DAWN / NEWS International, Karachi 27 July 1998 Monday 02 Rabi-us-Saani 1419 Two Army Jawans among three gunned down in Karachi KARACHI: Three people, including two Jawans of the Pakistan Army, were gunned down in separate incidents of violence in the city on Sunday. According to sources, armymen Ahmed Yar Khan and Muhammad Idreas were shot dead after being kidnapped from within the jurisdiction of the Liaquatabad Police Station. Lance Naik Muhammad Idrees, 35, and Ahmed Yar Khan, 41, were close relatives. They were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from Liaquatabad. Ahmed Yar Khan hailed from Khanewal district and was posted at Air Defence School, Malir Cantt. He was on leave on Sunday and went along with his family to his uncle's residence in Liaquatabad. Muhammad Idrees of Baloch Regiment, presently posted at Thur New Chore Cantt, went along with Ahmed as he was also on leave. Both were kidnapped from Liaquatabad. The gunmen took them to the C-1 Area graveyard, lined them up and shot them dead. Ahmed received bullets on his face and chest and died on the spot, while Idrees was critically injured and died before any medical aid could be provided to him. The area police later reached the spot and shifted the bodies to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The Liaquatabad Police have registered a case in this connection. In a handout, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said: "The dead bodies of two soldiers, who were on leave from their units were found from Liaquatabad graveyard on Sunday. Naik Muhammad Idress, 40, hailed from Gharh Maharaja, Tehsil Shorkot, District Jhang. He belonged to a unit of Baloch Regiment and was presently serving at Chhor. He came to Karachi on two days' leave to see his relative, Lance Naik Ahmed Yar, along with whom his dead body was recovered. He is survived by two wives, a son and a daughter. "Lance Naik Ahmed Yar, 35, belonged to Khanewal and was presently serving with Air Defence School, Malir. On July 25, he got one-day leave and came to Liaquatabad along with his family to see some relatives. On Sunday morning, he was joined by Naik Muhammad Idrees. At about 10 am, both went out together. Later, their dead bodies were found from Liaquatabad with wounds of gun shots on their faces and chests. Lance Naik Ahmed Yar is survived with a wife, two sons and two daughters." Reports of intermittent firing were also received from different blocks of Liaquatabad. Two women sustained bullet wounds when gunmen resorted to indiscriminate firing near the Firdous Shopping Center. Injured Azra, 41, and Arifa, 26, were rushed to the Aga Khan Hospital, where sources claimed that both were out of danger. They were residents of House No 6/422, Liaquatabad. According to residents, the entire locality was disturbed due to intermittent firing by unidentified snipers. Sources in Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) said that the two injured women were close relatives of a slain party leader. Azra was the wife of slain MQM leader Sardar Ahmed, while Arifa was his sister-in-law. Sardar Ahmed was shot dead a couple of years ago in the same area. In another incident, Syed Tohid Anwer, 19, was shot dead in Surjani Town. According to sources, unidentified gunmen barged into his House No 1674 of Sector L-1, Surjani Town and shot him dead. Later, the police reached the spot and shifted the corpse to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The MQM also claimed that the deceased, Tohid, was the brother of their activist, Waheed, in Liaquatabad. Shakil Shaikh adds from Islamabad: The killings of two Army personnel in Karachi is being taken as a blatant and crude attempt to drag the armed forces into the picture if the government-MQM talks fails. "Basically, it is the government's responsibility to deal with the situation in Karachi," said a cabinet member. "The obvious conclusion is that some one has tried to create a misunderstanding between the government and the government-related intelligence agencies on the one hand, and the MQM on the other hand," said a senior official. Several officials predict the possibility of involvement of "foreign hand" behind such ghastly acts while, at the same time, they do not rule out the involvement of some anti-state elements to go in a specific direction. "We are keeping all the possibilities open for the time being, as killings of the Army personnel is a most serious matter," said a top PML leader. MQM leader Altaf Hussain has made several requests to Chief of Army Staff, General Jehangir Karamat, to give audience to a MQM delegation. General Karamat has not hosted any political figure since he assumed the command of Pakistan Army, though he met some government leaders when the government recommended him to meet them. MQM leader Altaf Hussain's request to the Army Chief for meeting the MQM delegation, said highly-placed source, has always been turned down for a variety of reasons as the Army leadership wants to keep the national security institution away from politics. ---------------------------------- 'MQM striving for city peace' KARACHI: Ex-Minister and Muttahida parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar on Sunday said Muttahida despite difficult circumstances would continue the struggle for the legitimate rights of the common man. Talking to