Saturday, September 21, 2013
Nawaz announces six schemes for youth in second address to nation
Wasan says Sindh jails under terror threat
Zong set to acquire Warid Telecom
The News 21 Sept 2013
LAHORE: Zong – also known as China Mobile Pakistan - has confirmed that it is seriously considering the acquisition of Warid Telecom, the News learnt on Friday.
For this purpose, Dubai based investment banking firm MAS ClearSight has been asked to evaluate the deal and assist Zong during the buyout process.
“We are looking into Warid very seriously and it does make a lot of business sense for us to go with the deal,” said Sikander Naqi, Zong’s Chief Public Relations Officer.
“Zong has grown exponentially in last three years and today we stand as the fastest growing network in Pakistan with over 22 million customers and are continuing to grow on a very fast pace.
Our parent company, China Mobile has strong financials to go through with this deal and with $ 70 Billion cash in hand, we already have been given a mandate to go forward with the bid and we are anxiously waiting to see how it turns out.”
Buying Warid could be a good idea for China Mobile, especially at a time when new customer acquisitions have become harder.
This is due to tighter regulatory measures for selling new SIMs and increased tele-density.
In the absence of organic growth, the only way for China Mobile to leapfrog the established operators in terms of subscriber numbers is to make acquisitions.
A Warid official said that a three to four weeks deadline has been put in place to file the financial bid. He said a number of companies have shown interest in the company on the basis of its strong infrastructure and dedicated customer base in Pakistan.
It seems that other bidders, such as Mobilink, Etisalat and Ooredoo (formerly QTel), are also seriously bidding this time despite previous failed attempts.
Zong, with around 23 million subscribers, is currently the number four operator in Pakistan and is trying to get to the number three position in the five players market.
If the deal goes through, Zong will jump to second position with more than 34 million subscribers, just 2 million short of Mobilink.
Moreover, Warid is acknowledged to have among the best youth and post – paid subscriber bases.
Its youth brand Glow and Post - paid are the bright spots among the very low average revenue per user (“ARPU”) customer base for mobile operators in Pakistan.
These two segments are also the ones expected to make the most of the upcoming 3G technology, for which licenses are expected to be auctioned soon.
The use of 3G services will significantly boost user ARPU. Therefore, it makes sense for operators to capture as much of the potential data customers as possible, in advance of the advent of 3G. This is another reason why China Mobile is keen on successfully bidding for Warid.
With a substantial acquisition war chest and an ambition to expand its international business in Pakistan and the region, China mobile appears to have the will and resources to make a serious bid in Warid Telecom’s upcoming auction.
Nabeel Gabol booked for Zafar Baloch’s murder MQM condemns
The News 21 Sept 2013
Karachi
The Lyari police claimed on Friday to have registered a case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Nabeel Gabol and four unidentified suspects for murdering Zafar Baloch on the complaint of the slain Baloch activist’s father.
Zafar, a prominent leader of the outlawed People’s Amn Committee, was gunned down by armed motorcyclists along with his aide in Lyari on September 18 hours after three alleged gangsters were killed in an encounter with law enforcers.
SSP City Faisal Bashir Memon told The News that Kalakot police had registered a case on the complaint of Muhammad Ali Baloch who nominated Gabol and four unidentified men.
Zafar’s father wrote in his statement that the attack on his son was carried out at the behest of Gabol, he said. The complainant also told police that he had seen the attackers and could identify them if they were brought before him.
The case has been registered under sections 302 (murder), 109 (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention).
However, the Kalakot police and even SP City Shah Nawaz Khan expressed ignorance about the registration of the case.
‘Political revenge’
Condemning the registration of the murder case against Gabol, the MQM Rabita Committee termed the case “a continuation of political revenge”.
In a statement, the MQM leaders said the MNA was in Islamabad to attend the National Assembly session when Zafar was killed.
They claimed the Baloch leader was killed near the notorious Bizenjo Chowk in Chakiwara, which is considered the den of Lyari-based gangsters, but despite this a case was registered against the MQM leader. This showed the authorities’ bias and enmity towards the Altaf Hussain-led party, which was highly condemnable, they said.
The MQM Rabita Committee added that a few days ago, another false case was registered against former MPA of MQM Nadeem Hashmi but it was proved after an impartial enquiry that the charges were false and he was acquitted.
They appealed to the president, prime minister and interior minister to take notice of the “illegal and unjust act” and take back the case against Gabol.
The MQM leaders also called for stopping the political victimisation of party leaders and supporters.
PM to address nation today
The News 21 Sept 2013
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will address the nation today (Saturday) and it is understood that he will unveil the programme of his government with regard to the youth envisaged in the election manifesto of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
The address would be aired in the evening. Mohayuddin Wani, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, told this scribe on Friday the address would cover new initiatives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is pinning great hopes on the youth that has always lived up to the expectations of the nation. Some new schemes including provision of laptops to the educated youngsters, employment opportunities for youth and soft loans for venturing business and announcement of some scholarships for bright youngsters would also be a part of the speech of the prime minister.
The schemes slated to be announced would be covering the whole country while the backward areas will get special treatment. The address would be titled as new hopes for the nation and youth alike, the sources said.
The federal government has worked out the programme for the youth that is being launched for the first time in the history of the country and it will have impact of billions of rupees. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal has significantly contributed in outlining the programme. The programme would prove as a fortune changer in the long run, the sources said.
Indian elephant tramples UK bird-watcher to death
The News 21 Sept 2013
NEW DELHI: A British bird-watcher has been trampled to death by an elephant in a southern Indian nature reserve after he went out alone on foot, his guide and police told AFP on Friday.
The 68-year-old tourist was fatally injured by the male animal in the Masinagudi forest of Tamil Nadu state on Thursday, area police chief T. Senthil Kumar told AFP by telephone. He identified the victim as Colin Manvell, from the town of Havant, in southern Britain, who had visited the sanctuary in Nilgiris district twice a year for the last five years.
“After lunch on Thursday sir (Manvell) went out on foot for bird watching near a lake which is a watering hole of wild elephants,” his local guide, M. Kumar, told AFP from Masinagudi, which also boasts a state-protected tiger reserve.
