Ex-spymaster Faiz Hameed’s brother sent to jail in graft case

By: Inter News on March 19, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

RAWALPINDI: A local court of Rawalpindi on Monday sent retired naib tehsildar Najaf Hameed, brother of former ISI director general Faiz Hameed, to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

Mr Najaf, along with co-accused persons, had sought pre-arrest bail in the FIR registered with the Anti-Corruption Esta­b­l­i­shment (ACE) in Rawalpindi.

The FIR alleged that former minister for mineral resources Hafiz Ammar Yasir acquired properties worth billions of rupees in the names of benamidars.

The FIR stated that the properties were undervalued in the revenue record in connivance with government officials, inlcuding Najaf Hameed.

The accused persons from the revenue department filed pre-arrest bail petitions before Special Judge of ACE Ali Nawaz Bikhar. The court granted interim bail to the other accused persons except Mr Najaf, as he was not present during the hearing.

Interestingly, Mr Najaf appeared before the court, and then went to a friend in the district courts. Upon his return, he learnt that his bail plea had been dismissed.

His counsel requested the judge to revisit the order, but the judge refused, stating he had no power to review the already announced order.

Mr Najaf was then produced before Senior Civil Judge Waqar Hussain Gondal. His counsel filed a post-arrest bail petition before the ACE court. The judge issued notices and adjourned the hearing till March 20.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2024

Khyber Medical University bans ‘intimate relationship’ between faculty, students

By: Inter News on March 18, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

PESHAWAR: Khyber Medical University (KMU) has imposed ban on ‘intimate relationship’ between staff members and students in line with the policy of Higher Education Commission to put brakes on harassment on campuses.

A notification issued by Dr Brekhna Jamil, the chairperson of KMU’s harassment inquiry committee, said that penalties for violating the policy were severe and might include oral or written reprimand, dismissal, suspension, expulsion, disciplinary probation, imposition of fine, withholding of degree, cancellation of professional licence, inclusion of decision in personal file and other related sanctions as deemed appropriate.

“These relationships pose conflicts of interest, compromise professional judgment, and risk the credibility of the institution. The individuals involved in such relationships should declare it,” it said.

KMU maintains a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind and recent actions taken for violating this policy include expulsion of a Grade-18 staff member, written reprimand, fines and demotion for another Grade-17 staff member. Several other senior staff members have been given final warning and they are under surveillance.

Move meant to prevent cases of harassment on campus

Dr Brekhna has urged all faculty members to disseminate the policy within the respective institute and administrative section and ensure that all the faculty, staff, and students are fully informed and comply with the provisions outlined in the policy. “The notification has been issued with the approval of KMU vice-chancellor,” she said.

The notification entitled ‘Prohibition of intimate or romantic relationships between faculty members, staff and students as per HEC’s policy on protection against sexual harassment in higher education institutions 2020,’ says that as the policy has been adopted by KMU, it is essential to address matters pertaining to personal relationships within its academic community.

The jurisdiction of the policy extends to all constituent and affiliated colleges and institutions of KMU. The sub-section 3.1 of its section 3 (jurisdiction) states that this policy applies to actions by students, faculty, staff and other members of higher education institutions (HEI) community such as interns and residents or third parties such as service providers and visitors etc.

It says when misconduct occurs on HEI property i.e. campus or in its immediate vicinity; (b) off the HEI property, if (i) the conduct occurs in connection with an HEI recognised programme or activity or (ii) the conduct may create a hostile environment or pose a safety risk on campus; and (c) using the university’s computing or network resources accessed from an off-campus location, it shall be deemed to have occurred on campus.

In adherence to section 14 (special considerations regarding relationships between individuals) of the policy, intimate or romantic relationships between faculty members and other staffers and students are strictly prohibited as emphasised in sub-section 14.1 and 14.2.

Sub-section 14.1 of the policy says that in contrast with sexual harassment, personal relationships among consenting adults of the HEI community that do not breach the social and cultural norms of the society are, in general, a private matter.

According to sub-section 14.2, it is highly inappropriate for any member of the community to establish an intimate relationship with a student, subordinate or colleague on whose academic or work performance he or she will be required to make professional judgments.

The policy requires that the individual may not involve themselves in such conduct as the professional responsibility for supervision or oversight would be affected in such cases. Relationships with a difference in power and authority can seriously affect the institutional working as well as the credibility of all involved, it adds.

