Young advocate gunned down in broad daylight, lawyers protest

An advocated named Zain Gaffar was murdered in Defence on Wednesday. Reports said that Zain was fighting his brother’s murder case in the court who was murdered six months ago due to a property feud over 300 kanals of land in Gujranwala.The Gujranwala police had advised Ghaffar to remain cautious. On Wednesday, unidentified armed motorcyclists came to Zain’s house in Y block, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and opened fire at him on his doorstep and escaped. The police took the dead body in custody for further investigations. LBA ANNOUNCES STRIKE: Lahore Bar Association and the Punjab Bar Council announced a strike against the ruthless murder of their colleague, calling for the perpetrators to be punished. LHCBA CONDEMNS: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Wednesday condemned killing of its member Advocate Zain Ghaffar. In a statement, LHCBA President Abid Saqi and other office bearers condemned the killing and termed it a governmental failure. They said lawyer were continually targeted despite repeated requests for protection. They demanded the government to arrest the accused and give them exemplary punishment.  

Measles kills three more

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Three more children who had been suffering from measles died in the Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, raising the measles death toll to 96 in Punjab. The deceased have been identified as Haris (2), Babar (1) and Zoya (2) who had been undergoing treatment at the hospital. According to hospital sources, the deceased were from Lahore and Sargodha. As many as 253 new cases have been reported during the last 24 hours from Punjab including 73 from the city hospitals. The number of measles cases reported in Punjab in last six months has reached 13,220.

‘5% minority quota in university recruitment a must’

  Punjab Ombudsman Javed Mehmood has termed the ignoring of five percent quota allocated for minorities during the recruitments in Sargodha University as serious maladministration. Mehmood issued these orders on the application of Sargodha University Town All Pakistan Minorities Democratic Movement Chairman Chaudhry Mushtaq Gill. Gill had appealed to the ombudsman that five percent quota allocated for minorities had been totally ignored by Sargodha University during recruitments and the university administration was not willing to implement the rules and regulations at any cost despite repeated requests. The Punjab ombudsman called for explanation from the Sargodha University administration in this regard, and during an enquiry it revealed that it had committed serious violation of rules during process of recruitments of employees. He ordered Sargodha University vice chancellor and registrar to explain their case in this regard. He also ordered them to include five percent minority quota in all recruitments made after March 2010 as per constitution and rules and submit a report to Ombudsman office within a month. Mehmood said that the maladministration of Sargodha University had been proved during the recruitment process and the minority quota had not been mentioned in any advertisement published in the newspapers by Sargodha University after March 2010.

‘Enough of protests, let’s work now?’

  Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif has said his party had no interest in the politics of sit-ins and protests. He said it was time to resolve people's problems instead of staging protests. He appealed to all political parties to get united. The PML-N has also decided to convene a roundtable conference in the wake of poor law and order situation in Karachi. According to sources, PML-N has ruled out the option of military operation to restore peace in the country’s commercial capital.

