Media house can't rig elections: FAFEN chief

KARACHI: Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) chief Mudassar Rizvi said that only those who have the power and authority could rig elections, media couldn’t do it.

Briefing journalists about election reforms at the Karachi Press Club, FAFEN chief, Syed Mudassar Rizvi and FAFEN member Sarwar Bari urged upon the political parties to immediately start debating over the issue in a bid to give a collective shape to the scattered electoral laws and facilitating the holding of transparent elections.

He said that all the members of the Election Commission should be appointed for one year and besides including two females, the tribal areas and Islamabad should also be given representation in the Commission.

He further said that the Election Commission should have the legal justification for all of its actions and should have not only the power and authority to issue directives to the administration, but to punish those failing to comply.

Syed Mudassar Rizvi said that the biometric system should be tested, but its enforcement at this point of time would not be wise.

Responding to a question relating to the allegation of a media house rigged elections, Syed Mudassar Rizvi said that only those who have the power and authority could rig elections, a media house couldn’t do it.

MWM rally: All roads to CM House blocked

KARACHI: All roads leading the Chief Minister House have been blocked by placing containers in view of the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM)’s announced protest rally against target killing from Numaish Chowrangi to CM House on Sunday here, Geo News reported.

Roads leading to CM House from Metropole, Clifton, PIDC and Shaheen Complex have been blocked since early morning by placing containers, while containers have been placed on the road from Fawwara Chowk to Governor House also.

Traffic police have appealed to commuters to use the alternative roads.

Sikh protesters break into Parliament Housev

 

ISLAMABAD: Members of the Senate remained confined to the four walls of the upper house of parliament for three hours on Friday afternoon when Sikh community members broke into the Parliament House premises, unnoticed by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Breaking all security checks and barricades, over 300 Sikh community members entered the premises of the Parliament House, despite the presence of a large contingent of police, to lodge their protest against the desecration of their holy book in Sindh.

Clarifying their position, the deputy commissioner and SSP Islamabad claimed that under an understanding, the district administration and the police had allowed the Sikh community members to hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the Islamabad Press Club but they violated the agreement.

The district administration, the Security Division and operational police passed the buck to each other but security experts pointed the finger at the Security Division and intelligence agencies.

“It was a failure of intelligence agencies first and thenthe Security Division is responsible for the serious negligence,” the officer said. The Parliament House security operators termed it the negligence of the district administration, the Security Division and operational police.

Police sources said about 300 Sikh community members reached Islamabad from Nankana Sahib (Hassan Abdal) on two buses when the police were battling the PTI protesters who were trying to enter the Red Zone.

The Sikh community members parked their buses at the Dhokri Chowk and marched towards the Parliament House and crossed the Serena check-post in the presence of 17 cops. The protesters entered the Red Zone from the Serena Hotel side and marched all the way down to the Parliament House through two kilometres of the Constitution Avenue housing the Diplomatic Enclave, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court of Pakistan and finally entered the Parliament House facing no resistance from the police force.

When this correspondent contacted SSP Operations Mohammad Ali Naikokara for comments, he said the operational police were engaged with the PTI’s violent protest near Nadra when the Sikh community members entered the Red Zone and marched towards the Parliament House. He said though it was the responsibility of the Security Division, the operational police could intercept the rally but they were engaged with the PTI rally.

Meanwhile, Senate Chairman Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari and Acting Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi took notice of the Sikh community’s protest and sought a report from the Ministry of Interior and IGP Islamabad on the security lapse.

When the protesting Sikhs entered the Parliament House premises, Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan and PPP’s Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, along with the opposition parties, were addressing a press conference. Seeing the protesters entering the premises, they stopped their press conference and moved into the Parliament House.

The protesters declared that multiple incidents of desecration of their holy book had taken place in different areas of the Sindh province during the last few weeks. They refused to leave the premises until the prime minister and interior minister assured them of an early arrest of culprits. They also called for protection in Sindh and other towns of Pakistan.

Later, after negotiations with the local administration, the Sikh protesters agreed to end their protest.Meanwhile, sources in the National Assembly told this reporter that SP Security, Islamabad, appeared before the acting speaker after the incident and told him that the police did not opt for baton charge as a sign of respect to the minorities. However, sources said Murtaza Javed Abbasi did not agree with the SP and told him that it was the third incidence of breach of the Parliament House’s security.

Meanwhile, IGP Aftab Cheema suspended SP Habibullah Khan Niazi, three DSPs, Khalid Virk, Safeer Hussain and Fida Satti, and two SHOs Sattar Shah (Bhara Kahu) and Abdur Rehman, making them scapegoats.

Gas supply to PM Secretariat, Parliament House, others cut

 

ISLAMABAD: Gas supply to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Parliament House, Parliament Lodges, Federal Shariat Court, Governor House, Murree, and other government departments was suspended for not clearing their dues, a private news channel reported on Monday.
According to the Sui Northern officials, Rs7.7 million dues are outstanding against the Parliament Lodges while the PM Secretariat is a gas defaulter of Rs4.7 million.Surprisingly, the Parliament House has to pay a sum of Rs1.3 million to gas regulators against its outstanding dues and the Federal Shariat Court owes Rs224,000 to gas utilities.The Governor House, Murree, has also been included in the list of gas defaulters as bills amounting to Rs188,000 are pending against it.

