“It is not our decision. It is a Supreme Court order and has to be implemented. No one should try to run away from historic facts,” Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told journalists on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court said in its weekend verdict that the ISI had distributed millions among leading political parties to form an alliance of rightwing parties called Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI).

The alliance won the elections against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and helped Nawaz Sharif become the prime minister for the first time.

The court ordered the government to further probe the issue through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to identify the political groups which received the money.

The PML-N said it welcomed the court ruling but called for an independent investigation instead of the FIA which works directly under the interior ministry.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Sunday that his party, the PML-N, would never accept an FIA probe because of fears that the government could influence it.

Another PML-N leader demanded on Monday that a team from the United Nations should be invited to investigate the country’s biggest political scam to make the outcome acceptable to all.

But Information Minister Kaira said there was no need to either form an independent judicial commission or to invite a UN team for the probe because in either case it would negate the Supreme Court order.

He also asked the PML-N leadership to tender an apology to the nation and the president for “robbing” the PPP of people’s mandate in the 1990 elections. The PML-N leadership should do penance by apologising to the nation and the president, he added.

“Today, the doors have been slammed shut on poll rigging and no one can win elections on the basis of false propaganda and agencies’ support,” Kaira said.

What has been depicted in the court verdict is just a small chapter of the condemnable propaganda as various other characters and their wrongdoings are yet to be exposed, he added.

He said the court verdict had vindicated slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in her grave as all her statements proved true, including the formation of government by stealing the people’s mandate.  (With additional input from APP)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2012. 

Highlighting the role of trees in curbing flash floods, the head of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Dr Zafar Iqbal, told the committee that 4.4 million people had been displaced in the current floods while 370 people had died and 1,200 had been injured.

Dr Iqbal told the panel that the geography, intensity and time of monsoon season were rapidly changing due to global warming. He added that the phenomenon would pose a formidable challenge in the future.

“Now is the time we realise how big a challenge we are confronted with. We must plan how we can deal with it. Delaying will aggravate the problem beyond our capabilities,” said Iqbal when speaking about this year’s untimely flooding caused due to heavy monsoon rains.

Senior officials informed the committee that only 5.01 per cent of the total land area of Pakistan had forests on it which is far below the international standard of 25 per cent.

Federal secretary for the Ministry of Climate Change, Mahmood Alam Khan, told senators that the target of planting 71.9 million saplings had been set for the past four years. But this target
could not be met primarily because ‘people do not realise how important trees are to the environment and therefore unrestricted cutting of forest land continues unabated’.

The committee’s chairperson, Senator Dr Saeeda Iqbal of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), expressed grave concern at the deteriorating situation and observed that “Pakistan is on the verge of becoming a country without forests. Our government and our communities must rise to the task ahead and strive to overcome the challenges posed by the aftermath of climate change.”

The panel was alarmed to learn of massive deforestation in all parts of the country especially in southern Punjab and Potohar regions.

Noting that official agencies responsible for salvaging the situation were shying away from their duties, the chairperson recommended the formation of a national committee to work with provincial departments to increase the area of forests which had been shrinking over the years.

600,000 ration bags pledged

Minister for Climate Change Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan on Monday said the federal government will provide 600,000 bags of rations to the affected people in rain hit areas of the country.

“Although it is responsibility of the provincial governments, the federal government is doing its bit to provide relief to poor rain affected people,” he told media after a meeting of the Senate standing committee on climate change. APP

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2012. 

A Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change will be briefed on Monday by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on the issue of monsoon flooding that has wreaked countrywide havoc.

The heart of the discussion, according to one member, is to revolve around measures taken to identify and eradicate the root cause of flooding which has struck the country for the third time since 2010.

The meeting, to be presided over by Senator Dr Saeeda Iqbal of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), will be attended by officials of the disaster management authority from the worst-hit provinces of Sindh and Balochistan.

Furthermore, the Federal Ministry on Climate Change will brief senators about how the phenomenon of global warming could exacerbate natural disasters like floods and windstorms in the near future.

“We will caution authorities that the problem is far bigger than our national perception about it and a collective response to address it is yet to be initiated,” said one NDMA official.

