Posts Tagged ‘Peshawar’

Bomb, mortar attacks kill two in Peshawar: police

Bomb and mortar attacks killed at least two people and wounded 21 others in Peshawar, police said on Saturday.
“A remote-controlled bomb exploded as a police van carrying four prisoners passed by an abandoned tin of vegetable oil in Peshawar city on Saturday, killing one policeman and wounding 17 others,” local police official Mohammed Asif said.
A woman and four policemen were among those …

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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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Via DAWN.com

Mortar kills four children in Bara

PESHAWAR – Four children were killed on Friday when a mortar slammed into their family’s vehicle as they attempted to escape military offensive, officials said.
The children’s aunt and mother were wounded in the incident in Khyber Agency.
The dead children were cousins – one girl and three boys, aged between three and nine years, officials said.
“Four children were killed …

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Forex & Gold 12 May 2012

Forex Update:
KARACHI, May 11: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at 91.8 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:30 PST)

Note:We do not receive Foreign Exchange Rates regularly.

The last received rates are given below.

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,Spot Rates for public per unit of currency,
,Exchange Rates for Currency Notes,,,
,Bullion Rate in Rupees per 10 gms.,,,
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Via DAWN.com

Reducing the risks: Ambitious plans crafted to tackle floods

On Thursday, the head of the National Disaster Management Authority, Dr Zafar Qadir, outlined the authority’s long and short-term plans, many of which appear daunting given the record of the government’s response in past disasters.

Under the short-term plan, 29 districts have been identified as facing “a probability of flooding” in the coming monsoons. Dr Qadir listed them as Badin, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allah Yar, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Dadu from Sindh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Bhakkar, Mianwali and Faisalabad from Punjab, Musa Khel, Loralai, Barkhan, Kalat and Lasbela in Balochistan and Nowshera, Charsadda, Swat, Mardan, Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

To curb the threat in those districts, the federal and provincial governments have been asked to reserve specific amounts in their budgets for disaster relief. According to Qadir, the provinces had been told to prepare for a worst case scenario and reminded that the implementation of disaster management falls under the provincial government’s mandate following the passage of the 18th amendment.

Outlining the authority’s long-term plans, Qadir said the NDMA has drafted a disaster risk reduction policy proposing climate change and disasters be viewed as inter-linked. The draft policy recommends scrutiny of all proposed mega-projects by experts to evaluate any potential impact on climate-related calamities.

The policy also proposes introducing disaster risk insurance for poverty-stricken areas vulnerable to natural disasters. Dr Qadir told reporters that the disaster risk reduction policy is all set to be sent to the cabinet.

He disclosed that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has agreed to provide $1.5 million for installing telemetry systems to monitor all watercourses across the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2012.

Former party chief: ANP protests attack on Ajmal Khan’s mausoleum

Political workers gathered at the Peshawar press club at a demonstration led by provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain.

Addressing activists, the minister condemned the incident and said it was a cowardly act on the part of terrorists.

He said that militants were divided on the issue of Maulana Naseeb Wazir’s killing. Maulana Naseeb, a cleric from Darul Uloom Haqqania, was found dead last week after he had allegedly been arrested by intelligence agencies.

“They (terrorists) were creating confusions on the issue,” he said, adding that many ANP leaders have been killed or attacked, but the party was not pressurised.

“We will also protest in Nowshera,” said ANP General Secretary Arbab Tahir.  President Peshawar High Court Bar Association Latif Lala, Haroon Bilour and activists of the Pakhtun Students Federation were also present at the protest. Lala said 700 ANP workers have been martyred till now.

Two successive blasts at the under-construction mausoleum of the former party chief in Nowshera left five people injured on Wednesday. Khattak was also an MNA and a famous poet. He died of illness on February 7, 2010 in Peshawar.

President Asif Zardari condemned the attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2012.

Five persons of a family killed in Khyber Agency

At least two women and three children of a family were killed and one person sustained injuries when a mortar shell hit their vehicle in Shalobar area of Khyber Agency on Friday.
According to security sources, a mortal shell fired from unspecified location hit a vehicle of a family which was moving toward Peshawar from the Agency. Dead bodies and the injured were shifted to Agency Headquarter …

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ICRC suspends aid work in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD  – The Red Cross on Thursday suspended most of its aid projects in Pakistan and redemanded foreign staff to the capital, following the brutal murder of a British worker.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had suspended activities run from Karachi and Peshawar, while it reviewed its operations after the killing of Khalil Dale.
The move puts on hold activities …

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Security forces convoy targeted in Peshawar blast

One of the security forces’ vehicles in the convoy was partially damaged in the attack. Police cordoned off the area after the blast and began investigations.      — File Photo

PESHAWAR: Two people were injured as a remote-controlled bomb exploded in Peshawar’s Budh Bher area early on Thursday, DawnNews reported.