“When he did not return by 4:15 pm, we followed his trail and heard the sounds of a tusker trumpeting loudly.” A forest warden called Gnanadoss, who uses one name, said it appeared that the Briton did not notice the elephant creep up on him until it was too late.
“It swiped him with its trunk and then trampled him on the ground,” Gnanadoss said, adding the attack occurred 100 metres (330 feet) from a site where a woman was killed by elephants in 2009. The profusely bleeding man was rushed to a local hospital but there was no doctor to treat him.
He was then ferried to a medical facility in Cuddalore city, 23 kilometres (15 miles) away, but he died from his injuries on the way, local guide Kumar said. “He knew his way well around here, he was aware of the wild elephants and also the dangers that lurk in the local jungles. This is tragic.”
Tamil Nadu’s forest authorities say tourists should pay heed to warnings to stay away from densely wooded areas which are home to tigers and elephants.
Israel fears Rouhani’s overtures to the West
The News 21 Sept 2013
Israeli officials have said a possible rapprochement between the US and Iran could lead to a foolish softening of US-backed sanctions and bring Iran closer to building nuclear weapons.
Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, told US media this week that his country had no intention to make atom bombs. His statement was part of a series of conciliatory signals coming from Tehran that recently received a guarded welcome from the White House in the form of letters exchanged between Rouhani and the US president, Barack Obama.
“Don’t be fooled by the Iranian president’s fraudulent statements,” Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister and proponent of attacking Iranian nuclear facilities, said on Thursday.
The head of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission warned on Wednesday that Iran’s gestures were nothing but “deception and concealment” of its alleged plans to make nuclear weapons.
A day earlier, Netanyahu laid out his own demands that must be met by Tehran before a softening of international sanctions, or else such pressure “must be increased”. The Israeli leader is expected to repeat those demands during a meeting in Washington next week with Obama and at his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
But by coming out too strongly against the flurry of conciliatory messages from Rouhani, a potential reformer who was elected in June, Israeli leaders may risk angering their patrons in Washington and Europe. “The danger of a sour-faced Israeli approach is that this may be seen by the Americans and the West as Israel not wanting to see any change in the situation,” said Meir Litvak, director of Tel Aviv University’s Alliance Centre for Iranian Studies.
“This could be damaging in terms of a public relations point of view.” Of course, deep Israeli scepticism of Iranian leaders should be expected.
Rouhani’s predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, became notorious for anti-Israel barbs, holocaust denials as well as bizarre and long-winded diatribes.
Under his leadership, Tehran’s reputation for intransigent diplomacy with the West over its nuclear activities gave Israelis serious pause for concern. So too has continued Iranian support for the Assad regime of Syria and Lebanon’s Hizbullah movement, both foes of Israel.
“These guys are very, very formidable enemies, and you can’t underestimate them,” said Dan Schueftan, director of Haifa University’s National Security Studies Centre.
He said most Israelis agreed with Netanyahu’s combative response to Iran’s moves under Rouhani. “If you’re not sceptical of these guys, you’re not qualified to be prime minister of Israel,” Schueftan said. Still, in some cases, the official reaction has bordered on petty.
This month, a Twitter account attributed to Rouhani greeted Jews on their religious New Year of Rosh Hashanah. So too did a Twitter feed associated with his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
In response, Netanyahu said that he was “unimpressed”. “The Iranian regime will be judged only by its actions and not by its greetings,” he said.
Damascus submits chemical details to watchdog Rebels, jihadists agree truce as Syria seeks ceasefire
The News 21 Sept 2013
DAMASCUS: Syrian rebels have agreed a truce with jihadists after clashes for a key border town, an NGO said on Friday as a senior official said Damascus wanted a ceasefire in Syria’s wider conflict.
Iranian President Hassan Rowhani, meanwhile, offered to broker talks between the opposition and the Islamic republic’s government allies in Damascus.
After the latest round of a war-within-a-war between foes of the Syrian regime, the opposition National Coalition accused Al-Qaeda front group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) of violating the principles of the revolution.
ISIS seized the town of Azaz on the border with Turkey in hours-long fighting on Wednesday, in the latest in a growing spate of clashes between jihadists and mainstream rebel units of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The Northern Storm brigade, which is loyal to the FSA and was based in Azaz, agreed to the truce with ISIS under which both sides pledged to observe a ceasefire, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The deal was brokered by Liwa al-Tawhid, a powerful rebel brigade loyal to the FSA, which sent fighters to the town on Thursday who have deployed between the two sides, the NGO said.
The rival groups also undertook to free detainees captured in the fighting and to immediately return any looted goods. Any future problems would be put to an arbitration committee, the Britain-based watchdog added.
Azaz has symbolic as well as strategic value as it was one of the first towns to be captured from government troops, in July 2012, by FSA fighters, who set up their own administration.
Tensions have spiralled between some mainstream rebel groups and ISIS in recent months, especially in northern Syria, where the opposition controls vast swathes of territory.
In the wider conflict, Syria’s deputy premier said Damascus believes the 30-month-old war in his country has reached a stalemate and would call for a ceasefire if long-delayed peace talks in Geneva were to take place.
“Neither the armed opposition nor the regime is capable of defeating the other side,” Qadri Jamil told Britain’s Guardian newspaper.
When asked what his government would propose at the stalled Geneva II summit, he replied: “An end to external intervention, a ceasefire and the launching of a peaceful political process.”
On the northern front, the National Coalition issued a rare condemnation of ISIS, accusing the group of violating the principles of the revolution by turning its guns on FSA fighters.
“The Coalition condemns the aggressions against the forces of the Syrian revolution and the repeated disregard for the lives of Syrians, and considers that this behaviour runs contrary to the Syrian revolution,” a statement said.
It accused it of having “links to foreign agendas” and of seeking to create a “new state inside the Syrian state entity in violation of national sovereignty”.
Meanwhile, Syria has begun supplying details of its chemical arsenal, the world’s chemical weapons watchdog said on Friday.
A senior Syrian official, meanwhile, said Damascus wanted a ceasefire in the 30-month war, which has reportedly killed more than 110,000 people and forced more than two million to flee.
Hours before a deadline for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to provide details on its arsenal, the Hague-based group tasked with dismantling the arms said it has received an initial report.
