Rickshaw menace in Peshawar

I WOULD like to draw the attention of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Peshawar traffic police towards the huge number of rickshaws on roads. They are causing a great trouble for motorists and pedestrians.
Most of the drivers of these rickshaws even do not have proper legal documents of the vehicle and driving licences, yet they drive like monarchs of the roads.
They seem accustomed to violating traffic rules. It is also evident that the traffic mess is mostly caused by the three-wheelers. If the number of these rickshaws is curtailed, 70 per cent of traffic jams will disappear.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should introduce a policy where three-wheelers are properly registered before being allowed on roads.

New civil servants law to have huge financial impact

The decision to extend pension rights to all the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa public sector employees involved huge financial implications and the number of pensioners was expected to exceed the provisional estimates, officials said.
The provincial finance department and other relevant official quarters have been left with a huge workload to take care of in the coming months to know the exact financial impact of the move and the actual number of beneficiaries.
“The finance department does not know the actual financial impact because the decision is the result of a private member bill that the provincial assembly enacted unanimously,” said a well-placed official.
The provincial assembly enacted ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (Amendment) Act, 2013, on January 15, last, extending the pension net to thousands of employees, who were previously covered under the provincial government’s Contributory Provident Fund Scheme.
Abdul Akbar Khan, Pakistan People’s Party parliamentary leader in the provincial assembly, had moved the bill and sought extension of the right to pension and gratuity to all employees appointed in the provincial public sector entities after July 1, 2001.
He told the provincial assembly that the new legislation would benefit some 94,000 employees, who were previously covered under the contributory provident fund scheme.

All hospital employees to get share in patient fee

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department is introducing a new formula for distribution of fee, deposited by patients at the government hospitals, among the employees of the health facilities.
The new plan will benefit all the employees instead of a few, who are paid from the users’ charges, according to sources. “At present only five per cent employees of the government hospitals get share in the fee collected from patients for conducting different tests and other diagnostic and medical procedures. This practice has been affecting patients care adversely,” said officials.
According to them, some doctors, technicians and nurses are given share in the users’ charges that causes heartburn among their colleagues, who don’t get the amount.
Officials said that paramedics, nurses and doctors working in the operation theatre were given share in the users’ charges while their colleagues working in wards and emergency didn’t get any such financial benefit.
“Similarly, the patients visiting outpatients department (OPD) pay for investigations like urine tests, X-ray and ECG etc to the departments concerned. At the end of every month the employees performing such procedures, receive share in the money,” they said.

Missing person cases prolong despite court warnings

What could be the feelings of a widow whose only son first goes missing and then his body is dumped on a highway? The trauma from which Hamida Bibi has been passing is an answer to this query. Bitterly sobbing and crying the woman asked a Peshawar High Court bench: “I want to know what the crime of my son was and why was he arrested by the law-enforcement agencies?”
The bench headed by Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan had no reply to offer. An eerie silence descended on the courtroom filled to the capacity with relatives of missing persons on Jan 22. The woman continued to speak for many minutes and her narrations turned the atmosphere gloomy. She said that her son, Farmanullah, was the sole bread earner of her family and had left behind a young widow and a 10 month-old infant.
Hamida Bibi claimed that Farmanullah was a vegetable vendor as well as a watchman in Nauthia, Peshawar, and around 10 months ago he was arrested by law-enforcement agencies following which he went missing. “A few weeks ago I received information from the local police that the body of my son was dumped near the motorway in the jurisdiction of Parang police station of Charsadda and his identity card was lying nearby,” she said.

ECP ban on employment in govt depts hailed

Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Sunday hailed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision banning recruitment in government departments ahead of general election.
“We welcome this decision as it will help bring transparency in the electoral process,” Mr Sherpao told a public meeting at Bakhshoo Pull locality on the outskirts of Peshawar. He said that general election was drawing nearer and making recruitment in government departments at this stage would be tantamount to influencing electorate and pre-poll rigging.
He also lauded the ECP for banning diversion of funds already allocated to various development schemes and said that the commission should take notice of the pre-poll rigging.
Mr Sherpao said that the rulers were claiming that peace had been restored, but the situation on ground belied all such assertions. “The security situation is deteriorating day by day,” he maintained.
He said that the government had failed to overcome power crisis and no solid step was taken over past five years to revive the economy. He said that unemployment had increased manifold, which was a matter of concern.
Mr Sherpao said that people were exposed to a host of problems and no effort had been made to give them relief in the face of burgeoning inflation.

Pakistan still global jihad hub

Pakistan is still a major destination for radicalised Muslims bent on a life of jihad, despite hundreds of US drone strikes, the death of Osama bin Laden and the fracturing of Al-Qaeda.
New battlegrounds have sprung up in Africa and the Middle East, but the number of foreign recruits smuggled into the northwestern tribal belt is increasing and they come from more diverse countries.
Since the 1980s “jihad” to expel Soviet troops from Afghanistan, Muslim fighters from all over the world have lived and trained on the Afghan-Pakistan border, moulded into Al-Qaeda and a host of spin-off militant networks.
After US-led forces in late 2001 evicted the Taliban in Kabul for sheltering Al-Qaeda, Afghan Taliban fled across the border into Pakistan.
But Washington and Nato will end their combat mission in Afghanistan next year and these days the Taliban say their foreign allies are drawn to other conflicts, despite their support networks in a region outside direct government control.
“Al-Qaeda is shifting its focus to Syria, Libya, Iraq or Mali,” one member of the Afghan Taliban told AFP on condition of anonymity in northwest Pakistan.
Local officials estimate the number of Arab fighters has fallen by more than a half or two thirds in the last 10 years, to below 1,000.
In the last two years, some Al-Qaeda Arabs, particularly Libyans and Syrians, left to take part in the civil war in Syria and the violent uprising that overthrew Libya’s dictator Muammar Qadhafi in 2011.
Others migrated to Iraq in 2003, and others to Somalia and Yemen.

Smokers’ Corner: Scary votes

Much has been analysed about why the PPP-led coalition government, the opposition (both within and outside the Parliament), and the security agencies have all been so hapless in the face of the ever-growing menace of extremist violence in the country.
The government has done well to set an exceptional precedent of surviving its full term as an elected entity (a rarity in Pakistan), but it was just that: Survival.
Beyond this it has looked shaky, indecisive and at times almost paralysed in addressing issues such as sectarian violence and extremist terror.
On the other hand, the security agencies and the military-establishment have still to come to terms with political and ideological complexities arising from an awkward situation in which they find themselves face-to-face with brutal outfits, most of whom were once their strategic assets.
But there is also another aspect and dimension to this that doesn’t get the kind of attention that it deserves.
I am pointing towards the attitude of non-religious political parties that seem paralysed and awkwardly placed when it comes to addressing the issue of extremism.
For example, we keep hearing why so and so political parties can’t go all out in supporting bills, resolutions and policies against extremist outfits because they don’t want to offend the sentiments of a particular section of their voters.

Mardan bar elections

Mukhtiyar Bacha of the Democratic Alliance panel was elected as president and Shakeel Zada of ANP-PPP panel was elected as general secretary of Mardan district bar association here on Saturday.
Mr Bacha polled 202 votes against 190 votes of his rival Hakim Syed Khan of PPP-ANP panel and was declared as president-elect. Shakeel Zada secured 247 against 148 votes of his rival Saeed Usman of the Democratic Alliance. All other slots were grabbed by the Democratic Alliance.
Other office-bearers include vice-president Azhar Rahim, joint secretary Meer Afzal Khan and finance secretary Muslim Shah Aryani.

