Karachi, March 18: Non governmental organizations (NGOs) and International NGO representatives gathered in Karachi on Sunday to meet with the author of the `Democracy Train,’ and express their concern at the restrictions being imposed by the government to carry on their daily activities.
The NGO representatives were especially concerned that their colleagues working with the INGOs could lose their jobs if their registration was not renewed.
The fate of several INGOs has hung in the balance since the Ministry of Interior ordered them to wind up their projects last December, on the ground that they were working against national “security interests.”
Uroosa Khatti, ActionAid Pakistan Country Program’s Regional Manager said that the failure to renew the registrations of these INGOs threatened to hamper their work against poverty alleviation, especially the assistance they rendered to poverty stricken women.
According to the Poverty Eradication Initiative’s provincial coordinator, Aijaz Ali Khuwaja, in recent years the space for NGOs has been shrinking especially where they attempt to hold seminars and meetings to increase awareness on social issues and matters of governance.
Thardeep Rural Development Program’s chief executive officer, Allah Nawaz Samoo said that there seemed to be a growing international trend toward authoritarian and dictatorial regimes, and a shift away from democracy.
Some NGO representatives wanted to hear from the author whether their voices in support of women and minorities were heard, and whether the issue of disappearances and human rights violations in Pakistan made a splash in the outside world.
They said that television tended to give little space to important trends in politics and human rights and was mostly consumed by sensationalism.
Karachi, March 17: The first volume of the story of the National Students Federation, its cadre and incidents reflecting the left wing history of Pakistan, `Suraj pay Comand,’ was launched at the Arts Council on Saturday.
An overflow crowd came to the launch to hear about the stalwarts of the left movement who dominated four decades ago. Their snapshots have been compiled in this book in Urdu by London based ex NSF activist, Hasan Jawed (a psychiatrist by profession) and Mohsin Zulfikar.
Younger members of NSF were also in attendance to hear about the book, which takes an up close and personal look at the lives of left wing leaders. This includes subsequent reflections of the role they played for the rights of the oppressed people of Pakistan.
The event was presided over by Dr Haroon Ahmed and addressed by Ali Yavar, Lateef Chaudhry, Dr Tipu Sultan, Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, Anees Baqir and Masroor Ahsan.
Former NSF president, Latif Chaudhry analyzed the issues raised in the book, namely how pro Maoist and pro Leninist ideologies led to internal fissures within the movement. In his words, the absence of tolerance for dissenting views ultimately caused the left to split.
The Dean Faculty of Education and Social Sciences in ZABIST, Dr Riaz Ahmed Shaikh said that despite the fissures, even Western writers had acknowledged the role played by the Pakistani left in dislodging dictatorships.
Anees Baqir spoke about the importance of forming a left wing political party in 2018 that could counter the `fickle and corrupt’ mainstream political parties.
Hasan Jawed introduced the author of Aboard the Democracy Train, as having an early association with NSF and then subsequently her work as a journalist, linked with former PPP prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The updated edition of the book, Pakistan Tracks the Threat Within was sold out on the occasion.
This revised edition can now be ordered through Liberty books and other leading outlets in the country
A Council of Progressive Pakistanis has been created in the US, with the objective of contributing to building a progressive and liberal Pakistan.
A meeting of CPP affiliates was held in the greater metropolitan Washington area, Feb 10, 2018, where organizers espoused their vision of building a Pakistan, that would be in keeping with the speech delivered by its founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1947 before the nation’s constituent assembly.
In his speech Jinnah had said, `You may belong to any religion or caste or creed; that has nothing to do with the business of the State. You will find that in course of time Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.’
The participants, who included the future council members of the CPP discussed the need to work toward tolerance between religious and ethnic communities, including the removal of laws that discriminate on the basis of religion.
In this regard, they pledged to work against imprisonment, torture, disappearance and extrajudicial killings of their fellow brethren who became victims of intolerance inside Pakistan.
In January, the CPP organizers held a talk in St. Louis, Missouri on `Partition & its Effects,’ based on the early chapters of `Aboard the Democracy Train.’
