Posts Tagged ‘Bank’

Disclosed assets: The MNA couple in a deep hole of debt

ISLAMABAD: The assets declarations submitted by Parliamentarians to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) revealed that some lawmakers were in high debt. Some of them have liabilities worth millions of rupees which collectively add up to Rs2.9 billion.

Although a majority of Members National Assembly (MNAs) did not disclose their liabilities, some of them informed the ECP that their outstanding debts were in millions or billions, owed either to the government or to private organisations.

MNA Asma Alamgir, wife of Federal Minister for Communication Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, stated that she had liabilities of Rs1.7 billion; while her property’s present worth is Rs1.68 billion. Asma, who has the highest price of declared property among female MNAs, did not mention details of her assets and liabilities. Her husband Arbab Alamgir disclosed Rs1.7 billion liabilities while declaring that he owned assets worth Rs130 million only. The couple are the only husband-wife pair in parliament, both of whom are in high debt.

MNA Muzaffarul Mulk is the only lawmaker who informed the ECP that he got written off loans worth Rs8.3 million from a government bank. He owned property worth Rs220 million.

The full list of parliamentarians and their declared liabilities-assets are listed below:

MNAs Roshan Junejo has liabilities of Rs11 million,

Sufan Yousaf has liabilities of Rs23 million,

Tanzeela Amir Cheema has liabilities Rs21.3 million,

Arif Aziz’s liabilities are Rs11 million,

Khwaja Saad Rafiq’s liabilities are Rs40 million,

Mazhar Hayat’s liabilities are Rs0.4 million,

Saeed Ahmed’s liabilities are Rs27 million,

Rana Ishaq liabilities are Rs15 million,

Mian Jehmagir Wattoo liabilities are Rs10 million,

Mausab Dogar liabilities are Rs2.3 million,

Riasat Ali Khan’s liabilities are Rs8 million,

Ashiq Bokhari’s liabilities are Rs1 million,

Fareed Khathia’s liabilities are Rs0.7 million,

Zahid Iqbal’s liabilities Rs4 million,

Malik Nauman’s liabilities Rs5 million,

Hamid Yar Hiraj’s liabilities are Rs3.7 million,

MNA Rashid Akbar’s liabilities are Rs1.3 million,

Asia Nasir’s liabilities Rs12.5 million,

Tariq Bajwa’s liabilities are Rs1 million,

Nawab Sher’s liabilities are Rs2 million,

Asim Nazir’s liabilities are Rs49.7 million,

Saeed Iqbal’s unsecured loans are Rs47.5 million,

Pervez Malik’s liabilities are Rs3million,

Rohale Asghar’s liabilities are Rs1.5 million,

Asif Tauseef has unsecured loans of Rs5.5 million,

Ijaz Virk has liabilities of Rs15.5 million,

Abid Sher Ali has liabilities of Rs40.1 million,

Farkhand Amjad has liabilities worth Rs0.6 million,

Tassudiq Masood Khan has liabilities worth Rs22 million,

Tariq Tarar has liabilities worth Rs1 million,

Khwaja Asif’s liabilities of Rs191 million including liabilities of his wife,

MNA Zahid Hamid has liabilities worth Rs4.5 million,

Eng Tariq Malik has liabilities of Rs32 million for business, contractors

Murtaza Javed Abbasi has liabilities of Rs5 million,

Liaq Muhammad Khan obtained loans of Rs1 million from NBP,

Abdul Malik has liabilities of Rs0.4 million,

Noorul Haq Qadri has liabilities of Rs18.8 million,

Sheikh Aftab liabilities of Rs3 million,

Saleem Haider has liabilities worth Rs3 million,

Majeed Khan has liabilities of Rs3 million

former MNAs Amir Muqam who owned property of Rs270 millions have liabilities of Rs282 million,

Awais Leghari liabilities Rs87 million

EU castigates Israel over settlements, Palestinians

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A Palestinian rides his bike past the controversial Israeli separation barrier and burning tires close to the Aida Palestinian refugee camp, near the Biblical city of Bethlehem, in the Israeli occupied West Bank, on May 14, 2012, as Palestinians mark the 64 anniversary of the Nakba or “the catastrophe” which takes place on May 15, commemorating the expulsion and fleeing of Palestinians from their lands as a result of the 1948 war that led to the creation of the Jewish state. – AFP Photo

BRUSSELS: European Union (EU) foreign ministers on Monday issued a harsh critique of Israel, saying the gathering pace of settlement-building, settler extremism and ill-treatment of Palestinians threatens a two-state solution.

“The EU expresses deep concern about developments on the ground which threaten to make a two-state solution impossible,” the bloc’s 27 ministers said in a statement issued during talks in Brussels.

“The viability of a two-state solution must be maintained,” the three-page European Union statement added.

Reiterating that settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law, the ministers notably condemned “the marked acceleration” of settlement building since the end of a 2010 moratorium and expressed “deep concern” over settler extremism in the West Bank.

They also voiced concern over evictions and the demolition of Palestinian homes in annexed east Jerusalem “and the prevention of peaceful Palestinian cultural, economic, social or political activities”.

Turning to the so-called Area C zone of the occupied West Bank, where Israel has full civil and security control, the statement noted “the worsening living conditions” of the Palestinian population in general.

The ministers’ stand came on the heels of a damaging report by NGOs this weekend alleging that Israel last year demolished dozens of Palestinian homes, water cisterns and farm buildings built with European funds.

In Area C, Israel has placed “serious limitations” on the Palestinian Authority’s ability to promote economic development, the statement said.

Saying the future of Area C was critical to a future Palestinian state because this was its main land reserve, the EU urged Israel to halt demolitions and simplify the granting of building permits.

“The EU will continue to provide financial assistance for Palestinian development in Area C and expects such investment to be protected for future use,” the statement said.

But Israel’s foreign ministry said the EU position included “a long list of claims and criticism which are based on a partial, biased and one-sided depiction of realities on the ground”.

“Such a public presentation does not contribute to advancing the (peace) process,” it said in a statement.

“Israel is committed to the wellbeing of the Palestinian population and acts according to all relevant international conventions.”Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, welcomed the EU statement as “politically responsible.”

