Human Rights organisation, Amnesty International took notice of life threats to Member of Sindh Assembly, Saleem Khursheed Khokhar for his vocal stance on the Rinkle Kumari case, and his call for Hindu women and girls to be protected from abduction and forced conversion to Islam.

In a press release on Friday, Amnesty called for urgent action from the public, urging them to write to relevant authorities including Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Inspector General Police Mushtaq Shah, asking for providing Khokhar and his family with adequate security, with guards who have been properly vetted. Investigation into the threats received by the MPA.

The NGO also urged people to demand that anyone who is responsible for threats to the MPA, other abuse against minorities including forced conversion and marriage, be brought to justice in trials that meet international standards.

Khokhar had told Amnesty International that had written to senior government officials that the police had failed to investigate the threat beyond registering the FIR. He said that the handful of security guards assigned to him by authorities are too few and may not have been adequately vetted to ensure they bear no animosity towards him, as they are Muslim and he is Christian.

Late last month, provincial legislature, Khokhar had presented a privilege motion in the Sindh Assembly against the SHO Clifton for not registering a First Information Report against people who have reportedly been sending him threats via text message.

In his privilege motion, the MPA had stated that he and his colleague, MPA Pitanber Sewani, had received text messages from an unknown number.

The message read: “Only Muslims will be allowed to live peacefully in this country. No one else will be allowed to live here with dignity”.  Khokhar said that he received the message following his vocal stance in the Rinkle Kumari case.

Khokhar told The Express Tribune that he started receiving threats after the attended proceedings of the Rinkle Kumari case on April 18, 2012, and issued statements in the media condemning the ‘forced conversion’.

“I then started receiving text messages which read: ‘You should learn from the remarks of Chief Justice, and High Court, only Muslims are allowed to liver here. You should leave the country or you would be responsible for what happens,” Khokhar narrated.

He added that despite initial reluctance, a privilege motion in the Sindh Assembly got the police to investigate the matter. However, he alleged that PPP MNA from Ghotki, Mian Mithu had started lobbying against him, declaring him to be a Mossad (Israeli spy agency) and CIA agent.

Khokhar added that he was still receiving threats and there was real fear for his life.

The MPA had successfully contested on a ticket of the All Pakistan Minority Alliance (APMA), of which he was provincial president. Shahbaz Bhatti, the federal minorities minister who was killed last year, was the central president of the APMA.

Meanwhile, Sewani reiterated that they had received threats on their cell phones in the aftermath of the Rinkle Kumari case, warning him, and Khokhar from raising their voice against forcible conversion on the floor of the Assembly.

Sewani told The Express Tribune that after they introduced a privilege motion against threats, police had managed to trace the number to Ghotki. The MPA alleged that an influential person in Ghotki by the alias Mian Mithu was patronising people who were sending them threats and were behind forced conversion and marriage.

Sewani demanded action against those who were threatening him.

Flags of different political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami National Party, flutter from buildings, electric poles, main roads and even government offices in Karachi.

The political parties blame one another for the failure of the campaign. But the government claims to have made the drive “successful”. “We are really thankful to the political parties for their cooperation to remove the flags because there are no permanent political flags on any road or building in the city,” said adviser Rashid Rabbani.

The idea behind removing the flags was to avert clashes between activists who used them as markers of street power.

The 10-point code of conduct was initially signed by PPP, MQM and ANP leaders in the presence of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in August 2010 when Karachi was in the grip of drive-by shootings.

When the volatile situation revisited Karachi last month, a law and order meeting was held at Chief Minister House. Speaking at a joint press conference, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had initially given 24 hours for the flags to be removed. The government then extended the deadline by a week.

But when people and political parties did not live up to their pledge, the home department asked SHOs to remove the flags from their jurisdictions, saying that they would be held responsible if any flag was still found.

“The police alone cannot remove the flags if political activists threaten them. In this situation the police cannot do their job. It can only be possible with mutual cooperation,” said the Gulshan-e-Iqbal SHO, adding that they had started work for a few days but stopped after some suspects started firing at police teams.

Bashir Jan of the ANP said that soon after the code of conduct was signed by the coalition partners in the Sindh government, the ANP started removing the flags from Sharea Faisal, MT Khan Road, Quaidabad, Landhi, Old Sabzi Mandi, Katti Pahari, Pirabad and even North Nazimabad. But other parties did not follow suit.

