their mother has been raped. I did not want to ruin their
future by disclosing what was done to me. But, now I have decided to fight
against the injustice done to me by SP Abdullah.
"Let the people of Pakistan know what has happened to
an educated woman, who tried to secure the release of the father of her
children by using legal means," she said overcome with grief.
In a moment of reflection, Sonia said she may have
tolerated all the pain and injuries to her soul but being treated like an
untouchable by her in-laws and other relatives was something she would not be
able to reconcile with for the rest of her life.
Father-in-law speaks: When The News contacted Sonia’s
father-in-law Malik Yousaf, he said: "Yes, I have driven out my
daughter-in-law and her two children from my house because if she stays with
us, no-one will marry my two young daughters. I have already lost my son to
the police. Now, I cannot see my young daughters dying unmarried."
However, Malik Yousaf was in tears talking to this
correspondent.
"SP Abdullah has ruined me and all members of my
family. I am helpless. You tell me what should I do? Should I not look to the
future of my two young daughters or (should I) allow Sonia to live in my
house? Tell me what to do?" he said.
"I am 68 and handicapped. I am travelling on trains
to different cities all the time as the SP has made it difficult for me to
live in Faisalabad. I was a threadmill owner, enjoying family life. But,
today, I have been made to beg on railway stations to survive as our factory,
too, has been overtaken by those who have the backing of the SP," Yousaf
revealed.
When asked what he thought was Sonia’s fault and why was
she kicked out of the house, Yousaf replied: "I had told this girl not
to challenge the might of SP Abdullah. We even gave Rs1.4million to the SP.
But, DIG Faisalabad also wanted Rs1 million to release my son. I was left
with nothing to pay to the police after selling my shops to secure the
release of my only son," Yousaf said.
"This stupid girl (Sonia) wanted to move courts,
media and the National Assembly to seek justice against Abdullah. She used to
make tall claims that she would fight against the injustice of the SP. Now,
she has been given justice by police," Yousaf said, sarcastically,
before breaking down again.
"I am sleeping at different railway stations with my
young daughters and wife to avoid arrest at the hands of the Faisalabad
police, who have made our lives difficult," he wailed.
When asked why SP Abdullah wanted to arrest him and his
family, he replied: "The SP and his men want to book us on the charges
of hiding our son, who was actually in the custody of police. We had handed
over Asim to the police."
He recalled: "Hundreds of people used to meet Asim in
the police station. Now, the SP says he never arrested Asim! If he did not
arrest Asim, then where has he gone from the police custody?
"The police have killed my son and now they want us
to give statements in their favour so that they are not booked on charges of
killing my son," Yousaf explained.
Sonia’s lawyer recalls: Sonia’s lawyer, MD Tahir, who
had represented Sonia and Malik Yousaf in court, confirmed the abduction of
Sonia by Faisalabad police in May.
He said he had immediately brought the issue before the
Lahore High Court but contends it was not taken seriously. Tahir said the
entire family was afraid of appearing before court as they had developed
serious fears that Faisalabad police would not spare them this time "as
they have no regard for courts".
The legal counsel said the writ petitions of Sonia and her
father-in-law, seeking justice against SP Abdullah were subsequently,
dismissed by the LHC after they could not appear before the court.
Continuing with her ordeal, Sonia said after facing
disappointment at the hands of all institutions of state like the Parliament,
Lahore High Court and the media, she tried to arrange some money from
relatives for the survival of her two kids.
She recalled that the Faisalabad police was under pressure
from the media on which account she was being hounded from all sides. She
lamented that instead of getting justice, when she was sent to jail on the
orders of the NA speaker, the decision emboldened SP Abdullah, who thought he
could do anything to her as no-one was ready to listen to her.
The horror begins: Recounting the day of the horror, Sonia
said: "One day, when I was going to my tailor, I was picked up from
Lahore by some people at gunpoint, who handcuffed and blindfolded me. After
shoving me in a car and driving it for four hours, I was taken to a village
house and warned if I ever tried to raise a voice, I would be simply gunned
down".
The thoughts of her kids whom she had left behind at her
in-laws’ house, forced her to cooperate with her abductors - who were ten
in all. She was so terrified she could neither eat nor sleep at night,
fearing that someone might come and do something to her.
The abductors, she recalled, continued to tell her that
she should not think of taking on SP Abdullah in the media as she did in the
past by approaching the parliament and meeting media persons.
"Finally, a night before my release, SP Abdullah
personally came there with SHO Jamshed Chishti. The SP told me I had been
maligning him all over Pakistan by first approaching the parliament and then
giving interviews in the media and now he would teach me a lesson I would
remember for rest of her life".
The SP, she said, chided her for doing this as he mocked
that he had already released her husband.
"Then, turning furious, the SP directed the SHO to
undress me and he started raping me. When I tried to resist, both of them
thrashed me, causing many injuries to my face.
"After I was raped, SP Abdullah stepped forward and
urinated in my mouth, challenging me to go and do whatever I could,"
said Sonia, sobbing bitterly.
The same morning Sonia was again put in a car and dropped
near her house. She was warned to stay silent lest the worst followed.
The blind spot: When Sonia returned home after 15 days and
her in-laws saw her physical condition because of severe torture and rape,
they inquired where she had been the last fortnight.
When she narrated her ordeal, her mother-in-law unleashed
a storm in house and handed Sonia’s kids to her, asking the traumatized
woman to immediately leave the house. They held Sonia responsible for the
tragedy that had befallen their house.
Sonia tried to reason with them that her condition did not
allow her to move because of the torture and rape and implored if, she could
first be taken to a doctor for a medical examination.
But, they all refused to listen and, instead, snubbed her
for again wanting to file a case against SP Abdullah. She tried in vain to
argue that she had been trying to rescue their only son and whatever she did,
was in the greater interests of the family.
After being driven out, she went to seek the help of her
two married sisters but they, too, expressed their inability to do so as the
father-in-law of one of the sisters was an SHO. He said he could not
"afford the enmity of SP Abdullah".
However, one of her sisters gave her money to survive.
Shock at home: After disappointment at the hands of her
in-laws and sisters, she went to her parents’ house. But, another shock was
awaiting her.
She learnt that they, too, had left their home in the days
of her disappearance as the police had also raided the place where her mother
was slapped by the police.
Sonia then attempted to find refuge in her distance
relatives. But all of them refused to even take her telephone calls as her
case had become public after her arrest from parliament.
Left with no option, she finally, went to the house of
certain relatives, who were distant and comparatively, illiterate. They still
have no clue on stories published about her.
"I don’t know how they would react once the story
of my rape and abduction reaches them", an apprehensive Sonia said.
"But, I am ready to take the risk because I have lost
my husband, my family life and above all my honour. What else is left to
protect, now?" Sonia said in mournful reflection.
In a poignant last note, Sonia wondered aloud if she would
ever get justice.
"If all the Parliament could do was to send me to
jail, what should I expect from rulers, now that I lie shorn of dignity and
groveling like an untouchable".
Her voice choked with emotion, just trailed off.