University rocked by sex scandal again

ISLAMABAD, March 27: All public and private organisations in the country are required to implement the Sexual Harassment Act but a female university teacher could pick up the courage of reporting her case only after reaching the safety of a foreign land.
Higher Education Commission’s Executive Director Dr Sohail Naqvi confirmed to Dawn that a female faculty member of the Hazara University, currently doing PhD in the United Kingdom, has filed an application with the HEC that she suffered sexual harassment at the university.
“It is a very serious issue. We will take action if the university fails to investigate and act on its own in a given time,” he said.
Initial investigation has shown the charge was correct, according to an HEC official.
“There is a cult in the university and some top officers in its management, deans and female faculty members are involved in the racket,” he said requesting anonymity.
However, the university management, instead of explaining its position, has sought explanation from the complainant for “violating the procedure” by taking her complaint directly to the HEC.
In her application to the HEC, the complainant explained that she had no chance of being heard by the university as a powerful coterie there blocked and dumped such complaints.
She said she was “one of the many victims” of sexual harassment in the Hazara University, which is situated about 20 kilometres from Mansehra.
She got the chance when she arrived in UK on a scholarship and decided to write to the HEC to save other students and faculty members, she said.
Vice-Chancellor Hazara University, Dr Syed Sakhawat Shah was not aware of the incident.
When Dawn pointed him the explanation sought by his university from the complainant, he said it would have been done “in routine” and without his knowledge.
However he promised to look into it.
“After getting her application we decided to countercheck as there could be personal vendetta behind it,” said an HEC official.
“In probing the case, we contacted other female faculty members who confirmed the allegation of the complainant. They said some university officers and faculty members collaborated in the dirty affair,” he added.
Subsequently, the HEC asked the university management investigate the matter itself and report back within six weeks. But the management went seeking an explanation from the ‘victim’ for approaching HEC over its head.
A similar incident had rocked the university’s Haripur campus in 2010 and the accused lecturer was dismissed because of hue and cry in the media.
Meanwhile, the HEC sought help from Dr Fouzia Saeed, who has been working against sexual harassment and has formed a network called AASHA for the purpose. She investigated a similar case in which a top rank officer of the Punjab University was
dismissed.

