Karachi News


DAWN/The News International, KARACHI	9 May 2007, Wednesday, 21 Rabius Sani 1428

www.karachipage.com (click on underlined key-words/dates to get more details)
Altaf warns against plot to topple government
Bar shrugs off misgivings about MQM rally
MQM for action to end crisis
Adviser praises services of Pakhtuns
Severe load-shedding in the city
One hour extension granted
Police constable shot dead
Tiwana complains about police ‘harassment’
SSC Part I exams begin from 15th
Cellphone snatching — a ubiquitous crime
Mumtaz urges struggle for Sindh’s rights (more)
Terrorists may hit PTCL installations (more)
Attempt to blow up music shops in Charsadda foiled (more)
NWFP govt told to take steps against Talibanisation (more)
8 oil tankers destroyed
Afghan-Nato operation kills 64 militants (more)
Convictions set aside due to faulty probes (more)
How nationalism cropped up in Pakistan (more)
6 held for plotting to kill soldiers in US (more)
US move to counter Al Qaeda N-threat (more)

Altaf warns against plot to topple government
LONDON, May 8: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said that if conspiracies are hatched to end the present elected government, all workers and supporters of the MQM will stand to defend democracy.

He said the MQM had announced a peaceful rally in Karachi on May 12, according to a press release.

“The rally will prove that the people of Sindh, particularly Karachi, believe in democracy and the independence of judiciary and they reject conspirators and political jugglers,” Mr Hussain said while addressing on Tuesday a large gathering of MQM workers at the MQM head office and 17 other zones of Sindh.

He rejected opposition parties’ claim that their rally in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on the same day (May 12) would prove that the people of Sindh and Karachi were with them. Mr Hussain said that these political and religious parties had been repeatedly rejected by the people of Karachi in elections and now under the slogan of the independence of judiciary they planed to make Karachi a battlefield for political gains.

Mr Hussain said that his party believed in the independence of judiciary and strengthening of institutions but was against political jugglers who were politicising the issue of judiciary.

The MQM chief appealed to mothers, sisters, elders, particularly lawyers who believe in the independence of judiciary, and all MQM workers to participate in the MQM rally and prove that the Karachi and Sindh belonged to the Haq Parast people. He appealed to the people and workers to remain peaceful during the rally.

Bar shrugs off misgivings about MQM rally

KARACHI, May 8: Lawyers’ associations called off Wednesday’s strike saying that there was no need for a full-day strike when the Supreme Court had stayed the proceedings of the presidential reference against the chief justice in the Supreme Judicial Council.

However, they made it clear that the one-hour boycott of the court proceedings against the suspension of the chief justice would continue.

Speaking at a press conference at the Sindh High Court Bar Room on Tuesday, Sindh High Court Bar Association President Abrar Hasan said a meeting of the leading representative bodies of lawyers would be held on May 11 to take a unanimous decision about the mode of protest and lawyers would have to abide by the announcement of the central leadership.

Mr Hasan said lawyers would continue the campaign till the reinstatement of the chief justice. He said their struggle was aimed at the judiciary’s independence and strengthening of democratic institutions in the country.

About the proposed rally of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on May 12, he said there was no clash between lawyers and political parties.

“We have repeatedly said the lawyers’ struggle is aimed at the independence of the judiciary and all the people including the political parties should come forward and join hands with lawyers to ensure the judiciary’s independence in the country,” he added.

He said officials of the provincial home department and other concerned authorities were already informed about the event and lawyers would proceed with their announced programme. He said members of various bars were free to attend programmes of their respective political parties. He said it had been decided that every party should take out processions for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in the country.

He appreciated the members of all the lawyers’ associations and said they were playing a historical role for the last 60 days.

MQM for action to end crisis

The Muttahida Quami Movement members of National Assembly have called upon President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, to take stern notice of the prolonged electricity crises in Karachi and Hyderabad and initiate solid and practical steps to end the situation of power breakdowns and load-shedding in the two cities. This was stated in a press release issued on Tuesday.