Harold Hongju Koh
Disengaging from Afghanistan, closing Guantanamo,controlling drone use could end the war on terror From both the left and the right, three common misperceptions have emerged about US foreign policy: First, that the Global War on Terror has become a perpetual state of affairs; second, that no strategy is available to end this conflict in the near future; and third, that “the Obama approach to that conflict is just like the Bush approach.” I disagree with all three propositions. First and most important, the overriding goal should be to end this Forever War, not engage in a perpetual “global war on terror,” without geographic or temporal limits. Second, this is not a conflict without end, and there is a strategy to end it, outlined below. In November, also at the Oxford Union, Jeh Johnson, then general counsel of the United States Department of Defense, argued that in the conflict against Al-Qaeda and its affiliates: “there will come a tipping point – ... at which so many of the leaders and operatives of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been killed or captured, and the group is no longer able to attempt or launch a strategic attack against the United States, such that Al-Qaeda as we know it, the organization that our Congress authorised the military to pursue in 2001, has been effectively destroyed. At that point, we must be able to say to ourselves that our efforts should no longer be considered an “armed conflict” against Al-Qaeda and its associated forces; rather, a counterterrorism effort against individuals who are the scattered remnants of Al-Qaeda, or are parts of groups unaffiliated with Al-Qaeda….” The key question going forward will thus be whether the US treats new groups that rise up to commit acts of terror as “associated forces” of Al-Qaeda with whom it’s already at war. This seems unwise, as under both domestic and international law, the United States has ample legal authority to respond to new groups that would attack without declaring war forever against anyone hostile to the country. More fundamentally, the United States is at war with Al-Qaeda, not with any idea or religion, or with mere propagandists, journalists or sad individuals, like the recent Boston bombers, who may become radicalized, inspired by Al-Qaeda’s ideology, but never joining Al-Qaeda itself. Third, in regard to this conflict, the Obama administration has differed from its predecessor in three key respects. First, it has acknowledged that the United States is strictly bound by domestic and international law. Under domestic law, the administration has acknowledged that its authority derives from Acts of Congress, not just the president’s vague constitutional powers. Under international law, this administration has expressly recognized that US actions are constrained by the laws of war, and it has worked hard to translate the spirit of those laws and apply them. The Geneva Conventions envisioned two types of conflict – international armed conflicts between nation-states and non-international armed conflicts between states and insurgent groups within a single country, for example, a government versus a rebel faction located within that country. But September 11 made clear that the term “non-international armed conflicts” can also include transnational battles, for example, between a nation-state like the United States and a transnational non-state armed group like Al-Qaeda that attacks it. The US Supreme Court has instructed the US government to translate the existing laws of war to this different type of “non-international” armed conflict. Second, in conducting this more limited conflict, the administration has shown an absolute commitment to humane treatment of Al-Qaeda suspects. Third, the Obama administration has determined not to address Al-Qaeda and the Taliban solely through the tools of war. Instead, this administration has stated a longer-term objective – a “smart power” approach – under which force is used for limited and defined purposes within a much broader nonviolent frame, with the over-arching aim being to use diplomacy, development, education and people-to-people outreach to challenge Al-Qaeda’s ideology and diminish its appeal. Applying this approach, the Obama administration has combined a law-of-war approach with law-enforcement methods to bring all available tools to bear against Al-Qaeda. In a remote part of Afghanistan, a law-of-war approach might be appropriate, but in London or New York, a law enforcement approach is surely more fitting. In either case, the US response to a suspect turns not on whether we generically label a person an “enemy combatant,” but on whether we assemble