‘All allies to be taken on board’
Staff Report
KARACHI: Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani said Thursday the new local government system would be introduced with the consensus of all allied parties.
Talking to media personnel at the Karachi Press Club, the minister said the Pakistan People’s Party has handed over the draft of the new local government system to the allied parties for their comments.
The PML-F and ANP have given their recommendations over this matter, while the MQM has yet to share its proposals, he said.
Responding to a question, the minister said administrators have taken control of local governments across Sindh and the government would provide them funds for running expenses, salaries of employees and ongoing schemes.
It is pertinent to mention that both the PPP and MQM have differences over the new local government system that the government has to introduce within a month in the Sindh Assembly for approval.
The ruling PPP is facing pressure from within the party, especially those members belonging from Karachi, for restoration of the local bodies system of 1979.
Under this system, the City District Government Karachi would be abolished, and the administration of the city would be divided into two parts, the municipal or metropolitan corporation comprising urban areas, and the district council comprising the rural areas of the city.
The MQM, however, has reservations over this system and wants to maintain present status of the city. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had recently announced that the new local government system would neither be of 2005, nor of 1979.
Friday, March 5, 2010
New LG system
Mother of three commits suicide by hanging herself
BIEK declares Home Economics (Supplementary) results
Mustafa Kamal among ‘Young Global Leaders-2010’
KARACHI: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has included former Karachi nazim Mustafa Kamal in the 197 ‘Young Global Leaders-2010’ for his performance and executing massive development works in the metropolis. The WEF selects 200 prominent personalities annually, in recognition of their services and declares them ‘Young Global Leaders’, said a statement issued by MQM Thursday.
It also said that the WEF would organise the ‘Young Global Leaders Conference-2010’ in Tanzania and Kamal is expected to attend it. app
City police barred from using fuel cards on non-payment
The PSO has contacted police authorities over the issue and the latter have assured to pay back the outstanding dues. Police mobiles of the city are supplied with a daily quota of 15 litres fuel while motorcycles are provided three litres.
Police sources claimed that they have deposited the payment cheque to one Mohammad Adnan of the PSO, but since the latter left the office without entering this into the records, the misunderstanding over the payment issue was created. online/staff report
Rauf Siddiqui inaugurates MEGATECH Pakistan 2010
KARACHI: Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, the Minister of Industries & Commerce, Government of Sindh inaugurated the 8th Edition of the International Machinery Exhibition of Garment & Textile Technology – MEGATECH Pakistan 2010, at the Expo Centre on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Rauf Siddiqui highlighted the importance of the textile industry, which is regarded as the backbone of the Pakistan’s economy. He shed light on the efforts taken by the ministry to prop up the textile and garment manufacturers.
He made a point that the concrete steps taken by the ministry would increase the country’s textile related exports in the years to come. The minister reiterated that his ministry has put two proposals to the President and Prime Minister for exemption of some taxes for ten years to those who establish industries in Interior Sindh.
Furthermore, the government has offered the investors for submitting 10 percent of the cost of land, while remaining 90 percent could be submitted in installments or after getting profit of such industry.
The Guest of Honour, Idrees Ahmed said induction of modern machinery and technology is essential for Pakistani manufacturers to maintain a competitive edge in the current economic situations. He stressed that large investment is required in this sector and the government should seriously consider controlling the constant rise in yarn prices.
Abdul Majid Haji Muhammad, president Karachi Chamber of Commerce and industry emphasised on various initiatives taken by KCCI to accelerate textile and garment manufacturing activities in the country.
MEGATECH Pakistan 2010 has the participation of more than 300 companies from 29 countries. The 3rd Technical Textiles Conference is also being held in concurrence with the exhibition on 5th & 6th March, 2010. The conference will highlight the prospects related to Medical & Geotextiles.
Pak Navy to acquire 30 year old US frigate for 78 million dollars
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Ex-PSM chairman acquitted in NAB reference
In NAB court No. 4, lawyer of Usman Farooqui Raza Hashmi took the stance that when ferrous the contract for purchasing of manganese contract was signed his client was not PSM chairman.
He also said that the witnesses presented in the reference didn’t give statement against Usman Farooqui.
On the basis of above arguments, the Karachi NAB court acquitted former PSM chairman Usman Farooqui.
The reference was closed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) but was reopened after the NRO was abolished. After the acquittal from NAB reference, there is no case against Usman Farooqui in accountability court; however there are three appeals under hearing in the Sindh High Court. SAMAA
Karachi bourse manages to recover 92 points
By By our correspondent
KARACHI: Technical buying on this year lower level helped the Karachi bourse restore above the 9,500-point level on Thursday.
The notable foreign portfolio investment remained the primary source of recovery in this session as well. KSE 100-share index regained by 92.10 points or 0.98 per cent and closed at 9,511.53 points.
By yesterday (Wednesday), the market had declined to the level on which the first session of the year 2010 was closed near 9,400 points in the result of continuous sell-off in the previous sessions.
The parallel running junior 30-share index also recovered 119.07 points or 1.21 per cent during the session and concluded at 9,968.78 points. Analysts were of the view that share prices had declined to lucrative levels so that some of the participants opted to accumulate stocks along with overseas investors. The buying was noted on across the board where the National Bank led the list of volume leaders, as this scrip announced better than expected earning for the year ended on December 31, 2009.
After quite a long time, the National Bank played its traditional role in heavy weight counter and included 17.50 points on the key benchmark 100-index. Among others, almost all the blue-chips attracted funds and managed to revert into the positive territory.
Analyst Ahsan Mehanti said the bullish activity witnessed as NBP announced a record result announcement. Growing foreign interest in local markets, rise in international oil prices near to $81 a barrel and expectation of early appointment of finance minister altogether played a catalyst role in positive activity despite profit-taking by valued institutions throughout the session. Analyst Farhan Seth said the net foreign buying worth $17.5 million in the last four sessions (including this one) triggered the sentiments. Underperforming scrips like JSCL, ANL and AHSL remained in limelight where NBP was the volume leader owing to better than expected financial result announcement this session.
Local companies, however, appeared as panic sellers of the session with an aggregated sell-off worth $5.42 million, according to NCCPL, bank/Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) were the other prominent buyers with net $1.51 million after foreigners.
Accordingly, the overall market capitalisation increased by Rs27 billion to stand at Rs2,721 billion. The day turnover improved to 160.83 million shares from 115.86 million shares changed hands yesterday. Turnover in the future market also rose to 4.58 million against 3.79 million shares traded a day earlier. Analyst Hasnain Asghar Ali termed the day recovery technical pullback. In the first half of the session, the bearish trends had prevailed. As feared, the stocks held as collaterals continued to make their way into the local bourse even at rates below their ‘nuisance value’, smelling the opportunity the corporate participants and high net worth came in and made their presence felt.
Those stocks, which had lost their values miserably and available at low multiples with offering decent yields attracted fresh funds, thus triggering short-covering. The activity allowed the benchmark to minimize accumulated losses and returned to the positive zone. Gloomy horizon, however, restricted the surge, thus indicating the probable sellers on strength, Ali added.
