Nawabshah Akhbar Farosh Union honoured

By Rashid Zia

Newspaper hawkers are section of society that continue its work under all circumstances of grief and happiness and for that reason it has the status of artery in the world of newspapers selling.

These views were expressed by District Coordination Officer Jamal Mustafa Syed at a relief program organized by All Pakistan Newspapers sellers Federation in honour of “Nawabshah Akhbar Farosh Union”.

Jamal Mustafa Syed said that where on one side rain brought disaster in the province on the other side newspaper hawkers were also adversely affected and it was their passion that they continued newspapers supply in rain also. He said that hawkers who enjoy a status in society must be provided help on government level as it is the manifesto of present government.

Vice President All Pakistan Akhbar Farosh Federation Sindh, Abdul Sattar addressing the occasion said that newspaper hawkers were severally affected during recent unprecedented rains but they did not receive any relief on government level. He said that hawkers are that part of society who continue papers supply keeping his grieves aside.

President Anjuman Akhbar Farosh Karachi , Haji Iqbal Noon said that hawkers are fighting the war of right and truth in the era of each for himself. He said that hawkers should work and play role for the betterment of community keeping their differences aback. He said that newspaper hawkers throughout the country are united under the leadership of Central Secretary General All Pakistan Akhbar Farosh Federation, Tikka Khan.

He said that Tikka Khan feeling the pains of hawkers extended help to affected hawkers in cooperation with newspaper owners on which they are thankful to Jang, Express and Dawn groups who remembered hawkers in this difficult time.

President Nawabshah Press Club, Muhammad Anwar Shaikh said that hawkers are that part of society who is serving newspaper industry with dedication but lack admiration. He said that hawkers are devoid of many basic requirements in this developed era.

Senior Vice President Anjuman Akhbar Farosh Union Karachi, Choudhry Nazeer, Secretary Information Shafique Bhai, President Hyderabad Akhbar Farosh Union Aamir Afzal, President Mirpurkhas Ayub Mahar, President Nawabshah Ashraf Qureshi, Chairman Muhammad Shafi, Member Federation Nawabshah Abdul Khaliq, Lachman Thadani of DawnJang Hyderabad Agent Rafique Kareemi and Farooq Vayani of Nawabshah also addressed the program. DCO on the occasion announced to give 25 cycles to hawkers while Lachman Thadani and President Press Club Muhammad Anwar Shaikh announced cash help for hawkers.

Senior journalist Ismail Domki acted as stage secretary. Earlier the guests were presented traditional Sindhi Ajrak as gift.

Decision on fate of LG system soon: Agha Siraj Durrani

KARACHI: Provincial Minister for Local Bodies Agha Siraj Durrani has said that President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari would take final decision on continuing local bodies system, adding government of Sindh is eager for the improvement of this system.
He said this while talking to parliamentarians and citizens at a forum on “Local Bodies System” held at a local hotel yesterday.
Minister for Local Government Agha Siraj Durrani and Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza attended the moot.
In the meeting, the technocrats apprised on behalf of LG citizens’ perception and preference survey that out of four provinces, two provinces Punjab and Balochistan have totally opposed the present LG system while NWFP is in the favour of present LG system. However, in Sindh there is an equilibrium state, about half and half in agreement and opposition, pertaining to this issue.
The technocrat surveyors contended that the present LG system is running directly under the Federal Government and the funds are released by Federal Government that weakens the power of Provincial Government. In addition, the survey claimed that most of the funds have been spent on construction of roads rather than to provide health and education facilities to the citizens.
The survey expressed an opinion that the Nazim should be elected by people, not by union councillors, and political parties should be kept away in LG election. Besides the survey advised that there should be three elected positions, Head of Local Government, Deputy Head of Local Government and Speaker of elected council, instead of two (Nazim and Naib Nazim). Most of the participants opposed the present LG system and said that they preferred the Magistracy system of 1979 as the present LG system which was introduced by former President General Pervez Musharraf in 2001 has failed to deliver while some of the participants viewed that present LG system should run with some amendments. (NC Report)