“We believe the EU statement is a very comprehensive and politically responsible statement. It addresses all the issues that have really brought about this crisis, including the settlement activity, and Israel’s non-compliance with international law and UN resolutions,” she told AFP.

But the Palestinians wanted to see the EU propose a way forward in stalled peace talks, which have been on hold since late September 2010, she said.

“What is lacking, unfortunately, is a mechanism to move ahead… We were hoping that they would take an initiative, a mechanism, concrete steps.” Leading charity Oxfam, which has been present on the ground for five decades, said it welcomed the “bold” EU stand.

“Oxfam witnesses daily the impact that Israeli settlement expansion, building restrictions and demolitions have on the Palestinian communities we work with,” said Tidhar Wald, Oxfam’s EU humanitarian policy advisor.

“Today’s criticism is a first step towards helping these communities claim their basic rights and can go a long way towards promoting the economic and social development that Palestinians desperately need.”

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Via DAWN.com

Back from Britain: Defiant PM returns home to discuss detailed SC verdict

Returning to the country for the first time since the Supreme Court released a long awaited detailed order on his contempt case, the prime minister told The Express Tribune that he would soon be consulting his legal team regarding the judgment – and whether they would appeal the verdict or go for a review.

Interestingly, the prime minister did not rule out the possibility of not filing a review or an appeal – giving credence to reports that the government will maintain the line that the conviction would necessarily entail disqualification.

Speaking to The Express Tribune in a brief one-on-one meeting on the flight back to Islamabad from London, the prime minister said he knew that the order would be released when he was in the air. “It’s all in front of you. You can see it for yourself.” Because of this, he said, the courts have been “exposed”.

“I took a stand, and I will continue taking a stand,” he said – adding that the events of the last few weeks had resulted in an outpouring of support for his party.

The result is there for everyone to see, he said, calmly gesturing an upward trend with his hand. He also took the opportunity to reiterate that he would not listen to the verdicts of the “Sharif courts” – referring to the calls by the principal opposition, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), to step down.

He said despite the opposition’s best efforts, he was accorded hospitality and respect during his trip to the UK. The cradle of democracy, he said, had shown confidence in him, voicing satisfaction with the outcome of the state visit.

The prime minister’s five-day trip had generated tremendous controversy back home because of his conviction.

The visit is being seen as successful, given some important meetings and even a joint statement by the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan.

The joint statement recognised Prime Minister Gilani’s role in reviving democracy and even noted that he had become the longest-serving civilian prime minister in the country’s history. The British prime minister even stated that any enemy of Pakistan is an enemy of Britain and vice versa – a key statement at a time that Pakistan is facing the prospect of isolation from the US and its allies due to the continued closure of Nato supply routes.

Aside from this, Premier Gilani also held some key meetings with investors at the London Stock Exchange and the headquarters of global banking giant Standard Chartered.

There were expectations of big protests in London upon the prime minister’s arrival. However, the protests were muted, and barely visible when they did occur initially.

Reports had it that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had asked his party not to create too big a scene in London. The last day of the trip saw a small protest by activists and supporters of Hizbut Tahrir outside the hotel of the prime minister. However, supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party also showed up in good number to express solidarity with the premier.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.

2009-10 report: Unspent balances of zakat not surrendered

ISLAMABAD: Based on findings from the internal audit of the Central Zakat Funds, the auditor general of Pakistan disclosed in his 2009-2010 report that the institutions responsible for disbursement of billions of rupees from Zakat funds were not working optimally.

“Rs14.103 billion accumulated balance on June 30, 2009 in the bank account of Central Zakat Fund maintained by the State Bank of Pakistan indicated that the institutions responsible for the disbursement of funds were not fulfilling requirements of the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance,” the report stated.

The Ordinance promulgated in 1980 demanded that funds be disbursed as per the Shariah law to decrease poverty level and commence development schemes for poor citizens of the country.

Auditor General, while pointing out violations of the Zakat Ordinance, recommended measures to ensure full and meritorious disbursement of zakat so that it helps reduce poverty.

The auditor observed that in a large number of cases, the Health Welfare Committees disbursed zakat funds to suppliers of medicines in cash or through open cheques, which was violating the rules.

“Health Welfare Committees of national health institutions did not surrender unspent balances at the year-end, despite instructions from the Central Zakat Council. This action is tantamount to parallel budgeting and utilisation of funds by carrying forward the balance to the next financial year which is also in violation of the rules,” the report revealed.

The management of the Health Welfare Committee, in response to the objections raised by the audit, stated that instructions to surrender the unspent money were ambiguous and in some cases, not given to the management at all.

Auditor General, keeping in view the non-surrender of unspent zakat fund by the Health Welfare Committees directed the Zakat Council to improve its procedures regarding transfer of unspent balances by all the tiers of the zakat administration. “This will ensure prompt surrender of withheld zakat funds and achieve the desired objective,” the report said.

“The Central Zakat Administration established internal audit within their organisation, however the strength of the audit staff, their qualification and experience are not commensurate with the scope of internal audit. No internal audit plans, reporting channels and follow-up mechanism have so far been devised .Therefore, the internal audit needs to be strengthened and a proper procedure needs to be adopted in consultation with the Controller General of Accounts.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.

Claims against Sharif brothers to be made public: Malik

Interior Minister Rehman Malik — APP File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has vowed to make public his claims about the Sharif brothers as opposed to taking them to court, DawnNews reported on Monday.

Malik said that attempts are being made to divert attention from the Mehran Bank case but the facts cannot be hidden from the public.

While speaking to the media, Malik also criticised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s laptop distribution initiative and said that he was trying to mislead the nation through this scheme.

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Via DAWN.com

Top JPMorgan official expected to leave

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Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon conceded to NBC that the bank ”hurt ourselves and our credibility” and expects to ”pay the price for that.” – File photo

NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase is expected to accept the resignation of one of the highest-ranking women on Wall Street after the bank lost $2 billion in a trading blunder, a person familiar with the matter said.        

The bank will accept the resignation of Ina Drew, its chief investment officer, the person told The Associated Press on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the decision publicly.