“Instead of removing flags the PPP and the MQM have hoisted their flags where we removed ours,” he said, adding that his party had spent a lot of money “decorating” Sharea Faisal (from Nursery to Airport) with ANP flags  but now it has MQM ones.

Similarly, he claimed to have taken off ANP flags from Mai Kolachi Road but PPP flags replaced theirs.

But the MQM has counter allegations.  Wasay Jalil of the party said that none other but his party was sincere about following the code of conduct, which has failed because the other stakeholders were not serious about it. “We are the main stakeholder of Karachi and started the campaign from Azizababad, Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and other areas. But other parties were silent spectators; therefore we suspended the campaign,” he added. “Actions speak louder than words. We own Karachi, other should follow otherwise the issue will not be resolved.”

Adviser Rashid Rabbani said they and members of the MQM and the ANP went to different areas and removed the flags, starting from Katti Pahari. “I can say that permanent flags have been removed, but some political workers hoist others for a few days just to celebrate party events, which is permissible,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.

“I’m hoping against hope that better sense will prevail and all stakeholders will realise their responsibility towards national interest,” she told The Express Tribune in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

“I am really worried about the prevailing situation because the timing is bad. There are two major issues – the budget and the composition of the Election Commission – which must be resolved to avert economic and political anarchy,” said Dr Mirza.

Role in deciding PM’s future

Under the Constitution, the speaker is required to send a reference to the ECP within 30 days if she thinks the prime minister stands disqualified in light of the apex court verdict in the contempt case.

But Dr Mirza said it was not clear when the period of 30 days would end. “There is a little confusion about whether we should count 30 days from the date of the short order (April 26) or the date of detailed judgement (May 9),” she said. “Then there is going to be an appeal. I’m consulting lawyers and constitutional experts to reach a decision.”

Asked about the letter sent by the Supreme Court’s additional registrar to her office, the speaker said she was consulting her aides about it. “We should set a good precedent for the party which wins the next general elections,” she added. Dr Mirza was quick to point out that her role was not limited to that of a postman delivering a reference to the ECP. “The Constitution empowers me to apply my mind and to make a decision in this regard,” she said. She also clarified that “there are articles only to be interpreted by the speaker”.

Opposition

While visibly disappointed by Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s stance on the issue, aired by the electronic media and communicated in a letter addressed to her, Dr Mirza said that she still hoped that parliamentarians on the other side of the aisle would behave and participate positively in parliamentary proceedings.

“This campaign really hurts me,” she said, while defending that the resolution adopted in favour of the prime minister was well within the rules. She said that it was the choice of the ruling party to bring in a resolution and as the rules permit the same, it was a decision by the person in chair.

Chaudhry Nisar’s letter specifically referred to this resolution, moved by Federal Law Minister Farooq Naek reposing confidence in the convicted prime minister.

Asked if there was any precedent of adopting a resolution in favour of a convicted prime minister in the world, the speaker did not give a direct reply. “It was not against the court, but was in favour of the prime minister,” she said.

She referred to rule 30 and 31 of the Rules of Business of the lower house and said that these govern the conduct of a member of the assembly.

“I have not issued notices to any parliamentarian or members of the opposition and instead have invited them for an exchange of views aimed at the smooth functioning of the house,” the speaker said.

But along with the olive branch, Dr Mirza also held out a warning, referring to different rules which call for the temporary expulsion of a member besides providing that a member can be expelled from the elected houses for the entire session.

Performance of parliament

Dr Mirza disclosed that 70 per cent of the legislation comes from women parliamentarians who are more active than their male counterparts. She also referred to parliament’s achievements in the arena of women’s rights. “Pakistan is internationally known for terrorism and bomb blasts, but no one highlights record legislation on women issues,” she said.

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

It was going to be a long, long day for the reporters as well.

9 am

A senior court reporter with an English daily newspaper reached the Sindh High Court with a colleague. Three white vehicles were parked at the main gate. Some youngsters present there told them to turn back as there was no work that day. “You can now go back home,” he quoted them as saying. He went to the other side of the court, which is called Judge’s gate and found the car of the chief justice of the Sindh High Court dented. Some people had attacked his car. “The chief justice had summoned the IG for protection, but the confused police chief showed reluctance, saying that the police alone could not control the situation,” he said.

