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This Government is no different then Military Dictator General Zia ul Haq who used Talibaninc Islam. Now PPP using Sufi Islam to prolong Washington's dictated rule over ISLAMabad.
PAKISTAN on way to SUFI Tareeqat-Mazar & Maqbara SYASAT Khankahi system vital to end terror : Gilani
OKARA, Feb. 28 (APP)- Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Sunday said the Khankahi system was vital to eliminate terrorism from the country.He was addressing the annual Urs of Syed Muhammad Ismail Shah Bokhari, commonly known as Karmanwala Sarkar here.Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qurshi, Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Federal Minister for Labour and Manpower Syed Khurshid Shah, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi, State Minister for Information Sumsam Ali Shah Bokhari, Punjab Minister Ashraf Sohna, SNGP Chairman Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman and Sumsam’s elder brother and Sajjada Nasheen of Karmanwala Sarkar Pir Mir Syed Ali Shah were also present.
The Prime Minister said the role of saints and Mashaikh against terrorism had been realized in and outside the parliament.
“My securitymen advised against the visit but I reached here so that the common man should not hesitate from visiting shrines for fear of terror acts,” These were saints and not the army generals, who spread Islam in Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries while the first ever Hadith in Hindustan was introduced by Shaikh Abdul Haq Mahaddith Dehlvi, who was a ‘Mureed’ (admirer) of Hazrat Musa Pak (RA),
he added.
He called upon Mashaikh and Ulema to continue preaching values of Islam, advocating love, fraternity, peace and tolerance. Religiously knowledgeable people can effectively help end terrorism, he added.
Gilani said Pakistan was facing numerous challenges, especially terrorism, which was affecting its economy. “The PPP-led government is well aware of people’s problems including poverty, dearness and unemployment,” he said, adding that the funds being spent on the offensive against terrorism would be used for public welfare soon after the elimination of terror.
The Rich Prime Minister paid rich tributes to the armed force, Frontier Constabulary, law enforcement agencies, parliament, civil society, and the entire nation especially people of the NWFP and FATA for making supreme sacrifices in the war on terror. The Prime Minister also announced construction of a road between 2A/L Adda Kassanwala and GT Road and a bridge in Renala Khurd. Earlier, Gilani inaugurated a gas supply project in Karmanwala village. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani also laid a ‘Chadar’ on the grave of Hazrat Karmanwala Sarkar.
Addressing the gathering, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said negative propaganda was being made in the West to tarnish Pakistan’s image. “Effective measures are needed to remove their misconception, as Islam promotes peace, equality and love,” he added.
Unfortunately, he added, a group of people in Pakistan was using the sacred message of Islam for its nefarious designs.
“This group is also against Khankahs and saints, who changed the destiny of the sub-continent by spreading Islamic teachings,” he added. Paying homage to the saints, he stressed for reviving of the Khankahi system in the country.
Earlier in his address, State Minister for Information Sumsam Ali Shah Bokhari welcomed the guests. He lauded Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani for his political sagacity and reconciliatory policy, which had proved helpful in elimination of terrorism and extremism. He also prayed for stability, solidarity and peace in Pakistan. At the end, the Sajjada Nasheen of Sharqpur Sharif led a collective Dua.
Kathryn Spellman is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the AKU-ISMC.
On Monday, 15 February 2010, Dr. Kathryn Spellman-Poots delivered a lecture at the inaugural event for The Centre for Academic Shia Studies, held at the Al-Khoei Foundation. The lecture, entitled ‘Contesting Customs: Young Shi’a Muslims in Britain’ was based on her current research which examines Shia commemoration rituals in the UK. This research attempts to map out the Shia community in the UK, thereby placing these communities within the wider context of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim settings.
In particular, the lecture concentrated on how young British Shias, from a range of ethnic, national and socio-economic backgrounds, orient themselves to varying conceptions and practices of Shia traditions in the UK. Dr. Spellman-Poots looked specifically at the example of Shia rituals for Ashura, the day of mourning the martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Hussain.
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Dr. Spellman-Poots is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the AKU-ISMC. Please click here for more information about Dr. Spellman-Poots’ research.
Dr Kathryn Spellman Poots, Assistant Professor, received her MSc and PhD in Politics and Sociology from Birkbeck College, University of London. Her areas of interest include gender and Islam in the Middle East and North Africa, the Iranian Diaspora and transnational migration networks, Islam in Europe and gender and religious practices in contemporary Libyan society. Her book is entitled: Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in Britain (Berghahn Publishers, Oxford and New York, 2005).
Dr Spellman previously taught courses on the sociology of religion, migration and gender in contemporary societies at Syracuse University, London campus. She is currently a Research Associate at the London Middle East Institute at SOAS and on the Editorial Board of the Middle East in London magazine. She has been involved in organisations that focus on the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, including the London Detainee Support Group, and has been a researcher for projects relating to the Middle East and North Africa at a number of organisations including the Imperial War Museum and Manchester International Festival.
* Spellman, Kathryn, (2005) Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in London, Berghahn Books, Oxford and New York. Reprinted in paperback form.
Articles, reviews and book chapters
* Spellman, Kathryn, (2007) ‘Higher Education and Study Abroad Programmes for Female Students in Libya’ in Social Beliefs, Pracbtices and Gender Equality in the MENA Region, published by Ford Foundation and Centre of Arab Women For Training and Research, New York and Tunis. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2007) Book Review of Vandewalle, D. The History of Modern Libya in Mediterranean Politics, Taylor & Francis, October 2007, Volume 12 Issue 3, 437. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2007) ‘Women, Gender and Conversion to and from Islam in Iran’ in Encyclopaedia of Women and Islamic Cultures (EWIC), Brill Publishers. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2004) ‘ A National Sufi Order with Transnational Dimensions: The Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi Sufi Order in London ’, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2004) ‘Women, Gender and Religious Associations: Iran and Afghanistan’ in Encyclopaedia of Women and Islamic Cultures (EWIC), Brill Publishers. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2004) ‘Gendered Spaces of Exchange: Iranian Women’s Religious Practices in London’, Titley, G. (ed.) Re-Situating Culture. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2003) ‘Change and Continuity: Iranians in Britain’, in Singer, Caroline (ed.) Middle East in London, Stacey International Publishers. * Spellman, K and Lehmann-Hesse, K, (2003) ‘Iranian Religious Networks in Hamburg and London’ in Zuwanderung und Integration. (ed.) by Klaus Roth. München: Münchner Beiträge zur Volkskunde. * Spellman, Kathryn, (2001) ‘The Persian Community in Britain’. Published in Encyclopaedia Iranica, Columbia University Press.
