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India-Pakistan

Nuggets from the Urdu Press

2019-06-22

It’s been years since we’ve had nuggets. The little drawings at the link are just as fun as ever. [THEFRIDAYTIMES] Treatment According to Daily Express (04 June 2019), former Finance Minister Asad Umar opined that the PML-N government left the economy on its deathbed (bistar-e-marg par chorr kar gai thi) and that the process of healing it would be akin to that for a wound. The Mufti weighs in Mufti Naeem of Jamia Binoria, according to Daily Express (05 June 2019), demanded that Fawad Chaudhry be removed from his ministerial post. He expressed his view that we are required to celebrate Eid after sighting the requisite moon. Mufti Naeem went on to say that the 5-year calendar proposed by Fawad Chaudhry would not be acceptable and that science was subservient to Shariah (science shariat ke tabeh hai). Beneficiaries Daily Dunya (08 June 2019) reported that on the happy occasion of Eid the barbers, tailors and beggars were among the most successful collectors of Eidi money. Religious leaders at mosques and madrassahs also received large sums of money on the festival. One beggar was quoted as saying that price hikes had hit collections from Eidi. PIA strikes again A PIA flight that departed from Madinah and flew to Islamabad on the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr, according to Daily Express (08 June 2019), left the luggage of more than 50 passengers who had performed Umra. Passengers launched a protest on arrival at Islamabad’s airport. Desperate measures Daily Jang (08 June 2019) reported that a young man accused of bothering a woman via phone calls was lured into a trap by her husband. The young man then found his head and half his mustache shaved – in addition to having his face blackened and being paraded around the neighbourhood. What the future holds Manzoor Wissan of the PPP, known for his political predictions, according to Daily Jang (08 June 2019), claimed that PM Imran Khan’s government would not last until 2020 and that he would resign suddenly before this year’s end. Advice Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed was quoted by Daily Jang (08 June 2019) as saying that the ruling PTI should not wash its dirty laundry publicly on the media, but that it ought to instead keep internal clashes to itself. He also predicted that the opposition’s “drama” would fall apart soon without affecting the PM and his administration. Rasheed also placed responsibility for the current price hikes on PML-N and PPP.

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India-Pakistan

Ulema from all sects should unanimously condemn misuse of blasphemy law: Mufti Naeem

2017-04-16

[DAWN] Mufti Naeem, head of Jamia Binoria, on Saturday said Learned Elders of Islam from all sects in the country should unanimously condemn acts of violence originating from the misuse of the blasphemy law. He also said the Learned Elders of Islam should issue a statement stating that killing an individual over blasphemy allegations is "against the Shariah as well as the law of Pakistain". He said this while speaking on a DawnNews programme regarding the murder of Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old journalism student who was stripped, shot, thrown from the second floor of the hostel and brutally beaten to death by an angry mob in Mardan over allegations of blasphemy. Incidents of violence over blasphemy allegations are becoming common in Pakistain, the religious scholar said. "The blasphemy law is being misused in the country." "People are losing the value of this (blasphemy) law," the mufti added, saying that religious extremism could only be eliminated if the judicial system in the country is strengthened.

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India-Pakistan

Karachi seminaries' swoop: Jihadi literature seized from madressah

2015-09-05

[DAWN] In the first search operation since the identification of 49 madressahs suspected to have links with 'terrorist organizations' in Sindh, police seized Jihadi literature and posters belonging to a banned bad boy organization from the hostel of one of the seminaries, it emerged on Thursday. The law enforcers conducted a search of three madressahs in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... 's West district and one in East district and jugged Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! one person in possession of the Jihadi literature inside the seminary. "We searched Jamia Binoria in SITE, Masjid and Madressah Al-Badar in Qasba Colony and Masjid and Madressah Al-Mustafa in Orangi Town," SSP west Azfar Mahesar told Dawn. The police also searched Madressah Jamia Farooqia in Shah Faisal Colony. "During the search of the Madressah Al-Mustafa hostel, we seized some Jihadi literature found in one of its rooms. There were also some posters and stuff of the banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all... organization. All those were seized," the officer said, adding that the exercise largely remained smooth with the cooperation of the administration of each madressah. The SSP said the police investigated and identified the student who had actually carried the literature into the room. After verification and thorough counterchecks, it was proved that the literature belonged to that student, he said, claiming that the police took him into their custody. "It's basically Jihadi literature, not the kind that triggers sectarian hatred," said SSP Mahesar, adding that investigation was under way to find any possible "links of the presence of the literature inside the madressah with its administration or other students". The police booked and arrested the student under Section 153-A of the Pakistain Penal Code. Titled "promoting enmity between different groups," Section 153-A of the PPC reads: "Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representations or otherwise, promotes or incites, or attempts to promote or incite, on grounds of religion, race, place of both, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities." The Sindh home department had identified 49 madressahs having alleged links with 'terrorist organizations' against whom the 'relevant authorities' were told to take action last month. The madressahs were identified on intelligence reports. The officials claimed to have shared the information with both the Rangers and Sindh police for 'appropriate action' against them. How­ever, the Pakistain Rangers, which were leading the 'targeted operation' in Karachi, were not part of the search operation of the madressahs.

