PML-N strategy on load shading

Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Nawaz Sharif upped the ante in the policy of confronting the PPP-led government head-on that he now appears to be pursuing when he called upon his party workers on Monday to join the agitation against power outages and to mobilise the street in order to highlight corruption and the government`s `failure to resolve the energy crisis`.

Mr Sharif gave the call at the first meeting of the party`s Central Working Committee (CWC) at the Punjab House. He later chaired a meeting of the PML-N parliamentary party at the Parliament House, giving the go-ahead for protests inside and outside the parliament during the current National Assembly session.


It was perhaps after getting encouragement from the massive street protests in different Punjab cities that the PML-N members reached a consensus that the party should cash in on the situation and make an effort to convert the present agitationinto a fully-fledged movement against the government.

Although the party managed to finalise a short-term agitation plan, the leadership failed to come up with a roadmap for an anti-government movement.

According to the sources, a number of speakers said the people generally believed that the PML-N had not played its role as an opposition and it was because of the party`s wrong strategy that the present rulers were enjoying `complete freedom in plunder and corruption`.

Some of the speakers, including Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, were of the view that if the party did not act this time, the people would consider them hand in glove with the present rulers and the PML-N would not be able to escape their wrath.

Today they are protesting against the (federal) government. It will continue for four days. But if we remain silent, then on the fifth day, the protesters will turn against us and on the sixth day, the peo-ple will be holding us from our collars,` one of the participants quoted the Punjab chief minister as having said in a sombre mood.

Shahbaz Sharif`s portentous remarks got complete support from two firebrand MNAs, Khwaja Saad Rafique and Khwaja Mohammad Asif, who suggested to the party leadership that the PML-N should own the present demonstrations being held in different cities against loadshedding, the inside sources said. During the meeting, the sources said, Mr Rafique passed some derogatory remarks against President Asif Ali Zardari and warned the participants that Mr Zardari would flee the country the moment things turned critical.

It was after a fiery speech by Mr Rafique that Nawaz Sharif asked the MNA from Lahore to consult some party members and prepare a protest plan for the party, which he did.

Mr Rafique proposed that PML-N legislators should lodge a protest inside the National Assembly through fiery speeches, wearing black armbands and by staging walkouts. Moreover, the MNA proposed, the PML-N parliamentarians should organise demonstrations with the support of other opposition parties outside the Presidency and the Prime Minister House during the current week.

Some of the participants, including Nawaz Sharif, remembered the late chairperson of the Pakistan People`s Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto, in good words, recalling the PML-N had jointly struggled with her for `true democracy` and not for the one the country had now.

APC: Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, briefed the central working committee about reasons for accepting the prime minister`s invitation to attend the Sept 29 All-Party Conference (APC).

Chaudhry Nisar, who had attended the APC with Mr Sharif, said: `We successfully presented the party`s viewpoint in presence of the country`s political and military leadership in an effective manner`.ELECTORAL ROLLS: The CWC members expressed concern over the ongoing process of voters` verification by the Election Commission (EC) and the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), alleging that through it the government had already started pre-poll rigging.

The sources said MNA Pervez Malik briefed the CWC on the flaws in the ongoing voters` registration process. Mr Sharif directed party members to keep an eye on the process in their constituencies after party stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan declared that he had been constantly monitoring the process in his constituency and no one dared to do any irregularity in his area.

Interestingly, the PML-N members expressed satisfaction over the role of the present EC and it was decided not to blame the commission for the alleged pre-poll rigging. Instead, the sources said, it was decided that the members would accuse the government of using Nadra for manipulating the voters`lists.

A former general secretary of the party, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, had also been asked to monitor the voters` registration process whereas Zahid Hamid had beenasked to look into the option of taking legal action.

Mushahidullah Khan, the PML-N`s information secretary, said: `I can only say one thing that you people will see a major change in the country`s political scene in coming days.

In reply to a question, he said his party had decided to agitate against the government with `full force` Later talking to media outside the Parliament House, Nawaz Sharif said the PPP-led government had failed to solve people`s problems.

We have been hearing about circular debt since the present government came to power, but instead of decreasing, it is on the rise with every passing month,` he said.

About the protests against loadshedding, especially in Punjab, he said: `We are with people and will not leave them alone at this time of need.

He regretted that the country had the capability to meet its electricity needs, but due to sheer mismanagement by rulers the nation had been left with no choice but to take to the streets.

He said if the need arose, the party would not desist from giving a call for long march.

IMRAN KHAN

Pakistani Strategy on War against Terror

Despite facing a decade-long spate of terrorism after 9/11 attacks on US landmarks, Pakistan still lacks an effective anti-terrorism policy to tackle the monster which has left over 30,000 civilians and 5,000 security personnel dead in hundreds of suicide bombings and other acts of terror.

Both Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2010 and National Anti-Terrorism Authority Bill are pending in parliament and there is no hope these will be turned into acts for implementation in near future.

Ironically, the government is following the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, which has become obsolete and outdated and required immediate amendments to cope with new challenges.

“The multi-party Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) has been authorised to take up pending Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2010 and NACTA Bill,” the chairman of the committee, Raza Rabbani, told Dawn.

Earlier, some of the committee’s members belonging to religious parties had raised objections that the parliamentary committee could not take up the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill 2010 because it had already been discussed by Senate Standing Committee on Interior. “However, now all members of the PCNS have unanimously mandated the committee to discuss the bill and the committee is meeting in a couple of weeks to give recommendations to the government about effective amendments for better anti-terrorism steps,” Mr Rabbani said.