Banned leaders give tough time to administration

ISLAMABAD, March 27: It may be the ‘high security’ capital of a country grappling with terrorism that is chock-a-block with police, rangers and check posts but Islamabad and its security apparatus proved no match for two banned leaders.
For six hours, Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, leader of the banned outfit Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed played a game of cat and mouse with the Islamabad police on Tuesday.
They appeared and disappeared; were stopped and freed; intercepted in their cars and protected by their armed guards, as crowds gathered to watch the spectacle and traffic jams ensued.
Eventually the harassed, red-faced and embarrassed policemen managed to hold Maulana Ludhianvi, only after negotiations and while Saeed escaped.
He was shifted to Industrial area police station and registered a case under PPC section 188 on the complaint of a police officer. Within minutes, however, the city administration granted him bail.
At this point interior minister Rehman Malik intervened and blocked his bail orders.
Maulana Ludhianvi was not released till the filing of this report.
He, along with Hafiz Saeed, had appeared at Parade Ground, defying a ban on their entry into Islamabad, to participate in a
protest and sit-in organised by Defaa-i-Pakistan Council (DFC) against the government’s presumed move to restore Nato supplies.He somehow got information that the capital police and administration were going to arrest them, after which both the leaders disappeared from the Parade Ground. Later Maulana Ludhianvi was spotted at the camp of missing persons’ families while delivering speech.
Secretariat Police SHO, however, intercepted him and held him while he was leaving the camp by saying that “the police are arresting you in connection with the case registered with Margalla police station.” But Maulana Ludhianvi demanded his arrest warrant.
As the police failed to produce the arrest warrant, the activists of ASWJ took their leader away in a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).
This led to alerting of the patrolling officers and policemen deployed at the checkpoints. They were asked to check each and every vehicle.
Besides, the police also blocked the slipways and attached roads of main arteries to intercept and arrest Maulana Ludhianvi.
As a result, hundreds of vehicles were stuck up in the worst traffic jam making miles long queues on I.J. Principal Road,
Expressway, Islamabad Highway and Ninth Avenue.
At around 6pm, the vehicle of Maulana Ludhianvi was spotted in the traffic jam on the Ninth Avenue near Industrial Area police station while heading towards Rawalpindi. In response, the police placed blocks and parked their vehicles on the avenue.
All the SHOs, sub-divisional police officers, superintendents of police, were called at the Ninth Avenue along with contingent of Anti-Terrorism Squad, Anti-Riot Unit and police reserves to intercept and arrest the Maulana.
The guards of Maulana Ludhianvi – Punjab Police commandoes – aimed their weapons at the capital police and the officers while the activists cordoned their leader’s vehicle to avoid his arrest.
Later the activists of ASWJ removed the blocks from the road and made the way for their leader. However, the driver of Superintendent of Police City Circle chased the SUV and intercepted it on I.J. Principal Road.
Maulana Ludhianvi again demanded his arrest warrant, but neither the police nor any assistant commissioner or magistrate issued it. Later politician Ijazul Haq, ASWJ’s leader Fazaur Rehman Khalil and Abdullah Gul, son of Hamid Gul, also reached the
spot for negotiation.
In the meantime, Deputy Commissioner Amir Ahmed Ali also reached and thorough negotiations were held between the DC, SSP Yousuf, Mr Haq, Maulana Khalil and Abdullah Gul. After half an hour negotiation Mr Haq, Maulana Khalil and Mr Gul returned
to take Maulana Ludhianvi to police station.
Before leaving the spot Maulana Ludhianvi addressed the activists and asked them to remain there. Till the filling of the report, negotiations were still in progress in the police station.

’پاکستان کی حفاطت کی ذمے داری کس پر

صوبہ پنجاب میں نویں جماعت کے لیے ہونے والے امتحانات کے پرچوں میں سوالات کے ممکنہ جوابات میں صدر پاکستان آصف علی زرداری اور وزیراعظم یوسف رضا گیلانی کے نام شامل کیے جانے کی تحقیقات شروع کر دی گئیں ہیں۔

