Muslims donate nearly $1 billion to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Muslim countries, organizations and individuals have pledged nearly $1 billion in cash and relief supplies to help Pakistan respond to the worst floods in the nation's history, the head of a group of Islamic states said Sunday.

The announcement came as floodwaters inundated a large town in Pakistan and authorities struggled to build new levees with clay and stone to prevent one of the area's biggest cities from suffering the same fate.

Foreign countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to help Pakistan cope with the floods, which first hit the country about a month ago after extremely heavy monsoon rains. But some officials had criticized the Muslim world for not contributing enough.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, head of the 57-member Organization of The Islamic Conference, likely sought to counter that criticism by announcing that Muslims have pledged nearly $1 billion. The pledges came from Muslim states, NGOs, OIC institutions and telethons held in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, he said.

''They have shown that they are one of the largest contributors of assistance both in kind and cash,'' said Ihsanoglu of the various donors. He spoke during a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.

Ihsanoglu did not provide a breakdown of the pledges or say how much of the money would flow through the Pakistani government versus independent organizations.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani criticized donations made to foreign NGOs rather than the Pakistani government Sunday, saying much of the money would be wasted ''Eighty per cent of the aid will not come to you directly,'' said Gilani, referring to Pakistani citizens.

''It will come through their NGOs, and they will eat half of it,'' he said during a press conference in his hometown of Multan.

The floods began in the mountainous northwest about a month ago and have moved slowly down the country toward the coast in the south, inundating vast swaths of prime agricultural land and damaging or destroying more than 1 million homes.

Floodwaters surged into the southern town of Sujawal on Sunday after breaking through a levee on the Indus River two days earlier, said Hadi Baksh, a disaster management official in southern Sindh province.

Most of the town's 250,000 residents had already fled, but the damage to homes, clinics and schools added to the widespread devastation the floods have caused across Pakistan.

Authorities in Sujawal were trying to limit the flood damage, but the water level has already risen up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in the center of town and 10 feet (3 meters) in the surrounding villages, said Anwarul Haq, the top official in Sujawal.

The floodwaters also threatened Thatta, a historic city of some 350,000 people who have mostly fled to higher ground. Thatta is the base of operations for local authorities trying to cope with a disaster that has overwhelmed the Pakistani government and international partners who have stepped in to help.

Authorities rushed to build makeshift levees across the road connecting Sujawal and Thatta, parts of which were already flooded, Baksh said.

''We are trying to plug the bridges at three different points to stop the water flow toward Thatta,'' said Baksh. ''We are trying all our best efforts.''

Thatta is located about 75 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of the major coastal city of Karachi and 15 miles northwest of Sujawal.

Many of the people who fled Sujawal and Thatta headed to Makli, a hill just south of Thatta that contains a vast Muslim graveyard. About half a million flood victims are camped out on the hill, Baksh said. Most lack any form of shelter and are desperate for food and water.

''We don't have water to drink, not to mention food, tents or any other facility,'' said Mohammed Usman, a laborer who fled Sujawal several days ago and needed water to help cope with a painful kidney stone.

The United Nations, the Pakistani army and a host of local and international relief groups have rushed aid workers, medicine, food and water to the affected regions, but are unable to reach many of the 8 million people who are in need of emergency assistance.

The US said Saturday it would deploy an additional 18 helicopters to help with the relief effort. The US military is already operating 15 helicopters and three C-130 aircraft in the country, the US Embassy said in a statement. -AP

US urges more help as floods expand in Sindh

WASHINGTON: As “astronomical” floods in Pakistan expanded devastation in southern Sindh province, the top US aid official urged more world support toward alleviating sufferings of around 21 million affected people in the face of hunger, disease and economic hardships.

Dr Rajiv Shah said on his return from the country that for its part the United States, by far the biggest aid contributed in terms of logistical and financial support, is committed to helping Pakistan through both relief and rebuilding phases.

“The scale and the scope of this natural disaster is astronomical....This is a core global humanitarian imperative and we need more international support,” the USAID administrator said at a Foreign Press Center briefing.

Shah, who visited relief camps and met with some of the flood-afflicted people, said he was encouraged by world response to the catastrophe at last week's UN General Assembly meeting, as commitments for relief assistance for the first few weeks neared one billion dollars.

However, with 23 per cent of the cropland under water and the tragedy still unfoling in southern Sindh province, he underlined that “there is no question that right now more can be done.”

“But when you look at the scope of what needs to be done here, you have more than 8 million people probably more than that who need acute services in order to survive and to start to think about building back their lives and livelihoods, and we need more resources and support from inside Pakistan and outside of Pakistan in order to be successful with that. So that's going to be true through recovery and reconstruction as well.”

The USAID administrator spoke spoke as floodwaters threatened the historic city of Thatta and Sujawal amid mass exodus of people, with raging floods exacting a heavy toll on local agricultural economies at several places of the province.

