Rehman Malik’s dismissal turned into retirement

Malik was dismissed in 1998 from his position as the Additional Director General of the FIA over corruption charges.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, in which it declared the controversial NRO illegal and unconstitutional, Malik’s position as the Interior Minister came into jeopardy.

The Interior Ministry then sent a summary to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to have Malik’s dismissal turned into retirement, under section 23. The summary was forwarded despite the Law Ministry advising against it.

Gilani approved the summary and then forwarded it to the President who also followed suit.

(via Dawn)

Collapsed Shershah bridge firm awarded Thar airport contract

Sindh Secretary Mines and Mineral Ajaz Ali Khan told newsmen on Saturday that ECIL was an “experienced firm”, having vast experience of “designing airports”.

His response came in after revelation of the fact that consultancy of construction of the Rs972-million Islamkot airport has been awarded to M/s Engineering Consultants International (Pvt) Limited, a firm that was held responsible by the investigators for the collapse of the Shershah bridge on September 1, 2007.

An inquiry committee, which was set up to probe the collapse of the bridge, had held the ECIL’s ‘flawed design’ responsible for the incident, in which six persons had died. Last week, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had ordered registration of an FIR against National Highway Authority (NHA) and ECIL officials — including Zaheer Mirza, Khalid Mirza and Naveed Mirza — for being responsible in the Shershah bridge collapse.

(via )

Contract irregularities: Reply sought from Rly ministry, others

The Lahore High Court has sought replies from the railways ministry, the railways chairman and others on a petition alleging massive irregularities in awarding a contract of sale of scrap to different companies in violation of criteria.

The petitioner contended that a tender for 21,000 metric tones scrap was opened in November 2008, but the bids of all tenderers were rejected twice to give maximum benefit to a blue-eyed bidder of the railways general manager. He said the tender was decided after a delay of 17 months in February 2010 that also showed mala fide on part of railway authorities. He said the market price was also not kept in view despite the fact that a committee of five officers had assessed higher rate but the tender committee ignored its objections.

(via Dawn)

High office awaits convicted Sheikh

It took a few anxious days for some in the Presidency but ultimately it happened. The Punjab government finally submitted to the presidential pardon edict and released President Asif Zardari’s convicted friend, ex-additional DG FIA, Ahmad Riaz Sheikh on Wednesday night along with another 735 prisoners incarcerated in various Punjab jails.

The little time that the president’s friend did spend in jail was an envious existence for other inmates as the venerable Sheikh Riaz was given a VVIP treatment, kept in air conditioned room in the jail’s hospital that was previously used as the medical superintendent’s office.

Talking to many prisoners sensible enough to play courtiers during his brief stay, he reportedly had ‘predicted’ about the remission a week even before it was announced and had promised to many that when he walked free he would take many of them out as well. And true to his word, he did.

And good times have only (re)started. Sheikh is expected to be made Special Assistant to President Zardari. And that should not be surprising considering this government’s penchant for rewarding anyone with dubious past or credentials. To name Jamshed Dasti, Latif Khosa as most recent examples.

(via The News)

Disgraced MPs getting party tickets

ISLAMABAD: All efforts by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to get a party ticket for his brother for a vacant National Assembly seat failed as President and PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari nominated a disgraced Jamshaid Dasti as candidate for a by-election in Muzaffargarh.

In return, Mr Gilani, however, has managed to get an assurance from his party boss that ‘services’ of his brother, Mujtaba Gilani, will be “utilised in some responsible capacity”.

Surprisingly, the PPP has also decided to award tickets to all those former parliamentarians, including one belonging to the PML-Q, who had resigned on March 25 during a hearing by the Supreme Court of petitions challenging their academic degrees in order to save themselves from a possible conviction.

Nazir Jat, who won the Feb 2008 election on a PML-Q ticket and had to quit the seat for allegedly holding a fake degree, has been given the PPP ticket for a by-election in Vehari (NA-167).

Another former PPP MPA from Muzaffargarh (PP-259), Allah Wasaya Leghari alias Channu Khan, who too had to resign for allegedly having a fake degree, has also been again given the party ticket. Sources in the PPP told Dawn that after Mr Dasti’s resignation, the prime minister tried to get a ticket for his brother. Mr Gilani, they said, even offered Mr Dasti a post of adviser.

But the former legislator kept insisting on contesting the by-election on the seat he had vacated and finally managed to get the support of President Zardari.

The decision to award party tickets was taken at a meeting of the PPP’s parliamentary board held in the Presidency late on Friday night.

