Despite legislation, ECP in two minds over use of EVMs in next election

November 19, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Despite the required legislation to hold elections using electronic voting machines (EVMs) going through, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is still not sure if EVMs will actually be used in the next polls.

This observation from the ECP came during a meeting of the members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice, chaired by PTI MNA Riaz Fatyana.

It took India 20 years and Brazil 22 years to start using these machines, ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan told lawmakers, explaining that it will also take them “a while” to get EVMs up and running.

The ECP official said there are challenges in using EVMs and they cannot say anything with surety on whether the use of EVMs will be applicable in the next elections or not.

Khan said EVMs would have to go through 14 steps before they can be used in the next general elections. There would be three to four more pilot projects related to the use of the EVMs, he maintained.

“How many EVMs will there be at a polling station also remains to be figured out,” he said, adding that the state institution is working to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.

On this occasion, MNA Aalia Kamran raised some very pertinent questions, including how the EVMs would be used in areas without internet.

“[The] people of Balochistan barely go to cast votes. How will they cast a vote on an EVM?” she asked.

On Friday, the PTI government bulldozed 33 bills in a joint session of Parliament, including the election amendment bill, making way for the use of EVMs in the next elections.

The Opposition has continually objected to the use of these machines, saying they are prone to hacking and not reliable.

Meanwhile, senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal says EVMs are vulnerable to rigging even if they do not operate online.

“The machines will work under the government’s supervision. They can be tampered with,” he said while addressing the media outside Parliament House alongside PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman, JUI-F’s Shahida Akhtar and PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb.

“What happened yesterday will go down as a black day in Pakistan’s history, where a red line was crossed by the government and the world saw the worst demonstration of Pakistan’s government pass controversial, polarising legislation with an artificial majority, created by coercion and carrots,” Rehman said.

Iqbal said there was information that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairperson was allegedly using organizational resources and data for the government’s upcoming election campaign.

“If NADRA is found leaking national data to the government, they will be liable to face treason charges,” he said.

Iqbal, too, said it was the “blackest” day in the history of Parliament, expressing the hope that the courts would now uphold the Constitution.

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Bandit gang busted, cash, bikes, arms recovered; smuggling bid foiled

Irfanullah Khan

November 19, 2021

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Police busted a four-member gang of bandits and recovered millions of rupees looted cash, three motorcycles and arms from their possession here on Thursday.

According to details, the Cabinet Division police traced a criminal gang and detained it during a raid in Hayatabad.

The police recovered three motorcycles, 6.3 million rupees looted cash and arms from possession of the detainees.

The detainees in the preliminary investigation admitted of snatching 9.8 million rupees cash from currency dealer in Hayatabad, involvement in motorcycles, mobile snatching and other crimes in Hayatabad, Agha Mirjani, Phandu, Pashtkhara and Gulberg police stations jurisdiction.

Various cases were registered against the detainees and further investigation was underway.

Meanwhile, Peshawar Police also foiled a bid to smuggle arms and ammunition to Punjab and arrested an accused here on Thursday.

According to details, SHO Matni police station Imran Khan on a tip-off regarding arms smuggling, along police contingent started snap checking of vehicles.

During search of a suspected car, five rifles and 12 thousand bullets of different bores were recovered from secret cavities of vehicle.

The police arrested the car driver identified as Jawad Khan s/o Muhammad Rasood, impounded the vehicle along with recovered weapons being smuggled from Dara Adam Khel to Punjab and after registering a case against detainee started an investigation.

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Swabi women varsity without regular VC, 11 departments closed

Palwasha Mustafa

November 19, 2021

SWABI: The Women University Swabi (WUS) has been functioning without a regular vice-chancellor since May this year after Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who is also chancellor of public sector universities in the province, sent its regular VC, Prof. Shahana Urooj Kazmi on forced leave twice spanning six months.

Additional charge of WUS VC was given to Prof. Zahoorul Haq, the VC of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan. Earlier, Prof. Mukarram Shah also worked as acting VC.

It has been learnt that the WUS senate meeting, which was scheduled to be held at the Governor House last Wednesday, has been postponed for lack of quorum.

Prof. Shahana Urooj said that before convening the senate meeting it was expected that she would be terminated from service. “They wanted to end my service, but after the court verdict on the show cause notice it was difficult,” she said.

“I have submitted a 70-page reply to the show cause notice. I never indulged in any wrong doing and performed my official duty,” she said.

The Peshawar High Court’s “interim relief” order in the show cause notice says that “no final order shall be passed” against Prof Shahana till November 26, the next date of hearing.

University sources said that Prof. Kazmi’s forced leave would end on November 20.

