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Arbab hints at arrest of Imtiaz, Political crisis deepens in Sindh
Altaf for solving people’s problems
Security forces put on high alert - Terrorist attack feared
Influentials grab state lands while govt turns blind eye
Teenager killed; boy found dead
39 vehicles hijacked; cash, valuables looted
Lady doctor was raped, tortured, says PPL MD
2 terrorists blow themselves up in Quetta
Ads on Pakistan TV and Radio for Osama information gave leads: US
Arbab hints at arrest of Imtiaz,Political crisis deepens in Sindh
KARACHI: The sudden removal of Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh from
the office of Minister for Revenue and Political Affairs not only deepened
the political crisis but also shook the coalition government in Sindh, as the
chief minister indicated that the sacked minister might be arrested.
Disturbed by the situation, the cabinet ministers and the
coalition partners tried to persuade both Chief Minister Arbab Rahim and
Imtiaz to defuse the crisis otherwise the coalition government would not
survive. However, both stuck to their guns and traded allegations.
They levelled charges of corruption against each other at
press conferences held separately on Friday while PML workers staged protest
rallies across the province and burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Arbab
Rahim against the sacking of the minister.
PML workers took out processions in Karachi, Kashmore,
Jacobabad, Hyderabad, Shikarpur, Thatta, Khairpur, Larkana, Sukkur, Ghotki,
Umerkot, Mithi, Shahdadkot, Gambat and other areas and demanded removal of
the chief minister.
Sources said the upset leaders and workers of the ruling
PML also approached the party’s central leadership and requested them to
intervene.
The political crisis deepened when Arbab convened a
meeting of his ministers and advisers and disclosed that he had plans to make
public the proofs of corruption against Imtiaz.
The sources said majority of the cabinet members opposed
this idea and advised the chief minister not to open the Pandora’s Box
otherwise the crisis would deepen. But, insiders claimed that Arbab insisted
he would go ahead with his plans and informed the ministers and the advisers
that he had already sought permission from President Pervez Musharraf, Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz and PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as they were
interested in the establishment of good governance in the country.
Later, the chief minister told the media that Imtiaz and
his brother Maqbool Shaikh were involved in corruption, land grabbing and
illegal allotments and he dismissed him from the cabinet. He claimed that he
had taken into confidence the president, prime minister, PML chief, his
coalition partners and cabinet members before taking action against Imtiaz.
He assured that he would take same action against other
ministers and advisers if they were found involved in corruption. Arbab
claimed that the dismissal of a minister on corruption charges was a first in
the history of the province and he took this action to establish good
governance and transparency in his government.
The chief minister said morally Imtiaz should have
resigned from the party office but now it was up to the PML leadership to
dismiss him from the secretary-general’s office. He said corruption cases
were under investigation in the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and
Imtiaz would be arrested after completion of inquiry.
However, Director ACE Sultan Ali Khoja said there were
many cases of transfers of land in Karachi but all transfers were on
photocopy papers and not on original documents. He said such cases were
already under investigation because 4,000 acres prime land of Karachi was
encroached upon and transferred on forged documents that resulted in huge
losses to the government.
On his part Imtiaz rejected all the charges and demanded
of the prime minister to hold an inquiry through the PM Inspection Cell, as
he had no faith in the ACE Sindh. The PML leader told newsmen at his
residence on Friday evening that the action taken against him was in fact a
conspiracy against the president, the PM and the PML.
Imtiaz said Arbab considered him as a threat to his chief
ministership and he tried to damage his political career by levelling
"false" allegations. He challenged that he would quit politics if
any of the allegations was proved against him or the chief minister showed
his signature on any forged documents.
Imtiaz said the act had damaged the PML, which was
emerging as a strong political party in Sindh against the PPP. He said being
Secretary-General of the PML, Sindh he was organising the party all over the
province and had requested the chief minister to accommodate the party
workers in the affairs of the party and in the government. But Arbab refused
to accommodate the party workers, he said.
Imtiaz said Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had asked him to
continue as secretary-general.
He alleged that Arbab and his MPA brother Arbab Abdullah
were involved in millions of rupees corruption and he could produce evidence.
He demanded that Arbab be removed not only from the chief minister’s office
but also from the office of provincial PML chief as he was a threat to the
party. The party workers and leaders gathered at the residence of Imtiaz
raised slogans against Arbab and demanded his dismissal.
Later, in the evening, Arbab visited the Muttahida Qaumi
Movement’s headquarters, Nine Zero and talked to Altaf Hussain by telephone
and briefed him on the dismissal of Imtiaz.
