Istanbul Local Government assures all possible help in Karachi Projects

Governor of Istanbul Muammar Gualer has appreciated the excellent leadership abilities of City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal. During a meeting at Governor House in Istanbul he said that he felt much pleasure on meeting with Nazim Karachi. He said that Syed Mustafa Kamal is doing such a wonderful work in Karachi and how he has transformed the city and made it an international phenomenon in a very short time. He said that Nazim Karachi is a young dynamic muslim leader.

Meanwhile the local government of Istanbul has assured all possible help and cooperation in the early completion of Karachi mega projects including Mass Transit System, Solid Waste Management and Sewerage Treatment Plant. Istanbul Local Government Administration has also approved the partnership with City District Government Karachi in these projects.

A representative delegation comprising municipal experts from Istanbul Local Government and City District Government Karachi will soon visit both cities to finalize the working relationship in various projects of Karachi.

The decision in this regard was made during two day visit of City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on the invitation of Mayor of Istanbul Mr. Kadir Topbas.

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal during this visit also attended an international mayor’s conference “Union of Turkish World Municipalities” in Istanbul where representatives from 18 countries of the world participated. Nazim Karachi was given a very high protocol on this occasion and was very well received everywhere he went.
Speaking at the conference, the Mayor of Istanbul told the audience about the great relationship between Turkey and Pakistan. He also said that Turkey was the first country to be present on ground after the earthquake in Pakistan.

Nazim Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal during this visit besides calling on Governor and Mayor of Istanbul also met with the mayors of seven other cities of Turkey and discussed with them various mega projects of Karachi such as Mass Transit System, BRT, Solid Waste Management System and Sewerage Treatment Plant. Governor and Mayor of Istanbul assured all possible help and cooperation in the early completion of mega projects in Karachi under partnership with CDGK.

10 Picnickers drown at Gaddani coast

Ten picnickers drowned while bathing here at Gaddani coast on the second day of Eid on Tuesday.

The powerful waves at Gaddani coast took away fifteen people while they were bathing and playing on the second day of Eid. Six people were rescued while bodies of ten were fished out by the life guards.

TMO Gaddani Zafar iqbal told Geo News that people have been coming to the coast in crowds during Eid holidays. Over 30 youth were bathing at the beach when a large wave came sucking away fifteen of them.

The life guards present at the coast jumped into action and managed to save six of them while ten people lost their lives by drowning. The bodies of the drowned have been fished out and taken to hospital.

The hospital sources said the dead have been identified as Changaiz Khan son of Khursheed, Bashir son of Fazl-ur-Rehman, Aziz son of Abdul Rehman, Abdul Majeed son of Ali Sher, Saqib Awan son of Mushtaq Awan, Khurram son of Saeed, Imran son of Muhammad Khan, Hussain and Kashif. They were residents of various areas of Karachi.

Khori Garden Karachi: 19 die including 14 women in stampede for food

At least nineteen persons including fourteen women were killed and several others wounded in the stampede as they lined up to collect flour and other supplies being handed out by a charity in Mithadar, Karachi, Dunya News reported Monday. The Sindh government has announced Rs 100 thousand each for the heirs of dead. Prime Minister, President and Chief Minster Sindh has directed an immediate probe into the incident. Emergency has been imposed in all the hospitals of Karachi after the incident.

According to police officials, a trader in Kachi Para area of populous commercial area Mithadar was distributing ‘Zakat’ and other free supplies as stampede erupted in the women lined up. Several women were trampled while 14 died on the spot due to suffocation. Edhi foundation workers rushed to the site of the incident and shifted injured and unconscious ladies to Civil Hospital Karachi. The Hospital officials said that many women were in critical condition. Police has arrested the trader who was distributing free supplies.

