Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator addresses meeting on Road Safety

Karachi, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT): Administrator Karachi Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi has said that KMC was taking every possible measures to curb traffic accidents in Karachi and KMC has also established Road Safety Audit Task Force for working on Scientific Basis which was working to point out the risky locations after which those locations would be made safe for citizens.

He said this while addressing a meeting held on traffic accidents, their resolution and new traffic schemes. Administrator Karachi said that Transport and Communication Department should make their efforts more effective to curb the traffic accidents.

It was decided in meeting that Road Safety Program would be enhanced in children’s schools in this connection road safety principles would be included in courses. Children would be provided with practical training of traffic risks and prevention from them and in this connection road safety parks would be built in Bagh-e-Ibn-e-Qasim, Safari Park and Zoo so that children could learn road safety rules while playing.

It was also decided in meeting that the program of UNO “Decade of action for road safety 2010-20” would be implemented and Road Safety Week with the collaboration of Road Traffic Injury Research Centre would be celebrated in May in which various programs for providing information about road safety and creating awareness among citizens would be held.

He said Transport Department should make strong contact with Traffic Police and traffic police should make people follow traffic rules. It was decided in meeting that street lights would be installed on the roads which have black spots and black spots would be removed and the causes of traffic accidents on different locations which include Sharae Faisal, Expressway, M.A Jinnah Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Liaquatabad and Korangi Industrial Area were reviewed and it was decided to prepare an audit report to remove those causes and in the light of report effective measures to curb traffic accidents would be taken.

In the meeting Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Center presented their report about traffic accidents and informed about statistics of traffic accidents, the condition of traffic risks and the combined efforts of KMC and Traffic Injury Research Center. Principal Investigator of Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Center Dr. Rasheed Juma said that this center was collecting statistics of traffic accidents from five big hospitals of the city and the efforts of Road Safety Audit Task Force for curbing the traffic accidents in the city were worth admiring.

Sr. Director Muhammad Ather informed about the performance of Road Safety Audit Task Force and the details of Road Safety Educational Programs in schools. Deputy Commissioner Central Dr. Saif-ur-Rehman, Former I.G Traffic Police Asad Jahangir, Prof. Dr. Meer Shabbar Ali, Sr. Director HRM Shoaib Waqar and officers from Traffic Police, Motorway Police and KMC attended the meeting.

For more information, contact:
Administrator Secretariat
Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC)
City District Government Complex, 1st Floor, Civic Centre,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi
Tel: +9221 9923 2400 -01
Fax: +9221 9923 2406
Email: administrator@karachicity.gov.pk

Faysal Bank Cup One-Day Tournament 2012-13 Seventh Round

Lahore, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT):

March 17, 2013
Group A
Multan Cricket Stadium.
Multan Tigers 346-7 in 50 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 72, 82 balls, 9 x4s, 2 x6s, Usman Liaquat 28, Sohaib Maqsood 156, 95 balls, 13 x4s, 10 x6s, Saeed Anwar Jr. 21, Maqbool Ahmed 24*,Mohamamd Sami 2-61, Faheem Ahmed 2-50, Wajid Ali 2-28)

Karachi Dolphins 349-5 in 48.5 overs (Shahzaib Hasan 135, 106 balls, Saeed Bin Nasir 114, 106 balls, 15 x4s, Fawad Alam 24, Saeed Anwar Jr. 4-62)

Result: Karachi Dolphins won by five wickets.

Toss: Karachi Dolphins
Umpires: Ghaffar Kazmi and Majid Hussain
Referee: Mohamamd Javed
Scorer: Mohamamd Akbar

Shaheed Mohtarma Benzair Bhutto Intl. Stadium, Garhi Khuda Baksh.
Bahawalpur Stags 202-7 in 50 overs (Mustansar Hussain 54, 68 balls, 4 x4s, Rafay Ahmed 44, 69 balls, 1 x4s, Waqas Khan 26, Asfand Mehran 3-45, Junaid Zia 2-56)

Lahore Eagles 207-3 in 47.3 overs (Jahangir Mirza 55*, 70 balls, 4 x4s, Sami Aslam 53, 69 balls, 8 x4s, Wahab Dar 38)

Result: Lahore Eagles won by seven wickets

Toss: Lahore Eagles
Umpires: Saleem Badar and Nadeem Iqbal
Referee: Nadeem Arshad
Scorer: Mohammad Aslam

Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad.
Hyderabad Hawks 244 in 50 overs (Rizwan Ahmed 40, 85 balls, 3 x4s, Faisal Athar 37, 53 balls, 3 x4s, 1 x6s, Lal Kumar 36, Mir Ali Talpur 34, 33 balls, 4 x4s, 1 x6s, Kashif Bhatti 53, 37 balls, 7 x4x, 1x6s, Bilawal Bhatti 4-59, Bilal Asif 2-38)

Sialkot Stallions 250-2 in 38.2 overs (Mukhtar Ahmed 91, 68 balls, 15 x4s, 2 x6s, Mansoor Amjad 100*, 95 balls, 7 x4x, 3 x6s, Shahid Yousuf 45*, 45 balls, 4 x4x, 1 x6s)

Result: Sialkot Stallions won by eight wickets.

