Retreat Arsalan case from NAB: SC
ISLAMABAD: While announcing the
verdict of Dr Arsalan Iftikhar case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) ordered
to retreat the case from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and form a new
investigating commission, Geo News reported Thursday.
A special bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice
Jawad S Khwaja and Justice Arif Khilji, passed the judgment.
Earlier on Tuesday, the bench after completing the
proceedings on Dr Arsalan Iftikhar’s review petition had reserved the judgment.
The bench had stopped the joint investigation team (JIT)
from investigating Arsalan Iftikhar’s case on August 2. Arsalan’s counsel
Sardar Muhammad Ishaq completed the arguments on Tuesday after which Zahid
Bukhari, the counsel for Malik Riaz Hussain, gave counter arguments.
Zahid Bukhari expressed serious reservations over a press
note against the record of the Supreme Court’s registrar in which he (the
registrar) had stated that investigation against Arsalan Iftikhar had not been
stopped. He said the statement given by the registrar was against the facts.
The special bench on August 2 had stopped the JIT from
investigating the case until further orders, while the investigation team was
due to go to London next day to collect evidences but could not leave.
The bench had assured of a suitable action in this regard.
Giving his arguments, Bukhari said that in view of Dr
Arsalan Iftikhar’s reservations, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)
chairman had called back Assistant Superintendent of Police Faisal Bashir and a
DSP from the investigation team after which there was no reason to take further
action on it.
Bukhari also argued that neither any solid basis of
objections nor any proof was brought against NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih
Bukhari. He said that an investigation could not be transferred to any other
department merely on the basis of allegations. According to the NAB law, no
other department can act against a crime, which comes under the purview of NAB.
Bukhari referred to the cases of Moonis Elahi and Abdul
Qadir Gilani wherein the Supreme Court did not change investigation teams
despite their objections to the investigation officers. Only NAB has the
authority to investigate.
Investigation officers could not be appointed on the wish
and desire of an accused. Bukhari objected to an application of the counsel for
Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, saying Malik Riaz Hussain cannot trust any judicial
commission that was why he (Malik Riaz) would not accept any commission.
Since June 6, the court has been issuing arrest warrants
against Malik Riaz Hussain and his family members using Anti-Corruption
Establishment of the Punjab government. As judicial officers are subordinate to
the chief justice of Pakistan, the commission would not be able to dispense
fair justice.
Malik Riaz’s counsel also took plea that the current review
petition is not fit for hearing. A review petition cannot be based on unfair
implementation of a decision. The court was also told that transferable and
non-transferable property of Bahria Town was being seized on the pretext of Ali
Riaz Malik’s arrest.
The NAB prosecutor told the court that the officials of the
Federal Investigation Agency and Islamabad police were included in the JIT to
ensure a transparent investigation and there was no other intention.
The NAB additional prosecutor general assured the court that
investigation would be completed in good faith, with honesty and according to
the law without bearing any pressure.
He further said that cases in question come under the
purview of NAB and the bureau is ready to fulfill its responsibilities.
The bench reserved the judgment for two days after hearing
lawyers of both the parties. Regarding Malik Riaz’s review petition, which has
been pending for two years, the bench held that it will not hear the review
petition, but it will form a larger bench comprising three judges whose names
will be decided by the chief justice of Pakistan.
During the hearing, Malik Riaz’s lawyer, Zahid Bokhari,
objected to the repeated allegations leveled against Malik Riaz and the NAB
chairman by Dr Arsalan Iftikhar’s counsel, Sardar Ishaq, and requested the
court to stop them from repeating the allegations over and over again.
On which, the bench ordered Dr Arsalan’s counsel to be
careful and refrain from repeating the same points. Zahid Bokhari requested the
court that if Arsalan’s counsel repeated the allegations against his client,
that will not be tolerated.
Bokhari told the court that Arsalan Iftikhar never appeared
before the NAB chairman or any other senior officer to refute the allegations
against him. Despite this, Dr Arsalan has been allegedly writing threatening
letters to the NAB chairman.
4 MQM Workers, PPP man among 11 killed in
city
KARACHI: As violence in the city raged on, four workers of the
Muttahida Qaumi Movement, an activist of the Pakistan People’s Party and a
Rangers man were among the nearly a dozen persons killed in separate incidents
of violence on Wednesday, when another worker of the MQM wounded on Monday
night also died.
