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Literature: Four blasphemy suspects declared proclaimed offenders

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LAHORE: Additional District and Sessions Judge Mian Shehzad Raza declared four blasphemy suspects proclaimed offenders on Friday for not appearing in court. The suspects had earlier been granted after-arrest bail by Lahore High Court.

The district and sessions court also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the suspects and ordered action under Section 514 (forfeiture of bond) of the CrPC against their guarantors.

The court earlier issued notices, bailable arrest warrants and non-bailable arrest warrants against the suspects for not turning up in court. On Friday, the court declared the suspects, members of the Ahmadia community, proclaimed offenders under Section 87 of the CrPC. Judge Raza directed the court ahalmad to initiate proceedings to seize the sureties submitted by the guarantors. The Islampura SHO and complainant were told to submit a report on suspects’ moveable assets by March 3.

The suspects were accused of publishing blasphemous literature at the Black Arrow Printing Press on January 7, 2013. The suspects applied for after-arrest bails in the sessions court but Additional District and Sessions Judge Shaukat Nadeem dismissed them. They approached the Lahore High Court which granted them bail. They told the court that they were innocent. They said the police had arrested them without a warrant after the complainant called the 15 hotline. Complainant’s counsel Mustafa Chaudhry said the suspects were planning to distribute the material in a market. Muhammad Tayyab filed a blasphemy complaint under Sections 295-B and 298-C of the PPC and 24-A of the PPO against four people working in binding and lamination department of the Black Arrow Printing Press.  He said the suspects had loaded a Toyota van with blasphemous literature.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2015.



Hastening development: Streetlights in Lahore to go solar, says chief minister

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LAHORE: 

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday that modern infrastructure was a prerequisite for quick development.

He was chairing a meeting organised to review development projects including the southern loop of the Ring Road Project and the conversion of streetlights to solar power in several phases. Sharif said the government had been spending billions of rupees on development projects to hasten development.

He said the quick and transparent completion of development projects was the policy of the government. He said lines of communication were being improved across the province under a comprehensive strategy. Sharif said this was being done to accelerate economic, commercial and social activities. He said that development projects had been quickly completed across the Punjab. Sharif said the quick completion of the projects had initiated a new era of progress in the province.

The chief minister said that the southern loop project was of vital importance. He said that construction of the northern loop had resulted in the provision of improved transport facilities to the people. Sharif said high standards, transparency and quick completion of development projects were the hallmarks of the government. He said no compromise would be made with regard to quality of construction of the southern loop.

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Ahad Cheema briefed those present on the conversion of streetlights in the city to solar power. He said a plan had been formulated to establish a separate solar park near Manga Mandi to power the streetlights. Cheema said the project would generate 20 megawatts of electric power.

The proposal to convert streetlights to solar power was approved in principle during the meeting.

Price control committee:

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said steps would be taken continuously to reduce transport fares further.

He was chairing a meeting of the price control committee through video link at the Civil Secretariat. Sharif said steps would also be taken to ensure that the reduction in fares was enforced. He said no stone would be left unturned to provide maximum relief to the people. Sharif said no one would be allowed to exploit citizens.

Those present at the meeting reviewed steps taken to reduce transport fares and the prices of daily essentials across the province in the wake of marked decrease in prices of petroleum products. They expressed satisfaction with the measures taken. Sharif said the government had taken quick measures following the decrease in the prices of petroleum products and reduced transport fares accordingly.

The chief minister said district authorities had been ordered to take action against those found guilty of not abiding by the reduced fares. Sharif said bus station managers found guilty of overcharging passengers should be arrested.

He said the steps taken by the government should be effectively implementing as citizens could not be left at the mercy of profiteers.

The chief minister said the committee should review measures being taken to reduce transport fares and prices of necessities daily. He said no effort should be spared to ensure that the measures were enforced.

Those present at the meeting were informed that 155 people had been arrested on Thursday for fleecing citizens, 530 vehicles had been impounded and had been fined Rs1.4 million altogether.

Industries Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq, Food Minister Bilal Yasin and Agriculture Minister Farrukh Javed also participated in the meeting through video link.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2015.


