DAWN / NEWS International, Karachi 11 May 1998 Monday 1 4 Muharram 1419 Altaf sacks five key figures from MQM HYDERABAD: Five frontline leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have been sacked from the organisational set-up by party chief Altaf Hussain, who has summoned them to London, well-placed MQM sources told The News on Sunday night. Those who were removed from the organisational committee included Anis Qaimkhani (Hyderabad), Anis Ahmed, Irshad Kamali, Dr Aslam (Mirpurkhas) and Wasey Jalil (Karachi). Addressing the MQM workers in Karachi, Altaf Hussain said that on various complaints, the party had suspended five key figures, including office-bearers, from the party, who were dealing with matters pertaining to organisational matters. All five leaders, considered to be members of the kitchen cabinet and close aides of MQM founder Altaf Hussain, have been asked to rush to London for further investigations, as the matter is being probed into by the MQM chief at the party's International Headquarters. When approached by this scribe, a central MQM leader confirmed the report without unfolding the punitive action, and said that as the matter was of sensitive nature, he did not want to comment on it. ---------------------------------- Biharis' leader in BD criticises Farooq's visit DHAKA, April 10: The leader of stranded Pakistanis here on Sunday criticised the visit of a Sindh minister and distribution of relief goods by him in camps. Nasim Khan, in a strongly-worded statement said the intention of Sindh Minister Dr Farooq Sattar was "to create Karachi and Hyderabad-like situation in Bihari camps by supplying arms and patronising anarchy and vandalism." The local newspapers, which alleged that Dr Sattar was on a 'secret mission', have doubted the purpose of his visit, although he told a press conference that he and his four-member team had come to Bangladesh to distribute relief goods among the stranded Pakistanis living in 66 camps. Mr Khan said the Sindh minister and members of his team, who had come here to distribute relief materials on behalf a Middle East-based Muhibban-i-Pakistan Overseas, were chased out of camps in Dhaka when they wanted to distribute old cloth, purchased locally, among the stranded Pakistanis. English daily The New Nation said on Sunday that "although Sattar came to distribute relief goods among the Biharis, activity of the team was found confined mainly to the implementation of the aims and objectives of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement." The paper said Dr Sattar, during his stay in Dhaka, had received a phone call from Altaf Hussain. Dr Sattar and his team left Dhaka on Saturday. ---------------------------------- Shourang Khan arrested KARACHI: Officials of the CIA South, Karachi, in a raid on Sunday arrested the notorious drug smuggler Shourang Khan from the Gadap area after a shootout, sources in CIA police told The News. ---------------------------------- Intermediate exams: Rangers to be deployed at centres KARACHI, May 10: Rangers will be deployed at all colleges and schools that have been declared centres for the Intermediate examinations commencing on Tuesday (May 12). According to the chairman of Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), Karachi, Dr Fahimuddin, a high-level meeting on Monday will finalise security arrangements for the exams that are expected to last until end of June. The meeting will be attended, among others, by commissioner, two deputy commissioners, director-general of rangers and the BIE chairman. Around 150,000 students will be appearing in the two phases of exams at 90 exam centres. The BIE chief said he would request the meeting that at least two rangers be deployed along with some police personnel at each exam centre. He said the board had conveyed to the authorities concerned that there was a need for comprehensive security arrangements at the centres, particularly at those declared hypersensitive in some localities following disturbances there in recent days. He said the board had finalised all arrangements at its end and the threat of teachers' boycott was no more there as the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association had announced that they would supervise the exams. The BIE chairman appealed to principals and teachers to cooperate with the board in the conduct of exams and added that the services of primary teachers would be acquired in case the college teachers boycott the exams at any stage. Speaking on the unruly incident that took place at the board office on Saturday, the BIE chief said around 30 unidentified youth smashed the windscreens and mirrors of around 20 cars. Many of these cars, he said, were of visitors, and added that police were not present on the premises when the incident took place. He said the police, which claimed that they reached the scene after five minutes of the incident had arrested four persons in this connection. Asked whether the board had lodged any FIR of the incident, the BIE chairman said he had a sent a report of the incident to the police and asked them to come up with their findings at the earliest. He said the Sindh governor, who is controlling authority of the board, had expressed concern over the incident and had told him on Sunday at his office (the BIE offices also remained opened) that he wanted the findings of the investigations being carried out by the police. Meanwhile, Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association has condemned the acts of hooliganism at the board office. In a statement, the association also criticised the board for violating its calendar by continuing to receive forms when exams were hardly a few days away. The Islami Jamiat Talaba has also condemned the incident and claimed that a number of students received injuries as a result of ransacking by the activists of a student organisation. According to police, four students, who were arrested on Saturday in the Board of Intermediate Education for hooliganism, will be produced before the magistrate by the police for obtaining their remand. An official of the North Nazimabad police station said that the four students, identified as Syed Musharraf Hussain, Ashfaq ur Rehman, Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Naeem, were arrested for attacking private and public property. They were booked under sections 147, 148, 148 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The official said the arrested students along with others had damaged at least 15 cars parked in the board office. He said the trouble started when some students went unruly after their examination forms were not accepted by the BIE officials. ---------------------------------- Society infested with brutality, barbarism: Kalbe Sadiq KARACHI, May 10: Eminent theologian and scholar Dr Kalbe Sadiq was the chief guest and main speaker at a meeting arranged by the National Association of Business, Professional and Agricultural Women on Saturday. Speaking on the concept of sacrifice in Islam, Dr Sadiq said that justice, knowledge and wisdom are the very basis of Islam, and all men and women without any discrimination, if endowed with these qualities, are equal before God. Male chauvinism, he said, negates the very basis of justice and is un-Islamic. "I have spent my entire life in defending the cause of women," Dr Sadiq claimed and said women are the builders of a nation and it is the quality of their character which determines the quality of a nation. "It is a universal truth that everything born on earth sacrifices its existence to help create something better," Dr Sadiq said, adding, but man is born supreme, is perfect in every way and is not required to sacrifice himself. All that he is required to do is to submit himself before the will of God and sacrifice his life, property and everything he holds dear to fulfil God's will whenever required, he said. He eulogised the supreme sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) whose men and women coming from all ages gave their lives and suffered soul-stirring torments. "They did not do so for any personal cause but did so in defence of an entire system, a 'Deen' so dear to themselves. Wars are waged for personal gains but Jehad is performed to serve the humanity and create a better social order. This is what sacrifice means," Dr Sadiq said. He lamented the brutality and barbarism so rampant in our society, adding tolerance is the very basis of Islam. Prof Hasnain Kazmi, the other speaker of the evening, said that since the Pakistanis had avowed to build an Islamic state and later failed to fulfil their commitment, they have fallen into bad times. Prof Shahida Hasan and Fatema Hasan recited their 'Salams'. Ms Shamim Kazmi, President of the Association, having 18 branches actively working in all the provinces of the country, briefly introduced her organisation whose purpose is to support women in their economic activities and to use their faculties for their own and their families benefit. ----------------------------------