SBP, FIA move to curb dollar flight

ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan and the Federal Investigation Agency will sign a memorandum of understanding next week to curb smuggling of foreign currencies from the country.

“The MoU will allow our staff to be posted at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar airports,” SBP Governor Yaseen Anwar told Dawn.

The arrangement stipulates that first SBP officials will identify ‘dollar carriers’, the FIA will check their luggage and then arrest them, if needed.

The carriers (popularly known as ‘khepias’) carry suitcases stuffed with dollars and they can be picked out easily from other passengers, but so far the FIA and the Customs department have not taken any action against them.

The limit for physically taking dollars out of the country through legal means is $10,000.

The country has been facing a significant decline in foreign currency reserves and the State Bank governor had said recently that smuggling could be up to 25 million dollars during a certain week.

A PIA airhostess said some passengers carried a huge baggage and they even purchased additional tickets for it, but it was not “our job to check them”.

“There is an illegal outflow from the country, but that does not constitute a major chunk of declining foreign exchange reserves,” a banker told Dawn. “The poor inflow of dollars is the real problem.”

Uncertainty persists over LG elections

ISLAMABAD: There was a lot of confusion over the status of local government elections in Punjab and Sindh even after issuance of public notices by returning officers concerned on Saturday.

Although candidates for the polls can obtain nomination forms after issuance of the notices, many of them were unaware till the last minute about appointment of district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers.

It has been learnt that printing of nomination forms is continuing and a limited number of forms have so far reached the offices of returning officers.

The provinces have not yet issued notifications about delimitation of constituencies, causing confusion among voters and candidates. Nobody knows whether he will be able to cast vote in the ward he voted in during the last LG polls or his vote will be enlisted in the rolls of another ward as a result of a hasty delimitation exercise.

Since the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to hold the elections on the dates announced by the provinces, it has not been able to complete the groundwork. The ECP has not even published handbooks containing guidelines for presiding officers and polling agents.

An official of the commission said nomination forms were also available at the Election Commission’s website, but conceded that many intending candidates in remote areas lacking internet facility would not be able to get the forms.

A resolution unanimously adopted by the National Assembly spurning the announcement of a hasty schedule and a petition filed by the Sindh government in the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry seeking postponement of the polls have compounded the confusion.

The resolution reflects a consensus among political parties that the elections must not be held in haste so that questions are not raised about their transparency.

The official said a meeting of the ECP on Monday would review the situation arising out of the resolution passed by the assembly.

He said the challenge of printing over 400 million ballot papers and procuring at least 2.2 million magnetised inkpads in a short time would also be discussed at the meeting.

The government has expressed its inability to print ballot papers during the prescribed period and the resolution has rejected the proposal of involving private sector in the task.

The Pakistan Security Printing Corporation has said it cannot print ballot papers in a short span of time because it is busy in printing currency notes, postal stamps and passports. The Printing Corporation of Pakistan has also said it is not possible for it to print ballot papers in such a huge quantity within the deadline.

The ECP meeting will coincide with the first day for submission of nomination papers by candidates in Punjab and Sindh.

They can submit the forms on Nov 11 and 12.

11 Balochistan ministers take oath today

QUETTA, Oct 13: About five months after the general elections, another 11 ministers belonging to four parties are being inducted into the Balochistan cabinet.

They will be administered oath of office by Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai on Monday.

Three ministers — Senior Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri of PML-N, Nawab Muhammad Khan Shahwani of National Party and Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal of PkMAP – were administered oath in the first phase in June this year, but they were not allotted portfolios.

Mr Jan Muhammad Buledi, spokesman for the chief minister, told Dawn on Sunday night that 11 new ministers would be inducted into the cabinet besides five advisers.

There were serious differences among three coalition partners over their shares in the cabinet and portfolios which delayed completion of the cabinet.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and PkMAP chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai in Islamabad three days ago and decided the formula of sharing ministries and allocation of portfolios.

“All important portfolios will be given to three coalition partners,” sources said.

The PML-N will give a ministry to PML-Q which had supported Sardar Sanaullah Zehri when name of the chief minister was being discussed.

The PML-Q, which has five members in the assembly, already holds the post of deputy speaker of the provincial assembly and Mir Abdul Qadoos Bezenjo who was elected unopposed. The PML-Q has five MPAs.

According to the formula worked out by three coalition partners, the PML-N will get six ministers and two advisers; National Party four ministers and one adviser and PkMAP four ministers and two advisers.

The PML-N Balochistan finalised a list of ministers and advisers late on Sunday night. According to PML-N sources, Nawabzada Changez Khan Marri, Sardarzada Mir Sarfaraz Khan Domki, Mir Izhar Khan Khosa, Mir Sarfaraz Khan Bugti and Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel (PML-Q) will take oath as ministers and Abdul Majid Abro and Mir Akbar Askani as advisers.

The National Party has decided to induct Mir Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Muhammad Hasni, Rehman Baloch and Sardar Muhammad Aslam Bezenjo as ministers and Mir Khalid Langov as adviser.

Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal of PkMAP has already taken oath as minister while the names of three more ministers and two advisers may be announced on Monday.

