Justice Sardar Shamim, who gave the order, was appointed referee judge for the case after Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan bowed out on May 1, 2013.

Justice Shamim ruled that the references were politically motivated and could not be reopened after 12 years.

The then LHC chief justice, Umar Ata Bandial, had appointed Justice Hassan the referee judge for the case on April 9. He was asked to decide a split ruling in the case by Justice Khawaja Imtiaz Ahmad of the LHC division bench who was hearing the matter. The point of difference in reference to the case, M/s Ittefaq Foundries (Pvt) Ltd Vs Federation of Pakistan, was: “Whether the court should quash the reference and subsequent proceedings on the grounds that the petitioners had not joined investigation; that civil litigation was pending between the parties and that the reference was the outcome of malafide intent; or whether the petition should be dismissed on the basis that wilful default was made out. In which case, this was an offence under the NAB Ordinance and no ground for quashment of the reference was made out; so the petitioners should be directed to approach the learned trial court and to make their pleas before the court.”

An accountability court had had dismissed NAB’s plea to reopen cases against the Sharif family. The NAB had challenged the order before the LHC. Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, their father Mian Sharif, Shamim Akhtar, Ishaq Dar,  Kulsoom Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Hussain Nawaz, Abbas Sharif, Sabiha Abbas, Maryam Safdar and Hudaibia Paper Mills secretary Ajmal Sibtain were nominated in references pertaining to Hudaibia Paper Mills and Raiwind assets.

Idara-i-Minhajul Quran

Lahore High Court restrained the registrar of the joint stock companies, Lahore, from cancelling the registration of Idara-i-Minhaj-ul-Quran. The judge also sought a reply in a fortnight to a petition filed by Muhammad Mustafa, the secretary general of the Idara. Mustafa had challenged the notice of cancellation issued by the registration.

The counsel for the petitioner said, on December 20, the registrar of the joint stock company had sent a notice accusing the Idara of misusing funds to purchase a bulletproof vehicle costing Rs14.3 million and a container.

Caretaker governor

Last week, the Lahore High Court summoned a notification for the appointment of the acting governor on a petition challenging his appointment. The court also issued notices to the federal and provincial governments for reply at the next hearing. The court was holding proceedings on a petition filed by Advocate Munir Ahmad. The petitioner said after Chaudhry Sarwar’s resignation as governor, the Punjab Assembly speaker was appointed caretaker governor. He said the move was unconstitutional. Ahmad said under the Constitution, the former governor could resume office if certain circumstances provided in the Constitution arose, or a new governor would have to be appointed. There is no provision for a caretaker governor, he said.

Walled City

The LHC sought replies from the Lahore DCO and the CCPO regarding the construction of multi-storey commercial buildings in the Walled City in violation of a stay order.

The court was hearing a contempt of court petition filed by a resident of Kashmiri Gate against illegal constructions in the Walled City. The court had earlier issued stay orders on the construction of 136 multi-storey buildings identified by the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA).

The petitioner’s counsel said that the construction of the identified buildings had not stopped even after the court passed the order.

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

Other suggestions under consideration are automation of the registration process and registration of vehicle dealerships across the province.

A final decision on whether or not the proposed reforms will be implemented will be taken following a committee’s report on their financial and legal consequences. The committee headed by Excise and Taxation Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman was asked on Tuesday to submit the report within a week. Other members of the committee are the Punjab Information Technology Board chairman, the home secretary, the law and finance secretaries, the additional inspector general (Traffic), the capital city police officer, the chief traffic officer, and members from the Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) and the advisor to the chief minister on traffic reforms.

SMU senior member (law and order) Salman Sufi said that under the first suggestion, the E&T Department would register vehicles owners, and not vehicles. A person may own any number of vehicles. The E&T Department will keep the records of vehicle registration number by the owners’ names. The record of the vehicles already registered with the E&T Department could be re-tabulated by the owners’ names once the proposed reform is enacted.

In the first phase of the implementation of the proposed reform, a person would not be allowed to transfer the registration number for a particular vehicle to another once it is sold. The said number will be cancelled, regardless of whether or not the vehicle is replaced with another. In the second phase, if the owner replaced a vehicle with another they would be allowed to transfer the registration number to the new vehicle.

