Youthful offenders at Central Prison get beds

KARACHI: It was for the first time in the 62 years of the national history that inmates below 18 years were provided with beds at the Youthful Offenders’ Industrial School, Karachi Central Prison.
A local philanthropist had donated these through Legal Aid Office and Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Shehla Raza was invited to hand these 300 beds to the young inmates.
The SA Deputy Speaker addressing the ceremony jointly organized by LAO and office of the Inspector General Prisons of Sindh said President Asif Ali Zardari is also keen to improve the general conditions at the prisons. “As per his directives special funds are being available to improve conditions at the jails,” she said.

President assures Rs 22b funds soon Green signal for green city

KARACHI: Important decisions were taken to make Karachi “Green City” with special focus on improved environmental conditions at a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of President Asif Ali Zardari at Governor House yesterday.
Among others Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira attended the meeting.
The President had a comprehensive review of a dozen projects of parks and beautification in city at a total cost of Rs22, 151mln.
Of these, five projects will be undertaken by the Federal Government at a total cost of Rs 18,416mln and seven projects costing Rs 3735mln by Provincial Government.
The five federal government-funded projects will include Central Park, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Memorial River Valley Park, Malir River Bed Park, Night Safari, Thado Boat Basin Dam, Gadap Town and Animal Park Karachi Zoological Garden.
The provincially-funded parks will include Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park Boat Basin, Beautification of Lyari River, National Park Gattar Baghicha Lyari, National Hill Park, Tree Plantation on major roads, Jehangir Park Saddar, and Jinnah Polo Ground.
Later briefing the press, Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said the President emphasized on making preparations to cope with deteriorating environmental conditions called for carrying out maximum plantation in this respect.

City District Govt. Karachi restrained from auctioning 9 amenity plots

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday restrained the CDGK from auctioning nine amenity plots in North Karachi Township till June 9, 2009.

Advocate Khalid Imran approached the SHC over the alleged illegal auction of amenity plots, naming the Sindh local government department secretary, Karachi city nazim and CDGK land management district officer as respondents. Advocate Imran submitted that the CDGK recently announced through newspapers that 70 commercial, petrol pumps and amenity plots in Korangi, North Karachi and Sarjani Town will be disposed off through an open public auction on May 28, 2009.

These include nine amenity plots in North Karachi Township. Two amenity plots, St-1 (measuring 1352 square yards) and St-64 (measuring 960 square yards) in Sector 11-A, are used by the area residents for community purposes and gardens have been developed on these plots.

He stated that the amenity plots specifically meant for parks and gardens could not be converted for any other purpose, as prohibited vide Regulations 19-2.2.8 Karachi Buildings and Town Planning Regulations 2002. Such regulations having statutory force, as such auction of said amenity plots would be against public policy. He prayed the court to restrain the CDGK from auctioning amenity plots, particularly St-1 and St-64 and urged to stay the auction scheduled for May 28.

The SHC division bench, comprising Justice Maqbool Baqir and Justice Abdur Rahman Farooq Pirzada, issued notices to the respondents, as well as the Sindh Advocate General for June 9, 2009, adding that till then parties are directed to maintain status quo.

Caller to prayer gunned down in Karachi

KARACHI: Unknown armed militants have shot dead a caller to prayer of a local mosque while his son sustained critical injuries here in the locality of Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Tuesday, Geo news reported.

According to police officials, the Amanullah Awan, a Mu'adhdhin (caller to prayer) of a local Jama Siddique Akbar mosque located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal block 19, was on his way home with his three sons when unidentified armed militants opened fire at them near Bait-ul-Mukarram mosque, killing Amanullah on the spot and injuring his son while two other sons were luckily had a narrow escape.

Police termed the assassination as target killing incident. Later, the dead body and injured child were shifted to local hospital where their kits and kin stormed and staged protest against the brutality.

On contacting police, SSP Gulshan-e-Iqbal told Geo news that the ambush seemed a target killing endeavor but police is probing into incident.

Govt should nationalise KESC’

KARACHI: MQM’s Rabita Committee has urged the government to review the privatisation of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and nationalise the utility immediately.

