Lady commandos guarding Musharraf

• Saturday, 27 April 2013

HOMER BALOCH

ISLAMABAD: With the Taliban and other banned outfits adopting novel techniques to carry out terror activities, the Islamabad police have also come up with an innovative but feminine method to protect former President Pervez Musharraf by using female commandos deployed at his security, as a human shield.
Taliban are against targeting women and the ‘female circle’ around the former commando, the police high-ups believe, would make the Taliban and other ‘enemies’ of Musharraf think before carrying out an attack against him. According to the sources in the Islamabad police, a group of under-training recruits of Islamabad lady police has been deployed to protect the former President.
The Capital Police has deployed about 40 of its lady police constables at the farmhouse of former president Pervez Musharraf, which has already been declared as a sub-jail. Normally the lady police officials are deployed for the security of female prisoners or to protect the family members of female prisoners but currently not a single female family member of Pervez Musharraf is residing at the farmhouse (sub-jail).
While talking to The Spokesman, a lady police constable who is also part of Musharraf’s security team said, “around 10 women police officers are staying at the Bani Gala Police station where we are given a single room, while the others are at Shahzad Town Police Station. During our duty timings, three to four lady police officials are deployed at the farmhouse just to check the female lawyers and visitors while the rest stay at the police stations as reserve force. The rooms we are given at the police stations are insufficient according to our strength and several times we brought this issue to the notice of our high officials but in reply we are told that we have to go through the situation for only few days and it is a part of our training”, the lady constable said.
Another lady police constable requesting anonymity said that, “Currently there are about 40 lady constables deployed for duty at the farmhouse, while during our off or break timings, we are advised to stay at the Shahzad Town or Bani Gala Police station which are nearby the farmhouse. But what makes the situation worst for us is that the capital police have not provided us even separate bathrooms and we have to share the bathrooms with our male colleagues, while the bathrooms available are also in worst condition.”
When contacted, Sardar Sadaqat Ali Khan, Superintendent of Police (Rural) told The Spokesman, “These female constables are actually trainees at the police headquarters, and are deployed at the farmhouse (sub-jail) to protect the former president in case of any female terrorist attack. Pervez Musharraf is already having threats from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan as well as the female students of Jamia Hifza”. However when he was asked about the miserable condition of the female constables, he said “The Capital police have provided each and every facility to its officials”.

Mush house proximity terrorises Chak Shahzad

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Homer Baloch

ISLAMABAD: Declaring Pervez Musharraf’s Chak Shahzad farmhouse a sub-jail might have some relief for the former president but not for the people residing nearby, as the explosives-laden vehicle found there on Tuesday has sent shockwaves through the locals.
The residents have demanded the authorities concerned to shift Musharraf to Adiala Jail or elsewhere instead of keeping him in the farmhouse, as they are not satisfied with the security arrangements.
Tariq Mahmood, a resident of Shahzad Town, located next to the farmhouse in Chak Shahzad, told The Spokesman, “The area was safe and sound before the sub-jail announcement for the farmhouse. But now the place has become a security threat, as Tuesday’s explosives-laden vehicle has shocked us all.”
Talking to The Spokesman, Naeem Ahmad, another resident of the area, said, “The police as well as the capital administration has failed to provide security to the citizens; Tuesday’s incident is a good example of poor security arrangements.” The police seem satisfied after defusing the bomb, but the question needing the answer is that how the vehicle reached the area in the presence of hundreds of guards and security officials.
“The police deployed more of its officials and pickets in the area to hide their failure after the incident, but this is not the solution as Pervez Musharraf has to be shifted to Adiala Jail to save the citizens from risk because such incident can also occur in future while the capital police and administration has no plans for that,” said Naeem.
Residents were also directly affected in the investigation after the incident. Haji Jamal Akbar, a resident of a slum located in front of the farmhouse, said that since the incident occurred, the capital police instead of taking the investigation into a right way, rushed into the slums and started checking various houses as well as people for nothing, which at one hand made them leave empty handed as well as irked the residents. “Police followed its traditional way of investigation by raiding the slum like it always do after such incidents,” he added.
A senior police official while requesting anonymity revealed the way the explosives were planted into the vehicle and it easily reached the destination it seems that the whole ‘scenario was fully planned’. “It is not militants’ method to detonate explosive with remote control device, especially in cities. They usually send suicide bombers for such high profile targets,” he added.
He further said that declaring a building as sub jail in a residential area was never a piece of cake for the security agencies but due to the pressure from the army, the capital administration has to take the bitter pill by detaining him in his own farmhouse which is far more facilitated than Adiala Jail.
Shahzad Town Police Station SHO Sajjad Bukhari, when contacted, said that the vehicle is still in police custody and the situation is under their control. “The Police though have not found any clue of the person who parked the vehicle outside of the farmhouse but the chassis number as well as the registration number of the vehicle to trace its owner, which will guide the police to reach the main culprit. On the other hand, SSP (City) Yaseen Farooq was not available when The Spokesman tried to contact him. However his staff said that he was attending a case in the Supreme Court with the Inspector General of Islamabad Police Bani Amin Khan.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has also distanced itself from the said incident. TTP spokesperson Ihsanullah Ihsan in an email to media said, “Taliban deny any involvement in the media claims that some amount of explosive is found near Musharraf house in Chak Shahzad area; TTP will prove itself by action very soon.”
On Tuesday, a car having registration number QM-749 and laden with explosives was seized near the farmhouse of Pervez Musharraf in Chakk Shahzad, which was later defused by bomb disposal squad. According to police details, the explosives were weighted 40 kilograms while detonators, time device and remote control were also attached with the explosives.

Bharakahu murder case:

‘Virgin’ Mehek carrying lovechild, counsel tells court

• Friday, 29 March 201

Photo by the Author

Homer Baloch

ISLAMABAD: The council for the Shahzadi Bibi’s family has told the court that the accused Zahra Mehek is pregnant before marriage and she should also be charged accordingly. The case was adjourned for Saturday, March 30.

Both Ibrar Qazi and Zahra Mehek, accused for murdering Shahzadi Bibi and Sawera Hakim, were present in the courtroom of Sessions Judge Kausar Zaidi. The councils for the accused requested the court that some relaxation should be given to Zahra as she was under aged. They also requested that medical checkup of Zahra should be conducted to prove her age. 

Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi, the council for the victim family, later told The Spokesman that he has requested the court to also charge the accused couple under Section 376 for raping the victim, and charge Zahra under Section 496-B as she is pregnant before her marriage.

Sources within the court revealed that about 36 witnesses have been presented in court. Twenty of them were presented on Thursday.