Unevaluated arms licences From Page 1 licenses. Ch Nisar added that during the revalidation of arms licences about 4500 licences were found fake. He said the revalidation date for the licenses will be December 31 this year. “We want to put in place a system with the help of the National Database & Regulatory Authority to verify all issued licences and ensure that new licences are not issued without establishing need,” said Nisar. The minister also said a mechanism needs to be in place to keep a check on bullet-proof-vehicle manufacturers to ensure that customers are not being ripped off. “In our investigation we have come across several manufacturers who are providing substandard cars that can exacerbate danger rather than protecting customers.” The federal interior minister also shed light on the state of private security agencies operating in the country, saying that his investigation had revealed alarming irregularities. “Hundreds of private security agencies have employed personnel who cannot operate weapons. “Such agencies need to be regulated and proper checks need to be in place so that only trained and worthy individuals are employed to provide security,” Nisar said. “Except for Punjab, all other provinces do
not have any restriction in place,” he said adding, “We intend to conduct the regularisation process through NADRA”. The interior minister urged all other provinces to follow suite to ensure smooth law and order in the entire country. “Pakistan is not a banana republic and should governed by appropriate laws,” he said. Apparently referring to the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf spearheading, he also criticised “those issuing their own verdicts when the matter of alleged rigging in the elections is still being investigated”.He questioned why the judges of the tribunal did not refrain such people from issuing the statements. “Those fooling the nation on NADRA report must abstain from such practice,” he asserted. Regarding the case of Muttahida Qoumi Movement slain leader Imran Farooq, Nisar said a Joint Investigation Team had completed its report, adding that he will reveal important information regarding the arrest of a suspect in relation to the case, in a few days. Replying to a question, the Interior Minister said that important progress is expected in Dr. Imran Farooq murder case in the next two or three days. He said that Pakistan has concrete proofs of RAW’s activities in Pakistan which would be made public soon.
Defunct KASB Bank starts From Page 1 four banks which had shown interest in acquiring the defunct bank had come out with an estimated negative equity gap of Rs. 12 to 14 billion in addition to the shortfall in Minimum Capital Requirement (Rs.10 billion). Following the international practices, a notional value of Rs1000 was set for
the defunct bank. There are many examples of such international practices such as the sale of Barings Bank at a price of 1 pound to ING group, Lehman Brothers Asia Pacific business taken over by Nomura Holdings for consideration of only 2 US $ and Northern Rock taken over by the government without any
payment. State Bank of Pakistan acknowledges the depositors’ confidence in the regulator and reiterates its commitment to safeguard the interests of depositors to ensure safety and soundness of the banking system of the country. From now on it is business as usual.
Boats with 500 Rohingya From Page 1 “We had nothing to eat,” said Rashid Ahmed, a 43-year-old Rohingya man who was on one of the boats. He said he left Myanmar’s troubled state of Rakhine with his eldest son three months ago. “There were about 20 children on our boat — they were so hungry,” he said, crying as he spoke to The Associated Press by phone. “All we could do was pray.” The Rohingya have for decades suffered from state-sanctioned discrimination in Myanmar. Attacks on the religious minority by Buddhist mobs in the last three years have sparked one of the biggest exoduses of boat people since the Vietnam War, sending 100,000 people fleeing, according to Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, which has monitored the movements of Rohingya for more than a decade. An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Rohingya are now being held in large ships in the Malacca Straits and nearby international waters, she said, adding that crackdowns on trafficking syndicates in Thailand and Malaysia have prevented brokers from bringing them to land. That has added to a spiraling crisis, with some stranded at sea for more than two months. Tightly confined, and with limited access to food and clean water, their health is inevitably deteriorating, Lewa said, adding that dozens of deaths have been reported in recent months. Thailand has long been considered a transit point for human traffickers across the region. The tactics of brokers and agents started changing in November as authorities started
