Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed: a profile

Justice Sabihuddin Ahmad, who had an illustrious career as a jurist was born in 1949 in Hyderabad (Sindh). He obtained his early education from different parts of the country, his M.A from Punjab University in 1969, and LLB from the University of Karachi.

Justice Ahmed enrolled in the legal profession in 1972 and started his law practice with a leading lawyer, Khalid M. Ishaque. He was also a member of the Sindh High Court Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association, and appeared before superior courts in important civil and constitutional cases.

He was a founder-member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and served as its vice-president from 1987 to 1990. He also participated in several international conferences on human rights and allied issues. He contributed several articles to newspapers and periodicals on constitutional human rights issues.

He was elevated as a judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC) in January 1997. He also participated in several international judicial conferences inside and outside the country, and was elected as a member of the International Advisory council of the International Centre for Promotion of Human Rights, as well as the steering committee of the South Asia Forum for legal education on gender issues.

He was appointed as the SHC chief justice (CJ) on April 28, 2005, after the elevation of the then-SHC CJ, Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, to the Supreme Court (SC). He was deposed by former president, Gen. (retd) Pervez Musharraf, on November 3, 2007, after the proclamation of emergency and the imposition of the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).

Justice Ahmed, however, accepted a reappointment offer by the present Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government a as judge of the Supreme Court and re-joined the judiciary in September last year. He had been serving as an SC judge since.

He was also a member of a five-member SC bench that was dealing with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif’s review appeals in their disqualification matter. The five-member bench had suspended the SC judgment last month and ordered the restoration of Shahbaz Sharif as the Punjab Chief Minster.

During his 11-year-long judicial carrier, he delivered many landmark judgments in constitutional, human rights, service and civil matters. While dealing with cases of missing citizens, he took serious notice of the indifferent attitude of government in ascertaining the whereabouts of missing persons and observed that protection of life and liberty of citizen was responsibility of the government.

He also took suo moto notice over siege of Sindh High Court and city courts by miscreants on May 12, 2007 prior to the arrival of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in Karachi.

In his recent SC judgment in a human rights case regarding bonded labourers, he declared that High Court had the plenary powers to positively enforce fundamental rights not merely against “public authorities but even private authorities” observing habeas corpus petitions could not be dismissed on the grounds that alternate remedies were available to detained persons. He was also a member of Board of Trustee of Aga Khan and Board of Governors, Hamdard University.

Nasreen Jalil for registration of all those entering into Karachi

Karachi: Naib City Nazim Ms. Nasreen Jalil has underlined the need of registration of people and administering them vaccine at the entry points of Karachi so that correct data of the people entering into city could be collected besides controlling the infectious diseases.
The registration system should also be introduced in other cities of Pakistan, she suggested adding that no development could be beneficial without proper statistics and planning. Talking to an 11-member delegation of officials undergoing 66th pre-service training course at provincial services academy, Peshawar, at her office on Friday, Ms. Jalil said owing to growing population of Karachi, it was imperative for the federal government to focus on the issues of this city. The delegation led by Sardar Muhammad Nawaz Khan, Consultant Instructor of the academy, and currently on a weeklong visit of Karachi, agreed to the contention of Naib City Nazim and stated that registration of citizens would greatly help resolving various problems.

Ms. Jalil highlighted the role of Pakhtoon community in the development of Karachi and said the city government was endeavoring to provide them with all the basic facilities. She said all those living in Karachi should own it and indulge themselves in the development of this city. Nasreen Jalil said all the elected representatives of Karachi were from the masses while those ruling the other cities of country belonged to certain dynasties and had always enjoyed power. Pleading that the police in Karachi should be under the control of city government, she said such a system works all around the world. She also talked of granting provincial autonomy to strengthen the system.

Sindh Youth Affairs Department honours young volunteers

KARACHI: Sindh Youth Affairs Department will present “volunteers awards” every year to encourage young persons, devoted to public service and peoples’ welfare.
This was stated by Sindh Minister for Youth Affairs, Syed Faisal Ali Sabzwari while speaking at the first Sindh Volunteers Awards 2009 presentation ceremony here Monday.
The recipients included MPA Mohammad Moeen Aamir Pirzada (earthquake affectees rehabilitation work), Dr Sikandar Ali Shaikh (medical worker), Mohammad Rizwan Jaffer (scouting), Rabiur Rehman services for youth) and Altaf Hussain Gaad (fire fighting).
The minister said that there was a need to highlight the spirit of serving the humanity and the social welfare among the youth. Sindh volunteers awards was one of the efforts of Youth Affairs Department to motivate our youth towards this noble cause. It may be noted that the recipients of Sindh volunteers awards 2009 had already been awarded by the federal government on the achievements in the field of public service on international volunteers day last year.