One of the reports of the climate change ministry to be presented to the committee states that Pakistan was a victim of climate change due to its geographical position. Since it is sandwiched between the highly industrialised nations of China and India – both among the top carbon emitters in the world – its atmosphere suffers adversely from pollutants.

“It may be a comparative advantage in terms of economic growth and business opportunities but when it comes to environment degradation it is a challenge and we are struggling to deal with it,” the official added.

Massive deforestation and underproductive tree plantations are other issues to be discussed at the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2012.

ISLAMABAD: The visiting United Nations panel on enforced disappearances on Thursday advised Pakistani authorities to strike a balance between compulsions imposed by the war on terror and human rights considerations, as it indirectly blamed security and intelligence agencies for the missing persons cases.

At a news conference to wrap up their 10-day mission to Pakistan, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) team saw a link between the fight against terrorism and the rising number of missing persons and called for respecting human rights by the law enforcement agencies.

“The working group acknowledges these threats (terrorism) and the need for the state to ensure the right to life of their citizens,” read the 10-page report the working group issued at the end of its visit.

“However, it also underlines that actions taken to deal with security threats and in particular with terrorism must at all times respect nationally or internationally recognised human rights,” the report added.

“Human rights violations under the pretext of fighting terrorism can only lead to further violations,” the group mentioned in its report, based on its interaction with the families of missing persons and several federal and provincial authorities.

One of the key recommendations by the group was that the government should create clear rules and dedicated institutions in order to ensure the oversight and the accountability of law enforcement and security agencies.

It also called for changing a rule under which a military suspect could not be produced in civilian courts because this constitutes impunity.

The working group’s visit was snubbed by the leaders of several key institutions including the military, intelligence agencies and judiciary along with some opposition parliamentarians despite the fact that the government invited the mission.

With so many institutions and political actors opposing the visit, it is unclear whether the group’s findings would make any substantial difference except highlighting the cases of missing persons internationally.

The report said it was ‘regretful’ that leaders of higher judiciary (including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry), military hierarchy, intelligence agencies and provincial police departments refused meetings with the group.

It questioned the roles of both the inquiry commission set up by the government to recover missing persons and the judiciary in exerting its authority on the agencies which operate with ‘extreme impunity’.

Though the report avoided levelling any direct allegations, it said in most cases ‘there is a pattern of enforced disappearances, imputable to law enforcement institutions in conjunction with intelligence agencies’.

The report also did not come up with an agreed figure of missing persons in Pakistan.

Quoting some private sources, the group said there were more than 14,000 people missing in Balochistan alone while the government authority put the figure below one hundred.

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

The resolution on factory fires recommended that the provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh form a judicial commission to probe the causes of these incidents.

Members of the house mourned the victims of the fire incidents, and expressed sympathy with their family members. The resolution called for fixing responsibility, especially against the owners of the factories, for ignoring laws pertaining to safety of workers.

“It should also fix responsibility on government servants for not enforcing and implementing relevant rules and laws,” the resolution demanded.

Besides calling for registration of criminal cases against the culprits, the resolution also urged necessary legislation to prevent a repeat of such tragedies.

It also called for providing compensation to the heirs of the victims and the injured.

Blasphemous video

The lower house also condemned an online video containing blasphemous content, a day after protests erupted across the Muslim world and resulted in the death of the US ambassador to Libya.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum called the incident ‘shameful’ and ‘derogatory’ and demanded that YouTube, the platform which hosts the video, remove the 14-minute clip.

Some lawmakers suggested that the government go beyond mere condemnation of the incident, but did not specify how that should be done.

The resolution came on the heels of an overnight condemnation by the foreign ministry, and subsequent government orders to the telecom regulator to block the video in Pakistan.

There were also calls by political parties to hold protest rallies against the video on Friday.

‘Provoking hatred’

Moved by federal law minister, Farooq H Naek, the resolution said the defamatory film, timed with the commemoration of 9/11, provoked hatred within societies and between people of various faiths.

“The event has deeply hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and Muslims all over the world,” it mentioned.

Pakistan is a strong proponent of interfaith harmony and believes all manifestations of extremist tendencies must be opposed, the resolution said.

“What sort of freedom of expression is this … you have been hurting the sentiments of Muslims through such actions continuously,” said Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

If corrective measures are not taken, the unrest would spread throughout the Islamic world, Khan said.

