Khan Sahib where are the women?

Bushra Maneka is in purdah. It means Pakistanis will not see their First Lady stand beside her husband when he takes the oath of prime minister or walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him at national events. Meanwhile, all we have is a meandering story from Imran Khan’s second wife. It’s the story of an ambitious divorced wife allegedly wronged by her two husbands. Reham Khan’s attacks on IK are getting more virulent and desperate as he’s slotted to lead the country. So, we now turn to IK’s first wife Jemima Goldsmith who tweeted immediately after IK’s victory. It was such a breath of fresh air. She wrote: “22 years later, after humiliations, hurdles and sacrifices, my sons’ father is Pakistan’s next PM. It’s an incredible lesson in tenacity, belief & refusal to accept defeat. The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1stplace. Congratulations @ImranKhanPTI”.

The key in this tweet is the invaluable advice: “The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1st place.” And that brings me to the most important question of the day: while IK has surrounded himself with ‘advisors’ of all stripes and hues rushing to join the queue for favours from him, his first moral duty is to consider giving weightage to the advice of men and women, particularly women, who have sacrificed their time, resources and energy in helping IK achieve his dream that began 22 years ago. Please do not leave them by the roadside while you entertain and welcome outsiders who are knocking at your door to be let in as your most loyal servants.

Let me quote IK the most successful prime minister of Britain Margaret Thatcher who said: “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” How true! It’s the women who will execute your orders and wishes while the men around will be too busy jockeying for power and jobs. I agree that IK faces a heavy load on his shoulders to allow him to choose wisely and well but he will have to do it if he wants us to believe in his leadership qualities. Remember Thatcher’s immortal words: “Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the high road to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction.”

So Khan Sahib, please take a deeper look at all the women from Karachi to Khyber who were staunchly loyal, unwaveringly steadfast and unswerving firm in their commitment to you. Give them the tickets to the reserved women’s seats and not newcomers with shiny promises of supporting you with the intent to carry on with their corrupt practices as they’ve done in the past.

My humble suggestion will be to form a committee of wise women and men where the dumb idiots and corrupt hangers-on would be forbidden entry and told to go and do some good work for the poor of this country. I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s doable if done the proper way. Allow me to name one loyalist who has stood by you through thick and thin: Naeemul Haque. I’ve seen him stand behind you as your faithful lieutenant, not wanting to steal your thunder, but only following your orders. The man has brains. He’s had a successful career in banking, serving overseas and later as an anchor for a TV channel where his every broadcast required a must listening. He nursed his sick wife when she was struck with cancer. Nazli Jamil was my classmate in Convent of Jesus & Mary, Murree. When I was down in the dumps, the girl who cheered me was Nazli Jamil. Smart, chirpy and confident, I secretly wished I were like her. Nazli married Naeemul Haque, Imran Khan’s trusted deputy. She passed away some years ago after losing a battle with cancer.

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Nine 'militants' arrested for burning down Diamer schools

PESHAWAR: Nine suspected militants involved in torching schools in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Diamer district were taken into custody by local police on Saturday.

During the operation in the Tangir area this morning, Arif Hussain, a police official, was killed in a shoot out with the culprits.

Two suspected militants were taken into custody from the house, sources say.

“We have managed to apprehend a total of nine suspects up till now,” an official choosing to remain anonymous told The Express Tribune.

The official privy to the details said that the ‘militants’ are a part of a wider nexus with links to another province.

He, however, refused to comment any further as an investigation into the incident is still under way.

Back on August 3, at least 12 schools were set on fire by unidentified attackers late Thursday night in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district.

Initial reports revealed that at least six school were all girls educational institutes situated in Diamer’s Chilas area.

The school attacked include Royini Girls School, Takya Girls School, one school each in Hodur and Thor neighbourhoods and three all-girl schools in Darel division, Giyal village and Khanbanri. Another two schools were torched in Gali Bala and Gali Payen.

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MQM-P's defeat was a joint effort of humans, aliens: Sattar

 

KARACHI: Leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have alleged that the combined efforts of “aliens and humans” were behind their defeat in the 2018 general elections from Karachi. They demanded that reelections be held in the constituencies where rigging has taken place.