Drew, 55, one of the highest-paid officials at JPMorgan Chase, had offered to resign several times since CEO Jamie Dimon disclosed the trading loss on Thursday, the person said. Pressure built on the bank over the weekend to accept.

At least two other executives at the bank will be held accountable for the mistake, the person said.

The casualties come as JPMorgan, the largest bank in the United States, seeks to minimize the damage caused by the $2 billion loss. Investors shaved almost 10 percent off JPMorgan’s stock price on Friday.

Dimon has said the mistake will complicate the efforts of banks to fight certain regulatory changes three years after the financial crisis.      JPMorgan’s disclosure has led lawmakers and critics of the banking industry to call for stricter regulation of Wall Street. Many post-crisis rules governing risk-taking by banks are still being written.

Drew oversaw the division of the bank responsible for the loss. She was paid $15.5 million last year and almost $16 million in 2010, making her one of the highest-paid officials at JPMorgan, according to a regulatory filing.

Drew declined comment through a bank spokeswoman. Kristin Lemkau, a spokeswoman for JPMorgan Chase, also declined comment. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Sunday that Drew and two other executives were expected to resign soon.

The Journal also reported that Bruno Iksil, the JPMorgan trader identified as the ”London whale” because of the giant bets he placed, was also likely to leave, but the paper reported that it was not clear when that would happen.

The surprise loss has been a black eye for the bank and for Dimon, who is known in the industry both as a master of risk management and as an outspoken opponent of some proposed regulation since the crisis.          Dimon said in a TV interview aired Sunday that he was ”dead wrong” when he dismissed concerns about the bank’s trading last month.

”We made a terrible, egregious mistake,” Dimon said in an interview that was taped Friday and aired on NBC’s ”Meet the Press.” ”There’s almost no excuse for it.”        Dimon said he did not know the extent of the problem when he said in April that the concerns were a ”tempest in a teapot.”

The loss came in the past six weeks. Dimon has said it came from trading in so-called credit derivatives and was designed to hedge against financial risk, not to make a profit for the bank.       A piece of the 2010 financial reform law known as the Volcker rule would prevent banks from certain kinds of trading for their own profit. Dimon has said the trading involved in the $2 billion loss would not have fallen under the rule.

Democratic Rep. Barney Frank, who was one of the namesakes of the 2010 financial overhaul law, known as Dodd-Frank, told ABC’s ”This Week” that he hopes the final version of the Volcker rule will prevent the type of trading that led to the massive loss at JPMorgan.

Dimon conceded to NBC that the bank ”hurt ourselves and our credibility” and expects to ”pay the price for that.” Asked what the price should be, Democratic Sen. Carl Levin said that banks will lose their fight to weaken the rule.

”This was not a risk-reducing activity that they engaged in. This increased their risk,” Levin told NBC.

”So we’ve got to be very, very careful that the regulators here are not undermined by this huge effort to weaken the rule by putting in a huge loophole” that includes the trading involved in the JPMorgan loss, he said.

Dimon said the bank is open to inquiries from regulators. He has also promised, in an email to the bank’s employees and in a conference call with stock analysts, to get to the bottom of what happened and learn from the mistake.

Dimon told NBC that he supported giving the government the authority to dismantle a failing big bank and wipe out shareholder equity. But he stressed that JPMorgan, the largest bank in the United States, is ”very strong.”

Addressing public anger toward Wall Street, Dimon said he wants a more equitable society and does not mind paying higher taxes. But he said attacking all of business is ”very counterproductive.”

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Via DAWN.com

Remembering a revered poet: Ajmal Khattak, a proponent of peace

His beloved Pakistan, the land Ajmal Khattak wished to see prosper and bloom, is in the midst of bloody and brutal turmoil, where sectarianism, intolerance and militancy has reached unprecedented levels.

Awami National Party (ANP), which he was whole-heartedly associated with throughout his life, is on the hit-list of Taliban militants.

Khattak, who was a former president of the ANP, is buried in a simple, non-descript graveyard, close to the GT Road in Akora Khattak of Nowshera district. One has to walk just a stone’s throw away to approach the white marble octagonal structure, located in the middle of the graveyard.

The scene inside reveals a shocking picture: concrete walls are pockmarked with shrapnel, debris litter the interior and mangled iron that once supported its dome precariously dangles on the sides. The grave itself suffered heavy damage, and labourers piled up earth over it.

The black marble tombstone lies broken in two pieces. One half carries Khattak’s name and the other has the day he died and a couplet-“O Pakhtuns don’t forget this austere Khattak, you may need such a rebel in the future again.”

Sacrilege and anger

Akora Khattak is a small town on the banks of River Indus on the GT Road, close to Attock crossing. Its name is traced back to Malik Akor Khan, grandfather of Pakhtun warrior and legendary poet Khushal Khan Khattak, who led an uprising of Pakthun tribesmen against Mughal Emperor Aurganzeb.

Of late, however, the town has received widespread attention for the wrong reasons in the international media as the birthplace of the Taliban movement.

This comes after many prominent militant figures studied at the local Jamia Haqqania. The seminary is situated across the road from Khattak’s mausoleum.

Commenting on the heinous attack, an office bearer of the local ANP chapter Tahir Mohmand told The Express Tribune that “to me it is like Baba died twice today.” Tahir was lost for words on the grisly incident. “Baba was not like any other politician, rather, a dervish in its true sense,” he stated.

Locals are also mulling a unique response, as on Saturday a Khushal Literary Jirga, an organisation formed by the late poet was deliberating to hold a poetry recital in protest against the attack. The jirga’s General Secretary Khan Mohammad Tanha told The Express Tribune that they can resist militants, but the poet’s message of peace and tolerance does not allow them to do that. “How can these people lack respect for hujra, mosque and grave?” he questioned.

Alternative discourse

Prominent analyst Khadim Hussain contextualises this attack as an attempt to eliminate cultural symbols. “It is meant to change the basic discourse with an alternative one, he stated. Hussain claimed that the onslaught was aimed at eliminating cultural diversity, destruction of symbols and the emotional bond that Khattak had with his homeland and everything attached to it.