Tragic accident: Dozens protest student’s death

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LAHORE: Dozens of students of Govt High School Model Town staged a protest demonstration at Akbar Chowk on Saturday against the death of one of their schoolmates in a traffic accident.

Fourteen-year-old Shahzaib, a resident of Liaqatabad, was run over by a bus he was trying to board on Friday.

Around 50 students gathered at Akbar Chowk and stopped a B-36 route bus. They damaged the bus and chanted slogans against the bus operator. The protesters were dispersed an hour later by a contingent of Faisal Town police.

Deceased Shahzaib had tried to board a B-36 route bus on his way home from school. Before he could get in, the bus started moving. He fell and was run over by the bus. The driver and conductor of the bus were arrested on Friday.

Earlier, Shahzaib’s family had refused permission to police for conducting his post mortem examination. He was buried in a graveyard at Charar village near Defence Housing Society. “Shahzaib had wanted to be a professional photographer,” said Mauzam Nadeem.

“He did not jump onto a moving bus. He was trying to board the bus like many other students. We all wanted to reach home as early as possible after school. Before all the students could get in, the bus driver tried to speed away. This caused the accident,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Professional training: Only 8 officers allowed to attend management course

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LAHORE: Out of 17 senior civil and police officials nominated for the National Management Course (NMC), the Punjab government has allowed eight to take part in the course.

The course is starting at the National School of Public Policy from Monday.

In January, the Establishment Division had nominated 17 BS-20 officers to participate in 102nd NMC (a mandatory course for promotion to BS-21).

The chief minister allowed five senior officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), two of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and one from the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) to join the course. The Management and Professional Development Department (MPDD) secretary will join the course but keep charge of his present assignment.

The PAS officers nominated for the course were: Tahir Khurshid, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan project director; Shaukat Ali, the transport secretary; Irum Bukhari, the women development secretary; Arif Anwar Baloch, the industries secretary; Nadeem Irshad Kayani, the Management and Professional Development Department (MPDD) secretary; Muhammad Siddique, Board of Revenue member; Abdul Jabbar Shaheen, the school education secretary; Farhan Aziz Khawaja, the secretary to the governor; Sher Alam Mahsud, the forest secretary, and Iqbal Muhammad Chauhan, the Environment Protection Department secretary. The PSP officers nominated for the course were: Muhammad Sultan, the security DIG; Akhtar Umar Hayat Lalika, the Rawalpindi RPO; and Salman Chaudhry, the Punjab Highways Patrolling DIG. From the PCS, Sohail Shahzad, the Sahiwal commissioner, Nayyer Iqbal, the Higher Education Department special secretary, and Nawazish Ali, Punjab Text Book Board managing director; were nominated.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Free man: MPA acquitted in police station attack case

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FAISALABAD: 

Provincial Assembly Member Rana Shoaib Idrees and 17 others were acquitted by an anti-terrorism court of charges of attacking a police station, injuring policemen and damaging property on Saturday.

According to prosecution, Khurarianwala police had registered an FIR against MPA Rana Shoaib Idrees and 17 others for attacking the police station, damaging the police station, creating a law and order situation, rioting and injuring a sub inspector and two others on July 19.

Idrees’s counsel told court that in the initial report, the MPA had been nominated as a suspect but had been declared innocent in subsequent reports. He said Khurarianwala police had wrongly implicated him in a false case.

The case against the MPA was dismissed after witnesses told court that it was dark at the time of the attack and they could not see the faces of the attackers.

The PML-N MPA had allegedly attacked the Khurrianwala Police Station of Faisalabad and had apparently gotten a murder accused freed from the police custody. The case against him was registered by the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Roadworks: Contracts for two projects given in Rs1.47b

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LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority has awarded contracts worth Rs1.47 billion for the construction of a signal-free corridor from Qurtaba Chowk on Jail Road to Liberty Roundabout and improvement of the southern by-pass of the Lahore Ring Road from Thokar Niaz Beg to Wapda Town roundabout.