In another development, the son of Pir Pagara and the
President Functional Muslim League, Sindh, Sadruddin Rashdi, called on Imtiaz
on Friday and assured him of cooperation of his party. Sources said the
chairman of PPP-Parliamentarians, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, had also telephoned
Imtiaz and inquired about the situation.
Altaf for solving people’s problems
KARACHI: Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Altaf
Hussain has asked the Sindh governor, chief minister, all ministers and
advisers of the cabinet to visit every city and town of the province and pay
full attention towards solving problems of masses. According to a press
release issued here, Hussain said this while talking to Governor Dr Ishratul
Ebad, Chief Minister (CM) Arbab Rahim and other ministers during their visit
to Nine Zero, Azizabad here on Friday. On the occasion, the governor informed
Hussain that for maintaining sectarian harmony he, along with the CM, had
visited different Imambargahs of the metropolis. Hussain asked Arbab to take
measures to control price hike. The chief minister assured the Muttahida
leader that he and other ministers would take all-out measures for solving
people’s problems. Earlier, the governor and the CM met the members of the
Muttahida Coordination Committee at Nine Zero and exchanged views of mutual
interest.
Security forces put on high alert - Terrorist attack feared
KARACHI, Feb 18: Security forces have been put on high alert in the city on account of Ashura amid intelligence reports indicating a possible terrorist attack.
Though the army has carried out flag march in some parts of the city, troops will be on standby for the central mourning processions to be taken out on 9th and 10th Muharram. The paramilitary forces and police have taken up positions on all the sensitive points in the city.
Containers which are being increasingly brought into use by the police as a protective shield have been placed around sensitive locations of Imambargahs in Kharadar, Mehfile Shah-i-Khurasan. Barricades have been erected outside almost every Imambargah in the city.
The mourning processions on Saturday and Sunday will be to be taken out under the air surveillance. Police will use its two choppers to keep a vigil on the procession which will start from Nishtar Park and culminate at Imambargah Husanian Iranian, Kharadar.
Talking to Dawn, Capital City Police Officer Tariq Jameel said: "We have no specific information, but threat of a terrorist attack is there. In view of the bomb threat -suicidal or car driven- we have done an extensive exercise with the organizers," he said adding that the main focus is to prevent all possibilities of bomb blasts, for which the organizers have been engaged in the exercise.
He said: "We have trained the organizers, especially the scouts, to carry out physical search of the mourners entering into Majalis. Women police have also been employed," he added.
Tariq Jameel said that more than 10,000 personnel of strong police force had been deployed for the two main processions while reserve police had also been called in. He said that all the streets and alleyways opening in route of the procession would be blocked by employing containers and heavy vehicles. Even pedestrians would not be allowed to cross over or enter the route of the procession, the CCPO said.
He pointed out that sharp shooters would man the rooftops along the route of the procession. Learning from the Quetta experience, he said, an extensive search of the shops along the procession route had been carried out by the police. Besides, he added, cameras had been installed at several locations along the route which would be monitored from a central location.
CCPO Tariq Jameel said that ambulances and pickups travelling along the mourning procession would be checked and identification of their drivers would be established.
Sniff dogs of Pakistan Army would also be employed to carry out the security duties, said a senior security official. He said that CID and other specialized wings of the police were making raids at the suspected hideout of the proscribed outfits in the city in an effort to arrest the suspects as a preventive step.
The city police chief admitted that the security cover could not be fool proof because it was a massive exercise. "However, we are trying our best by employing all the available resources," he added.
CFO Kazim Ali told Dawn that fire tenders had been deployed at various sensitive positions/ intersections to meet any eventuality. It is pertinent to mention that paramilitary force of Rangers will also be part of the security cover for the central mourning processions. Around 5,000 soldiers were taking part in the security duties.
Influentials grab state lands while govt turns blind eye
KARACHI: No action has been taken on reports submitted to
City District Government Karachi (CDGK) high-ups of encroachment over state
lands in the areas adjoining the Super Highway and Northern Bypass, by
influential land grabbers wit the backing of either ministers or other
political personalities.
Reliable sources said though the names of certain
provincial ministers and MPAs were not placed on record, officers concerned
were briefed informally that in several cases, these
people had backed the land-grabbers.
The legal experts say that when someone was not directly
involved in a case, he or she could not be tried in any court of law, for the
court examined matters on legal grounds. In such cases, though the close
associates of any influential functionary or minister could be tried and
punished according to law, any ministers or the past ministers and any other
political personality could not be tried unless the accused confirmed such
involvement or furnished solid proof.