Other Publications
* Spellman, Kathryn (2009) ‘Born Again Iranians in London’, The Middle East in London, 3(5): 10-11 * Spellman, Kathryn (2008) ‘My Play Conveys the Impossibility of True Communication’, interview with playwright Amir Reza Koohestani in The Middle East in London, 3(6): 14-15
Delivered when allegiance was sworn to him at Medina
The responsibility for what I say is guaranteed and I am answerable for it. He to whom experiences have clearly shown the past exemplary punishments (given by Allah to peoples) is prevented by piety from falling into doubts. You should know that the same troubles have returned to you which existed when the Prophet was first sent.
By Allah who sent the Prophet with faith and truth you will be severely subverted, bitterly shaken as in sieving and fully mixed as by spooning in a cooking pot till your low persons become high and high ones become low, those who were behind would attain forward positions and those who were forward would become backward. By Allah, I have not concealed a single word or spoken any lie and I had been informed of this event and of this time. Beware that sins are like unruly horses on whom their riders have been placed and their reins have been let loose so that they would jump with them in Hell. Beware that piety is like trained horses on whom the riders have been placed with the reins in their hands, so that they would take the riders to Heaven. There is right and wrong and there are followers for each. If wrong dominates, it has (always) in the past been so, and if truth goes down that too has often occurred. It seldom happens that a thing that lags behind comes forward.
ash-Sharif ar-Radi says: In this small speech there is more beauty than can be appreciated, and the quantity of amazement aroused by it is more than the appreciation accorded to it. Despite what we have stated it has so many aspects of eloquence that cannot be expressed nor can anyone reach its depth, and no one can understand what I am saying unless one has attained this art and known its details.
. . . No one appreciates it except those who know (Qur'an, 29:43)
29:43 And such are the Parables We set forth for mankind, but only those understand them who have knowledge.
Pagans and polytheists:Parables _ used by Allah]
From the same Sermon
He who has heaven and hell in his view has no other aim. He who attempts and acts quickly, succeeds, while the seeker who is slow may also entertain hope, and he who falls short of action faces destruction in Hell. On right and left there are misleading paths. Only the middle way is the (right) path which is the Everlasting Book and the traditions of the Prophet. From it the sunnah has spread out and towards it is the eventual return.
He who claims (otherwise) is ruined and he who concocts falsehood is disappointed. He who opposes(1) right with his face gets destruction. It is enough ignorance for a man not to know himself. He who is strong rooted(2) in piety does not get destruction, and the plantation of a people based on piety never remains without water. Hide yourselves in your houses and reform yourselves. Repentance is at your back. One should praise only Allah and condemn only his own self.
--- (1). In some versions after the words "man abda safhatahu lilhaqqi halaka:" the words "`inda jahalati'n-nas" also occur. In that case the meaning of this sentence would be that he who stands in face of right dies in the estimation of the ignorant.
(2). Piety is the name of heart and mind being affected and impressed by the Divine Greatness and Glory, as an effect of which the spirit of man becomes full of fear of Allah, and its inevitable result is that engrossment in worship and prayer increases. It is impossible that heart may be full of Divine fear and there be no manifestation of it in actions and deeds. And since worship and submission reform the heart and nurture the spirit, purity of heart increases with the increase of worship. That is why in the Qur'an "taqwa" (piety) has been applied sometimes to fear, sometimes to worship and devotion and sometimes to purity of heart and spirit. Thus in the verse "wa iyyaya fattaqun" (and Me you fear [16:2]) taqwa implies fear, in the verse, "ittaqu'l-laha haqqa tuqatihi" (worship Allah as He ought to be worshipped [3:102]), taqwa implies worship and devotion and in the verse "wa yakhsha'l-laha wa yattaqhi faulaika humu'l-faizun" (24:52) taqwa implies purity of spirit and cleanliness of heart.
In the traditions taqwa has been assigned three degrees. The first degree is that a man should follow the injunctions and keep aloof from prohibitions. The second degree is that recommended matters should also be followed and disliked things should be avoided. The third degree is that for fear of falling into doubts one may abstain from the permissible as well. The first degree is for the common men, the second for the nobles and the third for high dignitaries. Allah has referred to these three degrees in the following verse:
On those who believe and do good, is no blame for what they ate, (before) when they did guard themselves and did believe, and did good, still (furthermore) they guard themselves and do good; and Allah loveth the doers of good. (Qur'an, 5:93)
Amir al-mu'minin says that only action based on piety is lasting, and only that action will blossom and bear fruit which is watered by piety because worship is only that wherein the feeling of submission exists. Thus, Allah says:
Is he therefore better who hath laid his foundation on fear of Allah and (His) goodwill or he who layeth his foundation on the brink of a crumbling hollowed bank so it crumbled down with him into the fire of Hell... (Qur'an, 9:109)
Consequently, every such belief as is not based on knowledge and conviction is like the edifice, erected without foundation, wherein there is no stability or firmness while every action that is without piety is like the plantation which withers for lack of watering.
http://www.zemtv.com/2010/02/27/meray-mutabiq-27-february-2010-latest/ War between SC and GoP
The NAB Chairman, Naved Ahsan, has resigned. He was caught in the crossfire between the Supreme Court (SC) and the Government of Pakistan (GoP). The SC wanted the NAB Chairman, Prosecutor General and Deputy Prosecutor General sacked for not implementing its orders to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Zardari, NAB Chairman on long leave Updated at: 1613 PST, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau Chairman Naveed Ahsan has gone on long leave and Deputy chairman has taken over his responsibilities, Geo News reported Wednesday.
Earlier, on February 24 NAB Chairman Naveed Ahsan tendered his resignation but was asked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to continue till the appointment of his successor.
It is learnt that the NAB chief had been under tremendous pressure since the Supreme Court declared the National Reconciliation Ordinance unconstitutional.
Removal of top NAB officials ‘another nightmare’ for executive
* NAB ordinance likely to end up in parliament for amendments in line with SC verdict of 2001 * SC may have to show executive the way to bypass law for removal of NAB officials
By Saeed Minhas
ISLAMABAD: The removal of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Naved Ahsen and Prosecutor General Danishwar Malik – in line with the Supreme Court’s directives contained in the verdict on the NRO – has become another “legal nightmare” for the bureaucracy and the government, according to sources.