the facts to prove that a particular person’s behavior reveals that he is part of Al-Qaeda. So how to end the Forever War? President Obama should now diligently pursue three previously announced aims of US policy: 1) disengage from Afghanistan, 2) close Guantanamo and 3) discipline drones. Disengaging from Afghanistan is fully underway, but three challenges loom. First, in transferring control of detention facilities, the US must ensure that transfers comply with obligations under international law not to return detainees to persecution or torture, and that future detentions comply with fair process and treatment obligations. Second, the US must work closely with the Afghans to help secure what Secretary of State John Kerry has called a “credible, safe, secure, all-inclusive, … transparent, and accountable presidential election” to succeed Hamid Karzai in 2014. Third, the Afghan government must tackle the controversial task of negotiating with the Taliban. In so doing, it’s crucial to build upon the myriad advances that have expanded individual freedom within Afghan civil society over the last decade. Closing Guantanamo permanently is long past overdue. The US military prison in Cuba has 166 detainees, 76 fewer than in 2009. More than 100 of the detainees are on hunger strike, with many being force-fed. President Obama has acknowledged, “Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe. It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us in terms of our international standing.” Crucially, he does not need a new policy to close Guantanamo. He just needs to put the full weight of his office behind the sensible policy first announced in 2009: Resume transfer of those who are cleared for transfer, try the triable, grant periodic review of those in law of war detention, resist further congressional restrictions and appoint a high-level White House envoy to implement the foregoing. The goal of decimating Al-Qaeda’s core leads to the final contentious issue, disciplining drones. Critics often ask, “How, as a human rights advocate, could you criticize torture, while as a government lawyer, you defended the legality of drones?” The answer is sad, but simple: Torture is always unlawful. But killing those with whom a country is at war may be lawful, so long as the laws of war are strictly followed. It is the duty of government lawyers to police the line between those violent acts that are lawful and unlawful, and distinguish between those uses of force that do and do not on balance promote the human rights of innocent civilians. Drones are not per se unlawful. If accurately targeted, they could be far more discriminate and lawful than indiscriminate weapons. The main problem is not drones, but that the Bush administration grossly mismanaged its response to 9/11. Instead of acting surgically against Al-Qaeda when it had the chance, the administration squandered global goodwill by invading Iraq, committing torture, opening Guantanamo, flouting domestic and international law, and undermining civilian courts. Left to pick up the pieces, Obama got off to a promising start, but that effort has slowed. Since 2010, the Obama administration has not done enough to be transparent about legal standards and its decision-making process. Small wonder that the public has lost track of the real issue, which is not drone technology per se, but the need for transparent, agreed-upon domestic and international legal process and standards. The Obama administration should now make public and transparent its legal standards and institutional processes for targeting and drone strikes, give facts to show why past strikes were necessary, and consult with Congress and allies on principled standards going forward. Most important, he should oppose proposed legislation that would grant him unneeded new authority to strike new shadowy foes. The real and pressing issue facing the United States is how to end the Forever War underway since 2001. If the Obama administration cannot persuade its citizens, Congress and its closest allies that its drone program is legal, necessary for that task and under control, it will be hard for President Obama to see that war to its much-needed conclusion or take the other steps needed to secure the peace. The writer is a Sterling Professor of International Law and former dean (2004-09), Yale Law School; former legal adviser, US Department of State (2009-13); former assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour (1998-2001). This is a condensed and edited version of a speech to the Oxford Union on May 7, 2013, and reflects his personal views, not that of any institution of which he is or has been affiliated.