10 am

TV reporter Mushtaq Sarki left home at 10am in Gulistan-e-Jauhar but when he reached Drigh Road, teenagers stopped him. “They threatened him by saying, ‘don’t go ahead’. I introduced myself and showed my press card, but they pulled out a gun.” He went back to Pehlwan Goth Chowrangi and thought it best to hitch a protective ride with the workers of another party. “But some men hiding in storm drain starting firing at them, killing Nawaz Kingrani of the Awami Tahreek,” he said. “As Nawaz was shot we ran to the police. The cops showed us the sticks in their hands and said they could not help us. They said, call 15. That man died.”

11am

According to Arbab Chandio who was working for Sindhi TV channel KTN, they came under fire near Malir where the office of the Sachal Rangers is located. Some political workers with flags were heading towards the airport when firing erupted from a rooftop. A Steel Mills official affiliated with the PML-N was killed. “My cameraman and I escaped and reached the gate of the Sachal Rangers but despite repeated requests, they did not open it. Some people were lying dead in the vehicle, which was burning because the fuel tank had leaked and a man in the car was crying for help.” After one hour, two Rangers jawans let them in.

1pm

The battle between political workers ensued at Baloch Colony Bridge on Shahrae Faisal near the office of Sindh TV. The channel broadcast how the suspects were loading guns and how others were supplying them ammunition to fire at processions going to the airport. “I was sitting in the office directing our reports in the field. Suddenly firing started when some [political] leaders were going to the airport,” said Akbar Jafferi, a senior reporter at the channel.  “I have never ever seen such a brutal incident in my twenty years of field reporting,” he said. “The rescue workers were too frightened to come. The area was filled with the smell of gunfire.”

2pm

Urdu news channel Aaj TV came under attack when it started a live telecast of the unfolding events. Youngsters with party flags were firing at the Aaj office for about two hours.

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

“The government did not carry out any operation in Lyari nor does it intend to do so in the future,” he said while presenting a catalogue on the four-year performance of his government before the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday.

“It was a targeted raid conducted by the police against gangs, and it will also continue in other areas. Our target is not a specific group or party but criminal elements,” he said while referring to a week-long 1,400-man police operation in Lyari that was abruptly called off without producing any tangible results.

Shah said that it was difficult for 20,000 policemen to control law and order in a city of 20 million people. “We live in an era of rocket launchers and hand grenades,” he said, adding, “I accept that the criminals and terrorists are far better trained and possess the latest weapons, while our police have only Kalashnikovs.”

The chief minister said that the law and order situation in other provinces — Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa — was worse than that of Sindh, but some elements were portraying a bleak picture of Sindh.

He said some hidden hands were hatching a conspiracy by misguiding the people of Lyari in order to turn them against the Pakistan Peoples Party government. “This house will not tolerate it and we will foil all such conspiracies. Lyari has been and will continue to be the stronghold of the PPP,” he remarked.

Boasting about the measures taken for the improvement in Lyari, the chief minister said that the government has spent around 2.3 billion rupees on different schemes for drinking water, roads, education and sports.

He referred to police operations carried out in other parts of Sindh to weed out dacoits. “Sukkur, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Kamber-Shahdadkot, Kashmore and Dadu have been cleared,” he said. “During the operation, 328 dacoits carrying reward money of Rs108.6 million have either been killed or arrested.”

“There have been ups and downs in Karachi, but despite problems, the government has succeeded in maintaining law and order situation through political will and with the support of coalition partners,” he added.

Giving a breakdown of the criminals arrested, he said that during 2010-2011 three suspects involved in targeted killings were gunned down and 303 were arrested. Claiming that the menace of extortion has also been controlled, he said that during 2010-2011, around 265 cases of bhatta collection were registered and 2003 accused were arrested.

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

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah presented a progress report of the government during the last four years in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday. The report suggests that the Sindh government has overcome the problem of targeted killings.

According to the report, incidents of targeted killings had reached an alarming state in July-August 2011, but due to the operations launched by law enforcement agencies, the situation was contained.

Between the years 2010 and 2011, three target killers were killed while about 303 target killers were arrested.

Shah said that the government has succeeded in maintaining the law and order situation.

He said that some people were being used in Lyari and that conspiracies were being hatched against the government.

“The government did not conduct any operation in Lyari. It was just a targeted action,” he said. “The government is planning to launch a probe into the recent killings in Lyari that claimed more than 40 lives. We are also thinking to compensate the heirs of the people who died.”

The chief minister said that the incidents of kidnapping for ransom have not surfaced in the rural areas in a long time.