Although the residents of Akora Khattak recoil in revulsion over the attack, they think that all is not lost. They express hope by garnering belief from one of the poet’s verses: “When layers of earth were burying a seed, I heard it saying tomorrow will be my turn to blossom.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

Convicted but defiant: Gilani vows to go down fighting

“Come what may, I will protect the Constitution of Pakistan. I will go to the last limit and exhaust all my options and exercise my right to appeal,” Gilani told a large gathering of leaders and workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party in London.

“I am not one of those who will stab the party in the back and I believe that under Article 248 of the Constitution, the president of Pakistan has complete immunity and is not required to write any letter,” he said.

Expressing what he dubbed was his resolve to protect the country, the premier said: “We will reject any unconstitutional step in Pakistan.”

Gilani said the opposition wants him to resign on moral grounds, while it too has “hundreds of cases pending in the courts.”

He said there were a number of cases against the Sharifs involving the National Accountability Bureau and Mehran Bank, which had been pending for the past 20 years.

He questioned how PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif could take out rallies in support of the judiciary when he himself had cases pending against him. “Would it not embarrass the judiciary?”

His address was punctuated with loud slogans by party workers who pledged their ‘unconditional’ support. Gilani said certain quarters were trying in vain to tell the world that he was no longer the prime minister, adding that if that was the case, the United Kingdom would not have received him as one.

“We do not care if you do not accept me. The world acknowledges me, the Constitution recognises me, the people of Pakistan recognise me,” he said in an obvious retort to Nawaz.

Gilani denies Zawahiri presence

Elsewhere, in an interview with British newspaper the Daily Telegraph, Gilani stoutly denied US claims of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri being in Pakistan.

Gilani, who is currently in London to review the progress on the Pak-UK Strategic Dialogue Process, adamantly denied the presence of the al Qaeda kingpin in Pakistan, saying the United States had failed to provide any “actionable evidence” to suggest otherwise.

The premier added that America’s CIA and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency were cooperating closely, saying: “They should work together, and if there is any credible, actionable information, share it with us so that we can catch him.”

When asked for his own view on Zawahiri’s whereabouts, Gilani questioned: “Why should I think he (Zawahiri) is in Pakistan?”

Replying to another question about Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed, the prime minister reiterated that there was insufficient evidence to warrant his arrest.

“(Even) if you arrest him, he will be released as more evidence is needed to convince the courts. You know the judiciary is completely independent in Pakistan.”

Answering a query about the threat Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s popularity posed to the ruling party in the upcoming general elections, Gilani said: “In every election, there’s a perception created by the media that he (Imran Khan) will do better than before; but each time he doesn’t. We’ll beat them (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) hands down.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

With Likeminded by PML-N’s side: Nawaz’s ‘grand alliance’ gathers steam

The general secretaries of both parties signed the agreement at Raiwind, according to which the PML-N will give 11% of national and provincial assembly seats to Likeminded candidates. The issue of party symbol – whether Likeminded candidates will contest elections using PML-N’s tiger – will be decided later.

Insiders added that both parties have also agreed to woo more Muslim League factions.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sindh National Front chief Mumtaz Bhutto had formally announced the merger of his party with the PML-N, giving the latter a major boost in Sindh’s electoral politics.

Seat-adjustment formula

Talking to the media after signing their agreement, Likeminded’s General Secretary Humayun Akhtar Khan and his counterpart from PML-N, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, said, “The vote-bank of Muslim Leagues has been united to defeat the PPP in the upcoming elections.”

“According to the agreement made between the two parties today, 30 general seats in the National Assembly will be allotted to Likeminded in the upcoming elections,” Akhtar said.

He said the same percentage of general seats will allotted to Likeminded for all provinces, adding that allocation of reserved seats for women, minorities and the Senate will be based on other terms.

According to sources, however, Nawaz has agreed to allot 13, not 30, seats in the national and provincial assemblies to Likeminded candidates.

Strengthening the Leagues

The PML-N chief met with Likeminded’s Chairman Hamid Nasir Chattha for the first time after 1993 to devise a strategy on strengthening the Leagues.

Sources said Chattha has been tasked to convince PML-Q’s former and sitting ministers in the federal cabinet to defect to the PML-N. The PML-Likeminded is a breakaway faction of the PML-Q.

Sources added that Nawaz and Chattha agreed to form a grand alliance, led by the former, against the PPP-led coalition government.

Since the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, the PML-Q leaders, are least likely to join this alliance, sources said that Chattha has been tasked to continue his litigation against Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and seek his disqualification from the party post.

Chattha, while talking to The Express Tribune, confirmed that he would convince sitting PML-Q lawmakers and ministers to join the grand alliance. Only a politics of alliance would oust the PPP-led coalition government, he said.

Chattha added that formation of ticket-awarding parliamentary boards would be discussed later.

Apprehensions

Sources said that Chattha and his colleagues were not ready to rely on Nawaz over several issues.

Likeminded’s candidates are not sure if they would be awarded tickets to contest the election by Nawaz, if the party merges with the PML-N, sources said.

Nawaz had refused to award party tickets to many aspirants at the eleventh hour, they said, citing the case of Humayun Akhtar, who barely got a ticket in the 1996 elections, and his younger brother Haroon, who was denied a ticket in the 2012 Senate elections.

If the PML-N betrays Likeminded, they would announce an alliance with some other political party, sources added.

The group had entered into negotiations with PTI Chairman Imran Khan last year to discuss a possible alliance. The talks broke down though after Imran asked Likeminded leaders to join his party.

Likeminded’s Punjab chief resigns

Likeminded’s Ata Manika, in protest, has resigned from his party post as president of the Punjab chapter following the party’s alliance with the PML-N, Express News reported.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called him from London, assuring his utmost cooperation.

Talking to the media, Manika said that despite playing a pivotal role in forming Likeminded, the party leadership did not even consult him regarding the decision to form an alliance with the PML-N.

However, later in the night a Likeminded delegation managed to win back Manika who then lent his support to the agreement with PML-N.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

More equal than others

At a leading toy store in one of Karachi’s commercial hubs, children walk in every few minutes escorted by their parents to fulfil their whims and fancies no matter how extravagant. Without much contemplation over its price or requirement, almost every wish is materialised in this realm of joy and fascination—all except for one child’s.

