Pakistan Army has shot down yet another Indian spy drone hovering over this side of the Line of Control (LoC) after intruding into the Chirikot sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the military’s media wing said.

“Pakistan Army troops shot down an Indian spy drone while it violated LoC in Chirikot Sector. The drone has been taken over by Pakistan Army troops,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.

“This is 4th drone which has been shot down by Pakistan Army troops in last one year,” the ISPR added.

The instances of ceasefire violations by the Indian forces recorded an alarming increase since the start of the month February following which the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has readied an evacuation plan for the residents near the LoC.

Last week, Pakistan lodged a protest with India against the ceasefire violations, summoning Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh at the Foreign Office.

LAHORE: Two men were killed in a road accident in Sundar area of the metropolis on Sunday. Police said Abdul Razzaq and Nasir Khan were traveling on a motorcycle when a speedy dumper hit them. The victims fell down, suffered injuries and were admitted to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. The driver of the dumper fled from the scene. On information of the incident, a police team reached the spot and shifted the bodies to the morgue for autopsy. They also collected forensic evidences from the crime scene and recorded statements of the eyewitnesses. Police have impounded the dumper. According to initial investigations, the victims belonged to Vehari District. They worked in a factory in Sundar Industrial Estate.

KARACHI: Amid the rifts between its various factions, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has suffered greatly. The Senate elections proved that a divided MQM is one lacking power.

Despite Farooq Sattar’s efforts, and sacrifices, Kamran Tessori was not elected to the Senate. The Bahadurabad group failed to win more than a single seat. Even on the day of the Senate elections, members of both groups were divided – three MQM MPAs did not cast their votes, while 14 voted against their party heads’ decisions.

Despite its 38 members in the Sindh Assembly, the once powerful MQM won only a single Senate seat – Barrister Farogh Nasim. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) swept the elections by bagging 10 seats. The last seat was won by Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, which has only nine votes in the assembly.
The party’s strategy in the Senate elections proved to be rather unsuccessful. Even though the heads of both factions – Bahadurabad and PIB Colony – held a joint press conference in Islamabad following the announcement of the results, neither trusted nor had confidence in each other. This was illustrated on the day of the elections – all the leaders of the Bahadarabad group sat in Leader of the Opposition Khawaja Izharul Hasan’s chamber and gave MPAs directions. The PIB group leaders sat in parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed’s chamber.

According to sources, the factions’ differences came out in the open on election day. Sattar briefly visited Hasan’s chamber but spent most of his time in Ahmed’s chamber with Tessori and other leaders.

The sources revealed that both groups expressed concern when they received information that five female MQM MPAs – Naheeda Begum, Naila Latif, Shazia Farooq, Heer Ismail Soho and Sumita Afzal – cast their votes in favor of PPP leaders and left. Due to this development, consultation between both groups began once again.

While the consultations were underway, both the groups received news that an MPA from Sukkur, Saleem Bandhani, came to the assembly with PPP leader Mukesh Chawala and left after casting his vote. This prompted both factions to scramble to begin lobbying for their respective candidates. The Bahadurabad group started lobbying for Nasim, while PIB began campaigning for Tessori.

According to the sources, the six members of the MQM who cast their votes and left were contacted via telephone by both groups but they did not speak to them. The sources also revealed that Sattar told Kunwar Naveed that if the situation continued, they would not be able to secure a single seat. He asked Naveed to get the MPAs on his side to vote for Tessori, to which Naveed expressed dismay that he was still giving priority to Tessori. He also blamed Sattar for the situation, saying it was due to his poor decisions.

According to sources, confusion persisted amongst MQM MPAs, some of whom made a deal with the PPP. Around four members marked an X instead of voting for either candidate in protest.

The Senate election debacle widened the rift between the two factions. Some MQM MPAs told Express News that Sattar put the party at risk for Tessori. They said that they were consulting with other party members regarding the MQM’s political future. One group accused Amir Khan and Faisal Sabzwari of being responsible for the entire situation. They claimed that they want to take over the MQM.

Sources have said that in the coming days, MQM leaders are expected to hold important press conferences.

