LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League second edition final being held in Lahore will be a jam-packed one as tickets for the much-awaited contest are selling like hot cakes.
According to details, the tickets for the Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis enclosures are quite pricey. Each ticket is worth Rs 12,000 yet that has not stopped fans from stopping short of booking a berth for the Pakistan Super League second edition final in the Old City.
The online tickets for the Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis enclosures have completely sold out. Online tickets were available for cricket enthusiasts for the final from Tuesday, February 28.
The decision to conduct the PSL 2 final in Lahore was taken during a meeting of the Provincial Cabinet Committee on Law and Order. The decision was taken after Shahbaz Sharif consulted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Addressing the meeting, Shahbaz said foolproof security would be ensured for the PSL. He directed the cabinet committee to make best arrangements and review security and other measures on daily basis. He said he would personally monitor the progress regularly
SHARJAH: Star batsman Kevin Pietersen quoted Imran Khan's 'madness' statement when asked about whether he would travel to Lahore to play the final of Pakistan Super League (PSL).
According to reports, the franchise owners are busy in finalizing their contingency plans, in case their team qualified for the big match in Pakistan.
KP of Quetta Gladaitors told his management that when Imran Khan is saying that holding final in Lahore is madness, then how can I go there.
Couple of days ago, Imran told a news channel that ‘the idea of having the PSL final in Lahore is madness to me’.
The PTI chief wondered what sort of message would be conveyed to the world by having closed roads around the Gaddafi stadium and heavy security.
“What message of peace will we send out in such conditions,” Imran said.
Foreign cricketers playing for the Quetta Gladiators have refused to play the final of the T20 league to be played at Qaddahi Cricket Stadium, according to Geo News.
Kevin Pietersen, a key player of the Gladiators, has left UAE shortly after his team beat Peshawar Zalmi to qualify for the final. Luke Wright, Tymal Mills have also excused themselves from playing in Pakistan. The final is scheduled to be held on March 5.
Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in collaboration of China has decided to launch a solar-village electrification programme in the far-flung areas of the province.
In this connection, Murad Ali Shah held a meeting with Chinese Consul General in Karachi Mr Wang Yu here at the CM House and said that the Sindh government has an ADP scheme of Rs2 billion for village electrification. The allocation of the current financial year is Rs500 million.
The Chinese consul general said that his government has initially allocated $80,000 for providing solar panels for rural areas of Sindh. He assured technical support and enhance financial assistance, once the work is started.
The chief minister said that he has framed a policy under which those villages would be provided solar panels which are away from the national grid. “I want to see every house in rural area bright with solar energy,” he said and added the areas of Kachho, Kohistan and other areas have no facility of electricity. The scheme would change their lifestyle, he said.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the weather of most of the areas of Sindh is dry with scorching sun during the whole summer and even during the winter there is enough sunlight. ‘This is why he was trying to take its maximum benefit to pass it on to the poor people of the province,” he said.
Those who attended the meeting include Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Principal Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch and ACS (Dev) Mohammad Waseem. The consul general of China was also assisted by his team.
ISLAMABAD: The government has increased petroleum product prices with effective from midnight today Tuesday.
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the price of petrol has been increased by Rs1.71 and diesel by Rs1.52.
With the latest hike, petrol and diesel prices stand at Rs73 and Rs82 per litre respectively.
The prices of Kerosene oil and light diesel oil have been increased by Rs 0.75 and Rs 0.66 per litre respectively.
The announcement comes a day after Oil and Gas regulatory authority (OGRA) submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources asking for an increase in the prices of petroleum products.
KARACHI: The RO plants installed by Sindh government are operational with 90 per cent efficiency, the highest in such projects initiated in last 12 years by various government departments in all over Pakistan through various companies.
Last month on the order of honorable Supreme Court, the session judges of Tharparkar, Badin, Thatta and Omarkot conducted inspection to see the operational status of RO plants installed by Pak Oasis and the inspection reports revealed that 96 RO plants are operational out of 107 RO plants with 90 per cent performance efficiency.
Survey of RO plants conducted in 2016 clearly mentioned that Government of Sindh has done remarkable job by installation of these RO plants to provide purified water, which is the lifeline not only for civilian but also for the troops deployed in Tharparakar region.