The sources said chances were that the NAB ordinance would end up in parliament for amendments in accordance with an SC verdict of 2001. The verdict had directed the then government of Pervez Musharraf to amend Articles 6 and 8 of the NAB ordinance to accommodate the advice of the chief justice in appointments to the office of NAB chairman and prosecutor general, but Musharraf chose to amend the ordinance his way instead of listening to the orders by then chief justice Irshad Hassan Khan. Therefore, under the NAB ordinance in effect, both top officials have legal as well as constitutional protection. The sources said their removal was possible only in one of the two ways defined in the NAB Ordinance 1999 – Articles 6 and 8 of which state that both the chairman and prosecutor general “shall not be removed from office except on the grounds of removal of a judge of the Supreme Court” – unless the SC showed the government a way to bypass the law and the constitutional protection.
The other way to remove the officials before the completion of their tenure is to coerce them into resigning.
Article 6(b)(i) of the ordinance reads that the “president, in consultation with the leader of opposition, will appoint the [NAB] chairman”. The sources said the protection given to the NAB ordinance under the sixth schedule of the constitution had made the situation even more complex.
According to experts, this means only with the president’s assent could this law be treated as common law, void of constitutional protection, and a simple majority was needed in parliament to amend or repeal it.
Although the SC’s short and detailed orders in the NRO case did not clarify the mist surrounding the procedure to remove the top NAB officials, the court certainly asked the government to appoint new officials to the offices of chairman and prosecutor general in consultation with the chief justice, as per the verdict in the Khan Asfandyar Wali vs Federation of Pakistan case. The verdict of the past – which, constitutional experts claim, carries legal weight – also asks the government to shorten the tenure of the NAB chairman from four to three years, in addition to specifying the qualifications for and obligations to be fulfilled in the nomination of the prosecutor general. The same verdict, however, agrees with the original draft of the NAB ordinance for the removal of both the officials.
According to the sources, the anomaly, therefore, is on two fronts – bypassing the law and the constitution for the removal of the officials and the accommodation of the chief justice’s consultation in the current NAB ordinance.
Law ministry officials said since the NAB chairman had a four-year tenure post and the prosecutor general a three-year tenure post, they could not be removed before the completion of their full tenures if the due course of law was followed.
The sources said the renewed pressure from Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had made the executive anxious, and it wanted the SC to clarify the course of action.
The officials also said that as the law stood today, the NAB chairman had to send a summary to the prime minister for the removal of he prosecutor general with specific reasons/charges. The prime minister, in consultation with the president, would then refer the summary to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for final execution. To remove the NAB chairman, the prime minister – in consultation with the president – could initiate a reference and ask the SJC to decide its merits.
The sources said since there were no charges of misconduct against both the officials, they could not be removed on trumpeted basis. They said had there been any charges against the officials, the government would not have let them work for so long, because “after all, they were appointed during the days of Shaukat Aziz”.
NAB Chairman Naved Ahsen is the first civilian head of the accountability bureau since its establishment in 1999, and served as a bureaucrat before this assignment. A former bureaucrat who has worked with Ahsen in the past said either of the two ways of removal would not bode well for his bureaucratic career.
A top constitutional expert, seeking anonymity, said in the current scenario, the government either had to send a reference against both the officials to the SJC on the basis of misconduct charges or coerce them into resigning. “There’s no other legal way, but since a lot has happened over the last week to defy legal and constitutional merits, the SC may lend a hand to the executive to implement the directives contained in the NRO,” he said.
Senator SM Zafar of the PML-Q agreed that both NAB officials had legal protection and the law was also protected under sixth schedule of the constitution. He said it was up to the court to either review its directive or provide a solution to the government.
Sources close to the judicial hierarchy said as the current judiciary had always been opposed to the establishment of a parallel judicial system and wanted all kinds of cases to be decided through its corridors, it may want to see the repeal of the NAB ordinance in parliament.
A source close to both the Presidency and Prime Minister’s House said, “The laws are very clear, but we are waiting for the Law Ministry to come up with a solution ... we don’t want to come into the foray, knowing that any comment by the Presidency or Prime Minister’s House would be dubbed by a certain media group as another challenge to the judiciary,” he said. “We have utmost regard for the judiciary and would like their guidance in this matter as well.”
Meanwhile, a federal minister, seeking anonymity, said in light of the Charter of Democracy (CoD), the mainstream political parties had already branded NAB “a politically motivated bureau” and sought to replace it with an independent accountability commission. Under the CoD, the commissioner would be nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the leader of opposition, and would stand before a bipartisan parliamentary committee for confirmation of the nomination. He said two parliamentary committees and a constitutional reforms committee were separately working on all these issues, and hoped that opposition parties would facilitate these committees in finishing their work in time and end all these legal and constitutional tussles.
During a meeting with Ahmedinejad on 25.02.10, Dr Bashaar Al-Assad stated “Hilary Clinton has asked Syria to distance itself from Iran. And here we are signing an agreement to put a distance between us and Iran by abolishing the need for our citizens to obtain entrée visa to enter each other respective country” He continued laughing “It seems that we have wrongly understood her request or there was an error in the translation. Was abolishing the entrée visa a part of what Hilary wanted?” He went to say ”the Americans talk about peace and stability in the Middle East while in reality they want to sow the seed of animosity and hatred between our two countries. We hope that in the future the Americans stop lecturing us about our national interests and our common historical ties”.
Today 25.02.10 Ahmedinejad met Dr Bashaar Al-Assad amid the noise of Israeli threats and American intimidations. He replied to Hilary Clinton call on Syria to sever its relations to Iran, by announcing new agreements for further economic and political cooperations and for abolishing entry visa between the two countries. As to Israeli threats, he warned the Israeli regime not to repeat past aggressions against its Arab neighbours as it will definitely lead to its death and to cutting off the Zionist roots. Ahmedinejad went further to declare that a great future awaits people of the Middle East without imperialism or Zionism. To Arabs and Muslims, Ahmedinejad is like the awaited Mehdi or a Messiah to salvage the world from USraeli wars and destruction. If Ahmedinejad suceeds in trimming the hooves of Israeli Nazi Generals he will be revered for genarations to come. To Arabs and Muslims Ahmedinejad is the awaited Messiah/Mehdi.
The Arabs and Muslims of the Middle East refuse to accept the USraeli designs and plans for the Middle East (M.E). This also to commonwealth memberships. Although many Arab countries in the M.E (e.g. Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Eriteria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, UAE) were occupied by the British empire, none of these is a member of the so-called commonwealth. These countries refuse to join an organisation with a Christian queen/king as its head. After all why call it the Commonwealth when there is no wealth and nothing in common.
As long as Israel continues its desecration of Islamic holy sites and behaves as a Nazi state when dealing with Plaestinians, all Muslims (except the prostrated governments) are against it. Right now, hundreds of Muslims from at least fifty countries including China are fighting the US and its NATO allies in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq mainly because of US unlimited support for Israeli crimes.