Adviser praises services of Pakhtuns

KARACHI, May 8: Sindh Home Adviser Waseem Akhtar has said that Pakhtuns living in Karachi have great contributions towards the progress of Sindh.

Talking to a delegation of Pakhtuns in his office on Tuesday, the adviser said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had a large number of Pakhtuns in its fold and the party had no differences with the people of any community.

However, he said in the greater interest of the city the government would remove all illegal settlements on its land at all costs, no matter which community the settlers belonged to. He said all encroachments on the land allocated for development schemes would be removed.

“Pakhtuns are our brothers and they should not be swayed away by vested interests,” he said adding that they can make demand for their rights as it is the right of every citizen. But, he said, democratic norms would have to be adopted to get rights.

He said Muttahida workers several years back too demanded their rights and gave sacrifices.

The past governments, he said, used to believe in politics of vengeance, but it was not the approach of present rulers. “Testimony to this fact is that today there is no political prisoner in Sindh jails,” he said.—APP

Severe load-shedding in the city

Meanwhile, the KESC on Tuesday resorted to severe load-shedding to conserve 300 to 350 Megawatts of electricity. Amid a severe rise in temperature and humidity-levels the overall power demand of the city had shot up to 2235 MW. Numerous residential and business localities of the city experienced three to four load-shedding during the last 24 hours with each spell spanning well over two-and-a-half hours.

The situation of recurring, prolonged, and even nightlong power failures has been causing serious mental agony to residents of many major residential areas of the city. The city areas experienced power failures due to technical faults in the power distribution and transmission. The students taking their annual examinations have been the worst sufferers of the dwindling and precarious power supply situation. The low-voltage supply situation has been effecting functioning of various household precious electrical alliances.

One hour extension granted

The Sindh Governor Dr Ishtraul Ebad Khan has allowed a one-hour extension in the deadline of closure of markets and shopping centres in Karachi, claimed Majyd Aziz who is President of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the residents, traders, and businessmen of the city on Tuesday braved another day of recurring and prolonged power failures, breakdowns, and load shedding amid hot and humid weather conditions. The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation once again failed to meet the surging power demand of the city and upkeep and maintain its electricity transmission and distribution systems.

“We are here in Islamabad and I, along with other leaders of business community, Siraj Kassam Teli, Zubair Motiwala, and Haroon Farooki, separately talked to the Sindh Governor on telephone and expressed our immense gratitude over his orders to extend one-hour deadline in closure of the shopping centres and marketplaces,” said Majyid Aziz.

He said that the governor had very kindly allowed the markets and shopping centres to remain open till 9pm on weekdays from Monday to Friday, till 11pm on Saturdays, and full functioning of the markets on Sundays.

He said as a reciprocal gesture they had also assured the governor that business and traders’ community in the city would also observe especially devised austerity measures, including lesser illumination and curtailed functioning of air-conditioners, in order to substantially conserve electricity consumed by the marketplaces.

Majyd Aziz said that as a leader of the business and traders’ community in the city, he had categorically conveyed his serious reservations over the government’s decision.

He said that in case the government went ahead with the implementation of the 8pm closure deadline it would render many circles of small traders and businessmen, and their dependents in the city, in situation of severe economic hardships and turmoil.

He said they had conveyed to the Sindh governor that certain wholesale and trading markets of the city would continue to observe their routine functioning hours and will shutdown their businesses up till 8 pm.

The names and places of such markets would be communicated to the KESC and other government authorities. However, he said that there are many other consumer markets and commercial centres in the city whose functioning up till 9 pm is necessary for the survival and sustenance of their business activities.

The KCCI President said that they had also held a meeting with Sindh Minister for Labour, Transport, Industries, and Commerce Adil Siddiqui and briefed him about the governor’s decision to extend the deadline of shopping and commercial centres. Siddiqui assured them that their Sindh government department would fully honour and observe the governor’s decision to extend the deadline, he said.

