Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Application seeking Imran Khan’s ‘family certificate’ rejected

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Wednesday rejected an application by former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son Arsalan Iftikhar seeking the Family Registration Certificate (FRC) of PTI leader Imran Khan, DawnNews reported. Nadra said that it will not share the private details, including the FCR and family tree, of any citizen with an unrelated person as it is illegal to do so. The only people who can access the FRC forms are the head of the family and the family members, Nadra clarified. Arsalan had intended to seek proceedings for Imran Khan's disqualification from the National Assembly allegedly for concealing facts about certain aspects of his personal life in the nomination form. Nadra takes exception to PTI chief's statement‏ Meanwhile, Nadra has taken notice of Imran Khan’s statement in which he claimed that the institute runs a secret cell in the basement of Comsats building. The Nadra spokesman categorically rejected the PTI chief’s claim and termed it as baseless and unfounded. Clarifying the issue, he said Nadra hired two floors of Comsats building in April 2011 to carry out Electoral Rolls printing for Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which is still under Nadra’s use. The spokesman said as per the directives of election tribunals, Nadra is carrying out its digitization process of thumb verification in the presence of a election tribunal representative where polling bags are opened and relevant election material is scanned before polling bags are repacked and resealed. For this purpose Nadra is utilising the same Comsats building facility. Once the scanning is completed, the election material is returned to the corresponding election tribunal through its representative, he added.

Ogra imposes ban on LPG for public transport

ISLAMABAD:The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Wednesday issued a notification imposing a ban on the usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in public transport. The declaration came after the approval of the federal government, the Ogra officials said adding that the usage of LPG could be extremely dangerous. Official documents disclosed that the government has approved changes in LPG Rules 2002 and with effect to this change in the rules, the regulator has issued notification under which filling and use of LPG in the PSVs has been banned. Ogra terming the usage of LPG as illegal said that buses, coaches, wagons, auto rickshaws and motor cycles would be restricted in using it as means of fuel. In Pakistan, LPG is being widely used in auto rickshaws as it is considered a cheaper source of fuel in comparison with the mileage provided by its counterparts petrol or diesel. Ogra also said that the violators of this ban would face a severe inquiry. Meanwhile, rejecting the imposition of ban on use and filling of LPG in PSVs, Chairman LPG Distributor Association Irfan Khokar told Dawn.com that no other country has restricted the use of LPG except Pakistan. “Ogra cannot stop the masses from using LPG as millions of rickshaws run with this cheap fuel," he said. Khokar said 300 tons of LPG was being used on daily basis only in Karachi and 600 tons in Lahore. He threatened to stage a sit-in protest in front of the Ogra head office if the regulatory authority failed to lift the ban. Trader dies in LPG shop explosion LPG filling stations had been subject to fatal accidents in the past. There had been several cases of explosion of LPG cylinders. As the country is facing up to one billion cubic feet of gas shortage daily, majority of citizens are running for LPG but due to high demand the markets are flooded with substandard and poor quality cylinders posing serious threat to life and property in case of any mishandling. While the residents of urban areas have never faced such a prolonged low gas pressure, the usage of LPG is a relatively new phenomenon for most of them and one can see that most of the shops which sell heaters and other gas and electricity appliances are displaying various kinds of LPG cylinders prominently. It is the price competition or lack of awareness among the consumers but due to the apathy of authorities concerned the sellers and the manufacturers are dealing in potential explosive devices. Incidentally, the whole chain engaged in selling LPG is worried about the massive sale of substandard cylinders and blame the Ogra for failing to do anything in this regard.

