Pakistan's Hall of Shame

[farhan_9909]

Rumours of pigs and plots dog Pakistan polio fight



PESHAWAR: It took three months and 30 visits from UN aid workers to convince Haidar Khan to let his son have the polio vaccination.

The day before he relented and allowed Yahia to take the two drops of vaccine, he almost came to blows with the Unicef staff trying to inoculate the four-year-old against the disease, which can bring paralysis in a matter of hours.

Like thousands of parents in Pakistan's deeply conservative northwest, Khan had heard and believed the rumours and conspiracy theories about the vaccine, which have helped the country maintain its unenviable status as one of only three nations in the world where polio is still endemic.

"I heard that the vaccine contains pig, that it's haram (forbidden in Islam)," the 27-year-old Khan told AFP at his stall in the northwestern city of Peshawar, surrounded by crates of fizzy drinks.

"Sermons from the mosque loudspeakers said it was an American conspiracy to damage our children." There have been 30 confirmed cases of polio in Pakistan this year according to the government, 22 of them in the Pashtun tribal areas of the northwest, bordering Afghanistan, where Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants have forged strongholds.

Pakistan had a total of 91 polio cases last year, but the battle to convince people in the tribal areas, where education is limited and deeply conservative values hold sway, is a tough one.

Doctor Syed Irfan Ali Shah, 28, spent two years raising awareness among the local population and now heads the local Unicef team in Peshawar.

"We are welcomed because every member of my team is a local, well known in his neighbourhood," he said.

"Trust is built up, and it is usually at the end of a number of visits that we manage to persuade the families." People in the area were already deeply distrustful of foreign intervention, and suspicions soared even further last year after the CIA used a hepatitis inoculation programme as cover to try to find Osama bin Laden.

The CIA used Pakistani doctor Shakeel Afridi to set up a hepatitis drive in the garrison town of Abbottabad, where bin Laden was later found and killed by US special forces, in the hope of obtaining DNA samples to identify the al Qaeda leader.

The episode made people all the more suspicious of vaccination, but campaign worker Zain Al Abedin said it was not the only reason people refused to give their children the drops.

"Massive illiteracy creates all sorts of fantasies. I've heard everything, the vaccine makes you sterile, it gives you AIDS, even that we urinated in it!" he said with a rueful smile.

Fighting between government troops and tribal militias in the northwest, as well the Taliban banning inoculations in protest at US drone strikes, have also hampered efforts to fight the disease.

In July officials said the problems were jeopardising more than 350,000 children in the tribal areas.

To improve matters, Unicef has tried to rally influential religious leaders to the cause.

In the poor Peshawar neighbourhood of Yakatoot, as naked children play in stagnant water, a team with a fatwa or religious ruling approving vaccination try to persuade a young father, Noor Zamin.

But his brother, a member of a religious group, steps in.

"I have made scientific studies on this. I cannot say what I discovered, but the vaccination is anti-Islamic," he says, stroking his beard, before asking the aid workers to leave.

In a small mosque in the neighbouring area of Sadiqabad, the mufti Fidah refused to give a fatwa backing the vaccination.

"On one side, the United States and the Westerners bombard us with their drones, and on the other one they want to inoculate our children," he said.

He was convinced "there is necessarily something bad" in the vaccine, but Shah the doctor says the cleric is softening his position, bit by bit.

Will he agree to the next vaccination campaign, in October? "Inshallah," he says: if God wills it.

Rumours of pigs and plots dog Pakistan polio fight | DAWN.COM

 

[farhan_9909]

Life after Hinduism: 'Had my mother been alive, I would have never converted'
By Rabia Ali
Published: October 6, 2012


KARACHI:

For the Hindu boy, whose conversion to Islam was beamed into millions of homes across Pakistan, leading to the talk show host's downfall and an international controversy, the motivation was more secular than initially thought.

"I wanted to escape from the atmosphere at home," said Abdullah while talking with The Express Tribune two months after the scandal. "I never wanted to come on the media." He consoles himself by reasoning that people would have found out eventually – the television show just made it easier.

Twenty-three-year-old Sunil's decision to become Abdullah is strongly linked to a troubled home. His mother passed away five years ago and his father was unable to take care of his three brothers. Fighting erupted every day in the Ranchore Line house. "Because of my mother, the house was united," he explains. "Had my mother been alive, I would have never converted. I wouldn't have done it in front of her."