In a statement, the committee criticised the KESC for the prolonged power outages in Karachi and demanded that the government take concrete steps to relieve the citizens. “Unannounced load shedding by the KESC authorities has disturbed the citizens’ routine life. Industrial and commercial activities in the city have also been badly affected due to the 10-12 hours of non-supply of electricity,” the statement read. staff report

Four killed, five injured in Karachi violence

Four people including a woman were shot dead and five people were injured in various incidents of violence in Karachi late on Friday, a private TV channel reported.

A girl, 19 and a boy, 7, were among the injured. They were hit by stray bullets in two different incidents on Friday.

According to the channel, unidentified people also set ablaze three vehicles and injured the owner of a hotel in Liaqatabad area of the city.

The armed men also torched buses on MA Jinnah Road and in Garden, North Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar areas of the provincial capital.

2 ‘terrorists’ belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi held in Karachi

KARACHI: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Sindh Police has claimed to arrest two alleged terrorists – belonging to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami in Karachi.

SSP Operations Fayyaz Khan said police also seized a suicide jacket containing 12 kilogrammes of explosives, two detonators, two hand grenades and two pistols along with five bullets from them.

Three other suspects managed to flee. During interrogation, the detained suspects confessed they were planning to carry out attacks on leaders of a political party, officials of CID police, imambargahs, places of worship of Ismailis and Ahmedis in the city, as well as targeting officials of the intelligence agencies.

Evidence shows presence of Taliban in Karachi: Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan said that evidence of Taliban have been found in Karachi and the government is fully alive in this regard and it would not allow extremists and Talibanizaiton to reach Sindh province.
He said this while talking to newsmen at Air Base Faisal where a truck of goods was sent to Swat by Air force on behalf of Khadmat-e-Khalq Foundation here on Tuesday.
Governor made a humble appeal to well-to-do people to donate generously for IDPs, who were compelled to move from their houses after an operation is being conducted against Talibans in Swat, Dir and Buner.
He said that in the APC, all parties have expressed their complete solidarity with the government and endorsed the steps taken by the Army to eliminate Taliban.
Governor said that unity and solidarity is the need of the hour under prevailing situation and circumstances. He lauded the role of Air force in sending relief goods to the affected people.
He stressed that nation should show the spirit for IDPs as it had displayed in 2005 for quake affectees. He also lauded collaboration of Pak Air Force, PIA, Railway and other institutions for shipment relief goods to swat. He maintained that the government is making efforts to channelize shifting of relief goods to the people of the affected areas. He also hailed the performance of KKF in collecting relief goods.

Nazim seeks opening of Indian Visa office in city

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has called for opening of Indian Visa office in city as the people of this city had to travel long to Islamabad and bear heavy expenses.
He made the suggestion during a meeting with Indian High Commissioner, Sharat Sabharwal who met him at his office yesterday. The two had an exchange of views. City Nazim said that at present conditions in the region were not good and, therefore, steps were needed to improve the relations between India and Pakistan so that both could counter the situation with mutual action and consolation.
The Indian High Commissioner appreciated the Nazim’s contribution towards development in city and said there is need to carry out speedy development in the cities of developing countries and for this the example of Karachi could be kept in view.

BELIEVED TO BE MARRIOT BLAST MASTERMIND

Local al-Qaeda activists arrested in city

KARACHI: The CID police arrested a local al-Qaeda leader and his three accomplices here yesterday. The police also seized a large cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.
According to the details gathered from police sources said that four of their associates succeeded to flee from the scene.
According to CID officials, the police, on receiving a tip-off, raided a house in Model Colony where a meeting of the banned religious organizations was underway.
The police detained four accused, Muhammad Anwar, Rehan, Azeem and Ghulam Haider. While their four accomplices, Jehangir, Saifullah, Azam and Misbahuddin, managed to escape.
The police recovered 50-kg explosive material, 22kg sulphur powder, 35 gallon nitric acid, 100 meter detonating role, two Kalashnikovs, 2 TT pistols, 25 timer devices and more than 1000 capacitors.
The CID officials told that the accused Muhammad Anwar is a local commander of al-Qaeda and also an incharge of a banned religious outfit.
The accused is believed to be the mastermind of Marriot blast. (National Courier Report)