Tension Over Amenity Park's Land Disposing

Tension erupted in Old Golimar area as two groups turned violent to resist a move to dispose of land of historic amenity park, Gutter Baghicha, among affectees of Lyari Expressway project yesterday, witnesses and police said.
Heavy firing among vioters for around three hours left area as deserted in afternoon and caused injuries to a law enforcer. They said the riots broke out at noon; when city government officials visited Gutter Baghicha for carve out small plots from amenity plot to provide alternate land to the affectees of Lyari Expressway Project.
Witnesses said supporters of an ethnic group objected that amenity plot was purely meant for park and resisted the move to utilise it for residential purpose.
They told city government officials that the historical park was developed during British era for 100 year and it largely provided amusement opportunities to them, police officials said.
Situation deteriorated when armedmen belonging to another group jumped into quarel between city government officials and first group. Both parties took up positions in narrow lanes, continuously trading straight firing.
Later, a congingent of police and Rangers reached the spot and cordoned off the whole area. Law enforcers used teargas shells to disperse miscreants.
A Rangers official was hit in head by a stray bullet, believed to be fire by rioters and rushed to Civil Hospital Karachi.
All routine activities came to a sudden halt following incident. However, law enforcers were deployed in area of disturbance to curb any reaction. (NC)

Contract for begging in Karachi sold for Rs 50 million, 1,000 beggars sent to Edhi Village in first two days of Ramzan

The city wardens after a struggle of half an hour caught a hold of a male beggar, in his thirties, from Karimabad on Monday. The six-foot tall man with dark complexion and thick mustaches was begging on streets posing himself as a lame person. On close inspection, he was found bodily and mentally fit with no kind disability. He had come to Karachi from southern Punjab for enjoying ‘begging season’ here this Ramzan.
At least six CDGK wardens were trying to catch him, when he threw away his crutches and galloped away. City wardens and some citizens present there chased him and finally caught hold of him. The city government has started a campaign to catch professional beggars who usually come from upcountry to Karachi for begging during the holy month of Ramzan, and send them to Edhi Village at Superhighway. When contacted, head of city wardens Azhar Hashmi said that it was very big and powerful mafia, run in a sophisticated manner. He claimed this year the begging mafia had sold contract of the begging in Karachi at Rs50million. He further said they had captured 1000 baggers on the first two days of Ramzan, adding six specials teams were catching beggars and sending them to Edhi Village. He said at least 10,000 baggers have come to Karachi during the first two days of Ramzan. Usually the beggars come here with their women and children, he added. He said 70 percent of these beggars belong to southern Punjab. They beg at public places, traffic signals, markets and mosques, he said adding during the Ramzan people give Zakat, and these professionals beggars also take this advantage.
He said during the campaign, many wardens of CDGK were attacked by these beggars, armed with small knifes and daggers hidden in their clothes.

FBI says 26/11 terrorists came from Karachi, confirms Pak link: The Hindu

Reinforcing the Pakistan link to the Mumbai terror attack, the FBI on Wednesday told a special court their probe had established that terrorists had come from Karachi to this city and the Global Positioning systems (GPS) recovered from them also indicated their plan to return to Pakistan.

In a crucial testimony at the trial of the lone surviving gunman Ajmal Kasab, an official of the U.S.' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is giving evidence for the first time in India in terror cases said the terorists had used the GPS, a satellite navigation system to locate targets.

Deposing in person before Special Judge M.L. Tahaliyani, a forensic expert of the U.S.' Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose identity has been kept secret, said one of the GPS devices allegedly recovered by Mumbai Police from slain terrorists also indicated that they had planned return journey from Mumbai to Rawalpindi.

Two other GPS devices indicated plans for return journey from Mumbai to Karachi but one indicated from Mumbai to Rawalpindi, the expert said.

Kasab, a Pakistani national, sat smiling all through while the FBI official gave the evidence.

The planned return journey from Mumbai to Rawalpindi showed that the terrorists were given practical training in Pakistan to use GPS, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told PTI.

