Kharotabad inquiry puts blame on Frontier Corps, police

The judicial tribunal tasked to investigate the killing of five foreigners in Kharotabad on May 17 has held officials of the Frontier Corps (FC) and the police responsible for the incident.

Report says foreigners entered country illegally but this did not warrant their instant killing.

According to sources that have access to the tribunal’s report, Station House Officer (SHO) Kharotabad Fazlur Rehman and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Raza Khan were named the main accused. “Stern action should be taken against both police officials,” the report stated.

It also stated that former Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dawood Junejo and Lt Colonel Faisal Shehzad of the FC had mishandled the situation and recommended that action be taken against them. Shehzad was shown opening fire at the foreigners in a video filmed by a journalist.

The tribunal also said that even though the foreigners had entered Pakistan illegally or even if they were terrorists, there was no need for opening indiscriminate fire and killing them instantly. “The foreigners could be caught alive since they were unarmed and it has been observed that excessive force had been used against them.”

The report mentioned that the foreigners were trained for terrorist activities. However, they did not possess any explosive materials, suicide jackets and arms and ammunition when they were gunned down.

The tribunal has recommended enhancing and improving the capability of the bomb disposal squad, with equipment being available at all police stations.

The Balochistan chief minister has already directed the chief secretary to make the tribunal report public. However, the report has so far not been provided to anyone or to the media.

Five foreigners, including three women, were gunned down by FC and police personnel on May 17 in Kharotabad, a suburb of Quetta. While security forces officials claimed that those killed were suicide bombers, the police surgeon who conducted autopsies found no indication that the foreigners – four Russians and one Tajik – carried explosives. All the foreigners were buried in Quetta.

VVIP security: Key politicians trust only personal guards

By: Zia Khan

ISLAMABAD: A majority of top politicians do not trust state agencies for their security and rely on personal arrangements, officials in political parties said a day after Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated by an elite police commando.

President, Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman all use their trusted men.

Those who prefer their loyalists for security arrangements include President Asif Ali Zardari, former premier Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Awami National Party (ANP) president Asfandyar Wali Khan also have their personal guards, although personnel of state agencies are at their disposal too.

Officials said an entrenched mistrust in the political leadership is behind the practice of preferring party affiliates over state security.

“If there were any doubts, they must have been removed after the way Taseer was gunned down by his own security guard,” an official in the PPP said.

At least three state agencies – the military, police and Intelligence Bureau (IB) – take care of presidential security. A chief security officer from the military and three from the police are responsible for the president’s security at his official residence and during visits to other places. The official added that Zardari’s personal guards are at the forefront of both intelligence and security arrangements at the presidency and during trips to other areas, especially when he addresses public rallies.

The PPP formed a force to protect former slain premier Benazir Bhutto when she returned to Pakistan in October 2007 after almost a decade of self-imposed exile. A number of party members were killed during a failed and a successful bid on her life. The remaining are now on duty again with the president and some other stalwarts of the ruling party.

Sharif family:

“Call it mistrust, call it watchfulness, a small group of personal loyalists lead Mian Sahib’s security detail wherever he goes,” an official from Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said.

A long term affiliate Abdul Shakoor leads Nawaz’s personal security entourage. “Under him (Shakoor) personal guards remain alert whether Mian Sahib is at his residence in Raiwind or visits other cities. Even during air travel, the squad accompanies him,” the official added on condition of anonymity.

An associate of the Sharif family said Nawaz keeps changing officials of police and other law enforcement agencies deployed for his security, but his personal guards are the same since he returned to Pakistan after his 10-year exile in 2007.

Several other national and nationalist leaders from Balochistan to Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa have their personal arrangements for security that indicates their mistrust of state protocol. More than 180 million Pakistanis, however, do not seem to have any other option-state security is not good enough to protect them and they cannot afford anything else.

‘Policing isn’t easy in Quetta’

Shehzad Baloch

QUETTA: The police in Quetta are finding it hard to maintain order and peace in the city due to lack of human resources as there are merely 5,500 police recruits deployed for a population of around one million.

DIG operations says lack of manpower, technology makes it even harder.

Talking to journalists, DIG Operations Quetta Hamid Shakil said that it has become a very difficult task for the police to overcome crime with fewer policemen.

“As many as 2,200 out of 5,500 personnel, including officers, are deputed within CPO, CCPO and Operations. A single policeman is deputed for 450 civilians. Under such circumstances there is need of 15,000 more police personnel in the city,” he explained.

