Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed asked to step down amid Dawn story probe

Information Minister Parvaiz Rasheed has resigned from his position as Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, DawnNews reported Saturday.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister's office said: "Evidence available so far pints to a lapse on part of the information minister, who has been directed to step down from the office to enable holding of an independent and detailed inquiry.”

The development comes after the publication of Dawn's story "Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military", which reported details of a high level civil-military meeting discussing the issue of Pakistan's banned outfits.

The report of the high-profile security meeting has forced the government to initiate an inquiry to identify the person responsible for its leak.

Sources also said Rasheed's portfolio was taken away after a preliminary inquiry was launched by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. They added that the premier has ordered a formal inquiry as to whether Rasheed was involved in the leak from the meeting.

Speaking to DawnNews, PM spokesperson Musadiq Malik said, " A committee has been formed for the investigation of Dawn's story and investigations have entered the final phase.”

“Pervaiz Rasheed was responsible for the Information Department and he is temporarily suspended from his post until investigations conclude," Malik added.

"The committee was formed because no conclusive evidence has come forth. The details are with the committee Ch Nisar was heading," he said, adding that a press conference will be held by the interior minister tomorrow (Sunday).

"The investigation report will only come when the investigation is over. The investigation is being done with all sobriety, all responsible will be punished."

A statement issued today by the PM House contains details of the inquiry committee: “An inquiry committee including senior officers of ISI, MI and IB is being formed by the government to apportion the blame, identify interests and motives and expose all those responsible for this episode of stern action in the national interest."

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said earlier this week that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Ch Nisar and Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif called on the army chief to brief him on the progress of the investigation and recommendations related to the story. The meeting was also attended by DG ISI General Rizwan Akhtar.

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Pakistan to expel Indian diplomat in tit-for-tat move

The Foreign Secretary on Thursday summoned the Indian High Commissioner today and conveyed the decision of the Government of Pakistan to declare Surjeet Singh, an official of the Indian High Commission, as persona non grata, said a statement released by the Foreign Office.

The statement added that the Foreign Secretary expressed deep concern over the activities of the Indian official that were in violation of the Vienna Convention and established diplomatic norms.

“The Indian High Commission has been asked to make urgent necessary arrangements for Surjeet Singh and his family to leave Pakistan by October 29, 2016.”

Earlier today, India decided to expel a Pakistani high commission staff member for “espionage activities”, a foreign ministry official said, as local media reported that New Delhi police had detained him.

The Indian foreign secretary summoned Pakistani ambassador to India Abdul Basit to inform him that a Pakistan High Commission staffer has been declared persona non grata for espionage activities, Spokesperson of Indian Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarap said in a tweet.

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Vikas Swarup 

✔@MEAIndia

FS summons Pak High Commissioner to convey that Pak High Commission staffer has been declared persona non grata for espionage activities

11:12 AM - 27 Oct 2016

 
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Delhi police crime commissioner Ravindra Yadav said the official had been detained on Wednesday with defence and other documents in his possession.

The documents included information on deployment of India's border security forces, Yadav told a press conference.

A Pakistani diplomatic source said the visa official, named as Mehmood Akhtar, had been given 48 hours to leave the country.

Akhtar was released in about three hours on intervention by our High Commission, the Foreign Office said.

Two other officials, identified as Maulana Ramzan and Subhash Jangir, have also been arrested for allegedly passing on sensitive information to the staffer.

Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit "strongly protested with Indian Foreign Secretary at the detention and manhandling of Pakistan High Commission staff," a spokesperson of the Pakistan High commission in Delhi said.

The high commissioner also said the detention contravened the 1961 Vienna Convention.

He asked the Indian government to ensure that such harassment does not happen in the future and strongly rejected accusations of the Indian government.

“Pakistan never engages in activity that is incompatible with its diplomatic status,” the envoy said.

"This act clearly reflects Indian actions to shrink diplomatic space for the working of Pakistan High Commission," the FO said.

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Pakistan bans all Indian TV and radio as tensions mount

Pakistan has banned all television and radio content from India and threatened to shut down any stations that flout the sanction.

The ban drew immediate criticism from cable operators and viewers in Pakistan, where Indian soaps and Bollywood films are popular.

It follows a souring in relations between the south Asian neighbors.

Tensions have run high since India cracked down on protests in Indian-administered Kashmir in July.

Relations worsened in September when militants attacked an army base there, killing 18 soldiers.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training insurgents fighting for Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with Pakistan - a claim Pakistan denies.

Pakistan's blanket TV and radio ban follows a tit-for-tat series of restrictions in both countries' respective media industries.