They said she can not be sent on forced leave for third time and the university senate or chancellor had to make a decision either terminating or allowing her to resume charge as VC again.

On the show cause case, the decision was handed down on Saturday, giving relief to the petitioner (Prof. Kazmi) and directing her to submit a reply to the notice.

Earlier, a writ petition filed by Prof. Shahana against the recommendations of the Governor Inspection Team and the order of the chancellor for sending her on forced leave was dismissed. However, she challenged the PHC verdict in the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, around 11 departments of Women University Swabi were closed down by Swabi Model School (SMS) after the university failed to pay the building rent.

Officials said university has rented building from Swabi Model School (SMS) in Kota village where 11 departments are functional for the past few years but the university has failed to pay the rent and it has Rs6.4 million in dues to be paid to the school.

On Monday, after repeated warnings, the SMS staff closed down all the 11 departments working in its building and didn’t allow the students to enter,” said another official, adding that like the rest of the universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the varsity is also passing through a financial crisis.

It is worth mentioning here that Swabi Model School was established during the MMA government by the then minister education Fazal Ali Haqqani on a large piece of land in Kota village. He named it Fazal Ali Haqqani School but the ANP government renamed it Swabi Model School. Since the school has a large building which is more than enough for its own use so it rented a large part of the school building to WUS which established 11 departments in the building where hundreds of female students are enrolled. Its own main campus is under construction adjacent to the school.

The payment of rent is a perennial issue between the school and university administration.

The school administration says that they are not treated well by the university administration and they don’t pay on time. On the other hand the university administration claims that the school was merged into the university by its first vice chancellor Shahzadi Akhunzadi.

There are allegations and counter allegations from both sides. After the merger, the school experienced financial losses three years ago following which the university started efforts to end the merger on one pretext or the other.

The university didn’t want to share the financial burden of this school in the face of its own financial losses so Minister Education Shahram Tarakai was also involved in negotiations and at long last in August 2021 the university issued a letter that it has nothing to do with the school.

A teacher of the women university claimed that a few days ago the students were not allowed to take classes in the building and the university administration had asked for one week time to clear its dues.

“Now after two days they have again stopped the classes. The university has to pay Rs3.4 million in rent and Rs3 million in security,” she claimed.

A school teacher claimed that they have not been paid for four months and they are waiting for the payment of rent from the university so that their salaries could be released.

University students also blamed that the tussle on the rent and use of the building is wasting their precious time.

When contacted the university administration rejected the claims of the school teachers and administration.

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Country being run in undemocratic manner by undemocratic people: Shazia Marri

Our Correspondent

November 19, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Information Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPP) Shazia Atta Marri and Information Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party Faisal Karim Kundi have said that the country is being run in an undemocratic manner.

PPP leaders while talking to media said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has made a mockery of the country and the parliament. Joint session of the parliament was used to pass black laws which is unfortunate, they said adding the last joint meeting was also canceled due to the non-availability of members as 30 to 40 members were not available to them. PTI members themselves had said that they did not come on their own accord.

Shazia Marri and Faisal Karim Kundi said that even the copies of the bill were not provided. We asked for the mic and were not able to speak. Among the bills was a NEPRA bill that abolished provincial representation. The joint session of the parliament was used maliciously.

Shazia Marri said that they talk about the problems of the people through the media. No government policy or legislation is for the relief of the people. The people will not vote for the PTI. Those that have voted for the PTI are regretting it now. Cameras were found inside polling booths during the Senate elections. FBR’s website is hacked 71,000 times monthly.

She said, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said to the Speaker that the voting machine in the National Assembly has been there for the last 26 years, but it has not been used. Elections are rigged in the name of magic ink and RTS. The RTS system fails and then the polling staff is abducted.

We have no objection over the use of technology but there is no transparency in the political system. Yesterday was a dark day, the people can decide when Imran Khan is to leave the country. Imran Khan has snatched roofs from the poor, she added.

Faisal Karim Kundi said that hurdles were erected against the PPP to halt its meetings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Various excuses are being used. The Sindh High Court had clearly ordered that strict security arrangements be made for Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. However, the KP government is refusing to provide security to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He clarified that PPP meetings will be held in any case.

Former federal minister Asma Arbab Alamgir and Nazir Dhoki were also present on the occasion.

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Famous drummer Pappu Saeen passes away in Lahore

Asifa Farhat

November 8, 2021

LAHORE: Famous Pakistani drummer Pappu Saeen passed away in Lahore after he lost his battle to liver cancer on Sunday.

The drummer was admitted at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute And Research Centre for the last 15 days, Saeen’s family said.

The doctors said 85% of the drummer’s liver had stopped functioning, which led to his death on Sunday.

Saeen had performed in the United States and several other countries, where he promoted the country’s soft image.

