Imran pledges Switzerland-like LG system for Azad Kashmir

Imran pledges Switzerland-like LG system for Azad Kashmir

MIRPUR: Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman, Wednesday pledged that his government would introduce in Azad Kashmir a Switzerland-like Local Government system after coming to power.

“We will bring in a Local Government system which is being practiced in Switzerland and other Scandinavian countries. We are setting up the same system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Imran said while addressing a rally in Mirpur.

Criticizing the PML-N and PPP governments, he said that both the parties have badly politicized the police department, adding that his party would depoliticize Azad Kashmir police after winning the election which is scheduled to be held on March 29.

“We will depoliticize the police as we did in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the PTI chief said.

Judicial Commissionis being constituted to probe alleged election rigging, he said, adding that it would resulted in “Go Nawaz Go”.

Imran announced that he would hold next public rally in Karachi.Media 

Man sets his brother house on fire over land dispute; 3 kids dead

Man sets his brother house on fire over land dispute; 3 kids dead

DERA GHAZI KHAN: A man set his brother’s house on fire in Dera Ghazi Khan over a land dispute, killing three kids and injuring six others including a woman, in the wee hours of Thursday.

 

According to police, the accused, Suleman, managed to flee after setting his brother Muhammad Qasim’s house on fire.

 

A one-year old Hassan, five-year old Zehra and fifteen-year old Samreen burnt to death while Qasim, his wife Musarrat Mai, and two sons and two daughters sustained injuries.

 

Qasim’s mother said that her son Suleman had threatened to kill all of them if they wouldn’t give him a big share of land.

 

The bodies and injured people are shifted to hospital.

MQM worker arrested just before his wedding

MQM worker arrested just before his wedding

KARACHI: Nuptial celebrations turned into dismal agitations on Saturday night when law enforcement agents led a bridegroom away in handcuffs for his alleged involvement in violent criminal activities just before his wedding, Media reported

 

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) worker, Fahad Aziz, a resident of Korangi, was reportedly arrested while he was leading his Baraat (wedding motorcade) towards a Shah Faisal Colony marriage lawn, where he was to wed his bride.

 

Sources said that Aziz’s wedding motorcade was intercepted on Shah Faisal Colony Bridge by law enforcers, who forced the festooned bridegroom out his car and took him away to an unknown location.

 

On the other hand the family members say Aziz is innocent.

 

The family members also alleged that the masked law enforcement agents had demanded Rs2 million to set Fahad before detaining Fahad, but eventually took him away.

 

The family members along with all the wedding guests staged a protest outside Karachi Press Club against this alleged injustice.

 

“This is tragic. It is not the way. It was his marriage. He got locked up before the wedlock”, said another relative.

 

An MQM statement, which came on the heels of Aziz’s arrest, vehemently condemned it.

 

“This is a blatant case of political victimization. Aziz was persecuted for his association with MQM”, the statement said.

 

The statement added that Aziz was also a nominated MQM candidate for the upcoming local bodies' elections.

15 injured in Kashmore bus attack shootout

15 injured in Kashmore bus attack shootout

KASHMORE: Two passenger buses reportedly turned turtle after gunshots fired by unknown gunmen burst their tires here on Friday night, Media reported.

According to details, a number of armed bandits opened fire on the buses to incapacitate them so that they could loot the passengers but things turned for the worse.

"The drivers of both the buses stepped on it to avoid the highwaymen but lost control after the gunshots blew holes in the tires. The coaches flipped over on their sides injuring scores”, sources quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

Reportedly, the police escorting the buses fired back giving rise to a shootout, which lasted for sometime.

Sources added that the gunfight left at least 15 people injured including two cops.

Further details are awaited.

Karachi: Rangers operation at Sohrab Goth, several suspects held

Karachi: Rangers operation at Sohrab Goth, several suspects held

KARACHI: Rangers conducting search operation held several suspects at Hassan Noman Colony in Sohrab Goth on Friday morning here, Media reported.

 

Rangers’ sources said that the operation started on secret information relating to the presence of miscreants in the area and a strong contingent of 400 Rangers conducting raids at the suspected houses and hideouts.

 

Women Rangers and commandos especially trained for ant-terrorism operation are also participating in the operation.