27 Feb 2010 10:45:45 GMT Source: Reuters * President says 47 people killed
* Some buildings toppled
* Buildings shook violently in the capital, airport closed (Adds details)
By Alonso Soto
SANTIAGO, Chile, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, killing at least 47 people, knocking down buildings and triggering a tsunami.
President Michelle Bachelet confirmed 47 deaths and said more were possible. Telephone and power lines were down, making damage assessments difficult in the early morning darkness.
"Never in my life have I experienced a quake like this, it's like the end of the world," one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake damaged buildings and forced staff to evacuate the regional hospital.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 56 miles (90 km) northeast of the city of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles (35 km) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT).
Chilean television and radio stations said several buildings collapsed in the city of Curico and that there was damage to buildings in the historic center of the capital Santiago, about 200 miles (320 km) north of the epicenter.
The capital's international airport was forced to close, a highway bridge collapsed and chunks of buildings fell into the street.
In the moments after the quake, people streamed onto the streets of the capital, hugging each other and crying.
There were blackouts in parts of Santiago and communications were still down in the area closest to the epicenter.
Bachelet urged people to stay calm. "With a quake of this size we undoubtedly can't rule out more deaths and probably injuries," she said.
An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over can cause "tremendous damage," the USGS says. The quake that devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12 was rated magnitude 7.0.
TSUNAMI
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the Chile quake generated a tsunami that may have been destructive along the coast near the epicenter "and could also be a threat to more distant coasts."
It issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Antarctica. Chile's navy said officials had lifted the tsunami warning in southern Chile, local radio reported.
According to a 2002 census, Concepcion is one of the largest cities in Chile with a population of around 670,000.
Chile's main copper producing region and some of the world's largest copper mines are in the far north of the country near its border with Peru, but there are also major copper deposits near Santiago. Officials said roads to the important Los Bronces mine near the capital were blocked.
Chile produces about 34 percent of world supply of copper, which is used in electronics, cars and refrigerators.
In 1960, Chile was hit by the world's biggest earthquake since records dating back to 1900.
The 9.5 magnitude quake devastated the south-central city of Valdivia, killing 1,655 people and sending a tsunami which battered Easter Island 2,300 miles (3,700 km) off Chile's Pacific seaboard and continued as far as Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.
Saturday's quake shook buildings as far away as Argentina's Andean provinces of Mendoza and San Juan. A series of strong aftershocks rocked Chile's coastal region from Valdivia in southern to Valparaiso, about 500 miles (800 km) to the north.
The tsunami warning center said there was a possibility the U.S. state of Hawaii could be elevated to watch or warning status. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Kieran Murray)
Roads to Los Bronces mine blocked after Chile quake 27 Feb 2010 10:40:14 GMT Source: Reuters SANTIAGO, Chile, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Roads to Chile's Los Bronces copper mine were blocked on Saturday after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake, security officials at the mine said.
Officials at state-run Codelco's El Teniente and Andina copper mines were not immediately available for comment.
The Anglo-American Los Bronces and the Codelco mines are the closet mines to the earthquake epicenter on Chile's south-central coast.
The heart of the mining operations in Chile is located in the north.
(Reporting by Alonso Soto; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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Strong aftershock shakes Chile capital after quake 27 Feb 2010 10:41:03 GMT Source: Reuters SANTIAGO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A strong aftershock rocked the Chilean capital of Santiago early on Saturday, hours after a 8.8-magnitude quake hit the country, killing at least 47 people.
Witnesses said the aftershock rattled buildings in the city. (Reporting by Santiago bureau; Writing by Helen Popper)
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27 Feb 2010 20:32:52 GMT Source: Reuters (For full coverage, click on [nN27174408])
* Quake kills at least 147 people in central Chile
* Buildings toppled, bridges and roads destroyed
* Operations halted at two major copper mines
* Tsunami kills at least 3 in Robinson Crusoe island (Adds quote on length of quake)
By Jose Luis Saavedra
CONCEPCION, Chile Feb 27 (Reuters) - One of the most powerful earthquakes in decades battered Chile on Saturday, killing at least 147 people, knocking down buildings and triggering a tsunami that rolled menacingly across the Pacific.
Buildings caught fire, major highway bridges collapsed and debris blocked streets across large swathes of central Chile.
A 15-storey building collapsed in Concepcion, the closest major city to the epicenter, and overturned cars lay scattered below a fallen overpass in the capital Santiago. Telephone and power lines went down, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the damage and loss of life.
Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera said at least 147 people had died in the 8.8-magnitude quake, which struck at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT), sending many people rushing from their beds and onto the streets in fear.
"It came in waves and lasted so long. Three minutes is an eternity. We kept worrying that it was getting stronger, like a terrifying Hollywood movie," said housewife Dolores Cuevas.
Tsunami warnings were posted around the Pacific, including the U.S. state of Hawaii, Japan and Russia.
One emergency official said Chile's death toll was unlikely to increase dramatically, but it was one of the 10 biggest quakes recorded since 1900 and dealt a blow to the economic infrastructure in the world's No. 1 copper producer and one of Latin America's most developed and stable countries.
"This will be a major blow to the country's infrastructure; there has been major damage to roads, airports, which are now suspended, ports and also in housing," Pinera told reporters.
The quake halted operations at two major mines and President Michelle Bachelet said a huge wave hit the Juan Fernandez islands, an archipelago where Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned in the 18th century, inspiring the novel Robinson Crusoe.
"There was a series of waves that got bigger and bigger, which gave people time to save themselves," pilot Fernando Avaria told TVN television by telephone from the main island. Three people were killed and four missing there, he said.
Bachelet said residents were evacuated from coastal areas of Chile's remote Easter Island, a popular tourist destination in the Pacific famous for its towering Moai stone statues.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck 70 miles (115 km) northeast of Concepcion at a depth of 22 miles (35 km).
The capital Santiago, about 200 miles (320 km) north of the epicenter, was also badly hit. The international airport was closed for at least 24 hours as the quake destroyed passenger walkways and shook glass out of doors and windows.
"I thought I'd blown a tire ... but then I saw the highway moving like it was a piece of paper and I realized it was something much worse," said one man who was forced to abandon his car on a wrecked highway overpass.
Chile's Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, suspended operations at its El Teniente and Andina mines, but reported no major damage and said it expected the mines to be up and running in the "coming hours."
Production was halted at the Los Bronces and El Soldado copper mines, owned by Anglo American Plc , but Chile's biggest copper mine, Escondida, was operating normally.
Chile produces about 34 percent of world supply of copper, which is used in electronics, cars and refrigerators.
