LAHORE: Reform and restructuring of the higher education system in the province is among the top priorities of the newly-formed Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC), its chairman Dr Nizamuddin said on Monday.

He was addressing a seminar organised by the Punjab University’s Institute of Social and Cultural Studies on the Role of PHEC in Promotion of Tertiary Education in the Punjab.

PU Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran and Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences Dean Zakaria Zakir attended the event along with a large number of students.

Nizamuddin said that bringing reforms and reorganising colleges would be a tough challenge. “There is need to improve the performance of 516 public sector colleges who have a pass percentage of no more than 30 per cent in the BA examinations. The pass percentage of around 1,500 private colleges is better than 85 per cent at the level,” he said.

He said that the PHEC would ensure the success of four-year degree programmes being run at various public sector colleges. He said that there was a need to revise the bachelor-level commerce curriculum to bring it in line with market needs. “The PHEC will establish academies for professional training of teachers and staff. We will also devise a system for quality assurance at colleges by the PHEC,” he said.

The chairman said that there should be more government colleges along the lines of the Government Home Economics College that offer four-year degrees after matriculation. He also said a technical university would be set up soon. “The three-year degree programme being offered by TEVTA institutions will be upgraded to four-year degree programme. “In Pakistan, only 8 per cent people are able to get higher education. This figure stands at 12 per cent in Bangladesh, 18 per cent in India and 29 per cent in Turkey,” he said.

Dr Kamran said that the higher education system in the province would improve under the leadership of Dr Nizamuddin.

Zakari said that more funds were needed for institutions of higher learning. “The PHEC will promote a research culture at higher education institutions,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

MURIDKE: The family of a man murdered on Monday in Muridke staged a protest demonstration, blocking the GT Road for hours.

Unidentified men shot dead Ashraf Butt of Billah Butt group as he was returning home on his bike after dropping his children at school.

His relatives put the body on the highway and blocked it for traffic. They also fired shots in the air. Hundreds of vehicles travelling towards Gujranwala and Lahore were stuck in the jam.

Some of the protesters also travelled to Lahore and staged a demonstration in front of the Punjab Assembly.

They said that the rival Riasat Kassab group had murdered 13 of their relatives over eight years and that the police had failed to provide them protection.

The traffic remained suspended for nearly three hours. Later, Sheikhupura Investigation SP Rana Mumtaz, CIA DSP Imtiaz Bhalli, Sheikhupura Saddar DSP Malik Tahir Sadiq and Ferozewala DSP Ehsan Elahi talked to the protesters and assured them that action would be taken against the accused. The protesters dispersed then.

The enmity between the Kassab group and Billah Butt group had started on July 13, 2007, when several members of the Butt group allegedly beat up Riasat, a butcher. Brothers Riaz, Akbar, Asghar, Ejaz and Mehmood of the Butt group were murdered over the years. Ashraf, the sixth brother, was shot dead on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

FAISALABAD: A woman was allegedly raped by five people in Khurarianwala on Monday.

Anwar Ali, the woman’s uncle, said his niece was cooking lunch for her husband at their home in Chak 77-RB when her former fiancé Muhammad Sohail and his four unidentified accomplices broke into the house.

They told her to divorce husband.

“When she refused, Sohail and his accomplices raped her,” he said.

He said the woman’s one-year-old daughter was also present at the house.

He said when his niece resisted, they beat her. He said they later fled

Ali said his niece had been engaged to Sohail but the engagement was broken off after it was discovered that he was a drug user.

He said she was later married to Muhammad Ahmad, a resident of Chak 77-RB.

Ali said Sohail had tried to harass her several times after their engagement broke off.

“He used to make threatening phone calls and send her angry text messages,” he said. He said his niece had changed her phone number after she got married and had been happily living with her family.

The Khurarianwala SHO told The Express Tribune that a case had been registered against the suspect and a team had been formed to investigate the matter. He said the woman had been advised to submit a medico-legal report.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

FAISALABAD: A toddler apparently abducted from a gypsy settlement in Ahmad Nagar Chak 225-RB was recovered a mosque in the area

Iqbal Haidar, a maternal uncle of the girl, told The Express Tribune that his sister Shazia Bibi had left her 1.5-year-old daughter Rukhsana in her hut and gone out to get some water.

He said when she returned, the child was missing.

He said she raised an alarm and a number of gypsy neighbours started looking for the child. “They also made announcements through several mosque loudspeakers but in vain,” he said.

