Ahsan Jehangir and Ishaq escaped after cutting the iron rods of a prison in Bakshi Khana, where prisoners are temporarily shifted before being presented in court.

The Bahawalpur police had shifted a total of four prisoners; however, only two managed to escape.

Jehangir belongs to Rahim Yar Khan, where he was arrested on charges of involvement in a terrorism case. Ishaq, on the other hand, was arrested from Uch Sharif and was nominated in three cases of terrorism. The two were safely shifted to Bakshi Khana on Friday by the prison police of the Bahawalpur central jail.

According to the initial investigations, they cut the iron bars with blades and managed to run 200 feet between Bakshi Khana and the main gate of the entrance for the courts, undetected.

There are more than 100 police personnel in the area, while all entrance routes are also checked by the police.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2012.

Sharif Virk, a one-time inspector-general of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and a member of the missing persons’ commission constituted by the Supreme Court, has ordered that a case be initiated against the accused individuals involved in the abduction, according to an uncle of the kidnapped victim Khuram Ilyas, Advocate Rana Dilshad.

Dilshad has also shared evidence of death threats before the judicial commission while DSP (legal) Jameel Chohan told The Express Tribune that all persons involved in the case had been summoned to district police officer’s office on May 23.

Ilyas’ family has blamed JuD and intelligence agencies for his abduction. Ilyas, a ‘brilliant’ second-year student at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, was last heard of on July 22, 1998, when he was contacted by his friend Dr Shoaib.

Dr Shoaib, an alleged JuD member, would recruit students from the university  who would later be inducted into the ‘jihad industry’ by the intelligence agencies, said Dilshad. He went on to add that he and Ilyas’ mother had also filed a First Information Report (FIR) in Civil Lines police station against three JuD members, namely Abdul Ghaffar, Dr Shoaib and Professor Azhar.

During initial investigations by the police, the accused had acknowledged making contact with Ilyas and claimed that he had left for Kashmir to perform jihad of his own volition. The accused had also made allegations against the police, saying that their statement had been altered to say that Ilyas had gone to Afghanistan. Police officials confirmed after investigations that the victim had either travelled to Afghanistan or Kashmir.

Furthermore, according to Dilshad, the police had found Ilyas’ backpack, books and even his clothes from the residence of Dr Shoaib. Official police records also confirmed that the items had been recovered at the residence of one of the accused.

Dilshad went on to add the even though the accused individuals had been arrested by the police several  times, personnel belonging to the intelligence agencies had secured their release each time by showing up at the police station in plain-clothes.

Former attorney general Malik Abdul Qayyum had also submitted a list of 28 people in the Supreme Court in 2007-2008 which included Ilyas’ name, according to Dilshad.

Meanwhile, officials of the Intelligence Bureau had informed Ilyas’ mother after investigations in 2007 that Ilyas had been handed over to the Inter-Services Intelligence by the accused individuals. Former Deputy Attorney General Naheeda Mehboob Elahi had also revealed to the Supreme Court in 2007 that Ilyas had been found and would soon return to his mother, Iqbal Bibi.

But, five years on with no progress in sight, Ilyas’ aged mother whose vision is slowly deteriorating still yearns to see her missing son.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2012.

According to the notice issued by Cane Commissioner of Punjab, Captain (retd) Usman Younus, Ashraf Sugar Mills was required to pay the outstanding Rs220 million by May 12. In case of non-payment, the chairman could face imprisonment for one year along with a fine of Rs50,000. The cane commissioner will finalise whether he will face one or both penalties.

The decision was taken under section 21 of the Punjab Sugar Factories Control Act 1950. According to a show cause notice issued earlier, payments had to be cleared by April 24, but the representative of Ashraf Sugar Mills asked for an extension until April 30.

Muhammad Rizwan, spokesperson for chairman Ashraf Sugar Mills said that payments of the sugar mill were stuck in the market, causing delays. Now, payment has been arranged and in a few days all dues will be cleared, he added. After that, our management will appear before the cane commissioner with receipts to finish the matter.

Earlier, the government of Punjab served several notices on Ashraf regarding non-payment of approximately Rs250 million to farmers. According to the notification, secretary food, on behalf of the Punjab government, summoned the chairman of Ashraf Sugar Mills on April 24, 2012.

Farmers from Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar district had complained that despite end of financial session for the farmers, Rs220 million remained unpaid.

According to the rules and regulations, farmers supply raw sugar cane to sugar mills, payment for which is to be settled within 15 days. Farmers claim that Ashraf Sugar Mills, the only sugar mill for farmers of Bahwalpur and Bahawalpur, has failed to do that.

Farmers, on condition of anonymity, revealed that they were afraid the outstanding sum would not be paid because the federal government is backing the mill owner. They also said that they had complained to the chief minister complaint cell, based on which, the chief minister directed the Ministry of Food to resolve the matter.

