Bhutto Murder Suspect Arrested - Or Protected?

Source: IPS News

ISLAMABAD, Feb 28 (IPS) - The arrest of top militant leader Qari Saifullah Akhtar may have brought Pakistani intelligence agencies closer to discovering any conspiracy behind the Dec. 27 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. But many believe the opposite to be true.

Qari, chief of the militant group Harkatul Jehadul Islami (HUJI), banned for its links with the al-Qaeda and Taliban, was arrested on Monday for alleged involvement in an earlier attempt on Bhutto’s life on Oct. 18 when the cavalcade carrying her from Karachi airport, after years in exile, was attacked by a suicide bomber leaving 150 people dead.

Sherry Rehman, spokeswoman for Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), told IPS: ”Even after his arrest, many in establishment circles say that Qari has actually been taken into protective custody.”

In a book, published posthumously in January, Bhutto had identified Qari as being involved in the suicide attack on her homecoming rally. In the book, ‘Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West,’ Bhutto said it was Qari “to whom intelligence officials in Lahore had turned to for help before her homecoming on Oct. 18, 2007″.

Qari’s release from prison, three months before Bhutto’s return home, has aroused suspicions that he was tasked with organising the October bombing. “Although no one is sure if there was a link between the release of Qari and the murder of Bhutto, one is constrained to ask as to how and why an al-Qaeda linked dreaded terrorist was set free, after three years, before Bhutto’s homecoming,” Rehman said.

Pakistan’s caretaker interior minister Lt. Gen. (retd) Hamid Nawaz told presspersons on Tuesday night that Qari was seized on Monday from the Ferozewala area close to Lahore along with his three sons. “Most probably, Qari Saifullah is involved in the Oct. 18 suicide attack on the welcome procession of Bhutto,” Nawaz said.

So far, the government has been satisfied with blaming Baitullah Mehsud, leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban in Pakistan, for the assassination. Mehsud has denied any involvement.

Bhutto said in her book: “I was informed of a meeting that had taken place in Lahore where the bomb blasts were planned. However, a bomb maker was needed for the bombs. Enter Qari Saifullah Akhtar, a wanted terrorist who had tried to overthrow my second government in 1990s. He had been extradited by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was languishing in Karachi central jail. According to my sources, the officials in Lahore had turned to Qari for help.”

Hashmat Habib, a lawyer for Qari, told IPS that he was arrested at a shrine near Lahore where he had gone to offer prayers and that the charges against him were still not known. Habib conceded that Qari had been released by the authorities in mid-2007 after keeping him behind bars for two years and nine months without being charged. This is despite the fact that Qari was arrested and extradited from the UAE on Aug. 7, 2004 on the request of the Pakistan government on charges of plotting twin suicide attacks on President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.

Wajid Shamsul Hassan, a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Britain and a close associate of Bhutto, said: “What happened after Qari Saifullah was let go by the Musharraf regime is not known. What is known is that instead of trying to prosecute and convict him, the authorities chose to keep him in custody without filing any criminal charges, giving credence to reports of his being a handy tool of the intelligence establishment who is used and dumped whenever required.” That is why, Wajid said, Qari was quietly released by the agencies before Bhutto’s return though he was involved in twin suicide attacks on Musharraf.

On reasons behind Qari’s sudden release, his lawyer Habib said: “My client had quoted Pakistani intelligence sleuths as saying, at the time of his release, that if they had not picked him up there were chances that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation would have taken him away (for his alleged al-Qaeda and Taliban links). The agencies, while setting him free, also warned him to be careful saying that, otherwise, he would be picked up again.”

Hassan Abbas, the author of a book ‘Allah, Army and America: Pakistan’s drift into Extremism,’ told IPS: “Pakistani authorities had described Qari Saifullah’s arrest as a major blow to the al-Qaeda sponsored terrorist network and its local affiliates in Pakistan. He was further painted as a close aide of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Mohammad Omar, who was working as the operational head of al-Qaeda in Pakistan. Qari was first arrested way back in 1995 for having plotted a coup against the second Bhutto government which was foiled by the then army chief Gen. Waheed Kakar.”

Abbas said that immediately after the dismissal of the Bhutto government in 1996, Qari was released. He went to Afghanistan and was inducted into the cabinet of Taliban leader Mullah Omar as advisor on political affairs.

Qari was one of the few Taliban leaders who escaped with Mullah Omar after the fall of the Taliban regime to United States-led forces late 2001, taking shelter in Pakistan’s South Waziristan. He then fled to Saudi Arabia and later moved to the UAE from where he was arrested and deported to Pakistan in August 2004.

Who wants to get Fired?

PARIS: Mariam, a 28-year-old employee at a retail chain in France, went to great lengths to get fired.

She knew she wouldn't be eligible for unemployment payments if she simply quit. Mariam asked her company flat-out to fire her, but she was turned down. Then she simply stopped showing up for work. Her wish was granted at last - she was fired, went on the dole and found a new job six months later.

Soon, such convoluted yet surprisingly common schemes may be a thing of the past. An unusual new proposal, prompted by President Nicolas Sarkozy's push for a more flexible labour market, would allow employees to get unemployment payments even if they quit.

Business leaders and government officials brush off questions about whether this could encourage more people to go on government handouts. They insist that a variety of new reforms will work in harmony to create jobs and cut joblessness in a labour market tainted by deception and inertia.

Lawyers and observers of France's business world say people often ask their bosses to fire them instead of quitting unsatisfying jobs, because they're afraid of losing the safety net of unemployment payments and terrified of not finding another job soon. The unemployment rate stands at 8.3 per cent; the average length of unemployment is more than 9 months.

Schemes like Mariam's are a symptom of how those fears have made workers risk-averse, and of just how much France's rigid labour market needs to change. Mariam asked to be identified by her middle name only, because she lied to her new employer about how she left her last job.

'Made in China' but with warning

BEIJING: A Beijing clothing market, famous for selling fakes, has started selling its own line of brand-name products - with a warning to counterfeiters to stay away.

The Beijing Silk Street Co Ltd, which owns a multi-storey market that is filled with hundreds of clothing shops - many of which sell Burberry and Ralph Lauren fakes - has launched its own Silkstreet line of shirts, ties, scarves, teacups and other goods, the general manager of the market said Friday.

"For over 30 years, we've always been selling other people's clothes," George Wang said. "We've never sold our own."

He hopes to capitalize on the influx of foreign visitors for the Olympics.

Wang said the move was a way to start to enforce intellectual property rights and show that better quality comes with real goods.

But he warned that if anyone tried to sell fake Silkstreet goods, they will be dealt with "according to the law". Counterfeit goods remain widespread in China, despite occasional crackdowns, because laws against the practice are rarely enforced.

The market has a program to crack down on fake goods, Wang said, such as giving a 20 percent discount on rent for stalls that sell real goods.

But many of the shops in the Silkstreet market still sell fake good.

"The quality and look is good," shopkeeper Xu Meiling said of Silkstreet shirts, comparing them favorably to fake foreign-brand shirts hanging in dozens of stalls.

The new Silkstreet brand shirts go for 180 yuan (US$25, euro17). Fake Paul Smith and other name-brand shirts cost 150 yuan (US$21, euro14) for a she said.

Wang says he wants big-name brands like US apparel maker North Face, who recently won a lawsuit against the market for infringement, to open stalls in the market. So far they are "hesitant", he said, fearing their brand name will be tainted by association with the market.

In September 2006, five global luxury brand names - Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada - won 10,000 yuan (US$1,387, EUR 940) in compensation from a joint lawsuit against Silk Street and five of its tenants, the first case in China to end in such a settlement.

US Democrats pick real donkey as mascot

DENVER: A jackass will play a prominent role when US Democrats meet in August to nominate their presidential candidate.

Mordecai, a 7-year-old donkey, bested nine other hopefuls on Saturday in a contest to become the official live mascot for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

As a tie-in to the convention, the donkey pageant was held during the mule and donkey show at the National Western Stock Show, an annual Colorado event where livestock and horse ranchers gather to buy and sell breeding stock.

Sen. Ken Salazar and other Democratic dignitaries served as judges.

Before the contest began, Leah Daughtry, another contest judge and chief executive of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said she was looking for "traits our candidate will have also -- the right amount of vigour and energy, a cool temper but feisty when you need to be."

In 1828, opponents of Andrew Jackson called him a "jackass" for his populist candidacy, according to the Democratic National Committee's website. Jackson turned the tables by using the donkey on his campaign posters. Decades later, famed political cartoonist Thomas Nast used the beast to represent some Democratic viewpoints in his cartoons and the mascot stuck.

After 10 youths paraded the contestants around the arena, the judges held their caucus and reached a unanimous decision.

As if to show he was ready for prime time, Mordecai took a bow and rolled in the dirt before the vote was announced.

Mordecai's owner, Curtis Imrie, a two-time Democratic congressional candidate from southwestern Colorado, said his donkey will do the Democrats proud.

"He'll be the party animal of the party, now that he's the official mascot,'" Imrie said.

Viagra to boost pilots' performance?