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Top military officials to brief lawmakers of PCNS on national security today

Nuzhat Aftab

November 8, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Top military officials will brief a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) comprising members of the National Assembly (NA) and Senate on the current national security issues today (Monday).

The meeting of the PCNS will be held at 11am today with NA Speaker Asad Qaisar in the chair.

Moved by Minister for Law and Justice Muhammad Farogh Naseem, the National Assembly passed a motion in its sitting on November 5, to allow the use of the chamber of the National Assembly on November 8, for a briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.

During the meeting, the top military brass will brief legislators about the overall affairs of national security.

The four provincial chief ministers, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) president and prime minister and the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan have also been invited to the meeting. All the members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence will also attend the meeting.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were also invited to the meeting.

Earlier on November 8, the opposition had decided to attend the PCNS meeting at the Parliament House.

Leader of the PDM in Senate Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar had told The News on Thursday evening that the decision to attend the PCNS meeting was made to hear the authorities and government on sensitive issues pertaining to national security and apprise them of the point of view of people at large on subjects the government lacks understanding of.

Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar had made it clear that the opposition wouldn’t give the government any opportunity to misguide the officials and people on sensitive issues.

He earlier had a detailed meeting with the former prime minister and Leader of Opposition in Senate Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in his chamber.

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Mega water supply scheme inaugurated in Tank

Irfanullah Khan

November 7, 2021

TANK: A mega water supply scheme was inaugurated at Kot Murtaza village in Gomal area of district Tank on Sunday. The inauguration ceremony was held at Frontier Corps’ Sector Headquarters South (FC SHS) and Sector Commander Brigadier Naiknam Muhammad Baig was chief guest on the occasion.

The ceremony was attended by local elders, officials of District Administration, representatives of Civil Societies and journalists.

The clean drinking water scheme will facilitate more than 5,000 people of four villages including Kot Murtaza, Kot Ghulam, Kot Nawaz and Gardez.

Speaking on the occasion, the Sector Commander South Brigadier Naiknam Muhammad Baig said that after restoration of peace in the area, special steps were being taken to provide basic amenities of life to the local people.

He further stated that Pak-Army and Frontier Crops would never spare any sacrifice for the peace and prosperity of the area, adding, on special directives of IG FC South efforts were being made to overcome the issue of scarcity of potable water in the district.

The local elders and representatives of civil societies have highly applauded the services of FC South and hoped the continuation of these services in future to bring more prosperity to their area.

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PDM decides to hold long march against PTI Government in December

Palwasha Mustafa

November 7, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to hold a long march against the PTI led Government in December.

An emergency meeting of the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has decided to launch protests in provincial capitals before going ahead with a long march towards Islamabad.

The decision was taken at the summit session of the PDM, convened on an urgent basis by the alliance’s president, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to discuss the strategy of the alliance for a joint sitting of the Parliament on November 10 and rising inflation.

After the PDM meeting, PDM Secretary General Shahid Khaqan Abbasi issued a statement.

According to the statement, the PDM session was chaired by Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Leaders of all political parties participated in the meeting through video link. The overall political and economic situation of the country was discussed in the meeting.

The meeting discussed the worst inflation, NAB Ordinance, so-called electoral reforms in detail. The meeting also discussed in detail the internal and external issues facing the country.

Rejecting the worst increase in prices of electricity, gas, petrol, sugar and other essential commodities, the meeting strongly condemned the worst inflation in the country.

According to the statement, the PDM agreed to launch a decisive movement against the government s anti-people sentiments. The meeting decided to hold massive protest rallies in the provincial capitals.

The Opposition alliance held a virtual meeting in which it decided to hold protests in Karachi on November 13, in Quetta on Nov 17, and in Peshawar on Nov 20.

The statement further mentioned that the first rally against the government over rising inflation would be held in Karachi on November 13. The second would be held in Quetta on November 17, and the thirds in Peshawar November 20.

After the final rally in Lahore, there would a long march on Islamabad in December, according to the PDM statement.

It may be recalled that a few days ago, Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the nation had said that it was inevitable to increase the prices of petroleum products otherwise the deficit would increase.

A day after the speech, the federal government sharply increased the prices of petroleum products. The price of petrol was increased by more than Rs 8 per liter.

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Govt plans to increase petroleum levy on POL prices: Shaukat Tarin

Sara Maqsood

November 7, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Government under the special instructions from International Monetary Fund (IMF) will have to increase petroleum development levy on petroleum products, Finance Adviser Shaukat Tarin said.

Just a couple of days after the federal government jacked up prices of petroleum products, it again has expressed the intention to increase the petroleum development levy on petroleum products in the coming days.