According to orders from secretary food Punjab, Ashraf had to appear bearing all records. Earlier, Rizwan Ahmed, Public Relations Officer of Ashraf Sugar Mills told The Express Tribune that they had not received any official notice from the government of Punjab or the food ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2012.

MULTAN: Authorities in Punjab have issued a notification against the illegal construction of mosques and growing sectarianism in Bahawalpur district.

According to the notification, 45 mosques are currently being built without prior official permission. Of these, 29 are in Bhawalpur district, 12 in Rahim Yar Khan and four in Bahawalnagar.

Recent clashes between Shia and Sunni communities and Barelvi and Deobandi sects have prompted the provincial authorities to take steps to check the rising tide of sectarianism in the region.

The notification has been sent by the home department to the district administrations after a report compiled by a special branch of police in Bhawalpur. Around 697 religious extremists are also under the surveillance of the force.

Out of the 697 persons, 211 are listed in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which means they are the most dangerous suspects.

These suspects cannot leave the area without informing the police first.

On the other hand, 177 mosques have been identified as being tainted by sectarian conflicts. Shia and Sunni communities are squabbling over the possession of some of these mosques, while Barelvis and Deobandis have their differences over the prayer leaders there.

Bahawalpur’s District Coordination Officer Dr Naeem Rauf confirmed that they had received a notification and admitted that some of the mosques which had been demolished earlier were being reconstructed.

“We will develop a comprehensive list of mosques before we begin a crackdown,” Dr Rauf said.

Sources said the mosques were being used as madrassas and that is why the home department was concerned about the illegally built places of worship.

The Senior Superintendent Police, Special Branch, Rao Saleem, claims 99% of these mosques are built on state property.

He added that the concerned department had been informed and action against miscreants would be taken soon. Local officials, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Express, that after the illegal construction of mosques, religious groups exert pressure on district officials and high-ups in the provincial government to allocate these lands to them for the same purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2012.

The project was initiated in 2006 after the Asian Development Bank provided Rs3 billion for funding the Mega Project of Sewage and Water Supply in Bahawalpur under the South Punjab Basic Urban Services Project (SPBUSP). In 2007, then chief minister Pervaiz Elahi provided an additional grant of Rs2 billion.

The project was completed in December 2010 with 125 tubewells installed for the purpose on Hafizpur Road, inaugarated by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in January 2011 and given to the TMA to operate on trial basis.

Former Bahawalpur DCO Haroon Rafiq had then written a letter to the government stating that the project needed independent administration.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, City TMO Ataullah Wahla said that the administration lacked funds and staff to run the tubewells.

“I have informed Local Government Secretary Khizar Hayat Gondal,” he said, “We need around 250 staff and Rs 180 million annually to operate the scheme. The cost was estimated by Chief Engineer Mohammad Ashiq.”

“Additionally Rs1.6 million are required to pay past bills,” he said. “Eight of the 125 transformers have been stolen and will need to be replaced.”

DCO Dr Naeem Rauf said, “The government has been working to allocate funds the project in the budget. I am hopeful the project will be operational in July.”

Former Bahawalpur nazim Tariq Bashir Cheema blamed the Punjab government for being apathetic to the problems faced by the people. “We have been protesting but the government has turned a deaf ear,” Cheema said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) member Tasneem Gardezi alleged that the project had been deprived of funds due to a political vendetta.

Project needs

250 staff

Rs180 million annually

Rs1.6 million for outstanding bills

Eight new transformers

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2012. 

Faryal*, youngest of three sisters, was taken to a hospital, where her medico-legal examination confirmed that she had been raped.

Civil Lines police said the girl was kidnapped from her house in Nazeerabad Colony, while her family was away.

The girl told police that a relative, Shahid, had come to their house with one Nadeem. She said she had told them that her parents were not home. She said they had insisted on waiting for them at her house and one of them gave her a pack of juice. She said she fainted on drinking it. After coming to, she told the police, she found herself tied up.

She said that Rafique’s* wife, Sanober*, was also there. She said when she requested Sanober to let her go, she beat her and tore her clothes. She said she was raped by Rafique for two weeks.

Finally, she said, the couple’s maid helped her flee. She also arranged for an elderly man to escort her, she told the police.

The police said Faryal was taken to Victoria Hospital, where her medico-legal examination had confirmed rape.

Faryal’s mother told The Express Tribune she and her husband had reported the girl’s absence to the police. She said a neighbour had later told them that he had seen an unconscious Faryal being driven away in a car. He said he was told that the girl was not well and was being taken to a hospital.

Faryal’s mother said that her sister Mehnaz Bibi* was allegedly raped by Sanober’s brother, Khalid* 20 years ago. She said when her sister gave birth to a son, her family approach Khalid, who was already married, proposing that he marry the girl and own the child, but he refused.

“His family accused us of maligning their reputation. My sister went mad from the shock and suffering.

She said since the registration of the case, her family had been receiving death threats. Her husband, too, said unidentified callers had told him to withdraw the case. But he said he was adamant to pursue it.

