Zulfiqar Mirzas vacation end on July 4: Sharjeel
Talking to newsmen in Hyderabad press club, Sharjeel Memon said that Dr Zulfiqar Mirza had applied for one-month extension in his vacation on June 4 which would end on July 4.
He said that Rangers were deployed to defend Karachi and there would be no use of keeping them away.
He said people question that suo moto notice was taken and DG Rangers and DIG Karachi were removed after the incident of Sarfraz but neither suo moto notice was taken nor a single SP was suspended in Punjab when a policeman murdered former Punjab Governor.
He said Nawaz Sharif was responsible for crisis as he kept on delaying the Thar-Coal project.
Sharjeel said that statements of ‘liable to be murdered’ were made for Salman Taseer and now same statements were being made for Babar Awan.
He concluded that local bodies’ elections would be held after betterment in law and order situation.
Cabinet to endorse transfer of five ministries to provinces
December 1, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet is meeting today to accord its formal approval for transfer of five ministries from centre to provinces.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the chief ministers of all four provinces, federal ministers and top officials will attend this cabinet meeting.
According to sources, ministries of Local Bodies, Zakat & Ushr, Special Measures, Youth Affairs and Population Welfare will be handed over to provinces.
In addition, it will consider recommendations of the Constitutional Reforms Committee regarding appointments of judges in top judiciary. Trend Pk
No LB polls in current year: Thahim
KARACHI: Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Abdul Razzaq Thahim said Local Bodies (LB) elections would not be organized in current year.
Talking to media in Sindh Secretariat, Thahim said Election Commission will hold local bodies elections in accordance with 18th amendment, however, Election Commission is yet to be structured. He said four retired judges should be appointed with chief Election Commissioner to complete Election Commission structure, he added.
Power crisis continues across the country
KARACHI: The menace of load shedding is persisting in the country and the public is facing extreme difficulties.
The load shedding is being carried out for 12 to 14 hours in urban areas of Sindh and 18 to 20 hours in rural areas.
The power shutdown for 12 hours in urban areas of Punjab and 18 hour in rural areas of Punjab is badly disturbing routine life.
Prolong load shedding of 16 to 18 hour being carried out in different areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw. Also, load shedding of several hours continued at ship breaking yard in Gaddani in Balochistan.
Farooq Sattar, Javed Hashmi have breakfast in Multan
MULTAN: The central leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Farooq Sattar said strong federal units and strong provinces guarantee a strong federation, Geo News reported Thursday.
Javed Hashmi of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) said no single party has monopoly over Punjab.
Farooq Sattar arrived here at Hashmi’s residence where both the leaders had breakfast. Afterwards, both of them talked to media.
Sattar said, ‘We will have to work together to resolve the issues of unemployment, poverty, power crisis and inflation. The local governments are nurseries of democracy.’
He demanded the Local Bodies election be held on the party basis.
Vowing for joint effort to strengthen the Parliament, he said Pakistan needs direly national solidarity and the country cannot afford political confrontation at this time.
Javed Hashmi said the country and people here would be benefited from the MQM’s work here, adding Punjab is no party’s monopoly, as MQM owns it as much as other parties do.
‘We will have to pull down all walls of hatred in accordance with the vision provided by Quaid-e-Azam,’ he added.
Protests continue against loadshedding
LAHORE: Amid two-day energy conference being held in the federal capital to find a durable solution of the power crisis, violent protests continue in different parts of the country against the electricity loadshedding.
The enraged people staged demonstrations and burned tyres in Mandi Bahauddin and Nawabshah against the prolong power outages.
In urban part of Sindh, about 14 hours of loadshedding is being observed, whereas people of rural areas are compelled to brace 18 hours of power cuts. People hit by simmering heat took to streets in Nawabshah and set tyres on fire to express their frustration.
The protest caused a huge traffic jam, suspending traffic from Nawabshah to Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and other cities.
Apart form Sindh, urban area of Punjab are facing up to 8 hours of loadshedding while rural areas are almost without the electricity.
The traders observed a shutter down strike in Mandi Bahauddin and its adjacent areas against the loadshedding. They protest took out a rallyh from Miran Ji roundabout and burned tyres. Police restored to baton-charge to disperse the protestors and arrested some people.
In addition, the angry mob pelted stones at a train, which was going to Sargodha from Lala Moosa.
Situation is no different in Khyber-Pakhtunkhw and Balochistan.
Lawyers” top guns come face to face on constitutional amendment
ISLAMABAD: 18th Amendment has sparked a controversy between the top guns of lawyers” movement, Aitzaz Ahsan and Akram Sheikh. Whether the Parliament has the authority to amend the Constitution or not and can it be challenged in any court?
He said the Parliament is empowered to change the fundamentals of the Constitution, adding the apex court cannot nullify the Constitutional amendment.
His statements stirred a response from Akram Sheikh who said the Supreme Court has the authority to suspend an amendment. He had filed a petition on behalf of Nadeem Ahmed in the SC challenging the establishment of the judicial commission.
The former SCBA president said the apex court might at maximum propose an amendment, as it is up to the court to give suggestions, but it cannot on its own, rise to amend the Constitution.
Ahsan said, according to the Article-238, 239 no amendment in the Constitution can be challenged in any court, whatsoever; neither can the SC”s power to hear petition be challenged.
It was 2005 Lawyers Forum case verdict, where the court ruled that the SC couldn”t overrule the Constitutional amendment, Ahsan said adding the LFO was challenged in the case.
Zafar Ali Shah is the only case, which set limits for the constitutional amendments; but, these restrictions were meant for not the Parliament but for a single person i.e. Gen Pervez Musharraf (rtd).
The SCBA”s former president said formula of judges” appointment does not harm the independence of the judiciary, as the names of the judges are to be proposed not by the parliamentary committee but by a Judicial Commission headed by the CJP.
LB elections may be delayed for two months: minister
KARACHI: Legislation for new local bodies system was taking time and due to budget making elections for local bodies could be delayed for two months, Provincial Minister for Local Bodies Agha Siraj Durrani said.
He was talking to journalists before assembly session today.
Durrani denied media reports regarding Administrator Karachi being changed.
JI announces campaign against load-shedding, price hike
PESHAWAR: Jamat-e-Islami has announced to go for a full-fledged campaign against power load-shedding, lawlessness, price hike, unemployment and Value Added Tax (VAT).
The resolutions passed at the Local Bodies Convention organized by Jamat-e-Islami here, expressed concerns over unrest across NWFP including FATA and Hazara resulting in loss of precious lives. The convention, terming it failure of the government announced to kick off of a campaign against it all.
Among the resolutions passed, one demanded holding of local bodies elections on party basis and announcing the LB election schedule.
Power shortfall soars to 4810 MW
LAHORE: The power shortfall in the country has reached to 4810 MW as 11 to 14 hours load shedding makes common man’s life miserable.
According to PEPCO officials, the power production is 10015 MW as demand touches to 14810 MW.
The duration of load shedding in cities is 11 to 14 hours, 20 hours in villages whereas industrial sector is facing 6 to 8 hours of load shedding.
Prolonged power cuts also created water shortage in several areas. However, PEPCO officials are optimistic that load shedding will be reduce in coming days with the improved water situation in Tarbela and Mangla Dams.