ANP women wing backs talks with Taliban

The women wing leaders of Awami National Party have supported the call for holding meaningful dialogue with Taliban for restoration of peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
They were speaking during a function held at the residence of MPA Yasmeen Jasim here on Saturday to observe the 25th death anniversary of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and seventh of Khan Abdul Wali Khan.
It was perhaps the first time that the ANP women wing came out openly in support of the government-Taliban dialogue, a policy adopted by the ruling party soon after the assassination of senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour on December 21 last year. It was also for the first time that the women wing observed the death anniversaries of their leaders in a separate function.
ANP women wing provincial president Shagufta Bibi said that their party had a history of struggle for peace and nobody could ignore Bacha Khan’s services in this regard.
She said that they were proud of Bacha Khan whose role in empowerment and awakening of Pakhtuns was remarkable, she said.
Ms Shagufta said that Pakhtuns were again passing through a critical period and their party had been working out a peace plan acceptable to all stallholders.

Doctors threaten protest

Employees of health department have set Feb 12 as deadline for acceptance of their demands pertaining to service structure and other health facilities otherwise they will announce a series of protest demonstrations.

The announcement was made at a meeting of the Provincial Health Employees Coordination Council presided over by its chairman Dr Mustafa Iqbal. The meeting asked the government to provide all kinds of facilities to patients in the public sector hospitals on the pattern of Punjab. It asked for posting and appointments on basis of merit and consultation of the coordination council on issues of autonomy of hospitals

Jeep rally begins in Malam Jabba

A two-day jeep rally on Saturday began in the snow-covered mountains of Malam Jabba.
The event to be followed by a weeklong skiing competition in the third week of February has been organised to deliver a message of peace to the world and attract professional and amateur drivers and tourists from across the country.
The two kilometres long ‘Second National Snow Jeep Rally’ at Malam Jabba Resort was organised by Frontier Four-Wheel Club.
Last year, too, the club had organised the rally, the first after the elimination of militancy by security forces from Swat.
President of Frontier Four-Wheel Club Babar Khan Yousufzai told reporters on the occasion that around 35 jeeps participated in the first day event.
He said the final round of the race was scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday) with the prize distribution ceremony taking place the same day.
According to him, Kamran Afridi and Mushtaq Afridi, brothers of cricketer Shahid Afridi, participated in the rally, while Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Yasir showed up from Dubai to take part in the event.
He aid the event was arranged on self-help basis and that no government or private organisation had provided assistance for it.

Judiciary striving to steer country out of crises, says PHC CJ

Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan said here on Saturday that judiciary was striving to steer the country out of the existing crises as it wanted continuity of the democratic process.
Although people had lost hope with the present system yet democracy should continue to function in the country as institutions would be ultimately back on the right track if there was continuity in the democratic process, he said.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of a training course for 26 judicial officers at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial academy, the PHC chief justice said that judiciary had been playing its constitutional role so as to redress grievances of people.
He stated that while hearing cases of public importance judges had no personal agenda or motives to follow but their concern was to save the democratic dispensation.
He added that survival of the country was not possible without rule of law.
The ceremony was also attended by senior puisne judge of the high court, Justice Miftauddin Khan, director general of the academy, Hayat Ali Shah, PHC Registrar Subhan Sher and others.
The PHC chief justice said that the current year would be very hectic for the judicial academy as apart from different trainings the FM radio station of the academy named “Meezan” would also start functioning from next month. He added that the academy had already got licence from Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority in that regard.

Sectarian violence’: Two injured, one abducted in Peshawar

Unidentified gunmen on Friday injured two people and kidnapped a hotel’s manager in two separate incidents in the provincial capital.
The incidents appeared to be sectarian in nature though police didn’t confirm it on the record.
A police official told Dawn that Ashiq Hussain from Parachinar and his friend, Fayyaz Khan from Kaga Wala in Peshawar’s Badbher area, suffered minor injures after a motorcyclist opened fire on them near Kohat Bus Stand at 10:30pm.
When contacted, SHO of Bala Mani Police Station Ghaffar Khan said a man riding a motorcycle fired shots from his pistol on Ashiq and Fayyaz and fled.
He said according to witnesses, the injured were attacked shortly after they left their workplace at Kohat Bus Stand for their room in a nearby hotel.
The SHO said though Ashiq belonged to the Shia community, it had yet to be ascertained whether he was subjected to sectarian violence.
Another police official said the injured being treated at Lady Reading Hospital were reported to be stable.
He said the two had told police that they had no enmity with anyone and knew nothing about attackers.
Also in the day, Kamal Hussain, manager at a hotel in Kocha Risaldar area, was kidnapped by unidentified people, said a police official.

Polio campaign: was stoppage less dangerous than the vaccine?

The Taliban may have hijacked the polio eradication campaign for all the wrong reasons, but that still does not make the programme a desirable one.
The government and other institutions continue with the authoritarian patronage mentality, not feeling it necessary to inform and educate people first so as to enable them to make informed choices. There is an assumption that the powers-that-be always know better, reflecting contempt for the illiterate or less-educated masses — just as government hospital doctors do not bother to explain to patients the nature of their problem, often not even providing the name of the disease they are affected by.
The government has either not kept up with developments surrounding the polio vaccine, or it has chosen not to divulge inconvenient information to the public. Should it not have told us that the oral polio vaccine itself, for example, has also become a carrier of polio? Should we not have been told which vaccine is being used in Pakistan? Is it the newer, ‘inactivated’ risk-free vaccine, which the US and other industrialised countries started using after abandoning the previous one? Or is it based on the original vaccine made from a live poliovirus which carries the risk of transmitting polio — but is still used in Third World countries because it is much cheaper, even though there continue to be outbreaks?
It was the late Dr Maurice Hilleman, developer of Merck’s vaccine programme, who discovered that the new virus had come about via the polio vaccine he had developed. Given that this vaccine is now the leading cause of polio paralysis, it makes one wonder about the real reason this campaign is being thrust on us, complete with threats of not allowing Pakistanis to travel abroad — or even blockade us — if we fail to carry out the programme.

Traditional wrestling loses its grip on Pakistan

For decades, their practice ring honed the talent of Pakistan’s most famous wrestling family. Today, it is their graveyard, a fitting symbol of the decline of the sport in the country.
The Bholu brothers are buried next to a centuries-old Banyan tree to the side of their former ring. Sweepers clean the mausoleum, but otherwise the compound of a mud court, abandoned gym and small decayed garden is eerily quiet.
Government neglect and poverty has helped consign the glorious feats of wrestlers to fast-fading memory. Only a handful carry the torch for the next generation and few command the thousands of spectators of days gone by.
From 1954 to 1970, Pakistan won 18 wrestling gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, five at the Asian Games and a Bronze in the 1960 Olympics.
There was a gold at the Asian Games in 1986 and two in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, but apart from that, international victories have all but dried up. Rings that once thronged with thousands of spectators are now silent.
“I can’t speak about wrestling, it hurts me,” said Abid Aslam Bholu, whose late brother Jhara was the last of the Bholu family to win titles. The legacy ended there, with Abid instead choosing a career in business as wrestling faded.

Private sector urged to help educate Fata youth

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masood Kausar on Monday asked private sector to actively share the government’s responsibility of promoting higher educational facilities in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

“It will help educate the youth to make them an asset not only for their respective areas but also for the country,” he said while addressing the ninth convocation of the Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology here as the chief guest.

The governor said the government was committed to providing the maximum possible facilities of quality higher education to the youth and the wealthy people, philanthropists and missionaries should come forward to help the government for the purpose.“If that happens, only then we could bridge the gap between the educated and uneducated youth of the country,” he said.

Mr Kausar urged teachers to educate their students in a befitting manner, saying this would help the youth excel in practical life and thus, contributing to national development.

He said completion of studies was an important phase in the life of the youth as they were equipped with knowledge to excel in life by their institution.

IDPs demand end to operation, provision of relief goods

The internally displaced persons from Bara have demanded of the authorities to end military operation in their area and provide sufficient tents and other basic facilities to them at Jalozai camp.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, IDPs council member Haji Gulfat Khan Afridi said that tribesmen were demanding of the government to stop the operation as innocent people, especially children and women, were suffering owing to it.