Shah, who spoke to some of his counterparts from other countries on the need to do more in that calamity-hit areas, noted “we need to get more of our international NGO leadership out there so that there's greater capacity for a larger humanitarian response” in the face of flooding reaching new communities in the south.

He also noted that resources spent on the immediate relief will save lives, feed people who need food, and help keep children from experiencing sort of long-term morbidity from diarrhea and a range of other illnesses. Around 3.5 million children face risk of becoming exposed to waterborne diseases.

UAE raises more than 20 million dollars for Pakistan

DUBAI: A nationwide fundraising campaign in the United Arab Emirates has so far raised more than 20 million dollars of aid for Pakistan flood victims, the official WAM news reported.

The campaign, launched by the UAE Red Crescent under the slogan “Your Help,” raised more than 75 million dirhams (20.4 million dollars) over its first four days and will carry on until Monday, WAM said late on Saturday.

It said a live TV fundraising campaign was being run on several Emirati television channels.

Pakistan has a close ties with the oil-rich Emirates, where hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis live and work, mostly labourers.

For nearly a month, torrential monsoon rain has triggered massive floods in Pakistan steadily moving from north to south, affecting a fifth of the country — an area roughly the size of England — and 17 million people.

A senior US official said last week that countries worldwide have pledged a total of more than 700 million dollars toward flood relief in Pakistan.

But reconstruction efforts must begin immediately to prevent the flooding disaster from becoming a long-term catastrophe, aid agency Oxfam said Sunday.

It said billions of dollars would be needed to start rebuilding schools, roads, bridges and hospitals immediately, adding that the aid effort was struggling to respond.

Israel rejects settlement freeze ahead of talks

TEL AVIV: The Israeli cabinet will not vote on extending a partial freeze in West Bank settlement construction before the start of the peace talks in Washington on Sept. 2, a senior cabinet minister told Reuters on Sunday.

Vice Premier Silvan Shalom said in an interview that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised him his cabinet would vote on the issue only after the Jewish High Holidays later this month, which fall after the peace summit is held.

“He told us today there will be no decision on Sept. 2 about freezing settlements,” Shalom said, quoting Netanyahu from a closed door session with ministers earlier on Sunday, adding it would be at least two weeks before the government would vote.

Netanyahu will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time this week at the White House at the invitation US President Barack Obama after months of indirect negotiations.

The Palestinians have said any resumption of Jewish settlement building in the West Bank once a 10-month partial moratorium expires on Sept. 26 would bring an end to the direct talks.

Netanyahu, facing pressure from pro-settler groups in his own government, met other ministers on Sunday to discuss a compromise to permit construction to resume only in several settlement blocs Israel seeks to keep under any peace deal.

Shalom, a veteran member of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, said he objected to the idea and rejected the Palestinian call for Israel to extend its settlement freeze ahead of talks was “an unacceptable demand”.

He said any decision to ultimately extend the settlement freeze may also create a rift that could topple Netanyahu's coalition government and force an early national election. -Reuters

Pakistan team not institutionally corrupt: official

LONDON: Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed denied Sunday that cricket in his country was riven by corruption in the wake of claims players had taken part in a betting scam in the Test match against England.

Asked if the British newspaper claims against his team proved that Pakistani cricket was “institutionally corrupt”, Saeed told Sky Sports: “I would not like to say that. This is the first time I've been the manager and we've been involved in such a thing.

“Yes, one has heard and one has read (allegations), but I would not like to go that far.”

Saeed also confirmed that Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif had their mobile telephones taken away by police on Saturday after being spoken to about the newspaper allegations.

“The three gentlemen have had their phones confiscated,” Saeed told Sky Sports.

The controversy stems from a News of the World newspaper report, which claims it paid 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars, 185,000 euros) to a middle man in return for details about the timing of three no-balls in the fourth Test at Lord's, which ended Sunday in victory for England.

The report alleged that Aamer and Asif delivered the blatant no-balls at the exact points in the match agreed with the alleged fixer.

The newspaper published a photograph of the alleged middle man, Mazhar Majeed, who acts as agent to some Pakistan players, counting wads of banknotes given to him by a reporter posing as a front man for a betting syndicate. -AFP

Amir's coach rejects fixing allegations

LONDON: The mentor and coach of Mohammad Amir has rejected allegations that the teenage cricket prodigy is involved in corruption following his naming in an undercover match fixing investigation just hours after the finest moment of the player’s burgeoning test career.

The 18-year-old Amir claimed a test best 6-84 in the fourth test against England on Saturday before his achievement was overshadowed by allegations in a British newspaper that he and fellow opening bowler Mohammad Asif deliberately bowled no-balls in a spot-fixing scam.

Asif Bajwa first met the left-arm fast bowler when he enrolled at his cricket and school academy in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He said he does not believe the allegations by the News of the World newspaper.

