Threat to voters in KP too be ignored

PESHAWAR, Pakistan News Reported Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s volatile security environment poses a threatening challenge to political parties contesting the upcoming general elections.With only about a month left before the May 11 elections, candidates and party workers have got a massive risky job at hands to contact voters and seek their support before and on the polling day.The grassroots party workers have always been crucial to their respective party’s success in the previous elections. This time round, the workers’ significance has grown manifold.They can play an important role in spearheading their respective party’s pre-poll campaign, avoiding risks to the party leaders and supporters.Though several of the political parties have fielded wealthy candidates in many Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts in their apparent strategy to win the elections, this has not diminished the diehard party workers’ significance in making things happen even for their wealthy poll contenders.They would hold the key to reach out to voters without compromising security and protection of their respective party’s electorates.

Undoubtedly, no political party can afford to lose voters by rendering them to situations where the electorates select to stay away from the polling stations. Threats from miscreants are too real and have the potential to scare away voters.Given the current insecurity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, political parties are apparently jittery to hold big public meetings. Such meetings have been an important canvassing technique in the political parties’ pre-poll mass contact strategy.The well-attended party meetings are considered important. They serve the party leaders to explain their policies and programs to people gathered at one place. Besides, such events bolster political parties’ public image and galvanize their diehard workers, boosting their confidence and bringing them swing voters.However, this time round, political parties are apparently hesitant to go for this option in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They have already been foretold to exercise caution in conducting their election campaigns as the provincial police cannot ensure 100 per cent security during their public meetings.The provincial police’s position is understandable. The monster of militancy has grown so big and troubling that a civilian law enforcement agency, like the KP police that is struggling with efficiency and training issues, cannot provide answers to the people’s security woes.However, the essence of democracy is in holding a free and fair election. This fundamental requirement cannot be ensured without providing a level playing field to all the political parties in the run up to the elections day.Candidates and supporters of Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party are exposed to some real threats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and elsewhere at the hands of militants as was expected. The two parties are disadvantageously positioned as they do not have a carefree freedom to conduct canvassing at a time when, among all the political forces in the country, they need it the most based on their unimpressive stint in power for five years.

The threats to the current electoral process, particularly, the liberal political forces have not come as a surprise. The risks were imminent and anticipated since long.What is ironic is the fact that political parties, particularly the most threatened ones, did not do much and evolve strategies in advance for carrying out electioneering without yielding to miscreants’ threats under the existing difficult situation.Extraordinary situations require extraordinary responses. ANP and PPP have got quite a few options to carry out their election campaigns without exposing their supporters to the militants’ attacks. 

There is a need to prefer innovation over traditional means of spreading party programs.In place of holding general public meetings in major urban centers, political parties can utilise electronic and social media to their maximum advantage. In this respect, political talk shows aired in dozens by television news channels 24/7 provide a free of cost opportunity to the parties to put their message across through airwaves to their electorates.Some political parties have already made best use of such talk shows, satisfying their appetite for making speeches at public meetings.Political parties with sufficient funds at their disposal can also buy airtime on major television network to take their message to the masses instead of holding public meetings. Similarly, they can make campaign ads to spread their message without exposing their electorates to the dangers posed by militants’ brutal and cruel attacks.

They can create acceptance for their vibrant political ideas by making use of the social media as well. Some parties have already been using Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr, emails and other similar options to conduct their pre-poll campaigns.They can evolve separate strategies to access their electorates in the urban and rural areas, without compromising their public appeal in the current difficult times in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The threat is real, but it is not too acute to give up.

An Old Warrior Still Leads the Pack

SIALKOT: In a sprawling home opposite the golden arches of McDonald’s, the man with the golden touch in this northern Punjab city is quietly and confidently preparing for electoral battle yet again.Khwaja Asif, the silver-haired PML-N impresario with the signature country drawl, has never lost an election in this wealthy, modern export hub with a politics rooted in the old ways of biradirism.In 2002, Asif, along with a running mate on a provincial assembly ticket, was the only PML-N candidate in the entire Gujranwala division to win a seat.