Shazia Marri recounts Information department’s achievements

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Information Shazia Marri has said that as the Sindh Government completes its first year, she as minister is content to be ending the year on a progressive high note.
“The past one year has seen many milestones for us and given the changing dynamics of today, information needs to be disseminated effectively and without distortion”, she said in a statement in Sindh Assembly yesterday.
The media, she pointed out, acts as a bridge between people and the government, and Ministry of Information is the bridge between the Government and the Media.
Therefore, in keeping with the Chief Minister’s policies, endeavours were made to promote maximum contact with the people through our very able and supportive media, she said.
Shazia Marri said this has been a year of many firsts for us at the Sindh Information Department. For the first time, a grant-in-aid of Rs. 10 million was allocated for press clubs across Sindh, and to provide financial assistance to ailing journalists. This grant has provided and continues to provide relief to many deserving individuals, and press clubs throughout Sindh.

Ban on teachers’ unions withdrawn

KARACHI: The Sindh government has withdrawn the ban imposed on teachers unions in the province during the tenure of former Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, announced Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club, Haq said that there is a vast difference between the ideology of the present and past governments, adding that he will do everything within his power to resolve the issues of teachers.

He also announced that the provincial government will also withdraw the appeal it had submitted in the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Sindh High Court (SHC). The SHC had rejected the ban imposed by Rahim’s government and, later, the then government had challenged the verdict in the apex court. Haq went to say that he will fight as a lawyer for the rights of the teachers and they will be given all allowances, equal to the teachers of other provinces.

Responding to a question, he claimed that his department has opened at least 2,500 closed schools. He also said that the government was implementing a transparent policy for the appointment of teachers, under which, only candidates securing at least 61 marks will be selected.

The minister said that monitoring committees are being constituted to check the performance of schools and journalists will also be included in the committees. Haq added that he had issued directives to the district education EDOs to ensure the maintenance of school buildings before any tragedy transpires.

Acid victim dies after 25 days in hospital

KARACHI, Feb 10: Maria Shah, the 22-year-old midwife from Shikarpur who suffered extensive burns last month, died here on Tuesday morning — nearly a month after acid was thrown on her face by a man whom she had refused to marry.

“Ms Shah’s whole body was affected by acid burns. Despite our best efforts, we failed to save her life,” said a senior official of the Civil Hospital’s Burns Centre, where she was admitted on Jan 16.

“The body was formally handed over to her family. They returned to their home town in an ambulance provided by the hospital,” said Dabeer-ur-Rahman, Executive Director of the Burns Centre.

“The victim was brought to the hospital in a very critical condition a day after the incident.”

Ms Shah’s face was disfigured after acid was hurled at her by Arsalan Sanjrani at a private clinic in Shikarpur where she had been working as a lady health worker.

Initially, the young woman was taken to a local hospital, which later referred her to the Burns Centre.

According to Arsalan, he was a matriculate and in love with Maria since school days. He claimed he provided her free rides to school for years on his rickshaw. He said he committed the crime after she refused to marry him.

The Supreme Court has summoned Shikarpur DPO Khadim Hussain Rind to appear before it “with facts”.

BURIAL: Maria Shah was buried in Shikarpur’s Chiningi graveyard on Tuesday night.

A large number of relatives and social workers attended the Namaz-i-Janaza.

Talking to newsmen after the burial, Baqar Shah, Maria’s father, said that in the beginning ministers and NGOs helped in providing medical treatment.

But after the first week, no attention was paid to the regular supply of medicines.

Baqar Shah recalled, with irony, that the government had assured him of financing her treatment abroad. He said that Marya would not have died had she received “proper medical care”.

The SHO of the police station concerned said there was no need of a fresh FIR, adding that an interim challan would be presented in a court soon.

Marya Shah’s family has called upon the government to hang Arsallan Sanjrani. (Dawn)

Maria Shah dies of acid burns

By Imtiaz Ali

Maria Shah, the 25-year-old lady health worker who was the victim of an acid attack in January died early Tuesday morning at the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) Burns Centre, where she was under treatment for severe burn injuries, hospital officials and relatives said.