There were calls in India after the Kashmir attack for a ban on Pakistani actors and actresses in the country's Bollywood film industry.

Pakistani cinemas responded by banning Bollywood films and some Indian channels.

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Amnesty urges release of two Kashmiri teens detained by India under controversial law

Amnesty International urged the Indian authorities to release two teens who were detained in India-held Kashmir under the controversial Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), read a report issued by the organisation on Thursday.

The human rights watchdog has pleaded for either the release or the usage of appropriate laws and provision of fair trials of the teens.

"Release both Rayees Ahmad Mir and Waheed Ahmed Gojree or charge them with an internationally recognisable criminal offence and give them fair trials in accordance with international juvenile justice standards, using detention only as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period, and ensuring that any detention be in a separate facility for children, as close as possible to their families in order to facilitate family contact," said the appeal issued.

The appeal also called for a detailed investigation of the detention of the two boys, and all other cases of detention of children under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act.

Amnesty International in its appeal urged the authorities to repeal the controversial Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act and other administrative detention laws in India.

Rayees and Waheed were detained in prison under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, which expressly prohibits the detention of anyone under 18 years of age.

Rayees Ahmad Mir, aged 16 , was arrested on September 16 in Baramulla district under ordinary criminal procedure for allegedly throwing stones at Indian security forces.

Two days later, to prevent his release on bail, an executive official passed an order to detain him under the PSA. The order incorrectly stated that Rayees Mir was 18 years old and he was transferred to the Kot Bhalwal central jail in Jammu, about 300 kilometres from his home.

Rayees Mir’s family challenged the order before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, producing documents that proved he was only 16 years old.

On October 7, the court stated that Rayees Mir should be treated according to juvenile justice rules, as there was prima facie evidence that he was a minor, and ordered his transfer to a juvenile home.

An official at the Kot Bhalwal jail said on October 19: "The prison authorities had not yet transferred Rayees Mir, as they had not received a copy of the court order."

Waheed Ahmed Gojree, also 16 years old, was arrested in Kupwara district on August 18, and detained at a police station.

According to his family, the police initially told them that Gojree would be released the next day, however, they then said that he had been detained under the PSA.

Gojree was first taken to a jail in Baramulla, and then to the Kot Bhalwal central jail in Jammu, about 380 kilometres away.

The family has not yet received a copy of the detention order, or been formally informed about the grounds of Waheed Gojree’s detention, however an official at the central jail confirmed that he had been detained under the PSA.

The authorities appear to have not taken age of the boys into account before issuing the detention order.

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Pakistan urged to extend ‘military support’ to Kashmiris

MUZAFFARABAD: United Jihad Council (UJC) chairman Syed Salahuddin on Thursday asked Pakistan to extend “military support” to Kashmiri freedom fighters to help them accomplish their long-cherished goal of freedom from India.

“The festering (Kashmir) issue is not going to resolve through talks or resolutions… Pakistan should militarily support Kashmiris by providing resources to the mujahideen,” he said at a press conference here.

“If the mujahideen get military support, not only Kashmir will clinch freedom but the map of the subcontinent will also undergo a change,” he added.

He, however, declined to elaborate the kind of military support required by the freedom fighters.

“India invaded and occupied Kashmir at the strength of its military might and military occupation can hardly be brought to end through politics or diplomacy,” he maintained.

The UJC chief said that since the killing of Burhan Wani, the mass movement in Kashmir had been on the rise.

Over the past 105 days, the Indian government exercised each and every measure to suppress the unarmed freedom-seeking people, but, ironically, neither did the international community appeared upset over the atrocities nor the world powers tried to rein in the oppressor.

“When the world is paying no heed to us, the only option left with us is the armed struggle,” he said.

Along with brutal killings, the India government had also resorted to economic terrorism in Kashmir in a bid to pressure Kashmiris into surrendering their legitimate struggle, he said.

According to him, Indian intelligence agencies and their “touts” were trying to create disunity among the Hurriyat leadership as well as Kashmiri public. He was of the view that the base camp of the freedom movement — a reference to Azad Kashmir — should not only send a strong message of solidarity across the divide, but also adopt a forceful, rather aggressive, role in this regard.

Mr Salahuddin asked police in held Kashmir to stand by the unarmed public instead of being in the vanguard of the Indian army.

“Otherwise they [policemen] will have to face the wrath of Kashmiri people,” he warned.

He also drew attention towards the plight of Jammu-based Muslims, saying that they were being terrorised by the official ma­­chinery and radical Hindu organisation RSS alike into migrating from their native areas like in 1947.

“The governments in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad should also raise the problems of Jammu-based Muslims at national and international forums,” he said.