The registration booklet issued to vehicle owners will be replaced with an automated registration card (ARC) under the second proposed reform.

Wardens could use an automated card reader to record violation of traffic rules by drivers against their record on the E&T database.

An ARC would carry all details of a particular vehicle, including the owners’ national identity card number, token tax payment record. The ARC could also be used at automated teller machines to pay token tax.

The E&T Department also plans to start registering vehicle dealerships across the province. Under the plan, the registration process of a vehicle with the E&T Department will start at the dealerships as well.

Registered dealers will be allotted a list of numbers so that they could register purchasers on behalf of the E&T department.

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

LAHORE: Operations DIG Haider Ashraf said on Sunday that city police had arrested 35 people for flouting the prohibition on kite flying.

He said the arrests were made as part of a crackdown against kite flying across Lahore. Ashraf said police had also seized 1,900 kites and 2,000 charkhas (spools) in the crackdown. He said police had also cracked down on kite and twine manufacturers. “Zero tolerance would be shown to those guilty of flying kites,” Ashraf said.  He said he had ordered SHOs across the city to take strict action against those partaking in the activity.

Ashraf said the operations wing had been directed to take action against people involved in vending and manufacturing kites. He said special teams had been constituted to curb the incidence of kite-flying and take action against people selling twine and kites. Ashraf said policemen had been ordered to work in tandem with city government officials in this regard. He said police had been striving to ensure that the prohibition was enforced and violators were brought to book.

Ghulam Rasool, A kite manufacturer hailing from the Walled City, told The Express Tribune that the government’s decision to ban kite flying had compromised his livelihood. The man, who hails from a family of kite makers, said he had been struggling to put food on the table following the introduction of the prohibition.  “I cannot even provide my children with two meals a day,” the man lamented.  He said kite flying provided people with a source of livelihood in addition to being a popular recreational activity. The man questioned whether the government cared about the plight of kite makers who had lost their livelihood in the wake of the prohibition.

Naeem Hashmi, a kite enthusiast, fondly recalled how the Walled City used to be abuzz with excitement on Basant eve.  He said battle cries of bo kata heralding the arrival of spring in the city had now become a relic of the past. Hashmi said the practice of using metallic twine had gained traction following the popularization of kite fights. He said this had compromised public safety with incidences of head injuries and other accidents becoming a permanent fixture of news during the season. Hashmi said the government had found it convenient to ban the activity in 2005 rather than revamping rules and regulations to make them more stringent.

Muhammad Saeed Hassan, another kite enthusiast, stressed on the importance of passing down the tradition from one generation to another in accordance with custom. Hassan said efforts should be made to ensure that the practice did not die out.

Zainab Hassan, a resident of Model Town, said the decision to deprive the people of Basant was bereft of logic. She said banning kite flying due to deaths in accidents was akin to prohibiting vehicles due to the possibility of fatal traffic mishaps. Hassan said Basant used to overcome barriers of class and religion. She said the festival used to additionally provide millions of youngsters from all backgrounds with a recreational opportunity. Hassan said the government should try to make Basant safer rather than banning it. “The Indian government has managed to mitigate casualties by ensuring the effective implementation of strict kite flying laws. Why cannot our government follow the example of the Indian government on this front,” she asked.

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

“The formation of military courts is being finalised. They will start functioning by the end of the current month,” he said.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, the minister said that law enforcement agencies were making all out efforts to implement the National Action Plan against terrorism.

He said cases against those directly or indirectly involved in terrorist activities would be sent to the military courts.

The minister said that terrorism was a crime against humanity. “The war against terrorism has become Pakistan’s own war. The Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies know how to deal with them,” he said.

Fighting extremism

Terrorism, extremism and sectarianism are big hurdles in the way to national development, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday.

He was talking to a delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders on Sunday.

“The time has come to root out terrorism and extremism from the country. The political and military leadership has resolved to fight a decisive war against the enemies of peace and humanity. Those who shed the blood of innocent Pakistanis in worship places, educational institutions and markets will be held accountable now,” he said.