Pakistan News Reported:  In 2008, his fourth National Assembly victory on the trot, Asif won by a margin of 40,000 votes, more than twice the number secured by the PPP runner-up.This time round, Asif has also thrown his hat into the provincial assembly ring – sparking rumours that he may be eying the chief minister’s slot after the election. For all his success, though, Asif continues to deflect credit towards his boss, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.“Sialkot is PML-N territory. There’s high literacy, low unemployment and the people are low to middle middle-class. They identify with Mian Sahib’s middle-class origins,” Asif explained.He continued: “Then there’s Mian Sahib’s pro-business policies. He finished the octroi tax, fixed the tax rates and as a result there’s massive, massive amounts of white money here. The business community has a relationship with him.”All is far from well in Sialkot today, however. Rolling blackouts have left the city without electricity for more hours a day than with. Lengthy queues of vehicles snake around the many CNG filling stations here, when there is any gas left to pump, that is.Chronic shutdowns at the some 6,000 small and medium enterprises that produce $1.5bn of exports a year has triggered mass layoffs and left owners complaining about the spiralling cost of business.And there is a growing vein of resentment against Asif’s aloof and autocratic style of politics. “People like N-League, but not necessarily Khwaja Asif,” said NaeemIqbal, a local journalist. “It won’t be so easy for N-League and Khwaja to win this time.”

SC hears Adiala jail missing prisoners case

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, while hearing the Adiala jail missing prisoners’ case, questioned that why the prisoners held in detention center were not presented before the magistrate, Pakistan News reported Wednesday.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry resumed the hearing of the case regarding missing prisoners from Adiala Jail.

During today’s hearing, the CJ questioned that why the prisoners who were kept in dentention center were not presented before the magistrate and for how long this matter will continue.

On this, lawyer of the secret agencies Raja Irshad told that the notification to keep those prisoners in custody has been withdrawn.

The hearing of the case is still underway in the SC.

In the previous hearing, Raja Muhammad Irshad had informed the court that the interment authority had withdrawn its order against the Adiala Jail prisoners and they had een handed over to the Political administration in the tribal area wherein they would be tried under the FCR laws. Tariq Asad, counsel for the petitioners, contended that the detainees were detained illegally either by the interment authority and political administration.

The court had directed counsel for the intelligence agencies to place on record, the report and also directed him to provide copy of the interment order to counsel for the petitioners as well on the next date of hearing.

25% party tickets to be given to youth: Imran

SWAT: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday vowed to establish peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the tribal region, besides introducing reforms in the education, health and police systems.

Addressing an impressive rally in Swat, Imran Khan said people of Swat rendered sacrifices but peace could not be established. "There will be peace in KP and FATA after the PTI comes to power, I asked rulers not to fight the US led war, when I said this they used to call me Taliban Khan," he said.
"They did call me terrorist and Taliban Khan because I used to say there is no military solution, I called for a political solution. Now those who called me terrorist are calling for peace talks," Imran Khan said amid slogans. "But they can't do that. InshaAllah I will show you how peace could be restored through involving tribesman. Tribesmen fought for Pakistan in 1948, in 1965 and rendered sacrifices. I will tell them to hold talks with militants in their areas. We have a complete programme for this purpose," the PTI chief said.

Imran Khan said people were worried that tickets were not being awarded on merit. "One thing that could lead to the defeat of the PTI would be awarding party tickets to the wrong people. We will give tickets on merit," he assured the crowd.

He said the PTI was the first democratic party in the country. "There are no other democratic political parties in Pakistan, other parties belong to family dynasties. Members will elect PTI leaders. Youth will be encouraged and new leadership will be introduced. 25 percent tickets will be awarded to candidates under the age of 35 years," Imran Khan said.