The contract for the construction of the seven-kilometer long corridor was awarded for Rs1.3 billion to Habib Construction Services. The contract for the improvement works was given for Rs170 million.

The LDA has set a timeline of four months for the construction of the signal-free corridor.

The two major intersections at Shadman Chowk and Fowara Chowk (where Jail Road meets the Gulberg Main Boulevard) will be made signal-free with the construction of underpasses. Other intersections on Jail Road and the Main Boulevard will be made signal-free with the construction of U-turns. These will be constructed at Eden Centre Chowk, PIC Chowk, Canal Road intersection, Zafar Ali Road intersection, Main Market Chowk and Zahoor Elahi Chowk.

Four overhead pedestrian crossings will also be constructed along the corridor at a cost of Rs60 million.

The signal-free corridor will prevent traffic jams in front of major education institutions located along the route. These include Lahore College for Women University, Kinnaird College & All Pakistan Women’s Association (APWA) College. It is expected to make the operation of ambulances serving the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and Services Hospital easier.

Habib Construction Services were selected from amongst four companies that participated in the bidding. The other bidders were the National Logistics Cell, ZKB-Reliable and AKB-IKAN.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Commitment: ‘Free healthcare for the needy a govt priority’

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LAHORE: Zakat and Ushr Minister Nadeem Kamran said on Saturday that the provision of free healthcare to disadvantaged patients and imparting vocational training to deserving students was a priority of the government.

Kamran was speaking at a cheque-distribution ceremony held at the Punjab Vocational Training Council head office.

He said concerted efforts were being made to provide them relief under a comprehensive strategy. Kamran said the government would launch a scheme to rehabilitate underprivileged people. He said the scheme would enable them to become small business owners.

Kamran said the primary aim of inviting representatives of hospitals and vocational training institutes at the event was to make them cognisant of the challenges confronting underprivileged people. He said surprise visits should be made at hospitals being financially assisted by the government to guarantee the provision of healthcare to disadvantaged patients. Kamran said underprivileged patients should be treated in befitting manner to ensure that their self-respect remained intact.

The minister said the department had initiated an awareness programme that included the publication of a Zakat brochure, advertisements in newspapers, the creation of a web portal, a Facebook page, television programmes and the publication of annual reports.

The minister distributed nearly Rs70 million in cheques among medical superintendents from 32 hospitals at the tehsil, district and division level to enable the provision of healthcare to disadvantaged patients. Around Rs82 million were also distributed among 22 vocational training institutes in the division.

Population Welfare Minister Zakia Shahnawaz, Parliamentary Secretary Rana Muhammad Arshad and Zakat and Ushr Secretary Habibur Rehman Gillani were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Delayed response: Hashmi to move court on MNA’s resignations

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MULTAN: 

Former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf president Javed Hashmi said on Saturday that he would move court against National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for not accepting resignations of PTI lawmakers.

He was talking to newsmen before addressing a seminar.

Hashmi said that Sadiq should end the deadlock over the resignations by informing people of the country that PTI lawmakers were not willing to resign.

He said these lawmakers were using all perks associated with being National Assembly members but were not doing the duties for which they had been elected.

He said their resignations should either be accepted or it should be acknowledged that they were never serious about resigning. “If the speaker does not accept their resignations, I will move court against him,” he said.

“I had advised the PTI chairman not to use resignations against the government,” he said. “This deadlock was inevitable.

PTI’s constituents are suffering and no one is paying attention to this issue.”

Later, addressing a seminar, Hashmi said some politicians wanted Pakistan Army to take over. He said such people would always attempt to derail democracy.

Hashmi said he had accepted defeat against Amir Dogar in the by election.

“My ambitions are beyond personal gain,” he said. He said he had no interest in running for Senate and had not asked Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to back him.

He said it was unfortunate that a country founded on the principles of unity, faith and discipline had descended into chaos.

He said it was a matter of shame for the country’s leader that they had been forced to unite over the deaths of innocent children.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.