The truth behind Karachi's Freemasons

Akhtar Balouch, also known as the Kiranchi Wala, ventures out to bring back to Dawn.com’s readers the long forgotten heritage of Karachi. Stay tuned to this space for his weekly fascinating findings. In the not so distant past of our beloved city of Karachi, there existed a Freemason Hall, where the fraternity would hold its sessions on a regular basis. It’s hard to believe, but the building is still there to be seen near Fawara Chowk (Fountain Square). Fawara Chowk is located in Saddar on Abdullah Haroon Road (previously Victoria Road). On one end of the square is an old Protestant church, the Trinity Church, while on the other end is the Governor House. The square also leads to the State Life Building, one of the skyscrapers of Karachi, and the Jaffar Brothers’ building, an unusual structure that looks somewhat like a multi-storied boat. The building If you head over to the Arts Council from this square, you will also pass by the Institute of Foreign Affairs, the first building on your left. Right next to this institute is an old, colonial structure, a building that effuses an aura of another time, another era of the history of Kolachi. A distinct eeriness surrounds this old structure. There's always a small number of cars parked by the entrance. During winters, an old, the weary gatekeeper can be seen sitting a few yards from the locked entrance, basking in the warm sunlight. The melancholic trees around it seem to be lamenting how no passer-by sits under their shade.
This is the building of the Freemason Hall — the Hope Lodge. Not many know about the Freemasons and the Hope Lodge, and when I tried to do some digging, whoever happened to know anything about them had an unfavourable disposition towards Freemasons. Most Muslim researchers and authors think that the Freemasons were a fraternity funded and promoted by the Jewish [lobby]. This is, however, far from the truth. Interestingly, before and after partition, the Freemasons always had more than one Muslim member. Some of the names on a plaque at the Hope Lodge might surprise us. One of the well-known Muslim names from the pre-partition Karachi is that of Jam Ayoub Aliani. The names of two other Muslims can also be seen here. One is M. M. R. Sherazi, while the other is M. G. Hassan. Jam Ayoub was only a member of the organisation, while the other two had held office.
Among the Hindu Freemasons are W. F. Bhojwani and K. P. Advani, while the Parsi members include D. F. Setna. Saaien G. M. Syed, founder of the Sindhi separatist movement, Jeay Sindh, writes for Mir Ayoub Khan, son of Jam Mir Khan Barrister in his book Janub Guzaryum Jann Seen: He was a sincere friend, a jolly fellow and a man of the liberal school of thought. I had the pleasure of working with him in the municipality, the local board, the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu, Young Men’s Muslim Association, Freemasonry, Sindh Madrassa Board and Sindh Mohammadan Association. Jam Ayoub’s name is inscribed on the plaque at the Hope Lodge, but Saaien G. M. Syed’s name is nowhere to be found, despite Syed having admitted to have worked with Jam Ayoub in the Freemasons. According to my historian friend Aqeel Abbas Jafri, even Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a member of the Freemason fraternity. Ajmal Kamal, a renowned scholar, seconds Jafri’s claim. The history In his book Karachi Taareekh Kay Aaaenay Main, Muhammad Usman Damohi writes about Jam Ayoub and the Freemasons: With the permission of King George V, Jam Ayoub became the Vice Counsel to Iran in June 1894. He remained in this position until 1927. In those days, the Freemasons’ activities were in full swing. The fraternity would often hold cultural events and programmes in Karachi. Jam Ayoub was an honorary member of the organisation… In those days, the motives of the Freemasons were a secret... On July 13, 2011, Abeera Khan writes in an article for Dawn: The historical origin of the Freemasons is rather obscure and mysterious, which — combined with the somewhat secretive nature of their rituals — has led to much conjecture and conspiracy theories about their activities around the world. Their meetings involve old symbolic rituals that have been carried forward for hundreds of years. The fraternity operates from very loosely connected "grand lodges", and "lodges" which are centres of activity and meeting-places. Each independent grand lodge has its own jurisdiction. A symbol always found in these lodges is that of the 'compass' and the 'square', pointing literally or metaphorically to the tools of a mason (or stone-cutting). But is it right to assume these were exclusively Freemason symbols? To that question, my photojournalist friend Akhtar Soomro responded with a resounding “no!” He showed me a picture with an aerial view of the General Post Office building in Lahore. The picture showed a collection of Freemason symbols incorporated into the colonial architecture. So the question is, could the Freemasons be so influential as to have their symbols engraved into the architecture of new, high-profile constructions?
