DAWN / NEWS International, Karachi 02 October 1998 Friday 10 Jamadi-us-Saani 1419 KMC official among three killed by snipers KARACHI: Snipers on Thursday shot another official of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) dead - their fifth target in a month. Central and Southern districts remained disturbed during the last 24 hours where the death toll was six. There were firing incidents in Nazimabad, Samanabad, Nabi Bakhsh and Kharadar while residents of Liaquatabad spent a sleepless night due to fire by youth from their bunkers in the locality. October, dawned with the assassination of Badrudduja, 35, a Deputy Director Land in KMC and an activist of Mohajir Qaumi Movement. He was shot dead in FB Area. According to reports, Badr left his home: 1075/19, Block: 19, Al-Noor Society, FB Area and soon after he got into his official Jeep (GL-3273) two armed assailants riding a CG-125 motorbike opened fire at him and fled. Passersby and residents of the area rushed him to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he succumbed to the injuries. It may be mentioned that four other officials of the KMC were gunned down, with almost the same modus operandi, in various parts of the magapolis. They all belonged to Muttahidda Qaumi Movement. None of the assailants could be apprehended so far. Badr was a staunch activist of Altaf-led MQM and was also Altaf Husain's a bodyguard but when the party was bifurcated he joined the Afaq-led (Haqiqi) faction and went into hiding with other comrades. Police registered a case on the complaint of his father, Mohib Rahman. A teenager Aamir Zafar was killed and his friend Rizwan was injured by snipers in Nazimabad. Police said while they were sitting near Railway Phatak, Paposhnagar the riders of a car sprayed volley of bullets on them and sped off. They were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in critical condition where Aamir was pronounced dead and the Rizwan was admitted for treatment. Khalil Ahmad of about 25 was killed in Mithadar police precincts. Sources in police said Khalil was an employee of the PTCL presently posted at Central Exchange. He was fired upon by snipers while sitting in Taj Restaurant and died instantly. Police, on information, reached the spot and shifted the body to Civil Hospital. BODY FOUND: Korangi police found a bullet- riddled corpse in their limits late Thursday night. Police were informed that a corpse was lying in Sector 35-A of Zaman Town in Korangi No: 4. They rushed to the site and found bullet-riddled corpse of a man of about 35 with limbs tied and torture marks. They shifted it to JPMC but could not identify the deceased till the filing of this report. GIRL MOLESTED: A teenage girl was allegedly molested by two unidentified accused in a park in North Nazimabad. Sources at Abbasi Shaheed said police brought an unidentified girl of about 15 outside a park near Ziauddin Hospital. After her checkup the gynaecologists confirmed that the girl was molested. Bandits who were trying to snatch truck from Iqbal Abubakr stabbed him in Hussainabad area in Azizabad police limits. ---------------------------------- PML-MQM talks on Shariah bill make headway ISLAMABAD: The PML-MQM talks on Shariah bill made some headway on Thursday when Muttahida Qaumi Movement told the government that the matter would be referred to the MQM's Coordination Committee for a final decision. Religious Minister Raja Zafarul Haq and Minister for Political Affairs Ch Nisar Ali Khan held a meeting with MQM leaders, Shaikh Liaquat and Khalid Younus. The purpose of this meeting was to seek MQM's support on the Shariah bill, Raja Zafarul Haq said and added: "We have sought MQM's support." It is learnt that the MQM leaders after hearing the arguments from the ministerial committee decided to refer the matter to the Coordination Committee for a final decision. The prime minister, on Thursday, appointed several ministerial committees to approach different parliamentary groups for seeking their support on the bill. ---------------------------------- Four MQM dissidents awarded life term HYDERABAD: Pronouncing the verdict in a murder trial held inside the prison, the judge of the District and Sessions Court, Hyderabad, has awarded life imprisonment to four dissidents of MQM. Judge Ali Nawaz Pirzada, who conducted the hearing of the Mehtabuddin murder case inside the Central Prison, Hyderabad, announced the judgment on Thursday and fixed the responsibility of Mehtabuddin's murder on MQM dissidents Iqbal Ladla, Mehboob alias Mamoo, Mushtaq Cheepa and Yameen. A case against them was registered by the City police, Hyderabad in 1990 on the charge of murdering the brother of a former MQM MPA, namely Mehtabuddin at Rehsam Bazar with a repeater gun. Following the registration of FIR No. 488/90 under Section 302, the police conducted various