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Tackling implications of enhanced security on schoolchildren

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KARACHI: Not far from the barricaded and irksome presence of Bilawal House, a less fortified school in the busy Clifton area has been hosting a series of storytelling sessions for three- to five-year-old children.</div>
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<strong>Tackling implications of enhanced security on schoolchildren</strong></h2>
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<em><strong>By: Atika Rehman</strong></em></div>
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The central character is a schoolchild who asks innocent questions about the increasingly layered security net around him. “Aunty, what is happening outside my school? Why is this put here?” the child asks, pointing to a barricade. “Are you sad today?” the child is asked. “Why are you sad?” “Because there is a big gate outside my school,” he replies. “Why is it up?</div>
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This narration, conducted mostly in Urdu, was a means adopted by The Indus Academy Playschool to enable inquiring young minds to ask questions about the dark December morning when the most vulnerable members of society, schoolchildren, were made deliberate targets. The attack on Peshawar Army School left 131 children dead on Dec 16, last year.</div>
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According to educationalist Mahnaz Jooma, the school administration has been debating how teachers and counsellors will tackle this issue. “There is no explanation for a tragedy like this, but we are trying to lead our students to a point where they can ask a question. If we are asked questions such as ‘was there a bomb attack?’ or ‘were children killed?’, we have to answer them,” said Ms Jooma. “The idea is to try to make our children understand and take away the ugliness and violence,” she added.</div>
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Professor of Psychiatry at the Aga Khan University Hospital Dr Murad Moosa Khan said that being open with children was of supreme importance. “Children must be told why this is happening because they will have questions. There are so many sources of information today that they cannot escape it. It must be dealt with and explained.”</div>
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As parents struggle to tackle with the inherent dread of sending children to school against the reality of the country’s security situation — with some panicked calls for snipers to be stationed on rooftops — several leading private institutions in the city are reluctant to talk openly about security.</div>
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School owners, however, did confirm to Dawn about having received a circular sent by the government that contained recommendations for enhanced security, which included watchtowers, CCTV systems, higher walls and walkie talkies, among others. The checklist was limited to army, navy, police, missionary and “prominent, high profile” schools.</div>
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But Ms Jooma ruled out an overt display of arms. “I will not allow snipers on my roof. I cannot allow visible guns and weaponry… we desentise our children to violence [with gun exposure]. There will come a time when they won’t even notice that there is a gun in the vicinity,” she said.</div>
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But can ‘foolproof security’ really be guaranteed anywhere in the city — and in the country?</div>
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School owners in unison decried what they perceived as government’s disinterest towards security. “We’ve been sent directives and a checklist along with emergency numbers… but will there be somebody at the end of the hotline if we call? What directives have been given to their people?” said Ms Jooma. “It seems that the schools have been given the task to arrange for their own security but it’s all very generic.”</div>
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One private school owner dubbed it a ‘self-help’ society. “We ring up other owners to ask how we can work together.”</div>
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Requesting anonymity for fear of security implications, another school owner said that while the school administration had done what they could to have layers of security, there was little that could be done if the school was targeted. “Do you know the success rate of a terrorist attack? It is 99.9%... what can anyone do if they are targeted? Settle their business?”</div>
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He censured the government’s response to the security problem. “Everything the government is doing is to absolve itself of responsibility. Monday, when school opened, I saw a police patrol go by my school and an officer stationed outside and was quite pleased. Tuesday, there was nothing.”</div>
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The principal of Karachi Grammar School, Colin Wrigley, did not wish to comment on the school’s security arrangements but did say that the strategy had been revised.</div>
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With some rumours regarding ‘panic rooms’ doing the rounds, Mr Wrigely dismissed the idea. “It is certainly something people are discussing but after Peshawar, where terrorists scaled a wall and entered the school, people have realised that if attackers are to get in there is little anyone can do even if there are panic rooms.”</div>
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<strong>Safety measures</strong></div>
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With talk of enhanced security, more security guards and parents in a fright about how secure their child’s school really is, CEO of Pak Security Munir Ahmed said augmented security was costly. “Every school should have a security plan and they should also practise it. As private security professionals we have experts who can give training and plans but of course these cost money,” he said.</div>
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Mr Ahmed said that barbed wire could be up to Rs3,000 per square metre, a CCTV system (with four cameras, one DVR and four channels) would cost about Rs300,000. A cheaper, China-made security gate was priced between Rs150,000 and Rs200,000, while a Garrett metal detector gate — like the ones used at airports — was as costly as nearly Rs500,000, he added.</div>
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To enhance their security, he said, schools should closely monitor entry and exit points and enforce mandatory identification for staff and teachers. “An access control machine, with a turnstile and thumbprint verification system could be for Rs200,000 to Rs400,000 depending on sophistication.”</div>
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“Security companies like mine offer consultancy services, where for Rs20,000 to Rs25,000, an expert surveys the area and advises clients on a complete emergency evacuation and security plan for terror incidents, floods, gas leaks etc,” said Mr Ahmed.</div>
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However, he ruled out the construction of panic rooms, citing that such a measure could be taken only when a building was being built, with exhaust systems incorporated.</div>
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Mr Ahmed referred to a home department meeting held before schools reopened in Karachi. It was attended by heads of major private schools in the city, he said. “The gist of it was ‘we can’t guard every school. You should coordinate with each other and formulate a security plan’,” he said.</div>
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Given the country’s security crisis, and the fear of an attack on ‘soft targets’ since the Peshawar massacre, Ms Jooma lamented, “It is a pity that something as simple as going to school is becoming increasingly complicated.”</div>
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<em>Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2015 : <a data-mce-href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156833/tackling-implications-of-enhanced-security-on-schoolchildren" href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156833/tackling-implications-of-enhanced-security-on-schoolchildren" target="_blank">http://www.dawn.com/news/1156833/tackling-implications-of-enhanced-security-on-schoolchildren</a></em></div>

Tackling implications of enhanced security on schoolchildren

KARACHI: Not far from the barricaded and irksome presence of Bilawal House, a less fortified school in the busy Clifton area has been hosti...

