Shahbaz Sharif escapes shoe attack in Lahore

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif escaped a shoe attack at the South Asia Labour Conference, a private TV channel reported on Thursday.

The police arrested the attacker who threw a shoe at the chief minister but missed his target. However, Shahbaz showed no reaction to the incident and remained calm on the stage. Later on, he ordered the release of the attacker, named Imdad Ali, working in a private Sindhi television.

Earlier, the security staff had arrested the attacker to investigate if he did it himself or any other power was behind the incident. The chief minister said that he and his government believes in freedom of expression and difference of opinion.

Before throwing the show, the attacker raised slogans against the expected restrictions on a news channel. He told journalists that he was not ashamed of his act. He said that he flushed out his anger by throwing shoe. The journalists also condemned the incident, and said the attacker should have registered his anger in a separate meeting with the chief minister. (DailyTimes)

Cheque distribution at CM House: Harmful drinking water served,10 women fall unconscious

At least 10 women, belonging to the families of the victims who lost their lives in Karachi’s Abbas Town bombing, fell unconscious when they were served harmful drinking water during an event to distribute cheques at Sindh Chief Minister House here on Tuesday. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was scheduled to distribute compensatory cheques among the families that lost their homes and loved ones in the bombing that killed 51 people and injured over 140 others. 

The women who were seated in the front rows asked the event organisers for water. Around 10 women fell unconscious after drinking the water served to them. Later, when to news come to the surface, the CM House’s spokesman said that the water served by the caterers in event was harmful for health. He, however, said that only two people including a woman and a man fell unconscious after drinking the water. Meanwhile, nine people were shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi in the early hours of Tuesday when they fell unconscious after a toxic gas filled a house located on Mauripir road.(FP)

An open letter to SC: List of dual nationals submitted Begum Shehnaz Sheikh

Begum Shehnaz Sheikh

PML-Q’s former MNA Begum Shehnaz Sheikh submitted through an open letter to the Supreme Court on Monday a list of parliamentarians having dual nationality.

In her open letter written to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, she alleged that the cases of all the parliamentarians having dual nationality were not equally dealt with. She requested the apex court to put the procedure pertaining to reimbursement of benefits enjoyed by the dual nationality holder parliamentarians, on hold until the final verdict on the pending review pleas of the dual nationality holders was delivered.

In her letter, she mentioned the names of 20 dual nationality holder parliamentarians. She said a few of those, whose membership was suspended by the apex court, still continued to remain at their offices. The letter includes the names of Asim Hussain, Raza Haroon, Shahbeen Rizvi, Tayyib Hussain, Fauzia Ejaz and Jameel Ashraf.

Shehnaz Sheikh alleged that she was not justly dealt with despite she had tendered her resignation. She claimed that all dual nationality holder members of parliament were not equally treated. She said all dual nationality holder parliamentarians were not directed to return all the monetary benefits they had drawn during the period they occupied public offices and other emoluments from the public exchequer, including monthly remunerations, TA/DA and facilities of accommodation, along with other perks etc.

She requested the apex court to stop all proceedings of reimbursement of monetary benefits granted to the suspended parliamentarians until a decision came on the review pleas filed against the Supreme Court’s verdict of disqualifying 11 members of parliament.

It may be recalled here that the membership of Begum Shehnaz Sheikh was suspended by the Supreme Court in October 2012 for holding Australian nationality, while being a Pakistani national and a member of the parliament.(The News)

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

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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)

Shoaib Akthar’s Controversially Yours launched in New Delhi

Former Test cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s autobiography titled Controversially Yours, sparking controversy right away, was released in New Delhi, India, on September 23.

The book was launched at a hotel in the Indian capital and the ceremony was also attended by Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik.

The Pakistan speedster has confessed to having tampered with the ball and also questioned the class and temperament of India's batting icons, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

“Almost all Pakistani fast bowlers have tampered with the ball. I may be the first one to openly admit to it but everybody is doing it. To be honest, every team in the world tampers with the ball. We probably started it but no team is innocent and virtually every fast bowler does it. That is the only way to survive because the wickets are so slow. I have tampered with the ball on many occasions,” he admitted.

Shoaib offered a solution to the problem of ball tampering by writing that the only way to stop this is for the ICC to ensure that at least some pitches are prepared in favour of the bowlers.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has distanced itself from Shoaib’s remarks, saying he was no longer associated with the board and was free to do whatever he wants.

Shoaib, who was a genuine match-winner, remained at the centre of many controversies in his stormy career which finally came to an end with the Cricket World Cup 2011 in which Pakistan reached the semifinals.

Shoaib engineered quite a few victories for Pakistan in every format of the game but many people believed that he could have given more to country if he disciplined himself and refrained from uncalled for controversies.
(Jumbopublishing.com)

Guilty National heroes should be treated with an iron hand

Salman Butt

By MOHAMMAD KHAN SIAL
Karachi

Our three cricket national heroes, Salmaan Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir have been proved guilty of corruption with heavy punishments resulting in debarring them from cricket for the next 10 years, seven years and five years respectively. Nonetheless, they have immensely defamed the country internationally for their own vested interests. Such an act is no less than treachery. 

Mohammad Asif

Mohammad Amir

I believe that such cases should be treated with an iron hand without any leniency. It was an act of treachery and should be referred to the courts of law. Nevertheless, some influential people will always, for one reason or the other, protect these people who are determined to defame the country worldwide, which is why such cases always resurface.