“I have known him for the last eight years and he is not that kind of chap,” Asif Bajwa told The Associated Press on Sunday. “He is the best cricketer that has ever come through my academy and he was also well educated in Urdu, English and maths.

“My school is run very strictly and with discipline and my boys here would not do these things.”

Amir, the youngest player to reach 50 test wickets, has been likened to Wasim Akram.Wasim, Pakistan’s most successful bowler, has said he was not as good as Amir at such a young age.

“For an 18-year-old — you don’t play against too many 18-year-olds — his skills with the ball are outstanding,” England captain Andrew Strauss said.

Strauss added that it is too early to comment on the newspaper’s claims.

“We don’t know about this. They are only allegations,” he said.

Cricket has in the past been blighted by corruption issues but less so in recent years after the International Cricket Council established an Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) in 2001.

“Mohammad Amir is a young bowler who has done very well so far in his career, all over the world,” Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said. “Certainly, he’s a little disappointed because his name has come through, but we and he will wait until the investigations are over.

“Only then can we say ... if he comes through clean, there’s nothing better than that.”

ACSU officers and Scotland Yard are investigating the newspaper’s claims. Alleged middleman Mazhar Majeed was filmed in the paper’s sting operation and arrested Saturday, his brother and business partner Azhar Majeed told The Associated Press.

Mazhar said in the video, which is on the newspaper’s website, that fixing no-balls was the easiest way to cheat undetected.

The idea is for individuals in illegal betting hubs, mostly in India, to have that information passed on to them and bet on a sure thing.

“The first ball of the third over of the innings,” Mazhar is heard saying. “Asif and Amir are going to be opening the bowling. Amir is going to bowl the first over, yeah.”

Mazhar added: “Then the sixth ball of the 10th over. Asif will be bowling.”

The video clip that followed on the website showed both players’ no-balls, with TV commentators — former England captain Mike Atherton and former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja — highlighting the huge oversteps.

But Bajwa still defended his star student.

“No-balls are part of the game,” Bajwa said. “If you bowl a no-ball, it’s normal. Umar Gul, Asif and Amir have all had problems. You can’t say these things about Amir just because he bowled a no-ball.

“I called him to speak to him last night but his phone was off. I hope he will cope OK with the pressure. I am sure he will because he is strong.”

Easy wins for Chelsea, Man United in Premier League

LONDON: Chelsea maintained their superb start to the season with a 2-0 win over Stoke on Saturday that kept the Premier League champions on top of the table.

But Arsenal and Manchester United also won and moved onto Chelsea’s shoulders in second and third place respectively.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea side have been in fine form in the opening weeks, romping to successive 6-0 wins over West Brom and Wigan, and Stoke were unable to halt their momentum at Stamford Bridge.

Florent Malouda struck in the first half and Didier Drogba converted a late penalty to extend Chelsea’s 100 percent start.

Frank Lampard wasted a chance to give Chelsea an early lead when his penalty was saved by Thomas Sorensen after Ryan Shawcross fouled Malouda.

Lampard’s miss didn’t hinder Chelsea for long as France winger Malouda opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a fine strike from John Terry’s pass.

Ivory Coast striker Drogba drove home a 77th minute spot-kick after Sorensen fouled Nicolas Anelka.

“It wasn’t our best performance but it was an important result,” Ancelotti said.

“I am happy because we won, we didn’t concede a goal, we kept a clean sheet we maintained our position at the top of the table.”

Manchester United moved to within two points of Chelsea after Wayne Rooney’s first goal since March set up a 3-0 win over struggling West Ham at Old Trafford.

Rooney had gone 13 matches without scoring since netting against Bayern Munich last season, but the England striker put United ahead in the 33rd minute.

Ryan Giggs was fouled by Jonathan Spector in the penalty area and Rooney sent Robert Green the wrong way from the spot.

United had squandered the lead twice in their draw at Fulham last weekend, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s team went further ahead this time in the 50th minute when Portugal winger Nani collected Rooney’s pass and lashed his shot past Green.

Dimitar Berbatov condemned West Ham to a third successive defeat when he volleyed home Nani’s cross in the 69th minute.

Ferguson saluted Rooney’s display and said: “The performance was the thing that stood out for me. He’s not had a lot of football lately with a virus that has meant he has not trained, but he looked much more like himself.”

Tottenham crashed back down to earth after their European exploits as Hugo Rodallega gave Wigan a shock 1-0 win at White Hart Lane.

Harry Redknapp’s team had qualified for the main draw of the Champions League for the first time in nearly 50 years thanks to their midweek win over Young Boys.

But they seemed to be suffering a hangover from that result as Rodallega fired home a deflected effort from Hendry Thomas’s pass in the 80th minute to seal the points.

It was Wigan’s first goal of the season after two successive heavy defeats and went some way to avenging last season’s 9-1 defeat in the corresponding fixture.