The forensic expert said that "Way Point" data retrieved from the GPS devices pointed to the route from Karachi to Mumbai and also positions between these two cities.

The FBI official said he had examined five GPS devices and a satellite phone which Mumbai police had recovered from the terrorists.

Mr. Nikam further said the police are still investigating the numbers from where the calls were made to the recovered satellite phone.

It is the case of prosecution that terrorists were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan while committing terror attacks in Mumbai.

Kasab's lawyer Abbas Kazmi dubbed the evidence of FBI witness as "manipulated" and claimed that the investigating agency wanted to help Mumbai police.

Mr. Kazmi alleged that the software used by FBI to conduct forensic tests on GPS devices and satellite phone was not authenticated and anyone could have manipulated the tests.

Mumbai police had recovered five GPS devices and a satellite phone from the slain terrorists. These were sent to FBI laboratory in USA for forensic tests and the report submitted by an expert was placed before the court on Wednesday.

The forensic expert told prosecutor Nikam that he had examined the GPS devices and satellite phone.

The witness said out of the five GPS devises, two were not functioning as their batteries were discharged and hence the data could not be retrieved from them. However, other GPS devices had clearly showed the route between these two cities.

The witness handed over hard and soft copies of the data report submitted by him to Mumbai police earlier.

The expert told prosecutor Nikam that he had examined these devices on February 11 and completed the examination by February 18.

PM wants end of governor-rule in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he is also against the imposition of governor-rule in Punjab.

Speaking in the Senate of Pakistan here on Monday, Gilani said confrontation between political forces of Punjab and Sindh would harm democratic process in the country. The pm said the PPP has rendered great sacrifices for freedom of expression and restoration of judiciary. He urged all political forces to work together for socio-economic turnaround in Pakistan.

Gilani said the PML-Q has to play a pivotal role in Punjab and political parties should respect each other’s mandate. He termed the government a ‘musical chair’ saying that any party clinching majority in Punjab should have right to form the government.

The prime minister said the government had no objection to lawyers’ long march, however, he maintained it should be peaceful.

Sweet mart chain drops `Karachi' from name

MUMBAI: Fearing an attack from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists, the management of the Punjabi Chandu Halwai Karachiwala chain of sweet
shops has dropped `Karachiwala' from its signboards. The chain has 21 branches across the city.

"We don't want to take chances,'' one of the managers said. "After we learnt about the Mulund incident, where the owner of Karachi Sweet Mart was threatened by MNS activists, we decided to take precautions,'' he added.

"Who wants to invite trouble? If there is stone pelting on any of our outlets, it will affect our business,'' said a senior official from a Chandu sweetmeats shop. "We are a known brand. It is a temporary measure. If the issue dies down in the coming weeks, we may bring back Karachiwala on our signboards.''

MNS activist Shishir Shinde said he was not against any sweetmeat shop or its owners. "We don't want to bully or harass any shopkeeper. We are only opposed to the use of names of Pakistani cities in Mumbai,'' said Shinde. He added that the MNS would request other establishments such as cable companies, jewellery designers, restaurants, marriage halls, general stores and export houses to avoid using names like Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Peshawar.

"Pakistan has been responsible for several bomb blasts and more recently, the terror attack on Mumbai. The key accused, Ajmal Kasab is from Pakistan,'' he said. "Those who migrated to India after the partition, are now Indian citizens and should cut off all links with Pakistan,'' he added.

However, a Congress corporator said, "The names of the shops or establishments which are being targeted have become brands over the past few decades. It makes no sense forcing the owners to drop words like Karachi or Lahore. The MNS should catch those who are involved in anti-national activities and spare the innocents.'' (Times of India)

Karachi not a sweet word in Mumbai

Six members of an Indian political party were arrested on Friday for threatening the owner of ‘Karachi Sweets’, a confectioner in the Mulund suburb of Mumbai, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.

