MQM

Altaf Hussain Real Face

Pakistan says will not invite occupied Kashmir speaker to commonwealth conference

ISLAMABAD: Special Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Sartaj Aziz, on Saturday said Pakistan will "never invite the speaker of occupied Jammu and Kashmir Assmebly to the upcoming Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference" to be held in Islamabad from September 30 to October 8.

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Taliban claim killing of lower court judge

DERA KHAN/RAWALPINDI: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday claimed the killing of a lower court judge in Rawalpindi, the insurgent group said in a statement.

Facing dissent, Afghan Taliban meet to resolve leadership dispute

KABUL: The family of former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar agreed on Tuesday to accept the decision of the insurgent group's dispute resolution council on succession issues, a council member said, as the group tries to extinguish a leadership dispute that has exposed growing internal divisions.

Members of Mullah Omar's family have rejected the appointment of the new leader, his deputy Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, demanding a new and wider vote.

Politically motivated delimitations?

RAWALPINDI: Fourteen urban union councils have been included in the rural areas of Rawalpindi district, under the recent delimitations carried out by the Election Commission of Pakistan for the upcoming local government elections.
According to the new delimitation, the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) will comprise 46 union councils (which are urban areas of the district). The total strength of the District Council will be 120 union councils from the rural areas of Rawalpindi district.
Under the new local government set up, the District Council will be the elected body of the public representatives from rural areas while the RMC will be the elected body for the urban areas.
These 14 union councils, which have now been made part of the rural district council, are part of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s constituency, NA-52. They were declared urban areas in 2013, shortly before the general elections.
These union councils include areas such as Shakrial, Morgah, Dhama Syedan, Dhamial, Kotha Kalan, Lakhan, Rehmatabad and Chak Jalaldin. These areas include upper middle class residential areas such as Bahria Town, Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Chaklala Scheme-III extension, Lalazar and others.

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Upper middle class residential areas such as Bahria Town, DHA, Chaklala Scheme-III extension, and Lalazar have been included in the rural part of the district

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An observer, who didn’t want to be named, pointed out that the PML-N feels that voters in these areas would choose PTI over the ruling party in the local government elections.
The Punjab government imposed a property tax in these 14 union councils from the fiscal year 2013-14 – a tax that is only applicable in urban areas.
This tax is not paid by the nearby 22 union councils, which are seen to be rural areas.
The move to declare these 14 councils rural has attracted considerable criticism from the opposition political parties.
Former District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, who is also a member of the PTI, said that the new delimitation would create administrative problems.
When asked what he meant, he argued that the 14 union councils which had now been declared rural will no longer get a share of the funds released by provincial government for development schemes in the cities. “The rural areas traditionally get fewer funds than urban areas,” he said.
“We will approach the courts to right this wrong,” he said.
PPP City Chapter spokesman Shujaat Haider Naqvi said that the PPP would decide whether or not it would object to the delimitation, which favoured the ruling party. He added that this decision would be made by the local level leadership.
He said that under Musharraf, Rawalpindi’s local government was divided into two towns, Rawal and Potohar, to accommodate Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s nephew and Raja Basharat’s brother-in-law.
“And, again, the present ruling party PML-N wanted to accommodate different groups by creating two main positions – the mayor of Rawalpindi and the Chairman of the District Council,” he said.
“All union councils should now be declared urban and made part of the RMC,” he said.
A former district president and a PTI MPA currently, Arif Abbasi, told Dawn that the residents of the 14 union councils should be included in RMC instead of the District Council.
He said that the residents were paying taxes but because of the change in status, they will no longer get the benefits enjoyed by other residents who lived in different parts of the city.

12 dead after two trains derail in India

 

 

 

 

 

NEW DELHI: Twelve people have been killed after two packed trains derailed while crossing a bridge hit by floods in central India overnight Wednesday, authorities said, highlighting again safety problems with India’s crumbling railway network.