Mocking India’s “surgical strikes” claims, the UJC chairman said Indian troops did not have the courage or capability to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to conduct any such operation.

“The propaganda has made India a laughing stock in the comity of nations,” he said. In response to a question, he said in the prevailing circumstances all political and religious parties in AJK should give a unanimous call to trample the LoC.

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Trump offers to help reduce India-Pakistan tensions

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said that if elected, he’d like to mediate between India and Pakistan because the region was a “very, very hot tinderbox”.

But like the Obama administration, Mr Trump also said that he would only mediate if both countries asked him to do so.

In a meeting with the Indian community in New Jersey this weekend, the Republican candidate promised that if voted to power, he would make the United States and India “the best of friends” and they would have a “phenomenal future” together.

“There isn’t going to be any relationship more important to us,” he added.

Later, in an interview to The Hindustan Times, Mr Trump expressed his desire to play a role in reducing India-Pakistan tensions.

“Well, I would love to see Pakistan and India get along, because that’s a very, very hot tinderbox,” he said. “That would be a very great thing. I hope they can do it.”

Mr Trump also referred to “the recent problem” in held Kashmir where Indian forces have killed more than 100 demonstrators since July and a terrorist attack in Uri brought the two countries close to yet another armed conflict.

Asked if he would like to play a role, he said, “If it was necessary I would do that. If we could get India and Pakistan getting along, I would be honoured to do that.”

He said that reducing tensions between South Asia’s two nuclear-armed nations would “be a tremendous achievement” and “if they wanted me to, I would love to be the mediator or arbitrator”.

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Nothing against Pakistan’s people: Indian minister

NEW DELHI: Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that Pakistan should close down what he termed a “factory of terrorism”, while offering India’s help to Islamabad in fighting terrorists.

He told a regional editors’ conference in Chandigarh that India had nothing against the people of Pakistan, but it was the state that had adopted terrorism as its policy.

“That is the reason it has been isolated not only in South Asia, but also in the world. India is ready to help Pakistan in taking action against terrorists in Pakistan. But for that Islamabad should close down ‘factory of terrorism’. This will open vistas of development and help in ensuring peace in South Asia,” Mr Singh said.

Referring to India’s claim of carrying out surgical strikes along the Line of Control against alleged terrorist launch pads, Mr Singh said it was a pre-emptive action and “India does not harbour any ill-will against the people of Pakistan”.

Mr Singh again said his government had decided to seal the border with Pakistan with physical and non-physical barriers by December 2018.

There is about 181.85km stretch in which construction of physical barriers is not feasible due to geographic constraints like riverine, low-lying, creek and marshy areas. In this stretch, advance technology solutions, including cameras, sensors, radars and lasers, will be deployed.

The Indian Border Security Force was testing the available technologies through pilot projects in Jammu, Punjab and Gujarat, the minister said.

“Pakistan’s entire establishment is engaged in fuelling terrorism in India and that’s why the management of areas along the Indo-Pak border has become a challenging task... But those who rear snakes should know they would bite them,” he said.

“If its intentions remain clear, India can help Pakistan carry out an anti-terror campaign, including (in Azad Kashmir). If Pakistan wishes it can seek our help and India is ready to help it... But its intentions are not clear,” Mr Singh said.

“This country shelters not just terrorists. It nurtures a mindset... that loudly proclaims that terrorism is justified for political gains.”

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CPEC could become another East India Company

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers from the upper house on Monday expressed the fear that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could turn into another East India Company if the country’s interests were not actively protected.

“Another East India Company is in the offing; national interests are not being protected. We are proud of the friendship between Pakistan and China, but the interests of the state should come first,” Senator Tahir Mashhadi, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, said when some committee members raised the concern that the government was not protecting the rights and interests of the people.

The East India Company was the British trading mission sent to India, which became the precursor to the British colonial presence in the subcontinent, eventually gaining power and overthrowing the Mughals who ruled India at the time.

Following a briefing by Planning Commission Secretary Yousuf Nadeem Khokhar, a number of committee members voiced their fears over what they perceived as the utilisation of local financing for CPEC projects, instead of funding from the Chinese or any other foreign investment. They also expressed concern over the fixing of power tariff for CPEC-related power projects by the Chinese.

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Senators question why most corridor projects are being funded locally, not through foreign investment

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Since only one of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members of the committee was present at the meeting, most of this criticism went unanswered. Even Senator Saeedul Hassan Mandokhail, the lone PML-N senator in attendance, endorsed the committee chairman’s complaints.

The meeting was informed that a major portion of the CPEC depended on local finances rather than Chinese investment.

