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Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) - October, 2012

Edition VII, Volume VIII

The Researchers i

October 2012


TABLE OF CONTENTS

GOVERNANCE WATCH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Government Working -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

Government Planning New Pay Packages for Employees ------------------------------------------------------ 1 Prime Minister for Constituting Independent Child Right Commission ------------------------------------- 1 Government Has Made Arrangements For Free, Fair Elections: Prime Minister -------------------------- 1

National Assembly ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

President Summons Unscheduled National Assembly Sessions ---------------------------------------------- 2 National Assembly Condemns Malala Attack amid Emotional Outpouring --------------------------------- 2 Parliament Likely To Designate Malala Ambassador of Peace and Education ----------------------------- 2 National Assembly Body Approves 10 Sections of Accountability Bill -------------------------------------- 3 National Assembly Passes Resolution against Obscenity on TV Channels ---------------------------------- 3 Lawmakers Call For APC on Dialogue with Balochs, POL Prices ---------------------------------------------- 3 National Body Rights Body Wants Karachi De-weaponized --------------------------------------------------- 4 National Assembly Finally Passes Drug Regulatory Bill -------------------------------------------------------- 4

Senate ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

Senate Panel Seeks Details of Defense Spending----------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Government Can Generate 21,000MW Hydropower: Minister of State Water and Power -------------- 5 Senators Oppose Tax on Calls from Abroad With One Voice -------------------------------------------------- 5 PML-N Submits Resolution against Anti-Islam Movie ---------------------------------------------------------- 6 140 Security Agencies Won Clearance in 4 Year: Senate Standing Committee ---------------------------- 6 No Political Meddling By ISI Now, Senate Told ------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Adviser to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Dr Asim Resigns From Senate Seat ------------------------ 7

Federal & Provincial Assembly -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

Prime Minister Announces Special Grant for MPs from KPK -------------------------------------------------- 8 KPK Government to Appoint 45 Doctors in Upper Dir: KPK --------------------------------------------------- 8

New Provinces ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8

Chief Minister Qaim Rules out Repeal of New Local Government Law: Sindh ----------------------------- 8

Local Government ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Sindh Assembly Approves Local Government Ordinance amid Hoopla: Sindh ---------------------------- 9 Activists Shot Dead, Police Station Set on Fire As Nationalists Continue To Protest: Sindh ------------- 9 JSM Rallies against SPLGO Bill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Islamabad High Court Reserves Decision on Local Government Polls: Islamabad ----------------------- 10 Activist Shot Dead in Protest: Sindh ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Sindh Writers, Intellectuals Protest Against SPLGO Bill: Sindh ---------------------------------------------- 10 JST Calls for Observing Black Day against Local Government Law: Sindh --------------------------------- 11 PPP Holds Big Rally In Support of Local Body Law: Sindh ---------------------------------------------------- 11 President Fails to Woo ANP over SPLGO: Sindh ---------------------------------------------------------------- 12 Islamabad High Court Orders Local Government Polls in Capital: Islamabad----------------------------- 12

Prime Minister Disqualification ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13

Thumbs Up For Naek’s Swiss Letter------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13



The Researchers ii

Status & Up-Date of Dual Nationalities of MPs ----------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Unification Bloc Leader Resigns Over Dual Nationality: Punjab --------------------------------------------- 13 50 Dual Nationals in Parliament ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Lahore High Court to Hear President’s Dual Office Case ------------------------------------------------------ 14 Shahbaz Submits Affidavit to Pa Dismissing Charges of Holding Dual Nationality ----------------------- 14 Two Mps Holding Dual Nationality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 190 People Kidnapped From Capital Islamabad in Less Than 3 Years ------------------------------------- 15 CM Punjab Gets Clean Slate from SC on Dual Nationality: Punjab ------------------------------------------- 15 Interior Minister Malik Files Review Petition in Supreme Court -------------------------------------------- 15 Prime Minister among 450 MPs yet To File Declaration ------------------------------------------------------ 16

Government & Judiciary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

PEMRA Ordered Not To Air Content against Judiciary -------------------------------------------------------- 17 Beg, Durrani Face Legal Action: Supreme Court ---------------------------------------------------------------- 17 Apex Court’s Order on Asghar Khan Petition -------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

Analysis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20

Putting To Rest the Past, And the Present: By Ejaz Haider---------------------------------------------------- 20

BALOCHISTAN WATCH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23

Governance Watch ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 Ready to Pull Out Balochistan FC if Nawaz Guarantees Peace: PPP ----------------------------------------- 23 People Consider Judiciary as Their Savior: Chief Justice ------------------------------------------------------ 23 Prime Minister Offers Dialogue to All Balochs Leaders -------------------------------------------------------- 23 Government Doing Nothing on Balochistan: Supreme Court ------------------------------------------------- 23 Supreme Court Orders Production of Jirga Members, Wani Girls ------------------------------------------- 24 Supreme Court Says Agencies Involved In Enforced Disappearances -------------------------------------- 24

Security Situation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25

Baloch Youth Protest Rights Violation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

Nationalist Perspective ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

Army Backs Political Process in Balochistan -------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

ELECTION WATCH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26

Political Stakeholders & Elections --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 393 Lawmakers Fail to File Statement of Assets ---------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Election Commission of Pakistan Takes Action against 17 Offenders of Electoral Rules --------------- 27 Parliament Can Extend Government Tenure by One Year, Says ECE --------------------------------------- 27 Nomination Papers for NA - 245, PA - 21 by Polls Accepted-------------------------------------------------- 27 120 Parties Yet To Fulfill Requirements -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Election Commission Suspends Over 150 Lawmakers -------------------------------------------------------- 29

Political Parties --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Sindh’s Mahar Group to Join PPP: Sindh ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Benazir Income Support Program Me Becomes Pre-Poll Rigging Tool For PPP ----------------------- 30

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) ------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Several PML-Q, PPP Leaders Likely To Join PML-N --------------------------------------------------------- 30 Punjab A Safe Place for Foreign Investors: Chief Minister Punjab --------------------------------------- 30 PML-N to Quit Assemblies after MBS Completion ----------------------------------------------------------- 31 Overseas Pakistanis Should Have Right to Vote: Nawaz --------------------------------------------------- 31 Opposition Leader of National Assembly Files Application in SC for Early Hearing ------------------ 31 New Accountability Bill Is a Dacoity Bill, Says National Assembly Opposition Leader --------------- 32 Nation Still Facing Consequences of Oct 12: Nawaz, Shahbaz -------------------------------------------- 32

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 PTI Denied Permission for South Waziristan ---------------------------------------------------------------- 34 Tsunami Fails To Hit Waziristan-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34



The Researchers iii

PTI Vows to Raise Voice against Drone Attacks in Tribal Areas ------------------------------------------ 35 PTI Denies Imran Refused To Accompany PM on Malala Visit -------------------------------------------- 35

Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) --------------------------------------------------------- 35 Sialkot Motorway to Be Linked With Gujrat: Pervaiz Elahi ------------------------------------------------ 35 Sher Afghan Niazi Passes Away --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 JI Chief Urges Balochistan Government to Step Down ------------------------------------------------------ 36

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazalur Rehman (JUI-F) ------------------------------------------------------------- 36 Fazl Opposes Army Action in NWA Following Malala Attack --------------------------------------------- 36

Muthida Qaumi Movement (MQM) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 MQM Holds Walk for Peace in Karachi ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 36 Overseas Pakistani’s Are Assets for Country: Altaf---------------------------------------------------------- 37 MQM to Collect Details of Clerics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37

Awami National Party (ANP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 UK Bans Entry of Ghulam Ahmad Bilour ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 38

All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 APML Mulling Ways to Find Some Political Friends -------------------------------------------------------- 38

Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 38 Talal Urges and Invites All Democratic Political Parties to Make Grand Political Alliance ---------- 38

Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 39 National Party Contest Elections, Says Malik Baloch ------------------------------------------------------- 39

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40

Child Rights -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 Civil Society Wants End to Child Marriage ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 142 Million Girls at Risk of Child Marriage: United Nations Report ----------------------------------------- 40 170 Children Go Missing In Nine Months: Report Madadgaar National Help Line ----------------------- 40

Minorities ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41

Witnesses Turn Hostile in Rimsha Masih Case ------------------------------------------------------------------ 41 Accusers, Accused in Blasphemy Case Go Missing-------------------------------------------------------------- 41

Anti-Islam Propaganda & Protests -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42

YouTube Likely To Remain Blocked In Pakistan Indefinitely ------------------------------------------------ 42 Massive Rally Demands Legislation against Blasphemy ------------------------------------------------------ 42

Human Rights Related Issues & Reports ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43

Monitoring Of Emails, Calls to Start Within 90 Days ----------------------------------------------------------- 43 Pakistan’s Ageing Population to Rise from Current 11.6m to 43.3m in 2025: Report by UNFPA ----- 43 Disappearances, Religiosity, Lawlessness Overwhelming Challenges: HRCP ----------------------------- 44

HR Updates on Malala Yousufzai Attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45

Malala to Receive Sitara-e-Shujaat -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45 Malala Has a Comfortable Night at Birmingham Hospital ----------------------------------------------------- 45 Interior Minister Announces $1m Bounty on Ehsanullah ----------------------------------------------------- 46 Malala Able To Stand With Help, Starts Communicating ------------------------------------------------------ 46

GENDER WATCH ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47

Minority Women -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Day Of Reckoning for Blasphemy Cleric -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47

Violence against Women --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47

13 Girls Rendered Vanni in Dera Bugti: Balochistan ----------------------------------------------------------- 47 Violence against Women -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Minister Deplores Violence against Girls: Sindh Women Minster ------------------------------------------- 47 Son Kills Mother, Man Butcher’s Wife, Sister In Law ----------------------------------------------------------- 47 Couple Who Converted To Islam Killed By Family ------------------------------------------------------------- 48 8 Killed In Old Karo-Kari Dispute between Two Tribes ------------------------------------------------------- 48



The Researchers iv

Women & Legislation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48

National Assembly Speaker Calls for Policies In Support Of Rural Women ------------------------------- 48 Legislation Demanded For Home-Based Women Workers: Home Net Pakistan ------------------------- 49

CRISES & CONFLICT WATCH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50

Sectarian Crisis in Sindh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 Killings in Karachi in the Month of September ------------------------------------------------------------------ 50

Sectarian Crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 53

Killings in KPK in the Month of September ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 53

Sectarian Crisis in Balochistan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55

Killings in Quetta in the Month of September ------------------------------------------------------------------- 55

Reports on Conflict ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55

Police Arrest 1, 813 Criminals in One Year: Islamabad -------------------------------------------------------- 55

ECONOMIC WATCH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56

Facts And Figures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 Inflation in Single Digit, Provides Room for Interest Rate Cut ----------------------------------------------- 56 IMF Shows Serious Concern over Power Subsidies, Overspending ----------------------------------------- 56 Forex Reserves Nosedive to $14.406bn: Report by Central Bank ------------------------------------------- 57 Asian Development Bank Threatens To Cancel $1.14 Billion Loan ----------------------------------------- 57 Economic Co-Ordination Committee Approves LNG Import, Sugar Export ------------------------------- 58 Government Borrowing Reaches Rs. 437bn in Q1 of FY13 --------------------------------------------------- 58 SBP Cuts Interest Rate by 50 Bps to 10% ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 59 IMF Sees SBP - Held Forex Reserves Falling To $7.5bn -------------------------------------------------------- 60 Over 2m Rich Pay No Taxes: NADRA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 61 Foreign Investment in Pakistan down by 67% ------------------------------------------------------------------ 61 Asian Development Vows to Continue Supporting BISP In Future ------------------------------------------ 62

DEVELOPMENT WATCH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63

Government’s Role in Development Programs ---------------------------------------------------------------- 63 Development Schemes worth Rs3.4b Approved: Azad Jammu Kashmir ----------------------------------- 63 Rs. 49bn for Projects under ADP: Punjab ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 63 President Ask Government to Upgrade Gilgit Airport --------------------------------------------------------- 63

Health Projects ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64

World Bank Approves $24 Million -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64 President Zardari to Launch Polio Immunization Campaign: Islamabad ---------------------------------- 64 2.2m Children in Balochistan to Be Vaccinated In 3 Days: Balochistan ------------------------------------ 64 Anti-Polio Drive Starts: Punjab ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65

Health Reports/Control ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65

Polio Case Found In Dir: KPK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65 Heart Disease World’s Biggest Killer, Says Expert -------------------------------------------------------------- 65 Families Refusing Polio Drops Down By 44pc------------------------------------------------------------------- 66

Education Projects ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66

HEC Signs MOU with University Of New Mexico for Scholarship Program -------------------------------- 66 3, 000 Art Teachers to Be Recruited For Schools: Punjab ----------------------------------------------------- 66 64% of Schools in AJK Are Still Heaps of Rubble ---------------------------------------------------------------- 67 Case of Ghost Schools Being Probed By NAB, FIA -------------------------------------------------------------- 67 30 Scholarships for Balochistan Female Faculty: Balochistan ----------------------------------------------- 68 HEC Decides To Award 6, 000 Scholarships among Needy Students --------------------------------------- 68 Pakistan behind Nepal, India in Girls’ Education: UNESCO --------------------------------------------------- 68



The Researchers v

Foreign Aided Development Projects ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69

Shahbaz Signs MOU of Solar Project with German Firm: Chief Minister Punjab -------------------------- 69 Watan Card Funding ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69 Government Receives $15.63bn in Loan, Grants --------------------------------------------------------------- 69

Economic Projects ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 70

Asian Development Bank Assures Support for Diamer Basha Dam Construction ------------------------ 70

Analysis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70

Lenders Express Concern over Pak Failure to Meet MDGs: Analysis by Khaliq Kiani ------------------- 70 Pakistan Risks Missing Primary Education For All Target: Global Monitoring Report: Education ---- 71

ENERGY WATCH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 73

Government’s Role in Energy Crisis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 73 Government Slashes POL, CNG Prices ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 73 Petrol Up By Rs 3.04 per Liter, CNG Rs 2.78 per Kilogram ---------------------------------------------------- 73 Bomb Shell of Power Tariff Increase Dropped ------------------------------------------------------------------ 73 Petrol, CNG Prices Down; Diesel Up ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 74 Four Day Gas Load Shedding Plan Ready: Punjab -------------------------------------------------------------- 74 Report Sought On Steps Taken To End Load Shedding -------------------------------------------------------- 74 OGRA Suggests Rs. 2.32 Cut In Petrol Price ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 75 Nine Power Plants Out Of Production Due To Fuel Shortage ------------------------------------------------- 75

REGIONAL WATCH --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 76

Pakistan & United States --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 76 Pakistan Urges Us for Common Strategy on Counter Terrorism -------------------------------------------- 76 United States Waives Restrictions to Allow $2bn Aid --------------------------------------------------------- 76

Pakistan & India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 76

Pakistani, Indian Banks May Start Work In March ------------------------------------------------------------- 76 More Pakistani Banks Can Apply For India Operation --------------------------------------------------------- 77 Two Month Pak-India Trade Deficit Crosses $11m------------------------------------------------------------- 77 Given Right Price Pakistan Ready to Import Oil ---------------------------------------------------------------- 78

Pakistan & Turkey ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 78

A Turkey-Pakistan Alliance for Islamic Banking ---------------------------------------------------------------- 78

Regional Governance -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79

Indian Cities Learn Together, Race Ahead: India --------------------------------------------------------------- 79 Nepal’s President Pushes for Elections --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80 Nepalese PM Asks Political Parties to Forge Consensus ------------------------------------------------------- 81



The Researchers Page | 1

GOVERNANCE WATCH

Government Working

Government Planning New Pay Packages for Employees

The Finance Ministry is expected to finalize a set of proposals on a comprehensive package, including unified pay scales, monetization of housing facility as well as monetization of conveyance facility for federal government employees from grade 1-19. The package is expected to be finalized during a meeting at the Finance Ministry and presented before Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for initial approval. The main components of the proposed package are merger of all ad hoc relief allowances ranging from 55 percent, 60 percent, 65 percent, 85 percent at different ministries and divisions and allowing further increase in pay to equalize and upgrade all these to 100 percent increase in basic pay scales in proposed unified pay scheme. The sources said monetization of conveyance allowance for grade 1-19 federal employees is also part of the proposed package according to which government employees of Grade 19 would be given Rs 30,000, grades 17-18 Rs 20,000, Grade 16 Rs 12,500, grades 11-14 Rs 7,500, grades 5-10 Rs 4,500 and grades 1-4 Rs 3,000 as conveyance allows per month. Employees of grades 20-22 are already enjoying monetization of transport facility and receiving handsome amounts along with salaries. Proposal for monetization of housing facility for government employees mainly aims at providing 75 percent of the basic pay as cash along with salaries in exchange for taking back official houses from the employees.

Daily Times - October 04, 2012

Prime Minister for Constituting Independent Child Right Commission

Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that education up to the secondary level had been made a fundamental right through the incorporation of Article 25-A, in the Constitution. The prime minister assured that the government would fully support the cause of protection and development of children. He directed his Adviser on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar to bring a legislation to constitute Independent Child Right Commission. The prime minister said the present government had taken a number of initiatives to protect the rights of the children with ensuring them access to education, health, protection and developmental opportunities. The government is fully aware of its international obligations in realizing the ideal of ensuring a world worthy for our children and determined to continue our endeavors at the national, regional and global levels in line with our international obligations. The Ministry of Human Rights was mandated to implement the UN treaties and core human rights instruments including UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it’s Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children. The prime minister said it was a matter of great satisfaction that the enrolment of children in schools had raised significantly. He said during 2011 alone, around 80 percent of children from 6 to 16 years of age had been enrolled in rural areas of the country.

The News - October 13, 2012

Government Has Made Arrangements For Free, Fair Elections: Prime Minister

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been made independent and arrangements for free and fair elections have also been made, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said. The prime




minister said by there would be no fraud in the upcoming elections as the ECP had been made independent.

Pakistan Today - October 22, 2012

National Assembly

President Summons Unscheduled National Assembly Sessions

It seems the government is bracing for an adverse judgment in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case. The same day that the Supreme Court hears the case regarding the contentious Swiss letter, President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned the 46th Session of the National Assembly. According to the tentative schedule for the fifth parliamentary year of parliament, the 46th session of the lower house was scheduled to meet on October 12. However, in a surprising move, the president summoned the National Assembly session on October 5 - hours after the crucial hearing at the apex court. The Supreme Court had warned of contempt of court proceedings against Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf if he fails to write a letter to Swiss authorities, asking them to reopen graft cases against President Zardari.

The Express Tribune - October 03, 2012

National Assembly Condemns Malala Attack amid Emotional Outpouring

Amidst emotional scenes and condemnation, the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the targeting of Malala Yousafzai, a famous child rights activist who rose to fame after writing blogs against the rule of extremists in Swat. A motion which was moved by PPP chief whip Syed Khursheed Shah, to debate the act, which triggered emotional and touching scenes, especially among women lawmakers. The atmosphere of the House turned emotional and women legislators broke into tears when PML-Q’s Bushra Rahman took the floor and in a chocked voice showered praise on Malala for her struggle, and condemned the perpetrators of the attack. When the condemnation resolution, moved by Law Minister Farooq H Naek was put to vote, the House reverberated with the loud “ayes” in its favor. The resolution urged the government to bear all the medical expenses of the injured girls and award exemplary punishment to the culprits. It paid tributes to the services of Malala and said the nation was proud of her. The resolution expressed the resolve that the war against terrorism will be continued until the establishment of peace in the country.


Parliament Likely To Designate Malala Ambassador of Peace and Education

The National Assembly and the Senate passed the resolution during which declaring Malala Yousufzai an ambassador for peace and education are likely to be tabled. During which the government is likely to present the reports regarding present health status and the initial investigations related to the assassination attempt on Malala. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid was likely to table two resolutions in both Houses of parliament in which it would be demanded that Malala Yousufzai be declared an ambassador of peace and education, while resolution would recommended the House declare Malala a daughter of Pakistan. PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s suggestion to declare Malala an ambassador and to officially recognize her as “daughter of Pakistan” for her promotion of education and peace.





National Assembly Body Approves 10 Sections of Accountability Bill

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice approved 10 sections of the National Accountability Commission Bill 2012. The committee reviewed the first ten sections out of the total 38 of the National Accountability Bill Commission 2012, and approved those 10 sections through voting. The PML-N proposed that the bill should not exclude the corruption committed in the past. However, the proposal was rejected through voting due to majority of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) members in the committee. They further decided that the Bill be implemented from October 1, 2002. According to the Bill, the chairman of the Accountability Commission would be elected by the committee after considering the proposed names - two each by the prime minister and the opposition leader within 14 days. If the committee is not able to elect the chairman of the commission within 14 days, the Bill says that the prime minister would send the name again, and it would be considered final.


National Assembly Passes Resolution against Obscenity on TV Channels

The National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution expressing serious concern over the broadcasting of illegal foreign channels through cable network, the growing trends of obscenity and indecency through local channels and the unchecked flow of blasphemous and vulgar material through the internet into Pakistan in violation of the Constitution and the relevant laws. The resolution, moved by the PML-N appreciated that the Pakistani media itself has initiated a debate on the issues of illegal foreign channels and obscenity while the Supreme Court has also taken suo moto notice of the same. The House also resolved to protect Pakistan’s social and religious values in line with the teachings of Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan. The National Assembly called upon the government to direct the concerned authorities including PEMRA and PTA to strictly implement the laws for the positive use of electronic media and internet. The House also authorized the Speaker National Assembly to constitute, in consultation with the Senate chairman, a parliamentary committee with the mandate to formulate a comprehensive policy in this regard with inputs from all the stakeholders including the media, to ensure that Pakistani society remains secure from the menace of obscenity and vulgarity.


Lawmakers Call For APC on Dialogue with Balochs, POL Prices

The National Assembly unanimously passed two resolutions calling upon the government to constitute an All Parties Commission (APC) to reconcile with Baloch leadership and to review petroleum prices on a monthly basis. Both resolutions were tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Zahid Hamid.

The first resolution said that the APC shall establish communication lines with the estranged Baloch leaders and convey a desire of the House for political reconciliation in Balochistan. It noted the move would help improve the overall law and order situation in the province. It further added that the commission would submit its report within one month. Chaudhry Nisar said the APC would supplement the efforts of the Parliamentary Committee already working for the resolution of problems faced by Balochistan. He said the commission should include members belonging to all parties including Jamaat-e-Islami‚ Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf and Baloch leaders.




The second resolution, asking for a monthly review of oil prices stressed that the weekly review of prices had adverse impacts on the economy and the masses. The resolution also called upon the government to review the petroleum tax.


National Body Rights Body Wants Karachi De-weaponized

National Assembly (NA)’s Standing Committee on Human Rights in recommended de-weaponisation of Karachi, with equal focus on early passage of MQM sponsored bill on de-weaponisation campaign in the country. The NA standing committee also urged the provincial government to increase current strength of Karachi police comprising 34,000 cops by two-fold. The committee recommended the cops must pertain to the metropolis itself so as to be fully sensitive about their image amongst the people coupled with a sense of belongingness. Expressing serious reservations that one third of the entire police force in the city is assigned as VIP escort and placed on protocol duty, MNAs said “Red Book” must be strictly followed. They also took exception to the fact that resources available with Sindh police were being fast surpassed by growing challenges and recommended formation of adequately trained and equipped Anti-Riot Police.

They appreciated Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan for his efforts to take on board all political parties, religious groups and other stakeholders so as to have designated sites where public meetings be held and a specific route be adopted for all rallies and procession ultimately beneficial for the citizens in general facing grave problems due to frequent traffic jams and consequent street crimes. Special Presidential Fund for Strengthening and Capacity Building of Sindh Police, they stressed must be adequately utilized with major focus on capacity building of cops vis-a-vis investigative techniques, rules related to human rights besides procurement of required gadgets. It expressed its satisfaction that 900 close circuit cameras are being installed in different parts of Karachi in next few months of time. As for misuse of mobile phones by criminals, particularly target killers, they said all unauthorized SIMs should be gradually canceled and fresh SIMs be issued under one window operation delivered at the doorsteps of the actual users as is the case with credit cards. They also suggested that a “Mega City Plan” must be in place in Karachi, the sixth largest city in the world.


National Assembly Finally Passes Drug Regulatory Bill

The National Assembly finally passed a bill for the establishment of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) of Pakistan after the opposition accepted the government’s assurance of not appointing a dual-national as the authority’s head. As Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi took up the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Bill 2012 for the final reading, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Zahid Hamid said the opposition would not press against the removal of the word ‘only’ from a clause of the bill if the government assured that the amendment was just meant to correct a grammatical error. According to the bill, the DRA would bring harmony in inter-provincial trade and commerce of drugs and therapeutic goods to regulate, manufacture, import, export, storage, distribution and sale of therapeutic goods, medical devices and drugs research. The DRA would advise the federal government on the issues relating to the obligations and commitments with international organizations related to therapeutic goods like drugs and medicine. The authority will also develop ethical criteria for drug promotion, marketing, and advertising.





Senate

Senate Panel Seeks Details of Defense Spending

For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the thickly-veiled defense budget, which comprises the lion’s share of the national budget, may be up for public scrutiny. The first step, in what has been a long-standing popular demand, was taken when a Senate panel sought details of the defense budget. The Senate Standing Committee on Defense and Defense Production has written to the defense ministry for a briefing on spending by the military. The minister for defense may brief the members of the defense committee on fiscal year 2012-13’s defense budget,” reads an official letter written by the Senate panel. A copy of the letter has also been sent to military accounts, the finance ministry and other concerned departments. The defense ministry will brief the lawmakers, for the first time, on the spending of Rs. 545 billion, which is one-sixth of this fiscal year’s total budget. Concerned departments will also brief the committee on the additional amount provided to the military under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). While Rs. 545 billion is the stated defense budget, it does not include spending on pensions to retired military personnel, and allocations to the military from the CSF. The finance ministry is hoping to receive Rs. 150 billion from the US on account of CSF pledges this year. Total allocation to defense, therefore, will top Rs. 913 billion, or 31% of next year’s Rs. 2.96 trillion budgets.


Government Can Generate 21,000MW Hydropower: Minister of State Water and Power

Minister of State for Water and Power Tasneem Qureshi told the Senate that the ministry can produce 21,000MW of hydropower if it is provided with the necessary funds. No efforts had been made for generation of hydropower since 1996, which is why the country had become more dependent on electricity produced from gas and thermal sources. He admitted that although no big hydropower scheme had been completed during the current government’s tenure but several schemes have been brought to the stage of tendering. Qureshi informed the Senate that some gas reserves had been discovered in the country, which would help the government in overcoming gas shortfall during the coming winter season. The minister said the government was still providing Rs. 25 billion as subsidy on power, and if this were withdrawn, the consumers’ bill would increase.


