Diwali Symbolizes The Triumph Of Good Over Evil And It Is The Festival Of Lights: Altaf Hussain

The Chief of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Mr Altaf Hussain has greeted the Hindu community in Pakistan and throughout the world on the occasion of the festival of Diwali. He said that Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the Hindu community and it symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It is also the occasion of joy, mirth and happiness and celebrated as a festival of lights.
Mr Hussain said that all religions teach about respecting the places of worship and festivals of other religions besides recognizing the dignity of mankind. Those who do not follow these basic precepts of their religion are, in fact, acting contrary to the teachings of their religion.
Mr Hussain asked the Hindu community to offer prayers for peace and promotion of religious tolerance and harmony in the country. He asked them to offer special prayers for elimination of the heartless terrorists who were killing innocent people. 

Ansar, Sarim burney split over hindu boy's televised conversion

Ansar Burney

The conversion to Islam of a Hindu boy working with the Ansar Burney Trust has split the Burney brothers with one defending it and the other calling it a ‘drama’.

On Wednesday, chat show host Maya Khan opened the doors to another controversy by televising live Sunil’s conversion in the prime-time Ramazan slot.

Sunil works at the Ansar Burney Trust, a human rights organisation whose chairman, Ansar, was recently in the headlines for the case of the Pakistani sailors taken hostage by Somali pirates.

Ansar skewered the conversion, called it a ‘drama’, and announced that he would sue Maya Khan. He publicly lashed out at his younger brother Sarim on Twitter, saying that he had dismissed Sarim three months ago from the trust on corruption charges.

Sarim Burney

“If we [want] to save our country, we shall have to fight against corruption, and I started it from my own office at Karachi,” said Ansar tweeting about his brother Sarim. Talking to the Indian media, Ansar said that “[Sunil] was offered incentives, and though keen, he had no idea as to what was happening.”

Sarim was the vice chairman at the Ansar Burney Trust, which was started in 1980 as the Prisoners Aid Society. He dismissed the corruption allegations, saying that Ansar had always handled the funds and the accounts. “Ansar should know about corruption as he was directly involved with the monetary affairs of the organisation,” Sarim told The Express Tribune. He maintained that he had separated their work for the past three months and formed his own trust, Sarim Burney Welfare Trust. “This did not please Ansar as he always wants to be in the limelight,” alleged Sarim.

Sarim maintained that Ansar had settled in London 22 years ago and he had been running the organisation and “keeping his name alive”. Today Sarim has removed the signboards with Ansar’s name, and replaced it with his own at their office in Arambagh.

Maya Khan

Sarim backed the conversion. “I have seen the boy fast when he had not embraced Islam. He did it of his own free will. Being miles away, how can Ansar say that it was forced?” Sarim also claimed that Sunil worked for the Sarim Burney Welfare Trust and not the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust.

Ansar has served as the federal human rights minister, and the UN’s expert adviser on human rights. He is currently in London and could not be immediately reached for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2012

Ayesha Sana - Content Removed

As per official request, no further content will be displayed on this subject until allegations being proven.

Sectarian killings won’t stop sans tackling root cause: HRCP

The continuing spilling of blood in sectarian killings in Quetta and Gilgit Baltistan manifests a blatant failure to address religious intolerance in society, which constitutes one of the biggest threats for the country, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said on Wednesday.

The Commission said in a statement: “HRCP is alarmed by the continuing sectarian bloodshed in Pakistan, particularly in Quetta and Gilgit Baltistan. The killings demonstrate a disturbing pattern and appear to be part of a well-planned sequence. It has been stated that miscreants from Afghanistan have been involved. That may be one problem but it certainly is not the only one. The mindless bloodshed that we witness day in and day out is rooted in religious intolerance cultivated by the state. Politics in the name of religion has substantially worsened what was already an appalling situation. It is alarming that no one responsible for these killings has been nabbed in years. The people are paying the price of indifference with their lives. Rather than wasting time on addressing mere symptoms,the root cause of the problem must be identified and addressed. Instead of living in denial, we must now identify the policies that strengthen extremism and promote faith-based hatred in society. These constitute the single biggest threat to Pakistan.

In these perilous times, all those who believe in people’s rights, human dignity and Pakistan’s future must not remain silent. Otherwise the consequences for the country will be unimaginably disastrous. It is time for the government, all democratic-minded political parties and conscious citizens to join hands to think of a way out of this brutal vortex in order to rescue the state that has been held to ransom by extremism and obscurantism.”

HRCP has deep concern at Sindh University situation

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly condemned the recent developments atSindh University where, following the killing of Professor Bashir Channar on January 2, unjustified action has been taken against protesting teachers.

A statement issued by the Commission on Thursday said: “HRCP notes with alarm that the services of two representatives of Sindh University Teachers’ Association, Dr. Arfana Mallah and Dr. Azhar Ali Shah, have been terminated and show-cause notices issued to other teachers. The university had only reopened a few days ago on the assurance of the Sindh Governor that the vice-chancellor of Sindh University, who is past the age of retirement, would be replaced in accordance with the demands of the teachers.

“HRCP also has serious reservations over the authorities’ apathetic approach towards acknowledging and addressing teachers’ concerns. It defies reason why the teachers must protests for weeks upon weeks before their concerns register on the official radar. The teachers have protested long and in a peaceful manner for demands that are not unreasonable: a judicial probe into the assassination of Professor Bashir, withdrawal of police and Rangers from the campus, restoration of student unions and removal of the vice chancellor.