An MQM activist from a Malir locality
was gunned down near Mehran Depot in the old graveyard alley within the remit
of the Model Colony police station.
Police said suspects riding a
motorcycle followed Khalid Kashmiri, 42, to the alley, where they shot him dead
with a hand gun.
“The suspects pumped eight bullets
into the victim’s head and chest causing his instant death,” said a police
officer of the Model Colony police station. The assassins escaped firing into
the air, the police said.
The body was shifted to the Jinnah
Postgraduate Medical Centre by the police for medico-legal formalities.
On learning about the murder, a large
number of party workers gathered at the hospital.
The slain Mr Kashmiri was an area
office-bearer of the Muttahida Organising Committee.
Quoting area people, police said the
victim was a resident of Amirabad in Model Colony. He was the father of three
and owned an auto workshop in the area.
Following the killing, tension
gripped the Model Colony area where all shops and markets were closed amid
heavy firing.
In another incident, early on
Wednesday morning a city warden and activist of the MQM was shot dead in North
Karachi.
Police said the incident took place
in Mustafa Colony within the remit of the Bilal Colony police station where
suspects riding a motorcycle targeted Shaukat Maqsood, 27, who was sitting in
front of his home.
The victim was seriously wounded in
the firing. He was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), where he died
during treatment.
Police, quoting area people, said the
victim was waiting for water supply when he was attacked.
An officer of the police station said
he was an activist of the MQM’s unit 140-B and worked as a city warden.
Following the killing, tension
gripped the area on Wednesday morning, when all shops and markets of the area
were closed.
An activist belonging to the MQM was
gunned down in Landhi late on Wednesday night.
Police said the incident took place
in Sector 46-C within the remit of the Landhi police station, where suspects
targeted Iqbal Yaseen, 30.
Police said Iqbal was targeted while
he was riding a motorbike near his home.
They said the victim belonged to Unit
80 of the party’s organisational structure. His body was shifted to the JPMC
for medico-legal formalities.
Following the killing, tension
gripped the locality and incidents of firing were reported in the area.
A young man was killed and three
others were wounded in what police described as a shootout between two groups
in Delhi Colony on Wednesday night.
The police said the incident took
place in Delhi Colony within the remit of the Frere police station.
They said the incident took place
near Naz Biryani Centre, where Ahsan Sadiq, 20, a worker of the MQM’s Unit 6,
suffered three gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the JPMC, where he was pronounced
dead on arrival.
Police said three other persons were
also wounded in the firing.
A police officer quoting the victim’s
father said Ahsan was killed by activists of a political party active in the
area.
Till late in the night, the situation
was tense in the locality, where shops and businesses were closed. Additional
police were deployed in the area to avert further clashes.
Wounded activist dies
An activist of the MQM, who was
wounded on Monday night on Jahangir Road within the remit of the Jamshed
Quarters police station, died during treatment at a private hospital.
Police said Saqib, 25, son of
Shafeeq, a worker of the MQM’s Unit 57, was shot at by three suspects near
Jahangir Road late on Monday night.
He was rushed to a private hospital,
where he died during treatment on Wednesday.
Police said the victim was a resident
of Jahangir Road and was sitting outside his home when shot.
PPP activist
A worker of the PPP was gunned down
in Orangi Town on Wednesday night making him the fifth victim of the same party
killed within a week.
Police said the incident took place
in Orangi Town’s Qasba Colony No 1 within the remit of the Pirabad police
station, where Bacha Khan, 42, was targeted as he came out of Mohammadi Masjid.
He was rushed to the ASH, where he
was pronounced dead on arrival.
The police said the victim had
suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The killers fled the scene. They said the
victim was a resident of Qasba Colony and office-bearer of the PPP’s PS-96.
Police said the suspects were said to
have been waiting for the victim near the mosque.
Following the incident, tension
gripped the locality and shops and markets were forced to shut.
Earlier on Tuesday, two PPP workers
were gunned down in Sector 4-I of Baldia Town within the remit of the Saeedabad
police station. Amjad alias Gogi, 30, and Kashif, 35, were near their home when
suspects riding a motorcycle opened fire on them.
On Monday two activists of the PPP
were gunned down in Orangi Town.
Rangers man
A Rangers personal was gunned down
near Star Gate on Sharea Faisal on Wednesday night.
A duty officer of the Airport police
station said the incident took place near Stat Gate, where assailants targeted
Mohammad Younus, 40, who was riding a motorcycle in civilian dress.