It was at the Sarim Burney Welfare Trust that Sunil found a sense of belonging with the Muslim staff. In order to get away from the misery at home, he even moved in to one of their shelters three years ago. But the young man still felt lost and left out when Ramzan rolled around each year. Eventually, despite his own upbringing, he decided to join to fast during the last two Ramzans.

In July, he felt it was time to convert. "I have been thinking for a long time," he said, adding that while there were quite a few people who put on the pressure, he did it when he felt he wanted to. He did not, however, inform his family who learnt of the news when they saw him on the Maya Khan show, dressed in a new shalwar kameez and obeying the cleric. "My family and relatives were outraged. They wanted the channel to be blocked, the show to be stopped. They asked me, 'Why did you do it live?'"

Now that the furor has subsided, what has life been like since then? Abdullah visits his family once in two weeks – but as they are Hindu, he refuses to eat or drink anything in his own house. There is an element of confusion, however, as evidenced by his keenness to appear democratic in the face of beliefs that veer on the radical. "Changing their religion is every person's right," he stresses. "There was nothing wrong with my previous religion. I believe that every religion is the same, only the way of praying is different."

His voice quivers, however, as he mentions Raksha Bandhan and other festivals. "It is a sister's right to tie a red thread around her brother," he says. "But I missed out on the festival because I converted." And then, looking down at the floor, he says, "I won't go any more."

Abdullah is not the only one adjusting to this new reality. His 15-year-old younger brother Rohit misses him at home but is happy at least he can see him at work. "We felt so weird when bhaiya wasn't there at our festival," he said. "I won't convert. But I have accepted him as a Muslim."

Ironically, while Sunil was drawn to Islam in his instinct to replace a broken family, his conversion split another: a rift developed between the social activist Burney brothers, Ansar and Sarim, with Ansar condemning the conversion and Sarim defending it.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2012.

Life after Hinduism: 'Had my mother been alive, I would have never converted' – The Express Tribune

 

[pmaitra]

The best thing about any religion is that people fight over man made rules and man made scriptures, believing it is God's word, without any proof.

Blind faith cannot be fought with rationalism.

This is in reaction to the article about polio vaccine.

 

[farhan_9909]

Age of reason?


Sir Isaac Newton said, "I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people". There is no disputing physics; it is a science that involves the analysis of matter and its motion through both space and time. Motion is a human propensity, embedded in our genetic code. Humans are always on the move, migrating and evolving, whether pushing the limits of physical prowess or rocketing a probe to Mars. The right to mobility is considered a basic human entitlement, enshrined in the constitutions of many sovereign states. This right asserts that citizens have the liberty to travel, reside and work in a place of their choosing.

On the issue of motion, Usain Bolt is widely recognised as the world's fastest man. Bolt grew up in Jamaica, a country historically reliant and populated by a legacy of indentured slaves. Slavery was our collective, incalculable madness. Slaves were stripped of the most fundamental of human rights. At the starting blocks of the 100-metre sprint final at the London Olympics, Bolt looked up into the sky and pursed his lips against an extended index finger. It is my assertion that Bolt hushed an Anglophone god, a gesture reminding the host country, that as a Jamaican he has the right to run fast and win. It was an act of supreme confidence shown from a top-flight athlete, symbolically on a par with the human rights salute given by two black athletes at the 1968 Olympics Games in Mexico.

Winning an Olympic gold, like most endeavours, is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration. Science, in its many forms, plays an important role in securing success. Bolt does not subscribe to superstitious rituals but rather uses biomedical kinesiology to better understand the phases of his race helping him overcome scoliosis — the abnormal curvature of his lower spine — to help him run faster. And like most elite athletes, Bolt uses a strict regimen of rehydrating drinks to his benefit. The science behind these drinks ensures athletes have adequate energy throughout the day, replenishing their bodily systems and aiding in recovery.

Just as water does not serve the rehydration needs of elite athletes, water is also not a fuel for cars as was recently claimed by a Pakistani scientist, Agha Waqar Ahmad, to have invented a water-fuelled car. Experts in the field ridiculed his assertion as it violated the laws of thermodynamics. Centuries ago, medieval alchemists convinced the world they could transmute base materials into something of value. They failed in their attempts but this did not stop both alchemists and their clergy patrons from fleecing the public. Ahmad's claim was deceitful and was supported by the minister for religious affairs who righteously stated that the ministry of science and technology will fully support Ahmad's endeavours.