There, the author made a presentation and answered questions from the audience relating to democracy, human rights, terrorism and the changing international scenario.
Excerpts from the talk & questions and answers can be viewed below:
Asma Jahangir’s funeral was an emotionally draining yet an energising experience in unique ways. People of all ages, genders, ethnicities, religions, and social classes came to bid adieu to her. Only she could manage to amass such a wide spectrum of the society at such an occasion.
There were trans people, women, men, youngsters, older people, people descending from SUVs with their guards, people coming on motorbikes, as well as people pouring in on foot because public transport left them far from the venue owing to security arrangements. There were destitute women who had secured shelter because of Asma.
There were activists who had spent lifetime in struggling for people’s rights, under Asma’s guidance and leadership. There were people whose lives she had changed by merely being there when they needed help. There were people who found meaning in their lives while being with her.
There were people from practically all walks of life and widest possible range of classes. Religious scholars who admired her work were also in attendance. One Mufti sahib came looking for me from the thick crowd, and told me what a big fan of Asma Jahangir he was. Another cleric, who insisted he was not a mullah but just a deeply religious man, told me he hadn’t met a person more courageous, honest and upright as Asma.
The funeral prayer was led by Haider Farooq Maudoodi, who opposes Islamists and is considered closer to Marxists. His views against political Islam, mullahism and exploitation of religion for political power games are well known, just as his famous revolt from his father Maulana Abul A’ala Maudoodi. Farooq had a long-standing relationship with Asma’s family and he supported the values Asma stood for.
The striking feature of this unique funeral ceremony was the predominant presence of women and the role they played throughout the event. At 11:45am when the body arrived at Asma’s home from the mortuary, women took it from the ambulance to the drawing room, which had been emptied already by removing all furniture. Women of the family and Asma’s comrades from Women’s Action Forum were all clad in identical black dresses with yellow scarves inscribed with women empowerment slogans.
After almost three hours, when the body had to be shifted to the ambulance again for the funeral procession, it was these women who carried her to the ambulance.
While the close family, her husband, children, and siblings sat in the ambulance, other women escorted the slow moving ambulance to the venue on foot.
Defying another regressive tradition, women shouldered her funeral bed – a practice conventionally considered a strictly male domain.
It’s not very frequent that so many women are seen in public spaces on such occasions. Their presence gave an egalitarian look to the funeral ceremony. Afterwards, men and women made rows and said the prayers together.
This was a rare and unforgettable sight. Men and women from all religions – Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and Muslims of all sects, arranged in rows like beautiful pearls of different colours in one thread.
Women defied the established code. After the prayers, they raised slogans reiterating their vows to carry forward the legacy of Asma Jehangir.
The Government of Pakistan decided not to respond to people’s demands of flying the national flag at half-mast or of arranging a state funeral for her. Asma was much bigger than a state funeral anyway. Activists making these demands had only hoped that the state of Pakistan would honour itself by acquiescing.
It was hardly a surprise that some institutions and organs of the state maintained radio silence on the occasion. No public condolance, message of solidarity or eulogy or even a prayer for the departed came from those corridors. Not to mention, this hasn’t impacted Asma’s stature one bit.
Expressing solidarity with the mourners would have elevated state’s own perception among the public.
The sentiments of love and respect that people demonstrated for Asma Jehangir are unprecedented in recent history of this country.
Her detractors and haters, on the other hand, remain inconsequential and unknown. No one would even know when they die. But here is Asma Jahangir – who went like the majestic queen of hearts she has been. This probably is her revenge! But her ultimate revenge would be in continuation of her mission with all the energies of her supporters combined. The attainment of a progressive, democratic, secular and peace-loving Pakistan will be the ultimate revenge.
Sindhis, Siraiki, Pakhtuns, Baloch, Hazaras, Gilgitis, Baltis and others from far-flung areas came to bid farewell to their comrade. A Pakhtun contingent was most conspicuous for their number and for their vibrancy. They were the last people who were addressed by Asma in a public setting during their recent sit-in in Islamabad.