 

Rangers’ spokesman said that all exit and entry streets/roads have been blocked and the entire area cordoned off.

US tight-lipped on drone attack cutback reports

US tight-lipped on drone attack cutback reports

WASHINGTON: Department of State Wednesday talked around the reports that US has agreed to scale down drone strikes to near zero as Islamabad was zeroing in on a peace negotiation with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Media reported

 

“I did see the report, of course, which I know many of you may have read. We’re naturally not going to discuss alleged specific operational issues. We talked about this a little bit yesterday”, said State Dept spokesperson Jen Psaki during a daily press briefing.

 

She said that the issue of whether to negotiate with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was an internal matter for Islamabad.

 

“We would, of course, refer you to them on what is happening on the ground regarding those details in those reports”, said she replying to a media person.

 

She did not give out any details despite repeated calls from the journalists attending the briefing.

 

US newspaper, Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the US had cut back sharply on drone strikes in Pakistan after the Islamabad government asked for restraint while it seeks peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban.

 

The Post quoted a U.S. official as saying, "That's what they asked for, and we didn't tell them no." The newspaper said there had been a lull in such attacks since December, the longest break since 2011.

 

The newspaper said the Obama administration indicated it would continue carrying out strikes on senior al Qaeda officials if they were to become available or to thwart any immediate threat to Americans.

Bomb-hit train returns to Karachi Cantt; railway traffic back on track

Bomb-hit train returns to Karachi Cantt; railway traffic back on track

KARACHI: The Lahore-bound Shalimar Express, which came under a bomb attack on the outskirts of Karachi, has returned to Cantonment station with the a number of passengers in four bogies, Media reported.

 

A powerful bomb blast, which damaged/overturned a number of bogies, left a minor girl dead and several passengers including women wounded earlier Tuesday.

 

According to initial information the bomb, which was planted on the track, went off as the train was somewhere between Ghaggar Phatak and Dhabeji.

 

Following the explosion as many as eight railcars derailed.

 

Railway authorities had transported around 120 passengers of the unfortunate train back to Karachi by road, sources said.

 

All the up and down railway traffic was suspended temporarily after the attack, however, later, Railway's Divisional Commercial Officer, Shoaib Adil, told Geo News the traffic was now back on the track.

 

"The traffic has resumed on the down-track, as the up-track was yet under repair", another official told Geo News.

 

Sources said that emergency responders had to face a myriad of difficulties during rescue operation as it was pitch dark out there.

 

Divisional Superintendent Railways, Maqsood un Nabi, said that relief trains with a crane, mobile hospital doctors, and other staff were dispatched to the incident site as soon as the received the tragic news.

Lahore toy factory gutted by late-night fire

Lahore toy factory gutted by late-night fire

LAHORE: A plastic toy-making factory Monday night was gutted after a fire, sparked by an electric short-circuit, turned into an inferno before the fire brigade could even reach the spot, Media reported.

 

Reports say a small industrial unit located on Brandreth Road caught fire late in the night.

 

Punjab’s celebrated emergency responder, Rescue 1122, spun into action as soon as it received the distress call.

 

According to officials, six fire tenders took part in the operation.

 

No casualties were reported in the incident, however merchandise/machines worth millions went went up in smoke.

 

Moreover, contiguous buildings were also evacuated as a safety measure.

 

An electric short circuit for which faulty wiring could be held responsible had sparked the blaze, said a Rescue 1122 official.

 

"Abundance of inflammable material like plastic and other chemical substances proved a perfect fuel to the fire. That is why it spread even faster than jungle fire", he added.

 

The rescuers controlled the fire after hours of firefighting as the flames had made their way up to the third floor of the building leaving behind charred remains of what once was an interior of a factory.

PTI, JUI-F summon high level party meetings over Taliban decision today

PTI, JUI-F summon high level party meetings over Taliban decision today

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have summoned high level meetings of their party, respectively, to deliberate on the decision of Taliban pertaining to representing TTP.

 

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had proposed a five-member team, comprising four clerics and a politician, to hold peace talks with the government on its behalf.

 

"TTP wants Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) chief Maulana Samiul Haq, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam cleric Mufti Kifayatullah, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Professor Ibrahim, Lal Masjid’s Maulana Abdul Aziz, and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan to be part of their team", TTP spokeman Shahidullah Shahid told Geo News program "Capital Talk" anchor, Hamid Mir over the telephone.

