Fatima Jinnah sent notice to pay water bill!

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has sent a bill on account of provision of water and services charges for sewerage to the sister of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and a great leader of Pakistan Movement, the late Fatima Jinnah, 47 years after her death.

The bill amounts to Rs263,774 and she has been directed to pay the amount within 10 days of receipt of the notice, or the connection of water and sewerage can be disconnected. According to the Land Revenue Act, the property could be confiscated, auctioned and a fine can be imposed. Moreover, she can also be arrested. The notice has been sent by the KW&SB according to which the last date for payment of the amount was May 28.

The consumer number of Fatima Jinnah is A0600390000, and her address has been written as RA 241, Cantt.It merits mentioning here that the Flag Staff House located in the Karachi Cantt was the property of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

It is being used as a museum, where the items of personal use of the Quaid and Fatima Jinnah are kept.In the notice sent to Fatima Jinnah, it has been said that the excuse of non-receipt of the bill will not be accepted. A copy of the bill can be received from the nearby consumer centre of the organisation. It has also been said in the notice that if the connection is disconnected, the fees for restoring the connection will also be applicable. Talking to The News, commissioner of Karachi said that he had directed the managing director of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to take back the notice sent in the name of Fatima Jinnah. He hoped that he would soon receive in writing the information for annulling the notice.

President, PM, army chief pay tributes to armed forces

 

KARACHI: Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have paid tributes to the armed forces for successfully foiling the terror bid on the Karachi airport through a well-coordinated operation.

President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said security forces protected the national assets with great courage and valour. The prime minister talked to Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan and directed him to proceed to Karachi and hold meetings with officials of Rangers, army, police and the Civil Aviation.


The PM said security forces protected the national assets with great courage and valour.Gen Raheel Sharif paid rich tributes to all martyred and the injured for their supreme sacrifices. He directed the DG Rangers and corps commander Karachi to take stringent action against the terrorists.


Taking notice of the attack at the Karachi airport, the army chief spoke to the Karachi corps commander and DG Rangers on phone and asked them to monitor the operation. Gen Sharif said, “I salute all the troops who took part in this undefeated the troops who took part in this undefeated counter-terrorism operation.”


Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, patron-in-chief of the Pakistan People’s Party, has appreciated Inspector General of Police, Director General Rangers and Corps Commander Karachi for personally commanding their forces in the operation against the terrorists who attacked Karachi airport.


“Let us salute the members of law enforcing agencies and armed forces for display of bravery during their engagements with the ruthless and blood-thirsty terrorists armed with heavy weapons and suicidal vests,” he added.


Bilawal also praised Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah for personally monitoring the situation on the site and encouraging the morale of the law enforcers fighting the terrorist gang.He also paid rich tributes to the security personnel who laid down their lives for protection of the citizens, passengers and others adding nation takes pride in having such brave martyrs and salutes them.


Talking to media persons, DG Sindh Rangers Major General Rizwan Akhtar said the terrorists had come in two groups and they gained access to the terminal through the Cargo gate and Fokker gate.


He said no aircraft was damaged in the attack and all sensitive installations remained safe.At least 18 people including thirteen security personnel have been martyred and ten terrorists killed in an operation to clear Old Terminal of Karachi Airport from terrorists.


The terrorists attacked the airport after 11:00pm on Sunday with grenades and automatic weapons and gained access to the old terminal, he said.Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and the other terrorist attack that targeted buses carrying Shia pilgrims in Balochistan.


“The government of Afghanistan believes that the continuation of such attacks is a testament to the fact that our region is facing a rising insecurity. We all must, therefore, have recognized by now that the use of extremism and violence as a tool serves no one’s interest,” Karzai office said.


“Having suffered so much from such acts of violence imposed on them, the people of Afghanistan once again call on Pakistan to sincerely cooperate in the elimination of this evil scourge to which the people of Pakistan are also unfortunately falling victim today, so that the region can achieve peace and prosperity.”


He said Afghanistan stresses once again on the need for an effective cooperation between the two countries, and believes that without comprehensive cooperation to fight terrorism and an end to the use of extremism as a tool, the region won’t be able to achieve stability, peace and prosperity.


Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has announced monetary compensation for the victims of Karachi airport attack.He has announced Rs2 million for each martyred Rangers personnel and Rs1 million for each martyr of police and Airport Security Force (ASF). Each injured will get Rs100,000.


Ansar Burney Trust International Chairman Ansar Burney has condemned terrorist attack on Karachi airport and appreciated the great role of armed forces in foiling the terror bid. He said terrorist group TTP has claimed responsibility of Karachi airport attack.


“Attack on Pakistan army personnel is an attack on us, our homes, country and nation. Now may I request my nation that this is the right time to stand with Pakistan Army,” he said. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage (IB&NH) Senator Pervaiz Rasheed has said that involvement of foreign hands in Karachi Airport attack could not be ruled out.