The chief minister said that Pakistan was passing through the most difficult phase of its history. “Terrorism and extremism have shaken the foundations of the country. Thousands of Pakistanis, including soldiers and policemen have lost their lives in the war against terrorism,” he said.

“The Pakistan Army is fighting the war against terrorism bravely. The nation is proud of its armed forces and supports them,” he said.

He said that people of Pakistan would win the war against terrorism and foil the designs of the country’s enemies. “The strategy adopted unanimously by the national leadership against terrorism is yielding positive results. The National Action Plan will result in elimination of terrorism from the country,” he said.

He said that murder of innocent children in Army Public School Peshawar was a national tragedy. “The barbaric attack has united the nation in the war against terrorism. Terrorists will be defeated and wiped out from the country with the force of national unity,” he said.

The chief minister said that the National Action Plan would be fully implemented. “A decision has been taken to arrange speech and essay-writing contests in educational institutions to promote peace, brotherhood and harmony,” he said.

He said that the law against publication and distribution of provocative literature, misuse of loudspeakers and wall-chalking had been made more stringent. “A Counter Terrorism Force has been formed in the province. The first batch of the force has been trained. Implementation of the National Action Plan is yielding positive results,” he said.

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

Advocate Shoaib Saleem had filed the petition, saying that in a poor country like Pakistan where people were deprived of basic rights, a special vehicle was being purchased for the chief minister. The petitioner had attached a notification issued in this regard, saying that the personal secretary to the chief minister had requested the services and general administration secretary to purchase a vehicle amounting for the chief minister’s office to deliver food to meetings between VIPs and the chief minister.He said the department had also been asked to expedite the purchase process.  The petitioner asked the court to stop the government from purchasing the vehicle.Hearing of the case was then adjourned for three weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

Nayyar Iqbal said several lawyers used the school’s boundary walls as space to park their vehicles. He said the walls were being raised according to the security SOP issued by the government and the parked vehicles would hinder the construction. Iqbal said that he had requested the lawyers not to park their cars against the walls several times but they had refused to park elsewhere. He said the lawyers had beaten him up and threatened him with dire consequences. Iqbal said that he had visited the Islampura SHO to file a complaint against them but he had refused to register a case. The court summoned the SHO, who said that Iqbal had asked the school staff to puncture the tyres of lawyers’ vehicles parked in the school’s courtyard. He said the Lahore Bar Association had announced in its January 10 meeting that lawyers could park their vehicles in the courtyards of Girls Degree Collage and Chishtia High School. He said the lawyers had followed the LBA policy but the watchman and staff members of the Chishtia High School had punctured their cars’ tyres. The judge directed Iqbal to approach the relevant SHO and told the SHO to “look into the matter”.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

The seat fell vacant after Rai Mansab Ali Khan passed away.

Talking to newsmen, PPP Punjab president Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said the Bhatti would be supported by former provincial assembly members Rai Aslam Kharal, Mian Mushtaq Hussian Dogar, Syed Ibrar Hussain Shah, Asif Khan, Chaudhary Muhammad Manzoor.

He said PPP was confident of winning the seat in the by-elections. He said people were disappointed with the ruling party, as government had failed to deliver good governance as they had promised in 2013.

He urged the provincial government to hold local government elections in November, as instructed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

He said the government should stop distributing funds for local bodies elections among MPAs. He said the PPP would take the government to court if it did not desist.

Wattoo said a provincial finance commission should be set up with the mandate to fairly distribute resources among all districts of the province.

He said it was unfair that 50 per cent of provincial resources were spent on 8 per cent population of Lahore. He said the metro bus was a “perennial drain on the exchequer.”

He said the project had been imposed on residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

He said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders were using flashy projects to hide poor governance and corruption.

Wattoo said the Peoples Student Federation had been dissolved and a new body would be formed with students under 30 years.

He said the PSF would mobilise students to infuse new a spirit in the party.

“We cannot take the party forward without new ideas on board,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

A security official told The Express Tribune that both civilian and military intelligence outfits have identified individuals as well as groups that have been supporting militants.

The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, disclosed that supporters and abettors of terrorists, including banned outfits, had been under surveillance following the approval of the National Action Plan (NAP) to deal with the growing threat of militancy.