He was rushed to the JPMC, where he
was pronounce dead on arrival.
50-year-old killed
A middle-aged man was shot dead by
unknown suspects at Sohrab Goth on Wednesday night.
Police said the incident occurred in
Deluxe Town within the remit of the Sohrab Goth police station, where unknown
suspects targeted Ahsan Usmani, 50. He was a resident of the same area and was
going home after offering prayers at a nearby mosque.
Police suspected personal enmity as
the motive for the murder. The victim originally hailed from Sahiwal.
The police shifted the body to the
ASH for meidico-legal formalities.
Stabbed to death
The body of a taxi driver was found
in North Karachi Sector 7B near the Mohammad Shah graveyard.
Police said the victim was stabbed to
death. A duty officer of the Sir Syed police station said the victim was
identified as Mohammad Saleem.
Police suspected that the motive for
the killing was personal enmity. He was a resident of a katchi abadi in Sector
7-A.
Police shifted the body to the ASH
for medico-legal formalities.
Elderly man killed
An elderly man was killed by unknown
persons in Orangi Town on Wednesday.
Police said the incident took place
in Sector 12 near Nishan-i-Haider Chowk, where suspects riding a motorcycle
opened fire on his car. Sher Mohammad, 75, suffered multiple gunshot wounds
while Haji Nusrat, who was also in the car, escaped unhurt.
The victim was rushed to a nearby
private hospital, where he died during treatment, the police said.
The elderly victim was a resident of
Faqeer Colony and had gone to Sector 12 to attend a funeral. A duty officer of
the Orangi Town police station said police suspected that the victim fell prey
to personal enmity.
Later his body was taken to the ASH
for medico-legal formalities.
Two women found dead
The body of an unidentified woman was
found in Ibrahim Hyderi on Wednesday morning.
A duty officer of the Ibrahim Hyderi
police station said the woman’s corpse was found on a pavement near the Korangi
Creek PAF base.
Police shifted the body to the JPMC,
where doctors said the victim had been strangled as the marks of a rope were
visible on her neck.
She was wearing a burqa.
Following the medico-legal
formalities, the body was taken to the Edhi morgue for want of identification.
The body of another woman was found
in the graveyard of MPR Colony in the Manghopir area on Wednesday.
Police said the body was found in the
graveyard within the remit of the Orangi Town police station and it was taken
to the ASH.
The victim, in her late teens, had
been shot to the head causing her instant death, the police said.
She was identified as Reema, daughter
of Mohammad Faiz. Her brother Mohammadzada told the police that about a month
back Reema had fled home with a young man identified as Akhlaq.
Her father had lodged an FIR at the
Mangopir police station reporting the kidnapping of her daughter by Akhlaq.
Police said that after contracting
marriage in Karachi, the couple had gone to Rawalpind. Akhlaq had sent a copy
of the marriage contract to the girl’s parents through courier, the police
added.
The girl’s family had left their
Mangopir home and relocated to Shah Faisal Mohallah in Orangi Town.
Family members said they would lodge
an FIR after the burial of the victim.
Essa Nagri protest
A protest against an incident of
snatching during which a young man was wounded in Essa Nagri caused a serious
traffic jam during the evening rush hours on University Road and Sir Shah
Suleman Road on Wednesday.
An officer at the PIB police station
said Faisal Maish, 20, resisted a snatching attempt in which he sustained a
gunshot wound.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital,
where he was admitted for treatment.
However, following the incident,
residents of Essa Nagri took to the streets and burnt tyres and blocked the
evening rush traffic.
The protesters forced closure of the
shops at Hasan Square. However police arrived there, teargassed and dispersed
the protesters and helped traffic ease.
Firing during the protest was also
reported. Three of the protesters were picked up by the police.
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official: Defendant in Texas rape case faces arrest warrant after not
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|
Business News:
Talks on BIT inconclusive
ISLAMABAD, Aug 29: Talks between Pakistan and the United States on
the signing of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) remain inconclusive.
Officially, the talks were scheduled
to conclude on August 28, but were extended till Wednesday. The US delegation,
which was holding parleys with government stakeholders for the past three days,
decided to extend its stay in Islamabad for a positive outcome.
A broad range of investment areas
were under consideration of the US-Pakistan negotiating teams. This includes
civil nuclear energy as well as defence production. The US team was holding
parleys with all stakeholders including defence production and Pakistan Atomic
Energy Commission.