Baby among five killed in British house fire

LONDON: A nine-week-old baby girl and two children aged seven and nine were among five people killed in a house fire in Britain on Monday.

Anum Parvaiz, 54, and her 20-year-old daughter Shabina Begum were named as the two adults killed in the blaze in Sheffield, northern England.

"It´s a tragedy beyond description," said Parvaiz´s cousin Ishfaq Hussain Kayani.

He said a nine-week-old baby girl was among those who had died, as well as nine-year-old Adhyan Nazim and seven-year-old Amaan Nazim.

"It´s so sad. A couple of hours ago the whole family was leading their normal life," he said.

"Just in a matter of minutes the whole family has been destroyed. The whole family has gone."

The local fire service confirmed that two adult females and three young children had died in the blaze.

"An investigation has commenced, involving police and fire officers, to establish the cause of the fire," the service said.

White House to Iran: No visa for UN envoy pick

WASHINGTON: The United States, in a rare diplomatic rebuke, will not grant a visa to Tehran's pick for envoy to the United Nations, the Obama administration said Friday.

The move could complicate efforts to thaw the decades-long diplomatic freeze between the US and Iran, as the two countries negotiate a deal to curb Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

President Barack Obama's administration had previously said only that it opposed the nomination of Hamid Aboutalebi, who was a member of the group responsible for the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran as a revolution erupted in Iran. US officials had hoped the issue could be resolved by Tehran simply withdrawing the nomination.

That did not happen, so the US made the unusual, if not unprecedented, move to not grant a visa to a U.N. ambassadorial nominee.

"We've communicated with the Iranians at a number of levels and made clear our position on this - and that includes our position that the selection was not viable," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "Our position is that we will not be issuing him a visa."

Aboutalebi is alleged to have participated in a Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the takeover. His nomination has outraged members of Congress, who passed a bill barring entry to the US to an individual found to be engaged in espionage, terrorism or a threat to national security.

Carney would not say whether Obama would sign the bill but said the president shares its sentiments.

United Nations officials had no immediate comment on the US decision.

Taliban inmates release: PM House withdraws denial

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister House has withdrawn the statement which was issued to deny the news report by Reuters that claimed 16 Taliban prisoners were released on the order of Nawaz Sharif in a bid to revive peace talks with militants.

The Reuters citing a political agent in FATA reported that 16 Taliban prisoners were released on orders of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Prime Minister House came into action and denied the news report, saying that no Taliban prisoner was released on the orders of Sharif.

It said that the report regarding the release of prisoners was baseless since the prime minister had not ordered the release of any Taliban inmate.

Later, interior ministry issued details of the 19 released non-combatant Taliban prisoners. According to the ministry official, three prisoners were released on March 21 and five prisoners on March 25 while eleven prisoners were freed on March 28.

The ministry official said all the released prisoners belonged to Mehsud tribe. He said these prisoners were arrested on the basis of intelligence reports and suspicion.

It is policy of the government and the Armed Forces that those arrested persons who are proven innocent after investigations should be freed, the official added.

The Prime Minister House withdrew denial following the issuance of details by the interior ministry about 19 released Taliban inmates.

Army chief, spymaster reach PM House

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Director General Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam flew into the Prime Minister house after a meeting of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) discussed much debated issue of Pervez Musharraf’s exit from the country.

The powerful military leaders arrived in a helicopter after the Prime Minister postponed a meeting on national security where both the army chief and the spymaster were invited.

Gen Sharif and Islam were informed about the postponement of the meeting by the prime minister house.

Tanisha's Secret Visit To Armaan's House

Tanisha's sister Kajol may not have approved of her decision in marrying Armaan Kohli, but nonetheless, Tanisha seems to have not taken it seriously. She has definitely decided to take her relationship a step ahead. Recently, a leading tabloid reported spotting Armaan and Tanisha together celebrating Holi at Armaan's residence.

 

Armaan had introduced his lady love to his parents and they treat her like family. Tanisha felt at home in Armaan's house. They were seen playing with colours and exchanged sweets as a part of mooh meetha ceremony.

 

Well, the buzz is now that Armaan's parents have approved their relationship, although, they are yet to make an official announcement. Watch this space for more.

Obama to meet Ukrainian PM at White House: official

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will meet in Washington this week with Ukraine's interim prime minister, in a show of support amid a tense stand-off with Russia over control of Crimea.
Obama will host crisis talks with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Wednesday, US Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken said, confirming earlier reports.
"He has invited the Ukrainian prime minister to come to the White House on Wednesday to further demonstrate... support," Blinken told NBC television's "Meet the Press" program.
Yatsenyuk had earlier announced in Kiev that he would travel to the United States, but gave no details of planned meetings.
Blinken said the US leader has been rallying world support for the Kiev's beleaguered fledgling administration and against Russia's incursion into the Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
"We've seen the president put together a major international support package. In terms of isolating Russia, what we've seen as a result of the mobilized support is the financial markets in Russia have hit lows, the ruble has hit a low, investors are wondering whether to get involved in Russia because of the instability," Blinken said.
"All of that is exacting a real cost and a real consequence."
He added: "The president has made clear that going forward in coordination with our partners and allies we have in place a mechanism with sanctions to raise the cost significantly.
"But this is really a choice for the Russians to make. They have to decide whether they want to resolve the diplomatically or whether they want to face growing isolation, growing economic cost."