Police save Christian couple from 'blasphemy' mob near Lahore

LAHORE: Police saved a Christian couple from a mob who were attempting to lynch them for allegedly committing blasphemy, and later arrested a cleric for inciting the violence, a senior officer said Thursday.

The incident, which took place in the village of Makki in Punjab on Tuesday, represents a rare successful intervention by authorities in a country where even unproven allegations of blasphemy can result in a bloody death at the hands of vigilantes.

Sohail Zafar Chattha, the district police chief, told AFP the illiterate Christian couple had obtained an old panaflex advertisement awning which contained the names and slogans of various colleges, which they were using as a mat to sleep on in their home.

Arabic inscriptions, allegedly from the Holy Quran, were found among the colleges' slogans, leading one local barber as well as two clerics to accuse the couple of committing blasphemy.

Read: Ahmedis in a Chakwal village fear for their lives

“Muslims of the town gathered there and dragged the poor couple who didn't know what they had done. They were being beaten to death,” Chattha said.

“Police intervened in time and rescued the couple from the mob, who were later shifted to Lahore and were handed over to the elders of Christian community,” he later told AFP.

Police have arrested one of the clerics while the other and the barber remain at large, he said. Some residents interviewed by the police said the barber may have been interested in obtaining the couple's house.

Tough blasphemy laws, which carry the death sentence for insulting the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH), are often invoked against minorities and the poor by those wishing to settle personal scores, according to rights groups.

Nadeem Anthony, a Christian human rights lawyer, hailed the police action.

“It is a positive development that the police is taking its duty seriously and protecting the accused in such cases,” he said, adding he could recount three other instances where authorities had stepped in in time.

“If the state and its organs continue to perform their duties, the elements who take the law into their own hands will be discouraged,” he added.

Christians, who make up around two percent of Pakistan's mostly Muslim population of 200 million, have been increasingly targeted in recent years, by both mob violence and militant attacks.

Bonded labourer Shehzad Masih and his pregnant wife Shama Bibi were beaten by a mob of 1,500 people then thrown into a lit furnace last year in a crazed reaction to rumours they had thrown pages of the Quran into the garbage.

Political ‘reverse swing’ forces Kaptaan to rearrange his field

FOR some time the Kaptaan has been rearranging his field. This week he publicly, and painfully, admitted to an adoring Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) crowd in Lahore that the reason was the reverses the party suffered in its recent political battles. Imran Khan lamented at a reception that PTI workers threw for him that party’s city chapter was divided in five factions.

“With this kind of division within our ranks, I don’t think PTI needs any opposition from the ruling PML-N to defeat us,” he told the workers, recalling how the infighting resulted in PTI’s humiliating drubbing at the hands of PML-N in recently held cantonment boards elections.

Party officials tried to burnish his pain as “the beauty of democracy” within the PTI, but intra-party wrangling permeate the party at all levels, a fact which worries the Kaptaan - and fuels his fighting spirit at the same time.

Since it is the age of image more than ideals, the adroit cricket hero-turned politician started rearranging his field with the PTI’s media section, which was no exception to the damaging bickering in the party. In the new scheme of things, Naeemul Haq, has been installed information secretary as chief mouthpiece for the party. For many in the PTI the change was long overdue, and reflected in the decreased visibility of the flamboyant Dr Shireen Mazari in the media.

And Mr Haq, who succeeded her as PTI’s chief spokesperson in the last week of May, is seen making extra effort to develop good rapport with the media corps. One aspect of his job he seems really focusing upon is to remain accessible to beat reporters all the time.

A former banker, who came close to Imran Khan in London during his cricket playing days, Mr Haq cut his political teeth with Tehrik-i-Istiqlal. But as a founding member of the PTI he has stood by Imran Khan through thick and thin, starting as chief staff officer to the chairman, handling all his personal and political affairs.

Though, after the reshuffle, Dr Shireen Mazari alone can speak on behalf of PTI chairman, when required, for all practical purposes Mr Haq is the new face of the PTI in the media.

However, the firebrand Dr Mazari has not eclipsed forever. She might even be heard more as she has been assigned the role of chief whip of the PTI in the National Assembly. Dr Arif Alvi who had that role before her, has been designated chief organizer of the party in Sindh.