“Party chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai will take a decision about ministers and advisers on Monday,” a PkMAP leader told Dawn.

‘NAB to pursue cases against Sharif, Zardari’

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Zaman has decided to reopen and pursue major corruption cases, including those against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari and other prominent politicians.

“The new chairman sought details of the high-profile cases and decided to go for across-the-board accountability,” NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid claimed while talking to this correspondent on Sunday.

According to him, the chairman said at a briefing that he would tolerate no delay in the processing and pursuing of such cases.

But political observers here say that the claim needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. One of them who did not want to be identified said the NAB chairman who had been appointed after prolonged discussions between the two parties — the prime minister and the leader of opposition — was highly unlikely to take up this challenging task.

NAB sources said former chairman retired Admiral Fasih Bokhari had not given a go-ahead for pursuing the high-profile cases. “A file containing cases of more than 30 politicians was placed before the former chairman for his final approval for initiating action but he did not sign it and kept it in his own custody,” they said.

The file contained cases against the Sharif brothers, including those relating to Hudaybia Paper Mills, having assets beyond known sources of income and Ittefaq Foundry loan default, they said.

Proceedings in the cases against the Sharif brothers were adjourned indefinitely by an accountability court in 2001 when the family was in exile.

After their return, NAB filed in 2007 an application for reopening the cases which was granted but proceedings were adjourned in 2010 with the court directing that the trial could commence only if an application signed by the NAB chairman was submitted.

Former interior minister Rehman Malik also referred a case against the Sharif brothers to NAB.

Presiding over a meeting and briefings, the new chairman said: “NAB officers must not only put in extra effort but also ensure transparency and an even-handed approach, irrespective of who is involved.”

The Islamabad Accountability Court on Friday reopened six cases against Mr Zardari which had remained dormant because of his presidential immunity.

Then cases pertain to alleged kickbacks from SGS pre-shipment inspection company, grant of licence to ARY Gold, commission in purchase of Ursus tractors, illegal award of a contract to Cotecna, assets beyond means, kickbacks from a former chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills, illegal construction of a polo ground at the Prime Minister House and the Swiss SGS money laundering case.

The NAB chairman will also have to decide about pending references, including the Rs22 billion Rental Power Projects and Rs82bn Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority scams, in which former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf are said to be involved.

Grenade attack leaves one dead, five injured

KARACHI: A grenade attack near a clinic in Karachi's Quaidabad area has left one woman dead and five people injured including two children, DawnNews reported.

The grenade attack took place the Muzaffarabad area of Quaidabad near a clinic. Along with the injured children were also two women who were taken to Jinnah hospital.

According to doctors the wounds of the injured are not life threatening.

Police have said that the grenade attack on the clinic may be due to a refusal to pay extortionists.

Karachi is the financial hub of the southern province of Pakistan, and is besieged by extortion, kidnappings, and terror attacks.

It is presently undergoing a targeted operation to rid the metropolis of such elements and restore it to its former peaceful state.

Clash of institutions weakens country: Kayani

 Says criticism is justified but insulting should be avoided | Dismisses notion military failure forced to seek dialogue with militants