“It is regrettable that Sindh University and most other universities in the province are headed by academics who have crossed the retirement age. In a recent meeting with the HRCP vice-chairperson for Sindh and members of HRCP Council, the Sindh Governor had agreed to look into the issues concerning the Sindh University. HRCP calls upon the Governor, in his capacity as chancellor of Sindh University, to rescind the decisions regarding the dismissal and issuance of show-cause notices to teachers and take effective steps to fulfil the government’s obligation to ensure an atmosphere free from intimidation and conducive for academic progress at the university.”

NGOs to sue channel for Maya Khan dating raid episode

While many berated her and called her team ‘vigil aunties’ and her tactics a ‘witch hunt’, Maya Khan has also come under fire from four local non-governmental organisations for her morning show episode aired on 17th January. These NGOs have taken the matter to the Supreme Court and plan to file a suit against a private TV channel concerning a morning show episode. Maya Khan, the former host of a morning show, ‘hunted’ down dating couples in a Karachi park along with a group of about 15 women and a cameraman for an episode of her show. Her actions sparked outrage across the country, forcing the channel to fire her after she refused to issue an apology. (Pakistan Today)

Earn Quick, Easy Money: Be Careful

“Earn Quick, Easy Money.” The headline has caught the attention of many internet users that fall for the trap of numerous mega online scams operating in the country. In the name of online home-based businesses, a significant number of fraudsters have been fleecing innocent people, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. Due to absence and poor implementation of cyber-crime laws, the scam operators have set up well-furnished corporate offices in the heart of big cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, while a few of them have penetrated in to the relatively small towns or rural suburbs. Interviews with a number of alleged scam operators reveal that they pocket millions of rupees by fleecing innocent people in a couple of months only. 
A conservative estimate suggests that an online franchise operator that registers about 100 members each month bags over a million rupees per month. Their standard modus operandi provides them an opportunity to sail smoothly for four to five months without paying a single penny to their members, who deposit them subscription fee ranging from Rs 5,500 to Rs 18,000. In most cases, people complain that these fraudsters vanish away in six to eight months by fleecing Rs 5 to Rs 10 million and start a new business with a new identity in other cities. 
How it operates? 
Speaking to Pakistan Today, operator of a similar business, Imran, claimed that his company was an authorised franchisee of a Canadian firm that dealt in online advertisement. “We get advertisement posting jobs from the Canadian company and sublet the contract to local individuals against a membership of Rs 5,500 to Rs 18,000, depending on the size and rate of return on the job,” he maintained. 
Responding to a question, he said, “Though, it is an online advertisement posting business but it mainly depends on conventional advertising. We spend nearly Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month on banners, newspaper and cable advertisements to attract new members.” He disclosed that he had been in this business for over a year and had been registering around 35-40 members every month. 
However, Imran failed to substantiate his claim that his firm was affiliated to some Canadian company as he could not produce any documentation or registration certificate. His company’s website, quickearnonline.com, does not show any registration or affiliation information either. The website does not have any postal address of the company, except for two addresses of the Lahore-based franchisees. 
What is the business? 
The ad-posting business is similar to the controversial multi-level marketing (MLM) model, as most companies operating in the country have parent foreign company, master-franchisees, franchisees, sub-franchisees and ad-posters or individual members. All these franchisees offer attractive packages, usually in US dollars, along with the comfort of working from home. They market it as a home-based business, with returns ranging from Rs 9,000 to Rs 35,000 per month, after having paid a membership fee. In addition, if a franchisee or an individual introduces a new franchisee or member, they offer him the money equivalent to $10 to $100 per member, while a franchise costs around $500 to $800. 
After registering with a franchisee, the ad-poster’s job starts. The so-called franchisee gives a piece of code, usually in the hypertext mark-up language (HTML), to its new members, which they have to paste on classified websites and forums. Usually, this code posts advertisements of their own company or some unknown local products, which clearly indicates that the entire scheme has no relationship with any foreign firm. 
How is it a scam? 
A simple inquiry can find thousands of victims since it employs chain marketing strategies. Several victims of this ad-posting business told Pakistan Today that they invested their hard-earned savings for supplementing their income, but could not even get their investment back. 
They revealed that at the time of registration, these companies offered lucrative packages but after completing the massive task of posting around 50,000 to 80,000 ads on various websites, they were refused prompt payments. One of the victims said, “These companies maintain a corporate environment and have separate account sections. The Accounts’ staff usually point out mistakes in the completed jobs and try to deduct a lion’s share from the promised remuneration. And when someone agrees even on the deducted amount, they ask him for a month or two for processing. They present the excuse that all transactions are processed through the parent company, which is based in some foreign country.” 
They pointed out that several companies, including visiononline.com, homebasedmoney.com and earnonline.com, had vanished during the past few months, without paying to their members. The victims indicated that the scam operators operate on rented premises mostly and leave no clue behind them. 
What do the experts say? 
Speaking to Pakistan Today, Director of Pakistan’s pioneer IT company, BrainTel, Amjad Farooq Alvi said that although the country had laws related to cyber-crimes, their implementation was questionable. Citing the example of the internet service providers and telephone pre-paid calling cards, he said that both businesses had failed in the country because there were no regulations. Several companies disappear after selling calling cards worth millions of rupees but no action has been taken against them yet, he lamented. 
Amjad pointed out that IT had changed the strategies of all businesses, including the advertisement industry. Earlier, advertisement was done through conventional media, including the newspapers, radio and TV, however advertisement is done on the internet now. He said that this turnaround had created various opportunities that did not exist in the past, but at the same time, it required new legislation and improved implementation. 
He concluded that both the advertising and IT industries had to play their role along with the law enforcement agencies to curb this menace and save the industry’s reputation.(Pakistan Today)