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.