Altaf challenges constitutional experts for debate on Article 6

Chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has said that he is ready to debate on any TV channel with all the constitutional experts who demand trial of former President General Pervez Musharraf under Article 6.
In a telephone address to a convention of Local Government representatives at Pakka Qila grounds in Hyderabad city under the auspices of MQM, the party chief said: If the constitutional experts succeed in defeating me, then I will not continue with my present stance. However, if they fail to defeat me, then they should desist from misleading the public about the issue.
He also asked: If Musharraf’s action on 3 November 2007 was wrong, then under which Quranic verse or constitutional clause is the action of 12 October 1999 being held legitimate? “The honorable judges who refused to take oath under the PCO on the 12th October 1999 must not support those who issue wrong statements or make wrong demands”, Altaf advised.
Chief of MQM raising an important issue of trial and punishment pointed out that: The country’s law and justice demands that punishment must be given not only to a single person who commits a crime but that those persons involved as supporters and partners in that crime must also be punished.
Altaf Hussain further said: Today, all the people throughout Pakistan are now demanding that the present Local Government system must not be terminated, but must be continued so that democracy is promoted and the undemocratic sphere of politics owned by a few families be terminated forthwith.
He further reasoned that: If the government or opponents feel there were some wrongs in the system, the same must definitely be removed, and we will not have any objections against it, but the system must not be terminated. (NC Report)

Energy crisis biggest problem for Pakistan: Holbrooke

Visiting United States Special Envoy for Pakistan & Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke says the biggest problem for people of Pakistan is ``energy crisis’’ and assured U.S. help for solving it.
U.S. Secretary of State Ms Hilary Clinton will visit Pakistan in next six weeks, he said in separate meetings with Governor, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad, members of Cabinet, an MQM delegation led by Federal Minister, Dr. Farooq Sattar, industrialists, businessmen intellectuals, educationists, bankers, legal experts yesterday at Governor House.
Holbrooke lauded development projects carried out in which City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal’s performance was appreciable. He said U.S. will take special interest and assist in solving power crisis in Karachi. Holbrooke viewed with concern a recent survey which said that people of Pakistan had ``negative thinking about the US’’ and felt over past decades U.S. had provided lot of aid to Pakistan and wants to provide more aid and enhance bilateral cooperation.
U.S. Envoy said mother of President Barrack Obama had stayed at a village near Lahore; President Obama visited Pakistan in 1980s, enjoys Pakistani dishes and appointed him (Holbrooke) as Special Envoy to Pakistan he has visited five times in last six months.
Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad said coalition parties in Sindh government were progressive and moderate. The overall development and stability of Karachi is development and stability of entire country, he observed.
Senior Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq representing Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said thanked U.S. for providing assistance to Pakistan. He said coalition government in Sindh was working satisfactorily. PPP and MQM were liberal parties and under guidance of Governor Issues were resolved amicably.
MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar included Federal Minister Babar Ghauri, Provincial Ministers Raza Haroon, Dr. Saghir Ahmed, Sardar Ahmed and Mustafa Kamal. US Ambassador, Anne Patterson and US under Secretary Juditch Mchale were also present during these meetings. (NC)

Disabled Welfare Association (DWA)

Association's Introduction

We are please to introduce our organization M/s Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) situated in the heart of Karachi on M. A. Jinnah Road at No.42 Al-Amna Plaza, duly headed by a team of truly committed and devoted individuals, DWA has come a long way since its establishment in 2000. Practically all those involved with DWA are true workers of the society, who have chosen this difficult path on their own to fight for the various causes and welfare of the disabled community, not only in our beloved city of Karachi, but are now on our way of expanding our services to other towns and cities of Sindh.

With Mr. Jawed Raees as DWA's founder President, and his team of committed volunteers, the DWA has made significant strides in promoting, raising as well as accomplishing at least some of the goals, for which the DWA was first established some 6 years ago.

