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MQM, PTI to protest against each other

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Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) workers are due to protest in various parts of the country against comments made by the leaders of the two parties.

PTI leadership held MQM chief Altaf Hussain responsible for the murder of PTI central vice president Zehra Shahid Hussain. On the other hand, MQM decided to protest against PTI’s attempts of “character assassination” and termed the allegation as baseless without proper investigation.

The first protest is on-going outside the press club in Hyderabad, reported Express News on Monday. According to MQM protesters, the protest will continue till the MQM Rabita Committee asks them to convene. MQM is also due to protest in Karachi at 3pm (today).

The protest is aimed at being a peaceful though security arrangements have been made by authorities.

Roads going towards the Karachi Press Club and red zones have been blocked by barriers in preparation.


Crying foul: Protest against PTI leader’s murder in Karachi

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ISLAMABAD: 

Activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday held a protest demonstration at Aabpara Chowk against the killing of their party leader in Karachi. They urged the British government to take action against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for his “provocative statements”, which they claimed resulted in the murder of Zahra Shahid Hussain, the PTI’s vice-president for Sindh.

A few dozen people took part in the protest, burning tyres on the road interrupting vehicular traffic for an hour. The PTI’s local leaders made brief speeches demanding immediate arrest of the perpetrators.

The party workers and supporters were holding banners inscribed with slogans against the MQM and its chief.

PTI spokesperson Shireen Mazari expressed her dismay over the “British government’s intransigence for not taking action against the MQM chief, who is a British national”. She had earlier claimed that MQM chief Altaf Hussain had incited violence through his ‘provocative speeches”.

Former PTI vice-president Naeem Khan said Karachi is the port city and the economic hub of Pakistan. “Its citizens just want to live in peace and tranquility. The perpetrators of Zahra Hussain’s murder should be brought to justice and no more laxity will be acceptable,” Khan said.

When asked about her party chief’s earlier move of taking Altaf Hussain to court in England, Mazari said they had handed over the documents to London’s Metropolitan Police Service, but their witnesses were threatened and refrained from testifying. “This time we will strongly protest against this barbarity and not rest until the issue is addressed,” she said. Later, the participants scattered peacefully and traffic flow — which was being diverted from all sides — resumed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.


Cruelty to animal: Cases registered against six town employees

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FAISALABAD: D-Type Colony police have registered cases against six Allama Iqbal Town municipal administration employees for killing a citizen’s buffalo.

Muhammad Arshad, a resident of D-Type Colony, says that Inspector Rana Shahid and five other town officials had visited his house and told him that he could not keep cattle in the limits of the city.

He said they demanded Rs10,000 bribe from him. He said he told them that he could not afford it and that he would soon remove the animal. He said rather than before giving him a chance to remove the animal from there, the officials started beating it. He said the buffalo fleeing from their batons fell into Rakh Branch Canal and died. He said the buffalo had been his only source of income to feed a family of six.

He said he had purchased the buffalo for Rs90,000 with help from some family members and his savings. In his complaint, he requested senior TMA officers to take notice of the incident. He also requested to be compensated for the loss.

A case has been registered under Section 429 of Pakistan Penal Code (mischief by killing or maiming cattle).

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.


Taking to streets: 10 rickshaw drivers arrested for protesting against fines

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BAHALWALPUR: As many as 10 rickshaw drivers were arrested and cases were registered against them on Sunday after they refused to end a protest against traffic police.

The Rickshaw Union president was also arrested.

The protesting rickshaw drivers had blocked Shahi Road in Rahim Yar Khan by burning tyres. They chanted slogans accusing the police of misusing their powers and issuing unjust fines to “complete their monthly targets”.

A police team had earlier visited the scene to negotiate with the protesters. After they refused to stop their protest and allegedly started abusing the officials, some of them were arrested.

Division-A Station House Officer Farrukh Javed said that Motor Rickshaw Union president Amanat Ali had led the protest. He said the deputy superintendent of police had directed him (SHO Javed) to visit the scene and settle the issue.

However, he said, when the protesters resorted to abusive language, 10 of them were arrested.

The SHO said those arrested would be presented before a magistrate on Monday (today).

He said the DSP had also directed him to register cases against the protesters.

Earlier, addressing the protesters, the union president had said that the rickshaw drivers’ earnings had been affected due to non-availability of CNG and increase in fuel prices. He said half of what they earned was being taken away as fines. He claimed that more than half of these fines were imposed illegally.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.


Accusations against MQM are premature: Farooq Sattar

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KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) deputy convener Farooq Sattar on Sunday said the accusations levied by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against MQM and party chief Altaf Hussain were baseless, Express News reported.

“Imran Khan was quick to blame us on the murder of our sister, Zahra Shahid even before complete details of the incident had become known,” he said, while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

“We will protest against Khan’s hateful comments by peacefully demonstrating in Pakistan and abroad. We will explore our democratic options to protest and won’t respond hate-filled comments with hate.”

He further alleged that Khan had wrongfully blamed MQM for spreading terror.

“Imran Khan has blamed us for spreading terror in Karachi. If we didn’t know any better, we’d also be getting blamed for Imran Khan’s accident.”

Sattar’s comments came shortly after re-polling in 43 polling stations of NA-250 came to an end. MQM and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had earlier boycotted the re-polling on the grounds that it should have been held in all the polling stations of NA-250 and not just in the selected 43.

“This is an act of favouritism,” claimed Sattar. “This is not election but selection. Voters from 140 polling stations have been disenfranchised and this is unfair.”

