Pakistan Views

Eight people drowned and one is missing as a launch carrying 28 people capsized in the open sea in Ibrahim Haidery here on Monday.
According to sources two crewmen and 26 people from at least two families, who were out to celebrate a picnic party, were on their way back home on Sunday evening at around 7:00 pm when their launch drowned in the jurisdiction of Docks Police Station.
The sources said eight people had drowned while twenty including the launch crew were saved by another launch, which was crossing by the drowning boat.
PAF base Korangi Creek Base Commander Air Commodore Khalid Farooq Chishti told media in a briefing that at the time of the incident rescuers from Pakistan Navy were busy in their training. They recovered corpses of Salim, Noor-un-Nisa, Bushra, Irshman and Sanjida Khalil. Twelve year old Maha from Muhammad Salim family is the only survivor.
Sources said that the unfortunate families belonged to the Dredging Manager of Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Ishrat Hussain, who is one of the survivors. The picnickers had hired the boat, which drowned for unknown reason, from Marina Club.

Police fired tear gas and charged about 100 lawyers protesting on Thursday here to have judges reinstated after they were deposed last year by President Pervez Musharraf, police said. Six people, including lawyers, were arrested outside the Sindh High Court SHC.
“We have arrested a few people and police had to use tear gas to disperse lawyers who were trying to hold a rally,” senior police official Tahir Naved told AFP.
Lawyers around the country have held regular demonstrations since the judges’ dismissal, and have threatened a large-scale march on Islamabad next month if all the jurists are not reinstated. In a telephone address on Thursday to the Sindh High Court bar association, former CJP Justice Chaudhry said there were no constitutional hurdles to returning the judges to their posts. “I was deposed by an executive order and I can be restored by an executive order. There is no need of two-thirds majority of the parliament,” Justice Chaudhry said. Pakistan Peoples Party along with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz emerged as winners after Monday’s parliamentary elections.
They have been considering a coalition, and PML-N chief Sharif has said his first act in a new government would be to get Justice Chaudhry back in his job.
“People have given their verdict which shows that they have rejected the policies of the government,” Justice Chaudhry said from his home in Islamabad, where he has is still under detention.

Polling material being transferred on Sunday at the polling station established at city courts Karachi. The polling material being handed over to the presiding officers of Karachi’s national assembly constituencies NA-248, 249, 250 and 251 and related provincial constituencies.

The material included ballot papers and other polling items, which are being shifted to the polling station under strict police security.
The ballot boxes will be distributed in the evening.

Two shops, several huts and a mini bus burnt in various incidents of fire in Karachi.
A timber shop caught fire in Bangali Para in Korangi Sau Quarters Saturday morning at 5:30 am. The fire spread rapidly in the area killing a donkey and burnt 10 huts, Fire Brigade sources said.
The cause of the fire has not been known.
In other fire incidents a minibus of W-11 route was burnt near Sindhi Hotel in New Karachi, while an under construction jewelry shop damaged in Babar Market of Landhi.

Three minor girls have been killed and their mother wounded when a fire erupted in a shantytown in Soharab Goth area of Karachi on Wednesday.

According to fire brigade, a fire broke out suddenly in shantytown in Jahan Gul Town in Sohrab Goth area on Wednesday morning. Ten huts were gutted whereas fire brigade saved rest. The fire killed Zarina, Fazeela and Ajiza aged between three to ten years.

The mother of girls seriously wounded and shifted to Abbasi Shaheed hospital.

The unwarranted conduct of the policemen at Al Falah area caused a weird pre-natal death of a pregnant woman’s child here, while the authorities realizing the sensitiveness, immediately registered a case against the ASI and one policeman involved in the incident. Muhammad Jahangir, a resident of Al Falah, told that he was looking for a taxi for carrying his wife Naila, 35 suffering from labour pain to the hospital, when the Al Falah police station patrol party detaining him asked for calling his wife, whose arrival at the place was arranged by him sending a taxi, but the inordinate delay in this process deteriorated the condition of his wife, which caused pre-natal death of her child. The infuriated neighbours reaching Al Falah police station staged a strong protest against the highhandedness of the police. Al Falah PS SHO, Inspector Wasim told Geo News that the policemen involved in the incident have been called at the PS. Meanwhile, DSP Al Falah, Chaudhry Sohail Faiz, reaching the scene and after giving a hearing to both the sides, suspended the ASI Manzoor Unar and policeman, Shakil involved in the incident besides a case under Police Order 2002 was registered against them.

Maritime Security Agency apprehended two Indian fishing boats along with 11 crew members for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters.
The boats were found fishing illegally inside the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Pakistan. The Indian fishermen have been warned time and again not to indulge in illegal fishing, but they repeatedly enter our EEZ to take advantage of our rich fish resources at the mouth of Indus delta. Upon reaching Karachi, the apprehended fishermen will be handed over to Docks Police station for further legal action. Police have registered a case against the Indian fishermen.

Doctors recently removed from Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) after expiry of their contract staged a token hunger strike outside Karachi Press Club here on Saturday.

They chanted slogans against the administration of JPMC and demanded that either their employment contracts be renewed or they be retained as regular employees.

About 37 doctors, including women, were removed from service after expiry of their employment contracts with JPMC.

These doctors announced to continue to the token hunger strike until the restoration of their employment.

An eight-year old child received injuries as a result of firing at a rally of Pakistan People’s Party here in Lyari on Monday evening.

However, the party leaders remained unhurt in the incident.

The PPP rally was taken out from Lyari Degree College and headed by former MNA, Sardar Nabeel Gabol, Rafiq Engineer and other leaders of the party.

Unknown persons opened fire at the participants when the rally was streaming towards Gul Muhammad Lane on Tannery Road.

Yousuf, the eight-year old child, was sustained bullet injury on his leg and was rushed to Civil Hospital.

A large number of party leaders and workers also reached the hospital. The incident caused traffic jams on main arteries of the city. People heading back home from work faced severe hardship.

Firing incidents also took place in other areas of the city after while markets also shut down in a number of areas.

Talking to Geo News, Nabeel Gabol condemned the incident and said that such events cannot undermine the resolve of PPP. “We will remain calm and peaceful and defeat our opponents with the power of vote on February 18,” he added.

He demanded immediate arrest of the people involved in the incident.

Sindh High Court (SHC) larger Bench, in its short order on the main reference relating to the May 12 tragedy suo motto case announced here, decreed immediate payment of compensations to the affectees, while the court discharged all petitions relating to May 12.

The five-member larger Bench headed by the SHC Chief Justice, Justice Afzal Somroo comprises of Justice Munib Ahmad, Justice Nadim Azhar Siddiqui, Justice Abdul Rahman Farooq Pirzada and Justice Dr. Rana Muhammad Shamim.

SHC short order asked all those affectees, who have not yet received compensations, to contact Sindh government immediately.

Earlier, SHC another full Bench had discharged two petitions relating to the May 12 contempt of court against the former chief minister, Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim. The court in its last hearing had deferred the decision on the main reference made out in the petitions of Pakistan International Human Rights Organization and the report of SHC Registrar due to the absence of a member of the Bench Justice Abdur Rahman Farooq Pirzada. Special security arrangements have been made on the occasion of the announcement of May 12 main reference verdict.