TSUNAMI
Unusually big waves battered Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, where residents were moved to higher ground as a precaution.
"Chile probably got the brunt force of the tsunami already. So probably the worst has already happened in Chile," said Victor Sardina, geophysicist at the warning center.
"The tsunami was pretty big too. We reported some places around 8 feet. And it's quite possible it would be higher in other areas," he added.
An earthquake of magnitude 8 or over can cause "tremendous damage," the USGS says. The Jan. 12 quake that devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince was measured as magnitude 7.0.
Local television showed a building in flames in Concepcion, one of Chile's largest cities with around 670,000 inhabitants. Some residents looted pharmacies and a collapsed grains silo, hauling off bags of wheat, television images showed.
Broken glass and chunks of concrete and brick were strewn across roads and several strong aftershocks rattled jittery residents in the hours after the initial quake.
The long quake sent Santiago residents streaming onto the streets hugging each other and crying.
"My house is completely destroyed, everything fell over ... it has been totally destroyed. Me and my wife huddled in a corner and after hours they rescued us," said one elderly man in central Santiago.
There were blackouts in parts of Santiago. Emergency officials said buildings in the historic quarters of two southern cities, mainly made of adobe, had been badly damaged and local radio said three hospitals had partially collapsed.
The magnitude 9.5 earthquake of 1960, the largest earthquake worldwide in the last 200 years, spawned a tsunami that engulfed the Pacific Ocean. About 1,600 lives were lost in Chile and the tsunami took another 200 lives in Japan, Hawaii and the Philippines
In 1960, Chile was hit by a 9.5-magnitude earthquake, one of the biggest ever recorded. It devastated the city of Valdivia, killed 1,655 people, and sent a tsunami that battered Easter Island 2,300 miles (3,700 km) off Chile's Pacific coast and continued as far as Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.
The waves that reached the Philippines took about 24 hours to get there.
Saturday's quake shook buildings as far away as Argentina's Andean provinces of Mendoza and San Juan. A series of strong aftershocks rocked Chile's coastal region from Valdivia in the south to Valparaiso, about 500 miles (800 km) to the north.
The United Nations and the White House said they were closely monitoring the situation in Chile and the potential threat of tsunamis in the Pacific.
President Barack Obama called Bachelet and said the United States stood ready to help Chile. He also urged Americans to heed warnings about a possible tsunami that could affect the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to visit Chile on Tuesday on a Latin American tour. (Additional reporting by Helen Popper, Kevin Gray and Guido Nejamkis in Buenos Aires, editing by Anthony Boadle)
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Tsunami lands in Australia after Chile quake 27 Feb 2010 23:37:56 GMT Source: Reuters SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A tsunami generated by a 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile hit beaches in eastern Australia on Sunday, witnesses and officials said, but there were no initial reports of damage.
Australia issued an alert overnight for most of its east coast, and for eastern parts of the island state of Tasmania.
But the national tsunami warning centre said there were no concerns about major inundation, only foreshore flooding and strong currents which could pose a risk to swimmers or boats.
Chris Ryan, co-director of the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, told Reuters that residents in low-lying parts of offshore Norfolk Island had been evacuated as a precaution but he was not aware of any other evacuations in Australia.
Ryan said more waves could be expected later in the morning. The 'marine warning' level of threat issued by the centre corresponded to anticipated waves of half to one metre above the normal level of the sea at that time, he said.
Although the tsunami also hit Pacific island nations, there were no initial reports of major damage.
(Sydney Newsroom +612 6273 2730)
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Tsunami warning lifted; Waves reach Japan, Russia By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer Eric Talmadge, Associated Press Writer – 54 mins ago
TOKYO – The tsunami from Chile's devastating earthquake hit Japan's main islands and the shores of Russia on Sunday, but the smaller-than-expected waves prompted the lifting of a Pacific-wide alert. Hawaii and other Pacific islands were also spared.
Hundreds of thousands of people fled shorelines for higher ground after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii warned 53 nations and territories that a tsunami had been generated by Saturday's magnitude-8.8 quake earthquake. After the center lifted its warning, some countries kept their own watches in place as a precaution.
In Japan, the biggest wave hit the northern island of Hokkaido. There were no immediate reports of damage from the four-foot (1.2-meter) wave, though some piers were briefly flooded.
As it crossed the Pacific, the tsunami dealt populated areas — including the U.S. state of Hawaii — only a glancing blow.
The tsunami raised fears Pacific nations could suffer from disastrous waves like those that killed 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean in December 2004, which happened with little-to-no warning and much confusion about the impending waves.
Officials said the opposite occurred after the Chile quake:
They overstated their predictions of the size of the waves and the threat.
"We expected the waves to be bigger in Hawaii, maybe about 50 percent bigger than they actually were," said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist for the warning center. "We'll be looking at that."
Japan, fearing the tsunami could gain force as it moved closer, put all of its eastern coastline on tsunami alert and ordered hundreds of thousands of residents in low-lying areas to seek higher ground as waves raced across the Pacific at hundreds of miles (kilometers) per hour.
Japan is particularly sensitive to the tsunami threat.
In July 1993 a tsunami triggered by a major earthquake off Japan's northern coast killed more than 200 people on the small island of Okushiri. A stronger quake near Chile in 1960 created a tsunami that killed about 140 people in Japan.
Towns along northern coasts issued evacuation orders to 400,000 residents, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. NHK switched to emergency mode, broadcasting a map with the areas in most danger and repeatedly urging caution.
As the wave crossed the ocean, Japan's Meteorological Agency said waves of up to 10 feet (three meters) could hit the northern prefectures of Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi, but the first waves were much smaller.
People packed their families into cars, but there were no reports of panic or traffic jams. Fishermen secured their boats, and police patrolled beaches, using sirens and loudspeakers to warn people to leave the area.
In Kesennuma, northern Japan, seawater flooded streets near the coast for about four hours before receding but caused little impact to people.
But the tsunami passed gently by most locations.
By the time the tsunami hit Hawaii — a full 16 hours after the quake — officials had already spent the morning blasting emergency sirens, blaring warnings from airplanes and ordering residents to higher ground.
Picturesque beaches were desolate, million-dollar homes were evacuated, shops in Waikiki were closed and residents filled supermarkets and gas stations to stock up on supplies. But after the morning scare, the islands were back to paradise by the afternoon.
Waves hit California, but barely registered amid stormy weather. A surfing contest outside San Diego went on as planned.
In Tonga, where up to 50,000 people fled inland hours ahead of the tsunami, the National Disaster Office had reports of a wave up to 6.5 feet (two meters) high hitting a small northern island, deputy director Mali'u Takai said. There were no initial indications of damage.
