NEWS

• The Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami (Sindh), Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, has said that under Jamaat-e-Islami, the message of the Prophet Muhammad will be spread by organizing Milad-ul-Nabi and Seerat-ul-Nabi programs, in small and big cities across Sindh from Karachi to Kashore. In addition to the central, provincial and district leaders of Jamaat, prominent scholars and intellectuals will speak in these programs. The solution to all our problems including inflation, uncertainty, restlessness and external aggression is the implementation of the Quran and Sunnah. The love for the Prophet demands the struggle of Nizam-e-Mustafa be accelerated in the country. (Jasarat)

• Chairman People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has complained of lack of level playing field vis-à-vis the PML-N. Talking to the media in Lahore, he said that all the parties of PDM should have come together to demand an announcement of poll date. But ML-N decided that there should be no level playing field. If there was a complaint against someone else, I would have named him. PP’s objection in this regard is against a political party. He said the authority to announce the election is ‘neither with the establishment nor with me’. The poll date should be announced immediately. He said that there was an old demand of the People’s Party that Nawaz Sharif should come back. “PPP will welcome him. We are ready to face our cases, and I am sure Mian Nawaz Sharif will also face the NAB”.  (Qudrat Daily)

• Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir witnessed the launch of Eternal Brotherhood-II joint exercise held at Brutha.  According to ISPR, the special forces of Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Turkey, and Uzbekistan are participating in the two-week joint exercise. The aim of this exercise is to further enhance the historical military relations and to benefit from each other’s experiences in combating aggression and terrorism. Speaking on the occasion, the Army Chief said that the professionalism and leadership quality of the Pakistan Army is the best compared to any modern army in the world. (Himalya Today Daily)

• Jamaat e Islami Amir Siraj ul Haq has said that flour and sugar are expensive but death is cheap in Pakistan. Addressing Jamaat e Islami’s dharna against inflation in front of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor House in Peshawar, he said people are not ready for the slavery of the IMF. He said that we saved Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from debts but today due to corruption, the province has piled up a debt of 1000 billion rupees. Not a single promise made with the merged districts has been fulfilled. A government that does not protect the people has no right to rule. (Aeen Daily)

• A Gujranwala court has summoned the caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar on the issue of an increase in the prices of petroleum products. This followed a petition by advocate Manzoor Qadir Bhandar.  The petitioner also named Secretary of Petroleum, and Commissioner Gujranwala as respondents. (Qudrat Daily)

• There are possibilities of petrol crisis following countrywide strike by tankers, according to the Oil Companies’ Advisory Council. Protesters from All Tankers Contractors’ Association have stationed oil tankers across various cities and towns. Abdullah Afridi, President of association said oil/petrol supply has been stopped across the country and oil tankers have come to standstill wherever they are. (Sindh Exp)

• Protesting against surge in inflation and escalating fuel prices, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has staged protests at 15 different locations across Karachi. JI Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman strongly criticized the Federal Government for implementing what he termed as “unfair” measures that had significantly amplified the prices of fuel and electricity. (Tribune, Urdu Point, Daily Islam)

• Awami National Party leader Arbaz Ghulam Mohammed Kasi was killed by unknown persons in the Kuchlak area of Balochistan. His body was found in a deserted village in the limits of New Kuchlak Police Station. Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai has strongly condemned the killing, and said that the guilty will not escape from the grip of the law. (Qudrat Daily)

• Former federal minister and senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah has praised Asif Zardari’s stance and said the senior Zardari has tied Bilawal’s hands. If the hands of the chairman of the People’s Party are untied, then we will go back to the decade of the 80s. The former federal minister further said that Asif Zardari’s stand is good. He does not want to fight with the ML-N. (Qudrat Daily)

• Judicial Magistrate Lahore rejected the request for physical remand of President PTI and former Chief Minister Punjab Pervez Ilahi in 2 cases. The court has sent Parvez Ilahi to jail on judicial remand. Former Chief Minister Punjab was presented in court in 2 cases including the Mohammad Khan Bhatti appointment case. (Qudrat Daily)

• Former Punjab Chief Minister and PTI leader Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi has said that Nawaz Sharif will be disappointed on his return to Pakistan. Instead of welcoming him, the people will demand accountability from him. Speaking to the media in Lahore, Chaudhry Parvez Ilahi said that he has trust in the judiciary and the army.  Both institutions are the guarantors of the country’s security. He said that the Sharif family is responsible for the current situation of Pakistan. The caretaker government is composed of the favourite people of PML-N. (Qudrat Daily)

• Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visited JUIF Senator Hafiz Hamdullah, who is being treated in a Karachi hospital for injuries he suffered in the Mastung blast.  And prayed for his speedy recovery. Bilawal condemned the attack on JUI leader, and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice. (Qudrat Daily)

• Jan Achakzai, the caretaker Information Minister of Balochistan, has said that Iranian oil worth 60 billion rupees is smuggled annually into Balochistan. If the Iranian oil is sold at 300 rupees per liter, then 180 rupees go to the mafia who do not pay any tax. The smuggling mafia has built a huge network. It is obvious that the mafia cannot work alone. They must have patronage of someone in the government, a politician, or a bureaucrat. So, we will take action wherever we see any such connection. (Qudrat Daily, (Awami Awaz. Sept.19)

• The Supreme Court has ordered the immediate implementation of the rules about the release of prisoners on probation. Justice Athar Minallah in a five-page verdict said that serious violations of human rights are taking place in prisons across the country. Due to the overcrowding, the provision of constitutional rights to prisoners has become impossible. The court declared that the majority of the people suffering from lack of facilities in the jails are poor people. The state is not playing a role in providing cheap and quick justice to the poor people. It is the responsibility of the state to protect the basic rights of every prisoner. (Qudrat Daily)

• Former Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani has said that signs of rigging are visible before the elections. The rulers intend to bring fake leadership to power to fulfil their agenda. This time rigging will be so grand that you will forget the rigging of 2018. He said that the border business is the main source of employment for the Baloch and Pashtun tribes living in the border area. This business is very old. Closing it is akin to economic murder. He said that we support the strike against the closure of border businesses. (Qudrat Daily)

• Import of food items, especially fruits and vegetables, from Afghanistan have been stopped as importers were asked to present plant protection quarantine certificates for customs clearance. This stipulation has led to long queues of vehicles carrying fresh vegetables and fruits at the border check posts since none of the transporters had such a certificate issued by the interim government of Afghanistan. The clearing agents exchanged harsh words with the Pakistani customs officials in this regard and complained that he was not informed about this in advance. Importers of fresh fruits and vegetables are upset and the clearing agents also staged a protest and blocked for some time the customs road leading to the border point. The matter could not be resolved till late at night while the transporters and importers were waiting for a positive response from the authorities in Islamabad. (Dawn Daily)

• The Iranian ambassador met with the Caretaker Federal Minister Khalil George, and both sides agreed to increase cooperation in the field of human rights. (Daily Pakistan)

• Living conditions in the Union Council No. 245 Khaliq Nagar of Nishtar Town are pathetic. Thousands of people are deprived of facilities like gas, and clean water. The streets are potholed; there is no sewage system for drainage.  Senior journalist and columnist MA Tabsum, Chaudhary Muhammad Ali Jat (Barafwala) and others have demanded the basic facility of sui gas to the people of Khaliq Nagar. (Daily Pakistan)

• Bomb disposal squad has defused a hand grenade thrown at the check post of the security forces by unknown suspects in Quetta. (Urdu Point)

• Caretaker Chief Minister Sindh Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqer has ordered a comprehensive inquiry to find out the reasons for the shortage of medicines, non-availability of off-road ambulances, out-of-lab machines and unsanitary conditions. The order followed his surprise visit to the Qatar Hospital of Sindh, and inspected each ward, OPD, Emergency, Pharmacy, and Ambulance services. (Urdu Point)

• The federal government has decided to give remission in jail sentence on the occasion of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi. The reduction in sentence will not apply to prisoners involved in terrorism, crimes against the state and espionage. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Dharti, Daily Kashmir Express, Daily Khabrain)

• Large gas reserves have been discovered from the exploratory well in Rahim Yar Khan district. According to the spokesperson OGDCL, the company drilled the well to a depth of 1851 meters on 29th June. The Dongan Formation is producing 1.1 million mmscfd of gas per day. An OGDCL spokesperson said 1.31 million mmscfd gas production was achieved at Sui Main Limestone. The discovery will play a significant role in bridging the gap in energy demand and supply through indigenous resources. (Roznama Intekhab)

