| DAWN/The News International, KARACHI | 19 December 2000, Tuesday, 22 Ramazan 1421 |
KARACHI: Dr Athar Qureshi, Amir Tehrik-e-Islami and former provincial legislator, was shot dead on Monday while he was on his way for Fajr prayers to Nagina Mosque near his home in North Nazimabad, police said. Police quoted the witnesses as saying that one of the four unidentified gunmen, on two motorcycles, took out a pistol, placed it on Qureshi's forehead and pulled its trigger, injuring him critically. He did not resist, the police quoted the witnesses.
On hearing the gunshot, the inmates of nearby homes rushed to the scene and, finding Dr Qureshi in a pool of blood, informed his family members, who rushed him to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. Later his corpse was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy.
On reaching the scene soon after the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Police Karachi Tariq Jamil told The News: "It appears to be aimed at causing panic. We are carrying out investigation." He said that he had constituted a special team for the purpose. Karachi Commissioner Shafique-ur-Rehman Piracha also reached the spot immediately. Police have registered a murder case against unidentified people.
Dr Athar Qureshi, 75, was twice elected as Sindh legislature in 1970 and 1985 on the ticket of Jamaat-e-Islami. Later he dissociated himself from the party for some undisclosed reasons. He was also the chairman of Pakistan Homeopathic Medical College and the owner of a homeopathic clinic in Liaquatabad. He has left a widow, three sons and four daughters.
Exile deal exposes govt's double standards: AltafKARACHI: The Sindh High Court dismissed a plea for quashment of an FIR 363/95 against Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain and party leaders Shoaib Bukhari, Ajmal Dehlvi, Imran Farooq, Tariq Javed and 25 workers. Shoaib Bukhari's counsel filed the petition before the SHC bench comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Syed Zawwaar Hussain Shah. The court announced its short order and the reasons would be recorded later. The counsel sought quashment of the FIR as the investigation officer had said that there was no evidence in the case and police did not recover any material during the investigation. Garden police had registered the case in 1995 charging that nominated accused had attacked Police Line South with rocket launchers and Kalashnikovs.
SSP activist injured as police disperse rallyKARACHI: An activist of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) was wounded and some vehicles, including the jeep of DSP Gulshan-e-Iqbal, were damaged when police tried to disperse a procession of the SSP on Monday. Eyewitnesses said heavy contingents of police arrived as the SSP activists took out Yaum-e-Ali procession from Gulshan-e-Iqbal roundabout and proceeded towards main Rashid Minhas Road. Police warned them not to move forward, as they had no proper permission for the procession. This enraged the participants of the procession and they started raising slogans against the police and others and tried to proceed further.
In the meantime some people in a cab arrived and encouraged the participants to continue moving forward despite police warnings. Some of the participants tried to block the road and started pelting stones on vehicles at which police officials ordered action against miscreants.
Some of them also uprooted traffic signals while others resorted to aerial firing, which spread panic. To control the situation from turning fragile police fired teargas shells. One of the participants, Gul Hasan, was injured. Police later controlled the situation, arrested four and dispersed others.
SHC exonerates convict in Madressa Al-Khair caseKARACHI: An Appellate Bench of Sindh High Court exonerated Syed Muzaffar Hussain, convicted to capital punishment and other terms of rigorous imprisonment in different crimes by Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-II) Karachi, in a triple murder and injuring students of Madressa Al-Khair, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, on October 2, 1999.
The bench, comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Syed Zawwar Husain Shah, ordered to release the accused immediately, if he was not required in any other case. The ATC had awarded death sentence to Muzaffar Hussain under Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATC) and 302 PPC, and other terms of rigorous imprisonment in different crimes, with a fine of Rs 100,000.
The convict had filed an appeal before the bench through his counsel A Q Halepota, who submitted that his client was innocent and was implicated in the case. He said according to the accused, police had arrested him on October 9, 1999, while the police disclosed that the arrest was made on October 14, 2000. He argued that police had said that the accused could not be identified, as there was no evidence on record, but despite it, some injured persons identified his client before the judicial magistrate.
The AAG Sindh opposed the arguments. He said Syed Muzaffar was arrested by the SHO on spy information and had confessed the crime. According to the FIR, four accused riding in a Suzuki car, entered into the boundary of Madressa Al-Khair in the jurisdiction of Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station and opened indiscriminate fire on the students. As a result three students Abdul Rahim, Mulla Khan and Naematullah died on the spot, while 11 received firearm injuries. -PPI
Six alleged terrorists arrested: Rs2.2 million head moneyPESHAWAR: Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries have paid Rs five trillion to Pakistan for the release of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said acting president of the PML Javed Hashmi. He was addressing a press conference here on Monday. "Five trillion rupees have been paid by Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries as economic assistance to secure release of Nawaz Sharif. This speaks of the fact that Nawaz Sharif is the hero of the Muslim world," Hashmi said.
Hashmi was flanked by the PML general secretary, Saranjam Khan; provincial president, Pir Sabir Shah and other party office-bearers and members of the suspended assemblies. The removal of the Nawaz government, Hashmi said, was a wrong decision which was neither accepted by the nation nor by the outside world. "The military government was under tremendous pressure from the Muslim states and leaders.
He said Nawaz Sharif is considered as hero of the Muslim world for making Pakistan a nuclear power. He asked the military government to make public the details of the deal made with Sharifs. "I am not in direct contact with Nawaz Sharif, but some party friends keep on meeting him in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi television is showing Nawaz Sharif's engagements for hours every day," he said.
When asked wether or not Nawaz Sharif was allowed to make contacts with the party leaders. Javed Hashmi said Nawaz Sharif was still the president of the party and no one could dislodge him from the Pakistani politics. "I will continue to perform my duty as the spokesman of PML-N on the directives of Nawaz Sharif," he said. The PML would struggle for the restoration of democracy as per directives of Nawaz Sharif, who has asked the party workers not to rest until democracy returns to the country.
Javed Hashmi said it was also on the directives of Nawaz Sharif that the drive to contact party workers was started from Frontier because PML's activists and leaders from this province stood firm by their leaders during the hour of trial. "Nawaz Sharif is out of the jail due to the struggle of the workers of this province," he said and added that there were some differences within the party fold in other provinces but the workers are united in the NWFP.
About the split in the PML, he said only 8 to 10 PML leaders have expressed differences which is negligible. About the rumours that Illahi Bukhsh Soomro might become the next prime minister, Javed Hashmi said Soomro would act in accordance with the party discipline and Nawaz's instructions. On the return of Nawaz Sharif to the country, he said the decision to this effect would be made by the central committee of the party.