Several PTI leaders told Dawn in background discussions that Dr Mazari, unfortunately, couldn’t create space for herself, both within the PTI and the media, as chief spokesperson for the party. “Every second person who matters in the top leadership was unhappy with her performance,” remarked one PTI official while others merely expressed “reservations” about her performance or complained about “her inability” to project them in the media.

Still others explained that since the PTI, unlike other political parties, has huge presence on social media, “All mainstream PTI leaders want to have their regular coverage, which makes the job of information secretary really challenging,” intoned one off the record.

This lust for publicity is reflected in the fact that many senior party leaders have their own focal persons who keep them “active on social media” round-the-clock.

There are others in the PTI who argue that Dr Mazari’s habit of picking sides inside the party led Imran Khan to change her portfolio. According to more than one personal accounts shared with Dawn, it was Dr Mazari who earlier this year successfully managed removal of Omar Cheema as spokesperson for the PTI chairman within days of his appointment, and wrested the charge which she held additionally to that of information secretary.

Other issues which contributed towards her displacement from the office of information secretary was her unavailability to media. On many occasions, media persons complained to Imran Khan that she did not take their calls, although Dr Mazari claimed she always responds to text messages.

A senior PTI leader confirmed to Dawn receiving such complaints. “With 24/7 media coverage, the task for the information secretary has become very, very challenging – one that demands to be pro-active in real time.”

However, people close to Dr Mazari feel that having been actively associated with media for considerable time, and with her experience of think tanks, no body suited better than her to handle the media, notably explaining party positions on complex policy making decisions. She fell a victim to what PTI Chief himself had expressed on occasions that the party is suffering from a kind of internecine strife, a supporter of Dr Mazari argued.

Welcome Mr Haq to the hard task of keeping everyone happy in the mad mad world of image building!

PPP decides to change Punjab leadership in phases

KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has asked the party’s leaders in Punjab to establish direct contact with people and prepare effectively for the coming local government elections because the party has decided to field its candidate in every constituency.

The PPP chief issued the instructions while presiding over a meeting of leaders from Punjab at Bilawal House here on Thursday amid reports that after the defection of its two prominent leaders – Samsam Bokhari and Ashraf Sohna – to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, more disgruntled leaders are considering to join other parties.

The meeting discussed political and organisational matters of the PPP Punjab as well as the overall political situation in country.

It was attended by former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, PPP Punjab President Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, former governor and party’s South Punjab President Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Senator Sherry Rehman, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Tanveer Ashraf Kaira, Shaukat Basra and Jameel Soomro.

The meeting decided to make electoral alliance in every district for the local government elections in consultation with the party’s district leadership. It also decided to contact the disgruntled leaders. All matters would be supervised by Mr Bilawal Bhutto.

The party decided to launch a membership campaign in Punjab after Eid and changes in the party leadership of the province would be made in consultation with the Central Executive Committee. The changes in office-bearers will be made in phases – from wards to the provincial level. For local bodies’ elections, a workers’ convention will be convened and a ‘contact people campaign’ will be launched next month.

The Punjab leaders said the PML-N government did not fulfil the promises it had made before the general election and people were disappointed. They said that it was the right time that the PPP leadership gave some hope to the people of Punjab as they were looking towards Mr Bilawal Bhutto with great expectations.

The PPP chairman said such consultative meetings should be held at every level to strengthen the party.

According to sources privy to the meeting, the party reviewed the situation arising out of the defection of some of its leaders and the chairman asked the PPP Punjab chief to submit a detailed report on the matter at the next meeting.

The sources said the PPP chief would pay a detailed visit to Punjab this month.

Mr Bilawal Bhutto offered condolences to Firdous Ashiq Awan on the death of her brother.

Meanwhile, Senior Minister of Azad Kashmir Chaudhry Yaseen also called on PPP chairman and discussed with him issues relating to the party in AJK.

Wrong map: court moved for case against CM Punjab

LAHORE: A sessions court on Thursday issued a notice to the capital city police officer (CCPO) on a petition seeking registration of a case against Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and others for publication of ‘wrong map’ of Pakistan in Class-VIII geography book.