To the best of my knowledge, however, apart from the Freemason Hall (Hope Lodge), there are no other buildings in Karachi which have any Freemason symbols incorporated into their architecture or design. If the Freemasons are working for the rights of the Jews, then other buildings should also have displayed these symbols. In addition, the symbols of Judaism and Freemasonry bear no resemblance to each other whatsoever. India in Karachi There are a number of old buildings in Pakistan, especially in Karachi, of colonial origins that were designed by European Christian and Jewish architects. I do request the readers to inform me if they spot any such symbols anywhere in Karachi on buildings or locations. The ban What happened to the Freemason fraternity in Pakistan is another tragic tale altogether. Daily Dawn dated July 19, 1973 has a news report that would interest you here. Its heading:
Akhtar Balouch, also known as the Kiranchi Wala, ventures out to bring back to Dawn.com’s readers the long forgotten heritage of Karachi. Stay tuned to this space for his weekly fascinating findings. In the not so distant past of our beloved city of Karachi, there existed a Freemason Hall, where the fraternity would hold its sessions on a regular basis. It’s hard to believe, but the building is still there to be seen near Fawara Chowk (Fountain Square). Fawara Chowk is located in Saddar on Abdullah Haroon Road (previously Victoria Road). On one end of the square is an old Protestant church, the Trinity Church, while on the other end is the Governor House. The square also leads to the State Life Building, one of the skyscrapers of Karachi, and the Jaffar Brothers’ building, an unusual structure that looks somewhat like a multi-storied boat. The building If you head over to the Arts Council from this square, you will also pass by the Institute of Foreign Affairs, the first building on your left. Right next to this institute is an old, colonial structure, a building that effuses an aura of another time, another era of the history of Kolachi. A distinct eeriness surrounds this old structure. There's always a small number of cars parked by the entrance. During winters, an old, the weary gatekeeper can be seen sitting a few yards from the locked entrance, basking in the warm sunlight. The melancholic trees around it seem to be lamenting how no passer-by sits under their shade. This is the building of the Freemason Hall — the Hope Lodge. Not many know about the Freemasons and the Hope Lodge, and when I tried to do some digging, whoever happened to know anything about them had an unfavourable disposition towards Freemasons. Most Muslim researchers and authors think that the Freemasons were a fraternity funded and promoted by the Jewish [lobby]. This is, however, far from the truth. Interestingly, before and after partition, the Freemasons always had more than one Muslim member. Some of the names on a plaque at the Hope Lodge might surprise us. One of the well-known Muslim names from the pre-partition Karachi is that of Jam Ayoub Aliani. The names of two other Muslims can also be seen here. One is M. M. R. Sherazi, while the other is M. G. Hassan. Jam Ayoub was only a member of the organisation, while the other two had held office. Among the Hindu Freemasons are W. F. Bhojwani and K. P. Advani, while the Parsi members include D. F. Setna. Saaien G. M. Syed, founder of the Sindhi separatist movement, Jeay Sindh, writes for Mir Ayoub Khan, son of Jam Mir Khan Barrister in his book Janub Guzaryum Jann Seen: He was a sincere friend, a jolly fellow and a man of the liberal school of thought. I had the pleasure of working with him in the municipality, the local board, the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu, Young Men’s Muslim Association, Freemasonry, Sindh Madrassa Board and Sindh Mohammadan Association. Jam Ayoub’s name is inscribed on the plaque at the Hope Lodge, but Saaien G. M. Syed’s name is nowhere to be found, despite Syed having admitted to have worked with Jam Ayoub in the Freemasons. According to my historian friend Aqeel Abbas Jafri, even Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a member of the Freemason fraternity. Ajmal Kamal, a renowned scholar, seconds Jafri’s claim. The history In his book Karachi Taareekh Kay Aaaenay Main, Muhammad Usman Damohi writes about Jam Ayoub and the Freemasons: With the permission of King George V, Jam Ayoub became the Vice Counsel to Iran in June 1894. He remained in this position until 1927. In those days, the Freemasons’ activities were in full swing. The fraternity would often hold cultural events and programmes in Karachi. Jam Ayoub was an honorary member of the organisation… In those days, the motives of the Freemasons were a secret... On July 13, 2011, Abeera Khan writes in an article for Dawn: The historical origin of the Freemasons is rather obscure and mysterious, which — combined with the somewhat secretive nature of their rituals — has led to much conjecture and conspiracy theories about their activities around the world. Their meetings involve old symbolic rituals that have been carried forward for hundreds of years. The fraternity operates from very loosely connected "grand lodges", and "lodges" which are centres of activity and meeting-places. Each independent grand lodge has its own jurisdiction. A symbol always found in these lodges is that of the 'compass' and the 'square', pointing literally or metaphorically to the tools of a mason (or stone-cutting). But is it right to assume these were exclusively Freemason symbols? To that question, my photojournalist friend Akhtar Soomro responded with a resounding “no!” He showed me a picture with an aerial view of the General Post Office building in Lahore. The picture showed