"We won't be defeated if tickets are awarded on merit." Commenting on the education system, Imran Khan said a uniform curriculum would be set up for rich and poor in the country and Rs2,500 billion would be spent on the education sector. Imran Khan said that he would introduce pre-1974 justice system in Swat

Dr Imran probe: SY combs house in London

LONDON: The ScotlandYard (SY) has moved ahead in its investigation into the murder case of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq.

Dr Imran Farooq was stabbed to death by unknown assailants in front of his residence in central London on September 16, 2010.

To take the investigation into the murder mystery further ahead, a counter-terrorism command of the ScotlandYard on Tuesday searched a residential house in a posh locality of London, the SY officials told Geo TV London correspondent Murtaza Ali Shah.

However, no arrest was made during today’s house search, the officials said, adding help was also being taken from CCTV footages.

The murder probe is being taken forward with the help of seven CCTV footages coupled with other evidence, they said.

According to London police, as many as 85,870 documents had also been examined while interviews of eight persons had so far been conducted in connection with the investigation.

CJ asks judicial officers to ensure transparent polls

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday observed that the deployment of judicial officers in the elections process was in the best national interest. Pakistan News Reported

 The CJ, in a letter addressed to the district and sessions judges, additional district and sessions judges and senior civil judges/civil judges, who have been appointed as district returning officers, returning officers and assistant returning officers, said that it was their moral and legal duty to prove their worth and credibility by conducting election in a free, fair and transparent manner.

 He said that while formulating the National Judicial Policy, it was considered appropriate to keep the judiciary away from the election process so that it could concentrate all its strength on clearance of backlog and expeditious dispensation of justice. However, acceding to the request of the Election Commission of Pakistan, so as to ensure transparency and credibility of the electoral process, the NJPMC granted relaxation in the National Judicial Policy.

Thus, the judicial officers have been deputed to perform functions for conducting general elections for the National Assembly/Provincial Assembly seats, he added.

He said the judicial officers were required to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with law, without succumbing to any sort of pressure and treat all and sundry equally across the board.

As the process of entertaining nomination papers and scrutiny is underway thus any decision taken by the judiciary will go a long way in shaping the destiny of this nation, particularly at his crucial stage when the country and the nation is confronted with number of problems and difficulties; therefore, we should come out with commitment to enforce the constitutional mandate and ensure that the elected representatives come forward to govern this country without having any label of any disqualification, he said.

The Chief Justice, in his letter, further asked the officers that due to his preoccupation in judicial work, it would not be possible for him to reach each and every judicial officer engaged in the election process, so he was sending letter with a pledge that all must strive together to strengthen the democratic order and enrich the judicial norms.

Terrorism is the only worry, says Sethi

ISLAMABAD: “Terrorism is my only worry which can disturb smooth run-up to the general elections,” Punjab’s caretaker Chief Minister Najam Sethi said on Friday, adding that otherwise things were very much under control.

Pakistan News Reported:

“In the complete absence of counter-terrorism force, my only worry at the moment is how to protect politicians and their election rallies from terrorists who have already threatened to strike with full force. The very thought gives me sleepless nights,” said Mr Sethi while talking to media personnel at the Punjab House.

It’s very unfortunate, Mr Sethi underscored, that despite suffering from the menace of terrorism for such a long time, the country had not built up an effective counter-terrorism strategy, neither at the national nor at the provincial level.

“In Punjab, I have one police officer of the rank of DIG who heads the provincial counter-terrorism department, and his job is only to pass on terrorism threats with absolutely no clue how to confront them. This is a serious issue,” said the caretaker chief minister.

He said terrorists needed only five to six individuals willing to die to create panic, but to stop them the country required a fully trained manpower force.

In reply to a question, the caretaker chief minister said intelligence reports about threats from terrorists were serious.

However, he added, the provincial government would take every possible measure to keep the law and order under control and his focus was putting up the best security team.

In reply to a question about outlawed sectarian groups like Sipah-i-Sahaba, Mr Sethi said over 100 people of such organisations were arrested by the previous government, but they had all been released on bails.He said he would soon meet the chief justice of the Lahore High Court and discuss with him measures for strengthening the provincial prosecution department.