Indian who killed daughter for ‘honour’ has no regrets
The News 21 Sept 2013
NEW DELHI: The Indian father who killed his daughter and beheaded her boyfriend after they eloped has declared he feels no remorse over the “honour killings”, media reports said Friday.
The young couple from India’s northern state of Haryana were beaten to death Wednesday by the father and other relatives of the 20-year-old woman “to protect the family and village honour”, police said. After killing the man, 22, using sticks, the attackers beheaded him. They also tried to burn the woman’s body but were stopped by police.
The woman’s family disapproved of the three-year relationship because the couple belonged to the same caste and were “considered brother and sister”, police said.
The father, who has since been taken into custody, showed no signs of remorse over the brutal killings as he spoke to local reporters in Haryana’s Rohtak district.
The woman’s mother and uncle have also been arrested and police said they were searching for a brother. “I have done nothing wrong. I have cleaned up a social wrong,” the father, Billu Pehlwan, a dog breeder by profession, was quoted as saying by the Times of India and other newspapers.
The NDTV network showed him saying: “I would do it again. I have no regrets.”
India has for centuries seen killings that often target young couples who have relationships which are disapproved of by their families, clans or communities, particularly in traditional rural areas.
The killings are carried out by close relatives or village elders to protect what is seen as the family’s reputation and pride. The dead woman was studying to be an art teacher while her boyfriend was a student at a local college.
They were on their way to the capital New Delhi, about 70 kilometres from Rohtak, when they were tracked down and hauled back to their village.
The deaths were slammed by women’s groups who said political leaders must step in to stem the tide of honour killings.
“We need a whole debate on tradition, on honour. This girl was lynched by her own family, the boy was beheaded,” Subhashini Ali, head of the All India Democratic Women’s Association and a communist politician, told NDTV network.
Women with breast cancer may overestimate secondary risks
The News 21 Sept 2013
BOSTON: Young women with breast cancer often overestimate both their chance of developing cancer in the other breast and how much removal of that breast is likely to protect them, a new US study suggests.
In a survey of women diagnosed with cancer in one breast between ages 26 and 40 who chose to have a double mastectomy, almost all said a desire to extend their life was a very important part of the decision.
However, evidence shows removing the cancer-free breast does not improve survival rates, the study’s lead author said.
“For some women it might be the right decision, but you want to make sure they’re making the decision based on the correct information,” Shoshana M. Rosenberg, from the Susan F. Smith Centre for Women’s Cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, told Reuters Health.
Among women with early-stage breast cancer who do not have genetic mutations that increase their risk, past research has found the chance of developing cancer in the second breast to be between 2 and 4 percent over five years.
Although mastectomy does reduce the chance of a second cancer in the breast, a much bigger concern is the risk of developing metastatic disease as a result of the original cancer, Rosenberg said.
Removing the second breast does not affect the risk of the original cancer spreading elsewhere in the body, she added, and thus isn’t likely to prolong a woman’s life.
More and more women with breast cancer are having both breasts removed, Rosenberg noted, and the trend is most pronounced in young women. To see why that might be, she and her colleagues sent surveys to 123 young women who had opted for double mastectomy, an average of two years after their surgery.
Of those women, 94 percent said the desire to extend the length of life was a “very” or “extremely” important factor in their decision to have both breasts removed.
Women without the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutations believed about 10 percent of women in their situation would develop a second breast cancer over 5 years.
Survey participants “vastly overestimated their risk,” according to Rosenberg. Still, the majority of them answered correctly that most women with early-stage breast cancer will die of something else.
And less than one in five believed women with breast cancer who have both breasts removed live longer than those who don’t, the study team reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Obviously, when they’re making this decision it’s a very anxious time, especially in younger women,” Rosenberg said.
About one in eight US women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. According to a recent study, one in 173 will get the disease before age 40.
Rosenberg said many women who have a double mastectomy undergo breast reconstruction, which can involve extensive surgery and long recovery times and carries a risk of complications.
“The complications are almost never life-threatening, but they can certainly compromise a patient’s health,” Dr. Todd Tuttle, a surgical oncologist at the University of Minnesota Medical Centre’s Breast Centre in Minneapolis, said.
For example, some women get infections, or have wounds that don’t heal.
Tuttle, who wrote a commentary published with the new study, said mastectomy and reconstruction also “may potentially delay any other therapies that are recommended to treat their original breast cancer.”
He told Reuters Health that “hyperawareness” about breast cancer in the U.S. may contribute to women overestimating their cancer-related risks and the benefits of a double mastectomy. In Europe, he said, there has not been the same increase in rates of normal-breast mastectomy among women with cancer.
Tuttle agreed with Rosenberg that some women may have good reasons for wanting both breasts removed, but that they should be fully informed before making that decision.
“Physicians need to take the time to talk to their patients about what their risk of getting cancer is in that opposite breast,” he said. “Having that normal breast removed will not improve their survival.”
All that glitters: Diamonds outshine gold for Chinese brides
The News
21 Sept 2013
NEW YORK: Under a black-and-white framed photo of the New York skyline, a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne cools in the private bridal salon at Tiffany & Co’s flagship Shanghai store, while white roses and love poems set the mood for China’s Romeo to pop the question to his Juliet.
The room, dotted with splashes of the jeweller’s iconic eggshell blue, has been busy of late, as young Chinese, drawn by the allure of diamonds, increasingly choose the sparkling gems over traditional gold baubles to mark their marriage vows.
China’s diamond market, now the world’s second largest after the United States, has more than tripled to $22.8 billion over the last five years, according to data from market research firm Euro monitor, steadily gobbling up market share from gold and far outstripping the growth rate in China’s 465 billion Yuan jewellery sector. “(In China) we now have more and more young people making their declarations and proposal ceremonies within our bridal rooms,” said Stephane Lafay,
Tiffany’s head of Asia Pacific and Japan, who said couples were attracted to the romantic image of the jeweller’s well-known “little blue box”.
At the centre of the trend are China’s 13 million brides each year, who are increasingly demanding diamonds.