The members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) – a breakaway faction of Shiv Sena – wrote a threatening letter to the owner, it said. “The owners of the sweet shop may have come from Karachi, but now since they are citizens of this country, they should adopt an Indian name,” MNS leader Shishir Shinde told the newspaper. daily times monitor

Newlyweds live in fear of honour killing

Pervez Chachar and his wife Humera Kambo live in the police headquarters in Karachi. Their crime? They fell in love and married without their families' permission.
The newlyweds dare not venture out of the police station as they fear their families will hunt them down and kill them.
'I know they will kill her and I have to protect her,' Chachar said of his wife's family who are enraged that the young woman chose to marry a man from a rival tribe.
In certain sections of the traditional rural society in Pakistan, getting married without permission is deemed such a serious slight to the 'honour' of a family or a tribe that death is seen as fitting retribution.
Rights groups estimate 500 people, most of them women, are killed in the name of 'honour' in Pakistan every year, with the majority of victims from poor, rural families often killed by their own relatives.
Shortly after Chachar married Humera a year ago, the couple fled to Karachi from their home in Sindh province.
Humera, too afraid to talk to a reporter, had also been abducted by her family and Chachar was beaten by them.
Still defiant, they fear death if they stray too far from the cramped room next to the police canteen which they share with another young couple in the same position. They have been there for four months and they don't know when they can safely leave.
Under customs still followed in much of the countryside, a man or woman can be declared an outcast for choosing their own spouse.
The United Nations has estimated that some 5,000 people, mostly women, die every year in so-called honour killings, mostly in South Asia and the Middle East.
BAD SIGN
Traditionally, people in rural Pakistan have little confidence in, or access to, police and courts in big towns.
They solve problems through jirgas, or councils, of village elders.
But the councils are often manipulated by the powerful and become tools for sanctioning violence against the weak, often in the course of a dispute within an extended family over land or some other asset.
Women are the weakest of all in traditional, male-dominated societies so they are often targeted, rights groups say.
'Why does it happen? Because they are always the ones who have no redress, either legally or socially,' Anis Haroon, of the women's rights group the Aurat Foundation, said of the victims.
'They don't know anyone, they have no contacts, they have no money to offer the police. And these perpetrators come from the higher status of society,' she said.
Haroon said there could be no hope of change until legislators changed their mindset.
Most educated, urban Pakistanis abhor the violence and former president Pervez Musharraf took small steps to improve the lot of women. But change is painfully slow.
A senator from Balochistan province provoked outrage late last year when he said the killing of five women, who were reported to have been shot and buried alive in another case of honour killing, was a reflection of tribal traditions.
The senator, Sardar Israrullah Zehri, is now a minister in the federal government.
'It is a very bad sign ... people who are encouraging violence, their membership should be cancelled. They should not be allowed to contest elections,' Haroon said.
TIME FOR CHANGE
Orangzeb Magsi, a 32-year-old graduate from a US university, is a leader of one of the most powerful tribes in Balochistan.
Magsi has dealt with more than 100 cases of 'honour' crime in the past four years in his district but thankfully no killings, he says. Only education and time will bring change, he adds.
'On the one hand, you have these centuries old customs and on the other, the government says 'it's illegal',' Magsi said.
'Since they are not educated, it's very difficult to make them understand.'
Nafeesa Shah, a newly elected member of parliament from a rural area of Sindh province, said the jirgas and custom of killing women over honour reflected the failure of the judicial system.
'You had these customs in mediaeval Europe. You had the lynching of people in America ... These things will only go if you have laws that don't allow space for it,' Shah said.
Shah, a member of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, said the party's victory in 2008 elections was a golden opportunity for change.
'It is important now that we, who are in power and can change things, take this as a sign of the times and work towards making laws and improving criminal procedures in a way that deters the offenders from protecting their crimes in the name of honour or customs,' she said.