Advocate Rizwan Haider filed the petition and told the court that he had submitted an application to the CCPO for registration of a case against the chief minister and other authorities of the school education department for publishing a wrong map of the country in text books of Class-VIII.

He stated the CCPO refused to entertain the application while the offence committed by authorities was of serious nature and amounted to misguiding and spoiling the innocent minds of new generation.

He said the map published in geography books showed Saraikistan and Hazara as two separate provinces which was a gross violation of the Constitution.

He asked the court to direct the CCPO to lodge an FIR against the respondents.

The court sought a reply from the CCPO by July 7.

19 die as train carrying army men falls into canal near Gujranwala

GUJRANWALA: At least 19 people, including four army officers, were killed when three bogies of a special train carrying army officials fell into a canal and one other was derailed as a railway bridge collapsed near Gujranwala on Thursday.

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 14 dead bodies had been recovered from the site of the incident, while divers were searching the canal for five more dead bodies.

The deceased include Pakistan Army Engineering Battalion Unit Commander Lt. Col Amir Jadoon, his wife and two kids, Lt. Col Rashid, Major Adil, Lieutenant Kashif, Constable Islam, Lance Naik Zafar and staffers Babar and Aslam.

AsimBajwaISPR @AsimBajwaISPR

4 bogies of special train carrying mil troops to Kharian fell over bridge near Jamke Chattha in Canal. Rescue underway.Casualties expected

3:41 AM - 2 Jul 2015

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Lt Gen Asim Bajwa tweeted that four bogies of a special train carrying military troops to Kharian fell over a bridge near Jamke Chattha into a canal.

AsimBajwaISPR @AsimBajwaISPR

Update:Initial investigation,Railway Bridge collapsed.shaheed confirmed 12 including Comd of unit,Lt.col Amir.8 bodies found.Rescue contnues

4:21 AM - 2 Jul 2015

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Another tweet confirmed that 12 personnel, including Commander of a unit, Lt. Col Amir had died.

A relief train, carrying technical and medical staff, has been sent to the spot from Lahore, while two helicopters and other rescue teams have started relief operations.

According to government officials, as many as 80 affected passengers have been rescued. Injured passengers have been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Gujranwala.

The special train was heading to Kharian from Pano Aqil. According to sources, the train was carrying army personnel who were travelling for a military exercise.

Local residents, divers and army personnel have been engaged in rescue operations while all railway traffic has been disrupted on the route.

The pre-partition bridge that collapsed as the train was passing over it was reportedly in a dilapidated condition.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed concern on the train accident in Gujranwala. He directed to mobilise all resources to rescue the injured and restoration of the track.

COAS attends funeral services of the deceased

COAS Gen Raheel Sharif attends funeral prayers of deceased army men. -DawnNews screengrab

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif on Thursday night attended the funeral services in Gujranwala Cantonment of army men and others who died in a train accident in the noon.

The army chief also visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Gujranwala where he met the people injured in the accident and inquired about their health, said a statement issued by the ISPR.

Bridge was not in a dilapidated state: DGPR Railways

The railway bridge which collapsed near Gujranwala on Thursday and led to the deaths of at least 19 people, was in a completely fine condition and sufficiently strong, claimed the Director General Public Relations of Pakistan Railways (PR) Abdul Rauf Tahir while talking to DawnNews.

Tahir said all railway bridges, including the one near Gujranwala, were thoroughly examined in January and this particular bridge was deemed perfectly fit for railway traffic.

He said about 90 minutes prior to the incident, which took place at around 12 noon, the train on Rawalpindi-Karachi-Rawalpindi passed over the same railway bridge "safely in full speed".

Tahir further said it was evident from the footage being shown on TV channels that bridge was not in rundown condition as the pillars of the bridge still stand erect.

Tahir said PR had formed an investigation team to probe the incident and it was likely that the team would probe alongside intelligence agencies.

Final report of train accident in 72 hours: Saad Rafique

Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said investigation to ascertain facts behind the train accident was under progress and the final report of the accident will be compiled within 72 hours.

He was talking to media at the site of the accident near Gujranwala on Thursday.