Out of total 388 active stocks, 221 stocks advanced, 149 stocks declined, while the value of remaining 18 stocks closed unchanged. Highest volumes were witnessed in National Bank at 29.20 million closing at Rs92.55 with a gain of Rs4.35, followed by JS Company at 13.88 million closing at Rs22.10 with a gain of Rs1.05, Lotte Pakistan at 10.75 million closing at Rs9.85 with a gain of 57 paisa, Azgard Nine at 10.13 million closing at Rs16.87 with a gain of Re1, and Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim at 10.07 million closing at Rs31.12 with a gain of 51 paisa.
Karachi bridge collapse culprits get promotions in NHA
By By Dilshad Azeem
ISLMAABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) lieutenants, held responsible for Karachi’s Shershah bridge collapse, have managed to get higher positions within the same organisation in less than two-and-a-half years of the disaster.
On Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s suo motu notice, the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission (PMIC) had conducted an inquiry into the tragedy, holding six NHA mandarins responsible along with their consultancy firm.
Maj-Gen Farrukh Javed (the then-chairman), Yousuf Barakzai (Project Director), Raja Nowsherwan (Member Planning), Altaf Ahmed Chaudhry (Member Motorways), Syed Najamul Hasan (engineer) and Col Tehsinul Haq (former GM Construction) were mentioned in report’s paras 9 and 8. Of the six, Altaf Ahmed Chaudhry has been elevated to the NHA chairman’s slot, the then-PD Yousuf Barakzai is now Member Construction and Raja Nowsherwan, Member Operation.
The 58-page inquiry report named the NHA and M/s ECIL for the collapse of Shershah bridge on the Karachi Northern Bypass, killing at least six persons and causing huge financial losses. Minister of State for Communication Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Warraich claimed the bridge collapse was basically not a fault of the three NHA officials, including the sitting chairman.
“Proper information was not provided to the committee members (probing body) about the nature of job of NHA officials as none of them (three) was sacked from service though some were temporarily suspended or served with notices to explain their position,” said Warraich.
Asked as to why and how these NHA officials were elevated, he said the consultancy firm, the ECIL, was responsible for the catastrophe. “No, I do not think so,” was his response to whether the same company had been blacklisted.
Warraich, on behalf of Federal Minister for Communication Arbab Alamgir Khan, being abroad for another 10 days, maintained the responsibility was fixed under the relevant laws and every body was supposed to discharge his/her duties.
None of the officials — NHA Chairman Altaf Chaudhry, Raja Nowsherwan or Yousuf Barakzai — have so far challenged the inquiry report of six independent persons. “I was served with a show-cause notice by the ministry (of communication) shortly after the report which held the consultant and the NHA responsible for the collapse, and I was among those who shared responsibility under the inquiry’s findings,” was the reply of the NHA chairman.
He, however, admitted the PD was responsible as far as the sole responsibility within the NHA department was concerned but he had his own viewpoint on the bridge collapse. Altaf Chaudhry maintained he, while being the then Member Motorways, had not only expressed serious reservations over the project and its design but also got a safety certificate from the contractor six months before traffic was allowed to move. “In my viewpoint, the design was faulty and that is why I obtained the certificate before I gave a go-ahead to the project as all this is now a part of the record,” he explained.
Chaudhry said the project amount to be released to the contractor was withheld for at least two years after the design was found faulty.“The contractor, under safety certificate and held-up money, is carrying out work without anymore burden on the national kitty. As far as loss of life is concerned, it is surely irreparable.”
On the charge of not conducting regular inspections, the NHA chairman said he visited the project five months before its formal opening though it was not his responsibility at that time. “My subject was to ensure quality construction material which was faultless.”
The sitting member operation, Raja Nowsherwan, who was member planning at the time of the bridge collapse, when contacted said tendering of the project completed at least one-and-a-half year before his assuming the position. “I have given a reply to the ministry in writing that I had nothing to do with its planning. Even the NHA project director, in routine duties, remains engaged in sorting out issues such as land acquisition, matters related to Deputy Commissioner, etc., or to handle other kind of disputes,” Nowsherwan, who remained suspended but reinstated, said.
The NHA chairman and member operation, however, said the sole responsibility within the organisation rests with the then PD who is now Member Construction Barakzai. When approached, Barakzai, who also faced a long suspension but finally reinstated, claimed he was sitting in the organisation after obtaining exoneration. “I was charged to have committed negligence in land acquisition. The owners, the billionaires, had donated the same land for the project utilisation; thus, making the acquisition question null and void,” he elaborated while confirming that he, too, did not challenge the inquiry report.
NHA sources clarified the Army personnel case was referred to their command for action in accordance with the Army laws. “Only three are holding the top three positions despite the fact that none of them challenged the PMIC inquiry report.” The inquiry body members were Prof Dr SFA Rafiqi, Prof Dr SH Lodhi, Advocate Engr Nasir JR Shaikh, Engr Munir Ahmed Rana, Engr Zafar Razzaq and Engr Farrukh Hassan Pasha.
Karachi relief body to rebuild 19 arson-hit markets
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Karachi Affected Markets Relief Committee (KAMRC) of the Sindh government will reconstruct 19 markets set ablaze on December 28, 2009 in Karachi with cooperation and consultation of the local government.
For the reconstruction work, consultant and builders have been selected, said Spokesman for KAMRC, AQ Khalil.
He made this announcement at the conclusion of the committee meeting held under the chairmanship of M Zubair Motiwala at Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) the other day.
He further said after initial deliberation for reconstruction of affected markets, Rs200 million is needed. The final decision, however, will be made after the recommendation of the consultant, according to a press statement issued here on Thursday.
The committee was informed that till January 20, 2010, some 2,806 affectees approached KAMRC for filing their claims against their goods burnt to ashes in the tragic fire incident happened on December 28, 2009 destroying markets at MA Jinnah Road, whereby the federal and provincial government ensured the provision of Rs3.5 billion out of which Rs2.5 billion are transferred to the relief committee.
According to the latest information, till date, payment of claims worth around Rs1.38 billion is in process likely to be completed by second week of March, 2010. The committee, for relief and rehabilitation activities for affectees expressed gratitude to the KCCI and termed the assessment, scrutiny of claims and instant payment decisions as historic and appreciable and also recorded their confidence in the KCCI.
The committee took notice of the complaints of affectees for delay in the reconstruction of affected markets and decided that 19 affected markets will be reconstructed in the light of instructions of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat Ul Ibad Khan with consultation and productive suggestions of provincial and local government and heritage department and on the recommendation of the committee. Khalil said ABAD and others institutions for volunteer services have been invited in this regard.
Hamara Karachi Festival from 10th
Hamara Karachi Festival from 10th
KARACHI: The Hamara Karachi Festival would be held from March 10 to 24 under the aegis of Hamara Karachi Foundation, announced former city naib nazim and the foundation’s president Nasreen Jalil while addressing a press conference along with Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani Thursday.
