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MQM to hold intra-party referendum on Thursday

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:49:45 +0000

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has announced their schedule for an intra-party referendum that will decide if the party should join the People’s Party of Pakistan (PPP) government in Sindh.
The nationwide referendum, which will take place on June 20, was announced on Tuesday and will be handled by the new Rabita (coordinating) Committee. MQM Chief Altaf Hussan has directed this committee to decide if the party should join the Sindh government or sit on the opposition benches in the provincial assembly. The call for referendum comes after a Pakistan People’s Party delegation, led by Rehman Malik, visited the MQM headquarters at Nine-Zero and formally invited the MQM to join the Sindh government.

Ebad orders treatment of girl

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:49:30 +0000

Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan has taken notice of the appeal of the poor parents of three-year-old Mehak Fatima who is suffering from cystic hygroma and ordered her complete treatment.
This was pointed out in a statement issued on Monday evening by the Governor’s spokesman.
It said that Ebad directed his Principal Secretary Dr Naushad Shaikh to make arrangements for the treatment of the girl. He assured that the government would bear all expenses. Arrangements for the treatment have been completed at Ojha Campus of the Dow University where expert doctors would perform the surgery.

500 cell phones seized from inmates

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:48:30 +0000

The city police on Tuesday seized 500 cell phones from prisoners of the Central Jail Karachi.
According to details, police carried out a search out operation at the Central Jail.
Police officials said that 500 cell phones were seized from the prisoners.
Under the law prisoners are not allowed to use cell phones in jail but their use is common in jails with the connivance of police officials.

Trade management training opens new vistas for women

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:47:46 +0000

No less than 70 percent of the graduates trained under Women in Trade Management Training and Mentorship Programme (WIT-2012), sponsored by the US Agency for International Development, are gainfully employed at national and international trading companies.
While interviewing these graduates at the certificate distribution ceremony organised for Management Trainees on Tuesday.
The women in trade (WIT) programme trainees, comprising young graduates from Institute of Business Administration, Karachi University, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Institute of Business Management and KASBIT have been hired by a wide range of companies at important positions. The scenario is registered to have improved women representation, at managerial positions in the international trade companies based in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad.
Zara Tazeen, with an MBA degree in marketing, acknowledged the quality of trade management training that besides improving her professional capabilities also enabled her to play an efficient role in introducing Pakistan made products to the international market.
“The internship not only enhanced my confidence but also groomed me in handling business affairs and this again enhanced employment opportunities for me,” she said.
Associated with C&A Sourcing, Zara is an efficient contributor towards promotion of Pakistan-made apparels, knitwear and leather made goods at international level.
Khadijah Arshad, with a BBA degree from IBA, is currently working as assistant production manager at a pharmaceutical company and found this an opportunity to efficiently meet the two years job requirement for completion of master’s programme. “The training and exposure I had was tremendous and would go a long way in my career,” she said.
The young professional found the internship to have also catapulted her urge to bring about the much needed change in the society. Internees were equally appreciative of the mentorship programme that provided them with needed guidance to solve problems they come across during their dealings with different sections of people.
This internship programme provided an opportunity for women not only explore a career in the international trade and sourcing sector but also to gain professional skills in communications, marketing, product development and supply chain management Saleena Beg, senior analyst Human Capital Management for the USAID Trade Project.
To a question about relevance of the programme, she said university graduates were selected for WIT internship after a careful scrutiny.
“It was important as these young women internees were making an untraditional choice,” she said mentioning that the programme was launched on pilot basis in 2011 and the success led to its inception as a regular annual programme.
The international trade sector in Pakistan currently employs very few women in managerial positions; they comprise less than 10 percent of management and 20 percent of junior staff in trade companies.
“USAID’s Women in Trade (WIT) initiative works to set up linkages between international firms and local universities, so that more women have opportunities to explore careers in international trade,” said Saleena.
The WIT initiative, she said will also help companies select the best-suited university graduates for training and potential future recruitment.
Under this cross-country programme the trainees have completed three months of management training with prominent national and international trading organisations including Engro Eximp Pvt Ltd, Interloop Ltd, MK Sons, Masood Textile Mills, Lucky Cement, Herbion International Inc, EuroCentra, Ellery Homestyles, C&A Europe/Mondial Orient Ltd, Target Sourcing Services Pakistan, Texlynx, Nishat Group, and Li and Fung Pakistan.
The certificate award ceremony was also attended by the CEOs, Presidents and Senior HR Managers of the partner organisations who supported USAID in improving gender ratio in the international trade sector of Pakistan.

