Pakistani Talk Show Dunya Today with Dr. Moeed Pirzada: Lahore triple blasts today in which more than 29 people have been killed and some 200 injured. Fallout from such sectarian violence, Karachi target killings, the existence of extremist outfits in Punjab and elsewhere. Guests: Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed (AML), Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami (Analyst), Marvi Memon (PML-Q), Haroon ur Rasheed (Analyst), Ayaz amir (PML-N)

Pakistani Talk Show Kal Tak with Kashif Abbasi: Triple blasts in Lahore today in which 29 people were killed and more than 200 have been injured. Role of Punjab govt and failure of law enforcement agencies. Guests: Hanif Abbasi (PML-N), Waseem Akhter (MQM). Hanif Abbasi suggests IG Police of Punjab province should be replaced..

THE REAL OPINION > By > SAAD KHAN

I am at a total loss of words to describe the carnage that has taken place in Sialkot so I am just sticking with the facts. A mob lynched — yes, lynched — two teenage brothers right in the middle of a bustling market and right in front of a police contingent. The brothers were accused of robbery and the police watched the proceedings from the sidelines instead of arresting the “accused” — and those who were torturing them.

The insane crowd’s lust for violence did not end at the death of these brothers. They continued thrashing their dead bodies with sticks and stones and then hanged them on a water tank. That’s what we call vigilante justice — or mob lynching, to be precise.

The episode would have gone unnoticed but thanks to the ubiquitous mobile phones; the gory footage found its way to a TV channel and then became a national news.

The heartless lynching happened in central Punjab, a place that has a long history of mob violence. First it was the minorities — Christians and Ahmadis — but now they have also turned against their so-called Muslim brothers. The supreme court has finally taken notice of this barbaric episode but one wonders what happened to the people who killed two Christian brothers in Faisalabad, a central Punjab city, last month. And what about the mob lynching and gutting of a Christian colony in Gojra, another central Punjab town. Have they caught the perpetrators of a church burning in Sialkot, the same city where this lynching took place?

What’s the progress on the massacre of Ahamdis in Lahore, the heart of Punjab, in May? I’ve failed to find any satisfactory answers. I’ve discussed it before that central Punjab has emerged as one of the most volatile regions of Pakistan, especially for the minorities. Local mosques and religious leaders in central Punjab spew hatred and incite illiterate and ignorant crowds to attack Christians and Ahmadis. During the infamous Kashmir Jihad, the same mullahs used to recruit from these mosques. This needs to be stopped and only the intellectual classes of Punjab can do this. It’s about time that they come out of their self-indulgent cocoons.

(Blog: Real Opinion http://therealopinion.wordpress.com/)

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ANOTHER flood warning shook Pakistan’s southern province of Punjab yesterday in the wake of possible massive deluge as India released over 18,000 cusecs of additional water in River Ravi without prior information to the Pakistani authorities, reported local media The Nation today.

According to the report, around 170 villages along the river have been evacuated while the local administration is on high alert in Narowal and Sialkot districts to cope with any emergency.

“The Pakistani government should reconsider the decision to accept 5-million-U.S. dollar Indian aid offer and have it clarified that whether New Delhi is offering aid for the flood victims or giving compensation for expected flood devastation after releasing water in Ravi,” said Ayub Khan Mayo, President of Pakistan Muttahida Kissan Mahaz (PMKM).

Official sources added that the flood warning was issued after the news of flood in five nullahs in the catchments areas of River Ravi. “India has released 18,000 cusecs of water in River Ravi that can cause massive floods in Narowal and Shakargarh as there was already 27,000 cusec water flowing in the river,” they said.

Earlier the Meterological Department predicted that water level in River Ravi would remain low during the next 24 hours but after release of water a low-level flood has hit Bhutsen and Basantar drainages of the river. The Flood Warning Centre in Lahore has given prior high-flood warning in a drainage located at Shakargarh. Flooding is also possible in other places of Punjab province. (Xinhua)

Irshad Salim

On Aug 15, dozens of people publicly beat to death two young brothers, Hafiz Mughees, 15, and Hafiz Muneeb, 19. Present on the “occasion” were the Sialkot District Police Officer Waqar Chauhan and eight policemen. These crime-stoppers watched crime committed literally on their watch. Instead of watching out for crime being committed, these immoral state employees watched the brutal act of lynching taking place in front of their own trained and watchful eyes. They could have stopped – even resisted, called for backup, reinforcement, etc. But they were silent spectators, like watching a favorite mohalla pastime being played out in a galli. In fact, news reports said the SHO allegedly masterminded the killing of the brothers. He has fled away and is still at large.

