Two army officers among five killed in suicide hit

 

RAWALPINDI: Five people, including two Pakistan Army officers, were killed and two soldiers sustained injuries when a suicide bomber targeted an army vehicle at the Qutbal railway crossing near Fatehjang, some 28 kilometres from Tarnol, on Wednesday.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that two army officers of the rank of Colonel, embraced martyrdom in the suicide attack.

Director General ISPR Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa in a message said two military officers — Colonel Zahir Shah and Colonel Arshad — and three civilians embraced Shahadat when a suicide bomber hit their twin cabin vehicle.

The security forces cordoned off the area after the incident and collected evidence from the crime scene. The remains of the suicide attacker have been sent to a military hospital for a DNA test, the sources said.

The law enforcing agencies sources, quoting statements of the people who witnessed the scene, said an 18 to 20-year-old person was noticed who had been standing right at the Qutbal railway crossing in the guise of a beggar. “As the military double cabin vehicle slowed down at the railway crossing at about 9:30am, the suicide bomber targeted the vehicle and blew himself up.”

A rickshaw crossing the railway crossing was also caught upin the attack. The army officers were killed on the spot while two NCOs — a driver and gunman — were critically wounded. The rickshaw driver identified as Mohammad Aslam and two unidentified passengers were also killed on the spot.

The bodies of the military officers were shifted to the Military Hospital Rawalpindi while the civilians were shifted to a local hospital in Fatehjang. The intelligence agencies have initiated an investigation while the identity of the attacker is still unknown.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and top military officers attended the Namaz-e-Janaza of the martyred army officers at the GHQ ground.

Agencies add: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack near Fatehjang.The TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said the attack was the reaction to the killing of imprisoned Taliban. He said a week before, seven Taliban were killed in Karachi.

Meanwhile, President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, PPP patron-in-chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the suicide attack near Ternol, Fatehjang and described it as a cowardly act.In their separate messages, they prayed that Almighty Allah rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with equanimity.

PHC makes three army officers party

PESHAWAR: The Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Mazhar Alam Miankhel, observed on Tuesday that those in charge of internment centres were not producing the record of internees intentionally.

“The record of the internees is not being provided intentionally to the court. Everyone is giving replies in the court and denying the presence of missing persons but the court would know through the record of internment centres which law-enforcement agency is involved and has shifted the missing persons to the internment centres,” the PHC chief justice observed during the hearing of the missing persons cases.

The chief justice remarked that all those officials from the police, intelligence agencies and military, who are submitting replies of denial on affidavits in the court, would face action once it was proved that they were involved in the missing persons cases.

During the hearing of 25 missing persons cases, all the officials of the police, Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in most cases submitted replies on affidavits claiming ignorance about the whereabouts of the missing persons.

However, the bench comprising the chief justice and Justice Malik Manzoor Hussain issued notices to military officers and directed Major Irfan to submit replies of military officers through the General Headquarters (GHQ) before the next hearing as there were specific allegations against them for taking away the missing persons.

The bench issued notices to Colonel Arshad and Major Dilawar of the 1st Baloch Regiment Unit of Pakistan Army and directed them to explain their position in replies through the GHQ before the next hearing as there were specific allegations against them for picking up Muhammad Khan, the husband of the petitioner Naik Seerata, a resident of Ouch area, Lower Dir district, on June 29, 2009.

The bench also issued notices to former councillor Muhammad Ali and two elders, Shahzeb and Muhammad Zeb, to appear in person at the next hearing as it was on their assurance that the missing person Muhammad Khan was handed over to the military officers.

In another case, the bench issued notices to Colonel Zafran, Major Mohsin and Subedar Ameer of the 10 Punjab Regiment of Pakistan Army and asked Major Irfan to ensure submission of their replies through the GHQ before the next hearing of the case.

The father of a missing person, Umar Gul, in his petition claimed that the army personnel picked up his son on June 12, 2013 from the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency and since then his whereabouts were not known. “I fought alongside the Pakistan Army in the 1965 War. But today our own army picked up my innocent son and my family doesn’t know if he is alive or dead,” the elderly man told the bench.

The chief justice told Major Irfan to notice the agonies of the person and inform the high-ups of the plight of the old parents of missing persons.

The bench also issued a notice to Captain Shah Faisal of 56 Baloch Regiment deployed in Hangu and directed him to submit his reply through the GHQ before the next hearing. Abdul Samad, the son of a missing person Qazi Rehman, had filed the petition and claimed that his father was picked up by an army officer at the Atiq Army check-post in Hangu district on January 31, 2014 and since then his whereabouts were not known.