Around 276 RO plants inspected by engineering team and found 75 per cent performance efficiency with good quality of water.
The RO plants installed in 2005 at Islamkot, Sobharoshah and Mithi City have been operational for the last 11 years and providing water to the people which itself showing the company technical strength, equipment quality and the usage of best quality of chemicals, consumables & cartridges during this long period for operation and maintenance of RO plants.
Furthermore all installed RO plants have been operational under warranty and not a single rupee has been charged from government for replacement of major equipment.
The cost of highly purified water from RO plants (alternate source of water) in desert area which is approx. Rs 80 per 1000 gallons against the cost of water Rs 2000 per 1000 gallons (through water tankers) in Karachi city.
RAWALPINDI: Military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was launched to eliminate terrorism across the country.
In a statement here Tuesday, Director General Inter Services Public Relations, Major General Asif Ghafoor said, “The purpose of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad is to eliminate facilitators of the terrorists.”
“Majority of the military operations were carried out to restore the writ of the government,” he said.
Either terrorists were killed or escaped to Afghanistan during operation Zarb-e-Azb, DG ISPR said and added that militants regrouped in Afghanistan.
Indian spy agency RAW and other hostile agencies are assisting terrorists, he said.
Asif Ghafoor said the military action against suspected elements is not against any particular province, adding that such miscreants are being taken to task without any discrimination. “Terrorists have no religion, race and province.”
PSL T20 tickets for the second season is on sale now. Last year marked a great year for the Pakistan cricket, as the country launched its very first domestic league. The tournament featured five franchises representing the cities. You can avail all the action by watching your favourite teams in the stadiums in UAE and Lahore (for the final). The tickets for the second season can be purchased online from Q-Tickets.
Fans will need to bring with them their national IDs and according to M Faisal Mirza, there will be CNIC and Biometric arrangements in place as well in order to get inside the Gaddafi Stadium for the PSL Final. This is applicable for everyone including fans aged under 18.
If you are looking to buy VIP Box, Super Hospitality and Corporate Box tickets, please visitPSLticket.com.
Hassan Ali, an emerging all-rounder playing for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), said on Tuesday that he is happy for the opportunity to hone his skills in the tournament.
He said that the nature of the game is such that one needs to play well with both the bat and ball.
"I am grateful for the chance to shine as a bowler, but I also want to concentrate on batting, since there is a lack of good all-rounders at the moment."
Talking about his form, he said it came naturally to him, and that he is only honing his natural ability.
Peshawar Zalmi will be facing off against Quetta Gladiators at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Feb 28.
"We are very well prepared for the playoff and hope to win the match to qualify for the final directly," he said.
LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Shehryar Khan has stated that Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore will not only open the doors for international teams to Pakistan but is also an event to unite the nation.
Speaking to media at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore here Tuesday, PCB Chief said both team playing the final in Lahore will include four foreign plays each.
“PSL is a gift from PCB,” Shehryar said.
PCB chairman congratulated Najam Sethi for arrangements of PSL final in Lahore.
He said 10,000 tickets for the PSL final in Lahore would price Rs 500 each for common people.
On the occasion, Sethi said PSL final is being hosted in Lahore as per the desires of the people.
Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) president Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said it was not up to him to decide that who joins the party, while answering a question about Irfanullah Marwat's inclusion in PPP.
"The decision, [to bring Irfanullah Marwat to the party] is not mine, the party's board will decide if he should join us or not," Zardari said while addressing a press conference in Hub, Balochistan.
Both Zardari's daughters, Bakhtawar and Aseefa Bhutto, have been opposed to the idea of Marwat's inclusion into PPP, while Bilawal also told the media on February 27 that a meeting was just conducted with Marwat, but no decision about his inclusion in PPP has been made as yet.
Discussing the state of the province Zardari said, "Balochistan is still standing where we had left it, even though numerous relief packages were announced for the the province, no development is to be seen in the region."
When asked about the motive of his visit to Balochistan, the former president said, "I have come for condolence here, why would I talk about politics at this point. This is not the day for politics today I have come to console them."
Commenting on the government's insistence to hold the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore, Zardari said: "Conducting the PSL final in Lahore is a security concern. The government wants to conduct the final in Lahore just to prove that the city is safe."