“The International Monetary Fund [IMF] has also asked to increase the petroleum development levy [PDL] but it will depend on the global prices of petroleum products,” Shaukat Tarin said.

“If the global price of oil goes down, it will be easy for the government to increase the PDL”, he said.

Tarin said the prices of petroleum products were increased because they were directly linked with the international market, where the prices touched their peak in the last several years.

When and how the government cranks up the PDL depends upon the oil prices in the international market, the finance adviser said.

Ruling out any deadlock in the talks with the IMF, Tarin said there is a single irritant regarding the autonomy of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) being currently negotiated upon which will hopefully be resolved in the coming days.

The adviser declined to comment on the issue regarding the SBP’s autonomy. However, he said the IMF officials have appreciated Pakistan’s objections to the SBP’s autonomy draft which the country [sort of] agreed to in March.

Commenting on the IMF’s condition regarding income tax, Tarin said Pakistan will not go for pyramiding as the country is getting good results on the revenue side.

Pakistan went food deficient and had to import food items which led to the hike in food prices, he said, adding that the global prices of steel, coal and palm oil have gone up and the country has to import them. He said the situation was not the same six to seven months back when petrol, which has recently shot up to $87, was being sold at $45 to $50.

The government has announced a subsidy as part of relief to the poor, he said, adding that the government is making efforts to enhance agricultural produce.

The government is doing all it can to increase agricultural produce, Tarin said, adding that the country got a good sugarcane crop this year which will ultimately help reduce the price of sugar. He also expressed optimism on the increased production of wheat and other staple crops, saying it will ultimately push down food prices.

Imported sugar is in abundant quantity in the country but its price went up because sugar mill owners and dealers hoarded the commodity and got a stay order from the court, he said. The adviser said sugar will sell at around Rs90/kilogramme once the stay order is lifted.

Replying to a question regarding the effective government control on food items, he said that after the passage of the 18th constitutional amendment it was the prerogative of the provinces to fix the prices of food items.

The PTI government is trying to reduce the circular debt without putting the burden on the common people, he said.

Tarin said Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a huge economic relief package for the poor of the country in this difficult time as the government is taking some concrete measures to reduce inflation.

Tarin said the government is considering reducing the import of CBUs, ie Completely Built Units, to reduce the import bill. The government will also try to reduce the import of non-essential items.

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Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s special envoy on Kashmir due today in Islamabad

Nuzhat Aftab

November 7, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador Yousef Aldobeay, Special Envoy of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Jammu and Kashmir, will arrive on a six-day visit today on Sunday.

Ambassador Yousef Aldobeay during his six-day visit will also tour Azad Jammu Kashmir besides his stay in Pakistan.

Ambassador Aldobeay will be accompanied by a delegation comprising OIC’s Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ambassador Tarig Bakhit, and other senior officials.

During the visit, the Special Envoy will hold discussions on peace and security in occupied Kashmir and the human rights and humanitarian situation. “His visit will reinforce the centrality of a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to lasting peace in South Asia,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Saturday.

The special envoy will interact with a cross-section of people from the Kashmiri society, including their true representatives. The delegation will visit a model village housing Kashmiris forced to flee their homes by the Indian forces in occupied Kashmir and meet victims of India’s cross-Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire violations.

Ambassador Yousef Aldobeay will interact with a cross-section of people from Kashmiri society

These engagements will provide the special envoy a first-hand account of the gravity of the situation on the ground in occupied Kashmir and along the LoC.

The presence of the assistant secretary general is particularly significant to follow up on the OIC’s call at the 47th session of the Council of Ministers in Niamey, Niger in November last year, to examine and analyse the egregious violations of international human rights and humanitarian standards in occupied Kashmir with particular reference to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Established by the 14th OIC Summit in Makkah in 2019, the OIC’s Special Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir has played an important leadership role in steering the Organisation’s principled position on this issue.

Special Envoy Aldobeay earlier visited Pakistan and AJK in March last year. He presented his first report to the 47th CFM, in Niamey. The report, inter alia, reaffirmed the OIC’s support to the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination and recommended intensifying coordination between OIC member states to support the Kashmir dispute at international forums.

As part of its broad-based and comprehensive engagement on the Kashmir dispute, the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir at the level of foreign ministers also met on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, on Sept 23, 2021. The joint communiqué adopted on the occasion affirmed the OIC’s unequivocal support to the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination as enshrined in UN Security Council resolutions and firmly repudiated India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 and all subsequent steps. A delegation from the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission also visited Pakistan and AJK in August this year.

Pakistan greatly values the OIC’s principled and steadfast stance on the Kashmir dispute. As a collective voice of over 1.2 billion Muslims across the world, the OIC has led the way on this critical issue for the Ummah.

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