She pointed out that Hamara Karachi Festival has proved instrumental in developing a sense of ownership among the residents of Karachi and its celebration sends a positive image of Karachi to the world. On the occasion Durrani appreciated the services of Jalil and said she has worked to promote literary and cultural activities in Karachi.
“We want revival of Karachi’s active life and it is the vision of President Asif Ali Zardari and Quaid-e-Tehreek Altaf Hussain to make Karachi beautiful and restore its past glories and traditions,” he said. He assured that the Sindh government would support the festival.
Afridi at loggerheads with Karachi cric association
Afridi, who is playing in the national Twenty20 championship being held in the city, is upset at being ignored for the captaincy of the Karachi team in the tournament and minced no words in making his feelings clear on this issue.
"I think the KCCA senior officials need to rethink their attitude towards senior players and how they treat them," Afridi told reporters at the national stadium.
The KCCA ignored Afridi while appointing fast bowler, Muhammad Sami as the captain of one of the Karachi teams in the tournament.
"I think the KCCA officials should have had the courtesy to atleast tell me why they didn't want me as captain.
Malik acquitted in corruption reference
The court held the minister innocent after hearing final arguments from the counsels. After the judgment, Malik’s counsel Khwaja Naweed Ahmed told the media representatives that as the main witness in the case had changed his statement the court acquitted Malik on the basis of insufficient evidence.
During last hearing, the court had reserved the verdict on the minister’s plea for acquittal from Charcoal Contract Case. The defence counsel during his arguments had cited the Supreme Court remarks, made while admitting the bail application of Rehman Malik. The SC remark was that there was no solid evidence to prove his involvement in the corruption charges. He maintained that his client had been implicated in a false case to victimize him because of his affiliation with then opposition party the PPP.
NAB had filed a reference in 2004, accusing Rehman Malik of misusing his official position as an additional director of the Federal Investigation Agency in 1995, alleging that he gave a special quota of 50,000 tonne of bitumen without paying excise duty and other charges to NSR Company.
The corruption cases were reopened against Malik and several other political leaders after the Supreme Court invalidated the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
Meanwhile talking to the media in Karachi, Malik said the corruption cases registered against him were absolutely baseless and that justice had finally prevailed.
Malik also touched upon the security situation in Sindh, stressing that rangers or FC personnel could be deployed in the City if the need arises. Replying to a question, he opined that CNIC recovered from Abdul Malik Rigi was fake. Extra security measures would be adopted for local body elections on provincial governments’ request, he added.
He said the rangers would be deployed during the polling for local body election across the country if the provincial governments requested in this regard.
Key Taliban figure held in Karachi
KARACHI: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Sindh police claimed on Thursday to have arrested a key figure of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
A CID official identified the man as Alam Mehsud and said he was a close aide of TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a US drone attack in August last year. The arrest was made on a tip-off from Surjani Town area of Karachi.
“He escaped the military operation in South Waziristan and came to Karachi a few months ago,” the official said, adding that Alam had been appointed Qazi by the TTP in an area of South Waziristan.
The official said that investigations were in early stages, adding that information received during interrogation would help police to trace Alam Mehsud’s associates living in the city.
“Recent arrests are results of enhanced intelligence network and better coordination among law-enforcement agencies,” he said.
The CID official, however, did not say if any arms and ammunition had been recovered from Alam Mehsud.
Dr Sagheer asks government hospitals to be on high aler
Chairing a meeting of the health department officials on Monday, he said that all doctors, paramedics and nurses must be on duty at the emergency wards of their respective hospitals.
The Alwidai Chup Taazia Juloos is an annual feature that marks the end of the mourning that commences in Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar).
Dr. Saghir Ahmed was confident that the concerned security agencies have developed fool proof security arrangements to avert any untoward incident.
"We in our capacity, however, must develop contingency plans for special days when congregations may be arranged and processions are taken out," said the health minister.
He also urged the Sindh Health Secretary to make a round of all the hospitals so as to see that medicines and other related items are available at them.
EDOs were asked to keep a vigil on all Sindh government health centers in all 18 towns of Karachi and make sure that all their departments are fully functional and that the staff is Present on duty, without fail.
Karachi mourns bomb attack victims
KARACHI – Thousands of people have gathered in Pakistan’s largest city, with a population of 18 million, for a mass funeral after 31 people were killed and more than 170 were wounded in bomb attacks on Friday.
Major Aurang Zeb, a paramilitary spokesman in Karachi, said on Saturday that security forces were on maximum alert ahead of the funeral in the Malir area of the southern port city.
Shops remain closed and public transport reduced as several thousand mourners gathered at funerals of some of the victims of the attacks.
As opposed to initial investigations, where the police suspect a bomb-laden motorcycle was driven into one of the buses, now police say that the bomb was planted in the first and second bus and they were detonated remotely.
Senior police investigator Raja Umer Khattab said the Jundullah militant group was behind the attacks. “This is the same group that carried out the Ashura attack,” he said referring the late December attack that killed 43 people.
Khattab said some arrests had been made after the December attack but police were hunting for more members.
Meanwhile, Zeenews reported that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday condemned the twin blasts in Karachi.
New Taliban leader?
According to an unconfirmed report by The New York Times a successor to Hakimullah Masud, who is rumored to have died during a U.S. drone attack in December, may already have been chosen.
The man under question is Maulvi Noor Jamal, a native of the tribal area of Orakzai, where the residents claim he has taken control.
Noor Jamal rose to power as regional Taliban leader in the Kurram tribal area and was given additional responsibilities when the Pakistani military offensive began in South Waziristan in October.
Photo: Pakistani Shiite Muslims mourn during a funeral prayer of Friday's bombing victims in Karachi, Pakistan on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. Beating their chests with hands, thousands of minority Shiite Muslims attended the mass funeral for those killed in a pair of bombings in Pakistan's largest city. (AP Photo)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
PAKISTAN - Market factors to watch - March 3
(Reuters News welcomes your feedback and for any queries please contact Chris Allbritton in Islamabad editorial on +92-51 281 0017 or via email at chris.allbritton@thomsonreuters.com or on Reuters messaging chris.allbritton.reuters.com@reuters.net) WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PAKISTAN, ALL TIMES LOCAL FOLLOWED BY GMT: (The inclusion of diary items does not necessarily mean that Reuters will cover the event)
* RBS Pakistan (RBS.KA: Quote, Profile, Research) to announce corporate results for the year ended Dec. 31 on Wednesday.
* National Bank of Pakistan (NBPK.KA: Quote, Profile, Research) to announce corporate results for the year ended Dec. 31 on Thursday.
MARKET SNAPSHOTS
* The rupee PKR= rupee fell to an all-time closing low on Tuesday because of pressure from payments for imports and dealers said they expect the currency to weaken further.