Senators Oppose Tax on Calls from Abroad With One Voice

The recent imposition of tax on incoming overseas phone calls caused a stir in the Senate. Members on both sides of the aisle rejected it and termed it a burden on expatriate Pakistanis. The MQM staged a walkout and demanded immediate withdrawal of the tax. Under the new arrangement effective from Oct 1, overseas Pakistanis will find it expensive to call their loved ones back home. MQM’s Tahir Hussain Mashhadi urged the government to withdraw the tax. The leader of opposition, Ishaq Dar, criticized the government for failing to handle the issue of grey traffic that some influential people, including ministers, were involved in the business. The country is suffering from a loss of $200 million every year because of the grey traffic. The Federal Board of Revenue’s Connivance with the telecommunication companies (in this regard) was an open secret. PML-Q’s Kamil Ali Agha saw a conspiracy and corruption behind the tax and said the decision (to impose it) was aimed at providing benefits to the companies which transferred the calls. He said it was unjust to put burden on the people who sent remittances to the tune of $14 billion to the country.




Mian Raza Rabbani of the PPP asked the chairman to refer the matter to the standing committee concerned. He said all regulatory authorities, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, must be under the control of parliament. He said representatives of cartels and vested interests were hell-bent to crush the people economically. The leader of the house surprised many when he revealed that he had been informed by the PTA that it only implemented the decision which had been ‘taken by someone else’. He said more than one ministry were involved in the process leading to the imposition of the tax. He said the objective of the tax was to ensure parity between the outgoing and incoming calls. Jahangir Badr said the tax would yield $500 million revenue to the exchequer each year. The chairperson of the standing committee, Kulsoom Perveen, said the issue was already with the committee which would meet on Oct 18. She invited the movers of the notice to attend the meeting.


PML-N Submits Resolution against Anti-Islam Movie

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) submitted a resolution in the Senate to condemn the anti-Islam movie. The resolution moved by Senator Ishaq Dar, leader of the opposition in the Upper House, read the Senate of Pakistan condemned in strongest terms the airing of the movie which seemed to be a vilification campaign being maliciously touted by some Western elements, lobbies and countries to malign Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the holy Quran, all on the pretext and behind the smokescreen of freedom of speech and expression. It read further the House conveyed deep concern over a systematic, conscious and well-orchestrated connivance to consistently splash out and propagate hate literature, sacrilegious caricatures and incendiary statements to aggravate religious sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims across the globe.

The Senate of Pakistan calls upon the United Nations and other International fora to promote peace and harmony, mutual human respect, tolerance, and, above all, safeguard all human beings from abuse and torture of all kinds, irrespective of the color, creed, race, religion, national identity and political strength. Furthermore, the resolution read that the right of freedom of speech and freedom of expression should not be allowed to be abused to avoid creating inter-faith fissures and hurting sentiments of followers of a certain faith, which in this case are Muslims, who happen to be the largest religious denomination of the world after Christians.

The House is of the considered opinion that such incidents provide extremists and terrorist’s organizations a good justification and a supposedly higher moral ground in recruiting, promoting and exporting extremism and terrorism, and take advantage of this to create more cleavages between followers of different religions and stoke up hatred and mistrust. It also read, “The Senate of Pakistan urges upon the United Nations that an international law/framework is devised making incumbent upon all member states to jointly work towards interfaith harmony by introducing laws entailing deterrent punishments in order to discourage and prevent the production and outflow of blasphemous material aiming at insulting or ridiculing all religions, holy personalities and other sacred scriptures.”


140 Security Agencies Won Clearance in 4 Year: Senate Standing Committee

The Ministry of Interior has informed the standing committee of senate that it issued 140 new security clearances for private security agencies in the country during the past four years, which accounted for 21 per cent of the 657 clearances issued since 1980. The senate revealed that 417 No Objection Certificates (NOC) were issued by the four provincial home departments after receiving security clearance from the federal ministry concerned. The majority of security




companies are operating in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad. Retired military personnel owned most of these companies, which were registered with the Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan. The Ministry of Interior informed the committee that cancellation of licenses was the prerogative of the provincial governments since they issued NOC for operations.


No Political Meddling By ISI Now, Senate Told

Defense Secretary Lt Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik said the political cell of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had been disbanded five years ago, adding that no such cell was operative ever since and the agency was not interfering in political matters. Senate Standing Committee on Defense and Defense Production, Malik said no political cell was operating in the ISI at present nor was it working when General Ahmad Shuja Pasha was the ISI DG. Committee chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayyed said the defense secretary informed that the US had conducted drone attacks from the Shamsi base while it was in its use, adding that the attacks were carried out with the government’s approval. The base had been sub-leased to the US by the UAE with the approval of then military ruler Pervez Musharraf. It was vacated by the US on December 11, 2011. The defense secretary also presented before the committee the details of the defense budget for the current fiscal year. He told the committee that the defense budget for the current fiscal year was Rs 545 billion, of which Rs 264 billion had been allocated to the army, Rs 114 billion to the air force, Rs 52 billion to the navy and Rs 92 billion to the ISI, the joint staff headquarter, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and defense production.

The defense secretary said regular audits were conducted in all defense-related institutions, including the ISI. Malik said the US had paid Pakistan $12 billion since 9/11, adding that, it had not made any payments to Pakistan over its use of the Shamsi air base. He said since the resumption of NATO supplies from Pakistan to Afghanistan, the US had resumed military aid to Pakistan. He said the coalition support fund was not credited to the GHQ directly but went to the Finance Ministry. The Finance Ministry then gives this amount to the Defense Ministry which distributes it among the armed forces, he said. Malik said an amount of Rs 105 billion was paid to the retired armed forces officials as pension which was not part of defense budget but paid out of civilian budget. He said the training of armed forces was under scholarship and the expenditure was borne by the US. To a question, he said the Defense Ministry paid Rs 28 billion to the government in the shape of taxes. The committee chairman said a national security strategy would be prepared and for this purpose, proposals would be sought from the Defense Ministry.


Adviser to Prime Minister on Petroleum and Dr Asim Resigns From Senate Seat

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain tendered resignation from his Senate seat. Although the reasons behind his resignation could not be ascertained immediately, the adviser resigned from the Upper House seat due to unconfirmed reports over his dual nationality. On September 20, the Supreme Court ruled that 11 lawmakers holding dual nationalities were not eligible to hold any public offices and declared all such lawmakers disqualified. It ordered the disqualified lawmakers to return the amount spent on their salaries and perks. Acting Senate Chairman Sabir Baloch accepted Dr Asim’s resignation.





Federal & Provincial Assembly

Prime Minister Announces Special Grant for MPs from KPK

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has announced a special assistance of Rs. 20 million for each member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for development projects in their respective constituencies. He also directed the Ministry of Finance for prompt release of the funds. The nation owes much to the sacrifices rendered by them and the federal government would extend all possible assistance to the provincial government in its efforts to develop and work for the welfare of people of the province. The prime minister said that the strengthening of democratic institutions and norms in the country owe much to the wisdom, patience and love for Pakistan.


KPK Government to Appoint 45 Doctors in Upper Dir: KPK

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to appoint 45 doctors to overcome the shortages in Upper Dir district. District Coordination Officer Mohammad Ali Shah said Rs. 13.2 million had been set aside for providing facilities to the people at hospitals. The DCO said 90 percent of diseases were waterborne and asked citizens to take care while drinking water. SRSP District Program Manager Noor Ajab Khan said that they would issue 32,000 micro-health insurance cards to poor people of eight union councils of Upper Dir district under the Bacha Khan Poverty Alleviation Program. He said the SRSP had distributed 5,480 micro-health insurance cards with the support of the provincial government last year. On the occasion, micro-health insurance cards were distributed among several persons.


New Provinces

Chief Minister Qaim Rules out Repeal of New Local Government Law: Sindh

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has ruled out the possibility of withdrawal or repeal of the Sindh People’s Local Government Act, 2012 but said the government will talk to opponents of the law and try to bring them round. Sindh CM invited opponents to talks saying let’s better sense prevail and let us be part of a dialogue, but withdrawal of law or its repeal is out of the question. The government can’t do it because it has been passed by the assembly. The government studied all previous local government systems before introducing the new law. He tried to dispel the fear that the mayor of Karachi had more powers than mayors of Larkana or Sukkur. The chief minister said that opponents had not so far discovered any clause in the new law that indicated division of Sindh. In the previous system a district nazim used to exercise powers of a minister but now he has been made subordinate to the chief minister and he can be removed after an inquiry to be conducted against him by the local government commission over any complaint about his involvement in any malpractice or irregularity. Among the many checks and balances introduced in the new law powers of local governments had been trimmed to a great extent and all constitutional powers rested with the chief minister. The opponents rejected the law and launched into protests without reading the document.

Dawn - October 14, 2012




Local Government

Sindh Assembly Approves Local Government Ordinance amid Hoopla: Sindh

Deep-rooted political tension over a bitterly divisive issue manifested itself in the Sindh Assembly session. The much-debated Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 2012 was passed by Law Minister Ayaz Soomro amid a wave of noisy protests, with those opposing the law terming it a “black spot on democracy” and “a slap on the face of the people of Sindh”. The system, which aims to empower local governing bodies, had been the cause of months-long deadlock between the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its major ally the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which was eager to see it implemented. The move, however, infuriated some of the government’s former allies like PML-F, PML-Q and ANP, who shouted slogans calling PPP MPAs ‘Ghadars’ or traitors. Interestingly, some PPP members also recorded their disapproval by not standing up in favor of the law, whereas some decided not to show up at all.


Activists Shot Dead, Police Station Set on Fire As Nationalists Continue To Protest: Sindh

After months of debates, arguments and threats of joining the opposition, when Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad shook hands over the final draft of the local government ordinance, the nationalists vowed to protest every step of the way. When the Sindh Assembly gave the ordinance a green light in session, the nationalists said they could continue to fight. The ordinance, according to the nationalists, is a plot to divide Sindh. In order to show their anger at the government’s alleged betrayal, the nationalists, led by Sindh United Party’s (SUP) Jalal Mahmood Shah, held their province-wide strike. Shutters across Sindh were pulled down and there was no public transport available in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Rohri, Pannu Aqil, Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro, Daharki, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Kandhkot, Jacobabad, Thul, and Tangwani. Activists from SUP, Awami Tehreek (AT), Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) and other nationalist parties organized rallies and chanted slogans against the government. Some also burnt tires in protest.

In Sukkur, the main bazaars and business centers remained closed. Several cars and buses were vandalized on the Sukkur bypass. In support of the nationalists, the lawyers boycotted court proceedings and protested on Minara Road. They were led by the vice-chairperson of the Sindh Bar Council, Ghulam Mohammad Abbasi and the president of Sukkur Bar Association, Hadi Bux Bhatt. It is aimed at breeding hate among the people of Sindh. By going through with the ordinance, the PPP has made it clear that they are working against the interests of Sindh. Lawyers also boycotted court proceedings in Naushero Feroz. In Khairpur, the police arrested three workers affiliated with JSQM. In protest, the party workers staged a protest at the railway station. Sit-ins were held at the Shah Hussain bypass, Thehri bypass and the Gambat bypass.

Protests were organized outside Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro’s house in Rehmatpur Mohalla, Larkana. The protesters hung strings of bangles on the gate. They also staged similar protests outside MNA Nazir Bughio’s house in Resham Street and Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro’s house in Shaikh Zaid Colony. In Karachi, protests were held in Shanti Nagar, Sachal Goth and Malir. The Save Sindh Committee has decided to hold a meeting to decide on what their course of action will be in Karachi. Leaders from the Pakistan Muslim Leagues-Nawaz, Awami National Party, PML-F, NPP and Jamaat-e-Islami are expected to attend.





JSM Rallies against SPLGO Bill

Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) brought out a big rally to press the government for providing national right of self-determination to the people of Sindh. The rally started from the Bank Square and after passing through Pakistan Chowk, reached Jinnah Bagh, where it was addressed by leaders of JSM and other political parties, writers and lawyers. Members and supporters of JSM, including a large number of women, were carrying party flags and banners inscribed with slogans in support of the right of self-determination and against the recently passed Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO) Bill. JSM Chairman Abdul Khalique Junejo said that Sindh was not occupied by the force of gun but the people of Sindh opted for Pakistan on the basis of 1940 Resolution that envisaged ‘sovereign and autonomous constituent units. During the last 65 years rule of Pakistani, Sindh has been turned into a colony. Lands are occupied, natural resources exploited, and a heavy influx of outside people is continuing unabated and unchecked, threatening Sindhis to be converted into a minority on their own motherland.


Islamabad High Court Reserves Decision on Local Government Polls: Islamabad

Islamabad High Court has reserved the verdict on the petition regarding holding of local government election in the federal capital. The petition was filed by filed by Salah-ud-Din, president Small Traders Association Islamabad. The single bench comprised Justice Noor-ul-Haq Qureshi on rejected the application of the district administration Islamabad for giving more time for holding LB polls in federal capital. The standing counsel, Shakeel Abbasi represented the District Administration Islamabad and pleaded that as it was the matter of public interest so the chief commissioner of the city wanted to appear in the court in person to tell his viewpoint to the court on the subject. The lawyer of applicant, Dr Babar Awan said during his argument that the holding of local government election in Islamabad was the need of the hour.


Activist Shot Dead in Protest: Sindh

Abdul Malik Noohani, the district leader of Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party in Mirpurkhas, was killed as he protested against the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance of 2012, outside Pakistan People’s Party MPA Mir Hayat Talpur’s house. Party workers claim that the police opened fire at the protesters in Digri town.


Sindh Writers, Intellectuals Protest Against SPLGO Bill: Sindh

Hundreds of Sindhi writers, poets and intellectuals staged a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) against Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO) Bill. The demonstration was led by Secretary General Sindhi Adabi Sangat (SAS) Dr Mushtaq Phull, Sohbat Baloch and Sindh Writers Forum (SWF) leaders Inamullah Sheikh, Jami Chandio, Ishaque Ansari, Afaq Bhatti and others. They all raised slogan with one voice ‘No to two systems in Sindh and no to division of Sindh’ against the newly passed SPLGO Bill by the Sindh Assembly members of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Dr Phull, said that the people of Sindh did not vote and support the PPP to divide Sindh, but they voted them for solution to problems of people and protection to the rights of Sindh, which had




been usurped by establishment for decades, and arrest of the assassins of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto but, unfortunately, they did not do so.

Senior columnist, writer and intellectual Inaamullah Sheikh said: “We people of Sindh and its writers appeal to Sindh-loving Urdu speaking Sindhis to come out of their homes against the bill and rural-urban divide, and be counted in the list of those who love their motherland”. As PPP does not represent all Sindhis and all Sindhi are not voters, members and supporters of PPP; similarly MQM, too, is not to lead all Urdu-speaking Sindhis or all Urdu Speaking being voters, supporters or members of it”, Sheikh said.

Meanwhile, Punhal Saryo, Zulfiqar Halepoto, Amar Sindhu , Inam Shaikh, Mushtaq Mirani, Professor Tanveer Junejo, Mukhtiar Abassi, Apa Nazir Qureshi, Gulshan laghari, Noor Memon, Muzaffar Chandio, Muzaffar Kalhoro, Javed Soz Halai, Jabbar Bhatti, Asghar Lagahri, Dilip Doultani, Abbas Khoso, Haseen Mussarat Shah, Perveen Magsi, Saleem Lashari, Niaz Chandio, Ayaz Chandio, Rabail Aziz, Hussain Bux Thebo, Advocate Inder Jeet Lohano, Ayaz Tunio, Hiader Shahani, Jamari Advocate, Nandlal Malhi and others also participated in the demonstration.


JST Calls for Observing Black Day against Local Government Law: Sindh

The Jeay Sindh Tehreek (JST), a nationalist party of the province, took out a rally against the recently passed Sindh People’s Local Government Law in the City, terming the dual-administrative system a conspiracy of ruling parties PPP and MQM to divide the people of Sindh. Led by its chairman Dr Safdar Sarki, the caravan of Jeay Sindh Tehreek workers started from Gulshan-e-Hadeed on vehicles and reached Nursery stop on Shahrah-e-Faisal, where they assembled. The workers took out a huge rally and walked towards Karachi Press Club. Carrying red flags of party and banners and placards, the workers chanted slogans against the PPP government’s controversial step of passing local government law. Dr Safdr Sarki, chief of Jeay Sindh Tehreek while addressing the rally at Karachi Press Club termed the new law of local government a conspiracy to create hatred and rifts among the Urdu and Sindhi speaking people. He, however, announced that the struggle against the new law would be continued till the withdrawal of the controversial law. Nationalist leader came down hard against the ruling PPP and its ally MQM over their step of passing new law abruptly without discussion it in the Sindh Assembly. Through passing controversial law, the PPP government had created province within a province with unequal distribution of powers between mayors of all five metropolitans, he opined, adding that the status of the provincial government would be remained as spectator with no powers. Dr Sarki said that the Urdu speaking people are also Sindhis like the others and they are enjoying all rights, so they should raise their voice against controversial law. He appealed to the people of Sindh to observe black day today 15 against the local government law and ruling PPP’s when ruling PPP is organizing a public gathering in support of local government law in Hyderabad.

The Nation - October 15, 2012

PPP Holds Big Rally In Support of Local Body Law: Sindh

The Pakistan People’s Party demonstrated its political prowess with a big public meeting in a ground off the National Highway. The meeting, which was addressed by former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Federal Ministers Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Qamar Zaman Kaira and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and other PPP leaders, adopted a resolution in support of the Sindh People’s Local Government Act, 2012. They termed it a law that was in larger interest of Sindh. It praised the political acumen of PPP Co-chairman and President Asif Ali




Zardari and said a handful of enemies of democracy would not be able to mislead people. Those who say that the PPP is dividing Sindh are living in a fool’s paradise. The nationalists talk to the government on the local government law. The PPP is a federal party that has deep roots in all the four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.


President Fails to Woo ANP over SPLGO: Sindh

President Asif Ali Zardari has failed to convince angry coalition partner ANP over the issue of Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO). President Asif Ali Zardari not only took the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan with his delegation to UN General Assembly in New York, but also tried his best there to convince him on the issuance of local bodies system in Sindh. All efforts of the president to convince Asfandyar Wali went in vain. However, the ANP chief put the whole matter in the party leadership’s hands regarding a final decision on LG system in Sindh. ANP leaders Senator Haji Adeel and Senator Afrasiab Khattak met the president and rejected the request by Zardari. Interior Minister Rehman Malik also made efforts to convince the ANP during a meeting with Senator Zahid Khan, however, his effort also proved unfruitful. Senator Zahid Khan said the decision of the ANP regarding LG system in Sindh was final and the party would remain determined upon its decision.


Islamabad High Court Orders Local Government Polls in Capital: Islamabad

As the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the capital administration to hold local government (LG) elections without any further delay, the city’s top bureaucrat said he would be seeking advice from the federal government. Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Prizada said: “The court order will be implemented in letter and spirit but without seeking directions from the federal government I cannot say anything about the polls.” He, however, added that the government was already planning to hold the LG elections in Islamabad. Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi on gave six months to the federal government to hold the elections. The court directed the secretary Ministry of Capital Administration and Development (CAD) and the chief commissioner to hold the elections “as early as possible as but not later than six months.” It may be recalled that the last local bodies’ elections in the federal capital were held in 1992 in which the 12 union councils had elected their representatives for four years.

The union councils are:

Bhara Kahu Phulgaran Tuimer Charah Kirpa Sihala Koral Rawat Sohan Tarlai Kurri Shah Allah Ditta

After Islamabad was given the status of an independent district on July 1, 1980, the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry held the first polls in 1980 followed by those in




1983, 1987 and 1992 under the local government ordinance 1979. The federal government, however, discontinued holding the elections in Islamabad in the late ‘90s and did not announce the schedule even after the promulgation of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government (amendment) Ordinance 2002. Under sub-article (2) (B) of article 1 of the Constitution, Islamabad capital territory is an independent federating unit; therefore, all its citizens must be treated as equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of law as guaranteed under article 25 of the Constitution, they contended.


Prime Minister Disqualification

Thumbs Up For Naek’s Swiss Letter

The judiciary and the executive abandoned their maximalist positions on the Swiss letter and finally met halfway through. The Supreme Court approved a draft letter submitted by Law Minister Farooq H Naek which seeks revival of all closed cases pending before Swiss authorities against President Asif Ali Zardari and co-accused, but also mentions presidential immunity. The approved draft states that former attorney general Malik Qayyum’s letter to his counterpart in Geneva, stating that the federation of Pakistan does not seek to be a party in cases involving the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and his family, be retracted and considered “never written.”

The ruling PPP has taken around three years to implement the court order in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case. The party lost one prime minister in this legal battle before conceding that the former attorney general’s correspondence with Swiss authorities was illegal. Legal experts say the “middle way” worked in this highly-public tiff as the court allowed the federal government to mention presidential immunity as an international norm, and the government withdrew from mentioning Article 248 of Pakistan’s Constitution specifically. The bench also asked Naek to place on the record of this case copies of the summary for the prime minister, the premier’s order authorizing Naek, the authorization letter, and the final letter dispatched to Switzerland.


Status & Up-Date of Dual Nationalities of MPs

Unification Bloc Leader Resigns Over Dual Nationality: Punjab

Unification bloc parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Dr Tahir Ali Javed has resigned from his seat over the issue of “having dual nationality”. Javed had submitted his resignation to the Punjab Assembly speaker and the speaker had accepted it.


50 Dual Nationals in Parliament

Like fake degree holders, the number of dual nationals is suspected to be quite high in parliament (Senate and National Assembly) and provincial assemblies but without the keen interest of the government they could not be identified and proceeded against. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is pursuing the goal of uncovering the faces of such MPs to get them out of parliament but the government and parliamentary bodies are likely to give a tough time to the ECP precisely in the same fashion as they did in the case of fake degree holders. A




senator said that his safe assessment was that there were at least 50 dual nationals still sitting in parliament alone - the National Assembly and Senate. Following the recent order on dual nationals by the Supreme Court, the ECP approached the secretaries of Senate and NA secretariat to get affidavits of all the senators and MNAs declaring that they did not have the nationality of any state other than Pakistan. These secretariats are, however, not enthusiastically pursuing the ECP’s request, which is in line with the order of the Supreme Court. The Constitution is clear that no dual national can get into parliament and the provincial assemblies. The disqualification of a dual national as member of parliament is part of the 1973 Constitution as authored by the constituent assembly of the PPP founder and the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The ECP also announced that from the next general elections, the nomination papers for those interested to contest the elections would require their statement under oath that they had no foreign nationality. Now the challenge for the ECP is how to get the dual nationals hiding in parliament and provincial assemblies exposed as the government is not keen in assisting the commission in this move. It is said that many MPs even have information about dual nationality of their colleagues but they too are not willing to come on record because of their personal relationship with such MPs.


Lahore High Court to Hear President’s Dual Office Case

A full bench of the Lahore High Court will hear petitions against President Asif Ali Zardari for not surrendering his political office of the PPP co-chairman and conducting political activities in the Presidency even after an LHC restraint order of May 2011. The bench had on September 27 sought assistance on a constitutional point as to how the court could initiate contempt proceedings against President Zardari when he enjoys immunity under Article 248 (2). The bench had also directed the petitioner’s counsel to define whether the nature of these contempt proceedings was criminal, civil or sui generis (neither criminal nor civil). The bench had already allowed the federal government to become pro forma respondent, which means a party that is imp leaded in a case passively and cannot discuss merits and demerits of the case. The federal government is also directed to file written objections on maintainability of the contempt petitions. The petitions were moved by Munir Ahmad through Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique and Advocate AK Dogar against the president for holding dual offices in violation of the LHC full bench order.


Shahbaz Submits Affidavit to Pa Dismissing Charges of Holding Dual Nationality

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has submitted sworn affidavit to the Punjab Assembly, dismissing charges of holding dual nationality. He submitted the affidavit to Punjab Assembly’s Secretary Maqsood Ahmed. The chief minister said all the allegations about he was holing dual nationality were lies. He said that he had been loyal to Pakistan and that he would live and die for the county. Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz had accused Shahbaz Sharif of holding dual nationality and claimed that he would prove his claim.


Two Mps Holding Dual Nationality

Lawmakers Donya Aziz of the PML-Q and Sabeen Rizvi of the PML-N are also among dual nationality holding parliamentarians as they have US and British nationalities. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmaker Donya Aziz, daughter of Tariq Aziz, is a national of the United




States and made a number of trips to the country of her second nationality in the last three years. According to the documents, she has two national identities, including Pakistan’s Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) number 611067662212 and US national ID number 10175538621. Donya’s Pakistani passport number is AE 1812212, on which she departed from Benazir International Airport, Islamabad, Allam Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, and Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, destined to the US. According to the copies of her travelling documents, she holds American passport No 711046925. Similarly, Sabeen Rizvi’s Pakistani passport number is CF9892251, at the same time she holds a British passport No 302410810. Sabeen’s Pakistani CNIC number is 6110153252254.


190 People Kidnapped From Capital Islamabad in Less Than 3 Years

A total of 190 people have been kidnapped from the capital city since January 2010. Investigations into 39 cases are still underway while 17 cases have been declared “untraced”. Giving this information to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control said the law and order situation in the city is “not bad”. According to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bani Amin, 72 kidnappings occurred in 2010, another 66 in 2011 and 52 in the current year so far. These include 33 cases of kidnapping for ransom. The data submitted by the IGP showed that 221 suspects were arrested, while 59 cases were cancelled. Most kidnapping cases pending investigations are from 2012, followed by 2011. The police chief claimed they were facing problems with investigating kidnapping cases, as suspects are able to hide out in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and tribal areas due to their close proximity. In many cases, even their provincial counterparts do not cooperate with them, which hamper investigations and arrest of suspects.


CM Punjab Gets Clean Slate from SC on Dual Nationality: Punjab

The Supreme Court has discharged a notice against Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the dual nationality case after a clarification by opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz that his statement was misinterpreted. The Punjab CM submitted a written reply regarding the matter through his counsel Mustafa Ramday, denying holding any other nationality. Raja Riaz, appearing before a three-judge bench along with his lawyer, denied the news report in various newspapers. He, however, said his statement was based on media reports, and that he had no information whether Sharif was a dual national. CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry said Riaz could have clarified his statement after the publication of the news report. On the intervention of the counsels and PML-N MNA Naseer Bhutta, the CM’s lawyer agreed the proceeding should be dropped against Raja Riaz for issuing the statement.