a delegation of Tariq Road Traders Welfare Association at Nine Zero said that Muttahida has been continuously trying to restore normalcy in Karachi including daily business which provides livelihood to more than 15 million people . Meanwhile Dr Farooq Sattar condemned the alleged torture on President Fruit Market Union Agha Ghulam Jilani at the hands of Rangers. ---------------------------------- MQM chief to consult top leaders on quitting govt KARACHI, July 26: The chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, on Sunday said that before deciding to quit the PML-led coalition, he would consult the top leaders of the party. Mr Hussain was addressing MQM leaders on the anniversary of the Muttahida. On July 24 the MQM coordination committee, at a meeting, had announced that it was no longer possible for it to remain in the government in view of the alleged operation launched against its supporters. Soon after the decision a five-member delegation of the MQM, led by Senator Aftab Shaikh, left for London for consultation with Mr Hussain. Senator Aftab Shaikh, Qazi Khalid and Shoaib Bokhari will be returning to Karachi on Monday. MQM sources, however, felt perturbed over the prime minister's remarks on the deployment of rangers in the city and the party's decision to quit the alliance. In view of the ongoing siege and search operation, the alliance seems to be on the rocks. Meanwhile, Haq Parast members of Sindh Assembly condemned the ongoing siege and search operation in various parts of the city and said it was tantamount to another operation against the MQM. They flayed the arrest of supporters and their alleged manhandling and torture. They demanded of the prime minister to intervene to end the indiscriminate arrests of supporters. ---------------------------------- Benazir ready to revive links with MQM KARACHI: The Leader of the Opposition Benazir Bhutto on Sunday returned home after a three-week visit to Dubai and told newsmen that she had been watching the developments in Karachi with considerable keenness and might well be tempted to revive her links with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. "We are political people. We believe in politics of decency and in building new bridges. There is no finality in politics. If the MQM decides to sever links with the government, we will be willing to have negotiations with them, and listen to their viewpoint. "They (the MQM) may have grievances against us, and we may have some grievances too. But apprehensions can be removed through negotiations when we sit across the table. We will definitely have talks with them." Cautioning at the same time, she said that instant results from these talks could not be possible. "But then there is no harm in having talks," she declared. Our correspondent adds: Leader of the Opposition Benazir Bhutto on Sunday accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of dragging the country towards disaster while spending all his energy and public funds to malign the opposition. The PPP chairperson was talking to newsmen on arrival at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, where she was accorded warm welcome by her workers and supporters, who were holding PPP flags and chanting slogans against the government. Both arrival and departure floors of the airport were occupied by PPP workers and supporters, and it was hard for the Airport Security Force personnel and policemen to control the crowd. However, no untoward incident took place. Benazir told newsmen that Nawaz did not know his duty as the prime minister of the country. "He probably thinks that harassing the leader of the opposition is the main task of the prime minister, whereas the country is moving rapidly towards a disaster," she remarked. The former prime minister said that the Nawaz regime had failed on all fronts, and to cover his incompetency and failure the prime minister was maligning her family and her party just to divert the masses' attention. "Nawaz is suffering from Benazir phobia, just like his master Gen Zia-ul-Haq had Bhutto phobia," she added. "Whenever I go abroad, this regime uses a new tool to pressurise me psychologically. They know themselves that nothing can be done against me. I belong to the land of Sufis. I did nothing wrong," she added. Benazir said that ever since Nawaz came into power, the country was in crisis -- beginning with shortage of wheat and followed by levy of taxes on poor farmers, retrenchments in banks and other institutions, imposition of emergency and seizure of foreign currency accounts. The leader of the opposition said that because of the ill-conceived economic policies of the PML government, the country was facing an unprecedented economic crisis and its economy was heading towards a disaster. Benazir recalled that five years ago when the PPP was in power, Moeen Qureshi had declared the economy bankrupt but the government on war-footing took concrete measures for redressal of the collapsed economy and brought relief to the people. She claimed that only the PPP could take the country out of the present crisis, restore the country's credibility in the international market, fight back the Indian aggression and overcome the anguish of big powers. To a question, the former premier said that certain powers did not like the PPP and that was why the idea of technocrat