cracking down on smuggling networks on land — a move apparently aimed at appeasing the U.S. government as it prepares to release its annual Trafficking in Persons report next month. Last year, Thailand was downgraded to the lowest level, putting it on par with North Korea and Syria. In the past, Rohingya and Bangladeshis packed into ships in the Bay of Bengal. Their first stop was almost always Thailand, where they were held in open pens in jungle camps as brokers collected “ransoms” of $2,000 or more from family and friends. Those who could pay continued onward, usually to Malaysia or other countries. Those who couldn’t were sometimes beaten, killed or left to die. Since May 1, police have unearthed two dozen bodies from shallow graves in the mountains of southern Thailand, the apparent victims, they say, of smuggling rings. Indonesian authorities said the migrants who arrived in Aceh early Sunday were taken to a police station and a sports stadium, where they were being given care. Risky Hidayat, from Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, said some of the migrants mentioned that there was another boat with an unspecified number of people on it still at sea in the same area. One of the Rohingya who arrived Sunday, Muhammad Juned, told the AP that he left Myanmar two months ago, hoping to go to Malaysia. “We just wanted to leave because the situation in Myanmar is no longer conducive for us to stay,” he said.—AP
Centre, states should work as ‘Team India’: Modi From Page 1 the Prime Minister said it has been a “misfortune” that in the past there have been tensions between states and the Centre. “I too have been a chief minister for many years and I know that this attitude (of the Centre) towards states will not help anyone. Our Constitution has given us a federal structure. But unfortunately Centre-state relations have always come under stress”, he said. Asserting that PM and CMs would act as a team which would take India forward, he said, “Delhi alone will not rule India. Delhi
will not be the only pillar on which the country will stand, but it will be supported by 30 pillars (of states)” and referred to the establishment of the Niti Aayog which has all states as partners. The Prime Minister said his government’s effort was to make Eastern India powerful, for which West Bengal needs to be strengthened first. “West Bengal will lead India’s ‘Act East’ policy to cooperate with the nations of Southeast Asia,” Modi said in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.—PTI
UK, Germany, Turkey ground military planes From Page 1 statement that “as a precaution” its two A400M aircraft “are temporarily paused.” Turkey also announced it had suspended flights of its A400Ms. “Turkey’s air force has temporarily suspended the flights of its two Airbus A400M after the fatal crash of a similar type of aircraft in southern Spain,” state-run Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday. The planes have been temporarily grounded as part of “security measures,” said Anatolia. France meanwhile said it had “no facts compelling us to ground our A400M fleet.” French air force spokesman Colonel Jean-Pascal Breton said that technically, the planes conformed to army requirements and while the army would not skip over security issues “we don’t have any reasons to ground the fleet at this stage.” Authorities are still trying to establish how many people were on the plane when it
went down in a non-residential area around a mile from the airport on Saturday. Airbus Defence and Space, the division responsible for military aircraft, said the plane was destined for Turkey. The group sent a team of experts to the crash scene. The first of the A400Ms was delivered in 2013 to France which now has six. Subsequent planes were delivered to Turkey (2), Germany (1), Britain (2) and Malaysia (1). A total of 174 A400M planes have been ordered, including 50 by France, 53 by Germany, 27 by Spain and 22 by Britain. Powered by four turbo-prop engines, the A400M is designed to transport troops and material, including armoured vehicles and helicopters, over great distances at high speeds. Capable of transporting up to 37 tonnes over 3,300 kilometres, the A400M is still nimble enough to land on irregular terrain.— AFP
LGH starts liver cancer treatment SALIM AHMED LAHORE—For the first time in the medical history of Pakistan, a government hospital, Lahore General Hospital has started liver cancer treatment at its Interventional Neuro-Radiology Department. This was disclosed by the Principal Post Graduate Medical Institute and Lahore General Hospital Prof. Anjum Habib Vohra while talking to media here Sunday. He said that for this great achievement credit goes to Senior Radiologist Dr. Muhammad Farooq who took this initiative under the supervision of Head of the Department Dr. Umair Rasheed Chaudhary by treating liver cancer through TACE I.e., angiography of liver. Prof. Anjum Habib Vohra said that this development is the direct outcome of the policy of focusing research given by the Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. Such treatment was being carried out in some private hospitals before this, he said.