“It will be very harmful for us if we have to bear the entire burden; will this [project] be a national development or a national calamity? Whatever loans taken from China will have to be paid by the poor people of Pakistan,” Mr Mashhadi observed.

Highlighting the status of CPEC-related power projects, the Planning Commission secretary said that the Matiari-Lahore transmission line project had “not been scrapped” and was being pursued by its Chinese sponsors.

Recently, the National Energy Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had approved tariff for the project, while the government’s Private Power Infrastructure Board had filed a review petition on the tariff in order to address the sponsors’ concerns.

At this, Senator Usman Khan Kakar pointed out that Nepra had fixed the power tariff for the project at 71 paisas/unit, while Chinese investors were demanding 95 paisas/unit.

“The government has filed an appeal before Nepra, seeking the increase despite the fact that the burden will be borne by poor consumers,” he said.

The secretary also informed the committee that the Gadani power plant complex had been shelved due to the lack of a dedicated jetty.

He also said that the 6,000MW project was not part of the CPEC.

Senator Kakar immediately reacted, saying that despite the fact that the project was not part of the CPEC, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong had recently claimed that the Gadani power plant had not been scrapped and was indeed a part of the corridor. “Why is this project, which does not even exist, being counted in our account?” he asked.

He said that the infrastructure being established in Gwadar would only benefit the Chinese and Punjab governments, not the local community. “The people of Balochistan will only get one benefit from this project, which is the water supply,” he said, adding that no electricity or railway projects had been planned for Balochistan under the CPEC.

Senator Mandokhail said that a sense of deprivation was being instilled in smaller provinces. “We do not want the CPEC at the cost of the federation,” he added.

Since Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was not present in the meeting, the senator urged the secretary to advise him to ensure the integrity of the federation.

Senator Mandokhail also accused the Planning Commission of prioritising Balochistan very low on its list, given that it has not representation in the commission itself.

Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Senator Sirajul Haq said that like certain other parts of the country, Fata and AJK were also being neglected in the CPEC. “There is nothing for both areas in the CPEC,” he said and suggested that a 35km road was built to link Muzaffarabad to the CPEC so that the people of AJK could also reap its benefits.

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United Nations appoints Guterres as new secretary-general

The UN General Assembly on Thursday formally appointed Antonio Guterres as the new secretary-general of the United Nations, replacing Ban Ki-moon.

The 193 member states adopted by acclamation a resolution appointing the former prime minister of Portugal for a five-year term beginning January 1.

Guterres won unanimous support from the UN Security Council during a vote last week that capped the most transparent campaign ever held at the United Nations for the top post.

The 67-year-old polyglot campaigned on a pledge to promote human rights and enact reforms within the UN system, seen as clunky and too slow to respond to unfolding disasters.

The socialist politician, who also served as UN refugee chief for a decade, is expected to play a more prominent role as the world's diplomat-in-chief than Ban, the South Korean former foreign minister who will step down after two five-year terms.

Guterres repeatedly warned that millions of refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere would turn to Europe if nations such as Turkey and Jordan did not receive more help to cope with their refugee populations.

“When people say they cannot receive Syrian refugees because they are Muslims, those that say it are supporting terrorist organisations and allowing them to be much more effective in recruiting people,” he said in December just before he stepped down as UN refugee chief.

Born in Lisbon on April 30, 1949, Guterres joined Portugal's Socialist Party following the country's 1974 “Carnation Revolution” which put an end to nearly five decades of dictatorship.

His appointment as secretary-general comes at a time of global anxiety over the ongoing war in Syria, the refugee crisis and raging conflicts in South Sudan and Yemen.

The Security Council is deadlocked over Syria after two draft resolutions were defeated in separate votes over the weekend, one of which was vetoed by Damascus ally Russia.

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Scotland Yard drops money laundering investigation against Altaf Hussain

British investigative agency Scotland Yard on Thursday dropped investigations into the money laundering case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain in London.

Cases against senior MQM leader Mohammad Anwar and businessman Sarfaraz Merchant were also dropped by the Metropolitan Police. The cases were wrapped up due to lack of evidence.

Earlier in the month, the Metropolitan Police requested a two-week delay before deciding if they will try to confiscate cash found in the MQM’s UK headquarters and the London homes of Altaf Hussain and the businessman Sarfraz Merchant.

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Wasay Jalil 

✔@WasayJalil

It's been a great day & we are thankful2 Almighty God that SLY have decided to drop Money Laundering case against Mr AltafHussain #MQM

6:05 PM - 13 Oct 2016

 
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MQM leader Wasay Jalil tweeted, "We are thankful that Scotland Yard have decided to drop the money laundering case against Altaf Hussain."