The bomb, planted on the roadside, hit a convoy of security forces vehicles. Witnesses said the bomb exploded when the convoy passed near the area.

Police cordoned off the area after the blast and began investigations.

The injured, which included a child, were shifted to a nearby hospital.

One of the vehicles was partially damaged in the attack.

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Via DAWN.com

Militants blow up shrine of Pashto poet, politician Ajmal Khattak

Ajmal Khattak – Dawn file photo

NOWSHERA: The shrine of famous Pashto poet and leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) Ajmal Khattak came under attack by suspected militants in Nowshera on Wednesday.

Khattak, who ,passed away on February 7, 2010,, was a renowned poet of the Pashto language and among the most prominent politicians of the region.

A bomb was planted at his shrine in the Akora Khattak village in Nowshera district, which blew up the dome and walls of the structure, police officials told DawnNews. Following the attack, the area was cordoned off by the police. Rescue officials arrived at the site; however no injuries have been reported.

Police officials have not been able to identify the type of bomb planted and its intensity, but according to some figures, 80 per cent of the shrine has been destroyed.

,Khattak authored several books in Pashto, and Urdu and served as senator and an MNA but lived in his tiny village home in his native Akora Khattak village until he died due to protracted illness in 2010.

His first poem was published in 1944 in the magazine Pakhtun and the first collection of his poems, Da Ghairat Chagha, was published in 1958, but banned in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

His popular books include Batoor, Gul Parhar, Guloona Takaloona, Da Ze Pagal Wom?, Zhwand Au Fan, Kachkol, Da Afghan Nang, Da Wakht Chagha, Da Zhwand Chagha and Qisa Zama Da Adabi Zhwand.

Khattak also authored Jalawatan ki Shairi, a collection of his Urdu works.

He served as the president of the Awami National Party on two occasions and became the party’s general secretary in 1973. He received the ,Kamal-i-Fun Award in 2008.,

In 2010, the shrine of Sufi poet Abdur Rehman Baba was attacked in a similar manner by militants in Peshawar.

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Via DAWN.com

Petition seeks injunction for PAF to shoot down drones

Foundation for Fundamental Rights has filed two petitions before the Peshawar High Court on behalf of victims of the drone strike carried out on March 17 last year.

The petitions cite the federation of Pakistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence among others as its respondents. One of the petitioners is Noor Khan, the surviving son of Malik Daud Khan, who was the head of a North Waziristan Jirga and was killed along with 50 other tribal elders and notables by CIA operated drones last year.

On March 17, 2011, a US drone fired missiles, brutally killing 50 people, including Khan, five members of the Khasadar force, and a small child.

FFR works along with British legal charity Reprieve which had filed a similar petition in London earlier against involvement of the British government in drone strikes in Pakistan.

According to the PHC petition, over 3,000 people have been killed in over 320 drone strikes in FATA.

The petitioners are seeking court orders asking the federal government to take up the issue before the United Nations Security Council, International Court of Justice and UNHRC.

They have also stated that the federal government should order the Pakistan Air Force to shoot down drones flying inside Pakistani territory in order to protect its citizens and initiate criminal proceedings against those involved on Pakistani or American side.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2012.

Fighting militancy: ‘US making Islamabad a scapegoat’

American efforts to talk peace with insurgents in Afghanistan mean Washington can no longer expect Pakistan to attack all the militant factions on its side of the border, some of whom Islamabad is also reaching out to, Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani, the corps commander for Peshawar, told The Associated Press.

“Why do they raise their fingers toward Pakistan? It is shifting the blame on to others,” he said.

Lt Gen Rabbani defended the government’s dealings with North Waziristan-based militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who is believed to have signed a nonaggression pact with the government. “At the moment he seems to be trying to keep himself out of trouble.”

He said US and Nato were in contact with insurgents in Afghanistan to try and ‘co-opt them into the peace process’.

“Something has to be done, and it’s in the offing,” said Lt Gen Rabbani, who commands over 150,000 soldiers and paramilitary forces. “North Waziristan is the only region we haven’t cleared. It should be done as early as possible.”

Post-clashes scenario

An uneasy calm prevailed in North Waziristan after two days of fighting lefts scores of militants and security personnel dead in the region.

A jirga of tribal elders has intervened to get the fighting stopped. The jirga, headed by Maulvi Gul Rehman and Hafiz Noor Ali Shah, has met the political authorities on Tuesday. They were presented with demands of returning a military vehicle, rifles and bodies of soldiers.

The jirga will now convey the demands to the militants.

So far, the fighting has left 12 security personnel and 22 militants dead. This is other than civilian casualties.