Earlier, Andrei Arshavin’s second-half winner gave Arsenal a 2-1 victory at Blackburn.

Theo Walcott had put Arsenal ahead in the 20th minute with a low finish.

Mame Diouf, on loan from Manchester United, equalised for Blackburn seven minutes later after El Hadji Diouf out-paced new Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny.

But Russia winger Arshavin struck in the 51st minute after Bacary Sagna’s strong run down the right to leave the Gunners second.

“If you have ambitions in the league you want to win at Blackburn,” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said.

“If you don’t win then your ambition will not be respected by other teams so it was an important test for us.”

Andy Carroll underlined his growing reputation with Newcastle’s equaliser in their 1-1 draw at Wolves.

Chris Hughton’s Newcastle had scored six against Aston Villa last weekend, but they fell behind at Molineux in the 43rd minute when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake converted Jelle van Damme’s pass.

England Under-21 striker Carroll, the hat-trick star of that Villa demolition, netted Newcastle’s equaliser in the 62nd minute with a powerful header from Joey Barton’s free-kick.

Fulham rescued a 2-2 draw against Blackpool as Dickson Etuhu’s late equaliser denied the hosts a win in their first top-flight game at Bloomfield Road for 39 years. —AFP

Six die of gastroenteritis in Upper Dir

UPPER DIR: Gastroenteritis has broken out in Upper Dir district, claiming the lives of six persons and landing thousands others, including children, in the hospitals.

According to health authorities, gastro has hit several areas of the district. However, they denied the reports of cholera outbreak in any area.

They confirmed that four persons, including a child, had been killed by gastro.

The disease is not confined to any particular area but hit several villages and towns of the district. Earlier, the district was lashed by torrential monsoon rains, killing dozens of people and washing away bridges and other infrastructure.

Health authorities told Dawn that more than 3,000 people, including children and women, had been hospitalised. They said the gastro patients were being treated at the emergency wards and provided with free of cost medicines.

Mukhtarullah, a former nazim of Union Council Sawni, said his area had been gripped by gastro which had killed six persons including a child. However, Executive District Officer (EDO) Health Dr Hidayat-ur-Rehman said four persons had died of the disease.

The EDO said the victims included little Sana and three women from Sharmai and Petawo banda. He brushed aside reports of cholera outbreak. “We sent a team of doctors and paramedics to Pitao Banda and Sharmai (villages of union council Sawni) to check up patients and analyse the situation,” the EDO said.

He said the team examined around 1,500 people but it did not find symptoms of cholera. Most of the people were affected by gastro, he added. Several areas in Barawal have also been hit by the disease. District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ghulam Mohammad visited Barawal hospital and directed the staff to take care of the patients and provide them free of cost free medicines.

He said if more medicines were needed, the administration would provide them to the hospital to ensure treatment. The gravity of the situation also brought Federal Minister for Safron Najmuddin Khan to the DHQ hospital. He visited the patients and directed the health authorities to ensure proper treatment.

The DHQ is the main health facility in the district of 700,000 population. The minister on the occasion termed the issue of lack of doctors in the hospital as a “serious problem.”

“We have been facing this situation for quite a long time and it is because of that no doctor is willing to come to Dir for being a remote area.

Distressed girl seeks government help

LAHORE: A girl of Tajpura locality in Cantonment, who is facing life threats from policemen who have allegedly raped her, has sought protection of life and justice.

Narrating her ordeal to reporters at the Lahore Press Club on Saturday, Rabia Khan said she had contracted love marriage with Hussain Ejaz on Feb 1 against her parents’ will.

She alleged that an inspector and two constables had allegedly abducted the couple on Feb 11 and kept them in a Misri Shah warehouse for 12 days where she was raped by the inspector and another man.

Rabia said police officials then got their thumb impressions and signatures on a plain paper and took her to the house of a constable who, after subjecting her to rape, told her that her husband had been murdered.

Somehow, she said, she managed to escape from the constable’s house and reached her in-laws’ where she came to know that the inspector had sent her husband to jail in theft and robbery cases.

She said her father-in-law tried to get a kidnap case registered, but to no avail. She said they also moved the court, but the police defied its orders and instead registered cases against her in-laws, Faizan, Zeeshan and Arshad.

During a court battle, the case was finally registered by the Ghaziabad police, but the investigation in-charge did not pursue the case against his counterparts.

She further said her mother Asia Khanum got registered a fake case against her and her in-laws in North Cantonment police station and the police started conducting raids at their residences.

She said they filed a contempt of court plea in the Supreme Court whose hearing was to be held on Aug 30.

Rabia appealed to the government to provide protection as she feared that she, her husband and their parents could be murdered before the fresh hearing.

Police arrest man, question Pakistan team over match fixing

LONDON: British police said on Saturday they had arrested a man on suspicion on conspiracy to defraud bookmakers following newspaper allegations of match-fixing in the ongoing Test between England and Pakistan.