The bodies of the Hafiz brothers were later hanged upside down on the chowk. Some reports said the locale was the exterior of 1122 rescue office. Phew! what a way to rescue – or be rescued! Allah Khair Karey!

Mob frenzy, gang mentality, gladiator philosophy –all of these jellied and spurted out like toothpaste and cleansed their demented souls. Souls of all those who volunteered to witness the gory incident – on a day after the 63rd birth anniversary of Pakistan.

It’s an irony that lawlessness danced in concert with immorality on a day of fasting. It’s the holy month of Ramadan when even the sinful slow down. How many of those who watched the lynching were fasting that day? Did they break their fast with it or after it?

“What message have you given to the world about Pakistan,” the Chief Justice asked DPO Chauhan and said: “Nowhere in a civilized society such an incident takes place in the presence of police.”

What about the message sent up who watched all of it and whose first language is silence?

“Not only it was the duty of police to stop those who were beating the two brothers, but the people in the mob should also have shown moral courage by preventing the beating,” the chief justice said.

The DPO told the court that FIR against 12 people has been lodged on charges of murder of the two young men while SHO has been taken into custody. Why wasn’t this done on the same day? Why didn’t the Punjab IG take notice of it? Where were the local politicians? PML-N, PML-Q, PPP, PTI? What about the Punjab administration? The system failed!

Will the arrest of the 12 police officers bring back the soul of the two brothers? One is said to be a Hafiz Quran, other one I am not sure. Both were crazy about cricket I am told. Khawaja Asif (PML-N) told Shahid Masood he knew the family well and over three generations. Did he contact them the day this incident happened or did he wait to jump into action once the news hit the roof and became a “public issue” to be milked for political mileage?

Today is the sixth day of the horrible incident. While the Dapper Dan chief executive of the country chose to remain silent, the delusional but Teflon President came out from his bunker (on the sixth day) to strongly condemn the killing and called for report, inquiry, etc. into the gruesome incident. What is he going to do after that? Stack it along with Benazir Bhutto murder report?

It is a defining moment for the introduction of rule of law in Pakistan. Now or never! Only the youth can push this matter through though. They just sacrificed two of their own. If the death of Bushra Zaidi could be the defining moment for politics in Karachi, so can the death of these two brothers be for the advent of rule of law in Pakistan. The rest will swirl into place like the unwinding of a warped wire of a telephone headset. Go for it. Pakistan is still wired – not cordless!

Irshad Salim
New York

Around 500 flood-affected Ahmadi families were denied shelter in Southern Punjab’s flood relief camps, it has emerged.

The government also did not send relief goods to the flood-hit areas belonging to the Ahmadiya community, The Express Tribune correspondent reported from the devastated Punjab districts of Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur.

The flood-devastated families from the Ahmadiya community have strongly criticized the government’s “discriminatory attitude” even at a time when the entire country is reeling from the ravages of the worst flooding in living memory, the report said.

Of the 500 Ahmadi families denied shelter, 350 belong to Dera Ghazi Khan, 60 to Muzaffargarh and 65 to Rajanpur district of Punjab.

According to Ahmadiya community leaders, over 2,500 members of their community have been displaced by the floods and are now living with their relatives while some of them have left for Rabwah, the community’s headquarters.

The local administration reportedly told Ahmadis that people from the surrounding areas did not want them in the relief camps. And that the administration could not allow them to stay at the camp as it could create a law and order situation, the report said. “So we left our cattle and other belongings in the area and took refuge in the homes of our community members on higher grounds,” Aziz Ahmad Khan, a local leader of flood victims from the Ahmadiya community in DG Khan said.

Mansoor Ahmad, a resident of Muzaffargarh, told the correspondent that trapped Ahmadis were rescued by their fellows on a broken boat. He said local clerics have issued an edict that the Ahmadis should not be provided help.