Majyd Aziz said the major demand of the business and traders’ community had been very kindly fulfilled by the Sindh governor and the governor’s timely announcement had actually caused a wave of jubilation and joy among the business and traders of Karachi.

However, a hand out issued by Sindh Governor House on Tuesday evening quoting Sindh governor did not mention his decision to extend by one-hour the closure deadline of marketplaces and shopping centres.

Police constable shot dead

A police constable was shot dead in Saudabad police limits by unidentified armed men. Constable Zeeshan was shot dead when he was sitting with his friends outside his house situated near Liaquat Market. The police said that the deceased was recurited in the police department in 2002 and was presently posted at Shah Fiasal police station. He was going to be married after one month.

A trader, Riaz, 35, was shot dead at his office in Preedy police limits. SI Zahoor Bhatti of Preedy police station said that the deceased was a former officer of Pakistan Airforce and sitting in his office, Hamza Internatioal, situated near Regal Chowk when armed man came shot and killed him and fled. A case was reported at the police station.

A woman Ms Khursheeda 30 was blugeoned to death by her husband Ranoo over a cash dispute. The incident occured in Bahadurabad police limits. The police said that the deceased was the mother of seven children. After committing the offence, the accused husband escaped. A case was registered at the police station.

A month-old body was recovered from Steel Town police limits, besides several incidents were reported from different parts of the city on Tuesday.

BODIES FOUND: The body of an unidentified 35-year-old man was recovered from Steel Town police limits. The police said that the body was one month old. Besides, the body of a drowned man was found from Machcher Colony, Docks police limits. It was seven days old. The police said that the unidentified deceased was aged about 40 years. Two bodies of drug addicts were recovered from Airport and Steel Town police limits.

MISHAPS: Asim Khan, 50, was crushed to death by a speeding trailer (TLD-956) in Bin Qasim police limits. The police said that the incident occurred near a rice godown when the deceased was crossing the road. The trailer has been impounded. Meanwhile, two unknown persons were found dead, while Omer and Naseem were injured when a rashly driven trailer (TLB-281) dashed their Suzuki pick-up (KF-6778) near Lucky Charhai, in Hub police station limits. An unidentified 35-year-old man was crushed to death by a speeding car near Sabri Chowk, Sir Syed police limits.

DACOIT KILLED: A cellphone trader shot dead a dacoit in Eidgah police limits. The police said that two armed robbers broke into Atari Communication shop in Jamila Street and after collecting booty they were fleeing when the shop owner Mohammed Asif fired on the suspects, one of whom got injured while his accomplice escaped. A police team on patrol reached the spot and took the injured to the hospital, however, he succumbed to his injuries on his way to the hospital. The police, however, could not identify the suspect.

SNATCHING & THEFT: At least 60 cellphones, 15 cars and 30 motorcycles were taken away from different parts of the city on Tuesday.

Tiwana complains about police ‘harassment’

Acting Speaker of Sindh Assembly Rahila Tiwana has complained to Sindh chief minister that police destroyed her official and private cars parked outside her house and detained her brother along with another car without any reason.

Disclosing this, sources told this correspondent that the acting speaker complained to Dr Arbab Rahim and the authorities concerned about such tactics and informed them that she was under threat for the last one week.

Deputy Speaker Rahila Tiwana, who assumed the charge of acting speaker three days ago, phoned the chief minister and informed him about the situation. Rahila Tiwana said that she officially lodged complaint to CCPO and acting IGP Sindh with regard to harassment tactics but no action was taken so far.

According to the sources, Rahila Tiwana informed the chief minister that she was under threat for the last one week, saying that police broke the windscreen of her official car parked outside her home in Gardan. She blamed police officials for this episode.

Rahila Tiwana said that police had parked a suspicious car at the main gate of her house just to harass her and despite making complaint to the authorities concerned police refused to remove the suspicious car from her gate which blocked the movement of her family members.