Interior Minister Malik Files Review Petition in Supreme Court

Interior Minister Rehman Malik filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its September 20 judgment, in which the Election Commission of Pakistan had been directed to initiate legal proceedings against him for filing a false declaration at the time of filing nomination papers in 2008. Rehman Malik has moved a petition under Article 188 of the constitution through his counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan. The Supreme Court on September 20 in dual nationality case declared 11 parliamentarians disqualified from being members of parliament for acquiring citizenship of foreign states. It directed the ECP to de-notify the




memberships of parliament/assemblies of these legislators. Rehman Malik said in his petition that to hold and declare a person as such could only have been done after due notice and opportunity of being heard, under Article 10(A) of the constitution and Qannon-e-Shahadat. He stated that dual citizenship is permitted by the Citizenship Act 1951. The court, he argued, has committed a gross error in law in declaring him disqualified.


Prime Minister among 450 MPs yet To File Declaration

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is among over 450 lawmakers who are yet to submit declarations to the Election Commission, affirming that they do not hold dual nationality. The commission decided to directly seek fresh declarations from the members of parliament and warned that those failing to submit the declarations within one month would be presumed to be guilty of violating Article 63 (1)(c) of the Constitution. 67 of the 104 Senators had not yet submitted fresh declarations sought under the directive of the Supreme Court. They include Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Deputy Chairman Sabir Ali Baloch, Leader of the House Jehangir Badr, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, the president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who submitted the declaration when he contested the election for the Senate seat after resigning. The list includes names of the chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security Mian Raza Rabbani, MQM senators Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Farogh Naseem Syed, Mustafa Kamal and Nasreen Jaleel; the ANP’s Haji Adeel, Azam Khan Hoti, Ilyas Bilour and Afrasiab Khattak; Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani and Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah of the PML-F.

The 143 members of the National Assembly whose fresh declarations are still awaited include Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Minister for Cabinet Administration Division Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Minister for Climate Change Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ammad Khan, Minister of State for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Speaker of National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, head of his own faction of the PPP Aftab Sherpao, and Chairman of Public Accounts Committee Nadeem Afzal Gondal. The list also includes the names of Defence Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar, and Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, President Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Khushbakht Shujaat, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Jam Mohammad Yusuf and Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd.

The members of the house elected on reserved seats for women appearing on the list include Justice (retd) Fakhrunnisa, Mehreen Anwar Raja, Nafisa Shah, Fiza Junejo, Asma Arbab Alamgir and Zubeida Jalal. Four of the 10 minority MNAs yet to submit declarations include Akram Masih Gill, Kishan Chand Parwani and Manohar Lal. Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz, Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, Sardar Asif Nakai and Robina Shaheen Wattoo (daughter of Mian Manzoor Wattoo) are among the around 90 members of the Punjab Assembly yet to file fresh declarations. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Speaker of Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, provincial ministers Nadir Ali Magsi, Makhdoom Jameeluz Zaman, Zahid Ali Bhurgari, Murad Ali Shah, Pir Mazharul Haq, Sassui Palijo and Daya Ram, Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Jam Madad Ali, former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and former home Minister Husnain Mirza are prominent among the 135 members of the Sindh Assembly yet to file fresh declarations. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have only 13 and seven members respectively, who have been left out of the process so far.





Government & Judiciary

PEMRA Ordered Not To Air Content against Judiciary

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the Lahore High Court (LHC) directed Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to strictly ensure implementation of its laws and do not allow airing of any television Program or talk show that contains malicious stuff against judiciary. The court ordered the federal government, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and PEMRA to submit their replies until November 5. It also directed the attorney general to assist the court on the matter. The court said that Article 68 of the constitution restrains even parliament from holding a debate about judges of superior courts.


Beg, Durrani Face Legal Action: Supreme Court

The PPP finally stands vindicated after a long wait of 16 years. The Supreme Court ruled that the 1990 general elections had been polluted by dishing out Rs140 million to a particular group of politicians only to deprive the people of being represented by their chosen representatives. Thus the court threw the ball back to the government’s court by directing it to take necessary action under the Constitution and law against former army chief Gen (retd) Aslam Beg and former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt-Gen (retd) Asad Durrani for their role in facilitating a group of politicians and political parties to ensure their success against their rivals in the 1990 elections. The short order disposed of the petition of Tehrik-i-Istaqlal chief Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan who had accused the ISI of financing the politicians in the 1990s. The petition was based on an affidavit of Gen Asad Durrani.


Apex Court’s Order on Asghar Khan Petition

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN

PRESENT

Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, CJMr. Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja Mr. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain

HUMAN RIGHTS CASE NO.19 OF 1996

[Application by Air Marshal (Retd.) Muhammad Asghar Khan] Air Marshal (Retd.) Muhammad Asghar Khan … PETITIONER

VERSUS

General (Retd.) Mirza Aslam Baig, former Chief of Army Staff & others

RESPONDENTS

For the Petitioner: Mr. Salman Akram Raja, ASC Assisted by Malik Ghulam Sabir, Adv. a/w Air Marshal (R) M. Asghar Khan




For the Federation: Mr. Irfan Qadir Attorney General for Pakistan M/o Defence Mr. Dil Mohammad Khan Alizai, DAG Raja Abdul Ghafoor, AOR Assisted by: Barrister Shehryar Riaz Sheikh, Adv. Commander Hussain Shahbaz, Director (L) Wing Comd. M. Irfan, Deputy Director

For Respondent No. 1: Mr. Muhammad Akram Sheikh, Sr. ASC Assisted by Ch. Hassan Murtaza Mann, Adv. a/w Gen. Retd. Mirza Aslam Baig

For Respondent No. 2: Lt. Gen. Retd. Asad Durrani, Ex-DG, ISI in Person

For Respondent No. 3: Mr. Muhammad Munir Piracha, Sr. ASC

For the Applicant(s): Sh. Khizar Hayat, Sr. ASC (CMA No. 918/2007) Mr. Roedad Khan in person (CMA No. 3196/2012) Raja Abdul Ghafoor, AOR (in CMA 3410/12)

On Court’s Notice: For President Secretariat: Malik Asif Hayat, Secretary to the President Mr. Arshad Ali Chaudhry, Director Legal for SBP: Raja Abdul Ghafoor, AOR

For NAB: Mr. Mazhar Ali Chaudhry, DPG Brig. (R) Hamid Saeed, in person

For HBL: Nemo Date of Hearing: 19.10.2012.

O R D E R

IFTIKHAR MUHAMMAD CHAUDHRY, CJ.- The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan commands that it is the will of the people of Pakistan to establish an order where in the State shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen representatives of the people, wherein the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, etc., shall be fully observed, so that the people of Pakistan may prosper and attain their rightful and honored place amongst the nations of the world, and make their full contribution towards international peace and progress and happiness of humanity. People of Pakistan had been struggling to establish a parliamentary and democratic order since long within the framework of the Constitution and now they foresee a strong system which is established by the passage of time without any threat and which is subject to the constitution and rule of law.

2. The essence of this Human Rights case is based on the fundamental right of citizens enshrined in Article 17 of the Constitution. It raises an important question of public importance to enforce the fundamental rights, inter alia, noted hereinabove, therefore, in accordance with the provisions of Article 184(3) of the Constitution, jurisdiction has been assumed and exercised to declare, for the reasons to be recorded later, as under:-

(1) That citizens of Pakistan as a matter of right are free to elect their representatives in an election process being conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law.

(2) The general election held in the year 1990 was subjected to corruption and corrupt practices as in view of the overwhelming material produced by the parties during hearing it has been established that an “Election Cell” had been created in the Presidency, which was functioning to provide financial assistance to the favored candidates, or a group of political parties to achieve desired result by polluting election process and to deprive the people of Pakistan from being represented by their chosen representatives.




(3) A President of Pakistan, in Parliamentary system of government, being head of the State represents the unity of the Republic under Article 41 of the Constitution. And as per the oath of his office in all circumstances, he will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favor, affection or ill will. Thus, holder of office of President of Pakistan, violates the Constitution, if he fails to treat all manner of people equally and without favoring any set, according to law, and as such, creates/provides an occasion which may lead to an action against him under the Constitution and the Law.

(4) The President of Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff, DG ISI or their subordinates certainly are not supposed to create an Election Cell or to support a political party/group of political parties, because if they do so, the citizens would fail to elect their representatives in an honest, fair and free process of election, and their actions would negate the constitutional mandate on the subject.

(5) However, in the instant case it has been established that in the general elections of 1990 an Election Cell was established in the Presidency to influence the elections and was aided by General (R) Mirza Aslam Baig who was the Chief of Army Staff and by General (R) Asad Durrani, the then Director General ISI and they participated in the unlawful activities of the Election Cell in violation of the responsibilities of the Army and ISI as institutions which is an act of individuals but not of institutions represented by them respectively, noted hereinabove.

(6) ISI or MI may perform their duties as per the laws to safeguard the borders of Pakistan or to provide civil aid to the Federal Government, but such organizations have no role to play in the political activities/politics, for formulation or destabilization of political Governments, nor can they facilitate or show favor to a political party or group of political parties or politicians individually, in any manner, which may lead in his or their success.

(7) It has also been established that late Ghulam Ishaq Khan, the then President of Pakistan with the support of General (R) Aslam Baig, General (R) Asad Durrani and others, who were serving in M.I and now either have passed away or have retired, were supporting the functioning of the ‘Election Cell’, established illegally.

(8) Mr. M. Younas A. Habib, the then Chief Executive of Habib Bank Ltd. at the direction and behest of above noted functionaries, arranged/provided Rs.140 million belonging to public exchequer, out of which an amount of Rs.60 million was distributed to politicians, whose incomplete details have been furnished by General (R) Asad Durrani, however, without a thorough probe no adverse order can be passed against them in these proceedings.

(9) The Armed Forces of Pakistan, under the directions of Federal Government, defend Pakistan against external aggression or threat of war and, subject to law, are to act in aid of civil power when called upon to do so under Article 245 of the Constitution, thus, any extra constitutional act, calls for action in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan and the law against the officers/officials of Armed Forces without any discrimination.

(10) The Armed Forces have always sacrificed their lives for the country to defend any external or internal aggression for which it being an institution is deeply respected by the nation.

(11) The Armed Forces, in discharge of their functions, seek intelligence and support from ISI, MI, etc., and on account of security threats to the country on its frontiers or to control internal situations in aid of civil power when called upon to do so.




However, ISI, MI or any other Agency like IB have no role to play in the political affairs of the country such as formation or destabilization of government, or interfere in the holding of honest, free and fair elections by Election Commission of Pakistan. Involvement of the officers/members of secret agencies i.e. ISI, MI, IB, etc. in unlawful activities, individually or collectively calls for strict action being, violated oath of their offices, and if involved, they are liable to be dealt with under the Constitution and the Law.

(12) Any Election Cell/Political Cell in Presidency or ISI or MI or within their formations shall be abolished immediately and any letter/notification to the extent of creating any such Cell/Department (by any name whatsoever, explained herein, shall stand cancelled forthwith.

(13) Late Ghulam Ishaq Khan, the then President of Pakistan, General (R) Aslam Baig and General (R) Asad Durrani acted in violation of the Constitution by facilitating a group of politicians and political parties, etc., to ensure their success against the rival candidates in the general election of 1990, for which they secured funds from Mr. Younas Habib. Their acts have brought a bad name to Pakistan and its Armed Forces as well as secret agencies in the eyes of the nation, therefore, notwithstanding that they may have retired from service; the Federal Government shall take necessary steps under the Constitution and Law against them.

(14) Similarly, legal proceedings shall be initiated against the politicians, who allegedly have received donations to spend on election campaigns in the general election of 1990, therefore, transparent investigation on the criminal side shall be initiated by the FIA against all of them and if sufficient evidence is collected, they shall be sent up to face the trial, according to law. Mr. Younas Habib shall also be dealt with in the same manner.

(15) Proceedings shall also be launched against the persons specified hereinabove for affecting the recovery of sums received by them with profit thereon by initiating civil proceedings, according to law.

(16) An amount of Rs.80 million, statedly, has been deposited in Account No. 313 titled Survey and Construction Group Karachi, maintained by MI, therefore, this amount with profit shall be transferred to Habib Bank Ltd. if the liability of HBL has not been adjusted so far, and otherwise, the same may be deposited in the treasury account of Government of Pakistan.

Chief Justice

Judge

Judge Islamabad, the 19th October, 2012


Analysis

Putting To Rest the Past, And the Present: By Ejaz Haider

Let’s start with the non-obvious. The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s short order in the 16-year-old ISI case has - or should - put paid to conspiracy theories that next year’s elections will be delayed and the Pakistan Army is prepping to install a technocratic, long-term interim government in collusion with the SC, a Bangladesh model of sorts. RIP that, thank you. Just like




the President of Pakistan and Chiefs of the Army and the ISI cannot act in any manner prejudicial to the “will of the people of Pakistan”, neither can the SC, either itself or in tandem with the military. Within the immediate context one would describe this as a positive development. Then there is the president and his office. The court says, “A President of Pakistan… being head of the State represents the unity of the Republic under Article 41 of the Constitution. And as per the oath of his office in all circumstances, he will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favor, affection or ill-will. Thus, holder of office of President of Pakistan, violates the Constitution, if he fails to treat all manner of people equally and without favoring any set, according to law, and as such, creates/provides an occasion which may lead to an action against him under the Constitution and the Law.” (NB: order is reproduced verbatim.)

The paragraph is significant in the current context when read in conjunction with the court’s observation that “The President of Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff, DG ISI or their subordinates…are not supposed to create an Election Cell or to support a political party/ group of political parties, because if they do so, the citizens would fail to elect their representatives in an honest, fair and free process of election, and their actions would negate the constitutional mandate on the subject.” From this general statement, arising out of an episode in 1990, the court proceeds to issue an order in the present: “Any Election Cell/Political Cell in Presidency or ISI or MI or within their formations shall be abolished immediately and any letter/notification to the extent of creating any such Cell/Department (by any name whatsoever, explained herein, shall stand cancelled forthwith).” The Lahore High Court is hearing a petition challenging President Asif Ali Zardari’s two offices. The LHC has not been very aggressive in taking up the issue. It will be interesting to see if the LHC reads this new judgment as a message to get on with deciding the two offices case. If that happens, we might end up seeing an attempt to get Mr. Zardari to pay for Mr. Khan’s as well as his own “partisan political” actions! There are too many press reports detailing political meetings at the Presidency and President Zardari’s speeches at PPP rallies for anyone to try and make the point about the Presidency being nonpartisan. Now to the obvious: it is a good judgment.

Some say it could have been more forthright. That is a matter of where one stands and how strongly one feels about the excesses of the army and its intelligence agencies. The short order goes beyond adjudging mere financial misdemeanor to establishing the principle of the will of the people as supreme. In the broader context of the civil-military imbalance that has informed both the domestic politics of this country and its foreign and security policies, it is always good to establish the principle of civilian supremacy flowing from the will of the people and its expression. In actual practice, it can take more than just expressing this sentiment because military putsches, when they come, exist outside the law and the constitution. The famous Asma Jilani judgment of 1973, for example, has been followed by not one but two coups. It should also be evident that it was easier for the SC to decide the case yesterday (Oct 19) than back in 1996, when the case was filed. For example, former army chief Aslam Beg cannot strong-arm the SC today as he could and did Mr Justice Afzal Zulla’s court. Yes, much has changed, and that’s all to the good. But much more needs to change structurally for Pakistan to be secure both from the military’s adventurism and civilian incompetence.

Who Received The Dough?

According to the affidavit submitted by Lt-Gen Durrani, the following sums were given to the politicians:

NAME AMOUNT

Mir Afzal Khan (Chief Minister NWFP 1990-93) Rs10 million Lt-Gen Rafaqat (for distribution among journalists) Rs5.6 million Jamaat-e-Islami Rs5 million




Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi Rs5 million Jam Sadiq Rs5 million Zafarullah Jamali Rs4 million Nawaz Sharif Rs3.5 million Former PM Muhammad Khan Junejo Rs2.5 million Pir Pagara Rs2 million Humayun Marri (Bugti’s son-in-law) Rs1.5 million Nader Mengal Rs1 million Kakar (name unclear in affidavit) Rs1 million Abida Hussain Rs1 million Jam Yousuf Rs0.75 million Altaf Hussain Qureshi (journalist) Rs0.5 million K Baloch (name unclear in affidavit) Rs0.5 million Hasil Bizenjo Rs0.5 million Mustafa Sadiq Rs0.5 million Maulana Salahuddin Rs0.3 million Several smaller groups received around Rs5.4 million lawyer Abdul Hafeez Pirzada received Rs3.339 million





BALOCHISTAN WATCH

Governance Watch

Ready to Pull Out Balochistan FC if Nawaz Guarantees Peace: PPP

Showing a conditional willingness of the government to withdraw FC from Balochistan, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said Nawaz Sharif should give guarantee of peace then the government would withdraw FC from the province. Kaira said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif should avoid giving irresponsible statements over the sensitive issue of Balochistan. He categorically said that the FC could not be called back from Balochistan on the request of Nawaz. He said that differences between President Zardari and Nawaz started when Nawaz set new conditions during a meeting working out on the impeachment of Pervez Musharraf.


People Consider Judiciary as Their Savior: Chief Justice

Calling upon all the institutions to ensure the provision of justice, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that the people considered the judiciary as their savior and the judicial policy’s advantages had started reaching the citizens. The chief justice said judgments should be made on merit and it was everyone’s responsibility to ensure the dispensation of justice. Iftikhar Chaudhry said that the solution to people’s problems lay in the rule of law as a just society is vital to the development of a strong economy. He observed that an independent and strong system of administration of justice ensured stability, the rule of law and good governance in society. No one could deny that good governance in turn led to socio-economic development by generating commercial activities and investment opportunities. He said the provision of expeditious and inexpensive justice to all the segments of society was the main concern of the National Judicial Committee as efforts were being made to improve the capacity and performance of judicial institutions. He noted that after the implementation of the National Judicial Policy, the disposal rate as well as performance of the judicial institutions had improved considerably.


Prime Minister Offers Dialogue to All Balochs Leaders

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said the government was ready to hold dialogue with all Baloch leaders with an open heart, but faith in the constitution and respect for the Pakistani flag were imperative. Raja said resolution of the Balochistan issue was his top priority and he had met with all the stakeholders in this regard. He asked the Baloch leadership to help resolve the Balochistan issue, and asked Baloch leaders to take part in the forthcoming electoral process as elected leaders were true representative of the Baloch people.


Government Doing Nothing on Balochistan: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court, during a hearing on the law and order situation in Balochistan, said the government had done nothing for its improvement. Barrister Raja Salman told the court that the




elements responsible for the bad law and order in the province had been named but no action was taken against them. Assisting lawyer of the court Qahir Shah informed it that Khuzdar District had been closed for a full month due to deteriorating law and order situation. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed this was tantamount to rejection of implementation of constitution and asked Balochistan Inspector General of Police Tariq Umar Khatab if it was not so. Justice Khawaja noted that the Supreme Court had held 70 hearings on the Balochistan situation and had issued order for the implementation of law and the constitution in the province, but despite assurances from the government in this regard nothing had been done.

When deputy attorney general asked for more time in the case, the chief justice expressed deep anger and said, “Balochistan is not your priority. Allegations are leveled against the government and the FC but the government is doing nothing.” He added, “We are responsible for the destruction of Balochistan ourselves.” Barrister Salman continued his arguments regarding the law and order and cited several examples of social injustices which gave rise to frustration in society, upon which CJP said that judiciary had already highlighted these aspects. Raja Salman said the Supreme Court should give a direction under which if the secret agencies and the government resort to excess, a mechanism should be in place for their accountability. On Balochistan Advocate General Amanullah Kanrani’s remark that the law and order situation in the province was comparatively better than that in other provinces, the CJP asked why then the United Nations working group came to Pakistan for the missing persons. Kanrani said responded that the UN group had not come solely for Balochistan and asserted that the provincial government was ready to implement the judiciary’s orders.


Supreme Court Orders Production of Jirga Members, Wani Girls

Taking notice of a jirga in Dera Bugti in which 13 girls were reported to have been made Wani (given away in marriage to settle a dispute), the Supreme Court ordered that the matter be thoroughly investigated and the tribal elders involved be produced before court, along with the girls. The Dera Bugti deputy commissioner informed a three-member bench that no-one was coming forward to give evidence in the case. The chief justice said it appeared that the deputy commissioner was facing some problems in handling the matter and he did not know how many girls had been declared Wani - 13 or seven. The home secretary pleaded that he should be given some time to look into the matter and submit a report. The Advocate General of Balochistan insisted that no such incident had taken place, but said that if any proof was provided it would be placed before the court. Justice Khawaja said the court was concerned about the life of the girls. The chief justice asked Mr. Masuri to cooperate with the home secretary because the court could not leave the matter without ascertaining facts.


Supreme Court Says Agencies Involved In Enforced Disappearances

Passing an interim order in the Balochistan law and order case, the Supreme Court said the Balochistan government should compensate the heirs of the missing Baloch people. The bench ruled that the provincial government had failed to establish law and order in the province, recover missing persons and end incidents of dumping of mutilated bodies and abduction for ransom and had lost its legitimacy to govern. The bench ordered the government to take constitutional steps to restore peace in the province. The chief justice said human rights were being routinely violated across Balochistan, adding that the Frontier Corps (FC) had also been ineffective in stemming the violence. The court said fingers were continually being pointed at




the FC in the missing persons’ cases and evidence pointing to the involvement of intelligence agencies had also been presented.


Security Situation

Baloch Youth Protest Rights Violation

The Baloch youth in London participated in a peaceful demonstration calling attention to alleged gross human rights abuses in Balochistan. The demonstration took place in front of the British prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street where participants holding placards and banners called for an end to what they said were escalating human rights violations by the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies in the province. The participants at the protest highlighted the issue of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch social and cultural activists, journalists and political and human rights workers. They also called for a complete withdrawal of the army and an immediate end to the “ongoing mass military operation against people of Balochistan of which thousands have become victims, including defenseless women and children”. The demonstrators urged the British government and the international community to cease its support to the Pakistan’s military which, they said, is responsible for crimes against humanity and violation of international laws and covenants. They appealed to the international powers to urgently intervene in Balochistan to end the “systematic genocide of the Baloch people and bring the perpetrators to justice”. After the demonstration, Baloch Representative Noordin Mengal, Baloch Students and Youth Association President Qambar Baloch and Baloch Human Rights Council Secretary General Samad Baloch submitted a petition to the British prime minister’s office.


Nationalist Perspective

Army Backs Political Process in Balochistan

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani released a public statement on strife-torn Balochistan. Gen Kayani was quoted as saying that the military would support any political process to resolve the unrest in the province - provided that it was in the constitutional framework. He also sought to dispel the impression that the security establishment was, in any way, a hurdle in the resolution of Balochistan’s problems. “The army supports any political process in the province as long as it is within the Constitution of Pakistan,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).





ELECTION WATCH

Political Stakeholders & Elections

393 Lawmakers Fail to File Statement of Assets

A filing statements of assets and liabilities with the Election Commission, about 393 members of parliament and provincial assemblies, including a number of federal and provincial ministers and leading politicians, failed to complete the legal formality.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik, Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Minister for Kashmir Affairs Manzoor Wattoo, Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah, Communications Minister Arbab Alamgir, Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination Malik Azmat Khan, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Moula Bux Chandio and Minister of State for Interior Imtiaz Safdar Warraich had failed to meet the deadline.

Twenty-three senators, including Islamuddin Sheikh, Mir Lashkari Raisani, former privatization minister Waqar Ahmad Khan, his father Gulzar Ahmad Khan, prominent ANP leaders Haji Adeel and Azam Khan Hoti, Kamil Ali Agha of PML-Q, Faisal Raza Abidi of PPP and Nuzhat Sadiq of PML-N have also not filed the statement of assets. Ali Musa Gilani and Abdul Qadir Gilani, sons of former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Captain Safdar (retd), son-in-law of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, National Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, Maulana Attaur Rehman, brother of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Awais Ahmad Leghari are among 98 defaulting members of the National Assembly.

Noor Alam Khan, who is an active member of the Public Accounts Committee, Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi, Chairman of the Pakistan Intellectual Property Organization, PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Lt General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Abid Sher Ali, former federal ministers Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd and Dr Zubeida Jalal are also on the list of defaulters.

Adviser to the Prime Minister Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Asma Arbab Alamgir of PPP, Haider Abbas Rizvi of MQM, Kashmala Tariq of PML-LM, Riaz Fatiana of PML-Q, Syed Akhudzada Chita of PPP and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of PML-N are also are among defaulters.

Provincial minister Ahmad Ali Aulak is among 167 members of the Punjab Assembly who are yet to submit their statements. Prominent among them are: Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz Ahmad, Ahmad Mujtaba Gilani, brother of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Robina Shaheen Wattoo, daughter of Federal Minister Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Parliamentary leader of MMA in the house Ali Haider Noor Khan Niazi, Adviser to the Chief Minister Asad Ashraf, PML-N Lahore Secretary General Khawaja Imran Nazir and former ministers Haji Mohammad Ishaq, Neelum Jabbar Chaudhry and Makhdoom Syed Ali Raza Shah.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, Chairman of the provincial public accounts committee Sardar Jam Tamachi Unar, former ministers Sassui Palejo, Nargis N.D. Khan and Mukesh Kumar and Syeda Marvi Rashdi, Ghalib Hussain Khan Domki, Dr Abdul Sultan Rajpar and Muzaffar Ali Shujra are among 44 members of the Sindh Assembly who have not filed the statements.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Mohammad Humayun Khan, Sports and Culture Minister Syed Aqil Shah, Communications and Works Minister Amjad Khan Afridi, Forests Minister Wajid Ali Khan, Minister for Population Affairs Sitara Ayaz, Education Minister Qazi




Mohammad Asad Khan and Minister for Zakat and Ushr Namroz Khan are among 46 members of the provincial assembly who have not filed their statements.

Balochistan ministers Ainullah Shams, Asfandyar Khan Kakar, Maulana Syed Abdul Bari Agha, Zamrak Khan, Nasreen Rehman Khetran, Abdul Khaliq, Nasir Khan Jamali, Mir Zafarullah Khan Zehri, Syed Ahsan Shah and Jaffer George, Advisers to the Chief Minister Husan Bano and Uzma Ahad and Mir Mohammad Bakhtiar Domki, Sardar Yar Mohammad Khan Rind and Samina Raziq are among 15 members of the provincial assembly who are yet to file their statements.