PTI set to bring From Back Page activities and will stage a power show at various places, whereas, it has also been decided to redecorate the Azadi container. Khan has also asked party leaders to mobilize people and direct workers to get ready for the rally, sources added.
Bodies of Naltar crash From Page 1 of Philippines Ministry of Foreign Affairs including the spouse and son of the late ambassador reached Islamabad on Sunday. The delegation from Malaysia consists of senior officials and daughter of the Malaysian ambassador. “Transportation of the mortal remains to the respective countries of the deceased would be finalised after consultation with the families and officials of the embassies concerned and after completion of all formalities,” the FO said in a statement. Ambassadors of Indonesia and the Netherlands, who received burn injuries, were moved to Special Burns Unit in Kharian. The Malaysian envoy and the ambassador of Poland and his wife were, meanwhile, being treated at a local hospital. The bodies of Ambassador of Philippines Domingo D Lucenario Jr, Ambassador of Norway Leif Larsen and the wives of ambassadors of Malaysia and Indonesian were airlifted from Naltar to Rawalpindi and have been placed in Combined Military Hospital. The rest of the group of diplomats, who had gone to Gilgit, have also returned safely to Rawalpindi.
24 suspects held From Page 1 Badaam also had weapons and grenades. On the other hand, Rangers arrested 5 suspects from North Nazimabad, Kanwari Colony and Nazimabad. According to Rangers spokesperson, the suspects included target-killers and members of banned outfit.
Canada denounces From Page 1 of the Rohingya Muslim population directly to Myanmar government officials, including the country’s foreign affairs minister on May 6. “Now really is the moment for a more inclusive process that brings all religious and ethnic communities together so that they can contribute to the country’s development,” Bennett, who was on a lengthy trip to the south Asian country, told The Canadian Press in an interview from Yangon. “There is prejudice that exists towards Muslims throughout the country. This is an ongoing challenge not only for Rohingya Muslims, but the situation facing them is particularly acute.” Myanmar has faced widespread criticism for its persecution of Rohingya Muslims. Mr Bennett is Canada’s first Canadian ambassador for religious freedom.—AP
Afghanistan—a sense of promise From Page 1 Both Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his coalition partner, Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, had their informal representatives attend: for Mr. Ghani, his uncle, Qayoum Kochai, and for Mr. Abdullah, a longtime associate from the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. After the conference, Pugwash issued a preliminary report declaring that, in principle, all delegates supported a peaceful end to the war. Interestingly, many delegates carried the impression that the Taliban would eventually be willing to accept elections as a way to join a future government. The Taliban’s other preconditions for formal negotiations include the removal of the movement’s senior leaders including Mullah Omar from a United Nations’ blacklist. They also asked for the release of two members of the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani group who were captured in the Gulf last fall, and who are now in detention in Afghanistan. Both sides agreed that the Taliban should open a political office in Doha, Qatar, which would serve as a place where future negotiations might take place; both agreed that the Constitution of Afghanistan was up for discussion; that had once been a so-called red line for the Afghan government. The Taliban reportedly signalled that they might also be willing to drop their demand that all foreign troops, such as the residual American and NATO force of 13,000 trainers and counterterrorism troops, would have to be withdrawn before peace talks could take place. The Taliban also joined with Afghan government figures in committing to education for women, which the Taliban had mostly stamped out during their years in power. In recent times there has emerged a formidable faction of moderates which