The bench also issued a show-cause notice to secretary Home and Tribal Affairs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to appear in person as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him for non-compliance with the court’s orders in the missing persons cases.The bench in some cases sought replies from ministries of Interior and Defence and adjourned the cases to July 1, 2014.

Posting of judicial officers to executive posts approved

 

LAHORE: Accepting a request of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights, the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) on Saturday approved the posting of judicial officers to the ministry on deputation in relaxation of the National Judicial Policy.
Chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJ) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, the committee said though the posting of judicial officers against the executive posts violated the principle of the independence of judiciary, keeping in view the difficulties of the ministry the high courts may allow judicial officers to join the law department/ministry. However, the court cautioned that in such a case the judicial officers shall sever their relation with the judiciary.

Addressing the meeting, Chief Justice Tassaduq Jillani said the judiciary would enhance the prestige of the country in the world, as it was getting the attention of foreign intellectuals by upholding the rule of law and constitutionalism.

He said compared with the previous years, an overwhelming participation of international delegates in the International Judicial Conference-2014 held in Islamabad was a proof of it. “This is a good omen,” he added.

He said the superior judiciary had introduced information technology in its system to regulate case flow management, digitisation of libraries and administrative record, SMS alert to lawyers and an electronic attendance system for the staff etc.

“However, though these initiatives have increased the efficiency of the courts, “we are still lagging behind achieving the optimum benefits of technology,” he added.

He expressed the hope that a unified integrated information system would not only foster access to important information about case flows, but also improve court efficiency by reducing the time-consuming paper-based process.

“The constitution of the National Judicial Automation Committee (NJAC) is an important step towards the realisation of this dream,” he said and added that the meeting would review the status of the automation project of the superior judiciary.

“We are passing through a crucial stage of history and are confronting various problems, including extremism and intolerance in society”, the CJ said. He said by promoting tolerance and enforcing rights of citizens, a harmonious society could be established.

The judiciary being an important organ of the state can play a vital role in promoting tolerance by ensuring the expeditious dispensation of justice, he added.

He urged that the year 2014 be declared a year of Promoting Religious and Cultural Tolerance in Society which had been approved by the NJPMC.

The committee also considered the rules framed by the High Court of Sindh to regulate the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) proceedings.

The CJ/Chairman NJPMC took exception to the situation and observed that it had been more than 10 years since Section 89-A was introduced in the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) for early resolution of disputes by resorting to ADR techniques but regrettably the rules were not framed for the benefits of the provision to trickle down.

After deliberations, a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, comprising a judge from each high court to propose uniform rules to make Section 89-A of the CPC effective.

The committee also considered the recommendations of the International Judicial Conference 2014 and observed that the recommendations made by the working groups were worth considering and, if implemented, these would improve the administration of justice and pave the way for promoting tolerance and the rule of law in society.

After deliberations, the committee approved them for implementation.

The chief justice took serious notice of the delay in the construction of district courts and model jail for Islamabad and observed that the recent suicide attack on the Islamabad District Courts, wherein precious lives of litigants, lawyers and judicial officer were lost, had prompted an early completion of projects to provide a safe and peaceful environment to litigants to pursue their cases.

The chief justice constituted a committee comprising one judge each of the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court to oversee the projects for their early completion.

The meeting was attended by Chief Justice Federal Shariat Court Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan, Chief Justice Balochistan High Court Qazi Faez Isa, Chief Justice Lahore High Court Umar Ata Bandial, Chief Justice Sindh High Court Maqbool Baqar and Chief Justice Peshawar High Court Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel.

Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi; Chief Justice Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Justice Mohammad Azam Khan; Chief Judge Supreme Appellate Court Gilgit-Baltistan Justice Rana Muhammad Arshad Khan and Chief Judge, Chief Court, Gilgit-Baltistan Justice Sahib Khan also attended the meeting.

SC seeks report on court martial of army officers

 

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday sought a report from the Ministry of Defence on the proceedings being initiated against military officers under the Army Act for their involvement in enforced disappearances.
The court summoned by May 6 the DNA test report from the Punjab government forensic laboratory of the bodies recovered from the Khuzdar mass grave.Justice Nasirul Mulk remarked: “Why is a long period of time being spent on the DNA tests of the bodies? Maintaining law and order in the province is the legal and constitutional obligation of the state. The occurrence of such incidents daily is alarming and these cannot be overlooked. We cannot see the chaos in Balochistan. The elements involved in enforced disappearances should be punished as per the law.”

Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali remarked: “The recovery of bodies from mass graves is a matter of grave concern. The problems will not be solved unless the rule of law and Constitution prevails in the country. Balochistan is burning and no one cares for it.”

