Home Minister issues directives City put on high alert

National Courier Report
KARACHI: City has been put on high alert following the operation in the tribal areas. All exit and entry points have been sealed, while the security at the sensitive installations has been beefed up.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Dr. Zulfikar Ali Mirza has directed the Police and Rangers to take all possible steps including joint flag march, snap checking, patrolling etc to infuse a spirit of security among the citizens and ensure continuity of business activities and maintaining traffic flow.
He ordered immediate arrest of elements involved in mischievous and criminal activities with initiation of strict action against wanted, absconding criminals and proclaimed offenders.
He directed the police to identify the sensitive areas and ensure extra ordinary security measures there for providing safety of people. The Government, Dr Zulfikar said, is fully aware of its responsibilities with regard to law and order which is its top priority.
He issued the directive after the fire of a rocket from an unknown direction in Machhar Colony as well as certain incidents occurring in various city areas.
Meanwhile a child was killed and at least 8 others injured when a rocket fired by unknown elements landed in Machhar colony. The injured and dead were shifted to hospital. Sources said that the leaves of police and para-military forces also have been cancelled.

Taliban threatens Karachi’s co-education institutions

The Taliban has reportedly warned co-education institutions in Karachi to close down or face consequences, spreading panic among colleges and schools in the city.

Various educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities have received threatening letters and phone calls from the Taliban.

A source privy to the matter revealed that most schools have an affiliation with the Cambridge Board, where male and female students study together without discrimination.

The Daily Times quoted the source as pointing that senders of these threats posed as the Taliban while demanding an end to the co-education system.

It was also learnt that the vice chancellor of the largest university in the city had also received phone calls from intelligence agencies inquiring about possible threats from the Taliban.

The source revealed that the agencies suggested that the VC make the use of the veil (burqa) compulsory for all girl students as a precautionary measure.

It is pertinent to mention here that a number of schools have received bomb hoaxes.

The British Council Pakistan has delayed the schedule of O and A level exams because of the possible threat of terrorism.

MQM, ANP to ensure peace in Karachi, says Farooq Sattar

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Rabita Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar has said the Awami National Party and the MQM will ensure peace at all cost and foil all the conspiracies being hatched to fuel ethnic violence in Karachi.

He was addressing a press conference here on Friday after the killing of two persons in the city. He said the MQM and the ANP would foil all acts of terrorism and conspiracies to disturb peace of the city.

Farooq Sattar said elements who wanted to disturb the peace of Karachi were involved in incidents of firing, which took place during the last two days. He said he and Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad had a telephonic conversation with ANP Sindh President Shahi Syed. He said they expressed their condolences over the killing of the two ANP workers.

They expressed the determination that the ANP and the MQM would never allow anybody to disturb peace of Karachi. Farooq Sattar said the MQM had strongly condemned the killing of the two ANP workers.

He said the MQM had appealed to the ANP to review their May 12 strike call, keeping in view the larger interests of the city. He feared that there were some elements which wanted a bloodbath in the city, but the MQM and the ANP would never allow them to play with the lives of innocent citizens.

Farooq Sattar said the MQM had already apprised the people of the city and the nation of Talibanisation in Karachi. Replying to a question, he said pillion riding had been banned for the safety of citizens. He said it was high time that all the political parties played a vital role in the restoration of peace in Karachi.

Responding to a question that the PML-N had suggested an APC to ease the situation in the country, he said the MQM founder had already suggested the APC against Talibanisation. The MQM had already started a campaign against Talibanisation, he added.

He said a delegation of the MQM had gone to the Jamia Binoria Town. The purpose of the visit was to thank them for attending the MQM’s Ulema Mashaikh Conference held here the other day. MQM Rabita Committee members Ashfaq Mangi and Javed Kazmi were also present on the occasion.

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.

Land mafia?: Rs 150m plot ‘saved’ from encroachment

By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) nearly lost a high-valued plot of land located in Karachi Administrative Cooperative Housing Society (KACHS). The plot had been partly encroached upon and is CDGK’s property through defunct KMC. The plot measures 1,500 square yards and it has an auction value of Rs 150 million.