She said the suspicious car was later removed when she told the authorities concerned that they would be held responsible if she faces any untoward situation. The sources said that the police seized the private car of the acting speaker on Tuesday evening, while her brother Afzal - an Income Tax officer - was detained in Ferozabad police station.

When contacted, the acting speaker told this correspondent that the police officials informed her that the car was detained on the orders of the adviser to the CM on Home Affairs. She said the police informed her that the adviser had raised objection on the number plate of her car, adding, her car was registered with her name ìTiwanaî after making a payment which was not against the law.

Rahila Tiwana said that police also harassed her family members when she went Naukot Tharparkar along with a number of woman activists of the PML-Q to attend the public meeting of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

She said when she asked about the reason of such tactics the authorities concerned did not reply properly.

SSC Part I exams begin from 15th

The SSC Part-I (class IX) Annual Examinations, 2007, of Science and General group (regular and private) will start from May 15 in which 145,000 candidates are likely to appear.

In all 416 examinations centres were established, 232 were of the boys and 184 for the girls, according to Controller of Examinations Bizaatullah Khan, besides a special examination centre in Karachi Central Jail.

He also disclosed that 75 vigilance teams were formed to combat menace of cheating, each team comprises two persons, in addition to 10 members Special Vigilance Team which would monitor the entire examination process.

Nobody will be allowed to carry mobile phones, if anybody is found violating rules would be taken to task, according to the law. May 24 paper of biology was rescheduled to the by-poll in Jamshed town and would now be held on May 28.

The practical exams of class IX would start in the first week of June, while practical exams for class X will start from May 10.

The Class X theory exams concluded on May 5. It is pertinent to note here that in other parts of the province class IX and X exams were held simultaneously. It was only this metropolis, which is conducting both the exams on separate dates.

Cellphone snatching — a ubiquitous crime

Cellphone theft is a common enough phenomenon, especially as much of the street crime in the city is based on it. An easy and achievable target, anytime, anywhere, it is sure to remain very popular with petty thieves. When The News conducted a survey, it discovered that there are some common factors in the crime, and that most people have been victims more than once.

Misbah Akhter, an employee at Johnson and Johnson has lost various cellphones to thieves eight times. Describing some of his worst experiences he states that the last incident took place a few weeks ago, when he, along with his aunt were going to Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block 13- to visit his grandmother. He says he was parking his vehicle in front of a flat and the engine was still running, when, all of sudden, a hand entered his side window, switched off the ignition and then removed the keys. It was done with such finesse that Akhter thought it was an acquaintance from the apartments, as he’d been warned by his aunt that the residents do not like too much noise. But then a person brandished a TT pistol and ordered him to hand over his wallet, mobile handset, gold ring and his aunt’s bangles.

Earlier, in 2003 Akhter was on his way back home from Hassan Square, when he saw some children fighting on a street. He said that he just stayed for a while to look at what was happening, when a motorcycle also stopped to ask the reason for the fight. “I replied that I don’t know. Then he said to me, ‘give me your mobile’”. Akhter says he was surprised and confused but then he felt something against his abdomen, it was a TT pistol. “The person who was riding the motorbike said to his partner to shoot but the other guy insisted I hand over my phone. I lost new handset, which cost Rs6000 then and the sim was worth Rs2500.”

In another incident, Akhtar says, “I was passing the railway track when two persons on motorbike came from nowhere, stopped me, searched me and took away my phone and wallet. He was helpless as they were armed. Similarly, he was coming from a school (the one he used to work at) situated in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block 7, it was approximately 4:00 p.m. and he was talking on his phone when a motorcyclist grabbed the from behind and sped away.