He demanded of the government to end the operation, announce a financial package for the affected people and take concrete steps for rehabilitation of IDPs in their respective localities.

“On one hand, innocent children, women and senior citizens are targeted, and on the other the relief goods meant for IDPs are embezzled,” Mr Afridi alleged. He said that officials of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) threatened the IDPs of uprooting their tents at the camp when they asked for relief items.

Accompanied by scores of Bara elders including Tawas Khan, Daulat Khan and Abdul Mehran, Mr Afridi said that they were facing food shortage as World Food Organisation had reduced quantity of flour for each displaced family from 80 kilograms to 40 kilograms for the last one month.

Terrorism not just ANP’s problem: Asfandyar

Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali on Monday said terrorism was not the problem of his party only and rather, it was a national issue for whose resolution through a consensus among political forces, efforts were underway.

During a function held at Nishtar Hall to mark the 25th death anniversary of Bacha Khan and seventh of Abdul Wali Khan, Mr Wali said of the country’s political groups, only ANP had a clear stand against terrorism.

He asked if terrorists had killed ANP workers in Quetta and attacked the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and Mehran Airbase in Karachi to kill ANP workers.

“We have to find a permanent solution to the continued violence because it had stalled our national progress and development. Tell me will anyone be willing to invest money in the country with terrorist activities everywhere,” he said.

The ANP president said all political parties should support his party in its mission against terrorism for peace.

Four years on, Malam Jabba Ski Resort still in ruins

More than four years after its destruction by the Taliban militants, the Malam Jabba Ski Resort continues to be in ruins due to official apathy.

The United States Agency for International Development-Pakistan, according to officials, conducted an exercise in 2009-10 to help rebuild the resort but the move could not take off until now due to a dispute between the federal and provincial authorities over its ownership.

“Foreign donors do not finance development projects that involve issues,” said an official privy to the matter.

Though the US Agency, said the official, had determined procurement requirements to rebuild the resort more than two years ago and had also shown interest in financing a part of the rebuilding project at that time, now the government, added the official, did not have any takers to agree to finance the development works.

The federal and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, according to the official, have not been able to resolve the long-pending issue of the resort’s ownership.

Even the enactment of the 18th Constitutional Amendment in April 2010, said the official, had not helped much. As per the amendment, tourism stands devolved to the provinces.

Peshawar roads blocked to bar processions

Traffic on several busy roads of the provincial capital, including Torkham Highway, remained suspended throughout Friday as police placed containers on them to block processions against 18 Bara killings ahead of the Governor’s House.

Long queues of vehicles, including containers, were witnessed on these roads, including Torkham Highway, which connects Peshawar to Afghanistan via Khyber Agency.

Several other arteries were clogged with traffic as the alternate routes could not cope with the large number of vehicles, As a result, the situation turned chaotic.

The road blockade disrupted the daily routine of the people, especially women and children, who had to cover long distances to reach their destinations.

Students, especially girls, were the major sufferers as due to closure of roads there was no public transport on the roads.

“I have walked for almost four kilometres to reach my office as public transport vehicles were there on my route,” said Hazrat Khan, working in a private office in Peshawar cantonment area.

The decision to block these roads was taken in the wake of announcements made by different organisations, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Jamaat-i-Islami to hold demonstrations.

As containers were placed on the main Torkham Highway near Karkhano Market adjoining to Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency, no vehicle could cross over to the tribal area and subsequently to Afghanistan.

Language promotion dept affairs in a mess

After the retirement of director general (DG) and executive director (ED), the financial and administrative affairs at the National Language Promotion Department (NLPD), formally known as National Language Authority (NLA), are in a total mess, Dawn has learnt.

According to an officer of NLPD, the department paid half of the salary for December 2012 after borrowing from pension funds.

This shows that if the situation does not improve, February will be tough for around 100 employees, he added.

DG Dr Anwar Ahmad retired on December 10 and ED Sarfraz Tariq on October 4.

“Though the joint secretary of Ministry of National Heritage and Integration (MNHI), Mohammad Bilal, has been looking after its affairs, problems regarding stationery, utility bills are still there,” he said.

A primary school for girls and three houses were partly damaged in two separate explosions in Peshawar

A primary school for girls and three houses were partly damaged in two separate explosions in Peshawar on Saturday.

Sources said that two rooms of the school in Mashokhel village in the limits of Badhber police station were damaged when a bomb, planted by unidentified persons inside the school, went off.

In another incident, three houses including that of an employee of Peshawar High Court were partly damaged in a powerful bomb blast. According to police, the PHC employ, Noor Said, has no enmity with anyone.

Police registered FIRs in both the cases against unidentified persons.

In Mardan, unidentified persons blew up tower of a cellular company in Saadat Baba area of Lundkhwar, police said.

Rasan Khan, the watchman of the tower, told police that he was asleep at his room when the explosive device, planted by unidentified persons, went off with a bang. As a result the tower was partially damaged.

Judge injured in attack

An additional district and sessions judge, Syed Ahtesham Ali, received injuries when unidentified persons ambushed his vehicle here at Hayatabad Township when he was returning home from Judicial Complex.

Mr Ali, hailing from southern Kohat district, was rushed to Hayatabad Medical Complex from where he was shifted to Lady Reading Hospital. He is stated to be in stable condition.

The injured judge is son of former chief justice of Peshawar High Court Justice (retd) Syed Ibne Ali. Justice Ibne Ali served as chief justice of Peshawar High Court from 1995 to 1997. He also entered politics after retirement and joined Awami National Party a year ago.

Mr Ali was accompanied by his wife, who is also a civil judge. Both of them have presently been serving in Peshawar. Till late night the FIR of the occurrence was not registered and an official at Hayatabad police station told Dawn that it would be registered later on.

An official said that police had recovered 13 bullet-casings of 9 MM pistol from the scene of occurrence. He said that the judge was returning from the Judicial Complex along with his wife and when their vehicle reached Ghani Bagh in Phase-II, Hayatabad three unidentified men on a motorbike sprayed their vehicle with bullets.

Ceasefire violations: LoC death designed by Indian Army, says Musharraf

Former president, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf refuted allegations that the Indian soldier was beheaded by the Pakistan Army with the help of militants, reported.

In an interview to Times Now, Musharraf defended the Pakistan Army’s stand dismissing allegations that an Indian soldier was beheaded by the army with help from militants.
A visibly aggressive Musharraf, said that there has been no effort from India to maintain civilised relations.
“Beheading a soldier and sending back his body is inexcusable. However, knowing the Pakistan Army, I can say for sure that it is not in our culture to do something as horrific as that. No disciplined army would do that,” said Musharraf.

Kidnappers’ gang leader arrested in Mansehra

A ringleader of kidnappers’ gang, wanted in several cases by police of almost all districts in Hazara, was arrested along with seven other alleged criminals after an encounter with police in Danna area here on Thursday.

“We have arrested Sikandar alias Kanda along with seven other outlaws after heavy exchange of fire in which besides Sikandar one policeman and two women were also injured,” said senior superintendent of police Sher Akbar Khan while speaking at a press conference after the operation.

A heavy contingent of police led by the SSP raided the hideouts of criminals in a mountainous Danna area and arrested eight alleged gangsters after exchange of fire.

“Sikandar is wanted by police since 2000 in cases of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping for ransom and others,” he said and added that two local women and a policeman Mohammad Arshad were also injured in the fire exchange. The injured have been taken to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital.

The other accused arrested were identified as Mohammad Miskeen, Gul Zaman, Shah Rehman, Khan Mohammad, Mohammad Younus, Mohammad Arshad and Khaqan Mohammad.

Girls' school blown up in Peshawar

Unknown men blew up a girls’ primary school with explosives in BadaBer area of Peshawar, Geo News reported Saturday.
 According to police, unidentified culprits had planted explosives material near the main gate of the school that went off with a big bang. As a result of explosion, the school building was badly damaged while it flattened two classrooms completely.
Fortunately, no casualty was reported in the incident.

