KARACHI: On the eighth day of the ongoing anti-encroachment operation on Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) following the apex court’s orders, encroachments on a five-kilometre railway line stretch were removed.

During the operation, illegal encroachments were removed from District Central’s railway line in Mujahid Colony while the residents of slums who had illegally constructed houses were issued notices for eviction within 48 hours. Additional Deputy Commissioner Waseemuddin, Assistant Commissioner Gulberg Malik Ikram, local police and Railways’ officials were present. Waseemuddin said that the encroachments on the five km long portion of KCR track were removed.

He added that after the removal of the encroachments, the area will be handed over to the Railways’ authorities to install their pickets so no illegal occupation takes place again. He said that the Railways land should be vacated and it was a positive step.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2018.

KARACHI: Pakistanis should stop looking to others at solve their problems and must become self-reliant in every way. Though there is great talent and resources available in the country, sadly the prevalent system does not reward merit and fears accountability.

These views were expressed by noted nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan at the concluding ceremony of a four-day workshop on tools and techniques in Biotechnology at the Dr AQ Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (KIBGE) at University of Karachi (KU).

Dr Khan said that young scholars, students and professionals must master advanced tools and techniques and share their knowledge with others so that they can also benefit from their skills and expertise. He added that the culture of research should be promoted and used to serve people rather be limited to simply publications of articles.
He advised the participants to work hard and gain excellence in equipment handling as it would play a major role in their success in the field. “Proper use of instruments plays a major role in producing the best results. Along with theory, hands-on training and eagerness to learn will help you all in achieving your dreams.”

Dr Khan said that during his tenure at the Khan Research Laboratory, he learned how to operate different types of equipment and advised others to do the same.

“The KIBGE was initiated around 18 years ago and now it is recognised as a renowned institute around the world. All the trainees and students should apply what they have learned during this workshop and enhance their abilities to serve the country even better,” said Dr Khan.

He regretted that people with higher professional degrees were jobless and unfortunately there were no plans to make use of their skills and abilities, though it was vital for a prosperous Pakistan.

Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan said that after a struggle of 13 years, he was able to get Thalassemia Act approved from the National Assembly. “I personally drafted the Bill in 2004 and sent it to the House in 2005, but the assembly members were not interested in even looking at it. When I become senator in 2009, I started a campaign again to get it passed, but the goal was achieved much later.”

He said that it was disappointing to see that economics, education and health sectors were not performing well in the country for the past many years and added that there was no culture of research and development in Pakistan.

He said that industrialists and corporate sectors pay Rs7,000 billion to the government but never see corresponding investment in economics, education and health-related projects.

Prof Dr Anwar Ali Siddiqui of KIBGE said that the research should aim to improve society, rather than simply gain funding from the Higher Education Commission or other donors. He said, “The donor agencies are forcing scholars to focus on the impact factor due to which the standard of research has been compromised. Pakistani journals are increasing, but the impact of research on society is hardly visible.”

One of the trainees from Bolan Medical College in Quetta, Dr Saima Erum, said that a large group of people in Balochistan were suffering from Thalassemia, but unfortunately there wasn’t sufficient information or medical facilities to curb the disease. “I came here to attend this workshop so that I could be able to serve Thalassemia patients better. Thalassemia-free Balochistan is my dream and I will chase it my whole life,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2018.

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Tuesday that no gas load shedding is being carried out in any part of the country.

Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Agha Hassan Baloch, Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan admitted there is issue of low gas pressure in different cities.

He said Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited is executing two projects of replacing the old pipelines with new ones at a cost of 2.28 billion rupees.
The petroleum minister said installation of new pipelines and new compressors will help address the issue of low gas pressure and added gas distribution companies have also been directed to check their losses and gas theft.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi told the House a plan will be unveiled in March next year to make National Counter Terrorism Authority [NACTA] more meaningful and vibrant. He said national security is the focus of the government.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said all the stakeholders including the political parties should sit together to formulate a charter of economy.

Responding to the points raised by Ajmal Khan on the problems faced by farmers, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary said the government is giving priority to the uplift of agriculture sector as this sector is also being made part of multi billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

On the protest of teachers of basic education community schools at D Chowk in Islamabad, Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood assured their salaries will soon be paid after approval of over three billion rupees by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for this purpose.

A number of bills were laid before the House on Tuesday including The Constitution (Amendment) bill, 2018 (Articles 25 B, 51, 63 B, 92 and 106), Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2018, The Election (Amendment) Bill, 2018, The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, (Article 106).

KARACHI: The Supreme Court has summoned today (Wednesday) officials of the federal and provincial governments, as well as Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, to present recommendations on how they plan to resolve issues faced in clearing encroachments in the port city.

The SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijazul Hasan, was hearing a review petition, filed by the Sindh government, against the anti-encroachment drive in Karachi.

The approach of the Sindh government is that they want to give legal cover to the encroached-upon spaces, remarked CJP Nisar. Justice Ijazul Hasan, in his remarks, said that the operation must continue and if the momentum was broken, it would be difficult to resume the anti-encroachment drive.