When a questioner suggested him to use his time in power to declare an all-out war against militants presently entrenched in south Punjab, Mr Sethi, with his trademark smile, retorted: “Do you really think the Punjab government has enough law enforcers and the intelligence set-up to fight them,” implying that the problem was too big to be handled by a civilian government.

Mr Sethi rejected the possibility of the postponement of elections, saying elections would be held on time. However, he added, in case of delay, he would be the first person to quit. “I want to put this on record that if elections for whatever reason are delayed, I will not carry on beyond May 11 as caretaker chief minister.”

He said he had accepted this position only because it was the first time in the history of the country that every step was being taken according to the constitution.

Mr Sethi said he would have turned down the offer of becoming the caretaker chief minister if the government and the opposition parties had not agreed upon his name.

He agreed with a questioner that holding of free and fair elections by following all guidelines of the ECP was a big challenge because there was no trained manpower available. For example, he said, it would be very difficult to stop candidates and their supporters from using vehicles to bring voters to polling station

ECP orders caretaker govts to replace top bureaucrats

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered the caretaker governments on Tuesday to change the federal and provincial secretaries in a bid to ensure that the upcoming elections are transparent, free and fair, Pakistan News reported.
Moreover the election commission received more than 13000 nomination forms for the upcoming elections out of which around 7000 were sent to the Returning Officers after scrutiny.
Moreover the Director General Information Technology of the ECP told media persons that the nominations papers of 600 candidates were uploaded on the commissions website.

NA-75: the ‘no-go area’ of Faisalabad

Pakistan News :With the defection of the Sahis to the PML-N, the murder of the Bajwa gang ringleader, the supporters of the Sahis, and retaining of former MNA Tariq Bajwa by the PPP on NA-75 constituency, the contest on this seat will become more competitive should the PML-N decide to award the party ticket to the Sahi family.

In the last general election, the PML-N could not field any candidate from the NA-75 constituency of Faisalabad having two Punjab Assembly seats — PP-51 and PP-52 covering dozens of villages, including Chak Jhumra, Sahianwala, Salarwala, Barnala, Gatwala, Munianwala, Lohke and Dhanoana.

For years Jaats, who are in majority, are contesting against each other in this constituency. However, the Arains, Rajpoots, Awans and the Gujjars also have a fair share in the victory of candidates.

The Chak Jhmura and Sahianwala are known as no-go areas of Faisalabad because of prevalence of criminals, particularly the Bajwa gang, and enmities of different families, who have killed a number of members of each other in armed clashes.

Former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had changed the entire staff of the Sahianwala and Chak Jhumra police stations.

Former Punjab Assembly speaker Afzal Sahi and his elder brother former MNA Ghulam Rasool have joined the PML-N. They expect to get the party tickets for NA-75 and its allied Punjab Assembly constituencies – PP-51 and PP-52.

Sources said the Sahis were finding it difficult to get tickets for three constituencies as the PML-N would be likely to follow the one-ticket-for-one family policy.

They said since the Sahis had not been issued tickets of any constituency they had not launched their election campaign and were awaiting the response from the party leadership.

In the 2002 general election, the Sahis had been ruling the area with the support of the Bajwa gang.

The police force working under the then district police officer Amin Waince had also been hesitating to lay hand on the powerful Bajwa gang involved in extortion, kidnapping for ransom and other heinous crimes.

At least six members of the Bajwa gang carry bounty on their head.

Khurrmi Bajwa, the Bajwa gang ringleader, had been gunned down by unidentified people when he was returning from a marriage ceremony a few months back.

Ghulam Rasool Sahi had won the elections of NA-75 in 2002 by defeating Wajid Mustafa Bajwa of the PPP. Sahi secured 55,464 votes and Bajwa got 35,417 votes.

Afzal Sahi had become the Punjab Assembly speaker after winning the PP-51 seat in 2002 elections. However, in 2008 elections, he lost the seat.