Asif Ali Zardari had returned to Pakistan on February 16 amid much speculation about the motive of his return.
Dubai based company Innovative Production Group will now carry out the broadcast production of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final, set to take place in Lahore, after UK based production house Sunset and Vine decided to pull out of the event following its reluctance to travel to Lahore, ESPNcricinfo reported on Tuesday.
Sunset and Vine, which has handled the broadcast of the entire PSL event this year, notified the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management in the previous week about of intentions of not covering the Lahore event.
The PCB had already decided on Innovative Production Group in case Sunset and Vine showed reluctance on broadcasting the final in Lahore.
Firms that were hired to facilitate hawk-eye technology and spider-cam have also decided to not partake in the event.
The final will be broadcast without the use of such technology with there being a strong likelihood of a drone camera being used instead of the spider-cam.
Additionally, PSL is in the midst of replacing foreign commentators — including Danny Morrison, Alan Wilkins, Mel Jones — who have backed out from covering the final, while Ian Bishop’s contract is coming to an end.
The PSL management has also instructed all the teams to work on their own contingency plan in a scenario wherein their own foreign players decide to not travel to Pakistan.
PCB Chairman Najam Sethi has assured that foreign players will play in the final, noting that there is a back up list of players for a worst case scenario.
Punjab government on Monday gave the go-ahead for the final to take place in Lahore following thorough consideration and evaluation of the security conditions in the country following a series of bomb blasts in the preceding weeks.
As part of the preparations for the final, Gaddafi Stadium has been refurbished with a ground now having a media facility that can house up to 150 reporters.
Pakistan Super League (PSL) Chairman Najam Sethi on Tuesday announced that PSL will be using the decision review system (DRS) in the playoff matches, becoming the first T20 league in the history of cricket to use the review system.
The PSL chairman made the announcement through his official Twitter account saying, "Another first from HBL PSL. DRS to be used in the playoff matches."
The decision to implement DRS comes after umpires were scrutinised for making poor on-field judgements multiple times in the tournament.
The DRS will allow teams to question the on-field umpire's decision.
Under the system, both sides are allowed a limited number of unsuccessful challenges before they are barred from requesting a referral for the remainder of an innings.
But, in order to not delay the game, they must make it clear within a matter of seconds of the umpire's original verdict whether they wish to call on DRS.
In an exact replica of inaugural season, the playoff line-ups are same as they were last year. Quetta will head into Tuesday's fixture playing Peshawar at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in a sombre mood following two narrow losses against Islamabad United ─ who will face in the second playoff against Karachi Kings at the same venue 24 hours later.
A Chinese engineer was wounded in what police described as ‘incidental firing’ in the Jaranwala area of Faisalabad on Monday.
The shot was fired by the engineer's own guard and hit the engineer in the leg.
The guard has been taken into police custody while the engineer has been shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital where his condition is said to be critical.
A similar incident also occurred last year when in Karachi a Chinese engineer, Yung Chang, received a single bullet in his abdomen as the pistol he was ‘playing’ with inside his vehicle had went off.
The National Accountability Bureau arrested a former police constable and his son, also a police constable, from Hyderabad and seized cash, gold and property documents worth billions.
NAB conducted the raids within jurisdiction of Latifabad police station and arrested Mohammad Yousuf and his son, Arif Yousuf on February 25 and 26 respectively, said NAB in a statement on Monday.
NAB said in the statement that property documents worth almost Rs4 billion were seized along with 20 million Iranian Riyals, 745 Saudi Riyals, 3,405 UAE Dirhams, prize bonds worth Rs1.2 million, 16 ounces of gold and imitation jewellery worth almost Rs20 million.
The cash and items were recovered after Yousaf’s house and business property were searched.
The accountability bureau officials also recovered records of 20 bank accounts, with the deposit slips showing transactions running into billions. Majority of accounts were in a private bank, with Rs20 million to Rs70 million cash deposited over the years in each account.
More than 20 benami accounts were also found, added the statement.
The accused also disclosed of multiple properties, which includes a marriage hall worth Rs30 million, sale deed of a plot in worth Rs28 million, documents of 10 plots in Bahria Town Hyderabad, five apartments in Bahria Town and six houses in Latifabad and Bahria Town Karachi. Also recovered were 120 payment receipts for Bahria Town plots.