“All along, my husband and I always thought that we would buy a diamond ring, so it never crossed my mind he might not. I think I’d have been pretty cross if he hadn’t,” said Zhou Lijuan, 27, an accountant in a state-owned company in Shanghai, with a 50,000 Yuan diamond ring.
To be sure, gold is still hugely popular in China, both as jewellery and as an investment. The World Gold Council said earlier this year that China was set to challenge India’s position as the world’s top gold consumer, with 2013 demand soaring more than 20 percent to 1,000 tonnes.
But diamonds have steadily increased as a share of China’s overall jewellery market, accounting for just under one third now from one quarter five years ago, according to Euro monitor. This has propelled Greater China, including Hong Kong, to the second largest diamond jewellery market after the United States, according to Bain & Co, and along with India, it is expected to be the main driver of growth for the $72 billion global market.
The appeal of diamonds, long linked with wedding bells in Europe and America, hasn’t always been so strong in China, where the bride-to-be’s family was often responsible for supplying a gold-based dowry of rings, bracelets and other trinkets.
“In my mum’s generation, women were really just interested in gold. The woman’s family would prepare a gold bracelet themselves, and the man’s side would arrange a golden betrothal gift,” added Zhou, who got married in 2012.
China’s modern consumers have much more exposure to Western culture than their parents, including books, films and television that often involve heroines or romantic leads receiving or wearing a diamond ring.
“Western films have a kind of ‘bridge’ effect, so when Chandler buys a diamond ring for Monica in ‘Friends’, it really left a deep impression,” said Lily Cai, 30, a civil servant in Shanghai, referring to the hit U.S. television series.
“A diamond ring is a symbol of love, and the larger the diamond the deeper the love,” she added. She now has a diamond ring from Chinese jewellers Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd which cost 43,000 Yuan.
The sparkle of China’s diamond industry has tempted jewellers, miners and dealers alike.
Global auction house Sotheby’s is set to offer a huge white diamond in Hong Kong at the start of October, which would be the most expensive white diamond ever sold at auction if it hits its $28 million lower pre-sale target.
“From 2006 until now we’ve seen a threefold increase, close to 200 percent, of Asian buyers purchasing jewellery worldwide. What they’ve really focused on, of course, is diamonds,” said Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, who added Chinese buyers were showing increasing confidence about snapping up the most expensive gems.
De Beers, the largest diamond producer by value and majority-owned by miner Anglo American Plc, sees China as driving growth over the next four years. It has five diamond-focused outlets in China with more set to open this year.
The incentive is clear. Tiffany’s Lafay said over the last 20 years, the number of people buying diamond engagement rings has risen from less than 1 percent to more than 50 percent in urban China. More than half of the country’s 1.3 billion population now live in cities.
Even traditionally gold-focused jewellers, such as China’s Chow Tai Fook, are looking to up exposure to diamonds. The world’s biggest jewellery retailer by market value, it recently struck a deal with Russian miner AK Alrosa to ensure its diamond supply.
“Mainland Chinese are becoming more westernised, so they tend to select diamond rings for their engagement proposal and wedding,” said Chow Tai Fook’s managing director Kent Wong.
China will also be a critical market for Rio Tinto Plc’s diamond business, after the world’s No. 3 miner scrapped a planned sale of the unit earlier this year. Rio Tinto has now set up links with Chow Tai Fook, and last week invited 100 jewellery experts in Hong Kong to see its latest diamond haul.
“Going forward China will be the engine for growth in global retail diamond jewellery consumption,” said Jean-Marc Lieberherr, managing director of Rio Tinto’s diamonds and minerals division. He forecast low double-digit growth in China and said the firm was directing more of its production into the Chinese market.
China’s bridegrooms may not be quite so convinced as their demanding brides, but the wives-to-be usually win in the end, conceded Yu Peidi, 27, a salesman in Shanghai, who proposed to his now-wife in 2011.
“Women are always getting together to compare, telling friends and colleagues that their husband has bought them such and such a diamond ring. Just talking about having a diamond seems to keep them happy,” he said.
PSM incurring Rs60-70m loss daily, NA told
The News 21 Sept 2013
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Industries and Production Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi on Friday informed the National Assembly that Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) was incurring a loss of Rs60-70 million a day.
Responding to a question, the minister said that four bailout packages of around Rs40 billion had been given to the steel mills from 2008 to 2012, while it had borne a loss of Rs86 billion during the same period.
He said that the suggestion to sell 25 percent shares of the mills was under consideration and the government had nothing to do with its putting on the privatisation list as it was already there.
He said through the approval of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), Rs3 billion was issued for the steel mills so that pending salaries were given to the employees and needs of the entity till November this year were catered to.
Meanwhile, the Kalabagh Dam once again made waves in the NA but the government played down the issue saying that it would not take any step which might harm the national harmony.
The issue was brought up when PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achackzai, on a point of order during the Question Hour, called for the need to put the controversial dam in the list of projects that the government planned. “I did not understand why this dam is not mentioned in the list,” he questioned the government.
In reply, State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said the government would not take any step which might harm national harmony. He said Kalabagh Dam was a national project which required a consensus.
“I can assure the House that no project, including Kalabagh Dam, can be initiated without national consensus. This project is only mentioned in the list of those which were planned but no decision was taken on them,” he said.
He said the federal government allocated Rs103,715.387 million for Sindh and Balochistan for water and irrigation projects during the last five years.
He said in Balochistan, 76 percent work had been completed on Katchhi Canal while 83 percent work on RBOD-3 had also been completed, which would meet the water requirements of the province.
On Naulang, the state minister said it would produce 4.4MW electricity while water would not be wasted as Wapda was working to develop a water recycling system. He said this water would be used for irrigation and drinking purposes.
Abid said there was a Russian proposal regarding purchase of 5,000 MW electricity and government would consider every project to include cheap electricity in the system for the development of the country.
He said the government was also committed to converting thermal power plants into coal based plants, which would produce cheap electricity. He said this conversion would be completed in two and a half years.He said that the cost of electricity produce through coal power plant would be 10-11 rupees per unit whereas thermal power plants were producing each unit for 21 to 22 rupees.
Pakistan releasing Mullah Baradar today
The News 21 Sept 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will release today (Saturday) its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a one-time military chief often described as the insurgents’ former second-in-command.