In the 2008 elections, Tariq Bajwa, brother of Mustafa Bajwa, contested elections for NA-75 seat on the PPP ticket and defeated Ghulam Rasool Sahi, who was fielded by the PML-Q.

Liaquat Ali of the PPP had defeated Afzal Sahi on PP-51 in 2008 elections. However, Zafar Zulqarnain Sahi, son of Ghulam Rasool Sahi, had won the PP-52 elections by defeating PML-N’s Dr Muhammad Shafiq.

Tariq Bajwa, who is also the PPP district president, wanted to field his brother on NA-75 seat in the upcoming elections, but the PPP leadership has turned down his request and retained him as its candidate.

Sources said the PPP had provided sufficient funds to Tariq Bajwa to counter the influence of the Sahis in his area.

The PPP provided gas to a number of villages and also constructed several roads in the area.

Sources said the name of former Faisalabad bar president Saleem Jahangir Chattha was being tipped as the PTI candidate.

Poll scrutiny turns into Islamic studies test

KARACHI: Before joining the race for parliament, candidates for the May 11 elections may have to prove their ‘adequate knowledge’ of Islamic teachings and the Quran and may be requested to recite a ‘Sura’ or particular Quranic verses and answer questions about the number of ‘rakats’ in any of the five daily prayers.

Pakistan News Reported

But according to some political parties, this is an “astounding addition” to the process of scrutiny. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has described it as being in conformity with ‘constitutional’ requirements.

What a senior ECP official termed a process of “ruthless” scrutiny began on Monday with a number of candidates appearing before returning officers had to answer different questions, including those about religious injunctions.

One such case was recorded by TV channels when Owais Muzaffar Tappi, PPP candidate for a Sindh Assembly seat and President Asif Ali Zardari’s close aide, was asked about the number of Namaz one is required to offer in a day. He took a couple of seconds to tell the number of ‘rakats’ in Fajr prayers.

In Hyderabad region, nomination papers of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement candidate were rejected during scrutiny. The party says if lack of knowledge about Islamic teaching was declared as the reason behind the rejection, it would challenge the process of scrutiny.

“Papers of one of our candidates from Matiari were rejected by the returning officer,” said Advocate Aslam Pervez of the MQM’s legal aid committee. “The reason is not yet mentioned but the candidate was asked several questions about Islamic teachings and if it would be the cause of the rejection we would definitely file an appeal.”

He said returning officers had no authority to ask such questions, adding that a person’s faith could not be gauged through questions relating more to his memory than his knowledge about Islam and its teachings.

But a senior ECP official justified the questions and said that under article 62 (e) of the constitution candidates were required to have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings.

“There is no harm in asking such questions if the returning officers want to satisfy themselves about an important element of the qualification clauses”, he said.

The article 62 of the constitution explains the criterion of “qualifications for member of Majlis-i-Shoora (parliament)” and its clause (e) reads: “He has adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings and practices obligatory duties prescribed by Islam as well as abstains from major sins.”But political parties deem it “inappropriate” to judge any candidate’s knowledge about Islamic teachings through a set of questions. They argue that memorising answers of certain questions could not determine anyone’s faith.

“Nomination papers of our party candidates have not been rejected because of that particular reason but I still believe that testing a candidate’s faith in Islam through his memory is not appropriate,” said the Awami National Party’s provincial general secretary Bashir Jan. “One can’t reject any honest and upright candidate just because he has not learnt any Quranic verse by heart.”

Rashid Rabbani of the PPP agreed with Mr Jan and said:

“I don’t think it’s justified to weigh one person’s knowledge of Islamic teachings through these questions.”

Fake Degree case: Kurd sentenced to one year in prison

QUETTA: Former Federal Minister Humayun Aziz Kurd has been sentenced to one year in prison and Rs 5,000 fine in the fake degree case. Pakistan News Reported

Kurd who won the 2008 elections from NA-267 was sentenced in the court of a SIBI Sessions Judge. Following the sentencing, Kurd was arrested by the police.