If one word can describe the funeral procession, it is pluralism. That’s what Asma Jehangir lived for as well. Her funeral looked like Pakistan. A truly federal Pakistan with all communities represented.
Even in her death, she did not conform to the established code. Resistance, thy name is Asma.
Asma Jahangir, one of Pakistan’s most prominent human rights activists, has died of a heart attack aged 66.
She was rushed to hospital in Lahore on Saturday night and died the following day, her daughter Muneeze Jahangir said.
Friends, relatives, activists and journalists thronged to her residence in Lahore to express their grief. Local TV stations broadcast footage showing public figures and Jahangir’s friends sobbing and consoling each other outside her residence as her body was brought home from hospital.
The prime minister of Pakistan, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, lauded her “immense contributions towards upholding rule of law, democracy and safeguarding human rights”.
Pakistan’s rulers must show an honest resolve to fight terrorism
Jahangir was the chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and respected for her outspoken criticism of the country’s militant Islamist groups and her record as an activist.
She was also the president of the supreme court bar association and had served as the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran since 2016.
Jahangir, a fierce defender of democracy who also regularly raised concerns about Pakistan’s military and intelligence services, was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential women.
She defended minority Christians charged with blasphemy, an offence that under Pakistan’s controversial law carries the death penalty.
She was repeatedly threatened by the country’s militant religious right whom she criticised loudly and often.
She was also placed under house arrest in 2007 for her part in a lawyers’ protest movement that helped lead to the military leader Pervez Musharraf stepping down from power.
A champion of human rights, Jahangir was unafraid to speak loudly against those attacking minority religions and women. She won scores of international awards. Several years ago, she briefly sent her family out of the country following threats from militant groups.
Zohra Yousuf, a former chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said she lost a “great friend and great warrior of human rights.”
“No one can replace Asma … She was unmatched and unparalleled, we suffered a great loss today,” Yousuf said.
The activist Marvi Sarmad tweeted: “Today it’s not only Pakistan who will cry. The entire South Asia shall mourn Asma Jahangir.”
“’Speaking truth to power,’ a phrase we often use, Asma Jahangir lived, practiced till her last breath,” said another activist, Raza Ahmed Rumi.
Jahangir is survived by her husband, the businessman Tahir Jahangir, a son and two daughters. Her other daughter, Salima, lives in London. The funeral would take place after Salima’s return to Pakistan, the family announced.
KARACHI: Veteran journalist Siddiq Baloch was laid to rest in Mewa Shah Graveyard Tuesday afternoon. He passed away early Tuesday morning in Karachi, while fighting pancreatic cancer for many years.
Siddiq, 78, was a renowned journalist, senior political economist and democrat. He was the chief editor of Daily Azadi Quetta, an Urdu newspaper started by him in 2002 and Balochistan Express, an English newspaper.
He regularly contributed columns to Dawn and was an authority on Balochistan’s social, political and economic matters. Siddiq played an important role in Baloch nationalist politics. In 2002, he authored a book, ‘A critical comment on political economy of Balochistan’.
He was conferred the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2015.
Born in Lyari, Karachi in 1940, Siddiq moved to Quetta in 1990 and started the Balochistan Express. His journalistic career spanned over 50 years. In 1981, he was elected president of the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ). He took an active part in the freedom of expression movement, and served two terms. He was also elected as president of the Balochistan Newspapers Editors Council and as an office bearer of the Karachi Press Club.
Journalist Ziaur Rehman remarked, “He [Siddiq] was one of the founding members of the Baloch Students Organisation and affiliated with NAP in his student life. He was imprisoned in the infamous Hyderabad Conspiracy Case”.
Siddiq’s jail companions were Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, Sardar Attaullah Mengal and Khan Abdul Wali Khan.
Former correspondent for The Express Tribune, Shahzad Baloch, who was Siddiq’s nephew, while paying tribute to him said, “It is hard to believe that my teacher, a fatherly figure, my uncle and veteran journalist Siddiq has passed away. He was the reason for whatever I am today and I spent my entire life with him”.
