KARACHI: A red-tailed boa, which was one of the 31 snakes seized by customs officials a little less than two months ago, reportedly died on Sunday morning at the Karachi zoo while a two-month-old reticulated python is seriously ill. But the zoo’s director, Bashir Sadozai said he was “unsure” if one of the animals had died when contacted later in the evening.

Two young snake enthusiasts had imported 31 non-venomous snakes from Oklahoma in the United States. The reptiles had left Oklahoma in the first week of February and landed at Jinnah airport on February 17. But customs officials handed the animals over to the Karachi zoo as the importers reportedly failed to provide a no-objection certificate from the National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW).

Three days after being brought to the zoo, some of the snakes contracted allergies.

On the condition of anonymity, a source privy to the matter told The Express Tribune that a red-tailed boa had died because of a lack of food and a harsh environment. “Most of the snakes are at risk and the younger ones will die if they aren’t taken care of properly,” he said. “The zoo’s administration wants to hide the issue. Snakes aren’t given the correct amount or quantity of food,” he alleged. The boa that reportedly died had cost the importers about Rs9,200.

When contacted, Bashir Sadozai, said he “wasn’t sure” whether a snake had died, though he did admit that one of the larger reptiles had not eaten anything for a couple of days. “All of them seemed to be fine on Friday, but I’m not sure whether one of them has died.”

After the arrival of the snakes in zoo, the administration tried its best to provide facilities and proper food to imported snakes, said the director. The zoo’s administration has now found experts at Dow university who will provide guidance on how to take care of the reptiles. The zoo’s administration will meet university officials on Monday. “We’ll request the university’s vice chancellor to provide us with experts so that we can look after the animal’s better,” said Sadozai.

He confirmed that one of the two bigger snakes had stopped eating after arriving at the zoo. “Our doctors and zoologists are trying to look after them but we need proper reptile experts,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2013.

In the past, the Kutchi community has shown support for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but after its five-year rule, voices of discontent have started to emerge – and some of them are quite strong. Naveed Rathore from Saddar, said, “I’m going to select ‘none of the above’ option if the Election Commission of Pakistan provides it. I supported PPP, but not anymore. To do that would be to ruin my country.” He added that he might vote for the Kutchi Rabta Committee (KRC), but feels that it lacks a coherent vision.

The committee was formed back in 2010 to curb violence plaguing Lyari, but over time it morphed into a political pressure group. It shares a frosty relationship with the Peoples Amn Committee, a group flexing its political muscles in Lyari while enjoying PPP’s support.

But dissatisfaction with PPP does not necessarily translate into more votes for KRC as Rathore’s opinion shows. A resident of Agra Taj colony said his family might not support PPP in the upcoming elections. But he did not immediately mention KRC as a possible option. “The previous government has ruined the city and being a businessman, I’d prefer a strong person who can bring a visible change.”

Others from the community feel that there is a paucity of choice. “We have just one option and that’s KRC. I’m not a part of it, but who else can I vote for?” said Farooq Kutchi of Kalri.

Some members of the community said they don’t see the point of voting. For instance, Abdul Ghani Shah from Keamari said he did not like any of candidates, saying all of them were corrupt. “I won’t vote for anyone. I have also asked my family not to vote for anyone. Leaders have not done anything apart from playing with the public’s sentiments.”

Some KRC members claim that over three million registered voters in the city belong to the community. A sizeable chunk of the population of Lyari and Keamari comprise Kutchi community members. They also live in pockets across the city, including Saddar, Malir and New Karachi and Mawwach Goth. It is one of the few communities in Karachi which has fostered ties between its members through registered jamaat khanas where social gatherings take place weekly.

Going their own way

PPP had offered KRC tickets for PS-108 in Lyari about four months ago. But the committee refused and has now decided to contest elections itself. It has put forward six names to contest for provincial assembly seats and even one for a National Assembly seat.

The committee will also support people contesting elections independently in other constituencies.