Meanwhile the arrest warrants of former parliamentarians Nasir Shah and Maulvi Rozuddin have been issued. Former MPA Mir Badhsha Qaisarani has also been indicted.

Earlier on Tuesday, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MPA Khalifa Abdul Qayyum was sent to prison for three years and fined Rs 5,000 in the fake degree case by and Additional Session Judge in Dera Ismail Khan.

Caretaker federal cabinet takes oath

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari administered oath to the 14-member caretaker federal cabinet on Tuesday.

The 14 member caretaker cabinet includes Malik Habib, Ahmer Bilal Sufi, Abdul Malik Kasi, Sohail Wajahat, Mussadik Malik, Arif Nizami, Shahzada Ahsan Ashraf, Asadullah Mandokhel, Mir Hasan Domki, Maqbool Rehmatullah, Dr Sania Nishtar, Feroz Jamal, Dr Younis Soomro and Shahzada Jamal.

Fake degree: KP ex-MPA Abdul Qayyum sent to jail for three years

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Additional District and Session Judge Tuesday sentenced Khyber Pukhtunkhaw former member provincial assembly (MPA) Khalifa Abdul Qayyum to three years in prison and penalty of Rs5,000, after hearing the fake degree case against him here, Pakistan News reported.

Khalifa Abdul Qayyum had turned out successful in the election-2008 as an independent candidate.

Following announcement of the judgment, Khalifa Abdul Qayyum was taken into custody from the courtroom and sent to jail.

Pakistan attack: Deadly raid on Peshawar power plant

At least seven people have been killed in an attack by dozens of militants on an electricity plant on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Peshawar. Pakistan News Reported

A policeman and a plant employee were killed on the spot and nine people were taken hostage, police said.

Five bodies were later recovered from a nearby field but the whereabouts of the four remaining hostages are unknown.

No group has said it carried out the raid, but the Taliban frequently launch attacks in the region.

The attack temporarily disrupted power to parts of the city - the supply has now been restored.

The assault by militants armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades took place in the early hours of Tuesday in the southern Badh Bher suburb of Peshawar, an area frequently targeted by militants, correspondents say.

"They attacked the power station at around 02:30. ( They killed two officials on the spot," Javed Khan, a senior police official in the area, told Agence France-Presse news agency.

The dead include police officers and employees of the power plant.

"They entered the grid station and started setting ablaze each and every thing. They kidnapped nine people and killed five of them later and threw their bodies in the fields," Police official Mohammad Ishaq told Reuters news agency.

The Dream is Alive

Imran Khan; the politician, had an absurd beginning. He had options, to make convenient choices for the political office but he had other plans. Some doubted if he even had plans. Alas! After 17 years in the wilderness, the country has warmed up to the charismatic Khan.

It all came together at Minar-e-Pakistan on 30th October 2011. It was a spectacle. Imran Khan had arrived – and how! Tolstoy would say it was coincidence of occurrences; hopeless youth, disappointed masses, corrupt politicians, economic turmoil, ongoing war, the media, CJP heroism that triggered the lawyers’ resistance, the Arab spring and his good looks! Everything conspired for him. Having been abundantly embarrassed by politicians, generals and cricketers alike; Khan remained resilient.

The tale had another twist soon after. Khan’s alluring pull attracted everybody into the loop including the electables. He admitted to Pankaj Mishra that when his party was expanding and attracting electables, he felt he was being ‘…being pulled apart in different directions’. That usurped the idealism people associated with him. Ask Musharraf and he will tell you political actors do not always make rational choices.

To be fair to him, he did not have a choice either. In politics; pragmatism is unavoidable even for an idealist and a dreamer. Nelson Mandela acknowledged that when he finally decided to lead the armed wing of ANC. In spite of opportunists [fine, not all of them], in rank and file of the Tehreek, the dream is still alive. President Clinton successfully embarked on his ambitious economic drive to empower the middle classes with his wealthy colleagues; some of them were the richest men in US at that time.