TCKP plans student tours to heritage sites

The Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) has planned monthly study tours of students of government schools in the province under its Youth Tourism Programme.

The aim of this programme is to increase awareness of cultural heritage sites among the young generation. One such plan is being formulated for January where students of different schools will visit Takht Bhai and Shahbaz Ghari. The programme is sponsored by the TCKP along with the directorate of archaeology, according to a press release issued by the corporation on Friday.  Around 30 students of a secondary school of Nowshera visited Takh Bhai and Shahbaz Ghari in the recent tour. TCKP managing director Syed Jamaluddin Shah was the chief guest at the opening ceremony of this programme held in the secondary school, Nowshera. He stressed to enhance the knowledge of the youth, saying that a student could learn 60 per cent more from such study tours than from books.

DC’s house to affect flights in Chitral, CAA tells govt

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in a letter, has conveyed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti that flight operations from Chitral could be suspended if construction of residence by Chitral deputy commissioner Rehmatullah Wazir near the airport’s runway is not stopped.

An official of the provincial government told Dawn that that the letter was sent by CAA director general Air Marshal (retired) Khalid Chaudhry with  the subject “Violation of NACP (National Airfield Clearance Policy) at Chitral Airport by Mr Rehmatullah Wazir, DCO (now deputy commissioner) Chitral”.

He said that the letter was sent on Jan 9 and now Mr Hoti had sought details of the matter from the provincial chief secretary.

“It will not be out of place to mention that should the violation of NACP continues, the CAA would be within its right to stop air operations from Chitral to ensure the safety of precious lives,” the letter states.

The controversy emerged in June last year when Mr Wazir started construction of his house near the runway, which the CAA claimed was in the danger zone and against the policy.

Presently, the Chitral district and sessions judge has issued an interim order in favour of the DC restraining the CAA from taking any action against him.

The DC claimed that he was owner of the land and did not require any no objection certificate from the CAA. He has pointed out in his suit that several buildings had already been constructed in the same area and the CAA had either issued them NOC or it remained silent. He added that the attitude of CAA was discriminatory towards the plaintiff.

“Your kind attention is invited to a very sensitive issue, wherein DCO Chitral has started construction of his house on the edge of runway of the Chitral Airport in June 2012 in complete violation of NAF Policy thereby endangering safety of flight operations at Chitral,” the letter states.

Terrorism-related cases: KP wants laws amended to protect judges, witnesses

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has proposed amendments to the relevant laws to protect the identity of judges, prosecutors and witnesses in terrorism related cases.
The proposal has been sent to the federal government in writing, according to provincial home secretary Azam Khan.
Mr Azam, who was present at a news conference along with information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and prisons minister Mian Nisar Gul here on Friday, told Dawn that amendments to Anti-Terrorism Act and the Action (In Aid Of Civil Power) Regulation 2011 had been proposed so that the identity of the judges and prosecutors of anti-terrorism courts and prosecution witnesses could be kept secret.
He said in absence of advanced investigation tools, those looking into acts of terrorism mostly relied on witnesses, who faced threats from terrorists.
“Under such circumstances, it is almost impossible for investigators to prove terrorism charges against suspects,” he said.
The information minister voiced concern over low rate of conviction of the terror suspects and said almost 90 per cent of the accused in cases of terrorism were acquitted due to threats to witnesses and judges.
The home secretary told reporters that the provincial government had requested the federal government to make the amendments in question without delay for better conviction rate in the cases of terrorism.
He also said an amendment to the Explosive Act was also being proposed to learn about the users, use and quantity of explosive devices.
Mr Azam said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been the worst hit by terrorism between 2006 and 2012 as 186 suicide attacks occurred there during the said period followed by 57 in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and 81 in the country’s other three provinces.

TV channels’ rating race puts lives in harm’s way

The hollow-cheeked father of the slain television cameraman, Imran Sheikh, bursts into tears while narrating the ordeal of his family. 
Imran Sheikh was killed in the line of duty during the recent bombings in Alamdar road area of the provincial capital along with Saifur Rehman of Samaa TV and Iqbal Hussain, a photographer of the NNI.
“I always thought that he would take me to my last resting place. But that was not to be,” Naseer Sheikh said in a broken voice.
He said he was very happy when Imran got job as a cameraman at Samaa TV, and added that he never thought his son was in such a dangerous profession.
Imran’s two orphaned daughters, two-year-old Amna and one-year-old Hafza, were playing with dolls when we were offering fateha for the departed soul. As a father, he doted on them.
“Once he came out of his house at midnight to purchase things for his daughters,” Ejaz Ahmed, an old colleague of Imran, said with tears in his eyes.
“It pains me when they speak of their father,” Kamran Sheikh, the girls’ uncle, said.
Living in a mud- and brick-walled house of two rooms, the family has lost its sole breadwinner.
The house is located in remote Muslim town area. Despite the growing incidents of looting in the area, Imran used to go to his house late in the night after completing his work.
Imran had been working in Samaa TV since beginning of 2008. He was considered to be one of the most talented cameramen in the city.
“Ironically, Imran used to advise us to avoid going to dangerous spots,” Shehzad Anwar, a DawnNews cameraman, said.

Algeria militants want Aafia Siddiqui released in proposed prisoner swap

 Gunmen in Algeria who are holding about 60 hostages at a gas plant, want to swap the American hostages for prisoners held in the United States including Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, the ANI news agency quoted sources close to their leader as saying on Friday.
The abductors, who are also holding other Algerian and foreign hostages, have also demanded negotiations for an end to French intervention in Mali, the agency said, quoting sources close to Mohktar Belmokhtar.
Veteran fighter Belmokhtar, a one-eyed Algerian militant apparently with ties to al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for launching Wednesday’s attack.
ANI said Belmokhtar, in a video that would be distributed to the media, proposed proposed that “France and Algeria negotiate an end to the war being waged by France in Azawad” (northern Mali).
He also proposed “exchanging American hostages held by his group (the ‘Signatories in Blood’)” for Egyptian Omar Abdul Rahman and Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui, who are jailed in the United States on charges of terrorist links.
Abdul Rahman, the spiritual leader of the radical Jamaa Islamiya group, was convicted in 1995 for his role in a 1993 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City, in which six people were killed.
He is serving a life sentence for the attack in which hundreds more people were injured when a truck bomb was detonated in the building’s garage.

Bara tragedy: FC commandant replaced ‘over tribesmen killings’

The commanding officer of the Frontier Corps (FC) of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency has reportedly been transferred, after Bara tribesmen demanded action against security forces alleged to have killed 18 tribesmen in a midnight raid on Tuesday.

Colonel Jawad Zia’s transfer orders were said to have been issued and he has been replaced by Colonel Naeem Sarwar, apparently on the demands of the protesting tribesmen.
FC officials, however, denied the transfer, saying Colonel Zia was reposted as per routine and was still serving in Khyber Agency. They added that Colonel Sarwar has taken over as the new commandant of the force in Bara.
According to details, Bara tribesmen staged a sit-in protest in front of the Governor House bringing with them 15 bodies of their loved ones. All the bodies were mutilated and were recovered from the Alam Gudar area of Bara, Khyber Agency.

Following the tribesmen’s sit-in outside the Governor House, a jirga was constituted from within the protesters, including lawyers from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas lawyers’ forum to hold negotiations with Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar.
However, the lawyers were excluded from the negotiations for unspecified reasons.

Govt orders DCs to ensure good governance

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has issued instructions to all deputy commissioners (DCs) in the province for maintaining good governance in their respective districts.

According to a statement issued here on Thursday, the chief secretary said that the DCs were the pivot of district administration and the current transitional phase required more than ‘business-as-usual’ approach from them.

He directed them  to steer the process as team leader and ensure visible improvement in the working of government entities and public functionaries. As team leaders, the DCs were obligated to facilitate other departments with specific attention to their working conditions, logistics and welfare.

