LAHORE: Soniah Kamal launched her debut novel An Isolated Incident on Wednesday at Liberty Books. Beginning in Srinagar, Kashmir, the novel takes the reader on a journey, crossing various geographical boundaries as the protagonists, Zari and Billy, search for a home.

After reading out an excerpt from the book, Kamal talked about the “sense of home” that her debut novel explored.

“Since I have lived in several countries, to me home is more than the traditional brick structure. For me, it is the sunshine and rain that I found constant in all the places I lived in.” She talked about her protagonists’ search for home. Zari who is looking for a geographical place, a tangible piece of land to call her own and Billy who is on an emotional journey to find a place where he feels he belongs.

Answering questions from the audience, Kamal also talked about the journey that took place when writing the novel.

“I have been working on this novel for over 10 years,” Kamal told the attentive audience.

She said that she had first conceived the idea as a youth and since then had rewritten it three times. “I matured as a person, too, and there was a lot of research that went into it as well,” she said. Nevertheless, the main storyline remained the same, she said.

Despite the major political shift in the world after 9/11, Kamal chose to set her novel in a world before that. “I thought it would keep the novel focused, and ensure that it remained true to what I planned initially,” she said, while talking to The Express Tribune.

The book has been launched in India and is now being launched in Pakistan and other countries in the subcontinent. It is available in Lahore at Liberty Books, Readings, Variety Books, Ferozesons and Vanguard Books.

Currently, Kamal is working on a collection of short stories and a second novel.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2015.

A Saddar police spokesman said, Ghulam Mustafa, a farmer told them that his donkey had died of an illness on Tuesday night.

He said he had left the body near a dumpster. He told police that he heard some men talking near the dumpster when he was going to the fields early on Wednesday morning.

Mustafa said on closer inspection, he realised that three men were cutting up the cadaver and scratching off the hide. He said he ran back to his village and called police.

The spokesman said a team had been dispatched to arrest the men.

They said when the men saw police approaching, they tried to flee. He said two of them had been arrested but one of them managed to escape.

He said the men, identified as Abu Bakar Haris and Omar Khalid.

They said Usman Aslam managed to flee.

Police said the men were butchers from Bahawalnagar.

He said during interrogation, they had confessed that they had been selling donkey meat for five years.

They claimed that most people could not tell the difference between donkey meat and cow meat if it was properly cut up. They further said several customers had praised them for selling good quality meat.

They told police that the meat sold for Rs800 to Rs1,000 per kg.

They said meat of female donkeys fetched a higher price.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2015.

LAHORE: The formation of the Dolphin Squad, a police unit to check street crime, has been delayed because no SP is willing to join the squad and go to Turkey for training, The Express Tribune has learnt. The chief minister had announced in May that the unit would become operational by the end of the year 2014.

A committee had selected 29 policemen to attend two-month training in Turkey.

The selected policemen are: DSP Arif Mahmood, DSP Mir Kashif Khalid, DSP Shahzad Rafiq, DSP Mahmoodul Hassan, DSP Abdullah Jan, Inspector Muhammad Ghias, Inspector Tajammul Hussain, Inspector Atif Mairaj, Inspector Rehan Jamal, Inspector Mansoor Ahmad, Inspector Nasrullah, Inspector Raza Rauf, Inspector Muhammad Asif, Inspector Khalid Javed, Inspector Imran Haider, SI Farhan Sultan, SI Usman Ali Qadri, SI Muhammad Naeem Anjum, SI Sanawar Hussain, SI Ghulam Rasool Awan, SI Waqas Hassan, SI Muhammad Asim, ASI Farhan Hussain, ASI Waqas Afzaal, ASI Rizwan Shakeel, Head Constable Khurram Shahzad, Constable Muhammad Tauseef and Constable Muhammad Adnan Raza.

Operations DIG Haider Ashraf, SP Umer Saeed, SP Mujahid Zahid Nawaz Marwat and two Turkish police officials, Yucel Bugdyci and Levent Eken, were members of the selection committee.

A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said that none of the SPs in the city was willing to join the force. “The name of SP Marwat has been proposed. However, it is uncertain whether he will join the force or not so far,” he said.

SP Saeed said that 1,200 policemen would be inducted in the force. “The batch of 29 policemen will return to Pakistan after receiving training and then train the rest of the personnel,” Saeed said. He stated that the selected policemen will travel to Turkey within a month.