He said the militants launched the attack to paralyze Pakistan. He claimed that those who planned and funded the attack didn’t belong to Pakistan. Paying tributes to armed forces at a press conference here on Monday, the minister said that terrorists will be dealt with the same fashion.


He said Jinnah International Airport had started functioning after being cleared of militants.Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the attack of terrorists on Jinnah International Airport Karachi and paid tributes to the security forces over their successful operation against the saboteurs.


He said that Jawans of security forces have foiled the evil designs of terrorists by laying down their lives and safeguarded national assets through their courage and bravery. He said that security personnel have achieved martyrdom and the whole nation is proud of them.


He said that the Jawans of security forces have set a noble example of courage and valor by laying down their lives in the line of duty and their sacrifices will never go waste. He said that attack on Karachi airport is highly deplorable. He prayed for the early recovery of the injured security officials.


Former President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned terrorist attacks on Karachi airport and Taftan.He said there are no strong words for condemnation of this series of heinous attacks in which our brave soldiers and innocent civilians have been martyred and injured.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage (IB&NH) Senator Pervaiz Rasheed has said that theinvolvement of foreign hands in the Karachi Airport attack could not be ruled out. He said the militants launched the attack to paralyse Pakistan. He claimed that those who planned and funded the attack didn’t belong to Pakistan.

Paying tributes to the armed forces at a press conference here onMonday, theminister said that terrorists will be dealt with in the same fashion. He said the Jinnah International Airport had started functioning after being cleared of militants.—Agencies

Electricity consumers to pay Rs5 per unit more: ECC

 

ISLAMABAD: The Nawaz government has taken a decision under which consumers will now pay for debt servicing of the loans of inefficient Gencos and Discos that are already exposed to huge line losses, resulting in a huge increase in tariff of up to Rs5 per unit.
The startling decision has been taken in the ECC (Economic Coordination Committee) meeting held here on Wednesday with Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar in the chair while approving the summary of the Ministry of Water & Power.

The summary was to issue policy guidelines to Nepra (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority) to incorporate debt servicing on actual basis in revenue requirements of distribution companies, which would be adjusted in tariff of Discos on an annual basis.

The ECC also approved the summary of the Ministry of Water & Power for issuance of policy guidelines to Nepra to rationalise the T&D loss target of 12.82 percent to 15.75 percent on the same analogy as was done for tariff for the financial year 2012-13.

The Discos claim that the T&D losses remained at 17.55% for the year 2013-14. The minister for water and power informed the ECC that the government in the last one year had improved in recovery and containing the line losses up to the extent of 2% and will continue to make progress in this regard.

The decision, the official in the Ministry of Water and Power said, factually negates the Sector 31 of Nepra Act and verdict of the Supreme Court which appeared in December 2013 in which it was clearly said that no policy guideline could be issued to the regulator which directly affected the consumers who paid the electricity bills regularly. The apex court had said that losses and inefficiencies should not be passed on to consumers.

However, DG Media, Ministry of Finance, Nadeem Kiani said that it would have a zero impact on the tariff of consumers, but sources in the Ministry of Water and Power argued that the government had cleverly played by approving the policy guidelines under which debt servicing had been included in the tariff of Discos.

The sources said that Nepra, while toeing the directives of the Supreme Court, has factually reduced the line losses of Discos, which are now permissible in the tariff owing to which consumers will be having a benefit of Rs30-35 billion a year. The government has included the debt servicing component in the tariff to bridge the loss the power sector will be sustaining because of the reduction of permissible losses in the tariff by Nepra.

Nepra has reduced the permissible losses from 16.5 percent to 12.82 percent. The Nepra spokesmen, Safeer, said that in the past Nepra had disallowed the inclusion of mark-up in the tariff and if the government gives its new policy guidelines, including debt servicing component in the tariff of Discos, the authority will assess as to whether the policies are prudent and if they are found not prudent, then Nepra will reject the said policies.

To a question about the impact of the ECC decision on tariff, he said that he was right now not in a position to work out the impact on the tariff as it was the job of tariff department of the regulator.

The sources said that with the reduction in permissible losses, the tariff will be reduced by Rs3 per unit, but with inclusion of debt servicing component in the tariff of Discos under the approved policy guidelines by the ECC, the tariff will surge by up to Rs5 per unit and the government will give subsidy for Rs2 per unit and pass on Rs3 per unit to consumers to bridge the loss to be incurred on account of reduction in permissible losses.

The ECC also approved allocation of gas from Sara and Suri gas fields, located in district Ghotki, Sindh, to Genco-II at mutually agreed terms and conditions. It may be mentioned here that the gas fields remain dormant due to lack of investment.