“The Ahmadiya community itself rescued trapped people and delivered relief to them,” community spokesperson Saleem-ul-Din said by phone, adding that that the community did not want any relief package from the government for its members. “However, the government should protect the property and livestock of the Ahmadis.”

Some 20 million people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan. U.N. officials have warned of a “second wave of death” caused by waterborne diseases without more aid to provide clean water, food and shelter.

3.5 million children are at risk of these diseases, says published reports.

Shortages of the most basic supplies — shelter, food and drinking water – presented the biggest challenge for aid workers in Pakistan, the United Nations said Wednesday.

Pakistani Talk Show Views On News with Dr. Shahid Masood discusses absence of leaders, leadership and governance as the nation faces Pakistan history’s worst disaster – floods from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Sindh and Punjab. Comparison between PPP govt and MUsharraf govt. Guests: Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed (AML), Kabir Ali Wasti (PML-Humkhayal), Ijaz Ul Haq (PML-Zia)..

Pakistani Talk Show Off The Record with Kashif Abbasi discusses ban on Geo News and ARY news in Sindh and Punjab after shoe-hurling news involving President Zardari was run by these two channels. Guests: Sen. Syed Faisal Raza Abidi (PPP), Siddiq al Farooq (PML-N), Mohsin Reza (ARY)..

Pakistani Talk Show Dunya Today with Dr. Moeed Pirzada discusses handling and fighting the devastating Pakistan floods which has affected Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh and poses danger to Sukkur Barrage, Guddu Barrage. Guests: Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami (Analyst), Syed Sumsam Ali Shah Bukhari (PPP), Ansar Abbasi (Analyst), Engr. Khurram Dastagir (PML-N)..

LAHORE – Putting a question mark on the performance of police investigators, Punjab’s leading businessman has helplessly secured his safe release after paying Rs one billion ransom to the gangsters.

Dr Muhammad Arshad, owner of High-Tech Feed, country’s largest poultry feed producing company, was kept hostage at some undisclosed location for more than 20 days. “Gangsters released him after the victim family paid ransom amount worth Rs one billion to them as per the kidnappers’ conditions. The family also assured the kidnappers that they would keep mum about the incident,” a police sources disclosed to The Nation on Tuesday, requesting anonymity.

Sources close to the investigators said the abductors released the businessman at some unknown location after the victim’s family handed over the ransom to their accomplices at some other place.

“He (Dr Arshad) is shocked and terrified but safe and secure. Now he is at home. The victim’s family is reluctant in cooperating with the police with regard to the investigations,” a senior police official confirmed, when contacted by the paper.

Some three days ago, he was released, police sources said but did not mention further details. “We don’t know about the exact ransom amount, the family paid to the gangsters. The investigations have begun to track down the kidnappers,” the police official maintained.

The investigation police had completely failed to trace the whereabouts of the kidnappers while the gangsters kept the businessman hostage for about three weeks.

Dr Muhammad Arshad had been kidnapped at gunpoint along with his BMW-car and driver from Township area some 20 days ago. He was on his way to office situated in Shadman locality when gangsters equipped with sophisticated weapons intercepted his car and took him to some unknown location.

Police circles believed that the incident, said to be the biggest case of kidnapping for ransom in the history of Lahore police in terms of ransom amount, has spread of wave of terror and fear among the Lahore business community.

Interestingly, according to the sources, the incident was in the notice of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and he had directed the police to nab the culprits and ensure safe release of the victim on emergent basis.

On July 8, 2010, unidentified gunmen intercepted the car of Dr Muhammad Arshad minutes after he left his Township residence to reach Shadman office.

Hours later, the victim family received a telephone call from his mobile phone and asked to immediately arrange Rs 50 million for the safe release of their beloved one. The victim’s family agreed to pay the ransom amount, requesting the abductors not to harm Dr Muhammad Arshad.
Days later, the kidnappers contacted the victim’s family through his cellular phone and increased the amount of ransom to Rs one billion.

When contacted, the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Aslam Tareen confirmed that the victim has secured his safe release.

According to police records, the conviction rate in the cases of kidnapping for ransom in Punjab province is zero due to the faulty investigations and police inability to properly tackle such important cases.

The Township police had registered the case on the complaint of the victim’s family and are investigating with no arrest made so far.