The US investment is expected to
cover social as well as manufacturing sectors. The US negotiating team while
speaking informally to a selected group of journalists here on Wednesday,
expressed optimism for the signing of the BIT.
“We have extended our stay in
Islamabad to sort out unresolved issues, explained members of the negotiating
team. However, the team avoided comments on the final outcome of ongoing
negotiations but only resorted to say that good progress was being made in
talks.
The US negotiating team was hopeful
of reaching consensus on unresolved issues including appointment of senior
management board members of investment companies, high level of transparency in
the implementation of treaty, investment laws and
regulations, basic investment protection and state-to-state dispute
settlements.
There is a disagreement between
Pakistan and the United States on the issue of appointment of senior management
board. The US team has proposed that the members of senior management board
should be exempted from any sort of clearance by
security agencies in Pakistan.
Whereas, the Pakistani team stressed
that the security process has to be observed as any Israeli or Indian could be
named on the senior management board.
Pakistan would not accept any Israeli
since it does not recognize Israel nor it has diplomatic relations with that
country.
Likewise, Pakistan also has
reservations that Indians could also be included in the management board.
When asked about the timeframe for
the signing of the BIT, the US team members avoided to give any timeframe and
said the process of negotiation is yet to be completed.
The Board of Investment had expressed
the hope that the signing of BIT would take place in New York on the sidelines
of the UN General Assembly session in which President Asif Zardari will lead
Pakistani delegation.
The members of the team stated that
they were negotiating with all stakeholders to find potential investment by US
private sector. The US government was encouraging investors to tap the
potential in Pakistan.
EXCHANGE FOR CURRENCY NOTES:
U.S.A 95.65
S.Arabia 25.51
U.K 150.83
Japan 1.2181
Euro 119.36
U.A.E 26.04
BULLION RATES IN
RUPEES PER 10 GRAMS
KARACHI
Gold Tezabi (24-ct) Rs 50,400.00
Silver Tezabi Rs 887.14
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Thu, 30 Aug 2012
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Oil
prices ease as US facilities avoid hurricane''s fury
SINGAPORE: Crude oil prices fell in Asian trade Thursday as
supply concerns eased after Hurricane Isaac left product
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Dollar
weakens in Asia after US economic data
TOKYO: The dollar weakened in Asia Thursday after new US data
gave a cautious view of the world s largest economy
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Asian
markets ease after flat Wall St lead
HONG KONG: Asian markets fell on Thursday after Wall Street
closed flat in response to a mixed bag of US economic
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Samsung
unveils first new Windows Phone
BERLIN: Samsung Electronics launched the world s first smartphone
using Microsoft Corp s latest mobile software on
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PC,
IFC sign MoU
ISLAMABAD: The Privatization Commission of Pakistan (PC) and
International Finance Corporation (IFC) here Wednesday
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FBR
extends sales tax return date to Sep 5
Seni
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Rs.19
per kg increased on LPG prices
KARACHI: LPG prices are increased by Rs.19 throughout the country
following the increase of LPG prices in the world
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Asian
markets mixed ahead of Bernanke speech
HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed on Wednesday, with attention
turning to a speech by US Federal Reserve chief B
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Euro
mixed in Asian trade
TOKYO: The euro was mixed in Asia on Wednesday after two eurozone
bond auctions buoyed the embattled unit amid rising
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Crude
down in Asia on G7 calls for output hike
SINGAPORE: Crude sank in Asia Wednesday as a call by the Group of
Seven nations for oil producers to increase output
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POL
prices expected to increase next week
ISLAMABAD: The price of petroleum products is expected to
increase next week following a rise in the per barrel pr
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KSE
100-share index ends 62 points higher
KARACHI: The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) benchmark 100-share
index ended 0.41 percent, or 62.82 points, higher at
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Apple
seeks quick bans on eight Samsung phones
NEW YORK: Apple Inc is seeking speedy bans on the sale of eight
Samsung Electronics phones, moving swiftly to transist
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Euro
weak in Asian trade
TOKYO: The euro slipped in Asian trade Tuesday amid gloomy
sentiment over the eurozone debt crisis and few fresh t
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Asian
shares fall as stimulus hopes fade
HONG KONG: Asian markets mostly edged down Tuesday as fears about
the eurozone and Chinese economies overshadowed
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MOHAMMED SALEEM MANSOORI