a collection of Freemason symbols incorporated into the colonial architecture. So the question is, could the Freemasons be so influential as to have their symbols engraved into the architecture of new, high-profile constructions? To the best of my knowledge, however, apart from the Freemason Hall (Hope Lodge), there are no other buildings in Karachi which have any Freemason symbols incorporated into their architecture or design. If the Freemasons are working for the rights of the Jews, then other buildings should also have displayed these symbols. In addition, the symbols of Judaism and Freemasonry bear no resemblance to each other whatsoever. India in Karachi There are a number of old buildings in Pakistan, especially in Karachi, of colonial origins that were designed by European Christian and Jewish architects. I do request the readers to inform me if they spot any such symbols anywhere in Karachi on buildings or locations. The ban What happened to the Freemason fraternity in Pakistan is another tragic tale altogether. Daily Dawn dated July 19, 1973 has a news report that would interest you here. Its heading: 'Freemason Hall in City taken over'. It is reported that a team led by a Magistrate seized the Freemason Hall on behalf of the Government of Sindh. The team also confiscated all documents and other material in the building. The report goes on to say: The cornerstone of the first ‘lodge’, i.e. the Hope Lodge in Karachi was laid in 1843. The first Governor of Sindh Charles Napier was also made an honorary member of the organisation. The government acted on the people’s demands and information provided by a rebel group in the Freemason organisation. The common understanding is that the Freemasons are Jewish-inspired and anti-Islam. A report on a website that provides some information about the ban on Freemasons in Pakistan says that on June 16, 1983, all illegal activities of Freemasons were banned under the Martial Law Regulation 56. However, Freemasons continued their activities in secret. Then on December 29, 1985, the ban was extended to any and all Freemason activities in the country. Karachi's 'Yahoodi Masjid In 1965, Government of Pakistan had banned military servicemen from becoming members of the Freemason fraternity, the Rotary Club or the Lions’ Club. In 1969, this ban was expanded to cover all public servants, generalising the ban as a restriction from becoming a member of any organisation or fraternity whose aims and objectives were not publicly known. The question is, when was the Freemason fraternity banned in the country for the first time; 1972, 1973 or 1983? I asked my lawyer friend Younus Shad to help me in finding the answer. He was able to acquire a copy of the Martial Law Regulation which ordered the ban on Freemasons in Pakistan. It is titled 'MARTIAL LAW REGULATION BY CHIEF MARTIAL LAW ADMINISTRATOR (Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part I, 17th June 1983) No 56': Section (1) states that any law or judicial decision before this regulation stands null and void. Section (2) states that an organization, commonly known as the Freemason [organization] is declared a banned outfit and stands disbanded. Section (3) states that all properties owned by the outfit are handed over to respective provincial governments. Section (4) states that no claim will be entertained in regards to the properties seized. Section (5) states that the organisation will not be eligible of petitioning any court of law in the country. Section (6) states that the provincial governments can ask the federal government for help in the matter. Section (7) states that any obstruction in the implementation of the regulation can lead to a sentence of three years in prison with fine. Four years ago, Mike Bruce, a senior manager from an international non-profit institution approached my friend Mazhar Laghari. He wanted to visit the Hope Lodge. Mazhar asked me to help with this. I was caught up with some other things and requested my friend Amar Guriro to help Mike. That evening, the city of lights was drowned in darkness. Using the torch in his mobile phone, Amar took Mike to the hall and showed him around. Mike was only able to see the Star of David and the plaque with the members’ names. He was stunned that Pakistan’s history did not have a single word about the fraternity. After a few months, I met Mike and told him that there was a Jewish cemetery near the Mewa Shah Graveyard. I also informed him about the synagogue in the city and that at least a dozen buildings in Karachi had the Star of David in incorporated into their structures somewhere. Mike Bruce dreams of a Pakistan where he could enjoy enough religious freedom to be able to visit all such buildings in broad daylight. He had visited the Freemason Hall as if he were spying on it. His organisation strictly advises him not to get out of his hotel after dark. Researcher and novelist Dan Brown has mentioned how important buildings in the US, including the Congress Library in Washington D.C. and the White House have the Star of David evident in the architecture in more than one place. He even claims how the dollar note has such a symbol on it. Dan Brown and other researchers claim that the founder and the first President of the United States of America, George Washington was a member of the Secret Brotherhood of the Freemason fraternity. Even Leonardo Da Vinci they claim, was a member of the brotherhood.