However, political observers see things differently,
adding that in this country it was a practice that in such cases, the
departments kept up preparing reports of any mismanagements or encroachments
or other wrong deeds on the part of influential persons, but such cases, in a
way were put in dormant files and were exploited later on against the
political personalities when they were not in power.
The reports prepared by the Mukhtiarkar, Gadap Town, and
sent to the CDGK District Officer Revenue and then the reports from the CDGK
Deputy-Officer, Revenue, Gadap Town, to the CDGK District Officer, Revenue,
in March 2004 showed that the land grabbers and individuals had gobbled down
hundreds of acres of state lands but no legal action was taken against the
accused.
These reports disclosed that the state lands worth
billions of rupees were encroached upon while fake documents documents were
prepared about the ownership of these state lands.
A letter No SCS/GT/168/2004 issued on March 3, 2004
(report prepared by Mukhtiarkar Gadap Town officers shows that Mehboob Shah,
Haji Shamsher Pathan and others were allegedly involved in the encroachment
and selling the state lands of Adam Brohi Goth and Muslim Town that caused
loss to national exchequer to the tune of Rs15 Million. In Abdullah Goth, Deh
Taiser, Ghulam Nabi Gabool, Lal Muhammad Murri, Aman Memon, Dad Muhammad
Brohi, Haji Shamsheer Brohi and Ali Haider Pathan allegedly occupied and then
sold out state lands (worth millions of rupees) to individuals. Ali Haider
Pathan and others sold out plots of Junghar Goth that caused loss of Rs20
million.
The reports disclosed startling facts about the habitual
land encroachers and made interesting comments. For instance in the case of
Aquail Afridi Pathan it said "The encroacher is known to be a habitual
encroacher and is involved in encroachment since last 15 to 20 years. He is
also involved in encroachment over state land pertaining to Scheme-33,
Junjhar Goth etc, causing a loss of about 500 million rupees to the
Government."
Teenager killed; boy found dead
KARACHI: A teenaged boy was shot dead in Nazimabad, while
body of another teenager was found packed in a gunny bag lying in a drain
within Surjani area. Separately, two persons lost their lives in road
accidents, police said on Friday.
According to details, Kamran Shabbir, 17, was shot dead by
robbers on his resistance in Nazimabad No 4, near Mehfil-e-Haidri Imambargah.
Robbers decamped with his mobile.
Strangled body of a teenaged boy with hands and legs tied
was found lying in a dry drain bifurcating Sector 4-B and 4-D in Surjani
Town.
Passers-by informed the police about a suspicious bag
lying in a drain. The police reached the spot and upon opening the bag
recovered the body.
Police found a slip from the pocket of the deceased on
which a telephone number was written, which revealed his identification as
Noman alias Nomi, 13-year-old resident of Liaquatabad, police said. The body
was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH).
Numan had left his house on Feb 14 when two youths had
called him out of his house and he was missing since than, he added.
Police picked up Shani, one of the two boys who called him
from his house, and were looking for the second boy named Khurram.
SUICIDE: Sumaira Shafique, 21, a collage student and
resident of Sector L Korangi 3 1/2, ended her life by hanging herself inside
her house after her parents gave her some advice.
ACCIDENT: Muhammad Zareen, 35, a clearing and forwarding
agent, resident of Jacob Lines, was seriously injured when a recklessly
driven dumper loader bumped his motorcycle near berth No 10 at West Warf
inside the port area within the Jackson police jurisdiction.
The injured was rushed to the Civil Hospital, where
doctors pronounced him dead. Police have nabbed the errant driver Azmat Ali
and registered a case against him.
Ahsan Ali, 42, resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, was crushed to
death when a recklessly driven truck ran over his motorcycle on Maulvi
Tameezuddin Khan Road in Jackson police jurisdiction.
His body was shifted to the Civil Hospital. Police have
arrested the errant driver Muhammad Ismail, impounded the killer vehicle and
registered a case against him.
INJURED: Sajid, 22, resident of Rehri Goth Landhi,
suffered 95 per cent burn wounds when he was boiling water for tea in his
house within the Landhi police jurisdiction. The injured was rushed to the
Civil Hospital in a critical condition.
Khalid, 28, resident of Agra Taj Colony, sustained bullet
injuries when unknown persons opened fire upon him in the locality of
Chakiwara.
39 vehicles hijacked; cash, valuables looted
KARACHI: At least 39 vehicles including 23 motorcycles, 3
High-Roves, 2 Helix vans and a coaster van were hijacked from various city
areas, but police confirmed hijacking of 25 vehicles including 17 motorcycles
during the last 48 hours.