Rescuers have been searching in darkness for passengers feared trapped on the trains that were travelling in opposite directions when some of their carriages derailed in Madhya Pradesh state, the officials said.
West Central Railway spokesman Piyush Mathur said several hundred people have been rescued after the trains derailed within minutes of each other near the town of Harda at about 11.30 pm on Tuesday.
“There are 12 casualties,” Mathur told the CNN-IBN network, adding that the death toll could rise.
Another 25 people have been injured, a second official said, adding that the carriages have not fallen into the river.
One of the trains travelling from the financial city of Mumbai appeared to have been hit by a sudden surge of water on the swollen Machak river, derailing the last four to five carriages, railway ministry spokesman Anil Saxena said.
The other passenger train, travelling to Mumbai from the eastern city of Patna, was also hit by water, with the engine and the first two to three carriages derailing, he said.
“There is some suggestion of flash floods on the tracks that caved the tracks. Most of the coaches had passed but the last few carriages were derailed,” Saxena told the network of the first train.
Monsoon rains have hit large swathes of the country in recent weeks, flooding rivers and roads and claiming some 180 lives in mainly western and eastern India.
Police and doctors have been deployed to the accident site, with television footage showing medical supplies being piled on a nearby station platform and rescuers combing through tilted carriages.
“Rescue operations are in full swing. Things are under control and most of the people have been rescued,” Saxena told the NDTV network.
But rescuers said operations were being hampered by flooding in the area and officers were working through the night mostly in darkness.
“The entire area has been reeling under heavy rainfall for the last few days. The roads are badly damaged, even the access road,” Saxena said.
“Rushing emergency medical and other relief personnel to spot, darkness, water creating hurdles but ordered all possible help. Trying our best,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Twitter.
India's railway network, one of the world's largest, is still the main form of long-distance travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents are frequent.
In 2012, a government report said almost 15,000 people were killed every year on India's railways, describing the deaths as an annual “massacre” due mainly to poor safety standards.
India's government has pledged to invest $137 billion to modernise its crumbling railways, making them safer, faster and more efficient.

Army all prepared to meet aggression, says Gen Raheel

ISLAMABAD: The army has reviewed its operational plans and is ready to meet any aggression from India.
“We are fully prepared to respond to entire spectrum of threat,” Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif said while chairing a corps commanders’ conference at the General Headquarters on Tuesday.
The aggravating situation on the Line of Control and Working Boundary was high on the commanders’ agenda.
Also read: Three killed in cross-border firing along Indo-Pak Working Boundary
The statement came as three civilians were killed and 22 injured in unprovoked Indian shelling on villages along the Working Boundary (WB).
So far, there had been a total of 122 ceasefire violations by India both on the LoC and WB. Most of the casualty took place on the LoC where 14 people were killed.
“India is escalating the situation. There is a pattern to these violations that are on the rise. Civilians are being killed and private properties being damaged,” an official observed while briefing this reporter about the meeting.

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Corps commanders warn ‘detractors and spoilers’ against sabotaging the Afghanistan peace talks being held in Pakistan

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The army chief’s reference to thwarting Indian aggression across the threat spectrum, the military official explained, meant that the army was ready to dealing with the situation on the LoC and WB, as well as India’s alleged support to militant groups inside the country.
The army had been accusing India of fomenting unrest in Balochistan, Fata and Karachi.
DOMESTIC SECURITY: The meeting also reviewed the domestic security situation taking stock of the ongoing intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the country and military operation, Zarb-i-Azb, in North Waziristan.
Military with the support of intelligence agencies and civilian law enforcement agencies had since last year conducted over 9100 IBOs in which 232 hard core terrorists were reportedly killed.
The IBOs, started after the launch of military operation to pre-empt terrorist backlash, was now being intensified to neutralise terrorist networks particularly in urban areas, the army said.
The army flaunts IBOs as a major success story.
“Army chief expressed complete satisfaction over noticeable change in the overall security situation of the country,” an ISPR statement on the meeting said.
RECONCILIATION PROCESS: The generals also discussed the Afghan reconciliation process that had run into problems following the disclosure of Taliban chief Mullah Omar’s death.
Reiterating army’s commitment to the process, Gen Sharif said: “It is the only credible way to achieve lasting peace.”
The military official, who briefed this reporter, hoped that reconciliation process would soon be back on track but avoided giving a timeframe.
The second round of talks which were scheduled for July 31 in Pakistan had to be called off at the last-minute due to the uncertain situation in the aftermath of confirmation of reports of Mullah Omar’s death.
The corps commanders warned against “detractors and spoilers”, who they believed were out to sabotage the process. “They are against peace and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region,” the conference noted.
The Army Chief had, a day earlier discussed the held up reconciliation process with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Rangers ask MQM to hand over 187 murder suspects

KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, have approached Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar to get the custody of more than 180 suspects of targeted killings allegedly associated with the party’s ‘militant wing’ and involved in the murder of policemen who took part in the 1990s Karachi operation, it emerged on Tuesday.
A letter sent by the Rangers carried the names of 187 targeted killing suspects nominated in dozens of FIRs registered against them for killing policemen.
Copies of the letter were also sent to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the inspector general of police and the home secretary.
In the letter, the Pakistan Rangers stated: “During the period of early 1990s, the operation of law-enforcement agencies were undertaken to apprehend the criminals involved in violence.
“The police officials who took part in the operation were later targeted and killed. It has been learnt that 187 individuals of the militant wing of the MQM were nominated in the FIRs of those killed police officials.”
The letter also recalled Karachi’s violent history, calling it victim of politico-ethnic violence in the past. The Rangers said the precarious law and order situation was not a new phenomenon for the metropolis.
“Please hand over the nominated suspects to the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, in order to [facilitate the] investigation of murder of police officials,” said the letter without explaining the reasons for making such a request to the party leader for their arrest instead of making their arrest by exercising the powers the Rangers have been enjoying for the past several months.
Attached with the letter is the list carrying the names of the suspects and the details of targeted killing cases they were wanted in. Some of the suspects, according to the Rangers list, are wanted in four cases of policemen’s targeted killing.
There is no word from the MQM over the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, letter. Senior MQM leader Dr Sattar denied having received any such document from the paramilitary force.
Talking in a private news channel talk show, member of the national assembly Dr Sattar said he was not even aware of any such communication between the two sides in recent days.
Rangers warn of ‘militants in garb of political parties’
The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, on Tuesday warned that some “militant wings in the garb of political parties were hatching conspiracies against the ongoing Karachi operation” and asked the people of Karachi not to pay heed to any ‘rumours’ against law enforcement agencies.
In a statement the paramilitary force’s spokesman also asked the people to inform the Pakistan Rangers and advised the media to avoid broadcasting unconfirmed reports.
“Certain unscrupulous elements, under the garb of political parties running their militant wings in a desperate attempt have launched a campaign to malign the Karachi operation,” said the brief statement without mentioning these ‘elements’ and their move which forced the Rangers to issue such a statement.
“These attempts are meant to create restlessness among the citizens. The people and media are requested not to pay heed to rumours against law enforcement agencies which are busy bringing peace and normalcy to the city. The people are appealed to immediately contact Sindh Rangers via toll free number 1101 in case of any unusual development in their respective areas.”
‘Extortionist’ couple held
The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, on Tuesday arrested a couple allegedly involved in extortion, who had jointly extorted more than Rs1 million from different individuals before being nabbed by the law enforcement agency red-handed.
An official said the Rangers conducted a ‘surgical action’ after they received a complaint from a local trader that he had been told to pay half a million rupees in extortion otherwise he would be killed by one of the key members of a ‘Lyari gang’.
“The complaint was lodged with the Rangers Task Force,” said the official. “Under the strategy, Rangers personnel asked the complainant to agree to pay the amount. On the next call, the complainant was told to come to a certain place and pay the money. The Rangers were well aware of the entire communication and followed the complainant.”
After a long wait, he said, a woman came to collect the extortion money. She was arrested on the spot. She confessed to having extorted more than Rs1.5 million from different individuals with her husband Imran, alias Kawwa.
“In a follow-up action the Rangers raided a hideout and arrested Imran alias Kawwa, who was an active member of one of the criminal gangs operating in Lyari,” said the official.

Altaf's 'loose talk' worsens situation in Karachi: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday referring to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain's recent diatribe has said that the MQM supremo's 'loose talk' frequently led to the worsening of the situation in Karachi.
"The frequent worsening of the situation (in Karachi) is not because of the government's performance, nor that of the Rangers or army; it is because of Altaf Hussain's loose talk," the minister told a press conference in Islamabad.
Altaf Hussain, while addressing the 19th worker's convention in Dallas on Saturday, had asked MQM activists to approach the United Nations and Nato headquarters in the United States and "inform them of human rights abuses against the muhajir community", according to a statement on the MQM website.
He also told MQM activists to, "ask for Nato and UN forces to be sent to Karachi to ascertain who is responsible for the bloodshed in Karachi."
Nisar said the cases that were registered against Hussain in London were not of a political nature, adding that Pakistan's cooperation with the UK was so that the cases may be resolved and should be looked at in that light only. He added that cooperation between Pakistan and the United Kingdom had been under way as the case was registered in that country.
"As interior minister, I assure you that Pakistan's security interests will not be allowed to be affected by any negativity, be it from Altaf Hussain or someone else," Nisar said.
He further said that the previous government had not cooperated with UK authorities in these cases and the incumbent government had begun cooperating with them soon after coming to power.
Also read: Altaf Hussain's statement tantamount to waging war against Pakistan: Nisar
The interior minister also shed light on the money laundering case against the MQM supremo as well as the Imran Farooq murder case, explaining that these cases were registered in the UK. He clarified that the government had nothing against Altaf Hussain and it was Pakistan's international responsibility to cooperate with the British government.
"This case is not about MQM, it is not even about Altaf Hussain. It is about the murder of a Pakistani which took place in London," Nisar reiterated.
He added that a legal reference was being drafted against Altaf Hussain which will include a criminal investigation and added that the reference will be made available to the media.
Earlier, addressing a ceremony at Rawalpindi Police Lines, Nisar said the noose had been tightened when it came to terrorists, said a report published on Radio Pakistan.
Take a look: Despite hardships, Pakistan set on path to improvement: Nisar
He added that the war on terror was not over yet, adding that, the overall situation had however improved in the last two years. He explained that the police had a significant role to play in the decisive phase that the war against terrorists in Pakistan had entered.
Nisar lauded police personnel for their efforts and said the entire nation saluted them for fighting terrorism. He advised that the police should adopt unconventional methods in order to cope with various challenges.
He said that the war on terror could not be won without the entire country's cooperation. He said citizens' committees should be established in this regard, adding that the military, the civil armed forces, police and intelligence agencies must continue with their coordination in order to succeed in the war against terrorism.