Medics at the agency headquarters hospital in Miramshah told The Express Tribune that they had received over 100 wounded people – 16 of them were discharged after been given first aid.

Militants vow ‘jihad’

Masked militants, meanwhile, handed out copies of pamphlets pledging ‘jihad’ to mark the first anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, albeit a week late.

“Let us pledge today that we will continue our jihad and sacrifice our lives and property in the way of Allah like Sheikh Osama did,” it said, unsigned and dated May 2, the anniversary of the Al-Qaeda leader’s killing by US troops. (Additional reporting by our correspondent in Miramshah)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2012.

Kidnappings threaten aid work in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The grisly murder of a Red Cross worker and a video showing an American hostage pleading for his life highlight a perilous security situation in Pakistan that aid groups say is endangering their work.

Humanitarian organisations are reviewing operations in Pakistan after the killing of Khalil Dale, whose decapitated body was found on April 29, four months after he was abducted in Quetta.

The savage murder of the 60-year-old British convert to Islam sent shockwaves through the aid community, particularly as his employer, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has a reputation for neutrality that allows it to work safely even in the most hostile situations.

Aid groups spend millions of dollars on helping millions of Pakistanis, yet attacks on their staff are increasing, according to the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF), which represents nearly 50 international organisations.

Since 2009, at least 19 aid workers have been murdered and more than 20 abducted across Pakistan by militants and criminals, the PHF said.

“This trend of increased targeting of humanitarian aid organisations and personnel will further impede the ability of humanitarian agencies to provide life-saving and life-enhancing support to the most vulnerable population,” the PHF warned.

According to the PHF, at the end of 2011 there were more than 200 foreigners and 10,000 locals working in Pakistan for international aid organisations under its aegis. The ICRC is not part of the PHF.

On Sunday a video emerged of kidnapped US development worker Warren Weinstein urging President Barack Obama to save his life by agreeing to his abductors’ demands.

The 70-year-old was snatched after gunmen tricked their way into his Lahore home in August last year, and Pakistani officials believe he is being held by al Qaeda and Taliban extremists in the northwest.

The kidnapping of Weinstein in Lahore, and an Italian and a German in Multan – both cities previously regarded as relatively safe – has further rattled NGO nerves.

“A few people have pulled out of coming for monitoring visits – we’ve had auditors coming from Europe and at the last minute they’ve decided not to come,” an official with one major Western aid group told AFP.

“We’ve really tightened up our security. For Islamabad our security guy says the risk is still low, but kidnappings are increasing, and from places like Multan – we never would have expected that.”

Many in the aid community have been deeply critical of the CIA’s decision to run a fake vaccination programme in a bid to identify Osama bin Laden before he was killed last May, saying the link with espionage has endangered aid workers.

Pakistan arrested the doctor recruited by the CIA to run the programme. Bin Laden’s killing in Pakistan ignited a wave of restrictions on foreigners across the country, limiting their movements and restricting visas.

A staff member with another international NGO said that while most aid workers accepted that a certain level of danger is part of the job, the ICRC’s reputation made the Dale case all the more shocking.

“The ICRC is considered to be globally one of the most non-partisan, objective organisations. It does its utmost to tread the centre ground, so that is a concern to individuals like me,” the staff member said.

Senior ICRC officials from Geneva travelled to Pakistan after Dale’s murder to meet authorities and review the organisation’s presence in the country.

A few days before Dale’s abduction, the ICRC had already said it was planning to scale back its presence in Pakistan.

An internal source said this was to do with tensions with the authorities and problems getting visas for foreign staff, but the process could be sped up following the murder.

One option being considered, the source said, is to cut ICRC operations back to their level before a 2005 earthquake in Kashmir that killed more than 75,000 people.

That would leave just five expatriate staff in Islamabad and a hospital in Peshawar, down from about 100 foreigners at the start of the year.

US making Pakistan scapegoat, says Army

PESHAWAR – The US efforts to talk peace with insurgents in Afghanistan mean Washington can no longer expect Pakistan to attack all the militant factions on its side of the border, some of whom Islamabad is also reaching out to, reported Fox News on Tuesday quoting Corps Commander Peshawar Lt General Khalid Rabbani in an interview with an American news agency.
In a sign of the bad blood …

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KP Assembly passes Local Government Bill 2012

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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in session. -File Photo

PESHAWAR: The provincial assembly on Tuesday passed the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Local Government Bill 2012 and with the commencement of this Act, the NWFP Local Government Ordinance 2011 shall be repealed and all local government created under the said law shall stand dissolved.

However to avoid vacuum and continue the municipal services in the province till new local government elections, a clause had been indicted in the bill.

According to this clause all authorities and all officers who immediately before enforcement of the act were exercising functions of local governments, shall continue to exercise their respective functions till the local councils are constituted under this act.