Rafique said the condition of railway bridges was checked four times a year.

Rafique had earlier said that so far no evidence of terrorism has been found. But he did say the possibility of sabotage could not be ruled out in the tragedy.

Irregularities don’t prove rigging, says PML-N counsel

ISLAMABAD: The PML-N contended on Thursday that Form XV going missing from different constituencies across the country did not necessarily indicate a deliberate pattern of systematically rigging the 2013 general elections on part of the presiding officers.

Similarly, the decision to print ballot papers in excess of the total number of votes in certain constituencies was not a political decision but an administrative one. It may have been wrong, but it does not demonstrate any mal-intent or a deliberate attempt to manipulate the elections, argued PML-N counsel Shahid Hamid.

Offering a defence against allegations levelled by the PTI, Mr Hamid asked the three-judge inquiry commission — headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk — to issue strict guidelines to prevent such irregularities from happening in future elections.

Talking about the role of the judiciary in the conduct of these elections, Mr Hamid regretted that the judiciary had been made controversial, attacked and savaged. It was quite hurtful when the PML-Q counsel “abused” the role of the ROs.

He also referred to the ECP’s Sept 2012 meeting with 16 political parties, including the PML-N, PTI, PML-Q, who appreciated the commission’s open-door policy aimed at making the electoral process more transparent. It was only after agreement at this meeting that the National Judicial Policy Making Committee allowed judicial officers to be borrowed by ECP to conduct the elections.

Former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry later agreed to appoint judicial officers as ROs after ensuring that political parties have complete confidence in them.

During proceedings, the chief justice asked the counsel to read the speech, made by the former chief justice before the ROs, which was attacked by the PML-Q counsel, though the attack was later rescinded.

When the speech was read out by Mr Hamid, it emerged that the former chief justice had said nothing unusual or illegal in his address.

Mr Hamid stressed that judicial officers never had any ulterior motives and no evidence was produced to establish that the ROs manipulated the elections, save for horrifying allegations that were levelled without evidence. “We can safely conclude that no illegality can be attributed to the ROs,” the counsel concluded.

Mr Hamid explained that the percentage of missing Form XV, retrieved after election bags were opened on the directions of the commission, was 42.5 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; 45.9 per cent in Sindh, 48 per cent in Balochistan and only 28.8 per cent in Punjab. This, he said, did not reflect a deliberate pattern aimed to rig the elections, adding that Punjab’s record was much better than any of the other provinces.

Referring to the decision to leave the number of ballots to be printed up to the ROs’ discretion, Mr Hamid said that this was actually a wise move by the provincial election commissioner of Punjab, since ROs reduced the overall estimated number of ballots to be printed to 52 million from the originally estimated 53.2 million.

Besides, he argued, the that ROs from 11 constituencies — who had appeared before the commission — had admitted that they did not distribute all the ballot papers, rather excess quantities were inventoried and then deposited with the treasury.

He said that a total of 177 million ballots were printed against an initial assessment of around 182 million.

He also pointed out that out of a total of 272 National Assembly seats, the results of elections to 135 were never challenged and out of the 137 that were contested before election tribunals, 112 of the petitions were dismissed, 15 were allowed and 10 were still pending.

Of the 127 cases that were disposed, 20 were appealed before the Supreme Court, of which six cases had been decided and 14 were still pending. This meant, he said, that 90 per cent of the results stood confirmed.

Similarly, he said that out of a total of 577 seats in the four provincial assemblies, elections to 307 seats were never challenged. Of the 270 that were, 216 cases were dismissed, 36 allowed and 17 were still pending. The Supreme Court has decided 28 appeals and is still seized with 49 cases, meaning that the results of 523 of the 577 seats now stood confirmed.

Misbah signs for Barbados in Caribbean Premier League

Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has replaced Shoaib Malik in the Barbados Tridents squad for the team's remaining games at the 2015 Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The reason behind Malik’s exclusion from the CPL is a possible one-day international call up for Pakistan’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to announce its ODI squad for the series, a CPL press statement said that Malik had been selected.