Who is at fault when 62 people die on our roads?

By: Shyema Sajjad<br />
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<b>Too many people in our country have blood on their hands.</b><br />
Too many avoidable deaths occur. Too many lives are lost with no one held accountable.<br />
No, this is not about security lapses or healthcare negligence.<br />
This is also not about street crime or honour killings.<br />
This time it is about what’s going on on our roads, and how no one, once again, seems to care.<br />
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A petrol station employee from Shikarpur had come to Karachi to interview for a job with the Sindh Police. On his way back home in a passenger coach, his biggest concern may have been whether he gets the job or not – he may have been going over his performance in his mind when the crash occurred.<br />
He did not consider a fate far worse than rejection awaiting him.<br />
According to his friend, Saleemullah was one of the ill-fated passengers on the bus that collided with an oil tanker on Saturday on the National Highway. Sixty-two people were killed – burnt beyond recognition.<br />
A nine-member family wiped out.<br />
A woman with the remains of six children stuck to her – gone.<br />
Accepting the death of a loved one is hard enough – trying to identify their charred remains must be far, far harder.<br />
But, perhaps, what may be the hardest thing to deal with is accepting the fact that no one will be held accountable for this preventable road accident – until eventually, it becomes a matter of ‘God’s will’.<br />
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Aren’t the lives lost to terrorism enough for this country to deal with? Can’t other deaths be avoided? Especially those caused on the roads?While fighting terrorists and curbing deaths caused by them may be too complicated for our government to manage, enforcing transport laws should really not be that hard.<br />
<em>Also read: Bad road, no warning signs caused fatal Khairpur bus crash: police</em><br />
The state of the majority of roads in Pakistan today remains deplorable and hardly any traffic laws are enforced.<br />
Buses whizzing by are usually packed beyond capacity with half a dozen passengers hanging out of the vehicles.<br />
Drivers always seem to be in a race against time and are often found competing with another bus or driving down the wrong direction just to save time or score more passengers.<br />
Nobody other than a constable stops them every now and then while on the hunt for a little ‘<em>chai pani</em>’.<br />
Just like the healthcare and educational sector of the country, the transport sector too needs a complete overhaul.<br />
It needs to focus on building safer roads, creating emergency rescue systems for highways and most of all, enforcing basic traffic rules and fining drivers when these rules are broken.<br />
Special training and instructions need to be given to heavy vehicles carrying oil and a system needs to be developed in order to keep the speed of passenger buses in check.<br />
But this might be too much work for a department that probably is used to brushing incidents such as these under the rug.<br />
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Sixty-two people burnt in a matter of minutes is not a small tragedy. It is an enormous one – and it happens too often. A bullet may not have killed these people, but they too died because someone was not doing their job right.<br />
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Natural occurrences such as landslides and rain can cause ‘accidents’ on the roads – anything else is usually someone’s fault.<br />
Who is at fault when 62 people die on our roads?<br />
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First Published: <a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156965/who-is-at-fault-when-62-people-die-on-our-roads">http://www.dawn.com/news/1156965/who-is-at-fault-when-62-people-die-on-our-roads</a>

Who is at fault when 62 people die on our roads?

By: Shyema Sajjad Too many people in our country have blood on their hands. Too many avoidable deaths occur. Too many lives are lost ...

Divorced daughter, unmarried sister entitled to pension

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LAHORE: The Punjab government, on the directions of the Punjab Ombudsman, has amended the Punjab Pension Rules, which provide that divorced daughter and unmarried sister of a deceased government employee will also be entitled to family pension till life after his widow, infants and unmarried daughters.</div>
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The Punjab Finance Department has issued the amended notification and sent its copies to administrative secretaries, heads of the attached departments, district coordination officers, Lahore High Court, accountant general of Punjab, district advisers of the ombudsman of Punjab and the district accounts officers for compliance with effect from May 15, 2013.</div>
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Samina Gulnar Khanam, and Zubaida Bibi, divorced daughters of deceased government employees Fazal Husain and Abdul Rahim, lodged applications with the ombudsman that they had no regular source of income after the death of the their father and the payment of family pension was also stopped as they were not entitled for the same as per existing rules although they were dependent on their families.</div>
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In similar applications to the ombudsman, Sakina Begum and Ata Bibi, unmarried sisters of the late Shafqat Ara, and the late Hajira Begum, saying they were dependent on their sisters who were government employees but payment of pension was stopped with their death.</div>
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Punjab Ombudsman Javed Mahmood directed Punjab Mohtasib Pension Cell In Charge Wazir Ahmad Qureshi to probe the issue and submit appropriate amendments in existing rules.</div>
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The ombudsman learned as per finance department’s notification in 2013, the divorced daughter was entitled for grant of family pension till her re-marriage.</div>
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The ombudsman observed that the widowed daughters and unmarried sisters of the deceased pensioners’ civil servant, wholly dependent and residing with the deceased pensioners, do face the similar agonies and miseries as the widowed daughter and unmarried sister.</div>
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Divorced daughters and unmarried sisters are left with no regular income to support their livelihood, health care and social society after the death of father and brother.</div>
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The ombudsman said articles 9 and 38 of the Constitution made the state responsible to provide basic necessities of life such as food, housing, education and medical relief to citizens.</div>
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The inclusion of widowed daughter in the amended notification of May 15, 2013 for the grant of family pension justified the implementation of the provisions of Constitution.</div>
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The case of divorced daughter and unmarried sisters tended to commensurate with the case of widowed daughter, which is prohibited under the provisions of article 25 of the Constitution.</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Published in Dawn January 15th , 2015</em></div>

Divorced daughter, unmarried sister entitled to pension

LAHORE: The Punjab government, on the directions of the Punjab Ombudsman, has amended the Punjab Pension Rules, which provide that divorced...