The rupee ended at 85.09/11 to the dollar, compared with Monday's close of 85.04/09. [PKR/]
* The Karachi Stock Exchange's benchmark 100-share index .KSE rose 47.82 points, or 0.50 percent, to end at 9,546.38 on turnover of 82.22 million shares.
* The net inflow of foreign portfolio investment in the stock market was $3.16 million on Tuesday.
KW&SB increases water tariff by 9pc
This increase would be equally applicable for residential, commercial and industrial consumers.
MD Water Board Qutub Sheikh said that increase would be effective from July 2009 and difference would be recovered in arrears.
It may be mentioned here that water board had increased the tariff by nine percent in 2008-09 as well.
Karachi bourse recovers 48 points
Earlier, the market had lost about four-and-half per cent in the last five consecutive bear-run sessions.
KSE 100-share index regained 47.82 points or 0.50 per cent and closed at 9,546.39 points.
Its junior partner the 30-share index recovered 50.46 points or 0.51 per cent and concluded at 9,974.84 points.
Analysts were of the view that the continuous decline in shares-prices in previous sessions had made them lucrative so that a section of investors dared to inject funds on selective counters.
Farhan Seth at Topline Securities said after a sharp fall in previous sessions, the market posted a meager increase amid dull volumes as clarification regarding earlier rumours of corporate default improved the sentiments.
However, activity remained confined to oil scrips and commercial banks.
Hasnain Asghar Ali at Aziz Fidahusein explained that rumours about a textile company were in circulation that it had failed to pay the interest money to its Term Finance Certificates (TFCs) holders.
This was being termed ‘corporate default’ in the market for the last couple of days. Without taking the company name, he said the company has settled the issue with extending the date of payment by three months reportedly. Accordingly, the Oil & Gas Development Company, MCB Bank and Pak Petroleum were three notable stocks, which contributed points to double digits on the key benchmark 100-index.
They cumulatively included about 39 points on the said benchmark.
Among others, National Bank, Fauji Fertlizer Bin Qasim, Engro Corporation, Adamjee Insurance, Lucky Cement, Pakistan State Oil and many more stocks closed on positive note.
Foreign portfolio investors remained prominent buyer consecutively and injected another smart tranches of $3.16 million in this session.
Local companies, other organizations and non-banking finance companies also bought shares worth $2.03 million, $900 thousand and $152 thousand, respectively. On the contrary, mutual funds and individual investors appeared as leading sellers and offloaded a part of holding worth $3.27 million and $2.18 million, respectively.
Local companies also withdrew $793 thousand in this session, according to NCCPL. Accordingly, the overall market capitalization improved by Rs12 billion and stood at Rs2,737 billion.
Turnover in ready market steadied to 109.28 million shares from 100.20 million shares changed hands yesterday.
Turnover in the future market, however, further fell to 1.88 million against 2.75 million shares traded a day earlier.
Ahsan Mehanti at Shahzad Chamdia Securities said the positive activity witnessed in an oversold market on institutional buying in oil, insurance and banking sector scrips.
Renewed foreign interest in the market, rise in global commodity prices and positive expectation from upcoming result announcements played a catalyst role in positive activity on the Karachi Stock Exchange.
Out of total 383 active stocks, 205 stocks declined, 161 stocks advanced, while the value of remaining 17 stocks closed unchanged. Highest volumes were witnessed in WorldCall Telecom at 11.76 million closing at Rs4.42 with a loss of 20 paisa, followed by Lotte Pakistan at 8.56 million closing at Rs9.49 with a gain of 10 paisa, Azgard Nine at 8.14 million closing at Rs16.87 with a loss of 98 paisa, JS Company at 7.81 million closing at Rs22.15 with a loss of 83 paisa, and SilkBank (R) at 5.65 million closing at 41 paisa with a loss of one paisa.
Railways Staff Has Restored Karachi To Lahore Railway
NAWABSHAH PAKISTAN: Pakistan railways staff has restored Karachi to Lahore railway traffic after more than 24 hours suspension due to goods train derailment in Nawabshah on Tuesday.
The railway staff engaged in repair work on the down track.
The up and down tracks of main railway line were blocked after the rail accident yesterday.
Talking to ARY News G.M. Pakistan Raiways Saeed Akhtar said that to look into the causes of the accident the railway has constituted an inquiry.
Meanwhile, Shalimar Express that was scheduled to depart from Karachi on 7:00 in the morning left at 12:00, while Pakistan Express will depart at 8:00 pm instead of the scheduled time of 2:30 pm.
CM okays Rs300 for prisons uplift
According to details, the funds have been released. In this regard, an amount of Rs46 million has been also allocated for raising the pay of Sindh Prisons employees at par with the Sindh Police Department. Besides, an amount of Rs70 million has been allocated for construction of new Bathrooms and repair of dilapidated toilets of old Jails i.e Central Prison Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, I&II, Larkana, Special Prison Nara Hyderabad while new bathrooms will be constructed at District Jail Malir and construction of bathrooms and repair of Jail Barracks at Central Jail Khairpur.
The allocations includes Rs40 million for purchase of security gadgets i.e Jammers, walk through gates, metal detectors scanners and CCTV with Cameras etc; Rs24 million for 50 percent creation of separate unit of Prison force; Rs10 million for up-gradation of Jail hospital, basic infrastructure of sewerage system at District Jail Malir Karachi; Rs20 million for provision of legal aid for all prisoners; Rs15 million for purchase of 15 new ambulances (Suzuki Bolan) with emergency equipments and stretcher fitting; Rs20 million for 14 (4+2) pick-ups for escorting ambulance ; Rs26 million for arm and ammunition; Rs15 million for diet kit and health kit and Rs1 million for POL etc.
The CM underlined the need that purpose of increase in allocation is to provide facilities to prisoners and improve the serving in Jail of province.
Man strangles spouse to death in Karachi
Meanwhile, police have said the incident was the result of family dispute.
The deceased lady was identified as Ghafoora Bibi, 26, wife of Ali Mohammed while the dead body has been deposited in Jinnah Hospital for autopsy and preliminary investigation.
220 MW KESC project to reduce crisis in Karachi
The government is going to inaugurate the first ever power addition of 220 MW to the KESC today (Friday). The federal government had over two years ago asked the KESC to invest in the company and install new power plants to bridge the gap between demand and supply.
The minister held a number of meetings with the KESC administration and its owners and asked them to fulfil their commitment and set up their own power plants. The government facilitated the company to establish the Korangi power plant. The addition will be made through Combined Cycle Power Plant, located in Korangi, owned and operated by the KESC. The plant will be run by both furnace oil as well as natural gas, subject to availability of either.
This is the fourth power plant being inaugurated by this government. Three plants were inaugurated in the Punjab for Pepco system. The Korangi power plant will exclusively supply power to Karachi. The government is utilising all resources to overcome the power crisis.
He said new IPPs of 1,000 MWs will be added to the national grid by June next. The consumers will observe a better summer this year as compared to the previous year, he added. The theft of electricity and non-payment of dues were the biggest reason for all the power utilities, he said. Theft or non-payment resulted in lack of resources, which affect investment in the system, he added.