ISLAMABAD - Linking the military’s support to strengthening the democratic process with mutual trust between the state institutions, Pakistan’s military chief has warned that insult and clash of institutions could weaken the country.
“It is essential that military command keep playing its role for strengthening democracy in Pakistan but it would only be possible with enhancing mutual trust between the state institutions,” Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said while addressing a cadets passing out ceremony in Abbottabad Saturday.
“The relationship between the state institutions is not exemplary anywhere (in the world). It is marked with mistakes, the way they’ve been made in Pakistan. The society has a pivotal role to identify these mistakes through constructive criticism but insulting the institutions in the name of criticism only ends up weakening the country,” he said. “Due criticism is justified but insulting (the institutions) should always be avoided,” General Kayani said.
General Kayani’s statement came conspicuously a day after the Supreme Court had served contempt notice to Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (r) Asif Yasin Malik, one of Kayani’s trusted aides and a former corps commander, for not complying with the court orders and resorting to delaying tactics in conducting the local government elections in the cantonment boards.
The COAS had made a similar kind of statement in November last year at the time when cases were pending in the SC against nine retired generals: Aslam Beg, Asad Durrani, Javed Ashraf Qazi, Naeem Khalid Lodhi, Afzal Muzzaffar, Saeeduz Zafar, Hamid Hassan Butt, Khalid Zaheer Akhtar and Khalid Munir Khan.
“No individual or institution has the monopoly to decide what is right or wrong in defining the ultimate national interest,” he had said while addressing a group of officers at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on November 5, 2012.
In his Saturday’s address, the outgoing military chief spoke his mind on the issues concerning Pakistan’s internal socio-political dynamics including the relationship between state institutions, democracy, terrorism and military’s role in the contemporary era. “The country has suffered a lot due to imbalance and lack of coordination between institutions. And we can’t afford any more losses. The mutual trust in civil-military relation is particularly essential for achieving the national objectives.”
Putting his weight behind the political leadership in the contemplated ‘peace process’ with the terrorists, General Kayani dismissed the notion that military operations’ failure had forced the state to seek dialogue with the militants. “We should remember those days when armed gangs were just a hundred kilometres from Islamabad. When Mingora’s Sabz Chowk used to be known as ‘Bloody Chowk. When infrastructure and the entire society had gone in the hands of criminal gangs who thought they were this country’s custodians,” he referred to the living conditions in Swat and Malakand Division in 2009 before army operation Raah-e-Raast eliminated the militancy.
“Terrorism is a big challenge for us and the national leadership has opted to give dialogue process a chance to tackle it. Pakistan Army supports this initiative. The political leadership is to determine future course of action in this regard. But it’s very important that this process brings unity and not division among the nation,” the general impliedly referred to political divide on using force in the terror-plagued north-western belt in the wake of some ‘Taliban-friendly’ parties opposing military action despite massive bloodshed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to recent terror attacks.
“The use of force is a last option but if required, Pakistan Army is fully capable of doing that.” Apart from Swat and Malakand, Kayani mentioned of military operations in South Waziristan, Orakzai, Mohmand, Bajaur and Khyber (Tirah Valley) agencies and Upper and Lower Dir districts, where, he claimed, military action was a success.
Speaking high of the military men, especially those who laid down their lives in the line of duty, the army chief said, “Martyrdom, the ultimate sacrifice, is priceless. We are far ahead of the other civilised societies who reward their martyrs with reverence, honour and respect. Our soldiers and officers are free of mental stress because they are very clear about their mission. There is a notable trend of suicides among the war-returnee soldiers of the developed countries. There is not a single such example in Pakistan.”
Kayani had all praises for the smooth delegation of political power through this year’s general elections, saying maximum number of Pakistanis, after 1970 elections, exercised the right to franchise in Pakistan’s history in this year’s general polls. “Today we leave behind our bitter past and move on. Today, we proudly say that our elected leadership decides the nation’s fate.”
The outgoing military man, however, admitted that mistakes were made in the past that adversely impacted Pakistan. “We could have been ahead of where we actually are, now.” In his message to the passing out cadets, General Ashfaq Kayani urged the young officers to “dream to rise because ambitions get the life going.”

Latest system to be installed for security of railways: IG Hussain

LAHORE: Pakistan Railways Police (PRP) Inspector General Ibne Hussain said during an interview on Sunday that the latest communication and tracking system was being installed to monitor the Pakistan Railways tracks and trains across the country for security.

IG Hussain said that the PRP had been assigned the responsibility of operating the new tracking system, adding that the IT department had previously monitored it.

He further stated the new tracking system would be linked to a satellite, instead of the traditionally used towers, with the cooperation of National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation ( NRTC).

Initial talks are still ongoing in this regard.

“It will be helpful in rescue operations and monitoring,” he declared.

He also said that the railway police were working on an effective monitoring system and the latest equipment, including cameras and other latest security devices, would be installed at railway stations with the help of the NRTC to provide foolproof security to the passengers.

Moreover, IG Hussain stated that the latest weapons, including sniper guns, G-3 7.62 mm guns, telescopic-sighted rifles, night vision telescopes and various calibre guns, were being purchased from the Pakistan Ordinance Factory.

He further said that Rs21 million had already been approved for the plan.

“The weapons will be received within two to three months,” he said.

Answering a question about the recovery of PR land from land grabbers, IG Hussain stated that about 3,000 acres out of 5,000 acres of encroached commercial, agriculture and non-commercial land had been retrieved from land grabbers during the last two years.

He also stated that 13 railway stations – including Lahore, Peshawer, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Karachi, Multan, Sukkar and Gujranwala – had been declared high security zones.

He added that the latest security and communication system would soon be installed at these stations, saying that an NRTC team would soon visit Lahore to install the equipment as a pilot project.

Regarding security on Eidul Azha, he revealed there were security threats in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, adding that security had been increased in both the trains and on the tracks.

He also said that the number of policemen in trains going through Balochistan had been increased to ten policemen per train.

He admitted that the salaries of the Railway Police were lower than that given to other police forces, but said that efforts were being made to increase them.

IG Hussain announced that the government had given the security forces a free hand to combat corruption, crime and terrorists, adding that ministers or other political leaders could not interfere in matters relating to the police.

Karachi operation: 15 suspects arrested

KARACHI: Rangers and police forces arrested a total of 15 suspects on Sunday during targeted operations in different parts of the city, DawnNews reported.

Rangers forces conducted door-to-door searches during a targeted operation in Manghopir, and arrested two members of an outlawed organization, along with eleven other suspects. They also confiscated twenty different types of weapons.

According to a Rangers spokesperson, illegal weapons were confiscated from those arrested.

Meanwhile, police forces also conducted a targeted operation in Machar Colony. After brief clashes, they arrested two suspects who were involved in murder and other crimes. Police also confiscated a large number of weapons from those arrested.

Karachi is the financial hub of the southern province of Pakistan, and is besieged by extortion, kidnappings, and terror attacks. It is presently undergoing a targeted operation to rid the metropolis of such elements and restore it to its former peaceful state.