Our Aim is to build “inclusive, barrier free and right base society” for all (UNESCAPE)

Our Objectives May we point out that some of the most important objectives and goals which we have chosen to pursue for the benefit and welfare of the disabled community include:

Obtain due rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)
Promote Independent Life concept in PWDs
Working for accessible environment such as ramps, accessible transport etc.,
Poverty alleviation by promoting self-employment, financial support, and loans
Work for inclusive society by participating mainstream events
Provide medical and physical rehabilitation
Provision of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, tricycle, crotches, and accessible motor bikes
Expanding recreation and sport facilities for PWDs
Accomplishments: In our endeavors to fight and raise vital and crucial issues pertaining to the disabled community, the Disabled Welfare Association (DWA) has Alhamdo-Lillah made significant accomplishments, that you can observe in the our activites section.

Founder & President of DWA Mr. Javed Rais
Mr. Javed Rais was born in 1976 in Tando Adam district Sanghar a small town of sindh. He contacted with Polio on very early age but with exercises and self confidence he can walk without any assistive device. At the age of 7 year he moved to Karachi with his family and joined Fatima primary school. Later he moved to boys’ secondary school, New Area and passed his F.A exams from Urdu college in 1994.

Being from a middle class family, rural background and having congenital deformity of one limb he experienced difficulties faced by a person with disability. This makes him realize that there are a lot to do for the betterment in the life of disabled persons. In child hood he liked to take part in social activites, and was always eager to extend a little helping hands to support others.

He observed that most of the organizations working for disabled persons are managed by non-disabled persons, and their base for work is “pity for disabled persons”. However being a disabled person Mr. Javed never likes this practice and he knows the hidden talent of disabled persons, and he believe on equal right and independent life for disabled persons.

From 1994 till 1999 he keeps himself busy in social work at individual level. As he was an active social worker, many and many disabled persons were contacting him for support, and he realized that he can not do a lot at individual level, and he needs a team to work for persons with disabilities. Therefore in 2000 he established an organization for the welfare of PWDs and named it Disabled Welfare Association (DWA). As believing in Impowerment of PWDs he got success to obtain government job at NADRA in 1999. In 2004 he decided to dedicate his life for disability movement and resigned from the government job and became a full time comarade of disability movement.

He experienced life as a middle class person with disability. He traveled in public transport, and he faced the behavior of bus drivers and mainstream society in public transport. Since then moving around independently and with ease was his dream.

Under the leadership of Mr. Javed Rais DWA become very popular in Karachi city, and PWDs from rural Sindh also start contacting him. In 2003 he registered DWA with social welfare department and get tax exempted from income tax. Now he expands his horizon to rural Sindh Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Larkana, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas etc. His tireless efforts gave a new hope to disabled persons in all over Sindh.

DWA was working well, from annual giveaways in the form of eatables, clothing, cash, wheel-chairs, medicines, to the regular awareness rising programs, walks, demonstration, and many other activities. But for Mr. Javed Rais, these things though were great but not a “life chaining”, his dream of “moving around independently and with ease” was still a dream and he knows without having independency in mobility physically challenged persons can not achieve a lot.

He often thinks about his dream, he done a personal research too that proved mobility is the most import need of physically challenged persons. DWA was raising fast but still lack of funds not allows it to launch any expensive project. In 2005 World Bank announce support for innovative project for disabled persons. And Mr. Rais submitted his dream project “mobility” with the hope to win grant from World Bank, and the dream come true when his project got selected for grant out of 220 applied projects.

Now Mr. Javed Rais is happily working hard for his dream project. His specially designed “accessible motorbike” is mobilizing the physically challenged persons, enabling the disabled, and his dream of moving around independently and with ease become true, not only for himself but for many other PWDs who he provided accessible bike. These accessible bikes not only let them move independently but also bringing a mean of earning as many of them use it for business or for self-employment activities.

Today Mr. Javed’s name is equally known in the NGOs’ circle of Pakistan, as well as in International NGOs. And his organization has become a trusted NGO just in a few years. This show his ability, dedication and leadership. Now he is working for “total independent life”, he sighted a new dream of equality, he demand equal right not pity for persons with disabilities. You can watch him on various TV channels, and in news papers with PWDs members, fighting for rights of PWDs.

We at the DWA pray for continuous good health and success for our president Mr. Javed’s endeavors and his projects for the community of disabled persons. Ameen

You can contact him at or call him on his cell number # 03009277998 he is always available for the cause of disabled persons.

Comments from Ms. Rehana Saif, EDO community development City District Govt. Karachi
"I am very much inspired and admire the efforts of the office bearers of Disabled welfare Association as they are working and enabling the disabled persons, making them mobile to engage them to get the earning themselves and their families. I on behalf of CDGK ensure to help and coordinate in this struggle".

Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases

The Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases (KIHD), is located in Block-16,Federal B Area,Karachi, became functional on June 3, 2005. It is the second cardiac care facility of the metropolis after the National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases (NICVD). The institute, having 120 beds, would initially have an outpatient department (OPD).

Departments and Facilities
Orthopaedic Surgery Vascular Surgery Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Heart Transplant Neurosurgery Radiology Pulmonary and criticle care Medicine General, Vascular & Laprascopic Surgery Cronic Care Unit(CCU) & Intensive Care Unit(ICU) Pathology Pediatric Surgery


Emergency
The emergency of KIHD is 20 bedded and can be extended up to 25 beds. It is a large spacious hall equipped with state of the art equipment. All the beds have ECG & BP monitors (Welch Allyn, USA), central oxygen & suction, computerized ECG machines, Defibrillator (Life Pack-20, Medtronic,
USA) with external pace maker are also available. There is a separate area for female patients.
The emergency will work round the clock. The medical and paramedical staffs are posted in 3 shifts.

CCU
The coronary care unit of KIHD is a 20 bedded unit. The CCU is also equipped with state of the art equipments. All the beds have ECG & BP monitors (Welch Allyn, USA) with some other parameters and are connected with the 3 central monitors (Welch Allyn, USA) at the nursing station.
There are central oxygen and suction lines, ECG Machines (Mortare,USA), Defibrillators (Life Pack-20, Medtronic,USA) with external pace makers and ventilators (Viasys Health Care- Bird, USA) besides other routine patient care facilities.


OPD
Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases is the first institute of cardiology of Pakistan providing separate OPD facilities for male and female patients. The entire staff of female OPD including doctors, technicians and nursing staff will be female. Both the male and female OPDs have large waiting areas, doctor’s rooms, consultant's room, ECG rooms, ETT and Echo facilities separately.

Wards
There are 3 wards each with 20 beds, Male ward I and male ward II and one ward for female patients. The private ward has 20 rooms. Each ward has been provided with ECG machine, Defibrillator with external pacemaker and other equipments.


DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

ECG
The ECG system is of Mortara, USA providing multichannel ECG connected with a centralized computer system and accessories at predefined PC bases stations.


Laboratory
The Institute has a fully automated and computerize laboratory which is 4 working under the supervision of a Consultant Pathologist and qualified and trained staff. The laboratory is equipped with the following equipments:
• Chemistry Analyzer automatic - Selectra E (Netherlands)
• Chemistry Analyzer Semiautomatic - Microlab-300 (Netherlands)
• Electrolyte Analyzer - Beckman Coulter EL-ISE (USA)
• Hematology Analyzer - Beckman Coulter ACT-18 Channel (USA)
• Cougulometer - Sysmex CA-50 (Japan)
• Urine Analyzer- Urykon 300 (Germany)
• Microscope -MC-200 A, Micron (Austria)
• Sterlizer (Hot air/ oven) ED-53, Binder (Germany)
And other necessary equipments.


X-Ray
The x-ray department of the institute works under the supervision of a consultant radiologist. It is equipped with;
• High frequency C-Arm with fluoroscopy.
• X-Ray Machine 500 mA
• Mobile X-Ray with 100 mA
• Automatic X-ray film processor.


ETT Lab
There are four ETT machines, one for male OPD and other for female OPD. These ETT machines are fully computerized; one is Aspel and the other are Schiller ETT Systems. The ETT labs are equipped with all the necessary equipments including defibrillators and emergency resuscitation facilities. The ETT labs will function under the supervision of a trained Registrar and experienced technician.



Echocardiography
There are three Echo machines, one for male OPD and one for female OPD and one for paediatric OPD. These are the latest version of Toshiba Nemio 35, Xorio. The Echo lab has facilities for trans esophageal echo and stress echo also. This will function under the supervision of qualified and experienced staff. All the reports will be reviewed by a consultant before final reports are issued.


Ambulatory ECG & BP Lab
The ambulatory BP monitoring and ambulatory ECG (Holter) monitoring lab of the institute is fully equipped with latest equipment in the field. The system is fully computerized and both the systems are of Schillar.