KCCI concerned over law and order

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:46:51 +0000

The Sindh Police have decided to form rapid response committees in the city’s seven industrial zones after traders and industrialists expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order in the country’s financial hub on Tuesday.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Muhammad Haroon Agar demanded the government take immediate, sustainable and concrete security measures to give Karachiites, particularly the business and industrial community, a much-needed sense of security.
In an address to the Inspector General of Police (Sindh), Shahid Nadeem Baloch, and his team during a visit to KCCI, Agar said it was the prime responsibility of the government to maintain peace and ensure the safety of the lives and property of its citizens. He lamented lawlessness in the city’s markets, particularly in the old city area, at places such as Jodia Bazar and Jama Cloth Market. Violence has also been increasing at other markets along M.A. Jinnah Road, and the precious lives of several businessmen have been lost in bloodshed.
Criminal activities like extortion (bhatta), kidnapping and killing for ransom, and theft in industrial areas has grown rampant, causing widespread fear and harassment, Agar added. He also noted that the unbridled criminal activity against businessmen has shaken the confidence of the whole community on the reliability of law enforcing agencies. He said that members of the business community and delegations from various markets of the city have been approaching KCCI complaining about life threats or showing him receipts of extortion chits and bullets sent to them by criminals. His concerns were echoed by the Chairman of the Businessmen Group and former President of KCCI, Siraj Kassam Teli. Teli also criticised the government for failing to control the situation, and said that although KCCI had approached all the concerned quarters, commitments to the business community were never honoured and only momentary measures were taken.
On the occasion, Baloch announced the formation of committees for seven industrial zones where appointed focal persons will immediately respond to urgent situations such as life threats and the security of transported goods. He added that although resources cannot come overnight, he would make arrangements to ensure their required deployment.
The police chief said he can’t deny that in the past, some commitments to the security of the business community might not have been honoured. The police model is based on laws made during colonial rule, in 1861, and the business and industrial community has never raised their voice for police reforms like the availability of resources and technology, he said. Baloch added that it was a bitter reality that dishonest elements also exist within the police, but their number was low. The integrity of the entire department, moreover, should not be questioned seeing as many police officials have been martyred in the line of duty, protecting citizens.

Land grabbers back to business in Karachi

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:46:31 +0000

The land grabbers are back to business in Karachi after the return of their supporters to parliament after May 11 polls.
Investigation revealed that the land grabbers have started occupying open public properties which they failed to occupy during the last government. Besides, many government offices and residential houses, situated in prime land of metropolis, are occupied by land grabbers for the last many years.
Interestingly, the former provincial government had declared some buildings dangerous and issued orders to demolish them but the land mafia forced the government not to even remove a single brick from there.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the Postal and Telegraph Colony, commonly known as P&T Colony, situated in Clifton, was occupied by retired employees of the department for the last many years. After the partition, the government established its offices in these flats and some of the employees also started living in these governmental apartments, but after their retirement they occupied them, sources added.
The former government declared the occupation of these buildings illegal but due to stronghold of land mafia these buildings were regularised against huge bribes by the officials at that time, sources said further.
The government offices situated in Martin Quarters, Jamshed Quarters and Patel Para were also occupied by retired employees with the help of land mafia, sources maintained.
A federal minister during former prime minister Shaukat Aziz’s tenure had issued allotment orders to the occupants due to which the Sindh government faced Rs 420 billion losses. The allotment of these plots by the government was challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC), sources claimed.
The governmental apartments of Federal Capital (FC) Area, situated opposite to Al Karam Square, were occupied by “unauthorised persons” and living there for a long time, they said, adding that the occupants were enjoying all utilities at government expense.
“Another example of illegal occupation of government land was the Intelligence School, which is situated near PIDC, and many other illegal encroachments at Garden are the example,” sources revealed.
They said that at some places the occupants have established small industries and using all utilities at subsidised rates.