In his message on Twitter, former editor of Dawn, Abbas Nasir, said that Siddiq was a huge resistance figure among journalists who opposed Zia’s autocratic rule.
Pakistan Peoples Party Central Information Secretary Nafisa Shah said that her heartfelt sympathies, thoughts and prayers were with the family of the senior leftist journalist.
Siddiq left three daughters and five sons among the mourners and his son, Zafar Baloch, is The Express Tribune’s correspondent from Quetta.
New York, January 10, 2018—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Pakistani authorities to investigate today’s attempted abduction of journalist Taha Siddiqui, and prosecute the perpetrators.
Siddiqui, the Pakistani bureau chief for the New Delhi-based television channel World Is One News, was in Islamabad on his way to the airport when 10 to 12 men stopped his car on the highway, beat him, and threatened him. The group of men then attempted to abduct the journalist, according to Siddiqui, who spoke at a press conference, and gave interviews to news outlets.
A Pakistani national, Siddiqui has been a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military, and several months ago complained of being harassed by the country’s security service, Reuters reported.
“This brazen attempt to abduct journalist Taha Siddiqui on a busy highway in broad daylight suggests the perpetrators have no fear of facing any consequences,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Pakistani authorities must end these lawless attacks against journalists and freedom of expression.”
Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad today, Siddiqui said he was traveling to the airport in a taxi at around 8 a.m. when a car overtook his taxi, forcing it to stop.
Four men in plains clothes got out of the car, carrying rifles and a pistol. Siddiqui said at first he thought it was a road rage incident. One of the men asked Siddiqui, “What do you think of yourself, do you think you’re somebody?” Siddiqui said he then realized that it was an abduction attempt.
Siddiqui said the men hit and pushed him with their hands and threatened multiple times to shoot him. The journalist said that vehicles were passing during the attack, including a military ranger who saw him and kept moving.
As he was trying to escape from the taxi, Siddiqui said he noticed another car of men had arrived and blocked off the surrounding area.
The journalist said he eventually managed to get out of the car, ran into oncoming traffic, and jumped in a taxi. The journalist then hid in ditches along the Islamabad highway before he made it to a service road.
He then took another taxi to Koral Police Station where he filed a First Information Report (FIR), a police document filed at the start of an investigation in Pakistan, according to Siddiqui.
Mustafa Tanveer, police superintendent, confirmed Siddiqui approached police after the attack, according to Dawn. CPJ was unable to determine if police registered the FIR, which they have to do before conducting an investigation.
Siddiqui said he believed his attackers knew that he was on his way to the airport, and had orchestrated this assault because they knew it would take longer for people to realize he was missing as he was supposed to be in transit.
The journalist said his attackers spoke to him in both Urdu and English and were well-organized. Given past cases of abductions, Siddiqui said he suspected that state authorities were behind the attempt, but did not have proof and asked police to investigate.
Siddiqui left his passport, luggage, and phone in the taxi when he escaped, and none of them have been recovered, according to the journalist.
The spokesperson for Pakistan’s intelligence service did not respond to a request for comment about the attack on Siddiqui from the Associated Press.
CPJ was unable to reach Islamabad’s Koral police precinct, where Siddiqui said he filed the FIR, for comment.
“I’m still in shock, I don’t know how I escaped,” Siddiqui said during the press conference. “I think the idea is to silence me…When they were trying to take me away I would rather have wanted them to shoot me because I don’t want to be a missing person…so that people can see what they do when you stand up for a cause here, for freedom of speech here.”
In May 2017, CPJ called on Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency to stop harassing Siddiqui, after he received a summons for questioning at its counter-terrorism department. The summons arrived despite a decision by the Islamabad High Court restraining the agency from harassing Siddiqui.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal and Karachi police chief Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday for a hearing on a plea concerning provision of clean drinking water and safe environment in the province.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, a three-judge bench at the SC Karachi registry is hearing the constitutional petition of Shahab Usto, a concerned citizen and lawyer, against the provincial government’s failure to provide potable water, better sanitation, environment and associated issues.
