DAWN/The News International, KARACHI 21 January 2000, Friday, 13 Shawwal 1420
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Ranger's killing case: Two witnesses depose in ATC
45 children among 631 killed in 1999
Jail breaking case registered against Nawaz, Saif, Abbasi
Young man commits suicide, 11 vehicles taken away
HYDERABAD: 56 bonded labourers escape from landlord's jail
Provinces being stripped of powers: Asfandyar
Petition filed against Musharraf
Peshawar BISE announces results
Ranger's killing case: Two witnesses depose in ATC
KARACHI, Jan 20: An Anti-terrorism court put off the hearing of a case, pertaining to the killing of a Rangers personnel, till Friday after recording the statements of last two prosecution witnesses on Thursday.

Taha Hussain, a juvenile worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, is being tried under Sindh Children Act for the murder of sepoy Dildar Hussain.

The ranger personnel was killed on July 21, 1998 when a vehicle of the law enforcement agency was fired upon near Hashmia Imambargah in Liaquatabad. Another sepoy, Mumtaz Ali, was injured in the attack.

Earlier, the ATC had sentenced four workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, including Junaid Ahmed alias Junaid K-2, to death and the trial of Taha Hussain was separated as he was under-age. However, the Sindh High Court later set aside the sentence of the ATC and reduced the sentence of Junaid K-2 and acquitted the remaining three workers.

On Thursday, Constable Javed Akhter and ASI Yaqoob Ali recorded their statements before Judge Khan Pervez Chang.

The prosecution, represented by public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum, produced in all 12 witnesses against the Muttahida worker. The investigation officer of the case will record his statement on the next date of hearing.

45 children among 631 killed in 1999
KARACHI, Jan 20: As many as 631 people, including 124 women and 45 children, were killed in the city during 1999. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the highest number of deaths, 65, were reported in November. followed by 64 in October, and 62 each in July and February.

According to the HRCP data-sheet, 113 people died in sniping. The largest number of such deaths, 37, occurred in October, while 13 were killed in February, followed 10 in March.

Some 95 people were tortured to death while 57 extra-judicial killings occurred during the year.

Some 49 men committed suicide while 42 were killed by the bandits. As many as 30 policemen were also killed during the year.

Interestingly, men out-numbered women in committing suicide as only 24 women committed suicide while the number of men committing suicides stood at 49.

The break up of the 124 female deaths was that 20 women were burnt to death, 33 were killed either by their husbands or close relatives, 44 were killed in different incidents while 24 committed suicide.

Out of 49 men who committed suicide, 16 were unemployed and were facing financial hardships.

Five women out of those who committed suicide hung themselves with ceiling fans, 10 others consumed DDT or other deadly chemicals.

Six others were killed while resisting rapeattempts, and 15 women died while resisting the bandits.

Two people were sentenced to death, while 32 were killed in encounters, 32 policemen were also killed during the year, according to the HRCP data.

CHILDREN: Some 45 children were killed during 1999.

Five-year-old Neeson was stabbed to death by his father, who was alleged to be suffering from a mental disorder.

Adnan, 13, was burnt to death after he resisted a criminal assault attempt. Six-day-old infant Sadam was strangled to death.

Fazal, 8, was axed to death, Abdul Sattar, 11, and his younger brother Fahim both were burnt when the bus, on the roof of which they were sleeping, was set on fire by a mob.

Ghulam Rasool, 10, was criminally assaulted and his body was found hanging from a tree. Talha, 10, was trampled to death by a mob that was running to avoid tear-gas shelling.

Abdul Rehman, 12, was killed by a hotel owner, who had directed him to get out. The owner later paid Rs130,000 under a jirga decision.

Jail breaking case registered against Nawaz, Saif, Abbasi

KARACHI: The Shah Latif Town police on Thursday, registered a case in connection with the alleged jail breaking attempt by the deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Siaf-ur-Rehman and for Chairman PIA Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, sources from at the Central Police Offices (CPO) revealed to The News.

This would be the second case registered in Karachi against the deposed Premier and his co-accused. Sources said that the police have registered the case vide FIR No 5/2000 against accused Nawaz Sharif who is already being tried in plane conspiracy case in an Anti-Terrorist Activities Court.

A map of Landhi jail, was recovered from one of the visitors of the co-accused Saif-ur-Rehman. Taking a serious notice of the recovery, the authorities at the federal capital, ordered the police to look into the matter.

On the directives of the authorities the case was lodged at the police station on behalf of the government and the deposed prime minister and his two co-accused Senator Saif-ur-Rehman and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi were booked in the case. It was also learnt that when Saif was asked about the map, he told the investigators that he drew the jail map and the exact locations of the cells of the different accused to explain to her minor daughter about the jail as she wanted to know who was confined where?