“In order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process, the detained Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, would be released tomorrow,” Foreign Office stated on Friday. “Pakistan is the most desirous country for restoratio of peace in Afghanistan,” it added.
The Afghan government has long demanded that Islamabad free Baradar, whose arrest in January 2010 saw Pakistan accused of sabotaging initiatives to bring peace in war-torn Afghanistan.
Sartaj Aziz, the adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, had told AFP on Monday that Baradar “will be released this week, possibly in a day or two”.His release would bring to 34 the number of Taliban detainees that Pakistan has freed since last year, in what Afghan officials hope will encourage peace talks with Taliban insurgents.
Sartaj Aziz had said that Baradar would not be handed over to Kabul. “It is at his (Baradar’s) discretion whether he chooses to live here or anywhere of his own choice,” Aziz said.Baradar was arrested from Karachi, reportedly in a secret raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, an operation that was described as a huge blow to the Taliban. At the time of his arrest Baradar was reported to have been the Taliban’s second-in-command.
There has been little evidence that the release of Taliban detainees has had a positive effect on the stalled peace negotiations, however, and several prisoners are understood to have returned to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Afghan government welcomed Pakistan’s announcement that Taliban prisoner Abdul Ghani Baradar would be freed shortly, saying the move would help peace efforts after 12 years of war.
“We welcome that this step is being taken,” Aimal Faizi, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said. “We believe this will help the Afghan peace process. This is something we have been calling for a long time. It was on the agenda when the president visited Pakistan, so we are pleased.”
Adiala Jail staff providing cell phone services to terrorists
PU accuses IJT of hurling life threats to employee
The News 21 Sept 2013
LAHORE: Punjab University (PU) administration on Friday accused the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) activists of “presenting” a bullet to an employee of the varsity and threatening him with life.
The administration through its spokesperson condemned the life threats by, what it termed, the “goons” of Jamiat and maintained that the varsity administration would not accept any pressure.
The PU spokesperson said that Muhammad Iqbal, senior clerk of the university’s Institute of Communication Studies (ICS) was performing his duties at an admission stall set up at the institute when at about 12:10pm, a “rogue” of IJT came to him and asked his name.
The IJT activist then handed over a folded tissue paper and said: “This is something for what you are doing”. Iqbal opened the tissue and found a bullet of pistol. The spokesman said IJT hooligans were continuously threatening and harassing not only senior teachers but female teachers as well. The spokesman said that such negative tactics of IJT could not pressurize PU administration.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the ICS alleged that IJT’s Hafiz Luqman (expelled student) and Abdul Qadeer (a student at PU Law College) had sent the bullet to the senior clerk. It added the bullet had been handed over to the PU security officers.
In a separate press statement, the PU Academic Staff Association (PUASA) appealed to the leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) to stop supporting, what it termed, ‘hooliganism’ of IJT. The ASA also asked the JI “not to be tyrant for the children of poor parents who are studying at PU.”
The representative body of Punjab University teachers asked the JI why it did not set up IJT offices in its own educational institutions. The ASA asked the JI if it was conspiring against the children of the poor, so that they stopped taking admission to the PU, thus benefiting their (IJ’s) private educational institutions. The ASA said that the average annual fee of the Punjab University was around 20,000 while JI’s private educational institutions’ fee was greater manifold.
They said whenever efforts were made to purge the university of non-student elements, the IJT resisted. When an action was taken against the latter, the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders always defended it They said that Academic Staff Association had always condemned activities of student wings of all political parties and played its role to maintain quality education and promotion of research environment at the university. An IJT statement issued here categorically denied hurling life threats and presenting bullet to the ICS employee, terming the same “a pack of lies”.
Politicians still support talks with Taliban ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Thursday
The News 21 Sept 2013
KARACHI: Speaking in his programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Thursday, Kamran Khan said that all the political leaders say that they are still in favour of talks with the Taliban and that the recent developments have not made them move away from the path of talks. In the meantime, there are reports that undisclosed channels between the government and the Taliban have already been established and that the ice is melting. However, the government is neither confirming nor denying these reports.
Kamran Khan said that according to some other reports, a former PML-N MNA belonging to Kohat, Javed Paracha, is one of the people who have been acting as the go-between in talks with the Taliban. It is being said that Javed Paracha has spoken to the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban, Hakimullah Mahsud, and that Mahsud has told Paracha that the Taliban would like to see as a first step that the prisoners belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Tehrik-e-Taliban, etc, are released from prisons. Javed Ibrahim Paracha has also contacted the federal interior minister in this connection. However, the government has neither confirmed nor denied these reports.
Commenting on the operation in Karachi, Kamran Khan said that the situation in the city is getting better, and the law-enforcement agencies are appearing to be in total command. The system of information exchange that was put in place among the federal intelligence agencies, the Rangers and the police is getting formidable by virtue of which the overall situation in Karachi is improving. He said that according to Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the objectives of the first phase of Karachi operation have almost been achieved after which comes the second and third phases of the operation in which target killers and other criminals in Karachi will be wiped out. According to reports of the federal agencies, around 250 target killers have left Karachi for North Waziristan.
Commenting on the Wali Khan Babar murder case, Kamran Khan said that when Geo News reporter Wali Khan Babar was murdered he had been investigating into the matters relating to politics-crime nexus. Investigation into his murder case could not progress, and all the police witnesses in the case were murdered too. The trial of the accused is on. Kamran Khan said that the police had assumed that the case was hushed up, but the matter has resurfaced at the Supreme Court. During the Karachi lawlessness case the Supreme Court, while taking notice of the case, ordered that a report on the failure to arrest the murderers of the witnesses in Wali Babar murder case be presented and that the IG of Sindh should arrest the murderers of those witnesses.
In a different segment of the programme, Kamran Khan said that there have been complaints against the ruling party and its ministers that they are taking the Parliament for granted and that is why many legislators of the PML-N skip the sessions of the National Assembly and Senate. The other legislators are complaining that because of the absence of PML-N ministers, there is no one to answer their questions. He said that the record of the former government in this connection was very good. The then prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani used to make sure that not only he but his ministers as well were present at National Assembly sessions.
