FEATURED – Page 42 – OVERSEAS TRIBUNE

FIA seeks capital punishment in Benazir case, says ATC passed verdict ‘in a hurry’

September 29, 2017 News Desk

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday challenged the verdict of an anti-terrorism court in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, arguing that the two guilty policemen as well as the five men acquitted of all charges deserve capital punishment. Last month, ATC had announced the verdict in the murder case, acquitting five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan suspects — Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Rashid Ahmed and Aitzaz Shah — and announcing 17-year imprisonment for two former police officials. The court had also declared retired Gen Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the case. The…

Three top army officers including ex-DG ISPR Asim Bajwa reshuffled

September 28, 2017 News Desk

Three army officers, including former director general (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, are to be reshuffled, according to a handout released by the army’s media wing on Thursday. Lt Gen Asim Bajwa has been posted as corps commander southern command (Quetta), replacing Lt Gen Aamer Riaz, ISPR said. Lt Gen Riaz has been appointed Corps Commander Lahore, while Lt Gen Sadiq Ali, who currently holds the position, has been posted as inspector general of the Arms Branch at General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, ISPR said. Lt…

The 2017 RAFTO’s Prize to Parveena Ahangar and Imroz Parvez of Kashmir

September 28, 2017September 29, 2017 News Desk

Special Report by Overseas Tribune RAFTO’S Prize of Norway will go to Parveena Ahangar and Imroz Parvez of Kashmir for their decades of campaigning for human rights in the Indian Held Jammu and Kashmir. The statement of RAFTO foundation of Norway said, Parveena Ahangar and Imroz Parvez have long been at the forefront of the struggle against arbitrary abuses of power in a region of India that has borne the brunt of escalating violence, militarisation and international tension. Also Read:Norwegian Pakistanis play active role in a drive for donation for…

CJP takes notice of Sindh govt’s alleged acquisition of Hindu cremation grounds in Karachi

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 News Desk

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Wednesday took notice of the Sindh government’s alleged acquisition of land used by the Hindu community in Karachi as a cremation ground. The CJP took notice of the issue after Shri Ram Nath Maharaj submitted an application claiming that the provincial government had acquired land being used by the Hindu community for the construction of the Lyari Expressway in 2008. Maharaj said that no alternative land had been allotted to the Hindu community, nor had any compensation been awarded for the…

Norwegian Pakistanis play active role in a drive for donation for Rohingyas

September 27, 2017 News Desk

Norwegian Pakistanis Donation for Rohingya Muslims 1

Report by Syed Sibtain Shah Norwegian Pakistanis are playing an important role in a drive for collection of donations for Rohingya Muslims in Burma. Currently some of the Norway based organisations specially NGOs of the people from Pakistan origin are involved in helping move specially collections of donations for Rohingyas. The organisations which are actively working for the creating motivation for helping Rohingyas and collection of donations for them are included Human Rights Service Norway, Partners Norway, Islamic Relief Norway and Idra e Minhaj ul Quran Norway. Most of the…

Cabinet assails ‘fake news’ about Nawaz Sharif’s order to Intelligence Bureau

September 27, 2017 News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Members of the federal cabinet on Tuesday took serious notice of the airing of a “false report” on a private television channel claiming that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had directed the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to keep vigilance over some 37 legislators, mostly belonging to the ruling PML-N, allegedly for having links with banned terrorist and sectarian outfits, sources told Dawn. According to the sources, the issue was raised by Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada at the cabinet meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Shahid…

No Indian boots on the ground in Afghanistan, says defence minister

September 26, 2017September 26, 2017 News Desk

India will not deploy troops in Afghanistan, its defense minister said on Tuesday but promised to boost support for a new United States (US) strategy in the war-torn country. After talks with US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, Nirmala Sitharaman said India was prepared to increase training for Afghan personnel and develop infrastructures such as schools and hospitals. “India’s contribution has been on these counts and we shall expand if necessary,” she told a news conference with Mattis. “However, as we have made it very clear, there should not be boots…