With a seemingly invisible existence, Shan a 10-year-old goes to this shop every day, not to buy toys, but to earn a living.

Instead of getting his hands on the latest games like the rest of the children who visit the shop, he dusts, organises, and hands over the toys to the customers.

Repressing all his natural desires as a child he finds joy in simply feasting his eyes on the new arrivals that he handles, and still manages to muster satisfaction for his job. “This is much better than my last job, where I had to stand the whole day washing dishes, peeling, cutting vegetables and frying pakoras and samosas under the scorching sun,” he adds with visible relief.

Shan’s father is a painter by profession, but he is unable to find work most of the time. Due to this, he along with his mother and sisters, who do odd jobs at people’s houses, are forced to work. Yet, after all these endeavours, their burdens still keep mounting, making it a gargantuan task to support a family of 12.

This scenario holds true for Pakistan, which is becoming more and more socially polarised: on one side are people whose lives are replete with opulence; with the best in food, health, education and entertainment, and at par with international standards.

Whereas, on the other side a significantly large section is deprived of even basic needs and is barely able to subsist. Shan and his family represent the latter section of this social divide and the dawn of each day seems to amplify their hardships.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s annual economic publication is a testament to this divide. The Asian Development Outlook 2012: Confronting Rising Inequality in Asia says that income divisions are rising noticeably in the region. “Evidence from the FY2011 Household integrated economic survey indicates a widening income gap between the rich and the poor, with income for the lowest quintiles (40 per cent of the population) growing more slowly than the average,” it states.

It also forecasts worsening conditions: “With low investment and economic growth below the pace needed to accommodate the predominately young population, the rich-poor income gap is set to widen further.”

According to experts, the prime culprit behind this gulf is the growing inflation. The soaring unemployment rate, declining value of money, increase in food and fuel prices and a decline in the growth rate are some of the factors due to which the have-nots are affected more than the haves. But with the prices of essential commodities increasing by 150 to 300 per cent, as we witnessed in the past four years, more and more people are coming under its wrap.

Mona Ahmed, who belongs to the upper middle class, says that these days in order to lead a comfortable life it has become crucial for both husband and wife to work, and this was why she decided to take up home-based work as well so that she could maintain a certain standard of life. Wise budgeting can also lead to better income management of the house as well, she says.

“We don’t cook excess food anymore — just the right amount required — and also try to focus more on nutrition than on indulging in delicacies and fine dining. We also try to accommodate more chores in one trip rather than going separately so as to conserve fuel,” she says.

Faisal Mehmood a 29-year-old dhobi residing in Taiser Town, Karachi, says that his income remains stagnant while the expenses keep escalating at regular intervals. “The prices of all the things that our business is run on, like electricity, gas, chemicals, surf and soda have increased exponentially within the past few years. Just the price of soda per sack of 50 kgs has increased by Rs200 per bag in the past six months. Even water, the most basic of need, has to be bought and one single water tanker costs Rs800 and lasts only one day,” he adds with exasperation.

Furthermore, the biggest challenge in this regard has been the government’s decision to charge commercial bills from home-based businesses like his. They have to compete head-to-head with laundries without being able to have the leverage of charging as much as the latter do. Thus, their living standard has started to decline sharply. “Now we mostly eat vegetarian food,” says Mehmood.

The irony of the entire matter is that even when the government does come up with economic developments, its main beneficiaries are only a select few; the already affluent people of the society, leaving behind the rest in a worse state than before.

They have to coexist with people who indulge in luxuries that would cost them a lifetime worth of wages to achieve. This environment of increasing inequality is like a ticking bomb, which requires immediate intervention.

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Via DAWN.com

China to cut bank reserves as economy falters

SHANGHAI  – China said on Saturday it would cut reserve requirements for banks, after disappointing economic data raised fears of a sharp slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.
The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, said it would cut banks’ reserve requirements by 0.50 per centage points effective from May 18, according to a statement posted on its website. The move …

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Reference against Sharifs sent to PAC

ISLAMABAD – The National Crisis Management Cell has sent a reference to PAC for recovery of Rs3b from the Sharif brothers. According to sources, it is stated that the Sharif family were defaulters of Rs3b. “They (Sharifs) have borrowed more than Rs3B from eight banks and other institutions.” The reference was signed by National Crisis Management Cell Director General Brig Javed Iqbal …

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Gilani vows to protect constitution; go extreme to fight his case

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. – File Photo by Reuters

LONDON: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday vowed to protect the constitution of Pakistan at all cost and not to be deterred by any threat.

“Come what may I will protect the constitution of Pakistan, I will go to the last limit and exhaust all my options and exercise my right to appeal,” Gilani told a large gathering of leaders and workers of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) here at a local hotel.

The prime minister said his case was related to the interpretation of the constitution of the country and his only crime was protecting the constitution.

He said, “I am not one of those who will stab the party in the back as he believed that under Article 248 of the constitution and Vienna Convention the President of Pakistan has complete immunity and he is not required to write any letter, as it is a violation of the constitution.”

The premier expressing resolve to protect the country said, “We will reject any unconstitutional step in Pakistan.”

Gilani said the opposition wants him to resign on moral grounds. “But I want to know that hundreds of cases are lying pending with the courts against them and I wish that a decision is taken on these cases as well.”

The prime minister said there were a number of cases against the Sharifs with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and especially the Mehran Bank case has been pending for the past twenty years, besides several other cases were with the judiciary.

He questioned that “while cases against Nawaz Sharif were pending in the courts, how they were taking out rallies in support of judiciary. Would it not embarrass the judiciary?”

Gilani said though there was no law for the contempt of court in the country and even Babar Awan has not been charge sheeted, yet he has been convicted.

He said there was also a contempt of court case related to the Chief Justice against a police official but it was also lying pending.

During the address interspersed with loud slogans of support from the large gathering of the PPP workers here on the last day of his five-day visit to the United Kingdom, Gilani said certain self-created leaders were now through their “so-called” public gatherings, trying in vain to tell the world that he was no longer the prime minister of the country.