Special correspondent of Geo News Arshad Waheed Chaudhry said that one can count on one’s fingers the days Nawaz Sharif attended the National Assembly sessions.
In a yet different segment of the programme, Kamran Khan said that the mega-corruption cases that emerged in the final days of the previous government also included the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. He said that the principal character and the then chief of TDAP Tariq Puri has been arrested. Tariq Puri had misused the facilities that the government extends on exports from Pakistan and weaved a web of corruption through which billions of rupees were siphoned off from the national exchequer.
The chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Fazlur Rehman, said in the programme that there is a consensus on the national level over the fact that talks are the solution to the problem of terrorism.
He said that the incident in Upper Dir was very unfortunate. Such an incident at such a critical time is an attempt to disrupt the process of talks even before it gets under way. Fazlur Rehman said that there seems to a lobby which wants to sabotage talks process.
Top anti-terrorism body has lopsided structure
The News 21 Sept 2013
ISLAMABAD: As the country is reeling under a wave of terror with over 50,000 fatalities in last 10 years, the seriousness of the successive governments in tackling the issue is evident from the state of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) which has only 68 employees against 203 vacancies.
On top of this lopsided situation majority of the existing employees are PPP loyalists with dubious career records, The News has learnt.The Authority remained a favourite dumping site for the dubious officers and employees during PPP regime with massive irregularities in their appointment. However, the PML-N government which has declared that its counter-terrorism policy will be executed through Nacta, has so far failed to take corrective measures during its first three and half months.
According to sources, the Authority has no record of 55 existing employees who were hired by the former PPP government when the authority was under the Ministry of Interior before the promulgation of Nacta Act 2013.
Most of these employees and officers have dubious background as they were hired by top officials of PPP in some other department against the rules before being quietly posted in Nacta on deputation.
Sources said the relevant authorities have failed to provide the data of these employees despite repeated request from current Nacta management during last four months. The situation in the officer cadre is even grimmer as 90 per cent posts in the officer cadre are lying vacant while the majority of existing officers have been appointed in violation of rules.
One such officer is Haris Mirza who was hired on one-year contract in Nacta in May 2012 but immediately got posted in FIA for three years on deputation. However after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the government to send the deputationists back to their department, Mirza was hired again by Nacta on regular post in March 2013 at a time when Election Commission had banned all appointments ahead of polls.
Similarly another officer Rabia Yasmin was posted in Nacta on grade 19 on deputation from Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).Interestingly, she was hired in APP in 2012 directly in scale 1 on the orders of the then Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, in violation of rules and served in the agency only for a month. Rules were violated twice while sending her on deputation in Nacta as APP’s grade 1 is equivalent to BS-18 but she was posted in BS-19.
When contacted for his version about glaring violation of rules, the Acting National Coordinator (NC) of Nacta Dr Hyder Ali said he is unable to take action against powerful employees as they have political links.
“I have only served in Nacta for five months but I have come to know that this institution is the most neglected organ of the government,” he said adding that he had tried to fire some influential officers who were appointed illegally in Nacta but the reaction was so strong that he is afraid of taking any further steps.
Ali said after assuming charge of Nacta chief he had fired close relatives of a former prime ministers and two ministers who were working on the posts of Directors in the authority. He said one Zamir Farooqi brother-in-law of a senior PPP leader Mir Khan Mandokhel, brother of a Balouchistan Senior Minister and Tariq Khan, alleged frontman of a Karachi-based minister were among those who were fired.
He said a senior official of Nacta Khushdil Khan was also hired by the former Interior Minister Rehman Malik.He also confirmed that Authority does not have any data of over 50 employees who had been absorbed from various departments.“I don’t know who these people are and despite repeated requests the government has not given any information about them which makes their appointment extremely dubious,” Ali said.
Punjab may get direct access to telecom, Nadra data
The News 21 Sept 2013
LAHORE: The federal government, at the request of the Punjab government, has decided to give Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) independent access to telecom data in order to counter terrorism, documents available with The News have revealed.
This was decided in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at Model Town a couple of weeks back. The meeting was attended by chief secretary Punjab, IGP Punjab, additional secretary to PM and home secretary Punjab.
In this regard the Prime Minister Office Islamabad through a letter conveyed to the Punjab government that the prime minister had accepted in principle the request of the Punjab government regarding giving CTD independent access to telecom data.The PM also accepted the request regarding providing the CTD direct access to the database of Nadra.
However, Additional Secretary to the PM Fawad Hassan Fawad would prepare the case for independent access to telecom data and direct access to Nadra database. He would put up the cases to PM Nawaz Sharif for his formal approval.
The meeting was informed that the CTD was established to counter terrorism in the province. However, CTD has to face difficulties in tracing out culprits since it has no facility of direct access to the telecom data and Nadra database. If the CTD requires any information about a caller, it has to submit a request to Intelligence Bureau which takes much time.
In order to improve the efficiency of the CTD and tracing and catching the culprits as quickly as possible, the CTD should be given independent access to the telecom data and Nadra database. While agreeing the point of view of the Punjab government, the prime minister accepted its request.
In the meeting it has also been discussed that the counter terrorism laws like TADA and POTA be examined for necessary amendments in anti-terrorism laws in the country. Furthermore the PM also directed CTD to propose a functional model of counter terrorism.
Sources in the Home Department Punjab said the Punjab government was trying to get direct access for call tracing system for last few years. However, some influential institutions opposed it and this facility remained with the federal institutions. The Punjab government would purchase call tracing equipments after the approval of federal government regarding giving direct access to the CTD to the telecom data.
When contacted Chief Secretary Punjab Javed Aslam said the summary was submitted to the PM and the federal government has given approval regarding allowing the CTD direct access to the telecom data and Nadra database. Furthermore the CTD is collecting data independently on case to case basis, he maintained.
Science book confiscated for containing ‘obscene material’
The News 21 Sept 2013
LAHORE: The Punjab government has issued orders to confiscate the science book of class six of Lahore Grammar School (LGS) having obscene material provocative for the youth in sexual sphere.
A special department committee, formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, has submitted the report based on its recommendations after a detailed review of controversial issues in the syllabus of the LGS.