This ISPR tribute to Peshawar's lost children will move you to tears

<span style="color: #444444; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24.0000610351563px;">As children began returning to schools across Pakistan weeks after the siege of Peshawar's Army Public School, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a poignant musical tribute to commemorate the 131 children slain last month in the horrific attack.</span><br />
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With a young child’s voice lending melody to the lyrics, the song which was released on Monday conveys a message from a slain child to extremists in response to the massacre. The message is one of conviction and resilience; that the children cannot be frightened anymore.</div>
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The main verse of the song is also packed with emotion:</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Main aisi qoum se hoon jis kay woh bachon se darta hai … Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">I am from a nation whose children frighten him… Some enemy he is, he who targets children</em></div>
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The attack on the school resulted in widespread condemnation from national and international quarters with the government quickly scrambling into action. A National Action Plan was then developed in order to tackle the growing problem; the premier lifted the moratorium on capital punishment and the army chief rushed to Kabul to tie up with the Afghan security establishment in order to effectively tackle cross border attacks.</div>
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On the day of the attack, DG ISPR Major-General Asim Bajwa in a tweet quoted the army chief as saying that the terrorists had struck at "the heart" of Pakistan:</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Aside from paying tribute to the lost lives, the song enunciates a direct message to the proponents of extremism that while 131 children were brutally deprived of their lives, their legacy remains alive and so do their friends and members of their families who will continue to study, struggle for justice on their behalf and make a difference in their varying, respective capacities.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Focused on the idea that a war should never be against children, the lyrics of the song were penned by ISPR officials.</span></div>
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The three-and-a-half minute long video shows the downcast but determined faces of children singing and holding posters that display slogans of conviction and solidarity. Some are shown returning to the school after it closed down owing to what is regarded as one of the worst acts of violence in Pakistan’s history.</div>
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The video ends with a principal welcoming the students back to school as they arrive in a school auditorium.</div>
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Following are some reactions to the song:</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 1.57143rem; line-height: 1.15;">Complete lyrics and translation</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bata kia puchta hai woh, kitabon mein miloon ga mein</em></div>
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What is he searching for, I live on in books</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kiye maa se hain jo maine kiye waadon mein miloon ga mein</em></div>
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I will be found in the promises I made to my mother</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Main aaney wala kal hoon woh mujhe kyun aaj marey gaa</em></div>
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I am the future, how can he slay me today?</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ye uska vehem hoga kay woh aisey khwaab marey ga</em></div>
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He has to be delusional if he believes he can kill such dreams</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tumhara khoon hoon na isliye acha lara hoon mein</em></div>
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I am your blood, hence I’ve fought valiantly</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bata aya hoon dushman ko kay us se to bara hoon mein</em></div>
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I have proven to the enemy that I am greater than him</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Main aisi qoum se hoon jiske woh bachon se darta hai</em></div>
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I am from a nation whose children frighten him</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai</em></div>
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Some enemy he is, he who targets children</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">To jab atey hue mujhko galey tumne lagaya tha</em></div>
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So when you hugged me as I departed</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Amanallah kahan mujhko mera beta bulaya tha</em></div>
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You did not call me Amanallah, my son</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Khuda kay amn ki raah mein kahan se agaya tha woh</em></div>
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How did he cross into God’s path of peace</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Jahan tum choomti theen maa wahan tak agaya tha woh</em></div>
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He came as far as the spot where you used to kiss me, mother</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Main aisi qoum se hoon jiske woh bachon se darta hai</em></div>
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I am from a nation whose children frighten him</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai</em></div>
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Some enemy he is, he who targets children</div>

This ISPR tribute to Peshawar's lost children will move you to tears

As children began returning to schools across Pakistan weeks after the siege of Peshawar's Army Public School, the Inter-Services Public...

Two more convicts hanged in Lahore and Karachi

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KARACHI/LAHORE: Two more condemned prisoners including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi activist Mohammad Saeed alias Maulvi and Zahid alias Zahidu have been hanged at Karachi central prison and Kot Lakhpat jail, Lahore, respectively, on Wednesday morning.</div>
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An anti-terrorism court in Karachi had found Saeed guilty for shooting deputy superintendent of police (retd) Syed Sabir Hussain Shah and his young son Syed Abid Hussain Shah.</div>
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He was awarded death sentence in April 2001. Saeed had killed both his victims in an ambush near the Malir City railway crossing.</div>
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Both Sabir Hussain and his son were reportedly killed on sectarian grounds, whereas Saeed is said to be associated with the bannedLashkar-e-Jhangvi outfit.</div>
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An anti-terrorism court had issued black warrants for his execution on January 03, 2015.</div>
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Zahid Hussain alias Zahidu was awarded death sentence by an anti-terrorism court in 2004 for killing a policeman in Multan in 2002.<br />
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Earlier on Jan 7, Lahore High Court chief justice had dismissed a petition which sought directions to restrain an anti-terrorism court from issuing death warrants for Zahid Husain.</div>
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Hussain through his counsel had pleaded that as he had reached a compromise with legal heirs of the victim, Ghulam Husain, so the trial court should be restrained from issuing his death warrants.</div>
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A provincial law officer told the court that the trial court had handed down capital punishment to Zahid Husain under provisions of Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) and added that the offences falling under the ATA were not compoundable.</div>
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The chief justice had then dismissed the petition for being non-maintainable.</div>
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Mercy appeals of both convicts have been turned down by the President Mamnoon Hussain.</div>
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Strict security measures were taken outside the jails in Lahore and Karachi. Besides heavy contingent of police, army and rangers personnel were deployed in and outside the premises of jails.</div>
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So far, 19 death row prisoner have been executed, since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted the moratorium on death penalty on December 17, 2014, a day after the Army Public School, Peshawar carnage took place. A moratorium on the death penalty had been in place unofficially since 2008.</div>
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First Published : <a data-mce-href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1157159/two-more-convicts-hanged-in-lahore-and-karachi" href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1157159/two-more-convicts-hanged-in-lahore-and-karachi" target="_blank">http://www.dawn.com/news/1157159/two-more-convicts-hanged-in-lahore-and-karachi</a></div>

Two more convicts hanged in Lahore and Karachi

KARACHI/LAHORE: Two more condemned prisoners including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi activist Mohammad Saeed alias Maulvi and Zahid alias Zahidu have b...