Saba Dar
At the reception of Stephen Hawking’s book ‘A brief history of time’, one of the reviews in Sunday Times opined that, ‘This book marries child’s wonder to a genius’s intellect.’ This can be attributed as the simplest and most basic definition of science, a journey that starts with a child’s wonder and ends at the intellect of a genius. What started off as a scholarly pursuit has now become the cradle of progress for all the elitist nations of the world, and the only potential redeemer of the developing nations; but science is an expensive luxury which the modest nations such as ours can’t afford, or at least that’s what the communal belief is. This is the very reason our science labs are mostly deserted and the culture of science, largely absent. The paucity of science-based activities can inevitably be attributed to the factors such as scarce funding resources, inadequately furnished labs and lack of expertise. However, besides all these factors, an overriding cause of the crippled state of research in our country is our ‘attitude’ that has put research on the backseat. Although, pragmatically, a scientist is supposed to be an innovative and venturesome individual who plays around with novel ideas, yet our culture has stereotyped him as a ‘withdrawn’ and ‘comatose’ entity, who camps all-day-long in labs and mass-produces publications in his leisure time. Not an exciting image at all! Bearing in mind that science is an ever-evolving craft, where old theories are frequently debunked and substituted by the new, more authentic ones; the scientists are required to be more creative, more imaginative and more clued up than ever, to join dots and to elucidate connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena. This, certainly, isn’t a dull affair provided you are doing it the scientist way. It’s not only the scientific gear that makes a scientist, scientist, but a thinking, questioning and curious mind that lays down the groundwork of a scientific life. It was his inquisitive mind that transformed little ‘Al’ Edison into the world-famous Thomas Edison of later years, even without a formal degree in science. But having ‘an inquisitive mind’ is hardly considered an eligibility criterion for any of the disciplines in our universities. Our existing university culture entails long-drawn-out commentaries on established theories, fenced perceptions and a spate of assignments that are turned in only on the day before submission of final results. The students keep juggling with assignments, quizzes, presentations and projects all through the semesters and ta da, one day, they are in their graduation garbs, thinking of switching their fields and wondering what’s next. Nobody thinks, nobody asks and hence, there are no answers. The psychology of students expressing reluctance in putting forth their questions has been well-established; they hesitate for the fear of embarrassing themselves in front of their peers and competitors. But one more thing missing in the equation of ‘active learning’ is the quotient of teachers. Students aside, even our teachers flinch when it comes to raising questions; they sidestep from questioning themselves, their students or even the decades-long research studies. This is partly owing to their chockfull teaching schedules where they don’t get time to put their minds to some constructive thinking and partly because they are not accustomed to this way of teaching. This boils down to the core argument of this article, our general lack of aptitude for research. One doesn’t simply become a scientist by earning a doctorate in a science field; it all starts with your curiosity from the childhood. We grow up with several knots in our minds, but unlike the common lot, the curious ones hold onto them and struggle to figure out answers in their own capacity. This is precisely what steers one towards an advanced culture of research; a nagging, persistent and inescapable curiosity. This kind of approach can be instilled by teachers, through simple exercises, during early years of education. The students must be encouraged to look around in their surroundings and ask a simple question regarding the origin or working of a phenomenon they are most fascinated with, and then the teachers must urge them to pursue an answer to their questions. For this, they might have to consult a few books, internet and may even have to carry out a simple experiment. This will give them the de rigueur direction and a sense of purpose. A rudimentary exercise such as this will be incredibly effective in honing the instinctive curiosity of children, dusting off thick layers of obliviousness that enshrouds juveniles over time and in warming them up to the idea of research, right at the beginning of their academic lives. Once introduced to the concept of reasoning, it wouldn’t be too long when the students would take up inductive and deductive reasoning in the course of their routine lives, posing a tough competition to the fictional physics genius Sheldon Cooper. Every year, nationwide universities produce oodles of dissertations. Regrettably, only a few of those measure up to the benchmark of first-rate, authentic research studies while the remaining bulk communicates a sense of burden with which the dissertations were over and done with, rather hastily, just to obtain a degree. Ideally, the PhD faculty members must first frame hypotheses concerning critical national and international issues and then form research groups, inviting students who may be interested in working in their area of expertise, to work on conceivable solutions. For instance, having research groups working on affordable and sustainable energy solutions, in the milieu of Pakistan’s catastrophic energy crisis, will not only get many minds simultaneously thinking about the potential solution, but would also open doors to many possibilities. With a solid groundwork laid down, funds can be roped in from HEC or other research-funding organisations. In a similar vein, the capable minds of the country can put their assets of analytical thinking into developing cost-effective measuring equipments, which are currently highly exorbitant in the market. There are a variety of people in Pakistan who, despite having never been to a school or university, are pretty well-versed with basic scientific laws. These are the ones who personify examples of curiosity-driven (as opposed to textbook) individuals. With the aim of encouraging research in the country, HEC introduced tenure track system, according to which the appointed faculty members are required to produce a substantial amount of quality published papers so as to achieve promotion and increments. This, in principle, is a very effective tool to warrant perpetual, quality research endeavours throughout the country. However, as with most of the matters in the country, this principle lacks effective implementation. Teachers continue churning out same kind of work, year after year; by supervising research students and ‘innovative research’ takes a backseat. Currently, the undergraduate and MS/MPhil level research studies are designed keeping in perspective the facilities available within the departmental laboratories which are mostly delimiting. Many students have to bear additional charges of their research as well as the transport fare within the city for the acquisition of data and surveys by themselves. For efficient utilisation of resources, universities must establish strong, active networks of association to facilitate researchers to make most of the equipments, literature and expertise that is not available to them in their own institutions. Research study of any scale involves considerable amount of time, energy and financial resources of the researcher, the dissertations of students should be tailored to produce valuable contributions to the research world. The way forward is not a linear journey. The government bodies, universities, teachers and students all will have to work, side by side, in unison, to bring about the much needed research revolution. It is also necessary to keep the charm of the science, the adventure of treading the path of unknown and the thrill of arriving at plausible theories, intact. Teachers will have to be trained for new and innovative training methods and additional funds, amassed. As for the students; think, ask and pursue, who knows you might be the next Isaac Newton in line. The writer is an environmental researcher.