 

Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), has urged the banned TTP to nominate its members for holding dialogue with the government representatives.

 

Other proposed team members have yet not come up with a confirmation whether they are ready to represent Tailban in talks.

 

Talking to media here Sunday, the JUI-F chief said that the meeting would review the representatives of the committee proposed by the TTP.

 

He said that both the Taliban and the tribal people have confidence over Jirga system. Why the Tribal Jirga System is being ignored, he questioned.

 

There is a need of peace not war in the country, he said.

 

Professor Ibrahim of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) said his top brass had allowed him to play a mediator's role in the peace talks.

 

"I will only act as a Salis-e-Khair (intermediary for a good cause). That's it."

Chief Justice takes suo notice of Khuzdar mass graves

Chief Justice takes suo notice of Khuzdar mass graves

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Gilani has taken suo moto notice of the discovery of mass graves near Tootak in Khuzdar.

 

A report has been summoned from Inspector General Police Balochistan and Deputy Commissioner Khuzdar on February 04.

 

The thirteen bodies in a decomposed state in the mass graves had been discovered by a local shepherd.

 

On Friday, the government had broken its silence on the discovery of the mass graves and said a judicial inquiry would be conducted.

Karachi: Rangers kill two ‘terrorists’ in Baldia Town

Karachi: Rangers kill two ‘terrorists’ in Baldia Town

KARACHI: Two alleged terrorists were killed in a shootout in Baldia Town area of the city, Media reported Friday.

 

According to a Rangers spokesman, the paramilitary force carried out a raid on a tip off in Ittehad Town locality. The spokesman said both the men involved in recent terror attacks on Rangers opened fire on the raiding party.

 

He said that the terrorists were killed when the Rangers returned fire. Identities of the deceased were yet to be ascertained.

Letter asks CJ to reopen Kohistan video case

Letter asks CJ to reopen Kohistan video case

ISLAMABAD: Addressed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, a letter has been dispatched seeking to reopen the Kohistan video case.

 

The letter drafted by human rights activists Frzana Bari and journalist Hasib Khwaja, states that according to the evidence all the five girls shown in the video had been murdered, therefore, the case be reopened.

 

It further says that if the girls are still alive then an order be issued to produce them before the court or in case they have been killed then the culprits be punished under the law.

 

The cell-phone captured video had caught the media attention about one and a half year ago in which a boy is seen dancing in a room and five other girls clapping.

 

The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of the alleged killing of the girls in the video. Led by Farzana Bari, a five-member delegation of rights activists were sent to Kohistan to ascertain whether the girls were dead or alive.

 

The case was dismissed after the delegation confirmed that the girls were not murdered.

KMC launches anti-encroachment op in Empress Market

KMC launches anti-encroachment op in Empress Market

KARACHI: Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)’s anti-encroachment cell launched operation against encroachments in Empress Market, Karachi, Media reported.

 

Following this, the infuriated encroachers started protest and pelted with stones at the KMC officials. The water cannon were used to disperse the protesters. 

Police also detained several encroachers.

Karachi: two accused killed in alleged police encounter

Karachi: two accused killed in alleged police encounter

KARACHI: Two accused were killed in alleged police encounter near Juna Market at Napier road, Media reported.

 

Police claimed to have recovered arms from the custody of accused.

 

The identity of the accused was not ascertained till last reports.

MQM supremo for quick decision on terrorism

MQM supremo for quick decision on terrorism

LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain said on Saturday that delay in reaching decisions on how to cope with terrorism was causing irreparable damage.

 

He said that a quick decision on part of the government and the military would be in the interest of the country. Hussain added that the nation would support the government and the army in case any such decision was made.

 

He also called for an additional law against the political parties supporting suicide attacks.

20 suspects held in Lahore search operation

20 suspects held in Lahore search operation

LAHORE: Police have arrested 20 suspects during a search operation in different parts of the city, Media reported Friday.

 

Police said that the operation was launched in the wake of fresh wave of violence in the country.

 

The police said they were investing the suspects taken into custody during the search operation in Gulshan Ravi, Band Road and other areas.

