Pak News Wire: Sindh

Two wanted smugglers held

Two wanted smugglers held

MUZAFFARABAD: Police have arrested two suspected drug peddlers and recovered a huge consignment of hashish from them. AJK police raided a h...

Maintaining security: Army deployed at prison likely to be withdrawn

<div>PESHAWAR:  Even though security of the province’s prisons has always been a concern for authorities, the deployment of armed forces at one is likely to be withdrawn, said well-placed sources on Sunday.   </div> “I cannot specifically identify the prison[s] but armed forces deployed there are likely to be pulled back; a decision is still pending,” a government official told The Express Tribune. Requesting anonymity because of the “sensitivity of the matter”, the official said central prisons of DI Khan, Peshawar, Bannu and Haripur are high risk. Appointment hurdles Following intelligence reports of a possible militant attack on schools, prisons and government installations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the government decided to recruit prison warders across the province immediately. Over 800 warders were recruited a month ago but some officials, including senior bureaucrats and political figures, are reportedly bent upon revoking the recruitment, claiming it is “not based on merit”. “The selection panel refused to recruit men who were named by some senior bureaucrats and even politicians (some from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf),” said an official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. He added although the prison department prioritised merit, its senior officials are being pressurised by politicians to cancel the appointments. According to the official, warders were recruited under Pakistan Prisons Rules on the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak who had ordered immediate appointments. “After they (politicians and bureaucrats) failed to identify any mismanagement in the process, they turned their focus on the appointment not being based on tests conducted by National Testing Service (NTS) and Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA),” he said. The official added NTS and ETEA testing were discussed but since the exams required time, the hiring process would have been delayed. “No one was ready to take responsibility if prisons came under attack during the recruitment process,” the official said, adding the applicants who had been rejected by the selection panel were lobbying to cancel the merit-based recruitments. When contacted, Home and Tribal Affairs Special Secretary Siraj Khan said he did not have any knowledge about any pressure to cancel recruitments of warders. Unsafe In the past three years there have been two major jailbreaks at the province’s central jails. In 2013, heavily armed Taliban militants stormed Central Prison DI Khan and escaped with more than 200 prisoners, including high-profile militants. In April 2012, around 400 inmates escaped from Central Prison Bannu in a similar attack led by Taliban terrorists. Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2015.

Maintaining security: Army deployed at prison likely to be withdrawn

PESHAWAR: Even though security of the province’s prisons has always been a concern for authorities, the deployment of armed forces at one i...

In protest: Sugar mill workers block National Highway

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834683/in-protest-sugar-mill-workers-block-national-highway/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834683-image-1423345668-879-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			SUKKUR: Scores of workers belonging to a sugar mill in Ghotki staged a demonstration and sit-in at Ghotki Bypass on Saturday, following the registration of a case against workers by the mill’s management. Employees of the Jamal Din Wali (JDW) Unit-3 sugar mill, Ghotki, gathered at Ghotki Bypass on Saturday while shouting slogans against the management for harassing and registering a case against the workers. They carried placards and banners. Led by JDW Unit-3 workers’ union president Ali Mardan Chachar and others, they staged a sit-in at Ghotki bypass which suspended the traffic between Sindh and Punjab for many hours. Chachar condemned the anti-labour attitude of the sugar mill management. He said that workers have been deprived of their rights such as pay raise, allowances and promotions for long. Besides this, he added, the management is recruiting non-locals on wages higher than those paid to local workers. The union’s general secretary, Shoukat Ali Samejo, accused the management of trying to supress the voice of the workers by registering false cases against them. He said that on the one hand, the sugar mill management is exploiting the poor sugarcane growers, while on the other they are usurping the rights of the mill employees. “Our protest will continue until our demands are accepted,” he said. Earlier, the workers’ union had staged a demonstration on Friday in favour of their demands. The management registered an FIR against 38 workers, including union office-bearers Chachar, Samejo, Khalid Sundrani and others over charges of ransacking the offices of the administration and causing damage to the furniture and fixtures. Talking to The Express Tribune, Ali Mardan Chachar said that the sugar mill started operation in November 2007 and the workers employed since then have neither been granted pay raise nor have they been promoted. He said that most of the workers are getting Rs12,000 per month, while the non-locals are getting Rs16,000 to Rs18,000 per month. “Instead of listening to our demands, the management has registered an FIR against 38 workers and office-bearers of the union, including myself,” he said. “We are not afraid of the tactics of the sugar mill management and will continue our protest until our demands are accepted.” He further said that the Ghotki DSP and SHO came to them and assured them of withdrawing the case and taking up the matter with the sugar mill management. “On their assurance, we have ended the blockade,” he said. Despite repeated attempts, this correspondent could not contact the mill’s administration general manager Colonel (retd) Khalid Suhail and security manager Major Muhammad Amin. Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.