Members of the committee allege that not a single political party in the city has attempted to tackle the problems plaguing the Kutchi community, such as poor access to education and healthcare. Hussain Kutchi, a member of the committee’s upper echelons, said, “It hurts us when political parties leave the city’s peace at the mercy of criminals.”

He was fairly confident about the political clout the committee has and even went on to say that it enjoys the support of “around 80 per cent” of the Kutchi community. “We have strong support in all six constituencies,” he claimed, adding that a total of 173 Kutchi registered groups are supporting the committee.

Hussain said that different political parties had contacted him about a possible alliance. “We have not taken a final decision as yet. Our doors are open for all political parties, including the PPP.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2013.

For a long time, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were securing the most seats in the city. The 2008 elections were a turning point as the Awami National Party managed to gain two provincial seats. These general elections are likely to change the city’s political landscape further as Sindhi and Baloch residents are mobilising under their respective nationalist parties.

Balochistan National Party’s (BNP) Abdul Malik Baloch has nominated three candidates – Mir Shahnawaz Lashari for NA-258 Malir, Jummad Khan for PS-13 Jacobabad and Habibur Rehman Baloch for PS-130 Malir.

Lashari’s constituency is the same where PPP’s Sher Muhammad Baloch won the elections in 2008, while Habibur Rehman is contesting the same constituency where PPP’s Muhammad Sajid Jokhio won. Lashari also plans to contest elections from PS-118, where Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement won the last time.

So far, the BNP has not formed an alliance with any other political party. Jan Muhammad Buledi, the party spokesperson, said that they have strong support in these areas. “We are hoping to win from these constituencies.”

First time for Sindhi nationalists

On the other hand, Sindhi nationalists are also taking part in parliamentary politics for the first time. The Sindh Taraqi Pasand (STP) party, Sindh United Party (SUP) and the Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) are contesting from different parts of the province, including Karachi.

The trio is part of the 10-party alliance in Sindh. The alliance is planning to contest their joint candidate in one constituency and is planning on announcing their final candidates on April 11 after their two-day meeting.

For Sindhi-dominated areas of Karachi, the STP has nominated Saleem Brohi for PS-97, Gulzar Soomro for PS-126, Zaffar Rajpar for PS-129 and Khair Muhammad Magsi for PS-130. STP chairperson Dr Qadar Magsi is confident that his party has strong support in two constituencies – PS-126 and PS-130. Dr Magsi said that STP’s candidates could withdraw if the alliance decided to. “We are committed to our alliance. It’s a one-to-one competition against the PPP, the MQM and the PML-Q.”

On a possible alliance with the Baloch nationalists in Karachi, Dr Magdi said, “The Baloch are our brothers and we could talk to them and support them.”

Though the STP, like other nationalist parties, has entered mainstream politics for the first time, Dr Magsi felt the election is a decisive factor. “People in Sindh are not happy with the performance of the PPP government and its ally [the MQM],” he said.

SUP’s Mehboob Abbasi will contest for PS-126, while senior politician Haji Younis Baloch will contest from Lyari’s NA-248. The party is confident that it has seven strong candidates who will defeat the PPP but they are not too sure if they will be able to make their presence felt in Karachi. “We are against anti-Sindh political parties,” claimed SUP head Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah. “It is a misconception of the larger parties that other parties have no vote bank in Karachi. We’ll prove them wrong.”

Will the party support Baloch candidates in Lyari? Shah said that his party could support Baloch candidates but not those from the PPP. Pointing out the PPP and MQM relationship in the past few years, Shah said, “Both of them protect each other’s interests, and not of the common people.”

QAT’s Ali Babar is the only candidate in Karachi for PS-30, but the party will support PAC candidates in Lyari. “We have to respect the meeting of our alliance parties,” said QAT media secretary Noor Ahmed Katiar, happy that all parties against the PPP and the MQM are at one platform.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2013.

