INSPECTION TEAM CAUGHT 8 PERSONS ON ILLEGAL CHARGED PARKING.

Kaeachi City District Government has on receiving the information of illegal charged parking in the city constituted an inspection team to conduct surprise raid on all such places.

Meanwhile the Inspection Team of Recovery / Charged Parking Department of City Government raided Tariq Road and detained eight persons found recovering Rs.20 car parking fee in front of Dolmen Centre and Shopping Mall. The inspection team also seized the ticket books.

On enquiry from these persons, they gave written statement that they were recovering parking fee under the umbrella of Ferozabad Police Station. The above persons were released after giving warning and Inspection Team of Charged Parking Department was directed to pay regular visit to the parking areas of the city and in case of illegal charged parking the persons may be removed and handed-over to concerned police station for legal action. The department has also informed the general public especially Car and Motorcycle owners that Parking Fee of Rs.10 for Cars and Rs.05 for Motorcycle per entry is recoverable at City District Government’s Charged Parking sites which includes Beach View Park Clifton Parking Lot, Clifton Centre Parking Lot, Paradise Centre Clifton Parking Lot, Zoo Parking Lot, Haidery Market Parking Lot, Sindbad Parking Lot at NIPA, Crystal Court Clifton Parking Area, Hill Park Parking Area, Sasi Arcade Clifton Parking Site, whereas at Faizi Rehimeen Art Gallery Model Parking Rs.20 per car per entry is chargeable.
The above parking fee is without any time limit. If any one is demanding parking fee at other than the designated places the Recovery/Charged Parking Department can be informed on Phone No.99230819

DAVID MILIBAND APPRECIATES RAPID DEVELOPMENT IN KARACHI

Britain Foreign Secretary David Miliband has appreciated the rapid progress that has been happened in Karachi during last few years.

During a meeting with City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Sunday he said that Karachi holds much importance in the region therefore the development works here must go on.

The British Foreign Secretary also acknowledged the efforts taken by city government in Karachi for rapid progress of city saying that it was not an easy task to run this city and developing it in a short time. He said that the swift development in Karachi has been recognized on international level.

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on this occasion informed the visiting British Foreign Secretary about the process of development in Karachi. He said that Haq parast City Government has without any distinction of caste or creed served the people living in every nook and corner of the city. During last four years special attention was given to solution of basic problems of citizen’s especially the rapid development of infrastructure and lying of new infrastructure.

The British Foreign Secretary appreciated the works of city government towards early solution of people’s problems and restoration of peace in Karachi. The British High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner also attended the meeting.

ABAD TO RECONSTRUCT DAMAGED GUTTED MARKET

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that so far not even a single penny has been received from any level for restoration of arson hit buildings and rehabilitation of affected traders. People in Karachi were repairing and reconstructing these buildings on self help basis. Following the steps of CDGK contractors, Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) has now taken the responsibility of reconstructing 400 damaged and gutted shops and ware houses of Quetta Market on which work would begin from Saturday.

He expressed these views while talking to the media representatives during a visit to inspect the restoration work at Boulton Market on Friday. Officer bearers of ABAD accompanied him on this occasion.

City Nazim said that ABAD would restore the building to its original state and all the shopkeepers would get their premises after completion of work. City Nazim also thanked members and office bearers of ABAD for taking part in the noble cause. He further said that ABAD would bear all the expenses incurred on the reconstruction of Quetta Building.

Talking to media ABAD Chairman Farooq-uz-Zaman said that ABAD has decided to take part in the rehabilitation work of the affected commercial center of Karachi. He said that we will try to finish this work as soon as possible after that all the shops will be handed over to the owners.

Meanwhile City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has again appealed to the administration of private schools to wave off six months fee of the children of affected traders of MA Jinnah Road and the martyrs of bomb blast in Ashura possession. During the visit of Boulton Market with ABAD delegation, he said that the affectees were facing acute financial hardships and this is the duty of every citizen to help and support them in their hour of need. He again said that if the private schools could not exempt the children of affected traders and martyrs than city government would itself pay the fee of children.

CITY NAZIM RELIEF FUND RECEIVES DONATION FROM QUAID-E-TEHREEK MR. ALTAF HUSSAIN.