Major Karachi port project begins without green certificate
KARACHI: The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has undertaken massive dredging and reclamation works in Pakistan’s largest city to develop in phases a deepwater container port to the south east of the existing port without obtaining the statutory environmental clearance.
Conservationists fear considerable long-term repercussions of the unchecked port development works undertaken at a cost of $1.6 billion. Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani had performed the groundbreaking of the dredging and reclamation works in April 2009.
About 55 percent of the reclamation work has already been done by dumping dredged material and other solid waste. A Chinese contractor has been engaged for the dredging of the port approach channel, dredging basin, dredging for quay wall works and reclamation using material available from the dredging operation to form the container terminal area.Karachi stocks gain 48 points due to buying in blue chips
The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) 100-share index gained 47.82 points or 0.50 percent to close at 9,546.39 points as compared to the previous session’s 9,498.56 points. The KSE 30-share index closed at 9,974.84 points with a gain of 50.46 points. The KMI 30 closed at 14,264.41 points with a rise of 81.55 points. Analysts said the market opened in the green zone and the trend remained dominant throughout the trading session during which dull volumes were traded. One of the major factors, which spurred positive sentiment was renewed foreign interest.
The market turnover went up by 9.06 percent and traded 109.28 million shares as compared with the previous session’s 100.20 million shares. The overall market capitalisation was up by 0.44 percent and traded Rs 2.737 trillion as against Rs 2.725 trillion of the previous session. Out of total 383 companies, 161 closed in the positive zone, 205 in negative and 17 remained unchanged.
“After a sharp fall in the previous session, the market posted a meagre increase amid dull volumes as clarification regarding earlier rumours of corporate default improved the sentiments,” said TopLine Sec analyst Farhan Seth. “However, activity remained confined to oil scrips and commercial banks.” “Rise in global commodity prices and positive expectations from the upcoming result announcements played a catalyst role in the positive activity,” said Shahzad Chamdia Sec senior analyst Ahsan Mehanti.
“Second-tier stocks kept the sentiments negative in the opening hour, but interest in blue chips after early set back took the market into the green zone,” said Aziz Fida Husein and Co analyst Husnein Asghar Ali. “Massive fluctuations in stocks that witnessed panic selling in the previous session due to various rumours regarding financial constraints helped the market to recover.” Banking and oil and gas exploration stocks supported the market in attaining the intra-day high, while second-tier stocks and the stocks that have been in the grip of various rumours contributed substantially to the turnover. staff report
Younis Khan pulls out of RBS Twenty20 Cup
Younis was slated to lead the Abbottabad Rhinos, but did not play in the team's opening match, a defeat against Faisalabad Wolves on March 1, before deciding to withdraw from the tournament, which features Pakistan's leading cricketers.
The decision was confirmed by Taimur Khan Afridi, the manager of Abbottabad Rhinos. Afridi said that he was unaware of Younis's reasons to pull out of the event. Younis, had earlier retired from the Twenty20 internationals after leading the Pakistan to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2009. He normally plays for the Peshawar Panthers in the domestic events but joined the Rhinos' set-up for the Twenty20 Cup.—RT
Monday, March 1, 2010
Violence in Karachi
Rather than work towards tearing apart the different types of violence and addressing each systematically and comprehensively, the authorities are operating in a muddle. — Photo by AFP
Interior Minister Rehman Malik stated on Friday that there are no similarities between the situation in Karachi and Swat. This statement of the obvious is in some ways the best response by the authorities to the recent spate of violence in Karachi.
Acknowledging that the dynamics of violence are locally defined and steeped in histories and circumstances particular to certain places and events is the first step towards effectively maintaining peace and stability.
Karachi has a long history of ethnic conflict, sectarian violence, land mafias and intra- and inter-party tensions. All these have been in play during this past fortnight, making it abundantly clear that a discerning approach to Karachi’s violence is required. Policing and investigations into recent incidents must be informed by knowledge of ‘local’ social, political and economic factors, which in this city of 18 million differ from locality to locality. For that reason, the MQM’s request for the Rangers, the army and intelligence agencies to maintain law and order in the city is akin to slapping a band-aid on a deep, infected wound.
Violent incidents since the last week of December have confirmed that Karachi is facing a hydra-headed threat. Rather than work towards tearing apart the different types of violence and addressing each systematically and comprehensively, the authorities are operating in a muddle.
The Ashura blast which had apparently been claimed by the Taliban was denied by the latter. On Friday, Malik linked Jaish-i-Mohammad, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) and Jundullah with that attack. Earlier in the week, an FIA report had claimed that a new militant group was responsible for the blast. Even as it became clear that the Taliban may not have been involved in the Ashura attack, US ambassador Anne Patterson announced a grant of Rs1bn for affected traders, all the while decrying the Talibanisation of Pakistan.
A similar confusion prevails regarding the actors and reasons behind the killings of several people in the last few days. Political parties in Karachi have been asking the Sindh government to intervene and prevent targeted political killings, of which there have been over 250 in the past six months. Malik, meanwhile, has accused ‘actors’ not affiliated with political parties of trying to fracture the ruling coalition. With particular reference to violence in Lyari, Malik has dismissed it as a familial dispute surrounding a girl’s ‘illicit relations’ while city government officials have pointed to long-running gang warfare in that area. For their part, the police, in many incidents, claim no knowledge about the perpetrators’ identities, motives or their access to arms.
Complicating this scenario is Friday’s Baldia Town blast, possibly related to a Manawan-like attack on a police academy, which indicates that militants with ties to the TTP may be operating in Karachi (interestingly, LJ and Sipah-i-Sahaba stickers were retrieved from the site). The fact is, since June last year, when one of Baitullah Mehsud’s aides was apprehended, the police have been detaining TTP-linked militants in Karachi with some regularity. However, the criminal investigation department (CID) officials have been careful to reiterate that the situation here is murky, with many militant groups uniting under the Taliban banner and drawing recruits from Urdu-, Pushto-, and Punjabi-speaking communities as well as the Bengali community.
Given this complex situation, the authorities’ responses to violence seem poorly thought out. It was recently proposed that the Rangers be given powers to detain suspects implicated in violent incidents for up to 90 days under the Anti-Terrorism Act. This measure coupled with the MQM’s invitation to the paramilitary force to control Karachi could lead to arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions. These would further fuel resentment among the local population rather than address the city’s disparate causes of violence.
Similarly, Malik’s warning to illegal immigrants to promptly vacate Karachi seems like an ad hoc, knee-jerk reaction. Most unregistered migrants to this city — including Afghans and Bengalis — have been here for decades and have nowhere to go. Moreover, they cannot be held solely responsible for the recent violence, especially in the light of intra-party disputes and the CID’s evaluation of broad-based militant recruitment.