He said the gypsy search teams combed the entire area and also went to look for the girl in the fields. He said while they were searching, a mosque in the area made announcements that a child had been abandoned there.

He said the family rushed to the mosque and saw that it was Ruksana.

The mosque administration initially refused to hand over the girl to the family and asked them to first inform the police, he said.

He said Saddar police was contacted and the SHO them to bring the girl to the police station. He said she was taken to the police station where police handed it over to her mother. The Saddar SHO told The Express Tribune that after the girl was handed over to the mother, she did not want to pursue her complaint against the kidnappers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

The expo is part of the Australian Education Roadshow by AEO Pakistan, which will travel to six cities across the country, including Islamabad, Karachi, Multan, Peshawar and Faisalabad. The expo in Lahore was the first event in the series.

Representatives from the University of Melbourne, Canberra Institute of Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Griffith University, Curtin University, University of New South Wales and University of Wollongong were present at the expo.

It started at around 10:30am and ended at 6pm. Scores of students and parents were seen making inquiries and discussing their options in Australia.

Ahmad Pirzada, marketing manager at Navitas, which offers more than 30 university programmes in Australia, US, UK,Canada, Sri Lanka, Singapore and New Zealand, said the company had managed to send nearly 800 Pakistani students abroad.

He said the company offered programmes in as many as 12 universities in Australia, 10 in England and six in the United States.

Muhammad Moiz, an ICS student, said he was interested in pursuing higher education in Australia as the options were better.

“Finances are an issue and we have no idea how much studying abroad will cost,” he said. “This is why I came to the expo, it’s good to have an idea of what is out there.”

Shah Zaman, a BCom graduate, said getting degrees in well-paying fields was also crucial.

“In Pakistan, it is getting difficult to pursue a degree that lands one a good job,” he said.  “This is why so many students look for options abroad,” he said.

CEO and Resident Director of AEO Pakistan Saad Mahmood said students were required to sit a Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) assessment which helped ensure they were serious. He said AEO Pakistan was also an official IELTS test centre.

AEO Accounts and Operations Manager Rizwan Elahi said the consultancy firm held education expos across the country to reach out to students interested in studying in Australia.

The expo now heads for Islamabad after which it will travel to other cities across the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif urged citizens and their representatives on Monday to play their role in fighting terrorism and setting up a peaceful society.

“The terrorists have committed barbaric acts against innocent children and teachers in Peshawar. Due to the sacrifices of the martyrs, the whole nation has united against terrorism,” he said. Sharif was talking to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz office bearers, who called on him.

He said that elements playing with innocent lives would not escape punishment. “Collective decisions taken for the eradication of terrorism are yielding positive results. Pakistan will win the war against terrorism,” he said.

The chief minister said that the dream of a prosperous Pakistan could not be realised without the elimination of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism. “Peace is essential for the promotion of investment. Problems like poverty and unemployment can only be solved by promoting investment and industrialisation in the country,” Shahbaz said.

He said that terrorism had created hurdles in the process of national progress. “Victory is the only option in the war against terrorism. Terrorism will be rooted out from the country through the bold leadership of Nawaz Sharif and the courageous decisions taken by him,” he said.

He said that sincere and serious efforts to rid the country of the menace of terrorism would succeed and terrorists would be held accountable for the blood of innocent Pakistanis. He said that the National Action Plan was effective strategy to cope with terrorism and sectarianism.

“The Punjab government is taking the measures necessary to implement the National Action Plan to eradicate terrorism. The courageous people of the country have rendered supreme sacrifices in the war against terrorism and the efforts to root out this scourge will succeed,” he said.

He said that he firmly believed that all problems could be overcome with commitment and determination. “The Pakistani nation has expressed its resolve to eradicate terrorism on a permanent basis. Promotion of tolerance, restraint and brotherhood is essential for setting up a peaceful society. The nefarious designs of terrorists will be foiled by the unity of the masses,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Foreign Affairs Ministry to provide an updated list of Pakistanis detained in Afghanistan’s Bagram prison by US authorities.

The court also directed the Interior Ministry to inform it about the whereabouts of a man who had been released and repatriated to Pakistan in September 2014 from the prison.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing a petition that the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) had moved on behalf of the families of the Pakistanis detained at the US internment centre in Afghanistan.

Sarah Belal, counsel for the JPP, said Saifullah was yet to reach home although the jail authorities had handed him to Pakistani authorities last year.

She said his family had no information about his whereabouts. She said the court had directed the ministry to provide the lawyer and families of the prisoners an unfettered access to those repatriated from Afghanistan. The counsel said a list of detainees provided by the government was devoid of details.

