Karachi News


DAWN/The News International, KARACHI	18 November 2008, Tuesday, 17 Ziqaad 1429

www.karachipage.com (click on underlined key-words/dates to get more details)
Saleem Shahzad returns
London meeting with PPP was a success: Sattar
Head constable killed in targeted shoot-out
Fake bankers robbing houses
MPAs barred from holding session in Sindh PA
Gilani still facing two NAB cases (more)
Taseer badmouths media, anchorpersons (more)
Geo blocked, govt clueless (more)
Suicide bomber kills 4 soldiers in Swat (more)
3 militants killed in Bajaur (more)
‘Pakistan aided Isaf in attack on its soil’
Taliban spurn Karzai’s talks offer (more)
Friends adopt plan to help Pakistan (more)
Saleem Shahzad returns
Three Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders, including two Rabita Committee members, Saleem Shahzad, Anis Kaimkhani and Qasim Ali Zia have returned from London after remaining in self-exile for over a decade.

MQM sources talking to The News said that the three were received at Karachi’s Quaid-e-Azam International Airport by MNA Shoaib Bukhari. Shahzad had returned to Pakistan last year after a gap of nearly 15 years to attend his mother’s funeral. He, however, left the country after only one day. Twice elected an MNA, Shahzad, who had also been nominated as an accused in the infamous Major Kaleem case, fled the country during the Army operation against the MQM in the early 1990s.

An MQM spokesperson stated that Shahzad’s return, along with two other MQM leaders based in London, is part of an effort to strengthen the party’s operational and organizational structure as well has improve the working of the Rabita Committee. The spokesperson, however, shot down the possibility of their return being a prequel to a major shake-up within the party’s ranks. Shahzad had also been in the centre of controversy after the MQM had taken disciplinary action against him back in 2003.

London meeting with PPP was a success: Sattar

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) reached a viable working understanding with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) during a recent meeting in London between two PPP leaders and MQM founder Altaf Hussain, claimed Deputy-convener MQM Rabita committee Dr Farooq Sattar.

While talking to The News on the sidelines of an event in North Nazimabad, Sattar quelled the notion that there had been no material outcome from the London meeting. On the contrary, Sattar termed this meeting a success and a great achievement.

Replying to a question as to why two junior ministers were resolving issues when Altaf Hussain had previously been meeting with PPP chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for the purpose, he acknowledged that Zardari had his own pressing engagements after assuming the mantle of president.

However, despite Dr Sattar’s optimism, there is yet to be an announcement regarding issues of contention between the MQM and PPP, including the local government system and the induction of MQM legislators to the federal cabinet. There have also been no concrete steps taken by the PPP to address apprehensions of the MQM regarding the targeted killings of its workers and the presence of the Taliban in Karachi.

Meanwhile, Altaf Hussain, during his telephonic address last night in North Nazimabad, reiterated his apprehension regarding Talibanisation saying that Karachi had been encircled by illiterate armed men who pose a serious threat to the security of the city.

Senator Babar Ghauri, in his address, mentioned the fear of rising street crime and the victimisation of residents of North Nazimabad. He reiterated Altaf’s call to purchase guns and arms licenses for self-defence, stating: “We have the right to self-defence under the UN Charter.”

Though the issue of the induction of MQM legislators into the federal cabinet is yet to be resolved, Senator Ghauri, himself a ministerial candidate, said in his address that, “MQM does not care about the ministries; we care about the masses and the middle-class.”

Head constable killed in targeted shoot-out

A Head Constable was gunned down in a targeted shoot-out in Jamshed Quarter police limits on Monday. Gohar Ali, 40, was shot dead, when unidentified people in a car opened fire at him near Patel Para in Jamshed Quarter police jurisdiction, while he was returning to his residence from his duty.

After the incident area people informed the police who shifted the body to the Civil Hospital for autopsy. According to the police, deceased was posted in Brigade police station as a Head Constable and lived in Gulbahar police Quarters. The deceased left behind a widow and three children.