No doubt, all illegal labour in Karachi should be documented, but that process must be systematic and gradual. Despite an ongoing initiative under the Foreigners Act, only 78,000 of the city’s 250,000 Afghans have been issued ‘proof of residence’ cards. Afghans and Bengalis regularly complain that they are harassed and discriminated against when they apply for registration. And the papers of documented migrants are regularly dismissed as fakes. The government will have to address the flaws in its registration system before issuing ultimatums.
If anything, by placing the burden of Karachi’s problems on its two million migrants (who will now find themselves forced out of jobs and persecuted), the authorities are creating a larger community of disaffected, marginalised and jobless Karachiites, all the more prone to violence for a host of separate socio-economic reasons.
Some of these misguided solutions are explained by the city government’s reliance on the federal and provincial governments and federally overseen paramilitary force to solve Karachi’s problems. National bodies cannot address disturbances that are local and particular to Karachi (and, indeed, its unique localities) as effectively as the city government and capital city police.
Rather than depend on an interior ministry committee, based at the National Crisis Management Cell, to investigate charges of targeted killings in Karachi — or even continue calls for a Supreme Court commission to investigate the Ashura blast — the city government should prioritise expanding, training and equipping Karachi’s police force and revamping the flawed Police Order 2002.
The very term ‘policing’ implies systematic scrutiny at a minute, street-by-street level. Stationed in particular localities, police officials — far more than army or paramilitary forces — are in a position to develop understandings of hyper-local communities, identify stakeholders, map criminal trends, and thereby launch effective investigations and help inform sophisticated policymaking. As such, better policing is the best, long-term antidote to urban crime and chaos.
4 killed in separate incidents - karachi
Monday, March 01, 2010
By our correspondent
Karachi
Four persons, including a woman, died in separate incidents reported in the city on Sunday.
The decomposed body of an unidentified man, 35, bearing marks of physical torture, was found from the Korangi Industrial Area (KIA)police limits. Police said that information was received that a dead body was lying inside a house situated near Pakhtoon Chowk, Bilal Colony, KIA. A patrolling mobile immediately rushed to the site and shifted the body to the hospital.
Police said that during examination, it was found that the deceased had lain dead for about five or six days. A case was registered and investigation is in progress.
In a separate case, an unidentified man of 30 was drowned in Manghopir. Police said that the deceased was present near a Nullah near Noorani Hotel when he suddenly slipped and was drowned. His body was later found salvaged by the divers of a rescue department. A case was lodged at the relevant police station.
In yet another case, Usman Iqbal was crushed to death by a speeding truck in the Jackson police limits. Police said that the deceased was riding his motorcycle, when suddenly a speeding truck crushed him to death. A case was reported at the police station.
Meanwhile, an unidentified woman, 70, was crushed death by a speeding unidentified car near Lasbella Chowk, Gulbahar area. A case was reported at the police station.
All that was jazz
Monday, March 01, 2010
By Gibran Ashraf
Karachi
The United States of America has made generous use of jazz music as a means in its larger diplomatic set up, even using it as a public relations tool during the peak of the Civil Rights movements. However, this music form has seen dwindling returns over the recent decades. In this regard, Dr Clarence Lusane, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations in the School of International Service at the American University and an expert on Minority Rights gave a lecture on the history of Jazz at the Second Floor on Sunday afternoon.
The hour long lecture traced the beginning of jazz in the US and its development, growth, use as an international affairs tool and finally to its demise. Despite being a political science professor, along with being an activist his knowledge on jazz seemed to be quite extensive.
Starting off from the late 1800’s when the first jazz band began, back in 1895, with the first jazz group, Buddy Bolden in New Orleans which was a blues group ñ the base of all jazz. In fact, according to Dr Lusane, the birth of jazz came from the interaction of many different nationalities. New Orleans is a port city. Back in the 1800’s it was one of the main ports that served as a transit for ships going to Latin America and also bringing goods from all over the world, especially slaves to the States from Africa and other goods from England. This international community nestling in this port town according to the professor gave birth to jazz.
Over the years, while the Mecca for jazz moved all around, the greats of jazz all initially came out of New Orleans including Jelly Roll Mortan and Luis Armstrong. As the music grew and more people from around the US got interested into the music, a lot of influences started to merge in.
However, with productions being done by the African American community, the music did not find support, and was even publicly debased and forced the utilisation of media to condemn it. (As pointed out by one of the members of the audience) one of the first ever talkies was in fact about jazz music. However, all this propaganda ever did was to spike the interest of people into this form of music.
The technological advancements with the gramophones and radios did wonders for jazz as it added a whole new dimension of accessibility to jazz. The First World War saw American combat contingents, with conscripted blacks serving across Europe leaving the seeds of jazz in Paris, Berlin, London where after the war jazz bars started to spring up. So much so was the influence of jazz in Europe that the Nazi party even started their own campaign against the jazz groups in Germany.
However, the popularity of jazz was universal, with the first ever jazz group to be recorded being white, the Dixie Land Jazz Band in 1917. This format of jazz was soon to face its own challenges when during the Second World War, larger groups of jazz broke down due to conscription into the allied forces. The music continued to evolve and in the 1950’s, jazz further developed to include ‘cool jazz’ and ‘hard jazz’.
The 1960’s was one of the peak periods for jazz with players like Billie Holiday, Luis Armstrong, and Charlie Parker who made all the headlines. Their music took a meaningful turn when they decided to link their music to the civil rights movements and the freedom movements all around the world. Songs like Africa, Liberia and Dahomey Song started to make the charts. Recognizing the appeal of jazz music, the ‘Voice of America’ show started to have a daily one hour broadcast in which only jazz music was played. At its peak this show alone garnered over 100 million listeners.
In 1955, the State Department of US started a Jazz Ambassador programme where jazz groups were sent all around the world to represent a more musical, politically integrative picture of the United States. The first of these ambassadors landed in Pakistan with the Dizzy Gillespie performing in 1956.
Therefore, around the world jazz started to take a good hold. With South Korea one of the places where jazz became extremely popular, while Japan took longer to let in foreign influences in to their society. In South Africa, jazz was seen part of the freedom movement as it was performed mainly by African Americans and found players and listeners hard to come by.Jazz, however has found its fortunes dwindle over the past two decades.
Dr Luasane said that only two per cent of all music sold in the US is jazz and a good part of that music is copy righted to the 60’s. “The current best seller in the name of jazz is Norah Jones”, he said. However, the significance of jazz being a diplomatic tool has not reduced with Obama having three jazz concerts at the White House in his maiden year in office.
Dr Lusane also revealed that the birth of the popular rap music has its base in Jazz with much of early rap in the 1960’s was done to jazz beats. The difference being that jazz was a counter to the socio-politico-economical trends while hip hop, rock and rap were more an expression of mainstream trends.
The small audience appreciated the informative lecture and some in the crowd even drew similarities of some aspects of jazz to the eastern classical music with the jugalbandi. Jazz being where each musician is in conversation with his fellow artists whereas in jugalbandi each artiste tries to outperform his colleague in a friendly competition.
