PM's disqualification: SC admits petition for hearing

A bench headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk would hear the petition and the hearing has been fixed for September 29.
Khakwani, who is a central committee leader in the PTI, had filed the petition through his counsel Advocate Irfan Qadir requesting the court to order disqualification of the prime minister for falsely stating in the National Assembly that he had not asked Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif to act as a mediator and guarantor between the government on one side and PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on the other for ending the political impasse.
The petition added that the prime minister later denied in the assembly that the army was dealing with such issues without the government desiring it to do so. By making two different statements, it alleged, Sharif had tried to malign and damage the fair image of the army in violation of Article 62 (g) of the Constitution.
Also read: Refusal to entertain plea against PM challenged
The petition said that an army spokesman had confirmed that it was the government which had asked the army chief to play a role in resolving the standoff.
This established that Nawaz Sharif had made a false statement concerning the army chief and, therefore, was liable to be proceeded against under Article 62 (f) of the Constitution, it argued.
The article deals with the qualification of a member from becoming a parliamentarian if he is not sagacious, righteous, honest and Ameen.
The admission of the petition comes in the backdrop of protests led by PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif with the parties calling for the resignation of the prime minister in what they — particularly Imran's party — regard as a government that came to power as the result of an allegedly rigged election.

FIR over Karachi airport attack registered against TTP

A First Information Report (FIR) of the attack on Karachi’s international airport was registered on Wednesday against the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The FIR was registered in Karachi’s airport police station under the Anti-Terrorism Act, nominating the top brass of the banned militant outfit including its spokesman Shahidullah Shahid.

After the atrocious attack on the metropolis’ airport on June 8, security was beefed up at the airports throughout the country.

Strict security measures have been taken to safeguard Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and the international airport in Sialkot.

Joint meetings of the intelligence agencies and police are held on daily basis to review the security arrangements of the airports.

A five-hour attack by militants on the international airport in Karachi had left 28 people, including 10 attackers, dead. The attack was claimed by the TTP.

Before the dust had settled another attack took place yesterday on the Airport Security Force (ASF) camp number 2 in Karachi. There were no casualties in the attack, in which at least three to four terrorists opened fire near the camp and fled after heavy contingent of security forces reached the spot.

A search operation had been carried out by police and Rangers personnel in Pehlwan Goth and adjacent areas after the assault in which two suspected militants were arrested.

A relatively similar search operation was also conducted in the adjacent areas of the Islamabad airport.

The Lahore and Islamabad airports were earlier placed on ‘red alert’. Additional security and police personnel had been deployed around areas of the airports.

No PPP man named in Joint Team report on Karachi target killings

An official report containing details of the joint interrogation reports of all key government agencies relating to the 26 accused arrested and probed in 2010 in Karachi's target killing cases, shows the majority belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) while the rest claimed their association with the MQM-Haqqiqi, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Muhammad, Awami National Party (ANP) and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.

The report is horrific and contains the statements, confessions, revelations and crime history of the arrested alleged target killers, including those having South African connections. The disclosures of these high profile suspects cause a shiver in the spine as each and every page of the voluminous report is full of tales where a large number of people were killed ruthlessly in a callous manner and merely on the whims and wishes of a few.

The report, nothing less than a bombshell, has been reportedly prepared by the Sindh Home Department and provided to the president, prime minister, Interior Ministry and all concerned at the federal and Sindh government.

The report did not talk of even a single alleged target killer having any connection or affiliation with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP), whose recently removed Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza has been the boss of the police and other agencies in the province.

Mirza has been accusing the MQM, both directly and indirectly, of having been involved in the target killings, whereas Altaf Hussain's party has always rejected these allegations and instead blamed the people's peace committees of the PPP and ANP of alleged involvement in target killings and extortion.

According to an official source, the 26 accused were arrested in target killing cases in a span of a few weeks and after Karachi saw all time high number of such killings last year. The source said that the kind of information revealed by these accused was nothing less than a bombshell and required immediate attention of all concerned to bring peace in Karachi by curbing such criminal groups there.

When asked as to why not even a single PPP man was reflected in the list of 26, the source said that the reason was that not even a single PPP affiliated man was caught in the target killing case.

The confessions of most of the accused before the joint interrogation teams show them to be hardened criminals and trained killers. Most of them have criminal histories. They have been jailed in the past but were released and continued with their alleged crimes.

