ICC name hosts of mega events to be held from 2016 to 2023

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the names of the hosts for its various mega events to be played between 2016 and 2023.

According to sources, cricket’s Big Three have distributed the hosting of all cricket events among themselves.

The World Twenty20 would be hosted by India in 2016 while Australia would host the Champions Trophy in 2017.

The One-day International World Cup would be played in England in 2019 and the World T20 would be held in Australia in 2020

Later, India will host two mega events – Champions Trophy in 2021 and World Cup in 2023.

New houses to be built on IDPs return: PM

 

BANNU: Pledging full support to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from North Waziristan on Friday, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that new houses would be constructed on the return of the IDPs.
Addressing the IDPs in the Bakkakhel area in Frontier Region, he said, if required, billions would be spent for the rehabilitation of the NWA’s displaced persons. He said the entire nation stood by them. “The whole nation appreciates your sacrifice.to leave one’s abode in this scorching heat. The government is striving hard to provide you basic facilities,” Nawaz Sharif said.

The camp is sparsely populated as the displaced people have avoided staying there due to its unsuitable location and inadequate facilities.The prime minister said the government would reconstruct the houses of the IDPs after the completion of the military operation.

He said that the government had decided to increase the monthly cash compensation of the IDPs from Rs12 000 to Rs20 000 a month including Rs3 000 for the monthly house rent and Rs5,000 for the non-food items. Therefore, the IDPs would be given Rs40,000 as cash compensation for the month of Ramazan which included Rs20 000 Ramazan package.

“We will utilise all available resources to facilitate you,” he said.The prime minister told the IDPs that he was aware of their difficulties and sentiments because leaving native homes was not an easy task. He said that he was confident that this problem would be resolved soon and the IDPs would return to their homes with honour and dignity.

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that his government was well aware of the problems of dislocated people of NWA and reaffirmed the government commitment to utilise all the available resources for provision of speedy assistance and rehabilitation and ensure their early resettlement in their houses.

The prime minister said that there was no dearth of resources and the government would ensure provision of assistance, rehabilitation and relief and early settlement process. The prime minister said the IDPs were passing through difficult time and their sacrifices would not go waste. He hoped that their hard period in this harsh weather would come to an end soon.

The prime minister said that the government was working day and night to provide all the basic amenities of life to dislocated people to lessen their difficulties. The government and Army, he said, were working together day and night with the prime objective to provide comforts and relief to their tribal brethren. “This is not a kindness to them but we are fulfilling our duties,” he said.

Nawaz Sharif said the IDPs would be helped in reconstruction phase once the situation had improved in NWA. He said that the government would repair and improve the basic infrastructure including roads, health, clean drinking water facilities, schools and hospitals etc once law and order situation improved in the area. Nawaz Sharif said rebuilding and reconstruction phase in North Waziristan would not only generate employment opportunities for tribal people but would open up areas for trade and investment. It would alleviate poverty and bring progress and prosperity. He said the entire nation was united against the menace of terrorism and militancy and time was not far when complete peace would return to the agency.

Nawaz Sharif said that the government was left with no option but to launch massive military operation after failure of peace talks to establish its writ and protect the lives and properties of the people.The prime minister said that he held a detailed meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governor and chief minister besides Army officials to review arrangements for the IDPs. He prayed to Allah Almighty to help the government in its efforts to eradicate terrorism and extremism to bring peace to North Waziristan.

He said peace was vital for progress and development of Pakistan. With prayers of IDPs, he said, peace would soon prevail in North Waziristan Agency. He said effective arrangements had been made for the provision of fodder and shelter to livestock brought by the IDPs. He lauded Pakistan Army and other departments for extending full support to IDPs. In addition to medicines, he said, doctors and paramedics had arrived in sufficient number to treat and vaccinate their brethrens. Later, the prime minister distributed relief goods and food packages among the IDPs and assured full support in future. He also shook hand with the IDPs on the occasion and inquired about their well being.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif publicly praised Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and highlighted the role of his troops in offering sacrifices in the North Waziristan operation. Lauding the efforts of the Pakistan Army, Nawaz Sharif said the soldiers were playing a crucial role in facilitating the displaced people.

Earlier, General Raheel Sharif, Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani and other senior military and civil officers received the prime minister. He was given a briefing by the military officials about the services being offered to the IDPs.

Local journalists in Bannu weren’t allowed to cover the visit of the prime minister.The prime minister was accompanied by Minister for Safron Lt Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rasheed.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nasir Khan Durrani and Bannu Commissioner Syed Mohsin Shah, who is the focal person for the IDPs, were also present on the occasion.

All terrorists, including Haqqanis, to be tackled: DG ISPR

 

RAWALPINDI: Terming the Operation Zarb-e-Azb as war for the survival of Pakistan, the Pakistan Army on Thursday pledged to tackle all terrorists, including the Haqqani Network.
Briefing the media here, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said 327 hardcore terrorists had been killed while 45 hideouts of terrorists were destroyed in the North Waziristan Agency during the ongoing operation launched on June 15. He said 19 terrorists surrendered before the security personnel. He said 10 soldiers laid down their lives while seven were injured in the line of duty.

Major General Bajwa said North Waziristan had become an abode of terrorists. He said due to the sudden operation, the terrorists were entrapped in North Waziristan and would not be given a chance to escape.

He said all the allegations of Afghan government against the Pakistan Army were baseless. “The operation in North Waziristan was being conducted by the Pakistan Army and it was not assisted by the US or anyone else.”

About the internally displaced persons (IDPs), he said that so far 456,292 people, comprising 36,804 families, had been registered and majority of themwere shifted to their relatives in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat. He said only a few hundred persons opted to stay in the camps set up for the IDPs.

Giving details, Asim Saleem Bajwa said from January 29 to June 8, some 195 persons had lost their lives in 20 terrorist incidents. He reiterated that North Waziristan had become a stronghold of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and a hub of terrorist activities. “In this backdrop, it was decided to launch an operation aimed at restoring the writ of the government.”

He said the army troops, FC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa troops, Khassadar, Levies, intelligence agencies and Pakistan Air Force were deployed to flush out the terrorists from the area.Major General Bajwa said 50 army personnel, along with 20 NDMA officials, had been deployed for the registration of all IDPs. He said six ration distribution points had been established in Bannu, DI Khan and Tank for provision of food packets and medicines to the IDPs. He said every family was given Rs15,000 besides one month ration as announced by the army. “Of the enlisted IDPs, 221,000 were administered polio drops.”

The DG ISPR said Nadra mobile and Smart Card vans were made available to check the identity of incoming IDPs at the registration centres. About the relief collection points, he said 32 such points had been set up in different cities. To a question, he pointed out that 400 Afghan families had crossed over to Afghanistan after the start of the ongoing operation.

He said the whole nation had to play its role to support the armed forces in rooting out terrorism from the country. He also urged the media to create an awareness among the people to wipe out any misperception regarding the operation.