Talking to Daily Times, District Officer (DO) Land Enforcement Abdul Malik said that he had sent Deputy DO Shakir Zaki to the plot to stop the ongoing construction.

When this reporter contacted Zaki, he told Daily Times that Baloch Colony police station had started construction of a police post on the plot, which was stopped on Thursday.

Zaki further said that the plot was handed over to CDGK’s Engineering Department in 1992 and originally was the property of the defunct KMC, which is now a part of CDGK after the devolution of powers.

Replying to a question, Zaki said that the area police had started construction of a police post on CDGK’s plot, citing the reason to be the escalating criminal activities in the park opposite CDGK’s plot.

According to Zaki, the police have assured him that they would submit an undertaking to the CDGK, stating that the police post would be removed and the possession of the plot would be handed over to the CDGK without delay whenever the CDGK would demand the plot back.

Zaki said that the construction of the police post has been stopped while he has asked the police to contact the Karachi DCO for permission to use the plot.

On a question, Zaki alleged that the KACHS administration has falsely claimed ownership of the plot and has allowed the police to take possession of the plot and proceed to construct a police post but now the police have been told that the plot is CDGK’s property.

Sources in CDGK told Daily Times that officers concerned from defunct KMC in collaboration with the area police were involved in the encroachment plan of the plot.

When this reporter contacted defunct KMC Land Director Tariq Naseer for his comments, he expressed his ignorance over the issue. He also said that the plot was not listed within the limits of his legal jurisdiction.

Replying to a question, Naseer refuted his involvement in any encroachment scam and further said that is this scribe has an authentic report then it should be published at all costs.

Talking to Daily Times, Baloch Colony police station SHO Hyder Ali Zaidi said that it was the KACHS administration’s decision to construct a room for the police check post, not on the plot but at the rear bank of the sewerage line.

The purpose to establish the police check post was to curb the street crimes in the area, he said while adding that the plot was not encroached upon.

The establishment of the check post by the residents of the area was a manifest of their trust on the police and they have further assured their cooperation to assist the area police for better services, he said. (DT Report)

KBCA forms body for public complaints

KARACHI: To better facilitate the citizens, Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) has set up an executive committee and complaint center.
The executive committee set up on the directives of provincial local government minister and chief executive KBCA Agha Siraj Durrani would work under KBCA chief controller Manzoor Qadir. The committee would listen to the complaints of citizens against illegal structures under Sindh Building Control Ordinance 1979 and KB&TP Regulation 2002. To facilitate the citizens in this regard the KBCA has set up a one-window counter, which is receiving complaints of citizens from 9am to 1:00p.m.

President issues directive to make Karachi “Green City”.

President Asif Ali Zardari has directed that no construction project shall be approved by given executing/building control agency, unless the sponsor of the project makes specific provision in terms of expenditure (budget/PC‑1) for plantation of trees and shrubs, both inside and outside the parameters of such construction unit.

The President had given this directive during a briefing given to him on Green Karachi.

The directive was communicated by Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman to ACS, Planning and Development, Senior Member Board of Revenue, all Administrative Secretaries and DCO Karachi respectively.

The officials have been asked to comply with the directive and send report to the Sindh Chief Secretary’s office in respect of each project/construction being approved with specific provision made in green belts, plants, shrubs, trees, roadside shrubbery and hedges, within a week.

The Chief Secretary in his communication pointed out that Karachi is a sprawling port city, spread over an area of more than 3600 Km. It is ranked as seventh biggest city of the world. It registers about 32 percent of the total industrial establishments of the nation. It is the financial capital of Pakistan.

Although Karachi is a center of education and business, encompassing in its fold more than 16 million people, skilled workers, enterpreneurs, students, technicians and labourers, but, the Chief Secretary said, “one thing for which we crave is Greenery.”

Its imposing buildings, flyovers, under‑passes, need to synchronise with matching proportion of gardens, trees, road side plantation, in every nook and corner of the city, said the chief secretary.

He said that in specific natural and climatic conditions of Karachi, there is need to put in more efforts, to make this city more green.

He pointed out that CDGK has been undertaking vigorous campaigns for this purpose but still a lot of work needs to be done by all the public servants and government departments to make Karachi a Green City.