NAB officials also recovered 10 vehicles worth almost Rs14.3 million.
Initial investigation has revealed that Mohammad Yousuf was a head constable and was terminated from service on corruption charges, while his son Arif Yousuf is a police constable still serving in the Sindh Police.
The interrogation also revealed that both the accused have been working in connivance with several government officials and also act as front-men for parking of cash, buying and selling of properties in their names and in the names of others.
The accused will be produced before the accountability court at Hyderabad for issuance of physical remand.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday flayed Punjab government officials for the "apparent racial profiling" and "stereotyping" of Pashtuns in the province as authorities step up a crackdown against militancy after a recent surge in terror attacks across the country.
An HRCP press release said administrative officials in some Punjab districts had issued formal or informal orders "asking the population to keep an eye on suspicious individuals who look like Pashtuns or are from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and to report any suspicious activity by them."
The HRCP, expressing 'grave concern' over the matter, called for unequivocal condemnation of "stereotyping that makes suspects of an entire ethnic group" and emphasised the need for corrective measures to be introduced for officials at the training and execution stages in order to prevent recurrence of 'racial profiling'.
"Safeguards must be announced to protect individuals from harassment or being treated as suspects because of the their appearance or facial features," the statement added.
It can be inferred that Punjab authorities believe that terrorism and militancy have been perpetrated by 'outsiders', the HRCP statement claimed.
"There are many problems with such an assertion, not least that it treats citizens with suspicion without evidence and flies in the face of the guarantee for equality of citizens and non-discrimination."
Additionally, among the consequences of "such offensive profiling is that it treats parts of population above suspicion because of ethnic identity markers".
"No longer can we live in the state of denial," the HRCP said, adding that "only across-the-board targeting of suspects can yield results."
"If the dimensions of terrorism and militancy have taught us anything, it is that domiciles do not curb the spread of their tentacles."
The HRCP's statement comes as leaders of various political parties also strongly condemn what they call the racial profiling and harassment of Pashtuns by the Punjab police after recent terror attacks across the country, and particularly in Lahore.
Following a suicide attack on Lahore's Mall Road on Feb 13 which claimed the lives of at least six police officials, Punjab’s law enforcement agencies launched a province-wide crackdown on banned militant organisations.
Days after the attack, the Provincial Intelligence Centre of the Punjab Home Department issued a letter directing police high-ups to tighten security in different cities of the province.
"Combing operations [must] be conducted in all targeted areas, particularly where the Afghan/Pathan community is residing," the letter read as the Home Department instructed law enforcement agencies to ensure extreme vigilance.
Last week, police in the Rawalpindi division also began surveillance of people belonging to Fata and considered issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with security features.
A senior police official had told Dawn that strict surveillance of more than 5,400 people belonging to the tribal areas and living in the Rawalpindi division had begun. He said police were also considering containing them to a specific place so that they could be watched.
The Punjab Apex Committee, during a meeting in Lahore on Sunday, decided to expand the scope of the recently launched military operation Raddul Fasaad targeting terrorists, their facilitators and financiers. Ongoing counterterrorism operations by civil and military law enforcement agencies have resolved to root out terrorism, extremism and sectarianism
Participants of the meeting were told that over 100 suspects had been taken into custody in just one day (Sunday) from different parts of the province.
'Intensify crackdown against illegal immigrants'
Sindh police chief A.D. Khawaja in a high-level huddle today also directed law enforcement officials to intensify a crackdown against illegal immigrants living in the province, ordering them to submit reports on a daily basis via WhatsApp, an instant messaging mobile application.
The inspector general police also ordered deployment of law enforcement officials at airports, bus terminals and train stations, mosques, imambargahs, madressahs, shrines and tombs as well as schools, colleges and universities.
IGP Khawaja also called for tighter security across all government buildings and sensitive installations.
Kidnapping, extortion, torture, rape ... Can the CIA, under the Jam-Marwat combine, get away with anything?
Under its new beefed-up security brief, the Crime Investigation Agency, already infamous for its special brand of interrogation, has surfaced as Sindh's most dreaded arm of the law. Instead of operating as a crack security force that enforces the law of the land, the new-imago CIA, with more power than ever before, is functioning as a parallel police force that is accountable to no-one but its chief political patrons.