To a query, the DG ISPR said the Afghan government had been requested to take action against those terrorists who could cross over to the Afghan territory to avoid operation. He said that Pakistan had raised voice against the drone attacks as Pakistan armed forces were fully capable of defeating the terrorists. He said joint control rooms had been set up (UAN 1135) in different cities where people could share information about any suspicious person or activity.

Ashrafuddin Pirzada adds from Landikotal: Four militants and three Khassadar force personnel were killed in a clash after about two dozen gunmen attacked the Hawaldari checkpost in the Surkamar area of the Jamrud Tehsil in Khyber Agency on Thursday, local and official sources said.

The sources said at least 12 gunmen, equipped with automatic weapons, stormed the Hawaldari checkpost located on the main Pak-Afghan Highway at around 1:50am during the night.Local sources said the militants besieged the checkpost and opened fire on the soldiers manning it. The lightly armed Khassadar force personnel returned the fire, triggering a gunbattle.

“I heard sounds of firing from different sides when the attack was launched on the checkpost,” said a local tribesman. He added that the firing stopped after a few minutes but it started again when a contingent of the paramilitary Frontier Corps reached the spot to support the besieged Khassadar force personnel.

The security forces, the official sources said, repulsed the attack and killed four attackers. However, the rest of the militants managed to escape.Three Khassadar officials identified as Naib Line Officer Shaukat Khan Afridi, who was recently promoted, and Sepoy Shamshad Afridi and Sepoy Baseer Khan were killed in the clash.

According to an ISPR statement, four paramilitary officials, including Captain Umar, were injured in the attack.The other injured soldiers were identified as Sepoys Umara Khan, Noor Hussain and Abdur Rauf.

Assistant Political Agent Jamrud Roshan Wazir condemned the attack and praised the bravery of the Khassadar force personnel.The funeral prayers for the slain Khassadars were offered in the presence of a large number of people. Roshan Wazir and other officials also attended the funeral.

PPP won’t be part of campaign to derail democracy: Sharjeel Memon

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon Thursday said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will not be a part of the forces bent upon derailing democratic process in the country.

Addressing a program at Karachi Press Club (KPC) in connection with distribution of plot allotments to the journalists, he said Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan have one objective but their approach is different.

To a question, he termed Tahirul Qadri’s movement for ‘revolution’ as untimely and unjustified, adding the mandate of democratically elected government of Pakistan Muslim League-N must be respected.

“Tahirul Qadri should first bring about a revolution in the country of his nationality–Canada,” he said, adding the government should be allowed to serve its full tenure.

He also took a dig at Tahirul Qadri over his unwillingness to disembark Emirates plane at Lahore airport, saying such moves can bring a bad name to the country.

Commenting on the Model Town issue, he slammed the incumbent government, describing its conduct as dictatorial.

To another question in connection with allowing entry to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Sindh province, he said the Chief Minister has already announced a relief of Rs500 million. He said relief camps for collection of succour have been set up in various districts of Sindh from where truckloads of relief supplies will be transported to the IDPs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Replying to a query in connection with PTI’s warning to resign from assemblies, Sharjeel Memon said rigging is no justification to roll back the ongoing democratic process in the country.

He said PPP will never allow closure of any media group and that any move to muzzle the freedom of expression will be thwarted. “Those who believe they can gag the voice of truth and render the journalists unemployed live in fools’ paradise,” he added.

The Information Minister announced construction of auditorium and press conference hall for Karachi Press Club this year. He said the KPC should identify the place, the requisite funds will be arranged by the Sindh Governemnt.

He also announced establishment of Endowment Fund for the journalists in the current year.

Later, he distributed plot challans among the members of KPC.

Cell phones to be suspended in Pindi airport area

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to suspend cell phone services in the limited areas of Islamabad airport on Monday on the occasion of the arrival of PAT leader Dr Tahirul Qadri.Official sources confirmed to The News on Sunday night that there were chances that cell services will be suspended only in the area of the airport for some time on Monday. They said there was no possibility of imposing any restrictions on social media.

Everything should be fair in this terror war

DUBAI: Now that the political government of Nawaz Sharif has come on the same page with the Pakistan Army and a full-fledged military operation has been launched against the terrorists, a full-fledged security and media plan for the rest of the country is immediately needed to face the blowback.

Some of the instant decisions that should be, and obviously will be, part of this whole operation, its planning, strategy and tactics, must include, if not already done:

— Instead of repeated announcements of Red Alerts, all major cities should declare night curfews, at least for three to four weeks, starting at 9 pm to 6 am.

— In sensitive localities, shooting orders be given if anyone violates the curfew and does not stop when checked.

— All businesses in all major cities must shut down at 8 pm so that people can get back to their homes by 9 pm. No exceptions should be allowed except for those with security passes.

— A War Council or War Cabinet must be announced in the Centre and in provinces.

— Other activities of parliament and the cabinet must be put in low gear and diverted to coordinating the war effort for at least three to four weeks. These should include taking care of those hit, affected or displaced by the war.

The army must be deployed at all key installations to protect them from terrorist attacks.

In sensitive cities and super sensitive localities like many areas of Karachi, door-to-door search operations should be carried out when the curfew sets in.

Special summary courts should be set up to try and convict all those who are caught with illegal arms, terrorist equipment like suicide jackets, hand grenades etc and the death penalty should be given to those convicted and sentenced without delay.

Special bulletins should be issued on the Zarb-e-Azb Operation daily or even more frequently and the media should only cover these. Total cooperation of political parties and the media must be ensured.

There can be more such actions taken but if this is a war, it has to be fought like a war. And as now we have decided to fight this war, then lets follow the saying: “Everything is fair in love and war.”We will get to the love portion when we cross the war zones.

Our response will be tough: TTP

 

ISLAMABAD: As fighter aircraft conducted overnight airstrikes at the positions of Taliban militants in North Waziristan, the Taliban on Sunday said they will give a tough reply to the operation.
In a statement, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said they were keeping an account of the ‘dozens of innocent people’ killed in Sunday’s military strikes.Shahid said they had not closed the doors of dialogue with the government and were still ready for meaningful talks. However, he insisted that the government should adopt a serious approach to revive the process.

He said they were ready for meaningful talks with the government as their negotiation team was still intact.“The government has constantly adopted a non-serious approach and instead of focusing on the peace process, it started creating a rift within the Taliban to divide them. This forced us to end the ceasefire and launch counter-attacks which was our right and obligation under the Islamic system,” the TTP spokesman said.

Shahid disputed the military’s claim about the Taliban casualties in Sunday’s strikes and claimed that “civilians were also killed.”He said the leaders were fooling the nation through attractive slogans and urged the people of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Islam-minded people of Punjab to stay at an arm’s length from this war of the rulers.He said the ruling elite had sold off sensitive issues like peace and security for dollars after making billions in different walks of life.