“Shoaib has been fantastic in the CPL so it’s a shame to lose him, but we’re delighted that he’s back in the Pakistan squad and we wish him every success in the upcoming series,” a report published by cricinfo.com quoted Tom Moody, the CPL director, as saying.

“Misbah is one of the most respected cricketers in the world, and we’re sure he’ll be an excellent addition to the Tridents squad.”

Misbah has previously played for St. Lucia Zouks in the CPL. Misbah’s Twenty20 record is also impressive; having featured in 116 matches, he has scored 2,635 runs at an average of 36.09, which includes a century and 10 half-centuries.

Champions Trophy: Zimbabwe tri-series annoys Bangladesh

DHAKA: Bangladesh has criticised the current scheduling system in international cricket as a new tri-series in Zimbabwe threatens their qualification for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Bangladesh stunned India 2-1 last week and were celebrating their qualification for the eight-team tournament in England after their maiden ODI series victory over their mighty neighbours.

The victory meant Bangladesh, who blanked Pakistan 3-0 in the previous home series, rose to seventh place in the latest ODI rankings with 93 points, ahead of West Indies (88) and Pakistan (87).

Top seven sides and hosts England will compete in the tournament with a Sept 30 cut-off date to determine the rankings of the teams.

Bangladesh's celebrations, however, proved a bit premature when West Indies, previously not scheduled to play ODIs before the cut-off date, on Saturday announced the Zimbabwe tri-series, also involving Pakistan, in August-September.

Pakistan also get a chance to improve their ODI rankings in the five-match series against hosts Sri Lanka from July 11.

“The whole system has gone wrong ever since the ICC stopped following the FTP and let the boards deal bilaterally,” Dhaka Tribune quoted Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Jalal Yunus as saying.

“This has created loopholes I believe. I don't support this. This is not healthy competition,” added Jalal.

Bangladesh will now have to win at least one of the three ODIs in the home series against South Africa next month to secure their Champions Trophy place and Jalal was confident the Tigers can do it.

“I believe we still have the chance to keep our place intact in the Champions Trophy. We just need to perform in the ODI series against South Africa,” he added.

13 suspected militants killed in Balochistan's Awaran

QUETTA: At least 13 suspected militants were killed during an exchange of fire with Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in Balochistan's Awaran district on Tuesday morning.

FC Spokesman Khan Wasey said security forces launched an operation against miscreants in different areas of Mashkay tehsil of Awaran district during which an exchange of fire took place with suspected militants.

Subsequently 13 militants were killed. "Some key commanders were also killed during the action," Wasey said. Security forces also recovered weapons from their possession.

An FC soldier was killed and two security personnel were also injured during the exchange of fire with the militants, the FC spokesman added.

However, Wasey's claim could not be verified by the district administration.

Security forces have intensified their actions in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan after the announcement of National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country.

Two killed, 40 wounded in Afghanistan suicide truck bomb: officials

KANDAHAR: A suicide truck bomb in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday killed two civilians and wounded more than 40, officials said, in the latest attack since the Taliban began their annual offensive.

The attacker detonated a lorry loaded with explosives at the gate of the police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, capital of the volatile Helmand province.

Afghan troops and police are battling the Taliban in the first “fighting season” since Nato ended its combat mission and left local forces to take charge of security.

The Helmand blast came less than two days after 11 soldiers were killed in a Taliban ambush in the normally relatively peaceful western province of Herat.

“It was a suicide truck bomber detonating his vehicle at the gate of police headquarters,” provincial police spokesman Farid Ahmad Obaid told AFP.

“Our initial reports show 40 wounded, two killed,” he said, adding that all of the casualties were civilians.

Provincial spokesman Omar Zhwak confirmed the attack.

“The blast was very powerful. Most of the wounded people are civilians who were hit by broken glass inside their homes,” he told AFP.

A doctor at the emergency hospital in Lashkar Gah said 40 civilians were brought to the hospital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. But the Taliban, who launched their annual spring-summer offensive in late April, vowed nationwide attacks in what is expected to be the bloodiest summer for a decade.

Nato: coalition convoy targeted in suicide attack in Kabul

A suicide attacker driving an explosives-packed vehicle targeted a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) military convoy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Tuesday, police and a Nato official said.