In particular, intimate or romantic relationships between faculty members or staff and students, whether at undergraduate or graduate level, shall be prohibited, it says.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024

Voting trends indicate generational desire for change, says US diplomat

By: Inter News on March 18, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

UNITED NATIONS: Voting trends in the February 8 elections demonstrated that there is a strong desire for change among the Pakistani youth, according to a senior US diplomat.

The remarks by Elizabeth Horst, a senior US diplomat overseeing Pakistan affairs at the State Depart­ment, came during a seminar held on the sidelines of an ongoing UN debate on the nexus between gender equality and human development.

Organised by the Muslim American Leadership Alliance, the discussion held last week saw active participation from the Pakistani-American community, with a number of speakers and attendees raising questions about the prevailing political scenario in the country.

Exhibiting diplomatic finesse, the State Department official refrained from making overtly political statements, instead underscoring the existing engagement of the Pakistani diaspora in addressing social issues in their homeland, while urging further efforts to empower women.

Kugelman says Washington’s ‘perceived indifference’ towards democracy in Pakistan could harden negative attitudes among diaspora

She highlighted the transformative shift evidenced by the 2024 elections, saying: “A generational change has happened. I say generational change because the most recent election in Pakistan has demonstrated that there is a youth right now that’s hungry for change.”

She argued that this demographic would soon constitute a majority in Pakistan, and that would be an opportunity to see a different way of doing things. “So, encourage everyone who is engaged with Pakistan to leverage that as well,” she added.

Ms Horst’s remarks encouraged a PTI supporter in the audience to ask: “How can we discuss equality when our right to choose our leadership is denied? We cast our votes for Imran [Khan], yet we’re being pressured to accept the same old corrupt leaders,” he asked.

“I am not going to touch any political part of this, but I think there should be no excuses for working towards gender equality. There’s just everybody in this room and everybody around the world who can simply try to lift up women and girls,” Ms Horst responded.

Her comments seem to endorse the suggestion that instead of clinging to election-related disputes, Pakistan should move ahead and fix other pressing issues as well, such as its ailing economy.

Another speaker, Dawood Ghaznavi, proposed enhancing the connection between the diaspora and Pakistan by enabling them to participate in elections.

“Pakistani expatriates represent one of the most politically engaged diasporas globally. Allowing them to vote will further incentivize their involvement in contributing to the development of their homeland,” he asserted.

Michael Kugelman, a leading expert in South Asian affairs associated with the Wilson Centre, provided his insights on the political situation in Pakistan during the post-seminar media session.

He emphasised that the recent election did not restore political stability, instead resulted in rise of polarisation in the country. He noted that a significant portion of the public questioned the legitimacy of the election results, as well as the new government.

Mr Kugelman also pointed out the popularity of the opposition, particularly Imran Khan and the PTI, despite what he called efforts by the state to marginalise them.

He pointed out that this would pose challenges for the new government, which aims to stabilise the economy amidst a tense political climate.

He suggested that reconciliation between the opposition and the ruling coalition could provide a way forward, but doubted this was feasible in the current scenario, with heightened polarisation.

He proposed focusing on economic stabilisation as the most practical option for restoring stability, advocating for measures to lower inflation and provide relief to the common man.

The Wilson Centre scholar also noted that the Biden administration had modest expectations for the election and emphasised the importance of a multi-party presence, despite a disconnect between public expectations in Pakistan and US government objectives.

Mr Kugelman acknowledged the significance of perceptions, expressing concern that the perceived indifference of the US government towards democracy in their country could harden negative attitudes among many Pakistanis.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024

Coventry stun Wolves with two injury-time goals to reach FA Cup semis

By: Inter News on March 17, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

WOLVERHAMPTON: Coventry City stunned Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 with two injury-time goals in a rollercoaster FA Cup tie at Molineux Stadium on Saturday as the Championship side reached the semi-finals for only the second time in the club’s history.

Wolves had looked set for a trip to Wembley after Rayan Ait-Nouri cancelled out Ellis Simms’ second-half opener, and Hugo Bueno then put the home side ahead in the 88th minute.

But Simms grabbed a second in the seventh minute of added time before team mate Haji Wright scored the winner in the 10th minute of injury time, curling his shot into the corner to send the Coventry fans, team and staff alike wild with delight.

Simms’s double made him the first Coventry player to score five goals in a single FA Cup campaign since Keith Houchen in 1986-87, the year Coventry won the cup — the biggest trophy in the club’s 140-year history.

“A great occasion, the fans have been amazing and we’re just delighted. I’m so proud of the lads. We’ve dug in, and even at 2-1 down we never gave up,” Simms told ITV.