Head Constable Khurram Shahzad told The Express Tribune that he was very excited on his selection for the Dolphin Squad. “I will return to Pakistan after learning innovative techniques for controlling street crime,” he said.

Inspector Imran Haider said that he was looking forward to receiving training from the experts in Turkey. “I will transfer the knowledge and skills I learn from the Dolphin Unit in Turkey to the policemen selected in Pakistan for the force,” he said.

On May 31, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced the formation of the squad along the lines of the Dolphin Unit in Turkey. He had met a delegation of the Turkish national police, led by Mustafa Ozguler.

He had said that the force would be operational by the end of the year 2014.

Home Minister Shuja Khanzada, the inspector general of police, the home secretary and the Punjab Information Technology Board chairman were also present at the meeting. Sharif had said that Turkish police experts would train master trainers. He said that a command and control centre would be set up in Lahore along the lines of the centre in Istanbul.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2015.

A law officer of the Auqaf Department had filed an appeal against an earlier ruling of a civil judge and an order of the LHC.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Jawad S Khwaja, dismissed the appeal while holding proceedings at the Lahore registry.

The dispute over the land had started when the LHC asked the department in March 2007 not to claim the ownership of the land.

When the department refused, the LHC filed a case before the senior Lahore civil judge through its registrar, seeking the ownership of the land. The case was submitted in the civil court on March 13, 2007. It was decided on July 12, 2007 in favour of the LHC. Judge Abdul Razzaq ruled that the land measuring seven kanals, five marlas and 135 square feet, situated on the northeast corner of the LHC on The Mall was owned by the state and belonged to the LHC.

The department filed an appeal before the Lahore additional sessions judge two days of the judgment. The Auqaf Department had submitted in the appeal that LHC had removed a fence and had built a wall at the boundary of the land towards the mosque. It stated that the water tube-well installed by the department was still in its possession.

Its counsel stated that the disputed land was a trust property gifted to the Shah Chiragh mosque under a notification issued on January 23, 1973. He said the land was in the department’s possession and that water tube-well notification had been issued in its name. He said all electricity connections at the disputed land had been also in the name of the department. He said the department had receipts of rent paid by lawyers who had used the place for functions. He said that the Lahore High Court Bar Association president had paid Rs5,000 to rent the place in 2006 for lawyers who had come from other cities to cast their votes for the elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

After the decision of the senior civil judge, the administration of the Lahore High Court in July 2007 took the possession of the land.

It is being used for parking purposes. A wall was built to separate the land from the building housing administrative offices of Auqaf Department.

Now after the judgment of the SC, the land has been given to the LHC.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2015.

LAHORE: A petition was moved in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday, seeking action against government officials responsible for the Anarkali fire that claimed 13 lives.

The petitioner, Azhar Siddique, claimed that the incident was caused by the failure of several government departments who did not ensure the enforcement of relevant laws.

“The government departments must be directed to ensure the implementation of the relevant laws in letter and spirit to avoid such incidents in future. The Anarkali incident occurred due to the criminal negligence, inefficiency and carelessness of the departments concerned,” he stated.

“In the interest of justice and to protect the lives of citizens, their businesses and properties, a commission should be constituted for fixing the responsibility for the disaster,” he said.

Siddique requested the LHC to order the government departments to explain why they could not control the fire and save the lives.

“Thirteen citizens have lost their lives. The liability in this regard may be fixed in accordance with law. All those who have failed to perform their duties must be identified,” he requested the court.

Siddique requested the court to take penal action against the officials found directly or indirectly responsible for the tragedy.

Siddique has named the National Disaster Management Authority, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, the government, the home minister, the Lahore Development Authority, the district coordination officer, the Walled City of Lahore Authority, the Health Department, the Water and Power Ministry, Rescue 1122, the inspector general of police, the capital city police officer, the Environment Protection Agency and the Anarkali SHO as respondents in the petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2015.

LAHORE: Government College University (GCU) Vice-Chancellor Muhammad Khaleequr Rahman said on Thursday that the varsity would observe its founders’ day solemnly.

He was talking to academic heads at the syndicate committee room. Rahman said the decision had been taken due to the sensitive situation in the country in the wake of the Peshawar carnage. The ceremony marking 150 years of the varsity’s establishment has also been postponed to February.