I can appreciate some of the ideological contradictions in the Tehreek. They are not unique to his party or indeed to the parties of Pakistan. When Prime Minister Cameron made expensive claims and pronouncements earlier this year while pushing for The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, many ‘ideological’ supporters of the conservatives viewed that as a divorce from traditional position. Whatever Tehreek’s contradictions might be, nothing is as frivolous as the Islamic Socialism of the 70s. That too added up.

The only ideology that drives the modern political parties is to bring the median or swing voters into the fold. Politics is essentially about getting votes. Parties now have dropped ideological baggage; all they rely on is the: ‘catch-all ideology’. In the coming few weeks, Khan is going to move further away from his extreme positions. His speech on 23rd March is an indicator. Never mind the rhetoric, PTI would have to settle for post elections alliances, should they choose to sit on treasury benches. Ideologies may not be relevant but the question of change is: Is change more plausible when Khan voices it or when it comes from Nawaz Shareef? The Republicans too, raised the slogan of ‘change’ under McCain, however, Obama was more persuasive. Whatever change means, it certainly isn’t more of the same.

These elections aside, PTI has altered the politics in Pakistan. Khan provides an alternative the country long hoped for. Whether they criticise him bitterly or jealousy guard all his moves; he is now the new face of Pakistani politics and perhaps, the way forward too. In spite of PTI’s overtly ambitious policies on economy, energy and education; Khan epitomises not only what Tony Mendez described in Argo as; ‘… the best bad idea we have’. In fact, he offers more. He is not, unlike the Moghuls of Raiwand, detached from the issues of the people and more importantly, the order in which they fall. Arriving on a June flower as a catalyst, he has inspired the depoliticised country to actively participate in the political process. It was long overdue. The Rabdeeli-Razadar initiative is a terrific development.

From the look of it, PTI isn’t likely to sweep elections. They may not form the government at all. Nevertheless in a journey of the thousands of miles towards Naya Pakistan; PTI after the intra-party elections has made, however small, that first proverbial leap.

Two Womens Out to Make History

KHAR/TIMERGARA: Two women, one from Bajaur tribal agency and the other from Lower Dir district, made history on Sunday when they became the first tribal women to file nomination papers to contest elections for National Assembly.Election Commission officials told Dawn that 40-year-old Badam Zari, wife of Sultan Khan, filed papers for NA-44, Bajaur, on Sunday. Bajaur has two seats of the lower house of parliament.Asad Sarwar, returning officer in Bajaur, confirmed the filing of nomination papers by Badam Zari for NA-44.

Talking to Pakistan News, Ms Zari said that she would contest the election to work for the tribal women’s welfare.“I want to work for the betterment of women in the tribal area, especially Bajaur Agency, which has suffered immensely in the tribal system,” she said.She said no lawmaker from the tribal area had ever raised issues of women of the area in the National Assembly.Replying to a question, she said she was not scared of anything or anyone and was determined to contest election because this was her constitutional and religious right. She said she would launch her election campaign soon.The other woman candidate Nusrat Begum of Lower Dir, filed her papers for NA-34 constituency as an independent candidate.Nusrat Begum, wife of Karim Khan, is the first woman in Lower Dir ever to pick up courage and decide to contest elections.Talking to journalists, Nusrat Begum, who was the district vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf, said she would contest election as an independent candidate because her party had allotted ticket to another candidate.“All the people who won from the constituency in the past did nothing for people’s betterment,” she said, adding that if elected she would work to provide basic amenities to the people, especially women, children and minorities.Political observers and analysts termed the submission of nomination papers by women candidates from Bajaur and Lower Dir district a major development and said that now no-one could stop women from taking part in elections and exercising their right to vote.

Zardari convinces Bilawal to return to Pakistan: sources

Ali Zardari in Dubai, sources in the presidency told Dawn on Monday.Pakistan News Reported:

Last Tuesday, the PPP chairman had suddenly departed for Dubai amid reports that he had left the country after developing differences with his father and aunt, Faryal Talpur, over the issue of awarding party tickets for the coming elections.