MARRIAGE REFUSAL Youth kills girl, self

KARACHI: A youth shot dead a teenage girl for rejecting his marriage proposal and later committed suicide by shooting himself to death at Civil Aviation Authority Colony in the jurisdiction of Airport police station, here on Monday morning. SHO Airport police Mehdi Khan told PPI that a 25-year-old Iftikhar shot and injured a 16-year-old girl Aisha when she refused to marry him. She was taken to JPMC where she succumbed to the injuries.

Later, the youth shot him to death at the colony. His body was shifted to JPMC for an autopsy. The youth and the girl were residing in the same area and Iftikhar had given his marriage proposal to Aisha who rejected it. “The family of Aisha had also rejected his marriage proposal which shocked and turned him irate,” the SHO said.

Satish Anand released from captivity after 6 months

KARACHI: Renowned filmmaker and Bollywood actress Juhi Chawala’s uncle, Satish Anand, who was kidnapped some six months ago has been released by the kidnappers after a negotiated ransom amount was paid.

Anand, along with his family and Citizen Police Liaisons Committee (CPLC) chief Sharfuddin Memon arrived in Karachi from Islamabad. He was in the captivity of the kidnappers at the place located at a distance of four to five hours from Bannu, Miranshah.

Anand remains physically and mentally fit and expressed his happiness and peace at being released and meeting his family. “I was in their captivity for such a long time. They could have killed me but they never touched me. They provided me proper accommodation, served good food in a proper manner and frequently held conversations with me in a friendly manner,” said Anand.

He said that the kidnappers threatened him and his family while making a call for ransom. “I was unable to identify any of them as I was blindfolded. I am happy that they did not kill me and also want to say thanks to the officials concerned in this matter,” Anand told investigators a short while after his release. His release was made after the family paid Rs 16 million after prolonged negotiations with the kidnappers, as they demanded Rs 50 million for his release. “I do not think that the family has paid the full amount as it seems that they have paid a lesser ransom amount,” CPLC’s Memon told Daily Times.

He added that the said network of culprits have already been busted with the arrests of retired Major Haroon Rasheed, retired Major Basit and their two companions, Talib and Salman by the law enforcement agencies that placed pressure on the kidnappers to release Anand. “Meanwhile, CPLC has also played a vital role in the negotiations to train Anand’s family how to deal with the kidnappers and also provided them with technical support.

It is a major responsibility when it comes to handling the family members of an abducted person and that too for a long time while negotiations takes place,” Memon added. He said that Anand was kept in a war zone area where the Taliban are fighting with the security forces and this led to the delay in the ransom deal. “For the past six months, the kidnappers called Anand’s family 25 times for negotiations. In these calls, he was allowed to talk to his family for four to five minutes,” Memon said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the culprits who were arrested earlier by law enforcers revealed during investigation that they had kidnapped three other people belonging to Waziristan and had also kept Anand in the War zone area. The key player in the Anand kidnapping case happens to be ex-army Major Haroon Rasheed. The Rawalpindi Motorway police arrested Rasheed along with his associate Talib when they were shifting a local businessman to NWFP. Both kidnappers were handed over to the Rawalpindi CID. Upon Rasheed’s confession, two more people, Basit and Salman were arrested in Karachi. However, sources say that Anand’s release was made using the locals to deal with Ilyas Kashmiri, leader of the arrested persons’ group who is also running a brigade of Harkatul Mujahideen-Al-Islami. Kashmiri is also involved in kidnapping people from across the country to support the militant activists waging Jihad against the security forces. (Daily Times Report)

Darakshan police station gets ‘adopted’

By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: The Zindagi Trust has ‘adopted’ the Darakshan police station located in Clifton Town.

Now the trust, in collaboration with some schools that are located near the police station, is responsible for running the police station and also for catering to the problems faced by the police personnel. There are 125 police personnel deputed at the station, out of which, 110 belong to the operational division, while the remaining are a part of the investigation division. The operational division has 55 Police Constables (PC), 13 Head Constables (HC), six Sub Inspectors (SI) and 18 Assistant Sub Inspectors who are working under the supervision of Station Head Officer (SHO) Raja Tariq.

The police station is located in a posh area of the city and has many important places within its jurisdiction including the Seaview area, Country Club, the Florida Homes apartment complex, 30 banks, various commercial areas including Badar Commercial, Saba Commercial, Bukhari Commercial and Shahbaz Commercial. There are various projects under construction within its jurisdiction, including a power plant and a water filtering plant.

It is pertinent to mention here that seven policemen of the Darakshan police station have lost their lives while performing their duties. However, the fact that the trust has adopted the police station has increased the responsibilities of the police personnel. Sindh Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Babar Khattak and Karachi Police chief Wasim Ahmed said that the station was adopted two weeks ago and its renovation is almost complete. It would be inaugurated by South Zone DIG A D Khawaja on Saturday, April 11.