PML-N ineligible to get party symbol over failure to elect new president: ECP

September 26, 2017September 26, 2017 News Desk

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued a notice to the PML-N following its failure to elect a party president after the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and notified that the PML-N “is now not eligible” to get the party symbol. According to PML-N’s party constitution, it was supposed to elect a president within 45 days after the ouster of Sharif — the deadline passed on September 11. The notice, issued to PML-N Acting Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, said that due to its failure to elect the party head,…

Erdogan accuses Myanmar of ‘Buddhist terror’ against Rohingya

September 25, 2017 News Desk

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused the security forces in Myanmar of waging a “Buddhist terror” against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country, hundreds of thousands of whom have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. Erdogan, who has repeatedly highlighted the plight of the Rohingya, again accused the Yangon government of carrying out a “genocide” against the people in Rakhine state. In a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan lamented the failure of the international community to lay sanctions against the Myanmar government over its campaign. “There is a very clear…

Senate committee holds law enforcement agencies responsible for missing persons

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017 News Desk

The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights’ Chairperson, Nasreen Jalil, on Monday accused law enforcement agencies of abducting people and “asked” them to to investigate the missing persons case. “They [disappeared individuals] are not even presented in court and [only] their tortured corpses are found later,” she alleged. Jalil asked how anyone could obey the law if law enforcement agencies themselves do not abide by it. The committee further observed that cases of several missing persons have not even been registered. Senator Farhatullah Babar of the PPP added that the…

Imran Khan submits reply to ECP in contempt of court case

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017 News Desk

Imran Khan’s lawyer Babar Awan submitted the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supremo’s reply to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the contempt of court case on Monday. The election body, in its short order, said that it would review the reply on September 27 and then give its judgement. The ECP was hearing a contempt of court petition against Imran Khan filed by party dissident and one of PTI’s founding members, Akbar S. Babar. The petition had argued that the PTI chief, in a reply to the commission in another case regarding…

Norway: Extremists run Indian Government today, says Tariq Ali

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017 News Desk

Report by Tariq Mohammad UK based Left Wing famous activist of Pakistan’s origin Tariq Ali has accused that the current Indian government is being run by the extremists. He was talking at a seminar on Politics, History and Culture which was organized by Melahuset in Oslo, the capital city. Tariq Ali has been a leading figure of the international left wing since the 60s. He is writing for the Guardian newspaper since the 70s. He is also a long-standing editor of the New Left Review and a political commentator…

‘Eternal Chancellor’ Angela Merkel wins fourth term

September 24, 2017September 24, 2017 News Desk

Chancellor Angela Merkel clinched a fourth term in Germany’s election on Sunday, but her victory was clouded by the hard-right AfD party winning its first seats in parliament. Merkel, who after 12 years in power held a double-digit lead for most of the campaign, scored around 33 percent of the vote with her conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) bloc, according to exit polls. Its nearest rivals, the Social Democrats and their candidate Martin Schulz, came in a distant second, with a post-war record low 20-21 percent. But in a bombshell for…

Imran Khan demands early elections, says ‘Abbasi should seek fresh mandate’

September 24, 2017September 24, 2017 News Desk

Criticising the ruling party on several fronts, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi seek a fresh mandate by holding early elections. “This is necessary for a democracy,” the PTI leader said during a press conference in Islamabad. “In order to save and strengthen the democracy, you [PM Abbasi] should move towards elections. Seek the people’s mandate.” During the press conference, Khan criticised the ruling party on several fronts, stating that the country’s foreign affairs were being affected. ‘Endangering Pakistan’ Khan said…

New legal restraints in Norway decrease the trends of marriage from Pakistan, Says Norwegian Pakistani Lawyer Ahsan Rasheed

September 24, 2017September 24, 2017 News Desk

Interview by Syed Sibtain Shah Due to the new legal constraints, there is a significant decrease in the interest of Norwegian Pakistanis in marriage from Pakistanis. There are also many other reasons in the context which are including changing trend of young generation of Pakistanis in Norway, the increasing distance between the two cultures and the varying traditions of the two countries. These analytical views were expressed by Norwegian Pakistani legal consultant Ahsan Rasheed Advocate, who is highly educated in the law from Britain. He was exclusively interviewed by the…