On the contrary, he said, the leadership of the United Kingdom received him at all three important fora of the parliament, the government and Royalty.

“We do not care if you do not accept me. The world acknowledges me, the constitution of Pakistan recognises me, the people of Pakistan recognise me,” he added.

“Who are you, the one who was convicted for hijacking a plane?” Gilani asked.

Prime Minister Gilani said the judiciary gave General Pervez Musharraf the right to oust Nawaz Sharif, and gave approval to all his acts. “Why the party did not raise a voice for a long march at that stage?” he asked.

He said the people of Pakistan want to know the details of Nawaz Sharif’s journey from Attock to Jeddah in the dark of the night.

Gilani said Nawaz Sharif left the country after a plea bargain, which was a confession and pledged not to be part of any politics for ten years.

He termed it an act, shameful for any politician. He recalled that Javed Hashmi himself said that for years they claimed that there was no deal with the dictator, but when Nawaz Sharif returned he himself gave a statement saying actually it was for five years and not ten.

Gilani regretted that the PPP inked the Charter of Democracy (CoD) with Nawaz Sharif and extended him full support when he was in difficult time, however in return it got undue criticism from the Pakistan Mulim League-Nawaz (PML-N), that despite being in government was acting like an opposition.

He quoted late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan who regretted that Nawaz Sharif and his family left secretly in the dark of night with 40 suitcases and remarked that it was the first time that he was dealing with a businessman, who has nothing to do with politics or a commitment to the party or the country.

Prime Minister Gilani said the entire politics of Nawaz Sharif revolves around creating disruption in traffic, burning tyres and causing lawlessness. He said it was also for the first time that a province was leading protests against the federation, which in itself was an act of high treason.

Gilani also shared the decisions taken at a recent energy conference in Lahore, where it was decided to have two-weekly offs and closing down businesses early to save electricity, but the Sharif brothers again declined to follow the decisions and were trying to launch protest against the government.

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Via DAWN.com

No foreign-sourced email services, Iran tells companies

The order prohibits banks, insurance firms and telephone firms from using foreign hosts for their sites or to inform their clients using foreign providers such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or MSN – File photo

TEHRAN: Iran’s telecommunications ministry has barred local banks, insurance firms and telephone operators from using foreign-sourced emails to communicate with clients, a specialist weekly said on Saturday.

“The telecommunications minister has ordered the use of domain names ending with .ir” belonging to Iran, Asr Ertebatat reported.

The order prohibits banks, insurance firms and telephone firms from using foreign hosts for their sites or to inform their clients using foreign providers such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or MSN, it said.

The weekly said that individuals seeking to communicate with such firms must now use email addresses ending with iran.ir, post.ir or chmail.ir.

Entities linked to the Iranian government must use addresses ending in gov.ir or .ir, while universities should use emails ending in ac.ir or .ir, the report added.

Iran has announced that as of May, a national information network will be used to replace the Internet in the daily management of the administration of state entities, the banking system and public enterprises.

Officially, the launch of the “Iranian Internet” aims to secure communications by making them independent from foreign Internet operators.

Iranian authorities announced in December having repatriated 90 per cent of official websites and encouraged Iranian companies to do the same.

For the past two years, Tehran has been slapped with Western economic and financial sanctions due to its controversial nuclear programme.

The regime also regularly accuses the West of using the web for an “undeclared war” to destabilise it, and Telecommunications Minister Reza Taghipour has argued that Google and Yahoo posed a “threat to national security.”

With over 36 million Internet users out of the population of 75 million, electronic media played a major role in the popular protests which rocked the country after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.

The authorities have since cut off or reduced Internet connections and speed.

The telecommunications ministry in April, however, denied that the authority has decided to cut outside Internet connections to support the development of Iran’s own intranet.

Earlier this year, access to foreign-sourced emails was cut without explanation, disrupting the operations of many companies and millions of Iranians while prompting sharp criticism within the regime.

Since the unrest of 2009, authorities have sharply reduced the available bandwidth of the Internet and blocked access to tens of thousands of foreign websites, including opposition sites.

US President Barack Obama on March accused Iran of imposing an “electronic curtain” of censorship, announcing steps to use software and social media to help Iranians communicate online.

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Punjab power politics: Amidst violent protests govt offers ‘respite’

Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar made the announcement on the floor of the Senate where lawmakers from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) staged a walkout to express solidarity with the people.

Qamar said that 2,000 megawatts of electricity has been added to the national grid, which has ramped up power generation. Blaming technical faults in some of the main power plants for the sudden power shortfall, he said that emergency measures were taken to fix the problem.

Without naming any political party, the minister alleged that the energy crisis was being politicised.

“The energy crisis is a nationwide issue, and the nation’s cooperation is required to deal with it,” he said. “Angry protests that involve damaging public and private property are not a solution to the problem.”

PPP leaders have blamed the PML-N for inciting violent protests against power outages in Punjab in order to put the government under pressure – a charge that the PML-N has denied.

Violent protests were staged on Friday for a second consecutive day as people burnt tyres and put up roadblocks in different cities of Punjab against long-hour outages in the sweltering summer.

The issue overshadowed proceedings of the upper house where legislators from opposition and the government’s coalition partners agitated the matter.

PML-Q Senator Kamil Ali Agha demanded Senate Chairman Nayyar Husain Bukhari take notice of Naveed Qamar’s initial absence. He was scheduled to attend the session at 11.30am but didn’t reach on time.

Qamar was also conspicuous by his absence during Thursday’s session, inviting criticism from Agha.

The criticism stoked a verbal duel between Senator Agha and Leader of the House Jahangir Badar. Both blamed each other for the deepening energy crisis and the economy being caught up in a time warp.

Senator Raza Rabbani of the PPP, on the other hand, spoke about electricity woes in Karachi. He said the metropolitan city had to do without electricity on Thursday. In the evening citizens suffered through extremely low voltage, which was not enough to lead a routine life.

He blamed the situation on the ‘below average’ performance of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC).

Senator Shahi Syed of the Awami National Party (ANP) claimed that the KESC was producing 1,000MW against its capacity of 2,200MW.

Senator Rabbani added that 5,000 KESC employees were sacked by the management. He and some other lawmakers demanded that the government take over the KESC.