Nine people died in Tonga last September when the Samoa tsunami slammed the small northern island of Niuatoputapu, wiping out half of the main settlement.
In Samoa, where 183 people died in the tsunami five months ago, thousands remained Sunday morning in the hills above the coasts on the main island of Upolu, but police said there were no reports of waves or sea surges hitting the South Pacific nation.
At least 20,000 people abandoned their homes in southeastern Philippine villages and took shelter in government buildings or fled to nearby mountains overnight. Provincial officials scrambled to alert villagers and prepare contingency plans, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
Philippine navy and coast guard vessels, along with police, were ordered to stand by for possible evacuation but the alert was lifted late Sunday afternoon.
Indonesia, which suffered the brunt of the 2004 disaster, had been included in the tsunami warning Saturday, but the country's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said Sunday there was no tsunami risk for the archipelago as it was too far from the quake's epicenter.
On New Zealand's Chatham Islands earlier Sunday, officials reported a wave measured at 6.6 feet (two meters).
Several hundred people in the North Island coastal cities of Gisborne and Napier were evacuated from their homes and from camp grounds, while residents in low-lying areas on South Island's Banks Peninsula were alerted to be ready to evacuate.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology canceled its tsunami warning Sunday evening.
"The main tsunami waves have now passed all Australian locations," the bureau said.
No damage was reported in Australia from small waves that were recorded in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Norfolk Island, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) northeast of Sydney.
New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory status, which it planned to keep in place overnight.
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Associated Press writers Mark Niesse and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Mari Yamaguchi and Malcolm Foster in Tokyo, Ray Lilley in Wellington, New Zealand, Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Debby Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, and Kristen Gelineau in Sydney contributed to this report.
26 Feb 2010 03:31:05 GMT Source: Reuters (For more coverage of Afghanistan, double click on [nAFPAK])
KABUL, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up near the entrance to Kabul's biggest shopping centre early on Friday, Afghan police said, another brazen attack in the capital despite a renewed military push against the Taliban.
They had no details about casualties, but few people were in the vicinity of the City Centre shopping area when the blast went off early in the morning at the start of the Afghan weekend. At least one other blast was reported by television channels.
The latest in a series of sporadic attacks in the city was also near a hotel used by Westerners but it was unclear exactly what the bomber's target had been.
Police later exchanged gunshots with another suspected attacker. Thick smoke could be seen rising above the area.
Shattered glass littered the street on a wet, dreary morning in Kabul as Afghan security forces rushed to secure the area.
The blast was one of the biggest attacks in the capital since Taliban gunmen launched a brazen assault on several targets in the centre of the city on Jan. 18, heavily armed militants fighting a pitched battle in another shopping centre.
U.S. and other NATO-led foreign forces have pushed back against the Taliban after violence across Afghanistan last year hit its worst levels since the Islamist militants were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
Earlier this month, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force launched a big offensive in southern Helmand to drive the Taliban out of their last major stronghold in Afghanistan's most violent province.
The Taliban over the past 18 months have spread out of their strongholds in the south and the east to formerly more peaceful areas in the north and west, sometimes reaching the capital despite a dramatic increase in the number of foreign troops.
The latest operation in Helmand is an early test of U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to add 30,000 troops to win control of Taliban bastions and hand them over to Afghan authorities before the start of a gradual U.S. troop withdrawal in 2011.
(Reporting by Michael Georgy; Writing by Paul Tait; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan)
23 Feb 2010 09:46:57 GMT Source: Reuters TEHRAN, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Veteran politician Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a key figure in Iran's ruling elite, expressed support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday over turmoil following a disputed election last year.
In recent months, followers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have criticised former president Rafsanjani for failing to give Khamenei unswerving(Not veering or turning aside: "a path . . . so straight and unswerving" (Mary Wilkins Freeman).) support in the struggle to crush opposition protesters who say presidential vote last June was rigged.
Addressing the powerful Assembly of Experts, which he heads, Rafsanjani defended the system of Shi'ite Muslim religious rule that gives Khamenei ultimate authority in Iran as its supreme religious jurist.
"Our focal point is clear and that is the constitution, Islam, the principle of the office of the jurisprudent and supreme leadership," he said.
"There are those who do not recognise these, but that is not the case with the majority of people in our society. It is very important for us to try to safeguard these."
Rafsanjani said Khamenei had tried to ease the political unrest following the vote, which plunged the Islamic republic into its worst domestic crisis since its inception in 1979.
He pointed to Khamenei's order to close the Kahrizak detention centre in June after prisoners died there amid reports that people held in post-election street clashes had been mistreated.
"The events that took place at Kahrizak and the consoling of those who were hurt in these events, or the release of those who were arrested, have been along this axis. (The leader) is vigilant that there should be no turmoil," he said.
The 86-member Assembly of Experts, which meets twice a year, supervises, appoints and in theory can sack the Supreme Leader -- a never-tested prerogative, which hardliners contest.
The two-day closed session coincides with renewed pressure by the United States and its allies for new U.N. sanctions to deter Tehran from pursuing nuclear work that they fear is aimed at making atomic weapons, not just fuel for power plants.
Rafsanjani last week criticised the International Atomic Energy Agency for a report that said Iran may now be working to develop a nuclear-armed missile.
"Western governments welcomed the report and showed what lies behind this matter," he said on Tuesday. "The intensity of the propaganda atmosphere has never been of this magnitude ... we cannot be sure this is not the calm before storm."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Monday for an immediate embargo on Iran's energy sector. Analysts have speculated that Israel, Iran's arch enemy, could be tempted to launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Property of pakistani politicians – Yousaf raza , Rehman malik and others
PIA pilot flies friend sans boarding pass Updated at: 1540 PST, Monday, February 22, 2010 KARACHI: A pilot of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flew his friend to London without ticket and boarding card bypassing all formalities, Geo News reported Monday.
According to Geo News exclusive report, the incident happened on Sunday at PIA’s flight PK-787 bound for London.
Pilot Hamid Gardezi, also serving as Principal Director Airport Services in Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on deputation took his friend Syed Salim Zaidi, a member of CAA and former minister along with him without fulfilling the requirements and immigration formalities.
Defying all rules and regulations, Gardezi stunned personnel of the FIA, immigration and the ASF that formalities will be completed later.
The flight than departed but soon was forced to land at Karachi airport again after a passenger Azam Khan got heart attack.
All the details of the incident have been registered in PIA’s logbook.
Captain Hamid declared himself as a close friend of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Salim Zaidi called him as a friend of President Asif Zardari.