Shahrukh, an employee of a private firm told this correspondent that he was coming back from his friend’s house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block-5, behind Sir Syed University and going towards Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block-1. He was half way home when two men on a motorcycle inquired about an address. When Shahrukh expressed ignorance, one of them pulled out a handgun and ordered him to hand over his and wallet. “I tried to fool them by saying that I don’t have a cellphone and that I forgot my wallet at home,” says Shahrukh

His cleverness, however failed as they said that they had been watching him for a while and had seen him receive a call at a particular place — they pointed out the spot to him. Both Misbah and Shahrukh, like others who lost their cellphones, complain about the difficulties in collecting the lost contact numbers and about the money spent on purchasing these handsets again and again.

Asher, an employee at Sidat Hyder Morshed Associates tells another sorry tale. He and his friend were looted by outlaws at the Polo Ground. He said that they left office at 10:00 p.m. on that day and were on their way home, when a motorcycle stopped them and took away their handsets and wallets on gunpoint.

For Mohammad Nasim, who has been a victim of this crime four times it was worse. He and two other friends lost their cellphones at “Anda Mor”, North Karachi when they were waiting for a person at his doorstep. Three people came and thoroughly searched their bodies and took away their belongings. Nasim says they complained to the CPLC but as yet there have been no results.

According to other victims, Karachi is one the most lawless places possible. Anyone be the judge of this by witnessing the worsening traffic and street crime rate. Being a Karachiite it is extremely distressing and disappointing and signifies the peak of the decline of Pakistani society. Zafar Masood is among those lucky ones, who has not been robbed but he has witnessed some cellphone snatching cases. He informed this correspondent that in the last couple of days he’s seen two consecutive incidents, both occurring within no time.

He was in an overcrowded minibus when suddenly a man jumped out of the running vehicle and another cried “Mobile Mobile Mobile!” after which he too jumped out, probably to follow the pick-pocket.

“Soon after, I disembarked at my regular stop and was on my way home when a motorcycle blocked a person who was walking in the opposite direction with a phone on his ear. The motorcyclist snatched the phone after waving a gun in his face,” quotes Zafar.

Although this kind of theft is now a part of other metropolises, the lack of help extended to victims in Karachi, makes them question the ability of the government and law-enforcement agencies to control crimes.

Mumtaz urges struggle for Sindh’s rights

LARKANA, May 8: The Chairman of Sindh National Front (SNF), Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, has urged the Sindhis to wake up and protect themselves and snatch their rights.

He was talking to journalists in Naugoth (Naudero) on Tuesday where he had gone to offer sympathy and support the relatives of Mohammed Ramzan Supro and Mumtaz Ali Supro who were kidnapped two days ago from the village.

Police claimed to have failed to find any clue to the kidnappers.

He said that one could see how Pathans and Balochs were fighting and now Punjabis had begun flexing their muscles against the rulers. But, he regretted that the Sindhis had confined themselves to crying.

He accused the DPO of Larkana of having links with the bandits and added that police were aware of the bandits’ activities and alleged that the kidnappers had handed over Punhal Mirani to the notorious bandit Nazroo Narejo and police were fully aware of it.

Terrorists may hit PTCL installations

MULTAN: Intelligence agencies have warned the PTCL management that terrorists and suicide bombers have planned attacks on its installations, including phone exchanges, to create unrest and challenge the writ of the government, sources said on Tuesday.

The intelligence agencies, in a top-secret letter, warned that terrorists might target communication centres and phone exchanges in the coming months. It stated that some terrorists had already entered the Punjab from Waziristan to launch suicide attacks.

PTCL sources disclosed that security had been beefed up at the installations of the company. The PTCL management is said to have urged its regional managers and senior engineers in the districts to take necessary measures for preventing any untoward incident.

The management has also put up "prohibited area" boards at its offices and installations and nobody is allowed inside except staffers. The sources said all PTCL employees had been strictly asked to display their service cards and badges, while all their personal articles would be checked with metal detectors before being allowed into offices and installations. Separate entry cards would also be issued to visitors, the sources added.