Election Commission of Pakistan Takes Action against 17 Offenders of Electoral Rules

In a major move to curb voter-related irregularities, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has initiated legal proceedings under sections of 468 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against 17 persons, including three females, found involved in transfer of huge number of voters from one electoral area to the other. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has traced the alleged offenders by their thumb impressions, who wanted to benefit certain politicians of the Loralai, Kacchi and Kill Abdullah constituencies in the next general election. The attempt was made chiefly during the door-to-door voter verification campaign. The offenders, mostly teachers, had allegedly resorted to not only transfer of voters from one electoral area to the other but also indulged in creation of scores of fake voters by using their own thump impressions and said the electoral body believed the unique matter would serve as deterrent in the future.


Parliament Can Extend Government Tenure by One Year, Says ECE

Chief Election Commissioner Justice (Rtd) Fakhruddin G Ibrahim has said that the Parliament has the power to extend the tenure of the government in emergency by one year and the Commission cannot interfere in the powers of the elected house. The Chief Election Commissioner said the Commission can seek help from the army and judiciary for fair, free and transparent conduct of polls. He said the main concern during election would be to maintain law and order and the commission would do its best for this purpose.


Nomination Papers for NA - 245, PA - 21 by Polls Accepted

Nomination papers of all candidates filed for by-elections being held on two vacant seats in the National Assembly and Sindh Assembly NA-245 District Central Karachi and PA-21 Naushahro Feroze have been accepted by the election commission after scrutiny. The seats became vacant after MNA Dr Farhat Mehmood Khan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and MPA Dr Ahmad Ali Shah of the Pakistan People’s Party was disqualified by the Supreme Court for possessing dual nationality. Three candidates, all from the MQM, had filed their nomination papers for NA-245. Since there are no candidates from any other party, analysts believe that any one of the candidates to get an MQM ticket would be elected unopposed after the other two withdraw from the by-election. The case is, however, different for PA-21, for which a total of 19 candidates filed their nomination papers. The Candidates of parties are:

Six candidates are from the PPP Six are independent Two are from PPP-Shaheed Bhutto




Two from the National People’s Party One each from Pakistan Muslim League-Functional Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Samiul Haq Fazlur Rehman groups

The appeals against acceptance of nominations can be filed and they will be decided by October 15 while the by-election is scheduled for November 17. The elections will be held according to the newly-prepared electoral lists which have already been dispatched by NADRA to the returning officers in constituencies concerned. The contesting candidates are allowed to hold public meetings at specific places notified by the authorities but are not allowed to organize rallies anywhere in the constituency.


120 Parties Yet To Fulfill Requirements

About 120 political parties out of the 193 registered with the Election Commission are yet to qualify to get election symbols for the upcoming general election. Only 71 political parties had so far submitted details of their intra-party elections to the commission a prerequisite for eligibility to obtain election symbol under the Political Parties Order 2002. In some of the cases the details were awaited for the last two to three years. The parties which are yet to submit details include the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), its ally Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

Similarly, 77 political parties have not submitted to the commission consolidated statements of accounts for financial year 2012 which too is a requirement for eligibility to get an election symbol.

Under Article 12 of the Political Parties Order 2002, the party leader of each political party is bound to submit to the EC, within seven days from completion of the intra-party elections, a certificate under his signature to the effect that the elections were held in accordance with the constitution of the party.

Under Article 13 of the Order, every political party is required to submit to the commission, within 60 days from the close of each financial year, a consolidated statement of accounts of the party audited by a chartered accountant, in such a manner and form as may be specified by the Chief Election Commissioner. The statement must include annual income and expenses, sources of funds and assets and liabilities.

Article 14(2) of the Order provides that the political parties contravening the provisions of Article 12 and 13 shall not be entitled to obtain election symbols.

Under Section 5 of the Allocation of Symbol Order 2002 “subject to fulfillment of the provisions of Political Parties Order, 2002 and the rules framed there under, a political party shall make an application to the Election Commission for allocation of a symbol of its choice within the period specified by the Commission”.

The EC would apprise the political parties of the requirement of law for allotment of election symbol, to avoid confusion and chaos in the political parties at the time of allotment of election symbols for general election. The matter was previously discussed by the EC with the political parties; some of them demanded allotment of election symbols to the political parties on permanent basis. Presently there existed no provision either in the political parties order or in allocation of symbols order, for permanent allocation of symbols to the political parties. He said amendment in the two Orders will be required to meet the demand.





Election Commission Suspends Over 150 Lawmakers

The Election Commission suspended membership of 154 lawmakers, including some federal and provincial ministers, for their failure to meet the legal formality of submitting statements of assets and liabilities, despite having been given another 15 days for the purpose. The suspended legislators include:

Eight senators 31 members of the National Assembly 82 of Punjab 16 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 14 of Sindh Three of Balochistan

The senators include Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Balochistan chief minister’s brother Nawabzada Mir Haji Lashkari Raisani, former privatisation minister Waqar Ahmad Khan and his father Gulzar Ahmad Khan, Ahmad Hasan, Eng Malik Rasheed Ahmad, Haji Saifullah Khan Bangash and Hilal ur Rahman. Members of the National Assembly include Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Syed Ali Musa Gilani, Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani, former federal minister Ali Aziz Kurd, former chairman of the National Assembly’s standing committee on education Abid Sher Ali and Kashmala Tariq of PML-Likeminded.cThe Punjab Assembly tops the list of defaulters, with over 50 per cent of suspended lawmakers. Such members include Syed Ahmad Mujtaba Gilani, Sardar Asif Nakai and Robina Shaheen Wattoo.

The 14 suspended members of the Sindh Assembly include two former ministers Marvi Rashdi and Mukesh Kumar. The other 12 are: Dr Nasrullah, Ahmad Ali Khan Pitafi, Aziz Ahmad Jatoi, Ali Murad Rajar, Syed Ghulam Shah, Qazi Shams Din, Shahid Thaheem, Haji Usman Jalbani, Amanullah Khan Masood, Firdous Hameed, Parveen Mughal, Rukia Khanum Soomro and Riffat Khan. The defaulting MPAs of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are Finance Minister Mohammad Humayun Khan, Zakat, and Ushr Minister Shamroz Khan, Aurengzeb Khan, Ateef ur Rahman, Mohammad Ali Khan, Ahmad Khan Bahadur, Sardar Ali, Sikandar Irfan, Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah, Wajih-uz-Zaman Khan, Sardar Hussain, Said Rahim, Fazlullah, Saleem Khan, Dr Yasmin Nazli Jaseem and Syeda Saeeda Batool Nasir. The three members of the Balochistan Assembly include ministers Ainullah Shams and Abdul Khaliq and Samina Raziq.


Political Parties

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)

Sindh’s Mahar Group to Join PPP: Sindh

One of upper Sindh’s leading political groups, the Mahar Group, which has been in political isolation for the last four years, has finally decided to join the Pakistan People’s Party. The group negotiated its terms and conditions with co-chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) President Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi. The meeting decided that the Mahar group would soon formally announce its induction in the PPP at a public gathering in Khan Garh Mahar, likely to be attended by President Zardari. Ali Nawaz Khan aka Raja Mahar, Sardar Muhammad Bux Mahar, Ali Muhammad Mahar, Sardar Alo Gohar Mahar, and Nasir Shah held the decisive meeting with the president. The group, which dominates Ghotki district and parts of other districts in upper Sindh, told President Zardari that they would contest elections from their respective constituencies where they already enjoy huge support; while, a joint candidate will be nominated with mutual consensus in other areas which do not come under their stronghold.




PPP’s district leadership and workers, however, are not in favor of the Mahar group joining the party, and had held several protests against the move.

The Express Tribune - September 03, 2012

Benazir Income Support Program Me Becomes Pre-Poll Rigging Tool For PPP

The PPP government has actively started using the taxpayer-funded Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) as an effective tool for pre-poll rigging. The BISP reveal, and official documents show, the BISP sharing what is otherwise privileged information, about the beneficiaries with the PPP leaders to get the Program encased in favor of the ruling PPP in the final election year. The Program has been allocated Rs70 billion for the current fiscal year to provide cash assistance to seven million families, which constitutes over 20 percent of the entire population. Not only the already enrolled beneficiaries, almost four million, are being exposed to the PPP leaders but also the details of those cleared for the same assistance, almost three million, are secretly provided to the PPP “notables”. If this Program is not depoliticized and de-tagged as a PPP project, the sources fear it would directly affect almost 21 million voters (seven million families of beneficiaries with average three voters in each family.

The News - September 07, 2012

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N)

Several PML-Q, PPP Leaders Likely To Join PML-N

As a result of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) drive to contact politicians of other parties, some of the PML-Q and PPP leaders in Punjab are expected to join the PML-N. PML-Q lawmaker Raza Hayat Hiraj, PPP leader Sahibzada Ghazanfar Gul, former NA speaker Fakhar Imam and former Lodhran nazim Abdul Rehman Kanju are in contact with the PML-N, and are expected to join the party. PPP leaders from Gujarat, including Ahmad Saeed, the elder brother of Water and Power Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, Nawabzada Mazhar Ali Khan and Nawabzada Muzaffar Ali Khan, brothers of Ghazanfar Gul, have already joined the PML-N.

Hiraj reposed confidence in the PML-Q leadership; he was still in contact with the PML-N leaders and was expected to join the party

Fakhar Imam and Kanju had also met the PML-N leadership and given positive signals

Current and former parliamentarians are now realizing the importance and soaring popularity of the PML-N and wished to come into its folds,” said a PML-N leader. The PML-N senior leaders have been tasked to finalize a list of party candidates for the upcoming general elections. The PML-N leadership has asked senior party leaders, including Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Khawaja Asif, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Raja Zafar ul Haq, Senator Pervez Rashid, to gear up contacts important leaders of other parties. The PML-N leaders have also sped up contacts with the nationalist leaders from Sindh and Balochistan in order to strengthen the party there.


Punjab A Safe Place for Foreign Investors: Chief Minister Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that role of expatriate Pakistanis is vital for the progress and prosperity of their country and he believes that the Pakistanis living abroad are rendering invaluable services to their country. The chief minister urged expatriate Pakistanis to invest in their country and fully benefit from the incentives and facilities being offered by the




Punjab government. The Punjab government has created a conducive atmosphere for investment and all-out facilities are being extended to investors on a priority basis. Shahbaz said that expatriate Pakistanis should play a more effective and vibrant role for the uplift and prosperity of their country. He said the Punjab government is taking steps for the improvement of law and order situation and measures have also been taken for the protection of life and property of investors. The chief minister said that a number of projects of public welfare are being executed with the cooperation of Turkey, Iran and other countries.


PML-N to Quit Assemblies after MBS Completion

The second-largest political party in the country, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has planned to resign from assemblies in December after completion of its provincial government’s mega project, the Metro Bus System, in Lahore. The Sharif brothers were willing to increase pressure on their rival Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to hold general election in March 2013 considering it a suitable time while there were strong rumors of delay in general election for a year or two. The party heads had already conducted a secret survey through their various quarters and cells regarding the party’s popularity and general public opinion about its position in the upcoming general election. The sources said following the results of the survey, the party was warned that it could lose its massive vote bank in Lahore if the MBS project wasn’t completed before the next general election, as people of the city were facing severe transportation, environmental and medical problems and were turning against the provincial rulers. Keeping in view the survey analysis and the political affects of the MBS, the PML-N leadership had decided to tender their resignations from the national and provincial assemblies, including Punjab Assembly, in the last week of December or first week of January 2013.


Overseas Pakistanis Should Have Right to Vote: Nawaz

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif has said overseas Pakistanis should have the right to vote as they are an asset of the nation and are rendering invaluable services to the country while staying away from their homes and near and dear ones. Nawaz said contributions by Pakistani expatriates to the national economy were highly commendable and were acknowledged by the entire nation. “Overseas Pakistanis have made all kinds of sacrifices for their country in the hour of need,” he said. Nawaz said the government had made no serious effort for the resolution of serious problems such as price hike, poverty and load shedding. He said there was no load shedding or price hike in his era and terrorism was unheard of, adding that when Pakistan’s defense capability was challenged, his government, despite immense foreign pressure, tested nuclear devices and made the national defense impregnable. Nawaz said Pakistanis should not lose heart even though the situation was critical. He said elections were near and the PML-N had a complete and a comprehensive Program for development and progress and its implementation would result in elimination of price hike, unemployment and load shedding. He said people should exercise their right to vote judiciously and should not vote for such elements that have brought the country to such a pathetic state.


Opposition Leader of National Assembly Files Application in SC for Early Hearing

The Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan has filed an application for the early hearing of case pertaining to the appointment of the chairman of NAB.




Nisar takes the plea that case is pending for long while the government has appointed a person as chairman NAB who does not fulfill constitutional criteria. The Supreme Court, Nisar further pleads, has given verdicts in various cases that on constitutional posts person who is honest and trust-worthy with unblemished reputation should be appointed- a person who could conduct accountability of those involved in corruption. The application further says that the president not only violated his oath of office but also Section 6 of the NAB Ordinance by appointing the present chairman NAB. The appointment of such NAB chairman also violates the rights of the people. Nisar prays for an early hearing of that petition against the appointment of chairman NAB.


New Accountability Bill Is a Dacoity Bill, Says National Assembly Opposition Leader

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan said the new Accountability Bill was a “dacoity” bill aimed at providing protection to plunderers and robbers. Nisar said the PML-N would hinder the newly-tabled bill. We are opposed to a fragile and weak bill which is not aimed at curbing theft and irregularities. We gave 58 amendments in this regard. Zahid Hamid, Anosha Rehman, Saira Tarar and Justice Cheema worked a lot for the bill and the government agreed to 54 of our 58 amendments. We want an accountability that lets no one escape. It should be equally acceptable to both government and opposition. At least 36 meetings were held in connection with the accountability bill but it was put aside and a new bill was tabled. It will be unjust to call it accountability bill,” he said. Nisar said the PML-N would not blemish its rapport by supporting the bill. The PML-N leader said neither a corrupt person would be sent to jail nor would he be arrested under the bill and only a reference would be sent which would entail disqualification only for a short period.


Nation Still Facing Consequences of Oct 12: Nawaz, Shahbaz

PML-N chied Nawaz Sharif has said that the people of Pakistan believed in democratic change, through balloting, not through dictatorial grabbing of power. He said under dictatorial rule, an individual only runs the entire system of the country and obeys the decisions of others in accordance with their vested interests. Sharif observed that, on the black day of October 12, 1999, a tragedy happened to the democracy in Pakistan and the elected government of the people, when a dictator removed the democratic government through an unconstitutional and illegal action. Nawaz Sharif said that the country was facing manifold problems, including terrorism bad governance, inflation, unemployment, and loadshedding due to inadequate and anti-people policies of the government. He stated that if any state losses the trust and support of its people, that state was considered as a defenseless state in the International world. In his message on the occasion of 12th October, the Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, while paying rich tributes to the political forces particularly leaders and workers of Pakistan Muslim League-N who faced atrocities in the dictatorial era with courage and determination, said that 12th October 1999 is the blackest day in our national history when a dictator toppled the democratic and elected government. He asked the political forces of Pakistan to renew their determination on this day that they would not allow such undemocratic step in future in Pakistan. Shahbaz Sharif said that the Pakistani people salute the sacrifices of those heroes of the country and the nation who bravely faced the state brutalities during dictatorship of Musharraf and saved the democratic system through their sacrifices.





Nation Still Suffering Due To Musharraf’s Coup

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif said the nation was still suffering due to the steps taken on October 12, 1999 when former dictator Pervez Musharraf toppled his democratically elected government.

In a statement issued on the occasion of Black Day being observed by PML-N against the 1999 coup, Nawaz said the situation changed after Musharraf took over the administrative charge of the country and more unconstitutional steps during his eight years rule weakened Pakistan’s economy and stability. He said the world kept imposing its will on the enervated Pakistan, adding that the path of unconstitutional adventures could have been stanched.

The PML-N chief questioned whether the violators of the constitution had been tried. “Actual change will come through vote,” he added.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Pervez Musharraf overthrew Nawaz’s government in 1999 after then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried removing the sitting army chief.

Nawaz had replaced Musharraf with then Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lieutenant General Ziauddin Butt as chief of army staff when Musharraf was en-route to Karachi from Sri Lanka.


Accountability Bill Aimed At Protecting the Corrupt says, CM Punjab Shahbaz

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif says the Accountability Bill moved by the People’s Party government is aimed at protecting the corrupt instead of rooting out corruption.

Shahbaz said from the very first day he had been calling the “ruling gang of Islamabad as Ali Baba and 40 thieves”, and by presenting this bill, the PPP leadership had endorsed this fact.

Terming the bill a 2012 edition of the NRO, he said its basic purpose was to provide protection to those who looted national wealth and saving them from the clutches of law. But, he asserted, the end of this bill would not be different from that of the NRO.

The chief minister said that even if the ruling party, owing to its numerical majority, got the bill approved, his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, would annul this “shameless” law immediately after coming into power.


Another Musharraf Loyalist Joins PML - N

Another Musharraf loyalist, former MPA Nighat Salim, joined the PML-N, a day after it observed Oct 12 as a ‘black day’ against the former military chief’s coup to oust its chief Nawaz Sharif’s government.

As the number of Musharraf loyalists joining the Sharifs’ party is swelling day by day, PML-N’s activists who struggled during the Musharraf rule are worried about their political future because many of them would be deprived of party tickets in the next general elections.

This situation may create problems for the Sharifs. If they award party tickets to former Musharraf and PML-Q loyalists, they will have to satisfy those who remained with the party through thick and thin and are expecting party tickets.




The Punjab government is facilitating the PML-Q forward bloc members by giving them development funds. Somehow the bureaucracy also ‘obliges’ them.


Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

PTI Denied Permission for South Waziristan

The administration of South Waziristan Agency has refused to allow the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf to hold a rally in Kotkai area of the conflict-hit region. Neither the condition in Waziristan is favorable nor does the political administration have the capacity to provide security to about 100,000 participants of the rally in Kotkai. He said the administration had intelligence reports that terrorists might attack the rally and the authorities could not take a risk because local people were also opposing the planned demonstration in their area.


Tsunami Fails To Hit Waziristan

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan claimed victory at the end of his march against US drone strikes, despite failing to reach his intended destination in the tribal areas. Imran defied official warnings to lead thousands of supporters beyond Tank, the last town before the semi-autonomous area which is the refuge of heavily armed Taliban and al Qaeda militants. He had planned to reach the village of Kotkai in South Waziristan, notorious as a place where the Taliban used to train suicide bombers, but turned back before reaching the district border after the army warned it was unsafe to stay in the area after nightfall. More than 20,000 people thronged the streets of Tank for the final rally, according to police, and well-wishers lined the streets of villages along the route from Islamabad to welcome the convoy as it passed through on its two-day journey. But the turnout at the final rally was well below the 100,000 predicted by Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the run-up to the event, and the vast majority of those taking part in the march appeared to be party activists.

Imran insisted the march - a motorcade that included several thousand vehicles by the end, according to police - was a success. “We have given our message - it has gone across the world,” he told supporters. “We have succeeded in raising this issue. We came here to raise this issue; we came here to take a stand against drones.” Authorities had said the protesters for security reasons would not be allowed to enter the tribal belt - where missiles fired by US drones routinely target militants - and blocked the road to Tank with shipping containers. But protesters removed the containers, meeting little resistance from police, allowing the convoy to approach Tank. Activists scuffled with police at one point and threw stones at the containers. The march reached Tank four hours behind schedule, and a PTI spokesman blamed police delaying tactics for the failure to reach Waziristan. Student Fakhruddin Shinwari accused the the government of trying to hide the real situation in the tribal belt. “There’s no security risk. If Imran Khan goes to Waziristan, the situation made up by the United States and Pakistan will be exposed. There are no terrorists there - it will be shown to be a lie.”

There was a heavy security presence along the road to Tank, which a senior police officer had said earlier was not safe and was targeted by roadside bombings. Before the march began its second day on Sunday, Imran urged activists to stay peaceful and to avoid confrontation with the authorities. Medea Benjamin, leader of a delegation from the US peace group CodePink, apologized for the drone attacks, saying: “We are so grateful that you understand there are Americans in solidarity with you and against our government policy.” However, the US peace




campaigners left the convoy before it reached Tank, with their spokeswoman saying they felt they had achieved their goals. Clive Stafford Smith, the British head of the legal lobby group Reprieve, said whether the group reached its intended destination was irrelevant. “It’s already a wonderful success,” he told reporters. “It doesn’t matter what happens from here on. We’ve generated a huge amount of publicity not just in Pakistan but across the world.” Militants have killed thousands of people in Pakistan since 2007, and US officials say the drone strikes are a key weapon in the war on terror. A report commissioned by Reprieve estimated last month that 474 to 881 civilians were among 2,562 to 3,325 people killed by drones in Pakistan between June 2004 and September 2012.


PTI Vows to Raise Voice against Drone Attacks in Tribal Areas

Reacting strongly against the continuation of US drone attacks in the Tribal Areas, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that the drone strikes are not acceptable and they would raise voice against this violation of international law at international forums. PTI Central Information Secretary Shafqat Mahmood strongly condemned the recent strikes in North Waziristan and held that the attacks were unacceptable as they cause tremendous collateral damage and are in strict violation of human rights. The PTI has managed to bring together people of FATA and the common people of Pakistan and has managed to highlight the menace of drones that have killed innocent people, maimed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.


PTI Denies Imran Refused To Accompany PM on Malala Visit

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary Shafqat Mehmood has rejected the government’s claim that PTI Chairman Imran Khan refused to pay Malala Yousufzai a visit. Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira requested Imran Khan on behalf of Prime Minister (PM) Raja Pervez Ashraf that they should visit injured Malala together. Imran Khan excused himself from accepting the invitation holding the stance that he had already inquired about Malala Yousafzai’s health by paying a visit to Peshawar. Khan stated that he had also met her family members. At this, Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira proposed that if he did not want to go with the PM, let any other PTI leader to go with him in order to give a good message.


Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q)

Sialkot Motorway to Be Linked With Gujrat: Pervaiz Elahi

Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) senior central leader and Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi announced that Sialkot Motorway would be constructed and linked with Gujrat. Elahi said, “We had started the project to construct Sialkot Motorway during our tenure but this was dropped by N-League in enmity of Gujrat because Sialkot Motorway was to be linked with Gujrat.” The deputy PM has reiterated that PML-Q’s mission is to serve the people, and they are taking the mission of Zahoor Elahi ahead, and his party will establish a cardiology centre in Wazirabad soon. He said, “If with the blessings of Almighty Allah and support of the masses at large we come into power again, we would construct Sialkot Motorway and link it with Gujrat.”





Sher Afghan Niazi Passes Away

Former federal minister Dr. Sher Afgan Niazi passed away after prolonged liver complications in Mianwali. Dr. Niazi had been fighting liver cancer for the last six months and was unconscious for the past four days. Politicians from all parties expressed their grief over the demise, saying that Dr. Niazi was a politician of high repute and his services for promotion of democracy and supremacy of the constitution would be remembered for a long time. Hailing from Mianwali, Niazi was the minister for parliamentary affairs during former president Pervez Musharraf's regime. He had been elected to the National Assembly in 2002 as a member of the Pakistan People's Party and later joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid.


Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)

JI Chief Urges Balochistan Government to Step Down

The Jamaat Islami (JI) asked the government to implement orders of the Supreme Court in Balochistan law and order case. JI chief Munawar Hasan demanded that the government execute the orders of the court. He demanded that the Balochistan government step down in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court. After the apex court order the provincial government has lost its constitutional right to rule. He said the federal government had also failed to solve Balochistan issue and gave nothing to the Baloch in the name of relief packages. Now, the time has come that federal government should acknowledge its inability to address the Baloch issues and apologize to the nation. He held the Balochistan government for the worsening law and order situation in the province saying it had kept mum over the subversive activities of the anti-state elements under the patronage of the US and India. He was of the opinion that the security and secret agencies had worsened the Balochistan situation. It is the duty of the security agencies to provide protection to the people but they have done contrary to it.


Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazalur Rehman (JUI-F)

Fazl Opposes Army Action in NWA Following Malala Attack

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said any military operation in North Waziristan as a reaction to the Malala incident would not be in the national interest. He said thousands of girls had become victims of drone attacks but their deaths were not protested as the attack on Malala Yusafzai was being condemned. He expressed grave concern over the situation in Fata, Balochistan, Karachi as well as interior Sindh saying Pakistan has become a haven for target killers, extortionists and kidnappers.


Muthida Qaumi Movement (MQM)

MQM Holds Walk for Peace in Karachi

Deputy Convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee Dr Farooq Sattar has said the majority of the people living in Karachi are peace-loving and the huge success of the peace walk was a victory of peace lovers and defeat to the enemies of peace. He said that only peace could guarantee advancement, and advancement would in turn bring




prosperity. The walk was started from Bagh-i-Iban-i-Qasim and culminated at the Teen Talwar, Clifton. Dr. Sattar said that the peace walk had given a very clear message to the criminal mafia and terrorists. They have rejected the extortion mafia and exposed the elements behind the incidents of kidnappings for ransom. He said that it was a historic day. The people of Karachi have given a clear message to the government and the law-enforcing agencies as well that they would have to be taken on board in the process of establishing a durable peace in Karachi. They would have to be involved in the efforts for bringing peace in Karachi. He said that there were only a handful of criminal elements, religious extremists and terrorists practicing violence in order to achieve their vile objectives. The overwhelming majority of the people of Karachi want peace and stability in the city because they want to see peace and stability in Pakistan. Sattar said that the people of Karachi have shown that they value peace and believe that peace was indispensable for advancement. They have spoken loudly and rejected the elements that were always conspiring to undermine peace in the city. He said that Karachi was the economic hub of Pakistan and engine of progress. If there is economic activity in Karachi, it would give stimulus to the economic development of Pakistan. It would create employment opportunities and bring economic independence. He termed the peace walk as a referendum against every form of terrorism, religious extremism and sectarianism.


Overseas Pakistani’s Are Assets for Country: Altaf

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has said that the overseas Pakistanis are an asset for the country; hence their patriotism should not be called into question. He appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, other honorable judges of the Supreme Court and people at the helm of affairs to reconsider the issue of the dual nationality. Hussain said that the overseas Pakistanis had always helped the country in difficult times; particularly their services at the time of natural disasters in the country were highly praiseworthy. He said that Pakistanis living in foreign countries, whether they lived in USA, UK, France or any other country, were the ambassadors of Pakistan, hence their loyalty to Pakistan should not be called into question. They should not be treated in a way to make them believe that they were second-class citizens of Pakistan. Hussain said that it was in the larger interest of the nation not to consider overseas Pakistanis as disloyal. The issue of the dual nationality should be considered with sympathy, and they should be allowed to participate in elections and exercise their right to vote. He appealed to judges, lawyers, intellectuals, columnists, and people belonging to different spheres of life to play their role in restoring the rights of the overseas Pakistanis. He said that the enthusiasm with which the people of Karachi took part in the walk and demolished the differences of the rich and poor had few examples.