The meeting also approved the summary of the Revenue Division for exemption from income tax to profits and gains derived by coal mining projects in Sindh supplying coal to power generation projects only.

Turkey PM claims victory, warns rivals ´will pay price

ANKARA: Turkey´s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory for his Islamic-rooted party in Sunday´s key local elections and warned his foes they will "pay the price" for plotting his downfall.

"Those who attacked Turkey got disappointed," Erdogan told a jubilant crowd of thousands, speaking from the balcony of his party´s Ankara headquarters after months of turmoil marked by street clashes, sleaze claims and an Internet clampdown.

"You have supported your prime minister. I thank you infinitely," Erdogan told the crowd, his voice still hoarse from marathon campaigning for the municipal polls that were seen as a referendum on his 11-year rule.

Erdogan, 60, has been eyeing a run for the presidency in August -- the first time voters will directly elect the head of state -- and his midnight victory speech sounded at times like the start of his next campaign.

"You have protected the independence struggle of the new Turkey," the man often called "the sultan" told his flag-waving followers, interrupted by chants of "Turkey is proud of you", "Stand tall, don´t bow" and "God is great".

With 95 percent of all ballots counted, Erdogan´s Justice and Development Party (AKP) emerged well ahead of its rivals on 45 percent of the vote, with the opposition Republican People´s Party (CHP) on 28.5 percent. The AKP looked headed for strong victories nationwide, including in the biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, over the secular opposition.

But in Ankara the main opposition, the centre-left CHP, said the vote was close. A definitive result in the capital awaited vote recounts, which were under way in some districts.

Erdogan again threatened to pursue his declared nemesis Fethullah Gulen, a reclusive Muslim cleric whom he accuses of running a parallel "deep state" undermining his government from faraway rural Pennsylvania.

Erdogan has accused loyalists of the 73-year-old imam in the police and justice systems of damaging leaks on Twitter and of bugging secret security talks on Syria before then releasing the explosive audio recording on YouTube.

"We will enter their caves and ... they will pay the price," he warned. "How can you threaten our national security on Syria? Syria is currently in a state of war against us." "There won´t be a state within a state," he stressed.

Months of political turmoil -- fought out in fierce street clashes and the Internet leaks -- have left Turkey deeply polarised between Erdogan´s Muslim conservative supporters and a secular political camp. Erdogan´s inner circle has been hit by the damaging online leaks since December, with wide-ranging bribery and sleaze claims against the prime minister and his political and business allies going viral in the youthful country.

The spiralling crisis has sent down the Turkish lira and stock market in recent months and rattled investors´ faith in a Muslim democracy that has often been described as a model for post-Arab Spring countries.

The premier´s heavy-handed response to being challenged on the streets and online has included a police crackdown on protesters in Istanbul that left eight dead and thousands wounded and arrested, and blocks on Twitter and YouTube.

The crackdown has alienated NATO allies and detracted from Erdogan´s much lauded record of driving an economic boom and transforming the country into an emerging global player."Our democracy must be strengthened and cleansed," said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition CHP, as he cast his vote Sunday.

Despite a round of reprimands from foreign powers and human rights groups, the "results show us that Erdogan has survived these scandals with very little damage," Mehmet Akif Okur of Ankara´s Gazi University told AFP. "Voters believe that if Erdogan falls, they will fall with him. No matter how serious the corruption allegations are, the voters supported Erdogan to keep the status they have acquired under his rule," he added."

Seeing that his ´authoritarian´ measures have not hurt him at the ballot box, Erdogan will be more ambitious in pushing through tougher policies. I would expect lawsuits against the Gulen movement and arrests in the coming days. "Away from the national issues, local rivalries that regularly flare up at elections in Turkey left at least nine people dead Sunday.

Gupta should pay $13.9m penalty, says SEC

U.S. regulator SEC has asked an appeals court to affirm a district court’s decision that the India-born former Goldman Sachs director, Rajat Gupta, pay a $13.9-million penalty and be banned for life from serving as director of a public corporation.

The federal regulator has filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, saying the district court acted well within its discretion by permanently barring Mr. Gupta from associating with brokers, dealers, and investment advisors, permanently enjoining him from future violations of the securities laws and permanently barring him from serving as an officer or director of a public company.

Mr. Gupta, 65, has been granted time till April 7 to file his reply to the SEC brief.

Mr. Gupta last year asked the appeals court to overturn the district court’s decision, asking him to pay the $13.9-million penalty in the civil insider trading case filed against him by the SEC. His lawyers argued that the district court “abused” its discretion in imposing the statutory maximum civil penalty of $13.9 million, three times the $4.6 million in gains made by hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam who traded on tips Mr. Gupta allegedly passed on to him.