The News of the World alleged that some members of the Pakistan team were involved in cheating in the fourth and final Test at Lord’s.

“Following information received from the News of the World we have arrested a 35-year old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers,” said a spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police.

‘I can confirm that we are aware of the allegations and Scotland Yard police are with us now at the hotel and we are helping them with their enquiries,” team manager Yawar Saeed told The Associated Press. “This is as much as I can say at the moment.”

News of the World, Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper, alleged that two Pakistan bowlers delivered three blatant no-balls to order.

The weekly tabloid said it gave 150,000 pounds to a middle man who correctly told them precisely when the deliveries would be bowled.

The newspaper published images and dialogue from the encounter and a picture of what it said was one of the promised no-balls on Friday.

Pakistan collapsed spectacularly yet again in the series as England closed in on an innings victory on Saturday.

At stumps, Pakistan, following-on, were 41 for four in their second innings, having been made to follow-on after they were dismissed for just 74 first time around.

That left them still 331 runs adrift of England’s first innings 446 as the home team eyed a victory that would give them a 3-1 win in their last series before begin the defence of the Ashes in Australia in November. —Agencies

Breaches made to save Warah at Dadu’s cost

LARKANA/ DADU: Six breaches were made in a canal on the border between Shahdadkot and Dadu on Saturday in the presence of elected representatives to save the town of Warah from flooding amid resistance from people living on the Dadu side.

Nazeer Ahmed Bughio, an MNA who visited the Dhamraho canal along with Sindh Food Minister Mir Nadir Magsi and MPA Najam Abro, told Dawn that there was no resistance and floodwaters had been provided its ‘natural route’.

The cuts had been made between Supro bund and MNV drain near Kando Wah and Garhi villages, he said, adding that the move had allowed the water to run its natural course towards what he described as katcha area.

Mr Bughio said had cuts not been made, the mounting pressure and subsequent overflow of water from Naseer Shakh (branch) could have posed a serious threat to Mehar and Khairpur Nathan Shah.

Sources said that more than 40 villages were under water and most of the residents had abandoned their homes.

About 20,000 people of Shahdadkot (population 200,000) who had fled the town have returned home.

An executive engineer of the irrigation department said that eight breaches had occurred in the Khirthar canal.

Dr Shafqat Soomro, a PPP leader, said a breach at RD-52, near Sheranpur village, was widening and posed a threat to Ratodero town.

Sources said that the Frontier Works Organisation had been tasked to strengthen the banks of Sallar Shakh and Janat Sakh — the two defence lines for Ratodero.

Heavy machinery and workforce have been moved to the area. PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto, along with her son Zulfikar Junior, visited Janat Shakh, Akil-Agani loop embankment and Shahdadkot on Saturday. She called for expediting rescue work.

DADU
Five 60-foot wide breaches occurred at three points in Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain in Johi taluka of Dadu, inundating a large number of villages. A final warning was issued on Saturday telling people to leave their homes.

The water released from one of the five breaches in MNV drain between Kamal Kham Mori and Chhapar Khan Jamali village was heading towards Johi town and is 10km away.

The residents of the town and its surrounding areas have started shifting to mountain areas of the Khirthar range and other safer places.

Mehar taluka is also under threat because of two 40-foot wide breaches at MNV drain between Seelara and Mado villages which have inundated about 100 villages.

The water released from a breach in Tori bund has entered Mehar, putting pressure on Dhamraho Wah.

The local administration and irrigation officials in the presence of PPP leaders made three artificial cuts (breaches) at Garhi Mori to save Mehar town and divert the floodwater towards Supro embankment.

Chhapar Khan Jamali, a former union council nazim, said that three breaches had occurred in Chhapar Khan Jamali village, inundating 30 villages of three union councils and the water was gushing towards Johi town.

People complained that the local administration was not providing transport to shift stranded people to safe areas.

Dodo Gadehi, a tractor driver, said that before the flood in MNV drain he was charging Rs4,000 to shift people from Johi to Wahi Pandhi, but now charging Rs35,000.

Four breaches in MNV drain in taluka Khairpur Nathan Shah have inundated over 50 villages.

He said the water of Hamal lake had been released into the MNV drain. The water was diverted from three sources, he said, adding that the flow would be released into Manchhar lake.

The level of water in the lake reached 111.9RL and this in Indus at Dadu-Moro bridge reached 131RL.

MQM will never back military rule: Altaf

ISLAMABAD: Confronted with a storm of criticism and in what seemed like a bid to end the ongoing controversy over his remarks in which he had asked for a ‘martial law-like action’ against corrupt politicians, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Saturday that his party would never support military rule.

In an interview to a private television channel, the MQM chief explained that he had never sought imposition of martial law, saying he wanted the army to act within the constitutional limits and help the poor “snatch the lands and big palaces of feudals and landlords”.