Govt failed to hold Taliban talks in line with APC mandate: Imran

Govt failed to hold Taliban talks in line with APC mandate: Imran

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan Wednesday said the government has failed to hold peace talks with the Taliban, in line with the mandate finalized in the All Parties Conference (APC) and warned that the situation now seemed to be heading towards military operation.

Talking to media men here, Imran Khan regretted that although several months have passed since the APC, there is still no sign of negotiations with the Taliban.

Khan called upon the government to arrange an in-camera briefing for the heads of all the parliamentary parties.

He said categorization be made among the groups of Taliban on the basis of proponents and opponents of dialogue process.

“Although Tehreek-e-Insaf is the second largest party of the country, it is not being taken into confidence over Talliban talks,” Imran Khan complained.

Lyari gangster Behram killed in Karachi operation

Lyari gangster Behram killed in Karachi operation

KARACHI: Behram, a notorious gangster, affiliated with the a Lyari gang was killed in an operation jointly conducted by the paramilitary Rangers and the police, Media reported Wednesday.

 

Police said the accused was associated with Wasiullah Lakhu group, one of the gangs operating in Lyari.

 

The police said that the accused was involved in various crimes.

Funeral of Bannu martyrs in respective cities today

Funeral of Bannu martyrs in respective cities today

BANNU: The funeral of the 23 troops martyred in a blast that occurred in Bannu on Sunday will be held on Monday in their respective cities, Media reported.

 

Three more security men succumbed to their injuries today after which the toll increased to 26.

 

The burial of the victims will take place in their respective areas today.

 

It is pertinent to mention that at least 23 soldiers were killed and 30 others sustained injuries in an explosion that targeted a military convoy in Bannu city on Sunday.

 

The blast took place in a private vehicle that was part of the military convoy. According to military sources, officials of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) had rented this vehicle in Bannu to take the troops to Razmak town in North Waziristan Agency.

 

“Unknown people had already planted a huge quantity of explosives in the vehicle that was supposed to take the troops from Bannu to Razmak. It went off when the convoy was preparing to leave,” a senior military official told.

 

“Out of 30 injured, 15 are still in a critical condition. They have been shifted to Peshawar in a helicopter and admitted to the Combined Military Hospital,” the military official said on Sunday. According to military sources, most of the soldiers who were killed in the blast belonged to the FC. “Fifteen of the slain soldiers were from the FC while five belonged to the Pakistan Army,” the military official said.

 

Before sending their bodies to their respective hometowns for burial, the military authorities ordered DNA tests of the six soldiers to ascertain their identity.

 

The military officials said other vehicles parked near the private vehicle were also damaged. The area was cordoned off after the incident as rescue work was carried out. The site of the blast is close to Amandi village.

 

There were also reports that some of the vehicles in the convoy were loaded with arms and ammunition and had caught fire when huge explosions were triggered off by the blast in the vehicle.

 

The military officials said a high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate how and why a private vehicle was acquired on rent for transporting troops to the volatile North Waziristan tribal region. They added that the probe would also focus on the apparent security lapse that the vehicle may not have been checked before the soldiers boarded it.

 

The government has to clamp curfew in North Waziristan during the movement of the armed forces and the Bannu-Miranshah main road is kept closed for common people. The police officials in Bannu said the blast took place in the limits of the Bannu Cantonment where the security situation is considered far better than other parts of the city.

 

The Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on the troops.

Nisar warns against doing politics on Taliban talks

Nisar warns against doing politics on Taliban talks

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Sunday claimed that the government had to make sustained efforts for months to take the dialogue process in a desired direction; therefore, the politicians should desist from doing politics on the issue.

 

In an informal interaction with the media persons, Chaudhry Nisar said the decision whether there should be talks or war will be made under a policy.

 

Commenting on today's attack in Bannu in which 20 soldiers were killed, he said a military probe will be initiated into the incident. “Investigation is underway to ascertain whether the attack was suicidal or not,” he added.

 

At least 20 law enforcers were martyred while another 30 were injured when an explosion ripped through one of the vehicles part of the security forces convoy on Sunday morning.

 

The proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility of the attack.

 

Earlier, the Interior Minister strongly condemned the attack on security forces convoy and sought a detailed report from Inspector General Frontier Corps (FC) for not taking appropriate measures while taking services of private transport for the movement of security personnel.