government was floated to keep the PPP away from getting back into the corridors of power. "No matter who is doing what, but this is for sure that the PPP will regain power," she claimed. About the judicial proceedings taking place in Switzerland, Benazir said: "We had contacted several Swiss lawyers in this regard, who explained that the matter is nothing like what the Nawaz government is propagating. In the Swiss system, judges work like investigating officers. Thus, the matter is not at the judicial level, rather it is at the investigation level. The Swiss judge investigating against Asif Zardari, like a loyal man, is totally relying on the information passed on by Saifur Rehman." The PPP chairperson said that the PML government was misleading the courts as in Pakistan it was pleading that they were investigating corruption to bring back the looted money from Switzerland, while in the Swiss court they were pleading that Zardari was involved in drug smuggling. Benazir said that she was going to sue Senator Saifur Rehman, who had spent Rs 2 billion from the public funds on her media trial, while $18 million were spent abroad for the same purpose. To another question, the leader of the opposition said the PPP was a political party and its doors were open for talks with any political force, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). "We will definitely contact the MQM, if they part ways with the Nawaz regime, but we have some reservations. But I don't know what will be the result of our negotiations with the MQM," she remarked. ---------------------------------- Rallies slam price hike, census results KARACHI, July 26: A number of religio-political parties and student organisations held protest demonstrations in the city on Sunday, condemning the "engineered" census results, move to Kalabagh dam, killings in the city, raise in prices and other issues. The rallies and demonstrations were held by the Pakistan National Conference (Sindh), Young Engineers Association (YEA) of NED University, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), PPP (SB), Sawad-i-Azam Ahle Sunnat Youth Force and the Sindhi Medicos Association. The Pakistan National Conference (Sindh) held a demonstration at the Empress Market against the census results and lawlessness in Karachi. It also condemned the increase in petroleum prices, imposition of general sales tax and sky-rocketing prices. The participants of the rally, led by PNC Vice President Yusuf Masti Khan, were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against terrorism and census results. The banners read: "census results not acceptable", "stop terrorism" and "withdraw GST". They also raised slogans against the government. Speaking on the occasion before the termination of the rally, Yusuf Masti Khan said the people had been groaning due to multiple taxes and increase in the prices of petroleum and other articles. He said that poor people are being overburdened by the finance ministry in order to protect the interests of the IMF. He said the Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, was devoid of leadership qualities and would not be able to take the country out of the crises, because the PML was itself responsible for such a situation. Tehrik-i-Istiqlal chief Rehmat Khan Wardag said that the census results were a 'farce' through which attempts had been made to safeguard interests of the feudals. "The ruling party itself is involved in corruption. He said the government had failed to control terrorism in the city. Mr Wardag said the central character of the 'accountability drama' is himself in the throws of corruption allegations. Others who spoke on the occasion included Usman Baloch, Mohammad Saeed, Ahmad Dara, Naheed Afzal, Siraj Qureshi and others. Three other demonstrations and a hunger strike by different political activists and student groups were held on Sunday outside Karachi Press Club. It was a unique occasion of the manifestation of tolerance among different groups as all these events were taking place at the same time. The bodies engaged in the demonstrations were Young Engineers Association (YEA) of NED University, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), PPP (SB) and Sawad-i-Azam Ahle Sunnat Youth Force and the Sindhi Medicos Association. The participants were holding banners and placards and raising slogans in support of their demands. The young engineers rally, addressed by student representatives from different educational institutions, condemned the Kalabagh Dam project and the "engineered" results of the national census. They said the dam and the census results were a conspiracy against Sindh and its people, which would deprive the province of water and due share in development and representation in the assemblies. The JUP demonstration was against the increase in petroleum price and imposition of general sales tax. Before dispersing peacefully, the participants were addressed by the organisers, who highlighted the problems of the students. PPP (SB), whose activists have been observing a token protest hunger strike for the five four days outside Karachi Press Club, expressed concern government failure to arrest the absconding accused Zeeshan Kazmi, Shakeeb Qureshi, Abdullah Shah and others, involved in the murder case of Mir Murtaza Bhutto. They condemned the provision of VIP