Young man commits suicide, 11 vehicles taken away

KARACHI: A young man committed suicide at his residence in Rizvia Society on Thursday. Abdul Waheed, 22, son of Khairullah, after a quarrel with his mother, locked himself in a room at his residence in Rizvia Society in the Gulbahar police station limits and hanged himself to death with a ceiling fan. His body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy.

According to Waheed's mother, her son was a labourer in a local factory. On Wednesday night, when he returned from his factory, he told her that he had lost his job. Thereafter, she said, he went into a room and committed suicide.

ROBBERIES: Three armed men barged into the residence of Malik Maqbool Ahmed at Metroville within the Pirabad police limits. The armed men, at gunpoint, locked all the inmates in a room. Two of them stood guard while the others collected cash, jewellery, other valuables and fled in his car (E-085).

Robbers looted Rs 190,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence in Saeedabad, cash, jewellery and other valuables from a residence in Aiziz Bhatti, cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence of Shahzad Sultan in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Armed men looted Rs 1,500, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Fayyaz in Buffer Zone, cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence of Munwar in Gulzar-e-Hijri and Rs 22,000, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Makhdoom in Mangopir.

Car-lifters snatched four cars, one Suzuki High-Roof, one Suzuki pick-up, and five motorcycles from various parts of the city, while city police claimed that they recovered four cars, three motorcycles and one rickshaw from the megapolis.

HYDERABAD: 56 bonded labourers escape from landlord's jail
HYDERABAD, Jan 20: As many as 56 bonded Haris, including women and children, have managed to escape from the private jail of Nawab Salim Akbar Bugti from Sanghar district and reached the provincial office of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

The Haris came to the local Press club on Thursday along with the core group coordinator, Akhtar Baloch, to tell the journalists their woeful tale.

Talking to newsmen, the Haris said that they were actual residents of Ameer Burdi village in Odero Lal and four years back they were taken by the manager of Salim Bugti, Hassan Deen, after specific terms and condition.

They said that in Nawab Kot, Sanghar district, at the lands of Nawab Salim Akbar Bugti they worked on 140 acres of agricultural lands of the landlord. The Haris comprised 10 families.

They alleged that not a single penny was paid to them by the landlord and rather armed henchmen of Mr Bugti used to keep a close vigil on them, restricting their movements. They said that they were kept in tiny rooms separately where their movements were observed by Kamdar Haji Daarho and Munshis of landlord, Baqa Dar Bugti and Taju Lashari.

They charged that maltreatment on them was a matter of daily routine at the hands of the landlord and said that during their detention their two relatives, Rasool Bux, son of Laung, 17, and Kandero, 50, lost their lives.

They observed that medicines were not provided to them apart from other basic necessities. They said after getting fed up with this life they finally fled from the private jail.

To a question as to how they managed to escape, they said that one Hari woman, Ms Jiandi, fell ill who was taken to native town of Odero Lal for treatment. They added that other Hari women and children left Nawab Kot at the pretext that Ms Jiandi died there and they wanted to attend her funeral.

The next day the Haris informed that they managed to escape from the illegal confinement of the landlord and reached HRCP's office of special task force for Sindh.

They claimed that they had left their belongings amounting to Rs 150,000 in their houses, located in Nawab Kot while the landlord claims an amount of Rs 1 million against them as outstanding dues.

Provinces being stripped of powers: Asfandyar

PESHAWAR: Asfandyar Wali Khan, President, Awami National Party (ANP), has said on Thursday that contrary to the claims by the rulers, the federating units have increasingly been stripped of powers and the interference in the provincial autonomy was on the rise with the passage of time.

Addressing party workers on the occasion of 12th death anniversary of late Khudai Khedmatgar Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Bacha Khan, he asserted that the formation of the district advisory councils by the army rulers was a direct interference in the provincial autonomy.

"This is not acceptable to us. No powers were devolved from the centre to the provinces as promised. The appointment of army majors and colonels at every district is an indication that all the decisions would be made by Islamabad from now onward," said the ANP president. Asfandyar opposed the proposals of a new constitution and said that any change in the unanimously adopted constitution would have adverse consequences for the future of the country.

"The army should not defame politicians as it cannot bring national unity without their participation in the democratic process. Pakistan cannot be run without parliamentary system," he said. The younger Wali asked the chief executive, General Pervez Musharraf not to single out politicians in the accountability process but extend its scope to the civil and military bureaucracy as well as the judiciary.

"No body has asked the children of the army generals so far but the accountability drive is only directed towards politicians. Humiliating the politicians in such an unjustified way will be dangerous for the country," the ANP president warned. "The chief executive should fulfil his promise to hold across-the-board and transparent accountability of all, ensure maximum provincial autonomy and the devolution of powers," Asfandyar demanded.