Enlisting their functional priorities, the chief secretary asked the deputy commissioners to remain accessible and serve the people; regularly tour their area of jurisdiction in well-coordinated manner with the sole purpose of assisting people and redressing their grievances; remain focused on their core function of positioning the revenue establishment as a window of facility for the people; and resolution of land-related disputes and disposal of revenue cases.

The DCs have further been directed to maintain peace in their areas of responsibility by denying space to anti-state elements; reach out to people for amicable resolution of consumers problems by regulating supplies of essential commodities and solution of minor disputes to contain escalation of conflicts.

Bid to derail democracy will be opposed: CJ

Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan on Thursday observed that the judges had taken oath to protect the Constitution and if anyone tried to derail the democratic system, the entire judiciary would oppose it.

The CJ made the observation during the hearing into five identical petitions of the Education Services and the City School System, challenging suspension of their registration by the respective boards over non-implementation of an earlier order of the high court regarding fee concession to siblings studying in same school.

Justice Dost Mohammad observed that the Constitution also included the parliamentary form of the government due to which it was binding on the judiciary to safeguard the system.

“Due to the clear stand taken by the judiciary to protect the Constitution, nobody has now the courage even to make a crude attempt against democracy and constitutional institutions, including the judiciary,” the chief justice said while heading a two-member bench whose other member was Justice Irshad Qaiser.

He observed that if a need arose, the judges would even sit under trees and deliver judgments to protect the democratic parliamentary system.

At the very outset of the proceedings, additional advocate general Naveed Akhtar informed the bench that the provincial assembly would assemble on Friday and it was expected that a proposed bill regarding education regulatory authority would be tabled before it.He added that the bill, which was aimed at setting up a regulatory authority to register, regulate and look after the affairs of private educational institutions, was presently with a select committee.

The upper parts of Hazara received rain and snowfall

The fresh spell of rain in plains and snowfall in mountainous areas started in upper parts of Hazara early in the morning and continued intermittently for the whole day.
There is severe cold weather in Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan and Torghar districts for last couple of weeks.

Rs60m for free heart treatment in KP

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has allocated Rs60 million to provide free angiography and angioplasty services to patients afflicted with heart ailments.

Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti approved the plan on Thursday to extend free of cost services to heart patients, a handout said.

The amount will be released after a week following which three major hospitals – Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) and Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH), Abbottabad, would extend the services. The plan seeks to give patients free services at these hospitals irrespective of their financial status in one year.

According to the plan, 5,000 patients will get free angiography and 1,500 angioplasty services. For these tests, the patients have so far been paying at the cardiology department of LRH. It is part of the government’s plan to expand free treatment services in view of increasing number of heart patients in the province.

Young Afghan musicians to tour US

Not so long ago Fakira roamed the mean streets of the Afghan capital, hawking magazines for 13 US cents apiece to support her poverty-stricken family.

Next month, the 15-year-old cellist appears in America’s most prestigious concert halls, performing alongside other former street children and orphans of Afghanistan’s decades of violence.

“Suddenly my whole life changed, and now I am going to America,” she says, recounting her chance encounter with a rather improbable school that’s reviving music, both Western classical and Afghan, in a country where the Taliban had made even listening to it a crime – and where a generation of musicians vanished through killings, old age or exile.

The teenager, who uses only one name like many Afghans, will be playing in the Afghan Youth Orchestra, which on Feb 3 begins a 12-day US tour that includes concerts at Washington’s Kennedy Center – President Barrack Obama has been invited – New York’s Carnegie Hall and the New England Conservatory in Boston.

“Most reports about Afghanistan are about suicide bombings, killings, destruction, corruption, (depicting) Afghanistan as a place where hope has died,” says Ahmad Sarmast, who leads the youth orchestra.

He says the young musicians will try “to show a different Afghanistan, an Afghanistan where hope is alive and the people are striving to bring about changes. The kids are the symbol of hope.”

The orchestra is the centrepiece of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, which Sarmast founded two years ago.

By all accounts, the music institute is proving a success story in a country where failed development projects – through poor planning, corruption or militant violence – are more the norm.

Its 141 students, half of them former street kids or orphans ages 10 to 22, study free of charge in a well-ordered, two-story building stocked with mint-condition instruments, new computers, a distance learning centre and the country’s first instrument repair shop.

Minister’s fake degree case: Peshawar judge stopped from giving verdict

he Peshawar High Court on Wednesday stopped the provincial capital’s district and sessions judge from pronouncing judgment in the fake degree case against provincial sports minister Aqil Shah until the relevant court decided his petition against the private educational institution that awarded him the graduation degree.The minister is accused of being involved in corrupt practices by producing fake degree for taking part in the 2008 elections.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Irshad Qaiser directed sessions judge Shaibar Khan to continue with the trial but not to pronounce the verdict for three months.
At the same time, it also decided to formally request the Lahore High Court chief justice to direct the relevant senior civil judge for giving a verdict in three months on the minister’s lawsuit against American International College, Lahore, which had
awarded him graduation degree despite being unrecognised by Higher Education Commission.
The bench issued the order while hearing a petition of Mr Aqil, who pleaded that he had already filed a civil suit with the civil judge in Lahore against the educational institution and until decision in that suit, the district and sessions judge might be restrained from continuing with the trial.
The district and sessions judge had indicted Mr Aqil on Nov 1 on a complaint of the regional election commissioner (REC), who requested the court that a case of the commission of corrupt practice had prima facie been made out against Mr Aqil and therefore, action might be taken against him in accordance with law.
Mr Shah had pleaded not guilty and claimed that he had submitted only one degree issued by American International College, Lahore with his nomination papers and had never submitted any other degree or documents.

Commuters suffer amid Peshawar sit-in

The protest procession and sit-in on Sher Shah Suri Road outside Governor’s House caused severe traffic problems here on Wednesday as most of the thoroughfares remained closed and passengers had to march towards their destinations.
The personnel of Military Police restricted movement of vehicles and pedestrians at different checkpoints near Bara Road and diverted the traffic to narrow link road of Gulberg. The road remained blocked owing to absence of police as vehicles on both sides had to follow the same route.
The sit-in was staged by residents of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency against killing of their relatives. They brought the coffins of their relatives and staged sit-in outside the Governor’s House.
The people coming from Hayatabad were not allowed to travel on Bara Road to reach Saddar Bazaar. They had to move ahead on Canal Road or Ring Road for entering cantonment area through different link roads.
The movement of vehicles on Sher Shah Suri Road was blocked owing to sit-in outside Governor’s House and police had placed barbed wire at three different places near FC Chowk, Mall Road, PTCL headquarters, Secretariat, Suri Pul and Peshawar Central Jail.
Similarly, traffic was diverted from Suri Pul to Bacha Khan Chowk and Shami Road. In the morning the vehicles were allowed to ply on Shuba Bazaar Road, but later traffic police diverted them to City Circular Road.
The people coming to Saddar had to disembark from vehicles near Suri Pul and march towards Saddar. The passengers including women and children were seen walking on foot towards their destinations.
The Grand Trunk Road also remained blocked that flooded the link roads including Dalazak Road, Bacha Khan Chowk, Charsadda Road and Gulbahar Road. The students were hit hard by the traffic mess as school buses were not allowed to take them to the respective bus stops.
“I have to take my three children on motorcycle to Gulbahar because the school van was not allowed to come to the school,” a man told journalists near FC Chowk.

Who killed my father?