Our world is quickly moving forward. This past month, Nasa scientists who have been navigating Curiosity rover, the robotic space probe for nine months, landed it on Mars; slavery in the West is relegated to but a sad chapter; while Bolt has now won six gold medals in two successive Olympics. In contrast, Muslim contributions to science have reduced over the years, losing ground to anti-rationalists. Here lies the tragic story of science in many Muslim countries — a dysfunctional relationship between faith and modernity.


NOTE:
i guess the title without adding Pakistan was better.since it is in Pakistan section it already represent Pakistan.

 

[farhan_9909]

The water car fraud

Agha Waqar Ahmad deserves a medal from the people of Pakistan for his great service to the nation. In a few short days, he has exposed just how far Pakistan has fallen into the pit of ignorance and self-delusion. No practical joker could have demonstrated more dramatically the true nature of our country's political leaders, popular TV anchors and famed scientists.

At first, it sounded like a joke: a self-styled engineer, trained in Khairpur's polytechnic institute, claims to have invented a 'water kit' enabling any car to run on water alone. It didn't matter that the rest of world couldn't extract energy from water; he had done it. He promised a new Pakistan with limitless energy, no need for petrol or gas, and no more loadshedding. For an energy starved nation, it is a vision of paradise.

Agha Waqar Ahmad is now a national celebrity thanks to Religious Affairs Minister Khursheed Shah. Federal ministers Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Qamar Zaman Kaira have added their commendations. President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his delight. The cabinet has met three times to discuss the water vehicle, and a fourth meeting is scheduled. Reports suggest millions may be spent on the 'water fuel kit project'.

The media has rushed in to celebrate the new national hero. For TV anchor Talat Husain, thanks to Agha Waqar Ahmad's invention, Pakistan's image can go from a country ravaged by terrorism to one of boundless possibilities. Anchor Hamid Mir and Senator Parvaiz Rasheed drove around Islamabad sitting next to the inventor, wondering how to protect the man's life from Western oil companies. Anchor Arshad Sharif was euphoric about the $14 billion Pakistan would save on oil imports.

Pakistan's most celebrated scientists were not far behind. Asked by Anchor Sharif whether a car could run only on water, nuclear hero Dr Samar Mubarakmand replied without hesitation: "jee haan, bilkul ho sakta hai" (yes, absolutely possible). For his part, Hamid Mir asked Dr AQ Khan if there was any chance of this being a fraud. The response was clear: "Main nay apnay level per investigate kiya hai aur koi fraud waraud nahi kiya hai" (I have investigated the matter and there is no fraud involved). The head of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr Shaukat Parvaiz, went further: "hum nay bhi iss pay kam karaya tha" (we had some work done on this too).

So, what is the problem? It's that the laws of physics, in particular a fundamental scientific principle known as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, impose inviolable constraints. Every machine constructed anywhere uses the Second Law. This is something that I learned in my first year as a student at MIT and have taught for 40 years. No serious scientist would dream of challenging the Second Law. Agha Waqar Ahmad's 'water kit', if one believes science to be right, simply cannot work. What the inventor, the ministers, the anchors and scientists claim on TV is wrong.

To his credit, the only person on TV that seemed to know this elementary principle was Dr Attaur Rahman, a chemist and a former HEC chairman. I have not agreed with all his actions and views in the past, but he alone rejected the claims about the new machine. Sadly, he was not able to hold back the tide of a nation desperate for any answer to its energy woes.

The water fraud will be exposed soon enough and, like a bad posterior smell, will go away. A simple experiment will make this happen faster. Here's how: take an emergency electricity generator, of which there are thousands in Islamabad. Its engine is similar to that in a car. Remove the fuel tank and make sure the 'water kit' contains only water. Then ask the inventor to connect it up and run the generator. Let there be enough sharp-eyed witnesses of intelligence and integrity.

But this episode raises bigger questions. Scientific frauds exist in other countries, but what explains their spectacular success in Pakistan? Answer: our leaders are lost in the dark, fumbling desperately for a miracle; our media is chasing spectacle, not truth; and our great scientists care more about being important than about evidence. It is easy for them all to get away with this. As a nation, we have proven unwilling to do the hard work needed to learn to reason, to be sceptical, to demand proof, to understand even basic science. It is easier to believe the world is run by magic and conspiracies, to wish and wait for Aladin's magic lamp. We live in the age of jahilliya.