Attempt to blow up music shops in Charsadda foiled

CHARSADDA: An attempt to blow up music shops has been foiled here on Tuesday. Saboteurs planted explosive material outside five music shops in a plastic bag. On suspicion, area residents informed the police, which reached the scene but the saboteurs fled. Fortunately, the explosive material did not go off.

The police have taken the explosives into custody and diffused it with the help of members of the Bomb Disposal Squad. Meanwhile, residents in the frontier region said on Tuesday militants are confiscating music cassettes from public buses and ordering shops to only sell CDs promoting Jihad.

The campaign was launched on Sunday in North Waziristan, an intelligence official confirmed on condition of anonymity. Bands of armed militants have visited shops selling music cassettes and CDs in the main town of Miranshah, warning owners to only sell "Jihadi" cassettes featuring sermons by clerics or songs without musical accompaniment that praise holy war and those who fight it. "They came to us and said 'do not sell music and song cassettes and CDs,'" shop owner Omar Jan said, adding "They warned us to close our shops or they would punish us."

NWFP govt told to take steps against Talibanisation

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Ministry of Interior has asked the NWFP government to take strict measures to curb the trend of Talibanisation in the province. Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said this during a weekly media briefing here on Tuesday. He said the investigation into the Charsadda blast was progressing in the right direction. Referring to the recent Pak-Afghan Jirga Commission's meeting held in Kabul, the spokesman said a Joint Peace Jirga was constituted in the meeting and representatives of the Afghan

Jirga commission would soon visit Islamabad to finalize its modalities. About cricket coach Bob Woolmer's mysterious death, Cheema said a two-member Pakistani investigation team had visited Jamaica and participated in the investigation as an observer.

8 oil tankers destroyed

LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), May 8: A bomb blast destroyed at least eight oil tankers here on Monday night.

An explosive device had been planted under one of the tankers parked in the Sheikhwal area.

The fire damaged the 11000Kv power line disrupting supply.

Meanwhile, oil tanker drivers and owners have suspended supply to Afghanistan in support of the Pakistani and Afghan transporters’ strike.—Correspondent

Afghan-Nato operation kills 64 militants

KABUL: A joint operation by Afghan forces and Nato troops in southern Helmand province killed 64 militants in nine days, the Afghan defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The operation, concentrated in Gereshk district, began on April 30 and was continuing, the ministry said in a statement. "As a result of the operations so far, 64 enemies of the people of Afghanistan have been killed," it said. Four wounded militants were also arrested, two of whom died in hospital.

The statement also said a Nato air strike in the Garmsir district of Helmand on Monday hit two vehicles, carrying militants, killing a number of them. Meanwhile, a UN driver and a civilian were killed in attacks in Kandahar on Tuesday, one of them in a battle that erupted after Taliban fighters ambushed Nato forces. The Nato convoy came under small arms fire in the east of the city. Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said the movement was responsible for the attack.

In a separate incident, unknown gunmen shot dead an Afghan man working for the United Nations refugee agency as he was going to work early on Tuesday. Kandahar province police chief Ismatullah Alizai said an initial investigation had found the motive for the murder was personal enmity.

Our correspondent adds from Peshawar: Eight tankers supplying oil to Afghanistan were burnt on Tuesday night in an explosion in the Landi Kotal town of Khyber Agency, residents said Wednesday.

Of the eight tankers, four were loaded with oil while the four others were empty and parked in a private vehicles' stand, residents said.

It was not known as to who torched the oil tankers. In the past also, trailers and trucks supplying oil and other goods to the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan have been attacked and torched, both in Pakistani border areas and in Afghanistan. Taliban sometimes claim responsibility for such attacks. But in the latest case of burning of the four oil tankers at Landi Kotal, neither the Taliban nor anybody else have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, owners of tankers supplying oil to Afghanistan have also joined hands with other transport vehicle owners who have been observing strike against the government of Afghanistan. They said that they would continue the strike unless their demands were accepted. About two weeks back, transporters supplying goods to Afghanistan had announced a strike against the illegal taxes imposed on them by the Afghan government officials and by certain warlords.