Rail travel: Train passengers to be insured

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways on Saturday signed an agreement with the Postal Life Insurance to provide insurance plans to its passengers. A ceremony held at the PR Headquarters for the purpose was attended by the Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, PR General Manager (Operations) Javed Anwar Boobak and Postal Life Insurance General Manager Nasir Hassan.

Hassan informed the gathering that families of the plan holders would qualify for Rs800,000 in case of their death during the journey. He said injuries suffered during a journey could get compensation up to Rs300,000 under the plan.

Rafique hoped that the scheme would benefit the passengers by insuring them against unforeseen incidents during their journeys. He said the agreement was initially signed for three years but could be extended for another two years.

He said the PR management would soon initiate a life insurance scheme for its employees as well. He said a final decision in this regard would be taken after consulting Postal Life, State Life as well as companies offering life insurance schemes.

The minister said that PR had started preparing its recommendations for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the upcoming fiscal year. He said the Railways had also signed an agreement with the Urban Unit for computerization of its land record.

He added that housing schemes would soon be launched for Railways’ workers. He added that development work was already underway on land owned by the public enterprise for the purpose. He said the department was also working to increase its revenue from operations.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Bachelors’ theses: Inspired by Kandinsky and Keller

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LAHORE: Communication design major Khadija Liaquat said on Friday that no games were made for the blind in Pakistan. 

She was speaking to The Express Tribune at an annual thesis show featuring the work of the Hunerkada School of Visual and Performing Arts’ Bachelor in Fine Arts Programme students. Liaquat designed a game for the deaf and the blind. She said her work was premised on the life of American author Helen Keller.  Liaquat hoped that her work would serve as a prototype for this. Hammad Khan, another communication design major, created an advertisement campaign for a perfume.

Sehrish Mazhar, another artist, said she had used wood, plaster cast and fibre to make sculptures being displayed on the occasion. She referred to them as “manimals” saying that her work incorporated attributes of humans and animals. Mazhar said her work was premised on the concept of alterirty. She said she had observed animalistic traits in humans. Mazhar said her sculptures were a visual presentation of this phenomenon. One of her sculptures featured an enthroned human skeleton with the head and wings of a vulture. She said it depicted people in power.

Alina Fayyaz, who majored in textile design, created a pattern inspired by gothic architecture. She said she had used symbols found in gothic architecture to create motifs for her design. Fayyaz said she had used broken mirrors, mirrors, steel wire, laces, ribbons, acrylic paints and poster paints among other materials. Junaid Ahmed, another textile design major, used the work of Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky to develop new ideas and compositions for his thesis.

Zahra Fatima, a product design major, created decorative terracotta tiles after studying the Harappan civilisation. She said the sofa created by her was reminiscent of the wheel invented in Harappa. The legs of the sofa were wheel-like.

Fatima Butt, a miniature major, said her work was premised on correlating learning of alphabets with miniature painting.

The show concludes on Sunday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Revamping standards: Rescue service for animals in the offing

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LAHORE: 

The Livestock and Dairy Development Department is set to launch a rescue service for farm animals, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Secretary Nadeem Sadiq said the service would be akin to a Rescue 1122 service for livestock. He said special squads comprising 4,580 motorcycles would be established for this purpose. Sadiq said the squads would be established at the town-level. He said all the motorcycles would be equipped with a medical kit containing medicines for common diseases afflicting livestock in the Punjab. Sadiq said each motorcyclist would have to cover five to six villages.

He said owners of livestock would be able to contact the service in case of any emergency. Sadiq said the 4,580 motorcycle and 540 car-strong service would strive to effectively respond to the situation at hand. He said only women and senior veterinary officials would use cars. Sadiq said men veterinary officers, artificial insemination officials and helpers would use motorcycles to discharge their duties.

The secretary said rescue officials would operate from 540 former tax collection points and 913 civil veterinary dispensaries located at thoroughfares across the province. Sadiq said a Rs2,000 allowance would be given to the motorcycle-riding officials per month. He said a tender regarding the procurement of motorcycles would be floated soon.