“Change does not come from the bullet but from the ballot box and by casting a vote,” the CEC said, in a direct appeal to Baloch nationalists.

CEC Ebrahim is currently touring Balochistan to review the law and order situation in the province and hear the grievances of disgruntled Baloch leaders.

He asked all political parties in the province to participate in the elections, saying that “the future of Pakistan is linked with free and fair polls.”

In 2008, most Baloch nationalist parties boycotted elections to protest the ongoing military operation and the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti. This time, several nationalist parties are throwing their hats into the electoral ring.

During his visit, CEC Ebrahim met with the PML-N’s Sanaullah Zehri and Lashkari Raisani, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Wasey, National Party’s Abdul Khaliq Baloch and the Balochistan National Party-Awami’s Wahid Baloch, among other political leaders.

“Our motive to come here and meet the leaders of political parties is to understand the problems and difficulties they are facing,” the CEC said.

While noting the problems political parties have been facing in the wake of the elections, CEC Ebrahim assured them that the commission would resolve their problems.

Denying that there were any ‘no go’ areas in Balochistan, Balochistan Chief Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad said that the provincial government plans to provide foolproof security to all candidates.

“The Balochistan government has decided to provide security to the aspiring candidates,” Yaqoob said, adding that once the final electoral list is issued, every candidate will be provided with four security guards and the election officers will also be given full protection.

Terming the meeting with the CEC a positive step, the PML-N’s Sanaullah Zehri said that if there are free and fair elections in Balochistan then the problems of the Baloch will be greatly reduced.

Speaking to the media after the meeting between the CEC and Baloch political leaders, ECP secretary Ishtiaq Ahmad said that political parties complained that they cannot file nomination papers on time because they don’t have access to the offices as they live in remote areas.

Responding to their concerns, he announced that the date of the submission of nomination papers has been extended for two days – to March 31.

Barozai meets Mengal

While the CEC was meeting Baloch leaders in Quetta, Balochistan’s caretaker Chief Minister Ghous Bakhsh Barozai was holding talks with BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal in Karachi.

Mengal expressed his concerns about the law and order situation in the province while Barozai assured him that all measures will be taken to combat security threats.

“Political leaders will be provided all possible security,” Barozai said in an attempt to address Mengal’s reservations.

The interim CM said he was in contact with the political leadership of the province to ensure that the government works towards maintaining peace in the area and also tries to resolve Baloch grievances.

To this, Mengal replied: “Transparent polls are not possible without first addressing the reservations of people of Balochistan.”

“We have informed the ECP and the caretaker government about our issues,” Mengal said, adding that it is the commission’s responsibility to ensure a peaceful atmosphere during the elections.

The BNP-M chief insisted he was not contesting the election to reap the benefits of power, but to serve his people. “Ministries and parliament seats are temporary, we don’t value such things,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2013.

The former chief minister said the situation in Balochistan was the same as it was during former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s tenure.

“Democracy doesn’t mean anything for the people of Balochistan,” he commented. “We received more corpses during the tenure of the democratic government than during a dictatorship.”

Mengal arrived at the Jinnah Airport from Dubai on Monday to a warm welcome, and addressed media later in the day at his residence.

If the right of self-determination could be demanded for Kashmir then why not for the people of Balochistan, Mengal asked rhetorically, adding that the BNP would convene a meeting today (Tuesday) to decide whether or not it would participate in the upcoming general elections.

The party chief also did not seem impressed by the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing a case on the Balochistan law and order situation.

Mengal said the six-point solution that he had presented to the apex court six months ago during his last trip to Pakistan was in accordance to the Constitution, legal and human rights. “Hundreds of more Baloch persons went missing after my appearance before the Supreme Court,” he added.

Mengal said that 60 Baloch people were targeted, adding that those in power had turned a blind eye to the worsening situation in Balochistan. Speaking about Karachi, he said he had come to the city after four years and added, “Nothing has been changed yet but the graveyards. There is bloodshed everywhere.”