Musharraf be restrained from going abroad: govt

 

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Saturday filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Saturday urging that former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf should be restrained from going abroad.
The federal government, challenged the order of the Sindh High Court (SHC) striking down the name of former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf from the Exit Control List (ECL).

In this regard, the apex court constituted a two-member bench to take up the petition.

The government filed leave to appeal under Article 185(3) of the Constitution against the judgment of the learned SHC of June 12, 2014, ordering the removal of the name of Pervez Musharraf from the ECL.

The federation prayed to the apex court to set aside the SHC judgment in the interest of justice.

It further prayed that during the pendency of the instant petition, the impugned judgment might be suspended and the name of the respondent (Pervez Musharraf) might continue to remain on the ECL and he might be restrained from going abroad without the permission of this court.

A two-member SHC bench on June 12, 2014 struck down the name of Pervez Musharraf from the ECL observing that mere pendency of civil and criminal cases against a citizen was no ground to deny him the fundamental right of travelling within or outside the country.

The court, however, had suspended the operation of the judgment for 15 days observing that since the court order was self-executory, therefore the respondents, if they so desired, might file an appeal with the Supreme Court.

In its appeal, the federal government, however, contended that the impugned judgment was void, without jurisdiction, against the facts and law and the Constitution and the same was liable to be set aside in the interest of justice.

It further submitted that the SHC lacked the territorial jurisdiction for the reasons and facts narrated herein above. The impugned judgment was therefore, without jurisdiction and the same was liable to be set aside in the interest of justice.

The federation recalled that it was specifically argued that the name of the respondent was placed on the ECL pursuant to the order of the court dated 8-4-2013 whereunder, the respondent was restrained from going abroad.

“The said order of this court was an independent order which did not merge into the final order”, the government maintained, adding that it still held the field and the SHC was bound to follow that order.

It submitted that the SHC completely ignored this aspect of the matter and passed the impugned judgment by treating the said order as only an interim order without realising and keeping in view the most important factor that the said petitions wherein the aforesaid order had been passed were disposed of and not dismissed.

It contended that the doctrine of merger was not applicable to the instant case, adding that it was applicable to the orders and judgment of the Appellate Court.

“It is submitted that the impugned judgment is a nullity in law and the same is liable to be set aside in the interest of justice”, the government stated.

The federal government submitted that the respondent (Pervez Musharraf) was accused of the offence of high treason under Article 6 of the Constitution, adding that if the respondent was allowed to go abroad, his trial would eventually end, since the extradition treaty executed between Pakistan and UAE did not cover an act of ‘Political Crime’.

“This basis was not appreciated by the SHC”, the government contended, adding that the permission granted by the SHC under the impugned judgment would adversely affect the proceedings in the trial of the respondent.

The federal government further submitted that the learned division bench which passed the impugned judgment was bound by the order/judgment of a coordinate bench passed in Criminal Misc Application No262 of 2013 passed on 23.12.2013 which held that the name of the respondent was placed on the ECL on the order of the Supreme Court.

“The reasoning of the learned division bench regarding the said order of the coordinate bench’s finding is flawed in as much as there was a specific plea to that effect taken by the respondent and there was clear finding on it by the bench”, the federation contended, praying that the impugned judgment was therefore liable to be set aside on this score alone.

The federation submitted that the respondent had been avoiding his trial on one pretext or the other and since he was accused amongst other offences of the most serious offence of high treason, the petitioner had rightfully placed the name of the respondent on the ECL in the public interest.

“The respondent has all the reasons not to come back to Pakistan once he leaves Pakistan and his trial, which is at an advanced stage, would simply be brought to a standstill”, the government contended adding that in the public interest and pursuant to the orders of the superior courts, it disallowed the application of the respondent and had insisted for the respondent’s name to be kept on the ECL.

Airport attack: Internal security be improved

KARACHI: Defence analyst Shahzad Chaudhry, while commenting on the attack on Karachi Airport, said that the government had to improve internal security in the cities. Senior analyst Rasool Bakhsh Rais and executive-director of Pildat Ahmed Bilal Mehboob also expressed their opinions in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Wednesday.
The host of the programme, Mohammed Junaid, said that a wave of terrorism swept around Karachi in the last a few days. It began with the attack on Karachi airport. Security institutions say that the terrorist attack was repulsed and 10 terrorists were killed. But 29 lives were also lost. The ASF personnel bore the brunt of the attack, with 22 of its personnel embracing martyrdom. It was learnt the following day that seven people had taken refuge in a warehouse adjacent to a cold storage to save them from the onslaught of the terrorists. Their plight did not come to light immediately and there was also a delay in putting out the fire which resulted in death of other seven people.

Defence analyst Shahzad Chaudhry said that the state had been left with only option after the attack on Karachi airport i.e. operation. The thing that the country had to decide now was the nature of the operation and the areas where the operation was to be carried out. There was now no alternative other than operation. He said that the government had to make the security of important installations foolproof. Internal security in the cities had to be improved. Police, paramilitary forces and intelligence outfits would have a pivotal role in the operation. The rift in the ranks of the Taliban was their weakness.

Shahzad Chaudhry said that now the bigger menace was those groups of Taliban which were outside the country and who were being controlled by foreign agencies. Commenting on Pakistan-India relations, Mohammed Junaid said that in the latest development in this regard, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had written a letter to the Indian prime minister that efforts should be made to normalise relations.

Senior analyst Rasool Bakhsh Rais said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s message of peace to his Indian counterpart was a commendable gesture. He said that he hoped that the Indian prime minister would reciprocate the gesture of peace. Pakistan should not leave any stone unturned in its efforts to improve relations with India.

Rasool Bakhsh Rais said that the foundation of India-China relations was trade, and so it should be between Pakistan and India. “If we find that Indian arms were used in the attack on Karachi airport, we should lodge a strong protest with India. The evidence of Indian interference in Balochistan should be put before the Indian prime minister.”

Commenting on electoral reforms, Mohammed Junaid said that the demand for electoral reforms was being raised for some time. The Election Commission had declared the 2013 elections transparent, but several political parties had raised questions over the transparency of the elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf being the loudest protestor in this connection. There was a consensus between the government and the opposition parties that electoral reforms were essential for free and transparent elections. However, demands in this regard had not been met. How the Nawaz government tackled the problem, and how it took along all the opposition parties in this regard would become clear through the government’s actions. Meanwhile, the government had been talking about forming a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.

Executive Director of Pildat, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, said that a new parliamentary committee on electoral reforms would complicate the exercise because the previous parliamentary committees had done a lot of spadework for electoral reforms while the Election Commission had already submitted 24 amendments before the law ministry.

He said that the condition for the post of election commissioners to be former chief justice of the Supreme Court or of the High Court must be done away with.

He said that the parliamentary committee for electoral reforms would not be able to satisfy Imran Khan because he wanted investigation into the excesses in the last elections and he called for verification of thumb impressions in four constituencies.