Criticising the army rulers for punishing politicians without trial, the ANP president said that the arrests and detentions in police lock-ups was aimed at defaming politics and politicians. "I voluntarily present myself for accountability. History is witness to the fact that followers of Bacha Khan were never afraid of jails or arrests," he said. Bacha Khan, he said, struggled for the rights of his people and vowed to follow the footprints of the great freedom hero.

Speaking as the chief guest, Begum Nasim Wali, provincial president of ANP said that the followers of Bacha Khan were committed to honour his philosophy of non-violence and believed in peaceful struggle for the attainment of their rights. "We will be forced to think otherwise, if our just rights are not given peacefully," she said.

Begum Nasim said that in line with the party central council decision, it was decided to hold in-door meetings in connection with the Bacha Khan's death anniversary as public meetings were not allowed due to the imposition emergency in the country.

She said that it was the greatness of Bacha Khan that he preached non-violence to a very violent nation like Pakhtuns. "Nelson Mandela is decorated with peace award for spending 27 years in jail but no body bothers to know as to why Bacha Khan was put behind the bars for 33 years," she said.

She congratulated the city district party branch for organising a function to pay homage to Bacha Khan. It was for the first time that veteran politician Khan Abdul Wali Khan could not attend the death anniversary of his father due to poor health.

His absence was felt by all the participants. Usually, the ANP held public meetings at Jinnah Park, Peshawar, in the past drawing thousands of workers as well as politicians from across the country. Also unlike the past tradition, nationalist leaders from Sindh and Balochistan were not invited to the function this time. The function was organised by ANP city district Peshawar at Nishtar Hall, which was presided over by the suspended senator and the party city district president, Syed Aqil Shah.

The function was also addressed by Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Bashir Bilour, Haji Muhammad Adeel, Farid Toofan, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and party's provincial general secretary Muhammad Salim Khan Advocate. The participants gave a standing ovation to the patriotic poetry of late Ghani Khan, which was read by a Pakhtun Students Federation activist Akbar Khan.

Petition filed against Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: General Secretary Pakistan Lawyers Forum Nisar A Mujahid advocate Thursday filed a petition before the Supreme Court pleading to declare Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf "guilty of high treason" within the meaning of Article 6 of the Constitution.

In a bulky petition, the petitioner has sought a direction for the registration of a treason case against the Chief Executive under the High Treason Punishment Act of 1973. The petitioner also sought declaration against clog of requirement of complaint from the federal government for taking cognizance of offence as provided in section 3 of the High Treason Act.

The petition has been drafted by A K Dogar and filed before the apex court by advocate on record Asim Jaffery. A senior official of the Supreme Court confirmed to The News the filing of the petition Thursday.

The petition was submitted under Article 184(3) read with Articles 2-A, 4, 5, 6, 91(5), 92, 94, 95, 130(5) and 245 of the Constitution. The Chief Executive, Governor Punjab Lt Gen (Retd) Mohammad Safdar and the province of Punjab have been named as respondents in the petition.

The petition also asked the court for a direction against the Chief Executive requiring him to abide by the oath taken by him under Article 244 read with the 3rd Schedule of the Constitution wherein he has solemnly affirmed to uphold the Constitution.

He has prayed that the Constitution of Pakistan subsist in its entirety and could not be suspended besides the judges of the superior judiciary were bound by the oath taken by them under Articles 178 and 194 of the Constitution to administer law and justice in accordance with the Constitution. The petitioner stated that the action taken by the Chief Executive on October 12, 1999, subsequent proclamation order of October 14 and Provisional Constitutional Order 1 of 1999, and all other orders and ordinances thereafter issued by him in the name of the President were ultra vires. He asked to declare that the dismissal of the duly elected government by the armed forces was indictable under the provisions of the Constitution and law punishable in accordance with law. Besides the alleged abduction, wrongful confinement and illegal detention of Nawaz Sharif as duly elected prime minister is covered by Article 199(1b), the petitioner said.

Peshawar BISE announces results
PESHAWAR, Jan 20: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) has announced the result of Intermediate Supplementary Examination held in 1999.

According to the result gazette, a total of 17,281 candidates appeared in the intermediate supplementary exams of all groups, including pre-medical, pre-engineering, general science, humanities and theology, and 4,867 were declared successful.

According to a breakdown of grand total of candidates, 929 students appeared in the pre-medical group and 479 succeeded in passing the exam. The average of this group is 53.50 per cent.

In the pre-engineering group, 945 students participated and 313 passed with the average of 33.12 per cent. Similarly, in additional subjects, 61 candidates took the exams and 30 were declared passed and the result was 49.18 per cent.

In the arts group, 13,088 appeared in exams, out of which only 3,240 passed their exams. The result average stands at 24.76 per cent.

Whereas in the theology group, only 14 candidates appeared and 6 passed. In the humanities group, 1,882 took exams and 716 got through.-APP

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