On behalf of Quaid-e-Tehreek Mr. Altaf Hussain, members of MQM Rabita Committee Shoaib Bukhari and Shahid Latif presented a Cheque of Rs.5million to towards the City Nazim Relief Fund for arson hit traders of M.A Jinnah Road.

DCO Karachi Javed Hanif Khan, EDO Finance, EDO E&IP and other officers were also present on this occasion.

Expressing gratitude to the leader of MQM Mr. Altaf Hussain on behalf of citizens of Karachi, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal said that he is the only political leader of Pakistan who always thought about his countrymen.

He said that the enemies of the country had tried to ruin the national economy by targeting the most important commercial hub of the country and burned down the biggest trade center of Pakistan. Mr. Altaf Hussain had in that critical time appealed to the citizens of Karachi and representatives of different schools of thoughts to remain peaceful and maintain and prove their unity. He also talked to Shia and Sunni Ulema-e-kiram on telephone and asked them to ensure inter faith harmony among the people. He said that the law and order condition in Karachi could be maintained only due to the efforts of Mr.Altaf Hussain who had thwarted the evil designs of the terrorist forces.

City Nazim said that the rehabilitation process in the affected areas has been started rapidly and the commercial activities would soon begin in this area. He also appealed to the citizens of Karachi to donate in the relief fund (HBL KMC Branch 31618-0 Branch Code 0015) so that the trade and commercial activities could be restored as soon as possible.

Bombing and fire disrupt a fragile peace in Karachi

By Pamela Constable

Courtesy: Washington Post

KARACHI, PAKISTAN -- When a bomb exploded during a Shiite religious procession here last Monday, killing 44 people and touching off hours of violence that left hundreds of shops burned to ashes, it shattered the sense that Pakistan's largest city and financial hub was immune to the plague of Islamist violence that has swept this nuclear-armed nation.

With one strategic blast, the attackers added a volatile new ingredient to the cauldron of ethnic and sectarian tensions, political brawls, business mafia rivalries, and street crime that simmers in this metropolis of 18 million. Although these conflicts periodically erupt into violence, they have rarely disrupted the purposeful hum or resilience of city life.

This time, the destruction triggered by the explosion was so shocking and affected so many interest groups that the entire city went on strike Friday, uniting in an act of peaceful protest. The normally clogged boulevards and teeming bazaars were silent; the swank seaside eateries were empty. Even the Karachi stock exchange shut down instead of grandly opening for New Year's Day.

"They came in and destroyed everything," said Akbar al-Habib, 38, standing amid heaps of charred cloth from his garment shop in Lighthouse Market, where dozens of stalls had burned all night while armed men blocked anyone from entering. "Who would do this to us?"

Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the bomb that exploded on Jinnah Avenue as several hundred thousand Shiites marched in mourning for a martyred seventh-century imam. For many here, the more important questions are who orchestrated the spree of destructive economic violence that followed and why thousands of police deployed to protect the Shiite procession were unable to stop it.

Instead of answers, the six-hour rampage and 48-hour inferno, which caused more than $400 million in damage, have produced a week of confusion and finger-pointing between the Karachi city government, which is run by the urban Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), and the Sindh provincial government, which is controlled by the rural-based, nationally ruling Pakistan People's Party.

With few solid facts emerging, the devastation has also provided tinder for conspiracy theories to suit the agendas of every religious, ethnic and political group in the complex, fragile mosaic of Karachi society. They range from accusations of economic sabotage by property owners to wild speculation of international plots by Western and anti-Muslim powers.

Some groups have accused Shiite militants of using their holy day to create chaos, saying fire accelerants were hidden inside religious cloths. Shiite leaders insist that most mourners continued with their procession after the bombing, while the looting and arson broke out many blocks behind. They assert that the attackers were trying to provoke sectarian divisions among Shiites and Sunnis, backed by a conspiracy of Western interests.

"We were mourning peacefully, and I followed the procession to the end," Mohammed Hussain, 21, said after Friday prayers at a Shiite mosque. "We could not even bring a cigarette lighter into the march, and we were surrounded by police and barricades. How could we think of such violence?" A few minutes later, he joined a group of Shiite protesters shouting: "Down with Israel. Down with America! Yes to Sunni-Shiite Unity!"