The police claimed that the incident was a planned targeted killing. The murderers were waiting for the deceased at the spot and as soon he reached there they attacked him and fled.

ACCIDENT: A man was killed and another was injured in road traffic accident. Khadim Hussain, 35, and Ashraf, 45, were injured, when a speeding truck (KT-068) collided with their speeding car (ATZ-840) at Super Highway in Gadap police limits, while they were going towards Hyderabad. The injured were shifted to Baqai Medical Hospital in critical condition, where during treatment Khadim succumbed to his injuries.

Fake bankers robbing houses

A new development has taken place recently in the world of crime: a group of young men and women are robbing people while pretending to be bank sales representatives.

According to information received at The News office, Siddiq (real name withheld on request) was robbed inside his house located in Liaquatabad. According to Siddiq, a group of con artists had come to his house and introduced themselves as a local bank’s representatives. The youngsters spoke expertly about the ‘packages’ they were offering and asked detailed questions about the family such as the number of member in the household and the professions they were involved in.

They then began to introduce the so-called packages offered by the ‘bank’ they pretended to be affiliated with. During the conversation, one of the robbers suddenly pulled out his weapon and held the family hostage.

“The gang stayed for a number of hours at my house,” said a worried Siddiq. “They picked each and every valuable item from my house, along with the cash that was available at my place. Then they managed to leave my house without any difficulty.” The family is still in shock after the incident. Revealing details of the incident, Siddiq said that his family were considering the beneficial aspects of the packages offered by the bank’s representatives and had started being convinced by them, but before they knew it, they realised that they had been cleverly led into a trap.

Meanwhile, Liaquatabad police denied the occurrence of any such incident and instead claimed that no FIR had been lodged in their police station in this regard. “We cannot take any action against suspects as we do not have any proper complaint filed at the police station,” said a police officer. He specified that in order for the police to take action, the family should lodge an FIR and describe the suspects’ appearances. “We need details of the incident, something only the affected family can provide us with, especially if they tell us the number of people that came and whether they possessed identity cards of any bank,” he added.

The police official told The News that in fact it was the family’s own irresponsibility that allowed a group of strangers to enter the house without any identification, whereas it is obvious that strangers should not be allowed in at any cost. “Everyone knows that criminals these days are using new tactics and it is becoming increasingly difficult for the police to handle such cases because several victims do not report the crime or disclose information about the robbery with the police,” he added. “If victims keep the police in the dark, they are only helping the criminals.”

MPAs barred from holding session in Sindh PA

On the order of the Sindh governor, the Karachi administration on Monday morning completely cordoned off the Sindh Assembly and did not allow the provincial assembly members to hold the session.

Not a single person was allowed to enter the Sindh Assembly building could not attend their offices as Chief Court Road was completely closed from both sides since 7 am. The 52 members, including a minority member, staged a sit-in at the Arts Council roundabout just at the corner of the Court Road.

The local administration had deployed heavy contingent of police, in particular policewomen to block the roads from both ends leading to the Sindh Assembly were also blocked by water tankers, iron barricades and barbed wires.

— News selected by Saeed Mohiuddin, Reference Library filed by our correspondent, The News

Gilani still facing two NAB cases

ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is still facing two National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases about misuse of powers although the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) has terminated all cases registered between 1986 and 1999.

NAB sources told Dawn on Monday that the PM’s lawyer had filed appeals against his conviction in two cases by NAB courts but so far he had not submitted to the court that the cases should be quashed under the NRO.

“Actually all cases falling under the NRO are terminated by relevant courts,” NAB Chairman Navaid Ahsan told Dawn.

However, sources said there was no indication in the NRO that such cases would be dissolved by courts.

On Feb 11, 2001, Mr Gillani was sentenced to 10-year jail term and fined Rs100 million by the National Accountability Court on charges of irregularities in recruitment to the National Assembly Secretariat during his 1993-96 tenure as the Speaker of the National Assembly.