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India-Pakistan

Bajaur girls -- Unanswered questions

2014-12-02

AYUB Siddiqi's home is located in a long narrow lane of uneven blocks of apartments in the C-Area of Liaquatabad. His home has been in the news after 26 young girls were recovered from there some days ago. You're gonna be ever so surprised. The story involves three dozen girls of middle school age or younger, an unpaid debt, an unlicensed madrassah around the corner from the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, affiliated with Jaamia Binoria, and a harridan headmistress. But really the tender young maidens weren't being trafficked into lives of slavery or prostitution. There's really a very logical explanation. It only looks like the kind of sordid criminal activity we've come to expect when there are holy men involved. As soon as I entered the street, a woman said: 'The girls were brought here on Monday [Nov 24]. But by Wednesday, people in the neighbourhood started asking questions. Some of them fed the girls as they looked famished.' Others in the neighbourhood were not that forthcoming and pointed towards Ayub's home for further information. Granted bail a day ago, Ayub was not at home but his wife Tahira reluctantly agreed to speak. Blocking the small doorway to her home, she said she had no idea how a woman landed at her place with 26 young girls. 'My husband worked at the madressah in Jamshed Quarters and had taken Rs350,000 as a loan from Imran, the son of the owner Hameeda Khatoon, to start his own business. We couldn't pay the entire sum at once, so it was decided we would pay Rs25,000 every month. It went on for four months. But last month we couldn't pay the required sum,' she said, adding that her husband was still at the Liaquatabad Supermarket police station. Ayub's one-room apartment has two single beds in the main living area and an attached bath with a washing machine next to it. Tahira said they had a daughter who got married a year ago. Apart from that she refused to divulge much. The neighbours too seemed weary to talk of what they referred to as a 'high-profile' case. People are also fearful because of the large number of politicians and media personnel that descended the day the home was found on a tip-off by the area police. Apart from the 26 girls, seven other girls discovered in a house in Fatima Jinnah Colony in Jamshed Quarters were reunited with their parents. Speculation is rife that the case involves human trafficking, but Gul Mohammad Momand, the head of the Landhi-based welfare organisation Anjuman-i-Naujwanan-i-Bajaur, denied this impression, saying, 'What's really wrong about the case is that the young girls were dumped at another man's place because of a petty issue over money. But when people question the presence of such young girls in a madressah, the answer is the operation and strife in Bajaur.' He went on: 'Sending children to Karachi is a norm that started six years back when the armed forces clashed with militants in Bajaur. People were forced to send their children, boys and girls, to get religious education and food and clothing at madressahs.' Momand said that many people have relatives, who are daily wage earners themselves in Karachi, and who were also present the day the girls were found. 'But due to the presence of political officials and police, they were not allowed to speak up, as they were considered potential kidnappers.' Speaking about Hameeda Khatoon, who owns the madressah in Jamshed Quarters and another in Korangi, Momand said that she is well known and a 'resident of Dir and neighbour of Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq'. Across the road from the C-Area neighbourhood, the SHO of the Liaquatabad Supermarket police station, Hasan Haider, reiterated that according to initial investigations it is not a case of 'human trafficking but one regarding a delayed payment of debt'. Speaking about the dealing between Ayub and Imran, he said the former worked in the clearing and forwarding department of the private madressah located in Jamshed Quarters. 'Ayub had taken a loan of Rs450,000 from Imran and didn't pay it back in time. Imran's mother, Hameeda Khatoon, who has been running the business for the past four years, got angry on learning about the transfer of funds without her knowledge, and took the 26 girls to his home. Ayub is not well-off as is evident from the state of his home. The case was highlighted only because political parties got involved. Otherwise there's not much to add to it,' he added. The madressah from where the loan was taken is a two-storey bungalow in Jamshed Quarters. The main door was locked and the curtains drawn as a watchman from the adjacent building said it was a 'religious school running for the past four years'. A Jamia Binoria spokesman, Mohammad Jawad, said the real issue was the non-registration of madressahs across the city. Speaking on the phone, he said, 'This was a private madressah inside a house no one knew about. It is an unregistered madressah. But what's surprising is how the issue was highlighted differently for point-scoring and taken up by people without questioning the purpose behind it.' However, Rauf Siddiqi, an MQM politician, said that the story doesn't add up. 'Whoever is calling it a matter of a debt gone wrong, does not understand the nature of such issues. I had my doubts from day one and will continue to question why the girls were dumped in that house in the first place.'