As reports of its highly controversial operations begin to filter out into broad daylight, the CIA'S role as an instrument for widespread political victimisation and criminal abuse of unlimited powers is beginning to raise eyebrows across the country.
The notorious Crime Investigation Agency, whose very name has long sent shudders down the spine, has emerged in recent months as Sindh's most feared and powerful law enforcing agency. With its powers massively increased, the agency is currently functioning as a parallel police force, patronised by figures so powerful now that it seems to be beyond any accountability.
This political patronage has not merely allowed the CIA to become an instrument for sweeping political victimisation. It has also permitted the agency to get away with a whole range of grisly crimes under the blanket of its new mandate. Worse still, there is evidence suggesting that some extremely influential persons are deriving personal benefits from the CIA's crimes and its reputation for brutality.
The key to this sordid new shift in the CIA'S fortunes ties in the emergence of the new strong-arm government in Sindh, following the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto's government in August 1990. The administration, led by Jam Sadiq Ali, in close tandem with his powerful home affairs advisor lrfanullah Marwat, set about clamping down with an iron hand against its opponents, mainly the PPP and the ubiquitous Al-Zulfikar activists.
The unprecedented crackdown required unprecedented powers, and the CIA seemed to be the ideal instrument to deliver the goods. What was always an agency with a reputation for brutality was suddenly transformed into an institution that seemed omnipotent.
It appears that immediately after lrfanullah Marwat took charge of the home department in his capacity as advisor (he is not an elected member of the Sindh Assembly), his attention focused on the CIA. Gradually, Jam Sadiq's powerful right-hand man started pampering the organisation, and weaning it away from the established structure in which the CIA was under the DIG of Karachi.
In the atmosphere of ethnic polarisation prevalent in Sindh, this shift too began to be seen in ethnic terms. The fact that DIG Police Aftab Nabi happens to be the brother of the MQM-nominated federal minister, Islam Nabi, fuelled speculation in certain quarters that he was under the influence of the Markaz – the MQM's Azizabad headquarters.
Herald Archives
Marwat, meanwhile; was a former stalwart of the Punjabi-Pakhtun Ittehad, which was not only formed as an anti-MQM organisation but one that sought to defend the interests of the Punjabi and Pakhtun police force, which was once the target of the MQM's ire.
The task of reorganising the CIA was taken in hand in June this year. A comprehensive proposal was moved, incorporating details about how the CIA would function in the future. The proposal was approved on June 16, 1991, by Irfanullah Marwat. That order, circulated immediately by the Inspector General of Police, brought into existence an organisation which had all the powers hitherto enjoyed by the police force, and much more over and above that.
Initially, the reorganization was meant to cover only CIA Karachi, but subsequently another standing order was issued to bring the entire province within its ambit. Today, the chief of the CIA is almost as powerful as the Inspector General of the Sindh Police. According to its victims, it is also more dreaded, corrupt and brutal than ever before.
Initially, there were reports among informed circles that police officials transferred or punished by the normal police were posted, patronised and promoted by the CIA. Officials were also transferred from other police ranges and posted in Karachi, and in many cases, promoted out of turn.
These manoeuvrings were clearly aimed at creating a force which was more loyal to its mentor than to the state. The ideal head for such a force also had to be someone extremely loyal — and Samiullah Marwat, the current DIG CIA, fit the bill both ethnically and temperamentally.
Marwat had served the police in the interior of Sindh in a number of capacities. He was once transferred following protests by religious groups over some of his activities. He was last posted as SP Nawabshah, just before the last general election. Samiullah was already heading the CIA as SSP when the decision to restructure it was taken. Under the new structure, it is headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG).
Today, it has become common knowledge among political observers in Sindh that the CIA enjoys a virtually free hand in picking up anybody on any charge
However, the police rules clearly lay down that if any post occurs or falls vacant, the senior-most official will hold it until a suitable person is available or gets promoted. Samiullah now heads the new CIA as its DIG, although there are a number of officials who are senior to him in the force. This promotion only adds to the suspicion that the reorganisation of the CIA is an attempt to create a parallel – and loyal – force that carries out its activities at the behest of Sindh’s current ruling coterie.