However, it was not clear if his detailed interview on the issue would put an end to the controversy. The MQM chief was of the view that the Constitution allowed such an action.

“Under Article 190 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court can direct army, police, Rangers or any law enforcement agency to apprehend those who had breached canals and barrages only to save their lands and properties causing deaths and destruction,” the MQM chief said.

Mr Hussain, whose party was a part of the Musharraf regime when Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was deposed in 2007, said he held the present judiciary in high esteem.

However, he warned that “if the chief justice and present SC judges do not take decisions in the country’s interest regardless of the consequences, then the people will hold them accountable as well”.

“In the past you (army) imposed martial laws for your own interests and feudals’ benefits. Now come out in support of the people of Pakistan to help them get rid of feudalism,” he said.

To a query, Mr Hussain suggested the formation of an interim government comprising honest and reputable persons to help the poor “occupy the lands and palaces of feudals”.

Mr Hussain said he had not only talked about corrupt politicians, but also about those “corrupt generals” who had “occupied 30 per cent lands of the country”.

PML-N seeks army, govt’s response to MQM remarks

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-N has urged the army to clarify its position on the appeal made by MQM chief Altaf Hussain to ‘patriotic generals’ to take ‘martial law-like action against corrupt politicians’.

“Ask ISPR (army’s public relations department) to make a comment on it. I personally believe that the army should present its viewpoint,” Chaudhry Nisar, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly, said in reply to a question at a press conference on Saturday.

Chaudhry Nisar said it would be in the interest of the army if it stayed away from politics. “Please, let the army do its job. It is in the interest of the army, country and all institutions as Pakistan’s future lies in democracy. Today, when they (army) have returned to their original work, don’t distract them.”

The opposition leader said the federal government’s silence, too, was surprising considering that the Muttahida chief was actually talking about the rulers’ corruption.

The PML-N has already submitted a privilege motion to the National Assembly secretariat in condemnation of Mr Hussain’s remarks.

Like the MQM, he added, the PML-N was concerned over corruption, but the party favoured accountability through parliament.

Chaudhry Nisar accused the Muttahida chief of “trying to divide the army and make it controversial” at a time when soldiers were busy in the war against terrorism.

In the past, Chaudhry Nisar recalled, the MQM was always critical of Rangers and the army’s role and raised “anti-army slogans” when Gen Asif Nawaz, Gen Jehangir Karamat and Gen Waheed Kakar were army chiefs. “However, when Gen Musharraf hid their misdeeds, the army became dear to the MQM,” he said.

The opposition leader criticised the MQM for keeping silent when “its favourite army chief (an allusion to Gen Musharraf) made those people minister who had been facing corruption charges and were under the custody of National Accountability Bureau which was under the total control of the army”.

“Why did you not question Gen Musharraf when he released NAB-affected people from jails and made them your colleagues in the cabinet?” the PML-N leader asked.

Commenting on Mr Hussain’s controversial remarks, the PML-N leader reminded the MQM leadership that it was the army that had ‘exposed its style of politics based on murder and extortion”.

He threatened to present the record of army about the MQM in parliament if it did not stop personal attacks on the PML-N leadership.

Indian aid should come through UN

ISLAMABAD: After dithering over the offer for days, Pakistan has finally come clean with its India-is-the-enemy stance and refused to directly accept India’s offer of $5 million in relief assistance for flood victims, suggesting instead that the aid be donated to the UN flood response appeal.

A senior official at the Foreign Office confirmed on Saturday that the decision had been conveyed to New Delhi through diplomatic channels.

The $460 million UN appeal, to which India has been asked to contribute, was 64 per cent funded as of Saturday.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had on Aug 13 offered $5 million in relief assistance for flood survivors during a conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Days after Mr Krishna’s call, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and reminded him of the offer, indicating that India could give it if needed.

The Pakistan government, however, deliberated on the pros and cons of accepting or rejecting the offer for almost a fortnight and ultimately settled for middle ground -- asking that the donor route the assistance through the UN.

In the meantime, media attention was focused on Islamabad’s response and various functionaries gave divergent statements on the issue, revealing the fact they were not aware of what was happening and the government’s inability to reach a decision.

The foreign minister, during his visit to New York, told the media that the Pakistan government had accepted the offer and appreciated the Indian gesture. His ministry, meanwhile, has been insisting that no final decision was taken.

At a press conference on Friday, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the Indian offer had been accepted.

While explaining Pakistan’s hesitancy in accepting the offer, Mr Qureshi had “referred to a different nature of relationship with India” and sensitivities involved in the matter. This perhaps was the most honest answer as it indicated that hostilities between the two countries had led to Islamabad’s reluctance.

The United States, which is one of the top donors to the flood assistance, had noted Pakistan’s hesitance and urged Islamabad to accept the offer, warning it against indulging in politics during a disaster.