Rahman said terrorists could not halt the spread of education. He said 2014 had been a year of great academic, research and extra-curricular achievements for the university. Rahman said the GCU had organised 24 conferences last year. “This is a national record,” he said. Rahman said restoration work on the historic clock-tower was progressing. A grant from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had financed the project.

He said the roots of the GCU went back to the establishment of the Government College in 1864 in the city. Rahman said the college was initially affiliated with the Calcutta University. He said there was no university in this part of the world before the varsity’s establishment. Rahman said the college was awarded the status of a university in 2002 and renamed accordingly. He said the college was modelled on the lines of Oxbridge.

Rahman said it had been initially decided to provide all students of the institution with a Rs10 to15 annual scholarship in the formative years of the varsity. He said the annual fee in the first year of the college was Rs2. Rahman said this was deducted from the scholarships of the students.

He said the varsity’s alumni had brought laurels for the nation. These include Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Patras Bokhari, Ashfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudsia, Abdus Salam, Javed Iqbal, Khalilur Rahman Ramday, Nawaz Sharif and Raheel Sharif.  Rahman said the university would continue to keep alive its time-honoured traditions of academic excellence, research and religious tolerance.

The institution was established 151 years ago at the Dhyan Singh Haveli in the Walled City.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

He was speaking at a meeting with organisers of various processions and religious leaders at police lines in Qila Gujjar Singh.

CCPO Wains said police was formulating a comprehensive security plan in this regard. He said police would also take the recommendations of the organisers and religious leaders into account to implement an effective security plan.

CCPO Wains directed senior police officials to liaise with them constantly while devising the plan.

Operations DIG Haider Ashraf said reserve personnel, the Elite Force and the Quick Response Force would secure the processions in the city.

He said police would use all resources at its disposal including walkthrough gates and metal detectors to secure the proceedings. DIG Ashraf also exhorted the organisers and religious leaders to cooperate with the force to ensure the smooth flow of processions.

They told the police officials about some challenges confronting them with regard to securing processions. CCPO Wains issued orders to address their concerns after hearing their reservations.

Admin SSP Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera, City SP Asad Sarfraz Khan and Headquarters SP Umer Saeed were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

The meeting was held to discuss legislative measures for ensuring economic and social protection for home-based workers.

The participants of the meeting, arranged by the HomeNet Pakistan, included parliamentarians and civil society members.

Ume Laila Azhar, the HomeNet executive director, said that her NGO and several other organisations had been working to formalise the profession of home based workers. “Women workers are an important part of the home-based sector. There are around 12 million women among home-based workers,” she said.

“Our main focus is on introducing a policy for home-based workers. A draft law has been awaiting approval of the Law Department since 2012. Passage of the bill will give home-based workers the right to form collective bargaining unions and to social security,” she said.

She also proposed changes to The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act passed in 2010.

“The definition of ‘employers’ in the act should be widened to include middlemen and contractors. Domestic workers and home-based workers should also be covered,” she said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Azhar stressed the importance of ensuring protection against harassment for women workers. “It is more widespread there since it is the informal sector,” she said.

Lubna Faisal, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA, said that a resolution would be passed in the provincial assembly to ensure that any workplace in the industrial sector that had at least 100 women employees should have female inspection officers.

The participants strongly supported the proposal. They said it would provide women with a more comfortable workplace environment.

Other issues facing home-based workers were also discussed at the meeting. These included the issue of access to market. The participants said that women comprised 41.9 per cent of the work force in the Punjab. They said many of them faced difficulty in selling their goods. To solve the problem, the participants proposed a network including district action committees and various NGOs, to allow women access to the appropriate markets. The parliamentarians supported the proposal.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, MPA Kiran Dar said that women parliamentarians would question the Labour Department regarding the incorrect registration of workers and also bring forward resolutions to address the issue of public transport for women.

“The Labour Department has announced it will include women in the decision-making process. This concept needs to be extended to the grassroots level as well,” Dar said.

MPAs Farzana Butt, Farhana Afzal, Shunila Ruth, Saadia Sohail Rana and Dr Nausheen Hamid attended the meeting. Labour leader Hanif Ramey was also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

FAISALABAD: Nearly three dozen people protested against the police on Thursday for failing to arrest a man killed in a shootout.