Administrator to assume charge today
Monday, March 01, 2010
By Fasahat Mohiuddin
Karachi
Karachi Administrator Fazlur Rehman has formally assumed responsibility, and will take charge of his office from today (Monday), the administrator’s spokesman told The News on Sunday.
Rehman is the 18th administrator of the city. As per law, he will remain in office for 120 days, after which local body elections are scheduled to be held. He is to report directly to Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani.
This is the second time Rehman has been entrusted with the responsibility of administrator/care-taker; he was also given the responsibility after the tenure of former city Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, elapsed. His services were sought for a second time after major political actors of the province demanded that he be installed as the administrator of the city.
Rehman is a senior bureaucrat, and belongs to District Management Group (DMG) group (BS-20). Prior to his appointment, he had been asked to report to S&GAD due to a wrong notification issued from the local government department. Eventually, however, the decision to appoint him as administrator went ahead as planned. Interestingly, he is also the only official from Sindh to have proposed that the present local government system be scrapped at the inter-provincial local government meetings in Islamabad.
The administrator has not only served as the local government secretary, but also as the District Coordination Officer (DCO) Karachi in the Mustafa Kamal-led city government. He is also credited with playing a pivotal role in bringing CNG buses to Karachi.
Rehman has also served as the managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), and was also the district West commissioner. He was also appointed deputy commissioner in interior Sindh.
Political analysts claim that the administrator’s greatest challenges will be in terms of the financial crunch that the city government was facing. He will also be tested of there is a law and order problem in the city, they added.
National Stadium Karachi
The National Stadium is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. It is currently used for cricket matches, and is home to Karachi's domestic cricket teams. The stadium is able to hold 34,228 spectators, making it the second largest stadium in Pakistan after Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Its widely criticised that the city of this size with a population of over 15 million having such a small capacity stadium. In the recent past, PCB has announced on different occasions that the capacity of the stadium will be increased to 50,000 but this approval looks a bit stale at the moment.
The Pakistani cricket team have a remarkable Test record at the ground, having only lost twice (vs. England, December 2000-01, and South Africa, October 2007-08) and have won 21 times in 40 Test Matches and in over 50 years. The stadium has witnessed several memorable moments, such as Viv Richards 181 against Sri Lanka at the 1987 Cricket World Cup, Mohammad Yousuf's record ninth century of the year to break Viv Richards record of most runs in a calendar year, and Kamran Akmal's famous century against India on a very difficult pitch in 2006, after Pakistan had collapsed to 39 for 6, as part of a memorable come-from-behind victory.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Errors in KU semester mark-sheets irk students
Errors and omissions in mark-sheets of many semester students of various departments of Karachi University have become a source of irritation for students and wakeup call for concerned authorities to rectify the system at earliest.
Many students studying in different departments of Karachi University witnessed inaccuracies in their recently issued semester mark-sheet, commonly known as 'Performa'. Several sorts of mistakes were observed in these mark-sheets including false entry of subject marks, year of semester, and subsidiary subjects. In some cases candidates were mentioned fail or absent despite securing passing marks.
To make the matter further complicated the process of rectifying these mistakes is lengthy and cumbersome. Affected students complain that the procedure to get their Performa corrected is really annoying as they had to pay several visits to Semester Examination Cell (SEC), where they generally receive cold and uncooperative response.
Maimuna Ejaz, morning student at the Department of Mass Communication was grieved after getting her Performa.
She said that she actually had got 80 marks in subsidiary subject Sociology, as it was also apparent in the marks list provided by her teacher; however, the Performa issued to her showed she secured just 54 marks in the same subject. Another student of the said department told that he had got back his Performa after entire processing from SEC with some errors still persisting.
Interestingly one of the BS evening batch at aforementioned department has observed an unusual case as some 25 students amidst a total strength of 42 students in the class were declared 'absent' in their subsidiary subject International Relation. The affected students complained the problem was yet to be resolved.
Another common mistake was seen that the subsidiary subject mentioned on the Performa was different from what the students had been studying. Students at Chemistry Department and Food and Science Department said that they had not even issued a Performa since passage of two years.
It was learnt that these cases are not restricted to just few candidates, instead a large number of students in various departments have faced same dilemma and majority of them still await to get their Performa corrected. Some students have received what they called 'tampered' Performa as their marks, subjects and dates were manually corrected with green marking. "Similar marking can also be done by any person using a green pointer," they observed.
Such mistakes committed by KU semester examination cell is affected the varsity image among new enrolled students of BS.
When contacted, In-charge Ku Semester Examination Cell Prof. Majid Mumtaz said that he was new to this department as he assumed his charge on 16th January. He, however, said he is aware of the problems being faced by students pertaining to their Performa.
Prof Majid said he had prioritised the issues that will surely be addressed. He said he was currently focused to announce the results of MA and MSc 2009 for early issuance of mark-sheets to passing students to refrain them from facing any impediments in their professional career.
When asked about the perplexing state of Performa, he articulated that the mistakes generally originate in the departments of students, as their teachers do not provide correct information.
He was of the view that not a minor negligence was committed by the semester examination cell since he assumed charge. He said it might be a possibility that previous authority of semester cell might have committed any negligence, now causing troubles for students.
He said students are only supposed to register their problem along with the application to their respective Chairperson, though subsequently chairperson bears the responsibility to forward the application to dean for clearance then it will be moved to Vice Chancellor for affirmation and finally it would land in the semester cell for further processing.
Prof Majid Mumtaz held department chairpersons responsible for not guiding their students properly and censured their lethargic behaviour. He said it is not the responsibility of students to move hither thither and instead the respective department is supposed to address their problems. He asked students to deliver their concerns to their chairpersons in bold manner and seek stipulated time from them for resolving their issue.
To a question, he said students should not get disappointed of the manual marking in their Performa as it is also made by the semester cell administration and we register these corrected entries in our record, however, he also asked those student who wish to renew their faulty Performa can submit the required documents during 1st to 15th March with all legal formalities fulfilled.
He said the semester cell would start addressing these issues from early March and hoped that the grievances of students would be removed. The news
Karachi University Admissions and exam schedule
The University of Karachi (KU) on Tuesday announced that the admissions in Masters in Population Sciences (MPS), Department of Sociology, would commence from December 26, 2007. The interested students can collect admission forms from the UBL, KU Branch on payment of Rs500, which can be submitted latest by Dec 31.
The final list of selected students will be announced on Jan 1, 2008 at 5pm.
The university also announced that first/second semester examinations 2007 for BSc (nursing), BS medical technology, MSc physiotherapy and BS textile, weaving and wet processing would commence from December 28, 2007. The semester examinations of affiliated colleges including Murshid Hospital and Liaquat National Hospital LNH (BSc nursing), Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and LNH (BS medical technology), LNH and Jinnah Postgrduate Medical Centre (MSc physiotherapy) and SMA Rizvi Textile (BS textile, weaving and wet processing) will be held at the Department of Botany and Physiology. The News
10 years before karachi
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Karachi, February 25, 2000
Former chairman, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), Basheer Qureshi, on Thursday said the rights of Sindh were being usurped and the people were being subjected to various sorts of at5rocities and injustices.