Worried about the future of his family and tears rolling down his face, Ijaz Afridi, a teenager, was sitting beside the body of his father, Noor Jamal, on Wednesday outside the Governor’s House with no clue as to who killed his father.
Talking to Dawn, he was unable to explain as to what would be the future of his family without his father. “I have no means to shift my other family members to safer place and as such no other option but to keep them in the violence-hit Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency,” he said.
The 16-year-old Ijaz Afridi said that he even did not know who his enemy was and why his father was gunned down inside his own home.
“I was on duty in a local factory at the time of the incident. When I got the information about the killing of my father and rushed to reach there, the security forces did not allow me to reach my house for many hours,” he said.
Ijaz Afridi said that his father, belonging to Alamgudar village, was an old man and had done nothing wrong. “Unknown armed men camouflaged in uniform of security forces entered our house and killed my father,” he alleged and said that now the future of his family members was uncertain.
Some students of Bara were also sitting beside him. They said that Ijaz Afridi was not the first boy who lost his father, but many other such teenagers had been deprived of their loved ones for no fault of theirs. They said that the entire male members of Mughar Baaz’s family had been killed and only his young daughter escaped in the recent attack.
Majority of the students, they said, had said goodbye to their studies as the schools had been closed for past over three years due to the military operation and they could not even get school leaving certificates to take admission in settled areas.

KP railway staff placed under labour dept

The Pakistan Railways employees working on railway lines and stations and in factories of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will now fall under the legal jurisdiction of the provincial labour department.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had repealed on Tuesday the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, a federal law, and enacted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Payment of Wages Act, 2012, bringing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based railway workers under the provincial labour department’s domain.
The new Act will cover ‘the payment of wages to persons employed (otherwise than in a factory) by the railway administration,’ and ‘persons employed in the factories, industrial establishments or commercial establishments under the control of the Federal government or the Provincial government, as the case may be, situated in the territorial jurisdiction of the province.’The provincial assembly repealed the old federal act (to the extent of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) by using the powers vested in it under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. It was a legal obligation, which the provincial government has fulfilled, according to legal circles.
The new law enacted on Tuesday last was provided passage after the provincial assembly’s Standing Committee No 2 on Law Reforms and Control on Subordinate Legislation tabled its findings in the House and informed it that the provincial legislature
was competent to repeal the federal law in accordance with the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Israrullah Khan Gandapur, member of the provincial assembly, who is also a member of the committee, told Dawn on Wednesday that the new law would help remove parallel legislations in the province as according to the 18th Amendment, the law relating to the payment of wages had been devolved to the provinces.
The staff of Pakistan Railways, according to the standing committee’s report, falls under two categories.
Those working in the administration or offices their wages will continue to be covered under the Civil Servants Act, 1973, while the ones working on ‘the lines’ and in factories previously covered under the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, will be covered under the newly enacted provincial law.

Ghag the Band ready with new track

Ghag the Band can be counted amongst those of Peshawar’s bands that have mastered the skill of blending western and eastern sounds; like other underground and mainstream bands, they have spun the wheel to this new magical genre for inspiration.
The band’s flair is defined by the fusion it brings between traditional and contemporary sounds along with the incorporation of classic Pashto poetry. It has now launched its third track titled Khaist.
“We are back with our second music video. The song Khaist, which means beauty, happens to be a soul searching journey that questions the existence [and maintenance] of beauty as it is bound to vanish one day,” says lead guitarist and backing vocalist Khalid Afridi about the thought behind the song. The band also features Zohaib Yousafzai as the lead vocalist.
The band made its debut in 2011 with Mehfil, which was followed by a second track titled Lewantob. They came together at the Institute of Management Sciences in Peshawar (IMSciences) and have been performing together ever since — at local events primarily in colleges and universities.
“We met during our academic interactions at IMS and started playing music in our spare time,” adds Afridi. “Our chemistry evolved over time and we then decided to make an impression on a wider scale with our shared passion for Pashto music, culture and traditions.”
Khaist — beauty and splendour
The song begins with a rabab solo which highlights the essence of Pashto culture and follows with more contemporary acoustic guitar riffs. The lyrics of Khaist are from a poem of the same name by legendary Pashto poet Ghani Khan and the band’s rendition is “a tribute to Khan’s passion and purpose for the land and people.”
“We derive inspiration from the poetic works of one of the greatest architects of Pashto language and literature — Ghani Khan baba,” says Zohaib, who is from Swabi; Khalid, on the other hand, belongs to the volatile tribal region of Khyber Agency.
The musicians are well aware of the fact that the profound lyrics would be difficult to comprehend and grasp for the young audience the band is essentially catering to. But they assert it is the fusion and perfect blend of modern music with traditional poetry which will turn out to be a treat for avid listeners.
“It has truly been an honour for us to have attempted such a task — the remaking of the prodigious man’s poetry with a modern twist,” adds Khalid with high spirit. He admits that they had to work relentlessly to do justice to the yesteryear’s masterpiece and it was undoubtedly, a challenging undertaking.

Pakhtun music industry flourishes under YouTube ban

 

The ban on the video-sharing site, YouTube, is working well for music producers and singers in Peshawar, who say they are finally getting their business back.
“Memory cards, USBs and YouTube are the three biggest threats to our business,” says Fayyaz Ahmad, a Pashto music producer and owner of Khyber Music House, one of the oldest music centres in Peshawar. “Unfortunately, there is no possibility for protecting copyrights so we are compelled to give up producing music,” he added.
Ahmad said the last two albums he released, Darmaan by Haroon Bacha and Tapos by Bakhtyar Khattak, were very successful and people purchased the audio cassettes. He credits this to the ban on YouTube.

“Scores of shops around the city download music from the internet and at times upload several albums into mobile phone memory cards and USBs,” he complained.
There are fewer production houses left which distribute music in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. “They are destined to shut down as these businesses do not adapt themselves to new music production trends,” says Ashfaq Khan, the owner of Mehran Video Centre, while talking to The Express Tribune.
“The authorities should not unblock the site until some mechanism is devised for the protection of Pakistani musicians’ copyrights on such websites,” he added.
According to music producers, the music they create is sent to other parts of the country heavily populated by Pakhtuns, including Balochistan, Karachi, Swat and even  neighbouring Kabul. Iram Khan, a Pashto singer said: “The sale of audio cassettes has already dwindled, and when someone uploads music to YouTube then the whole effort of the artist goes to waste. It usually takes a few thousand rupees to make just one song.”

A day in the life of a family in Peshawar

In a dark corner somewhere in Peshawar, I sit in front of my laptop and check my mails.
 My father busily searches for any news he can find on the’so called ‘issues’ seizing the country, 
A renowned scholar, unusually popular in his late years, has started a “long march.” Stomping from Lahore all the way to the capital of Pakistan, he is able to leave the masses in awe and wonder.
To me, it is just a regular day in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
I step outside, to purchase some fresh vegetables that my mother has asked for to cook the evening meal. Racing to the market on my worn out bicycle, I am able to reach within a few minutes. Lucky for me, the shop keepers have just started their discussion about the same ‘long march.’
This does not surprise me at all.
In Pakistan, politics is a vital part of each citizen’s life. Even the people of my place – a rural area that is populated with uneducated people – are aware of what is going on in the country.
This makes me proud; we are not an ignorant, submissive lot!
Despite our never ending problems, we are happy. Yes. We are proud of who we are and, we continue our struggle to help our country progress.
It’s dark inside my house now; all I have is a tiny pen-like torch to help me find my way in. Soon after, my abu calls me down for dinner.
Now, I sit on my cosy cushion-like mattress and my phone beeps. The text message reads:

“The highest court of the country has ordered to arrest Prime Minister on the basis of corruption.”

By pure reflex, I rush to my father and deliver the absurd news. He is indeed shocked by this but his expressions say otherwise.
My younger brother, wanting to be a part of our conversation, innocently asks:

“Has something gone wrong?”