A large number of the party’s supporters and workers, led by Dr Farooq Sattar, Faisal Subzwari, Rauf Siddiqui, Mehfooz Yar Khan, Abdul Haseeb and Amir Khan, protested against alleged rigging in the general elections by staging a sit-in outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s Karachi office on Thursday.

Earlier, the district administration had barred the MQM-P from holding the protest. Police officials even asked Subzwari to remove the signboard put on the make-shift stage. They warned that the leaders could be charged over violation of the Loudspeaker Act. On hearing this, Subzwari refused to negotiate with the police personnel and contacted the information minister, Jamil Yusuf, asking him to intervene. “When other parties can protest, why are we being stopped?” he questioned, adding that when others protested, they were provided security but when the MQM-P wanted to protest, they were not allowed to exercise their right.

Addressing the gathering, MQM-P senior deputy convener, Amir Khan, said that those who wanted to bury the MQM-P were themselves in a grave situation now. “They say the RTS malfunctioned, but which system malfunctioned while giving results to polling agents?” he questioned, adding that by ordering polling agents to leave the premises, systemic rigging had been carried out in the elections.

“We demand that the chief election commissioner resign immediately,” said Khan, calling for reelections to be conducted in the constituencies where the polling process or results were compromised. Khan warned it would be a mistake for institutions to consider the MQM-P weak. “If need be, we will come out with full force,” he said.

When it was his turn to speak, Dr Sattar laid out the steps through which the party had been defeated in the polls. “Humans and aliens have defeated the MQM-P,” he said. “First, our population wasn’t counted in the census. Now, our votes aren’t being counted,” he claimed.

Dr Sattar termed the 2018 general elections the dirtiest in the country’s history. “These weren’t elections, this was selection,” he said. “We reject this selection,” he said, calling on the ECP, caretaker government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan to actually recount the votes in some constituencies for transparency.

Meanwhile, Rauf Siddiqui said that on polling day, rigging began after 6pm. “The chief election commissioner is responsible for the rigged elections and he should resign immediately,” he said.

Other leaders also spoke on the occasion.

Application for recount

The MQM-P has filed an application with the provincial election commission, seeking recount of votes in all constituencies across the city. The application, filed by MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, also calls for verification of thumb impressions and demands permission for polling agents to attend the recounting process.

Siddiqui has maintained that his party has serious reservations over the counting process on the day of the elections. “Our polling agents were kept out throughout the counting process,” he alleged, adding that his party had strong reservations over the serious violations of ECP rules and regulations. “We demand that ECP to hold the results until it conducts a recount of votes in the provincial and national constituencies of Karachi. We also want to ensure that our polling agents are present during the counting process.

After submitting the application, MQM-P leader Kanwar Naveed Jameel told the media that the elections had become controversial. “We had strong reservations over the ECP process even before the elections,” he said. “Our suspicions have proven correct after the elections results.”

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'Land grabbers' set eyes on government school in Gulshan-e-Iqbal

KARACHI: Land grabbers allegedly tried to occupy Ali Muhammad Iqbal Government School’s building in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, block 10 on Thursday morning.


“When we reached the school in the morning the gates were locked and we had no option but to return,” said Ali Muhammad, a student of the school. It was then that the headmaster, Tariq Javed, came and decided to conduct the classes on the road just outside the school.

The news of the alleged attempted encroachment of the school circulated and media vans soon lined up outside the school. Talking to The Express Tribune, Javed said that before the incident on Wednesday, some people had barged inside the school claiming ownership of the building. He said that the school’s building was in rickety shape and the Education Works Department was carrying out some construction work inside.

 “One key of the school remains with me and the other with the builder,” he said, adding that on Wednesday, the school management had gone to the District East deputy commissioner’s (DC) office to register their complaint. The DC, he said, wasn’t present and they were told to see the mukhtiarkar. “We remained seated in his office until 8pm and after that he told us that he would visit the school on Thursday,” he said, adding that the school was already padlocked on Thursday.

According to Javed, land grabbers have been trying to grab the school, which occupies an area of 600 square yards, for the last three months. For this purpose, he has also filed an application to the secretary and director of the education department, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.