She said that although the prison had been closed, there might still be some Pakistani prisoners detained in Afghanistan.

Justice Shah directed the ministry to provide the whereabouts of Saifullah. The judge also directed the Foreign Affairs Ministry to provide an updated list of Pakistanis in US custody in Bagram. The hearing was adjourned until February 6.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge on Monday sought comments from the Lower Mall  SHO on a petition seeking registration of a case against a group of lawyers for smearing the petitioner’s face with a shoe polish.

Muhammad Yousaf told the court that a few days ago he had gone to a district court to pursue a car-theft case against Mehmood Akhtar alias Nunah Shah.

He said a group of lawyers, led by Advocate Muhammad Saeed, had confronted him on court premises and asked him not to pursue the case. He said Saeed later slapped him in the courtroom.

“The judge tired to stop Saeed but he continued to threaten me with dire consequences unless I abandoned the case,” Yousaf said. He said Saeed and his accomplices then dragged him to a bar room and beat him there.

“They tied me a necktie and called me a ‘fake’ lawyer to attract other lawyers.” He said they then smeared his face with a black shoe polish and dragged him on the court premises before handing him to Islampura police.

He said police had released him on learning that he was a petitioner and not a fake lawyer. He said he had filed a complaint against Saeed and his accomplices but the SHO did not take any action against them.

He requested the court to direct the SHO to register an FIR against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

The exhibition is part of a photography contest that was arranged last month. The Walled City of Lahore Authority had organised the contest in association with the Lahore Photography Club.

Of the 600 photos received by the organisers, 350 have been displayed in three categories – Architecture, Street Life and Historical Monuments.

The pictures present interesting perspectives, at times illuminating centuries-old corridors with light reminiscent of their former glory. The images of street life not only showcase images of various markets within the Walled City but also intimate moments caught between people.

WCLA DG Kamran Lashari, the chief guest at the inauguration, said the purpose of the exhibition and the contest was to encourage people to get acquainted with historical monuments and culture.

The first prize in the architecture category was awarded to Junaid Ahmed, the second prize to Abdul Rafay and the third to Armughan Nishat.

The first prize for street life was awarded to Amina Yasin, the second prize to Hassan Ahmed and the third to Sher Ali. In the historical monuments category, the first prize went to Hussain Mehmood, the second to Sher Muhammad and the third to Ahmed Ali.

The exhibition  will continue until January 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

Finance Department has written to all departments, instructing them to start working on budget formation for the fiscal year 2015-2016.

“Parliamentarians have also been asked to give their suggestions regarding development projects to be launched in their constituencies. They can give their recommendations to the Finance Department which will forward the requests to the relevant departments. This year’s focus is on welfare and youth-oriented projects,” an official at Chief Minister’s Secretariat told The Express Tribune while requesting anonymity.

“This is the first budget after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek sit-ins. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz leadership is aware that mostly young people participated in the sit-ins. They want to win them over. The laptop scheme has been a success story, but everybody is being asked to brainstorm and come up with more innovative ideas to attract the youth,” a senior PML-N leader said.

“Every year government departments are asked at the end of January to start preparing suggestions for budget-making. What is new this time is that departments and parliamentarians are being asked to come up with new ideas to win over the youth,” he said.

Parliamentary Secretary Rana Arshad said the youth had always been a PML-N priority. “In May 2013 elections, a large number of youth voted for the PML-N. It is not due to the PTI that we are starting projects for the youth. Last year, we organised the youth festival from primary school to the university level. In 2008, we had started an Endowment Fund to provide scholarships to 100,000 deserving students,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

LAHORE: The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) on Monday threatened to go on strike in out patient departments (OPDs) of public hospitals in Lahore if their demands were not met by February 15.

The announcement was made during a seminar at Mayo Hospital. The YDA also took out a protest rally. Around 200 doctors participated in the rally that marched from Mayo Hospital to Neela Gumbad.

YDA’s Mayo Hospital unit general secretary announced that the next demonstration would be held at Shaikh Zayed Hospital Raheem Yar Khan on January 29. He said that the strike at the OPDs in Lahore would be observed at different hospitals on different dates to cause minimal disruption.