Though no comment was made in the report about the failure of the police, prosecution and the intelligence agencies, the mere reading of the details of the crimes reflect on serious inefficiency of the law enforcing agencies and the criminal justice system. It shows that not only the hardened criminals were released because of lack of evidence but also let loose without any surveillance of the intelligence agencies and police to continue committing crime without any fear and in a reckless manner.

The joint interrogation teams, which probed these accused, include the representatives of the ISI, IB, police, Special Branch, CID and Military Intelligence. In the coming few days, The News would run stories on the confessions and disclosures of these accused as reflected in the joint investigation reports. Disclosures by some of the accused contain serious allegations against some of the political entities and such revelations would be shared with the readers.

The official document reflects on three categories of target killings. The first category includes crimes to have been committed on the alleged order of the high command of a particular party or group. The second category of crime includes such criminals, who for their vested interest and in violation of the party or group's discipline carry out such killings. The third category includes small group of criminals, belonging to a particular sectarian or ethnic group, who because of their own conviction select their targets and kill them.

The list of accused arrested in target killings whose joint interrogations had been held in 2010 includes a total of 26 suspects. Fourteen out of these 26 are alleged to be associated with the MQM, three are linked with the MQM-H, five with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, two with SSP and one each with the ANP and Sipah-e-Muhammad.

Those allegedly having affiliation with the MQM include Habib-ur-Rehman, s/o Majeed-ur-Rehman, Murad Akhtar Siddiqui, s/o Minhaj-uddin Siddique, Sultan alias Couple, s/o Muhammad Suleman, Jamal Abdul Nasir alias Commando, Tahir Ali alias Topchi, Imran alias Irfan Lamba, s/o S Mehboob Ali, Shariq Nafees, alias Sheri, s/o Muhammad Nafees Sheikh, Atif Rasheed, alias Ghora, s/o Abdul Rasheed, Ikram, alias Akoo, s/o Habibullah, Anus Bin Haroon, s/o Syed Abu Asad, Syed Abu Irfan, alias Urfi, s/o Syed Abu Asad, Muhammad Ishtiaq, alias Suleman, alias Police Wala, Muhammad Yaseen, s/o Abdul Haq, and Rizwan Mehmood, alias Khalid Chamber, s/o Mehmood Khan.

The five alleged suspects involved in target killing cases belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi include Waseem Ahmed, alias Barudi, s/o Samiullah, Muhammad Abdullah, alias Taimor, s/o M Riaz Shahid, Hafiz Ikhlaq, s/o Pervaiz Akhtar, Naseem Haider, alias Feron, s/o Ghulam Haider, and Asif Rasheed, alias Dumba, s/o Haroon Rashid.

The three accused associated with MQM-H are Maqbool Hussain, s/o Ali Hassan, Azhar Ali, alias Uncle, alias Baboo, s/o Abdul Rehman, and Abdul Aziz Ansari, s/o Abdul Naseer Ansari. The accused belonging to the SSP are Nasir Qadri, s/o A Qadeer, and Muhammad Shoaib, s/o Muhammad Ali. The ANP's accused is Mashwar Nawaz, alias Mashwari, s/o Anwar Khan, whereas Sipah-e-Muhammad's accused is Syed Ali Mehdi, alias Suleman, s/o Syed Jaffar Ali.

Except the MQM affiliated Murad Akhtar Siddiqui, s/o Minhaj-uddin Siddiqui, almost all others accused have been graded as "black" for their alleged involvement in heinous crimes like killing, looting, etc. Murad Siddiqui has been graded as "white" as he has never been involved in any crime in the past and was even found innocent in the murder case in which he was apprehended. 

War in Afghanistan is destabilising Pakistan: Zardari

President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the war in Afghanistan is destabilising Pakistan and seriously undermining efforts to restore its democratic institutions and economic prosperity after a decade of military dictatorship.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with the Guardian in the imposing presidential residence in Islamabad, Zardari also pointed to widespread concern in Pakistan at the slow pace of efforts to end the Afghan conflict, and said some US politicians showed limited understanding of the impact of American policies.

"Just as the Mexican drug war on US borders makes a difference to Texas and American society, we are talking about a war on our border which is obviously having a huge effect. Only today a suicide bomber has attacked a police compound in Balochistan. I think it [the Afghan war] has an effect on the entire region, and specially our country," Zardari said.