تحقیقات کا حکم صوبائی وزیر تعلیم مجتبیٰ شجاع الرحمان نے دیا ہے۔

بی بی سی کے نامہ نگار عبادالحق کے مطابق بدھ کے روز لاہور اور ملتان میں نویں جماعت کے امتحانات کے دوران امیدواروں کو جو پرچے تقسیم کیے گئے اُن میں صدر آصف علی زرداری اور وزیراعظم یوسف رضا گیلانی کے نام معروضی سوالات کے ممکنہ جوابات میں شامل تھے۔
لاہور بورڈ کی طرف سے اردو کے پرچے میں نویں جماعت کے امیدواروں سے یہ سوال پوچھاگیا کہ ’ہمارا نظام زندگی کس چیز پر قائم ہے، اور اس سوال کے جواب کے لیے طالب علموں کو چار آپشنز دیے گے، ان چار آپشنز میں دین، دنیا، دولت کے علاوہ صدر پاکستان زرداری کا نام بھی شامل تھا۔
اسی طرح ملتان بورڈ کے پرچے میں یہ سوال پوچھا گیا کہ ’پاکستان کی حفاطت کی ذمے داری کس پر ہے، اور ممکنہ جوابات
میں اللہ تعالٰی، عوام، صدر زرداری اور یوسف رضا گیلانی کا نام درج تھا۔‘
اُ دھر لاہور بورڈ نے نویں جماعت کے پرچے میں شامل سوال سے اپنی لاتعلقی کا اظہار کیا ہے اور بیان میں یہ وضاحت کی ہے کہ یہ پرچہ ڈیرہ غازی خان بورڈ سے بن کر آیا تھا اور وہیں کے کسی استاد نے یہ پرچہ بنایا ہے۔
پنجاب کے وزیر تعلیم مجتبیٰ شجاع الرحمان نے اس معاملے کا نوٹس لیتے ہوئے نویں جماعت کے پرچوں میں حکمران جماعت پیپلز پارٹی کے رہنماوں کے نام شامل کرنے کی تحقیقات کرنے کا حکم دیا ہے۔
اس مقصد کے لیے ڈیرہ غازی خان تعلیمی بورڈ کے سربراہ کو چھان بین کی ذمے داری سونپی گئی ہے۔
مجتبیٰ شجاع الرحمان نے میڈیا سے بات کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ سوالات کے ممکنہ جوابات میں سیاسی شخصیات کے نام کسی صورت نہیں ہونے چاہیے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ تحقیقاتی رپورٹ آنے کے بعد ذمے دار افراد کے خلاف محکمانہ کارروائی کی جائے گی۔
حکمران جماعت پیپلز پارٹی نے پرچوں میں ممکنہ جوابات میں صدر مملکت اور وزیراعظم کے نام شامل کرنے پر شدید ردعمل کا اظہار کیا ہے۔
وفاقی وزیر اطلات فردوس عاشق اعوان نے پرچوں میں سیاسی شخصیات کے نام شامل کرنے کا ذمہ دار وزیر اعلیٰ پنجاب شہباز شریف کو قرار دیا ہے۔
انہوں نے وزیر اعلیٰ پنجاب پر نقطہ چینی کی اور کہا کہ وہ بچوں کو جس راستے پر لے کر جانا چاہتے ہیں وہ تعلیم کا راستہ نہیں ہے۔
فردوس عاشق اعوان نے الزام لگایا کہ شہباز شریف چاہتے ہیں کہ ایک ایسی ذہنیت تیار کی جائے جو کہ ریاست کے خلاف سینہ تان کر کھڑی ہو جائے۔
دریں اثنا پرچے میں صدر اور وزیراعظم کا نام ممکنہ جواب میں شامل کرنے پر طالب علموں کے والدین نے ردعمل میں کہا ہے کہ چھوٹی عمر کے بچوں کا نہ تو کسی سیاسی

A dozen killed as violence flares in Karachi

• 
• Reports have been received of 38 vehicles being torched all over the city, including a police mobile stationed at the hospital where the deceased and injured were brought in

The unrest was sparked by the murder of a party worker and his brother late on Monday, reviving fears that the city of 18 million could return to horrifying levels of violence that left more than 1,700 people dead last year.
Violence is a major concern in Karachi, the economic powerhouse of Pakistan whose Arabian port is used by the United States to ship supplies to the war in Afghanistan, although Pakistan has blockaded the border for four months.
Mansoor Mukhtar, 37, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the largest political party in the city, was shot dead late Monday when gunmen burst into the home where he was sleeping, police said.
His brother, Masood Mukhtar, also died and his sister-in-law was wounded in the attack in the central neighbourhood of PIB Colony, police said.
Soon afterwards, armed men took to the streets and started setting fire to vehicles, in violence that left a further six people dead and more injured.
“Our hospitals have received a total of eight bodies of victims from today’s firing incidents. They include an MQM member and his brother,” said police surgeon Hamid Parhiar in the southern province Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital.
At least 38 vehicles, including buses, mini buses and trucks were torched in Karachi, senior official Roshan Sheikh said.
The MQM, which represents the Urdu-speaking majority and sits in President Asif Ali Zardari’s governing coalition, denied any responsibility.
“We have been keeping Karachi peaceful for a long time and such incidents have been perpetrated by those who don’t want to see our country stable and peaceful,” party spokesman Wasay Jaleel told AFP.
The funeral of Mukhtar brothers was held at Jinnah Ground Azizabad.
Deputy Convener of MQM Rabita Committee Dr Nusrat Shoukat, members of the Rabita Committee, elected representatives, office-bearers and workers of various wings of the MQM and the bereaved family members of the deceased attended the funeral.
The mortal remains of Mansoor Mukhtar and Masood Mukhtar were brought to Jinnah Ground in an ambulance. The funeral prayer was offered by Maulana Feroze Rehmani, a member of the MQM Ulema Committee.
During the day markets, educational institutes and fueling stations remained closed in the city, while public transport remained off road.
Attendance of paramedical staff and doctors remained very low at all government hospitals including Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Civil Hospital Karachi due to which many scheduled operations were postponed.
Heavy contingents of police and rangers were seen in different areas of the city; however, till filing this report no arrest of miscreants was reported.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 1,715 people were killed in sudden flare-ups of violence in the city last year.
Officials documented more than 100 deaths in one week alone in October in what was Karachi’s worst ethnic and political unrest in 16 years.
The violence has been linked to ethnic tensions between the Mohajirs, represented by the MQM, and Pashtun migrants from Pakistan’s northwest affiliated to the Awami National Party (ANP).