JERUSALEM: It might harm their reputation, but Israel's air force is considering giving its combat pilots Viagra to improve their performance - in the air.

A recent study conducted by Israeli doctors among mountain climbers in Africa found a link between erectile dysfunction drugs and improved performance in high altitudes, the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot reported on Thursday.

The active ingredient in the drugs was found to make climbers perform better in an environment with less oxygen, which causes fatigue and dizziness.

This has led army doctors to consider giving jet fighter pilots - who can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 metres) - the same drug, the report said.

"The Viagra family of drugs is considered effective in these conditions because when there is a long shortage in oxygen it leads to high blood pressure in the lungs, and the drugs help fight that," the report quoted military medical sources as saying.

Stupid English Teens.... British Education Standards.

LONDON: Mahatma Gandhi never existed while Britain's wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was a fictional character. Don't fret. This
is only what most Britons think about the great leaders.

According to a survey carried out in Britain, many believe that Mahatma Gandhi and Churchill are just mythical figures like Florence Nightingale, popularly known as the 'Lady with the Lamp'.

In fact, almost a quarter of the population have the popular notion that Churchill, "the greatest Briton of all time", was made up.

Moreover, despite his celebrated military reputation, 47 per cent of respondents feel the 12th-century English King Richard the Lionheart is fictional, according to the survey of 3,000 British teens.

In contrast, a number of fictitious characters like Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur and Eleanor Rigby were given real life status.

While almost 65 per cent of respondents believe that mythical figure King Arthur existed and led a round table of knights at Camelot, 58 per cent of teens think that Holmes really lived at 221B Baker Street.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents believed that Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest, robbing the rich to give to the poor, while 47 per cent believed Eleanor Rigby was a real person rather than a creation of The Beatles.

The poll also revealed that nearly three quarters of those surveyed did not read history books while and 61 per cent admitted that they changed channels rather than watching historical programmes on television.

"While there's no excuse for demoting real historical figures such as Churchill, the elevation of mythical figures to real life showed the impact good films could have in shaping the public consciousness.

"Stories like Robin Hood are so inspiring that it's not surprising people like to believe these characters truly existed," the British media quoted Paul Moreton, the Head of UKTV Gold channel, which commissioned the poll, as saying.

Marines Changing P-19 Tire in Iraq "Funny"

'No 1' plate goes for a record in UAE

ABU DHABI: Without batting an eyelid, a UAE businessman dished out a record 14 million dollars for a car licence plate at an charity auction in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

"It is not huge compared to my family's fortune," Saeed Abdel Ghaffar Khouri said after bidding 52.2 million dirhams (14.2 million dollars) for an Abu Dhabi licence plate bearing the single number "1".

"The price is fair. After all, who among us does not want to be number one," Khouri said.

Emirates Auction which organised the sale said on its website that it had been expected to set a new world record for the most expensive car licence plate in the world.

In May, another citizen of the oil-rich UAE spent more than five million dollars to buy a licence plate bearing the number "5".

Funds from the auction at an Abu Dhabi luxury hotel will be given to charities, including one that will set up a hospital for casualties from road accidents.

Buyers battled it out on Saturday for 90 low digit licence plates, spending a total of 89 million dirhams (about 24 million dollars), said Abdullah al-Mannaei of Emirates Auction.

Australia seeking fatter mailmen

SYDNEY: Australia's postal service has increased the maximum weight for mailmen and women by 15 kg (33 pounds) in an attempt to attract more "posties", local media reported on Tuesday.

Australia Post had a weight limit of 90 kgs (198 pounds) for "posties" because its 110cc motorcycles had a safe working limit of 130kg (286 pounds) -- that's 40kg (88 pounds) for letters and up to 90 kgs for mailmen and women fully clothed.

But after talks with motorcycle manufacturer Honda it was agreed the bikes could safely carry a "postie" weighing 105 kgs (231 pounds), said Sydney's the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

But the "posties" will only carry 25 kgs of mail.

The union representing mailmen and women said the 90 kg limit had caused recruitment headaches for Australia Post, but the company denied it had staffing problems.

"Testing found a rise in rider weight up to a maximum of 105 kgs would not have any significant effect on the stability, handling or safety of their 110 cc motorcycle," an Australia Post spokesman told the newspaper.

"By raising it from 90 to 105 kilograms means there will be other people that can now apply," he said.

For great sex, head to the church!

MELBOURNE: One would've never thought of going to the church for a better 'sex' life, but now a Church in Australia is doing just that by inviting around 25,000 households around Eltham and Montmorency, for a course in sex, marriage, adultery and pornography.

Riverside Church pastor Andrew Newbold and his wife Megan have launched a four-week series on sex, marriage, adultery and pornography. They have in fact gone ahead with advertising about this seminar on a flyer that reads: "the best sex you'll ever have."

In the flyer on can see two pairs of feet, belonging to Newbold and his wife Megan, protruding from under the sheets. It says sex is supposed to be fun, so why does it feel like everyone else is having all the fun? It's not supposed to leave you feeling guilty, frustrated or empty.

"Lots of people have asked, 'why would the church want to talk about sex in the first place?' That's a ridiculous question because everyone else is talking about it, and it's something God created. At Riverside we deal mostly with young adults, who have been more exposed to sexuality than any previous generation, but that doesn't mean they are handling it well. There's a lot of confusion out there," Theage.com.au quoted Mr Newbold, as saying.

In fact, he boasted off statistics to prove his point saying: people are having sex younger, with an average age of 15.8 years at first encounter, and relationships are getting shorter, at an average of three months. The largest consumers of internet pornography are children aged 12 to 17.

He said that in America, 90 per cent of eight to 16-year-olds have viewed online pornography, 80 per cent of that hardcore. 1 in 6 Australian men have paid for sex, while 26 per cent of women and 8 per cent of men say they have been forced or frightened into unwanted sexual activity.

Thus, Mr Newbold said that a need for a teaching series on sex is absolutely essential.

In the first week he talked about the link between human sexuality and God. While in the second week he will deal with affairs and adultery - "how to affair-proof your marriage, because it doesn't begin when you book a hotel room," he said.

The third week belongs to sex and singles, and week four asks what's the big deal about pornography.

Riverside Church was launched 5 years ago in Montmorency with a congregation of 16, and now it attracts about 350 people to its Sunday service.

Earlier teaching series have dealt with relationship baggage, identity and finances. The next, later in the year, is on secrets.

Paul McCartney snaps underwear models

LONDON: After a bitter experience with his former wife Heather Mills, it seems that Sir Paul McCartney is still interested in models.

The Beatle star was spotted snapping photographs of models in underwears as they queued up to get pictures of him backstage, a British tabloid reported on Friday.

"Agent Provocateur hired loads of promotional girls in skimpy undies. They're all taken with Macca and he seemed keen on them too -- so much so, he got his camera out and started snapping away," a source was quoted as saying.

Bank error makes man millionaire

NEW YORK: A man in New York who discovered that millions of dollars had mysteriously appeared in his bank account, and withdrew more than $2 million, has been arrested on charges of grand larceny, prosecutors said.

Benjamin Lovell, 48, pleaded innocent on Tuesday to charges that he withdrew money from a Commerce Bank account that had been opened by someone with the same name, prosecutors said.

The account belonged to Woodlawn Trustees Inc, a Delaware property management company, and was listed under the name of its finance director, who is also named Benjamin Lovell, court papers said.

Lovell had just $800 in his own Commerce Bank account when he went to make a deposit, but a teller, mistaking the Woodlawn account for Lovell's personal account, told him that his account contained more than $5 million, prosecutors said.

Lovell made multiple withdrawals even though he knew that the money was not his, prosecutors said. He used the money to buy jewellery for his girlfriend and to make several investments, they said.

Commerce Bank and Woodlawn Trustees did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Legal Aid attorney representing Lovell could not be reached for comment either.

Lovell is being held on $3 million bail. He faces up to 25 years behind bars if convicted, prosecutors said.

'Girl' at school was 39-year-old man

TOKYO: A Japanese man was arrested for trespassing this week after turning up at a high school dressed in a girl's uniform and a long wig, local police said.

Thirty-nine-year-old Tetsunori Nanpei told police he had bought the uniform over the Internet and put it on to take a stroll near the school in Saitama, north of Tokyo.

When students standing outside the gates started to scream at the sight of him, he dashed inside the school grounds, hoping to blend in with the crowds of teenagers, the paper said. They also screamed, forcing the man to flee, losing his wig in the process. A school clerk pursued him and stopped him at a nearby riverbank, the paper said.

Police confirmed the arrest of the man in school uniform and wig but declined to give further details.

Man sets off fireworks in police station

BEIJING: A Chinese telecom company official, known for his philanthropic services, allegedly ransacked a police station along with seven others and injured 12 cops after he was instructed not to set off fireworks in connection to the Spring Festival.

The general manager of a telecom company, and others were persuaded by police at Dazhou in Sichuan province not to burst crackers in front of a complex as it was a forbidden area, local public security said.

However, the man was seriously offended by the police's refusal to allow fireworks, it said.