*Names have been changed to protect identities

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

The ECP checked all the education documents of Zulfiqar, who was part of the PP 272 constituency, and found his graduation degree to be fake, with no records available with the institute from where it was.

Haji Zulfiqar had won on a PML-N ticket in the 2008 general elections and is a keen worker of the party for the last 20 years. He submitted his graduation degree in Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the Balochistan University, Quetta. However, the university’s academic database has no record of his degree. Officials from the Balochistan University confirmed that he was never a student in the varsity.

On receiving the confirmation, the ECP has ordered an enquiry by the Sadar Police Station, Bahawalpur, for deceiving the election commission and violating the constitution. However, SHO Ghulam Dastageer said “we have not yet received any orders in this regard.”

The same fraud had been unearthed earlier involving Aamir Yaar Waaran, an MNA from PPP. The case was registered against him in three hours after the commission’s decision.

Interestingly, Aamir Yaar Waaran had submitted the same degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Balochistan University and been caught on the same charges.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2012.

Allama Saqlain Naqvi was operated upon on Sunday, but doctors treating him said chances of his survival were slim.

The shooting was followed by several protests demonstrations across Bahawalpur and Muzaffargarh districts on Monday.

The protesters condemned the attack and accused the police of negligence. They said despite several requests, the police had not provided adequate security cover to Shia leaders.

Witnesses told police that Naqvi was shot at around 10 pm on his way to the madrassa. They said several bullets had hit him in the chest. Some residents of the area took him to the tehsil headquarters hospital at Ali Pur from where he was later shifted to Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur.

Dr Aziz, the Victoria Hospital emergency director, said that Naqvi’s spinal cord had been severely damaged. He said bullets had pierced across his chest. The patient, he said, was in a coma.

A police official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune that they suspected that the assailants had been monitoring Naqvi’s routines.

Naqvi’s father, also a Shia scholar who filed a complaint with the police, told The Tribune that his son had condemned the detention of some Shia activists in connection with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi leader Malik Ishaq’s visit to in Ali Pur and demanded their immediate release.

Some relatives of Naqvi blamed the police. They accused the police officials of being irresponsible when it came to providing security to Shia leaders and gatherings.

Allama Naqvi is the principal of Jamia Daarul Huda Muhammadia.

About 10 cases of attacks on Shia community have been reported since 2011 in the Muzafarhgarh district, police said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2012.

BAHALWALPUR: Unidentified men fired on Allama Saqlain Naqvi in Alipur, in district Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur late on Sunday night, critically injuring the Shia scholar. Naqvi was shifted to Victoria hospital Bahawalpur where he is being treated. 

According to eye witnesses, Naqvi was going to Jamia Darul Huda Muhammadia, a seminary which he heads, from his residence at about 10 pm when armed men attacked him. They fired three bullets in to his chest.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, police officials said that criminals had been monitoring Naqvi’s activities. They were thus able to track and attack him as he passed through an isolated stretch of the road.

The scholar had been initially shifted to THQ Alipur, where doctors immediately referred him to DHQ Bahawalpur where his condition was described as extremely critical.

Dr Aziz, Director emergency Victoria hospital in Bahawalpur, told The Express Tribune that he had been operated last night but chances of his survival were slim given that his spinal cord had been completely crushed due to the bullet injuries. He is currently in a coma, doctors said.

Naqvi had recently condemned the arrests of Shia’s of Alipur.

Several members of the local Shia community had been arrested after they clashed with supporters of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi chief Malik Ishaq.

Naqvi had of late demanded the government immediately release those arrested.

Shia clerics of southern Punjab have condemned the attack. While expressing their displeasure, none of them were willing to give any statements on the record. When pressed, they told The Express Tribune that if they were afraid to reveal their identities, they may share Naqvi’s fate. However, some members of the Shia community took to the streets with their protests, burning tyres and blocking roads.

An FIR on the attack has been lodged in city police station Alipur .

About 10 cases have been reported on attacks on Shia community in last one year in district Muzafarhgarh.

PR officials wrote to the Irrigation Department on March 13 and March 21 to say that the rules required the department to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Railways for the auction of the track.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, a bid of Rs800 million was offered in 2004 for the track, which was sold at the start of March for Rs90 million.

Abdul Razzaq Shah, Multan divisional superintendent of Railways, confirmed that two letters had been sent to the Irrigation Department drawing their attention towards the proper procedure and rules.

He said: “Our negotiations are in process at an inter-departmental level. We may seek legal remedy if the process fails.” He said it costs Rs90-100 million to lay a kilometre of railway track.

Punjab Irrigation Department Chief Engineer Syed Arjad Hussain Jaffery rejected the claim, saying the department had explained in its response to PR that the track was the property of the department. He said that the price received was the best price offered.

“We are ready to call a fresh tender if someone is ready to offer Rs150 million for the track,” he said. “People do not participate in the tender process and then start making accusations later.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2011.