Shah says government’s tenure should be 4 years

ISLAMABAD: Opposition leader in the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah said on Thursday that people considered the five year government tenure lengthy.

Speaking to the media, Shah said in his personal opinion an amendment should be added to the constitution and the tenure should reduced to four years.

Khursheed Shah added that the government wanted the courts to decide the fate of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Shah further said the government should not try to stop Dr Tahirul Qadri from coming to Pakistan.

 

Militants’ hideouts in tribal areas to be destroyed

RAWALPINDI: The formation commanders meeting at the General Headquarters chaired by the Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday decided to completely destroy the hideouts of terrorists in the tribal areas.

The commanders affirmed that the Pakistan Army would not allow the sacrifices of its martyrs go in vain.While speaking on the occasion, General Raheel Sharif vowed that terrorist elements would be eliminated at all costs.

The COAS said the sacrifices rendered by those in the war against terrorism would not go in vain.The half-yearly meeting was attended by all the corps commanders and formation commanders.

Comprehensive briefings on the security situation of the country as well as professional matters relating to the military came under discussion.In the meeting, it was also decided to track down the terrorists and monitor their movements across the country. To dismantle the terror networks, the army resolved to coordinate closely with intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

The meeting also discussed the situation on the Pak-Afghan border, the military operation in North Waziristan and Tirah Valley, national security as well as professional matters.It was also decided that the Airport Security Force (ASF) would be trained by the military in order to counter any future attacks.

It also reviewed the goals achieved in North Waziristan and Tirah Valley.The meeting was held when the Taliban-claimed attacks on Karachi airport raised questions about the ability of the authorities to secure key facilities in the face of a resurgent enemy.

Electronic voting machines to be used in next polls: ECP

 

ISLAMABAD: The Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, has said the EC has decided to introduce Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the next general elections to be held in 2018, reminding that it was a demand of all the political parties.
ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad revealed this at the EC Secretariat after the formal launch of the second five-year strategic plan of the electoral body on Thursday.About the features of the machines that would have an in-built biometric verification system, he said this had already been finalised and necessary orders for production of prototype machines for pilot projects had been issued.

The ECP secretary, however, said the introduction of EVMs for general elections would require legislation by parliament.After Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government of Sindh, in what may be perceived as delaying tactics, has also evinced interest in the use of biometric machines during the local bodies elections.

The secretary noted that Sindh had also requested for biometric verification of voters in the local government polls. He was of the view that the local government polls in the KP could be possible in November this year.

To a question, he said 4.5 million expatriates holding National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) had been enrolled as voters. But, he said, that enabling them to cast their votes at polling stations established abroad would also require relevant legislation.

The EC, he pointed out, was in the process of preparing a draft package of electoral reforms. He noted that reforming the electoral legal framework was the first of the 13 broader goals set under the second strategic plan.

Ishtiak said a key feature of the electoral reforms package to be sent to parliament would be the power of the EC to take action against the polling staff, including the returning officers, district returning officers and presiding officers, found involved in wrongdoings.

It may be mentioned here that there had been strong demands for holding accountable all those who were responsible for ensuring transparency and fairness on the polling day, yet cases of casting multiple votes surfaced in the constituencies where voter thumb verification was carried out.

To another query, he said the EC derived its powers from the Constitution and the law. He said under the law, if a detailed enquiry into an allegation of electoral irregularity was required, it fell under the domain of the election tribunals.

He said matters like last minute change in the polling scheme could also be raised before the election tribunals.On a report by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) about the number of rejected votes in 35 National Assembly constituencies outnumbering the difference between the votes secured by the winners and runners-up, he said it was not something surprising. “Had the votes been rejected without any ground, the issue could have been raised before the returning officer, who invites all candidates before opening the bags containing votes,” he remarked.

He underlined the need for fresh delimitation of national and provincial assembly constituencies in view of the demographic changes that had taken place over the years. He called for holding the much-delayed population census in the country.

The ECP secretary said a summary to this effect moved by the ECP had been approved by the prime minister and the matter was currently pending with the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

Ishtiak announced the ECP also planned to introduce the Geographical Information System (GIS) for delimitation to make the process foolproof. He said the candidates would be able to see their entire constituency on website.

Ex-CIA station chief be booked for murder: IHC

 

ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the Secretariat Police Station to register a murder case against former CIA station chief in Islamabad Jonathan Banks and former CIA General Counsel John A Rizzo in the matter pertaining to Kareem Khan, a resident of North Waziristan Agency (NWA), after his brother and a son died in a drone strike in 2009.
While hearing the matter, Justice Siddiqui inquired the Secretariat Police Station SHO whether any cognizable offence was committed or not. The SHO said that the offence was cognizable but it was not in the territorial jurisdiction of Islamabad Police.

Justice Siddiqui then said, “If a cognizable offence was committed, you must act as per law,” and disposed of the matter.Kareem Khan, a resident of North Waziristan Agency, had lost his teenage son Zahinullah and a brother Asif Iqbal who was a primary school teacher in Mir Ali, in a drone strike on December 31, 2009. While proceeding in this matter, Kareem Khan also remained missing for 10 days after he was allegedly picked up by the security agencies on February 5, 2014 from Rawalpindi when he was goingto narrate his woes before the European Parliament on February 15.

Kareem Khan, a native of Machi Khel, Mir Ali, North Waziristan, had filed an application for FIR with the Secretariat Police Station in 2010.The Secretariat Police refused to lodge the FIR and Kareem Khan then filed a case under Section 22-A with the civil court of Islamabad while praying that the police might be directed to register the FIR.

A civil judge of Islamabad dismissed the application in December 2013 citing lack of jurisdiction as the reason. The civil judge had observed that the attack was carried out in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) of Pakistan and hence the Islamabad court could not assume jurisdiction in this matter.

The petitioner then filed an appeal with the IHC and the same court while hearing in the matter on February 10, 2014 referred the matter to civil judge once again. But the civil judge refused to issue an order in favour of Kareem Khan citing lack of jurisdiction.

Kareem Khan then filed an appeal before the IHC that was heard on Thursday with directions to register cases against Jonathan Banks and John A Rizzo.Mirza Shahzad Akbar, advocate, represented Khan in the court and argued that the drone strike was carried out in North Waziristan but the FIR could not be registered as the CIA station chief was based in Islamabad. He further argued that the decision of civil judge dismissing the application on account of territorial jurisdiction was misconceived while under the Pakistani law, the FIR could be registered.

After the court’s decision, Akbar through a press release said, “There is no doubt under Pakistani and international law that the US officials are committing murder through drone strikes in Pakistan and today’s decision simply vindicates this very point as after this order, all those who have been killed in drone strikes have a right to proceed in similar criminal actions against the CIA officials and others involved. This remarkable order also highlights the strength of independence of judiciary in Pakistan which is truly protecting the rights of citizens of Pakistan under the Constitution”.

