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Sahiwal tragedy: Punjab govt terms deaths ‘collateral damage’

Sahiwal tragedy: Punjab govt terms deaths ‘collateral damage’

Posted on 21 January 2019 by Usama Hashmi - Total hits: 5,302

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat on Sunday termed the killings of three members of the same family in a Sahiwal police ‘encounter’ “collateral damage”, saying it came about during law enforcement’s attempt to eliminate a suspected terrorist planning large-scale destruction.

The minister, who was addressing a press conference in Lahore alongside members of the provincial cabinet, said officials of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab police were targeting Zeeshan, a friend and neighbor of the deceased Khalil, who the minister said had alleged links with Da’esh, a proscribed terrorist organisation. “The CTD officials did not want to hurt Khalil’s family, but unfortunately collateral damage had happened in this incident,” he said.

In the incident, described by law enforcers as an encounter with terrorists, an elite department of Punjab police had on Saturday killed four people, including parents Khalil and Nabeela, their teenage daughter, and their family friend, Zeeshan, who was driving the car. The incident sent shock waves across the country as one of the three surviving children, who were witness to the episode, denied the official version in a video that went viral on social media.

Basharat said that a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed on the complaint of Khalil’s brother, nominating all those law-enforcers involved in the operation. He added that the team involved in the operation had been taken into custody, and its supervisor had been suspended.

He insisted that justice would be ensured at any cost in the tragic incident as a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) led by Additional Inspector General of Police (AGP) Ejaz Shah had been constituted to probe the matter and submits a report in three days.

Furthermore, he said, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had announced Rs20 million in compensation for the family whose three members – husband, wife and their teenaged daughter – were killed during an alleged shootout between Counter-Terrorism Department personnel and suspected terrorists in Sahiwal’s Qadirabad area on Saturday.

He announced that the Punjab government will bear the expenses for the education of the surviving children “till whatever stage they want to study”. The announcement came as the funeral prayers of the four deceased were offered on Sunday evening.

‘INTELLIGENCE-BASED OPERATION’

While the law minister said that the government will act on the findings of the JIT, and that it does not acknowledge any stance of the CTD, he added that the department had information of Zeeshan’s alleged links to Da’esh, a proscribed terrorist organization.

He claimed that this network was responsible for the murder of intelligence officials in Multan, the kidnapping of former premier Yousuf Raza Gillani’s son, Ali Haider, and the murder of two police officials in Faisalabad.

He said the CTD had information that Zeeshan was carrying explosive materials in his car. “Two suicide jackets, eight hand grenades, two pistols and bullets from his car.” However, he added, the exact situation would be unveiled after the JIT report as it had to be established that why fire was opened and what relation Zeeshan had with Khalil.

Basharat revealed that in the murder of the intelligence officials in Multan, a silver Honda City car was used which police and agencies were searching for. On January 13, the Honda City was spotted allegedly carrying terrorists to Sahiwal.

According to the minister, law enforcing agencies (LEAs) had surveillance footage of Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s (PSCA) cameras that showed Zeehsan’s car ‘with cars of terrorist’. In the footage, a silver Honda City could be seen trailing behind a white Alto. The law minister said that after tracing the car, surveillance footage between January 13 and 18 was reviewed and on January 18 it was “verified that Zeeshan was working with terrorists”.

The same day, agency personnel reached Zeeshan’s house and found terrorists present there along with explosive material, Basharat claimed. He said since Zeeshan’s house was located in a congested area, conducting an operation there was not feasible. “It would have endangered many lives, therefore, it was decided to wait for the suspected terrorists to leave in the car,” he continued.

The Sahiwal operation was carried out on the basis of intelligence report; however deaths of Khalil and his family had made it controversial, he added. He pointed out that the Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar had already taken notice of the incident.

He underlined that the JIT would probe the Sahiwal incident from all angles and the government would implement it recommendations in true letter and spirit. People responsible for this tragedy would be brought to justice. The government would also make the JIT report public, he added.

Basharat disclosed that two of Zeeshan’s accomplices had also been killed in Gujranwala. Following the news of Zeesjhan’s killing, he said, two of his accomplices flew from Lahore and blew themselves up in Gujranwala.

Later, funeral prayers of all the victims of the Sahiwal incident were offered on Ferozpur Road, Chungi Amer Sadhu on Sunday. A large number of people and relatives of the deceased attended the funeral prayer.