These issues include the removal of the subject of compulsory Islamic Studies from the curriculum of class six of LGS and its replacement with the subject of Religious Studies which is tantamount to mislead and confuse the young generation with complexity of topics like comparative study of religions at such a lower level. According to a handout, the orders have been issued through the Punjab Education Department.
Meanwhile, addressing a Press conference on Friday the Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said the importance of private sector in promotion of education was quite evident but no one could allow them to misuse this position. He explained that it was complained from various sections of society that the LGS was indulged in teaching obscene material provocative for the youth in sexual sphere. This obscene material was available in the market with the result that the Punjab government had to take action.
The minister added that Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan was quite clear about the provision that no Pakistani citizen should be taught a religion other than his own. Similarly, provocation of sexual sentiments was also cognizable under Pakistan Penal Code Section 293 and Section 298, he added.
Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan reiterated that the Punjab government would not allow anyone to make our youth hostage of foreign mindset by teaching them material having topics which are against our social norms, values and religious beliefs. He announced to constitute a special committee under the convener-ship of Secretary Schools Education Punjab Abdul Jabbar Shaheen which will review the syllabi of all the private sector educational institutions in the Punjab.
The minister appealed to the media to identify objectionable material included in the syllabus of any type of school saying the government would take prompt action. Talking to The News Abdul Jabbar Shaheen said the science book being taught at the LGS was Cambridge’s Checkpoint Science 2. He said page 70 of the book under sub-topic was highly obscene which was being taught to small children.
PIA-APTA talks fail, dispute to begin in court again
The News 21 Sept 2013
LONDON: Talks between the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and All Pakistan Travel Agents (APTA-UK) have collapsed after the two sides failed to agree on proposals to end their long-running court action.
A high level delegation of the PIA had flown from Pakistan to hold talks with the APTA-UK members but now the travel agents have announced that they will apply for the next level of action against Pakistan’s international airline in the UK courts. The PIA delegation from Pakistan included top officials Tahir Niaz, Nayyar Hayat, Syed Rehan Ahmed and Khurram Mushtaq. The APTA-UK was represented by Syed Riaz Hussain Shah, Chaudhry Mahboob Ahmed, Shahid Bhatti and Malik Anwar.
Sources said that the PIA delegation told the APTA members that they can be paid the due money in two years as the national airline didn’t have finances to pay at this stage but that proposal was rejected by the travel agents.
The London High Court has issued judgements against the PIA. The APTA wants the PIA to pay the claimable commission - 2% and 9% fuel surcharge now owed to the travel agents - in respect of this Judgment recently delivered in the London High Court. In 1974, APTA was established as a private association with the support of PIA and it was orally agreed that the PIA would pay a customary commission of 9% on all its ticket sales. It was further agreed that the PIA would pay a further commission of 2% over and above any other commission(s) and incentives as an Over Riding Commission (ORC) to all those APTA members who would secure PIA ticket sales to the value of £250,000 or more per annum. A few years ago the dispute between the two started when new rules were introduced by the PIA and the matter was taken to the court.
Mehboob Ahmed, the chief executive of APTA, speaking to The News alleged that the PIA delegation didn’t show seriousness. “They didn’t come to London aiming to resolve the dispute. They were supposed to hold meetings with us for four days but they spent one day, resting ,another day shopping, on the third day they came late by two hours and left in hurry and on the next day they spent preparing to leave on the following day. We were told the delegation from Pakistan will have full powers but they said the decision rests with the managing director PIA. We have no choice but to go the courts again and seek justice.”
Canadian firm which did study on Reko Diq blacklisted by World Bank
Army, govt at loggerheads over Taliban talks
The News 21 sept 2013
ISLAMABAD: Disagreement over how to handle an escalating insurgency has put Pakistan’s all-powerful army on a collision course with the government, with the military increasingly vocal in its criticism of civilian leaders, officials and diplomats said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who came to power in May has promised to tame militancy through negotiations, but four months on, talks have yet to start and attacks continue daily.
The army, which has ruled the South Asian nation for more than half its history, has avoided open confrontation with Sharif and his government but tension is on the rise.
“The army chief ... is thinking: ‘Mian Sahib (Nawaz Sharif), enough is enough’,” a senior army officer serving in the strife-plagued Pashtun tribal area along the Afghan border told Reuters during a visit to Islamabad.
The military-civilian discord has been the source of tension throughout Pakistani history but Nawaz Sharif’s election has raised hopes the government would get a larger say following Pakistan’s first transition between civilian administrations.
Nawaz Sharif promised to hold talks with the militants during the election campaign, a welcome vow for many Pakistanis who, while abhorring the bombers, have never been convinced of the necessity of joining the US-led campaign against militancy.
The army, which keeps thousands of troops in the tribal belt, opposes talks with the Pakistani Taliban, saying previous attempts to bring the militants to the negotiating table yielded no results.
Frustration spilled into the open on Sunday when a roadside bomb killed a general and another officer near the Afghan border, just days after government officials promised to launch peace negotiations with the Pakistani Taliban soon.
“This incident has dealt a serious blow (to the peace process),” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar told parliament this week. “We have come to a standstill.”
“QUITE DISTURBING”
The tension comes at a crucial time when speculation is mounting over who will replace the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, arguably Pakistan’s most powerful man, who is due to retire in November.
The army put out a toughly worded statement this week.“While reaffirming the army’s support for the political process, (Kayani) also said, unequivocally, that terrorists will not be allowed to take advantage of it,” it said. “The army has the ability and the will to take the fight to the terrorists.”
The United States, Pakistan’s biggest donor, is pushing Islamabad to step up its campaign against groups such as the Haqqani network which regularly attacks US forces in Afghanistan from hideouts in Pakistani mountains.
“The absence of a strong government narrative on how to counter terrorism is quite disturbing for everyone, including the army chief,” said a senior Western diplomat in Islamabad.
The Pakistani Taliban are a fragmented alliance of factions with no coherent voice. Some within the group have announced preconditions, while others have denied this. The government would not say who would talk to whom, where and when.
“Until they (government) say out loud who the enemy is, there can be no policy and there can be no results,” said the senior military officer. The army says it would not agree to any preconditions, particularly the withdrawal of troops from tribal areas.