As police took away another person who lit crackers, the man was enraged further and took some others along with him, smashed the door of a police patrolling car and led them into the police station, breaking the furniture and beating police officers, the bureau said.

Twelve police officers were injured in the attack, including a woman official who fainted after being badly beaten, official Xinhua news agency said.

All were arrested for violently disturbing the police from executing public duties, it said.

The man, Zhang Jiuyuan was chosen as "2006 Top Ten Star Philanthropist" of Sichuan Province in 2007 for donating money for rural infrastructure construction and undergraduates. He was also nominated as "Top Ten Star Philanthropist" of Dazhou city in January.

Many Chinese cities including Dazhou have lifted the ban on fireworks.

The Dazhou government asked the public not to set off firecrackers in the downtown area before the Spring Festival holiday from Feb 7 to Feb 12.

Bursting crackers during the Spring Festival to drive away the evil spirits is part of the Chinese tradition.

Plane crashes into couple’s garden!

LONDON: An elderly couple had a lucky escape after a plane crashed into their garden as they sat watching TV.

Eileen Watling, 71, and her husband Alfie, 83, were settling down on to watch a movie on television when the aircraft landed in Eileen's conifers.

"It was so sudden. We'd just started watching a film when there was an almighty crash. We thought the whole house had collapsed,” Scotsman quoted Eileen, as saying.

"I looked out of the window and saw the conifers had come down and there were no electricity lines. Then I saw the plane," she added.

The two people in the plane, the pilot and a passenger, had minor injuries as their two-seater Cessna 172 came down in the Watlings' garden in Folkestone, shortly after taking off from nearby Rochester airport.

The plane had narrowly missed a neighbour's house opposite, before hitting power cables and crashing into trees next to the couple's garage, yards from their bungalow.

"When the pilot came out, he was covered in blood – then the passenger came down out of the trees. I managed to get them into the conservatory and got a towel to stop the bleeding from the pilot's head,” Eileen said.

"He said: 'I'm so sorry to do this to you'. And I said: 'Not to worry; your health's more important'," she added.

Following that, the pilot and his passenger were taken to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford for treatment.

It is believed that the plane might have been travelling too low due to the foggy conditions.

"They were flying at 500ft. We're at 600ft here, but because of the fog blanket they didn't see what the problem was," Eileen said.

"We realise just how lucky we've been. The plane was 10ft from our neighbour's house. If it had hit them first, it could have exploded. Somebody was looking out for us," she added.

Horse racing bet turns $1 into $2 mn

LONDON: A British man celebrated his 60th birthday in unexpected style at the weekend when a 50 pence ($1) bet on the horses turned him into an instant millionaire.

Fred Craggs, from Yorkshire in northern England, was not even aware of his win when he walked into a branch of the William Hill betting agency to see how he had done with his accumulator bet.

When he was informed of his good fortune he was said to have turned rather pale and muttered that he had better go home to tell his wife.

His coup was selecting eight winners running at various courses around the country -- starting with one called "Isn't That Lucky" and finishing with "A Dream Come True" -- at odds of 2,000,000 to one.

"This is the most amazing bet ever placed since betting shops were made legal in 1961," William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said on Monday.

Tennis ban on kid for loud grunting

MELBOURNE: A nine-year-old girl in Australia has been banned from playing tennis – because of her loud grunting.

Lauryn Edwards was told by her local club that she could no longer play her favourite sport after a complaint was lodged by an opposition player.

The Mt Carmel Tennis Club, in Sunbury, told Lauryn's stunned parents, Duncan and Ruth, that the grunting had become too much.

Lauryn’s dad described the ban as pathetic and has contacted Tennis Australia and Tennis Victoria for advice.

Lauryn's favourite player is Russian star and notorious grunter Maria Sharapova but his father said that his daughter's grunting was nowhere near Sharapova's level and had been exaggerated.

"It's pretty slight and now and again she hits it hard and makes a loud noise and that's it," News.com.au quoted him, as saying.

"From just one comment, this has all blown up stupidly. There's no rule against it, so they've made a rule against it,” he added.

He said that the club had asked him for an assurance Lauryn would remain silent on the court.

"They told me to guarantee she won't grunt or she can't play," he said.

"How can I guarantee that? She's been doing it since she was really little. She's her own person. What do they want me to do? Put Band-Aids over her mouth? They made her cry on the court when they told her.

"She was in such a state that I had to bring her home mid-match,” he added.

Kosovo PM: We will defend every inch of Kosovo

PRISTINA: Prime Minister Hashim Thaci warned on Tuesday that Kosovo was prepared to defend every inch of its territory, which he said had been recognised as an independent state by the international community.

"We will never allow Kosovo's territorial integrity, which has been internationally recognised, to be jeopardised," Thaci told reporters on a visit to the central village of Racak.

"Not an inch of Kosovo's territory must be touched by anyone," he said, warning that the authorities were prepared to "use defence mechanisms for the territory of Kosovo."

"Institutions function as in every state," he added. The authorities were in "permanent touch" with the UN mission in the former Serbian province and were also cooperating with NATO-led peacekeepers (KFOR) deployed in the territory, Thaci said.

Kosovo's Albanian-majority parliament unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 17 and was promptly recognised as a new state by the United States and a number of EU countries.

But the move was vehemently opposed in Belgrade and by Russia and was followed with a series of protests in Serbia and northern Kosovo, populated mostly by the Serbs.

No July deadline for N-deal: US

WASHINGTON: The Bush administration has said there was a "little bit more time" than the July deadline suggested by a top lawmaker for the Indo-US nuclear deal to be passed in the US Congress, while stressing that any internal pressure within India to quickly move the deal forward was "good".

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino was asked to comment on a statement made by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden during his recent visit to New Delhi, were he said the nuclear deal has to be taken up in Congress by June and ratified by July.

Any new US administration will "renegotiate" the deal, Biden had said.

But Perino said, "We have a little bit more time than that, obviously, on the calendar before the end of the president's term. But if there's internal pressure from inside India for them to move more quickly, I think that's good. And I saw a report today that said that there are some elements within India that are very supportive of getting the deal done."

When asked if President George W Bush was in touch with New Delhi to push for the nuclear deal, Perino replied: "We are in touch with different levels of government throughout - here at the National Security Council and the State Department".

Police and lawyers clash in Orissa

BERHAMPUR (ORISSA): A clash erupted between police and agitating lawyers who raised slogans opposing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's visit to a hospital accusing him of inaction in meeting their demand to set up a circuit bench of the Orissa high court in the city.

When the advocates, wearing black badges, attempted to break the police cordon near the MKCG Medical College Hospital it led to a minor clash, the police said.

Besides shouting slogans against Patnaik, the lawyers also attacked the government for setting up a commission to look into the demand for high court benches.

Claiming that there was no major confrontation or clash, Berhampur superintendent of police Nitinjeet Singh said "the agitating advocates tried to break the police cordon and we only pushed them back."

Ganjam Bar Association president S N Rath claimed two advocates sustained injuries in the incident, but police did not confirm it.

In order to prevent any major flare up, the authorities clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 and tightened security in the area for about an hour.

As all the four entrance gates of the hospital premises were cordoned off and barricaded, the patients had to wait outside.

Blunder: Geography in Maths book of Bihar schools

PATNA: If you want to study Geography, pick up the Mathematics book. Absurd as it may sound, hundreds of students in Bihar found phrases like duniya gol hai and other geographical concepts in their Maths textbook.

In a shoddy case of binding error, the Maths textbook meant for Class V students for schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ended up carrying portions from a Geography book meant for Class VII.

While the blunder was committed by the Bihar State Text Book Publishing Corporation in 2007, state HRD minister Brishen Patel admitted to the "mistake" in the assembly only on Tuesday. He was careful enough to point out that it wasn't a printing error, but a mistake at the stage of binding over which the ministry has no control.

The printer's contract was cancelled and payment stopped for this blooper, and no work will be allotted to the firm in the future, said Patel. A joint panel was also formed to look into the causes of this embarrassing gaffe.

RJD Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui, who raised a question regarding the errors in the Assembly, also wondered whether there was any mechanism to check the contents and quality of school textbooks. To this, Patel said checking of textbooks was primarily the responsibility of the SCERT.

India test fires submarine-launched ballistic missile

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday tested its K-15 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submersible pontoon launcher off Visakhapatnam, amid some indications that the test was "not fully successful".

Sources said the missile, which has a strike range of 700km, did not meet all the pre-flight parameters laid down for the test conducted from the launcher submerged under the sea just before 1pm. On being contacted, DRDO officials refused to say anything, holding that only M Natarajan, the scientific advisor to the defence minister, could clear the position over the test-firing of K-15.

"A test like this, even though from a pontoon launcher and not an actual submarine, generates an immense amount of data... The exact position can be given only after a detailed analysis," said an official. It has taken around 10 years for India to even come to this stage of testing an SLBM, which has remained the preserve of the Big Five countries - US, Russia, China, France and UK.