 

[farhan_9909]

My Pakistan is a progressive Pakistan: Shehrbano Taseer

Shehrbano Taseer, speaking on the Express 24/7 show "Faceoff with Munizae Jehangir", which aired on Friday, said that everyone is collectively to be blamed for the assassinations of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer and Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti.

She said that if it was not for the current government or the previous government appeasing terrorists, then these incidents would not have taken place.

Taseer said the rallies that took place after her father's death made her see the ugly face of extremism in the country however the people who held those demonstrations were not a majority. "They are certainly loud, well armed and well funded but they are not a majority," she said.

The late governor's daughter said that she felt the media was also responsible for Salmaan Taseer's assassination because it acted irresponsibly. She said the media gave undue space to "hot-headed right wingers, screaming bloody murder," instead of starting a debate on the blasphemy laws.

"In a country that calls itself a democracy, the frontiers of expression have shrunk," said Taseer commenting on the murders of the Punjab governor and the minister for minority affairs.

Taseer said that certain people have made her father out to be an evil man, but they cannot shame him; "he was a great man," she said.

She said that she does not live in fear because that is what the terrorists capitalise on. "I am not going to give my county to them on a silver platter," said Taseer.

Taseer informed that her family had received several threatening letter after her father's assassination and despite requests from friends to them urging them to leave the country, Taseer said "we are Pakistanis; we will build our lives in Pakistan; we will live to better the lives of Pakistanis. We will not go anywhere."

Taseer said she sees "unwavering hope in Pakistan," and if everyone was to work for a better Pakistan, they would not see the fruits of it tomorrow, but they will in the next 20 years or so.

She said that her Pakistan "is a progressive Pakistan" and it will move forward.

 

[farhan_9909]

Malala Yousufzai injured in gun attack on school van in Swat

PESHAWAR: National Peace Award winner and young Pakistani rights activist Malala Yousufzai and another girl were injured in an attack on their school van by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

Malala was returning home from her school in Swat's Mingora area when her van was attacked by unknown men.

Certain media outlets reported that the gunmen attacked the van on identifying the young children's rights activist.

Sources said Malala was hit by couple of bullets to her neck and head.

Both injured girls were taken to the Saidu Sharif Hospital. According to doctors, Malala was now out of danger. However, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has ordered to shift her to a Peshawar hospital swiftly through a helicopter. The prime minister has strongly condemned the incident.

The incident spread fear and panic among the local residents.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain confirmed the shooting and blamed the attack on terrorists.

Yousafzai is 15 years of age and has already earned international fame for raising voice against Taliban oppression in Swat.

She was honoured with a first ever National Peace by the government and was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by advocacy group KidsRights Foundation in 2011 for being an inspiration to her friends by standing up against repression as her namesake did in Afghanistan in the 19th century.

Malala became the voice of all the girls in Swat when she began maintaining a diary on the website of the BBC under the pen name of "Gul Makai."

The Pakistan army in 2009 effectively crushed a two-year Taliban insurgency in Swat where cleric Maulana Fazlullah presided over a brutal campaign of beheadings, violence and multiple attacks on girls' schools.

After fierce fighting displaced around two million people, the army declared the region back under control in July 2009.

Despite sporadic outbreaks of violence, the government has since tried to encourage tourism in Swat.

It had been popular with Pakistani and Western holidaymakers for its stunning mountains, balmy summer weather and winter skiing.


Malala Yousufzai injured in gun attack on school van in Swat | DAWN.COM

 

[farhan_9909]

declares 13 girls vani in Dera Bugti
By Web Desk
Published: October 8, 2012


The decision was taken to settle murder-related conflict between Bagirani and Shahwani tribes. PHOTO: FILE

DERA BUGTI:
A jirga in Dera Bugti, Balochistan declared 13 girls vani on Monday while settling a murder-related conflict between two tribes, Express News reported.

The conflict was between the Bagirani and Shahwani tribes of the area.

Earlier on October 4, two vani cases were reported from separate localities of Mansehra.

Vani is a tribal custom in which girls are forced to marry members of different tribes as a result of settlement of feuds between conflicting clans.

According to a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report, as many as 341 cases of forced marriage were reported in 27 districts in May this year.

Among all regions, cases of forced marriages decreased in Punjab and Sindh. However, a significant increase of 66% was registered in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) where 24 cases were reported in May 2012 as compared to last year's nine. K-P and Balochistan also observed an increase.