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India-Pakistan

Binori mosql holy man gunned down in Karachi

2014-09-11

[DAWN] Sunni holy man and lecturer of Jamia Binoria, Maulana Masood Baig was bumped off by unknown assailants in North Nazimabad's Hyderi area on Wednesday. The holy man, who was the son-in-law of renowned holy man and head of Jamia Binoria Mufti Naeem, was shot while heading home from Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... University by assailants riding a cycle of violence. Masood was struck down in his prime. More than a dozen people have bit the dust in a spate of what is being described as sectarian killings in recent days despite a Rangers-led targeted operation underway in the city. On Saturday, the elder son of former senator Allama Abbas Kumaili, also a holy man, was bumped off and his two guards were maimed in a targeted attack in Azizabad. Allama Ali Akbar Kumaili, 40, was rubbed out in what was found to be a sectarian attack by Sherlocks. Ali Akbar Kumaili, father of four, was known for his oratory skills and for his style of addressing Majalis-e-Aza. The Majlis Wahdat-e-Moslemeen had demanded on Sunday that an army operation be launched in Karachi immediately on the pattern of North Wazoo, as the killing of Allama Ali Akbar Kumaili had "exposed the hollow claims" of success of the ongoing targeted operation.

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India-Pakistan

LEAs nab target killers among 87 men

2013-11-26

[Pak Daily Times] Law enforcers claimed to have held around 87 suspects including four alleged hit mans involved in 70 cases during separate targeted raids and operations conducted across the city on Monday. In the first happening, District East police apprehended four alleged hit mans involved in 70 cases of assassination. SSP East Pir Mohammad Shah while addressing a presser at his office disclosed the arrests, he said that the police locked away Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! the accused separately from Jamshed Quarters and Gulshan-e-Iqbal locality. The accused were identified as Faraz alias Latoo, Sohail alias Sannata, Kamran alias Dama and Imran alias Langra, who were involved in 70 cases of assassinations, including coppers. The accused Faraz alias Latoo killed 14 people, including two students of Jamia Binoria in Jamshed Quarter area on November 5. The accused confessed that he killed seven political workers on the directives of gang war criminal Shahid. The accused Sohail alias Sannata was involved in 34 cases of murder, including coppers. Sannata along with his lover companion Qasim killed a Zuljina ahead of the month of Muharram. Qasim was already arrested from Mobina Town locality. Kamran alias Dama was involved in 29 cases of murder, while Imran aka Langra, who according to the police belongs to a political party, killed 34 people, including coppers. All the accused were assassins. Separately, Pakistain Rangers Sindh has conducted targeted raids in Afshani Gali - Lyari, Drigh Colony, 36/G Landhi, Sector 5/F and 5/E New Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , North Nazimabad Block N, FC Area, Vita Chowrangi - Korangi, Green Town, Iqbal Nagar - Gaddap and Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 17 last night. Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels... snap checking was carried out on University Road and Badar Commercial - DHA areas. During the above mentioned actions 15 hardened criminals were arrested, and weapons recovered. Similarly, Karachi police arrested 68 criminals during various targeted raids and operations conducts across the metropolis. The officials also recovered weapons and drugs from their possession.