The protesters gathered on Rajana Road and blocked Rajana Chowk for traffic by erecting blockades.

Talking to newsmen, Hakim Ali Khan, one of the protesters, said Naubahar Khan Gadhi was riding a motorbike when Shahzaib and his brother Tabassum shot and killed him near Chak No.189-GB.

They said the men had an enmity over a property dispute. “We complained about the incident to the police but they have not taken any action to arrest the suspects,” he said.

The protesters chanted slogans against the killers and urged the police to arrest them immediately.

Later, a police contingent headed by Rajana Station House Officer (SHO) Jamshed Ali Chishti reached the site and met the protesters.

Chishti told them that action would be taken again the suspects and they would be taken to task in accordance with law. They protesters dispersed peacefully on receiving the assurance.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Chishti said Gadhi had been a proclaimed offender and was wanted in 19 cases registered at Rajana, Kamalia, Mamu Kanjan and Chitiana police stations.

The SHO said Gadhi had several rivals in and around his locality, Chak 188-GB.

He said he was shot dead while he was returning from Chak 189-GB after getting his motorbike fixed.

He said initially his family had registered a complaint against unidentified suspects and had later nominated two people. He said police were investigating the case.

“If the men nominated by Gadhi’s relatives are found to be involved, they will be arrested immediately,” the SHO added.

He said Gadhi’s body had been sent to the morgue for autopsy.

He said it was returned to the family for burial but they took the body to Rajana Chowk and staged a sit-in.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

LAHORE: Senior police officials have responded unenthusiastically to joining the proposed Dolphin Squad due to lack of monetary incentives and limited prospects for professional growth, The Express Tribune has learnt.

A senior police official said he was not keen on joining the squad due to lack of monetary benefits and prospects for professional growth. “I will not get promoted in the department after joining the squad,’ he said. The official said a two-month training period in Turkey might seem like a God-send opportunity to junior police officials but held little attraction for their seniors.  He said he would rather stay in Pakistan and pursue the mid-career management course instead of joining the force as this would increase his chances of being promoted.

The official said he was not keen on joining the squad due to the time-barred nature of postings there. He told The Express Tribune that an official could only serve there for one-year. The official said it was possible to obtain a two-year extension in this regard.

He said he would prefer to effectively discharge duties in his native province rather than devote energy to creating and working at a new squad without any incentive. “Developing a new squad is not child’s play. You cannot expect one to develop standard operating procedures and proposals, secure approval from concerned departments and burn the midnight oil without providing them with any incentive,” he said.

Another official told The Express Tribune that even some junior officials had responded unenthusiastically to joining the squad and proceeding to Turkey for training. He said they had been ordered to undergo training there in no uncertain terms.  The official said the department had been compelled to relax the selection criteria for the squad as several inspectors were not willing to join. He said the age-limit had been revised from 40 years to 50. The official said a notification had been made in this regard on December 29. The official said the inspectors had been forced to proceed for training following the amendment in the criteria. He said the squad had been conceived to enshrine preventive policing, curbing crime through street patrolling and maintaining order. The official said it had little chance of succeeding. He said this could prove futile as suspects would manage to secure bail from court even if the squad managed to nab them.  The official said it was imperative to involve citizens in crime control initiatives and revamp the investigation and operations of the force to check street-crime. He said blindly aping Turkey was definitely not a solution to the problem.  The official said it was necessary to revamp the judicial system to ensure that criminals do not go scot-free.

CCPO Amin Wains, who is overseeing affairs related to the squad, told The Express Tribune that he would strive to allay the genuine apprehensions of police officials regarding the Dolphin Squad once they were officially placed before him.  He said the selected officials would be posted to the squad on rotation. CCPO Wains said officials were expected to effectively discharge duties irrespective of the department they had been assigned to serve and the squad was no exception in this regard. He said those working in the squad would be provided with a suitable working environment to enable them to focus their energy on curbing crime.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

In Rahim Yar Khan, scores of youth came out on streets and danced to the beat of drums as the clock struck 12 and houses in Jinnah Town, Satellite Town, Sultanpur and Mao Mubarak plunged into darkness as per the regular load shedding schedule. They also sang songs and performed one-wheel stunts in their localities.

Nooruddin Shah, 21, a student, said when power had gone out at midnight, his mother had exclaimed, “Welcome to the new year, which has brought no change to the load shedding crisis.”