“They are saying: ‘Get out of here and let us be kings’,” another army source also serving in the tribal belt said of the Pakistani Taliban. “That’s not an option.”
ISPR adds: A spokesman of ISPR has categorically rejected Reuters News story captioned ‘Pakistan Army, Government at loggerheads over Taliban Talks’. He said it is highly regrettable that the reporter in this story has quoted an anonymous military source to attribute remarks to army chief. The story is baseless and has a malafide intent, the spokesman said.
SC orders arrest of 33,665 absconders in Karachi Directs law enforcers to confiscate
Rangers will have powers to shoot terrorists after warning Federal cabinet approves
Friday, September 20, 2013
CCTV footage of assailants released in Dabholkar murder
In a crucial development in the case of the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, Maharashtra police released CCTV footage of the two alleged assailants on bike. This footage obtained by the police might give them an idea of the motorbike that was used by the killers.26 Aug 2013, 7:47AM IST
Palm Beach Road accident video captured on CCTV
A horrific fatal collision of two cars on the famous Palm Beach Road recently, in which one man was killed, was captured by the CCTV camera installed on this 9 km stretch, often dubbed as the 'Marine Drive of Navi Mumbai'. The CCTV video has now gone viral and posted on social networking sites and also YouTube.19 Sep 2013, 3:46PM IST
Govt starts monitoring of overseas phone calls, data $27 million spent to check grey trafficking on trial basis
Karachiites take sigh of relief, thanks to operation ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Wednesday
The News 20 September 2013
KARACHI: Thanks to the operation in Karachi, the people of the city can take a sigh of relief since the rate of crime incidents in the city is going down, said Kamran Khan in his programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Wednesday.
He said that the sphere of the operation has now extended to include other parts of the country as well since Karachi’s criminal elements have gone to other cities as soon as the operation in Karachi began. However, the agencies are fully alert and that is why an alleged criminal of Lyari, Amin Buledi, was arrested in Lahore last night and today 12 criminals belonging to Karachi were arrested in a hotel and hostel in Murree.Just this evening, unknown motorcyclists shot dead an important leader of the People’s Amn Committee, Zafar Baloch, in Lyari’s Bizenjo Park.
Meanwhile, the Rangers, acting on information that the groups involved in extorting money from business people and those who kidnapped people for ransom were hiding in some areas of Lyari, conducted an operation in Lyari’s Baghdadi area in which some criminal elements were killed.
Senior reporter of Geo News, Talha Hashmi, while commenting on the death of Zafar Baloch, Karachi situation and Rangers’ operation, said in the programme that Zafar Baloch had been one-time secretary-general of PPP’s district South. Hashmi said that police and Rangers are conducting joint operation. They also conducted a joint operation in Shah Baig Lane of Lyari. In this connection, SSP Bashir Memon told Geo News correspondent that three criminals belonging to the Jabbar Jheengo group were killed during the action while six others were arrested.
Police, Rangers and others conducted a joint operation in Sultanabad area of Manghopir last night and killed an important member of the Hakeemullah Mahsud group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban.
Kamran Khan said that the people of Karachi are extremely grateful to the Rangers, the police and other security groups whose efforts have led to the improvement in the city’s situation.In another development, the CID, which is the intelligence arm of the police, has issued a list of the wanted people.
Talking about the list, special correspondent Syed Arifeen said in the programme that the Red Book issued by the CID has people from 13 defunct organisations, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba, TTP, Harkatul Mujahideen, Sipah-e-Muhammad and Pasban-e-Islam.
In a different segment of the programme, Kamran Khan said that rupee has been on a downward spree, and today the dollar hit the mark of Rs107 a dollar. He said that the dollar has gained seven percent vis-à-vis the rupee in the last three months. The rupee has not fared well against some of the other major currencies. The British pound is trading at Rs170 a pound and the UAE dirham at Rs30 a dirham. The falling rupee suggests that the economy is in dire straits and that the claim that the economy is sound does not stand the test of the market.
On the other hand, it is being said that the falling value of the rupee is a political game the bureaucracy is playing at the State Bank of Pakistan. The department concerned with foreign exchange control at the State Bank is a shambles.
Zubair Malik, president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that the falling rupee vis-à-vis the dollar is a matter of deep concern. People have started saving in dollars because of the falling rupee, and the commercial banks at the moment have more dollars than does the central bank.
Meanwhile, rumours have it that the rupee is being devalued according to a plan concerning the agreement Pakistan has had with the IMF. The Finance Ministry, however, has forcefully refuted the allegation.
A former adviser on finance, columnist and economist, Saqib Sheerani, said in the programme that there are a couple of factors involved in the devaluation of the rupee. The first among these factors is the falling volume of our foreign exchange reserves and the trend of dollarisation is gaining strength. It has been observed in the last three months that whether it is a real estate transaction or any other major transaction, it is being done either in dollars or in pounds. He said that the State Bank must check this trend.
In a different segment of the programme, Kamran Khan, while commenting on the Dir incident, said that the Amir of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Munawar Hassan, in his message condemning the Dir incident, said that those who attacked the soldiers in Dir have in fact fulfilled the agenda of the enemies of Pakistan.
The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, said in the programme that his government strongly condemns the Dir incident. Khattak, however, disagreed with the assertion that the incidents of terrorism are on the rise in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Responding to the question over the soft corner his party allegedly has for militants, Khattak said that he cannot undermine the enormity of the Dir incident, but at the same time he would like to say that the law and order situation in the KP presently is much better than what it was during the previous government when even Asfanyar Wali Khan could not stay in the KP, but now political rallies are taking place in the province openly. He said that his party is against terrorists and it strongly condemns the Dir incident.
Kamran Khan said that the country has a very effective law on blasphemy, but at the same time it is also true that misuse of the law is also common. An important development has occurred in this connection. A meeting of the Islamic Ideology Council took place under the leadership of Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani today in which it was said that it is to be recommended to the government that anyone who wrongly charges anyone else of blasphemy should be liable to the same punishment that is meted out to one who is found guilty of blasphemy. Talking to Kamran Khan in this context, religious scholar Javed Ghamdi said that there is a rule in the Sharia that calls for punishment to anyone who wrongfully accuses anyone else of any demeanour.
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