On Sunday the police, acting on a tip-off by a child rights activist, stopped a marriage ceremony between a 6 year old girl and a 22 year old main in Dubai Chowk, near Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore. The girl, Sumaira, was married to a man thrice her age because her family could not pay off a debt to the father of the groom – the groom being a labourer in a nearby housing society. The…
Posts published in “Day: April 14, 2015”
ISLAMABAD: The arrest of Moazzam Ali Khan from the Azizabad area of Karachi in Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case is set to create more problems for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which is already going through testing times ever since the Rangers’ raid on its Nine Zero headquarters, the arrest of its office bearers along with some convicted criminals and last but not least, the controversial videotape of Saulat Mirza. Moazzam Ali Khan, one of…
TURBAT: At least 13 suspected militants, including assailants accused of killing 20 labourers in Turbat, were shot dead on Monday morning during an operation conducted by Frontier Corps, Express News reported. On April 11, more than 20 gunmen stormed a makeshift camp on the edge of Turbat city in Kech district and methodically killed the labourers after identifying they were from Punjab and Sindh. Acting on a tip-off, the security force raided Turbat’s Gogdan area…
The writer is author of Punjabi Taliban The US and Australian armies have systematically ignored the unlawful killing and torture by the criminal militia of warlord Matiullah Khan in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan. On October 13, 2010, The Daily Age reported that the decision of the director of military prosecution, Brigadier Lyn McDade, against the war crimes of Australian army commandos in the village of Sur-e-Murghab in Uruzgan province was met with mixed responses.…
GILGIT: At least 5,000 trees, most over 50 years old, are likely to be chopped down to make way for a judicial complex in Gilgit city. The city government plans to allocate a major chunk of woodland for the building, insiders told The Express Tribune. “The paperwork is complete and awaiting approval by higher authorities,” shared one source privy to the matter. “According to the proposal, 50 kanals of land will be allocated for the…
MUZAFFARABAD: An apex body of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) based lawyers on Monday warned of a chain of strikes across the region if the recent “politically motivated” appointment of two judges in the AJK Shariat Court was not withdrawn by the “authorities concerned”. “Either both the judges should step down on their own or the concerned authorities should withdraw their politically motivated appointments without further ado,” demanded the Executive Committee of the AJK…
TARIQ NAQASH in Dawn, April 14th, 2015 MUZAFFARABAD: The cultural and archaeological heritage of the picturesque Neelum Valley of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is under serious threat, a researcher warned. However, officials of the archaeological department claimed they do not have the necessary expertise or workforce to tackle the problem. Civil society activists in the valley alleged that in the third week of March a group of villagers unearthed some antique artifacts, including a…
Unsafe factories: edit in The News, April 14, 2015
On Sunday, six people were found dead in a chemical tank of a pickle factory in Karachi. This story slipped beneath the gloss of front page headlines and TV news shows but deserves our attention. The factory had reportedly been set up in a bungalow in a housing society in the Korangi area. At least 15 other such factories are reported to be operating in the area. The story in this case appears to be…