‘Over 500 suspected members of banned outfits arrested in Pakistan’

ISLAMABAD: More than 500 suspected terrorists belonging to banned outfits have been nabbed by the security forces from across Pakistan including the federal capital, an official of the interior ministry revealed on Wednesday. Speaking to BBC Urdu on condition of anonymity, the official said these detainees would be treated under the newly legislated Protection of Pakistan Act (PPA) 2014. The arrests have been made against the backdrop of ongoing military operation Zarb-i-Azb in North Waziristan to curb the likely backlash from the militants. According to the interior ministry official, more than 300 suspects were arrested from the Punjab province mainly from Bahawalpur while more than 100 were arrested from Karachi and around 150 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. A report sent to the federal government by the intelligence agencies cited most number of Taliban and their sympathizers were settled in Karachi after North and South Waziristan tribal agencies bordering Afghanistan, the official revealed. Law enforcement and secret agencies have apprised the interior ministry and Nacta – newly formed government body mandated to form the country’s anti-terrorism policy – about the crackdown against banned outfits. It may be mentioned that the Islamabad High Court (IHC), invalidating a notification to bring the Nacta under the interior ministry, had recently ordered it to work under the Prime Minister Secretariat. Meanwhile, intelligence units, formed at the police station level in the federal capital to eliminate networks of criminals, have started functioning. As many as 36 police officials have been deputed in the intelligence units. According to the police, the units have been formed in all police stations, while two officials from each of the 18 stations in Islamabad have been chosen to make up a team that will trace the networks of criminals. This two-member unit at each station will perform the executive functions of intelligence gathering and will keep their station house officers (SHO) and senior officers in the loop regarding the activities in their own areas. They will also highlight the aspects that require special attention from the police force. According to the intelligence report, a large number of tribesmen were living on the outskirts of Islamabad in Tarnol and Bara Kahu areas. Police and officials of Nadra, however, were yet to visit the areas to conduct a survey.

Pakistan's top tax payers

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif awarded ‘privilege and honour cards’ to about 200 top taxpayers on Tuesday. The cards will entitle them to avail special services. The Federal Board of Revenue has identified 400 top taxpayers — 100 each in four categories of salaried individuals, non-salaried individuals, association of persons and companies for awarding the cards. The FBR published a provisional list of such taxpayers in February, inviting the taxpayers to file any representation or objection. Below is a visual representation of the final data released by the FBR: The list of salaried individuals shows that three brothers are among the top 10 taxpayers. Tariq Nisar, who topped the list, paid Rs189 million as income tax, Sohail Nisar was 6th with income tax payment of Rs105.6m and Anjum Nisar got the 8th position with a payment of Rs80.9m. Five members of a family who have majority shares in Allied Bank and Ibrahim Fibre are also on the list. Three of them are among the top 10 taxpayers. They are Muhammad Naeem Mu­khtar at 2nd, Muhammad Waseem Mukhtar 3rd and Sheikh Mukhtar Ahmad 5th, Faisal Mukhtar 17th and Fawad Ahmad Mukhtar at 39th position. Five members of the Mansha family are among the top 100 taxpayers. They are Hasan Mansha (4th), Umer Mansha (11th), Raza Mansha (28th) and Naz Mansha (59th). Ammil Raza Mansha was awarded for being 59th in the non-salaried category. Three Lakhani family members are in the top 100 list. They are Iqbal Ali Lakhani (38th) and Amin Mohammad Lakhani (41st). And Ronaq Iqbal Ali Lakhani at 92nd is among top 100 non-salaried taxpayers. From the Hashwani group, only two persons are on the top taxpayers list, with Amin A Hashwani at 70th. Abdullah A. Hashwani stood 6th among the top 100 non-salaried individuals. Four employees of Tapal Tea are among the top 100 taxpayers with Aftab Faizullah Tapal, Kumail Aftab Tapal at 68th, Mehvish A Tapal at 71st and Rashida Tapal at 47th. There are some prominent individuals like Arif Habib at 9th, Waqar A. Malik at 20th, Shuaib Anwer Malik at 18th and Muhammad Ali Tabba at 69th among the top taxpayers who worked in different positions or owned businesses. There is no current parliamentarian among the top taxpayers. However, a former caretaker finance minister Syed Baber Ali stood at 21st, former commerce minister Razak Dawood at 92nd and former minister for industries Jehangir Khan Tareen at 84th. In the category of non-salaried 100 top taxpayers, Irfan Usman stood first, Ali Jehangir Siddiqui 24th, Muhammad Aneeq Siddi­qui 30th, Shahid Majid 82nd and Jehangir Siddiqui 86th. Imran Maqbool, President and CEO of MCB Bank, was awarded an Honour Card for being No. 6 in the ‘Company Category’.

Blog Archive