Several other theories circulated among merchants from the medicine, cosmetics, plastics and clothing markets that went up in flames. One was that the government or real estate mafias had the shops torched to drive tenants from valuable property. Another was that Pashtun thugs, from the same ethnic group as the Taliban, destroyed the markets to help the extremists and weaken the MQM, which is ethnically Mohajir and ardently anti-Taliban.

At Bolton Market, the epicenter of the fire, clusters of angry merchants watched glumly Friday and Saturday while workers shoveled mounds of burned goods from shops. Several multistory concrete buildings had collapsed from the intense fire, fueled by perfume, cotton and other flammable goods.

"These people were highly organized. They had weapons, cutters for the locks and chemicals to spread fire. This was not the work of emotional Shiite mourners," said Wasim Qureshi, 40, a perfume importer. "Our country is in the middle of a war on international terror. Only the terrorists will benefit from this disaster, and whoever did it was working on their behalf."

Pashtun political leaders dismissed accusations that Taliban supporters carried out the violence. Shahi Sayed, provincial president of the major Pashtun party, flatly accused the MQM of staging the violence to tar his community as a terrorist base.

"The MQM is like a mafia of thugs who rig elections, blackmail businesses and get support from the army," said Sayed, a hulking politician whose house is protected by tribal police. "They would destroy their own community to divide the Sindhis, drive out the Pashtuns and keep people away from Islam."

Similar accusations came from the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party, which set up tents near the damaged markets to assist victims of the fire. Local leaders of Jamaat, which is sympathetic to the Taliban, also blamed a plot by the MQM to malign Islam. They published photos in their party newspaper showing alleged MQM loyalists engaged in looting.

For MQM officials, Friday's events were a major political blow. The party has campaigned publicly against the "Talibanization" of Karachi. But now, with the terrorist threat squarely confronting the city, and the business community up in arms over the inadequate response by police and firefighters, Karachi's leaders are struggling to restore public confidence, tamp down the swirling conspiracy theories and ensure that the incident does not create dangerous new fissures.

"Karachi is the jugular vein of our economy, and a complex city with many fault lines. If Karachi is destabilized, then Pakistan is destabilized," said Farooq Sattar, an MQM leader and former Karachi mayor, who denied suggestions that his party fomented the violence. "We cannot allow either to happen."

FLAG HOISTING ON AFFECTED BUILDINGS

On the directive of City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal more than 400 national flags were hoisted on affected buildings of M.A Jinnah Road on Sunday. The flags will continue to hoist on these buildings till the completion of their repair and reconstruction work. City Nazim had said to hoist the national flag on the gutted and damaged buildings.

With the start of repair and reconstruction work on Sunday morning, City Government Karachi, Town Administration, Karachi Water & Sewerage Board and Associations of traders hoisted national flags on affected buildings of M.A Jinnah Road.

Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Championship to begin today

International Sports will return to Pakistan on Saturday with the hosting of inaugural Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Championship which is going to explode into action at KPT Sports Complex Gymnasium from Saturday. Over 100 pugilists from leading countries from Africa, Asia and Hungary and from Europe will be taking part in the week-long fist-fighting gala.

Teams from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Yemen and two teams from hosts - Pakistan Greens and Pakistan Whites are featuring in the event. Chief of Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) Doda Khan Bhutto said Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will formally inaugurate the championship named after former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “The holding of the event is a major big breakthrough for Pakistan Sports,” he said. PBF took the initiative and its going to reality on Saturday,” he commented. Doda Khan thanked the Indian Boxing Federation for sending the team to Pakistan. He also thanked the PM Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani for releasing a grant of Rs.20.3 million. Almost all the countries have arrived for the championship and an interesting contests are on the cards and big boost for Pakistan Sports. This is the first international sporting event in Pakistan after attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009.

The event will serve as the build-up and exposure for 22-member boxing contingent to show their skill, talent and potential in front of their boxing-loving home crowd particularly in Lyari area. The hosting of the championship will help in selecting the best possible Pakistan combination for the XI South Asian Games being held in Dhaka from January 29 and for Commonwealth Boxing Championship schedule to be held in New Delhi in March 2010. The event will show how much progress Pakistan boxers have made under their new Cuban Coach Francisco Hernendez Ronald. The medical and weighing of the boxers will be held at team’s hotel between 8 to 10.a.m. and draw will be taken out at 10.30 a.m.