Even prior to his out of turn elevation to the position of DIG, Samiullah Marwat had a reputation for acting independently, though he was supposed to be two tiers below the chief of the Sindh police. The reason was that he was very close to the home advisor, to whom he was directly reporting.
The CIA had always been an organisation that had a reputation for terror, something out of a gory horror film. Since its job was to investigate heinous crimes, the interrogation of accused persons formed part of its duties. Like the rest of the police in this country, the CIA has always employed medieval tactics, the old third-degree methods, to extract confessions. The list of those who have been killed in CIA custody, or maimed for life, is as long as it is horrifying.
Since the present set-up was imposed on Sindh, the consensus amongst the provincial bureaucracy, however, is that the CIA's methods have become even more brutal and arbitrary.
With all checks and balances removed from the path of the CIA, and reinforced by the full-backing of the ruling clique, the agency's officials have now stalled abusing the powers that the statute book had bestowed on them — even inventing powers which are not written down in any book.
Today, it has become common knowledge among political observers in Sindh that the CIA enjoys a virtually free hand in picking up anybody on any charge. This unprecedented level of power to arrest anyone on suspicion has provided the CIA with the perfect shelter under which it indulges in criminal activities.
"With all its machinery in place, the beefed-up new CIA has now begun to round up people more arbitrarily than ever before," says a political worker who has been in and out of its dreaded prison cells over the last six months.
Interviews with several CIA victims, in fact, all confirm that almost all political detainees, irrespective of the charges whether they are real or fabricated, or even nonexistent, are grilled exhaustively before being released. Worse still, many detainees are picked up and subsequently released and not simply for lack of evidence. Numerous allegations of cases where the extortion of money has preceded the detainees’ release, which includes some big businessmen, are already doing the rounds in Karachi's power circles.
A local businessman describes the CIA as an institution that is becoming notorious for a whole new range of criminal activities. “What had started off as a super task force that was meant to crack down on political opponents and ‘terrorists’, has now ended up as an institution that uses its fearful reputation to extort money from its victims."
As part of its new mandate, the CIA has also been given the prime responsibility of dealing with cases of kidnapping for ransom. Disturbingly, however, there are charges from well-informed quarters that the CIA sleuths themselves have been indulging in a bizarre version of this crime.
Under the cover of picking up terrorists, the CIA is also believed to have been entrapping prostitutes for the entertainment of senior figures.
One case in point is that of Ayub, a launch owner. He was picked up on July 8, 1991, from Keamari by two men posing as Major Saghir and Captain Ayub of the Coast Guards, who took him to the CIA Centre. In his petition to the president and the prime minister, Ayub claims that he was beaten up and threatened by his interrogators that he would be booked on charges of smuggling heroin and arms unless a sum of 20 lakh rupees was paid.
Ayub was, however, eventually released after he allegedly paid six lakh rupees. His appeal has even been recently published in some newspapers. "The question remains, that if he was really a smuggler, why was he released?" argues a senior police officer, who feels that the 'new-image' CIA might be giving other security forces a bad name. Speaking about Ayub's case, he maintains that if indeed Ayub was not a smuggler, then does his 'kidnapping' by the CIA not fall under the purview of section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code — a crime punishable by death?
Alarmingly, this is not the only case of its kind. In two stories published in September in an English language newspaper, The News, a number of incidents were reported which, by their very nature, fall under the category of kidnapping for ransom.
On August 16, 1991, for instance, Mian Ejaz Siddique, owner of Toyo Nasic, was arrested on charges of kidnapping. Three days later, he was released. Insiders say that Siddique was picked up on the behest of a leading family to prevent him from marrying the daughter of a very famous singer.
Then there was the reported case of the 'arrests' of businessmen Sikandar Haleem, Tufail Sheikh, Fauzi Ali Kazmi, (the recently acquitted friend of Asif Ali Zardari) and Amjad Husain, former Managing Director of Pakistan State Oil. All of them were later released, allegedly after deals were struck. The same fate apparently befell the owner of a travel agency situated in Mehran Hotel. In an interesting development, however, Tufail Sheikh was released on the intervention of Senator Bostan Ali Hoti and Islamuddin Sheikh. The catalogue of the CIA's horrors doesn't end here, though.