“This school has been functional since 1978 but for the last few months, some individuals have been claiming their ownership over the school,” the application reads and adds that the encroachers also forcibly stopped construction work initiated by the Education Works Department. He had later requested the authorities to resume the construction work, which was later resumed.

After the incident gained coverage on media, the Caretaker Education Minister Dr Saadia Virk Rizvi took notice and asked the secretary of education to inquire into the matter. “If any employee of the Sindh Education Department is found guilty in the incident, strict action will be taken against them,” she said. After this, the police reached the school, broke all the locks and allowed the educational activities to resume inside.

According to the police, a lady named Sobia has been claiming the ownership of the school and threatening the school staff. An FIR of the incident has been lodged at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station under sections of encroachment on public property and life threats against Sobia’s alleged henchman, Sobu Khan. Two sub-inspectors, Sajid and Riaz Mehr, have also been accused of being in connivance with Sobia. They were also nominated in the FIR.

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Edhi Foundation receives 50 ambulances from Australian chapter

KARACHI: The Edhi International Foundation Australia donated 50 new ambulances to the Edhi Foundation in Pakistan. The Australian community donated 32 ambulances last year, confirmed Faisal Edhi. He added that they will also be contributing towards a training institute and a 100-bed hospital in Lyari in the coming days.



At a ceremony at the North Karachi’s Edhi centre on Tuesday, Faisal thanked the foundation’s Australia chapter and the donors who helped them. He added that in the past three to four years, especially after his father had passed away, the support of Edhi International Foundation Australia representative Hamid Khan and his team helped them run the service.

Khan said he was working with foundation on various projects, including the hospital sector. He said that substantial funds were sent to the foundation, expressing his resolve to continue working and take the late philanthropist Edhi’s mission forward. He added that they will put in efforts to ensure that all the Pakistanis living in Australia and other communities support the foundation so that this mission can be taken forward.

Edhi Foundation does not take aid from any government. Faisal appealed to the Pakistani community all over the world for support so that their mission could continue. The foundation has a fleet of 1,800 vehicles and needs 200 ambulances every year, Faisal said.

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Meet Rana Hamir Singh, PPP's first pick on minority reserved seat in Sindh

KARACHI: Known for his royal air as he belongs to the former ruling family of Amerkot, now Umerkot, Rana Hamir Singh is the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) first pick on the reserved seats for minorities in the Sindh Assembly.

Singh, the 26th Rana of Dhat, was crowned after the demise of his father Rana Chandar Singh in 2010.
The lawmaker’s family home is being flocked by people belonging to Muslim and non-Muslim communities from Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar and Hyderabad at Rana Jageer situated at a distance of 12 kilometers from Umerkot.
Clad in a potiya [turban], lungi and kameez and occasionally a gold kara [anklet] on his right foot that only the Rana is entitled to wear, the royal can usually be seen welcoming people amid the sound of drums beating.

“We, Sodha Rajputs, have a history of 900 years in Umerkot when Sodha ji from Ratokot conquered Amerkot in 1125 AD. My ancestor, Rana Prasad, also gave Mughal emperor Humayun shelter at the Umerkot Fort when Shershah Suri drove him out from the ruling seat of India. I take pride as Emperor Akbar was born in the family fort situated in Umerkot in 1542,” Hamir said.

He shared that another ancestor, Rana Ratan Singh, was impaled by the British in 1847 for continuously waging war against them and not letting them enter Umerkot and Tharparkar for four years as they had conquered Sindh much earlier in 1843.
Hamir’s grandfather, Rana Arjun Singh, contested the elections from the platform of Muslim League in 1946 against Congress. He preferred to stay in the newly-emerged state – Pakistan – in 1947.

“My father, Rana Chandar Singh, was a close friend of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He was also one of the founding members of the PPP. He was elected member of the provincial and National Assembly nine times consecutively and served as a minister on several portfolios, including irrigation minister for East and West Pakistan,” Hamir told The Express Tribune.

In 1990, Hamir’s father left the PPP and formed his own political party, the Pakistan Hindu Party.

Meeting with his supporters.

Hamir has also been a member of the Sindh Assembly thrice and served as a minister for science and technology and research in irrigation in 1993, provincial assembly member and Sindh Arid Zone Development Authority (SAZDA) vice chairperson and has served as the naib nazim of Umerkot district.