Commenting over the installation of CCTV cameras in the city, Shakil said that surveillance cameras had been installed in few places, but the project has been abandoned due to a lack of funds.

“Until cameras are not set up in all the sensitive areas, the ratio of crime will not decrease,” said Shakil, adding that only Education Minister Tahir Mahmood has provided funds for the installation and it would be better if other ministers also contribute.

Two months earlier, former CCPO Ghulam Shabbir Shiekh also complained about the lack of funds for surveillance cameras.

“Policemen do not have the technology to trace calls of cell phones because in present circumstances it is impossible to give criminals a tough time without being equipped with modern technologies,” he added.

According to sources, the police in Quetta have been prevented from acquiring technology for tracing calls by secret agencies. The Sindh Police has also been stopped from purchasing similar technology.

However, the Home Department has said that they are going to purchase technologies to trace satellite calls as banned outfits usually claim the responsibility of suicide attacks, bomb blasts, target killings and attacks on government installations.

SC sends Brig Imtiaz, Adnan Khawaja to jail

ISLAMABAD – Former Managing Director Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) Adnan A Khawaja and former head of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Brig (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmed were arrested from the courtroom on Tuesday on the order of a three-member bench of Supreme Court.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary, Justice Tariq Pervaiz and Justice Ghulam, was hearing a suo moto notice on the reported appointment of Adnan Khawaja as chairman OGDCL by the government.

The apex court also ordered seizure of the properties of both the men and rejected Adnan’s bail plea. The court ordered Adnan Khawaja to submit a fresh surety bond in the SC while Brig Imtiaz had been asked to submit the bond in Lahore High Court within three days. Both the men were later shifted to Adiala Jail.

The Chief Justice asked Khawaja how did he obtain the posts – Managing Director OGDCL and chairman National Vocational & Technical Education Commission (NAVTEC) despite the fact that he, as NAB convict, was disqualified to assume such a post for ten years.

Khawaja was disqualified for a period of ten years from seeking or being elected, chosen, appointed or nominated as member of any public office, any statuary or local authority of government of Pakistan or granted any financial facilities in the form of any loan by any government bank.

It’s worth mentioning here that in the wake of the suo motu notice taken by the apex court and the subsequent revelations in the media, the government had cancelled the appointment of Adnan Khawaja as chairman OGDCL, only a day after he assumed the charge.

Appearing before the bench, Raja Aamer Abbas, Additional Prosecutor General NAB, informed the court that as per directives of SC he had obtained details from the Central Jail, Rawalpindi, according to that convict Brig. (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmad had already undergone sentence of 4 years, 5 months and 14 days whereas remaining part of his sentence is 3 years 6 months and 16 days, if fine is paid.

Brig (Retd) Imtiaz was sentenced in the NAB Reference No. 21 of 2000 for 8-year RI along with a fine of Rs 70,00,000 under Section 382-B Cr.P.C. by the Accountability Court, Rawalpindi, on 31.07.2001. He was released from jail on bail by the Lahore High Court vide order dated 08.06.2002 passed in Cr. A. No. 1096-M of 2002.

Similarly, co-accused Adnan A Khawaja was sentenced to 2-year RI with a fine of Rs 200,000 under Section 382-B Cr.P.C. by the Accountability Court, Rawalpindi, and out of his total sentence, he has already served 1 year, 1 month and 8 days, including the remissions, whereas the remaining portion of his sentence is 10 months and 22 days, if fine is paid.

After promulgation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance both Brig (Retd) Imtiaz and Khawaja claimed benefit of the same and ultimately vide judgment dated 04.12.2008 passed by the Islamabad High Court, they were acquitted of the charge. But the NRO was declared ultra vires in the SC judgment on December 16, 2009 as a result of that their acquittal was set aside.

During pendency of the appeal filed by Adnan A Khawaja before the High Court, his sentence was suspended by this court vide order 06.02.2002 passed in Cr. Appeal No. 22 of 2002 on furnishing surety bonds.

After getting acquittal from the Islamabad High Court vide judgment dated 04.12.2008 Khawaja was appointed as Chairman NAVTEC. After the declaration of NRO ultra vires of the Constitution vide the judgment dated December 16, 2009, he continued to perform his functions as chairman NAVTEC, although he was debarred from holding any public office for a period of 10 years, in terms of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

Not only this, on September 07, 2010, he was appointed as Managing Director OGDCL. Therefore, in pursuance of the information so communicated widely, his case was taken up and it was noticed that he is enjoying the position contrary to the judgment of the Accountability Court and when the notice of the matter was taken by this Court, the competent authority of the government of Pakistan rescinded the notification of his appointment.