The NACTA is lying dormant as the NACTA ordinance introduced in 2009 is yet to be tabled in parliament, pending approval of the cabinet. The authority, set up with much fanfare, was to act as a research organisation for which the European Union had pledged 15 million euros. A draft was also being framed to provide a legal cover to it.

The NACTA bill is lying pending with the federal cabinet because the government could not take decision whether the authority should have an independent or autonomous status or it should work as a subordinate organisation of the interior ministry with Interior Minister Rehman Malik as its head, a member of the committee said.

Experts believe that after the 18-hour occupation of the Mehran Naval base by terrorists, the government should revert to the idea of reactivating the NACTA immediately which should launch its own counter-terror force. They said it was certainly time to act because terrorists were organised and well-funded.

Experts are of the opinion that after defeat in Swat and tribal areas, terrorists of Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP) are now moving to urban guerilla warfare and the government must develop some mechanism to address this challenge. Senior journalist and security analyst Zahid Hussain said the government had no counter-terrorism policy and, as a result, the country was facing the worst spate of terror attacks.

“Unfortunately, there is no counter-terrorism strategy to deal with the situation we are facing because of lack of commitment and professionalism in the government.” He said the government must realise that it could not tackle the problem through the military means and needed to strengthen its intelligence organisations and civil armed forces to get better results.

Last month, the mandate of the multi-party parliamentary committee to make recommendations to the government on legislations dealing with issues related to terrorism came under question when its members, Senator Prof Mohammad Ibrahim of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam stopped the committee from reviewing two bills which had been pending before a Senate committee and the federal cabinet for approval for the past over one year.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Report.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned that Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other big cities of the country risk “widespread devastation” in heavy rains because of their “obsolete and outdated” drainage systems.

A survey conducted by the NDMA recently found that the old, creaking drainage systems of the twin cities, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Multan, Faisalabad, Quetta, Mardan, Nowshera and other cities face breaking down under the pressure of their growing populations.

The NDMA fears that unless the drainage systems were improved or replaced, the cities could be inundated in heavy rains.

Even the architects of the so-called modern and planned federal capital failed to lay proper drainage system in the city, according to the survey. A spell of just half an hour of heavy rain inundated most parts of the city, including parliament house and presidency, it noted.

Water accumulates under the newly-constructed flyovers and bridges after every cloudburst in the capital city due to flawed drainage system, it said.

Criticising the citizens, the survey noted that they also failed to install proper drainage systems while building new homes.

The drainage system of Rawalpindi needs improvement because the city faces vast scale inundation from Nullah Leh every year that causes loss of several lives and property worth millions of rupees. The 19-km-long Nullah starts from I. J. Principal Road and enters River Soan after 11 main drains join it at different points.

Army provided free Medical treatment to Dengue Patients in Punjab

“The affected people will be provided free treatment at the facility,” a handout issued by the ISPR on Sunday said.

It said the army had also established 11 free medical screening and diagnostic camps in the surrounding areas of Lahore Cantonment exclusively for civil population affected by this tropical disease.

A team of specialist doctors of the Army Medical Corps would be available from 8am to 5pm at these free medical camps established at Bedian Road; Garrison Health Centre, Cavalry Ground; Near Khalid Mosque; Mehfoozpura; near Ghazi Grid Station, Cantonment General Hospital, Saddar; Askari-X; Zarrar Shaheed Road and Masjid Chowk DHA Phase 1; Beacon House School DHA Phase 3; Commercial area and DHA Phase 5.

Besides, mobile medical teams of army paramedical staff had been assigned duty to visit suburbs of Lahore Cantonment to facilitate minor treatment of infected patients at their doorstep.

Flood situation in Sindh

Another spell of rains which may be heavy to very heavy at places is beginning mainly over Sindh from Monday (today) evening, adding to the miseries of the people already battered by two earlier rounds of devastating downpours.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Sunday the rains would be coupled with strong winds and they were likely to affect Badin, Mirpur Khas, Umar Kot, Thatha and Hyderabad.

According to synoptic situation, the fearful monsoon low over western Bihar moved west-northwest wards on Sunday and lay over northern Madhya Pradesh (India) as a well marked monsoon low.

Weak moist current from the Bay of Bengal was penetrating into Sindh up to 4000 feet and was likely to intensify during the next 24 hours.

Flood Forecasting Division’s chief Riaz Khan said that the system was still away from Pakistan. But it gained strength on Sunday and was likely to move over to Indian Rajasthan, which was closer to Pakistan, in the next 24 hours.

If this happened, the system might start affecting lower Sindh by Monday evening or on Tuesday. But as moisture from the system was already penetrating into Sindh and Punjab, there could be scattered rain at a few places in these two provinces in the next 24 hours.

Mr Khan said that the strength or rain generating potential of the system was not less than the one which just dissipated on Sunday after playing havoc in Sindh for nearly 13 days.

Met department’s evening forecast said that fairly widespread thunderstorm/rain with heavy to very heavy falls was expected at isolated places over Sindh and East Balochistan from Tuesday. Scattered thunderstorm/rain with heavy falls at isolated places was also forecast over south Punjab.

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Thank You for joining my blog.

INSALLAH I will give you latest updates about politics and provide you valuable information, which is very helpful for you.


Thanks.

Regards.