“It’s not just MQM,” he maintained, “but voters in Defence and Clifton areas have also proved our point by not turning out to vote. After Balochistan, NA-250 has the lowest voter turnout.”

The MQM leader also called for an end to the back-and-forth exchanges of condemnation.

“The blame-game has left the people confused. Is this the kind of leadership we want?”


Character assassination: MQM to file defamation suit against Imran

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KARACHI: 

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has condemned the assassination of Zahra Shahid Hussain, senior vice president of the Sindh chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the upscale Defence neighbourhood of Karachi on Saturday night.

Speaking at a news conference in the wee hours of Sunday, MQM deputy convener said that while his party shared the grief of PTI, it was important to understand the motives of the gruesome murder and who were behind it.

“It’s yet to be confirmed whether this incident is a street crime or targeted killing,” he said, adding that the blame game at this stage would affect the investigations.

“It is unfortunate that PTI Chairman Imran Khan showed his political immaturity and blamed MQM chief Altaf Hussain for the murder,” he said and called upon the government to take notice of Imran Khan’s statement.

Dr Sattar said that Imran, by issuing such an irresponsible statement, denied them the opportunity to offer condolences to the bereaved family. No matter how much hatred Imran has for Altaf, he should have kept in mind the situation called for support from the MQM, he said. There is no different between Jamaat-e-Islami and PTI or even between the politics of the Taliban.

Dr Sattar said that Zahra Hussain murder could be a conspiracy to derail the democratic process in the country.

He said the MQM demands a judicial inquiry into the murder of Zahra Hussain and exemplary punishment for the killers.

Dr Sattar said that the MQM would file criminal and civil defamation lawsuits against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for character assassination of MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2013.


Police register three cases against candidate who won PS-35

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SUKKUR: 

Larkana police have registered three cases against Haji Altaf Unnar, who contested for PS-35 as an independent candidate and won.

Altaf Unnar’s nephew, Dada Allah Bux Unnar, who is a leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, told the police that the candidate was threatening him. A resident of Baqrani, Altaf Kalhoro, claimed that Altaf Unnar was threatening members of the Kalhoro clan for not voting for him. A third case has been registered against the candidate for allegedly usurping the land of a man, Altaf Mangan.

Altaf Unnar, his two sons, Adil Unnar and Adnan Unnar, and five of his guards have been nominated in the FIRs. No arrests were made till the filing of the report. PPP initially awarded the ticket for PS-35 to Altaf Unnar due to his popularity in the constituency. The party’s leadership became angry with him when he began supporting his nephew, Ghulam Umar Unnar, and son, Adil Unnar, who were contesting elections against PPP for NA-204 and PS-41. They withdrew their support and nominated another candidate, Suhail Anwar Sial, to represent PPP in PS-35. He lost the elections to Altaf Unnar. Altaf Unnar confirmed the FIRs registered against him, his sons and his guards. He told The Express Tribune that he was being targeted politically.

“PPP has resorted to political victimisation but I want to make it clear that the party cannot harm me because the people are with me,” he said. He claimed that the allegations against him were false and baseless. “I was implicated earlier in cases like the murder of a cameraman, Muneer Sangi, but I came out of the courts with a clean chit,” said Altaf Unnar. “I will prove my innocence this time as well in the court of law.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2013.


SHC seeks record of SC decision to dismiss govt’s plea against local bodies elections

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KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Friday a petitioner seeking local bodies elections to place on record an order passed by the apex court regarding the matter.

Chief Justice Mushir Alam, while heading the bench, passed this direction while hearing two identical petitions which wanted the provincial government to hold local bodies elections. Rana Faizul Hasan, United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s general secretary, said local governments had been dissolved but elections had not been held since two years.

He pleaded the high court to direct officials, including the provincial chief secretary, to hold elections under the Local Governments Ordinance 1979 and Sindh Local Governments Ordinance 2001.

The judges noted that another bench of the high court had heard a similar petition.

Former district nazim Dr Rahila Magsi had challenged the inaction on the part of provincial government in holding local government elections in 2010. Back then, the high court had ordered for the elections to be conducted within 90 days under the Articles 32 and 140-A of the constitution.

Through this order passed on May 18, 2012, the court had also directed the election commission to compile electoral lists to enable the government to hold the polls within the stipulated time.

While hearing the latest petition, the judges said the controversy already stands decided by the decision given on the petition filed by Dr Magsi. “Order passed in the above noted constitutional petition shall also apply in this petition as well,” said the judges.

But the provincial law officer Miran Muhammad Shah pointed out that the provincial government had challenged this order in the Supreme Court. Hasan, however, told the high court that the apex court had dismissed the government’s plea.

Adjourning the hearing, the bench directed the petitioner to place on record the order, if any, passed by the apex court in this regard by the next date.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.


Judges’ detention case: Complainant against Musharraf withdrawn in ‘national interest’

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The main complainant in judges’ detention case against General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf on Friday disassociated himself from the case.

“I have decided not to pursue this case as I feel it is in the better interest of the country”, said Advocate Chaudhry Aslam Ghuman in a hurried press conference on Friday night.

The case is based on First Information Report (FIA) which was registered against Musharraf on August 11, 2009 by the Secretariat police for detaining over 60 judges including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The case had been opened on Advocate Ghuman’s application, submitted at alocal police station.

On Friday, Ghuman, accompanied by two friends failed to justify why he was disassociating himself from the case, saying the country is facing through turmoil and he feels he should not peruse the matter further.

When asked by a reporter how exactly would the country benefit from this move, Ghuman failed to reply.