Asked about harsh criticism of Pakistan's co-operation in the "war on terror" published in a White House report last week, Zardari said Pakistan always listened to Washington's views. But he suggested some members of Congress and the US media did not know what they were talking about when it came to Pakistan.

"The US has been an ally of Pakistan for the last 60 years. We respect and appreciate their political system. So every time a new parliament comes in, new boys come in, new representatives come in, it takes them time to understand the international situation. Not Obama, but the Congress, interest groups and the media get affected by 'deadline-it is' [over ending the Afghan war]," Zardari said.

"I think it is maybe 12 years since America has become engaged in Afghanistan and obviously everybody's patience is on edge, especially the American public, which is looking for answers. There are no short-term answers and it is very difficult to make the American taxpayer understand."

With less than three months left before Barack Obama has promised to begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, the White House recriminations reflected the growing pressures on all three governments to agree a workable, long-term strategy. The report complained bitterly that after years of US funding of the Pakistani military, "there remains no clear path towards defeating the insurgency" inside Pakistan.

It criticised as ineffectual Pakistani army operations in some areas of the western tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, which are believed to be used as safe havens by Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda elements. A congressional panel also weighed in this week, urging the Obama administration to abandon Pakistan in favour of India. "Pakistan is about to go broke or collapse," said Gary Ackerman, a New York Democrat.

Zardari suggested that if that assertion were true, the interventionist policies of the US and other foreign governments in south Asia would be a significant contributory factor. Pakistan had been in a state of "security alert" for several decades, he said. "Our emphasis has been on security rather than our commerce and we need commerce for our survival. "We have all the gas in the world waiting to go through to markets in India and the Red Sea but it cannot be brought in until Afghanistan is settled. So Afghanistan is a growth issue for us. I think most of the time, the quantification of the effect of the war is not calculated [by the US].

"Prices are going up, obviously we are a high fuel-importing country, and fuel prices are going up. Because of the war situation, the industry in one of our provinces has practically closed down ... When one whole sector is not working, there is an effect on the other sectors."

According to senior intelligence officials, the "war on terror" has cost the Pakistani economy approximately $68bn since 2001. More than 33,300 Pakistani civilians and military personnel have been killed or seriously injured. 

Zardari said the security situation was also undercutting efforts to strengthen democratic institutions bypassed or overturned during the military rule of his predecessor, General Pervez Musharraf. "Democracy is evolving. It's a new democracy. It takes time to bring institutions back. Destroying institutions during a decade of dictatorial regime is easy ... So there is a political impact as well as an economic impact."

Pakistani officials say relations with the US reached a "low ebb" following the recent row over Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who shot dead two Pakistanis; a CIA drone attack in tribal areas last month that accidentally killed dozens of civilian elders meeting in a jirga (council), and Pakistan's suspicions that it is being excluded from discussions about an Afghan peace deal.

Zardari, who is expected to visit Washington next month, said he would ask Obama to share drone technology with Pakistan so future attacks could be planned and directed under a "Pakistani flag". Although this request had been turned down in the past, he said he was hopeful the Americans would be more receptive this time, given the huge anger and rising anti-American feeling that the drone attacks were causing.

Zardari and other senior government officials said all parties felt a sense of growing urgency about forging an inclusive peace settlement in Afghanistan, but the process must be "Afghan-led". Pakistan was ready to play its part, consistent with its national interest, they said.

Salman Bashir, Foreign Secretary, said: "Everybody is gradually coming round to our point of view that this requires greater diplomatic pressure. There is no military solution in Afghanistan."

12 dead in Karachi target killings

In spite of the presence of President and Prime Minister in Karachi, the ongoing incidents of targeted killings in the metropolitan city have so far left 12 people dead including political workers and a child while 7 others sustained injuries, Geo News reported Saturday.

Miscreants set ablaze an office of a local organization and three vehicles.

Unidentified attackers fired and killed a party worker, identified as Khurram, at his Pan shop in the busy area of Kharadar. This triggered a bout of heavy firing that spread a wave of tension in the entire area where enraged people set on fire a bus, truck and a rikshaw beside an office of a local organization.

Two men named Musavir Bangash and Sikandar Chandio were gunned down by unknown armed men at Jauhar Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. Musavir was a resident of Pehalwan Goth whose brother had been arrested a few weeks ago.