believes that the Taliban cannot win an outright military victory leading to the conquest of the whole of Afghanistan. On the other hand the US has also come to the conclusion that it cannot completely vanquish the Afghan Taliban. In fact, in the first place Washington had no direct reason to win the war in Afghanistan. Most who carried out the 9/11 attacks were Arabs, not Afghans. But the decision to invade Afghanistan was taken because the Taliban government in Kabul had refused to hand over to the US Osama Bin Laden; an Arab who had claimed that his terrorist group called al-Qaida had carried out the attack. Many senior Taliban leaders at that time were said to be not happy with Osama bin Laden and his Arab fighters turning Afghanistan into an Al Qaeda centre for global terrorism. There was certainly no love lost for Bin Laden. But it was assumed that the fear of the Afghan public backlash had restrained them from handing over the Al Qaeda leader to the Americans or even forcing him to leave the country. Though Mullah Omar appeared more obstinate on the Bin Laden issue, he too wished for his Arab guest to leave the country somehow in order to save Afghanistan from US rage. But it was not to happen. Indeed, it was not only his claim of being instrumental in the 9/11 attacks that had led the US to demand that he be arrested and handed over to the US authorities. Capturing Osama bin Laden had been an objective of the United States government since the presidency of Bill Clinton. Shortly after the September 11 attacks it was revealed that President Clinton had signed a directive authorizing the CIA (and specifically their elite Special Activities Division) to apprehend bin Laden and bring him to the United States to stand trial after the 1998 United States embassy
Political solution From Page 1 “The nuclear agreement between the West and Iran created a new dynamic... Indications say it is not in interest of moderate Iranians,” he said, adding that the nuclear agreement will help Iran’s expansion at the expense of Arabs. Commenting on the situation in Syria, Gargash said: “I don’t think there will be a resolution to the crisis in Syria in the near future. Current movements have not yet reached the level of a final solution.” “The fall of Bashar Assad will not mean that Syria will fall into the hands of extremists. There is a way in the middle between these two extremes,” he said, adding that Iran is not giving up on its support for Assad because it does not have other alternatives. “We cannot imagine a moderate and secure Arab region without a stable and prosperous Egypt. Had the Muslim Brotherhood continued to rule Egypt, the situation in the Arab region would have been much worse,” he said.Gargash said that the UAE looks forward not to having a single-handed influence but to a Gulf region where Saudi Arabia plays an important role and an Arab region where Egypt plays an important role. In a major development, Yemen’s dominant Houthi group accepted on Sunday a five-day humanitarian ceasefire proposed by Saudi Arabia but said it would respond to any violations of the pause. S a u d i Arabia had said on Friday that
European ministers hold From Back Page formation gathered from radar, aerial surveillance and wiretaps. The aim is “to identify the points of departure, the security situation on the ground” and establish a multinational team of planning officers, said a military source in Paris. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker last week gave a withering assessment of the bloc’s defence policy, which he said was less effective than “a bunch of chickens,” calling for a more centralised military procurement strategy. To this end, France and Germany are planning to jointly build a military observation satellite and this year hope to launch a project to develop a European drone with Italy. Overall the EU is falling short of the NATO target to spend two percent of gross domestic product on defence — with the notable exception of Poland, which is undertaking a vast modernisation of its army. Germany has pledged to raise its military budget to 34.9 billion euros ($39.1 billion) by 2018, from 33 billion this year, while France has said it will increase its budget by close to 4 billion euros between 2016 and 2019.——AFP
the ceasefire could begin on Tuesday if the Iranian-allied militia agreed to the pause, which would let in badly needed food and medical supplies. “We will deal positively with any efforts, calls or serious and positive measures that would help lift the suffering and allow aid, supplies and ships to move safely to Yemen,” the Houthis said in a statement carried by state media Saba.Colonel Sharaf Luqman, spokesperson for the Houthi-allied army, said on Sunday Yemeni forces had agreed to the truce but would confront any attacks by Hadi loyalists on battlefronts which stretch across much of the impoverished country. Meanwhile, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition on Sunday bombed the residence of Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, following a night of intensive strikes against rebel positions, witnesses said. Two air raids struck Saleh’s house in central Sanaa, witnesses said. Yemen’s former strongman is believed to be outside the capital. Saleh, who stepped down in February 2012 following a year of deadly nationwide protests against his three-decade rule, is accused of siding with Houthi insurgents who have rebelled against UN-backed President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.Troops still loyal to Saleh have fought alongside the rebels, who overran the capital unopposed in September and have since extended the areas under their control.—Agencies