DRDO chief controller Prahlada had told TOI earlier this month that this test would be the final test of K-15, which would then be ready to be integrated with the "mother ship". The "mother ship", of course, is a reference to the three indigenous nuclear-powered submarines being built at Visakhapatnam in the 25-year-old ATV (advanced technology vessel) project, which will overall cost around Rs 20,000 crore. The first of the three 6,000-tonne ATVs, each designed to carry 12 vertical-launched nuclear-tipped SLBMs, will be 'ready to go to sea' for trials by early 2009.

It will, however, take two to three years for the two-stage solid-fuelled K-15 to be integrated with the first ATV and then be test-fired from it.

When this happens, India will finally achieve its long-standing aim to have an operational 'nuclear weapon triad'. India already has Agni-I (700-km range) and Agni-II (2000-km-plus) ballistic missiles, as also the Agni-III (3,500-km) which has been successfully tested only once so far, as the land-based nuclear deterrent. Fighters like Sukhoi-30MKI and Mirage-2000s, which can be jury-rigged to carry nuclear weapons, constitute the air-based leg. But the absence of nuclear-powered submarines, armed with the capability of fire nuclear-tipped missiles from under the sea, has been a gaping hole in India's strategic capabilities.

The first test of Agni-III missile in July 2006, incidentally, had flopped miserably. Though the second test in April 2007 was successful, it will take at least three to four tests more for this China-specific missile to be fully-ready.

Matthew Hayden calling the off-spinner an "obnoxious little weed"

HOBART, February 26: India's Harbhajan Singh on Tuesday came under a fresh attack by Australian cricketers with opener Matthew Hayden calling the off-spinner an "obnoxious little weed", a remark which has the potential to create more bad blood between the two teams.

The Indian spinner, who was at the centre of a racism row involving Andrew Symonds, has borne the brunt of the Australian sledging during the explosive tour which has been marked by a series of verbal exchanges between rival players.

"Its been a bit of a long battle with Harbhajan, the first time I ever met him he was the same little obnoxious weed that he is now", Hayden said on Brisbane radio.

"His record speaks for itself in cricket. There is a certain line that you can kind of go to and then you know where you push it and he just pushes it all the time.

"That's why he has been charged more than anyone that's ever played in the history of cricket," Hayden said.

Hayden's fresh salvo came a day after the Indian team management lodged a written complaint with Match Referee Jeff Crowe regarding Australia players' "provocative" behaviour.

Hayden and Harbhajan were involved in an ugly tussle at the SCG on Sunday with the Indians claiming that the Australian opener had termed the Indian a "mad boy."

However, Hayden made light of the incident and claimed India was complaining because "they are losing every game they are playing."

"I called him a bad boy," Hayden insisted.

"He took offence to that, I thought that was quite funny. I said mate you should be flattered, it's a clothing range," Hayden said.

Meanwhile, former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg also lashed out at the Indians.

"Ive really had a gutful of their whinging, this is international sport, obviously people are going to say things to try to unsettle you," Hogg said.

"It's not tiddlywinks. So long as it's not racial they shouldn't have a problem.

"As far as I am concerned if the heat is too hot in the kitchen then that's too bad.

"I reckon they should appoint an Asian referee for Indian games because when it's a non-Asian referee nothing against Jeff Crowe they never feel as if they are being listened to."

Hayden said he had told Ishant Sharma to settle down and on Monday quipped he would like to meet the stringbean paceman in a boxing ring.

"He is just young. I have said to him many times, you are 19, take it easy, Hayden said.

"At the end of the day you are 19, why don't you just worry about your bowling for a while," he added.

BCCI hits out at Aussies for sledging Indian team

MUMBAI, February 25: The India cricket board on Monday hit out at the Australian cricket team for indulging in sledging and provoking the Indians, saying such behaviour by the hosts was unnecessary and not good for the game. "The way the Australians are behaving is not good (for the game). They should not sledge our team members. It's not necessary," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah. Shah was reacting to the happenings during the Sydney tri-series tie on Sunday in which Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds provoked young Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma for which the latter was docked 15 per cent of his match fees by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe. "They (Aussies) should restrain from such things and not get into another problem", the BCCI official said. But he did not comment on the complaint lodged by Indian manager Vimal Soni about the Aussies' behaviour with the match referee. Shah defended Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his comments after Sunday's loss to Australia wherein the wicketkeeper had asked the senior players to start delivering the goods. "He's the captain and whatever advice he (Dhoni) wants to give (to his teammates) he can give," the BCCI secretary said. Shah also said the World Cup under-19 team which has reached the semi-finals in Kuala Lumpur would be protected from being distracted by franchises eager to recruit them for the April 18-June 1 Indian Premier League. "We don't want any distraction for our cricketers and the board will decide which team they will go to," he said

Judges restoration is the first priority

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League (N) Chief Tuesday reiterated his resolve for restoration of judiciary and sovereignty of the parliament in the country by defeating dictatorship.

Addressing a press conference here, PML-N Chief termed the restoration of judiciary his foremost priority and added that his party is against the role of armed forces in the politics of the country.

“We will prove our two-third majority in tomorrow’s parliamentary parties’ meeting,” he claimed.

Nawaz Sharif denied presence of any differences between his party and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and ruled out the possibility of engaging in negotiations with Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

He informed the journalists that Shahbaz Sharif was nominated as the Parliamentary leader of Punjab Assembly on Tuesday.

PML-N Chief said the dictatorship will be crushed to pieces paving the way for democracy to reign supreme.

He said the account will be settled for the atrocities unleashed on his party workers.

He maintained that talks with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and other parties are positively in progress, adding, ‘Our agenda is Pakistan and we want to steer it clear of crises.’

Nawaz Sharif said that an associate of President Musharraf acknowledged the rigging in the 2002 polls, adding the rigging in elections is tantamount to betrayal to your country.

PML-N chief said that the rulers are having eyes on circumstances to grab the opportunity and flee the country; however the judges would be restored to their offices and they would decide the eligibility of the Pervez Musharraf.

He said, ‘People from Q-League want to talk to us; but, we don’t want to enter any dialogues with them.’

On this occasion, Nawaz Sharif thanked the residents of Rawalpindi by saying, ‘I thank the people of Rawalpindi, who returned our trusts to us and the big-mouths were so badly routed in the elections that they would not come to politics again,’ adding the person whose even credibility is at stake after losing from two NA seats, is talking about forming a new political party.

Free speech 'shrinking' in Russia

Courtesy: BBC NEWS

Russian freedom of speech is "shrinking alarmingly" under President Vladimir Putin, says Amnesty International.

The murders of outspoken journalists go unsolved, independent media outlets have been shut and police have attacked opposition protesters, said the report.

It also said "arbitrary" laws were curbing the right to express opinion and silencing NGOs deemed to be a threat by the authorities.

The report comes ahead of Russian's presidential elections on 2 March.

The director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, said: "The space for freedom of speech is shrinking alarmingly in Russia and it's now imperative that the Russian authorities reverse this trend."

She said dissent could be a matter of life or death in the case of outspoken journalists like Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in Moscow two years ago.

The 52-page Freedom Limited report warned any opposition demonstrations could suffer heavy clampdowns in the coming days, as Amnesty said had happened in the run-up to past elections.

First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, whom President Putin has named his favoured successor, is expected to be elected in this Sunday's poll.

Exceptional Cases? - Israeli Soldier Talks Truth

by: Ziv Mavari (Israeli Soldier)

It would be better if Israeli society would to open its eyes and face up to what is happening

Again we hear about a serious case of violence against Palestinians perpetuated by IDF soldiers, again we hear about an investigation of the Military Police, and again a soldier will be sent to prison, again we hear about "weeding out the evil" and "exceptional cases", and again the army mates of this week's victim will stand up for him and talk about his moral stature. And above all the military system, with its laconic answers will again claim that "it has expunged the miscreant" and from now on it is again spotlessly clean.

We want so much to believe in this…and are ready to struggle and sacrifice so much just not hear and not to confront a reality that is so painful and so frustrating. And yet, the reality of our situation becomes more and more evident, our wonderful IDF soldiers, the best of our sons, who were raised on the lofty values of this land, and who chose to volunteer for combat duty in order to best serve their country are going through the inevitable process of moral decay, and have lost all sensitivity and humanity as a result of being occupiers of a civilian population.

Today we all know that beatings of Palestinians at checkpoints are not deviant incidents, shootings (at people) for fun are not deviant episodes, acceptance of bribery is not deviant, and even theft, to our enormous regret is no longer deviant.

It would be better if Israeli society would to open its eyes and face up to what is happening. A profound and honest confrontation, as painful as it may be, is much preferable to denial and obscurity and lurking in an insular bubble behind slogans. Israeli society must understand that it is paying a huge moral price for its control over another population. The violence and lack of tolerance do not remain "there"; it comes home with us and accompanies us when we are with friends, on the roads, on the beach and wherever we go.

We who have been there and have returned pay the price every day and therefore have decided to tell you, those of you who care about the soldiers who are drafted today and will be drafted tomorrow, to those of you who care about the social and moral character of Israeli society in the future, you must not close your eyes and shut your mouths, eighteen years you have raised and educated a son and now you will not fight for his future?