According to joint surveillance carried out by civilian and military intelligence agencies over the past few weeks, South Punjab and parts of interior Sindh have been identified as the strongholds of groups and individuals supporting several militant outfits.

In southern Punjab, both material and manpower support comes mainly from Rahim Yar Khan, Jhang, Chiniot, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur districts, whereas in Sindh, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Shikarpur, Nawabshah and Larkana are the districts from where militant outfits draw much of their support.

Intelligence agencies have also identified individuals, including religious figures as well as politicians, who are supporting these organisations.

“We will take action against all of them, irrespective of their rank or association with any group or party,” said a senior Punjab government official familiar with the development. “No matter what the reaction is, we will take them to task,” the official added. “For us, the interest and security of Pakistan is supreme.”

At least 90 hardcore terrorists from South Punjab were rounded up following the crackdown against supporters and abettors of militant outfits. Most of them are members of proscribed outfits.

The crackdown in South Punjab and interior Sindh is seen as crucial to effectively dealing with the several militant organisations.

“The actual battle may be taking place in the tribal areas but the job will only be half done if the militant support network is not destroyed in southern Punjab,” said another official. He pointed out that military authorities had been working with civilian agencies to take action against abettors and supporters of terrorist outfits under the NAP.

Pakistan stepped up its campaign against militant organisations in the wake of the December 16 attack on the military-run school in Peshawar. Since then, both the civil and military leaderships have repeatedly stated that they would fight against all forms of terrorism.

Recently, top military commanders also vowed to target sectarian outfits that have posed a major threat to the country’s peace and stability.

There are fears that sectarian organisations will ramp up their struggle in post-2014 Afghanistan as well as in the wake of attempts by the Islamic State ultraorthodox group to make inroads in this part of the region. “That is why the crackdown in South Punjab is vital,” the official explained.

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

The court summoned lawyers from both parties after counsel for Yousaf Gujjar filed an application requesting the judge to delete charges related to Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act in the FIR.

He also requested the court to refer the case to a sessions court.

On November 4, 2014, a mob had beaten Shama, 24, and Shahzad, 28 and burnt their bodies in a kiln in Chak 59, Kot Radha Kishan, after accusing them of desecrating Holy Quran. Police had registered a case under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 302 (murder), and Section of the ATA. Police had arrested 75 people in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

LAHORE: DNA samples of convicts currently serving prison sentences as well as those who have completed their sentences in the last five years across the province will be collected from February 15, The Express Tribune has learnt. 

Investigation SSP Rana Ayyaz Saleem said joint teams of the Punjab Police investigation wing and the Punjab Forensic Sciences Agency (PFSA) have been formed for the purpose in Lahore.

He said DNA samples would be collected and a database of convicts serving their sentences in jails developed.

A PFSA official who requested anonymity said the agency would also organise courses for forensic experts from the investigation wing of the police to train them in collection of DNA samples.

The PFSA has recently acquired a Rs1.5 million software used for DNA sampling and profiling.

The forensics department of the police only has with finger prints’ collection and photography facilities.

SSP Saleem said major improvements should be expected in prevention and investigation of crimes once a DNA database of convicts was available. He said most sexual assault, burglary and robbery cases involved repeat criminals. A senior official at the Central Police Office told The Express Tribune that police were considering a proposal to request the government that collection of DNA samples be made mandatory for everyone applying for a computerised national identity card (CNIC).

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

The exhibition titled Symbolic Representation of Self with Space includes works that were part of Zulfiqar’s recently finished thesis for the master’s of philosophy degree in fine arts at the College Art and Design, the University of the Punjab. She has been a lecturer at the college for 12 years.

She said the use of bright colours in some of her works was meant to show children’s liking for colours. “My work is based on my childhood memories associated with the Walled City,” she said.

A large crowd of artists and art enthusiasts including Nusrat Jamil, Hamail Art Gallery owner, attended the exhibition on the opening day on Saturday. Prof Shahida Manzoor, the College of Art and Design principal, was the chief guest. Sumera Jawad, an artist and a teacher at the College of Fine Arts, said with the completion of her MPhil Zulfiqar had matured as an artist. She said that the latest collection was free of commercial influences visible in her earlier work. She particularly praised the combination of colours in the paintings and said that they were complementing one another.  Jawad and Zulfiqar have known each other for 14 years.