“Such measures will boost the confidence of the police and, therefore, help in tackling crime more efficiently,” SHO Raja Tariq told Daily Times, adding that separate budgets have been allocated for everything by the Zindagi Trust. The Darakshan police station has also been provided with two generators. A canteen is also being set up within the premises of the police station, which will provide food of the highest quality, while the detainees in the police lockups will be provided food free of cost.

“Now we can get good quality food and a bottle of water for just Rs 15,” said the officer, adding that a 24-hour clinic is also being set up there.

Specialists for diseases such as cancer, hepatitis, eye and skin infections will be available in the clinic. Police uniforms will also be provided to them and a laundry is also being established there, which will wash uniforms free of cost.

For now, three police mobile units have also been deployed at the station with the promise of more to come. In exchange, the trust has requested the police high-ups to beef up police patrol in the area.

A programme offering loans for police personnel may also be introduced, while efforts are being made to provide free of cost education to the children of police personnel, along with a health policy. (DT Report)

IBA launches Open House 2009

KARACHI: The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi launches its Open House 2009 Program, at the City Campus on April 05, 2009, emphasizing its academics and facilities. The event which will be held in nine cities of the country including Karachi, Sukkur, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Hyderabad, Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan will feature the various facets of academic life at IBA.

The program aims to counsel aspiring students in choosing the appropriate success route for IBA. Furthermore, comprehensive details about the diverse range of academic programs and facilitation at IBA will be presented at the event. -PR

KUJ protest demo in favour of sacked journalists

KARACHI: Karachi Union of Journalists, KUJ yesterday held a protest demonstration against the downsizing and sacking of journalists from some electronic channels and news papers in front of KPC. Protestors were chanting slogans and raised ply cards against the administration of some prestigious news papers and TV channels while they demanded the administration of those said news papers and TV channels to restore these sacked journalists on their positions.

Garbage lifting project finally resolved

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan has finally resolved the pending delay of the garbage lifting project by the Chinese firm with a condition that schedule of garbage lifting would be presented to city Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal on Friday to make sure that the firm was fulfilling all its commitments.
Sources in thee Governor House said it was decided that on the satisfaction of the CDGK $ 200 million will be provided to the firm, out of the loan being provided to government of Pakistan by the Chinese government...
The CDGK once expressed its satisfaction over the schedule it will inform to the Federal government than only the amount would be released. The high level meeting was held at Governor House on Thursday and was attended state minister for Investment Saleem H Mandviwalla, city Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal and a member of Chinese firm.
The firm will present in its schedule for establishing eight garbage lifting stations and other land fill sites in its schedule to be presented on Friday.
It may be noted that according to city Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal due to previous law and order situation of Karachi , the Chinese firm had shown its reluctance to start the work and some controversy was also erupted over the fee collection by the Chinese firm. It may be noted that ethnic violence is also feared in Karachi for which MQM and ANP are making efforts for the restoration of peace.
It may be recalled that CDGK and Chinese company had sign accord for solid waste management in 2007 City District Government Karachi (CDGK) and Shanghai Shun Gong Environmental Protection Limited had signed an agreement to lift garbage and carry it to landfill site at 20 dollars a ton for the next 20 years and Letter of Intent (LoI) thereof issued to the company
The agreement was signed by Qian Yu Lin, Managing Director of the company and EDO Municipal Services CDGK at a ceremony held at a local hotel. Nazim Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal, Chinese Consul General at Karachi Chen Shan Min and Naib Nazim Nasrin Jalil, besides DCO Javed Hanif, Town Nazims of Karachi, Chairman of City Council and others were also present on the occasion.
Mustafa Kamal pointed out that present was the era of technology and the technology which was being used for solid waste management in the world’s mega cities has been introduced here today because generation of 10,000 tons of garbage daily could not be cleared without technological use. (Daily National Courier)

The rise of the Taliban, the fall of Karachi

By Kamal Siddiqi
The writer is editor reporting, The News

Earlier this week, a family friend got off from her car and walked to a chemist’s shop in a busy shopping area of Karachi. She was wearing a normal shalwar- kameez suit that most Karachi women wear in public areas. Nothing out of the ordinary. As she walked to the shop, a man approached her and showed her a pistol.

But instead of robbing her, he gave her a chilling message: “Next time you come in public, cover yourself from head to toe.” This happened in full public view on a busy Karachi street. But no one seemed to notice and the man did not in any way seem in any hurry or worry.

The reference of this incident happening to a family friend has only been done to make people understand that this is not an urban myth but a reality. It is happening in Karachi, the country’s largest and possibly most open city. There are more worrisome incidents than one can recall.