He said he had asked his family to join others outside on the streets for the celebrations. “We don’t know if we will ever see the end of load shedding,” he said. “But that should not stop us from enjoying life.” In areas like City Park Chowk, hundreds gathered to pray for the victims of the massacre in Peshawar on December 16. They also prayed for peace and prosperity and the success of Operation Zarb-i-Azb.

“We can only thank God for the blessings of the past year,” said Allah Baksh, 32, cloth salesman. “And we can only pray for a better year ahead.”

Some people had brought food from their homes which they shared with their friends at the celebrations.

Police cars were deployed at major intersections of the city. Some were abandoned as policemen joined youth in the festivities.

In Multan, New Year celebrations were disrupted in areas where residents complained against hooliganism. Here, hundreds of youth lit crackers and fireworks. They also resorted to firing in the air.

In Gulgasht and Cantt, many youngsters were seen performing biking stunts.

Police had constituted 100 teams to deal with hooliganism on New Year’s eve. As many as 30 people were arrested for rash driving, possession of alcohol and disturbing law and order.

In Faisalabad, traffic police arrested 76 wheelie stunt performers and impounded their motorcycles.

Police had set up pickets at D-Ground, Canal Road, Koh-i-Noor and Iqbal Stadium to pre-empt any untoward incident at these places. As many as 11 cars and a van were also impounded.

In Lahore, scores of youths took to The Mall, Main Boulevard Gulberg, Jail Road and Defence.

Roads were blocked in some parts of the city, including the Mall and Jail Road, as commuters rushed to get home. Music and crackers could be heard all night from most areas of the city.

DIG Haider Ashraf had said that three superintendents, 35 DSPs, 84 SHOs and 5,000 policemen had been tasked security duties.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf postponed its dharna (sit-in) in view of the December 16 attack in Peshawar. “We decided that we will not oppose the government on the issue of tackling terrorism,” PTI Punjab president Ejaz Chaudhry said on Thursday. “But that doesn’t mean that we have called it off…we maintain our stance on electoral rigging.” 

Chaudhry was addressing journalists at the PTI Punjab’s office on Thursday. PTI Punjab general secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid and information secretary Andleeb Abbas were also present at the press conference.

He said the decision [to postpone the dharna] had been taken in national interest. “But we may decide to continue it.”

[By putting off the dharna] everyone saw how the party had placed national interest before anything else, he said. “It appears as if the government has failed to learn any lessons from the tragic incident which claimed the lives of 141 people.”

The government was deceiving people in the name of holding talks with the PTI, Chaudhry said. He criticised the government for its “lack of seriousness” regarding the talks. “But be warned,” he said. “We are a strong opposition, capable of reorganising and giving the government a run for its money.”

PTI’s Punjab president said the government had failed to focus on issues that troubled the people. “The PTI played a constructive role in the opposition last year… we upheld the sanctity of people’s votes and launched a national movement.”

On the subject of PTI chief Imran Khan’s decision to call a meeting on January 18, Chaudhry said the event was scheduled to congratulate workers who had struggled for the party in the last few months. Khan will also announce the party’s next move then, he said.

“A lot of our workers who were at the frontline for the dharna were put in prisons,” he said. They will be given certificates for their struggle.

He criticised the recent hike in taxes on petroleum products and said the prevailing gas and electricity load shedding had exposed the government’s performance.

“While the talks option is open, it is unfortunate that the government wasted our time over 21 attempts at talks,” Chaudhry said.

The PTI had made its stance clear from day one but the government had failed to fulfil its commitments, he said. On alleged rigging in NA-124, Chaudhry said there were around 24,000 bogus votes cast there.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

A general house meeting was called to deliberate on the issue. The LHCBA announced that it would call an All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention to devise a strategy to resist the move.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir said there was a need to cooperate with the armed forces in fighting the menace of terrorism. The people of the country gave a massive portion of the national budget to the armed forces each year to help them fight terrorism. “But they couldn’t even protect a school in their own cantonment.”

Jehangir said the judiciary and the democratic setup had its faults but they were still better than martial law or military courts. “These courts cannot resolve conflict.” Under the military, there could be no separation of powers, she said. “The whole system would collapse.”

Jehangir said that the parliament should not wait for the judiciary to declare the amendment illegal. It shouldn’t pass the bill at all.