Loot lu PAK kal ka kia patta, paisey bannao is se pehley ki PAK ka nam bhi mit jaye.
ISLAMABAD: At least one confirmed source of harassment and threats to journalists not liked by the ruling PPP has finally been detected when a threat sent through an SMS to senior Islamabad journalist, Ansar Abbasi, was traced by authorities and found to be coming from Ali Wahab Siddiqui, the son of PPP information secretary Fauzia Wahab.
Ali Wahab, talking to The News, admitted the ownership of his mobile number: 0333-2182500, from which these threats were sent to editor (investigations) The News, Islamabad. Wahab said he stands by his messages sent to Ansar and initially refused to offer an apology when caught red-handed.
The exact words of one of such messages received by Ansar Abbasi from Ali Wahab’s cell number on December 18, 2009 were: “I am waiting for the day where the only achi khabar will be of ur being fired or ur death. Jamati” (I am waiting for the day when only good news will be of your being fired or your death. Jamati).
When PPP leader Fauzia Wahab was told about the threatening message and her son’s arrogance and daring, Fauzia Wahab sought an apology. Subsequently, Ali Wahab also sought an apology through a text message.
According to Ansar Abbasi, different people send messages appreciating or criticising him for his work. These messages sometimes even contain abuses but he had never cared. “However, messages from this number especially the one containing the words “fired or death” disturbed me very much and I filed a complaint with the FIA Cyber Investigations Wing and also started my own probe.”
Ansar said: “I was shocked to learn when the authorities confirmed to me that it was none other than the son of the ruling PPP’s information secretary.” He hopes the PPP government will strictly follow the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2009.
Ansar said some of the messages sent by Ali Wahab to him were highly contemptuous against top judges, words that could not even be written in a news story. According to documents available with The News, Ansar filed a complaint with Shahid Nadim Baloch, who is head of the Cyber Crimes Investigation Wing in the FIA’s headquarters.
Shahid Nadim, when approached by The News, said he had received Ansar’s complaint and after coming to know that this was a Karachi number has referred the complaint to FIA’s Karachi office where FIA Director Cyber Crimes Wing, Mir Zubair and Additional Director Ahsanullah will investigate the case under the law.
When asked if the crime is established what could be the punishment under the law, he said under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2009 any person against whom allegations are established could be imprisoned for a maximum of seven years. He said the FIA is still investigating the matter.
However, Ali Wahab, while talking to The News, said there was no need for any investigation to determine the ownership of his cell number as among the many messages he had sent to Ansar, in three different messages he had even mentioned his full name.
However, Ansar refuted Ali’s statement, saying he has kept one month’s record of all messages sent by Ali and he (Ali) never wrote his name or identified himself. Ali in his first call was of the view he stood by his messages sent to Ansar but he also said according to his view there was no threat in his messages and that it were his feelings. His mother Fauzia talked to this correspondent calmly and on knowing about harassment messages sought an apology.
However, it is worth mentioning that the apology was sought by Fauzia Wahab when details and evidence of her son’s involvement in such an episode were revealed.
Later, Ali Wahab wrote a message to Ansar Abbasi which, besides containing an apology as was promised by his mother, also contained some pieces of advice for Ansar Abbasi. The exact words of this message are: “Dear, Mr Ansar Abbasi, I can’t believe my utterances have made you investigate who I was. Just like yourself I am also a patriotic Pakistani; however, having different views to yours. From the outset, I offer my sincere apologies if you have felt harassed. Had my person been a harasser, my personal phone would never have been used. I have at least on three occasions told you my name. Do note that your pen has power which shouldn’t portray bias and create ill-will against the leadership of our great nation. My world is Pakistan and I will always give my utmost to safeguard this world. Life is short and we have to have a meaningful vision in life. If not then we stand to be part of a vision of unwanted elements. My best wishes for a fruitful and healthy life for you. Ali Wahab”.
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Kamran Khan, Shaheen Sehbai, Ansar Abbasi, Dr Shahid under fire in PPP meeting
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
News Desk
RAWALPINDI: The PPP Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan and senior provincial minister Raja Riaz Ahmad Khan have declared that enough is enough and from now on the party would adopt the course of confrontation instead of the traditional conciliatory policy so far adopted.
They said Kamran Khan, Shaheen Sehbai, Ansar Abbasi and Dr Shahid Masood should not become movers and shakers in politics. The hands of those who are attempting to demolish the government would be amputated.
They were talking at the PPP provincial secretariat in Lahore on Monday after presiding over the meeting of the party’s executive council, federal council, district presidents and general secretaries. They said right from the beginning our politics had been based on ideology.
They warned that those targeting the Aiwan-e-Sadr and residing in palaces built of glass would not be spared. They said the PPP had offered tremendous sacrifices for democracy and the country’s security. Now that we are in power it is because of the leadership of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari.
Raja Riaz said power to the PPP had not come through charity but because of a heavy mandate given by the people. Criticising a private TV channel, he warned Kamran Khan and Dr Shahid Masood to avoid becoming champions of politics. The hands of those who tried to dismantle the democratic government will be amputated.
Expressing complete confidence in the party leadership Raja Riaz said the PPP is facing a media trial but everyone must know that the party and Pakistan are inseparable.
PPP leaders also criticised Shaheen Sehbai, Group Editor of The News, and Ansar Abbasi, Editor Investigations of The News for their writings. It was alleged that Ansar Abbasi writes an elegy every day.
Earlier while addressing the meeting, PPP Punjab General Secretary Samiullah Khan said the party of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed would not be run according to “Terey, Merey Mutabiq” but the aspirations of the people. Lambasting a television channel, he said out of the 841 NRO beneficiaries only one man and the Swiss case was being singled out. Samiullah said the PPP would resist if the judiciary oversteps its constitutional mandate.
The PPP Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan warned each and every organisation to confine their activities within the given parameters. He said we are not afraid of jails or police stations as we consider them as medals. Rana Aftab lambasted the intriguers and others who had launched criticism of the party leadership and said henceforth they will be confronted with full force.
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People’s Party pushing favourites in cushy jobs Thursday, July 03, 2008 By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: After some highly controversial appointments of exiled friends on lucrative positions, the PPP-led coalition government is now pushing favourites and party loyalists for important jobs.
This is being done in such a hurry that in some cases, private recommendation letters on the PPP letterheads are also being forwarded, along with federal ministers’ directives, to different government agencies. Such party letters today make part of official files.
These appointments are being made in addition to those being processed through the Task Force on Recruitment, which is seen as the latest version of the previously ill reputed Peoples Placement Bureau.