YDA president Ajmal Chaudhry accused the government of not implementing the agreed service structure. “The government has not met our demands for induction of doctors in BS-18, for pay raises and for resolution of problems faced by post-graduate trainees,” he said. Health Secretary Jawad Raffique Malik said that they had already moved a requisition for creating 9,000 doctors’ posts. “We are improving the service structure for doctors not due to the YDA pressure, but because it is in the best interests of the Health Department,” he said. Malik said YDA leaders would be briefed in this regard. “We shall brief them about the efforts being made by the department regarding the improvement of their service structure,” he said. He said that the Health Department would address problems faced by doctors at any level.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

LAHORE: Police said on Monday they had killed the prime suspect in the January 2 assault and murder of a five-year-old boy in Green Town when he tried to escape from the police’s custody.

They said Shoaib was being taken to an anti-terrorism court on a police van when he snatched a policeman’s rifle and tried to flee near the Muslim Town underpass on Canal Road.

Shoaib, who had been a barber, was killed in the ensuing encounter, police said.

One of Shoaib’s relatives accused police of killing him in a fake encounter. “He had confessed to killing the boy. Instead of producing him in a court for trial, police killed him in a fake encounter,” he said. The five-year-old was found hanged at a mosque on January 2. A day later, an autopsy report confirmed that he had been raped before being killed. Police had taken nine people, including Shoaib, into custody and carried out DNA and polygraph tests on them. Shoiab was found guilty; the remaining suspects were released. Shoaib had told the media on January 14 that he had coaxed the child into following him when he asked for a Rs5 donation for Eid Miladun Nabi celebrations.

“I told him that I would give him Rs50 if he followed me.” He said he had strangled the boy after raping him.

The barber said he had earlier assaulted four other boys.

Earlier, a video had gone viral on some social media websites in which a prayer leader was seen confessing to the assault and murder in front of police. However, police never vouched for the content of the video.

Later, a probe by the CIA police found the prayer leaders innocent and he was released along with other suspects on the orders of the Anti-Terrorism Court No 2.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

Five suspected terrorists were killed while two others blew themselves up in an encounter with security forces and police in Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday evening, Radio Pakistan reported.

According to initial details, police along with members of security forces carried out a joint operation in Kulachi and Darband areas of Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday.

While pursuing seven suspected terrorists, they exchanged fire with the authorities.

During this encounter, two suspects blew themselves up.

Yasin was presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Price Control Committee at the Civil Secretariat on Monday. Provincial Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed; several members of the provincial assembly; the additional chief secretary; and secretaries of Agriculture, Industries, Livestock, Food, Health and Information Departments attended the meeting.

The industries secretary said petrol was available at 95 per cent of the fuel stations in Lahore and no one was complaining about a fuel shortage. He said 2.5 million litres of petrol was being supplied to    petrol stations daily.

The minister said they would seal the petrol pumps that did not keep full stock ahead of the price decrease.

Officials at the meeting said that they were raiding shops selling edible items at inflated rates. The food secretary said 200 shopkeepers were arrested and fined last week for unethical business practices.

Officials said that it was because of their strict monitoring that the price of LPG had dropped significantly.

Yasin urged the officials to conduct regular inspection raids and take all profiteers and hoarders to task. He said no negligence would be tolerated in this regard.

He said flour in abundance was available at fixed prices in markets. “No one will be allowed to sell flour at inflated rates or create a shortage of wheat in the province.”

The minister said that the Punjab government was working with the federal government to export more than 100,000 metric tonnes of wheat. He said the government had fixed the price of a 20kg bag of flour at Rs760. It was previously being sold at Rs785. He gave directions to the administration to work towards slashing the prices of tea and mobil oil. Livestock and Dairy Development Secretary Naseem Sadiq said the department had launched a massive operation to stop the sale of unwholesome and unstamped meat in the province. He said they were also conducting search operations and sealing illegal slaughter houses. He said 2,935kg of unwholesome meat had been confiscated last month. Sadiq told The Express Tribune that his department had clamped down on the sale of unwholesome meat so that its incidence had dropped by at least 80 per cent. He said the department had launched an SMS service (9211 ) on which consumers could inform the department about sale of carcasses, adulterated, unhygienic or water-soaked meat. He said the short-text message service, launched by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Livestock and Dairy Development Department five days ago, had received an overwhelming response from the public. “We received more than 2,500 meat quality verification messages and over 300 complaints on our toll-free number 080009211.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2015.

DKFAL secretary general Sheikh Saleem says he hopes the DCO will respond positively to the request within a week. “The association has already set standards regarding the manufacture of twine for kites. We celebrated Basant in 2009 under the agreement.”

However, DCO Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman Younis tells The Express Tribune that holding a Basant festival would not be possible this year. “The DKFAL submits an application every year. This does not change the reasons why Basant was banned in the first place.”