Anti-judiciary programme case to be decided as per law: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled for deciding the case regarding anti-judiciary programme aired by ARY TV in accordance with law instead of getting emotional.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry and Justice Mushir Alam, resumed hearing into Civil Miscellaneous Application (CMA)- 3096/2014 in CMA-2774/2014 in Constitutional petition. No 51 of 2010, filed by Independent Media Corporation on behalf of Geo TV.

The court directed its office to provide transcripts of the programme aired by ARY TV on May 21, 2014 against the judiciary by next Tuesday and adjourned the hearing.During the course of the hearing Taufeeq Asif advocate drew the attention of the court towards the banners and posters, displayed in Rawalpindi against the judiciary. He informed the court that a conspiracy is being hatched to defame the judiciary saying that he had already filed a petition and requested for taking up the matter at the earliest.

He informed the court a banner was displayed in the Katchery, Rawalpindi, against Justice Jawad S Khawaja and his family. Taufeeq Asif claimed that the lawyer’s community has made sacrifices for the independence of judiciary however some elements were bent upon defaming the judiciary.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan however told the lawyer that when the petition came before them, they will hear it but at present the court is hearing another issue.Sheikh Ahsanuddin advocate, another lawyer also came hard on the programme, aired by ARY Television against the judiciary saying that Mubashir Luqman, the anchor of ARY TV has crossed all the limits while criticising the judiciary.

He further said that it is on record that Mubashir Luqman was caught red handed while conducting a live programme wherein he was taking dictation for posing questions. He also requested the court to take up the petition in which he had filed a CMA, praying to become a party.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan however, also asked the lawyer that let his petition come before them and listed, they will hear it.

Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, another member of the bench observed that they will decide the case in accordance with law instead of getting emotional. He further said that the lawyer’s community has made valuable sacrifices for the independence of judiciary and they lauded the role of the legal fraternity.

“But we will decide the case in accordance with law as it is their responsibility to decide in accordance with law”, Justice Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry remarked adding that they will not get emotional even if it relates to their fellow judge but would decide the matter in accordance with law.

He further said that this bench has been constituted for a limited time to hear the matter. Meanwhile, the court directed its office to separate the clips of the programme which were referred to them and provide them by next Tuesday.

Earlier, On June 2, 2014, the court had summoned CDs of the programme, aired by ARY TV against the judiciary on May 21, 2014 and had directed its office to arrange multimedia so that it may be benefited to watch the clips of programme, aired by ARY TV.

On Wednesday, the court watched some clips of ARY programme in the courtroom and thereafter directed its office to separate those clips of the programme which had been referred to the bench by the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Tassaduq Hissain Jillani on May 31, 2014 constituted a three-member special bench in pursuance of the order of a two-member Bench headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed, dated May 26, 2014 wherein the Bench had directed Registrar, Supreme Court that order dated May 22, 2014 and May 26, 2014 be brought to the notice of the CJP for further appropriate orders.The CJP had also sent to the bench, Para 4 order of the apex court of May 22, 2014 with a transcript having two clips of the ARY programme.

Price hike won’t be allowed, says Dar

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar here on Wednesday took pains to dispel the impression that the new budget was for the rich and ignored the poor. He insisted that the government had taken steps to make the poor self-reliant and stand on their own feet, and that no one will be allowed to increase the prices of commodities in the name of budget.
Yet, in his post-budget press conference, the finance minister was evasive, did not allow stinging questions and took up most of the time repeating the text of his budget speech, so much so that a senior journalist lost temper and walked out of the briefing.

Ishaq Dar said the federal budget’s main thrust was on increasing exports and that was why the government had taken the revolutionary step of establishing the EXIM Bank of Pakistan, which will act as a catalyst in improving exports.

However, he dispelled the impression that the budget was for the rich only and not for the poor, saying the government had imposed taxes on the rich and taken many relief steps to cater to the vulnerable segments of the society.

He said if the benchmark of $2 a day income was kept in view, then 90 million people were living below the poverty line in Pakistan and the government was very concerned about them as this was the class which needed the utmost attention of the government.

“To this effect, the government has increased the allocation for the Benazir Income Support Programme to Rs118 billion from Rs75 billion under which the monthly stipend for the poorest of the poor has been increased to Rs1,500 from Rs1,200. We have decided to make them stand (self-reliant) on their feet and to this effect the government will take many initiatives.”

However, the minister did not mention at what speed the middle class was getting squeezed and why poverty was on the increase.The minister also did not say why he did not increase the CGT (Capital Gains Tax) on securities and also avoided to reply to questions about the impact of the mammoth reduction in subsidy for electricity consumers by Rs80 billion from Rs245 billion to Rs156 billion.

The press briefing was regulated in a way that no concerned journalist could raise pertinent and precise questions and when some of them tried to highlight some critical issues, the minister adopted an evasive attitude and kept on repeating what he wanted to highlight.

The minister consumed most of the time in repeating the budget speech and left insufficient time for the question-answer session. During his speech, one senior journalist lost temper and left the press briefing. It seems all was done in a deliberate attempt to avoid the stinging questions.

The minister also skipped the question on money laundering that was raised in the context of MQM leader Altaf Hussain, but the questioner took up the issue, pinpointing that some ‘influential’ people who were also involved in money laundering in the past were still in the government.

However, the minister only said that the government would facilitate him (Altaf Hussain) as he was of the Pakistani origin and added that the government was in the process of updating the money laundering law in Pakistan in the light of recommendations of financial action task force.

When pointed out that in the budget there was no mention of PTCL proceeds of $800 million that Etisalat owes to Pakistan, the minister said that this was a seven-year-old dispute under which 131 properties of PTCL were to be handed over to the said company and out of 131, only 32 properties were left which are to be handed over as they all could not be transferred. “I have exerted pressure on the company through diplomatic quarters so that the company should pay $600 million out of $800 million to Pakistan and I hope that I will be able to resolve this issue soon.”

Mentioning the major steps for growth in exports, the minister said that the setting up of the EXIM Bank of Pakistan will enhance the export credit and reduce the cost of borrowing for the export sector on a long-term basis and will help reduce their risks through export credit guarantees and insurance facilities. The bank will provide liquidity to exporters.

Under the Exports Refinance Facility (ERF), he said the government, through the State Bank of Pakistan, had arranged to reduce its mark-up rate on exports finance from 9.4% to 7.5%, which will bring it in line with the rate prevailing in the countries competing with Pakistan, which will reduce the financial cost of exporters by 2%.

He also said the State Bank of Pakistan had arranged long-term finance facility to reduce its mark-up rate on long-term financing facility for 3-10 years duration from around 11.4% to 9% from July1, 2014, which will reduce the financial cost of exporters by 2.4%.