Lab tests show polio vaccine is not ‘Haram’

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ISLAMABAD: It is official. The polio vaccine being used to fight the crippling disease in our Islamic state is Halal.</div>
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A laboratory controlled by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has tested the vaccine and certified that, according to information gathered by Dawn from official sources and documents.</div>
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Officials of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) said polio vaccines were registered in the country only after the expert committee on biological drugs and the Drug Registration Board of DRAP “thoroughly evaluated” them.</div>
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Yet, many parents refuse the vaccination to their children under the notion that it is Haram.</div>
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Anti-polio campaign documents say the notion has been persisting since 2004 when obscurantist elements in the society spread the concoction that certain human hormones were deliberately added to the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to make children sterile.</div>
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Sadly, many polio workers paid with their lives or limbs for daring to carry on the battle against the disease.</div>
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But worse was the reversal that the battle against polio suffered as simple folks refused the vaccine, more out of fear of the obscurantist elements and the outlawed Taliban than the logic of their concocted claims.</div>
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This disturbing trend gained great strength, particularly in the tribal areas, after the revelations that it was a false hepatitis vaccine programme conducted by Pakistani physician Shakil Afridi in the neighbourhood of Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad that helped the American CIA to hunt down and kill the al Qaeda leader in May 2011.</div>
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In June 2012, the Taliban banned polio vaccination in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). And the vaccine became ‘Haram’ and unwanted even for the people not sympathetic to the Taliban.</div>
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Since then, new polio cases have risen to record 300, earning Pakistan the notoriety of being “the hub of polio virus”.</div>
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Misconception of ‘Haram’ played havoc with anti-polio programme and took lives of many polio workers</h4>
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Officials said in a bid to erase the misconceived ‘Haram’ tag, three vaccine lots - MONO OPV1 Batch No. 132719 manufactured by Novartis, Italy; Polio Sabin Batch No. AOP4A393AA and Batch No. AOPVB996BA, both manufactured by GSK, Belgium, were sent to National Control Laboratory for Biologicals (NCLB) in Islamabad for testing.</div>
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Director NCLB Abdul Samad Khan certified that the samples were tested using methods that detected the human hormones in minute quantities. OPV dose is two drops and in this quantity none of the six possible hormones detected - not even at concentration as low as 0.0005mg.</div>
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The NCLB report showed that the samples passed the viral activity and sterility tests with no detectable level of human hormones.</div>
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Related documents contained answers to the frequently asked questions. They say the question generally asked is if the OPV contained hormones estrogen and progesterone that may cause infertility. None of the two hormones was detected.</div>
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Another question asked is that OPV is produced in monkey kidney cells and can become the cause of different diseases. The answer given is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) thoroughly discussed the parameters for the production of polio vaccine and found no virus in the vaccine which could cause a disease.</div>
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Still another question usually asked is that why OPV is not produced in Pakistan? The answer is that polio vaccine was manufactured in the country from 1980 to 2003 from imported concentrate using old formulation of six drops per dose.</div>
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That vaccine was difficult to administer and often spilled outside the mouth of a child. The present vaccine is two drops per dose, is more stable and easy to administer.</div>
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Though polio vaccine can be manufactured locally as before, but in the near future OPV will be replaced with an injectable one. So it is preferable to import the vaccine.</div>
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At present, only Indonesia, Belgium, India, Italy and France manufacture OPV.</div>
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Pakistan purchases the vaccine from manufacturers prequalified by the WHO, which also inspects the manufacturing and testing laboratories.</div>
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Though there is no need to test the quality of the vaccine, it can be, and occasionally is, tested locally for safety, say the documents.</div>
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Medical specialist and vice chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Dr Javed Akram agreed that there was no need to do lab test because the vaccine was made by genetic engineering in which DNA of virus was taken and multiplied.</div>
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“Genetic engineering has nothing to do with Halal and Haram,” he said, hoping that the sceptics would put more confidence in the vaccine after the report and start vaccinating their children.</div>
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National Manager Expanded Programme on Immunisation Rana Safdar hoped that the report would satisfy the religious elements who had been objecting to the polio vaccination.</div>
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“We conducted a campaign in collaboration with the International Islamic University to convince religious objectors that polio vaccine is Halal. Still now and then face criticism that vaccine is manufactured out of the country and WHO is also not a Pakistani organisation,” he said.</div>
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“We have always been clear about the potency, efficacy and safety of the vaccine and now that the lab tests have declared the same, the religious stigma should go away,” he said.</div>
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<em>Published in Dawn January 14th , 2015</em></div>

Lab tests show polio vaccine is not ‘Haram’

ISLAMABAD: It is official. The polio vaccine being used to fight the crippling disease in our Islamic state is Halal. A laboratory co...