The Indian government made the offer only after criticism at home that political disputes with Pakistan were overruling humanitarian considerations. Moreover, diplomatic observers say, the offer was symbolic and motivated by the world focus on the devastating floods.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been marred by mistrust and hostility. The logjam in ties caused by the Mumbai attacks has not been overcome despite recent efforts involving the top leadership of both the countries and some of the world powers.

Providing shelter before Eid tough task: PM

ISLAMABAD: Providing shelter before Eid to the people displaced by floods is the greatest challenge faced by the government, says Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

However, the government was busy in formulating a comprehensive strategy to meet the tough challenge, he said at a meeting held in the PM House on Saturday to review the performance of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) and Ministry of Zakat and Ushr in providing relief to the flood-hit people.

The prime minister asked the PBM and Ministry of Zakat and Ushr to work jointly in accordance with parameters determined by the government to cope with the challenge.

BISP Chairperson Farzana Raja, Baitul Mal Chairman Zamarud Khan and Secretary Zakat and Ushr Khalid Idrees briefed the prime minister on their contributions towards relief and rehabilitation efforts going on in different parts of the country.

Over 400 jailed Indian fishermen set to be freed

KARACHI: The federal government on Saturday ordered the release of 442 Indian fishermen, including two minors, who despite having completed their sentences — some of them years ago — were still being held in prisons here.

Sources said that 456 Indian prisoners had completed their sentences but the government had ordered the release of 442, which meant that 14 prisoners who had completed their sentences would not be released.

According to the sources, the federal government’s decision was communicated through a ministry of interior letter (No: 9/4/2009 – India –II, dated Aug 28, 2010) to the Sindh government and the provincial home department issued a notification (No: SO (PPT)/01-09/09 dated Aug 28, 2010), ordering the release and repatriation of these fishermen in batches.

The fishermen have been under detention at four places — District Jail Malir, and Juvenile Jail in Karachi; Nara Jail Hyderabad; District Jail Badin and District Jail Naushehro Feroze.

All the prisoners would be brought to Malir Jail from where they would leave for their homes.

The Indian prisoners would be released in four batches. The first batch of 100 fishermen, including the two minors, would leave the city from Malir jail on Aug 30 and reach Lahore the next day from where they would cross the Wagah border on their way back home.

The next batch of 100 fishermen would leave the Malir prison on Sept 2 and cross the Wagah border the next day.

The third batch of 101 prisoners would leave the city on Sept 4 and cross the Wagah border on Sept 5 while the last batch of 141 prisoners would leave the city on Sept 6 and cross the Wagah border the next day.

Responding to Dawn queries, retired justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, who is a member of the Pakistan-India joint judicial commission and remained involved with the issue, said that he had visited India in May where it was decided that steps would be taken with the respective governments so that the prisoners who had completed their sentences and still being held in prisons could be released and it was decided that the superior courts would be moved to secure the release.

He said that this decision was taken keeping in view an Indian supreme court order that since the prisoners had completed their sentences they be released immediately.

The Indian supreme court gave the verdict on a petition filed by a Kashmiri Pundit, Bhim Singh, on behalf of 17 Kashmiris who, though had completed their sentences, were being held in prisons, he said.

The retired justice said that at the Delhi meeting held in May it was decided that former chief justice of the Delhi High Court Justice Sachar would file a case in India for the release Pakistani prisoner and similarly a case would be filed in Pakistan for the release Indian prisoners.

He said that the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), represented by a former federal law minister, Iqbal Haider, filed a constitutional petition (No.48 of 2010) in the Supreme Court of Pakistan for the release of the Indian fishermen.

The Supreme Court on Aug 12, 2010 issued notices to the foreign ministry, the interior ministry as well the Sindh home department, asking them under what legal provision or lawful authority the fishermen who had completed their sentences were in jails.

On Aug 26 the foreign ministry had informed the Supreme Court that it had already informed the interior ministry to release 456 Indian fishermen who had completed their sentences and their nationality had been confirmed by the Indian High Commission.

The Supreme Court had ordered repeat notice to the interior ministry as to why these detained Indian fishermen were not being released and repatriated to India.

The next date of hearing in petition was Sept 14, 2010, but before the hearing the government has ordered the release of the fishermen.

He said that 456 Indian fishermen had completed their sentences but the government had ordered the release of 442, which leave out 14 prisoners.

He said that he had received the release orders after the office timings, but he would crosscheck and this issue would be sorted out with the government shortly.

Mr Iqbal Haider, who had filed the petition in the Supreme Court, said that now that Pakistan government had ordered the release of the Indian fishermen, he would make efforts to get the Pakistani prisoners being held in Indian prisons released before Eid.

Jacobabad turns into a ghost town

SUKKUR: Jacobabad wears a look of a besieged city abandoned by its residents with rail and road links connecting it to the rest of the country having been cut off for more than 20 days.