Cartoonist Jawed Iqbal said he was a fan of Zulfiqar’s work. He said he particularly liked her work for their hidden messages. “At first sight, you won’t find any meaning in her works even If you look close enough. If you keep coming back to them you will start making sense of the work and noticing the hidden meaning.

He said had he not taken up drawing cartoons as a profession, he would have been a painter.

He said paintings had a unique ability of making a place lively. “A plain wall comes to life if a painting is put up on it,” he said.

Zulfiqar has dedicated the exhibition to her father who she said had recently passed away. The paintings will remain on display at the gallery till February 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee for implementation of the National Action Plan against terrorism. Lahore Corps Commander Lt Gen Naveed Zaman, Home Minister Col (retd) Shuja Khanzada, Punjab Rangers Director General Maj Gen Khan Tahir Javed Khan, 10th Division General Commanding Officer Maj Gen Aamir Abbasi, Police Inspector General Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, the chief secretary and the home secretary attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed measures being taken in the province to implement the action plan.

The meeting participants expressed satisfaction with the steps taken in this regard. They also agreed to take more measures for effective implementation of the plan.

The chief minister said that departments concerned were performing their responsibilities satisfactorily.

“Due to the effective measures taken by the Pakistan Army and Punjab Police, success is being achieved in the war against terrorism. There is a new spirit and determination in the Pakistani nation. It is time to take decisive action for rooting out terrorism,” he said.

“The nation stands by its armed forces and law-enforcement agencies in this war. Victory is the only option in this war for the survival of the country,” he said.

The chief minister said that extraordinary measures were being taken in view of the situation for the protection of life and property of citizens.

The chief minister also presided over a meeting of Price Control Committee at the Civil Secretariat through video link. The meeting reviewed steps taken for reducing prices of essential commodities and transport fares. “Benefits of lowering of petroleum prices are being transferred to people. Transport fares and prices of essential items have been reduced. Steps for reducing prices of more items will continue,” he said.

He directed the officials to take action against shopkeepers and transporters for overcharging. “Price Control Committee members should regularly monitor the measures taken for reducing transport fares and prices of essential items,” he said.

He directed the officials to submit a report to him on daily basis. He directed the provincial ministers to review the steps taken for reducing the prices. Industries Minister Chaudhry Shafiq, Food Minister Bilal Yasin and the DCO also attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

Requesting anonymity, an HED official said last week, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had chaired a meeting in this regard and reprimanded HED officers for not sending requisitions to the PPSC for recruitments to vacancies.

Over the last three years, the government has established 90 degree colleges in the province, but no new teachers (lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors or professors) have been recruited. There are a total 20,000 sanctioned faculty posts in 651 degree colleges, of which 5,500 are lying vacant.

According to policy, the government should recruit 22 faculty members and 28 non-teaching staff for a degree college prior to the start of teaching. Campuses of public colleges offering classes from the intermediate to post-graduate levels are constructed at a cost of Rs120 million to Rs130 million over at least four acres. Lecturers are recruited in BS-17; assistant professors, associate professors and professors can be directly inducted in BS-18, BS-19 and BS-20 respectively according to a quota for direct inductions.

The HED official said that the last requisition, sent to the PPSC in 2012, requested 3,000 lecturers for various disciplines and 2,700 lecturers were recruited on recommendations of the commission.

The official said last year, the department had hired 6,000 teachers as College Teacher Internees (CTI), for one academic session. They were offered Rs30,000 per month to teach for one academic session.

He said teachers from other colleges were posted to the newly built colleges but no new inductions were made, even though the budget had a provision for fresh recruitments.

The HED official said several lawmakers had pushed the government to set up degree colleges in their constituencies but had not paid attention to the recruitment of faculty.

Zulfiqar Ahmed, an associate professor at a private university, said thousands of students had completed their master’s, MPhil and PhD degrees from public colleges in the province over the last five years. “They could have been appointed to these positions,” he said

HED Secretary Muhammad Aslam Kamboh said principals had been authorised to recruit faculty under the CTI programme as a stop-gap measure. He said the department was currently working on documenting vacancies against subjects and colleges to send to the PPSC for recruitment. “This will barely take two weeks,” he said. Staff would be recruited in all scales under the direct induction quota, Kamboh said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2015.