raids and arrested Iqbal Ladla and others. The judge also fined Iqbal Ladla and others Rs 50,000 each in order to compensate the heirs of the deceased Mehtabuddin. Out of the fined money, Rs 25,000 will be paid to the government and remaining Rs 25,000 will be paid to the deceased's heirs. In case of default in paying the fine, the convicts will undergo six more years' rigorous imprisonment. ---------------------------------- 25 injured in another clash at KU, 50 held KARACHI: Several students were injured in yet another clash between student groups took place at University of Karachi on Thursday. Some of them were taken into custody by Rangers and Mobina Town police. Use of stones, chains and sticks in the clash on Thursday left more 25 students of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) and All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) injured, including one injured seriously. The free-for-all had started at about 9.00am and soon para-military Rangers rushed to the place, started beating the students brutally and rounding up about 50 handed them over to Mobina Town police. The clash a day earlier - on Wednesday - had left injured more than 20 students belonging to the two student groups. ---------------------------------- Cash, jewellery looted; 32 vehicles taken away KARACHI: Bandits looted cash, valuables and salary of the employees of Pakistan Army. Besides, carjackers snatched 32 vehicles on Thursday. In Saddar police limits, bandits looted Rs 575,000 from the employees of MES of Pakistan Army. Musharraf was reportedly injured during the incident. Bandits looted certificates worth 3,000,000, Rs 50,000 in cash, jewellery and valuables from the house of Bano Hajwani in Sadder; Rs 200,000 and jewellery from the house of Imran Aleem in Clifton police limits; Rs 118,000 from the office of Muhammad Ali in Mithader; Rs 195,000 from Muhammad Nasir in Civil Lines; Rs 7,735, jewellery and valuables from the house of Nasir in Saeedabad; cash, jewellery and valuables from the house of Abid Baig in Tipu Sultan; Rs 18,000, jewellery and valuables from the house of Osama in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; revolver and pistol from the house of Sumair Ahmed in Jauharabad; cash, jewellery, prize bonds and valuables from the house of Amin Shakoor in North Nazimabad and Rs 56,000, jewellery and valuables from a house in Soldier Bazar. Meanwhile, a cop of Ferozabad police and a dacoit were injured in an encounter. Sources said cop Manzoor Ali was on the duty at the Bostan Money Changers when two armed bandits, riding on a motorbike (KAR-5089), entered the offices, shot at and wounded the cop. They fled after snatching the weapon of the cop. However, near the Chanaiser Halt they were intercepted by a police team, which after a shoot-out arrested one of them. Police also recovered the SMG of cop and a motorbike from him. The other injured bandit was later arrested by the Baloch Colony police. Later the police identified the bandits as Shah Wali and Muhammad Shahid. In different raids, the CIA East arrested a 13-member gang and recovered nine pistols, three TV sets, a VCP, 5 VCRs and 68 Juki machines. ---------------------------------- Consumers becoming restless KARACHI, Oct 1: Increasing complaints against the KESC's failure in repairing faults was causing restlessness among the people in the city and if mercury remained high they may come out on the streets to seek remedy against the indifferent attitude of the corporation. Residents of Saba Arcade in Block 9, Clifton, complained that the KESC line staff had failed to repair the gutted sub-station as a result of which many of the occupants have been compelled to shift to their fortunate relatives or friends. The residents of the affected area when contacted the KESC complaint centre to know when the electricity would be restored, they were not given satisfactory reply. KESC spokesman, when contacted by Dawn, said hopefully the damaged sub- station would be repaired late in the night. He said the Barnes Street sub-station has been repaired and power supply to the affected area had been restored. Mohammad Muneer Haqqani, a resident of PECHS, Block-6 complained that people of the area were without electricity since 9:00am. Time and again they contacted the KESC complaint centre, each time they were told that power supply will be restored in half and hour. But till going to press the power supply was not restored. Residents of Bloc-13, Federal B Area said local fault in the vicinity of Metropolitan School had not yet been rectified for the past three days. Meanwhile, residents of Maria Luxury Apartment, near Nagan Chaurangi, have declared that they would stage a protest rally on Friday against the disruption of power supply which they alleged was caused by the builder in connivance with the KESC staff. The