Toss: Sialkot Stallions
Umpires: Akmal Hayat and Saqib Khan
Referee: Ishtiaq Ahmed
Scorer: Anjum Baig

Group B
Mirpur Cricket Stadium, AJK.
Lahore Lions 327-7 in 50 overs (Umar Siddiq 101, 9 x4s, 109 balls, Azhar Ali 107, 125 balls, 10 x4s, Saaad Nasim 57, 37 balls, 1 x6s, 3 x4s, Ahmed Jamal 2-65, Ikramullah 3-71)

Abbottabad Falcons 130 in 35 overs (Ramiz Ahmed 30, Asif Raza 2-19, Mohammad Aftab 2-38, Raza Ali Dar 2-14, Qaiser Ashraf 2-30)

Result: Lahore Loins won by 197 runs.

Toss: Abbottabad Falcons
Umpires: Raweed Khan and Aftab Gillani
Referee: Muhammad Anees
Scorer: Farrukh Ilyas

Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.
Islamabad Leopards 159 in 40.5 overs (Baber Azam 49, Umair Khan 39, Asad Ali 3-37, Imran Ahmed 4-22)

Faisalabad Wolves 160-8 in 45.4 overs (Ammar Mahmood 28, Imran Ahmed 24, Mohammad Salman 32, Imad Wasim 2-25, Raheel Majeed 3-45)

Result: Faisalabad Wolves won by two wickets.

Toss: Islamabad Leopards
Umpires: Zameer Haider and Qaiser Waheed
Referee: Aziz-ur-Rehman
Scorer: Shakeel Ahmed

Diamond Ground, Islamabad.
Rawalpindi Rams 316-9 in 50 overs (Awais Zia 30, 51 balls, 2 x4s, Umar Amin 22, Umar Waheed 96, 93 balls, 10 x4s, 1 x6s, Mohammad Nawaz 55, 43 balls, 6 x4s, 1 x6s, Jamal Anwar 41*, 27 balls, 2 x4s, 2 x6s, Zohaib Ahmed 3-62, Jamal-ud-din 3-40)

Peshawar Panthers 151 in 36.5 overs (Gohar Ali 41, Zohaib Khan 20, Mehran Ibrahim 27*, Umar Amin 2-27, Akhtar Ayub 2-52, Mohammad Nawaz 2-4)

Result: Rawalpindi Rams won by 165 runs

Toss: Rawalpindi Rams
Umpires: Ihtsham-ul-Haq and Akram Raza
Referee: Khateeb Rizwan
Scorer: Adnan Farooq

For more information, contact:
Nadeem Sarwar
Media Manager
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +9242 571 7231 -4
Fax: +9242 571 1860

Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry takes notice of transfer of Chairman Capital Development Authority

Islamabad, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT): The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took notice of the transfer of chairman CDA and fixed the matter in the Court on 18-03-2013 and directed office to issue notices to the Secretary Cabinet and the Secretary Interior, Government of Pakistan to appear and produce notifications and summaries in respect of the said transfers and postings and intimate as to why the aforesaid notifications of premature transfers, which are prima facie violative of the judgment of this Court, be not set aside and further directed to issue notices to M/s Tahir Shahbaz and Tariq Pirzada the former and the incumbent Chairmen, CDA.

The action was taken on a note initiated by the office based on press clippings of different newspapers containing the details that before departure, the PPP government sent packing the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday. He was sacked for resisting allotting choice plots in choice sectors of Islamabad to many key bureaucrats of

It was further reported that the one major reason for the Government’s annoyance with reputed Tahir Shahbaz was the latter’s recent reply to a Supreme Court’s query that is likely to seal the fate of an influential politician. Mr Tahir Shahbaz was appointed as Chairman CDA only 5 months back i.e. October 2012, was supposed to keep a mum like obedient Government servant but he did not do that. Consequently, the officer has been removed abruptly on the last day of government and without assigning any reason.

This abrupt transfer of Tahir Shahbaz is a violation of the Supreme Court’s order dated 12th November, 2012. The Supreme Court had provided the much needed protection to the government servant from whimsical and arbitrary postings and transfers by directing the Federal and Provincial Government that they must respect the tenure of an officer against a post and that no government servant should be prematurely transferred without giving reasons in writings. However, despite clear directions, Tahir Shahbaz has been prematurely removed.

The note also quoted the judgment dated 12th November, 2012 passed in Const. Petition 23/2012 (petition by Ms. Anita Turab for protection of civil servants) authored by Honble Mr Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, wherein it was held as under: –

“22. (i) Appointments, Removals and Promotions: Appointments, removals and promotions must be made in accordance with the law and the rules made thereunder; where no such law or rule exists and the matter has been left to discretion, such discretion must be exercised in a structured, transparent and reasonable manner and in the public interest.”