Cath Lab
The cath lab is equipped with two latest versions of Toshiba Angiography machine (Infinix -CSi) with all accessories, including physiological monitoring system (Pruka MacLa-2000 GE, USA) and electronic injector. There is a recovery room of 3 beds attached with the Cath lab equipped with invasive monitoring system, ventilator and defibrillator.

Arrival of International Lions director Naresh Agarwal at Karachi

Govt asks traders to sell sugar at Rs50/kg

In the aftermath of a crackdown against sugar hoarders, Sindh government and City District
Government of Karachi have asked the wholesalers traders of sugar to supply the white sweetener at Rs48-per
kg while the retail price of the commodity should be Rs50-per kg.
The traders and mills owners have limited the supply of white sweetener in market, resulting in highest ever
increase in the prices of commodity to Rs54-per kg at retail market in the country.
While, the shortage of commodity in wholesale market also been reported in the country.
The artificial shortage of commodity has caused heated debate in Lower House of the Parliament, where
treasury and opposition benches levelled allegations against each other for hoarding.
Due to debate in National Assembly and crackdown against the hoarders’ mafia in Punjab, the Sindh Chief
Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Sunday directed the concerned administration to take action against the
traders involved in the hoarding in the province.
Sindh CM has also issued directives for ensuring supply of the sugar in market at reasonable price.
Meanwhile, a sugar broker Haji Siddique told The Nation that CDGK conducted a meeting of wholesalers, sugar
traders and sugar brokers to ensure the smooth supply of commodity on reasonable price in the City.
The CDGK officials issued directives to the concerned stakeholders to supply sugar at the price of Rs48 per kg
and Rs50 per kg in wholesale and retail markets respectively, he confirmed, adding that CDGK also instructed
for smooth supply of commodity during the holy month of Ramadan.
Dispelling the impression of shortage of sugar, Siddique said that sufficient stocks were available with the
traders, markets and private sector. “If smooth supply of sugar continued, the sugar brokers will supply the

Lyari residents protest Rehman Dakait's killing

Thousands of people from Lyari gathered to protest the killing of Rehman Dakait Sunday in a massive rally that went from Pakistan Chowk to the Karachi Press Club.

The protest was organised in part by the Peoples Aman Committee.

Rehman Dakait, as he is commonly known, was killed in what the police have said was an encounter last week. Dakait was wanted in over 100 criminal cases and was known as one of Karachi's most dangerous gangsters. Just before his death he had begun to undertake charity work in his area, winning over many of the residents, who are mostly Baloch.

The people who took part in the protest shouted slogans against SP Chaudhry Aslam, the police officer whose men killed Rehman. They demanded his arrest and their arrests for the 'extra judicial killing'.

Some of the protestors, including women and children, showed up wearing Pakistan Peoples Party flags wrapped around their heads. Others held up black flags and shouted 'Jeay Bhutto' [Long Live Bhutto].

Some of them said that Lyari had been neglected and some ministers were to blame.

President Asif Zardari performs ground-breaking of new Sindh Assembly building

President Asif Ali Zardari performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the new Sindh Assembly building here on Friday.

The ceremony was held within the precincts of the existing building of the provincial assembly.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1.9 billion and the completion time is 30 months.

The new building will have a seating capacity of 350 members of the provincial assembly.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended among others by Senate Chairman Farooq A Naek, National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, federal and provincial ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and the elite of the city.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar A Khuhro presented the welcome address.

On the occasion, President Zardari said that Pakistan needs a new vision and a new relationship with the world.

He said that the country also needs a new relationship with its neighbours.

He said that there should be regional ownership to the war in Afghanistan and the regional ownership to the trade of the world which starts from Pakistan and including India, China, Turkey or the neighbour of our region should be a common market.

Zardari said that this process of thought was shared first by Benazir Bhutto in a summit where she had acknowledged SAARC as the future economical zone.

Referring to the ground-breaking ceremony of the new building of the Sindh Assembly, the president said that this honour has been bestowed upon him through the vehicle of Bhuttoism.

He further stated that the Bhuttoism gives us the people's power and the people of Pakistan the sustaining power to fight and act against all dictators.

Zardari said that it was this parliament that passed a resolution that led to the exit of a dictator from the Presidency.

He also referred to the concept of reconciliation that was given by the great leader Benazir Bhutto and said that we can see it working.