“In 2010 and 2011, 265 cases of extortion were registered with the police out of which 203 accused were arrested,” said Shah.

The Sindh police have shown considerable success in busting terror attempts.  “Thirty-five terrorists belonging to Jihadi organisations were killed, while 330 suspects were arrested along with a huge cache of arms.”

He also said that the police have launched an operation against robbers in interior Sindh. He said that during the operations 302 dacoits carrying reward money worth Rs108 million were killed and arrested.

“From Karachi to Kashmore, the government provided 1.4 million women with different grants under women empowerment programmes.”

KARACHI: Sindh will double its budget for education and literacy, declared the minister on the floor of the assembly on Monday.

It currently spends about seven billion rupees.

“We allocate around four per cent of the budget but only one per cent is spent on education,” said Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq. “On the contrary, Malaysia allocates and spends around 23 per cent of its budget on education.” He did not give a specific figure.

As if a step in this direction, the Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority Bill 2012 was put to the house. The assembly unanimously passed it to establish the Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority.

The supplementary bill, which was not on the agenda, was moved by Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq. The minister will chair the authority’s board, which will work under the government’s direction. On the board will be representatives from public and private universities, educationists, retired bureaucrats as well as representatives of NGOs. It will include three MPAs, including the chairman of the standing committee on education.

Other members will be former Karachi University vice-chancellor Dr Abdul Wahab, the ex-vice-chancellor the University of Sindh Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, SZABIST’s Suleman Shaikh, Sadiqa Salahuddin of the Indus Resources Centre and Captain Usman Issani, a former secretary.

This authority will make mandatory the training of teachers. Primary school teachers who complete the training will be given jobs as elementary school teachers at grade 16. The board will survey and study teacher education and create guidelines for minimum criteria.

Haq said that no credible institute existed for teacher training in Sindh where fake certified courses like Primary Teacher Certificate and the certificate of teaching were sold in the black market for Rs2,000. “No teacher should be able to teach in a public or private school without qualifying from the Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority,” he added.

A majority of MPAs endorsed the idea but complained they did not have enough time to study the content of the bill, which according to them was suddenly moved in the house without consultation.

Members of the PPP seemed upset with each other. When Imdad Pitafi suggested nominating five MPAs in each district as members of the education board, Haq responded by saying, “This is not the time for jokes. Please be serious.”

“I am not joking like you always do at the party parliamentary meetings,” retorted Pitafi. “As a lawmaker I am serious about my suggestion.”

Meanwhile, the PML-F continued its boycott of the proceedings over Shazia Marri’s remarks against Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara VII.

No debate took place on the law and order situation due to the absence of the chief minister. Marri said that the CM is likely to present their four-year performance today (Tuesday) and wind up the debate on law and order as well.

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

KARACHI: The MPAs belonging to the ruling coalitions were not playing to the galleries but they probably believed in themselves when they told the House on Friday that there was no law and order problem in the province except for Karachi.

While majority of the public representatives avoided taking part in the debate on law and order, initiated following an adjournment motion, those who spoke patted themselves saying that “everything is fine in Sindh. The law and order situation is under control in the province except in Karachi.” Some of them rather availed the opportunity to appreciate the government, police and other law enforcement agencies for bringing peace in the province.

However, there were a few who did not agree with this exercise of self-appeasement and drew the attention of the House on the issues of human right abuses, women empowerment, forced marriages and related killings, kidnappings for ransom, tribal clashes and other criminal activities throughout the province.

As soon as the session started on Friday with Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza in chair, the law minister Ayaz Soomro requested the Speaker to defer the question answer session allowing more time for debate on law and order of the province.  “We have handed over to you a list of the members who want to speak on the issue,” Soomro said.

But MQM’s Shoaib Bukhari, who is minister for Bureau of Supply and Price Control, said: “Our members can’t speak on the issue as chief minister, law secretary and other officials are not there.”  But Soomro instantly reminded that “the officials of law department are present in the gallery. They can take notes and will communicate to the chief minister.”

This prompted Shehla Raza to declare that “if you people are not willing to speak on the issue, I will adjourn the session.” She, however, later asked the PPP members to initiate the debate. Humera Alwani instead of focusing on law and order spoke on the custom of Sang Chatti in which women are traded as penalty for settlement of disputes. She also spoke about domestic violence, Jirgas and discrimination against women in the reporting of gang rape cases. She thought that all these factors were contributing to the deteriorating law and order in the province.