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India-Pakistan

The Madrassa Networks Of Sindh

2013-07-14

[FridayTimes] Thousands of new religious schools that opened in urban Sindh after 9/11 are a cause of concern for the provincial government In a recent survey carried out by the Sindh Home Ministry, there are 12,545 madrassas in the province, of which 2,161 are sectarian and dangerous. About 74 percent of these religious schools are in Urban Sindh (Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , Hyderabad and Sukkur). At least 8,191 out of them opened after 9/11. About 67 percent of the madrassas in the province are owned by people who do not have a Sindh domicile. According to the survey, 6,191 of the madrassas belong to the Deobandi school of thought, 2,811 are Barevli, 412 follow the Ahle Hadith doctrine and 512 belonged to the Shia fiqh. The most alarming aspect of the study is that the areas with the highest concentration of madrassas are the focal points of sectarianism. One example of that is Karachi's central district that has more than 813 madrassas. More than 74 percent of all sectarian motivated killings in Karachi are carried out in this district. Mufti Taimoor Afridi owns the Jamia Islamia madrassa in North Karachi, with 381 students mostly from the tribal areas. "These children would have joined the Taliban if they weren't studying here," he said. "We are teaching and feeding them. The money comes from local donors." Mufti Taimoor Afridi recently bought a new 4x4 Vigo worth Rs 3.2 million. Inside the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ...which is the false nose and plastic mustache of the murderous banned extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain, whatcha might call the political wing of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... 's headquarters in Karachi, party head Aurangzeb Farooqi says his group's madrassas do not promote sectarian rivalry. "We have hundreds of madrassas with thousands of students, and we do not teach sectarianism." The population of madrassa students in Sindh according to the Home Ministry survey is estimated at up to 120,000 to 150,000. "We have seen cases in the past where we recovered children chained in a madrassa named Madrassa al Arabia al Uloom," said Mohammad Rameez Khan, an official of the Sindh Home Ministry. "The parents enrolled the children but the madrassa administration chained them so they wouldn't run-away." In 2005, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad promulgated the Societies Registration (Sindh Amendment) Ordinance, under which no seminary can be set up or run in the province without being registered. A new section 21 was included in the 1860 law, with four clauses, that also made it compulsory for all seminaries to submit annual reports of their performance, their expenses and receipts, and audits of their accounts. The law also prohibited teaching or publishing "any literature which promotes militancy or spreads sectarianism or religious hatred". But the madrassa networks remain a major cause of concern for the Sindh government. "A majority of sectarian forces of Evil use these madrassa networks not just to hide but to recruit, pick and even train," said senior police officer Chaudhry Aslam, who heads the CID. But any reform of law enforcement moves could backfire if madrassa owners are not taken on board, analysts say. "The biggest problem is enforcement," said Sharfuddin Memon, former home minister and CPLC chief. "We should also take stern action against hate literature and enforce laws to regulate these seminaries." "There are over 600 madrassas in Sindh which are red flagged and termed dangerous," said a source in the Sindh Home Ministry. But analysts say it is hard to prove how a specific religious curriculum promotes hatred, violence and prejudice towards various sects within Islam and non-Musselmens, especially when the entire state and private school curriculum is designed to promote, inculcate and incite the spirit of jihad and hatred among children as young as five. There are also concerns about the future about the thousands of students who enroll in these religious schools. "What will these children do after graduation?" asks Mufti Naeem of Jamia Binoria, one of the largest seminaries in Sindh. "There has to be vocational training and some sort of accommodation to these madrassa students or there would be issues at all levels."