The meeting was also attended by the prime minister, who had no option but to extend his support to the party’s nominee. So much so, according to the official handout, PPP secretary-general Jahangir Badar said the board had “decided that prime minister’s brother Ahmed Mujtaba Gilani and his son will accompany Mr Dasti for filing nomination papers”.

Read More…

Crime does pay

By Mohammad Malick

Today, sitting in […] hallowed precincts we heard of another unimaginable feat; that of the disgraced, self-confessed forger, proven liar and former MNA Jamshed Dasti being appointed prime minister’s adviser on livestock. Can you imagine, that only a few days back (March 25 to be precise) this man had admitted his crime of obtaining a fake degree before the Supreme Court and had resigned his assembly seat to escape conviction. And what happens less than a fortnight later? A man who should have gone to prison, hidden his face in shame, gets an exalted status of an adviser and will enjoy a higher status and greater government perks, paid for by idiotic taxpayers like you and me. What is he going to advise the prime minister on anyways, how to make and buy forged degrees? How to hide his ignorance of all things decent behind rude mannerism? And then this government wants us to believe that ‘crime does not pay’ (sic).

I don’t even know which feeling was stronger, disgust or rage? Was this sinking overwhelming feeling that of repulsion that I experienced watching such a despicable character walk away with greater political rewards? Or was it outright disgust at watching our newly strengthened and honoured prime minister serve a stinging slap on the face of every decent citizen, foolish enough to convince his children to grow into law abiding, honourable, and ‘honest’ Pakistani citizens.

Read More…

Nepotism and cronyism

By B A Malik (Alig)

Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmad recently raised in parliament the issue of termination of services of Pakistan International School teachers in Damascus. He said that Mr Aminullah Raisani, Pakistan’s ambassador to Syria, had appointed his close relatives by removing the teaching staff already working there. One was disappointed at the unsavoury reaction of the PPP senators against Prof Khurshid for raising the issue. Instead of taking the errant ambassador to task surprisingly they rose to his defence by giving the issue an ethnic colour. They said that Mr Raisani was being criticised because he was from Balochistan. In other words if the ambassador was a Bhutto from Sindh or a Mian from Punjab or NWFP, he could have been declared guilty — but not a Raisani or a Mengal from Balochistan. One never knew corruption had such ardent defenders in the Senate. But Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ahmad takes the cake. He expressed ignorance about the whole affair in the Senate whilst this school in Syria had been the talk of the town since The News first broke the story a few weeks ago. One wonders what kind of parliamentarians we have. Fake degree-holders, allegedly corrupt, NRO beneficiaries and liars. No wonder the government is bogged down in charges of unbridled corruption, nepotism and cronyism.

(via The News)

UNICEF Fears the NWFP Health Minister

“We are concerned over such appointments but we cannot raise objection fearing reprisals by the minister,” said sources at Unicef. The criteria for District Health Support Communication Officers 14 districts of NWFP was set with a view to strengthen social mobilisation campaign and do away with the propaganda unleashed by certain elements against the efficacy of the oral polio vaccine.

The United Nations showed concern over the appointments, saying health department appointed people having no experience in the area of communication on the posts. The social mobilisation sub-committee of polio including representatives of Unicef, WHO and JICA were supposed to select right people on merit. But the body was ignored and people with irrelevant qualifications were appointed on the posts having Rs50,000 per month salary, sources said.

According to sources, a candidate was appointed as DHSCO for Buner district by the health department but he was shown the door when University of Peshawar didn’t verify his degree. Unicef officials said that a senior official of the Unicef Peshawar office, who was not in the good books of the health department, had already been transferred outside NWFP on the recommendation of the health department.

The same is situation in Fata, where the money supposed to be spent on mobilisation campaign was going down the drain in shape of appointment of unqualified people, they added.

The health minister and other officials could not be reached despite several attempts to seek their versions on the issue. Read More…

Party workers to get jobs and benefits – CM Qaim Ali Shah

Just when the average Pakistani thought a democratic government was here to establish merit and fair employment in private and public sector, none other than the sitting Chief Minister announced a giveaway of jobs and benefits to the very dear party workers of PPP. The News reports:

SUKKUR: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah told a PPP workers’ convention in Khairpur on Friday that the party workers would be facilitated with jobs and other benefits.

Addressing workers at the Circuit House in Khairpur, he said the government had done everything for MNAs and MPAs and now, the ignored workers should be benefited. Qaim said he would pursue the recommended list of the UC party president instead of the district and Taluka party presidents. However, district presidents will verify these. Read More…