The Chief Justice said that it was moral duty to relinquish the job after the judgment. Raja Amir said that even the High Court judgment he was debarred from holding any government post.

Justice Tariq Pervez remarked, “After December 16, 2010 judgment you both – Khawja and Brig (Retd) Imtiaz – should have got the bail on fresh surety bonds, but that did not happen.”

Khawaja said, “My legal advisors had asked me not to worry and do not need to apply for fresh surety.” Brig (Retd) said, “I was not aware that the NAB case would revive after the SC judgment.”

The court observed that unless fresh surety bonds are not furnished their bail could not be extended. Therefore, police were ordered to take them into custody and send them to jail.
Ismail Qureshi, Secretary Establishment, has furnished the explanation, which would be considered on the next date of hearing.

Woman assaulted, paraded naked by 6

ALIGARH: A woman has charged six persons, including district BSP president, of assaulting and later parading her naked in a market following which a case has been registered against them by the police. A case of assault against six persons, including the BSP leader Moolchand Bhagel, has been filed, Superintendent of Police Maan Singh Chouhan said.

He, however, said the woman was not paraded naked. The incident took place on June 2 when 45-year-old Brima Devi had a minor tiff with some persons while she was on her way back from a temple. She was then beaten up. She alleged in her complaint to police that she was also paraded naked through the village Chandaukha, 20 kms from here.

Bir Singh, husband of Brima Devi, alleged that the police was trying to dilute the charges against the BSP leader because of political pressure. The woman was detained by the police for a few hours in connection with some case. She was, however, let off later. “Instead of arresting the persons named in the report, the police has arrested Devi on a case filed against her by a group ten days back,” Singh alleged.

British Indian Muslims worried at Muslims’ harassment in India

By TCN News,

New Delhi: The British Indian Muslims group, Council of Indian Muslims-COIM (UK), has expressed concern over anti-Muslim violence and illegal detentions and encounters of Muslim youths in India. COIM has deplored the pre-planned communal riots in Bareily and now in Hyderabad and the government’s decision not to order a judicial probe into the Batla House encounter, a demand made by not only Muslims but several human rights groups.

Deploring the recent flare up of anti-Muslim riots in the south Indian city of Hyderabad, Chairman of Council of Indian Muslims-COIM (UK) Mr Mohammad Munaf Zeena said, “All the reports coming from the riot torn city suggest that these riots were pre-planned and Muslim youths are being targeted and arrested indiscriminately”.

“Hindutwa fascists are hell bent upon creating an atmosphere of hate and distrust against Muslims and use such an environment to harass and inflict maximum economic, social and moral harm upon them. Last month they engineered riots in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, and now have targeted Hyderabad. The saddest aspect and most common feature of these premeditated and well orchestrated crimes is that the provincial and central governments usually turn a blind eye to these sins, no action is taken against the perpetrators and the negligent and accomplice officials are allowed to go unquestioned and unpunished.”

Mr Zeena expressed concern over repeated rejection by the government of the demand for judicial probe into the September 2008 Batla encounter in which two Muslim youths were shot dead and a police inspector was killed.

“It is not only the non-Congress ruled states where Muslims are at the receiving end, the situation in Delhi is even more abysmal. It was here that the notorious September 2008 Batla House encounter had taken place in which two Muslim youths were mercilessly gunned down and a police officer lost his life. Not only Muslims’ demand to launch independent inquiry into the so called encounter has been rejected, the toothless National Human Rights Commission was made to toe police’s line and indict the deceased youths instead. However, the post-mortem report of the youths has established that they were killed at close range and has proved beyond doubt that police’s stories of the encounter were shameless fabrication to defame and damn the whole community on the pretext of which Uttar Pradesh police continue to harass and abduct Muslim youths from Azamgarh. It is something of an evil alliance between the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh governments against the Muslims of India” Zeena added.

Zeena also said, “If Mr Manmohan Singh was honest in his pre-election assurance given to Urdu editors in Delhi that he understood the pain and anguish of Muslim parents whose children were unfairly targeted and arrested, he has to prove it.”

“As far as Ms Mayawati’s treatment of Muslims in UP is concerned, it is not much different than Modi’s in Gujarat post anti-Muslim pogroms.”

Zeena demanded immediate action to restore peace in Hyderabad, punish the guilty officers in Hyderabad and Bareilly riots, conduct an inquiry into Batla House encounter and stop the ongoing illegal and inhuman harassments of Muslims in Azamgarh.