The DCO says it is not possible to regulate the types of twine manufactured and sold in the market or to make sure that people stop flying kites after the festival.

“Who will accept responsibility for deaths that take place because of this sport?” He says it is not only the chemical-treated twine or metal wires used to fly kites that are the problem. “Children fall off rooftops because of it.”

The DCO could not provide consolidated figures for the number of deaths that have occurred during earlier Basant celebrations, but maintained that it would be hard to allow Basant celebrations in Lahore this year.

Walled City of Lahore Authority Director General Kamran Lashari says there are several problems with the festival, “but it’s not like they can’t be dealt with,” he says. There are ways to identify and shut down units manufacturing hazardous twine. “We have a large police force and administration. Surely they can implement regulations on manufacturing twine,” he says.

However, Lashari says he does not believe that Basant will return to Lahore soon. “The matter has gone beyond the question of what twine people should use. The media and maulvis have complicated the issue and turned it political.”

Several kite enthusiasts have expressed dismay at the government’s decision to scrap Basant. They say that the government has dealt a serious blow to cultural activity, Lahore once claimed to be the hub of.

Syed Zulfiqar Hussain, a DKFAL member who used to organise Basant events, says the last time Basant was celebrated five million people participated in it.

He too agrees with Lashari that the issue has become a political one. “It is no longer about flying kites anymore.” Last year, the government announced Basant celebrations at Changa Manga but cancelled those at the last minute citing security concerns.

He says the DKFAL has not reached an agreement this year with the government with regard to the type of twine or size of kites to be used for Basant celebrations. These are the two problems cited most often as the cause of deaths.

“This government seems to have taken the issue to heart,” says Saleem.

However, the government will celebrate the advent of spring like it does each year.

“We have planned a Jashan-i-Baharan for March,” Younis tells The Express Tribune.

For kite lovers, though, celebration of spring is incomplete without kites. “No other activity can take the place of Basant,” says Lashari. “Basant has 200 years history in Lahore. No replacement festival can compete with it.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.

Six-year-old Salman, four-year-old Sania and 18-month-old Poonam are currently living with their maternal grandfather. Shama was expecting another child when she was killed. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the children a day after their parents were murdered and announced Rs5 million financial assistance and 10 acres of land for the three children. He promised free education and health as well. The deed to the land has been transferred to the children but the cheque for Rs5 million is lying with the Kasur DCO, who must hand the cheque to the children’s guardian.

A court battle for custody of the children is underway. The claimants are Mukhtar Masih, the children’s maternal grandfather, their maternal uncle Yasin Masih, their paternal uncle Iqbal Masih and Advocate Sardar Mushtaq Gill of the Legal Evangelical Association Development. The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau has also filed a petition seeking custody of the children till the court decides who to hand over the children to.

The petitions have been filed before Lahore Guardian Court Judge Muhammad Amin Shehzad. The next date of hearing is February 6.

The court battle for custody has pitted the relatives against each other. All of them claim to be the children’s rightful guardians and have resorted to mudslinging in their bid to prove that they have the children’s best interest at heart.

Yasin Masih has said that his father is an “an old, weak and ailing man” who is dependent on his children for his own sustenance and is therefore not the right person to be guardian of the three children. He said that his father married twice. He said he and Shama were his children from his first wife, Bashira Bibi. He said his father had seven children from his second wife, Taj Bibi. “My father can’t look after himself. How will he take care of three children?” Yasin Masih said that he was young and better equipped to raise the children in a suitable environment. Therefore, the court must declare him the rightful guardian of the children and their properties.

In response, his father has said that Yasin Masih has no locus standi and is concealing key facts.

In reply to Yasin’s application, his father Mukhtar has submitted that he has concealed facts in his application and has no locus standi to file the application against him. He said, “The application is bad in its apparent form, and should therefore, be dismissed.”

The CPWB, in its application for custody, has requested custody of the children till the court takes a final decision regarding who to hand over the children to.

Shahzad’s elder brother Iqbal Masih has said that the children have lived with him since birth. He says their maternal grandfather took them after Shama and Shehzad’s funeral. “I have asked Mukhtar several times to send the children back but he refused.”

Iqbal Masih’s petition says if he is not given custody of the children, he would “suffer irreparable loss and injury”.

Advocate Mushtaq Gill, on behalf of the Legal Evangelical Association Development, an NGO, has said that his organisation works with children, families, communities and churches of various denominations to overcome poverty and injustice.