Sadiq told The Express Tribune that the department had been trying to harness the potential of virtual governance and information technology to improve health and safety standards in the sector. “This is the first practical step taken to improve milk and meat production across the province without spending a single penny,” he said. Sadiq said the challenges confronting the sector could be overcome by effectively implementing time-honoured techniques. He said this could virtually double milk and meat production and curb livestock fatalities. Sadiq said there was no need for the assistance of foreign experts in this regard.

He said rescue officials would also be given the duty of castrating animals being reared for slaughter. Sadiq said this increased the weight of animals by 25 per cent. He said they would also be responsible for deworming and removing ticks from livestock. Sadiq said this would increase milk production by 23 per cent and double animals’ ability to procreate.

The secretary said the progress made in the sector in the past five decades would pale in comparison to the development that it was set to witness in the next two years due to the government’s initiatives. Sadiq said the department had already reached out to 26,000 lumberdars and 20,000 maulvis to remain cognisant of livestock health standards in villages across the province. He said data cards had already been provided to department officials to enable them to collate information regarding animals in their jurisdictions. Sadiq said the data would be computerised in the next phase.

He said the department would implement a carrot-and-stick policy to reward performance and punish laxity. Sadiq said department officials were currently vaccinating livestock in their jurisdictions. He said the process had been completed in eight districts and was underway in seven others. Sadiq said the vaccination drive would be completed province-wide by next month. He said a drive to vaccinate camels would commence in March.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Imran has still not forgiven me for hitting him with hockey stick 5 decades ago: Sadiq

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LAHORE: Taking a jab at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq said on Saturday Khan’s grievances against him stemmed from an incident at a hockey match nearly five decades ago when the speaker mistakenly hit Khan in the face with a hockey stick.

“50 years ago, I played a match of hockey against Imran Khan. My stick accidentally hit his face,” Sadiq told media persons outside an election tribunal in Lahore. “I believe it is time he forgives me.” The NA speaker went on to clarify that incident was an accident and not intentional. Sadiq was recording his statement regarding rigging charges in NA-122, the constituency he contested elections from.

“There has been absolutely no rigging in NA-122,” Sadiq said. “We are leading with 8,000 votes in the constituency.” He thanked his voters and throngs of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters who had gathered outside the tribunal in support of Sadiq.

“I am not going to give a political speech here,” Sadiq said. “I have been under a media trial for 128 days and there is no proof of rigging”.

In an earlier recounting, some 30,000 bogus votes were discovered along with an unspecified quantity of ballot papers for NA 124 following the inspection of 284 polling stations in the National Assembly constituency of NA 122. PTI rejected the development and asked for Sadiq’s resignation.


Health reforms: Recruit doctors for THQ, DHQ hospitals by April said, CM

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LAHORE: 

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved a plan on Saturday for implementation of the health reforms programme.

He was chairing a meeting via video-link. The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Health Parliamentary Secretary Imran Nazir, MPAs Rana Sanaullah, Qazi Adnan Farid, Nadia Aziz, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and the chief secretary.

The meeting decided to make recruitments on vacancies for doctors and paramedical staff in tehsil and district headquarters hospitals. The meeting also approved recruitment of specialist doctors at these hospitals.

It was decided in the meeting that jobs for specialists at tehsil and district hospitals would be incentivised through special packages. Participants of the meeting agreed that provision of basic medicines at all tehsil and district headquarters hospitals should be completed by March.

Addressing the meeting, Sharif said strengthening the healthcare system was a top priority of the government. He said defective machinery and equipment at tehsil and district headquarters hospitals should be made operational by March.

Shahrif said upgrades at these hospitals would be completed by July 2015.

He said recruitments for vacant posts should be completed by April.

The chief minister said a mechanism for monitoring supply, distribution and stock of medicines according to the needs of hospitals should be evolved. He said an efficient inventory control system was also needed. The chief minister said biometric system for ensuring attendance of doctors and staff at hospitals should be introduced. Sharif said complaints cells should be set up at hospitals to monitor performance. He said feedback of the public was essential for the success of the health reforms.

Progress on ADP reviewed

The chief minister on Saturday presided over a meeting to review progress on Annual Development Programme for 2014-15.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said the government had paid attention to achieving economic targets under the Annual Development Programme.