The court on Monday had directed Shah to appear in court as the provincial government’s “satisfactory reply” on the issue of provision of clean drinking water and safe environment was not forthcoming.
The court had also directed Kamal, who was the mayor from 2005 to 2010, to appear in court to clarify who he had asked before allotting the 50 acres reserved for the Mehmoodabad treatment plant allegedly to some misplaced people.
When the provincial chief minister appeared at the rostrum at the outset of the hearing on Wednesday, the chief justice remarked that the court had summoned him [Shah] with great respect and dignity.
“Our objective is only to rid people of this polluted water,” he said.
Kamal, who is the chief of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), is accompanied at the court by PSP leader Anis Qaimkhani. Advocate general Sindh, the home secretary and managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) are also present in the court.
Justice Nisar said he was deeply saddened by the state of affairs and the court wanted to change the situation.
“If you say, you and I can travel to Mithi and both of us will drink a glass of water from the stream,” he said.
A documentary film was then shown in the court about the issue of unsafe drinking water.
The chief justice told Shah the provincial government could seek help from the court if need be and “we will fully assist you”.
Justice Nisar said he wished PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was present in the court to witness the situation.
“Bilawal Bhutto would also find out the state of affairs in Larkana,” he remarked.
Documentary shown in court about effluent discharge in Sindh.
Six-month deadline
Addressing the chief minister, Justice Faisal Arab said, “You were elected [by the people] to solve issues,” adding that people turn towards court due to failure of the administration. “The court has no desire of using the administration’s authority.”
The apex court is ready to lend its support to the provincial government, but the chief minister will have to give a guarantee of accomplishing the task, the chief justice remarked.
Justice Nisar inquired as to how much water from the Indus River falls into the sea annually and why this water could not be used to meet the needs of Karachiites.
The chief minister responded that the level of water in the Indus River is very low.
“Badin and Thatta are being destroyed due to shortage of water,” Shah said.
When the CJP proposed a six-month deadline to solve the unsafe drinking water issue, Shah said the task could not be accomplished in six months.
At this, justice remarked that the administration should act and an extension could be given if asked for.
The chief minister assured the court that he would devise an executable plan and fully implement it, but requested time to resolve the issue.
Being the chief minister of Sindh, you will have to submit an affidavit to the court stating the time required for the task, the CJP told Shah. He recommended that Shah should not simply form a committee and leave it on its own.
Shah said he would give the court a time-frame about the plan of action, methods, finances and resources needed for the job.
“You received votes from the people, and you are the one who is answerable [to them],” the CJP said, addressing Shah.
Shah informed the court that Rs3.5 billion are required to clean the effluent that falls into the Indus River.
He said he would try to solve the issues that he has committed to, but the task that belongs to the executive should be left for the executive to do.
“Some court decisions are impacting the performance of the executive,” Shah alleged.
The CJP offered Shah to use the court’s “shoulders” to resolve the issues at hand.
Justice Nisar asked Shah where he resided — at his house or the Chief Minister House.
The chief minister responded that he lives in the Cantonment area and gets water at his house via tankers.
“Shah sahib, rid the lives of Karachiites from tankers,” the CJP urged the chief minister.
Justice Nisar reminded Shah that under the Constitution, the water and sanitation issues fall into the domain of fundamental rights.
“The court has the authority to intervene if the executive does not fulfill its duties,” he stressed.
Justice Nisar said the court will not interfere in the powers enjoyed by the executive and neither was the court expecting overnight improvement.
The court directed the Sindh government to submit a comprehensive plan about the provision of clean drinking water and treatment of sewerage to the court within 15 days.
‘Providing water is local govts’ job’
Former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal claimed before the court that Karachi is being provided 1.51 per cent of the water from Sindh’s share.
Kamal said providing safe water and solving sewerage issues is the job of local governments — not the chief minister’s.
He said the population of Karachi will exceed 30 million by 2020 and the city demands 1,250 million gallons of water on a daily basis.
Kamal recommended that water supply projects K-I, II and IV be started simultaneously to save costs.