Hearing petitions against the election process, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah took exception to the lack of a proper mechanism to scrutinise candidates with regard to tax default and provisions of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

The judge summoned the ECP secretary on Wednesday (today). He said the elections were around the corner and the ECP was yet to rouse from deep slumber.

He said holding elections without a mechanism to gauge the qualification of candidates would be like playing a joke on the nation.

Justice Shah directed the ECP secretary to explain his position in the case.

Advocate Shahid Pervez Jami had filed the petitions pointing out various flaws in the election process.

The petitioners said the polls were being held against outdated nomination papers. They said many columns in the nomination papers had become obsolete. Scrutiny of a candidate could not be carried out properly due to such nomination papers, Jami said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.

Dr Chaudhry said the idea was to provide likeminded academics a platform to collaborate on research and share their ideas. LSE’s Faculty of Economics Dean Azam Chaudhry delivered the keynote address on The Role of Mathematics and Statistical Sciences in Social Sciences.

The conference included sessions on Differential Equations and Optimal Control Techniques; Fuzzy Logic and Decision Making; and Factors Affecting Economic Development and Growth.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.

The protesting doctors blocked the road for an hour. They had earlier arranged a seminar at the Lahore General Hospital’s auditorium.

YDA office-bearers Chaudhry Ajmal and Amir Bandesha addressed the participants. They demanded that the government raise doctor’s salaries.

They said that young doctors would continue to stage protest demonstrations in various cities of the province until their demands were met.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.

The guard fled the scene. Police said 11-year-old Ali Hamza had gone to the shop to get mobile phone credit. A guard at the shop asked him his name.

When Hamza refused to tell it, the guard shot him several times. The boy was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

The guard fled the scene. Police said that Yasir too was quite young. Residents of the area told police that Yasir would often tease Hamza. The boy’s family held a demonstration against the police for not filing a case against the suspect on time. They blocked the road for traffic. A police team visited the scene and assured them that they would arrest Yasir. The protesters dispersed after that. Police registered a case against the suspect and took his father and brother into custody. They said they were still looking for Yasir.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.

LAHORE: Nauman Ijaz, the only Christian draftsman in the Punjab Architecture Department, has not shown up at his office for six months. He says two of his colleagues have been badgering him to convert to Islam and he fears that the situation might go awry.

His father Ijaz Joh sent an application to the Punjab chief architect on September 18, 2014, requesting him to look into why his son, a draftsman in BPS-13 at the PAD’s Dera Ghazi Khan office, was being harassed and to rectify the issue.

Joh said that his son’s colleagues Muhammad Ashiq and Muhammad Hussain had asked him to embrace Islam. He said his son tried to stay away from them but their insistence took an aggressive turn last year during Ramazan. Joh said that they tried to take him to a mosque and became aggressive after he refused. Since then, fearing for his life, Ijaz has stayed away from his office, his father said.

Ijaz told The Express Tribune that initially he used to brush off his colleagues remarks. He said when he told his father about what happened in Ramazan, he asked him to stay at home.

Ijaz said he had informed Muhammad Ashfaq, the PAD deputy director of the DG Khan office, about the matter. “At first, Ashfaq was sympathetic, but later he washed his hands off the matter,” he said.

Ijaz then turned to the PAD chief architect and asked him to investigate the matter. The chief architect appointed Deputy Director Mubashar Abbas Naqvi as investigation officer to look into the matter.

Ijaz recorded his statement before Naqvi at his office in Lahore on Monday. He said he had told Naqvi that he would stay away from the office till the department took stern measures to prevent religious harassment at the workplace.

Human Liberation Commission chairman Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra told The Express Tribune that he had accompanied Ijaz to Naqvi’s office.

He said he had also met Chief Architect Zahid Javed Raja. Sahotra said that Ijaz was the only Christian employed at the PAD. He said his colleagues had created a hostile work environment for him. He said the authorities should look into the matter seriously.