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India-Pakistan

Seminary student among six shot dead in city

2013-02-26

[Dawn] Six people, including a seminary student and a factory owner who fell prey to sectarian killings, were bumped off in the city on Monday, police said. They said that a student of the Jamia Binoria was bumped off and another maimed in an attack apparently on sectarian grounds on Shahrah-e-Quaideen on Monday. They said that gunnies riding a cycle of violence sprayed a car (ABG-834) with bullets near the Noorani Kabab House within the remit of the Ferozabad cop shoppe and rode away. They said that the bullets hit Qari Obaidul Haq, 28, and Nazar Bakht, 30, and they were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Qari Obaid died during treatment. The police said that both men were students of Jamia Binoria in New Town. A senior police officer of the area suspected that the incident was related to the ongoing sectarian strife in the city. Factory owner killed in Manghopir The owner of a marble factory was rubbed out in the Manghopir area on Monday, police said. They said that armed motorcyclists targeted Akhlaq Hussain, 40, the owner of Ghazi marble factory, in Kunwari Colony within the jurisdiction of the Pirabad cop shoppe. The victim died before he could be taken to hospital, the police said, adding that he was a resident of Awan Colony in Pirabad and originally hailed from Chakwal. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities. Later, the body was taken to the Incholi Imambargah from where it was supposed to be taken to his hometown for burial. SSP-West Asif Ajaz Sheikh said the killing appeared to have a sectarian motive. The victim had been shot a single bullet in the head, the SSP said. Teenager rubbed out A teenager was rubbed out near the PIDC area on Monday evening, police said. They said that gunnies riding a motorbike targeted Asad Anwar, 18, who was also on a bike, within the remit of the Civil Lines cop shoppe and fled. The body was shifted to the JPMC for a post-mortem examination. A pistol was also recovered from his possession. He was a resident of Sultanabad, the police said. The killing took place a few yards from the Chief Minister's House located in the high-security zone. The police were not sure about the motive for the killing. 'Police informer' killed in Orangi A middle-aged man, said to be a police informer, was killed in Orangi Town on Monday evening. Police said that gunnies riding a cycle of violence targeted Nazim Mursaleen, 55, outside his house in Orangi Town's Sector 11 ½ and rode away. The victim was struck down in his prime after suffering a fatal gunshot wound. A senior police officer said that the victim had remained associated with many political and religious parties, including the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain ...a Sunni Deobandi organization, a formerly registered Pak political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. Its stated goal is to oppose Shia influence in Pakistain. They're not too big on Brelvis, either. Or Christians. Or anybody else who's not them. The organization was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organization, but somehow it keeps ticking along, piling up the corpse counts... , in the past, but more recently he had become a police informer. He said that one of the brothers of the victim had also been bumped off in a similar style. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hopsital for medico-legal formalities. Man found rubbed out The trussed-up body of a young man was found in Orangi Town on Monday. Police said that the body was found in the Mohammedan Nagar area in Orangi Town's Sector 11 ½. The victim had been shot in the head. They said that the victim was identified as Sarfraz, a resident of Gulshan-e-Ghazi, and he was a garments factory worker. He had gone out for work on Sunday but did not return. It appeared that he had been kidnapped and later killed by unknown persons, the police added. Bullet-riddled body found The body of an unidentified young man was found in the old city area on Monday morning. Police said that the blood-soaked body was found in the Paper Market within the remit of the Kharadar cop shoppe. The victim was wearing trousers and a shirt and appeared to be in his mid-20s. He sustained 12 bullet wounds, the police said, adding that he was killed somewhere else and the killers dumped the body near the Paper Market. The body was taken to the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... for medico-legal formalities. Later, it was taken to the Edhi morgue for identification. 'Bandit' killed in Landhi An alleged bandit was killed by area people in Landhi on Monday. Police said that a lone bandit entered a shop in Landhi No 6 and held the staff at gunpoint. However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... area people gathered outside the shop and sensing danger the bandit opened fire. The area people also returned fire and during the cross firing a rickshaw driver, later identified as Shakeel Ahmed, suffered a bullet wound. The police said that the suspected bandit was also maimed and was struck down in his prime. The police claimed to have recovered a TT pistol from the possession of the alleged bandit. The body was shifted to the JPMC for medico-legal formalities. Later, the body was taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification. Suspect killed in 'encounter' Another alleged bandit was killed and his accomplice was maimed in a police encounter in the Grumandir area within the remit of the Jamshed Quarters cop shoppe on Monday. Police said that gunnies were busy robbing a store when a police patrol arrived at the scene. The suspects opened fire on the police, who also returned fire. They said that one suspect was struck down in his prime while the second suspect, identified as Shaharyar, was tossed in the slammer I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! in maimed condition. He was taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment. The dear departed could not be identified till late in the night. The police claimed to have recovered pistols from their possession.