The first step the government needs to take is to take note of all sympathisers of terrorists from among politicians and within the armed forces. “Everyone knows that the FC is protecting Lashkar-i-Jhangvi in Balochistan. The only solution to the problem of terrorism is the supremacy of civil rule.”

There is no doubt that Pakistan is faced with a severe terrorism problem, but setting up military courts will not change a thing, former SCBA president Advocate Hamid Khan said.

Pakistan had tried and tested military courts since 1958 and nothing good had come of it, he said. “Setting up military courts gives the impression that the attack in Peshawar was the judiciary’s fault.” It was clear that the military and intelligence agencies had failed in gathering intelligence about the attack and pre-empting it, said Khan. The armed forces hadn’t been able to kill any terrorists involved in the attack, the culprits blew themselves up.

Khan said the prosecution was to blame for not collecting enough evidence to bring the culprits to book. Whatever reforms the country needed in light of the war on terror must be taken within the Constitution, he said. “The security and protection the government plans to provide military courts should be extended to judges.” The state has created the impression that protection and security extends to the armed forces and not the civilians. “This is a failure of the state,” he said.

Small militia groups under the banners of Lashkar and Sippah needed to be disbanded immediately, said Khan. “Regardless of their reputation, every organisation that preached a version of militant Islam needs to be disarmed,” he said.

Advocate Tanveer Chaudhry was critical of judges. Today courts act like dictators, he said. “One of the judges took a traffic warden into custody after he asked him to queue up to get a driving licence; another judge ordered four robbers to be shot dead for robbing the house of a civil court judge in Sheikhupura,” Chaudhry said. “An MS was put in handcuffs for not treating an LHC judge’s daughter on priority… Is this a civilian judiciary?” He said the country’s judiciary were acting like core commanders. Advocate Raja Zulqarnain said lawyers would not accept a move to set up military courts. He said politicians and military men provided weapons to the Jamatud Dawa and the Sippah-i-Sahaba. “Why are they protecting hardliners?”

LHCBA’s acting president Amir Jalil Siddiqi said the bar should have announced its view point right after political parties made an announcement in this regard. He said Nawaz Sharif became prime minister because of the Lawyers’ Movement. “We will not let him commit an illegal act.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.

LAHORE: Police on Friday killed four suspected robbers in an alleged encounter in Lahore’s Manawan area, Express News reported.

The four suspects, Amjad, Shakir, Irfan and Usman, had escaped from a jail van in 2008 and were wanted by the police since then.

All four were reportedly involved in serious crimes such as murder and robberies.

Police today found the suspects during a search and killed them in the alleged encounter.

No police personnel were reported to be injured.

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court’s (LHC) division bench on Friday stayed the execution of another prisoner who had been convicted on terror charges and whose appeal had been pending before the Supreme Court.

The bench, while staying the execution of Muhammad Faiz till January 5, summoned the superintendent of Faisalabad jail, who had obtained death warrants for the convict.

It also sought explanation from the anti terrorism court as to how the black warrants were issued when Faiz’s appeal was pending before the Supreme Court.

Faiz had been condemned to death by an anti-terrorism court in 2006, for killing an army official Lance Naik Tariq Mahmood, in Nankana Sahib.

After his death sentence was confirmed by the LHC, Faiz had filed an appeal before Supreme Court, which had granted leave to appeal.

A special anti-terrorism court on December 25, 2014 issued black warrants for Faiz on an application filed by Faisalabad jail superintendent and had fixed January 14 for his execution.

Challenging his execution order, Faiz had pleaded that his appeal was pending before the supreme court and till the apex court rules on his appeal, his black warrants can not be issued.

LAHORE: A debate pertaining to pricing and sugarcane purchases in the province was postponed at the Punjab Assembly on Friday after the Opposition benches pointed out a lack of quorum. The debate was postponed last Friday after the Treasury pointed out a lack of quorum. 

When the debate began, no one from the Opposition benches was present in the house. Sardar Shahabud Din Khan and Ehsan Riaz Fatyana appeared in the House after a few minutes and tried to take part.

Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal initiated the debate and Food Minister Bilal Yasin said the issue had been sorted out. He said the government had set the minimum price at Rs180 for 40kg of sugarcane in the first week of December. He said the difference and fluctuation between the prices of sugarcane set in Sindh and the Punjab had affected the trade in the Punjab and led to much hullabaloo. Once the issue reached the media, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of it and announced that Rs180 for 40kg would remain the minimum purchase price for the Punjab, Yasin said. Two sugar mills out of 42 in the province had refused to buy sugarcane at the rate. They were taken to court for this, he said.

Three other MPAs from the Treasury spoke on the issue. They recommended reducing the sales tax on agriculture tools and gadgets, and amending Sugar Factories Control Act 1950.

However, less than 50 lawmakers had showed up for Friday’s session – 23 of those present were women. Sheikh Alauddin said even though the speaker had earlier announced that the debate on sugar cane pricing was scheduled for Friday, the House appeared uninterested in the debate. He said the number of lawmakers who had shown up for Friday’s session was disappointing. “If it were not for women members, it would appear as if none of us is even interested in the issue.”

Shahabud Din pointed out the quorum with less than 60 lawmakers present.

The speaker said he was disappointed in the Opposition for pointing out the quorum even though he had invited the Opposition members to participate in the debate.

The speaker ordered a break to allow members to return to the House, but the House lacked quorum even after the break. He then postponed the session till Monday afternoon.

‘You’re eating bad food’

Earlier, the question hour covered Finance and Information and Culture Departments.

Food Minister Bilal Yasin said there were several hotels and eateries in upscale localities of the city, even those on MM Alam Road, were serving unhygienic and substandard food to consumers.

Punjab Food Authority was conducting raids and surprise inspections at various eateries across the city but they needed some time before matters could be set right, he said.

Yasin said the PFA had confiscated adulterated spices, ghee, milk, soft drinks and substandard meat in these raids. “The authority has shed light on the extent of deception in the so-called hospitality industry.”

Yasin said the authority was trying to regulate the meat sales in the city. He said the government had established a slaughterhouse at the cost of Rs1.6 billion. “PFA has been facing a lot of political pressure not to conduct raids or take action against those violating the law… We are resisting that,” he said.

Sheikh Alauddin spoke on the alleged use of expired meat by some multinational food companies, a matter over which he had moved an adjournment motion previously.

Yasin said the authority had taken strict action and had sealed the outlets of several multinational eateries and companies found violating the law. “All is certainly not well, but we are trying to set it right.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.

LAHORE: Lahore Bar Association (LBA) is planning to form a committee comprising some former vice presidents from the Model Town seat to settle the issue of illegal construction of lawyers’ chambers on the Model Town court premises. The committee will try to persuade lawyers to demolish the chambers they built last Saturday.

Requesting anonymity, an LBA leader said they would form a committee for the purpose which would request the lawyers to remove their chambers and keep the LBA abreast of the situation. “They will inform the LBA about the lawyers who refused to remove their chambers.” He said they will then move a motion in the LBA’s general house meeting to rescind their membership and try to get their licences cancelled. The LBA will then seek the government’s help in demolishing the chambers.

He said the DCO’s office wanted LBA representatives present at the scene when they demolished the chambers.

LBA representatives said they will not be present at the scene, however, they would ensure that there was no violence. They said they did not want the government to arrest any lawyers.

The DCO’s office responded saying they would not remove the chambers if LBA representatives did not accompany them.

Tariq Zaman, PSO to the DCO office, said it was too early to comment on the matter as the LBA had sought time to solve the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.

“We will achieve victory with the force of unity and rid Pakistan of terrorism,” he told assembly members from various districts.

Sharif said innumerable sacrifices that the Pakistanis had rendered in the war would no go to waste. “We are faced with an extraordinary situation and need to take extraordinary steps to rise to the challenge,” the chief minister said.

He said the National Action Plan was the key to overcoming terrorism that he said was a constant threat to the country’s stability. The plan would bring about peace, he said.

Sharif said the nation was determined to build a safe Pakistan for the next generation. “The terrorists have shed the blood of innocent Pakistanis, including children. It is time for a pay back.”

The chief minister said the achievement of a consensus on terrorism among national leader was a milestone.

“Victory is the only option in the war against terrorism. Brave decisions taken by the national leaders will help eradicate the menace of terrorism,” he said.

Sharif said Pakistan Army was writing a new chapter in the history. He said the nation stood with its armed forces in the testing times.

“The army is playing a key role in fighting the enemies of humanity.”