“It’s going to be a great occasion at Wembley. We want to go all the way. The next round will be tough against a top Premier League team but we will give it our all and go in with all guns blazing.”

Coventry took the lead in the 53rd minute from a free kick when Simms bundled the ball into the net, with the goal awarded after a lengthy VAR check for handball in the buildup.

Wolves, who were missing Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan, Matheus Cunha and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde through injury, had offered very little threat until Ait-Nouri swept home in the 83rd minute when Coventry failed to clear a cross.

“Credit to the players and the fans, the players gave everything and Coventry met us on a day where we weren’t at full strength and they were able to capitalise on it. They deserved to win the game,” Wolves manager Gary O’Neil told the BBC. “Losing in a quarter-final is obviously a missed opportunity, we produced as good as we could produce. That was it, the lads gave everything.”

Then, five minutes later, substitute Bueno put Wolves in front with his first senior goal, and a ticket to the semis had looked all but guaranteed.

But Simms grabbed a second at the far post to keep Coventry alive before Wright sent their fans into delirium with the winner.

“There’s a lot of quality in our side and as long as we believe and keep trying, we can take our chances,” Wright said. “It’s amazing to make it to Wembley and it will be good fun for all of us. Hopefully we can enjoy it [today] and then get back to work.”

LUTON RESCUE DRAW WITH FOREST, BURNLEY KEEP SURVIVAL HOPES ALIVE

In Premier League action on Saturday, Luton Town’s Luke Berry struck late to salvage a crucial 1-1 draw with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, while Burnley kept alive their faint survival hopes with a 2-1 victory against Brentford on Saturday.

As the fight to avoid relegation comes to a head, Luton and Forest met in a potentially decisive showdown at Kenilworth Road.

Forest, beaten in their previous three games, took the lead through Chris Wood’s first-half strike.

But Berry came off the bench to equalise with just one minute to play in normal time.

Third-bottom Luton, who blew a three-goal lead in Wednesday’s disastrous 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth, are without a win in their last nine games in all competitions.

They sit three points behind fourth-bottom Forest, with both sides having nine games left to preserve their top-flight status.

Luton’s late leveller was painful for Forest, who face the potential threat of a points deduction before the end of the season after being hit with a Premier League charge over alleged financial breaches.

Wood put Forest ahead in the 34th minute, drilling past Thomas Kaminski from close-range after Morgan Gibbs-White’s chip picked out the New Zealand striker.

But Hatters substitute Berry levelled with a close-range strike from Reece Burke’s header in the 89th minute.

At Turf Moor, second-bottom Burnley won for the first time in 11 league games since a 2-0 victory at Fulham in December.

Vincent Kompany’s side took the lead in the 10th minute when Vitinho sprinted onto Josh Cullen’s pass and was about to shoot when he was pulled down by Sergio Reguilon.

The Spanish defender was shown the earliest red card in the Premier League this season, after a VAR check, and Jacob Bruun Larsen stepped up to convert the spot-kick.

Brentford were nearly gifted an equaliser when Dara O’Shea’s errant backpass had Burnley ‘keeper Arijanet Muric scrambling to clear off the line before pushing away Ivan Toney’s rebound.

David Datro Fofana fired wide with a golden opportunity to double Burnley’s lead, but the on-loan Chelsea forward made amends in the 62nd minute with a composed finish into the far corner.

Kristoffer Ajer got one back in the 83rd minute with a diving header from Bryan Mbeumo’s cross, but the Clarets held on for their first league win in 2024.

They are now eight points from safety with nine games left.

Brentford have won only three of their past 18 league games and sit just four points above the relegation zone.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2024

PPP sets sight on all 12 Senate seats from Sindh as rivals in disarray

By: Inter News on March 17, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

• Murad opines ‘secret ballot’ allows MPAs to vote on their own
• MQM-P endorses Faisal Vawda’s candidature
• Talks with Muttahida possible, says Ghani

KARACHI: While the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is facing serious issues over distribution of party tickets for the April 2 Senate elections, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is eyeing on all 12 Senate seats from Sindh, it emerged on Saturday.

Although the PPP does not possess the required number of votes in the provincial assembly to win all 12 Senate seats, it appears that it is banking on the provision of ‘secret ballot’ that puts lawmakers at liberty to exercise their right of franchise on their own, irrespective of their party guidelines.

Talking to reporters at the offices of the Sindh election commissioner after filing nomination papers of his party candidates, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said he was confident that his party would win all 12 seats.