After going through the contents of the note, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry passed the following order:-

“Let these news clippings be registered as CMA in Constitution Petition No.23/2012 (petition by Ms. Anita Turab for protection of civil servants) and fixed before the Bench headed by the Hon’ble Author Judge of the said judgment on 18.3.2013. Notices be issued to the Secretary Cabinet and the Secretary Interior, Government of Pakistan to appear and produce notifications and summaries in respect of the said transfers and postings and intimate as to why the aforesaid notifications of premature transfers, which are prima facie violative of the above noted judgment of this Court, be not set aside. Notices be also issued to M/s Tahir Shahbaz and Tariq Pirzada the former and the incumbent Chairmen, CDA”.

For more information, contact:
Shahid Hussain Kamboyo
Public Relations Officer
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Tel: +9251 920 4184
Fax: +9251 920 1001
Email: pro_scp@yahoo.com

Semi Finals and Final of Faysal Bank One Day Cup 2012-13

Lahore, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT): The Semi Finals of Faysal Bank Cup One day tournament 2012-2013 will be played as per following schedule:-

First Semi Final
20th Mar. Sialkot Stallions Vs Lahore Lions at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi
Umpires: Riazuddin and Khalid Mahmood Sr.
TV Umpires: Saleem Badar
Reserve Umpire: Saqib Khan
Referee: Anwar Khan
Scorer: Shakeel Ahmed

Second Semi Final
21st Mar. Karachi Zebras Vs Karachi Dolphins at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi
Umpires: Ahsan Raza and Shozab Raza
TV Umpires: Akram Raza
Reserve Umpire: Qaisar Waheed
Referee: Nadeem Arshad
Scorer: Adnan Farooq

Final
23rd Mar. Winner of First Semi Final Vs Winner of Second Semi Final at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi

Both the Semi Finals and Final will be telecast live on Geo Super

For more information, contact:
Nadeem Sarwar
Media Manager
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +9242 571 7231 -4
Fax: +9242 571 1860

President felicitates Pope Francis

Islamabad, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT): The President of Pakistan has sent the following message of felicitations to His Holiness Pope Francis.

“Your Holiness,

On behalf of the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, it gives me immense pleasure to extend our sincerest felicitations on the momentous occasion of Your Holiness’s election as the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. Your Holiness’s election is testimony to your piety, compassion, wisdom, and devotion, which have been the hallmark of your long services to the Church.

We look forward to Your Holiness’s continued services towards fostering peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony, and support fully the important role of Your Holiness in promoting understanding among the peoples of diverse religions and cultures.

I would like to this opportunity to extend my personal best wishes for Your Holiness’s well-being, health and happiness. May God grant you the wisdom and strength to meet enormous challenges of these difficult times. Please accept, Your Holiness, the assurances of my highest consideration

For more information, contact:
Mr. Aizaz Ahmad Ch
Spokesman
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government of Pakistan
Tell: 051-9205494
Fax: 051-9204202
Cell: 0336-5644459

Karachi Water Sewerage Board extends date for payment of bills till 22nd March

Karachi, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT): According to Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW and SB) notification the due date for submission of KW and SB bills has been extended till 22nd March. KW and SB Consumers can now submit their bills without any additional charges till 22nd March. Concerned banks have already been notified about the extension in the due date; however the due date would not be extended again.

Deputy Managing Director (RRG) Waqar Hashmi stated that after the due date a strict recovery campaign would commence against defaulters. KW and SB would disconnect water supply connections as a recovery measure.

He requested the citizens to pay their bills which are of small amounts so that KW and SB being a public service entity can continue to serve the citizens of Karachi. He said that KW and SB would prefer to serve the areas where the recovery ratio is high, higher the recovery ratio better the services.

For more information contact:
Karachi Water and Sewerage Board
Mr. Zahid Mehmood
P.S. Chairman Office
Tel: 99240819
Fax-99245136

On directives of High Court of Sindh Karachi Water and Sewerage Board raids illegal hydrant in Chakra Goth disconnects illegal connection

Karachi, March 17, 2013 (PPI-OT): On the directives of Honourable High Court of Sindh Karachi Water and Sewerage Board raided an illegal hydrant in Chakra Goth. Disconnecting a 4 inch diameter illegal connection from the 33 inch main line, KW and SB team launched an FIR against the culprits.

According to the KW and SB Spokesperson, a team lead by Chief Engineer Anwar Saeed, Superintendent Engineer Asif Qadri and Executive Engineer Asif Habib and comprising of KW and SB staff raided an illegal hydrant with the help of DSP Zaman Town Police Station Qasim Ali Ghauri and S.H.O Asif Tahir.

KW and SB team was carrying out the directives of Sindh High Court and launched an FIR (No. 079/ 2013) against Shaukat Hussain. Due to the 4inch illegal connection in the 33 inch main supply line; for Qayum Abad, Akhtar Colony and D.H.A, the residents were suffering due to the shortage of water.

Disconnecting the supply KW and SB team resolved this problem and the supply to the concerning areas is as per schedule now. The drive against Illegal Hydrants would be continued to ensure swift supply in all areas, added KW and SB Spokesperson.

For more information contact:
Karachi Water and Sewerage Board
Mr. Zahid Mehmood
P.S. Chairman Office
Tel: 99240819
Fax-99245136