Tag: islamabad

  • Govt gives three housing units each to 19 bureaucrats

    Govt gives three housing units each to 19 bureaucrats

    A total of 19 bureaucrats of grade BS-22 secured three housing units each, including Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Establishment Shehzad Arbab.

    According to the papers obtained by Dawn, the officers had already been allotted a double-story “grey structures” house each in the Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHAF) scheme.

    The PHAF traditionally built low-cost housing schemes for its members and this was the first time that it introduced a scheme for senior bureaucrats.

    Previously, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had cancelled the allotment of “choice” apartments to influential bureaucrats in the same locality [PHAF] and ordered an investigation into the manipulated balloting carried out by the housing scheme.

    Not only this, the official documents say that 185 of the 588 bureaucrats right after this allotment were allotted plots in the capital’s new sectors of F-14 and F-15.

    Following this, the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) recently allotted two plots each to senior bureaucrats, judges of superior courts, lawyers, and judicial officers of Islamabad’s subordinate judiciary.

    Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled against the allotment of more than one plot to top bureaucrats at public expense under Article 25 of the Pakistan Constitution and then set aside the policy of allotment of the second plot and referred the matter to the federal cabinet.

    While talking to Dawn, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Farogh Naseem said the allotments would be examined in light of the IHC judgment. Federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “The government is working on the issue in the light of the IHC directive and has formed a committee as well.”

    Initially, civil servants were entitled to one plot each only. However, in 2006, the then prime minister allowed two plots each for BS-22 officials.

    However, an insider said the policy to make such allotments had never been approved by the federal government.

  • Fawad Chaudhry condemned for saying Dawn is part of international conspiracy against Pak

    Fawad Chaudhry condemned for saying Dawn is part of international conspiracy against Pak

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry accused Dawn media group of being part of an international conspiracy against Pakistan.

    When anchorperson Absa Komal asked Fawad about media freedom in Pakistan and for an update on the investigation related to recent attacks on journalists in Islamabad, Fawad dodged the question and said, “Your institution [Dawn] is an active participant of an international conspiracy theory which works against Pakistan.” Fawad appeared on ‘News Eye with Absa Komal’ on Dawn News.

    “Your institution propagates an environment that works against the country, trying to take things out of context.”

    “Human Rights Watch (HRW) has written an entire article on PMDA and it says that there is five-year prosecution. When we inquired about it from HRW, they said it was entirely based on [Dawn’s] editorial,” said Fawad.

    Twitter reacted to the minister’s statement against Dawn.

    Journalist Benazir Shah tweeted, “The Info. Minister accuses Dawn of being part of an ‘international conspiracy’ to defame Pakistan, without presenting a shred of evidence to support his claim. On the other hand, there is enough evidence of increasing censorship against media.”

    Lawyer Aftab Alam questioned, “If govt is serious about media regulatory reforms, why is it keeping the process secret? Why not putting ‘Bill’ on the official page of @GovtofPakistan and sharing with stakeholders?”

    Another Twitter user wrote, “A journalist has a genuine concern? – Instead of addressing it just accuse them of being anti-state and dodge the question. This way you save yourself the embarrassment of giving a proper clarification which you clearly don’t have.”

  • Zahir Jaffer guilty of murdering Noor, states case challan prepared by police

    A case challan has been prepared by the Homicide Investigation Unit of the Kohsar police station in Noor Mukadam murder case. In the case challan, they found Zahir Jaffer guilty of murdering Noor. In addition, Jaffer’s parents, Therapy Works CEO, and other suspects have been named as accomplices of the prime suspect, Samaa has reported.

    The challan will be presented next week before an Islamabad sessions court. In the challan, the police has requested the court to give strict punishment to Zahir.

    Earlier, Noor’s father filed a petition in the high court against bails granted to Therapy Works CEO Tahir Zahoor and five employees in his daughter’s murder case. Sessions court in Islamabad had granted bail to six members of Therapy Works, who were called by Zahir’s mother to go over to the house after the murder took plac

  • Islamabad police arrest boy who posed in front of Quaid’s portrait

    Islamabad Police have arrested the boy who posed in front of Quaid’s portrait on Expressway Islamabad. Journalist Waseem Abbasi shared the picture of the boy. As per details, the accused name Zulfiqar is a resident of Lahore, and he will be taken to Islamabad.

    People on social media are criticising the police for arresting the boy:

    Earlier this month, police registered a case against a couple for a photoshoot in front of Quaid-e-Azam’s portrait in Islamabad under Section 294 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The case was registered on the complaint of Rashid Malik.

    The photoshoot sparked outraged on social media after journalist Ansar Abbasi requested Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqat to arrest the models “who displayed extreme obscenity in public.”

  • Taliban reassure that TTP will not be given permission to operate in Afghanistan against Pakistan: Rashid

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Monday that the Afghan Taliban had reassured the government that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) would not be given permission to operate in Afghanistan against Pakistan.

    While addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Rashid said that some of the TTP members such as Maulvi Faqir Mohammad had been released by the Taliban after their takeover of Kabul on August 15, further adding that the government was in complete contact with the Taliban on the matter.

    “The Afghan Taliban have reassured [us] that Afghanistan’s land will not be allowed to be used in any case by the TTP,” said Rashid.

    He said Pakistan desired peace in Afghanistan since peace in one country was related to peace in the other.

  • IHC suspends plot allotments to judges in Islamabad

    IHC suspends plot allotments to judges in Islamabad

    Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah suspended allotment of plots to the capital’s judiciary in sectors F-14 and F-15, observing that this award of land was a conflict of interest, reported Dawn.

    The court also issued a notice to the attorney general and sought an explanation from the Ministry of Housing and Works on the policy of distribution of plots among a few segments of society.