5 killed in fresh spate of violence in city

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:46:07 +0000

Five people were killed while two others were seriously wounded on Tuesday in different incidents of violence in the city.
According to police, a man was killed by in Banaras. The deceased was identified as 40-year-old Adam Khan whereas 25-year-old Shaukat was killed while two others were injured near Dhobi Ghat area of Garden. Another man named Kamran Saeed was gunned down in Liaquatabad No 10 while a 45-year old city warden Nadeem was killed in Orangi Town No. 10 area. In another incident, body of 35-year-old Arif was found hanging from a hospital in Azizabad Block-1. Meanwhile, police started search operation in Mauripur and apprehended three suspected criminals and seized weapons from them. Police shifted them to undisclosed location for further interrogation.

Law and order Sindh govt’s top priority: adviser

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:45:33 +0000

The main focus of the Sindh government would be maintenance of law and order and Rs 48 billion has been allocated in the budget in this regard. This was said by the Finance Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah while addressing a post-budget press conference at the CM’s House on Tuesday.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon was also present on the occasion. He said that there would also be a chunk on the development side for the law and order to equip the police and the law-enforcement agencies. As many as 20,000 people would be recruited in the Police Department and that the number may increase if financial resources are available.
Murad pointed out that the provincial government’s major focus would also be on the energy sector. He was optimistic that the mining activity in Thar would commence by the end of this year.
The adviser was of the view that the solution to the country’s
energy crisis lies in the Thar coal project and that the government of Sindh would play its full role towards this direction so that Thar coal is utilised for the power generation at the earliest.
He said that in addition to Thar, a sum of Rs 8 billion has been allocated for the energy projects. For the Thar coal the allocation is Rs 12 billion. Murad said, “Our goal in the next five years would be to meet the total power generation requirements of the province of Sindh.”
He announced that there is an allocation of Rs 2 billion in the budget for the revival of sick industry in the province to help create job opportunities especially in the rural areas. The adviser said that on the pattern of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the government of Sindh would initiate its own programme and for this Rs 2 billion have been allocated. The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project of an estimated cost of $2.6 billion would be revived with the Japanese government’s assistance and that this would be the solution to the transportation problems of the metropolis.
Murad pointed out that the total Sindh budget for the fiscal year 2013-14 is to the tune of Rs. 617.2 billion. Of this, the total receipts are of Rs 595 billion with a deficit of Rs 21.6 billion. The adviser said that Rs 409 billion would be made available by the federal government under various heads.
The total of provincial receipts would be to the tune of 120 billion. The revenue expenditure would be Rs 355.9 billion which includes salaries. The current capital expenditure would be Rs 31 billion. The Annual Development Programme (ADP) of Sindh for the fiscal year 2013-14 will be of Rs 185 billion and of this Rs 20 billion would be given to the districts for their small projects.
The total development expenditures would be to the tune of Rs 230 billion. Murad pointed out that Sindh government’s limit for overdraft with the State Bank of Pakistan is of Rs 15 billion and efforts would be to enhance this limit. He said that measures would be taken to curtail the non- development expenditures and that new vehicles would not be purchased until the financial position improves.

Too much red meat can make you diabetic

anjum — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:37:14 +0000

Eating more red meat over time is associated with an increased risk of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a new study. An Pan, Ph.D., of the National University of Singapore, and colleagues analyzed data from three Harvard group studies and followed up 26,357 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study; 48,709 women in the Nurses’ Health Study; and 74,077 women in the Nurses” Health Study II. Diets were assessed using food frequency questionnaires. During more than 1.9 million person-years of follow-up, researchers documented 7,540 incident cases of T2DM. The study found that increasing red meat intake during a four-year interval was associated with an elevated risk of T2DM during the subsequent four years in each cohort. The results indicate that compared with a group with no change in red meat intake, increasing red meat intake of more than 0.50 servings per day was associated with a 48 percent elevated risk in the subsequent four-year period. Reducing red meat consumption by more than 0.50 servings per day from baseline to the first four years of follow-up was associated with a 14 percent lower risk during the subsequent entire follow-up.