Shah sustained burns when a young man threw acid on her while she was examining patients at a private clinic in Shikarpur city on January 15. She was brought to the CHK Burns Centre the next day.

“Whenever she saw her face, she started weeping,” her brother Mehtab Shah said, adding that she insisted she be sent abroad for treatment. Shah said he took his sister to the passport office on Monday because Senator Seemi Siddiqi had promised to send Maria to the US for treatment. She, however, died at 07:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Maria Shah had sustained 38 percent burn wounds on her face, chest, abdomen, hands and legs up to the knee, according to investigation officer (IO) Mohammed Nawaz of the Risala police station.

The IO said he recorded her statement under Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code on January 17, wherein she stated that she was working as a part time nurse at the clinic of Dr Imran Sheikh in Shikarpur city. This is where Arslan Sanjrani came and threw acid at her and fled. The IO said when Maria was a student of Class 7th, Sanjrani, a rickshaw driver, used to pick and drop her and he “fell in love” with her. He threw acid at her when her parents refused to allow him to marry her.

Sanjrani was arrested from Karachi on January 23. Inspector Mohammed Ali of the New Faujdari police station, Shikarpur, told The News that the suspect along with his parents was living in a hutment in Sherpao Colony, Landhi. They had fled after the incident.

Inspector Mohammed Ali said that Sanjrani, a matriculate, had confessed his crime but had no regrets over it. The police submitted an interim challan against him and now Section 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) would be added in the challan to be submitted before the district and sessions court, Shikarpur.

Burns Centre Intensive Care Unit (ICU) In-charge Dr Waqar told The News that acid wounds penetrate into the body, destroying skin, muscle, vessel and cause more damage. “Maria had received total deep wounds,” he said, adding that deep wounds even up to five per cent pose a threat to life.

Dr Waqar said Maria’s relatives had taken her for preparing her passport the other day but “much time had already passed since she remained under treatment for 25 days”.

At present, around 50 patients are admitted at the 50-bed Burns Centre, of which 35 are women, said a nurse who attended to Maria Shah. She said that a majority of the cases were homicidal or suicidal, while incidental cases were few when women get burns while cooking, etc.

On Tuesday, they admitted a young man from Bilawal Shah Noorani Goth off University Road after he attempted self-immolation over domestic problems and sustained 35 percent burns.

Meanwhile, the Burns Centre discharged Mrs Mumtaz after completing her successful treatment on Tuesday. Mrs Mumtaz is the mother of four children and her husband had thrown acid on her face. Dr Waqar said that such patients lose the desire to live because “society does not accept people with mutilated faces.” (The News)

Mumtaz Bhutto put under house arrest

Sindh National Front (SNF) leader Sardar Mumtaz Bhutto has been put under house arrest in Larkana on Saturday for allegedly ordering his workers to attack on the office of a Sindhi newspaper.

According to reports, the workers of SNF had attacked the office of a local daily and a case was registered against Mumtaz Bhutto in this connection.

He will be shifted to Karachi later in the evening where he will be interrogated.

Qaim Ali Shah briefed on road sector projects in Sindh

Observer Report

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that work has been geared up on road construction and repair in the rural areas to provide better travelling facilities to people.He made the statement while reviewing new road construction projects ata meeting held at Chief Minister House in Karachi.

In the briefing on the occasion, Provincial Minister for Works andServices, Manzoor Wassan informed that this year schemes forconstruction of 1642 Km long roads have been approved.He said Rs 1.50 billion have been earmarked in the budget forconstruction of 500 Km of roads by the department, 530 Km by districtgovernments and 612 Km schemes given by MNAs, MPAs and Chief Minister.

He said that the overall expenditure has been estimated at over Rs10.95 billion while schemes under ADP and with Federal Government andMNAs funding will also be started.The meeting was informed that the Federal Government will construct andrepair the roads from Gharo to Keti Bundar, Larkana to Moenjo Daro,Larkana to Shahdadkot and some other roads while work on constructionof 90 Km long coastal highway will also be started this year for whichinitially Rs 200 million have been kept.It was also disclosed that National Highway Authority willstart work soon on the reconstruction and repair of National Highwayfrom Kot Diji to Khairpur.