In 1990, he was first elected on a separate electorate from the platform of Pakistan Hindu Party where non-Muslims were supposed to vote and elect their own representative initiated by Ziaul Haq.

Hamir could not participate in elections in 2002 as he did not meet the education criteria of being a graduate. Hamir has completed his education till intermediate.

After the 2013 election, Hamir helped five out of six PPP candidates win and later joined the party. This is why PPP’s leadership put his name on the top priority of their candidates for nine reserved seats for non-Muslims in Sindh.

 

Rana Hamir Sindh belongs to former ruling family of Amerkot, now Umerkot.

This election, PPP swept the Umerkot district and restricted strong opponents belonging to the Arbab family to only one provincial seat in Tharparkar district due to a large Hindu vote bank in the area. After winning 76 seats out of 130, PPP is set to form its government in the province once again.

“I want to serve the people of my areas where the majority of Hindus reside in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas districts by resolving their revenue and agriculture related issues,” Hamir claimed, saying that Tharparkar and Umerkot are geographically distinct from the rest of Sindh due to the arid nature of its land.

Hamir’s only son, Kanwar Karni Singh, is a lawyer in Tharparkar district. His marriage in the Kanota Rathore royal family of Jaipur in 2015 made headlines on both sides of the border as well as internationally.

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AJK University holds debate on UNHRC report

MUZAFFARABAD: University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Kaleem Abbasi on Wednesday said that the United Nations Human Rights Commission’s report significantly highlighted the Kashmir issue at the global level.
He was addressing a roundtable debate jointly organised by the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Kashmir liberation cell. The participants of the debate including Kashmir liberation cell Secretary Muhammad Idrees Abbasi, Azad Jammu and Kashmir right to self-determination movement Chairman Raja Najabat Hussain, Dean faculty of Sciences Professor Dr Ayesha Sohail, Dean Health Sciences Dr Bashir-ur-rehman kanth, Dean Law Department Dr Adnan, Director General Information Raja Azhar Iqbal, Director Liberation cell Raja Sajad Latif and others participated in the debate and highlighted various aspects of the report.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Abbasi said that Pakistan is behind the diplomatic success in highlighting Kashmir issue at the international level. He said that Pakistan has always extended political, moral and diplomatic support to the struggling people of Jammu and Kashmir for which Kashmiris are indebted to the government and people of Pakistan.

He said that University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir would continue to play its role in highlighting Kashmir issue in its true perspective. He added that the university will increase its budget for this purpose.

He said that the credit for strengthening Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government financially and administratively goes to AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan. He added that the AJK University will also organise a similar debate on 13th Amendment in AJK Constitution that had empowered the people of Azad Kashmir and ensured their political and legislative rights.

The vice chancellor said that the AJK University would set up research and information centre in Kashmir institute of Kashmir studies to carry out research on various aspects of Kashmir liberation struggle. The round table debate was also addressed by Secretary Kashmir liberation cell Muhammad Idrees Abbasi and Jammu and Kashmir right to self-determination movement chairman Raja Najabat Hussain.

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MIRPUR: Brisk preparations are afoot for the three-day Summer Tourism Festival, which will be inaugurated by Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on April 27 here at Asifa Bhutto Park.

MUZAFFARABAD: Renowned clinician Dr Bashir Kanth, who performed more than 10,000 surgeries and produced 50 civil and army surgeons, has finally won his right to be granted BPS-22 official grade after a seven-year legal battle. 

Dr Kanth, who served the profession from 1977 to 2010, was deprived of his right to retire in the said grade as the region’s top bureaucracy created hurdles for him.

“In 2010, the then Prime Minister Farooq Haider hailed my medical services and promoted me to BPS-22,” Dr Kanth told The Express Tribune on Monday.

“My feelings were at the highest level while receiving the reward from the government but at the same time top bureaucracy refused to retire me in grade 22, and that was the shocking moment of my life,” he added.

Dr Kanth said the top court and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court accepted his plea while recognising his service for the ailing humanity, and he received his right to be promoted to the maiden grade 22 in the AJK health department.

“Ultimately, justice was delivered [to me] after seven-year of legal battle,” the former practitioner expressed.