Jirga declares 13 girls vani in Dera Bugti – The Express Tribune

 

[farhan_9909]

9-year-old girl awarded as 'compensation' in rape case

LAHORE: Police in Pakistan have arrested five men after a village council ordered a father to hand over his nine-year-old daughter as compensation in a rape case, officers said Friday.

A group of elders in the remote rural area of Bahalak in Punjab province made the ruling to settle a year-long dispute between a farm worker and an influential local landowner, local police station chief Mohammad Khalid told AFP.

The worker, Arshad, who goes by one name, was accused of involvement in the abduction and rape of landowner Ali Sher's daughter, Khalid said.

"The jury on Sunday decreed that Arshad would marry (off) his daughter Sidra to Ali Sher's 22-year old son Maqsood," he explained.

"Arshad agreed verbally but Sidra, who is too young, remains with her family," he said.

The marriage was not formally solemnised but the village council made Arshad agree to pay Sher Rs40,000 – a vast sum for a farm labourer in Pakistan – if he did not honour the ruling.

Khalid said Arshad and four council members had been arrested.

The practice of "vani", giving daughters as compensation to end vendettas, is illegal and punishable by up to seven years in jail.

Pakistan is a deeply conservative country and women, especially in poor rural areas, enjoy few rights and little protection from the police.

Last week a couple in Pakistan-administered Kashmir killed their 15-year-old daughter by dousing her with acid for supposedly shaming the family by looking at two boys.

9-year-old girl awarded as 'compensation' in rape case – The Express Tribune

 

[farhan_9909]

Raped for seeking justice



Cruelty seems to know no bounds in our country with even fewer regards given to basic human rights. The latest such incident occurred in Kitro, Sheikhpura district, where five peasant girls — the daughters and nieces of a farmer — were gang raped by their employers, because the girls merely asked them for their wages. They were warned of "dire consequences", which resulted in their abduction the same night, followed by the heinous act. The fact that the girls had rightfully earned those wages for hard work rendered on the fields holds little value for the landlords. Such mindsets, especially prevalent in the rural areas, depict the criminality meted out to women for demanding justice for themselves.

It is encouraging to note that four out of the eight accused have been identified, of which three have already been arrested. And while the chief minister of Punjab visited the family of the victims and presented them with cheques, whilst providing them assurances for the capture of the accused, this reassurance must see the light of day and the criminals taken to task so that others, who would consider choosing rape as a course of action to punish women are deterred from doing so. This is not the first instance of gang rape and while its repeated occurrence shows the level of illiteracy prevalent amongst men in our society, it also highlights the need to revamp the system and rid it of loopholes where men can get away after committing such crimes against women. If and when justice is delivered, it would further empower women into believing that they do, in fact, have rights and they will be protected by the system when they seek righteousness.



Although we are a long way off from achieving the kind of equality witnessed in other countries and developed societies, we need to move towards this balance so that we can ensure the safety and protection of our women and rid our society of the much-ingrained patriarchal culture. There need to be laws to safeguard against such acts and greater awareness must be spread with the help of NGOs with regards to the rights enshrined upon both men and women.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2012.

 

[agentperry]

Alleged encroachment: Soldier Bazaar temple razed in hurried operation – The Express Tribune

pakistani hindus demands ticket to india after temple razed by builder and army-linked developer

 

[Blackwater]

Alleged encroachment: Soldier Bazaar temple razed in hurried operation – The Express Tribune

pakistani hindus demands ticket to india after temple razed by builder and army-linked developer

and lahore round about in the name of bhagat singh.

these arab ki aulad pakis think saudi.turkish chutiye came to help them in 1947.


pakistan a country full of shame shame

 

[farhan_9909]

Over 100 Ahmadi graves desecrated in Lahore

LAHORE:
Over 100 tombstones were desecrated by unidentified men at an Ahmadi graveyard in the Model Town area of Lahore early Monday morning.

Eyewitnesses said 12 to 15 masked men, carrying weapons and excavation tools, had entered the graveyard in Model Town Q Block between 1:30am and 1:45am.

At least five of the men were reported to be carrying weapons, including 9mm pistols and a bigger gun.

The perpetrators removed and broke the tombstones of graves. They also told the caretakers that they were not supposed to write the Kalima or Bismillah on the tombstones because, "Ahmadis are infidels."