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India-Pakistan

Two ASWJ men among seven shot dead in city

2013-02-24

[Dawn] Seven men, including two holy mans said to be associated with the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and an equal number of coppers, were bumped off in the city on Friday, police said. They said that Maulana Dilfaraz Mauavia, 45, and his associate Haji Usman were targeted by two men riding a cycle of violence near the Denim Chowrangi within the remit of the SITE-A cop shoppe. The two men suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where Maulana Mauavia was pronounced dead on arrival while Haji Usman died during treatment, said SITE SP Ali Asif. He said that the ASWJ claimed that Maulana Mauvia was associated with the party, while the second victim was said to be a former student of Jamia Binoria. An ASWJ front man said that Maulana Mauvia was a leader of the party's Baldia Town chapter and he along with his associate Haji Usman was heading home after offering Friday prayers. Late Friday night, two ASWJ activists were targeted in the Gulbahar area, the police said. The officials said that Naveed Ahmed and Muhammad Sohail were sitting near a shop in Phoolwali Gali where they were fired at in a drive-by shooting. The maimed were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where Naveed died during treatment. The killings took place at a time when ASWJ workers were staging protest demonstrations in different parts of the city over assassinations of its activists and supporters. Two coppers bumped off Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels... two coppers were rubbed out in different areas of the city, officials said. They added that police constable Akhtar Ali was bumped off in the Metroville area of Site. The police said that the police constable was heading home from work on a motorbike when he was targeted by gunnies riding a cycle of violence. The victim was posted in the Site-B cop shoppe. The police shifted the body to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities. A young police official was rubbed out in Manghopir on Friday night, officials said. They added said that police constable Nadeem Baloch, 28, was riding a bike when he was targeted within the remit of the Manghopir bazaar cop shoppe. The police said that the victim was not in uniform. They shifted the body to the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... '>Bloody Karachi for medico-legal formalities. Killing in North Bloody Karachi A young man was bumped off in what the police described as a targeted attack in North Bloody Karachi on Friday. The police said that gunnies riding a cycle of violence fired at Maqsood Ali, 32, who was returning home after offering Friday prayers in Sector 5-C-2 within the jurisdiction of the Khawaja Ajmer Nagri cop shoppe. He was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He's dead, Jim! on arrival, they said. North Bloody Karachi SP Syed Salman Hussain said that the victim was not active in any political or religious party. However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the victim's elder brother, Hafiz Ahmed Ali, was an office-bearer of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... in Bloody Karachi. Man rubbed out A young man was rubbed out in the New Bloody Karachi Industrial Area on Friday evening, police said. They said that Mohammad Kashif and his friend Faisal were having tea outside an auto-workshop when gunnies riding a cycle of violence pulled up there, pumped two bullets in Kashif's head and rode away, said North Bloody Karachi SP Hussain. It was not immediately clear whether the victim had affiliation with any political or religious party, the police said. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities. Killing in Korangi A middle-aged man was killed in Korangi on Friday, police said. They said that gunnies riding a motorbike opened fire on a jeep near Singer Chowrangi within the remit of the Awami Colony cop shoppe and rode away. The bullets hit Abdul Sattar, 40, who was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead. He's dead, Jim! on arrival. The police were not sure about the motive for the killing. They said that the victim was previously affiliated with the proscribed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain ...a Sunni Deobandi organization, a formerly registered Pak political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. Its stated goal is to oppose Shia influence in Pakistain. They're not too big on Brelvis, either. Or Christians. Or anybody else who's not them. The organization was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organization, but somehow it keeps ticking along, piling up the corpse counts... However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... the ASWJ, believed to be the reincarnation of the banned SSP, did not own the victim as their worker or supporter. Minor girl found 'raped', murdered The body of a six-year-old girl was found at a desolate place in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on Friday. Police said that the girl had gone missing on Thursday noon in Sikandar Goth and her father, a tailor by profession, lodged a report regarding her disappearance with the Sachal cop shoppe after he failed to find her. He informed the police that his daughter was playing outside the home but did not return. On Friday evening, the body was found in a deserted lane within the remit of the Mobina Town cop shoppe. The body was shifted to the JPMC for a post-mortem examination. Although, the findings of the post-mortem examination were not immediately known, the police suspected that the little girl had been subjected to a sexual assault before being murdered. There were marks of strangulation around the neck, the police said.

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India-Pakistan

State of anarchy

2013-02-03

[Dawn] THURSDAY'S attack targeting two holy mans and a madressah student in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... reinforces a disturbing truth: gunnies roam the city's streets leaving death in their wake, and law enforcers are unable to stop them. That the ambush took place on Sharea Faisal, one of Bloody Karachi's main thoroughfares, in broad daylight, also highlights the brazenness with which killers operate in the metropolis. Many 'sensitive' locations, including armed forces' installations, are situated in the area. The holy mans belonged to Jamia Binoria, one of Bloody Karachi's most influential Deobandi madressahs. The hit was recorded by CCTV cameras belonging to a wedding lawn in the vicinity. The chilling footage shows three assailants calmly spraying the vehicle carrying the victims with bullets, then riding off on a cycle of violence. Over the past week a number of workers belonging to different religious and political groups have been killed in Bloody Karachi, which is not news in itself considering 'routine' levels of violence in the metropolis. Police have attributed Thursday's ambush, which, thankfully, has not resulted in the usual violent reaction, to the "ongoing spree of sectarian killings". If this assessment is correct it would be in line with other incidents of cold-blooded shooting of Shias and Sunnis including some high-profile political and religious activists. While one hopes that the camera footage in Thursday's killing will provide solid clues, overall, the police's investigative capabilities have hardly kept pace with such incidents. The force's investigations wing was merged with the operations wing in 2011. So whatever little work was being done by the investigations wing has been greatly reduced. Also, with so many factors behind Bloody Karachi's violence -- ethnic, political, sectarian, criminal -- no one, especially in government, seems to have any idea about what's going on, or how to stop it. It seems that the state does not have the intention or motivation to lift the lid off Bloody Karachi's boiling cauldron of violence and identify the problems. Nor do the city's various political actors. Sindh government officials have said an "operation" will be launched to crack down on crime. Unless there is action to back up such words, which have been heard countless times, such pronouncements will remain meaningless.