Muhammad Ashiq, one of the colleagues Ijaz has accused, told The Express Tribune that he had not asked Ijaz to give up his religion. He said Ijaz had levelled the allegation against him just to get transferred to another office. He said no inquiry officer had summoned him or asked him about the issue so far.

Naqvi said that he had recorded the statements of Ijaz, his father and one of Ijaz’s colleagues, Yasif Shehzad who corroborated his story. He said he had also heard Muhammad Ashfaq’s side of the story but had not yet spoken to Muhammad Ashiq. He said he would confer with the chief architect on whether he should record Ashiq’s statement or not.

He said he had told Ijaz that he should have approached his pastor for advice if his colleagues had said something derogatory against Christianity or the police if his colleagues had threatened him. He didn’t need to bring the matter to the department, he said. “However I will inform the chief architect about Nauman’s version… he will decide the matter.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.

LAHORE: The Punjab chapter of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) on Tuesday held protest demonstrations in Lahore and Faisalabad, demanding better wages.

In Lahore, hundreds of APCA workers staged a sit-in at Secretariat Chowk. They blocked it for all kinds of traffic for four hours. They chanted slogans against the government and Finance Department officials. They also burned the effigy of the Finance Department deputy secretary.

Talking to The Express Tribune, APCA Punjab chapter president Haji Muhammad Irshad Chaudhry said that they wanted the government to accept their charter of demands.

“We want the government to raise salaries of clerical staff by an additional five per cent in the upcoming budget. Our pay scales should be up-graded as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has done. The government should also give time-scale promotions to employees in grades 5 to 16. The post of superintendent should be upgraded to grade 17,” he said.

“The government had accepted some of these demands in principle. However, the Finance Department officials are not forwarding the demands to the chief minister for final approval,” he said.

Services and General Administration Department Deputy Secretary (Personnel) Majid Ahmad met the APCA delegation and assured them that their demands would be met soon.

Irshad said that they would go on strike and boycott offices across the province if their demands were not met by February 24. A similar protest demonstration was held at Zila Council Chowk in Faisalabad.

APCA Punjab deputy general secretary Abdul Aziz Bhatti and divisional president Rai Muhammad Ejaz Khan led dozens of protesters.

Bhatti said that the government had not provided any incentives or relief to low-grade employees.

“Instead of raising salaries, the government is considering privatisation of government departments,” he said.

He said that the government should increase salaries of government employees according to the inflation rate.

Khan said that the government should regularise the services of all daily-wage, contractual and ad-hoc employees. “If the government does not pay heed to our demands, we will march to Lahore and stage a protest demonstration in front of the Punjab Assembly,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.

LAHORE: Inter-city transporters across the province have threatened to suspend operations from February 12 to protest what they say is lack of consistency amongst various district governments in determination of fares.

They have demanded that the provincial government sit down with the transporters’ representatives and standardise fares for various inter-city routes. They have also asked that buses confiscated and drivers and conductors arrested for overcharging across the province be released else they would suspend operations from February 12 (tomorrow).

The transporters also complained about repeat collection of a tax on the use of station premises and demanded that the tax be collected from a bus once at the start of a trip.

They said that instead of collecting the tax at the bus stations, the district administrations had currently set up collection booths on the highways. A bus was asked to pay the tax multiple times on its way from one city to another, he added.

A meeting between the Transport Department and representatives of the transporters to discuss latter’s concerns was underway when this report was filed.

All Pakistan Transport Owners Federation Chairman Azam Khan Niazi told The Express Tribune that currently the district administrations were setting fares without any coordination. He said this was causing confusion for transporters in determining the correct amount they should charge the passengers.

He said the confusion in determination of the correct fare had led to the confiscation of 680 buses and arrests of 94 people for overcharging.

The transporters also complained about intervention by the district administrations in setting of fares for air-conditioned bus service which they claimed had already been de-regulated.

Punjab Bus Owners’ Association president Haji Muhammad Khalid said it had earlier been decided to de-regulate fares for AC-bus service on inter-city routes. He said that the district administrators’ current action against the transporters for overcharging was illegal. However, he added, they were still ready to discuss a possible fare reduction if the provincial government agreed to discuss the issue with them.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2015.