Unfortunately, most of the discussion around cases of violence is concerned with disagreements as to weather a particular Palestinian deserved to be slapped or not, and nobody seems concerned about what is happening to the soldiers whose actions are so violent, what brings them to this point and what sort of citizens they will turn out to be in our society. It's easy for us to explain it all away with sundry rationalizations such as "they probably come from a violent home" and "perhaps they have endured abuse" and so on, but the truth is different, we have all seen our best friends lose their peace of mind in this totally impossible reality, even a quick scan of incidents that have been covered by the media reveal that we are talking here about good soldiers who have many friends who rally to their support.

The higher echelons of the army concern themselves with cover ups and the hiding of reality as it is from Israeli society, instead of coming to the society and admitting that these so called deviant actions are actually the norm and that this is the price we must pay as long as we are present in the occupied territories, they chose to repeatedly present the "errant soldiers" as exceptions, however when the subject crops up despite these efforts they place full responsibility on the "deviant" soldier assuming that those soldiers who have not been caught doing the same sort of thing would prefer to keep silent rather than expose themselves.

It is impossible to prepare the various units in the army for service in the occupied territories, no matter how many lessons on the spirit of the IDF and the dignity of man are taught in the officer courses of the army, and how many briefings occur within the army, the IDF can only reduce the damage but not prevent it and this only to a limited extent, just as anybody who has been there can tell you the process of moral deterioration "there" does pass over any warrior or soldier and is the result of the nature of activity "there", there is no way, nor can there be, a way to enter a home and see a small child wet his pants out of fear and not to think about your little brother, it is impossible to regard a Palestinian as a human being like yourself if or when there is a suspicious object and you grab the first Palestinian you see and send him to move it, what help can there be from a lesson on the value of human life? After all, in this act I have already made clear to myself that his life is not worth more than a 10 minuet wait for the detonation expert.

Under no circumstance is it possible to regard the thousand Palestinians who pass each day at the checkpoint as human beings like us. As the hundreds of soldiers who testified to "Breaking the Silence" in the sentence that recurs again and again like a mantra, "after one month of eight (hours at the checkpoint) eight (hours off) at the checkpoint you don't care about anything except sleeping, eating and going home on leave."

In summary, Israeli society has no choice and there is no escaping from the painful truth, we as a society pay a heavy moral price, a price that will influence our future in this land and may well be higher than the price of terrorist attacks.

Details of MQM Rigging in Karachi according to PPP

All the content is taken from a report is Issued by
Taj Haider
Coordinator
PPP Central Secretariat
Karachi

2/19/2008
MQM broke all records of rigging, ballot paper stamping and high handedness in Karachi to make sure that the mandate of the democracy loving people of Karachi was reversed. While results from even the far flung areas were being shown on television channels Karachi results were held up and it was almost this morning when the reversed and highly manipulated results in favor of MQM were given to the channels. NA 249 1. Official polling time ended at 5 PM but when PPP candidate took a round of polling stations he found that polling was in progress on 11 polling stations, where even 12 year olds were casting votes. 2. He protested. Subsequently, locks were placed outside the 11 polling stations and the polling staff was inside with MQM militants and workers. PPP polling agents in 7 of these polling stations were thrown out of the polling stations, while on the other 4 both gents and ladies polling agents were locked in rooms by the armed militants. 3. PPP candidate Habib Memon came to the Returning officer and gave him a hand written complaint in this regard. 4. At 6.45 PM MQM candidate Farooq Sattar came there with about 80 militants. About 60 of them were from the newly created City Police of the MQM. They put a cordon around the court of the Returning Officer Mr.Azim. 5. Farooq Stattar demanded that counting of the PPP candidate Habib Memon should be done first, while Habib Memon demanded that first of all the record from the 11 polling stations should be brought in after which counting should start for all the candidates. 6. The Returning Officer agreed with this legal demand and instructed the CPO, the Rangers and the TPO to bring the material from the 11 polling stations. No one however, brought the needed materials. 7. According to the totals of the results of the polling stations wherefrom material had already arrived (all except the disputed 11 stations) PPP candidate Habib Memon was leading by 39, 830 votes. 8. Earlier GEO television had made an announcement based on the results from some of these polling stations, in which Mr. Habib Memon was shown leading by 16,000 votes at that time. GEO did not make any further announcement about progressive results of this constituency. 9. MQM candidate Farooq Sattar continued to call Nazim Saddar Town Dilawar. Every time after he was connected he would move out of the room to talk to the Town Nazim. 10 At around 11.45 it was learnt that all the material of the polling stations had been shifted to the office of the Town Nazim Sadar, instead of the office of the Returning Officer. 11. The RO received calls from the Governor House. The Governor talked to the RO. In his reply the RO was heard repeating the word 73 and 61 several times. He was also seen writing the number 73 on a piece of paper. 12. Presiding Officers from 6 other polling stations from Lyari were also brought to office of Town Nazim Saddar by Rangers. 13. Around 3 A.M the bags containing polling material from polling stations started coming to the office of the RO. The last bag was brought by Town Nazim Saddar personally at 5 AM in the morning. 14. Immediately after that MQM candidate Farooq Sattar addressed a Press Conference announcing that he had won and had received 73,000 votes. 15. A large number of ballot papers stamped in favor of MQM candidate were picked up by PPP workers from outside the Town Nazim's office and from many other places. MQM had received only 28,000 votes in this constituency in 2002. Their support to dictatorship has 'earned' them additional 45,000 votes in these elections.