MQM to Collect Details of Clerics

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Chief Altaf Hussain has appealed to workers of his party as well as peace-loving people of the country, in Karachi and elsewhere, to “collect details of ulema, zakirs, prayer leaders of mosques and Imam Bargahs and heads of madressah in their localities” and send them to the party’s Nine Zero headquarters. Mr. Hussain said the names of all those ulema, zakirs and prayer leaders who decline to provide information should be sent to the government. The government should obtain information about such people in the interest of the country.





Awami National Party (ANP)

UK Bans Entry of Ghulam Ahmad Bilour

The British government has decided to ban the entry into Britain of Pakistan’s Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour and Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, maker of the blasphemous film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ that caused riots across the Muslim world. The decisions were taken at a high level meeting in which the Home Secretary Theresa May agreed to issue exclusion orders for both Bilour, who had offered a $100,000 bounty for the killing of the maker of the anti-Islam film, and Nakoula on the grounds that their presence in the UK will not be “conducive to the public good”. Both of them have been declared “undesirable” as their presence in Britain could harm race relations and pose threats to Britain’s national interests. The Home Secretary may decide to exclude an individual who is not a British citizen if he or she considers that their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good. The source told that the Home Secretary had used her powers on full justification, based on all available evidence and the decision is “reasonable and proportionate”.


All Pakistan Muslim League (APML)

APML Mulling Ways to Find Some Political Friends

The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) after finding itself standoffish in the political arena is mulling ways to find some political friends as all the old buddies of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf have taken a stand against him. In the present political scenario when all of his supporters and allies have changed stance on certain national issues and even ignited criticism on Musharraf for erroneous steps, the APML has started censure on the politicians that were standing with them and now arguing for the steps had taken during Musharraf regime. After a cold shoulder from Imran Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to forge an alliance with their party, Musharraf’s aides have advised him to end blame game against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to get their support.


Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP)

Talal Urges and Invites All Democratic Political Parties to Make Grand Political Alliance

The Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief said all political forces should be united on a one-point agenda of making a grand alliance for free and fair elections in the country. Talal said that the Balochistan issue should be taken seriously and joint efforts should be exerted to resolve problems of the people of Balochistan. However, peace in Balochistan could only be restored through conferring due rights to people. Democratic people in Balochistan had either been killed or removed to field undemocratic forces. Mutilated bodies of Baloch youth were being dumped on roads to create panic among those who were voicing against atrocities. The Jamhoori Watan Party chief said that the undemocratic forces ruling the country under President Asif Zardari were planning to rig the elections. He hoped that the patriotic parties would join hands in a grand alliance to foil the conspiracies against the country’s ideology, solidarity and integrity failing which the establishment and the undemocratic forces would “play their dirty role” in the elections to maintain status quo.





Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Talal Akbar Bugti has advised to form a grand political alliance for general elections and invited all the political parties to lend a hand to pull the country out of the present crisis. He added that he was in contact with various religious and political elements for the formation of the proposed alliance. Pakistan requires an Imam Khomeini for getting rid of all dangers being faced to its solidarity, he hinted. He suggested if all the demands of Baloch people were met then he himself would persuade the Baloch leaders residing abroad to come back and join national political stream. “Loyalty of the Baloch with Pakistan is above board and those who try to portray the Baloch as foes of Pakistan are themselves dishonest”. However, he declared he would not take part in the elections until FC, ISI and MI leave the province.


Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP)

National Party Contest Elections, Says Malik Baloch

Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, president of the National Party, which boycotted the polls in 2008, announced on that his party would take part in the coming elections. He said the NP is a progressive nationalist party which believes in the democratic process and constitutional struggle to achieve rights. Dr Baloch said all people living in Balochistan should have equal rights irrespective of their ethnic affiliations. He said that 88 per cent population of Balochistan was living below the poverty line and it was the NP’s aim to ensure that every citizen got basic amenities of life.





HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Child Rights

Civil Society Wants End to Child Marriage

As the world celebrates the first International Day of the Girl Child, civil society called for a firm legislation and stern action to end girl child marriage in Pakistan. On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to promote the rights of girls and to address the unique challenges they face. For its first observance, this year’s day will focus on child marriage, which is a fundamental human rights violation and impacts all aspects of a girl’s life.


142 Million Girls at Risk of Child Marriage: United Nations Report

Calling for zero tolerance towards child marriage, a latest report of the United Nations has feared that the number of girl child marriages will increase dramatically over the next 10 years and more than 142 million girls are at risk of this human rights abuse. The number of children marrying each year will grow by 14 per cent from 14.2 million in 2010 to 15.1 million in 2030 if current trends continue, warns the report titled “Marrying too Young: End Child Marriage” released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). In South Asia alone, the number of child brides is likely to increase from 24.4 million (4.9 million per year) in 2010 to 27.9 million (5.6 million per year) in 2030. South Asia has the highest prevalence of child marriages with 46 per cent followed by sub-Sahara Africa with 37%. In Pakistan, the report says, about 5,000 new cases of obstetric fistula occur every year, with young girls disproportionately affected. The UNFPA launched a fistula repair project in Pakistan as part of an overall program to improve maternal health and now it is launching another program with focus on ending child marriage and early pregnancy. In Punjab, the UN agency supported the formulation of a youth policy which addresses child marriage and early pregnancy. Youth networks raised awareness in their communities about the danger of child marriage, the report said.


170 Children Go Missing In Nine Months: Report Madadgaar National Help Line

Madadgaar National Helpline (MNH) has expressed concern over increasing number of cases of missing children in Karachi, as a total of 170 such cases were dealt by it from January to September 2012. Madadgaar Helpline Karachi office dealt 11 cases of missing children in January, 8 in February, 12 in March, 16 in April, 21 in May, 29 in June, 15 in July, 39 in August and 19 in September. The recovery rate of missing children remained significantly low, with only 10 children recovered with Madadgar National Helpline’s intervention during last nine months. Helpline data indicates increasing rate of missing children in the month of June and August, due to summer holidays and Eid holidays. During holidays, children’s disappearance and kidnapping cases are recorded more than normally occurring. On Eidul Azha, children mostly go away from home to see the sacrifice of animals from where they are either lost or kidnapped. “There is need to verify the children security and protection by parents and there is also need to sensitize the children about security measures at school to minimise the risks,” Helpline said. Unfortunately, police do not take any practical steps against missing of children




and for their recovery. It shows their lack of interest toward this heinous crime, it said. Zia Ahmed Awan Founder of Madadgaar National Helpline said this huge number of missing children shows the weaknesses of Pakistan’s child protection system. He said that missing and kidnapping cases of children go up on special occasions, therefore there was need to take serious steps to protect the children on such occasions.


Minorities

Witnesses Turn Hostile in Rimsha Masih Case

Three witnesses who had earlier testified against prayer leader Khalid Jadoon Chishti in the blasphemy case against Rimsha Masih withdrew their statements, insisting that the police had “coerced” them into doing so. In their affidavits before the court, witnesses Hafiz Owais, Khurram Shahzad and Danish Ahmed reneged from their previously-recorded statements, claiming these were recorded under duress. According to their new affidavits, they did not see prayer leader Chishti desecrating pages from the holy Quran and stacking them to the evidence against Rimsha. Earlier Shahzad and Owais had claimed that they saw the cleric tearing some pages of the Quran and placing them in a plastic bag. The eyewitnesses had claimed that Chishti added those torn pages to the ashes seized from 14-year-old Rimsha to implicate her. The Ramna police station had recorded the statements from Owais and Shahzad, both of whom had endorsed what a third eyewitness Hafiz Zubair had said about the prayer leader. After receiving the affidavits, Islamabad district and session judge Raja Jawad Abbas issued notices to Investigation Officer (IO) Munir Jaffri, District Attorney (DA) Mehfooz Paracha and complainant Hammad Malik and adjourned the case.


Accusers, Accused in Blasphemy Case Go Missing

An investigation into the incident of alleged blasphemy has taken a U-turn after the mysterious disappearance of the complainant Khursheed Alam and chief prayer leader of the local mosque, Qari Ghulam Qadir while the accused boy and his family have also gone into hiding. Ryan, 15, and his mother Robina Bryan, who served in Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) as a superintendent, left their house after the teenager was charged with sending a blasphemous text message from his cell phone. Interestingly, both Alam and Qadir have left SSGCL Officers Colony, located at Main University Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The scribe visited SSGCL Officers Colony but was stopped by the security guards. Barkat Ali, the head of SSGCL security, said that Qadir had fallen ill and left the colony early in the morning with his son Saad Qadir and neither had returned as yet. When the security head was asked about Alam, he said that he left for Shikarpur for an official tour. Alam in his statement to police claimed that he had received a blasphemous text from the mobile number of Ryan. He told police that Ryan also sent the same text message on his friend Farooqi’s number. He said that he approached the prayer leader of the colony’s mosque, and along with Qari Muhammad Riaz and his son Saad Qadir, visited Robina’s house on the same night. He claimed in his statement that Ryan admitted that he had forwarded this message to some Muslim friends without actually reading it. According to Alam, Ryan told him that he had received the message from his friend Samuel, but when he was asked to show Samuel’s message on his cell, he replied that he had deleted that SMS.

A case (FIR No 432/2012) under Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 25 of the Telegraph Act was later registered at the Mobina Town police station. In this FIR, it was




mentioned that the investigation of this case would be carried out by the Station Investigation Officer (SIO), however no one bearing that designation is posted in Mobina Town police station. Sub-Inspector Muhammad Bux, who was investigating the case, had no answer when queried regarding the whereabouts of Alam, adding that he also had no knowledge about Molvi Sarwar. Senior police officials in Karachi have varying opinions regarding the case. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shahid Hayat asserted that the boy had confessed that he forwarded the message. Superintendent Police (SP) Gulshan Iqbal, Asim Qaimkhani, however, was of the view that the boy was just a teenager who forwarded the message without reading it. More views came from officials; one claimed that it was suspected the incident was the culmination of a quarrel between SSGC administration and Rubina, and that some officials in the administration wanted the family to leave the colony.


Anti-Islam Propaganda & Protests

YouTube Likely To Remain Blocked In Pakistan Indefinitely

Pakistani users of video-sharing website YouTube are caught between an unstoppable force and an immovable object: the government of Pakistan refuses to unblock access to YouTube in the country until Google, which owns the website, restricts access to the video “Innocence of Muslims” in Pakistan, and Google refuses to block access to the video in Pakistan. Google’s decision not to restrict access to the video in Pakistan, while complying with requests to do so in Indonesia, Egypt, Libya, India, and even Brazil has left many of its users in Pakistan perplexed. The technology blog ProPakistani.pk reports that officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority approached Google about taking down the video or at least blocking it in Pakistan, but did not receive a response. A spokesperson for YouTube, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Google, explained, however, that the decision not to block access in Pakistan had to do with the way the company serves content to its Pakistani users.


Massive Rally Demands Legislation against Blasphemy

Hundreds of protesters at ‘Shan-e-Mustafa [PBUH] Rally’ demanded world leaders formulate laws against blasphemous and sacrilegious acts. The rally, organized by Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen against a blasphemous movie made in the US, was attended by hundreds of people from different walks of life. Protesters first gathered at Nasir Bagh and then marched towards Charing Cross on The Mall. Protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with different slogans against the filmmaker and US government. They shouted slogans such as “Down with America” and “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the reverence of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)”. They also burnt a US flag and an effigy of Pastor Terry Jones. Speakers demanded exemplary punishment for the filmmaker and urged the Muslim world to get united on the issue. They also asked Muslim rulers to discontinue their ties with America. Other religious parties who participated in the protest rally included Imamia Students Organization and Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran. A heavy contingent of police was deployed along the route to avert any untoward incident. A resolution adopted on the occasion called for an apology from the US on recurring acts of blasphemy. It said that if the US did not apologies “the Muslim world should go for a complete economic boycott of the West, stop supplying oil to the West and withdraw its money from the US and western banks”.





Human Rights Related Issues & Reports

Monitoring Of Emails, Calls to Start Within 90 Days

All emails, telephone calls and other communications with the rest of the world will begin to be monitored within 90 days at a cost of millions of dollars, according to a deadline given by the government to operators including PTCL. The government has assigned PTCL and other operators to install monitoring equipment by the end of this year for checking voice and email communications from abroad and the services of the country’s spy agency will be used basically to check and curb blasphemous and obscene websites on the Internet. The regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), has assigned 14 LDIs, including PTCL, to install this monitoring equipment,” senior executive vice president of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) Sikandar Naqi told. He said the PTA had installed a monitoring system to check 15 gigabytes (GB) traffic coming from international routes at a cost of $10 million in 2008. Now this international traffic from abroad has increased to 275 GB so the cost of monitoring could be higher.


Pakistan’s Ageing Population to Rise from Current 11.6m to 43.3m in 2025: Report by UNFPA

Pakistan, which is among the world’s 15 countries with more than 10 million people aged 60 and above, will have 43.3 million people (15.8%) of the said age group by 2025 as compared to 11.6 million in 2012. Globally too, the number of people aged 60 or above is growing faster than any other age group, and is expected to reach 1 billion within just 10 years. It is, therefore, imperative for governments to address the needs of the graying population before they are taken by surprise. These eye-opening data, along with a note of caution, were shared at the launching of a report titled ‘ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and a Challenge.’ The report was released by UNFPA and Help Age International to coincide with the International Day of Older Persons. The report informs that in the past decade alone, the number of people aged 60 or over has risen by 178 million, equivalent to nearly the entire population of Pakistan, which is the 6th most populous country in the world. Today, two out of every three people aged 60 or over, live in developing countries. By 2050, nearly four in five people aged 60 and over will live in the developing world. On an optimistic note, the report concedes that while population presents enormous challenges for governments, it need not be seen as a crisis but a cause for celebration. It can and should be planned for in order to transform challenges into opportunities. The report lays out a compelling rationale for investments that ensure a good quality of life when people age, and suggests positive solutions which are feasible even for poorer countries.

The report also challenges the international community to do more on ageing in the development sphere. There is a clear rationale for explicit development goals on ageing (which are notably missing in the current MDGs framework) underpinned by capacity development, budgets and policies along with improved research and analysis on ageing. “As countries chart a course beyond 2015, population ageing and policy responses to the concerns of older persons must be at the heart of the process”. In 2000, for the first time in history, there were more people over 60 than children below 5. By 2050, for the first time, there will be older people than children under 15. In 2012, 810 million people were aged 60 or over, accounting for 11.5% of the global population. The number is projected to surpass 1 billion in less than 10 years and more than double by 2050, reaching 2 billion and accounting for 22% of the global population. If not addressed promptly, the consequences of these issues are likely to take unprepared countries by surprise. In many developing countries with large populations of young people, for




example, the challenge is that governments have not put policies and practices in place to support their current older populations or made enough preparations for 2050. The report also includes the voices of 1,300 older men and women who participated in group discussions in 236 countries around the world. Of the 1,300 participants, 43% say that they are afraid of personal violence; 49% believe they are treated with respect, 61% use a mobile phone; 53% say that they find it difficult or very difficult to pay for basic services; 44% describe their current health status as fair; and 34% find it difficult or very difficult to access health care when they need it.

The report says important progress has been made by many countries in adopting new policies, strategies, plans and laws on ageing. For example, over 100 countries in the last decade have put in place, non-contributory social pensions in recognition of old-age poverty. But much more needs to be done to fulfill the potential of our ageing population. Globally, only one-third of countries, covering just 28% of the global population, have comprehensive social protection schemes covering all branches of social security. The cost of a universal pension for over 60s in developing countries would range between just 0.7% and 2.6% of GDP. Even though 47% percent of older men and 23.8% of older women around the world are participating in the labor force, yet despite the contributions that a socially and economically active and healthy ageing population can give to society, many older persons worldwide face continued discrimination, abuse and violence. The report calls for governments, civil society, and the public to work together to end these destructive practices and to invest in older people. According to the report, more than 46% of people aged 60 years and above worldwide have disabilities. More than 250 million older people experience moderate to severe disability. The number of people with dementia worldwide is estimated at 35.6 million and is projected to nearly double every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030.


Disappearances, Religiosity, Lawlessness Overwhelming Challenges: HRCP

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed alarm at growing intolerance and abuse of belief, continued incidents of enforced disappearance and illegal detention of citizens in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, proliferation of sectarian violence and a general breakdown in law and order in the country and called these overwhelming challenges to the citizens’ right to life and freedom to practice their religious belief. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is disappointed at the continued enforced disappearances and illegal detention across the country, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This endemic malaise has proliferated in conjunction with the plague-like spread of sectarian violence in Pakistan, which is both widespread and systematic. HRCP said that it views with “acute anxiety the rising intolerance and extremism on the basis of religious and sectarian identity, as a result of growing pandering to religiosity. All aspects of life, including education and the justice system, are being affected. All this amounts to making a mockery of the majority’s belief as well as mocking others’ religious beliefs and indeed the very right to hold these beliefs”. It said instances of religiosity in state institutions are growing.

“The recent order by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to make the grant of bail to an alleged brothel owner conditional to her attending a madrassa one hour daily for a month is baffling and has no basis in law. The impact such decisions by high courts have on judges of subordinate courts does not bode well. Such precedents should be singled out and condemned unreservedly”. It added, “Nothing short of single-minded reform and sustained education and awareness drives will stem this destructive tide. The use of blasphemy law to persecute religious minorities should also be highlighted and exposed.” HRCP called upon the authorities to dismantle all sectarian organizations “hobnobbing with militant elements and ensure effective implementation of the ban on militant organizations. Unlike the prevailing practice, the investigation and prosecution of cases of sectarian violence must be given due priority”.




Reiterating its view that the future of democracy and the state’s integrity depend on the holding of free and fair elections, HRCP called upon all political parties, media and civil society organizations to play their part in ensuring peaceful and free elections, particularly in Balochistan, and help the Election Commission of Pakistan in discharging its onerous responsibilities, as the present state of disorder and lawlessness poses a serious threat and undermines the prospects of peaceful elections.

HRCP said it welcomes the Election Commission’s decision regarding re-polling at the polling stations where less than 10 percent of the registered women voters cast their ballots. “This decision must be implemented as it would increase women’s participation in the electoral process and also prevent the illegal pacts made by candidates and political parties to bar women from voting.” HRCP also reaffirmed its demand for an end to the “discrimination against the Ahmadis and to ensure the inclusion of their names in the joint voters’ list”. It added, “It is unnerving how the authorities now take in their stride the general and pervasive breakdown in law and order across the country, which is denying the citizens of the whole gamut of rights, not least the right to life, but also the right to work and to education among many others. There are well founded fears that the situation will deteriorate further leading to and during the forthcoming elections. It is high time that the authorities respond to the omnipresent paralysis of law and order through well thought-out and concrete measures and not through mere rhetoric. Unfortunately, the plight of flood affectees in Sindh and Balochistan continues to be compounded by a lack of government response.


HR Updates on Malala Yousufzai Attack

Malala to Receive Sitara-e-Shujaat

Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced Sitara-e-Shujaat for Malala Yousafzai. The civil award for bravery has been conferred on the child activist for publicly speaking out against the Taliban’s tyrannical stance on education for women. Malik also announced Pride of Performance awards for a doctor, a nurse and two other technicians who helped save Malala’s life during the initial hours after the attack. He said that three battalions of the Frontier Corps (FC) would be named after Malala and her two school friends Kainat and Shazia, who also sustained injuries when the van they were travelling in was sprayed with bullets by Taliban gunmen. He also offered a $1 million bounty for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan. The images of TTP spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan will be issued to the media very soon.


Malala Has a Comfortable Night at Birmingham Hospital

Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban, is making progress in a British hospital. Malala was in a stable condition on her first full day in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after being flown to the city in central England on board an air ambulance. The hospital’s medical director David Rosser said she had had a “comfortable night. She is showing every sign of being every bit as strong as we’ve been led to believe. Malala has been assessed by clinicians from the neurosurgery, imaging, trauma and therapy departments, though “very specialist teams” who may become involved further down the line are yet to perform detailed assessments on her injuries.





Interior Minister Announces $1m Bounty on Ehsanullah

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has offered a $1 million bounty for Ehsanullah Ehsan, the central spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack on 14-year-old activist Malala Yousufzai’s life. Malik said that security agencies were investigating the attack and hunting down those whose involvement had been ascertained. “All our law-enforcers, intelligence agencies are hunting all those who were involved. I have got some other names which I would not like to mention on record because it may damage the investigation. But let me assure my Pakistani nation, and the entire world, that we will get them very soon. Malik said that according to details unearthed in the probe, the assassination attempt on Malala was planned in Afghanistan. “Four people came from there. One of the guys, we have identified and (a) few of his associates have been arrested. One of the fiancée of one of the terrorists has been detained and all possible leads which we have developed. Moreover, Malik affirmed that the government was providing security to Malala’s family and to two other girls also wounded in the same attack.

The Nation - October 17, 2012

Malala Able To Stand With Help, Starts Communicating

The British hospital treating Malala Yousufzai raised hopes for her recovery when doctors said she was able to stand with some help and to write. She was unable to talk because a breathing tube had been inserted into her windpipe but she was communicating by writing, said Dave Rosser, the medical director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The teenager escaped certain death by a matter of centimeters, with the bullet grazing the edge of her brain, he said. Mr Rosser warned that she was “not out of the woods yet”, her doctors’ chief concern being an infection in the bullet track through her head. “Malala is still showing some signs of infection which is probably related to the bullet track, some infection in the bullet track which is our key source of concern. “She is communicating very freely - she is writing.” He explained that Malala’s airway was swollen by the bullet passing through, so doctors inserted a tracheostomy tube to protect it.





GENDER WATCH

Minority Women

Day Of Reckoning for Blasphemy Cleric

Violence against Women

13 Girls Rendered Vanni in Dera Bugti: Balochistan

Thirteen infant girls have been declared Vanni as compensation to resolve a murder issue in Dera Bugti district, along with a ‘private fine’ of Rs 3 million. A ‘private jirga’ held under the auspices of Baloch parliamentarian Mir Tariq Masoori Bugti passed the verdict in a five-month old murder issue. The issue revolved around the brother of Roshan Khan Alias Pilia Masoori Bugti, who murdered Mira Khan, brother of Karam Khan Shahani. After being declared guilty by the jirga, the matter was “resolved” with the morbid and accursed penalty of Vanni (forced marriage of women) of 13 baby girls and Rs 3 million in fine. Mir Tariq Masoori Bugti denied being part of the jirga or commenting on its merits. A cousin of Mir Tariq Masoori Bugti, Mir Sarfraz Khan Masoori Bugti, confirmed the jirga on September 8, 2012.


Violence against Women

2, 097 cases of violence against girls have been recorded from January to September this year, according to Lawyers for human Rights and Legal Aid president Zia Ahmad Awn.


Minister Deplores Violence against Girls: Sindh Women Minster

Only one third of girls start their education while girls’ primary school completion rates are below 50% while discrimination and violence against girls and violations of their human rights are still happening even in this modern century, said Sindh Women Minister Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto. “Early age marriage is a burning issue for our country and the young girls who are forced into such marriages sustain only few social connections and they stay very restricted mobility and this opens them up to domestic violence, inequality, undue domestic responsibility and put in danger their right to education and skillful learning. She further said that role of the women in development of the society must be recognized and platform should be established for encouraging young girls to come forward for equality and role of women in development of the country. Malala may be taken as a role model in the line of struggle for girls’ education.


Son Kills Mother, Man Butcher’s Wife, Sister In Law

Abdul Sattar, a resident of the congested Sohawa locality, strangled his mother Kausar Bibi to death over honor while she was asleep in her room. After committing the murder the accused




surrendered himself at the Daska City Police Station. The police registered a murder case against the accused.

In the second case a man, Abdul Wahid, attacked his wife Razia Bibi and her sister Suraya Bibi with a knife for unknown reasons. The accused fled from the scene after the murder. Police registered a case and started search for the criminal.


Couple Who Converted To Islam Killed By Family

A Christian couple, who recently married of their own will and converted to Islam, was gunned down by family members in South Punjab in yet another case of honor killing. The incident took place in a Christian colony in Kalore Kot, a small town in Bhaker distinct. Kalsoom Bibi, daughter of Irshad Masih and Muhammad Bilal, son of Ashraf Masih, were killed on the spot after Kalsoom’s brother Imran opened fire on them. A two-year-old child, Alisha, also received bullet injuries in the firing. Bilal and Kalsoom had recently converted to Islam and got married, by choice, two months ago, the IO said. The three accused ran away from the scene, while shooting in the air, the contents of the First Information Report (FIR) stated. A case has been registered against Imran, Zahid and Irshad under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Kalor Kot police station on the complaint of Bilal’s father. So far no one has been arrested, while further investigations are under way.


8 Killed In Old Karo-Kari Dispute between Two Tribes

At least eight people, including two women, were killed while seven others were injured over old enmity between Tunio and Sundrani communities near Gharhi Yasin. Some armed men attacked a cattleman Rehmatullah Tunio near Gharhi Yasin of district Shikarpur. Later, hundreds of armed persons attacked Agha Farm killing six people of the Sundrani community, including Yasin Sundrani, Mir Hazaro Sundrani, Ali Hyder Sundrani, Mehar Sundrani and Farzana Sundrani, and injuring seven. The armed persons also attacked a village, Ismail Sundrani, falling under the jurisdiction of Gharhi Yasin police station burning over 20 houses. The injured were taken to Larkana and Shikarpur civil hospitals for treatment where the condition of three people was declared critical. The bodies of the deceased were brought to civil hospitals at Shikarpur and Gharhi Yasin for autopsy following which they were handed over to their families. Shikarpur police reached the venue two hours following the start of the incident and started rescue operations while a fire brigade from Shikarpur controlled the fire. The cause of these murders is stated to be old enmity over Karo-Kari. A big contingent of police was deployed across the tension ridden area. Shikarpur SSP Pervez Chandio told media sources that the situation had been brought under control.