Convictions set aside due to faulty probes

KARACHI, May 8: Over 70% convictions involving capital punishment handed down by trial courts are set aside by superior courts of law mainly on account of defective and inefficient investigation techniques employed by police and flaws in the prosecution system.

Sources in the office of the provincial advocate-general told Dawn that the quality of police investigations in high-profile cases, such as bomb blasts and sectarian killings, was not up to the mark and most sentences awarded to the accused by the trial courts were either set aside or commuted by the Sindh High Court.

They said that in some cases improper identification parades by judicial magistrates, who left loopholes in the collection of such significant evidence, were behind setting aside of convictions.

Defence attorneys had a different story to tell. They said investigators in Pakistan were in the habit of ‘creating and fabricating’ evidence instead of collecting it honestly.

“As a rule, the quality of a police investigation is very poor and investigation officers almost always fail to find direct evidence against defendants. Consequently, they create and set up evidence, shattering their own case,” said M.R. Syed, a leading lawyer of criminal cases, who claims that the Sindh High Court set aside convictions of his clients, belonging to outlawed sectarian outfits, in as many as 15 cases over the past 16 months.

He said there must be direct evidence of eye-witnesses — known as ocular evidence in technical parlance — in the cases involving capital punishment as merely circumstantial evidence and judicial confession were not enough to establish the case of the prosecution.

In Pakistan, three types of evidence are generally admissible in a court of law: ocular evidence, circumstantial evidence and judicial confession.

“It is really hard for an investigation officer to find a real and independent eyewitness to a crime as people do not come forward to record their evidence,” he conceded.

“Even I, despite being an attorney myself, would avoid becoming a witness for the prosecution since there is no witness protection programme in our country,” he explained.

Mr Syed said police investigators were not properly trained and unacquainted with modern investigation techniques.

“Lack of knowledge on their part is one of the main reasons of flawed prosecution,” he said.

When asked why the Sindh High Court was often not impressed by the evidence that generally found such favour with the trial court that a conviction was handed down, he said the superior court had to see what type of evidence was produced by the prosecution before the trial court.

Elaborating his point, Mr Syed said that under the law there were three types of evidence — “wholly reliable, wholly not reliable and partly reliable or not reliable”.

“A conviction can be awarded on the basis of wholly reliable evidence only, but the accused has to be acquitted if the evidence is wholly or partly not reliable,” he said, adding that the benefit of the doubt had to be given to defendants under the law.

Mushtaq Ahmed, another lawyer, said that at least seven appeals filed on behalf of his clients belonging to Lashkar-i-Jhangvi were allowed by the Sindh High Court which set aside the capital punishment earlier awarded by an anti-terrorism court.

He said the trial judges usually did not consider the cross-examination of prosecution witnesses by defence attorneys while making judgments. “Numerous contradictions in the case of the prosecution are pointed out during the cross-examination which is otherwise enough to create reasonable doubt.”

A prosecution lawyer, who did not wish to be named, said: “Since a trial court judge himself tries the accused, his opinion is influenced by the behaviour of the defendants and witnesses who appear before him during the trial. He sometimes overlooks prosecution flaws. But High Court judges examine the record of the trial very minutely and eventually detect the flaws that favour defendants.”He said “wrongful confinement” of the accused by police also dealt a severe blow to the prosecution’s case in a court of law. He explained that quite often police picked up a suspect without declaring his arrest.

“In the meanwhile, the suspect’s family reports the matter to the press or files a petition in the high court. The defence successfully disputes the time and place of the suspect’s arrest, which is enough to create doubts about the prosecution’s case.”

He said delays in the holding of an identification parade of the accused also adversely affected the prosecution’s case.

“Similarly, a delay in the recording of a judicial confession of the accused creates doubt in the mind of a judge,” he added.