Obama to seek easing of strains with Gilani

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and US President Barack Obama.

SEOUL: The White House made clear on Monday that President Barack Obama would seek to put strained relations with Pakistan on a more even footing when he meets Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the end of a nuclear security summit in Seoul.
The meeting on Tuesday will be the highest-level contact between the uneasy allies since US commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani military town in May last year, a raid Pakistan called a violation of its sovereignty.
Ties plunged to a new low in November when aircraft from Nato’s Afghanistan force mistakenly attacked two Pakistani border posts and killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
“There obviously has been a fairly turbulent period in US-Pakistan relations over the course of the last several months,” US deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Seoul on Monday.
“We’ll want to address the state of the relationship.”
He said Obama would assure Gilani of “our continued interest in counter-terrorism cooperation” with Pakistan and stress shared interests in stabilising neighboring Afghanistan.
The Pakistani leader would bring up a parliamentary review that has been drawing up recommendations on how to proceed on ties with Washington, Rhodes said.
Pakistan’s cooperation is considered critical to US efforts to stabilise Afghanistan before most foreign combat troops leave at the end of 2014. Pakistan has strong traditional links with the Afghan Taliban and other militant groups.
Adding to tension, however, a US military official said on Saturday there were no plans to discipline any American forces over the deadly cross-border strike on Nov 26 that plunged relations into crisis.
A US military investigation last year had already exonerated American troops operating in Afghanistan from inappropriate use of force against the Pakistani forces – even as the US military acknowledged some of the blame in the incident.
In response to the incident, Pakistan shut off ground supply lines to the US-led Nato mission in land-locked Afghanistan – an issue Obama will likely address in Tuesday’s talks.
BIN LADEN RAID
Some US lawmakers were deeply skeptical when Pakistan denied any knowledge that bin Laden had been hiding out near Islamabad before US special forces tracked him down and killed him. Washington has provided about $20 billion in aid to Pakistan over the past decade.
Despite that, Rhodes said: “When we step back, we’ve continued to make significant progress against our core interest with regard to Pakistan, which is putting al Qaeda on a path to defeat. And that remains our focus.”
He said Obama would also discuss with Gilani plans for a transition to an Afghan security lead in Afghanistan and US support to an Afghan-led reconciliation process.
Rhodes was quick to dismiss Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s warning on Monday of growing instability in the West’s relations with Pakistan.
“I’m not sure that he has any particular insight into Nato’s relationship with Pakistan,” he said.
“I think Nato has had a relationship since the beginning of the Afghan war, because we have a shared interest with Pakistan and there not being violent extremist groups within their border and instability in Afghanistan,” Rhodes said.
It was unclear, however, whether Obama and Gilani’s agenda would include US concern about security of Pakistan’s nuclear materials, which are considered an area of high risk because of internal security threats from militants.

Pakistan needs nuclear technology to meet energy needs: Gilani

South Korea's President Lee Myung-Bak (L) greets Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as he arrives for the welcoming ceremony for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit at the Coex Center in Seoul on March 26, 2012.