builder refuted the claimed. The unscheduled loadshedding was also causing problems for the apartment dwellers because operation of hydrants was being affected as without power water could not be pumped up. As the KESC was not following a specific schedule of loadshedding, it was causing a lot of problems for the students and business houses. Despite KESC's claim that it was not resorting to massive loadshedding in the residential areas, residents of North Nazimabad complained they were facing great problems as power supply to the area was being disrupted twice a day, each time for more than two hours. Residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i- Jauhar, blocks-15, 16, 17 and 18 are also being faced with frequent interruptions and voltage fluctuations. The consumers in sector 7, 8 and 9 of North Karachi complained that they were being deprived of electricity for more than eight hours daily for the last 21 days. ---------------------------------- Ghinwa holds Benazir responsible for Murtaza's murder KARACHI: The Chairperson of PPP (SB) Ghinwa Bhutto has avowed 'political revenge' on the identified killers of her husband Mir Murtaza Bhutto and held Benazir Bhutto responsible for the murder. Talking to The News at 70-Clifton, the 34-year-old politician of Lebanese origin alleged that responsibility of the September 20, 1996, killings could be laid on Benazir Bhutto. "I know who is the culprit but mine is going to be a political revenge," Ghinwa declared. "I feel that the main culprit, as far as I am concerned, is Benazir…because of her bad politics, greediness and short vision." She said implementing justice must be the concern of the government otherwise people would lose whatsoever faith was left in the rulers. "So far we are being denied justice," Mir's widow stated. Mentioning that the case had taken very long, she said: "Many of the statements can change and many of the real proofs can disappear. That's why I am apprehensive about this delay." Ghinwa branded PPP as a party without ideology. "We are the anti-thesis of exploitation, regressive movements, intolerance and slavery. I see my party's future very bright. We have come a long way since the Chehlum (of Murtaza) and of course we still have a long way to go." About her opinionated stance on the country's nuclear explosions and Kalabagh Dam, Ghinwa said: "The nuclear bomb delivered us the obligation of signing the CTBT and God knows what will come afterwards." She said the PPP (SB) opposed Kalabagh Dam on different grounds, it opposed Islamabad and not Punjab as others did. "We want consensus before constructing the dam. Ghinwa gave a plump no when asked whether the system should be deconstructed to have it changed. She said: "Any change must be gradual. We already have the constitution of 1973 which bears a lot of good. The only problem is that we don't have the means to implement it in letter and spirit. You don't have people to implement the constitution which provides everything Islamisation, respect for human rights." She was confident that sincere people would come from the progressive forces for implementation of the constitution. Regarding the 15th amendment bill, Ghinwa said it had nothing to do with the Shariah and Islam, provided very clearly in the constitution. She held that the most important clause in it was the passing of an amendment after getting a simple majority from both the houses. "The constitution provides for Islam, minorities and Shariah. With the 15th amendment you can pass any change in the constitution with the difference of a single vote. It would make your judicial system subjective to the whimsies of the prime minister of the day because he can issue orders to the judiciary." ---------------------------------- Iran claims it can crush Taliban TEHRAN, Oct 1: An Iranian military commander claimed on Thursday he could crush the Taliban in two days, stepping up the rhetoric as the government pursued diplomatic efforts to isolate the hardline militia in Afghanistan. "If the great commander-in-chief issues an order, the Guards and the Basij (volunteer militia) will crush the criminal Taliban in 48 hours," said deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier-General Mohammad-Baqer Zolqadre, referring to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "If our security is threatened, we will give such a lesson to the aggressors that it will set a historic example," he said. "The children of the Islamic Iran will not allow any transgression against our ideals and soil." But the general said Iran's policy is to "exercise restraint towards Afghanistan, while it stays mighty and ready." Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi discussed the situation with his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Qatar at UN.-AFP ----------------------------------