He said development projects under the ADP should be completed within the stipulated period.

Shahbaz Sharif said delay in completion of development schemes would not be tolerated.

He said billions of rupees had been allocated for development projects under the ADP and a lot of resources had been earmarked for development in districts of south Punjab. He said funds in proportion to the population had been allocated for districts in south Punjab.

The chief minister said third party audit of development projects should be ensured.

Minister for Finance Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Adviser Ijaz Nabi, Special Assistant Azamul Haq, MPAs Rana Sanaullah and Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and the chief secretary were also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.


Two arrested for abducting student

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FAISALABAD: 

CIA police claimed on Sunday to have arrested two proclaimed offenders wanted in an abduction case registered with Jhang Bazaar police.

City Police Officer (CPO) Sohail Tajik told The Express Tribune that Furqan Zahid, a student of National Textile University (NTU) had been abducted on November 25, 2014 when he was going to the university.

He said the kidnappers had demanded Rs10 million for his release and threatened to kill the boy if his parents informed police.

He said Jhang Bazaar police had registered a case under Section 365-A of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and formed a team to recover the boy.

The CPO said the team had traced the phone numbers used by kidnappers to contact the boy’s parents.

He said the team had then raided the house where the boy was being kept. He said he was being kept at the dera of Nisar Hussain in Chak 331-Jb Toba Tek Singh. He said Hussain had been an independent candidate for a provincial assembly seat in the general elections.

He said police arrested Iftikhar Hussain, his brother Ashfaq Hussain, residents of Chak 277-RB and Naveed, a resident of Gojra and recovered Furqan.

He said Nazir Hussain and his accomplice Sajid managed to escape from the scene.

He said they had been declared proclaimed offenders in the case and another team headed by Inspector Zafar Iqbal was tasked to arrest them.

He said the team had arrested Hussain and Sajid in a raid late on Saturday night.  The CPO announced cash prizes and appreciation letters for the team.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.


‘PTI to resume sit-in if rigging not probed’

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LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar said on Sunday the party would take to the streets again if voters did not get justice.

“We merely postponed our dharna [sit-in] in Islamabad following the December 16 terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar. The government is now taking undue advantage of this,” he told participants of the Insaf Jawaan Convention. The PTI Punjab Insaf Youth Wing had arranged the event.

“If [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif and [Information Minister] Pervaiz Rasheed think that we have backed out of our stance, they are mistaken. That certainly is not the case,” Umar said.

He said the dharna had marked some of the most successful days of PTI chairman Imran Khan’s political career. He said the objective of the party’s agitation had not been the resignation of Nawaz Sharif but a challenge to rigging of the 2013 general elections. “We wanted a fair probe into the electoral rigging.”

Commenting on the scope of the judicial commission that the PTI is demanding to probe the alleged rigging, Umar said he and Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal had written their latest proposal together. “The government is not even considering the proposal,” he said.

He said the PTI was willing to talk to a political jirga regarding the matter.

He said the jirga consisting of Senator Rehman Malik and Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq had been holding consultations regarding formation of the commission.

Umar accused the government of resorting to ‘delaying tactics’ in response to the PTI’s demand that a three-member bench of the Supreme Court probe the rigging allegations. He said the PTI would explore all democratic ways to end the political standoff.

The PTI leader said the party would not take part in Senate elections in provinces other than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.



Experts lament dearth of research on COPD

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MULTAN: 

“There is a dearth of research on identification and diagnosis of pulmonary diseases that are often confused with common respiratory diseases,” said Dr. Anjum Naveed Jamal, Head of Pulmonology Department at the Multan Institute of Cardiology.

He was addressing a seminar on identification of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

Talking to participants, he said chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) went largely undetected due to lack of awareness.

He said lack of data on COPD-related deaths was alarming.

“A COPD patient, who could be managed through proper medication, often gets treated for respiratory diseases. Many health professionals cannot recognise it.”He said smoke, dirt, mould and pollen were dangerous for health.