He condemned the killing of the US ambassador in Libya, and said that there should be proportional condemnation for when Muslims are hurt.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) minority member Dr Nelson Azeem called for a ban on the video and said that every Christian in Pakistan condemns this act.

(Read: Insulting one’s faith)

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

“It won’t make any difference,” said Babar about the boycott of members from the opposition party in an uncharacteristic statement.

Babar, who is also the spokesperson for President Asif Ali Zardari, said the commission would ask the National Assembly to grant more time for framing its recommendations once the one-month deadline given to it expired.

Babar said Law Minister Farooq H Naek had briefed the commission about constitutional and legal opinions on the issue after a fresh resolution in the Punjab Assembly seeking to block the commission’s proceedings.

He added that the law ministry had advised the commission to continue its proceedings without any fear of rejection by the court if it was challenged.

Meanwhile, PML-N spokesperson Mushahidullah Khan said his party would consider the constitutional and legal options available to it for blocking the creation of South Punjab province but declined to share the exact strategy.

The PML-N has also decided it will not suspend negotiations with the government to bring in an interim setup despite a deadlock over the composition and scope of the commission.

“These are separate issues. We will not link one with the other,” Mushahidullah told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

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

Tucked away between the border of Bihar and Bengal, Pakistan is a remote village that has survived 65 years of bitter relations that have dominated South Asian history.

It was in the hope that their Muslim friends, who fled during the partition to then-East Pakistan, will return one day that Sikhs and Hindus named their village Pakistan. Finding ‘Pakistan’ in the Indian state of Bihar overwhelmed the parliamentarians.

“If people of a remote village can hope their old friends will return home one day … why can’t we as nations think of peace as the driving force behind our relations?” said Senator Haji Adeel Ahmed, one of the parliamentary delegates from the Awami National Party (ANP).

He added that a people-to-people contact improve ties between India and Pakistan.

“Don’t leave everything on the state and its agency. They have their own self-centred agenda. Let people take the lead and their collective wisdom will guide to the ultimate good,” he said.

Furthermore, the parliamentarians proclaimed that they were ‘pleasantly surprised’ to see how a majority of Indians supported peace between nuclear-armed neighbours.

Even though certain factions on both sides of the border have tried to break down ties between the two nation states, the people of the village still hold on to the hope of seeing their friends.

“This reflects the true feelings of public on both sides. While certain groups have been trying to ignite the flames of hatred here and there, these innocent villagers kept their hopes alive,” said Ahmed.

The villagers say they have sent a message of peace and harmony in naming their village Pakistan.

Even though their migrated friends never returned, the villagers still haven’t given up. Today, their third generation still remembers the occupants of the pre-partition houses which are now in ruins.

Likewise, diplomats remain hopeful. ‘Good things’ are in the pipeline, said one of the top Pakistani diplomats who is aware of the process between the regional giants.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Bengal as Bangladesh. The error is regretted.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2012.

Addressing the media after a rare meeting between the largest opposition party and one of the ruling party’s most important allies, top leaders of the two groups insisted on rising above politics to tackle security and economic challenges presently faced by the country.

The MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar met with PML-N Senators Ishaq Dar and Pervaiz Rasheed, both said to be close aides of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri and Senator Tahir Mashhadi were also part of the MQM delegation that met PML-N leaders at the Punjab House here on Tuesday.

Dr Sattar told journalists the meeting was part of MQM’s initiative to urge all political parties to unite and hold a national conference for addressing economic and security problems. “All parties are responsible for the success and failure of the country.”

He added the PML-N has been invited to visit MQM’s head office at Nine Zero, Karachi, while Senator Dar said the invitation had been accepted and the party’s leadership would visit MQM’s headquarters at an “appropriate time.”

Dar used the post-meeting talk with media as another opportunity to criticise the government, and said Nawaz Sharif had called for a national charter two years ago, but the government did not show any interest in the initiative.

Lauding MQM’s desire to address problems faced by the general public, Dar said though MQM was a coalition partner it still had the critical eye of an opposition party.

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

However, it has finally decided to tighten the noose.