"I was about to sleep for a while when I heard the sound of someone jumping inside the compound. When I was about to check who could be there, a number of men pounced on me, started beating me and took my gun," said Muhammad Younis, a guard at the graveyard.

Younis told The Express Tribune that the attackers had a camera and took his picture after he was tied up. He said some of the attackers had climbed in from the rear wall of the graveyard and a few of them from the front.

The removal of tombstones began after everyone at the compound was tied up.

Around 20 people, including guests and families of the caretakers and guard, were locked up.

Three armed men stood guard outside the quarters where all caretakers were being kept.



On a mission?

Eyewitnesses who were locked in the quarters said they could hear that the attackers were receiving calls and were informing the person on the other line that they had started their mission.

The men were wearing black masks and were speaking Punjabi and Urdu. Their 'leader' had long hair, a beard and traces of Pashto in his accent.

They told the guard and others that they belonged to a banned organisation and the Taliban.

Younis only managed to make one phone call to the community's head of security guards, Muhammad Asif. He was also locked up on arrival.

Eyewitnesses said the entire incident lasted for about 35 minutes. The perpetrators ran off in a hurry when a policeman, who is from the Ahmadi community and a guard at one of their worship places, arrived and fired in the air.

Asif said the attackers also took cell phones, wallets and money from three individuals.

No FIR was registered till the filing of this report, but members of the community said they will file one.

Community to take legal action

In July, 2012, Tufail Raza of the Khatme Nabuwat Lawyers Forum had approached the Liaquatabad Police Station in Lahore for the removal of Islamic inscriptions from tombstones at the graveyard. The graveyard had been established in 1980.

The police did not follow up on the application, but began pressurising the community to remove the text. In October, the Additional Sessions Judge of the Lahore Session Court had asked the police to act according to the law and had disposed of Tufail Raza's petition.

Idrees Qureshi, the SHO of Liaquatabad Police Station, told The Express Tribune that the court order and application was with DSP Legal for his opinion on how to tackle the issue.

Qureshi said that more than 30 individuals from the Khatme Nabuwat organisation had visited the police station at least three times to ask for the removal of the tombstones.

When the SHO was contacted by The Express Tribune at 11:51am, he was not aware of the desecration incident. "I will send someone to look into this, when I get a call," he had said.

Ahmed Munir, a member of the Ahmadi community who has been liaisoning with the police over the issue since July, said, "We cannot remove the Kalima ourselves, because it is against our faith, but we requested the police to look at the law and not interpret it the way the anti-Ahmadi elements asked them too."

Saleemud Din, spokesperson of the Ahmadi community in Pakistan, had a question for the authorities, "this is not some obscure village in Hafizabad, this is Lahore and the neighborhood where the Sharif family lives, how is such an incident allowed to take place here?"

The community says they will take legal action against those who attacked the graveyard.

Over 100 Ahmadi graves desecrated in Lahore – The Express Tribune

 

[farhan_9909]

38 Years of service: 70-year-old Swedish charity worker shot in Lahore

LAHORE:

A charity worker from Sweden, who has dedicated close to 40 years to charity work in Pakistan, was shot in broad daylight by unidentified gunmen in Lahore on Monday.

Now hospitalised, Bargeeta Almby, 70, was returning from work when she was attacked by unknown assailants in the Model Town neighbourhood, where she lives.

She suffered a bullet injury on her neck and was immediately shifted to Jinnah Hospital after the incident, where her condition is stated to be critical.

Almby has lived in Pakistan for the past 38 years, according to the police.

The Swede is the managing director in Pakistan of the Full Gospel Assemblies (FGA), which describes itself as a 'church fellowship' founded in the US with congregations worldwide.

Almby runs various centers in different areas of Lahore, including an orphanage in Yohana Abad and a literacy centre in Modern Colony in the Kot Lakhpat area.

In the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake, Almby donated Rs30 million to the government for establishing a database centre in Balakot, while the FGA also constructed various shelter homes across the country for earthquake and flood victims.

According to FGA media coordinator Salim Iqbal, she lived adjacent to the residence of Pakistan Peoples Party Punjab President Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo.

"Although the police are deployed at Wattoo's residence, they could neither identify the shooter nor shield Almby," Iqbal said.

A case has been registered at the Model Town Police Station under Section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of Salim Sadiq, the chairman of FGA Pakistan.