‘To move forward, Pakistan and India must tie up all loose ends’

With the recent escalation of tension at the borders of India and Pakistan, the launch of the book, Back from the Brink: India-Pakistan Ties Revisited, could not have been timed more aptly.
The book, with contributions by intellectuals from both countries, attempts to answer why relationships between the two nations fail to remain smooth and fall prey to perpetual tension.
The book was launched at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology on Wednesday where Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, who chairs the department of social sciences at the university, was credited for compiling and editing the book.
A wide number of experts spoke at the event and came to a consensus – India and Pakistan need to readdress their long-lasting conflicts so that they can move forward towards development and progress.
Speaking on the recent tension between armed forces across the Line of Control, former foreign secretary Najmuddin A Shaikh said that it was unfortunate that certain elements in the Indian media indulged in malicious propaganda, which was neither backed by the Indian army nor by civil officials. In contrast, Shaikh said that the Pakistani press, sensing the fragility of relations between both countries, showed much restraint than that of their counterparts across the border.
According to Karachi University’s Pakistan Study Centre chairperson, Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed, the book discusses the legacy of partition and how to overcome those problems. In his opinion, the nature of the state determines its future direction and that is why, the issues on ideology of Pakistan need to be debated.
A professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Savita Pande, said that the emerging conflicts in the region have the potential to disrupt the peace process between India and Pakistan. “We need to realize that together, Pakistan and India can do so much more – they can bring a vital change in the fate of the people of South Asia.”
Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy pointed out that more than 40,000 innocent Pakistanis have been killed by militants and more than 4,000 soldiers have been killed by Talibans. “These figures are more than the number of soldiers killed in all Indo-Pak wars. We need to stop looking for enemies outside and deal with the ones on our land.”

Court directs govt: Declare littering of canals a crime

A two-member bench of Peshawar High Court here on Tuesday directed the provincial government to replace all the rusted water supply pipes within a month and declare dumping of filth and sewage in canals as a penal offence by enacting a law in that regard.
The bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Irshad Qaiser ordered the government to erect fences and safety walls along the canals passing through the provincial capital and arrest all those, who were dumping sewage in canals through their residential drainage systems.
The court directed the provincial irrigation secretary to prepare a draft bill and refer it to the law department for onward legislation so as to declare the practice of littering of canals a non-bailable criminal offence.
The court had taken suo moto notice of the environmental degradation in the provincial capital and issued detailed order on June 16, 2011.
The court had directed the provincial government to replace all the rotten potable water supply pipes within six months and install incinerators at proper places across the province for proper waste disposal. However, the said order could not be implemented properly.
The provincial secretary of local government department, Aurangzeb Khan, informed the court that with the support of USAID they had launched a three-year project of replacing water supplying pipes in several localities.
He said that they had categorised the said project and initially they had focused those areas where the supplied potable water was considered unfit for consumption.
Similarly, the secretary of public health engineering department, Sohail Altaf, informed the court that during the last two years 209 water supply projects had been completed in the province.
The director general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Mohammad Bashir, said that the court had issued 12 guidelines to the government prominent among which were to constitute a task force of high-ups of government departments; constitute a cabinet committee for checking environmental issues; install incinerators for proper waste disposal; check vehicle involved in environmental pollution through smoke emission; introduce latest equipment for waste removal; and shift carpet weaving units from city area.He said that so far cases were registered by the EPA against 605 industries and other institutions on charges of environmental pollution. He stated that a cabinet committee was constituted under the chairmanship of the then senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour, but after his death so far nobody else was designated as its chairman.
Dr Bashir added that negotiations were in progress for acquiring land for the setting up a carpet village to shift the carpet weaving units outside the city.

Authorities asked to devise policy on women health

Speakers at a consultative dialogue here on Tuesday stressed the need for formulating a specific policy in consultation with all stakeholders to address the health issues of adolescent girls and young mothers.
The dialogue titled ‘Improved maternal and neonatal health (MNH) and sexual reproductive health (SRH) policy and practice for adolescent girls and young mothers’ was organised by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of Rahnuma Family Planning Association of Pakistan (RFPAP).
The women members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Zarka Bibi, Uzma Khan and Mehr Sultana, RFPAP vice president Haji Sattar Gul, regional programme manager Gohar Zaman, Sohail Iqbal and Yasrab Nazir spoke on the occasion.
They stressed the need for enhancing capacity building on maternal and neonatal and sexual reproductive health issues to decrease the growing mortality rate of mothers.
The representatives of non-governmental organisations, members of civil society and officials of relevant government departments attended the dialogue.
The participants indicated that most of issues related to MNH and SRH among adolescent girls and young mothers were caused owing to untrained female medical staffs that led to increase in morality and morbidity ratio in the province.
Most of them said that they were unsatisfied with the performance of parliamentarians for enacting laws regarding child marriage and health related issues of adolescent girls and mothers.
They demanded proper execution of relevant laws to protect basic right of children, especially girls, in the society.

Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Monday handed over keys of buses to heads of different girls colleges in the province.

Speaking at a function here, the chief minister said the government had spent considerable resources on promotion of higher education particularly girls education, according to a handout.
He said spreading the light of education was the only way forward to battle specific circumstances confronting the region.
Provincial Minister for Higher Education Qazi Mohammad Asad, ANP officer-bearers from Haripur, Chitral and Kohat districts and other concerned officials were also present on the occasion.
Keys of buses were handed over to principal government girls college Sarai Saleh Haripur, government girls degree college Boni Chitral, government girls postgraduate college Kohat, government girls degree college Khwazakhela Swat, government girls degree college Lund Khwar Mardan and government girls degree college No 2 Haripur.
Meanwhile, the chief minister, while talking to a delegation of ANP Chitral, said the government had undertaken practical measures to provide healthy activities to youth.
The delegation was led by Chitral ANP president Syed Muzafar Asli Shah.
Matters pertaining to progress on development schemes in Chitral and people’s problems came under discussion.
The delegation thanked the chief minister for initiating development activities in education, communication and health sectors in Chitral. The chief minister offered a cheque of Rs1 million to the president and vice president of Hindukush association for paragliding Chitral for promotion of the sport in the district.

Govt orders protection of archaeological sites

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has issued order to protect 44 out of 91 archaeological sites that were handed over to the province under the 18th Amendment.
Archaeology and Museums Director Prof Shah Nazar Khan said that the protection order was issued under the Protection Order and Antiquity Act 1997 about the sites that were handed over to the province after devolution of the department.
He said that the sites about which the protection order was issued included Butkara-1, Parn, Saidu Stupa, Najigram, Nimogram, Amlukdara Stupa, Dangram Stupa, Shingardara Stupa, Shnasha Stupa, Gogdara rock carving, Udegram Castle, Butkara-III and Cumbatuna in Barikot, Swat district.
Mr Khan said that World Heritage Site Takht Bhai and Jamal Garhi, Sehri Behlol, Tareli, Chanaka Dheri, Asoka rock edicts, Kashmir Smast cave and Charguli Dheri in Mardan and Hisar Dheri in Charsadda would also be protected.
In Peshawar, he said, Gorkhattree, Kotala Mohsin Khan, Mohallah Sethian, Dilazak Tomb and the tomb and mosque of Sheikh Imamuddin would be protected under the order.
The official said that Shithial rock carvings in Kohistan, Ranighat site in Buner, tomb of Syed Ahmad Shaheed, tomb of Ismail Shaheed, Ashoka rock edicts and Zaro Dheri in Mansehra while Tofikian Mound, Jandial, Sirsukh, Piplan, Badalpur, Garian (Lal Chack Stupa), Bhamala Buddhist site in Haripur and Asota Megaliths and Hund Fort in Swabi district would be protected under the newly-issued order.
Mr Khan said that those sites were transferred in the revenue record to the province and the record was being checked for the rest of 47 archaeological sites, which would also be handed over to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Protection order for the remaining sites would also be issued once they were handed over to the province through legal documents, the official said. Along with the preservation and protection of the archaeological sites, the Archaeology and Museums Directorate started research work on the 1900-year-old Aziz Dheri in Swabi district, he said.
The archaeologists and students of University of Peshawar and Hazara University under the supervision of Prof Mohammad Naeem Qazi and Arshad Mughal would undertake the research project.