The federal cabinet will take up the draft of amendments in the anti-terrorism laws today (Wednesday), and is likely to approve it before presenting the amended bill in parliament.

Critics say weakness in the prosecution process allows for known terrorists to remain free.

The purpose of amending the existing anti-terrorism laws is to purge them of the loopholes that benefit those arrested on suspicion of terrorism, sources said.

The government had earlier proposed amendments in the laws and a draft bill has been pending before the Senate Committee on Interior for a while.

The committee is headed by Senator Talha Mehmood whose party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has reportedly been against the proposed changes.

The government is also reportedly introducing a Fair Trial Act in parliament that would allow for admission of electronic evidence in the court of law.

The untouchable law

While it plans to plough through a host of laws, including those on anti-terrorism, minority seats and power theft, the government has decided not to touch the blasphemy laws, fearing not just a strong backlash from right-wing circles, but also general fallout from voters in the election year.

The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), at a parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, decided to go ahead with other legislation but dropped the idea of touching the blasphemy laws entirely.

“Majority of the members were of the view that this is a very sensitive issue and touching it at this point could have serious ramifications for the party,” said a PPP legislator.

Minority seats

Meanwhile, the minister in charge of national harmony, Dr Paul Bhatti, said the government’s allies have already assured their support to a bill calling for an increase in minority seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

The bill would need a constitutional amendment, and thus required two-thirds vote from both houses of parliament. Dr Bhatti said he was also talking to opposition parties to garner their support for this amendment.

Talks on interim setup delayed

Scheduled talks between the government and opposition parties to discuss political transition were put off on Tuesday after the PPP sought more time to consult its allies on its choice for caretaker prime minister.

Top negotiators from the ruling PPP and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were due to hold first overt talks to discuss the interim setup after several weeks of back-channel contacts.

The composition and scope of a parliamentary commission to create new provinces was also at the agenda of the meeting that would kick start formal negotiations on an interim administration.

But the PPP informed the PML-N that it could not hold the meeting because one of the delegates — Religious Affairs Minister Khursheed Shah — had been called to Karachi by President Asif Ali Zardari to look into the prospects of holding local government elections in Sindh.

Insiders, however, told The Express Tribune that talks were postponed because the PPP wanted to consult its allies — the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) — before opening negotiations with the main opposition party.

A PML-N official said its team was ready to receive PPP leaders at the Punjab House in Islamabad but was informed about the postponement at the last moment. Both sides were hopeful of holding the meeting again in a couple of days but no new date has been announced so far.

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

Officials said that top negotiators from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would meet to find the “middle ground” on crucial issues.

Federal ministers for religious affairs and defence, Khursheed Shah and Naveed Qamar respectively, will represent the government at the talks. The opposition will be represented by MNA Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Senators Ishaq Dar and Parvez Rashid.

Murree meeting

Fine-tuning opposition demands in a meeting on Monday, the PML-N decided upon the re-composition of the national commission for new provinces to ensure more representation.

Chaired by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, the meeting proposed that the commission should adopt a systematic approach towards the creation of new provinces involving key ground rules.

An insider close to Sharif told The Express Tribune that the PML-N will press for an expansion in the commission’s scope, so that its workings are not just limited to Punjab.

“The idea should be to create provinces all over Pakistan, wherever they are needed,” said the PML-N leader.

The leader added that if the commission was Punjab-specific, PML-N will press that its leadership be handed over to the party, and will ensure that its membership is solely from Punjab.

Province, province everywhere

The PPP wants to make just one new province: South Punjab. However, the PML-N is demanding federation status for the Bahawalpur area, Hazara division, and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

A PML-N leader said that the party’s members would not participate in commission meetings unless the proposals for new provinces are approved.

Talking to media, PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said the PPP was playing politics over the issue of new provinces, and warned it against doing so.

Some other proposals

Tuesday’s meeting between the PPP and PML-N leaders would also begin screening individuals to lead the caretaker set-up.

A draft bill to replace the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) with a similar but milder commission would also be a part of the government-opposition parleys.

The PML-N had won the backing of all other opposition groups for its nomination of a caretaker premier from Balochistan, and would share it with the PPP negotiators, said a PML-N leader.

On its part, the ruling party was tight-lipped about its possible choices for the top slot.

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