Under the cover of picking up terrorists, the CIA is also believed to have been entrapping prostitutes for the entertainment of senior figures. According to intelligence agencies, Fazal Din, the father of a well-known call girl, was picked up in July on charges of alleged connections with Al-Zulfikar and for gun-running. His daughter, Sumera, is said to have been made a victim of senior CIA officers, who forced her to do as they asked in order to get her father released. Fazal Din was released later, on the grounds that the case against him could not be proved.
“The use of certain newspapers has also become part of an identifiable pattern in the CIA’s modus operandum,” says another police officer who has been watching this supra-agency's operations for some time now. “They raid certain dens, round up the women, release the photographs to their chosen newspapers and later release the women after striking a deal of sorts," he added.
One such incident was reported on June 24, 1991, when the photo of the girls with their clients was published by some of the tabloids. The photographs were released by the CIA. But no case was registered against any of the women or their clients, and so far, nothing is on record on the CIA's books.
“But why should they take any action? It’s not as if they were doing it as part of an effort to bust the crime underworld of the city. Their purpose has been served once the photographs have been published,” added another police officer.
The CIA had always been an organisation that had a reputation for terror, something out of a gory horror film.
Reports gathered by a federal intelligence agency also reveal that the CIA frequently raids prostitution dens in order to please their bosses. The women are confined at CIA Base One in Saddar. After some of them are selected by the high-ups, they are transported to their jeeps, parked at another pre-arranged venue.
Three inspectors in particular form part of a clique that is close to the top, since they are stated to be very active and helpful in this respect. From being sub-inspectors, they have since been promoted, out of turn, to the rank of inspectors.
A number of other sordid incidents of this nature have also come to light, revealing the extent to which the agency's officers are willing to go in an effort to please their superiors.
About 15 days before the promotion of the present DIG, some prostitutes were brought from Napier Road to an apartment opposite the Risala Police Station. Apparently, when one senior official of the CIA went "too far" with one of the women, she began to resist and kicked up a massive row.
The neighbours, on hearing the screams, reported the matter to the Risala Police Station. A mobile arrived on the scene and broke open the door, only to catch the senior officer and other top figures in the act. The SHO Napier was immediately summoned, and he threatened and succeeded in pacifying the women. The whole sordid episode was hushed up and no report was lodged anywhere.
Following the restructuring of the CIA, and the pat that it has been given on the back by those who matter in the provincial machinery, a tug-of-war of sorts has developed between the district police and the CIA. Since the tasks of the two agencies now clearly overlap, there is fierce competition between them, and desperate attempts to take credit for solving crime form part of the tussle over each other's turf.
“If the police busts a gang of car snatchers, the CIA is usually not far behind in making claims about having clamped down on another such gang,” says a police officer, who has been on the car theft beat for over eight months.
Since no proper records are maintained and the CIA is reluctant to supply the chassis and engine numbers of recovered cars, in many cases the same cars are shown as having been recovered over and over again. Whether all of them are actually delivered to their rightful owners, however, is another story.
The tension between the two arms of the force responsible for maintaining law and order, in fact, has erupted to the surface on more than one occasion.
Recently, for instance, the CIA arrested a police inspector on the charge of being involved in a rape. However, the officer was eventually released, which itself leaves many questions unanswered. “If he was actually involved in a rape case, why was he not punished?” asks a colleague of his in the police. According to the latter, the victimised official's only crime was that he had fallen out with the CIA and its mentors.
There have also reportedly been serious upheavals within the CIA in recent months. Most of the cases have involved officers who refused to comply with controversial dictates from above. Two recent examples are that of Choudhry Hameed and Mohammad Khan, both of whom used to be extremely powerful figures in the CIA before their fall from grace.
Meanwhile, no explanation has so far been given for the double demotion of former superintendent, Choudhry Hameed, now an inspector posted at the DIG Karachi's office. Mystery also shrouds the removal of one of the CIA's veteran strong-men, Inspector Mohammed Khan. From the government's point of view, both men had to their credit the investigation of important political cases. The firing on the MQM camps and the Ghulam Husain Unar case were being handled by these officers.