Robert Fantina
The enervation the American politics To observe the Republicans, one would think that the US military was involved in nothing more controversial than a Marine holding an umbrella for President Barack Obama while he gave a speech in the rain. Sarah Palin, one of the many darlings of the rightwing, has stated that most Americans hold their own umbrellas, despite pictures showing her disembarking a plane on a rainy day with a lackey holding an umbrella for her. Lou Dobbs, formerly of Fox News, said it was ‘disrespectful, inconsiderate, classless,’ although one looks in vain for his similar comments when Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W Bush had soldiers holding umbrellas for them. And the conservative blogosphere has been awash with condemnation, criticism and great umbrage about an action the president took, that has been taken by many presidents before him, including many of their heroes. Someone awakening after a multi-year sleep and observing this would certainly believe that society overall was in very good shape, if the most important things political activists had to complain about was a Marine holding an umbrella for the president. However, such a person might be deceived. Let us take a quick look at another current issue that is somewhat less benign than an umbrella, and that no one on the right or the left seems concerned with. US drones, unmanned aircraft, have for some time been bombing targets in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and other countries, all in the sacred name of the U.S. war on terror (whatever that is). In the last couple of years, over 5,000 people have been killed in US – initiated drone strikes, and the frequency of these bombing is escalating rapidly. Their purpose, ostensibly, is to rid areas of Al-Qaeda operatives, a strategically important goal (we’ll not consider the morality of it quite yet), as the U.S. prepares to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, after twelve years of U.S.-sponsored terrorism against the Afghani people. But what of the human debris left in the wake of these bombings? Ibrahim Mothana, a young Yemeni writer, said this in a New York Times op-ed last year: “Drone strikes are causing more and more Yemenis to hate America and join radical militants; they are not driven by ideology, but rather by a sense of revenge and despair.” Much as US citizens are told that people throughout the Middle East hate them because of their freedoms, it might be worth considering that the US is hated by many in the Middle East and other areas because the US government keeps killing their loved ones. In moving testimony on April 24 of this year, another young Yemeni man, Farea al-Muslimi, who had lived in the US as a high-school student, told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, that his neighbours had felt positively about the US, due to his experiences there as a youth. “Now, however, when they think of America, they think of the fear they feel at the drones over their heads,” he said. “What the violent militants had failed to achieve, one drone strike accomplished in an instant.” But are not these victims just ‘collateral damage’? Are they not just the unfortunate cost of keeping the world safe for freedom and democracy? The answer to those questions is, of course, simply no. They are innocent victims of US imperial aggression. As Corporate America, with all its callous greed and complete disregard for human rights, lumbers across the globe, seeking new economic conquests, it knows that such conquests cannot occur only in the boardroom. Third World peoples, with no interest in corporate profits, who simply want to live simple lives, raising their families and earning their livings on farms, must not stand in the way of the almighty dollar, when their farms lay atop precious natural resources, coveted by the US. So as the US moves in, and is resisted, those resisting them are said to be ‘insurgents’, terrorists hating the freedoms that US citizens so enjoy. Therefore, they must be removed. Certainly, they are not all terrorists, but the ringleaders must be destroyed, and if, in the process of killing them, some innocent children are blown to bits in front of their terrified parents, well, that is simply war. One might see it as the cost of doing business. And what is the result? Those parents, and others, fill in the ranks of any opposition leaders the US has managed to kill, inflating the numbers of ‘insurgents’ (read: freedom fighters), causing the US to send more of its bombs, thus killing more innocent people and fostering more hatred of the United States. One could ask if these facts are too complicated for the US’ elected representatives. It seems rather basic: kill innocent people, and their loved ones will not necessarily grow fond of you. However, why is any of the relevant, when corporate lobbies contribute vast amounts to elected officials for their reelection campaigns? Who wouldn’t want to keep a job that requires showing up to the office whenever you feel like it, provides all-expenses paid travel benefits, and pays well? What do integrity, honesty, upholding the law and the Constitution have to do with the bottom line? The US’s never-deserved but self-proclaimed image as a global beacon of peace and freedom began to wear thin during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. While Congress and the president prefer to look the other way, and view the ‘war on terror’ as defending freedom and democracy, more and more people throughout the world see it for what it is, and until US government officials decided to see reality, hatred toward the US will only continue to grow. The writer is author of ‘Desertion and the American Soldier: 1776 – 2006 and Look not unto the Morrow.