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2/18/2008 NA 239 Polling stations 120 to 127 at MH School Baldia Saeedabad, Saeedabad dispensary, Waradeen Public School were occupied by use of force and PPP polling agents were thrown out. NA 240 House of PPP candidate, Abdullah Baloch surrounded by Rangers. NA 241 Shortage of polling staff reported at Ibrahim Ali Bhai School polling station. Each polling officer handling 2 ballot paper books. NA 243 Mutahida militants open fire and occupy Nayab School polling station. So also at GBSS Number 14 Sector 5D, Surjani polling station. NA 244 Presiding officer on Habib School Buffer Zone allowed MQM voters to cast votes without showing NIC cards enabling them to cast multiple votes. NA 246 At Azizah Memorial School GBSS School Sector 48 A Korangi and on polling stations 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18 Town Nazim Arif Khan advocate is personally supervising the stamping of ballot papers at these polling stations. PPP polling agents on Al Fayaz English School which has polling station numbers 3 and 4, Chakra Goth have been thrown out. NA 249 Madarsa e Islamia polling station in Kharadar has been taken over by militants of MQM. NA 250 PPP candidate Mirza Ikhtiar Baig was brought under heavy firing when he was visiting polling station 141 at FG Public Model School. He had to remain in the confines of the polling station for more than 90 minutes to save his life and was rescued by the police. Massive rigging by MQM took place in Doli Khata, Bizerta Lines, Pakistan Chowk, Ratan Talao, P & T Colony areas where MQM militants managed to get control. Presiding officers Shabbir Raza and Sardar Ali of the 2 polling stations located in FG School have confessed to the RO that militants had forced them to stamp voles in favor of MQM. NA 252 Large scale disturbances have taken place at Prince Garden School polling station in Garden West. Polling was stopped. Polling agents were thrown out and large scale stamping of ballot papers was witnessed. Polling stations at Cliton Sec. School, Girls School Jauharabad, Degree College Jamshed Road have been occupied and full speed stamping is going on. PPP polling agents on polling station, Ali Asghar School in Abbas Town and King School have been thrown out and stamping of ballot papers is going on. NA 253 It was a big catch in Gulshen e Iqbal when PPP workers led by Chief Polling agent Asif Khan seized 77 ballot books which were being stamped for MQM on the roof of National High School polling station. This happened in the presence of the Presiding Officer of the polling station. Presiding officer Kamal Shah at Government School Block 1 Gulshen has been very kind and has handed over ballot paper books to MQM camp outside the polling station. Everyone at MQM camp was facilitated to cast 5 to 10 votes. PPP camp got hold of a MQM supporter who had 35 ballot papers on him. The person was handed over to the police. NA 254 Polling stations 18 ICTS School, 9 Arma Abad KTS School, baalot papers being snatched and stamped for MQM. UC Nazim Jamal uddin threatening and harassing PPP voters in Al Fayaz School coast Guard Korangi. NA 257 PPP agents were not allowed inside Government Girls School Saudabad polling station. Heavy rigging was going on. PS 85 While fake ballot papers are in circulation in the constituency for the last two days, genuine ballot papers are not available at many polling stations. PS 90 80/90 ladies of MQM rushed inside Saeed Abad polling station, snatched ballot paper books and started stamping them. PS 94 Polling station Anjuman Muhammadia was occupied by militants. PS 95 UC Nazim Shahab with MQM militants entered and threatened PPP voters and briefed polling staff on how to vote for Kite. PS 97 Cousin of PPP candidate Babu Abdul Khaliq, Asad Mirza who was acting as his polling agent was kidnapped at gun point along with four other PPP workers. They have been taken to some unknown place. Polling station 15 Orangi Grammar School, 2 Johar Public School, 83 Amal e Darvish School, 79 TCF Secondary School, 80 ECF Primary School, Al Qamar Sec. School taken over by militants. SHO Tariq of Pakistan Bazar threatening to kill those who do not vote for MQM. Transparent ballot boxes at Johar Public School, Al Qamar School, New Heaven Star secondary School have been taken on the roof by MQM militants where those were being stuffed with fake votes. Four PPP polling agents have been kidnapped. At Disko Mor Sector 14 MQM militants pushed inside the ladies polling station and stamped votes after snatching ballot papers from lady voters. PS 98 Rangers managed to get the polling station at Peela School vacated from MQM militants twice in the morning. Later a big force of MQM militants attacked the polling station, broke the gate and scuffled with the rangers force. Rangers were holding ground, but as soon as they move the militants appear again. Polling stations at Umar Mengal primary School, Iqra Mohammaden School, Mount Hira School, Warsi School, Khwaja Boys School have also been taken over. PS 100 Polling stations 11 Unani Dispensary, 10, 6 Methodist School and Polling station 22 at Government Mehdi School was taken over by MQM. Heavy stamping was in progress. No police or Rangers were seen on the spot to stop them. PPP polling agents have been thrown out on polling stations 34, 35, 36 and 37. Presiding officer and assistant presiding officer at Qureshi Primary School polling station were reported to be putting stamps on the MQM symbol. PS 103 PPP election agents were thrown out from Polling stations 111, 112, 113 in Sultan Public School and TTC Haideri to facilitate stamping of ballot papers. PS 105 At Azizah Memorial School GBSS School Sector 48 A Korangi and on polling stations 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18 Town Nazim Arif Khan advocate is personally supervising the stamping of ballot papers at these polling stations. PPP polling agents on Al Fayaz English School which has polling station numbers 3 and 4, Chakra Goth have been thrown out. PS 110 PPP candidate Habib Jan fired upon by Mutahida militants and was rescued by Rangers. PS 113 Polling station at Aisha Bawany School taken over by MQM workers. Voters were being pressured to stamp on Kite in front of MQM polling agents. Mutahhida uprooted PPP polling camps at Nabi Bagh, Fazal ur Rahman and JMA school. Armed militants attacked PPP camp at JMA School. PS 115 Polling stations at Custom Public School, Islamia Girls College, Government Tehnical School and St. Patrick School were taken over by MQM militants. Heavy rigging was witnessed. PS 116 200 ballot papers stamped in favor of MQM were recovered from the possession of MQM worker Abdul Hasnain Khan S/0 Abdul Saleem Khan (NIC No 42201 7201558-7 in PIB Colony. The person was handed over to the PIB police station along with the stamped papers. Complaints about rigging were being received from Karachi Printing Press polling station on University Road. When the Chief Polling agent Salim Khurshid Khokar went to the polling station he found the presiding officer fixing stamp himself. PS 119 Polling station SOS School that had been rescued from militants is again occupied. Voters were being forced to vote for Kite. Presiding officer at Greenwich Public School was pressuring voters to stamp at kite. Four ballot boxes were stolen by MQM militants from Government School Shah Faisal Colony. PS 121 King Edward polling station was taken over. Voters were not being allowed to vote. PS 124 Polling station numbers 26, 27, 28 and CDGK No 9 taken over by militants. Polling stations at CDGK School, Korangi School Aziza School also occupied. Voters were being told to vote for kite. PS 125 Government Degree college at Bismillah stop, Government Boys Secondary School and Altaf School Korangi were been taken over. PS 126 Voting could not start at polling station 104 till 1.30 PM as the election staff did not come to this strong PPP area. Hundreds of voters that came early morning returned home without casting their votes. PS 127 Nisar Panhwar and Sajid Amir accompanied with a large number of armed people have occupied Green Peace School Patni Mohala. A PPP vehicle was fired upon near D-1 Area Imam Bargah. 5 ladies were injured in the stampede resulting from the firing. Unabated rigging has been going on Dak Khana School, Adam Hingoro Goth.

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2/17/2008 In Karachi, lady health workers of the provincial government were called at several places (Landhi, Korangi, Cahnesar Goth) by MQM Nazims and sector in charges and were assigned duties as MQM polling agent at different polling stations. These LHWs were also ordered to bring a minimum of 5 ladies with them to work as polling agents. They were warned that if they did not turn up they stood to loose their jobs. The violation of ECP orders apart, this is a clear indication that in Karachi MQM cannot find lady polling agents from its own rank and file. Polling staff that has been assigned election duties was also called up at various sector offices of MQM and was told to act as blind, deaf and dumb persons on anything that happens around them. Also in Karachi last night an armed group of more than 200 MQM workers attacked the PPP stronghold of Angara Goth. The group was led by UC Nazim Khalid Rahim. They attacked PPP workers and 2 of the workers suffered serious fractures. Cars of PPP workers on which PPP stickers were pasted were badly damaged. PPP candidates Sathi Ishaq and Gazi Mustafa went to the Super Market Police Station but the SHO expressed his inability to register a FIR or even to receive a written complaint.

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2/11/2008 Violence is on the rise as the polling date approaches near. Last night the PPP election camp erected opposite Abdullah Heights at Johar Chowrangi, Gulistan Johar, Karachi was burnt down by MQM, who were too upset about PPP putting up an election camp in area which they count as their “fort”. The point is located in PS 126 and NA 253 and tonight the PPP candidates are holding their public meeting at the very point where this election camp was erected and burnt down. Last night too 60/70-armed workers of MQM surrounded the Pak Colony residence of Sathi Ishaq PPP candidate from NA 247 and his younger brother Shabbir Qureshi PPP candidate from PS 92. Both the PPP candidates were out on the campaign but their old father was brought out, was threatened and abused in the most filthy language. When the people of the locality rushed to the spot a ready excuse was made that MQM banners and posters had been torn. People told the MQM militants that if that had really happened they should go to the Election authorities with their complaint. They had no business surrounding the residence of the PPP candidates. Vastly outnumbered they militants went away using foul and filthy language. The real facts as reported again and again in Dhandli Namas are that MQM has been tearing up PPP flags, banners and posters not only in this constituency but in other areas too. Earlier on the Chehlum day of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, when PPP candidates for NA Zafar Siddiqui and PS 99 Sohail Sami were returning from a Chehlum congregation with other PPP workers they were fired upon by a MQM group led by UC Nazim Ismail Rajput near Kahamisoo Goth Sindhi Hotel. PPP worker Ali Usman was seriously injured and rushed to hospital. UC Nazim Ismail Rajput approached Sohail Sami and put a TT pistol on his head. When Zafar Siddiqui advocate tried to stop him he was grabbed by the police and thrown into a mobile. Sohail and others showed exemplary courage and disarmed and overpowered Ismail Rajput. Having seen the attitude of the police who had already kidnapped Zafar Siddiqui, Sohail Sami rang up the Rangers and handed over Ismail Rajput to them. When Sohail and others reached the Bilal Colony Police station to lodge the FIR of the incident Soahil and PPP worker Abdul Jabbar were arrested by the police under a false FIR. As illicit weapon was also foisted on Sohail Sami by the police. PPP candidate Zafar Siddiqui advocate was thrown on the road side near a graveyard after almost 2 hours to find his way home in the cold and dark. When he contacted the police for registering an FIR he found that the police station was not ready to register an FIR against itself. Instead he had been himself implicated in 2 false cases. PPP leadership is now considering the option of registering an FIR through the Court.

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2/10/2008 MQM with their hidden motives has lodged and FIR against Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate for NA-250, Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig on 3rd Feb at Arambagh Police Station. The complainant, Mohammad Riaz, Supervisor KESC, who was badly beaten and forced by MQM workers of Urdu Bazar to lodge this FIR against Mirza Ikhtiar Baig that he used force on them for installation of PPP flags in Urdu Bazar NA-250 Karachi, which is absolutely not true and baseless. MQM will use this FIR against PPP candidate at some appropriate time to disrupt election campaign, if no such measures will be taken.

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2/3/2008 PPP candidates Sohail Ansari (NA 246) and Shakil Irani (PS 105) along with PPP workers of the area were fired upon when they were hoisting PPP flags on Aisha Manzil chowragi last night. The attackers, more than 20 in number were riding motor cycles and came from the side of MQM main office at 90 Aziz Abad. They were shouting MQM slogans and calling names and started shooting straight at the PPP workers. Two PPP workers Shaukat Manto and Soofi Ashraf were kidnapped by them on gun point and were dropped after torture near Mukka Chowrangi Aziz Abad. All this happened in the presence of a Rangers team that was on duty outside a Majlis. When the badly beaten up workers approached the Rangers they were told to go away. PPP candidates contacted 15 Emergency and went to the police station demanding that the attackers who were till then on Aishah Manzil Chowrangi removing PPP flags should be arrested. Police did not make any move. However they accepted a written complaint from the PPP candidates. PPP candidates of the area have been complaining that the families of Party workers were being constantly threatened with dire consequences if they continued to work for the Party. This sequence has been further intensified for the last 3 days and the mothers of PPP workers are being told to be ready for accepting the dead bodies of their sons.

