LHR 30-03-2012_Layout 1 3/30/2012 4:30 AM Page 1
Nawaz Sharif favours import of electricity from India
Aamer deserves a second chance, says Wasim
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Rs15.00 Vol ii no 272 22 pages
US hopeful of early resumption of NATO supplies
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Lahore edition
Friday, 30 March, 2012 Jamadi-ul-awal 6, 1433
Seven Shias, two UN staffers killed in Balochistan g
armed motorcyclists open fire on passenger van carrying Hazara Shias in Quetta g UN staff members attacked in Mastung QUETTA
A
ShAhzAdA zUlfiQAR
T least nine people, including seven Shias and two staff members of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), were killed and several others injured in armed attacks in Quetta and Mastung districts of Balochistan on Thursday. The UN staff members were killed while on duty in Mastung, while the other seven people were killed in yet another tragic targeted attack on the Hazara-Shia populace in
Quetta. Per details, three staff members of FAO were on way to work in Mastung in a hired vehicle when two armed men opened indiscriminate fire on them. As a result, driver Habibullah and field coordinator Zahid were killed, while Irfan Ahmad, another coordinator, received bullet injuries. Shakar Khan, a police official, said both men sitting on the front seats of the vehicle received bullets and died on the spot, while the one in the back seat escaped with bullet injuries. In the tragedy that struck Quetta, seven people, including a woman, of the Hazara-Shia community were killed while six others received bullet injuries when un-
known armed men sprayed bullets on a passenger van on Thursday. The incident was followed by a violent protest by Hazara Shias wherein a police constable got killed accidentally. According to details, a van carrying passengers from Hazara Town was heading to Marriabad when it was attacked on Spinny Road. The driver of van, who also received injuries, sped up the vehicle and rushed all the injured and the dead to the civil hospital. The attack killed two people on the spot and injured nine others, five of whom succumbed to their injuries later. Amir Mohammad Dasti, SHO of the Brewery Police Station, told reporters that
the attackers who were armed with AK-47 rifles were riding a motorcycle and waiting for the vehicle to pass by. After the killing, various groups of the Hazara community took to the streets and started protesting against the killings. Some of them rushed to Bacha Khan (Meezan) Chowk and blocked the main road. Some of them fired hundreds of aerial shots, while others pointed to the police party that had reached the area to persuade the protesters to let traffic pass by. As a result of a scuffle and firing by protesters, a police constable, said to be the bodyguard of Brewery SHO Amir Mohammad Dasti, was killed. The Frontier Corps was called in when
protesters became more violent. Police later arrested over a dozen protesters. The Hazara Democratic Party alleged that two of the protesters were killed by police firing, while police said they were killed by the firing of armed protesters. The violent mob also put four motorcycles of passers-by on fire. The Hazara Democratic Party has given a shutter down strike call for Friday. Human rights groups have heavily criticised Pakistan for failing to crack down on sectarian violence between the majority Sunni Muslims and Shias, who account for around 20 percent of the population. Thousands of people have died in related unrest since the late 1980s.
tieS with US
Govt, Opp agree to include new clauses to PCNS recommendations ISLAMABAD QUETTA: A policeman scuffles with an angry Shia protester during a demonstration following the killing of seven Shias on Thursday. afp
SC to decide Gilani’s fate on April 16 ISLAMABAD MASood REhMAn
Hearing the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case, a seven-member special bench of the Supreme Court decided on Thursday to announce its ruling on April 16 on the non-implementation of its orders by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani regarding writing a letter without getting any advice to Swiss authorities for reopening graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The bench of Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed, observed that non-implementation of December 16, 2009 judgment on NRO by the prime minister was a sheer contempt of court. The court observed that each and every judgment passed by it should be implemented in letter and spirit. Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan noted that when the court had ordered the prime minister to write a letter to the Swiss authorities without getting advice from any one, it was a final order. Continued on page 04
SC seeks record of drug quota scam involving pM’s son ISLAMABAD STAff REpoRT
The Supreme Court on Thursday sought detailed record from the AntiNarcotics Force (ANF) pertaining to investigation of a matter of granting quota for ingredient of medicine to two pharmaceutical companies by the Federal Health Ministry allegedly under the influence of premier’s son Ali Musa Gilani. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing a civil petition, filed by the Regional Director Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Islamabad versus Rizwan Ahmed Khan and others. The bench was informed that against the rules quota of an ingredient for a medicine ‘Ephedrine’ curing cold, flue and asthma was granted and a quantity of 9,000 kilograms was allowed instead of 1,000 kilograms to Berlex Labs International and Denis Pharmaceutical. The ingredient, also known as poor man’s cocaine, was given to smugglers who spread it all over the country to drug addicts. The matter was raised in the Lower House in 2009 where then Health Minister Makdoom Sha-
habuddin constituted a committee to give its recommendations on the matter. Later on the recommendation of committee ANF initiated investigation against 10 persons including Dr Rashid Juma, Iftikhar Ahmed Babar, Rizwan Ahmed Khan, Ihsanur Rehman, Tanvirul Hassan Shirazi, Chaudhry Abdual Waheed, Ansir Farooq Chaudhry, retired Col. Tahir Alwadood Lahoti, Muhammad Hashim Khan and Taquer Ali Khan. Continued on page 04
STAff REpoRT
Top political and military leadership held a detailed discussion late on Thursday to evolve consensus on the draft recommendations for evolving consensus on new terms of engagement with the US on the war against terrorism. A source told Pakistan Today that the government and opposition sides agreed to review the draft recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) and the consultations on incorporation of new clauses on drone attacks, NATO supplies and other contentious issues continued until filing of this report. The source said the government wanted to get passed the recommendations from the joint sitting of both Houses of parliament by Friday or Saturday, as Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had to leave for China on Sunday. The meeting was attended by National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan, Leader of Opposition in the Senate Ishaq Dar, PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain, Mushahid Hussain, JUI chief Fazlur Rehman, Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the MQM in NA Haidar Abbas Rizvi, ANP leader Afrasiab Khattak, Kalsoom Parveen, FATA Parliamentary Leader in NA Haji Munir Khan Orakzai, Senator Muzaffar Shah, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Minister for Religious Affairs Khursheed Shah and Raza Rabbani. Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, ISI DG Gen Zaheerul Islam and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman were also present. The source said the government made a last ditch effort to woo back the support of the opposition parties who were resisting the government’s bid for evolving a consensus, as they wanted not to become a party to the reopening of NATO
supplies to avoid public criticism. The source said the government had delayed holding the joint session on Thursday to make a last effort to convince the leadership of opposition parties, including the PML-N and the JUI-F. “During the meeting, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani briefed the political leadership on his recent meetings with the US and NATO army chiefs and said he had flatly told his counterparts that final decisions on new terms of engagement would be taken by parliament itself and not by the army or the government,” the source said. Addressing the participants, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said parliament will decide the matter of new terms of engagement with the US, NATO and ISAF, in a respectful manner, as the whole world was waiting for this decision. The prime minister, however, stressed that as it was a matter of national importance and pertains to national security, the decision should be taken with consensus. “The role of parliamentary leaders is very important, as your vision will determine the future line of action,” he said. “It is not a matter of US alone, but of 48 countries,” Gilani said. He said this parliamentary process and the recommendations of the parliamentary committee were being appreciated and viewed with great respect by the whole world.