In another case, he was charged with having 15 official cars for personal use. Lawyers of the prime minister had challenged the conviction in 2001 and a division bench of the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, on Oct 7, 2006, granted him bail in both cases and directed the authorities concerned to release him on submission of two sureties of one million rupees each. These appeals have since been pending.

The sources said politicians, especially those belonging to the PPP, have themselves set precedence of seeking relief from the court despite their cases having been automatically terminated under the NRO.

Taseer badmouths media, anchorpersons

RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Sherry Rehman on Monday deplored the closure of Geo transmissions in Karachi and its suburbs citing some problems at the source of the cable network as the main cause of its going off air.

She was speaking in Geo TV’s talk show “Capital Talk”. Clips of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s conversation with Atiqa Odho were also shown by the programme host Hamid Mir wherein the governor vented his anger towards the TV channels saying the media in Pakistan has crossed all limits and become a monster.

Salmaan Taseer said the entire country had come under the clutches of the media, as “it does not let any government work smoothly.”

He went on to say that anchorpersons of these TV channels think of themselves as some godly figures. He said if they (TV anchorpersons) were in the West, they would have long been handcuffed and arrested.

He said the private TV channels disseminate disinformation. He said the anchorpersons do not take care of others’ respect and talk non-sense. They made people dance in front of the camera.

He said in Pakistan there are no Madhuri Dixits, Amitabh Bachans and Aishwarya Rais and that was the reason why these channels are popular among the people. The information minister however struck a different note saying her government did not believe in clamping sanctions on the media. She said there were some elements outside the government who off and on counselled it to bring the media under its control.

The information minister said it was the same day (November 17) last year when TV channels’ transmissions were scuttled by the then dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Sherry Rehman said that TV channels had the right to complain and the media freedom was the central point of the Pakistan People’s Party’s philosophy.

Besides Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal, columnist Irfan Siddiqui and Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Mazhar Abbas also participated in the programme.

Mazhar Abbas said besides Geo, another TV channel’s transmissions were also forcibly put off air in Lahore. He regretted that the policy of putting TV channels’ transmissions off air had become a norm. Those with power are closing them down on their personal likes and dislikes, Mazhar Abbas regretted.

He said in Karachi recently, a magazine and a newspaper were banned. The PFUJ secretary general said the media’s job is to point out problems and suggest their solution and it is doing its job responsibly.

Senior columnist Irfan Siddiqui said in Pakistan the media is powerful enough to defend itself. “Today, TV channels are blocked in Karachi but the whole country is condemning this act.” He wondered if the government was not behind this anti-media act then whether it was Baitullah Mehsud or India behind it. He demanded the hidden hand behind closing down TV channels should be exposed. Karachi Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, talking over telephone, said the MQM opposed the closing down of the TV channels’ transmissions and took serious notice of it.

Geo blocked, govt clueless

KARACHI: Transmission of Geo New was blocked in most parts of the Karachi and several other cities across Sindh on Monday, the network said. “Geo transmission is stopped on cable in Karachi,” the network reported.

Geo said its transmission was also stopped in several other cities of Sindh including Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas. It said the authorities were not giving any reasons for the closure.

Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said she was unaware of the closure adding the action has not been taken by the People’s Party government. “It is surprising, sad and condemnable,” Marri told Geo television. She said the government has not issued any such instructions (to close Geo News transmission).

In Islamabad, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) denied any role in the closure and said it is holding an inquiry. Pemra in a press release said it has taken a very serious note of suspension of the distribution of its licensed channels “Geo News” and “ARY One World” on November 17, on cable TV networks in Karachi and some areas of the interior Sindh.

“Pemra got the transmission restored immediately and has taken prompt action against the defaulting cable operators,” the press release said. It said show cause notices have been issued to them and necessary investigation is underway.

“This is to assure all concerned that the Authority shall ensure strict legal action against the violators”, Pemra said. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that he will take strict notice of banning the transmission of private TV channels in Sindh as soon as he returns to Islamabad.