However, party leaders refuted the reports, saying there were serious security concerns for Bilawal in Pakistan.

Although the PPP leadership has been denying the reports, it largely failed to satisfy the media and party opponents.

Four days after his son’s unexplained departure, President Zardari also left Karachi for the UAE on Saturday.

According to a top presidential source, President Zardari has assured Bilawal that all his reservations on certain party issues would be removed.

“Yes, the President held a meeting with his son who had gone a few days back to Dubai, and finally he (Bilawal) has agreed to return,” the source, requesting anonymity, told DawnNews.

Although no date has been given for the PPP chairman’s return, it is likely that he may travel back to Pakistan later this week.

President Zardari would be returning by Monday night to Karachi where he has scheduled a few important meetings, the source said.

Meera to contest against Imran Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz

LAHORE: Lollywood actress Meera Saturday jumped into the fray of election-2013 by announcing to contest the May 11 polls against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)'s Sarfaraz Nawaz, Pakistan News reported.

Meera though amateur but confident to have taken the bat to hammer out both her opponents, who incidentally happen to be the former top two fast bowlers of the county. It would be interesting to see the debutant Meera hitting sixers and boundaries making tons against the highly experienced world renowned top two former bowlers or getting out on the very first reverse swing.

Meera playing for Justice Party having electoral symbol black coat would land in the field of Lahore constituency NA-126 for which she is reported to have obtained the nomination paper.

It is yet to be seen how a veteran of cinema and stage the beautiful Meera attired in black coat, the symbol of power in Pakistan these days, would fair against the potential Imran Khan and Sarfaraz Nawaz.

Lawmakers holding fake degrees could face criminal cases: CJ

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Monday that lawmakers holding fake-degrees could face criminal cases and gave  189 lawmakers, who had not submitted their educational certificates, time until April 5 to submit their documents for verification, Pakistan News reported.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, resumed the hearing of the case pertaining to lawmakers with fake degrees.

During the hearing, the chief justice said that the degrees of 54 parliamentarians were declared as fake whereas 189 lawmakers had failed to submit their matric and intermediate certificates since the past two and a half years.

He added that according to the Constitution of Pakistan members of parliament could face criminal prosecution for intentionally submitting false statements and that the submission of fake degrees by lawmakers was in violation of Article 62 of the constitution.

Chaudhry further said that degrees should be issued from approved institutes and that the matter of degrees should be like an open book.

Secretary of the Election Commission Ishtiaq Ahmed told the court that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had informed the commission in writing about 69  cases of fake degrees held by lawmakers and that the cases were forwarded to the relevant courts for criminal proceedings.

Ishtiaq further said that FIRs were lodged against 21 lawmakers who held fake degrees and that the names of lawmakers holding fake degrees were uploaded on the election commission website, along with the list of parliamentarians/Members of Provincial Assemblies disqualified under Article 63 (1) (c) of the Constitution and lawmakers who had not declared their details regarding dual citizenship.

The bench adjourned the next hearing over the case until April 8 and advised the election commission to send a notice to the 189 lawmakers, as a last chance, giving them time until April 5 to submit their educational certificates for verification, failing which they would declared as disqualified.

Moreover the court instructed the ECP not to accept the nomination papers of the 189 lawmakers for the upcoming elections until the matter of their respective degrees was not resolved.

Gas pipeline explosion in Malguzar halts supply to Karachi

JAFFERABAD: A 22-inch diameter gas pipeline exploded as a result of a blast in Malguzar area of Balochistan province, suspending gas supply to Karachi.

According to Sui Northern Gas Supply Company spokesman, shortfall of 190 million cubic feet in the system has taken place after the pipeline explosion incident.

The spokesman said that CNG would not be available to Faisalabad, Multan, Jhang, Bahawalpur and various other areas while gas supply to textile sector and other industries would also be suspended.
The teams have been called in to repair the pipeline, the spokesman added.