However, the BNP leader said he was a strong supporter of democracy. “We are political workers and always in favour of democracy,” he added.

Mengal welcomed the appointment of the new caretaker chief minister, Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Barozai, adding that he was a good person.

While he admitted meeting PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Dubai, he said they had not discussed anything about the elections.

Balochistan caretaker CM’s comments

Meanwhile, the Balochistan caretaker chief minister termed Mengal’s arrival in Pakistan a positive omen for the electoral process.

Chairing a meeting on the law and order situation in the province on Monday, Barozai said that discriminatory or concessionary attitude would not be adopted towards any candidate.

“Equal opportunities of participation would be provided to all the candidates in elections along with the all possible efforts to ensure the right to vote to every citizen,” he said.

“The process of contacting all the political, especially the nationalist leaders have been started and soon meetings would also begin with them,”

he said, adding that it would yield positive results. Stressing upon the role of intelligence agencies as crucial, he said that districts that are sensitive need special attention.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2013.

The apex court also directed the commission to verify whether the land was allotted according to the market value or not.

The commission, headed by senior consultant of the Sindh Board of Revenue Nazar Mohammad Laghari, will have to submit the report within 15 days.

The apex court directed the Sindh chief secretary to facilitate Laghari, including assistance of the revenue officials and logistic support to the commission as it requires on an urgent basis.

Karachi hearing

A five-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heard the Karachi law and order case on Friday.

On the complaint of a local lawyer, Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, senior officials of the revenue department appeared before the court and briefed the larger bench about 542 allotments in different areas of Karachi and some allotments in other areas of the province.

Naqvi informed the court that all of these land allotments were made on a political basis without ascertaining market values.  The officials failed to satisfy the bench that to whom the public land was allotted and at what prices.

Constituting the commission, Justice Chaudhry directed the provincial chief secretary to facilitate Laghari. “You’ll be given all sorts of help. Go ahead and try to find facts and submit the report within 15 days,” the court ordered.

“The allotment of the land is one of the reasons of the violence in the city,” Justice Chuadhry remarked.

Commenting on the case, a senior official said that it seems an impossible task given the limited time. The other official was also of the view that at least some hard facts will come out.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.

KARACHI: For over two decades, a metallic eagle atop a 20-foot pillar at Ibrahim Chowk has guarded the entrance to the heart of Lyari, keeping watch on all ‘outsiders’ valiant – or foolish – enough to slip past it into the labyrinth of narrow lanes. It isn’t alone in its vigil.

When night falls, opaque darkness devours some parts of Lyari, including Bhagdadi, Chakiwara and Kalakot. This is when men, with TT pistols tucked casually in their pants like accessories, come out to guard their turf in groups of four.

Over at the other end of the locality, near the outskirts of Agra Taj Colony, you could stand on what would feel like the brink of civilisation and gaze at the vast expanse of blackness obscuring Ali Muhamamd Muhalla and Moosa Lane behind it from view. From within its recesses, the ‘guardians’ silently stare back – alert, armed, aggressive.

If you observe long enough, you will notice dim lights occasionally flickering on and off. This is because the men use Morse code to communicate with one another. When vehicles prepare to enter the blanket of darkness, the driver too must communicate through the headlights, sending a burst of flashes in a particular sequence in order to pass through safely. A failure to do this may turn the silent specters into violent poltergeists.

Sometimes, the residents are tailed back to their homes if they enter the area after 10pm. A resident of Alfalah Road, who was too ‘shy’ to reveal his name, said, “Now when I know I’ll be out in the city late into the night, I take my son with me so that they don’t stop and pester me. They don’t question you as much if you have a child with you.”