SHC seeks govt comments on Superhighway tragedy

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KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to submit their replies on the recent Superhighway traffic tragedy that claimed over 60 lives.</div>
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The chief justice issued the directions on a letter addressed to him by the brother of a lawyer who was among the accident victims.</div>
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The chief justice converted the letter into a constitution petition and fixed its hearing for Wednesday (today).</div>
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Khalid H. Abbasi wrote to the chief justice that his brother, Advocate Mohammed Yasin Ahmeddin, and his family were also travelling in the bus and their bodies were lying at the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth.</div>
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He said there was fire tenders of Pakistan Steel Mills near the place of the accident but the PSM administration declined to give any assistance.</div>
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Mr Abbasi said there was acute shortage of fire tenders and the laws in this regard were not updated by the provincial government. He said the fire station at the nearby Cattle Colony (Bhains Colonly) remained open from 9am to 5pm.</div>
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The victim lawyer’s brother asked the court to order judicial enquiry into the matter and take action against the officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and others for their grave negligence.</div>
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He informed the chief justice that the victims’ families were waiting for the bodies of their near and dear ones, but the matter was being delayed due to DNA test of the victims.</div>
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The petitioner also asked the court to direct the officials of the NHA, the provincial government and Karachi Municipal Corporation to explain as to why the tragic incident occurred and no measures were taken to save the victims.</div>
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He also requested the SHC to order the authorities concerned to pay reasonable compensation to the victims’ families.</div>
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<em>Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2015 :<a data-mce-href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156826/shc-seeks-govt-comments-on-superhighway-tragedy" href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156826/shc-seeks-govt-comments-on-superhighway-tragedy" target="_blank"> http://www.dawn.com/news/1156826/shc-seeks-govt-comments-on-superhighway-tragedy</a></em></div>

SHC seeks govt comments on Superhighway tragedy

KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to submit their replies on the recent S...

Amid whispers of Charlie Hebdo, French Bazaar raises funds for APS in Karachi

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KARACHI: Soft winter sun on our backs, 'Ballad du Paris' playing softly in the background, and the aroma of freshly baked quiches and baguettes in the air had a way of transforming the lush greens of Alliance Française de Karachi to Place de la Concorde on Sunday morning.</div>
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The ladies of the Karachi Accueil Association (French Speaking Women’s Association) have been arranging <em>bazaars</em> like these since 2012 and they were behind this particular cultural transcendence as well. The association has played an integral role in introducing French language, life and culture to Karachiites for the last 35 years.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Knsxa3QpFnLJGun3LmuNXbQ2EI1pACd_nAgnsAyj4jQYgOk1VFG7awZMHI7To8Tczfs0Gxe9eNgVVYnqWft9SQCRrjWbTCxcJS8DSj9lV4joroyk8rUEgEqq2V7zcpIf6j2cO7BY4RI/s1600/23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stalls at Alliance Française de Karachi. – Photo by author" border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Knsxa3QpFnLJGun3LmuNXbQ2EI1pACd_nAgnsAyj4jQYgOk1VFG7awZMHI7To8Tczfs0Gxe9eNgVVYnqWft9SQCRrjWbTCxcJS8DSj9lV4joroyk8rUEgEqq2V7zcpIf6j2cO7BY4RI/s1600/23.jpg" title="Stalls at Alliance Française de Karachi. – Photo by author" width="640" /></a></div>
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Despite the fresh produce/assortment of cheese on sale and the fashionable ladies in attendance, a sense of melancholy pervaded the fair.</div>
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It's been a hard few weeks for the Pakistanis and the French and it was made only tougher for the organisers when a strike was called out last minute by the MQM on the same day as the event. Perhaps that's why most stalls stayed unmanned and the crisp white garden chairs remained just as crisp all morning.</div>
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The thin crowds were made up of French and Pakistani guests who started their strolls by first sprinkling roses on the grass against a black backdrop.</div>
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The stall 'Donate a prayer', managed by Leila Khan, the daughter of Seemi Khan, President of Accueil Association, was in remembrance of the Peshawar tragedy.</div>
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"It's a way to remind the guests that the proceeds from this event are funding a scholarship for deserving students in the names of victims of the Peshawar attack," said Sahyra Qamar Sultan who has been a member of the Karachi Accueil for the last 10 years.</div>
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Every now and then, there were murmurs about the Charlie Hebdo massacre, but when attendees were asked to comment publicly, very few were willing to take the bait.</div>
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"We thought of delaying the event since it was so close to the tragedy. But life must go on. And especially events like these must happen regardless of the situation as they are for a good cause," said Sultan who calls herself a brown French.</div>
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When asked if she's tempted to head back and live the comfortable expat life in France, Sultan said: "This is home for us. Here we can see ourselves making a real difference."</div>
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The stalls were mostly run by local artisans and NGOs such as Behbud, Deaf Reach and Al-Mehrab Tibbi Imdad, and displayed everything from ceramics, scarves, shoes and <em>saris</em> to cards, pottery and quilts.</div>
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Many of the students from the schools run by these non-profits were attending the event to help sell their art.</div>
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"I made this myself," a girl in a wheelchair told me, pointing proudly to a bright orange hair ornament. "We are exceptional children and all of these things you see here today have been designed by us."</div>
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It's by midday that the gardens really start filling up. Ayesha Khan, who manages the RRBK School in Landhi, says: "What you see here at the event behind all the gated walls, this openness and safety, that's how all of Karachi used to look like in my times. I tell my kids that they have been born in an unfortunate time."</div>
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Fazila Dada, a housewife, who sits with her bags of shopping, eating a delicious Tarte Tatin said, "No matter what happens, Karachi cannot be dull or dead. Events like these help us come together and recover just a little from the pain."</div>
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With a ticket price of Rs350, it's easy for some in the city to recuperate and enjoy a slice of the Parisian life.</div>

Amid whispers of Charlie Hebdo, French Bazaar raises funds for APS in Karachi

KARACHI: Soft winter sun on our backs, 'Ballad du Paris' playing softly in the background, and the aroma of freshly baked quiches a...