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1/31/2008 PPP candidates are now busy examining the locations of polling stations in various constituencies and strange facts are coming up and regular Dhandli oriented patterns are emerging. The Commission had announced that the polling stations shall remain unaltered unless there were very pressing reasons for shifting them to other locations. However the ground position is that these are being shifted on a large scale FROM PPP VOTE AREAS TO AREAS WHICH ARE PHYSICALLY CONTROLLED BY GOVERNMENT CANDIDATES. PS 120 In 2002 general elections there were 92 polling stations in this constituency which were housed in 90 different buildings in the areas where voters registered on them resided. Now there are 94 polling stations which have been located in just 26 buildings (more than 3 polling stations per building). All of these buildings are located in areas controlled by MQM militants, the so-called “Qila Altaf”s (Altaf Forts). Moreover, the buildings for male and female being the same a large number of female voters who will all be effected by and disturbance on any one of the polling stations. Te plan is obvious. Firstly, PPP voters who voted on the old locations will keep looking for hours and hours for their new locations. Secondly, even if they locate the new buildings they would be risking their lives to reach inside these “Altaf Forts”. Lady voters who are expected to come out in thousands after the Shahadat of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto would specially be at high risk in these “No Go Areas”. Thirdly, with the areas already under the control of Mutahida militants it will be no problem for them to occupy these 26 buildings, throw out polling agents of opposing candidates and push thousands of bogus votes inside ballot boxes. PPP candidate Ahmad Wasim Alvi and his lawyer Rahat Fazal Choudhry have written a five-page application giving entire details of these shifting to the Provincial Election Authority. Unfortunately, the answer that they received was that the papers would be forwarded to the Chief Election Commissioner’s office in Islamabad. One wonders that if the policy guidelines are clear and the facts and locations are here in Karachi, why can’t the Provincial Election Office decide the matter on policy and merit and order that the polling stations should be made on the 2002 locations. PS 117 PPP voters living in Baloch Para near Lasbela Bridge will have to travel to polling station N0. 123 located in Government Elementary School Old LaluKhet near Nishtar Road (area controlled by MQM militants). Moreover, while the actual total number of Male and Female voters on this polling station is 3,787. the total in the official Gazzette is given as 2,607. This is obviously done to justify single polling station instead of two polling stations under the rules for the voters of this traditionally PPP area. The plan to occupy this polling station, and throw out almost 4,000 PPP voters is only too obvious in this case.

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1/26/2008 NA 257 PPP candidate Riaz Hussain Baluch has sent a reminder application to the Chief Election Commissioner pointing out that no action not even a hearing had taken place on his earlier complaints made to the Election Commissioner. Giving a resume of earlier complaints he has mentioned that some polling stations situated in PS 127, which is part of his NA constituency had been shifted for no apparent reason to areas that are considered highly sensitive and are dominated by MQM. In the general elections of 2002 no complaint had been received on these polling stations and the polling had been conducted peacefully and smoothly. The clear intention behind the shifting of these polling stations to sensitive areas was to deter the PPP voters from casting their votes, occupy the polling stations and to cast bogus votes in thousands for MQM. Similarly, there had been no response or action on his request to the District Returning Officer to order deployment of Army inside and outside sensitive polling stations both of PS 121 and PS 127. Deployment of Army was necessary to prevent the takeover of these polling stations by the armed militants of MQM. Candidate Riaz Baluch has also expressed his serious concern over the proposed recruitment of volunteers for maintaining law and order on polling stations on the polling day. He has pointed out that while recruitment in the police force and other departments were already being made on political basis for the last so many years, this new scheme was only a gimmick for recruiting MQM militants temporarily and creating an opportunity for them to physically takeover the polling stations. There is a unique situation in PS 121 where in clear violation of rules some of the polling stations have been made on the ground floors of houses where the owners belonging to MQM live on the first floor. It may be remembered here that NA 257 has seen large scale disturbances some days back where PPP workers were attacked by armed militants of MQM. These incidents were reported in earlier Dhandli Namas. PS 117 PPP candidate Pir Abdul Rashid in an application to the Chief Election Commissioner has said that he had been a candidate from this constituency in the bye-elections held on 10th December 2005, which had been marred with large-scale violence and takeover of polling stations by the MQM. Complaints which were totally ignored by the Election Commission included occupying of polling stations and physical attacks of women voters of PPP. Most of the incidents had taken place in the presence of officials belonging to the Election Commission. In his application Pir Abdul Rashid has said that in UC 10 Jamshed Town, Jail Road, Martin Quarters, PPP banners and flags were being torn and removed and all over this constituency PPP workers were being threatened and harassed. There was every likelihood that the unfortunate events of the bye-elections would be repeated this time as well. Pir Abdul Rashid has requested that special security arrangements may be made at Razi Children, Staff Welfare, Jehangir Road No 3, Cliton Road, White Hall and Agha Khan polling stations.

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1/25/2008 PPP candidate Babu Abdul Khaliq has reported to the Chief Election Commissioner that armed men sitting in a white colored Honda Civic with tinted glasses are continuously following him. He has already informed the SHO Surjani but no action has been taken and the threat to Babu Abdul Kkaliq’s life continues. In his complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner Babu Khaliq has also given the names of 5 Nazims, Naib Nazims and a councilor, who are using public resources in the campaign and also accompanied by criminal elements are removing PPP banners and flag and are threatening PPP workers. This matter has also been reported to the police but no action has been taken as yet.

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1/22/2008 Open flouting of the Election Commission’s directive banning transfers and postings continues unabated. This time it is PML (Q) ex-minister’s and now candidate IN Jacobaabd Sohrab Sarki’s own younger brother Asif Ali Sarki who has been transferred and given a new posting. Asif Ali Sarki Sub-Registrar Lyari Town has been posted as Sub-Registrar-1 Gulshen Iqbal Town with immediate effect, in place of Mushtaq Ahmad Gopang on the orders Inspector General of Registration Sindh. The orders N0. PS/219-22/IGR/2008 dated 16 -01 – 2008 also transfer and post Mushtaq Ahmad Gopand as Sub-Registrar Lyarai Town. Thus the two officials have been merely interchanged. There obviously is no apparent reason for this mutual transfer except that the ex-minister’s brother is considered more ‘reliable” in an area where the position of the ruling party’s candidate is in danger. Whoever is posted in Lyari Town hardly makes a difference since Lyari is a solid PPP area where even the minister’s brother cannot make any difference. PPP Anti-Rigging Cell has been reminding the Election Commission of Pakistan again and again that unless firm action was taken against those who were openly defying their constitutional authority, these violations will continue unabated. No inquiry or proofs are required in complaints regarding transfers and postings after the announcement of election schedule and if no action was taken even in these clear cases what could the nation expect from the Commission in complaints in other pre-poll, polling day or post–poll rigging cases. PS 97 MQM had not been a part of the Regime in 2002, they were not in the city government either. However, at many places their militant wing had successfully managed to capture many polling stations, throw away polling agents of other candidates and stuff the ballot boxes. PPP candidate from PS 97 Babu Abdul Khaliq has given a list of 47 polling stations of his constituency (more than 50 % of total polling stations) to the Election Commission where large poling agents of opposing candidates had been thrown out in the last general elections by MQM. Babu Abdul Khaliq has requested the Election Commission to declare these as sensitive polling stations and provide adequate security at these locations.

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1/14/2008 Shaeed Sami Dehalvi’s son Sohail Sami Dehalvi has been given PPP ticket to contest from constituency No 99 of the provincial assembly. His worker Sbdul Razzak s/o Mohammad Hanif was kidnapped this afternoon by MQM workers in Sector 5J, while returning from his office. Razzaq was badly beaten up. When the PPP candidate contacted the SHO he was told that he SHO was out of the area. The incident has also been reported to the Rangers and the Army authorities. MQM has opened its election office in Sector 5J right next to the PPP office. MQM militants sit there with openly displaying firearms.

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1/13/2008 PPP Election office in Zaman Abad, (NA 255, PS 122) was attacked by armed persons last night at 8.30 PM. The attackers beat up PPP workers who were present at the office and ordered PPP City area Secretary Information, Wajahat Ullah Khan to close the office and leave. Even after the office was forcibly closed the attackers did not leave the spot for some time. The area MQM office denied any connection with the attackers. The police reached the spot after some time. However, no FIR of the incident was registered and no action was taken to arrest the attackers. One wonders as to who other than MQM could be opposed to PPP opening an election office and going to the extent of attacking the PPP workers and if the attackers were not affiliated with MQM

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1/7/2008 Similar is the situation in Karachi where PPP candidate on NA-249 has complained to the Chief Election Commissioner that after the breaking in of his house on December 25 in which his family was held on gunpoint, valuable articles and cash were taken away and they were threatened with dire consequences if Habib Memon did not withdraw from the contest, he was again receiving threats on telephone that he will be eliminated if he did not withdraw. Habib Memon has been sending copies of his various complaints to the Election Commission to the administrative authorities but so far no notice or action has been taken by any quarter on these complaints. This further emboldens those who want to aggravate the conflict and postpone the elections further as they have previously postponed the 8th January date.