A two-member SC bench, led by Justice Nasirul Mulk, took up the Balochistan violence case for hearing on Tuesday.The court was told that the government had decided to try under the Army Act the FC and army officers found involved in enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

The court inquired what action had been taken so far. “Details in this regard be presented before us,” the court remarked.The report on the recovery of bodies from mass graves in Khuzdar was presented before the court wherein it was said that the DNA test could take four to five months as 7 to 8 weeks were required for DNA test of one body.

The court showed its annoyance and asked why such a long period was needed for the purpose. “Present the DNA test report by May 6 and the court be apprised about the army officers who are being tried under the Army Act.”The court adjourned the hearing till May 6.

PM rebukes CSB for recommending unfit officers

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved the promotion of 26 officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service (ex-DMG) to BS-21 but returned the cases of 18 others who were recommended by the Central Selection Board (CSB).
While returning these cases to the CSB, the prime minister conveyed to the Establishment Division that he did not deem it prudent and justified to approve the CSB’s recommendations as he believed that only officers with impeccable repute should be promoted in public interest.

This decision has raised questions about the role and effectiveness of the CSB, which in its last board meeting superseded hardly a few officers. The same day when the CSB met, the military commanders also considered the promotions of brigadiers and resorted to massive supersessions to ensure that only the best amongst the best were promoted as two-star generals.

According to the sources, the prime minister has approved the promotion from BS-20 to BS-21 of the following officers of the PAS: Azmat Ali Ranja, Rizwan Bashir Khan, Tipu Mahabat Khan, Aftab Habib, Tariq Masud, Ali Zaheer Hazara, Dr Shujaat Ali, Oriya Maqbool Abbasi, Mohsin S Haqqani, Aijaz Ali Khan, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Zahid Saeed, Shahid Ashraf Tarar, Dr Hamad Uwais Agha, Altaf Ezid Khan, Shah Sahib, Arbab M Arif, Mrs Seema Najeed, Hasan Iqbal, Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, Mrs Tasmeen Masood, Muzzadar Mahmood, Dr Allah Bakhsh, Younus Dagha, Shamail Ahmed and Mohammad Misbah.

Those not promoted despite having been recommended by the CSB include Abdul Jalil, Rashid Bashir Mazari, Fazlur Rehman, Athar Husain Khan, Muhammad Rashid, Mian Zulkarnain Aamir, Ahmad Yar Khan, Manzar Hayat, Aftab Ahmad Maneka, Muhammad Aslam Hayat, Javed Nasir Syed, Sajjad Ahmed, Imran Afzal Cheema, Saqib Aleem, Muhammad Ijaz, Naveed Kamran Baluch, Mukhtiar Hussain and Iqbal Ahmed Bablani.

While returning these cases, the prime minister observed that the board had failed to apply its mind and exercise its discretion in an objective manner in evaluating officers on the attribute of “integrity/general reputation/perception”.

The prime minister also noted that the CSB was required to be mindful that the attribute of integrity and reputation was inserted in the “Objective Assessment Form” in order for the CSB to evaluate officers not only on the basis of integrity as reported in the ACRs/PERs but also to form a collective opinion as to general reputation and perception of the officers under consideration in a reasonable, fair and equitable manner; and then to award marks out of maximum five.

“A mechanical exercise, without application of mind, to award marks for the attribute ‘integrity/general reputation/perception’ on the basis of formally written reports is, by no means, in consonance with the spirit of the Honorable Supreme Court’s judgment in CP No. 22/2013 and the essence of the Objective Evaluation Form to be used by the CSB,” the premier said, adding that given the seniority, eminence and stature of the individual members of the CSB, including its chairman, it would not have been problematic for the CSB to assess the general reputation/perception regarding officers under consideration, particularly after these officers had had a service experience of around 25 years in full public view.

The PM asked the CSB to reconsider their cases in its next meeting and assess and evaluate them as to the attribute “integrity/general reputation/perception” in a comprehensive and objective manner.

He said this exercise should be conducted so that the judgment of the Honorable Supreme Court in CP No22/2013 is complied with in letter and spirit. The Objective Criteria Form, accordingly, should be read, applied and construed, not as a freestanding document, but an instrument to put the afore-stated judgment of the Honorable Supreme Court to effect. It is also noted that in order to protect these officers against any unfair detriment, the posts against which these officers were recommended by the CSB to be promoted to BS 21 would remain vacant until the matter is reconsidered by the CSB in its next meeting.

In the case of Farooq Ahmed Khan, the prime minister observed that the officer was not fit as yet to be promoted to BS 21 on account of his palpable and manifest disinterest in his service. The officer remained on extraordinary leave for four years and then remained an OSD for another four years. It is also a matter of public knowledge that he remained engaged in setting up a business of his own during this period. During the 10-year period between 2003 and 2012, he could earn PERs only for a period of less than three years.