He said he had drafted the legal master plan of Karachi in 2007, which did not exist earlier.
Addressing the issue of Mehmoodabad treatment plant land, Kamal denied allotting the land to anyone, saying he didn’t have the powers to do so.
The 149.1 acre land was allotted with the approval of the City Council.
The court directed the local bodies secretary to submit a detailed report about the allotment of land meant for Mehmood treatment plant for residential purposes.
‘91% water is contaminated’
The bench had earlier constituted a judicial commission, headed by Justice Iqbal Kalhoro of the Sindh High Court, to probe the government’s failure in providing safe water to the people of the province.
Advocate Usto had informed the judges during the last hearing that the people in 29 districts across the province were drinking contaminated water which was absolutely not fit for human consumption.
“Ninety-one per cent water in Karachi, 85pc in Hyderabad, 88pc in Larkana and 78pc in Shikarpur is contaminated,” he had said, while quoting the reports of the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources.
Waste from hospitals, industries and municipalities was disposed of in rivers across Sindh without proper treatment as the three treatment plants were also not functional, he had added.
“Those who are responsible for this, why aren’t they doing anything?” the CJP had questioned, asking that those who went to people and promised them that they would do this and that, why had they turned a blind eye towards this.
“Such people make big claims but they cannot supply clean water to the nation. Is there anyone who can solve the problems of the nation?”
“We are not the people who bear any grudge against anyone,” the CJP had said, adding that the judges only wanted solution to the problem.
CJP Nisar had said if the issue was not resolved this way, then the court would issue orders. “We can’t stay quiet over the prevailing danger to human lives.
LAHORE: The notorious gang of human traffickers, involved in an effort to smuggle 20 now deceased people to Europe, has very strong and organised network bases across the country and even outside its borders.
The initial investigations conducted by the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) disclosed that the suspected human traffickers used fake names and whatsapp to communicate. The investigations further revealed that the suspects used to send people to Iran and Iraq under the garb of pilgrimage on visas, while the gang had people working for them to transport people illegally to Europe. The gang also sent people through illegal border crossing to Iran and Iraq via Balochistan. From Iraq and Iran, they were to be transported to Europe illegally but unfortunately their journey ended in the barren mountains of Turbat.
FIA arrested eight land route agents for investigations linked to the Turbat killings. A team conducted a raid in Sadhoki, Gujranwala and arrested seven suspects. The team also recovered 142 original Pakistani passports, fake stamps, pictures, several original CNICs, medical certificates, photocopier machines, laptops and internet devices from their possession.
The arrested suspects were identified as Muhammad Hasnain Khan, a resident of Bhakkar district and seen as the prime suspect by the FIA, Afzaal Ahmad, a resident of Mandi Bahauddin, Iqrar Hussain, a resident of Bhakar, Raja Muhammad Farooq Khan, a resident of Kotli Azad Kashmir, Imran Khan, a resident of Bhakhar, Faisal Ameen, a resident of Sialkot and Rasheed Abbas Khan, a resident of Bhakhar.
An officer of FIA said the gang sent people to Iran and Iraq for pilgrimage with proper documents and visa while their accomplices received these people to smuggle them to Turkey and then to Greece through illegal border crossing. While some of the gang members would smuggle people through illegal border crossing via Quetta, Iran, Turkey and then Greece to enter Europe.
The officer said they checked call records of the main suspect Muhammad Hussain and found communication with agents through calls and whatsapp communication. He was in frequent contact with Zafar Mayo, the brother of Akhtar Mayo, another major suspect of the Turbat tragedy. FIA has registered a case under section 3/4 HTO, 17/22 EO and 18 EO in the FIA Gujranwala Police Station.
The officer said in another raid, one more land route local agent, Qasier Munir, a resident of Gujrat, was arrested.
Meanwhile, FIA has also arrested seven passengers, booked by different agents, leaving from Kharian to Lahore to proceed to Quetta for illegal border crossing to reach Greece via Iran and Turkey. The passengers told the FIA team that they have paid Rs130,000 each to different land route agents whom they identified as Sajid alias Bobi, Tayyab and Nisar. A case FIR No 356/2017 under section 17(1)22(b) EO 1979 3/4 HTO 2002 has been registered at PS FIA Gujrat against the suspects.