The police

A police official, Ehsanul Haq Hashmi, told The Express Tribune there were witnesses of the incident and they were waiting for Almby to gain consciousness to record her statement.

He further said that the motive behind the incident has so far not been ascertained. The police are also investigating how the gunmen managed to escape despite the presence of police and Rangers.

Meanwhile, Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teo Zetterman confirmed the incident, and added that the motive behind the attack was unclear. Advisor to Prime Minister of Pakistan on National Harmony Dr Paul Bhatti confirmed that Almby's condition was stated to be serious by her doctors.

Condemning the act of violence, he said, "I'm really sorry that this happens in our country where a few people are trying to disturb peace."

Christian rights activists strongly denounced the attack saying that Almby was a non-political personality and had been living in Lahore since years.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) termed the attack extremely deplorable and condemnable.

In August last year, a 71-year-old US development worker Warren Weinstein, was kidnapped after gunmen managed to get into his Lahore home.

In April, a British Muslim Red Cross worker was beheaded nearly four months after being kidnapped in the southwestern city of Quetta.(With additional input from AFP)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2012.

Wounded Swedish charity worker flown out of Pakistan

Published: December 10, 2012

Bargeeta Almby, 72, was coming home from work when she was shot in the chest in Lahore. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE

LAHORE: A Swedish charity worker who was critically wounded in a gun attack in Pakistan last week was flown home on Monday for specialist medical treatment, officials said.

Bargeeta Almby, 72, was coming home from work when she was shot in the chest in Lahore.

She was working in Lahore for the US-founded Full Gospel Assemblies, which describes itself as a "church fellowship" with congregations all over the world.

"She was still unconscious, her condition is critical, she is on a ventilator," said Fazlur Rehman, chief doctor at Jinnah Hospital.

"There was a special request from Sweden. They sent a special air ambulance manned by a team of doctors and we shifted her today."

Pastor Liaquat Qaiser, a spokesman for the Full Gospel Assemblies, confirmed that her condition was serious and that she had been flown to Sweden for better treatment.

The organisation runs charities in Pakistan including a technical training institute, adult literacy centre and orphanage. According to police, Almby has been living in Pakistan for 38 years.

Police officer Owais Malik said the culprits had not yet been identified.

In August 2011, US development worker Warren Weinstein was kidnapped after gunmen tricked their way into his Lahore home. Pakistani officials believe he is being held by al Qaeda and Taliban extremists in Pakistan's lawless northwest.

In April, a British Muslim Red Cross worker was beheaded nearly four months after being kidnapped in the southwestern city of Quetta.

 

[farhan_9909]

Larkana's Christians look for dry ground to bury their dead

LARKANA: Every time a Christian dies in Larkana, his/her family has to look for dry ground as the only graveyard in the city has been submerged in drainage water.

The graveyard, situated between Allahabad and Golimaar residential colonies on Moen jo Daro, was allotted to the Christian community in 2002. "Several graves have been damaged due to stagnant drainage water," said social worker Hikmat Masih. "It looks like a lake of contaminated water."

He complained that the government was not taking measures to secure an important graveyard of the minorities. "We don't know influential people who can resolve this issue, so we are unable to save these graves," he told daily Sindh Express.

Recently, the family members of deceased journalist Gregory Jarvis had to arrange mud to cover the drainage water before his body was laid to rest. "It is a graveyard not a nullah, but we can't do anything without the help of the government," said Hikmat, adding that the people should realise that this is a sacred place for them.

Hikmat Masih

A few residents began encroaching upon the graveyard, so a boundary wall was built and a watchman was hired. Nevertheless, the drainage of the nearby katchi abadis continues to go directly into the graveyard.

Larkana's former deputy commissioner, Abdul Aleem Lashari, allotted Rs0.7 million to fix the drainage system and rehabilitate the graveyard. The project did not, however, go through once Lashari was transferred.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.

 

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@imranKhanPTI What a state country been brought to. PIA flight from ISD to Lahore did not arrive because Shell refused to give fuel due to unpaid bills.

 

[Blackwater]

@imranKhanPTI What a state country been brought to. PIA flight from ISD to Lahore did not arrive because Shell refused to give fuel due to unpaid bills.

you posted in wrong section pls post such news in ""pride of pakistan"" thread.


this is despite saudis promised to give pakis free oil for 4 yrs.:shocked::shocked:

Well little news of PIA.