When asked as to why he was so hopeful about his party’s absolute success, he explained that it was a secret ballot and unlike the election of the prime minister and chief minister, MPAs or MNA were not “always bound to vote in favour of their party”.

“Sometimes, they may vote based on their personal preferences [against their party]. In such cases, the party cannot disqualify those members,” he said.

Giving details of his party’s candidates, the CM said that the PPP had submitted nomination papers of nine candidates on general seats, three each for women and technocrats and two for minorities.

He added that the PPP would release the final list of its candidates after the scrutiny of the nomination papers on Monday.

Party position in PA

Based on its numeric strength in the Sindh Assembly, the PPP can easily win nine of the 12 seats — seven general seats, two seats each reserved for women, technocrats and one reserved for minorities.

Its tally could improve substantially if the PPP reached an understanding with smaller groups in the 164-strong house (three members of the Grand Democratic Alliance and one belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami are yet to take oath). The PPP has 116 MPAs followed by the MQM-P (36), the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (nine) and the JI has one member.

While several candidates of the MQM-P have filed nomination papers, its chances to win more than one seats are slim.

On Saturday, former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Faisal Vawda submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate, but interestingly, two MQM-P lawmakers had proposed and seconded his candidature.

MQM-P sources feared that some MPAs might vote against Mr Vawda if he was fielded or supported by the party in the Senate election.

Meanwhile, Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani told reporters that his party had so far made no contact with the MQM-P regarding the Senate elections.

However, the MQM-P said that the final decision was yet to be taken.

“We may talk to Muttahida before the election as dialogue is part of politics,” he told reporters at the offices of the Sindh election commission.

‘Provinces’ share in NFC can be increased’

About the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, the chief minister said that provinces’ share in the next award could only be increased and not decreased as per the Constitution.

When asked to comment on reports about the IMF’s condition to reduce the provinces’ share in the upcoming NFC award, the CM said that he heard about that too. However, the federal government had reportedly informed the IMF that the matters constitutionally settled between the federal and provincial governments could not be negotiated or discussed, he added.

The chief minister said that the 10th NFC award was announced before the passage of 18th Amendment.

“After 18th Amendment, provinces have been given more responsibilities and, therefore, the upcoming NFC award should be made accordingly,” he said.

CM Shah added that the federal government had its own point of view, but these issues would be discussed at the NFC forum.

Replying to a question, Mr Shah said that good police officers were being posted to improve overall law and order in the province.

“Yesterday, we made a reshuffle at the SSP level and other officers will also be changed to improve security situation and governance,” he said.

To another question, the CM added that the PTI approached the IMF and others because it was not thinking about the country but only for their leader.

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani told reporters that his party had so far made no contact with the MQM-P regarding the Senate elections.

“We may talk to Muttahida before the election as dialogue is part of politics,” he told reporters at the offices of the Sindh election commission.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2024

Those facing SJC proceedings cannot avoid accountability: SC judge

By: Inter News on March 16, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

ISLAMABAD: Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of the Supreme Court has observed that resignation by a judge facing proceedings before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) amounts to circumvention or avoidance of accountability enshrined and envisaged under Article 209 of the Constitution.

“And such circumvention of SJC proceedings under Article 209 will result in erosion of public trust in the judiciary,” Justice Mandokhail observed in a detailed note issued on Friday.

On Feb 19, the Supreme Court, in a split 4-1 decision, ruled that proceedings pending before the SJC against superior court judges on misconduct would not abate in the event of resignation or retirement of the respondent judge.

Now in a 17-page note, Justice Mandokhail said the judge who retires or resigns during pendency of SJC proceedings against him should not be allowed to escape the consequences of removal.

Justice Mandokhail says such judges should not be allowed to escape consequences of removal

Referring to a 2023 judgement in the Afiya Shehrbano Zia case, the judge recalled how former chief justice Saqib Nisar sat on a complaint filed against him instead of referring the matter to the SJC by recusing himself.

“Thus the former CJP held the council hostage by not convening its meeting. It was not only his constitutional obligation, but also moral and ethical responsibility to have referred the complaint to SJC by requesting the next senior judge below him to become a member, with further request to SJC to proceed against him accordingly,” Justice Mandokhail observed.

As CJP, Saqib Nisar was burdened with the heavy responsibility of maintaining a high moral and ethical standard by placing himself before the council for his accountability, yet he failed to live up to the expectation, the judge added.