The police found £167,525.92 in the MQM’s offices in London and a further £289,785.32 in Mr Hussain’s home. A smaller sum — around £30,000 — was found in Mr Merchant’s home.

The MQM supremo was arrested in the case on June 3, 2014 by the London Metropolitan Police. However, Altaf was released four days later.

He was granted four bail-extensions during the investigations:

• July 2014
• Dec 2014
• April 2015
• July 2015

During their investigations, the London Metropolitan Police had discovered ‘a considerable amount of money’ during raids on Hussain’s residence and office in London.

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India to seal border, allows evacuated residents to return

NEW DELHI: India said on Friday it would completely seal the border with Pakistan by December 2018 and, in a sign that the military escalation could be abating, allowed evacuated local residents in Punjab to return home.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Jaisalmer that all effective means, including technological solutions, would be used to seal off the border.

Speaking to media after reviewing the security situation on border with ministers and officials of four states, Mr Singh proposed setting up a border security grid for which suggestions have been invited from all the stakeholders concerned, including the states which share border with Pakistan.

“It is a new concept. We will be framing guidelines after getting suggestions from all stakeholders,” Mr Singh said.

He said under the action plan of sealing the border, technology would also be used. “Like we have riverine and Sir Creek area in Gujarat, there we will make maximum use of technology for effective sealing of border.”

Mr Singh chaired the meeting of officials of states along the border. The government also decided to stop evacuation of people from villages in six districts of Punjab within 10km of the border with Pakistan.

Punjab Chief Minister’s Adviser on National Affairs Harcharan Bains said Mr Singh conveyed the decision to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at a meeting of the border states at Jaisalmer.

“The Punjab government has deci­ded to allow the people to return homes in the border areas. People who had to leave their homes following the earlier directive of centre government can now return to their homes,” he said.

In the wake of disputed surgical strikes by Indian army commandos inside Azad Kashmir, New Delhi had ordered evacuation of people from areas within 10km of the India –Pakistan border.

The state government has directed deputy commissioners of all districts concerned to take immediate steps to ensure smooth return of the affected people back to the border villages. The Centre had on Sept 29 asked the state to evacuate people residing in border villages, which included Ferozepur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Congress has welcomed the reversal of evacuation orders, saying it vindicated the party’s stand that it was not required in the first place.

“Evacuations had been ordered to create war hysteria for vested political interests by the Akali-BJP alliance. Since the decision boomeranged on them, eventually they had to withdraw this,” said Capt Amarinder Singh, president of Punjab Congress.

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'Honour killings': Pakistan closes loophole allowing killers to go free

Pakistan's government has closed a loophole allowing those behind so-called honour killings to go free.

New legislation means killers will get a mandatory life sentence.

Previously, killers could be pardoned by a victim's family to avoid a jail term. Now forgiveness will only spare them the death penalty.

It is being seen as a step in the right direction in a country where attacks on women who go against conservative rules on love and marriage are common.

According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), nearly 1,100 women were killed by relatives in Pakistan last year in such killings, while many more cases go unreported.

The loophole allowed the perpetrators of "honour killings" - often a relative acting on the pretext of defending family "honour" - to avoid punishment because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.

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Pakistan and 'honour killings'

• Qandeel Baloch: 'She was a girl just like you'
• A murder that reflects a divided nation
• Samia Shahid's father dismisses 'honour killing' claim
• Who are the Pakistani group proposing to 'lightly beat' women?
• Pakistan honour killings 'on the rise'
• The 'digital hate' faced by Pakistan's female journalists

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'First step'

In recent months, a number of high-profile deaths have made headlines both in Pakistan and abroad, including the killing of British woman Samia Shahid in July, allegedly by her father and her former husband.

The same month, Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch was strangled to death, allegedly killed by her brother in the province of Punjab.

The amended law was debated by Pakistan's National Assembly for four hours on Thursday, before being passed unanimously.

Campaigners have been calling for tougher legislation to protect women from violence for years.

A 2005 amendment to the law pertaining to "honour killings" prevented men who kill female relatives pardoning themselves as an 'heir' of the victim.

Pakistani activist and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid - who won an Oscar earlier this year for a documentary on "honour killings" - paid tribute to the people who had worked to get the bill through.

"It may not change much over night but it is certainly a step in the right direction," she said in a Facebook post. "And today I am proud that we have gone the distance on this bill."

Others were more cautious, raising concerns over the fact the bill still allows a judge to decide whether a murder qualifies as an 'honour killing' or not.

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