He says it has decided to intervene because there is a dispute among the families of the deceased over custody of the children. He says if the court hands the children over to the CPWB, they would be deprived of Christian teachings and religious atmosphere children are entitled to. He says if the dispute over custody lingers, the children’s welfare would be affected.

The children’s paternal family are protestant while the maternal side are catholic. He says Shama had been baptised according to catholic rites and rituals. “Therefore the catholic community is concerned about the children’s welfare.”

This was why LEAD wanted custody of the children, he explained. If the court did not give them permanent custody, they would settle for temporary custody till the case was disposed of.

CPWB Chairperson MPA Saba Sadiq told The Express Tribune that they had requested custody of the children since their families were fighting over them. The chairperson said they wanted temporary or permanent custody for their welfare. “Iqbal Masih is not letting anyone meet the children,” Sadiq said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Mukhtar said one of Iqbal’s sisters-in-law had left her children to marry someone else. “Iqbal never stepped forward to take care of her children. Why does he want custody of Shahzad’s children?” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.

Sarfaraz, a resident of Thathi Raju, had attacked Aziz Bibi, his wife, with an axe on Monday. Bibi was taken to Sahiwal THQ Hospital after police had registered a case. Aziz Bibi’s brother said no staff was present at the hospital. He said she had been taken to Sargodha DHQ Hospital later. Bibi’s brother said she had been taken to Allied Hospital after being treated at the hospital. He said doctors from Allied Hospital had said that her condition was critical. Bibi’s brother said no medico-legal certificate had been issued by the hospitals. Sahiwal THQ Hospital MS Qazi Amanullah said the certificate should have been issued at the Sargodha DHQ Hospital. Sargodha DHQ Hospital In-charge Naeem Sheikh said the certificate should have been issued at the Sahiwal THQ Hospital.  Sahiwal Investigation SI Amanullah said it was peculiar that the hospitals were not facilitating the investigation. He said the victim was paying the price for their negligence.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.

They had filed an appeal against their conviction. The counsel for defence argued that the Prosecution Department had not produced an eyewitness. He said there was a contradiction in autopsy report and the witnesses’ statements.

The bench allowed the appeal and set aside the conviction.

The bench also acquitted another convict Shoaib on similar grounds.

A Faisalabad sessions court had sentenced him to death for killing a man in 2009.  Shoaib’s counsel said that the trial court had acquitted three nominated suspects and convicted his client even though he had not been nominated by the police. The bench accepted the arguments and acquitted him.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.

Police said Ahsan and his friend had kidnapped Abdullah from near his house in Shah Rukn-i-Alam Colony on January 19.

They had taken him to Khanewal and murdered him on January 23 after his mother Rehana Bibi failed to pay the Rs10 million ransom they had demanded.

The kidnappers told police they had wanted the money to go on honeymoon.

Zarnab, one of Abdullah’s cousins, told The Express Tribune Rehana had gone shopping for her son’s birthday when he was kidnapped from near their house.

Rehana, a schoolteacher, had lodged an FIR with Shah Rukn-i-Alam police and started borrowing money for the ransom. She was able to arrange Rs10,000 only.

The kidnappers said they had killed Abdullah on learning that police were following them. Police arrested them on Monday and recovered Abdullah’s body from a canal in rural Khanewal.

According to an autopsy report, the boy had been strangled.

Separately, scores of residents of Shah Rukn-i-Alam staged a protest demonstration at Gaddafi Chowk in Multan to protest the murder.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Punjab president Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said on Tuesday that opposition parties should contest the upcoming senate elections together.

He was speaking to reporters after calling on Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on behalf of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Wattoo said he was keen on joining forces with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in this regard.

Wattoo said the time was ripe for all opposition parties to join hands to offset the impact of the government’s incompetence and poor governance.

He took exception to reports suggesting that the government had been altering the beneficiary list of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). Wattoo said the government should desist from doing such a thing.

He said the programme was a landmark initiative of the PPP for women empowerment. He said the programme was a flagship social security project for those at the end of the food chain. Wattoo said the PPP and the PML-Q would remain in touch.

Hussain said matters of state could not be run without the cooperation of the opposition.

He emphasised the importance of an understanding between the government and the opposition.

Hussain critisised the government for dropping several public welfare projects initiated by the PML-Q government only as they had been inaugurated by former deputy prime minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. He praised General Raheel Sharif’s visit to the United States of America, the United Kingdom and China. Hussain said he had visited IDP camps being run by the army and was satisfied with the arrangements made there.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.