bombings in Africa; if taking bin Laden alive was deemed impossible, then deadly force was authorized. On August 20, 1998, 66 cruise missiles launched by United States Navy ships in the Arabian Sea struck bin Laden’s training camps near Khost in Afghanistan, narrowly missing him by a few hours.[ In 1999 the CIA, together with Pakistani military intelligence, had prepared a team of approximately 60 Pakistani commandos to infiltrate Afghanistan to capture or kill bin Laden, but the plan was aborted by the 1999 Pakistani coup d’état; in 2000, foreign operatives working on behalf of the CIA had fired a rocketpropelled grenade at a convoy of vehicles in which bin Laden was travelling through the mountains of Afghanistan, hitting one of the vehicles but not the one in which bin Laden was riding. Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in May 2011. And the very next month President Obama announced that he has ordered withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by end 2014 claiming that the US had put al-Qaida on path to defeat. The quick succession in which these two events happened makes it very clear that beyond the capture of Osama the US had no aggressive interests in Afghanistan. One hopes that the Afghan Taliban take the hint and start providing the US the space that it needs to completely withdraw troops from Afghanistan, the most important precondition of the Taliban for starting formal peace talks. And the US and Pakistan, it is hoped, would reciprocate in offering space to the Taliban to come to the negotiating table with a clear mind—US by helping to withdraw the names of some the important Afghan Taliban leaders including that of Mulla Omar from UN black list and Pakistan by actually letting the Afghan Taliban in its protective custody to participate in Afghan-led and Afghan owned peace process.
Mirza not to record statement From Page 1 security. “I will not record my statement before the police,” vowed Mirza, in a statement issued to media. “If anyone wants to record my statement, they should come to my residence,” Mirza said, warning the Sindh government to not “play games” with him. Mirza was seen on TV channels last week, smashing a police officer’s table glass, and then snatching and throwing away the officer’s cell phone at Model Police Station in Badin, after which multiple FIRs were registered against him under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act. Sindh Police Inspector General G.H. Jamali had taken notice of the incident and had appointed SP Crime Branch Karachi Shah Jehan to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
“I have issued a notice to Dr Zulfiqar Mirza to record his statement on his alleged attack on a DSP’s office in Badin recently,” said SP Crime Branch SP Shah Jehan, while talking to Dawn.com. SP Shah Jehan said Mirza’s statement was scheduled to be recorded at 4:00 pm on Monday at his office in Jamshed Quarters. When questioned about Mirza’s reluctance to record his statement at the said venue, the SP said so far he had not taken a decision on whether to go to Mirza’s residence to record the statement. On Saturday, Mirza was granted ten days of bail by an anti-terrorism court (till May 19) in three terror cases pertaining to forcible closure of markets in Badin and issuing threats to the police and others.
Malaysian troops From Page 1 Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye announced last week that 2,100 Senegalese troops would join the coalition fighting Al-Houthis and the forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, reports Arab News. Ndiaye stressed the alliance seeks to defend the holy
sites in Makkah and Madinah. The Saudi Ministry of Defense explained that the coalition’s operations center is preparing for incorporating the Malaysian and Senegalese forces into the ranks and determining the nature of tasks assigned to them.
5 people killed in shooting in Switzerland From Back Page woman and a 32-year-old man — in a house, criminal police official Markus Gisin said. He is then believed to have killed a 46-year-old neighbor outside the house before shooting himself. The victims in the house were the parents-in-law and
brother-in-law of the suspected gunman, a 36-year-old who lived in Schwyz canton (state), south of Zurich. All were Swiss nationals. The gunman’s wife and
three children weren’t targeted in the shooting. Wuerenlingen is a town of some 4,500 people northwest of Zurich, near the German border.—AP