This he stated at a joint press briefing at Nine-Zero Azizabad along with Muttahida leaders where Qureshi along with other JSQM leaders had gone to lunch on Thursday.
Muttahida has received an invitation to join the JSQM protest on February 19 at the Karachi Press Club, but any final decision will be taken by the Muttahida Coordination Committee.
Muttahida senators Aftab Ahmed Sheikh and Nasreen Jaleel, besides other leaders were present on the occasion. Qureshi said thousands of people were being rendered jobless and all these injustices are being done at the behest of the Punjab establishment. He said Sindhi and Urdu speaking people are the permanent residents of Sindh and their interests were connected with this province.
He stressed that the JSQM and Muttahida were unanimous that they would continue joint efforts to eliminate the supremacy of the Punjab from Sindh province as the Sindhis were being made landless and in practical terms they were being turned into a minority in their own province.
The JSQM leader said that the Super Highway had been handed over to the federal government and all the staff appointed for the highway was from the Punjab. He claimed that more than 2,000 people had been removed from Pakistan Steel and army was being inducted into the organization.
— News selected by Saeed Mohiuddin, Reference Library filed by our correspondent, The News
a new symbol of hope in India-Pakistan ties - Ayesha
A seven-year-old Pakistani girl from Karachi underwent a heart bypass surgery in Kolkata Monday, becoming a new and latest symbol of hope between people of the two countries.
Ayesha Ahmed is keeping fine after the operation with the doctors saying she will be able to lead a near normal life in future. Ayesha was admitted last week at the Rabindranath Tagore Institute of Cardiac Science (RTICS) here with a blockage in the artery, which connects the lungs and the heart.
'We have done the operation and Ayesha will be able to lead a near normal life. She had a blockage in the artery, which connects the lungs with the heart. We have operated it and Ayesha is doing well,' said attending surgeon Biswajit Bandopadhyay.
Rotary Club of Calcutta Metropolitan (RCCM) and RTICS have provided all cost of the treatment and other expenses jointly.
'We are happy that we could provide Ayesha with new lease of life,' added Bandopadhyay.
Unable to get proper treatment in the Karachi hospitals, Ayesha's parents contacted their relatives in India after they came to know about the advanced cardiac treatments available in this country.
'We are grateful to RTICS and RCCM for their generosity. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to treat our daughter. We were extremely happy when RCCM and RTICS told us to come to Kolkata without thinking of expenses,' said Rabia, Ayesha's mother.
Ayesha and her family reached Kolkata last week and got Ayesha admitted.
'We are very happy with the way we are being treated. And it is really exciting to see how much love and respect we have for each other. The people who advocate terrorism don't belong to any country or religion,' said Rabia.
Expo Pakistan underway at Expo Centre
By Tanveer Ahmed KARACHI: The mega trade event Expo Pakistan got underway on Friday at Expo Centre Karachi, receiving mixed response on opening day with conflicting figures of participation of foreign delegates and arrangements made to facilitate the local exhibitors.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Korangi Road
Korangi Road is one of the best and widest roads in the city of Karachi. It connects low-income areas like Korangi and Landhi to the wealthier parts of Karachi (Defence Housing Authority, Clifton, Saddar, and PECHS).
Korangi Road starts at the Korangi Creek Cantonment, passes through the Hino-Chowk at Qayyumabad (one of the busiest roundabouts of Karachi, as the traffic from Karachi Port to Korangi Industrial Area passes through it) and ends at the Finance and Trade Centre (or Gora Qabristan), Shara-e-Faisal.
The 3.2-kilometer-long road has 3+3 lanes for large vehicles but 4+4 small vehicles can run side by side. There are also two parallel service roads of 3 lanes.
Sabzi Mandi
Sabzi Mandi (Urdu: سبزی منڈ ی) is a wholesale vegetable and fruit market in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The Sabzi Market was shifted from its previous location to new expanded market outside of the city near Super Highway. The new Sabzi Mandi was developed with funds provided by Asian Development Bank. The Sabzi Mandi Road runs along the Sabzi Mandi.
Meena Bazar
Meena Bazar is a bazaar located in Karimabad of Gulberg Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
The Meena Bazaar building may have grown old from the outside and crammed from the inside, but the some women working and running their businesses at the bazaar for decades now, their hair greyed and foreheads creased, still have memories of its inception afresh in their minds. Made in early 1970s, Meena Bazaar was the first of its kind in Pakistan as it was specifically made for women entrepreneurs. This exclusive bazaar has gifted its dwellers with a lot of good and bad memories over the years.
The Meena Bazaar building may have grown old from the outside and crammed from the inside, but the women working and running their businesses at the bazaar for decades now, their hair greyed and foreheads creased, still have the memories of its inception afresh in their minds. Made by a businessman, Piarai Mian, with an aim to help make destitute women self-reliant, Meena Bazaar is equally popular among married, divorced and widowed women as well as unmarried young girls who want to earn an income without inviting the protest of their relatives.
Empress Market
Empress Market is located in Saddar Town of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Empress Market was built in 1889 and was named in honour of Queen Victoria, Empress of British Empire in South Asia. Empress Market is the central shopping centre of Karachi.
The Empress Market was constructed between 1884 and 1889 and was named to commemorate Queen Victoria, Empress of India. It was designed by James Strachan, the foundations were completed by the English firm of A.J. Attfield, and the building constructed by the local firm of ‘Mahoomed Niwan and Dulloo Khejoo’. The building was arranged around a courtyard, 130 ft by 100 ft, with four galleries each 46 ft wide. The galleries provided accommodation for 280 shops and stall keepers; at the time of its construction it was one of seven markets in Karachi.
Karachi
Karachi (Urdu: کراچی, ी, Karācī) is the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. With a city population of 15.5 million, Karachi is one of the world's largest cities,13th largest urban agglomeration and the 20th largest metropolitan area in the world.. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade. Karachi is home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those that are involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research. The city is a major hub of higher education in South Asia and the wider Islamic world. Karachi was ranked as a Beta world city as of 2008
Karachi enjoys its prominent position because of its geographical location on a bay, making it the financial capital of the country. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It was the original capital of Pakistan until the construction of Islamabad and is the location of the Port of Karachi and Port Bin Qasim, one of the region's largest and busiest ports. The city's population increased dramatically at the time of independence, when hundreds of thousands of refugees from India, Bangladesh and other parts of South Asia came to settle in the city.
Karachi city is spread over 3,530 km2 (1,360 sq mi) in area, almost five times bigger than Singapore. It is locally known as the "City of Lights" (روشنين جو شهر) for its liveliness, and the "City of the Quaid" (شهرِ قائد), having been the birth and burial place of Quaid-e-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah), the founder of Pakistan, who made the city his home after Pakistan's independence.