SEOUL: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday urged the international community to give Pakistan access to nuclear technology for peaceful uses on a non-discriminatory basis.
Speaking at the dinner on the first day of the two-day second Seoul Security Summit here, the prime minister said that nuclear technology was required to meet Pakistan’s growing energy needs.
Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan had taken effective measures at national level which were the most important part of its efforts to enhance nuclear security.
Referring to the importance of the second Nuclear Security Summit being held in Seoul, the prime minister said, “As we meet here, we break new ground on the evolving global nuclear security architecture, the role of the IAEA, and protection of nuclear materials and radioactive sources.”
“Our concerns on these vital issues put a roadmap in our hands for concerted national actions and international coordination to enhance nuclear security,” he added.
The Prime Minister said last year the IAEA Board of Governors unanimously approved the safeguards agreements of the two civil nuclear power plants of Pakistan that showed that the international community’s continued confidence in the safety and security standards maintained by the country.
Gilani said in South Asia, Pakistan was pursuing strategic restraint and confidence building through dialogue and this process should guarantee security and stability in the region.
He said Pakistan had been active in international diplomacy to promote nuclear security.
“We have supported the work of the global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and our reports to the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 Committee have shared details of the measures we have taken to secure sensitive materials and technologies,” he said.
The PM said Pakistan had also developed a strong nuclear emergency response mechanism, nuclear and radiological emergency coordination centres work closely with the first responders.
He said, “We have been implementing Nuclear Security Action Plan in cooperation with the IAEA and the plan reinforces physical protection of nuclear medical centres and civilian nuclear plants.”
After the Fukushima accident, Pakistan carried out comprehensive stress tests of the nuclear power plants and refined and improve the safety parameters, he added.
PM Gilani said Pakistan had been deploying Special Nuclear Material (SNM) portals at key entry and exit points to detect, deter and prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials.
Gilani said the democratic government of Pakistan was fully committed to nuclear security.
“We have focused especially on capacity building and interaction with the international community,” he added.
The Prime Minister said since the Washington Summit, swift movement had been seen in the field of nuclear security.
He said: “Together, we have taken steps to create a secure world that will not live under the fear of nuclear terrorist attacks. We firmly believe that nuclear material must never fall into the hands of terrorists.”
The Prime Minister said the world leaders had invested political capital to create greater awareness about nuclear security and instil an sense of urgency in their efforts.
Referring to the first Nuclear Security Summit, the Prime Minister said three years ago in Prague, President Barack Obama took the historic initiative to convene a Nuclear Security Summit to set the common objectives for nuclear security and the Washington Summit was a great success in this regard.
Appreciating the efforts of South Korea for hosting second Nuclear Security Summit, Prime Minister Gilani said, “At this time, the Republic of Korea, a country with which Pakistan has deep, friendly ties, is carrying the torch.”

US, Pakistan have shared anti-terror interest: Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) and Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul speak to the media at the State Department in Washington, DC. -AFP Photo
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WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the United States and Pakistan share interests in fighting terrorism after a panel in Islamabad made demands over the troubled relationship.
Clinton declined to comment in-depth on the panel’s recommendations but said that the United States was committed to an “honest, constructive, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan.”
“We’ve been working through these difficulties and challenges. We believe we have shared interests. We believe we have the same enemies,” Clinton said a news conference with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul.
“We believe that it’s important to support counter-terrorism against the insurgents who kill and maim tens of thousands of Pakistani people, who send teams across the border to kill and maim people in Afghanistan and to kill and maim our soldiers and others,” Clinton said.
Pakistani lawmakers on Tuesday demanded a US apology over Nato air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November, leading Islamabad to close supply lines for US forces into Afghanistan.
Lawmakers also demanded taxes on Nato convoys and an end to drone attacks in which the United States has killed militants in Pakistan’s lawless border areas. Pakistan has voiced anger over civilian deaths.
Clinton said that she would not comment on the recommendations until the panel’s findings come up for debate before the Pakistani parliament