According to the veteran expert, overhauling the existing bureaucracy was the need of the hour, saying the officers are the servants of the state and answerable to people.

Sharing his future ambitions, Dr Kanth said he wanted to establish organised committee health services, saying his endeavour will be financed by his family and relatives.

Young doctors, he maintained, must continue serving humanity with dedication regardless of religious beliefs, cast or creed.

Besides thanking the judiciary and others, the senior surgeon also expressed gratitude to his lawyers Attaullah Chak and Raja Hanif for fighting his case free of cost.

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MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said the government is focusing on economic development with emphasis on promoting and developing the tourism industry in AJK.

MIRPUR: Brisk preparations are afoot for the three-day Summer Tourism Festival, which will be inaugurated by Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on April 27 here at Asifa Bhutto Park.

The festival is being organised by the AJK Tourism Department in cooperation with the Mirpur District Administration and other nation-building departments.

Addressing a press conference here at the Kashmir Press Club, AJK Minister for Sports Chaudhry Muhammad Saeed and Secretary Information and Tourism Midhat Shahzad said the festival would provide healthy entertainment and recreation to the tourists and families from across the AJK with prime focus to encourage and promote local tourism.

‘The grand gala will be free of charge for all visitors’ adding that the festival was aimed at acquainting the young generation with the centuries old cultural heritage of the Himalayan state of Jammu & Kashmir, they said.

Horse and cattle show, trade exhibition of homemade products, including the Kashmiri handicrafts, cultural show depicting the Kashmiri folk songs, besides the national songs, book festival, exhibition of the pictures depicting the Indian brutalities and human rights violations by the occupying forces in occupied Kashmir, marathon race, mystic poetry, boating, cricket and football matches besides the local sports would be the hallmark of the grand festival, they said.

They said various committees had been formed to design and manage the events of the festival in a befitting manner.

Mirpur Commissioner Muhammad Tayyeb, AJK Director General Information (PID) Raja Azher Iqbal and AJK Tourism Director General Javed Ayub were also present on the occasion.

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MUZAFFARABAD: The 15th death anniversary of Azad Jammu and (AJK) Kashmir Ghazi-i-Millat founding president Sardar Ibrahim Khan was observed across AJK on Tuesday.

MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has said the government is focusing on economic development with emphasis on promoting and developing the tourism industry in AJK.

He expressed these views while inaugurating a three-day grand tourism gala – the Summer Tourism Festival 2018, hosted by the AJK Tourism Department in Mirpur.

Speaking on the occasion, the AJK president said, “Kashmir is a beautiful area with huge potential for tourism as it possesses varied landscape and climate.” He said this festival is the first of its kind organised in the southern regions of Kashmir.

The president said areas of Mirpur and Bhimbar are tourist destinations in both summers and winters. “AJK is at the cusp of an economic revolution and the government is focusing on infrastructure development throughout its regions,” he said.

“Our priority is construction of new roads, energy production, development of industry, universal access to health and modernising the agriculture sector. This development will directly and indirectly affect the tourism industry in AJK,” he said.

Khan also said a 200km-long tourism corridor would be established which would pass through tourist destinations like Chakar, Sudhan Gali, Haji Pir, Lasdanna, Toli Pir and Banjosa. This corridor would promote tourism and have quality facilities to cater to the growing number of tourists, he added.

The AJK president said Mirpur, being the first planned city of Azad Kashmir, would play an important role in development as under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a special economic zone would be set up here to be connected to main CPEC route via the Mansehra-Muzaffarabad-Mirpur Expressway.

On the occasion, Khan also highlighted the deplorable human rights situation in Indian occupied Kashmir.

“Our foremost duty and responsibility is to raise our voices for innocent Kashmiris living in IOK. We must be their voice as they have been made voiceless. We must let the world know about the atrocities perpetrated by India and bring them to task for their illegal and barbaric occupation in IOK,” he said.

The three-day tourism festival would include performances by paragliders, rowing competitions, tent pegging, horse riding and a traditional cattle show. The event will also host a Sufi Night to pay tribute to the great Sufi saint and poet Mian Muhammad Baksh.

Khan visited the stalls set up by the various departments of the government, private entities and tour operators alike. Other stalls also displayed books, local products and traditional foods.

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