Women & Legislation

National Assembly Speaker Calls for Policies In Support Of Rural Women

National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mira said that rural women were one of the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of the society despite their significant role in the rural economy. She said that they were also subject to violence, economic exploitation and lack of basic healthcare. Fehmida said that rural women comprised a major chunk of the population




and played a significant role in the agriculture sector as well as rural development, however their contributions were not recognized at any level. She said that with the advent of the latest technology in the agricultural sector, the involvement of women in agricultural work had not decreased. In addition to working in the fields they also had to care for children, older persons and do household chores. She underlined the need for an official recognition of women’s participation in the national economy and asked the government to devise policies for the betterment of women in the country to ensure their rights. The speaker stressed the need for a provision of shelter, livelihood and medical assistance to rural women in affected areas on a priority basis. She asked the government to extend the SME network to rural areas where enterprising rural women could have access to credit facilities to empower them economically. She also stressed the need to establish training and display centers at a Tehsil level for rural female artisans, so they could sell their craft.


Legislation Demanded For Home-Based Women Workers: Home Net Pakistan

The number of home-based women workers is rising in Pakistan at a rate of 8.91 percent per annum and around 12 million women are working within the informal sector but they have no legal protection as no legislation has been done for them at federal or provincial level. Former parliamentarian Mehnaz Rafi said she had presented a bill for legislation for the home-based women workers during the previous government but the sitting government had ignored the issue. She said the government used delaying tactics whenever the issue was highlighted in parliament. “Unfortunately, the government is still confused about making a department or a ministry for such workers. Javed Pasha said that there has been a rise in the proportion of home-based workers as the ratio has increased from 20.8 percent in 2001-02 to around 27 percent in 2005-06. He said that overall employment increased at the rate of 3.44 percent per annum during 2001-02 and 2005-06 but now the home-based workers grew more than twice the rate at 8.91 percent per annum. He said that Pakistan has a very large informal sector in which 20 percent growth was recorded in 2007. He added that around 80 percent of total working population is employed in the informal sector in which more than 50 percent are women. Maria B said that around five million women workers were working at their homes and producing different products. She urged the Punjab government to bring them into mainstream through legislation. Civil society representatives also demanded that the government announce to celebrate the home-based women workers day on October 20.





CRISES & CONFLICT WATCH

Sectarian Crisis in Sindh

Killings in Karachi in the Month of September

Date Place Incident Killed Injured

October 02, 2012

Hangorabad, Karachi

A former unit in - charge of MQM was gunned down.

1 -

Meernaka, Karachi An activist of MQM was shot dead. 1 - Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi

A man was shot dead and another was injured in their apartment.

1 1

Shah Latif, Karachi A man and a woman were shot dead over petty dispute.

2 -

Baldia Town, Karachi

A man was killed and another was injured.

1 1

Chota Gabol Goth, Karachi

A man was shot dead. 1 -

Liaqatabad, Karachi An aged man was killed. 1 - Sherpao Colony, Karachi

A body of Killed woman was found from her house.

1 -

October 03, 2012

Nashter Road, Karachi


Central Jail, Karachi A man was gunned down. 1 -

Quaid - e - Abad, Karachi

An eloped woman shot dead inside her house while a minor child was injured.

1 1

Moosa Lane, Karachi A man was shot dead. 1 -

Kamal Gali, Karachi A police head constable who was injured in a targeted attack.

1

October 07, 2012

Orange Town, Karachi

An activist of ASWJ was killed. Due to the protest two brothers of victims were injured.

1 2

Sarjani Area, Karachi


Lyari, Karachi Un-identified killed a wanted gangster Rashid Bengali.

1 -

Gulshan e Iqbal, Karachi

A man was killed while offering resistance in a robbery.

1 -

October 08, 2012

Ilyas Goth, Karachi A man was killed while another injured.

1 1

Paposh Nagar, Karachi

A man was killed when unidentified persons opened fire on him.

1 -

Chishti Nagar, Karachi

Two workers of MQM were gunned down.

2 -

Jamshed Town, Karachi

Two bodies found bearing marks of torture on them.

2 -





Kalakot, Karachi One body found bearing marks of torture.

1 -

Mewashah, Karachi Police found two bodies from graveyard.

2 -

Kunwari Colony, Karachi

Kunwari Colony, Karachi. 1 -

Qasba Colony, Karachi

A man was killed. 1 -

Sector 1 - D, Orangi Town, Karachi

A man was gunned down. 1 -

Haji Mureed Goth, Karachi


Sector - 7, Orangi Town, Karachi


Surjani Town, Karachi


October 08, 2012

Sadoro Janwri Village, Khanpur

Six people were killed and 10 were injured when unidentified gun men opened a fire on a public gathering. Journalist was also including killed persons. Syeda Nafeesa Shah, Daughter of Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah was scheduled to address the rally.

6 10

October 09, 2012

Nazimabad, Karachi A man affiliated with Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen was killed.

1 -

Bengali Morr, Karachi

A man was Killed. 1 -

Bawani Chali, Karachi

A man was killed. 1 -

North Nazimabad, Karachi

A woman was killed over illicit relationship.

1 -

Aram Bagh, Karachi A man was killed. 1 - North Nazimabad, Karachi

A body was found in a gunny bag. 1 -

Malir City Police Station Precident, Karachi

A body of an elder man was found from his house.

1 -

October 11, 2012

North Nazimabad, Karchi

A man affiliated killed with PPP killed by unidentified persons.

1 -

Qalandari Chowk. Karachi

A policeman was killed. 1 -

Babar Market, Karachi

An alleged bandit was killed while another injured.

1 1

Isphani Road, Karachi

A man was killed while another person was injured.

1 1

Hill Park, Karachi A man was while offering resistance. 1 1 Sher Shah, Karachi A man was killed. 1 - Azeem Pura, Karachi

A man was shot dead over personal enmity.

1 -

Lyari, Karachi A man was killed. 1 -





Hawkes Bay, Karachi

A body was found. 1 -

Sher Shah Site Rea, Karachi

The bodies of two abducted friends were found.

2 -

Nappier Police Station, Karachi

A man was killed while other 5 persons were injured when unidentified armed persons opened fire on them.

1 5

October 12, 2012

North Karachi, Karachi

A school teacher was shot dead by unidentified armed motor cyclist persons.

1 -

Mangopir, Karachi A policeman was killed near his house. 1 - North Nazimabad, Karachi

Two men were shot dead outside their house.

2 -

New Muzaffarabad, Karachi


Jinnah Bridge, Karachi


UP Mor, Karachi A man was shot dead by unidentified armed motorcyclists.

1 -

October 17, 2012

Hyderabad Colony, Karachi

KMC Director Education was gunned down by four men on two motorbikes.

1 -

Disalwa Town, Karachi

An Activist of PPP was gunned down. 1 -

Urdu Bazar, Karachi Two peoples were killed y unidentified persons riding on a motorbike.

2 -

Stadium Road, Karachi

A person was killed by persons riding on a motorbike.

1 -

Crown Cinema, Karachi

Two persons were killed by unidentified motorcyclists.

2 -

Soldier Bazar, Karachi

A man was shot dead by unidentified armed persons.

1 -

Machar Colony, Karachi

Four day old bullet riddled body of a person was found.

1 -

Maripur Area, Karachi

The Anti – Violent Crime Cell in collaboration with Citizen Police Liaison Committee claimed to recover a businessman from kidnappers in a raid during raid. Police claimed three kidnappers were killed in exchange of firing.

3 -

October 19, 2012

Sohrab Goth, Karachi

Two Police Constables were injured by unidentified armed motorcyclists.

- 2

Ehsanabad, Karachi

Two Police Constables were gunned down by unidentified armed men motorcyclists when they are checking the vehicles.

2 -

Qasba Colony, Karachi

Two Frontier Constables were killed by unidentified armed motorcyclists.

2 -





Orangi Town, Karachi

Two PPP activists received bullet in a result one of them was killed and other person was injured.

1 1

Rizvia Society, Karachi

A police informer was shot dead by armed motorcyclists.

1 -

Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi

An activist of MQM was shot dead by unidentified armed motorcyclists.

1 -

Mangopir Police limits, Karachi

A person was shot dead by unidentified armed motorcyclist persons.

1 -

Surjani Town, Karachi

A PPP activist was shot dead by unidentified armed motorcyclist persons.

1 -

Khardar Police Area, Karachi

A person was shot dead while other persons were injured by unidentified two armed motorcyclist.

1 4

Jackson Police Limits, Karachi

A person was killed after refusal not to pay extortion money.

1 -

October 20, 2012

Korangi Sector, Karachi

An Activist of MQM was shot by unidentified armed persons near his house.

1 -

Orangi Town, Karachi

A father of two children was killed by armed persons.

1 -

PECHS Area, Karachi

A handcuffed, torture body of a youth was found.

1 -

October 22, 2012

New Karachi Area, Karachi

An activist of MQM was killed by armed persons.

1 -

Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi

An activist of ASWJ was killed by two armed motorcyclists.

1 -

Sohrab Goth, Karachi

A man was killed over a personal enmity.

1 -

Korangi Graveyard, Karachi

A shot dead man body was found. 1 -

Sectarian Crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Killings in KPK in the Month of September


October 02, 2012

Babar Khel Area, Mir Ali District, North Waziristan

Three militants were killed after targeting by drones.

3 -

October 07, 2012

Bara Tehsil, Khyber Agency

Five volunteers of Akakhel Amn Lashkar were killed & six injured in a clash with milants.

5 6

October 08, 2012

Risalpur, Nowshera

A soldier’s truck was on its way when the militants targeted through a road side bomb blast.

2 -





Tarangi Bala Village, Mansehra

Prayer leader shot dead by un-identified armed persons.

1 -

Razmak, North Waziristan

A man has killed and several shops were destroyed after a planted explosive blast.

1 -

October 10, 2012

Khazana Area of Tirah Valley

At least 6 peoples were killed and 11 injured in a blast. The dead were fighters of Lashkar - e - Islam included a militant commander.

6 11

October 11, 2012

Mirali Town, North Waziristan Agency

At least five militants were killed in a US drone attack.

5 -

Gul bela Rea, Peshawar.

Un-identified bodies two persons were found.

2 -

October 13, 2012

Sibi, Orakzai Agency

19 peoples were killed and 26 injured in twin blast. The first blast exploded strapped on a donkey while other exploded when peoles rushed for the rescue work. According to officals 20 to 25 Kg of explosive was used in the blast.

19 26

Upper Orakzai Agency

Twenty Six Militants were killed and Eight were injured in a US drone missiles drone attack.

26 08

October 14, 2012

Darra Adam Khel, Peshawar

A powerful suicide car bombing ripped through a market in which at least 16 persons were killed and 40 were injured. A blast also damaged over 20 shops, eight vehicles and several houses.

16 40

Mammon Zai Area, Upper Orakzai Agency

Militants were killed during clash between two armed groups.

6 4

October 20, 2012

Musa Colony, Quetta

Un-identified persons parked a bicycle fitted with explosives near the vehicle of Frontier Constabulary.

3 10

October 22, 2012

Mamozai & Khadazai, Upper Orakzai Agency

At least eight militants were killed and six others were injured as a security forces shelled their hideouts.

8 6

Trimangal Village, Kurram Agency

Three Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers were injured in a thunderstorm.

- 3

October 24, 2012

Badhber Area, Peshawar

Three Frontier Core Soldiers were injured in a blast while the police defused another bomb planted near a road side.

- 3




Sectarian Crisis in Balochistan

Killings in Quetta in the Month of September


October 07, 2012

Mastung, Quetta Armed men Killed a doctor. 1 -

October 08, 2012

Qambrani Road, Quetta

Un-identifed armed men gunned down a person when he resisted snatching a motorcycle.

1 -

Musa Colony, Quetta A man was sprayed with bullets by un-identified persons.

1 -

Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road, Quetta

Two persons were killed when un-identified persons sprayed bullets on them while another person sustained critical wounds.

2 1

October 17, 2012

Sirki Road, Quetta Four members of the ethnic Hazara community were killed in attack by unidentified armed motorcyclist.

4 -

October 19, 2012

District Lasbela Two bullet riddled bodies found. 2 -

Reports on Conflict

Police Arrest 1, 813 Criminals in One Year: Islamabad

Saddar Zone of Islamabad Police arrested 1,813 criminals this year and recovered a total of 42 vehicles, eight Kalashnikov, 179 pistols, 128.842 kilogram of hashish, 2,256 wine bottles, 29.216 kilogram of heroin, 5.836 kilograms opium and stolen items worth Rs 85 million from their possession. Sub-Divisional Police Officers and Station House Officers made every possible effort to achieve this objective and a total of 1,813 criminals including 299 proclaimed offenders, as well as court absconders were arrested during the current year. This year Margallah police registered a total of 499 cases and arrested a total 274 criminals including 98 absconders. Margallah police also recovered 28 vehicles, 30 pistols, 2.701 kilogram of hashish and 591 wine bottles. Similarly, Shalimar police registered a total of 326 cases and arrested 188 criminals including 94 absconders besides recovering six vehicles, 12 pistols, 3.355 kilogram of hashish and 414 wine bottles. Tarnol police registered 323 cases during the current year and arrested 254 criminals including 254 absconders. A total of two vehicles, 3 Kalashnikov, 73 pistols, 80.216 kilograms of hashish, 34 wine bottles, 4.396 kilogram of opium and 26.434 kilograms of heroin were also recovered during this period. Golra police registered 326 cases against criminals and arrested 189 persons including 55 absconders. They also recovered three vehicles, three Kalashnikovs, 47 pistols, 34.955 kilograms of hashish, 19 wine bottles, 2.870 grams of heroin and 1.440 kilogram of opium from the criminals. Ramana police also contributed its efforts to ensure effective policing and registered a total of 347 cases against criminals. A total of 207 accused including 24 absconders were arrested besides recovery of three vehicles, two Kalashnikovs, 16 pistols, 4.615 kilogram of hashish and 468 wine bottles from them.

Pakistan Today – October 23, 2012




ECONOMIC WATCH

Facts And Figures

Inflation in Single Digit, Provides Room for Interest Rate Cut

Pakistan’s headline inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), has clocked in at 8.79% year-on-year in September compared to 9.05% in August; data shows, making a strong case for the central bank to slash interest rates in the monetary policy announcement. According to analysts, the lower inflation number will ease pressure off the central bank, which is expected to further reduce the benchmark interest rate when it unveils the monetary policy on Friday this week. In August, the State Bank of Pakistan has already cut the interest rate by a huge 150 basis points to 10.5%. Commenting on the drop in inflation, Standard Capital Securities Head of Research Faisal Shaji said it would help the government in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over performance of the economy before general elections next year. “Though this small decline will not change harsh ground realities for the people, it will provide a good opportunity for the government to claim that its policies are working and inflation is continuously coming down,” he said.

The government can say “look when we came in 2008, the inflation was above 20% and when we are leaving the figure is under 10%.” However, the purchasing power of people has come down considerably because of persistently high inflation over the past few years, Shaji said, adding the situation was getting difficult for the common man. In a report, Shajar Research said moderate inflation in single digit and stability on the external front in the near term, well supported by recent release of over $1 billion from the US under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), would give room to the central bank to further reduce interest rates. In addition to these, robust remittances from overseas Pakistanis, duty-free access to European markets for selected products and hefty yarn imports by China should further support the central bank. On a month-on-month basis, the CPI grew 0.79% in September compared to August while average CPI for three months of fiscal year 2012-13 rose 0.48% from the previous quarter.

Topline Securities commented that though they still awaited complete details of the data, the expected major reason behind the decline in inflation was the fall in food prices. It said the soft inflation numbers could allow the central bank to continue the process of monetary easing and expected another 50-basis-point cut in the policy rate in the monetary policy on October 5. While the encouraging single-digit CPI was expected to continue in the near term, price pressures from firm international oil prices and higher global food prices - estimated to have increased by 11% since June 2012 - were big risks, Shajar Research said in its research note. A sharp uptick in government borrowing ahead of general elections and weakness in the rupee against the US dollar may also lead to inflationary pressures and increase prices in the country in coming months.


IMF Shows Serious Concern over Power Subsidies, Overspending

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed concern on overspending by the provinces and also expressed dismay over hefty expenditure on power subsidies taking budget deficit to unsustainable level. Economic managers have assured the IMF that despite having foreign inflow risks like $800 million from Etisalat as PTCL privatization proceeds and over $400 million as the Coalition Support Fund, Pakistan would be in a position to service its debt obligations and there would be no balance of payment difficulty in ongoing fiscal year 2012-13.




IMF delegation termed the federal tax collection target as ambitious and informed Pakistan's economic managers that revenue collection may reach at Rs. 2.150 trillion against the target of Rs. 2.381 trillion. Economic managers have re-affirmed their commitment that they would be meeting the federal tax collection target of Rs. 2.381 trillion fixed for ongoing fiscal year 2011-12.


Forex Reserves Nosedive to $14.406bn: Report by Central Bank

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves nosedived to an alarming level of $14.406 billion in the wake of slow foreign investments and large external debt repayments, the central bank reported. The official reserves of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also fell below $10 billion, indicating Balance of Payment difficulties for the country in the times to come. According to the latest breakup of the foreign reserve position:

Pakistan’s liquid foreign reserves plunged by $494 million to $14.406 billion The reserves held by the central bank declined by $441 million to $9.919 billion

compared with $10.360 billion with nearly less than two months import cover The net reserves held by commercial banks dropped by $52 million to $4.487 billion

Analysts said future debt servicing obligations and high import payments will put more pressure on the Balance of Payment position and will result in further depletion of the foreign exchange reserves, which is an alarming situation, especially in the absence of fresh foreign inflows. Pakistan is set to make major external debt repayments, including special drawing rights (SDR) payments of 106 million and other principal repayments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in November 2012. The projected scheduled debt repayments under the head of IMF stand-by arrangement Program and extended credit facility are also due next month. Overall, liquid foreign exchange reserves have declined by a massive $3.907 billion since July 2011, when the reserves reached a record $18.313 billion. The official SBP reserves have declined from $14.8 billion in June 2011 to approximately $10.4 billion in September 2012.

The debt repayments of nearly $6 billion, including $3 billion to the IMF, will put more pressure on forex reserves during FY13. The foreign exchange reserves will decline to critical levels of $7 billion with two months of import covers by June 2013, according to the latest report of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB). Given a sharp decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and a reduction in the official forex reserves, it seems inevitable that Pakistan will be forced into another IMF bailout by end-2013; this was always a strong possibility owing to structural problems facing the economy. Further, the external payments pose a serious downside risk to the local currency also as the local unit has depreciated by 10 percent against the US dollar since October 2011, which is one of the fastest devaluations of the national currency during a year. The value of the rupee started declining earlier last week in the wake of debt repayment to the IMF. Pakistan repaid 71 million SDR or $109.42 million as the fifth installment to the IMF on October 1. On a positive note, Pakistan is expected to receive $600 million under the head of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) by November 2012, which will help to contain the current account deficit and support forex reserves as well.


Asian Development Bank Threatens To Cancel $1.14 Billion Loan

In the wake of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s order to use only Thar coal for any future power plants, the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has indicated it might cancel $1.14 billion loan it had earlier promised to Pakistan. The loan was intended for the conversion




of the costly diesel-run public sector power plants in Jamshoro, Guddu and Muzzaffargarh to imported coal and for the installation of a new 660MW coal-fired power plant at Jamshoro. The ADB functionaries have told the government that unless it reverses the decision to only use Thar coal, the deal is off. The ADB has said that if the government allows the use of refined coal as fuel for the thermal power plants, the bank will extend the loan for the projects, which will take two to three years to complete. The ADB said that since Thar coal is not available right now, the coal conversion project and the new coal-fired plant will not materialise. Without mincing any words, the ADB officials told the government that even if it begins coal mining at Thar immediately and with a huge investment, coal for power generation will not be available for at least five years.

While the ADB professed to have no doubts regarding the spirit of the prime minister’s decision, it raised questions about the intentions of the “oil lobby”. “The oil lobby is certainly happy as the move to convert diesel-run power plants to imported coal has gotten scuttled and Pakistan is left with no option but to continue using costly diesel in the public sector power plants, which are virtually diesel guzzlers, and generate thermal electricity at a cost of Rs15-25 per unit,” the ADB functionaries are quoted as having said. According to ADB estimates, the conversion of 420 MW diesel-run power plants to imported refined coal and installing a new coal-based plant will reduce the tariff of the said plants by 50 percent. The overall power tariff will be reduced by Re 1 and this will help save Rs90 billion per annum, which is being used to import furnace oil at present. But after the decision of the top leadership, this seems impossible.

The ADB functionaries are also said to have expressed their frustration at the fact that while two Chinese companies had agreed to install the new project at Jamshoro, which was intended to have been a “super critical coal-fired plant” ensuring zero emissions, “all these efforts have gone in vain”. According to the ADB, these four projects would have helped change the existing energy mix, which has created the monster of $3 billion circular debt. “As a result of this debt, no further investment is trickling down even in the renewable energy sector, quoting the ADB team. Under the existing energy mix, 68 percent electricity is being generated through thermal powerhouses, which use costly diesel and residual furnace oil. Since fuel costs are a pass-through item and the prices of diesel and RFO in the international market are constantly increasing, the cost of fuel is added almost every month to the electricity bills of consumers.


Economic Co-Ordination Committee Approves LNG Import, Sugar Export

The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) approved the import of LNG as per the framework proposed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. The ECC also allowed exporting 200,000 MT sugar with a quota of 10,000 MT for each sugar mill. The Ministry of Commerce, however, in its summary had proposed the export of 400,000 MT sugar, taking the plea that there was surplus sugar in the country and high growth was expected for the next crushing season of sugarcane. The ECC constituted a committee comprising the prime minister’s adviser on agriculture and water resources, secretaries of commerce and industries to work out the reasons for non-utilization of earlier approved export quota of 166,000 MT of sugar by the mills.


Government Borrowing Reaches Rs. 437bn in Q1 of FY13

The government borrowings from scheduled banks have reached Rs 437 billion during July 1 to September 21, 2012 of the financial year 2012-13, while the outstanding amount of liquidity injections by the central bank has increased to Rs 611.5 billion by the end of the first quarter. To




continue to keep borrowings from SBP under check and avoid the negative consequences of excessive borrowings from the scheduled banks, comprehensive fiscal reforms should not be delayed further. These include, but are not limited to, broadening of the tax base, reduction in wasteful subsidies, and better coordination between federal and provincial governments in terms of keeping the consolidated fiscal position under control, the monetary policy added. A reduction in the size of the fiscal deficit and thus the need for substantial borrowings would also influence the behavior of scheduled banks. At the moment, scheduled banks are finding it easy to avoid the private sector by lending to the government without any risk. The yearly basis growth in loans to private sector businesses has declined from 22.4 percent in FY08 to 0.7 percent by the end of FY12.

The monetary policy pointed out that weak foreign financial inflows are the main challenge faced by the balance of payment position. The external current account balance, on the other hand, is small and shrinking. In fact, during the first two months of FY13, it posted a surplus of $884 million. This is primarily due to robust growth in remittances, $2.5 billion received in July and August 2012, and receipt of $1.12 billion Coalition Support Fund in August 2012, it said, adding that constrained by energy shortages and weak global economy, the export growth remains subdued. The import growth has also slowed down and most of the incremental increase over the corresponding period of last year is because of price impact. The monetary policy pointed out that an effective overhaul of the governance structure of the energy sector is important for the revival of private credit, investment, and sustainable medium to long-term economic growth. A declining interest rate environment should lead towards a rethink of this strategy, it said and added that the scheduled banks will have to step up efforts to go back to their basic intermediary role and channel loanable funds to the private sector. The effectiveness of SBP’s current monetary policy stance continues to weigh upon improvement in the fiscal position, better availability of energy, and an increase in foreign financial inflows.


SBP Cuts Interest Rate by 50 Bps to 10%

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), has cut its policy rate by 50 basis points to 10 percent from 10.5 percent with effect from October 8, 2012, mainly on consistent easing of inflation, which is currently in single digit. The decision to cut the policy rate was taken by the central board of directors of the SBP under the chairmanship of SBP Governor Yaseen Anwar. It is the second consecutive slash in discount rate after 150bps were cut previously in the last monetary policy. The SBP has also decided to implement certain measures to strengthen the liquidity management framework, a statement said. “A consistent deceleration in inflation since May 2012, to 8.8 percent in September 2012 is more than earlier estimates. Thus, despite an expected uptick in H2-FY13, the overall inflation outlook has improved. In fact, the likelihood of meeting the 9.5 percent inflation target for FY13 has increased. At the macro level, it seems that the effect on inflation of falling private investment demand is becoming more pronounced than the influence of high fiscal borrowings. “The disaggregate CPI inflation data also shows that this could be a beginning of a broad-based trend. The number of commodities with double digit year-on-year inflation has slightly come down in the last few months after a slow increase over the last three years; first in the food group and now in the non-food group as well.”

The decline in 20 percent trimmed core inflation measure to 10.4 percent in September 2012 is slower than the fall in CPI inflation. “This indicates persistence of inflation expectations due to inertial effect of high inflation experienced in the recent past, overall rising trend in fiscal borrowings from the SBP, and depreciation of exchange rate,” the Monetary Policy said. It notes that the recent fall in inflation together with a retirement of Rs 412 billion of fiscal borrowings from SBP during Q1-FY13 could bring down core inflation further by having a beneficial impact on inflation expectations. This would depend, however, on the fiscal authority’s resolve to




maintain this trend in the coming quarters, the statement said. While discussing the previous rate cut announced in August 2012, the Monetary Policy explains that declining inflation together with weak growth in credit to private businesses was the basic context in which the SBP reduced its policy rate by 150 bps in August 2012. “The resumption of monetary easing, in this environment, was deemed necessary to influence the behavior of borrowers in the private sector and scheduled banks to step up efforts to improve their intermediary role,” states the Monetary Policy. It adds that a host of factors needs to be considered for this to be sufficiently effective.


IMF Sees SBP - Held Forex Reserves Falling To $7.5bn

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves held by the central bank could fall to $7.5 billion by the end of FY13. The IMF is going to unveil its report under the Post Program Monitoring (PPM) publicly after getting approval from its executive board, probably by November 2012. Both sides recently concluded the PPM talks here in Islamabad, where the fund staff assessed the country’s growing vulnerabilities on debt repaying capacity. The looming Balance of Payments crisis is due to heavy debt repayment and the inability of Islamabad to bridge its current account deficit gap. The reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have already dropped from $10.360 billion to $9.919 billion this week. Pakistan is facing a crisis-like situation in tackling its fiscal and current account deficits and their financing is a major challenge for economic managers. On debt sustainability, the major challenge is regarding domestic debt, which is piling up in the wake of growing fiscal imbalance. The external debt and liabilities of the country are currently standing at $65 billion. Total public debt crossed Rs13.2 trillion in June this year and witnessed an almost 200 percent surge during the last five years - a level never achieved since the independence of the country.