• Commander Kandahar Air Force Fathullah Mansoor said in one of his statements that those who blame and threaten the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan should be careful. If we reiterate, there will be no one to save them. On the other hand, the destruction of the Afghan Air Force and the disappearance of weapons continue from the previous regime. Apart from this, 100 new border posts were established in the Durand Line, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan provinces by the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan. These outposts were established in areas where Pakistan had not allowed the establishment of outposts during the previous administration. (Daily Kashmir Express, Roznama Intekhab)

• In order to improve the country’s economy, stop black money, and improve the value of the rupee, the government has decided to introduce digital currency. The digital currency will have the same value as the Pakistani rupee and will have the full backing of the State Bank. The legal tender will be issued on the basis of a government guarantee. The State Bank has started work for the preparation of digital currency and the services of experts are also being sought in this regard. The plan is to phase out and reduce paper notes. Eventually, 90 percent will use digital currency and only 10 percent will use paper notes that too just to ensure there is an alternative currency and the system does not come to a standstill.  Moreover, in digital currency system there will be a record of every transaction made with the currency. For example, there will not be double entry record keeping of credit and debit only, but there will be a third complete record would be maintained. Thus, the monetary policy will be implemented in a better and more efficient manner. (Jasarat)

EDIORIALS

• Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is making political waves with his loud thinking. On the one hand he is calling for elections in 90 days. And on the other hand, he is against Nawaz Sharif’s return and Imran Khan’s imprisonment. He is demanding a level playing field for all political parties. If this wish list is not met, he says, he will ask his father, Asif Ali Zardari to tie his hands. In our opinion, what Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-speak is as per a script approved by the Bilawal House, and his father senior Zardari knows this very much. Father- son duo should not fool the people, it will be better for them that they make programs sitting at home, bring the same program to their workers, so that the truth is revealed to all. This is the age of social media. Now everything is known to every person in one way or another. So, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari should not dare to make people fool again. (Edit, Daily Khabrain)

• Protests are being staged across the Sindh against discrimination meted out to the Sindhis, and lawlessness, which is spreading. It seems Sindh people have now risen against injustice meted out to them over the years. The caretaker Sindh government has a constitutional mandate of organizing polls, but its duties also include looking into woes of people and restoring law and order. Though authorities keep making big announcements from time to time, lawlessness is intact in the Sindh. People in Sindh have lost any hopes in the government of the day. If rulers continue with their step-motherly treatment unto Sindh, it can lead to unpleasant consequences. (Awami, Edit, Sept.19)

• If we take an overall look at Sindh, we find that despite being prosperous compared to other provinces, people are living miserable lives here. There are no jobs for locals. People are paying taxes in varied forms but to no avail.  It is also learnt that because of shortage of government accommodation, secretarial offices of six departments are located in private buildings besides 30 other offices.  Work on the new Sindh secretariat offices is not yet over because of delay on account of litigation. We demand inquiry into why govt departments have been moved to rented premises. Also needs to be probed is whether there is any connection between owners of these rented premises with retired or serving bureaucrats, and whether the rent is as per market rates. Officers facing corruption charges should be reposted only after they get a clean chit. (Kawish, Edit, Sept.19)  

• The incoming CJP, Justice Qazi Faiz Isa faces several challenges about setting the legal system right. One of the challenges is the appointment of higher court Judges as per global standards. Good judges only can be expected to give good judgements of globally accepted standards. We appreciate the new chief justice turning down protocol in his attempt to set an example before others in observing austerity. (Pahenji, Edit, Sept.19)

• The new CJP has started laying new traditions. He did not take any guard of honour. When he reached the office, his staff gave him a very warm welcome. In his brief address on the occasion, the CJP said no body approaches courts, including Supreme Court, out of affection for judiciary but comes for redressal of one problem or the other. So, CJP Isa directed that every petitioner be dealt with in better ways and attempts be made to resolve his/her plight. He also opened the court proceedings to live TV coverage, which will boost transparency in delivery of justice. Also, more significantly, CJP Isa said he is ready to give up his powers of suo moto notice. People at large are appreciating his gestures. (Awami, Edit, Sept.19)

• Malaria cases are rising alarmingly across the Sindh. The health department should use all resources at its disposal to fight and control the spread of malaria. The health department and local civic administrations should jointly work for spraying of pesticides and take other measures to control the disease. (Sindh Exp, Edit) #####