He said according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), indoor air pollution resulting from use of biomass fuel was responsible for nearly two million premature deaths each year worldwide.

“WHO estimates that there are nearly 20,000 death caused by COPD annually in Pakistan” he said.

“Smokers are more susceptible to the disease but they can also harm people around them,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.


Desert conservation initiative begins today

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LAHORE: A desert conservation initiative, DesertCon-2015, is being launched at Islamia University Bahawalpur on Monday (today). The event is being organised by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) in collaboration with Islamia University Bahawalpur and World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan).

Sixty students from various universities from the country will work with young men and women from Cholistan to conserve the desert.

A 20-member youth group left for Cholistan for the purpose on Sunday.

Speaking at the event, Munir Ahmad, the Devcom-Pakistan director, said that the event was an effort to bring together civil society, media representatives and the youth to urge policy makers to develop policy that addresses the problem of dessert conservation. “Warmer temperatures and less predictable rainfall caused by climate change threaten to upset the delicate balance of desert life,” he said.

“Pakistan is one of the countries that have a large desert land. It has five deserts: Cholistan Desert, Indus Valley Desert, Kharan Desert, Thal Desert, and Thar Desert,” he said.

He said that residents of Thar Desert had been suffering on account of drought. “Hundreds of children have died so far. People have also suffered loss of livestock,” he said.

WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan said the urban community and the youth would be engaged to come up with desert development strategies.

Beenish Khan, a student from Peshawar, said that the initiative would help raise awareness about the challenges confronting the people living in deserts, their unique environment. The inaugural ceremony will be held at the old campus of the Islamia University Bahawalpur. Dr Masood Arshad, WWF-Pakistan senior manager; Dr Shazia Anjum, Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies (CIDS) head; Dr Fazal Shah, divisional forest officer; Irfan Farooqi, the Wildlife deputy director; Hussain Ahmad Madni, the Bahawalpur Museum director; and Rana Shahid Nadeed, the Cholistan Development Authority director; are expected to participate in the ceremony.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.


In Lahore, you must fight for your right to be on the road

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LAHORE: 

On the streets of Lahore, you have to fight for every inch of space you wish to take.

“Over the years, the number of vehicles on the road has increased so sharply, it has triggered a cutthroat struggle between motorists as they try to keep moving forward,” explains Chief Traffic Officer Tayyab Hafeez Cheema. Dozens of accidents are reported here daily, but Cheema says these are isolated incidents, not major accidents. Due to the tightly packed traffic on the roads, motorists are forced to move slower, thus preventing any pile-ups or deadly collisions.

“Some old roads in the city are not suitable for the heavy flow of traffic here and this causes accidents at times,” Cheema said. He says flawed engineering, broken roads and poorly designed road networks contribute to such accidents.

In Lahore, deadly road accidents are reported on Raiwind Road, Ferozepur Road and in the Niaz Baig area largely due to speeding or negligence on the part of motorcyclists who do not adhere to the rules when overtaking vehicles, Cheema says.

Imran Shah, spokesperson for the National Highway and Motorway Police says accidents on the motorways are largely caused by mechanical faults in the vehicles, such as the opening of tie rods, brake failure, bursting of tyres and other mechanical faults. “Human errors are also one of the major causes of road accidents on the highway,” Shah says.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.


Transport fares: Driver’s face blackened for breaking strike

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FAISALABAD: 

A bus driver was beaten up and his face was blackened by his colleagues near Tandlianwala Bus Stand for operating his vehicle during a strike called by transporters against reduction in fares mandated by the provincial government.

Transporters operating from Tandlianwala Bus Stand had announced a strike against reduction in transport fares notified by the government following reduction in fuel prices. Scores of transporters were protesting against reduction in transport fares on Sunday at the bus stand. They gathered on Faisalabad-Okara Road and blocked it for traffic.

During the protest, Atif Sohail a van driver, began loading passengers in his vehicle and tried to move towards the city. The protesters stopped him and pulled him out of the van.

They beat him up for ignoring their call for strike. They also blackened his face and paraded him around the area.

On being informed, a police team reached the scene and rescued him. Police detained two people and drove away the others.