"Today amongst us sit all the political forces of Pakistan including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, the opposition, independents and that they are all here to serve the people of Pakistan," the president added.

He further stated that this is the Assembly where our founding father, the Quaid-e-Azam, gave us Pakistan due to the help of the Sindh Assembly.

Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat ul Ebad Khan, termed the new Sindh Assembly building project a very significant and historic one.

The governor said that in Sindh, the Pakistan People's Party, the ANP and the MQM are together and this alliance is very strong and its positive impact ensures the stability in the province as well as in Pakistan. app

Cylinder Explosion In Korangi, Boy Killed

A 12-year-old child was injured as a gas cylinder in a house exploded while a woman, with her two children were hurt here in Korangi industrial area.

According to police, the boy was identified a Aamir while woman and children were identified as Naheed, Samina and Kamil.

Injured were shifted to hospital for medical treatment, hospital sources said.

Karachi’s crime world

Amazingly, people in the funeral procession of Rehman Dakait, Karachi’s most well known gangster, began firing on people they identified as enemies. As a result, eight died in the first flush of revenge, some of them pointing to the old political rivalries in the mega-city.

The “police encounter” is already enveloped in doubt, as most encounters tend to be. Rehman, with Rs 50 million on his head, was not in hiding and not returning from Hyderabad but had gone to Gadap Town to try and sell the 50 acres he “owned” there. The gangster was in the habit of travelling openly in the city because of his political “connections”, which included “many ministers”. But somebody at the political apex had made a decision; and Rehman Dakait finally met his comeuppance.

What the TV channels showed during his funeral at Lyari was mind-boggling. The crowd was mammoth and all of them were in tears for “Sardar Abdur Rehman Baloch” and talked of the good that he had done in the vast but officially neglected Lyari They talked of the free dispensaries and training schools that he had opened for them. Women in particular were greatly upset over his death, pointing once again to his involvement in social work in the area. Abdus Sattar Edhi, who was present in the midst of his devotees, called him “mujahid”.

Rehman spread around a lot of unspecified wealth. He could kidnap for ransom and come into a lot of money whenever he wanted. He hitched his power to the politics of the PPP and legitimised himself. Lyari, with its majority Baloch population, has been a PPP stronghold; and politicians have added to their muscle power by protecting his gang. Not much was hidden because the legend of the drug gangs of Lyari is public property; and Rehman Dakait was doing what his father used to do, only with more sophistication.

Rehman was aware of the changing trend in PPP politics. It was becoming apologetic about him, signalling to him to mend his ways. In response, he had begun financing marriages of the poor girls of Lyari and started social service in real earnest. But vendettas kept snapping at his heels; he had killed too many people. He was also not completely free of the new gang wars erupting in the city. A conflict between the Baloch and the Katchi community was fomented in Lyari.

Rehman had escaped from custody a number of times, clearly because of his political connections. He soon developed his network of informers within the administration and was able to terrorise the police too by killing their officers. Only last year a Karachi police officer had recommended “peace talks” — sounds familiar? — rather than arrest and trial of the great dacoit. He was the Veerappan of Pakistan.

But he was not the only one. His death nearly synchronised with the death of Baitullah Mehsud whose funds too came from drugs and kidnapping for ransom and who had a “syndicate” of criminal activities based in Karachi. The chain of madrassas that supported him also did a lot of social service by offering boarding and lodging to the children of the poor. Before his death, it was feared that he could take over Karachi any time he wished.

There is the “international” figure of an Indian don allegedly luking in the backdrop of Karachi, owning properties the same way as Rehman Dakait and disposing of killers he can activate at will. Stories about the gang war that killed some of his close associates have been published in Pakistan to the embarrassment of the government which denies — not very credibly — allegations from India that the gent is in Pakistan. In the case of all the gangsters of Karachi, some direct or indirect linkage with the state has always come to light.

Let’s be frank. So dominant is the trend of patronising gangsters in Karachi that it is no longer possible to do politics in the city without an army of killers on your leash. People in Karachi need protection as they do in Swat and Waziristan and Quetta. Their allegiance will go to the person — it no longer matters if he is a gangster or a terrorist — who gives them protection or spares them when killing others. Karachi votes along these patterns; and these days the only mode of political communication there is “target-killing”. (Daily Times)