The recently murdered inspector Malik Ehsan was also a prominent figure in the CIA before he was transferred to the interior of Sindh. After his murder in Karachi, his widow was forcibly prevented from addressing a press conference where she was believed to be ready to make sensational disclosures about her husband's death. She is still being held incommunicado, with guards posted outside her home. It is believed that Mohammad Khan's removal was linked to the fact that he was helping Malik Ehsan’s widow in her attempts to uncover the truth behind her husband's death.
The events surrounding Malik Ehsan's fall from favour, and his subsequent murder, are perhaps the most sinister events that have taken place under the CIA's new order. While the government promptly darned Al-Zulfikar terrorists, there have been rumblings about the actual reasons for Malik Ehsan’s death among senior police circles. Some of them even believe that his murder might have been a part of a sensational cover-up, involving some very senior figures close to the CIA.
Insiders in the CIA say that Malik Ehsan had gathered some information surrounding the mysterious death of Saeed Mighty, a notorious criminal and a political activist. Mighty was once an activist of the Punjabi-Pakhtun Ittehad, which allegedly had connections at the top in the Home Department. But he was reported to have fallen out with his associates some time before the chance encounter with the city police, in which he was wounded.
For mysterious reasons, the CIA, according to investigations by certain intelligence agencies, had standing instructions to get rid of Mighty. That perhaps explains why the agency rushed to take over the case, as well as custody of the wounded Mighty. Within days of being taken under the CIA's custody, Mighty died in Jinnah Hospital under mysterious circumstances. Doctors at the hospital say that he was well a day before his death, had eaten his meals and had even entertained visitors. Despite the circumstances under which Mighty died, and in flagrant contravention of rules and regulations, the police did not conduct a post-mortem of the accused.
Reliable sources in the police, as well as in the intelligence agencies which conducted enquiries into Mighty's death, believe that he was murdered. According to another account, he was simply administered some poison. That his dextrose drip was removed is also no secret.
Sources maintain that Malik Ehsan happened to know the circumstances of Mighty's death, as well as his confessional statement naming a very influential person for whom he had once worked in the past.
If Mighty had in fact been silenced because of fears that he would make sensational disclosures, Malik Ehsan too could not be allowed to roam free and eventually spill the beans. These circles suspect that this is one reason for the murder of Malik Ehsan. Ehsan’s murder is still an unsolved riddle for the police and the CIA, but an autopsy of Mighty could still be conducted to discover the cause of his death.
There is also mystery surrounding the cars with fake number plates recovered from Mighty's hideout. Intriguingly, his alleged accomplice, Qaiser Khan, who was also arrested with much fanfare the CIA, was later released under mysterious circumstances. "One of the problems is that very little information trickles out from behind the closed doors of the CIA bases. Those who are hand in glove with the agency are not expected to speak. Others, for fear of reprisals from the dreaded organisation, keep their mouths shut," says a police officer who has been transferred from a crucial post to a less sensitive one in the recent reshuffle.
It is difficult then to piece together anything but a somewhat incomplete, but still alarming, picture from victims, aggrieved officials, and a handful of honest people who are still in the CIA. What is clear is that much more remains to be investigated.
“Only an incisive investigation by a federal agency, away from the influence of the provincial setup,” one senior police official said, “can expose the gory and ugly drama that goes on behind the scenes.” Sources say that some federal agencies have reportedly already carried out such inquiries. But, since no action seems to have been taken, it appears that the reports have been quietly and conveniently disregarded.
Of course, one cannot be certain about the outcome of the reported investigations carried out by any federal agency. But some of the CIA's victims, like Ayub, have actually sent petitions to the president and the prime minister.
Whether they, in turn, have ordered any secret inquiry into the matter is not known; a public one has obviously not been commissioned by the authorities. Certainly not by the president, who seems to have forgotten his self-appointed role as political taskmaster, for all sorts of accountability exercises, nor by the prime minister, who untiringly continues to promise justice to all.
“Other than restoring some of the eroded credibility of the president, with Irfanullah Marwat being the president's son-in-law, a real and thorough inquiry”, according to an official who closely monitors the CIA's deeds and misdeeds, “would also help to improve the actual working of the CIA.” Only once its own image is untarnished — or the agency is cleared of the personnel who compromise its image — can the CIA hope to actually address the problem of crime in the province.
This article was originally published in the Herald's September 1991 issue under the headline 'Inside the CIA'.