Sattar Edhi fles to Egypt for Gaza relief work

Eminent social personality, Abdus Sattar Edhi has left for Egypt for relief works in Gaza. Sources said that the eminent social celebrity and the founder of Edhi Foundation, Abdul Sattar Edhi along with Faisal Edhi has left here for Egypt, where he would buy medicines and other medical aids and carry it to the Palestinian Gaza for relief works among those wounded in the recent Israeli aggression.

It may be recalled that Abdul Sattar Edhi was earlier refused permission to enter into Palestine through Egypt’s Cairo border and he had to return to Pakistan, but now after having received the permission, he has left again.

Red tape delays automatic fingerprinting project

The American-funded automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) project in Pakistan has been delayed by two years due to bureaucratic hold-ups and issues over implementation at various stages, it transpires.

The project was scheduled to be completed by June 2007, but the tentative completion date has now been extended to June 2009, official sources here

said yesterday.

The Phase I of the AFIS project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani in Islamabad in January last year.

Practically, however, the project has yet to take shape, at least in Karachi. Phase 1 of the project includes the setting up of multifunctional workstations in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzzafarabad and Gilgit. Fifty-two remote terminal sites will also be set up across the country.

In Karachi, the workstations are to be set up in the Central Police Office (CPO), where space has been arranged for them.

Sources at the CPO say, however, that while the space has been carved out, it may be some months before the project can be handed over to representatives of the AFIS. Earlier, officials from Islamabad and local representatives of AFIS had conveyed their displeasure to the Karachi police over the lack of space allocated to the project.

The AFIS project carries a price tag of US$13m, and was designed by Lockheed-Martin, a US firm. Funding for the project was provided by the US State Department and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

The Pakistani partners for the project are the National Police Bureau, the Police Service of Pakistan and the Federal Investigation Agency.

AFIS is supposed to bring state-of-the-art law enforcement tools into the hands of law-enforcement agencies in the country. At present, investigators manually compare records, which is a time-consuming and relatively inaccurate method of

police investigation.

Once implemented, the system will allow law-enforcement agencies to create a central database for all known criminals arrested anywhere in Pakistan. Police from across the country will be able to compare fingerprints collected at crime-scenes against prints already registered in the central AFIS database in Islamabad, according to sources.

Under the AFIS project, the investigation officer (IO) in every case is supposed to collect fingerprints from suspects on special cards, called “Standard Fingerprint Cards”.

The cards were sent to every police station, and completed cards were to be deposited at the Sindh Forensic Science Lab (SFSL), situated at

Garden Headquarters.

The sources said, however, that the practice was followed only for about six months before being discontinued.

Inquiries made suggest that, at present, hardly any fingerprint cards are being sent by IOs to the Garden headquarters. Fingerprints are also not being collected from suspects at police stations. Sharing his experiences, ASP (Assistant Superintendent of Police) Dr Khurram Rashid said that when he was posted at Sukkur, the practice of taking fingerprints from suspects was followed religiously. The ASP said that suspects were also photographed.“The system is being followed in the interior of Sindh, but in Karachi it is not being taken seriously,” ASP Rashid added. 
Source ::: INTERNEWS

Famous comedian Shakeel Siddiqui beaten up in India

A prominent Karachi based Pakistani television and stage actor Shakeel Siddiqui was beaten up by some Indian fundamentalist elements in Mumbai on Wednesday, Geo T.V reported.

Famous comedian Shakeel was expected to perform in the famous show ‘Comedy Circus’. For that purpose he was staying in Mumbai, but it seems a group of thugs belonging to Nationalist/fundamentalist Indian mindset has badly beaten the terrific comedian. At the moment it seems a horrible news, as Shakeel has been a famous person in India and was a source of bringing joy to million of faces all across the sub-continent.

It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds and how it would affect the media relations between both the countries. Ghajini is just released in Pakistan after a slight delay and this horrific news is going to further affect the constant deteriorating situation between the two nuclear Nations.