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Pedestrian bridge on Ring Road collapses

  A part of an under construction pedestrian bridge on Ring Road collapsed on Wednesday disrupting flow of vehicular traffic in the area. Authorities suspended the traffic from both sides after the incident to remove the debris. According to eyewitnesses, a part of under construction pedestrian bridge in Kamhan Pind area of Defence Phase-IV collapsed on Wednesday morning. No casualties were reported from the incident.

Newly weds face family’s wrath in LHC

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A couple married against their families’ wishes were harassed by their relations on Wednesday, right after procuring the Lahore High Court (LHC)’s approval to stay together. According to the authorities, Yousuf had married Zahida against her family’s will who had lodged a First Information report (FIR) against the couple. However, after hearing the appeal, the high court allowed the married couple to stay together which infuriated Zahida’s family. They physically assaulted the two, but the newlywed couple managed to escape.

LHC takes prompt action against 8-year-old girl’s rape

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Complaint Cell on Wednesday took notice of a rape case reported in the press involving an eight-year-old female victim at the hands of a landlord’s son in Mangtanwala Area. The Nankana Sahib district and sessions judge (D&SJ) was directed to probe the matter and submit a detailed report regarding the local police’s action against the perpetrator. According to details, a Mango Taaro village resident told the police that her daughter, a second grade student, was abducted on her way home from school. He said that he had gone searching for her when he heard her crying out from the nearby fields. He caught her assailant, 16-year-old Zahid red-handed and transferred him to the police. The victim was shifted to Lahore Children’s Hospital in a critical condition. Police have registered a rape case against Zahid and have commenced proceedings against him.

Five injured in house fire

  Five members of a family including four minors were injured when a fire broke out in a house near Peco Road on Wednesday. Rescue 1122 sources said that the fire erupted in a house near Pindi Stop due to short-circuiting and burnt valuables worth thousands of rupees. Fire brigade and Rescue teams reached the spot and rescued the family and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital.

Children harbingers of safety: Rescue DG

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  Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer said school-going children were harbingers of safety and could change specific road behaviours of their parents and others as well. Addressing "Road Safety Awareness Seminar for Kids" organised by Safe Communities Pakistan (SCP) at Emergency Services Academy on Wednesday, he said children could play a vital role in building safer communities in Pakistan by sensitising the general public about road usage. Over 250 school children of Elite Grammar School, Balsome House School and Children's Academy High School participated in the seminar which was also attended by members of Executive Body of SCP, including Message Communication CEO Sohail Aziz, TABA Foundation Director Khalid Butt and Road Safety Trainer Asif Khawaja. The objectives behind the seminar were to create the awareness of road safety matters among school children as life safety is a right and responsibility of all. The DG said citizens should abide by traffic rules and regulations while driving as this was a matter of their own and lives of others.

JI discusses KPK govt issues with Imran

IMRAN   A delegation of Jamaat e Islami (JI) called on Imran Khan at his residence on Wednesday. Led by nominated senior minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Siraj ul Haq, the delegation discussed issues of future coalition government. The main agenda of discussion was the upcoming budget. Khan gave his input regarding the budget to be presented next month. Khan was discharged from the hospital this morning with a special jacket to protect his neck and back bones.

Five years awarded to Rao Jalil

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An accountability court on Wednesday awarded five years jail term and fined Rs 1 million to Rao Abdul Jalil, father of former Haj DG Rao Shakeel, in a land fraud reference. However, the court acquitted former Haj DG in the case. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the reference in 2007 wherein it was submitted that Jalil got transferred a plot of 208 kanals situated in Sheikhupura through fake documents in his name. The NAB also alleged that former Haj DG also aided his father in the matter. Lahore Accountability Court-II Judge Muhammad Falek Sher after hearing arguments awarded five years jail term and fined Rs 1 million to Jalil but acquitted Shakeel.

Prominent lawyer gunned down in Lahore

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A prominent lawyer was shot dead in Lahore on Wednesday. Police said armed attackers fired shots on advocate Zain Ghaffar’s car when he left his home in Lahore’s Defence area this morning. He was due to appear in a local court when he was shot. Rescue team and police arrived at the crime scene and cordoned off the area. Locals said the victim was in a land dispute. Further investigations into the incident have been started.