The prosecution lawyer said police officials were generally interested in arresting the accused because they got pre-mature reward for their work in the form of promotions. “But they make little efforts to establish their cases in courts,” he added.Former Supreme Court judge Nasir Aslam Zahid attributed poor investigations to rampant corruption and political appointees in the police department.

“The conviction rate of anti-terrorism courts is high because when a high-profile case is brought to a low-ranking judge, he comes under immense psychological pressure. But when the same case goes to experienced judges of the high court, they find hardly any evidence in convictions,” he explained.

“The criminal justice system in on the brink of collapse in this country. Crimes are being committed all the time and convictions handed down by trial courts are being set aside by superior courts. So, the question is: where have the real culprits gone?”

How nationalism cropped up in Pakistan

LAHORE, May 8: Political leaders and advocates of Sindhi nationalism on Tuesday pleaded for sovereignty and autonomy to all provinces with the authority to write a new social contract with the objective of redefining their relationship with the federation.

At a `national dialogue’, sponsored by the Minorities Rights Commission, they asserted that the powerful establishment of the state always strengthened the center in a state which was multi-national in character. As a consequence a model of rule by force emerged and the center deprived the people of smaller federating units of their right of even taking decisions about their education, health and socio-economic development.

They were of the view that such a deplorable state of affairs weakened the statehood because the provincial resources remained in the hands of the center which governed the state with the help of feudal lords to begin with and then engineered military interventions. The religious forces, they said, extended their hand of cooperation to both the undemocratic dispensations.

Jiye Sindh Mahaz chairperson Abdul Khaliq Junejo, Awami National Party secretary-general Mohammad Ehsan Wyne, PPP leader Prof Iujazul Hasan, ARD’s joint secretary Syed Manzoor Gilani, a former secretary of the Lahore High Court Bar Association Abid Saqi, Labour Party Pakistan secretary-general Farooq Tariq, National Commission fore Justice and Peace secretary Peter Jacob, research scholar Akram Mirani and historian Dr Mubarak Ali spoke at the ceremony.

Mr Junejo said that the Jiye Sindh Mahaz was not indifferent to the plight of the exploited classes in Punjab and wanted to address the nationalist and class questions by integrating them in their struggle for achieving their rights. He said the question of Sindh nationalism cropped up soon after the partition when Sindh’s middle class, comprising mainly a religious minority, was driven to India and the vacuum was filled by feudal lords who joining hands with the elite classes of other provinces and established Pakistan as their personal fiefdom. The situation was aggravated with the settlement of migrants from India after the allotment of lands to civil and military officers along the barrages.

He traced the history of the national question in different provinces and said that it got a boost when the state imposed the system of One-Unit in 1955 which meant that the state was aiming at depriving different nationalities of their historic, geographical and cultural identity. He was of the view that even the 1973 Constitution failed to address to the root cause of the problem by ignoring the question of autonomy and introducing a concurrent list to add to the gravity of the question.

Mr Ehsan Wyne said that the country owed its creation to Bengal and Sindh whose assembly adopted a resolution in favour of Pakistan four years ahead of the Lahore Resolution of 1940. The Punjab rulers did not want a separate state because it was under the rule of the Unionist Party. He said that the question of rights should be seen in the context of classes because the fight was against the oppressive system which was being perpetrated by the feudal class which invited the armed forces to intervene to mutilate the democratic and secular face of the country. He was of the view the rulers had engaged the clerics for support right from the beginning. He pleaded for a reduction in the armed forces and their budget which, he said, should be approved by parliament like other expenditures and subjected to audit.

6 held for plotting to kill soldiers in US

NEW YORK, May 8: Six men described by US authorities as Islamic radicals have been arrested on charges of plotting to attack soldiers at the Fort Dix Army base in the northeastern state of New Jersey, according to US district attorney office.

The men appeared in the district court in Camden, New Jersey, to face charges of conspiracy to kill US servicemen.

Authorities said the six were planning to enter the army base and kill as many soldiers as possible.