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India-Pakistan

Religious scholar, driver shot dead in Bahadurabad

2012-05-15

[Dawn] A well-known religious scholar was bumped off in what police described as a sectarian attack in the Bahadurabad area on Sunday. The police said Maulana Aslam Sheikhupuri with his two guards -- Wazeer Ali and Najamuddin -- and driver Muhammad Safrain was on his way to Al-Koran Courses Centre in Bahadurabad in a car (AFU-655) to deliver a fortnightly lecture there. When the car reached near Rangoonwala Hall within the remit of the New Town cop shoppe, three men riding a cycle of violence intercepted the vehicle and sprayed it with a volley of bullets. Gulshan division SP Salam Sheikh told Dawn that none of the holy man's guards could return fire. Quoting the statement of one of the two guards, who also sustained bullet wounds in the attack, the SP said one of the assailants got off the two-wheeler and went over to the other side of the car and fired several shots at it. All the four occupants of the car, including Maulana Sheikhupuri, who was sitting in the back seat of the car with a guard, sustained bullet wounds, the area SP said, adding that the assailants rode away on their cycle of violence. The police said the maimed were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where the Maulana was pronounced dead on arrival and shortly after driver Safrain also died. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... JPMC medico-legal officer Dr Kaleem Sheikh said Maulana Sheikhupuri and his driver were brought dead to the hospital. The police collected several spent bullet casings of 9mm pistols from the crime-scene. SP Sheikh said it appeared to be an incident of sectarian killing. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... Sherlocks were looking at it from every angle. Hearing the news of the killing, a large number of students, associates and friend of the slain holy man reached the JPMC. The police said for the last four years the holy man used to visit Al-Koran Courses Centre in Bahadurabad on second Sunday of every month to deliver a lecture. Owners of the centre provided him a pick-and-drop facility in their car. Maulana Sheikhupuri, 54, belonged to the Deoband school of thought and held the title of shaikhul hadees. He was the prayer leader of Masjid-o-Madressah Tawabeen in Gulshan-e-Maymar. He had completed his religious education from Jamia Binoria, SITE. He was a Hafiz-e-Koran and had memorised the holy book in just 11 months, his associates said. He authored hundreds of books on religious topics. He had been handicapped in the legs for the last three years after a stroke. Following the medico-legal formalities at the JPMC, the body of the holy man was shifted to Gulshan-e-Maymar. Enraged youths accompanying the coffin had gun sex. Later, Maulana Taqi Usmani led his funeral prayer, which was held in the Madressah Tawaban. Till late in the night, no FIR of the killing was lodged at the New Town cop shoppe.