In protest: Sugar mill workers block National Highway

SUKKUR: Scores of workers belonging to a sugar mill in Ghotki staged a demonstration and sit-in at Ghotki Bypass on S...

Policeman killed in Karachi’s polio team attack

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/824078/policeman-killed-in-karachis-polio-team-attack/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/824078-Poliophotocopy-1421649144-544-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			KARACHI: A policeman was killed on Monday when unidentified men attacked a polio team in Banaras Orangi Colony of Karachi, Express News reported. The deceased was identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tabassum, sources confirmed. The assailants, riding a motorcycle, opened fire at the policeman who was performing his duties in the area. Soon after the incident, the polio team halted immunisation activities in the area. On January 18, the government had finalised security arrangements for a countrywide polio vaccination drive. The National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) of the Ministry of Interior also decided to work closely with the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for polio to ensure security for health workers. According to Expanded Programme for Immunisation (EPI) national manager Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar, the vaccination drive was postponed in five Balochistan districts —Musakhel, Qila Saifullah, Zhob, Loralai, Sherani — and Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency for security concerns.

Policeman killed in Karachi’s polio team attack

KARACHI: A policeman was killed on Monday when unidentified men attacked a polio team in Banaras Orangi Colony of Kar...

Remembering a leader: Jeay Sindh Tehreek workers mark GM Syed’s 111th birth anniversary

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/823871/remembering-a-leader-jeay-sindh-tehreek-workers-mark-gm-syeds-111th-birth-anniversary/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/823871-GMSYed-1421605361-968-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			HYDERABAD: Thousands of workers of all the factions of Jeay Sindh Tehreek marked the 111th birth anniversary of their late leader GM Syed in Sann, Jamshoro district, on Saturday. Sindh United Party’s president Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah recalled how Syed united the people of Sindh, who were earlier divided among tribes and clans. “We follow Syed and his way of peaceful political struggle,” said Shah, who is also Syed’s grandson and a former Sindh Assembly speaker. Shah blamed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for reneging on its promises. “We formed an election coalition with the PML-N on seven points, which included complete autonomy, followed by real steps to curb corruption.” He regretted that none of the pledges were fulfilled. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Syed-Jalal-Mehmood-Shah.jpg" /> The SUP leader disapproved of the 21st constitutional amendment arguing that the legislation is tantamount to creating a parallel judicial system in the country. “The people will get punished under this system but they will not get justice.” He demanded a renewed National Finance Commission (NFC) award after a population census in Sindh. The former chief minister, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led provincial government of exploiting the provincial autonomy secured through the 18th Amendment. He blamed PML-Functional leader Imtiaz Shaikh for the failure of the 10-party alliance in Sindh ahead of the 2013 elections. “We will have to form a formidable alliance of several political parties in Sindh,” he said. “No party alone can present itself as an alternative to the PPP.” Qaumi Awami Tehreek’s leader Qadir Ranto said the people of Sindh mounted a united struggle against the divisive local government system in 2012. “We now need to translate this unity into an electoral base,” he said. Meanwhile, seven separate public meetings were also held to mark the occasion. Addressing Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz’s (JSQM) public meeting, the party’s young chairperson, Sanan Qureshi, reiterated his resolve to continue to struggle until the independence of Sindh. JSQM’s vice-chairperson Dr Niaz Kalani said his party also believes in non-violent political struggle and religious harmony. “Syed also believed in peaceful struggle and religious harmony not only for Sindh but for the entire world,” said JSQM general secretary Amjad Mahesar. He pointed out that the party is carrying forward the legacy of the late Bashir Qureshi of resolving tribal clashes and vendettas in rural Sindh. Safdar Sarki, the self-exiled leader of his Jeay Sindh Tehreek faction, said the followers of Syed will offer sacrifices and languish in prisons but remain non-violent to pursue their aim. Jeay Sindh Mahaz’s leader Riaz Chandio announced that they will hold protest rallies in Karachi and other districts on February 14 to demand the expulsion of illegal immigrants and against religious extremism. He alleged that the provincial government is deliberately destroying the agricultural economy, which will plunge rural Sindh into grinding poverty. Shafi Burfat, the fugitive leader of the banned Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz, said the struggle for independence cannot be suppressed through coercive measures. In his telephonic speech, he asked the workers to observe hunger strikes against military courts. Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2015.

Remembering a leader: Jeay Sindh Tehreek workers mark GM Syed’s 111th birth anniversary

HYDERABAD: Thousands of workers of all the factions of Jeay Sindh Tehreek marked the 111th birth anniversary of their...