However, the depletion of foreign currency reserves could put immense pressure on the exchange rate, sources added. According to different data projections for different scenarios, Islamabad’s economic managers agreed that the reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan would nosedive to $7.5 billion by end-June 2013 because of the $2.8 billion repayment to the IMF in the current fiscal year as well as Islamabad’s inability to bridge the current account deficit. If foreign inflows are kept constant at the level of the ongoing financial year in FY14 and the outflows continue according to projection, the country’s foreign currency reserves could touch their lowest ever ebb of $56 million by the end of June 2014, sources said. This would be in the wake of huge repayments to the IMF in the range of $3.4 billion to $3.7 billion, depending on the rate of conversion of Special Drawing Rights to the US dollar. This economic scenario clearly indicates that there is no other choice but to seek a fresh loan from the IMF by the end of the current fiscal year or by early months of the coming financial year, sources said.

However, according to an updated version of Regional Economic Outlook (REO) released by the IMF on Saturday, the fund projected the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 3.3 percent for FY13, which could go up to 3.5 percent by FY17. The IMF did not forecast any slowdown in the rate of inflation as claimed by the government as official CPI had already come down to single digits but the IMF envisaged inflation rate hovering around 11.3 percent for FY 2013, which would be standing at 11.8 percent by FY17. The current account deficit as a percentage of GDP will be hovering around negative 1.7 percent of GDP, which is projected to go up to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2017, the Outlook said. Independent economists say the real challenge for the government in the current fiscal year is to finance external accounts in the wake of upcoming heavy repayments to the donors, especially to the IMF, and to address the issue of dried up foreign inflows.




However, in an interview of the IMF’s Director for Middle East and Central Asian Department Masood Ahmed, published in Emerging Markets, he stated the IMF would be ready to sit down with Pakistan’s leaders if they sought a new multibillion dollar loan. Questions were sent to IMF’s spokesperson in Washington to get their version on the matter but no response was received till the filing of this report.


Over 2m Rich Pay No Taxes: NADRA

There are 2.38 million people in the country who are rolling in wealth, but do not figure on the tax roll at all. They are tax evaders - except for the taxes deducted. Nearly three million people possess a National Tax Number (NTN), but only 1.4 million of them filed income tax returns last year. The 2.38 million People, who live in palatial houses, own luxury cars, travel abroad frequently, possess arms, hold multiple bank accounts and pay hefty utility bills, but pay no income tax. The statistics, compiled by the National Database and Registration Authority, also reveal that tax officials don’t bother to bring these rich people into the tax net, ignoring the fact that one cannot buy a new car without producing NTN. Section 181 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, allows commissioners of income tax to register a person who earns a taxable income and there are about 90 commissioners across the country. No wonder Pakistan is known for its low level of compliance with income tax rules and international donors want the country to widen its tax base before asking the world for more aid and help. The Federal Board of Revenue has already borrowed more than $153 million from donors for reforms in its tax machinery. Now after carrying out its reform process for over eight years, the FBR still needs an amnesty scheme to bring these influential people into the tax net.

Although NADRA has identified some potential tax evaders, tax officials posted in 19 regional tax offices across the country did not bother to pursue them. There are 1.611 million people who frequently embark on international tours but do not pay a single penny as income tax. About 584,730 Pakistanis have multiple accounts in domestic and multinational banks, but do not possess NTNs. The FBR has bound banks to deduct a meager amount of less than one per cent at source less tax on cash withdrawals of more than Rs50, 000 in a day, but it doesn’t issue notices to bring them under the tax net. Over 56,000 people live in posh areas and more than 20,000 people own luxury cars, but pay no income tax. It is a fact that prices of a plot of land are in millions of rupees in posh areas of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar, but income tax officers don’t bother to trace the buyers of these plots and make them pay income tax. There are 66,736 individual consumers who pay large utility bills, but no income tax. More than 13,000 people have licenses of both prohibited and non-prohibited weapons, but they do not possess an NTN. There are 25,130 people who are engaged in lucrative professions like medicine, engineering, law and chartered accountancy, but they do not pay a single penny as income tax.

Dawn – October 04, 2012

Foreign Investment in Pakistan down by 67%

Net foreign investment in Pakistan plummeted by 67 percent in the first quarter, with experts blaming the fall on poor economic management, energy shortages and persistent terrorism. The figures from the State Bank of Pakistan showed net foreign direct investment (FDI) from July to September was just $87 million, compared with $263 million in the same period last year. Pakistan’s financial year begins on July 1. The overall FDI inflow during the quarter was $287 million, according to the data released on Tuesday, while the outflow was $200 million, with only the oil and gas exploration sector recording a positive net figure. In the same quarter last year, inflows were $580 million and outflows $317 million. Even the normally popular




telecommunications sector registered a net outflow of $100.9 million. Analysts said FDI inflows have been falling for the last four years. Poor economic management and persistent militancy has forced investors away from a market which has huge potential and prospects.

Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Pakistan’s economic situation was worsening and the country faced a return to double-digit inflation as the government prints money to finance its deficit. The IMF also predicted growth of just three-3.5 percent and warned the country’s external accounts were deteriorating, with incoming investment slowing and the central bank’s reserves dropping. But the biggest of the negatives is the deteriorating law and order situation that seems unmanageable. Pakistan has repaid $1.3 billion of IMF loans in four installments, including a $400 million chunk in August, and is due to pay a further $2.5 billion in the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30. The central bank said Pakistan had foreign reserves of $14.4 billion dollars as of last week. While reacting to the sharp decline in FDI, the business community has urged the government to reframe policies to avoid further decline and ensure recovery of the national loss.

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association and other stakeholders appealed to the government to take note of the constant decline in foreign direct investment. LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar said energy crisis, lack of transparency, law and order situation were the major factors keeping foreign investors away. He said increased risk factor about investing in Pakistan was damaging the entire economy and needed to be tackled through a methodical and visionary policy by involving major chambers of commerce of the country. APTMA Punjab Chairman Shahzad Ali Khan also urged the government to focus on short-term as well as long-term solutions to the energy crisis, which was bringing the wheel of the industry to a halt, causing serious damage to the national economy. He said industry must be on top priority in energy distribution as compared with domestic, business and transportation and other sectors. The LCCI president said FDI is one of the fastest and most successful ways for poor nations to develop and increase their per capita income. He said that FDI also provides foreign capital and funds besides enhancement in skills, technology and create more job opportunities. He said the “lethargic” government response to deal with the aggravating energy crisis was also affecting adversely the local investment scenario besides sending negative signals to potential foreign investors. Iftikhar said a special committee comprising members of parliament, presidents of chambers of commerce and industry and representatives of other trade and industrial associations should be formed to identify ways and means to attract foreign investment that was a prerequisite to economic growth.

Daily Times – October 18, 2012

Asian Development Vows to Continue Supporting BISP In Future

The Asian Development Bank has expressed immense satisfaction over the achievements of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) in the field of social protection during the course of last 4 years. The bank has acknowledged the work of BISP as impressive while pledging a continuous support for the Program in coming years. This was declared in a meeting between BISP Chairwoman Farzana Raja and ADB Board of Directors at the BISP Secretariat. ADB Executive Director Maurin Sitorus said that the BISP was highly praised at international level and his personal experience about the Program during his Pakistan visit proved this fact. He said that the ADB was providing support to BISP for its various social sector endeavors and looking at the progress and performance of the Program, this cooperation will be further enhanced in the future.





DEVELOPMENT WATCH

Government’s Role in Development Programs

Development Schemes worth Rs3.4b Approved: Azad Jammu Kashmir

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet Development Committee (CDC) approved development schemes worth Rs3.4 billion during a meeting with AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed. For the transport and communication sector, the committee approved Rs123.302 million for improvement and widening of the 10km patch of Batlian Phagwan Road, Rs140.257 million for the 10km Lamnian Reshian Road, Rs366.748 million for different link roads in Muzaffarabad Division, Rs128.806 million for Beli Bridge on Jehlum River near Ambore, Rs307.323 million for a 4.5km patch of Khaliqabad Road in Mirpur and Rs146.486 million for a bridge on Jatli Ali Baig Road. For the power sector, the committee allocated an amount of Rs210.764 million for the installation of solar power systems in upper Neelum and Bagh. For the education sector, Rs282.921 million and Rs174.540 million were allocated to acquire land for Poonch University and 26 upgraded colleges respectively, along with Rs127.473 million for construction of new buildings and provision of furniture in seven newly-established middle schools in Sudhnoti district. A total of Rs136.319 million were approved for Roli Hills scheme, Rs250 million for civil secretariat blocks in Lower Chattar, Rs354.431 million for Dadyal Bypass, Rs146.161 million for Cheechiyan Bypass, and Rs217.130 for improvement of Pir Kaladab Road and Rs290 million for Pir-Gali-Pir Godi Road.


Rs. 49bn for Projects under ADP: Punjab

The Punjab government has released more than Rs49 billion for execution of various projects under the Annual Development Program. A spokesman for the Punjab Planning and Development Department said that out of total Rs210 billion for the ADP 2012-13, funds to the tune of Rs49.592 billion had been released for implementation and completion of the development projects during the first quarter of fiscal year. An amount of Rs18.945 billion had been released for social sectors:

Rs23.807 billion for infrastructure development Rs2.557 billion for production sectors Rs1.388 billion for services sector Rs2.776 billion for development schemes of local government Rs0.012 billion for environment, information and culture, archaeology, Auqaf, human

rights


President Ask Government to Upgrade Gilgit Airport

President Asif Zardari asked the government to upgrade Gilgit Airport to improve communication of the area with the rest of the country. President Zardari said this while talking to the members of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Council at the Presidency. The president said that in line with the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who abolished the draconian Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR) in Gilgit-Baltistan and introduced substantial administrative, judicial and political reforms, the government also accorded priority to the uplift of Gilgitians. He said that the government had taken substantive measures to involve the Gilgitians in their socio-




economic developmental process and their political empowerment. He said that the introduction of GB Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009, which provided the people with representative government, was one of the landmark achievements of the government. The GB CM Shah briefed President Zardari about the work progress on Attabad Lake Project and the rehabilitation of the affected people.


Health Projects

World Bank Approves $24 Million

The World Bank’s Board of Directors approved a US$24 million second additional financing for Polio Eradication Project (TPPEP) to support the Government of Pakistan’s efforts to immunize 34.8 million children against the crippling disease. In 1988 when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched, 125 countries reported an estimated 350,000 cases of polio each year. With the implementation of the strategies recommended by the initiative, cases of Polio transmission had dropped by 99% in 2006 and are now limited to only three countries, Pakistan among them. “Although Pakistan has seen great progress in the reduction of polio over the last 20 years, it remains one of the few countries where polio still impacts lives and recent cases are worrying,” said Rachid Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. The project is the third in a series since 2003 that provide financial resources to the Government of Pakistan to procure the Oral Polio Vaccine as part of the global campaign.


President Zardari to Launch Polio Immunization Campaign: Islamabad

President Asif Ali Zardari will launch the three-day national polio immunization campaign in the capital. The president will make a special appeal to all citizens to support the cause and contribute to the goal of making Pakistan polio-free. He will also be making a point to the international community that despite challenges Pakistan was making all-out efforts and as a result of the campaign, there had been a sharp decline in the number of polio cases and districts with poliovirus.


2.2m Children in Balochistan to Be Vaccinated In 3 Days: Balochistan

A three-day anti-polio campaign will kick off across Balochistan, covering 30 districts. At least 2,234,425 children below the age of five years will be administered anti-polio vaccine during the drive, for which the government has formed 6,095 teams - comprising health workers and volunteers - to ensure 100 percent coverage. At least three polio cases were reported in Quetta in during the current year. The focal person of the anti-polio campaign, Dr Ghafar Lashari, said that polio is a dangerous virus that has been driven out of almost all countries. “Unfortunately, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan are among those few countries where polio virus has not been fully eradicated despite the strenuous efforts of the respective governments and international donor agencies, he said. He revealed that since last year, as many as 198 polio cases had been reported in Pakistan - and 73 from Balochistan alone - “but this year, only three cases have surfaced in the provincial capital.





Anti-Polio Drive Starts: Punjab

An anti-polio campaign is being launched across Punjab from October 15 to October 17 during which 17.65 million children of up to five years will be administered polio drops along with Vitamin A.


Health Reports/Control

Polio Case Found In Dir: KPK

A three-year old girl has been diagnosed with poliovirus in Barawal tehsil of Upper Dir district. The case is the first in Upper Dir in the current year. Maria Bibi, resident of Palai Baba area, was diagnosed with polio despite the fact that the girl has regularly been administered polio drops in all the anti-polio campaigns carried out in the district. The Health department officials have confirmed the case. The detection of the new case has created concern among locals who questioned the anti-polio drive as Maria Bibi has regularly been administered anti-polio drops.


Heart Disease World’s Biggest Killer, Says Expert

Heart disease is the world’s biggest killer accounting for more than 3 out of every 10 deaths, however, through preventive actions such as a healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco, more than 80% of these deaths can be prevented. This was stated by Prof Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah Vice Chancellor, Khyber Medical University (KMU) to the jam-packed audience in Lady Reading Hospital on the eve of World Heart Day. According to WHO about 17.5 million people die from cardiovascular diseases every year, representing 30 percent of all global deaths but the unfortunate fact was that the majority of those bearing the brunt were from developing countries. Pakistan being integral part of South East Asia was worst hit by the epidemic of heart diseases. Non communicable diseases accounted for more than sixty percent of diseases, he added. World Heart Day is held on the last Sunday of September every year.

Prof Muhammad Hafizullah said that everyone should join the fight against heart diseases and explained that the risk factors that may lead to heart disease and stroke include, raised blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity. He described that preventive Council on Cardiology is trying to promote four messages from the forum of Pakistan Cardiac Society. The foremost being “Search your house for enemies” implying that everyone should make a conscious effort to look for risk factors that can cause heart problems and strokes. These risk factors are High blood pressure, Cholesterol and Diabetes. Unless they are looked for a person may never come to know about it as they rarely produce any symptoms.

A physical checkup and a laboratory test is mandatory for every adult male and female. Second is to ‘Say no to nicotine” and he explained neither should one smoke oneself nor should one allow anyone else to smoke nearby as passive smoking is equally risky and damaging for health. Third important message from Preventive Council was to “Watch what you eat”. He explained that everyone should ask three questions about the food to be consumed. One should ask about calories as more calories lead to obesity which is undoubtedly mother of all illnesses, secondly about content of salt as consumption of more salt leads to high blood pressure and thirdly and more importantly question should be asked about cholesterol content. Higher the cholesterol contents higher the chances of heart problems and strokes. Food items that have high cholesterol are dairy products like cream, cheese, ghee, and butter; animal products like




internal organs and meat cooked in ghee. The fourth important message is ‘take a walk’. Walk has to be undertaken on a regular basis for thirty minutes as a part of treatment and the benefits it confers are innumerable.


Families Refusing Polio Drops Down By 44pc

Pakistan has witnessed a sharp drop in the number of families refusing to get their children vaccinated against polio, while lamenting that nearly half a million children were left unvaccinated. The number of refusing families has declined 44 percent from 80,330 during the first national polio round held in January to 45,122 in October, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN and the government said in a joint statement. The imams from mosques’ loudspeakers have been telling parents not to give polio vaccine to their children, dubbing the campaign a Western ‘conspiracy’ to reduce the population of Muslims. The success achieved notwithstanding, every unvaccinated child constitutes a major challenge, said Elias Durry, a senior coordinator for polio eradication at WHO. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, a senior adviser to the prime minister, called for reaching out to the children who could not be given polio vaccine drops during the latest campaign. We need to take adequate steps to ensure that the number of children missed for reasons other than refusals is also brought down,” she said. There have been 30 confirmed cases of polio in the country this year according to the government, 22 of them in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.


Education Projects

HEC Signs MOU with University Of New Mexico for Scholarship Program

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of New Mexico (UNM), USA for a scholarship program relating to higher studies of university teachers/scholars of Pakistan. The School of Engineering (SOE) at UNM would enroll Pakistani candidates for MS program, which would lead to PhD programs starting from 2013. However, the officials at UNM informed that they were working on expanding the agreement to major disciplines and soon the expanded MOU would be sent to HEC. The HEC would provide scholarships to eligible Pakistani candidates for higher studies in the university. It was hoped that this mutual cooperation would lead towards fruitful results in the field of higher education.


3, 000 Art Teachers to Be Recruited For Schools: Punjab

Applications have been sought for the vacancies of arts teachers in all the government schools of Punjab, including Rawalpindi, according to the Punjab Education Department. A total of 3,000 arts teachers would be recruited in the schools of Rawalpindi, while 22,846 educators would be recruited in the entire province. The contenders had been advised to submit their complete applications till October 15. After scrutiny, the tests and interviews would be conducted from the candidates in the first week of November and the selected male and female candidates would take charge of their duties on 1st December.





64% of Schools in AJK Are Still Heaps of Rubble

Sixty-four per cent of schools destroyed by the 2005 tremor in Bagh district of AJK are yet to be reconstructed. In all, 770 state-run schools were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake in Bagh. Of them, only 273 have been reconstructed since, according to Raja Roshan Johar, the district education officer. Interestingly, most of these schools have been reconstructed with funding from foreign and local donors. “Now, there is a feeling of discrimination. While some pupils study in schools reconstructed by NGOs, others are made to sit on the rubble of their schools. This might cause an inferiority complex among them,” Johar told a ceremony held in connection with the 7th anniversary of the 2005 earthquake at a state-run school reconstructed by USAID in Dhal Qazian.

Another speaker, Gul Zaman, who led a community-based team to support USAID’s reconstruction of the Dhal Qazian boys high school, appealed to the AJK government to provide relief to the students and teachers working under difficult conditions at the quake-affected schools. According to residents, some of the schools in Bagh still don’t have roofs. These schools will be exposed to snow in winter for the 7th year in a row. Most of the damaged furniture was sold as junk while some schools have yet to receive new furniture. People in Bagh wonder who is responsible for the reconstruction of schools and how much time it might take. The name of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) comes up regularly, often followed by accusations and complaints.Brigadier (retd) Pervez Niazi, who is the director general of ERRA’s Planning Wing II, defended the authority’s performance. “ERRA is not to be blamed,” he said. The planning wing deals with education issues in the quake-hit areas. Niazi said international aid that came Pakistan’s way since the 2005 catastrophe - around $2.5 billion after foreign donors deducted their own relief expenditures - was never received by ERRA directly. “The Pakistani government received the money and there was no separate fund for it. ERRA requests the government for funds on an annual basis according to its requirements.” The funds have, however, dried up over the last couple of years.

“We need a lot of money,” Niazi said. “In 2011, we requested Rs50 billion but received only Rs8 billion under the annual budget.” Niazi said part of the money might have been spent on other relief and rehabilitation activities, following the 2010 floods. “Due to lack of funding, we spend money on projects which show physical progress of 50% or more,” he added. This means that the schools where reconstruction has not even begun might not see any work for a long time. A visit to Balakot in Mansehra district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reveals a similar state of public schools and health facilities. “Only 40% of the schools and other community infrastructure have been partially reconstructed during the last 6 years,” said a local teacher, Sardar Khursheed, adding that pupils are studying in worn-out tents that were donated back in 2005. He said the tents are so debilitated that teachers are compelled to take classes under the open sky and send the children home during rainy weather.


Case of Ghost Schools Being Probed By NAB, FIA

The Senate was informed that about eight thousand ghost schools still exist in the country and their cases have been referred to NAB and FIA. Minister of State for Education and Training Sardar Shahjahan Yusuf told the House that cases of financial embezzlement against four provincial directors in basic education community schools project of the National Education Foundation are underway. He said the Ministry is further probing the cases of ghost schools which have been referred to NAB and FIA.





30 Scholarships for Balochistan Female Faculty: Balochistan

Under the faculty development program of Higher Education Commission (HEC), 30 scholarships have been awarded to the female faculty of Sardar Bhaudar Khan Women University (SBKWU), the first women’s university in Balochistan. According to the HEC, MS leading to PhD and PhD level scholarships have been awarded in three categories: overseas scholarships, split and indigenous scholarships. The awarded scholarships would cover various disciplines, i.e., economics, mathematics, computer science, management science, botany and zoology. SBKWU Vice Chancellor Sultana Baloch informed that through a new phase, 30 more scholarships would be awarded in various disciplines. She also appreciated the transparent selection process, which enabled the capable and deserving candidates to get opportunity to enhance their knowledge at the leading higher education institutions of academically advanced countries. The HEC has already awarded 2,000 scholarships to students of Balochistan and FATA under the project “Provision of Higher Education Opportunities for Balochistan and FATA” during the last four years. Under the second and new phase of the project, 1,500 more scholarships would be awarded to the students of Balochistan and FATA. The HEC has also arranged foundation course for 684 students of Balochistan at Quetta.


HEC Decides To Award 6, 000 Scholarships among Needy Students

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) decided to award 6,000 scholarships to needy students from different parts of the country on merit and need-based scholarship program during the next three years. HEC Adviser on Human Resource Development Prof Dr Riaz Hussain Qureshi said that the scholarships would be awarded to talented but financially constrained students, especially those from rural areas so as to ensure greater equity in enrollment at different public sector higher education institutions throughout the country. The need-based scholarships are focused on providing opportunities for access to higher education especially to under privileged students belonging to remote and far-flung areas of the country who despite possessing academic merit, are unable to finance their education. Under this new initiative, special emphasis is given to the students belonging to Balochistan, FATA, interior Sindh and southern Punjab to support higher education of maximum number of academically qualified needy students from the very poor segments of the country. The scholarships would be awarded through the Financial Aid Offices at the universities in a transparent and well-defined mechanism. He also said the indigenous and foreign scholarships were being awarded as per federal government quota policy.


Pakistan behind Nepal, India in Girls’ Education: UNESCO

The Education for All Global Monitoring Report shows that Pakistan’s progress in getting poor girls into schools is less than half that of India’s and Nepal’s and a quarter of Bangladesh’s. The report released by UNESCO reveals that though Pakistan has the second largest number of out-of-school girls in the world, yet it has reduced the amount it spends on education to less than 2.3% of GNP. Only nine low- and lower-middle-income countries spend a smaller share on education. The barriers to education faced by Pakistani girls are stark in comparison with the rest of South Asia. Two-thirds of the out-of-school children in Pakistan are girls; only 16 countries have a worse rate. Pakistan has the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world five million. The country’s progress in reducing the number of poor girls being denied a chance of education has been too slow. The percentage of poorest girls out of school has fallen from 78% to 62%, a much smaller drop than in India (from 66% to 30%), Nepal (52%




to 22%) and Bangladesh (91% to 44%). EFA Global Monitoring Report Director Pauline Rose said that “since 1999 when governments around the world committed to getting all children into school, countries like Pakistan have managed to consistently fail to address” the issue. According to the report, although the number of Pakistani children denied education is surpassed only by Nigeria, the country has reduced spending on education from 2.6% of GNP in 1999 to 2.3% today. The Global Monitoring Report 2012 shows over a third of young Pakistanis - 12 million - do not have the skills they need for work. This is the second highest number of unskilled young people in the world.


Foreign Aided Development Projects

Shahbaz Signs MOU of Solar Project with German Firm: Chief Minister Punjab

Punjab government delegation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a solar power project development firm. The firm intends to set up a large solar power generation facility in Punjab. The firm will be part of a business delegation on energy in November where they will launch the project in Pakistan. Shahbaz Sharif appealed to the representatives of energy companies to help Pakistan in finding new and sustainable means of energy. He said German technology excelled in this area and Punjab government would facilitate the companies if they moved to Pakistan.


Watan Card Funding

$580m is the total amount provided by donor agencies including USAID, DFID, the government of Italy and the World Bank for implementation of NADRA’s Watan card scheme, aside from $100m which has been contributed by the Pakistan government.

The Express Tribune – October 17, 2012

Government Receives $15.63bn in Loan, Grants

The government has taken a total of $15.63 billion loans and grants from various countries and international donors, excluding disbursements made by the IMF. The documents prepared by the Economics Affairs Division (EAD) showed that the government received $13.07 billion in loans during March 25, 2008 to July 1, 2012. In all Pakistan has obtained 58 different loans worth $3.81 billion from seven countries while 167 loans amounting to $9.25 billion have been taken from eight donor agencies. Pakistan has obtained a total of $2.56 billion in the form of grants which include financial support worth $2.19 from 13 countries and $375.56 million from donor agencies. The UK and USA are the large donors for Pakistan, and both the countries have not loaned any amount to the country. USA disbursed the highest amount of $1.25 billion in terms of grants to Pakistan followed by $528.65 million grants by the UK. During the period from March 2008 to July 2012, China remained the largest lender country for Pakistan providing $2.48 billion in terms of loans, while the grants amounted to $69.38m. Similarly, there is huge disparity between loans and grants given by Saudi Arabia, as the loans provided by Saudi Arabia to Pakistan during this period amount to $698.62 million compared to $7.65 million grants provided by that country to Pakistan.

The third largest lender country for Pakistan is Japan providing $458.81 million loans to country, while Japan has given $215.65 million grants during this period. Kuwait has given six




different loans amounting to $68.14 million but has not given any grants to Pakistan. Similarly, France and Korea have not given any grants to Pakistan but both countries provided $21.58m and $20m loans. Similarly, the Opec fund has given only a loan of $26.59 million to Pakistan. Among the donor agencies, the largest loan of $4.16 billion has been obtained from the Asian Development Bank. The incumbent government has taken 75 different loans from the ADB and the average repayment period for these loans are 20 years, whereas, the ADB has provided $67.75 million grants to Pakistan in the past four years. The IDA of World Bank provided 50 loans worth $2.99 billion and it gave $37.23 million grants to Pakistan, the total loans from the IDB amounted to $1.66 billion and no grants have been provide by the IDB to Pakistan. Among international organizations, UK aid agencies have provided the highest number of $91.36 million in terms to grants. The other donor organizations that have provide only grants and not only loans to Pakistan are European Union providing grants worth $62.67 million, GAVI alliance $34.20 million, and other donors including UNDP, UNHCR and World Food Program.

Dawn – October 19, 2012

Economic Projects

Asian Development Bank Assures Support for Diamer Basha Dam Construction

Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda has appreciated the Pakistan government’s efforts for maintaining macro-economic stability in the country and assured the banks support for the construction of Diamer Basha Dam. Kuroda said the ADB, as a first step, would move the technical assistance proposal to the IMF board. The project would help reduce the energy mix prices of electricity. Highlighting Pakistan’s economic situation, the minister said measures were being taken to bring macroeconomic stability in the country.