facilities to the arrested accused in the prison. They are also protesting against the killings in Karachi, price-hike, engineered results of the census and decision to construct Kalabagh Dam, etc. The SAA youth rally drew the attention of the government towards its failure to take measures for the enforcement of Islam. They also condemned the price-hike, obscenity, government failure to restore peace. ---------------------------------- MQM, JSQM alliance unnatural: Haleem KARACHI: Minister of state for water, power and communication Captain Haleem Siddiqi said in a that alliance of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) was and would serve no positive purpose but take out the Sindhis from main stream. He said that the leadership of urban Sindh should think over again that going this way whether they would be able to fulfil the responsibilty of working for developement of the country and for peace in Karachi. He said that if they are willing to do so then it could only possible by staying with the government of Pakistan Muslim League. Haleem Siddiqi said that the urban represntative should give some weight to the mandate given to them by the citizens of Karachi and share responsibilty, witrh the government, for peace in this city. He said the impression that the police or rangers were operating against any particular group or in favour of ceratin elements was totally baseless rather the law enforcers were working relentlessly to eliminate terrorism from this city. He assured that if it was proved that the law enforcers were involved in any excessess they would be taken to task. ---------------------------------- One injured by bandits, 23 vehicles snatched KARACHI: Unidentified armed men looted thousands of rupees, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 10 cars and 13 motorcycles from different parts of the city on Sunday. Besides armed men injured a man on offering resistance. Three armed men barged into the residence (R/54) of Muhammad Shahabuddin in Sector 5/C-1 of Khawaja Ajmer Nagri. The intruders locked all the inmates in a room and started collecting cash, jewellery and other valuables. The house owner, however, offered resistance upon which the gunmen opened fire and fled along with the booty after leaving him injured. Four armed men barged into the residence of Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwer, an employee of Pakistan International Airline, at Faisal Town in Airport police jurisdiction. The armed men locked all the inmates in a room and made off with Rs 100,000, US dollars 500, other foreign currency, gold ornaments and electrical appliances. Bandits looted cash, jewellery and other valuables from a residence in Gulshan-e-Iqbal; cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a house in North Nazimabad and cash, jewellery and other valuables from a residence in Orangi Town. Armed men snatched a Honda CD-70 (KCS-2749) from Adnan Malik in Sachchal police area. ---------------------------------- JSQM blocks highway against Kalabagh Dam NAWABSHAH: Jeay Sindh Qaumi Muhaz (JSQM) held a rally to protest against the construction of the Kalabagh Dam and blocked the National Highway for more than three hours. Addressing the participants of the rally, the Central Chairman, JSQM, Bashir Qureshi said the Punjabis would be uprooted and sent to the Punjab in case the prime minister took the initiative to construct the Kalabagh Dam and made any announcement in this regard on the occasion of 14th August, the independence of Pakistan Day. He said that Punjab was keeping eyes on waters of Sindh. "Sindhis will prefer to die but would not compromise on the interest of the province," he added. Bashir Qureshi said that Nawaz Sharif had made their target of Sindhu Desh easier by announcing the construction of Kalabagh Dam. "Freedom of Sindh is our aim and we cannot hold dialogue with the Punjabis." He said, "We are ready to accept all permanent settlers of the province including the MQM as Sindhis." ---------------------------------- Sunni, Shia leaders agree to form joint committee PESHAWAR: Religious leaders belonging to the Sunni and Shia sects in Dera Ismail Khan have agreed to form a joint committee to devise formula for normalisation of the situation and resolve the dispute through negotiations. The decision to this effect was taken during the separate meetings of DIG, Ataullah Wazir with the leaders and ulema of both the sects and agreed to frame a code of ethics for defusing the ongoing sectarian tension. Beside others, the provincial president of Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Khalifa Abdul Qayyum and Maulana Abdul Salam also attended the preliminary parleys which are considered to be a step towards restoration of peace in D I Khan. The DIG when asked told The News that hopes were high for normalisation of the situation as leaders from the two religious sects had agreed to recommend six members from each side to the proposed committee. He said representatives from the two sides would give names of the persons for the committee by Monday to work for religious harmony. The committee, the official said, would decide about banning provocative slogans and speeches in religious gatherings and signing a memorandum of understanding not to create hardships for the business community. ----------------------------------