While talking to The Express Tribune, Sheraz Ahmed, another resident of Lyari said, “Our relatives and friends stopped visiting us a couple of years ago. Armed men stop people and interrogate them. They obviously don’t like the harassment so they don’t bother coming here at all. Things are much better nowadays, but we still feel caged here.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan dissolved the Sindh Assembly Tuesday night on the advice of Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have had two marathon, brainstorming sessions since Sunday to develop consensus on a caretaker chief minister. The two sides are said to have agreed on the name of Justice (Retd) Zahid Qurban Alvi for the slot.

Shah and his former cabinet ministers have flown to Islamabad to convey the decision to the PPP top leadership.

According to sources, the caretaker cabinet would comprise around a dozen ministers. It was not immediately known when the caretaker chief minister would be sworn in, but sources said that the oath-taking ceremony could take place on Thursday.

Although the PPP and MQM have developed consensus –other opposition parties say Justice Alvi is unacceptable to them.

“Justice Alvi is close to Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah. How he could be a neutral person? It’s pre-poll rigging and we don’t accept it,” said Nusrat Seher Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F).

Arif Mustafa Jatoi of the National Peoples Party also rejected Justice Alvi’s nomination. “The MQM had to consult all opposition parties before proposing a nominee,” he said.

Abdul Razzaque Rahimoon of the Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded also accused Justice Alvi of being partisan. “He had affiliation with the PPP. The interim set-up will call into question the fairness and transparency of the entire election process,” he said.

K-P Assembly

In Peshawar, an official at the Governor House told The Express Tribune that Governor Engineer Shaukatullah Khan signed the summary moved by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti for the dissolution of the K-P Assembly at midnight.

An interim chief minister has already been picked out. On March 15, Chief Minister Hoti and Opposition Leader Akram Khan Durrani had unveiled Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez as interim chief minister.

An official told The Express Tribune that Hoti had vacated the Chief Minister House a few days ago. He did not return to the Chief Minister House after meeting Premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf along with his counterparts from other provinces in Islamabad two days ago and instead, went to his hometown in Mardan.

The official added that the caretaker chief minister would be sworn in today (Wednesday) around 5:00pm. The Governor House, however, has yet to issue an invitation for the ceremony.

Punjab Assembly

All provincial chief ministers had agreed in a meeting with Premier Ashraf two days ago that the assemblies would be dissolved by March 19.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided in principle to dissolve the Punjab Assembly (PA) on Wednesday (today). The decision was taken at a high-level party huddle at the PML-N Central Secretariat in Model Town. They decided that the dissolution of the provincial assembly would be announced by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at a news conference. He would list the five-year performance of his government and send the advice to dissolve the assembly to Governor Makhdoom Syed Ahmed Mahmud.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif will reach Pakistan at 4:00am from Dubai and, according to Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he would consult PML-F leadership in Sindh and nationalist parties in Balochistan before the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

The PML-N and PPP are still deadlocked over the issue of caretaker chief minister. The former has proposed Justice (Retd) Amir Raza and former federal secretary Khawaja Zaheer for the slot, while the latter has proposed three names – Asma Jahangir, Mian Amir Mehmood and Hefeez Akhtar Randhawa. Interestingly, Asma and Mian Amir have already turned down the role of a caretaker.

If the deadlock persists after three days of the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, then the speaker will form a six-member committee – with three members from both the opposition and the government – to decide the matter. If the committee, too, fails to evolve a consensus, the matter will go to the Election Commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.

The election commission has yet to finalise Karachi’s list but it assured that the political parties will come to know after March 25. The commission finalised its verification process in February 16, when it announced that the new electoral results will be announced on March 18.

The district-wise breakdown of voters did show that there were only 398 Ahmadi voters in the entire province in the previous elections. The number has gained dramatically as the Ahmadi voters have gone up to 6,309 in just the 22 districts of Sindh. The number is likely to go up once the election commission publishes Karachi’s list.

According to the computerised electoral rolls based on the door-to-door verification conducted during January and February this year, the number of registered voters in Sindh has gone down to around 11.6 million in Sindh, excluding Karachi. Of these, 54 per cent are men and the remaining are women.