Another polio case confirmed

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KARACHI: Another child was confirmed with the crippling poliovirus in Sindh on Tuesday, officials said.</div>
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The officials in the provincial health department said they had sent stool samples of 10-month-old Abdul Aleem, son of Abdul Haq, hailing from Naushahro Feroze, to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, for confirmation late last year.</div>
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The result of the examination was received by the provincial authorities on Tuesday morning, confirming that the child was another victim of the crippling disease.</div>
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With this case, the officials said, the provincial toll for 2014 increased to 30 while Pakistan’s polio cases went beyond 300 with six more cases pending confirmation.</div>
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The child’s family resided in Ghanghro union council of Kandiaro taluka , the officials said.</div>
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The boy was not inoculated against polio in nationwide polio campaigns but was vaccinated thrice during special drives, they added.</div>
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Five more cases — two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as many from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and one from Punjab — were also confirmed by the NIH, Islamabad.</div>
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His right leg has been affected by polio, according to officials.</div>
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The officials said all the cases were pending since December 2014 thus bringing the last year’s total tally to 303. Fata endured the greatest brunt of the disease with 177 cases followed by 69 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 30 from Sindh, 23 from Balochistan and four from Punjab.</div>
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<em>Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2015 : <a data-mce-href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156832/another-polio-case-confirmed" href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156832/another-polio-case-confirmed" target="_blank">http://www.dawn.com/news/1156832/another-polio-case-confirmed</a></em></div>

Another polio case confirmed

KARACHI: Another child was confirmed with the crippling poliovirus in Sindh on Tuesday, officials said. The officials in the provincial...

Govt ponders over issue of madressah financing

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ISLAMABAD: A meeting convened on Tuesday to review the implementation of the National Action Plan against terrorism and extremism was confronted by the mammoth challenge of checking the funding of seminaries that is mainly channelled through unconventional means.</div>
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Chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the meeting held discussion on ways and means to put in place an effective mechanism for the monitoring of foreign financing for madressahs, which is said to come primarily from Middle Eastern countries, an official present at the meeting told Dawn.</div>
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Firstly, the meeting was told, there was need to take brotherly Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE, into confidence on NAP and its stated objectives. This is essential because according to government’s own agencies, these countries are the primary financiers of seminaries in Pakistan. The meeting resolved to meet ambassadors of these countries and obtain their input on how they could choke the unregulated transfer of money to religious schools, particularly those that have established links with proscribed organisations.</div>
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One of the suggestions floated during the huddle to keep a check on sources of funding was making annual audit of madressahs mandatory under the supervision of government agencies. “We can make seminaries statutorily responsible to declare all sources of funding, but it will require a major exercise to bring religio-political parties on board over this plan,” a participant of the meeting was quoted as saying.</div>
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Besides working on administrative and legislative measures to control the financing of madressahs, the government must launch a media campaign to educate the public on how they should donate money only to those seminaries which had a clean slate.</div>
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However, the Ittehad-i-Tanzeemat-i-Madaris (ITM), which claims to have around 25,000 madressahs running under five different wafaqs representing different sects, does not seem happy with the government’s latest initiative.</div>
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Talking to Dawn, ITM General Secretary Mufti Muneebur Rehman criticised the government for “unnecessarily” raising the issue of seminary financing. Asked if the ITM would cooperate with the government in the implementation of NAP, Mr Rehman quipped: “How can a government which itself is surviving on foreign funding check others doing the same.”</div>
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However, in the same breath, he clarified that none of their seminaries received funding directly from abroad, and said “we regularly have audits by registered chartered firms”.</div>
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Abdul Qudoos, spokesperson for the Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia — the umbrella body for seminaries of the Deobandi school of thought with about 18,000 seminaries working under it — explained that their main source of funding was donations from locals, insisting that they disapproved of foreign donations as a policy.</div>
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Mr Qudoos accepted that a considerable amount of money came from overseas Pakistanis, but “as far as foreign governments are concerned, we absolutely don’t receive any assistance from them”.</div>
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Echoing the ITM general secretary’s concerns, Mr Qudoos also asked the government to come clean on its proposed policy for madressah regulation and categorically pinpoint seminaries which had connections with other countries.</div>
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The issue of funding for seminaries has long been in discussion, but successive governments have failed to put a workable solution in place. A former government official who had worked on similar lines told Dawn that the main issue was that of political will, which past governments seemed to lack.</div>
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Talking about the present government, he said: “In recent memory, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan unveiled a historic internal security policy, but within months it was consigned to the dustbin. One can only wish that this time it’s serious about the NAP”.</div>
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He also pointed out there were multiple ways of receiving funds from abroad, but what the government could do was to find out how much money a madressah spends and then verify its source of funds.</div>
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First Published :<a data-mce-href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156907/govt-ponders-over-issue-of-madressah-financing" href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156907/govt-ponders-over-issue-of-madressah-financing" target="_blank"> http://www.dawn.com/news/1156907/govt-ponders-over-issue-of-madressah-financing</a></div>

Govt ponders over issue of madressah financing

ISLAMABAD: A meeting convened on Tuesday to review the implementation of the National Action Plan against terrorism and extremism was con...