Sindh govt’s stance

Sindh Advocate-General Salman Talibuddin maintained that the anti-encroachment operation was causing unemployment on a large scale. The court had given orders to clear Empress Market and its vicinity of encroachments, he said, adding that the Sindh government was trying to compensate the affectees by providing them alternative spaces.

At this, the CJP remarked that the court had ordered to turn Empress Market as a model for Karachi. The orders did not state that the operation had to be stopped. “The encroachments have been cleared and now the issue of providing alternative spaces persists,” he remarked. “If the first order has been implemented, then the provincial government should explain what will be done for the affectees,” the CJP said.

Mayor’s position

As the hearing commenced, the court lashed out over the absence of Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar and inquired about his whereabouts. Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan excused that the mayor may be late as routes leading to the SC had been blocked.

“Other people have already come. Did he (mayor) not know that he had to come to the Supreme Court?” the CJP questioned.

The mayor turned up at the court at this point and informed the bench that the local government had cleared the encroachments in and around Empress Market. The CJP said that the mayor has himself said that the authorities have been voluntarily clearing encroachments at the Empress Market. “We did not give orders at the time the mayor started this operation,” he said, adding that the order for clearing up the footpaths and roads was clear. “We were concerned about the law and order situation at that time too. We had directed the authorities to make Empress Market as a model. We want to ensure the right of pedestrians who walk on the road,” the CJP remarked.

The CJP questioned how the Supreme Court had worsened the law and order situation in Karachi. “How are we connected to this thing? The responsibility to provide alternate space lies with the government,” said the CJP.

Justice Arab said that the responsibility to clear roads and footpaths lay with the mayor. The CJP added that the government should make arrangements for rehabilitating the affectees by allotting them alterative spaces. “There are lots of problems over here,” the CJP said. “People have squatted on government homes and when we gave orders for their retrieval, a situation of panic erupted,” he added. The Governor had called the CJP, he recalled, pleading for the operation to be halted. “Should we spare the illegal occupants like this? Should we end the state’s writ if people start protesting? Should we bow down before the land grabbers? Should we leave Karachi like this?” he questioned. “We want to improve Karachi but your interests are coming in the way.”

AG Khan said that “we are Karachiites and we also want to see improvement”. To this, the CJP remarked that the Sindh government’s political interests acted as a stumbling block, in the presence of which improvement was not possible.

Spare the houses

Mayor Akhtar told the court that the authorities were implementing its orders but houses should be spared, to which the CJP said that the court had not given any orders for demolition of houses and the municipal authorities were doing it on their own accord, in which case it was not the court’s responsibility.

The mayor said that that had simply implemented the court’s orders and that only one building at Bagh Ibne Qasim was left. The building, he said, had armed gunmen guarding it and the matter was perhaps lying in the high court.

The CJP asked which land grabbers’ group was behind the building and said that the SC may summon for the file from the high court. “It should be heard loud and clear that illegal structures and encroachments will not be tolerated in any case,” he reiterated.

CJP Nisar asked the mayor to continue his work without any pressure. Turning to the advocate general, he said that there was no question of suspending the operation. The advocate-general requested for four weeks’ time to find some solution for the issue. The court said that mayor was claiming that they had not demolished any house. “They are breaking the shades and illegal shops,” the CJP remarked.

Mayor Akhtar said that he was personally monitoring the operation. “Tell us about a single house that has been demolished,” he asked the Sindh AG.

What followed was a heated exchange of words between the advocate-general and the mayor. The former claimed that the mayor had well passed beyond the shops. The mayor asked what he meant. The AG responded that he had been given the task to clear footpaths and parks.

The CJP asked the mayor to brief him about the obstacles he was facing in the operation. “If any court order is becoming a stumbling block, we can get the whole record,” he said. AG Talibuddin again asked the court to direct the mayor to suspend the operation for four weeks. The CJP rejected the plea and ordered the authorities to sit together and find a solution.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2018.

Firebrand PML-N leader and former minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique were presented before an accountability court on Wednesday after being arrested a day earlier by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Paragon City housing scam, Express News reported.

The Rafique brothers were arrested after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected a plea seeking extension in protective bail. The anti-graft watchdog had summoned them to appear before its combined investigation team (CIT) in connection with a probe into the Paragon Housing Society.

The brothers were brought to the accountability court under heavy security. Following a brawl between lawyers and the Punjab Police, the lawyers were barred from entering the courtroom. Charged PML-N activists were also present in the court premises and raised slogans against the arrest.

Speaking to media at the accountability court, Saad lamented “discrimination and violation of human rights” by NAB. “There are CCTV cameras in my jail cell. The bathroom door is missing a lock. However, I was provided with a bed to sleep,” he said.

The former minister also expressed dismay at the breakfast provided to him by the authorities. “My family had sent home-cooked food but NAB officials returned it,” he added.