KHI 26-02-2012_Layout 1 2/26/2012 3:29 AM Page 1
Rs22.00 Vol ii no 240 22 pages Karachi edition
Sunday, 26 February, 2012 Rabi-ul-Sani 3, 1433
By-polls marred by violence, irregularities g
PM’s son makes his way to NA with huge margin
MULTAN: Ali Musa Gilani celebrates his victory in the NA-148 by-election.
T
Wo men were killed and at least three others were injured in aerial firing and clashes at polling stations, as by-elections were held on Saturday on six National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats, two each in Punjab and Sindh. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has won the most seats: two each in the National and provincial assemblies. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) succeeded in getting one National Assembly and two provincial assembly seats, whereas PMLFunctional (PML-F) and the Awami National Party (ANP) bagged one seat each. An independent candidate from Kasur also secured his place in the national legislature. Although tight security arrangements had been promised for the by-polls, gun tot-
ing mobs of rival candidates were seen at various polling stations across the country. Incidents of aerial firing claimed two lives, both at the hands of the supporters of ruling political parties, the PPP and ANP. A private TV channel reported that a man was killed in Multan due to aerial firing by the supporters of PPP candidate and the prime minister’s son Ali Moosa Gilani, who won from the NA-148 constituency. The injured man later succumbed to bullet wounds. Gilani took a comprehensive lead with 60,000 votes over his opponent Ghaffar Dogar, a PML-N candidate, who got 28,000 votes. According to our reporter, one person was killed in Mardan when ANP workers opened fire after their candidate Himayatullah Mayar was announced victorious from NA-9. Policemen were present at the scene, but showed reluctance to take action against Mayar’s supporters. Mayar won the election with 30,566 votes against Jamiat Ulema-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Maulana Shuja Mulk, who received 10,713 votes. Women were reported to have been blocked from casting votes at certain polling stations, including the ones in Mianwali. At least three people were injured in Mianwali and Mardan as rival groups clashed at polling stations. Incidents of violence were reported from NA-140 Kasur (Punjab), PP-44 Mianwali (Punjab) and NA-168 Vehari (Punjab), Continued on page 04
MULTAN: A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz female activist, Sultana Shaheen argues with Pakistan People’s Party candidate Liaqat Dogar over bogus voters’ list during the by-election on Saturday. INP
No threat to Pakistan, Crocker complains of militant havens assures prime minister in Pakistan g
Gilani says govt identifying stakeholders for APC on Balochistan ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Assuring the nation that there is no threat to the country, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that the government was in the process of identifying the stakeholders who would be taken on board before summoning the All Parties Conference (APC) on Balochistan. Talking to journalists at the Prime Minister’s House, Gilani said, “We are in the process to identify the stakeholders who would be taken on board. The Baloch are pro-Pakistan and nationalists. First we will address the
issue of mutilated bodies in the province, then we will consult them (Baloch) at the APC or whatever other forum they wanted to discuss and resolve the issue.” The prime minister said a committee had been constituted to contact the country’s political leadership to convene the APC on the issue. Gilani said he would meet the Balochistan governor and chief minister “very soon” to discuss ways to engage all the stakeholders in the consultations. The prime minister said the benefits of the Aghaze-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package could Continued on page 04
WASHINGTON AFP
The US ambassador to Afghanistan sent a top-secret cable to Washington last month warning that the existence of enemy havens in Pakistan was placing the US strategy in Afghanistan in jeopardy, The Washington Post reported late Friday. Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said that the cable, written by Ambassador Ryan Crocker, amounted to an admission that US efforts to curtail activities in Pakistan by the Haqqani network, a key Taliban ally, were failing. Pakistan’s relationship with the United Continued on page 04
RemembeRing the pioneeR
‘hameed Nizami, a journalist par excellence’ LAHORE
Hussain’s report on Balochistan should be followed, as in this way law and order of that province could be restored. orya Maqbool Jan said that Hameed Nizami was a torchbearer of truth and if he would have been alive today, he would have given the right solution to the Balochistan issue. He said that media should play its role in solving the Baloch dilemma. Lahore Press Club President Sarmad Bashir read the speech of Nazir Naji, who could not come due to ill health. In his speech, Naji said that we can tackle the menace of terrorism by following the ideology of Hameed Nizami, who actively fought against the aggression of the dictators.
NAUMAN TASLEEM
Hameed Nizami was one of the best journalists ever produced by Pakistan and has an immortal place in the history of Pakistani journalism. He played an important role in the Pakistan movement and Mohammad Ali Jinnah highly appreciated his efforts. Facing the Hindu press bravely by founding the Nawa-e-Waqt newspaper, he played a pivotal role in defining and representing the sentiments of the Muslims of the sub-continent. These views were expressed by the speakers on at a function arranged on the 50th death anniversary of Hameed Nizami on saturday. Hameed Nizami Memorial Society and Awan-e-Iqbal jointly arranged the programme. Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain presided over the function and Federal Minister Samina Khalid Ghurki was the chief guest. Famous writers, anchors, and columnists like Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami, Hamid Mir, Sajad Mir, orya Maqbool Jan, Jahangir Badar and Allama Iqbal’s grandson Waleed Iqbal spoke on the occasion. A large number of students,
Continued on page 04
LAHORE: Distinguished speakers listen to a speech during the annual Hameed Nizami Day at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal on Saturday. StAff Photo political workers and the general public attended the function. Speaking on the occasion, Editor Pakistan Today Arif Nizami said that now press enjoys a lot of freedom but during the time of Hameed Nizami, the press was not as free as it is today. Hameed Nizami sacrificed his life
while fighting against the martial law of Ayub Khan, he said. “It is unfortunate that the newspaper founded by Hameed Nizami is hurling negative propaganda against me,” Arif Nizami said. Shujaat appreciated the efforts rendered by Hameed Nizami for Pakistan and said that journalism is incomplete without
mentioning him. “Hameed Nizami was a journalist par excellence and waged a struggle for the cause of freedom of expression,” Shujaat said. While giving a solution of the Balochistan issue, he said that President Asif Zardari should travel abroad to meet the Baloch leaders. He said that Mushahid