However, Minister Naveed Qamar was quick to rule out the possibility: “The water and power ministry does not have the authority to nationalise the KESC because NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority) looks after these matters.”

“KESC’s nationalisation will create legal complications,” he said but added that his ministry was in talks with NEPRA and would take stern action against the company once the case was strong enough.

Opposition walkout

PML-N senators staged a walkout from the house to protest the government’s failure to overcome the power crisis and its ‘refusal’ to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

When Najma Hameed of PML-N used the words ‘former PM’ for Gilani, PPP lawmakers protested vociferously, with Ijaz Dharma and Syed Ghani taking the lead. Ghani claimed that an amount of Rs.38 billion was missing from Bank of Punjab’s accounts, for which Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, should be held accountable.

Senate resolution                              

Later, the Senate adopted a resolution condemning the terrorist attack on the mausoleum of former ANP senator Ajmal Khattak and demanded action against the perpetrators. The resolution was moved by Senator Zahid Khan of ANP.

Chairman Bukhari prorogued the session.

(Read: Powerless people)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2012.

Timeline: History of US-Pakistan relations

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Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, left, speaks as US President Barack Obama listens.—AP Photo

United States of America remains one of the first countries to have established diplomatic ties with Pakistan. Although the relationship dates back to October 20, 1947, it can be extrapolated that the relations have been based strictly on ,military and economic support,.

During the initial years of Pakistan, the country had the options of building allegiance with Soviet Union or United States, however, Pakistan opted for the latter.

,,1950-1953:
Pakistan’s first prime minister, ,Liaquat Ali Khan visited United States, to meet president Harry S Truman. It is alleged that during PM Khan’s first visit to US, president Truman requested Pakistan’s premier to let the CIA formulate a base in Pakistan, strictly to keep an eye on the activities of Soviet Union—a request which was not granted by Khan.

Throughout the course of these years many ,officials from Pakistan, such as commander-in-chief Ayub Khan, foreign minister Zafrullah Khan, foreign secretary Ikramullah, finance minister Ghulam Muhammad, defence secretary Sikander Mirza and special envoy Mir Laiq Ali visited US, aiming to receive financial aids from the country.

1954:
Pakistan signed, Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement ,with the United States in May. Under the agreement, many Pakistani soldiers went to United States for training whereas US also established a Military Assistance Advisory Group (Maag) in Rawalpindi.

1956:
President Dwight Eisenhower requested prime minister Suhrawardy to lease, Peshawar Air Station, to the American Army for keeping an eye on soviet Union and its ballistic missile programme. The request was granted by the prime minister.

,,1960s:
During the decade, the pro-American sentiments in ,Western side of Pakistan, were at an all time high. However, the military and financial assistance was directed more towards West Pakistan, which caused an uproar and feeling of distrust in East Pakistan.

Ayub Khan allowed United States to fly spy mission to Soviet Union from Pakistan’s territory and accompanied by his daughter visited United States of America.

United States, increased the amount of aid Pakistan, was designated to receive from the consortium of Pakistan, half a billion dollars of which were lost in 1965’s Indo-Pakistan war—war staged to cause a rebel in Indian occupied Kashmir. The war also led US to place economical and military embargoes on Pakistan, which resulted in an economic collapse.

1971-1974:
Being an important ally for US during the cold war, United States supported Pakistan, despite the ,arms embargo,. Pakistan also assisted president Richard Nixon in making his first visit to Peoples’ Republic of China.

During 1971’s war, US is speculated to have provided Pakistan with arms and military aid, in order to discourage India from ,penetrating further into the cities of Pakistan, because losing Pakistan meant losing an important ally in the soviet war.

,,Moreover, as per the elections result, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was elected as the president of Pakistan and later on became the prime minister in 1974.

Although Bhutto was considered a socialist, he was a close and respected friend of president Nixon, which went in Pakistan’s favour.

1976-1979:
President Jimmy Carter, an anti-socialist, won the presidential election of US and announced to seek a ban on nuclear weapons.

,Bhutto lost the favours, he enjoyed whilst Nixon was US president as Carter did not appreciate his policies and tightened already placed embargoes on Pakistan. However, Bhutto managed to procure items to enhance his atomic bomb project. President Carter and his administration allegedly threatened Bhutto to disrupt the process of atomic proliferation and research to which the latter did not agree, leading to his differences with the Americans.

1979-1988:
During Zia ul Haq’s regime, Pakistan and United States enjoyed a warm and congenial relationship, which was primarily based on military ties and advancements. During the decade, US, along with CIA and ISI, launched billions of dollars worth of operations to prevent Soviet forces from further advancing into the region.

,,It is during this period that United States granted billions of dollars to Pakistan in the name of military and economical aid. By the year 1981, Pakistan was discussing a ,$3.2-billion aid package, with United States and in 1987 Pakistan became the second largest recipient of aid after Israel.

However, by the end of General Zia’s regime, Congress adopted ,Pressler amendment,. The amendment banned major military and economical aid to Pakistan unless the state was able to justify and provide sufficient evidence that the funds are not being used for nuclear proliferation.

However it is alleged that although Pakistan disclosed that it could enrich uranium and assemble a nuclear device in 1984 and 1987 respectively, the sanctions were not imposed till 1990.

1990:
US, under the Pressler amendment,, imposed sanctions on Pakistan,, as the country by then had lost its strategic importance in soviet war.

1992:
The relations between US and Pakistan plummeted further when, US ambassador Nicholas Platt,, warned Pakistan of being included into state sponsors of terrorism list, in case it continued to support militants causing trouble in India.

,,1995:
Benazir Bhutto visited United States and requested president Bill Clinton to lift the embargoes on Pakistan and launch a joint operation to eradicate militancy from the region. As a reaction to Bhutto’s proposal, Brown amendment, which provided for the delivery of, $368 million of military equipment ,purchased but not received by Pakistan before the imposition of Pressler amendment sanctions in 1990, was passed; however, the sanctions on arms were not lifted.

1998:
Prime minister Nawaz Sharif conducted nuclear test in Balochistan, in retaliation to similar tests conducted by India, which invited the wrath of Clinton’s administration on both the countries. President Clinton imposed sanctions under Glenn amendment on India as well as Pakistan.