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12/26/2007 PPP candidate on NA 249 Habib Memon has written to the Election Commission that polling stations Nos 32, 33, 34 of the constituency are situated in sensitive areas which have seen lot of disturbance in previous elections. Habib Memon has also raised serious objections on the location of Polling station 113 situated in the premisis of a private school known as Librel Model School which is next to the MQM office. The place besides having a narrow stair case of just 3 feel width is also a known dump of arms and ammunition and refuge of criminals. This private place had been made a polling station during the last local body elections and large scale rigging had taken place here. There is a government building, the G.G.T.S Kharadar which has served as a polling station on the past and confirms to all the legal requirements, the PPP candidate has mentioned. . He has also mentioned that polling station Nos 56 to 58 situated in CDGK Primary School Usman Abad is situated very far from the area in which the voters registered in the area live. The nearest point is the Lyari Degree College, Old Haji Camp, where these polling stations should be shifted. The campaign to take down PPP flags and banners and attack and threaten PPP workers continues unabated in Karachi. PPP flags and banners hoisted last night in Asif Colony, G Ward at Mangopir Road were taken down during the night. Last night Sandeep Kumar, Member, Anti-Rigging Cell was stopped while going home by two boys on a motor cycle and was warned not to come to the PPP Central Secretariat again. In Paposh Nagar area Coordinating Secretary of the Cultural Wing Asim Ali’s motor cycle was stopped on the main road by more than 50 MQM workers. The PPP flag on his motor cycle was snatched away and he was fired at when he was leaving the spot.

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12/25/2007 PPP candidate on PS 97 Babu Abdul Khaliq has complained against the conduct of SHO Pakistan Bazar Orangi Tariq Malik who along with his force and MQM workers is removing PPP flags and banners from his area and is openly threatening PPP workers who try to stop him from this illegal activity. The situation in the area has reached an extent where in Ghazi Abad UC 6 Orangi MQM workers opened firing in front of the election office of the PPP candidate.

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12/23/2007 Frustrated over the poor response it is getting from the general public even in its so called “strongholds” MQM has started bringing forward its militants to harass and terrorize the general public. MQM strategy is obvious. Terrorize the people now to ensure a very low turn out on polling day. Capture the polling stations by force and stuff the ballot boxes. PS 112 PPP flags hoisted on Pakistan Chowk and Burns Road have been taken down by MQM militants, MQM Sector In-charge of Burns Road Sector Fayaz is visiting homes of PPP workers with his armed colleagues and is threatening them to leave the area. It may be remembered that during the last bye-elections on NA 250 it was in this area that PPP candidate Nafis Siddiqui was attacked when he demanded to see the NIC of a presiding officer. Last night, Pakistan Peoples Party’s senior worker Ilyas Patel was kidnapped and tortured by MQM armed men. PS 110 Militants Javed, Aamir, Ayaz, Kamran Chatta Pati, Mushtaq, Munna and about 20 others from Unit 29 attacked the Qurbani hide collecting van of Halai Ghanchi Muslim Jamat Committee and took away more than 80 hides that had been donated to the Committee. Yaseen Sulmean Ghanchi who was in-charge of the team doing the collection tried to resist, on which heavy firing was resorted to by the militants. MQM Town Nazim Saddar Town Dilawar, SHO Idd Ghah Shah Rukh Khan and DSP Mazhar Malik were negotiating for the return of part of the snatched hides. However, no FIR against the militants is being registered. PS 97 Tension persists in Nasri Goth of the Christian minority which was attacked by MQM a couple of days back as a punishment for hoisting PPP flags. MQM supported councilor Tony is going to the houses of PPP workers accompanied with armed persons and giving threats. Shops in Nasri Goth have been closed forcibly and MQM locks have been put on them. These armed groups are led by MQM unit in-charge Mateen, Nazim UC 7 Sattar, Ex Unit in-charge Shaukat Sardar and Azhar Iqbal. PPP workers Ashraf, and Bashir have been forced to leave the Goth threatened with their life. PS 107 PPP flags hoisted from Teen Hatti to Dak Khana chowk and from Dak Khana to Rizvia Colony have been removed by the MQM . PPP poster in this area have been torn and disfigured. When a complaint was made in this regard MQM Sector Incharge Hanif Memon, Khalid Rahim, Nazim UC 4 (Dak Khana), Shamim member Sector Committee came over to the PPP candidate and gave death threats to him and other PPP workers who were with the candidate at that time.

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12/15/2007 Groups of pro regime MQM workers were roaming around in various parts of the city harassing the opposition and creating grave provocations. It appears that MQM wants to create a law and order situation and use it to its advantage. In Moosa colony, block 5, Federal B area situated in PS 105 MQM groups went around removing PPP flags and election banners of the PPP candidate. Electricity and telephone poles that had been painted in PPP colors since October for the arrival of Mohtarma to Pakistan were also targeted and repainted in MQM colors. The police under the so called “neutral” caretakers preferred to ignore the provocations as also complaints made by PPP candidates in this regard.

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12/14/2007 PPP candidate from PS 97 Babu Abdul Khaliq Mirza has sent a list of 73 polling stations in PS 97, NA – 242 and 243 Karachi (West) which are located in private buildings, where as government buildings are available in the respective areas. In front of the names of each of these polling stations Babu Abdul Khaliq has also given the names of alternate polling stations, which confirm to the requirements of relevant election laws. At least 4 of the polling stations where voters of PS 97 are registered to vote are not situated in PS 97. They are located in adjacent constituency PS 96. Another 4 are situated at great distance from the blocks of their registered voters, while nearby places exist and have been pointed out. In gross violation of Section 8 (4) of the representation of Peoples Act 1976, three of the polling stations actually belong to office bearers of MQM who have put up their candidate in this constituency.

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12/13/2007 In the last bye-election on NA250 record rigging and strong arms tactics were employed by the ruling MQM, which gave them many times the votes in a bye-election than they had received in general elections on this seat. Innovative methods of rigging included asking many of the presiding officers to stay home while their “duties” at the polling stations were performed by Halaf Yaftas of the MQM. When the PPP candidate asked the presiding officer to show his National Identity Card, he was attacked by armed MQM workers inside the polling station. His car was also badly damaged. Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig PPP candidate from this constituency has given a list of 47 polling stations located in PS 112 and another 19 polling stations located in PS 113 where large scale rigging and violence had taken place in the bye-elections, to the Returning Officer. In his application Dr. Baig has said that there is a danger of heavy rigging and violence at these polling stations this time too. He has asked for additional force to check blatant violation of election rules and the use of strong-arm methods by MQM.

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12/12/2007 In the last bye-election on NA250 record rigging and strong arms tactics were employed by the ruling MQM, which gave them many times the votes in a bye-election than they had received in general elections on this seat. Innovative methods of rigging included asking many of the presiding officers to stay home while their “duties” at the polling stations were performed by Halaf Yaftas of the MQM. When the PPP candidate asked the presiding officer to show his National Identity Card, he was attacked by armed MQM workers inside the polling station. His car was also badly damaged. Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig PPP candidate from this constituency has given a list of 47 polling stations located in PS 112 and another 19 polling stations located in PS 113 where large scale rigging and violence had taken place in the bye-elections, to the Returning Officer. In his application Dr. Baig has said that there is a danger of heavy rigging and violence at these polling stations this time too. He has asked for additional force to check blatant violation of election rules and the use of strong-arm methods by MQM.

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12/10/2007 Gulshan Town Nazim Wasey Jalil accompanied by UC 8 Nazim Rehan Rais raided Jamali Colony in Gulshen, where PPP supporters had hoisted hundreds of PPP flags. The two nazims locked up the shops in the bazaar of Jamali colony and threatened that locks could only be opened when the PPP flags had been taken down.

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12/8/2007 PPP candidate from PS 97 Babu Abdul Khaliq Mirza in an application addressed to the Election Commission of Pakistan has pointed out the rule that polling stations could either be situated in government buildings and where no such premsis existed only on public property. Babu Abdul Khaliq has given a list of 36 polling stations situated in NA 242 & 243 and PS 97 which have been situated in private buildings and has requested that the same may be shifted to government premises.

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12/7/2007 The neutrality facade of the caretakers has once again come apart in the elections in NA 250 of Karachi, where the wife of the caretaker Education Minister Shujaat Ali Baig is the MQM candidate. The Minister is seen campaigning vigorously for his wife Ms Khush Bakht Shujaat in the constituency with officials of the department in attendance. It should be noted that it is the Education department, now under the husband Shujaat Ali Baig, which supplies the bulk of the election staff on the polling day. Record rigging and strong arm tactics by MQM had been seen in the bye elections in this constituency just last year. The PPP candidate Nafees Siddiqui in that election was physically attacked and his car was smashed by MQM, when he demanded to see the NIC of the person who was “officiating” as presiding officer at a polling station.

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Issued By:
Taj Haider
Coordinator
PPP Central Secretariat
Karachi