Over 90,000 fresh votes registered in Dir

A total of 97,000 fresh votes have been registered in the Lower Dir district, raising the number of total registered voters to 490,042.
Of these, 290,968 are male and 199,074 are female, said district election officer Inayatur Rahman while talking to Dawn on Tuesday. He said number of polling stations in the district had also been increased to 308 from 259.
He maintained that 27,241 fresh votes had been registered in PK-94 Timergara, 20,621 in PK-95 Jandol, 29,949 in PK-96 Maidan and 40,328 in PK-97 Adenzai, respectively. He said six separate polling stations would be set up for women to ensure their voting in the district while another six joint stations would also be set up.
The election commission, he said would take adequate steps for women participation in electoral process during next elections.
Meanwhile, the provincial general secretary of the treasuries and accounts staff association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sirajul Islam while talking to Dawn on Tuesday demanded of the accountant general to abolish the 50 per cent quota in district and agency accounts’ offices.
He said the treasury staff had been waiting for promotion since long while 50 per cent quota had been specified for AG staff which was not acceptable to them.

Thousands of KP employees get right to pension

After an amendment to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants Act, 1973, around 94,000 employees of the provincial government were given on Tuesday the right to pension and gratuity on retirement from service.
The provincial assembly unanimously enacted ‘the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (Amendment) Act, 2013,’ substituting Section 19 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Act No XVIII of 1973.
The new law will culminate the provincial government’s Contributory Provident Fund Scheme, which was introduced in 2005.
The scheme had been introduced through a legislation that withdrew the right to pension and gratuity from the provincial public sector’s thousands of employees appointed in the provincial public sector after July 1, 2001.
Appreciating the provincial assembly for providing passage to the proposed amendment, Pakistan People’s Party’s parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar said: ‘Today is a historic day as thousands of employees got their constitutional right restored with the elimination of CP Fund.’
The scheme had been introduced with an aim to control the provincial government’s growing pension bill that consumes billions of rupees every year.
It stands abolished following the enactment of the new law whose sub-section (1) of the substituted Section 19 says on retirement from service, a civil servant shall be entitled to receive such pension or gratuity as may be prescribed.
The sub-section 2 says: “In the event of death of a civil servant, whether before or after retirement, his family shall be entitled to receive such pension or gratuity, or both, as may be prescribed.”
The assembly amended the law after its standing committee No 2 on law reforms and control on subordinate legislation in its report on CPF declared it a violation of the Constitution, terming it discriminatory.
“It is pertinent to mention that this discriminatory law is only applicable to the employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and does not exist in the centre and other provinces,” says the standing committee’s report, which was placed before the House on Tuesday with a request to pass the draft amendment to the Civil Servants Act.
The committee submitted its findings after the House asked it on August 31, 2012, to examine the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2012. Treasury members of the provincial assembly Abdul Akbar Khan and Israrullah Gandapur had tabled the draft bill before the provincial assembly on May 1, 2012.
Both the legislatures are on the House committee that examined the draft bill and requested the assembly to enact it in the larger interest of thousands of employees and their families.
In its report, the committee noted: “The CP Fund scheme is not only discriminatory but also against the fundamental rights of individuals as outlined in the Constitution of Pakistan.” It noted further that the CPF scheme should be abolished because it was ‘full of snags as no employee has so far been allotted any CP Fund number and no account code has been given.’
“Furthermore, no specific rules have so far been framed,” according to the committee’s report that also mentioned that “there is no interest on CP Fund deductions (made from the government employees’ salaries) while the receipt is utilised for investment by the Government.” The committee informed the House that the care taker chief minister had announced the abolition of the scheme, but the move could not materialise.
The committee also lodged a complaint, in its report, against the Establishment and Finance departments, pointing out that ‘the grievances of the government servants increased’ because of them. It reported that the chief minister had directed the two departments to ‘examine the issue on priority,’ but the matter was delayed. On its recommendation, the provincial assembly also passed the proposed sub-section (5) of Section 19 of the Civil Servants Act, 2013.

Probe into dumping of bodies: Have no fear, court tells police

The Peshawar High Court on Thursday directed the provincial capital’s police to thoroughly investigate the cases of the dumping of bodies in gunnysacks in the city and other areas and observed that if they were terrified, the court would provide them with protection.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Irshad Qaiser observed that killing people and dumping their bodies in sacks was a shameful act, which had been creating anarchy in the society.
It added that under the law, police were responsible for tracing the people behind the heinous crime.
The bench also took notice of the dumping of the body of a missing person, Arif Shah, and directed the deputy inspector general of police (investigation) to constitute a high-level team for probing who had taken him away and under what circumstances he was killed.
It issued directions for the production of the investigation report with the registrar of the high court within a month and adjourned the hearing into the case to Feb 20.
The bench was hearing the case related to dumping of bodies.
Senior superintendent of police (investigation) Asif Zafar Cheema said in accordance with the order of the high court, police had formed investigation teams headed by deputy superintendents of police for probing the matter.
He said in one of the cases they traced some clues, while in other cases, they expected to trace the culprits.
He added that police had been facing problems in the investigation due to non-cooperation by the legal heirs of the slain persons.
The human rights cell of the high court had referred the matter to the chief justice in Aug this year after newspapers reported that 26 bodies mostly stuffed in gunnysacks were dumped in Peshawar. Later, several more bodies were dumped in different areas of the city.
It merits mentioning here that a petition regarding the alleged enforced disappearance of Arif Shah has been pending with the court for many months.
In a petition, Kabul Badshah, a resident of Hangu district, alleged that his brother, Arif Shah, went missing on Feb 13, 2010 on return from Qatar, where he was employed.
He suspected that the detainee was in the custody of law-enforcement agencies.The bench was informed that the body of Arif Shah was dumped on the outskirts of Peshawar on Aug 15, 2012, and an FIR was registered in that regard.

Usman Riaz’s illustration of Pakistan’s flag

Talented young musician Usman Riaz, who made a debut in the music industry with his single Firefly, took to Facebook to express his feelings towards sectarian attacks and ensuing protests in the country.
On the Usman Riaz Facebook page, the artist shared artwork with the caption “An illustration I made a while ago, sad that it is still relevant.” The image shows a bloodstained Pakistan flag with the crescent and star inverted to show a sad face.

“I made this around two years ago,” Riaz told  “I don’t remember what happened exactly but it was for a school assignment. [I posted it last night] because it fits perfectly with the tone of what is happening…”
He continued: “It is really depressing. I don’t want to include politics in my work, but I just wanted to use this illustration to create awareness and show others what is happening. The bloody flag and sad face — it’s how people feel here in Pakistan.”

The martyrs of Alamdaar Road

A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.

Stalin may or may not have said those words but he was certainly on to something. Revolutions require more than anger. They require symbols, images around which peoples’ thoughts can gather and coalesce so that the abstraction of a million deaths can become a reality.

Shias know this better than most because Shia’ism has only survived through the power of images and stories. Every Muslim can picture the events of Karbala in part because the image of Imam Hussain (RA) and his 72 companions standing firm against the might of Yazid’s army is so potent. It is these images which get revisited every Muharram: the dark and thirsty nights; the martyrdom of Hazrat Qasim, trampled by the horses of Yazid’s army; Hazrat Ali Asghar, the innocent baby pierced by an arrow; Bibi Sakina, crying as her father’s steed returns riderless to the camp; women being led through the bazaars of Damascus with their heads uncovered; Bibi Zainab defiantly lecturing Yazid before his own court.

To these images, we can now add a new tableau: the bodies of 86 people killed on Alamdaar road, their coffins placed on the open street, their mourning families refusing to bury the bodies till they get justice.

Even the name ‘Alamdaar’ is important here. The word ‘Alam’ refers to the ceremonial flag or standard carried out into battle. Alamdaar means the “standard-bearer” or the person given the responsibility of carrying the flag into battle. As in all armies, the position of flag-bearer was one of incredible honour. In the case of Imam Hussain, the ‘Alamdaar’ was Hazrat Abbas, his half-brother.