    Justice Athar Minallah was hearing a petition filed by property owners in villages Thalla Syedan and Jhangi Syedan in Islamabad district against the acquisition of their land.

    During the hearing of the matter, Justice Minallah remarked: “It has been reported that the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority had recently held a ballot for allotment of plots in F-14 and F-15. The list indicates that virtually every judicial officer of the district courts of Islamabad, who are expected to resolve and adjudicate upon the grievances and rights of the affected landowners, is a beneficiary.”

    “It, prima facie, raises serious questions regarding conflict of interest because the plots are given to the beneficiaries at substantially lower prices than the current market rates and thus each beneficiary has a financial interest,” said Justice Minallah.

    “Moreover, astonishingly the list also includes those judicial officers who have been dismissed on account of misconduct or corruption,” added Justice Minallah.

    Justice Minallah observed that the judicial officer who was convicted and sentenced by this court was also one of the beneficiaries.

    As per the record of the FGEHA, three sacked additional district and sessions judges — Pervaizul Qadir Memon, Raja Khurram Ali Khan, and Jahangir Awan — were allotted a Kanal plot each in F-14 and F-15 while two former civil judges, Adnan Jamali and Amir Khalil, were given plots measuring 14 marlas each in these sectors.

    Last week, two special assistants to the prime minister (SAPM), judges of the superior judiciary, and top bureaucrats were among those who had been allocated residential plots in Islamabad’s F-14 and F-15 sectors.

    Judges of the superior judiciary, as well as those of the subordinate judiciary, and a few journalists had been placed in Category I — plots measuring one Kanal.

    While the judges of all the provincial high courts have been allotted plots in F-14 and F-15, not a single judge from the Islamabad High Court was among the applicants.

  • Taliban flags spotted at Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad, immediately removed by police

    The flags of the Afghan Taliban was found hoisted on the rooftop of a Jamia Hafsa madrassah located in the heart of the capital, Dawn News has reported. I

    Islamabad officials while speaking to Dawn News said “four to five white flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan were found hoisted on the rooftop of Jamia Hafsa in G-7/3.”

    “The flags were spotted after Zuhr prayers and shortly the capital administration and police were informed about it,” they said.

    Deputy Commissioner Islamabad in a tweet said that the administration have removed the flags.

  • PM’s aide, judges allotted plots in Islamabad

    PM’s aide, judges allotted plots in Islamabad

    Two special assistants to the prime minister (SAPM), judges of the superior judiciary, and top bureaucrats are among those who have been allocated residential plots in Islamabad’s F-14 and F-15 sectors, reported Dawn.

    Federal Housing Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema chaired the proceedings. Over 4,500 applicants were declared successful.

    A list was posted by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) on its website after the ballot on Tuesday.

    According to the list posted on the website, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed has been allotted a plot in Sector F-15/3.

    Dr Waqar Masood Khan, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Finance (SAPM), was given a plot in F-15/4, while Dr Shahzad Arbab, the SAPM on Establishment, got a plot in Sector F-14/2.

    Judges of the superior judiciary, as well as those of the subordinate judiciary, and a few journalists have been placed in Category I — plots measuring one Kanal.

    Eight incumbent judges of the apex court are featured in the list. Seven retired judges of the Supreme Court were declared successful. Two former director-generals of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) — a former inspector general of Islamabad, the Secretary to Cabinet Division, and a number of other federal secretaries and bureaucrats working in BS-22 and 21 have been allotted plots.

    While the judges of all the provincial high courts have been allotted plots in F-14 and F-15, not a single judge from the Islamabad High Court was among the applicants.

  • Therapyworks owner and five employees arrested in Noor’s case

    Therapyworks owner and five employees arrested in Noor’s case

    A court in Islamabad has handed over Therapyworks Owner Tahir Zahoor, and five others to day-long physical custody in Noor Mukadam’s murder case reports DAWN.

    The six suspects were arrested on Saturday night and were presented on Sunday morning before the court, in front of Magistrate Shahzad Khan who granted their remand.

    They were accused of “concealing evidence”. Reportedly, Tahir Zahoor was in contact with Zahir’s parents after the murder, and eventually, a team from Therapyworks was sent to the crime scene.

    Zahoor’s counsel told the court that his client is diabetic and has cooperated when called for an investigation. “This is the first case in which witnesses have been arrested,” he said.

    Moreover, the suspects said that they had cooperated with the authorities and were at the police station for four days but no investigation was conducted.

    They will be presented before the court tomorrow (Monday) at 10:30 am.

    How is Therapyworks is related?

    Therapy Works, a counseling, and psychotherapy center allegedly granted murder suspect Zahir Jaffar a certification to become a therapist.

    The center denied allegations that Zahir Jaffar was seeing clients of the organisation, despite evidence coming forward that he was.

    Other suspects

    Other than Zahir Jaffar and his parents, two security guards were also been arrested for assistance-in-crime, hiding evidence and tampering with evidence in order to save the accused. Currently, the murder suspect is in Adiala Jail.

  • Zahir Jaffer has headache, moved to and then discharged from PIMS hospital

    Zahir Zakir Jaffer, the main accused in the July 20 murder of Noor Mukadam, was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon with a headache, according to doctors at the hospital, Arab News reported.

    “Zahir Jaffer was brought to the PIMS emergency room today afternoon for a checkup,” Khawaja said. “He was checked for a headache and his blood pressure and temperature were also noted, which were found to be normal.”

    A doctor at PIMS, Waseem Khawaja, confirmed this to Arab News saying that Jaffer was brought to the hospital but was discharged after a brief check up.

    “Nothing to be worried about, he was found to be in good health,” the doctor added.

    Deputy Executive Director Dr Zulfiqar Ghauri, also confirmed the news to Arab News.