Govt to act against ‘violent banned outfits’ only

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ISLAMABAD: Of the nearly 72 organisations and outfits that have been declared ‘proscribed’, only a handful are likely to face action in the coming days as part of the government’s impending crackdown on terrorists and militant groups, sources in the interior ministry told Dawn.<br />
The sources say that the government’s focus, at least in the initial stages, would be on organisations which had taken up arms against the state. Such organisations will not be allowed to operate on Pakistani soil anymore and members of such groups who are known to be involved in violent activities will be arrested, an official in the interior ministry told Dawn.<br />
“Following their arrest and interrogation, such individuals will be produced before military courts for trial under a defined procedure,” he said.<br />
The official confirmed that groups which had claimed responsibility for recent terrorist attacks would be proceeded against, but refused to give any details.<br />
He said the provinces had been asked to develop a “multi-faceted process of scrutiny” whereby cases would be sent to military courts, adding that the methodology would be fine-tuned by his ministry.<br />
<strong>Benign groups?</strong><br />
It is believed that most banned organisations do not have militant wings and the ministry has no plans to act against such groups. In addition, the ministry’s official said, it was ‘not advisable’ to simultaneously act against all banned outfits.<br />
The provinces had been asked to identify outlawed outfits and keep an eye on key operatives. They will also be looking into groups that have re-emerged under different names after their original incarnation was banned by the government.<br />
The official told Dawn that individuals who faced criminal charges under the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act would be monitored closely. Under the law, he added, such persons were supposed to report to a police station before travelling to any other city, as well as intimating their date of return. He said such people were also required to report to the police station concerned in the city they are travelling to, but admitted that this provision had scarcely been enforced in the past.<br />
Although he did not offer specifics on which organisations were regarded as being an immediate threat, the official said a comprehensive assessment was being carried out to ascertain how many of the 72 were active and how many were operating under changed names.<br />
The National Counter-Terrorism Authority’s National Coordinator Hamid Ali Khan could not be contacted to get his point of view.<br />
The government’s list features organisations such as Al Qaeda, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and some of its factions, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Bajaur, Tehreek-i-Taliban Mohmand and Tehreek-i-Taliban Swat. Then there are organisations whose names reflect their inherently militant nature, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, Balochistan Republican Army, Balochistan United Army, United Baloch Army, Balochistan Bunyad Parast Army, the 313 Brigade and the Abdullah Azzam brigade, among others.<br />
When asked about banned outfits that had taken part in the last general elections, he said a new procedure was being devised for registration of political parties.<br />
At least 40 candidates from the outlawed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, including its chief, Ahmad Ludhianvi, had taken part in the 2013 general elections.<br />
Former Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah met Ludhianvi more than once prior to the 2013 elections and justified his meetings by saying that members of the Jamaatud Dawa and Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan were not terrorists.<br />
However, the official avoided commenting on political parties which were said to have links with banned outfits.<br />
In June 2010, Ludhianvi even claimed that at least 25 PPP MNAs had won the 2008 general elections with his party’s support.</div>
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Govt to act against ‘violent banned outfits’ only

ISLAMABAD: Of the nearly 72 organisations and outfits that have been declared ‘proscribed’, only a handful are likely to face action in...

No safe haven for Pindi’s Shias: Coping with loss of their best so

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Police officers stand guard at the site of Friday’s suicide bombing outside the imambargah in Rawalpindi. — AP</div>
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RAWALPINDI: Even to someone who has lived in Chittian Hattian all their life, the neighbourhood was unrecognisable on Saturday morning. The hazy day seemed to reflect the gloomy mood of the area and from the confines of the houses packed next to each other, the sounds of silent sobbing betrayed the tragedy of what had befallen this quiet neighbourhood the night before.<br />
Friday’s deadly attack claimed the lives of two members of the same family, and deprived the community of four of its best sons and community activists.<br />
Haider Kazmi, the father of a one-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, was a regional manager at a local private bank. He was also the nephew of Ibne Rizvi – who is the central leader of PPP dissident group led by Naheed Khan.<br />
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<h4>
In the aftermath of the Ashura violence of 2013, the relative peace of the garrison city has been shattered by a spate of attacks and targeted sectarian killings. While Sunnis have also been targeted in such cases, the Shia community has borne the brunt of the losses. Friday’s bombing of Imambargah Abu Rizvia is a frightening wakeup call for the security apparatus, which seems to be oblivious to the simmering tensions.</h4>
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Haider had come to his grandfather’s house for the Milad ceremony, but ended up saving many other lives when he intercepted a suspicious looking man on a motorcycle moments before the explosion ripped through the congregation.<br />
“Haider was known for finishing his work early. Now that he’s gone, we realise that he was always in a hurry,” said Ibne Rizvi, with his eyes bloodshot and tears streaming down his cheeks.<br />
“We already lost so many people in these attacks; four new martyrs have been added to the list. Police are investigating but we don’t know whether the killers and conspirators will ever be arrested or not,” he said.<br />
The family also lost another son in Ali Mehdi Zaidi. Ali and Haider were cousins, and Ali also had a one-year-old son. Ali’s father was also among those wounded in the attack, and is currently said to be in critical condition at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital.<br />
Qasim Shah, the custodian of the Imambargah Master Jabbar, located two streets down from Imambargah Abu Muhammad Rizvia, also perished in Friday’s bombing. He was attending the Milad as per family tradition.<br />
Javed Zaidi was the most prominent social worker of his community. Known and loved by all in the neighbourhood, he ran a private supply firm. “He was always ready to help the poor and his neighbours. He was a thorough gentleman and a dedicated social worker,” said Shujaat Haider Naqvi, one of Javed Zaidi’s neighbours.<br />
“People would always invite Javed to their functions and he helped everyone without caring for their caste, sect or creed,” said Attiqueur Rehman, a shopkeeper from the street where Javed lived.<br />
<em>Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2015: <a data-mce-href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156275/no-safe-haven-for-pindis-shias-coping-with-loss-of-their-best-sons" href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1156275/no-safe-haven-for-pindis-shias-coping-with-loss-of-their-best-sons" target="_blank">http://www.dawn.com/news/1156275/no-safe-haven-for-pindis-shias-coping-with-loss-of-their-best-sons</a></em></div>

No safe haven for Pindi’s Shias: Coping with loss of their best so

Police officers stand guard at the site of Friday’s suicide bombing outside the imambargah in Rawalpindi. — AP RAWALPINDI: Even ...