Only five per cent of the city’s 500,000 population still cling onto their homes, stubbornly refusing to leave.

The floodwaters unleashed by a breach in Tori bund near Ghauspur in Kandhkot-Kashmore district, which has till now widened to a kilometre, reached as far as Jacobabad after covering a long distance and flooded all its roads.

The city was though saved after cuts were made in Jamali bypass to divert the floodwater to Balochistan’s only green belt, Jafarabad and Naseerabad districts.

Since then Jacobabad remains cut off from the rest of the country and nothing has been done to restore its road or rail communication despite a lapse of more than 20 days.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah told journalists during a visit to Kandhkot on Saturday that the breach in Tori bund would be plugged within a week and the plugging work had been awarded to Frontier Works Organisation.

According to some journalists who are still in Jacobabad, the only mode of communication with the outer world is through boats.

Majority of people have fled the city, fearing onrushing floodwaters and now only 5 per cent people are living there who face acute shortage of daily use commodities and super inflation.

On the one hand shopkeepers are selling essential commodities at prohibitively exorbitant prices and on the other relief goods meant for the residents of the marooned city are allegedly being distributed among favourites or belonging to a particular political group.

To add insult to injury, these undeserving people are selling the relief goods at exorbitant prices and take undue advantage of their helplessness. But people are compelled to buy these goods at whatever price to keep body and soul together.

Efforts to contact Jacobabad DCO Kazim Jatoi failed because his cell phone number was switched off.

Besides, the city and adjoining areas are littered with carcasses of animals, giving off unbearable stench and disease among the marooned people who have nowhere to flee and no healthcare facility.

According to official sources, work on the restoration of road link between Shikarpur and Jacobabad has started and it may take two days more to reopen it.

Punjab seeks probe on dykes cuts, breaches

LAHORE: The Punjab government has sent a reference to Lahore High Court, requesting it to establish a judicial commission to investigate breaches and cuts in dykes and spurs in the province.

According to a handout, the reference was sent on the order of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

PPP dominates new list of MPs having genuine degrees

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party, which has the highest number of lawmakers holding fake or invalid degrees, also dominates a new list of legislators possessing genuine degrees.

The list with names of 42 legislators includes those of 31 parliamentarians belonging to the party.

According to a copy of the list, ten Sindh ministers have genuine degrees — namely, Pir Mazharul Haq, Agha Taimoor Khan Pathan, Abdul Haque alias Dost Mohammad, Manzoor Hussain Wassan, Makhdoom Jameel-uz-Zaman, Zahid Ali Bhugrani, Zulfikar Ali Mirza, Dr Daya Ram, Sassui Palejo and Mohan Lal.

Dr Khalid Mahmood Soomro of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F is the only Senator on the list.

The list has the names of a dozen members of National Assembly, with nine of them belonging to the PPP. These PPP members are Dr Fehmida Mirza, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Afzal Sindhu, Amir Ali Magsi, Rafique Ahmad Jamali, Rubina Saadat Qaimkhani, Lal Chand and Pir Syed Fazal Shah Jeelani.

The other three MNAs named in the list are Ghous Bakhsh Khan Mahar (PML), Dr Abdul Qadir Khanzada (MQM) and Reena Kumari (PML- Functional).

The other members of the Sindh Assembly declared to be possessing genuine degrees include Anwar Ahmad Khan Mahar, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Imdad Ali Pitafi, S. Mohsin Shah Bukhari, Abdul Karim Soomro, M. Nawaz Chandio, Sharjeel Imam Memon, Dr Sikandar Ali Shoro, Fayyaz Ali Butt, Abdul Salam Thaheem, and Humera Alwani (PPP), Fahim Ahmad, Syed Wasim Hussain and Sohail Yusuf Khan (MQM), Abdul Razzaq Rahimoon, Shah Hussain Shah Sheerazi and Dr Sajeela Leghari (PML-Q) and Ali Ghulam Nizamani (PML-F).

In all, 289 lawmakers have so far been given a clean chit while 46 have been declared to be holding fake or invalid degrees.

The Election Commission has already started summoning those accused of holding fake or dubious degrees to decide whether or not their cases should be sent to district and session judges for trial.

Six lawmakers were summoned to the commission last Monday, but only three of them sent their representatives to explain the reasons behind their absence, while the remaining three — Syed Mohammad Salman Mohsin, Javed Hussain Shah and Gulistan Khan — did not make any representation.

An official of the Election Commission told Dawn that the lawmakers who remained absent had been asked to appear before the commission on Monday (Aug 30).

Six more lawmakers have been issued notices to appear before the commission on Monday.

They are federal Minister for Postal Services Mir Israrullah Khan Zehri, federal Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd, members of Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Kishwar Kumar and Khalifa Abdul Qayyum, member of Balochistan Assembly Shamma Parveen Magsi and member of Punjab Assembly Saima Aziz.