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Pakistanis should stop looking at others to solve their problems: Dr AQ Khan

Pakistanis should stop looking at others to solve their problems: Dr AQ Khan

Posted on 18 December 2018 by Usama Hashmi - Total hits: 3,146

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.

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Young boy’s cover of Atif Aslam’s ‘Dil Diyan Gallan’ is going viral for all the right reasons

Young boy’s cover of Atif Aslam’s ‘Dil Diyan Gallan’ is going viral for all the right reasons

Posted on 28 February 2018 by Usama Hashmi - Total hits: 3,221

KARACHI: A young boy’s video of singing Atif Aslam’s song from Tiger Zinda Hai, Dil Diyan Gallan has been taking rounds of the internet.

Hailing from Okara, Punjab, Arshman Naeem is a 12-year-old boy, with his own Facebook page where he posts videos of himself singing. His latest being Dil Diyan Gallan with which he has done a tremendous job and garnered over 90,000 views.

#dildiyangallan #atifaslamfan #arshmannaeem

Posted by Arshman Naeem on Sunday, February 25, 2018

While he might be stumbling at some parts of the song, Naeem does manage to sing very well for a boy his age. Unaware of if he has been trained or not, Naeem’s voice is very mesmerizing.

He has also sung covers for many other songs which he posted on his Facebook page.

With immense talent sprouting out from all parts of Pakistan, the nation should be proud. However, it must also be noted that such talent should be appreciated and encouraged for a more empowering nation.

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Bill Gates says billionaires should pay ‘significantly’ more taxes

Bill Gates says billionaires should pay ‘significantly’ more taxes

Posted on 20 February 2018 by Usama Hashmi - Total hits: 1,657

WASHINGTON DC: Bill Gates says he has paid more than $10 billion in taxes over a lifetime but billionaires like him should pay “significantly” more because they benefit more from the system.

The Microsoft co-founder, the world’s second richest man after Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, was critical of a recent US tax overhaul that slashed corporate taxes and lowered the top bracket for individual income.

“I’ve paid more taxes, over $10 billion, than anyone else, but the government should require the people in my position to pay significantly higher taxes,” he said.

He said the tax overhaul passed in December favors the rich despite Republican claims it will help the middle and working classes.

“People who are wealthier tended to get dramatically more benefits than the middle class or those who are poor, and so it runs counter to the general trend you’d like to see, where the safety net is getting stronger and those at the top are paying higher taxes,” he said.

With a sixth of the US population living in what he called “disappointing” conditions, he said US policymakers need to think about rising inequality and ask, “Why aren’t we doing a better job for those people?”

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Bilawal demands ban on police encounters

Bilawal demands ban on police encounters

Posted on 22 January 2018 by Usama Hashmi - Total hits: 3,182

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said on Sunday that he was against police encounters anywhere in the country, adding the trend was not a solution to anything.

“I demand [a complete] ban on such encounters in the country because terrorism can’t be curbed with such policies,” Bilawal said while addressing a news conference in connection with the launch of the party’s membership drive.

At the same time, Bilawal said that former Malir SSP Rao Anwar also has the right to a transparent investigation.

The PPP chairman also ruled out the possibility of delay in the Senate election scheduled for March. “The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will be given another jolt in the upcoming election on half-of-the-seats of the upper house.”

Bilawal urged people, especially youth and women, to fill the membership form and join the ideological force working for a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Pakistan.

Elaborating the membership drive, Bilawal said that the membership campaign will be conducted door-to-door, through camps and also by utilisating modern communication technology like the internet and cellular modes.

A website: www.pppmember.com and SMS, will also offer membership options to reach out to the masses, whose massive majority was against extremism and politics of hatred, he added.

The PPP chairman said that the membership drive has been designed to reduce the gap between him and party workers, adding that following the successful completion of the drive he would be able to communicate directly with the workers and the members through the modern communication means.

Bilawal said the PPP launched the BISP in the center and now the Sindh government has started anti-poverty programme at Union Council levels where lending of interest-free loans to the rural poor, especially the women has pulled 600,000 families out of poverty.

He said the 18th Amendment, devolution of powers and NFC Award were also enacted in a bid to discourage extremism and promote democratic and democracy values.

He said, “Under the philosophy of service-oriented politics, we have provided state-of-the-art health facilities including free heart treatment at four Satellite Hospitals of NICVD in Hyderabad, Tando Mohammad Larkan and Sehwan Sharif.”

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