In another incident of firing in the same area, a political worker Asad Khan was killed and three others were wounded.

In Garden area two bullet-riddled bodies of Adnan and Sami were found dumped while a worker of a religious party identified as Khadim Hussain was shot dead in Orangi Town.

Dead bodies of two youths with bullet wounds were recovered from Memon Goth, Malir and Super Highway.

Armed attackers gunned down a 19-year old boy identified as Shams in SITE area.

A firing incident also occurred in Azizabad area where men with guns riding a motor cycle fired and killed Noman, 23.

Three men were injured in similar incidents of firing in Baldia Town, Ghani Chowrangi and Kharadar.

Tension spread in all these areas where patrolling by police and Rangers personnel was undertaken to maintain order.

Latest reports have confirmed that a child who received injuries as a result of firing in Gulistan-e-Jauhar area later succumbed to his wounds and died.

Defiant Gaddafi vows to die as martyr, fight revolt

Muammar Gaddafi vowed to die in Libya as a martyr in an angry television address on Tuesday, as rebel troops said eastern regions had broken free from his rule in a burgeoning revolt.
"I am not going to leave this land, I will die here as a martyr," Gaddafi said on state television, refusing to bow to calls from his own diplomats, soldiers and protesters clamouring in the streets for an end to his four decades at the helm.
"I shall remain here defiant," said Gaddafi.
Earlier, witnesses streaming across the Libyan border into Egypt said Gaddafi was using tanks, warplanes and mercenaries in an effort to stamp out the growing rebellion.
"All the eastern regions are out of Gaddafi's control now ... The people and the army are hand-in-hand here," said the now former army major Hany Saad Marjaa.
The White House offered its condolences for the "appalling violence" in Libya and said the international community had to speak with one voice on the crisis.
The U.N. refugee agency meanwhile urged Libya's neighbours to grant refuge to those fleeing the unrest, which was triggered by decades of repression and popular revolts that toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.
On the Libyan side of the border with Egypt, anti-Gaddafi rebels armed with clubs and Kalashnikov rifles welcomed visitors. One man held an upside-down picture of Gaddafi defaced with the words "the butcher tyrant, murderer of Libyans".
Hundreds of Egyptians flowed in the opposite direction on tractors and trucks, taking with them harrowing tales of state violence and banditry.
In the eastern town of Al Bayda, resident Marai Al Mahry said that 26 people including his brother Ahmed had been shot dead overnight by Gaddafi loyalists.
"They shoot you just for walking on the street," he said, sobbing uncontrollably as he appealed for help.
Protesters were attacked with tanks and warplanes, he said.
"The only thing we can do now is not give up, no surrender, no going back. We will die anyways, whether we like it or not. It is clear that they don't care whether we live or not. This is genocide," said Mahry, 42.

Human Rights Watch said 62 people had died in clashes in Tripoli in the past two days, on top of its previous toll of 233 dead. Opposition groups put the figure far much higher. U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay said the killing could amount to crimes against humanity and demanded an international probe.

The revolt in Libya, the third largest oil producer in Africa, has driven oil prices to a 2 1/2 year high above $108 a barrel, and OPEC said it would produce more crude if supplies from member Libya were disrupted.With no end in sight to the crisis, refugees fled to Egypt."Five people died on the street where I live," Mohamed Jalaly, 40, said at Salum on his way to Cairo from Benghazi. "You leave Benghazi and then you have ... nothing but gangs and youths with weapons," he added. "The way from Benghazi is extremely dangerous," he said.Libyan guards have withdrawn from their side of the border and Egypt's new military rulers -- who took power following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak on Feb.11 -- said the main crossing would be kept open round-the-clock to allow the sick and wounded to enter.

Teams of PPP, PML-N meet

The meeting between the teams of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) met here on Tuesday, Geo News reported.During the joint press briefing, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and PML-N leader Senator Ishaq Dar said the report of consultations between the teams of PPP and PML-N would be presented before their parties.Finance minister said that both PPP and PML-N wanted to make good decisions for the country, adding that consultations between the parties would continue in future as well.On the occasion, Ishaq Dar said that he will present the details of the meeting to his party chief Mian Nawaz Sharif. He said that all the issues were discussed thoroughly and records from both sides have also been exchanged.