Police on the scene said casualties were expected.

"It was a suicide car bomber, there are casualties but it is too early to know the extent of the damage," said Kabul deputy police chief Sayed Gulagha.

A spokesman for the Nato mission in Afghanistan, US Army Col Brian Tribus, said that a coalition convoy had been attacked. “We can confirm there was an attack on coalition forces. We are gathering information,” he said.

The explosion happened at 1:20 pm on the main airport road in eastern Kabul. The blast sent a huge plume of black smoke over the city. It happened as government employees were leaving their offices and roads were choked with vehicles as the working day is shortened during the Holy month of Ramazan.

Huge explosion shakes Afghan capital near shopping district

A huge explosion shook the Afghan capital Kabul, sending a plume of black smoke over the city's western suburbs on Tuesday.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

The Deputy Chief of Kabul police Sayed Gulagha has confirmed it was an explosion and says it appears to have occurred near a busy shopping district.

The blasts come a week after an audacious attack on the nation's parliament, which highlighted the ability of insurgents, who have been fighting to overthrow the Kabul government for almost 14 years, to enter the highly fortified capital to stage deadly attacks.

The Taliban's annual summer offensive has sent civilian and military casualties soaring and threatened major cities for the first time in a decade.

A fierce battle has been going on in the northern province of Kunduz, where last week Afghan forces recaptured a key district from Taliban fighters who had threatened to overrun their first provincial capital since being toppled from power in 2001.

Last week also saw the militants launch a brazen assault on parliament in Kabul, detonating a car bomb at the entrance and trading fire with security forces.

Police and soldiers beat back the attack with only two civilians killed, but the incident highlighted the Taliban's continuing ability to strike even at the heart of the heavily-secured capital.

In 'first', IS beheads two women in Syria: monitor

BEIRUT: The Islamic State (IS) group has beheaded two women in Syria on accusations of “sorcery,” the first such execution of women in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Tuesday.

“The Islamic State group executed two women by beheading them in Deir Ezzor province, and this is the first time the Observatory has documented women being killed by the group in this manner,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The Britain-based monitor said the executions took place on Monday and Sunday and involved two couples. In both cases, the women were executed with their husbands, with each pair accused of “witchcraft and sorcery”.

The Islamic State group has become infamous for gruesome executions and is reported to have stoned women to death on allegations of adultery. But the Observatory said this was the first time it was aware of the group beheading women.

According to the monitor, IS has executed more than 3,000 people in Syria in the year since it declared its Islamic “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq. Nearly 1,800 of them were civilians, including 74 children.

The group claimed an attack on two Houthi rebel leaders in Sanaa on Monday night that medics said had killed at least 28 people, including eight women.

The car bomb targeted Houthi rebel chief brothers Faysal and Hamid Jayache during a gathering to mourn the death of a family member, a security source said.

The jihadist group, which marked the first anniversary of the declaration of its “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria on Monday, has been ramping up its deadly campaign in Yemen since March.

Heatwave deaths: PTI moves district court for FIR against Sindh govt

KARACHI: The media adviser to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Ismail on Monday submitted an application in District Courts (South) requesting registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the Sindh government in the wake of deaths from the recent heatwave.

It is pertinent to mention that PTI had earlier submitted an application to Civil Lines Station House Officer (SHO) Waqar Ahmed Tanoli for the registration of an FIR against the Sindh government.

The SHO had told the PTI leader that he would seek guidance from senior officers on the matter.

The application submitted in the court stated that more than 2,000 people died due to the alleged criminal negligence of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, Health Minister Jam Mehtab, Karachi Municipal Corporation Administrator Saqib Soomro and Chairman of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Salman Shah.

The court issued a notice under Section 22A of Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) to SHO Civil Lines Waqar Ahmed Tanoli directing him to submit his reply on July 2 with regards to the FIR requested by Imran Ismail.

Read: PTI wants murder case against Sindh govt over heatwave deaths

The PTI leader had earlier said that when people were dying from heatstroke, shortage of water and electricity, the so-called rulers of Sindh were ‘enjoying Iftar parties’ and were ‘clueless’ about the pain and misery of the innocent people and their families.