Dar said that drawback for local taxes and levies will be given to exporters of textile products on the FOB values of their enhanced exports if increased beyond 10% (over the last year’s exports) at the following rates: the duty drawback to be given to exporters on garments by 4 percent, made-ups 2 percent and processed fabric 1 percent. “Mark-up rate for export refinance scheme of the State Bank of Pakistan is being reduced from 9.4% to 7.5% from 1st of July 2014.”

To a question, the minister said that in the first phase many SROs valuing Rs130 billion had been withdrawn. He also repeated many proposals that were given in his budget speech on Tuesday.

Economic growth has increased but most targets couldn’t be met

 

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar has conceded that the government has missed major economic targets of GDP growth, revenue, investment and inflation in the outgoing year.
The GDP growth remained at 4.14 percent against a target of 4.4 percent but in the last six years, this is the first time that Pakistan registered over 4 percent growth against the revised target of 3.7 percent, taking the per capita income up to $1,386 in 2013-14 from the revised target of $1,369 in 2012-13. Tax collection remained at 16 percent and inflation increased by 8.5 percent and unemployment registered an increase of 6.2 percent.

Announcing the results of the Economic Survey at a news conference, the finance minister said in the first year of its rule, the government spent its time in fire fighting and in the second financial year, which is 2014-15, the masses will be witnessing dividends of the prudent economic policies.

The minister said that he himself fixed the aggressive economic targets for 2013-14 so that the government could not remain complacent and because of hard work and good economic governance, the government had performed well in terms of achieving the GDP growth of 4.14 percent.

He vowed to increase the GDP growth by 1 percent every year and said that the size of the GDP had swelled close to $300 billion. The minister said the unemployment rate had increased to 6.2 percent from 5.9 percent from 2009-10. He stated that the impact of the war against terrorism remained at $102 billion and 50 percent of the population was living below the poverty line of $2 a day income.

“The vulnerable segments of the society will be taken care of and it was I who first proposed the Benazir Income Support Programme as target subsidy to provide solace to the poorest of the poor. The last government in five years time increased the BISP allocation from Rs34 billion to just Rs40 billion,” he said.

However, the government has increased the allocation under the Benazir Income Support Programme to Rs75 billion in the current financial year, which will be increased further in the next budgetary year. Next year, the government will provide financial help to 4,700,000 poor people.

Coming to the GDP growth analysis, the minister said that the overall industrial growth remained at 5.84 percent in the first nine months against 1.37 percent in the same period of the last year. He said the Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector grew by 5.31 percent as against 4.1 percent last year.

The construction sector grew tremendously by 11.3 percent in the first nine months of the current financial year as against the negative growth of 1.7 percent in 2012-13.

Electricity generation and gas distribution sector grew by 3.72 percent against the negative growth of 16.3 percent in the last financial year. “This has really helped increase growth of the industrial sector.” He said growth in small and household sector stayed at 8.4 percent against the growth of 8.3 percent in the same sector last year.

However, the Economic Survey said during 2013-14, energy consumption was 40,185 million TOEs compared to 40,026 million TOEs in 2012-13 showing a growth of 0.4 percent. Now the industrial growth could be questioned with an increase in electricity consumption by 0.4 percent.

However, the minister admitted the agriculture sector growth remained very low at just 2.1 percent against 2.88 percent last year. However, in the next budgetary year, the government will come up with alluring incentives to increase the growth in agriculture sector.

Dar said the growth in important crops remained at 3.7 percent as against 1.2 percent last year. Other crops that included oil seeds and pulses showed negative growth at 3.5 percent as against 6.1 percent last year. He said that the country also witnessed a reduction in growth as cotton production remained at 12.77 million bales against 13.03 million bales.

The minister said that for agriculture sector, the government allocated Rs380 billion for the current year against Rs315 billion last year. Next time the government will increase the credit lines for the agriculture sector. He also mentioned that fertilisers also remained short and the government had somehow managed to provide the imported fertilisers at Rs1,786 per bag plus Rs25 of dealers margin. “We brought down the prices of fertiliser from Rs1,952 per bag to Rs1,786,” he said.

Mentioning the services sector, the minister said that this sector failed to perform up to the expectations as it grew by 4.3 percent against the growth of 4.9 percent in the last financial year.

In transport, storage and communication sector, the growth remained at 3 percent against 2.9 percent, in wholesale and retail trade 5.2 percent against 3.4 percent, finance and insurance 5.2 percent against 9 percent, housing services remained at 4 percent against 4 percent last year and growth in general government services tumbled by 2.2 percent against 11.3 percent and in other private sector, the growth stayed at 5.8 percent as against 5.2 percent.

About inflation, the minister said that during the July-April period, it remained at 8.8 percent against 7.75 percent last fiscal. However, till May this year, inflation remained at 8.6 percent as against 7.5 percent. About the core inflation which he termed very important saying it remained at 8.2 percent against 9.7 percent in 11 months of the outgoing fiscal.

The minister also said that government borrowing had reduced and the monetary policy had improved. Highlighting the exports of the country, he said that exports had increased by 4.24 percent to $21 billion in the last 10 months against $20.1 billion in thesame period last year and because of the GSP Plus, the textile sector grew by 7 percent and raw cotton export 42 percent. However, it would have been better if the value addition had been added and finished products exported instead of exporting raw cotton. However, the imports, the minister said, had increased by 1.2 percent to $37.1 billion from $36.7 billion in 2012-13. Dar mentioned the reason for the increase in exports saying that plants and machinery had been imported on a large scale, which is in a way a positive sign for growth in economy.

Investment to GDP has reduced to 13.99 percent from 14.57 percent of GDP last year. Fixed investment has also tumbled to 12.39 percent of the GDP against 12.79 percent. Out of this, the private investment remained at 8.94 percent against 9.64 percent of GDP. Dar said that total investment was recorded at Rs3,276 billion in 2012-13, which increased to Rs3,554 billion in 2013-14. The minister said that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) had reached $2.979 billion that also included the $2 billion Euro Bond. However, in the last year in the same period it stood at $1.277 billion.

Talking about the foreign exchange reserves, the minister said that reserves had reached $13.66 billion against $11.4 billion. He mentioned in February last year, the reserves stood at just $7.5 billion out of which the central bank reserves were at $2.7 billion. Now the situation had completely changed as right now the State Bank of Pakistan reserves had reached $8.8 billion whereas the reserves of commercial banks were stagnant at $4.8 billion.The growth in remittances has slightly reduced to $12.894 billion from $13.921 billion.

Peace can only be achieved through dialogue: Ibrahim

KHYBER AGENCY: Member Taliban negotiating committee, Professor Ibrahim said on Monday that peace could only be achieved through dialogue.

Speaking to Geo News, Professor Ibrahim said the operation will bear disastrous results. “We will continue holding dialogue until they are successful.”

Professor Ibrahim added that he had warned the government that if there is an operation in North Waziristan people would flee to Afghanistan.