LAHORE: Lahore Police finalizes five-tier security plan for upcoming Pakistan Super-League (PSL) matches during a meeting chaired by Capital City Police Officer Amin Wains.

Wains said that they will implement a comprehensive standard operating procedure for the matches. For this purpose, project cameras will be used. He said they would add further improvements to the plan, in regard to which no leniency would be tolerated.

The five security checks include aerial surveillance of the venue, live monitoring through CCTV cameras, walled premises, physical frisking and walk-through gates where attendees will be checked with metal detectors. The five step security detail will be set up for Qaddafi Stadium as well as the player’s residence.

The team’s route from the hotel to the stadium, as well as the interior and exterior of the venue will be monitored through CCTV cameras. A control room will be set up at the Punjab Safe City Authority Qurban Line. Furthermore, the roads and streets leading up to the stadium will be cordoned off using barricades and barbed wires.

At least 10,000 police officials, alongside Pakistan Rangers, will be deployed for security. Every participant will be meticulously checked before they enter the venue. They will also be required to provide verification through bio-metrics and their CNIC.

A shuttle service will be used to transport cricket enthusiasts from the parking stand to the stadium. Five parking points will be established by the city Traffic Police at Punjab University, Jam-e-Shirin Park, Liberty Market, FC College and Muslim Mor.

ISLAMABAD: Heavyweights in Punjab chapter of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are eyeing the coveted slot of provincial president which will be left vacant after the elevation of Shehbaz Sharif as the party’s central president on March 6.

PML-N’s Provincial Secretary General Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, Speaker Punjab Assembly Rana Iqbal and Shehbaz’s son Hamza are among the candidates to head the N-League’s Punjab chapter, The Express Tribune has learnt.

In case the party leadership fails to finalise a candidate, Shehbaz might continue in his present role until a regular appointment is made, it is further learnt.

According to party sources, if Ashfaq gets elevated as Punjab president, the post of secretary general will have to be filled in, for which his brother and incumbent Joint Secretary Raja Attique Sarwar could be a potential candidate.

However, the sources believe it is highly unlikely that the top two positions in the party are occupied by two brothers. Therefore, a new race would start for the secretary general’s position if Ashfaq becomes provincial president.

Among the aspiring quartet, Sanaullah is regarded as a trusted aide to Shehbaz and thus rated as the most powerful candidate.

However, there are some groups in the party who oppose Sanaullah, blaming him for the emergence of split factions in the PML-N Punjab.

Provincial Speaker Rana Iqbal appears to be acceptable to many in the party given his ‘mild’ and ‘diplomatic’ style, while conducting the proceedings of the provincial legislature.

Party insiders believe that Shehbaz as the new central president would prefer a ‘harmless’ person like Iqbal in order to maintain control over the party at the Centre and in the province.

Hamza has long been regarded as an aspirant for the post of Punjab president. Back in 2016, Shehbaz also wanted his son to replace him. But the plan had to be dropped because of opposition from Kulsoom Nawaz and Maryam Nawaz, the sources said.

Again, some PML-N circles say it is unlikely that a father-son duo get the top party positions — at the Centre and in the province.

Party stalwarts at the Centre say that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife and daughter agreed to Shehbaz’s rise as PML-N president, and in return a candidate from ‘Maryam’s lobby’ is being placed at the top of the party’s provincial chapter.

But the leaders in the provincial chapter deny the possibility, saying that Maryam lacks any support base in the party’s Punjab chapter because she focused solely at the Centre when her father headed the party.

Regarded as one of the most powerful positions in the PML-N, Punjab’s provincial chief wields more importance and ‘nuisance value’ compared to other provincial chiefs of the party because it is this province where the N-League draws its major political vote bank.

At present, the party leadership is considering choosing a candidate for PML-N Punjab chief, whose candidature is approved by the powerful groups in the party, discussions with informed party leaders suggest.

“This would be tricky,” said a PML-N legislator, who is also a party office-bearer in Punjab.

“At a time when the party faces serious challenges coming from within and without, in the shape of internal divide, grouping, tug-of-war between party lobbies as well as the court cases and legal references – we need a candidate who enjoys a great deal of acceptability in the party’s senior ranks in Punjab,” a source said.