According to police reports, three cars and eight
motorcycles were snatched at gunpoint, while five cars and nine motorcycles
were stolen from different city localities. Police claimed to have recovered
13 vehicles including 10 motorcycles.
ROBBERIES: Dacoits barged into the house of Abid Hussain
in Gizri police jurisdiction and looted Rs0.3 million, prize bonds worth
Rs0.4 million, gold ornaments and other valuables.
Housebreakers entered the house of Khalid Ibrahim in
Bahadurabad police limits and looted cash, jewellery and other valuables.
Robbers entered the house of Ali Muhammad in Khuwaja
Ajmair Nagri police jurisdiction and snatched Rs89,000, jewellery, a licensed
pistol and other valuables.
Gunmen entered the cattle pen of Rabnawaz in Sohrab Goth
police jurisdiction and took away 7 buffaloes.
Wasi Akhtar was deprived of Rs10,600, US dollars and UAE
dirhams worth thousands of rupees and mobile phone when highwaymen
intercepted him in Preedy police limits.
Faizan Nafees was robbed of Rs0.2 million and a mobile
phone when muggers intercepted him in Gulshan-e-Iqbal police jurisdiction.
Jumma Khan and Muneer Shah were deprived of their cash,
mobile phones and other valuables when gunmen intercepted them separately in
Korangi and Mouchko police jurisdictions.
Lady doctor was raped, tortured, says PPL MD
ISLAMABAD: The circumstantial evidence showed that lady
doctor Shazia was not only raped but also tortured by the accused personnel,
PPL Managing Director S Munsif Raza told the NA Committee on Petroleum and
Natural Resources on Friday.
However, Munsif refused to share the names of uniformed
accused saying the issue was being probed by a judicial commission.
He confirmed that so far seven personnel of the PPL
including three sweepers were taken into custody. Some of the participants of
the meeting, when approached by The News, quoted the MD as saying that Dr
Shazia was found seriously injured as her nose and head were bleeding.
Giving details of the meeting, Raja Pervez Asharaf said
the MD told the members of the committee that physical condition of Dr Shazia
was very bad, she was terrified and wanted to be with her family in Karachi.
Asharaf said the MD told them that the lady doctor later
informed the PPL management that she was given threats by armed accused that
they would kill her if she raised any hue and cry or told anyone about the
episode.
That was why, the MD said, initially Dr Shazia did not
tell anyone about her ordeal.
He said Dr Shazia continued to claim that she was only
robbed by certain armed dacoits who had taken Rs 25,000 cash and some other
valuable stuff from her room.
MNA Pir Fazal Jeelani told The News that MD Munsif seemed
under pressure not to give all details of the incident and thus he faced
serious criticism from the members of the committee, particularly Manzoor
Hussain Wassan, Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jeelani and Raja Pervez Asharaf.
Fazal Ali Shah said he was particularly concerned over the
rape incident because the victim belonged to his constituency and it was a
matter of life and death in the traditional society.
The members accused the MD of hiding facts to save skins
of certain powerful people involved in the case.
MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf said members of the committee were
so annoyed with the MD Munsif that he was not even allowed to complete his
briefing on the issue.
The members told the MD that they were not sitting there
to listen what they had already read in newspapers.
Jeelani told The News that he had told the MD in clear
words to tell the committee ‘truth and only truth, and not try to hide
facts’.
He asked the MD that he should not get afraid of anyone
except God as every body sitting in the meeting had daughters and such kind
of tragedy could hit anyone.
MNAs Raja Pervez Ashraf and Pir Syed Fazal Shah Jeelani
said the MD told the meeting that the lady doctor was beaten by the accused
with telephone receiver and security torches. She was also slapped repeatedly
on face by the alleged rapists when she tried to resist them.
The MD said Dr Shazia was provided immediate medication.
He said this was the fault of Dr Shazia that she did not
tell the PPL management about the rape incident and claimed that she was only
robbed. But the next day, the MD claimed, she came out with a new version of
her rape. She was also not ready for medical check up after the incident, he
said.
The MD said condition of the room established the fact
that she was raped as many used condoms were found on the floor. The MD was
asked to tell the committee that whether Dr Shazia was ever teased by the
accused before they decided to rape her in the night? And did Dr Shazia ever
brought any complaint to the PPL management?
The MD said he was not aware of any incident of eve
teasing by the accused. However, he told the committee members that they
should wait for the report of the judicial commission constituted by the
provincial government to find out the truth.
The committee members asked the MD to give a report within
10 days.