The Tandlianwala SHO told The Express Tribune that Sohail had not submitted an assault complaint against his colleagues. He said no case had been registered in this regard.

Flying Coaches Owners Association spokesman Qurban Ali said the strike had been announced on Friday. He said Atif had violated the call for strike.

“Later, Atif and the protesters came to an agreement and he promised not to press charges,” he said.

Ali said though government had reduced fuel prices, tax rates had not been cut. “We have to cover our costs,” he said. Transporters operating from Samundri Bus Station also observed a strike.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Abdul Ghani, a transporter, said “We are charging Rs50 from Samundri to Faisalabad after which we make Rs400 per day.”

“If we reduce fares as proposed by the government, we’ll make Rs200,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.


Honouring a connoisseur: Hayat Sahib is alive in our enjoyment of music

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LAHORE: Hayat Ahmed Khan is the reason Lahore has oases of culture in an otherwise artistic wasteland, All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) president Neelofer Mehdi said at a classical music concert that the APMC had arranged on Saturday evening to mark Khan’s 10th death anniversary.

Alhamra Art Centre’s Hall III was packed with classical music enthusiasts sitting in silence punctuated by applause and frisson.

The concert began on time, as APMC events are wont to. Several connoisseurs of classical music paid tribute to the APMC founder.

Khan’s daughter Gul Rukh Hayat read out his friend Joyce Murad’s note of remembrance. “He was always impeccably dressed in well-tailored suits and was the only one I knew who owned a Rolex watch… except that it was a note of his commitment to time rather than an affectation. If Hayat had a god, it was a god of time.”

She said he looked every part the cultured British gentleman “but his soul belonged to the Indus Valley”. He had wanted to acculturate the people of this country, help them appreciate music, she said. “Hayat was a national treasure.”

APMC joint secretary Syed Waseem Gillani said that after the meritorious efforts of Radio Pakistan, it was Khan Sahib who had put classical music back on the map. “His greatness lay in helping us learn how to appreciate music… he provided our ears the finesse to do so.”

He recalled how the APMC had come about. “Roshan Ara Begum had announced her retirement when Khan Sahib and a friend sat in the Coffee Shop and decided that they would start the All Pakistan Music Conference. He whipped out Rs25,000 from his savings as his contribution to the conference. That was in 1959.” Five decades later, the conference is going strong, he said.

The concert began with a mesmerising tabla performance by Shahbaz Hussain.

Hussain who teaches tabla in England was accompanied by Zohaib Hassan who gave the lehra on sarangi. Hussain performed a teental to much appreciation from the audience.

A performance by Sara Zaman with her taanpura was next. She was accompanied by Ustad Parvez Paras on harmonium and Zohaib Hassan on sarangi. The rapt audience broke into wild applause as her performance of a kafi by Bulleh Shah came to a close.

Ashraf Sharif Khan’s performance on sitar was hailed by many as one of the most hauntingly sweetest they chanced upon in a long time. Ashraf Sharif, currently based in Germany, is the son of sitar maestro Sharif Khan Poonchwalay.

He enthralled the audience with his performance of the Madhuvanti raag.

Later commenting on his performance, Hayat Khan’s daughter Ghazala Irfan, who too plays the sitar, said the best thing about Ashraf Sharif Khan was that he took charge of the performance. “He is completely in control and sets the mood of the audience”, she said.“This evening, Ashraf has not only reminded us of his father’s greatness, but also of his father’s youth,” said Gillani.

Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan from the Sham Chaurasia Gharana took the stage last. His Achob raag and Nandeshwari raag were equally hailed. He was accompanied by Kashif Ali on tabla, Zafar Ali Qadri on harmonium and Zohaib Hassan on sarangi. Holding his sur-mandal, Shafqat Ali Khan gave an outstanding performance. He brought the evening to a close with a kafi by Khwaja Ghulam Farid.

“I’m very grateful to the audience that sat cramped in the hall from 6pm to 11:15pm,” Ghazala Irfan said. “It was for the love of music, the very outstanding music”, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9th, 2015.


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