Glenn amendment included ,suspension of aid,, including economic development assistance, credits and credit guarantees by the US government, US bank loans to the governments of India and Pakistan, loans from international financial institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank, and exports of dual-use nuclear or missile items.

However, in July of 1998, US lifted the sanctions on both the countries for purchasing ,agricultural products from US farmers,. Later in the year President Clinton exercised his waiver on lifting restrictions on the activities of US banks in Pakistan.

,,2001:
After the 9/11 attacks and US’s invasion in various countries to eradicate militancy, Pakistan became one of the most important strategic allies for United States.

Initially Pakistan tried to strike a negotiation deal with Taliban and al Qaeda members to handover Osama bin Laden to American authorities. However, when negotiations failed, Pakistan allowed American army to use its military bases for launching attacks on Afghan soil.

However, President Pervez Musharraf confessed that the country had no option but to support United States as it had threatened Pakistan of ,“bombing it into stone age”, if it did not join the fight against al Qaeda.

Simultaneously in 2001, US officials introduced a bill to lift all the sanctions, previously imposed on Pakistan under Pressler and Glenn amendments.

2003:
United States officially forgave $1 billion worth of loan it had granted to Pakistan in a goodwill gesture and appreciation for Pakistan’s cooperation.

,,2004:
President George Bush officially declared Pakistan as a non-Nato ally granting it the authority to purchase strategic and advanced military equipments.

Since 2004, US army has launched various drone strikes on the north-western side of the country. The drone strikes aim to target Pakistani Taliban and supporters of al Qaeda, however, the strikes have also resulted in latge civilian deaths and caused much opposition from Pakistanis.

2007:
A report was issued in which Pakistan was accused of using aid money provided by US to Pakistan for its cooperation on war on terror, for ,strengthening its defence against India,.

2008:
The trust, on both sides, has been missing since the war on terror started as US on several occasions has accused Pakistan Army to tip the Taliban and pro-Taliban factions off on US operations.

In the June of 2008, an air strike by the ,US Army killed 11 paramilitary soldiers of Pakistan Army Frontier Corps,, along with eight Taliban. The strike and deaths instigated a fierce reaction from Pakistani command calling the act to have shaken the foundations of mutual trust and cooperation.

,,2009:
,President Musharraf confessed, that the billions of dollars of aid that Pakistan received from United States, for being a partner in war against terror, were diverted and channelled in order to build better defence mechanism against India.

The famous, Kerry-Lugar Bill,, which invited much controversy and criticism, was passed in the October of 2009. The bill entailed the approval of granting $7.5 billion of ,non-military aid,, if the command of the country accepted certain condition. The bill clearly showed US’s distrust in Pakistan’s military command and considered Pakistani Taliban more threatening than Afghan Taliban, amongst many other essential points.

2010:
In the beginning of the year, Pakistan Army in a joint operation with US intelligence agencies, captured Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar,, a famous Taliban commander, from the tribal belt of Pakistan. The success of the operation was hailed by the United States and Pakistan was praised for its utmost cooperation.

2011:
In the beginning of 2011, ,Raymond Davis,, a CIA agent in Pakistan killed two Pakistani men in Lahore, claiming that they came to rob him. Davis was taken into custody for killing civilians, however, American officials claimed that he was entitled to diplomatic immunity and must be released immediately.

,,Raymond Davis was later ,acquitted of the murder charges, and was sent to United States.

In the May of 2011, ,Osama bin Laden, was killed in an operation conducted by US Navy Seals in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

President Barrack Obama claimed that the information pertaining to the operation conducted in Abbottabad was ,not shared with Pakistan Army,. However, ISI claimed that the operation was conducted, jointly,, a claim which was blatantly denied by President Asif Ali Zardari.

Since the war on terror started in 2001, Pakistan has received an estimated amount of $20 billion from United States; however, in the wake of OBL’s raid ,US withheld $800 million of aid, to Pakistan.

US-Pakistan relations plummeted again when ,24 Pakistani soldiers died in an air strike, by the US Army. Afghan and US officials claimed that the firing was a result of the attack launched from the Pakistani side of the border, however, the Pakistani military and government denied the claims.

As a result of the attack, Pakistani government ordered, US army to evacuate Salala air base, which was being used to launch offensive on Taliban and militants. Moreover, the government also halted Nato supplies for United Sates.

,,2012:
Since the beginning of 2012, various political parties along with the military command of the country, met and held discussions on restoring Nato supplies. Diplomats from United States also tried to reduce the friction.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that the supplies were blocked without any pressure and will be ,restored with consensus,.

Moreover, ,Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen ,urged Pakistan to reopen Nato ground supply routes to Afghanistan. However, Rasmussen also said that Pakistan had not been invited to the crucial 25th Nato summit to be held in May in Chicago.

Simultaneously, ,US Senator John Kerry,, a leading proponent of US aid for Pakistan, said that Pakistan needs to be more cooperative, in order to eliminate Taliban sanctuaries from the country.

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Malik vows to expose PML-N’s corruption before courts, PAC

Interior Minister Rehman Malik – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Friday said that evidence of corruption against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will be presented before the courts and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) very soon.

In a statement, the minister said that due to poor governance in Punjab, the province is on top regarding crime rate and corruption cases.

“People of the country have full right to know from the leaders of Punjab about their performance as it seems PML-N’s few ministers are deliberately doing so to disqualify their leadership,” said the interior minister.

He said Chief Minister Punjab Sahahbaz Sharif talks about making the country according to the desires and ambition of the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah whose motto was “Unity, Faith and Discipline.”

“However, while ignoring “discipline,” the leadership of PML-N stimulates people for agitations and protests against the federation,” he added.

The minister said the PML-N leadership is also unaware of word “unity” as they besides promoting feelings of malignity in people against the federal government they have also been supporting the banned organisations openly.

Malik said they have only “faith” in money as they transferred such looted money from country’s banks to abroad.

The minister advised the PML-N leadership to stop politics of defaming just for petty gains and play their due role in the development of the country.

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Via DAWN.com