Saaf Pani

The chief minister said potable water was a basic right. He said the government had, therefore, made a comprehensive plan to provide safe drinking water to citizens.

He was chairing a meeting to review progress on the Saaf Pani Project and the Water Filtration Plants Programme. Housing Minister Tanveer Aslam Malik, Saaf Pani Project chairperson Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, the Planning and Development Board chairman and the secretaries concerned attended the meeting.

Sharif said billions of rupees was being spent for the purpose. He stressed the need for early implementation of the Saaf Pani Project. It was the government’s responsibility to make good use of national resources, he said.

The chief minister said modern water filtration plants were being installed across the province.

Eid Miladun Nabi

Sharif ordered foolproof security arrangements for Eid Miladun Nabi on Sunday. He directed police and administrative officers to supervise security measures and remain in the field. Elected representatives, too, should monitor security arrangements, he said. The chief minister said Eid Miladun Nabi processions should be allowed only after clearance by security agencies. He ordered that CCTV cameras be installed along the procession routes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.

As inspection of NA-122’s election record was completed on Saturday, the two opposing candidates Ayaz Sadiq and Imran Khan launched into a blame game.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who had lost NA-122 to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq during the May 2013 elections, had challenged the results before an election tribunal. The tribunal had subsequently ordered that the votes in the constituency should be audited.

On Saturday, after the audit was completed, Sadiq’s son Ali Sadiq along with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Zaeem Qadri held a press conference in Lahore where they said that Imran’s allegations had been proven to be false.

The tribunal’s verdict on the vote audit is expected on Monday.

“PTI Chief Imran Khan knew that NA122 voters had decided in favor of Ayaz Sadiq and he should refrain from making false allegations against nation’s decision,” Qadri said.

Sadiq said that since balloting was secret, counter-foils cannot prove who voted for who. “But only due to the absence of presiding officer’s stamp and signature, the vote cannot be termed bogus.”

“Imran should follow the course of law and he should trust law enforcing agencies,” Qadri added. “Imran had followed the law in the past and he succeeded in 18 by-elections, he should accept the results of those elections.”

The PML-N leader further accused Imran of trying to divert the nation’s attention from the war on terror. “Around seven billions rupees of the Pakistani nation had been spent on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) sit-ins.”

He added that while Operation Zarb-e-Azb was announced, Imran had tried to diver the nation’s attention.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had declared Zarb-e-Azb entire nation’s war against terror, we all have to fight that war as a united nation to win it, but Imran diverted nation’s attention from the war on terror through his press conferences, people of Pakistan are no longer interested in political talks of Imran.”

He added that the country could ill afford any political chaos,  and urged the PTI chief to refrain from scaring people through political dialouges.

“Let Chaudhry Ejaz and Sheeren Mazari and all thevoters focus on war on terror only,” said Qadri.

“Imran’s display of a fascist attitude during the sit-ins has been rejected by the people.”

Early release of vote audit results is match fixing: Imran

Speaking to the media after arriving in London, the PTI chief claimed that by announcing results of the vote audit prior to the official announcement by the tribunal is ‘match fixing’.

“NA 122 results will be announced on Monday and whoever announced the results before a decision had been made was doing match fixing.”

On his prolonged sit-ins, Imran said that it was the demand of the people. “I had decided to end sit-ins after the Peshawar incident, not under somebody’s influence. It was nation’s decision to be united against terrorism.”

The PTI chief, who along with his party’s parliamentarians had submitted their resignations from the national and provincial assemblies, said that he will consider returning to the assembly after a Judicial Commission is formed.

“Terrorists should have no place in Pakistan. It is a duty of every Pakistani to support the government in bringing peace and harmony to the country,” he added.

He was addressing a press conference. Ashrafi said killing innocent people was a cowardly act. He said those involved in violence in the name of religion should be condemned and brought to justice. He said the killing of 141 people in Peshawar was an attempt to break the nation’s morale. “History will not forgive us if we do not take action against those involved in the massacre,” he said.

He said the Pakistan Ulema Council would celebrate 2015 as a year of peace, love and brotherhood. He said the message would be promoted at all seminaries and mosques in the country. “We will not bow before terrorists,” he said.

Ashrafi said that hate literature and propaganda promoting sectarianism, extremism and intolerance should be banned, adding that effective action should be taken against newspapers and periodicals involved in promoting such practices.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.