Balochistan elections a success: Barozai

  Balochistan Caretaker Chief Minister Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Barozai on Tuesday said that the promised peaceful polls took place in the province and the chief minister’s office remained unbiased and uncontroversial during this process at a ceremony organised by Punjab University Academic Staff Association at Punjab University (PU). PU Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Mujahid Kamran, Acting President Dr Faheem Aftab, Secretary Javed Sami and faculty members and students were also present. Barozai said that hostile powers had threatened to halt the elections but we had successfully continued with them. In some instances, helicopters were used to transport voters to polling stations, and the caretaker government controlled many incidents of violence. He added that militants were shamelessly using children in terrorist activities by monetary temptation. He said that Balochistan’s own people damaged their province. During the last government, Members of National Assembly (MNAs) were allotted Rs 250 million in funds annually but the Quetta still suffered from poor infrastructure, and he said that there were “no go areas” in Balochistan only because there were no roads. He said that they had abundant mineral and human resources but “we prefer personal interest over national interest”. He held that Punjab was acting like a big brother and had made many positive gestures. According to the caretaker chief minister, ignorant people in the media were presenting a false picture of Balochistan’s problems, adding that its major issue was lack of education and he appealed to the other provinces to accommodate maximum Baloch students in their academic institutions. He explained that Balochis had hospitals but lacked the expertise to run them. He urged the newly-elected parliamentarians to serve the Baloch people at this critical juncture. Addressing the ceremony, Dr Mujahid Kamran congratulated Mr Barozai for holding peaceful elections. He said that the Baloch were brave, loyal and hard working people, willing to sacrifice their lives for their leaders. He said that 97 Baloch students were admitted to Punjab University with no tuition and free boarding facilities and Rs 3,000 monthly scholarship was also awarded to each Baloch student. He praised the Baloch students at PU for being motivated learners. Dr Faheem Aftab thanked Barozai and PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran for gracing the event. Later, PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran presented a portrait and books to the caretaker chief minister.  

19 new buses to join Metro fleet

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19 buses would be added to the Metro Bus fleet of 45 by the end of June as the bus service’s demanded has exceeded expectations in the provincial capital. The Metro Bus has been inundated with passengers since its opening on February 10. Those behind the project had expected the crowds to dwindle after the initial hype surrounding the shiny 27 kilometre bus corridor dissipated. However, around 120,000 people a day on average were still using the bus service. The Punjab Metro Bus Authority (PMBA) ordered 19 new buses around a month after the inauguration. The buses from China Volvo would arrive in Karachi by June 20, reaching Lahore 10 days later. “We ordered new buses because of the high passenger load,” said PMBA Operations General Manager Uzair Shah. The fleet’s expansion would mean that the buses would not be overcrowded, he added. Some 45 buses were operational on the bus-only track on Ferozepur Road, but the authorities have so far failed to devise an efficient traffic plan for the eight junctions where the bus interacted with general traffic. Thus, the PMBA has struggled to run the buses at fixed intervals as planned. Further, the PMBA recently received a feasibility report from the Turkish company Ulasim for a second potential Metro Bus line from Thokar Niaz Beg to MAOCollege along Multan Road, a length of 12.6 kilometres. Ulasim is also working on a feasibility study for a third line from Azadi Chowk to the Ring Road via the City Railway Station and Daroghewala along GT Road. The report is due in some 30 days. Uzair Shah said that the report for line 2 was a preliminary one and it would likely undergo several changes, so he did not wish to share it.He said that the new Punjab government would decide which route to start work on first. Passengers on the Metro Bus are currently charged a flat rate of Rs 20 per journey. A PMBA official said that the authority would advise the new government to set destination-specific fares, according the rates notified by the Lahore Transport Authority (LTA). According to the LTA rates, the maximum ticket price would be Rs 36 for travelling the length of the 27km track. Shah said that the new government would decide whether to revise the rates or not. He said that cards had been introduced for regular travellers in February shortly after the bus service was inaugurated.