“Thus failure to refer the complaint against him to the council by the former CJP not only resulted in undermining the constitutional provisions, but also amounted to preventing SJC from performing its constitutional function,” Justice Mandokhail regretted.

“It is a fact that during his [CJP Nisar’s] tenure, under his chairmanship, SJC conducted proceedings against some other judges, but withheld the complaint against him.”

“This is a violation of principle of equality regarding accountability amongst the judges,” he emphasised.

Likewise, he said, it was also the responsibility of other members of the council to have had inquired about 15 pending references or complaints against judges of the Supreme Court or high courts.

Unfortunately, he regretted, they also did not vigilantly perform their constitutional duty, which rendered several complaints, including the one against former CJP Nisar, infructuous on account of retirement or resignation of judges.

“This has shattered the confidence of the appellants and the people, with a negative impact upon the mechanism and procedure of inquiry proceedings into the conduct of judges.”

“Had that complaint been taken up and decided in time by the council, before the retirement of the former CJP, there would not have been any violation of the relevant provision of the Constitution nor would have created any doubt regarding the working of SJC and integrity of its chairman and members.”

“The private appellants and the public could have been satisfied and thereby their confidence and trust in the working of the council would not have been shattered. In any case, it was necessary for the council to have decided the fate of the complaint before retirement of the former CJP, but the needful was not done and, therefore, after his retirement, the council cannot proceed,” Justice Mandokhail observed.

Thus, he said, the complaints remained unattended and new ones were also being instituted, which resulted in manifold increase in the number of complaints, adding that during this period, several judges retired or resigned from their offices.

The petition filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution by Afiya Shehrbano and the present appeals by the government pose a valid question on the mechanism of initiating inquiry and working of the council, the judge noted.

He said the appellants presume that the SJC, by not taking action on the complaints, has facilitated the judges to retire or resign, who were required to be subjected to disciplinary proceedings.

No doubt, he added, a majority of the complaints against the judges are frivolous and baseless, but still it is the constitutional obligation of the council to decide fate of the same as early as possible.

Meanwhile, Justice Aminud Din Khan on Friday observed that the SJC, being an independent constitutional body, has the prerogative to proceed against a judge, who had resigned or retired, in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024

Interior ministry censured by SHC for not deporting Indian national held 11 years ago

By: Inter News on March 16, 2024 / comment : 0 NEWS, The Dawn News - Home

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday expressed resentment towards the interior ministry for not deporting a detained Indian national despite lapse of around seven years and warned that the interior secretary would be summoned if the deportation was not carried out.

The court observed that the appellant was an Indian national while the ministry could not be able to confirm his nationality apparently due to lack of efforts.

The single-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha directed the ministry of interior to depute an officer well-versed with the facts of the case or file a compliance report at the next hearing.

Abdul Mughni was arrested in 2013 by the Mobina Town police station near Abul Hassan Ispahani Road and booked him under various provisions of the Foreigners Act.

Abdul Mughni was arrested in 2013 and booked under Foreigners Act

A sessions court had sentenced him to six months in prison in 2017. The convict filed an appeal against his conviction before the SHC.

The bench said that since the appellant had already served out his sentence, the jail superintendent had been directed to make arrangements for his deportation through the home department.

However, at the last hearing, it also noted that the focal person of the home department of Sindh had submitted that a correspondence was made with the ministry of interior on the subject matter and it did not respond and thereafter, the court had issued a notice to the secretary to send an official familiar with this case to explain as to why the appellant had not been deported yet.

On Friday, a section officer of the ministry turned up and asserted that the deportation had not been made yet due to certain procedural issues.

The bench in its order said: “I find it quite extraordinary that after a lapse of seven years, ministry of interior has not been able to confirm whether the appellant is an Indian national or not. Prima facie this is because of lack of efforts on the party of ministry of interior”.

The bench stated that when the section officer was confronted, he was not even aware if the Indian government had similar computerised national identify card system like Nadra.

“In the event the impugned order dated 24.08.2017 regarding the deportation of the appellant is not complied with by the next hearing, this court will have no option except to call the secretary, ministry of interior, government of Pakistan in person to explain as to how his department is actually working in such like matters”, it added.

The bench asked its office to send a copy of this order to the interior secretary for information and compliance.

“It is expected that on the next date of hearing, secretary, ministry of interior shall send an officer well-served with the facts of the case or file his compliance report via DAG [deputy attorney general] regarding the deportation of the appellant. In this regard, reasonable time is given and this matter shall come up on 13.05.2024 at 09:00am”, it concluded.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2024