Many businessmen have received calls on their cell phones in which the caller does not identify himself but does confirm the name of the person he has called. After a couple of days comes another call. And then another. The businessman is told to contribute a certain amount to the Tehreek-e-Taliban.

One businessman shrugged this off as a hoax. But soon enough there were men who called at his house and made the same demand, only this time they also mentioned that they not only knew where he lived, but where he worked, which schools his children went to, and other details.

The man ended up paying. No one knows who these people are. Some say they are criminals who are using the name of the Taliban. Who knows?

A family in Clifton last month received a notice which was addressed to the father. In it, he was told to ensure that his daughters — who were described in the letter in very negative terms — should be told to stay home since they were seen to be of loose character. The letter warned the father to take action, otherwise the mosque will have to “do something.” The crime of these girls apparently was that they were seen too frequently moving around and that too in Western clothes.

The writers of this threatening letter even disclosed their identity. The claimed to be from a prominent mosque, situated in the market area of Clifton. The shaken family did as they were told. Many families have received such letters and in most instances they have complied. No action or questions have been asked of the people at this mosque. The police shrugs this off as nothing important.

Last year, this mosque was identified by the MQM when it made an outcry on the rise in Talibanisation in Karachi. But the People’s Party government has been denying the rise of extremist forces in Karachi for the year since it has been in power. Some say that the motives of the MQM are suspect. Their agenda is more political. But then again, who is right and who is wrong?

Stories continue to surface of the growing influence of such elements. Women who travel without their heads covered in public transport have been spat upon. In some instances by other women.

The media has helped confuse the people even more. Programmes aired by our leading channels on religious issues sometimes misguide instead of guide. They play on the sentiments of people only to get better ratings. After all, one of the most prominent religious show hosts ended up becoming a minister.

The tragedy, if one may call it that, is that there is a growing number of people in Karachi who welcome the arrival of the purveyors of quick and cheap justice. And are willing to defend, fund and shelter them. They sympathise with the soldiers of their brand of Islam because the government has let them down. And they are frustrated over the growing incidents of crime and lawlessness and have no hope in the government addressing these issues. Both the military junta and the elected peoples representatives are seen more interested in protecting and enriching themselves than providing good governance to the people. This is the public perception.

Two video clips that have been circulating on the Internet only add to people’s fear and plays on their insecurity. One clip, which is perhaps one of the most watched and forwarded clips in Pakistan this week, shows how a man is mugged while he is taking money out of an ATM in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi.

The clip, which was taken off a security camera of the bank, clearly shows the face of the man, the two men who rob him and the look of frustration and helplessness on the victim’s face once the deed is done. While there is no violence, except where the robber shows the poor man a gun and then hides it, it leaves one disturbed and it is chilling for anyone who has any care for Pakistan. Is this what we have been reduced to, and where do we go from here?

The other clip, which has not been seen by as many people, is violent and much more chilling. This clip was made from a mobile phone by the accomplice of a man who is currently in police custody. This is now known as the “Hajiano case” or the “White Corolla case.” This man robbed people and raped women at will for a year. This clip relates to one incident where a woman is being assaulted.

The clip numbs the brain and makes one bay for blood. After seeing this video, people have said that an exemplary punishment should be given to the perpetrator. One hopes this is done, but there are many who have expressed fears that the case will soon be forgotten. The women’s rights organisations which had earlier come out on the streets now seem to have been lulled into silence. Let us hope for justice. There are some who say that this matter would have been settled had the Taliban been in charge.

These are worrisome sentiments. In his speech this week, President Obama has committed more money to Pakistan to crush Al-Qaeda. He said in his speech that the Al-Qaeda and its extremist allies (like the Taliban) are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within. The problem is that many Pakistanis do not see it like that anymore.

To defeat extremist elements, the US and Pakistan have to do more than pump in more military and economic assistance which never reaches the common man. There is a larger battle, for the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan, which needs to be fought. This is not being done.

We do not want any more VOA-TV type propaganda that, in its condescending way creates more enemies then friends. We want a proper dialogue with the US and the West over what its goals are and whether these are our goals as well. Whether we like it or not, the battle for a safer America cannot be won if the people of Pakistan are not convinced. This is the stark reality, no matter how many drone attacks are carried out on the one hand and assistance is given to our government on the other.

It was true of the Musharraf government and is becoming increasingly true of the Zardari government too. The people of Pakistan are not seen as stakeholders in the battle against militants and extremism. It is too often said that while the West talks to our leaders, Al Qaeda and the Taliban talk to the people. Sadly, this is an issue President Obama has not addressed.

Email: kamal.siddiqi@thenews.com.pk