15 men from Punjab found dead in Kech
On November 19, FIA had arrested an agent Waheed Khan. During investigations, he revealed that he had handed over deceased Zulfiqar Ali to Talib, an agent at Quetta. During further investigations, it also transpired that his real name was Muhammad Sadiq. FIA Lahore had shared the information with FIA Quetta and the suspected agent, Talib, was arrested. During investigations, he revealed that his real name was Muhammad Sadiq.
Two days ago, FIA arrested a suspected agent identified as Muhammad Tanveer, a resident of Sialkot. He had allegedly sent two men, namely Ghafor and Zafran, both residents of village Awan Bagwal Sialkot district, with the help of his nephew Rashid Cheema who was reportedly working as his accomplice in Turkey.
These two victims were among the deceased found at Panjgor border. The arrested agent had received Rs150,000 each from them.
Sources disclosed that the statement of the BLF spokesman was published in a local newspaper in which he had claimed that all those 20 men killed in the incident had ‘confessed’ they were working for Frontier Work Organisation (FWO) and BLF has recorded their ‘confession’ in a video tape.
In the early hours of Wednesday, September 27, 2017, Mr. Mesut Kacmaz and his family – Mrs Meral Kacmaz (wife), Ms Huda Nur Kacmaz (17) and Ms Fatma Huma Kacmaz (14) – were abducted from their house located in Wapda Town district of Lahore. Mr Fatih Avcu, a fellow educationist, witnessed the incident and he was arrested by the raid squad, later to be released.
Mr. Kacmaz and his family, along with the witness, were blindfolded and draped in hoods on their heads before being boarded on the squad vehicles. During scuffle, Mr. Kacmaz received light injuries, Mrs Kacmaz fainted and the teenager daughters burst into crying fits. In the light of the witness statement, the family was kept in a fully-furnished safehouse in an unknown location in Lahore.
There are numerous speculations about the identity and institution of the abductors; however, there’s no denial in how appalling it is to blindfold and slip hoods on women and children. The abductors – who must have been motivated by a blank check attitude were extremely brazen.
Mr. Kacmaz and his family faces imminent deportation to Turkey, where they will unquestionably be subjected to torture and incarceration while their children may be sent to a state orphanage. According to an unofficial remark, Mr. Kacmaz and his family have now been brought to Islamabad for deportation. This incident has triggered great reaction and unease among the rest of the Turkish asylum-seeking educationists across Pakistan. As a result of this fear, most of the families have been spending the night out of their homes to evade any potential raid or harassment. Especially, the children and women have been affected psychologically by the current situation which force them to leave the comfort of their homes and seek refuge at local families’ houses.
On Wednesday, September 27, 2017, at 8:00 pm, another Turkish national was harassed by a group of armed people – seemingly FIA police officers but behaving strangely – who wanted enter and question him. Having been denied entry, they got angry and threatened him with dire consequences. They questioned the residents about other Turkish nationals who are under UNHCR protection and threatened that if they will be handed those people, they will conduct raids to all houses of Turkish nationals in Islamabad. After their departure, the residents wrote a complaint to the FIA about the incident; surprisingly, FIA officials stated that no squad was dispatched to interrogate any Turkish national in the vicinity of the house which was tried to raided.
In full violation of the earlier decisions of the Lahore High Court and similar other high courts in Pakistan, the law enforcement agencies conducted and are conducting raids/psychological tactics to intimidate Turkish educationists who are under the UNHCR protection through asylum seeker certificates. None of the Turkish families are feeling safe to stay in their residence, fearing impending raids. All of the Turkish educationists are law-abiding foreigners who have not been involved any illegal and/or detrimental activities in and out of Pakistan. Having been deprived of their teaching jobs as a result of a political deal between the governments of Pakistan and Turkey in November 2016, Turkish teachers have been victimized by a crisis which is not of their doing.