Analysis

Lenders Express Concern over Pak Failure to Meet MDGs: Analysis by Khaliq Kiani

As Pakistan opened policy discussions with the International Monetary Fund, a group of international multilateral lenders expressed concern over Pakistan’s inability to achieve millennium development goals perhaps even 10 years after the target year, 2015. At a consultative session with the country’s economic managers led by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, the D-10 members, including the World Bank and the United Nations agencies, noted that social sector spending and its pace to provide quality nutrition to the people had gone down instead of improving. They discussed a joint framework to make progress in achieving the millennium development goals by 2015, particularly when the role of provincial governments has increased with the devolution of social sector responsibilities to provinces. The UNDP and UNESCO said that the outlook of social sector spending in Pakistan was “scary” and needed improvement. Both the agencies also questioned the government’s efforts to increase the spending on social sector over the last three and half years. The World Bank pointed out that the methodology used by the government to assess the poverty situation was not in line with an undertaking given to the Bank for defining the pro-poor expenditures. It said the factor of food subsidy alone was to be included in the pro-poor expenditure, but now the government had included all kinds of subsidies including those for the power sector in the pro-poor expenditures. The WB also said that there should be some sort of synchronization between the previous and the new mythology in assessing the poverty figure.




As the criticism from D-10 members continued, the finance minister led an introductory session with a visiting IMF delegation on post-Program monitoring. The dialogue will continue over the next couple of days during which the two sides would review sector-wise details of the country’s economic situation. On poverty situation, the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Dr Nadeemul Haq, said that the new poverty figure would be assessed as per new and previous methodologies. He said the academia had been given the responsibility to come up with poverty numbers based on official surveys. A presentation by the planning commission put poverty in the country at 22.3 per cent, based on Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement (PSLM 2005-06). Dr Hafeez Shaikh said that social spending figures presented by the World Bank may not be depicting a realistic picture and appeared to be based on the pre-NFC situation, arguing that NFC Award diverted over Rs800 billion over the last two years to the provinces. “So expenditures by the provincial governments on social sector should have naturally risen.” The minister asked the development partners to suggest a development plan with common priorities in consultation with the government and insisted that donors should also respect the right of the government while evaluating of the project and its results when it came to the allocation of funding to NGOs. “The joint evaluation mechanism would help bring transparency in the implementation of the project by NGO too.”

The World Bank had highlighted its concern that progress on health and education indicators in Pakistan had slowed down because the real growth in public expenditure haf decelerated sharply. It said that the government seemed focused on protection of wage expenditure and insufficient allocations were made for non-wage expenditure; for example, school related non-wage expenditure was very low (between Rs15-20 per school per day). Development expenditure, the bank said, had not led to any improvement in social indicators for example in Punjab correlation between primary education development spending and changes in primary GER (gross enrolment rate) was equal to 0.06. Using the unit cost of the best performing district as a reference, the bank reported the present primary school GER in Punjab could be achieved with 46 per cent less expenditure the bank also pointed out that since social sector resources were being inefficiently used, it was feared that Pakistan would be unable to achieve the MDGs by 2025. It stressed the need for a better alignment of budgetary expenditures with the development priorities of the government. The Planning Commission, in its presentation, however said the official position is that poverty is estimated to be around 22.3 per cent.


Pakistan Risks Missing Primary Education For All Target: Global Monitoring Report: Education

With Pakistan spending only 2.3% of its GDP on education, the country is unlikely to achieve its target of ‘Universal Primary Education for All’ by 2015, states the 2012 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report. It maintains that despite having committed itself to the particular United Nations Millennium Development Goal, Pakistan still has the second largest number of out of school children: around 5.1 million. Of the 5 million, 63% are girls. However, there are 3 million less out of school children than there were in 1999. Out of the 775 million illiterate adults in the world, 50 million are in Pakistan, making the country’s illiteracy rate the third highest in the world. It also mentions that 36% of Pakistanis, nearly 12 million, have not completed primary schooling. This leaves Pakistan with the second highest number of unskilled young people, just after India. It says Pakistan has decreased its spending on education from 2.6% of its GDP to 2.3% in the past decade. This, according to the report, is one of the prime reasons for Pakistan lagging behind. Dr Rose said that with just 2.3% of GDP being spent on education, greater political will is required to ensure all children attend school. “For each dollar invested in education, a country benefits by at least $10 in growth.” This year’s report paints a gloomy picture with progress towards achieving the education goals stagnating, said Dr Rose. “This is an urgent wake-up call for the government and donors to do more in the final push




towards the 2015 deadline.” Claiming that almost half of rural women in the country have never been to school, it adds that the same holds true for only 14% of men. The EFA Global Monitoring Report is a tool to assess global progress towards achieving education goals. This year, the report focuses on improving youth skills development Programs to ensure provision of greater work opportunities. The EFA Global Monitoring Report will be launched on October 18 in Islamabad, October 24 in Lahore and later in November in Karachi.





ENERGY WATCH

Government’s Role in Energy Crisis

Government Slashes POL, CNG Prices

The government approved a cut in POL and CNG prices. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had sent a summary to the Petroleum and Finance ministries and recommended a reduction in the prices of petroleum products by Rs 6 per liter, which was approved by the government. With the implementation of new prices, petrol would become cheaper by Rs 6 per liter, the price of high speed diesel (HSD) has come down by 40 paisa, light diesel oil (LDO) by 14 paisa and kerosene oil by 40 paisa. To maintain the 60 percent parity between the price of petrol and CNG, OGRA also asked for a reduction in the price of CNG. The price of CNG has been reduced in region one by Rs 5.49 per kilogram and in region two by Rs 5.02 per kilogram. The new price of petrol is now Rs 102.45 per liter, while high speed diesel will cost Rs 113.16 per liter. Light diesel oil will cost Rs 96.22 per liter, while kerosene will be sold at Rs 109.23 per liter. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Potohar, the price of CNG will now become Rs 93.79 per kilogram, while it will come down to Rs 85.68 per kilogram in Sindh and Punjab.


Petrol Up By Rs 3.04 per Liter, CNG Rs 2.78 per Kilogram

The government increased the price of petrol by Rs 3.04 per liter and CNG Rs 2.78 per kilogram for the next seven days with immediate effect. According to OGRA’s notification, the price has been increased by for the next week.

Petrol Rs 3.04 per liter Kerosene oil by Rs 0.72 per liter Light diesel oil (LDO) Rs 0.47 per liter JP-1 Rs 0.72 per liter JP-4 Rs 0.44 per liter JP-8 Rs 0.72 per liter

However, the price of high speed diesel (HSD) has been decreased by Rs 2.70 per liter. After the price revision, the new prices are:

Petrol is Rs 105.49 per liter from Rs 102.45 per liter Kerosene oil Rs 101.95 per liter from Rs 101.23 per liter Light diesel oil (LDO) Rs 96.70 per liter from Rs 96.22 per liter JP-1 Rs 91.14 per liter from Rs 90.42 per liter JP-4 Rs 82.94 per liter from Rs 82.50 per liter JP-8 Rs 90.83 per liter from Rs 90.11 per

The new price of HSD has gone down to Rs 110.46 per liter from Rs 113.16 per liter.


Bomb Shell of Power Tariff Increase Dropped

Government has dropped another energy bombshell on the people as NEPRA has hiked power tariff at the rate ranging between 0.99 paisa’s to Rs 1.14 per unit. The increased tariff will take effect from August. The raise in power tariff has been notified. As per NEPRA notification,




increase in the tariff has been made for the month of August due to enhancement in the cost of production of electricity because public sector power thermal power plants were producing less electricity in proportion to consumption of furnace oil. This increased production cost up to Rs 21.37 per unit. The notification said the increase had been made due to increase in furnace oil prices. The increase has been allowed in the power tariff of Jamshoro Power Company and Northern Power Generation Company. Sources said the increase has been made in fuel adjustment surcharge.


Petrol, CNG Prices Down; Diesel Up

The government approved hike in the prices of all petroleum products, except that of petrol, under the weekly revision. The price per kilogram of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) also slipped by up to Rs 2, as its price is correlated with that of petrol. According to the summery sent by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the price of per liter petrol would be reduced by Rs 2.09, while the price per liter of diesel has been raised by Rs 3.16. The price of kerosene oil has been increased by Rs 1.92 and that of light diesel by Rs 1.23 per liter. The price per kilogram of CNG was decreased by Rs 1.92 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar and Balochistan (Zone-I), whereas the prices for Punjab and Sindh (Zone-II) were reduced by Rs 1.74/kg. This change in prices for the current week took effective from midnight. Following the revision in prices from today (Monday), petrol will be available at the new price of Rs 103.40 per liter, diesel at Rs 113.62 per liter, kerosene oil at Rs 103.87 per liter and light diesel at Rs 97.93 per liter.


Four Day Gas Load Shedding Plan Ready: Punjab

Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd (SNGPL) has finalized a gas load management plan for winter under which four days gas load shedding will be implemented across Punjab from 15th November. There would be a shortage of one billion cubic feet of gas during winter and to meet the shortfall, the load shedding of gas would be increased from three to four days for CNG stations. The SNGPL which prepared the plan will present it to the Ministry of Petroleum for approval. In addition to CNG, there is also proposal to increase gas load-shedding for Fertilizer and other industries. The presently shortfall of gas is between 500 to 600 mmcf which would increase to between 800 and 900 mmcf. They said that though the government has assured that provision of gas to domestic consumers would be a priority but due to extreme shortage, there would be impact on the domestic consumers as well.


Report Sought On Steps Taken To End Load Shedding

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial directed PEPCO to submit a report until November 1 about steps taken to control unscheduled load shedding. The judge said that a plan similar to one implemented by KESC should be made functional in other cities too. He said that there should be no discrimination and load-management should also be implemented in private housing societies. The PEPCO’s counsel, Khawaja Tariq Rahim, informed the court that the government was taking measures against electricity theft. He also said that a payment of Rs 24 billion has been made to IPPs to lessen power outages. Judicial Activism Panel Chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique had moved the petition, saying that power supply authorities should be directed to submit in court the load shedding schedule at President’s House, Prime




Minister’s House, chief ministers’ houses and residences of other high-ranking officials. The petitioner said that the people of Pakistan were facing gas as well as electricity crises but they were forced to pay utility bills as demanded by gas authorities and WAPDA, including surcharges of all kind. He requested the court to order end of unannounced electricity load shedding.


OGRA Suggests Rs. 2.32 Cut In Petrol Price

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) suggested a decrease in petroleum prices, and sent a summary to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. The Authority had recommended the ministry to reduce the prices of:

Petrol by Rs 2.32 per liter, High Speed Diesel by 33paisas per liter Light Diesel by 55paisas per liter Kerosene Oil by 61paisas per liter CNG by Rs 1.45 per kg


Nine Power Plants Out Of Production Due To Fuel Shortage

Nine thermal power generation units went out of production due to non-availability of fuel taking out 2071 MW of electricity from the system. These power generation plants include

AES Lalpir (350 MW), AES Pakgen (350 MW) Saba power company (150 MW) Saif, Orient and Saffire power plants One unit of Hubco (300 MW) Fauri Kabirwala (151 MW)

KAPCO generation has also decreased by 800 MW. Despite improvement in weather and the resultant decrease in power demand, load shedding would continue owing to supply shortages. They said that the Ministry of Water and Power had taken serious notice of this development and arrangements were being made to ensure supply of fuel to these plants to put them back on production line.





REGIONAL WATCH

Pakistan & United States

Pakistan Urges Us for Common Strategy on Counter Terrorism

Voicing Pakistan’s concerns on continuing US drone attacks in the tribal areas, Interior Minister Rehman Malik asked Washington to adopt a common counterterrorism strategy with Islamabad in pursuit of common goals. “We have a common enemy and we must have a common strategy to fight this enemy Pakistan is committed with the international community in this fight -and we will hit them (terrorists) hard,” the Interior Minister said standing alongside Grossman. He said it would be good if the two countries had a common strategy on drones but did not explain his comment. Malik noted although both sides are fighting a common enemy there are reservations on the two sides as well. “Our side has conveyed our concerns regarding drone attacks the people of Pakistan have been voicing this and we hope that this voice of the people of Pakistan will be heard,” Rehman Malik said.


United States Waives Restrictions to Allow $2bn Aid

The United States has waived legal restrictions that could have blocked $2 billion of economic and military assistance to Pakistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has informed Congress that it was in America’s national interest to do so. The Obama administration, however, refused for the first time to declare that Pakistan is making progress towards ending alleged military support for Taliban and other militant groups. Encouraged by the recent positive engagement with Pakistan, the Secretary has decided to exercise her authority to waive in fiscal year 2012 certification requirements on certain civilian and security assistance to Pakistan. The Secretary has determined that such assistance is in the US national security interest,” a State Department official said.


Pakistan & India

Pakistani, Indian Banks May Start Work In March

Banks in Pakistan and India have been advised to complete documentation required to open branches in each other’s countries by November 30, said Minister (Trade) at the High Commission of Pakistan in India Naeem Anwar. He said that three Indian banks, including the Reserve Bank of India (commercial operations), Bank of India and Punjab National Bank, are getting their documents processed for opening branches in Pakistan while the National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank Limited have initiated the process to open branches in India. The opening of bank branches is expected to facilitate trade between the two countries and is part of a series of steps designed to normalize economic relations, a process initiated in December 2010.

In the first category, a businessman declaring Rs0.5 million profits in a year would be eligible for a police-reporting visa valid for five Indian cities

In the other category, a businessman declaring profits of Rs3 million or above will be allowed to apply for a visa, which would be valid for ten Indian cities and would be exempt from police reporting




Anwar said that the procedure to validate the income claims of businessmen intending to visit India has yet to be determined. Regarding the issue of high customs tariff in India, Anwar said that at secretary level-talks, it had been agreed that India would reduce tariff lines to 100 under the South Asian Free Trade Agreement by April 2013. Accordingly, he said, Pakistan would also withdraw its negative list for imports from India. Regarding air links from Pakistan and India, Anwar said that India would soon resume operations. Indian private airlines are interested in starting operations beyond Islamabad, he said, adding that Pakistan International Airlines has already started two flights to India.


More Pakistani Banks Can Apply For India Operation

More Pakistani banks can apply for India operation under the ongoing talks for strengthening economic relations between the two countries, said Naeem Anwar, Minister (Trade) at Pakistan High Commission in India. Two Pakistani banks have applied for opening up branches in India, reciprocating three Indian banks that have intended to open their branches in Pakistan, he said, adding that the banks in the two countries have been advised to finalize their documentation process by November 30 to make them operational by April 1, 2013. The United Bank Limited (UBL) and the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) from Pakistan are in the process to open branches in India, in reciprocating three Indian banks, including the Reserve Bank of India (commercial operation), Bank of India and the Punjab National Bank have initiated the process. He said that the trade bodies should prepare themselves for huge influx of Indian products after completion of talks for trade liberalization between the two countries. He lamented that the trade bodies in Pakistan have no in-house mechanism for product information. In contrast, the trade bodies in India are well aware about their imports and exports. Anwar said that in the recent joint commerce secretary-level meetings it was decided that India will reduce duty for Pakistani products up to five percent by April 13, except for 100 tariff lines, as it had allowed for South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) countries. Similarly, Pakistan would also reduce to 100 tariff lines for India products by 2017. At present for accessing the Indian markets, he said, Pakistani products face high duty rates. Pakistani textile and agro-based products are facing 30-250 percent duty rates. He also urged the local businessmen to explore Indian market in a scenario after April 2013, as it has big markets.


Two Month Pak-India Trade Deficit Crosses $11m

Due to unbalanced business deals with the neighboring country, the Pakistani economy has faced a trade deficit of more than $11.468 with India during the months of July and August. A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarian from Rawalpindi, Ziaullah Shah, in a statement said that Pakistan’s economic situation was comparatively deteriorating with each passing day due to the government’s policies and unwisely trade with India. He said that during the period between July and August of 2011, the deficit of Pak-India trade was $11.289 million, which had been increased this year. Giving reasons for the deficit, he said the sitting government of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lacked vision while drafting economic policies, which he said could further harm the economy. The MPA said that India was not the only option for trade, so the Pakistani government should consider other options too, “as many countries wanted to invest in Pakistan, like Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. Regretting over the silence of the parliamentary and non-parliamentary institutions over the most serious issue of trade deficit, he said that no one had paid attention to the matter. Shah said that the government should reconsider its policies, especially the trade policy, with India, as it was the




need of the hour. He warned that the economic situation could further deteriorate if the government did not take the matter seriously.


Given Right Price Pakistan Ready to Import Oil

In what could be an important Confidence Building Measure (CBM) between the two countries, Pakistan is not averse to importing petroleum products such as diesel and petrol from India if it gets “the right price was offered”, Petroleum Minister Asim Hussain said. A team from HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd) will come to Pakistan very soon to discuss prices (for exporting fuels),” Hussain told. If right prices are given, we have no problems importing. Trade ties between the two nations have shown signs of a thaw recently. The minister also said that the country will offer 60 oil and gas exploration blocks in the next two months, and will discuss with his Indian counterpart possibilities of offering some of the blocks to Indian companies on a bilateral basis.

The Express Tribune – October 17, 2012

Pakistan & Turkey

A Turkey-Pakistan Alliance for Islamic Banking

Turkey is on track to becoming the next hub for Islamic banking and finance. Given the Ottoman legacy, the last seat of the Islamic vice regency, the government of Turkey was only required to show its commitment to Islamic finance before other players in the industry were going to join her in building a vibrant Islamic banking and finance industry. The recent successful dollar-denominated $1.5 billion sovereign Sukuk issue, followed by a lira-denominated $900 million sovereign Sukuk have put the country on the global platform of Islamic banking and finance. It is expected that many Middle Eastern Islamic banks and financial institutions will enter the Turkish market in the future. Kuwait Finance House (KFH) entered Turkey in 1989 well before an explicit commitment came from the then government that had been rather hostile towards any non-secular developments. It preceded KFH’s move into other markets like Malaysia, Bahrain and Jordan over several years. Despite personal encouragement by then governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Dr Ishrat Husain, KFH did not enter the Pakistan market and remains reluctant. On the other hand, Albaraka Bank set up a participation bank (a Turkish term used to describe Islamic banks) in 1984, well before it entered the Pakistani market in 1991. It will not be surprising if Turkey starts posing competitive threats to Pakistan; in terms of becoming a destination of preference for many Middle Eastern investors who currently invest in Pakistan and Malaysia, as for many institutions in the Middle East it makes more logistic sense to do business in Turkey rather than travelling to the Far East. Pakistan presents the most Shariah authentic model of Islamic banking in the world. Turkey can also achieve the kind of Shariah authenticity that Malaysia has yet to develop, if she attempts to learn from the Shariah governance regime developed by the SBP. Hence, a Turkey-Pakistan alliance will not only help to promote Islamic banking in Turkey, but is also expected to bring a new juristic approach to product development and structuring.

It is important for Pakistan to show more commitment to Islamic banking and finance and use it as a strategic tool to seek help from Turkey in order to raise funding for a number of infrastructural projects that need external financing. Through adopting a leadership role in Islamic banking and finance, Pakistan can regain its lost standing in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) block. A number of OIC-level projects came to Pakistan, e.g. International Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which either failed or moved to other countries because of lack of support and commitment from the government. It is now a good opportunity




for Pakistan to strike a deal with Turkey to share her expertise in the field of Islamic banking and finance. While the likes of Malaysia have invested millions of dollars to set up institutions like INCEIF to develop required human resources for Islamic banking, Pakistan can develop a state-of-the-art center of excellence for Islamic finance by investing a small amount in Darul Uloom Karachi, developing it into a teaching and research university specializing in Islamic banking and finance. If Turkey can play a role in this project, it would be a fantastic way of starting an everlasting collaboration in Islamic banking and finance between the two countries. The Darul Uloom model of education is certainly more cost effective as compared with INCEIF, which has a huge annual budget. Close cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey can prove to be an efficient way of producing talent for the global Islamic financial services industry if right channels are created and maintained between respective parties.


Regional Governance

Indian Cities Learn Together, Race Ahead: India

Would it not make sense for the mayors of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar to regularly sit down and exchange notes? Unfortunately, this happens rarely in Pakistan. But India realized several years ago that this kind of peer-to-peer learning was crucial as city managers struggled to cope with urbanization. By last year, 377 million Indians were living in urban areas and that was only one-third of the population. As cities expanded, civic services grew spotty, governance became shaky and finances weakened. Development was needed but so were reforms. In 2005, the government pushed through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) that combined the carrot and the stick. It gave cities $25 billion for seven years (2005-2012). But in order to get their hands on the money, the national, state and city governments had to sign a deal to make 23 changes. Some of the reforms were simple, like computerizing property records, and others were complicated like doing away with the rent control act. In return, the cities got money for projects. They would get the first cash installment immediately. But the second round of funding was pegged to completed reforms.

Unchartered Territory

JnNURM wrapped up in March this year and the results were surprising. Prof. Chetan Vaidya*, an architect-planner with over 30 years of experience, shared them with a group of international urbanists in Bellagio in July during the Urban Land Institute/City states Group summit. Two years into the Program, the government found that some cities were doing very well but most were not. Sometimes they did not properly identify projects. Sometimes the reforms were not understood. “[Cities] used to hire consultants but even they could not provide the kind of support [that was needed],” said Vaidya. It was a crisis of urban expertise. Mayors and city managers needed help.

Peer Learning

This problem gave birth to city-to-city peer learning with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) of New Delhi coordinating across 65 cities. It was called Peer Experience and Reflective Learning (PEARL). “When we started six years ago no one sent us information,” recalled Vaidya, who was the NIUA’s director at the time. “We were willing to pay [cities] a small amount for them to employ an academic or an NGO, Rs25, 000, [to gather the information] … but they were not interested.” As an incentive, the JnNURM awards scheme for good practices documentation was launched. Cities that previously ignored Vaidya’s requests for information were suddenly scrambling to please him. “[Officials] would call [me] up and say, ‘Chetan, you don’t worry, we




have the money to get it documented. You just send somebody [to take the material]’,” he laughed. The NIUA encouraged them to send the photos, graphs, documents in their regional language and translated the work into Hindi. “Unless the mayor is going to read [the information] in his own language, he is not willing to believe it,” remarked Vaidya. The material was shared across India. Mayors needed simple information. Some of the questions were basic, like what should be the terms of reference for a solid waste management project? “[NIUA] would just take it from another city, Xerox it and send it to them or help identify a consultant.” A meaty newsletter of best practices was prepared. When people complained that it was too thick, the NIUA whittled it down to a four-page newsletter every three months. When commissioners complained they didn’t have the time to read that, they prepared simple postcards.

Going Online

All of these best practices are online too for the municipal officer, who the NIUA understands is not a high-tech person (indiaurbanportal.in). “We were getting almost 200,000 hits a month,” said Vaidya. One of the most popular sections at one time was ways to plug leaks in the water system. The peer-to-peer learning was so successful that Vaidya was beating away donors. “This is one Program where I don’t have to ask for money,” he said. “People want to dump money in this. We have support from Cities Alliance which helped set up a knowledge network unit in my institute. The World Bank is engaged in capacity building.” The NIUA is now working on making this sustainable so that the exchange doesn’t stop if JnNURM stops. And PEARL has to be extended to all of India’s 4,000 cities. JnNURM II will double the grants, increase the number of cities to focus on small ones and get the private sector involved. But no new projects are being funded if the old ones aren’t completed. The carrot is the stick.


Nepal’s President Pushes for Elections

At a time when Nepal’s political class is divided about the future political roadmap, President Ram Baran Yadav has said that fresh elections are the ‘only way’ out, and asserted that the revival of the Constituent Assembly (CA) could not happen ‘under any circumstances’. His statement adds another element in the increasing tensions between the head of the state and the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which has been pushing for CA’s revival, and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, who has accused the president of exceeding his constitutional rights. President Yadav as saying, “The political parties have no alternative but to go for elections as per the spirit of the interim constitution and the verdict of the Supreme Court.” The interim statute had prescribed a two year term for the CA, which was extended to four years till May 27 this year. While the government had proposed another amendment to extend the CA’s term by three months, the move was halted by the Supreme Court, which disallowed any further extensions. President Yadav also pushed for the formation of a national consensus government, which would include the current opposition parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist). Prime Minister Bhattarai criticized the president, and said, “The interim constitution does not give him the right to do anything. He is our guardian, and can urge us to work together. But beyond that, he cannot do anything. The parties are talking and will come to an agreement.” The PM has also blamed the president for paralyzing governance in the country by refusing to promulgate ordinances proposed by the government, including ones related to health, education and budget.





Nepalese PM Asks Political Parties to Forge Consensus

Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has underlined the need to forge national consensus among the political parties to resolve the current political crisis in the country. “There is a need to forge consensus among the political parties and to opt for fresh polls to resolve the current political crisis,” Bhattarai said. He said that if the political parties agree on contentious issues of the Constitution then new election for Parliament will be held by promulgating the Constitution through reinstatement of the Constituent Assembly. If no agreement is possible on the key issues among the parties than election to the Constituent Assembly is the only way out from the current political crisis, he said. Meanwhile, Nepali Congress leader Ramsharan Mahat said that a national consensus government should be formed before holding fresh elections. “As per the earlier agreement the Nepali Congress led government should be formed before going for fresh polls,” he pointed out. “There is a need to go for fresh election at the earliest and a consensus government must be formed before that,” he pointed out. He said Nepali Congress will open all options, including political struggle, agitation and dialogue to topple the caretaker government led by Bhattarai.

President Ram Baran Yadav on Friday met top leaders of the major political parties and asked them to seek a way out from the current political stalemate at the earliest. The president has asked the top leaders of major political parties “through what procedure and when the people will get the new constitution for good?” Nepal plunged into political crisis after the Constituent Assembly was dissolve in May 27 without drafting the new Constitution. Meanwhile, an official says Nepal’s labor minister has stepped down after being asked by the prime minister to resign for allegedly seeking bribes for registering private companies offering jobs abroad. Such companies are mushrooming in Nepal with thousands of younger Nepalese seeking jobs in the oil-rich Gulf and other countries.Prashant Lamichhane, a media officer in the prime minister’s office, said Sunday that Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai asked for Labor and Employment Minister Kumar Belbase’s resignation after television news channels showed clips of one of his aides asking job agencies’ representatives for more than 250,000 rupees ($3,000) each to register their business. The minister sent his resignation on Saturday to the prime minister and it has been accepted, Lamichhane said.


Documents

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh’s Mahar Group to …theresearchers.org/PGF/2012/October2012.pdfGovernment Planning New Pay Packages for Employees ... Police Station Set on