While talking to the media at Quetta airport, the PM said that the government has cancelled all the black laws, which were claiming the freedom of the media. He said that he did not know the reason why the transmission was banned. However he would ask the Ministry of Information regarding the issue.

The premier said that Pakistan People’s Party sacrifies a lot for the freedom of the judiciary and the media. When ex-president Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency in the country, the martyred Chairperson of the PPP, Benazir Bhutto, arrived in Pakistan within three hours and called for the meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the party.

He said the meeting of the Central Executive Committee was held three times in 10 days to formulate modalities for the freedom of media and situation of emergency. The PM said that during the Long March, for the freedom of media and judiciary, he himself was arrested and his house was declared a sub-jail and after such sacrifice he could not allow anyone to hold hostage the freedom of the media.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman said on Monday that the government had not ordered to stop the transmissions of any channel. She said closure of transmissions is the negation of the government’s policies about freedom of the media. She said the government is investigating the reasons behind the disconnection of Geo programmes.

PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain condemned the closure of Geo’s service and demanded its restoration. Geo and other news channels were shut down on November 17, 2007, when former president Pervez Musharraf had declared emergency in the country.

Geo television reported that other channels of Geo network were also shut in Karachi and other cities.

Our correspondent from Lahore adds: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad has condemned the blockage of transmission of several private news channels, including Geo and ARY, in Sindh.

In a statement issued on Monday, Qazi cited some reports that the blockage was a conspiracy hatched by the Sindh government’s political ally, which was pressurising the cable operators. He said such a condemnable action was tantamount to suppressing the freedom of the press. He demanded of the government to take immediate action and restore the transmission of the affected news channels.

Suicide bomber kills 4 soldiers in Swat

MINGORA: Four security personnel were killed and three others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into Gashkor checkpost in Khwazakhela tehsil of Swat Valley on Monday.

Four civilians also received injuries in the incident while same number of others were hurt when security forces personnel opened fire immediately after the suicide hit. Sources said a 20-year-old suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the newly built checkpost, leaving four soldiers dead and three others injured. Four civilians also suffered injuries in the suicide attack. Separately, Taliban militants slaughtered one Yaqoob Khan, who was kidnapped from Didpanai area of Matta on Sunday.

3 militants killed in Bajaur

KHAR: Three militants, including an important commander, were killed when security forces targeted their suspected hideouts in Saparay and Kaga areas, while clashes between the militants and the tribal Lashkar continued in different parts of Mamond Tehsil of the troubled Bajaur Agency on Monday.

Security forces pounded the suspected positions of the militants in Saparay and Kaga areas of Mamond Tehsil with artillery and gunship helicopters, killing a prominent militant commander Shahzada and two others, whose names could not be ascertained.

Sources said the areas of Mamond Tehsil were in the grip of high tension due to continued clashes of the militants and armed men of the tribal Lashkar. In Inayat Kellay, a tribesman was injured and several houses were damaged when the militants encircled the tribal elders and started firing on them. The elders returned the fire, which continued for several hours.

Meanwhile, three separate Jirgas of tribal elders from Barang, Arang and Utmankhel Tehsils were held in Civil Colony Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur Agency, where 20 alleged supporters of militants were handed over to the political administration.

The sources said the grand Jirga of elders of Barang area was attended by more than 500 tribesmen.Addressing the Jirga, assistant political agent of Nawagai Tehsil Muhammad Jamil Khan and Tehsildar Saz Muhammad said that the government wanted peace and development in the area, therefore, the tribesmen must cooperate to ensure speedy uplift of the agency. During the Jirgas of Arang and Utmankhel Tehsils, assistant political agent Iqbal Khattak handed over a list of 18 wanted persons to tribal elders.

‘Pakistan aided Isaf in attack on its soil’

ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The Pakistan military helped the western forces based in Afghanistan attack a position in Pakistan used by militants after an Isaf post was hit by two rockets fired allegedly by militants from inside Pakistan.

According to a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, militants pounded an Isaf base in Paktika on Sunday, leading to the coordinated artillery strike into Pakistan.