Fatal crash between bus, oil tanker leaves 57 dead near Karachi

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KARACHI: A deadly road accident between an oil tanker and passenger coach late Saturday night left at least 57 dead with scores wounded as both vehicles caught fire.</div>
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“We have received more than 57 dead bodies but the death toll may rise as most of them are completely burnt and stuck to each other,” Doctor Semi Jamali at Karachi's Jinnah hospital said.</div>
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Jamali said the bodies of at least six children were stuck to women who may have been their mothers, adding it was impossible to separate the remains.</div>
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“They are beyond recognition, they can only be identified by DNA test,” she said.</div>
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The bus was en route to Shikarpur from Karachi on the Super Highway Link Road when an oncoming oil tanker crashed into it head on.</div>
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Police sources said that the vehicles caught fire upon colliding, and that passengers sitting atop the bus jumped off to save themselves.</div>
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According to Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui, the crash was the result of negligence on the part of the oil tanker driver. Due to the presence of petrol, Siddiqui said the flames were difficult to control.</div>
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One survivor said that the passenger bus was overcrowded, a common practice amongst local public transport operators in the absence of safety regulations.</div>
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Pakistan has an appalling record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. Crashes killing dozens of people are not uncommon.</div>
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Close to 9,000 road accidents are reported to the police every year since 2011, killing over 4,500 people on average, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).</div>
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In November last year, 58 people died in a bus crash in Karachi owing to the poor condition of roads.</div>
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In April, a bus smashed into a tractor-trailer in a high-speed collision in Sindh, killing 42 people, while in March a horrific crash between two buses and a petrol tanker left 35 dead, with many burned alive when the fuel ignited.</div>
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The mountainous areas of Kashmir and the north, where drivers career around narrow hairpin bends over deep ravines with scant regard for safety, are particularly prone to accidents.</div>

Fatal crash between bus, oil tanker leaves 57 dead near Karachi

KARACHI: A deadly road accident between an oil tanker and passenger coach late Saturday night left at least 57 dead with scores wounded a...

Magistrate postpones Akram Lahori’s execution

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<strong>LAHORE: Akramul Haq alias Akram Lahori is scheduled to be executed today at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore but his lawyers moved to get a stay order against the execution just hours before the scheduled time.</strong></div>
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According to reports, his counsel and brother of Ikramul Haq reached the jail hours before the hanging and submitted the pardon by the aggrieved party’ to stay the execution hours before the scheduled time.</div>
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They said Akram Lahori was someone else and that there was only one murder case against Akramul Haq.</div>
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Lahori was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 by a special anti-terrorism court of Faisalabad over charges of murdering an innocent citizen.</div>
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His death warrants were issued on Monday which were to be acted upon today in Lahore but execution was postponed after the pardon by the aggrieved party was shown to the magistrate.</div>

Magistrate postpones Akram Lahori’s execution

LAHORE: Akramul Haq alias Akram Lahori is scheduled to be executed today at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore but his lawyers moved to get a sta...

Musharraf treason case adjourned to Feb 18

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<strong>RAWALPINDI: A special court hearing the treason case against former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Thursday adjourned the hearing to Feb 18.</strong></div>
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A three-member court, headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court (SHC), resumed the hearing during which Musharraf’s lawyer Faisal Chaudry presented his arguments.</div>
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The prosecuting lawyer pleaded to the bench that while the decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against Musharraf may stand, the special court be allowed to function.</div>
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To this, Justice Faisal Arab said, “After the Nov 21 decision of the IHC, how can proceedings continue?”.</div>
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On Nov 21, the special court hearing the treason case against Musharraf had included Aziz, Hamid and former CJ Dogar as Musharraf’s abettors in the treason trial.</div>
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<em>Take a look: Special court partially okays trial of Musharraf’s abettors</em></div>
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The order had come as the court disposed of a request filed by the former president calling for the trial of abettors during the November 3 actions.</div>
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Musharraf had also demanded that the civilian leadership and the military authorities that allegedly abetted in the imposition of the November 3, 2007 emergency should also be tried along with him.</div>
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In the ‘high treason’ case against the former president, the government has charged Musharraf with abrogating, subverting, suspending, holding in abeyance and attempting to conspire against the 1973 Constitution by declaring emergency and overthrowing the superior judiciary in November 2007.</div>

Musharraf treason case adjourned to Feb 18

RAWALPINDI: A special court hearing the treason case against former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Thursday adjourned the ...

Imran Khan’s wedding to be low-key affair

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KARACHI. As speculations regarding the marriage of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan with DawnNews anchor Reham Khan persist, the party’s central information secretary said on Thursday the wedding will be a low-key affair.</div>
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Dismissing reports that the wedding would be a fundraising event for Imran’s Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital, Shireen Mazari told Dawn: “As far as I know, it is an extremely private affair. There are no such ticketed cards and no grand function.”</div>
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“Imran is in no mood to celebrate after the Peshawar tragedy,” Mazari added. “This is not a time to celebrate.”</div>
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Mazari hinted that a <em>nikah</em> ceremony was likely to take place “today or this week” and that a purported marriage document doing the rounds on Twitter was “absolutely fake”.</div>
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She added that Imran has been cautious about the announcement as he wanted to inform his children first. “He was not going to do anything until he spoke to his sons first.”</div>
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Another Lahore-based senior party leader on condition of anonymity said he was not aware of any grand event for the wedding and has not been invited for a ceremony. “I am told there will be some distribution of food to the needy,” the party member said.</div>
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Good news about marriage coming soon: Imran Khan</h4>
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Days after the British press broke the news of Imran’s alleged marriage to broadcast journalist Reham Khan, the former cricketer on Tuesday hinted that an official announcement was in the offing.</div>
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“Marriage is not a crime,” Imran had said at a press conference in Islamabad after his return from London.</div>
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“When you have children from your first marriage, they are the first priority,” he had said, explaining that it was important for him to inform his sons first.</div>
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The cricketer-turned-politician was previously married to English journalist and activist Jemima Goldsmith for nine years. The marriage ended amicably in 2004 with Goldsmith stating that she was unable to adapt to life in Pakistan.</div>

Imran Khan’s wedding to be low-key affair

KARACHI. As speculations regarding the marriage of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan with DawnNews anchor Reham Khan per...