The bill was presented by Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour who claimed that Khyber Pukhtunkhwa was the first province which has been able to present the local government act in its assembly.

The minister while responding to various suggestions and objections stated that there were three main flaws in the NWFP Local Government Ordinance 2001, as it devolved 18 departments and being single head, the then district Nazim was unable to control all these departments.

Similarly the District Nazim was unable to exercise the executive powers and control law and order situation whenever it had arisen. The third main flaw in the system was unification of urban and rural areas, he opined.

The house passed the bill, which was already amended by the select committee of the provincial assembly. Bashir Bilour said that with the passage of the act, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa had taken the lead as no other province had even introduced a local government bill in their respective assemblies.

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Via DAWN.com

Kayani briefed about ongoing operations against militants

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General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was briefed about the ongoing operations against militants, said an ISPR statement. -File Photo

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited Headquarters of Peshawar Corps, on Tuesday.

The COAS was briefed about the ongoing operations against militants as well as various projects aimed at rebuilding infrastructure and help bring affected areas back to normalcy through education and economic development.

According to an ISPR press release, the COAS expressed satisfaction over the progress of operations and stressed upon the need to ensure that collateral damage and civilian casualties are kept to a minimum.

Earlier, Gen. Kayani laid a wreath on the Shuhada monument at Peshawar Cantt and also visited injured soldiers under treatment at CMH Peshawar.

He praised the courage and valour of the troops as well as the sacrifices of civilians caught in the midst of operations. On arrival, the COAS was received by Lieutenant General Khalid Rabbani, Commander Peshawar Corps.

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Via DAWN.com

Politicians declare assets: ‘Gilani, Shahbaz own no cars purchased by themselves’

Shahbaz’s assets witnessed a tremendous increase of over 100% during the financial year 2011-12.

While the net worth of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s own assets crossed the Rs20 million mark for the first time this year, the assets declared by one of his sons, Abdul Kadir Gilani, a member of the Punjab Assembly, are much more than the premier’s himself.

On the other hand, Shahbaz in his annual declaration stated that the total worth of his assets now stands at Rs210.4 million. For the fiscal 2010-11 he had declared that the total worth of his assets and liabilities was Rs94.3 million only.

Still, the declared value of his own assets is less than the values of assets he declared for one of his wives, Nusrat Shahbaz – a housewife.

Shahbaz owns only one vehicle according to the form, and this too was a gift – a Land Cruiser.

Hamza Shahbaz, son and political heir of Shahbaz Sharif, declared that the total worth of his own assets and liabilities stand at Rs213.7 million while his wife Mehrunissah Hamza owns assets worth only Rs2.5 million. Hamza, however, left the column pertaining to vehicle ownership vacant.

Meanwhile, according to the prime minister’s declaration, the only business transaction he had during the whole year was the purchase of three acres of agriculture land in Hamidpur Kanora, in his native town Multan, priced at Rs4.8 million. The premier claimed that he purchased this land out of savings and cash in hand.

Despite having a fleet of official vehicles used for his protocol, PM Gilani is among those political leaders of the country who do not have a car of their own, according to his assets declaration.

Under the law, lawmakers are required to submit the statement of assets of their spouses and dependent members of the family. However, the premier avoided making the assets of his spouse public for the first time since he took up his office.

Ali Musa Gilani, the prime minister’s younger son who is currently facing corruption charges, did not have to declare his assets as he has been in office as an MNA for less than a year.

Eldest son Abdul Kadir Gilani, on the other hand, who is a member of the Punjab Assembly, has assets worth millions of rupees. Though he did not count the total worth of his assets, he has mentioned the value of some of his properties where their purchasing cost and present value are exactly the same, raising question marks as to when they were purchased.

Besides other properties and vehicles, he owns an imported bulletproof vehicle which according to his declaration is valued at Rs12.8 million.

Other politicians

Noor Alam Khan, a PPP member of the National Assembly from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is apparently the richest parliamentarian in the country who declared that his assets are worth over Rs32 billion – thanks to the appreciation of value of his ancestral land in prime locations of Peshawar.

Other billionaires in the lower house of the parliament include Mehboobullah Jan (PPP), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (PML-N) and Jehangir Khan Tareen (PTI).

Usually, members either do not declare their real assets or they undervalue their assets. Under the law, ECP annually publishes the assets of all the members of Senate as well as the national and provincial assemblies but it has no mechanism to counter-check the details provided by these lawmakers.

The net worth of assets of some other leading National Assembly members are: Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour Rs1.7 billion, ANP Chairman Asfandyar Wali Khan Rs32 million, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Rs14 million, Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar Rs32 million, Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira Rs20 million, Federal Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan Rs46 million, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar Rs51 million,  JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Rs50 million and  Faryal Talpur Rs116 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.