2 terrorists blow themselves up in Quetta
QUETTA: Two activists of a banned militant outfit blew
themselves up with hand grenades during an exchange of fire with police at
Ghilzai road here in the wee hours of Friday.
Police officials said the two bombers were planning to
attack a small Ashura-e-Muharrum procession that was to pass through Ghilzai
road area on the same night.
"The police were tipped off around 1 am that some
suspects had rented a house and their activities were suspicious. As a police
team raided the house within 30 minutes, the terrorists opened fire on them
and also hurled hand grenades," Inspector-General Police Balochistan
Chaudhary Muhammad Yaqoob told a press conference here.
The police retaliated and there ensued an encounter, he
said, adding that when the police team tried to arrest the attackers, the
terrorists detonated the hand grenades tied to their bodies and jumped
towards the policemen. "Fortunately, the police team remained
unhurt," he added. But the terrorists were blown into pieces. During the
search of the house, the police recovered two Klashnikovs, 18 magazines and
five hand grenades besides other ammunition and documents. "Further
investigations are in progress," he said. However, he said the initial
investigations revealed that the deceased terrorists belonged to a banned
religious outfit.
Chaudhary Yaqoob also said they have chalked out a
"comprehensive" security plan to maintain law and order in the
provincial capital on the eve of Ashura-e-Muharram and in this connection
Army and Frontier Corps (FC) would assist the police.
He said all points leading to the routes of the Ashura
procession would be sealed, and 5,000 police personnel would be deployed on
the routes. "Army and FC personnel would assist the police in
maintaining law and order," he added. Nazim Quetta City District
Government Muhammad Rahim Kakar was also present in the press conference. IGP
Chaudhry Yaqoob said that special security measures were being adopted to
prevent any untoward incident in the Ashura procession to be taken out on
Sunday in the provincial metropolis.
Heavy contingents of police would escort the procession
for the protection of mourners. Surveillance cameras have also been installed
on the routes to monitor the Ashura procession from the Control Room
established for the purpose, he said. "It is our responsibility to
provide security and protection and maintain peace," he said and
reiterated "the Army and the FC would assist the police."
He appealed to the citizens to keep a strict vigil on
suspicious elements and immediately inform the police about their presence in
any area. He announced that Rs 1 million cash reward would be given to those
whose information would lead to arrest of the terrorist(s) and their name(s)
would be kept secret.
Meanwhile, DIG Police Rafi Pervez Bhatti told The News
that the Quetta police had rounded up over a dozen suspects for
investigations. "The suspects were arrested in various raids conducted
in different parts of the provincial capital and its outskirts," he
added. Further investigations are in progress.
Separately, a teenager was killed and seven others of a
family, including three women, were injured in a "mysterious"
explosion here on Friday.
"A rocket fired from unknown direction hit the house
of one Aslam Jan in Killi Durrani at Haji Ghabi road besides damaging another
three houses and a shop," said Nazim Union Council Killi Durrani Salam
Khan Durrani. However, police denied any rocket attack.
The roof of the house collapsed, killing the 13-year-old
son of Aslam Jan, said the Nazim while addressing a press conference late on
Friday night. He added that the officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad took
away splinters of the rocket for investigation. He rejected the police claim
that the explosion was caused by gas cylinder or geezer.
Inspector-General Police Balochistan Chaudhary Muhammad
Yaqoob, however, told The News that a gas cylinder went off at a shop,
bringing down the roof of the house. Eight members of the family were buried
under the debris, which resulted in the death of Izzatullah and injury to
seven others.
Soon after the explosion, the ambulances of the Edhi
Foundation reached the spot and shifted the injured to the civil hospital.
The injured were identified as Aminullah, Amanullah, Sanaullah, Bibi Rahima,
Bibi Zarmina, Nani and Khuda-e-Dad. Meanwhile, Nazim city government Muhammad
Rahim Kakar announced Rs 100,000 for the heirs of the deceased and Rs 25,000
each for the injured.
Ads on Pakistan TV and Radio for Osama information gave leads: US
ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: Television, radio and newspaper advertisements run by the United States in Pakistan asking for leads to Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda kingpins have yielded useful information, a US official said on Friday.
The brief television spots flash up colour pictures of Osama and his 13 most wanted henchmen while a voice-over in Urdu offers rewards of up to $25 million. "During the last couple of days we got some 28 calls and a number of them gave useful information," US embassy spokesman Greggory Crouch told AFP.
The first advertisement on Radio Pakistan was aired on Wednesday while the television campaign started two weeks ago, Mr Crouch said. The first newspaper advertisement ran on Jan 7. -AFP