PIA flights to ammerica is not allowed directly.They have to go via london and Manchester,that also all passenger has to go out of the plane checked again and their luggage and body check again:lol

 

[farhan_9909]

Killing of polio workers: Four brave women who dared to offer others a better life

KARACHI:

It takes courage and determination to go into a Pakhtun-dominated area, where many oppose the concept of anti-polio drops on religious grounds, and convince parents to administer vaccination drops to their children. Naseem Akhtar possessed both the qualities and remained unfazed during her six years of service to prevent children from living life with a disability – until Tuesday when a targeted attack cut her life short.

The 50-year-old lady health worker was shot five times, once in the head, in Toori Bangash – an area where she thought being a pathan would help her in carrying out the task.

Mother of four daughters and two sons, Akhtar was not the only one caught in a shooting rampage – three other polio workers were shot dead in separate attacks on the second day of the polio campaign, one female worker was killed in Peshawar. Police suspect the gunmen were from the Taliban, who along with other militants ordered a ban on polio vaccinations in June.

At Akhtar's residence in Orangi, women mourners recited prayers on their beads while others broke down in tears – all finding it hard to pry their eyes away from her blood-soaked documents and files.

Amongst the mourners was Farzana, who was in the same area as her sister, but was spared. "I was going towards the houses near Hilltop and my sister was down below. I do not know when they killed my sister," said the frail woman. "It was around noon when four young men suddenly came up to me and told me to go straight home without looking back. They told me they'd kill me if I did not listen to them."

Holding back their tears, Akhtar's daughters said that no one dared to go into the area because of the security situation. "It was because of our ethnicity that my mother was made in charge of the polio team in Toori Bangasht," said Kulsoom.

Mourning families

Riaz Shah, husband of another other worker who was killed in the attacks, also feels that it was the commitment to eradicate polio despite the minimal pay which made his wife, Fehmida, step out of the house.

"I told my wife to stop working as the situation in the city was getting worse. But she did not listen."

Fehmida and her niece Madiha were both killed in Landhi's Gulshan-e-Buner after they came out of a house to administer polio drops.

Shah, a taxi driver, wants the door-to-door campaign to end so that other women can be saved. The fourth victim, 35-year-old Kaneez Fatima, mother of eight children, was taken to Bahawalpur to be buried in her hometown.

Earlier warnings

Families of the victims blamed government officials for keeping them in the dark about the risks in certain areas.

"In the last polio campaign, two months ago, residents of Toori Bangash had warned officials that if lady health officers came to the area, they would be killed. But the officials did not disclose this and played with our loved ones' lives," alleged Akhtar's son Gul Muhammad.

Head of the Lady Health Workers Association, Naseem Muneer, also said that the government did not inform them about the areas where they were at risk.

"During our last campaign, we had told them that our women were being harassed in certain areas but no one paid heed. If they knew of the dangers, why didn't they give us protection?" DIG West Shahid Hayat said that police was not informed about the areas the teams were going to visit.

Government and WHO officials, however, denied receiving threats from any area.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2012.

 

[farhan_9909]

Quetta incident: Two teenage girls found dead

QUETTA: Two teenage girls were found dead in Quetta on Wednesday. According to police, the bodies were dumped at the railway track in the Faizabad area of Sariyab.

Security forces shifted the bodies to Civil Hospital where they were identified as Sadia Salman and Sameena. A doctor at the hospital said that they had been dead for approximately 12 hours and both victims were less than 20 years old. The doctor said that they were tortured and the cause of death was strangling, adding that further details would be uncovered after the autopsy report.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2012.

Comment:

A J Khan
4 hours ago
Reply

They are victims of "Karo Kari", a shameful and outrageous local SB culture to kill women of doubtful virtue.

 

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you posted in wrong section pls post such news in ""pride of pakistan"" thread.


this is despite saudis promised to give pakis free oil for 4 yrs.:shocked::shocked:

Well little news of PIA.

PIA flights to ammerica is not allowed directly.They have to go via london and Manchester,that also all passenger has to go out of the plane checked again and their luggage and body check again:lol

Veer ki faida ehna kama vich.Kine marzi thread kholi jao ik duje de against koi farak ni painda.....ida de fudu kama to parhez e rakhea kar
Nale tu te ane pakistani tv channels vekhda a.....fer vi ane nafrat.Baki oh hasbe haal kitho vekhda.....centre wala banda kaim c...baki sab expiry maal c
Banda garari lagda tu vi