Another woman MPA, Shamin Ara Panhwar, however, lauded the efforts of the government and claimed that crime rate has fallen in Sindh.  “After PPP government came to power, normality has come to prevail all over Sindh,” she said.“There is some disturbance in Karachi as some elements are out to disturb peace in the city.”

Bachal Shah of PPP did not sound different. He said: “There were times when there were kidnappings for ransom every day in Sindh. But credit should be given to PPP who has controlled the situation. No kidnapping for ransom case has been reported from Hyderabad and Sukkur during the last one year.” Referring to the situation in Karachi he said that “it cannot be controlled until or unless a massive de-weaponisation campaign is initiated.” He reminded that the assembly had earlier adopted a resolution on the issue, but it has not been implemented. He asked all the political parties including ANP, MQM and PPP, to expel the criminal elements from their rank and file.

The debate on the law and order issue will resume on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2012.

Disassociating the government from the Peoples Amn Committee, he said: “We have nothing to do with the PAC. These are criminals who want Lyari to be like Swat and Malakand and want to break Pakistan. We will not let them succeed in their nefarious designs.”

The interior minister made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Atta Marri and police officials at the CM House following a law and order meeting.

He said that Rangers would come into action today (Friday) by establishing check posts at all entry and exit points in Lyari.

Giving an ultimatum, Malik said that all houses from where rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns are recovered would be set on fire.

Malik also offered “amnesty” to those willing to lay down their arms within 48-72 hours. If not, he added, the government will take strict action against them.

He announced that mobile services would be restored within three hours and said he had asked for the electricity and water supply in the areas also to be restored. “Ninety per cent of the people (in Lyari) are innocent; we do not want them to suffer.”

He added that they have asked for four helicopters to assist in the operation in Lyari, while 36 digital cameras will also be set up.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2012.

KARACHI: Members of the Sindh Assembly demanded that the federal government give Karachi a special water quota as the city could face riots in the future.

“Karachi is a metropolitan city where people from different ethnicities live,” argued Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo, stressing that the city was the country’s economic backbone. “We demand that all the provinces allocate some quantity.”

During the Sindh Assembly’s question-answer session on Thursday, he informed the house that the Indus River System Authority has refused to enhance Karachi’s special water quota.

The irrigation department sends 1,200 cusecs to Karachi from Sindh’s share under the 1991 water accord but it isn’t enough. A K-IV supply scheme is going to take four years and will provide Karachi an initial 500 cusecs and 7,000 cusecs by 2025.

MPAs from lower Sindh complain that their people, especially in Badin and Thatta, receive contaminated water through the canals which have been turned into drains.

Stop the operation

The operation in Lyari once again dominated the proceedings with MPAs demanding an police work against criminals in other areas too.

“Why is an operation being conducted in Lyari and Katti Pahari?,” asked Amanullah Mehsud of the Awami National Party. “Criminals live in other areas of Karachi.”

Minister Pir Mazharul Haq of the Pakistan Peoples Party apologised to the people who have suffered but said that “charity begins from home”. “It was decided that action would be taken against criminals in Karachi and we started the operation from our own constituency. The same action would be taken against criminals in other areas too,” he said.

He stressed that Lyari had been neglected by all successive government but this one had provided its people jobs, hospitals, colleges, roads and football clubs.

PPP MPA Rafique Engineer, who belongs to Lyari, said that some criminals have taken the town hostage. “A majority of people in Lyari are innocent but some people started a conspiracy in 2003 to create differences between Baloch living there,” he added.

He named those who had made sacrifices: Waja Kareem Dad, Hassan Soomro, Malik Muhammad Khan and Bhai Jan, who according to him had dedicated their lives to the party. “We want action against criminals involved their assassination.”

Syed Sardar Ahmed of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement dispelled the impression that Lyari was neglected by the city government led by his party’s mayor, Mustafa Kamal. “Many development schemes, including a water line, were given to Lyari,” he said while appreciating the operation in the area.

Sang Chatti

For the first time, the lawmakers took part in an active discussion against sang chatti (women as penalty). Female MPAs had complained the men had ignored it. MPA Humera Alwani moved a resolution for action against those who influenced the parents of small girls to marry them off in exchange.

Food Minister Nadir Magsi said that he had banned jirgas in which innocent women were exchanged as penalty.

The house also passed a unanimous resolution reposing complete confidence in the prime minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2012.