The Task Force, as reported earlier, is headed by two political appointees and close associates of Asif Ali Zardari, one of them enjoying the status of a federal minister. It primarily deals with BS-1 to BS-16 appointments in the government departments.
Official documents, including directives issued by some of the federal ministers, available with The News, show it is yet another crude method of appointment, proving that favouritism instead of merit and the rule of law was being followed.
In one case, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, who is also acting as the health minister, has recommended the appointment of a PPP supporter in London as adviser, special assistant or consultant to the health minister or “against any suitable post falling under the health ministry”.
On a PPP letterhead, one Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, deputy coordinator Peoples Business Forum, writes to the information minister on May 20:
“Dear Ms Sherry Rehman: Dr Mukhtar Bhutto, a diehard PPP supporter, had close contacts with Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in London. Our Quaid also helped him in his medical studies in the UK. Dr Mukhtar Bhutto was a great support to me in my election campaign. I am forwarding his letter of request with his CV for your kind consideration for any suitable position with the request to kindly do the needful.”
The attached CV of the PPP supporter, which too is now part of official record, says: “I am a strong devotee of my beloved mother like the Pakistan People’s Party...” He sees the information minister as a “Roshan Meenar” for the party workers and hopes that he would not be disappointed and given the opportunity “to serve Pakistan and Pakistani, subsequently our Pakistan People’s Party”.
Following the receipt of the above recommendation, the information minister’s office formally referred the case to the secretary health under the signatures of Rao Tehsin Ali Khan, Director General, to information minister.
The recommendation letter of Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig and the CV of Dr Mukhtar Bhutto were also attached with the request formally referred to the secretary health. The letter issued by Sherry Rehman’s office on June 5 said:
“Enclosed please find an application of Dr Mukhtar Bhutto, recommended by Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Deputy Coordinator, People’s Business Forum, requesting for appointment as Adviser/Special Assistant/Consultant to the Ministry of Health or any suitable alternative in the said Ministry....”
Since the health ministry could not appoint adviser, special assistant or consultant on its own and without the approval of the prime minister, it forwarded the minister’s directive, along with attached recommendation letter and the CV to all programme managers and project coordinators, leading health projects under the health ministry, with the request that they should indicate the position as per qualification of the PPP supporter for his appointment.
In yet another case, a PPP MNA Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi approached the health minister with a request that a serving income additional commissioner Dr Malik Muhammad Khan Awan should be appointed in any of the leading health ministry programmes.
Despite the fact that inviting such political interference into service matters by a serving bureaucrat tantamounts to misconduct under the Estacode — the book of law, rules, policies, etc, governing civil bureaucracy — still Sherry Rehman’s Director General Rao Tehsin Ali Khan wrote to the secretary health: “Enclosed please find a self-explanatory request of Dr Malik Muhammd Khan Awan, Additional Commissioner, Legal-I, Large Taxpayer Unit, Lahore, on the subject above (Requisition of services of Dr Malik Muhammad Khan Awan from Federal Board of Revenue to Ministry of Health) noted above. The minister has desired that a report may please be sent to this office for the issuance of orders of the minister.”
The health ministry in this case too, referred the minister’s directive, along with the taxman’s application, to all programme managers and project coordinators under it to indicate the vacant position as per Awan’s qualification for onward submission of a report to the health minister (read information minister).
Sherry Rehman, when contacted, denied that she had issued any such directive to any government department. When asked that the directives were issued by her office under the signatures of her DG, she expressed her ignorance, saying, “Not that I know of.”
The information minister said that MNAs and others, including journalists, bring job requests to her but she never compromises on merit and seeks appointments only through the Placement Bureau (she probably meant Task Force on Recruitment).
While there are reports of several other ministers involved in similar practices, Sherry Rehman’s case is interesting for the reason that she is one of the foreign qualified ministers, who during her journalistic carrier, has been reflecting on the issue of merit, good governance and the rule of law.
"Whoever did the job, you know, did not do a perfect job because it's not a perfect world. You have speculations, you have pictures. But there's no real evidence that Israel conducted this event," he said.
Gissin says the world may never know for sure that it was the Mossad. "The name of the game in this cloak-and-dagger job is ambiguity," said the former spokesman.
He says the operation in Dubai was a success because it achieved its goals: a wanted arch-terrorist was killed and the hit squad escaped.
you might have it at home marital bliss kiss and miss but at the dhaba of street love you might falter might just want it taunt it says the hijra beauty queen of mumbai if you don have it how can you flaunt it
dedicated to my hijra guru laxmi narayan tripathi may she succeed in her Hijra Beauty contest do
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She is a very senior most Hijra Guru, and I have shot her when I came to Haji Malang for the first time, I was not into hjra photography at all, even the pictures I shot that time perhaps in 2004- 2005 I did not post .
My genre was photo journalism as an analogue photographer pictures I shot and along with my two Gurus late Prof BW Jatkar and Mr KG Maheshwari sent to the various salons national international.
Once I became a blogger the rules of my photography changed , I changed too, pictures gave birth to words words that got baptized as poems of my pedestrian pathos.
I came to Haji Malang to give pictures of Late Sikandar Wali Baba head of the Chancawali Rafaees , that I had shot in Mumbai, I walked the mountains but I wore slippers and my feet were burnt having walked on fire a day before I made this trek - the fire matam , my back was badly bruised as I had scourged myself it was during Moharam.
I came to the Dhuni , Ahmed Ghadiali Chowk owned by Shabbo Bhai of Chor Bazar and his family.
It was here that Laxmi Narayan Triipathi my friend since 11 years , we had lost touch, spotted me and hugged me .. thus began my tryst with Hijra photography as a blogger ..
And than last year Laxmi took me under her wings as her disciple , to ease and save me from hijras who hate photographers dressed like me , they think I am a Shaman and will steal their androgynous souls.
So when I look back in retrospection I have come a very long way ...the first hijras I shot and made stories about were the hijras of Matunga and Mori Road , I would shoot these hijra prostitutes hidden from their view in my car, and my wife thought I was plumb crazy , she sat on the back seat.. watching my pictorial natak.
Now the slums that they lived in have been totally destroyed the hijras and the slum residents relocated to Mankhurd I am told.
Than when Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Shaheen Raksha came to my house to meet my wife and daughter Samiya , my family understood the angst the life of the hijra.
My wife and Laxmi get along very well , the only person in my family who has not met Laxmi is Marziya my 2 year old grand daughter .
But Marziya has seen the hijras , Reshma of Lal Mitti, and now when she sees me posting their pictures she sees them and than tells me cool as a cucumber ..Dada yeh Hijra hai...so this is my story and Marziyas too..
And I have decided to post the Hijra stuff shot at Haji Malang , after Chehlum..