Democracy can’t be ‘chopped up like vegetables’: Saad

 

LAHORE: Senior journalists and political leaders here on Sunday condemned the attack on Jang Multan Resident Editor Zafar Aaheer by masked men and the burning of Jang vehicles across the country.
Speaking at a seminar, organised at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday, they expressed solidarity with Geo/Jang Group and Hamid Mir and called upon the PML-N government to re-establish its writ in the country.

Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique said he supports Hamid Mir and has always maintained a close association with the senior anchorperson. He called his father Waris Mir a patriotic citizen. Saad said Hamid Mir had advised him when he was going out of line in dealing with the trial of General Pervez Musharraf and said Mir embodies the values of Islam, democracy and patriotism.

However, Saad said the media in Pakistan is engaged in a dirty war with itself that threatens the freedom of the press. He said those committing acts of vandalism, including the burning of Jang vehicles, would not benefit and have to ultimately lose the war on free speech.

Saad said the media in Pakistan was highly sensationalist and some anchors and journalists were deeply unethical and were misleading the public. The minister said the culture of breaking news and ratings had destroyed the authenticity and quality of the electronic media. He said the media in Pakistan was behaving like the Supreme Court and delivering judgements on politicians on baseless allegations. He said most media house owners were tax-evaders and had opened TV channels as their public relations wings. He criticised the display of the DG ISI’s picture on Geo News after the Hamid Mir attack and also criticised certain TV channels for showing the blasphemous video again and again to their viewers.

The minister said the government was playing the role of a necessary fire brigade between the Jang Group and the military establishment. He said this is important in order to lessen tensions and stop things from getting worse. Saad said democracy is not a gift and has been earned by Pakistan’s civilian leadership after great heartache and trial. This should not be undermined. He termed the talks in London highly regrettable.

He reminded Imran Khan that the PTI won the elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa under the same ‘fraudulent system’. He urged setting up of a media accountability mechanism in media houses and invited Tahirul Qadri to come forward instead of avoiding the government and holding ‘dharnas’.

In his telephonic address to the seminar, Hamid Mir condemned the attack on Aaheer and said the culprits wanted to curb press freedom. He said Aaheer’s attackers were the same who had attacked him on April 19, who had thrown petrol bombs on Jang vehicles and burnt Jang newspaper bundles. He said his patience and commitment to journalism had enhanced due to the support received from civil society and the journalists’ community. He reiterated the need for unity in Pakistan’s journalist community in such testing times. He said the recent events in the country reminded him of General Ziaul Haq’s dark era when journalists were flogged and sent to jails. He said there should not be any ambiguity about those who were responsible for the attack on Zafar Aaheer, who were behind the illegal suspension of Geo TV networks’ suspension through cable operators, who hurled threats at the Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari and attacked journalists in the past.

Hamid said these elements wanted to create division in the media industry and they had succeeded in pitting media outlets and journalists against each other. He said different cable operators told journalists that they were ‘helpless’ as they were facing severe pressure from unnamed circles. He thanked parliamentarians who supported him during his tough times. However, he added, condemnation was not enough and his attackers should be exposed and brought to book. Hamid said the police should also look into Aaheer attack case and arrest the assailants at the earliest.

Hamid said the Karachi police were afraid of arresting his attackers, despite knowing their identity and whereabouts. He said other journalists have also been approached by the intelligence agencies, and Arshad Ansari had been threatened via a letter to stop holding events in favour of Hamid Mir and press freedom. He said over 30,000 journalists have been approached by the intelligence agencies in this regard.

Hamid said such elements were mistaken if they believe that by doing so they could silence and suppress the media. He said the Pakistani media was not like the army generals who had surrendered in Bangladesh in the 1971 war.

Hamid said the civilian government is weak and the military has imposed a de facto martial law in the country. He said the judiciary’s orders are not being respected and it is the responsibility of the civilian government to establish its writ and expose his attackers. He said he had given all evidence to the judicial commission set up to investigate the April 19 attack on him.

Hamid Mir said a Taliban hit list comprising names of journalists being circulated by the interior ministry among few chosen channels should be provided to all media outlets. He said his name was on top of the list, followed by journalists from different media groups.

He also condemned the newly formed alliance of Tahirul Qadri and the Chaudhrys which will weaken democracy in the country. Hamid saluted the LPC and journalists in Pakistan for their courage despite opposition from all quarters. He said the country’s establishment is in the business of branding people as traitors, especially sincere and professional journalists. He said the struggle of the Jang Group is a nationwide struggle for democracy, press freedom and the right to life of all citizens.

Hamid Mir also condemned the murder of HRCP Multan coordinator and lawyer Rashid Rehman last month. He concluded his speech by chanting “Pakistan Zindabad’ and saying an attack on one journalist will be taken as an attack on all in the community.

Kasur Press Club President Khadim Ali Khokhar, Okara Press Club President Munir Chaudhry and Sheikhupura Press Club President Shahbaz also condemned attempts to shut down Geo and the Jang Group, and expressed solidarity with senior anchorperson Hamid Mir.

Jamaat-e-Islami representative Farooq Chohan said his party was committed to press freedom and would not participate in meetings taking place in London between Tahirul Qadri, Pervaiz Elahi and Ch Shujaat Hussain. He said the JI believes in complete press freedom and Liaquat Baloch had met Hamid Mir in hospital after the attack in Karachi. He said JI chief Sirajul Haq firmly believes that imposition of a ban on Geo TV would be illegal and immoral.

He said former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had earned the wrath of the intelligence agencies for taking up the missing persons’ case and today the media is facing similar pressures due to the same reason. He said the JI would not take part in the London talks because the party respects the democratic process and the mandate of the PML-N government. He said the alliance currently being formed in London was part of a conspiracy to gain a safe passage for the American CIA in the region.

Chohan said the Jang Group had tendered an apology over the eight-hour transmission about the agencies role which followed the attack on Hamid Mir and the blasphemy charge. Even then he added, efforts were under way to shut down the media group. He urged PM Nawaz Sharif to re-establish his writ over the country in order to escape General Pervez Musharraf’s fate today in judicial custody.

South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) General Secretary Imtiaz Alam said he had fought for democracy for 25 years and the destination was still nowhere in sight. He said the media in Pakistan needs to develop a code of conduct, refrain from hate speech, and encourage responsible and sensitive reporting.

Alam said we are happy that the army is fighting against terrorists. But it is a matter of concern that the banned organisations were staging demonstrations in favour of the army, he said adding that we are moving towards an unlawful state. He said the chief justice of Pakistan should take suo motu notice of the attack on Geo.

He said Pakistan’s own media has defeated itself in the fight for press freedom. Alam said Pakistan’s civilian government needs to re-establish its writ over the country as we cannot accept the bullet power of non-state actors. He said the attack on Hamid Mir is also of concern to Pakistan’s masses as it shows the state’s failure to protect a citizen’s right to life and a media consumer’s right to information.