Since the number of registered voters has gone down from the previous rolls, it is believed that the digitalised system removed fake voters.

The provincial election office claimed that they have done all the work for the general polls. “We are ready and everything has been done efficiently,” said ECP Sindh director Muhammad Najeeb. He was confident that Karachi’s voters will be included in the final list after March 25.

The ECP is efficient enough to complete the election process within 30 days, he added. “This is not an ideal duration but we are ready for everything in the near future.”

The new list also revealed that all districts in Sindh lost thousands of voters but the figure in Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s district has surprisingly gone down from around 1.1 million to over 800,000 voters.

Najeeb did not deny that the ECP is facing pressures, but he was confident that the commission is an independent institute and it will work despite the pressure. “We work according to the rules and regulations and don’t have any space for such pressures,” he said. “Political parties held sit-ins outside the provincial head office but we continued our work smoothly.”

Everyone has a right to record their protests, he added.

In the previous general elections for 2007-2008, there were around 20 million registered voters in Sindh, including Karachi’s five districts. Karachi alone had over 6.5 million voters, while the remaining 22 districts of Sindh had more than 12.8 million. These districts include Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Nawabshah, Naushero Feroz, Larkana, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Dadu, Jamshoro, Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Sanghar.

When it comes to female representation, the province was not too far behind. Almost 42 per cent of Karachi’s voters were female while nearly 45 per cent of the total voters in the rest of Sindh were women. Interestingly, both the electoral lists – from 2007 and 2012 – failed to make provisions for the number of registered Hindu and Christian voters.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.

A fireworks display lit up the sky over the football ground in Chakiwara, where people danced and hugged each other at what they felt was a double treat: the news of the killing of Arshad Pappu, one of the area’s most feared gang leaders, and former MNA Nabeel Gabol’s decision to jump ship from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). All throughout the day, an SMS was circulated among the area’s residents, asking them to join the celebrations outside the football ground.

Trays bursting with ladoos and gulab jamuns did the rounds as the crowd enthusiastically did the traditional Baloch dance, leva, to ethnic songs blaring in the background. “This is the end of a chapter in Lyari’s history. The cruel man [Pappu] has fallen and Gabol, who we disowned, isn’t connected with the area anymore,” said one of the participants with a toothy grin on his face. “Now it’s time for the people of the area to party!” A boy dancing next to him was clearly optimistic about what the changes meant for the area which has been plagued by chronic violence. “The rule of terror is over now that Pappu is gone. He reaped what he sowed – his fate was the result of the blood he spilled over the years. It’s now time for peace and harmony to reign over Lyari.”

While talking to The Express Tribune, the leader of the banned Peoples Amn Committee and Pappu’s nemesis, Uzair Baloch, said, “My people love peace and hate criminals. They disliked Pappu and seem to be very happy that he is no longer among us.” He added that Pappu was involved in the kidnapping and killing of his father, Faiz Muhammad alias Mama Faizu. “I’ve seen the way people were celebrating. Lots of them gathered at the spot where Pappu was found dead, carrying pictures of their loved ones who had been bumped off by his group,” said Baloch. “He finally got a taste of the horrid things he’s being doing to people for a long time.” He added that people were also elated at Gabol’s announcement of parting ways with the PPP. “People disliked him and did not want him to come back to this constituency,”

Zafar Baloch of the PAC also reiterated the fact that the people of Lyari despised Pappu. “The celebrations show that the residents of Lyari had no love for him or his group,” he said, adding that they felt the same way about Gabol.”There was no space left for him in Lyari.”

The people celebrating on the streets also said that Gabol, who won a seat in the Lyari constituency back in the 2008 elections, had fallen out of favour with the area’s residents long ago. Habib Hasan, the president of the Lyari Resource Centre, pinned all the police operations and atrocities in Lyari on Gabol. “He created rifts among party workers and leadership. He did nothing for his voters so people had already disowned him before he announced that he would join the MQM.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2013.