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India-Pakistan

Trucking through Pakistan: A dirty business

2011-09-05

Attacks on trucks carrying NATO supplies are not likely to stop soon, but the US is not depending on the Pakistani government The US and NATO depend on Pakistan for logistic support for their war in Afghanistan because most of their supplies goes through Karachi through what many in the port city call the 'Pashtun transport mafia'. The Pakistani security establishment understands that 'alternative routes' might be impossible for speedy supplies, and that is why Islamabad often blackmails the US using sabotage tactics. It was on information revealed by Rahimullah, a terrorist in police custody for orchestrating the Nishtar Park Bombing, that the Intelligence Bureau, the CID and police conducted a raid on a house in Baldia. Terrorists inside the house fired at the police, and the police retaliated. According to the police, all the three men arrested - Sultan Omer, Siddique Mehsud and Zubair Bengali - were suicide bombers from the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Sultan was the brother of Sultan Saifullah (suicide bomber of the Nishtar Park bombing), Siddique was a relative of Baitullah Mehsud, while Zubair was the relative of Abdul Karim Bengali, the suicide bomber who had killed Allama Hassan Turabi. In that house, Rahimullah was hiding Shukat Awan - one of the largest NATO oil contractors for whom the group had demanded $25 million as ransom. Shukat Awan was killed during the operation. Rahimullah also disclosed that the group had all been trained in suicide bombing in Waziristan, and had been in Karachi for several months. They were being handled by Qari Zafar. The group had been funded by Abid Mehsud, a commander of the Baitullah Mehsud group, to buy arms, explosives and vehicles. One of the suicide bombers was linked with the assassinated Mufti Amin of Jamia Binoria, who according to a police source "had dodgy connections". Shaukat Awan was not the NATO supplier to have died. Muhammad Farooq (38), Mushtaq Mesud (42) and three other NATO suppliers have also been targeted and killed in Karachi alone. "Over the years Karachi has become one of the most important cities of the world not because of its ethnic tensions but because of its strategic location and the port which receives more than 80 percent of NATO supplies," a senior foreign diplomat said. NATO supplies arrive at Karachi's Port Qasim (Although Tehrik-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan staged a demonstration to block NATO supplies near the Native Jetty bridge instead). Americans have built one of the largest consulates in the world in Karachi and have repeatedly used British diplomats to pressure MQM - one of the largest stakeholders in Karachi - to maintain peace in the city. According to one source, the ANP has huge stakes in NATO supplies and has strong influence among Karachi's transporters. "Gawadar is an alternate port, but it is not operational yet for the NATO to use it," said Brigadier (r) Shaukat Qadir. He said Pakistan received payments for NATO supplies and it was therefore important for Pakistan to ensure the supplies are not disrupted. Asked who is behind attacks on trucks carrying NATO supplies, he said, "My guess would be TTP and its affiliates. The Punjabi Taliban." In Karachi, there are many third-tier sub-contractors working for NATO, most of them of Pashtun and Mehsud origin. They get contracts from second-tier sub-contractors from Dubai, who the contracts have been outsourced to from contractors in Washington, DC. One such sub-contractor, Abdul Hakim Mehsud said, "Its one of the toughest jobs in the world - recently over 13 of my trucks and three of my drivers had been vanished in interior Sindh. But the profit margins are high and that keeps me motivated." In Karachi, there are many third-tier sub-contractors working for NATO, most of them of Pashtun and Mehsud origin. They get contracts from second-tier sub-contractors from Dubai, who the contracts have been outsourced to from contractors in Washington, DC. One such sub-contractor, Abdul Hakim Mehsud said, "Its one of the toughest jobs in the world - recently over 13 of my trucks and three of my drivers had been vanished in interior Sindh. But the profit margins are high and that keeps me motivated." While there are no statistics available on how many trucks had been torched by militants so far, according to one NATO contractor the number in Pakistan alone is in hundreds. Most of the attacks occur in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and interior Sindh. "In December 2008, militants destroyed 400 containers carrying food, fuel, and military vehicles," a NATO source said. After that, NATO and ISAF began paying tribes to ensure supplies get across safe. Karachi's ethnic riots, political instability, and sectarianism have earned it the reputation of being the world's most dangerous city. In the last four years, over 5,000 people have been killed in politically-motivated violence. Not very long ago, it hosted Al Qaeda's operational headquarters. It is still considered by many as a Taliban stronghold. In Karachi's chemical markets, ammonium nitrate is produced by fertiliser companies. While the chemical is on the Pakistani customs control list, it is widely available in open market. This ammonium nitrate is used in improvised explosive devices that account for 66 percent of foreign casualties in Afghanistan since the war started in 2001. The makeshift bombs have claimed 368 troops in 2010. This year, the number has already reached 143. "We can deliver you big quantities of the chemical at the right price," said Ahmed Jan, a local smuggler, one of the few willing to speak on the record. "For a higher price we can deliver you the items in Afghanistan." The US Consulate and Pakistani customs intelligence have been working closely to stop the smuggling. Earlier this year, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce was informed that more than 6,000 trucks of NATO/ISAF supplies had not reached in Chaman and Iman Garh borders. The disclosure sparked an internal auditing within NLC and FBR and corruption of Rs7 billion was found. The FBR and NLC had reportedly issued notices to 21 and 22 grade officers and had put 100 of its officers and clearing/forwarding agents in the Exit Control List. It was also disclosed that trucks carrying containers of NATO goods for NATO did not pay any levy to the government. The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) charges Rs400 from each container, and the Qasim International Containers Terminal (QICT) charges another Rs400. Experts believe the attacks on NATO containers are carried out by Hakimullah Mehsud, who had been given the task by Baitullah Mehsud. But recently, especially after 2009, "There have been instances especially in Interior Sindh in which the security establishment has used or orchestrated attacks on NATO trucks to pressure the US," according to Mathew Irvin, a security consultant for NATO/ISAF in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some sub-contractors also report fake attacks to carry out insurance fraud. At least on one occasion, a sub-contractor was caught and fined. The attacks are not likely to stop any time soon, according to a foreign diplomat, "But we have made pacts with warlords, tribes and various stakeholders in Pakistan who ensure safe transit of the goods. They include political parties both in Pakistan and Afghanistan."

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