Imtiaz Alam said we cannot compromise on fundamental rights and Pakistan can no longer be a ‘graveyard of democracy’. He also condemned the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on grounds of independence and fairness.

Alam said any attack on any anchorperson from any TV channel would have drawn a similar response as has happened in the case of Hamid Mir. He said owners of media outlets are engaged in a self-destructive rivalry in the country today. He also condemned the conspiracy theories being aired on Hamid Mir’s wounds and said Geo’s closure would lead to the economic death of 50,000 workers.

Alam said legal ways should be sought in criticising Geo TV and Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid should not just attend rallies but also deliver on his promises. He said the Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies, and Jang Group can resolve their problems through dialogue. Alam said in the 21st century a ban on any media channel is unacceptable. He said the attempts to close Jang Group is a test of civil-military relations by the army and that All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) should wake up from its slumber and take an action.

Punjab Union of Journalists President Waseem Farooq said the PUJ has gone on hunger strike, borne flogging and imprisonments to defend press freedom. He said the PUJ is carrying the torch of senior journalists Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Nisar Usmani, and Iqbal Jafri. He said media house owners should implement labour laws and give their employees decent wages if they need them to participate in protests for press freedom. He said working journalists in the Jang Group need support from society to ensure that their jobs are not endangered.

Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Vice President Shaheen Qureshi told the seminar that Geo TV is practically shut down due to the role of the cable operators and subsequent drop in viewers. He said this is undemocratic as it deprives viewers of the right to information. Qureshi said advertisers are pulling back and Jang’s circulation in most areas has come to a halt. He said only areas occupied by foreign diplomats in Islamabad get The News, which is a clever move to mislead the international media into thinking all is well with regards to press freedom.

Qureshi said PML-N MNA Tehmina Daultana in a Safma meeting had assured him that she would communicate these issues to PM Nawaz Sharif. The CPNE vice-president said information of Hamid Mir’s arrival in Karachi and work schedule could only have been accessed by intelligence agencies. He told the media on Sunday that Mir’s reporting on Balochistan’s missing persons long march and coverage of Musharraf’s trial had angered certain elements. He said the attack on Mir was intended as a lesson for Pakistan’s media.

Qureshi urged the government to not be helpless as it had won the mandate of 180 million Pakistanis in 2013 elections. He said the country’s judiciary is being disrespected as evidenced in the banners hung in Islamabad’s red zone with names of Supreme Court judges. He said Jang Group is not in need of certificates of patriotism from PTI leader Imran Khan. He said the group is not an enemy of the government and that democracy and press freedom are natural allies.

Geo News Lahore Bureau Chief Khawar Naeem Hashmi lamented the division in the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and said both disputing parties need to come together and resolve their dispute. Hashmi said he does not want any division in the media unions to be inherited by successive generations and both wings of the PFUJ should accept each other. He said they should heed Hamid Mir’s advice to the journalist community and stop infighting. Hashmi said that this is not a fight of media house owners but of all working journalists.

PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry, in response to Shaheen Qureshi’s comments on Imran Khan, said press freedom is not safeguarding the right to insult politicians only. He said PTI’s demand for inquiry into election rigging should not be set aside and that the party was committed to press freedom. He said Hamid Mir is a hardworking and loved journalist.

Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari said it was a tragedy that Hamid Mir’s perpetrators are yet to be arrested and condemned the attack on the Jang Resident Editor in Multan. Ansari said whereas divisions in the PFUJ are unfortunate they should be resolved in meetings mediated by veterans in the field. Ansari said that Geo had practically been shut down and it could result in joblessness among journalists.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Abid Hassan Minto also expressed solidarity with Hamid Mir and called out the ‘deep state’ for its covert attempts to silence the media. The lawyer also said protests being held in support of the army are futile as the public knows who is behind organising these protests. Minto said the army according to Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution is bound to serve the country and not intervene in political affairs.

News Desk adds: Later, talking to Geo News, Saad Rafique said the Geo TV sought a pardon several times for playing a Qawwali once. Those who re-telecast the same clip 70 times were feeling no shame.

He said the freedom of expression was threatened by the same billionaires who opened TV channels and newspapers to protect their black money. He said batons and the useless use of the TV remote were not in the interest of the country. Those who were burning the newspapers would get nothing but shame.

He said Pakistan did not get democracy in charity and democracy was not a vegetable (gaajar, mooli) which could be chopped off. He said: “We couldn’t say before the time of Musharraf, but now we can say that it is the right of the PML-N to say that it was involved in the process to restore democracy in the country.” He said the necks of politicians were thin, so they could be beaten by anyone.

Saad said the retired chief justice of Pakistan could be ridiculed by the retired general Pervez Musharraf could not be laughed at and nothing could be said about him. He said the government was working like a fire brigade and it showed a positive attitude in the current circumstances. He said that by not joining the London alliance, Imran Khan took a wise decision after a long time. He said the Chaudhry brothers and the Maulana could not do anything.

Imran must be tried under Article 6, says Abid

 

FAISALABAD: Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali on Sunday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan must be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution for treason with the nation.
He said that Imran Khan was trying to create a rift between the government and the army.Addressing a press conference here, Abid Sher Ali said the PTI was using protests to reverse the development process in the country.

The minister criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Pervaiz Elahi, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, Awami Muslim League (AML) Chairman Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for hatching conspiracies against the governemnt. The minister said Khan was using the defence institutions for coming into power.

Abid Sher Ali said no one would be allowed to sabotage the progress, prosperity and peace in the country. He said the government would do whatever was needed to strengthen the domestic security.

He said the PML-N government had launched numerous projects to overcome the energy crisis. Criticising the political parties protesting against the government, the minister said Pervaiz Elahi was a conspirator and he was the root cause of the problem. Shaikh Rashid could not gather people at his residence, how could he launch a train march? he questioned.

The minister said these parties wanted to destabilise democracy and the country. “No one will be allowed to play the Sindh, Balochistan and KP cards and mislead the people,” he added.He said that record investment was now being made in the country.

Psy's new music video to be unveiled June 8

SAN FRANCISCO: Fresh from conquering YouTube by surpassing two billion views with his mega-hit "Gangnam Style," handlers for Psy say the release of a follow-up video is just a week away, according to a report Saturday.

The Wall Street Journal said the music star's next song -- a collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg -- will get its worldwide release during a June 8 live broadcast of America's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" late-night talk show.

The new song -- "Hangover" -- will be "completely different," displaying Psy's hip-hop side, his handlers told the newspaper.

The South Korean pop phenomenon galloped into the record books Saturday when his "Gangnam Style" mega hit smashed through the two-billion views mark on YouTube.

It was a first at YouTube, where "Baby" by Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber in February became the only other video in the billion-view club.

"Gangnam Style" turned into a global sensation and fueled a South Korean "K-Pop" trend after it was uploaded to YouTube in July 2012.