AJK PM sacks MQM ministers after ultimatum on Altaf Hussain

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed on Tuesday sacked two members of his cabinet belonging to the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), a day after he had given them an “ultimatum of 72 hours” to dissociate themselves from Altaf Hussain.

“In exercise of the powers conferred on him under section 14 (3) of the AJK Interim Constitution Act, 1974, the Prime Minister of the Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir has sacked Mohammad Tahir Khokhar, minister for transport, and Mohammad Salim Butt, minister for sports, youth and culture, from their offices with immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department.

 

Mr Khokhar and Mr Butt were elected as AJK Legislative Assembly members in July 2011 elections for the second consecutive term from the constituencies of Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, mainly Karachi.

The MQM has been an ally of the Peoples Party led government in AJK from the inception of the sitting legislature. In October last year, their party had announced that its members would quit the AJK government, following their colleagues in Sindh, in protest against PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s outburst against Altaf.

Take a look: Pressure mounts for action against Altaf

The announcement made by MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar notwithstanding, resignations of the MQM ministers in AJK remained a mystery for a long time, as neither the government accepted nor publicly rejected the same.

The duo did not surrender the perks and privileges admissible to cabinet members for a single day. But while Khokhar stopped taking interest in the affairs of his transport ministry, his colleague continued to organise different events and programmes to promote sports and Kashmiri culture.

On Monday, the AJK Premier made a scathing criticism of MQM chief for his “provocative and anti-state” remarks in an August 1 speech to US-based party workers and gave an “ultimatum of 72 hours” to the two MQM ministers in his cabinet “to dissociate themselves from Mr Hussain”.

Majeed had maintained that the ‘venomous propaganda’ by Altaf against the armed forces and other national institutions amounted to commission of treason, which no patriotic Pakistani could tolerate.

While the people of India held Kashmir are fighting Indian rule with green Pakistani flags in their hands, “continuance of MQM members in the AJK government would be tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of freedom seeking Kashmiris,” Majeed had said.

However, in response, MQM parliamentary leader Khokhar had taken strong exception to the statement of AJK premier, making it clear that the PPP had no right to dictate to the MQM ministers about their political affiliation.

“This is a childish rather (sic) cheap move on the part of the AJK government… They have resorted to it to please some institutions and to cover up their corruption,” Khokhar said.

“The PM should do what’s in his competence, instead of giving ultimatums to us. We have already tendered resignations,” Khokhar had said.

Meanwhile, it may be pertinent to mention here that the AJK government has called a joint sitting of the AJK Assembly and the AJK Council here on Friday to express condemnation of Mr Hussain’s remarks.

A day before the joint sitting, protest rallies would also be held at all district headquarters of AJK on Thursday against the Britain based MQM leader on the call of Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, according to a decision of the AJK government.

AJK Minister for Finance, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, has also submitted a resolution against Altaf in the Legislative Assembly secretariat to be discussed in Friday’s joint sitting.

Sarfraz downplays controversy over surprise T20 exclusion

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed has downplayed the controversy surrounding his surprise exclusion from the two Twenty20 Internationals the country played against Sri Lanka.
“I am just happy that the team won the T20 series and improved its international rankings,” the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman told reporters on arrival.
“I have no issues if I am rested because of team requirements. I am not a part of the tour selection committee. My job is to give my best performances whenever I play and I always try to do that.”
Sarfraz’s exclusion caused a stir among cricketing circles in Pakistan, which forced the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Chairman Executive Committee Najam Sethi to release a statement seeking explanation from the team management.
“Questions of dropping Sarfraz come from the general public and we also want to know reasons of his dropping,” Sethi said.
However, the wicketkeeper batsman had no grudge on being unceremoniously dumped. Instead, he was glad donning the Pakistan colours in Test matches and one-day internationals.
“I am just happy to see the way we won the T20 series and how we performed throughout the tour. It is great news for Pakistan cricket as we are now moving forward,” Sarfraz, the ODI and T20 vice-captain, said.
He added that Pakistan’s sensational one-wicket victory in the second T20 was heartening as it showed the “never-say-die spirit” of the Pakistan team.