Islamabad, July 28

“It is just a beginning,” Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Opposition leader and a petitioner in the high-profile Panama case, today said as he hailed the Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.Addressing the media after the apex court’s verdict, 64-year-old Khan, one of the three petitioners in the case, thanked the judiciary of Pakistan. The chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party announced to hold a rally at Islamabad’s Parade Ground to celebrate “Youm-e-Tashakur” on Sunday.“What the Joint Investigation Team did in 60 days could not have been done even in the West,” the cricketer-turned- politician said. “With this investigation, it is quite clear that we have the capability to put a check on corruption.The Supreme Court has proven that today.” Khan observed that countries were not destroyed by earthquakes, wars or famines, but by their institutions of justice. “The Supreme Court’s decision has given hope to the people of Pakistan today,” proclaimed Khan. He said his struggle was for democracy and empowerment of the poor who suffered for petty wrongdoings while the rich went scot-free even after committing a crime. “I know Sharif’s family for the last 40 years and I do not have any personal enmity with them,” he said.Khan called the apex court’s decision “the beginning” for a new Pakistan.“Everyone will be held accountable now. This is just the beginning,” said Khan. He said now on all those responsible for plundering national wealth would be held accountable.The PTI chief lambasted Sharif’s former ministers for targeting Shaukat Khanum cancer hospital in Lahore, where 75 per cent poor patients were treated free. — PTI 

Tax evasion exposé that sealed Sharif’s fateApril 4, 2016: International Consortium of Investigative Journalism publishes the Panama Papers, exposing tax evasion by the world’s elite, including the Sharif family, through offshore accounts and shell companiesApril 5: Sharif sets up a judicial panel to probe allegations, denies chargesApril 26: Opposition rejects the judicial panel set up by the governmentNovember 1: The SC decides to pursue a case related to Nawaz SharifNovember 7: PML-N submits Qatari prince’s letter to the SC containing information about the London flatsApril 20, 2017: SC orders formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe graft charges against SharifMay 5: Apex court constitutes JITMay 22: JIT presents its first bi-weekly report to the SC in two volumesMay 24: JIT sends questionnaires to Sharif and his sons Hussain and HassanJune 13: JIT submits report to the SC blaming government institutions for ‘creating impediments in evidence collection’June 15: Sharif appears before the JIT for questioning, becoming the first sitting Pakistan Prime Minister to appear before any probe agencyJuly 10: JIT submits final report to SCJuly 21: The three-judge SC Bench hearing the case reserves decisionJuly 28: SC Bench unanimously disqualifies Sharif from holding office

Capt Amarinder Singh. File photo

Chandigarh, May 23

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expressed dismay over the “poor” results of Class 10 exams conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), in which over 40 per cent of the students failed.Taking a serious note of the poor performance of students, he issued strict instructions to Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary to prepare a blueprint for raising the standard of learning in the state.

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The Chief Minister also directed the Finance Department to make all necessary funds available to the education department for undertaking urgent measures to improve the quality of education and infrastructure in government schools, an official spokesperson said here.Around 57 per cent students of Class 10 passed the board exam conducted by the PSEB, the results of which were declared on Monday.A total of 3.3 lakh students had appeared in the examination, of which 1.9 lakh students passed the exam, while 45,734 students failed and 94,271 students got reappear.Amarinder said he was very disturbed at the “deteriorating standard of education” in Punjab, as a result of which “our children are falling by the wayside in the race for good jobs and career growth, with most of them even failing to clear the necessary exams for getting into the armed forces”.“The fact that only 24 students from government schools had made it to the merit list is a serious cause for concern,” he said. while pinning the responsibility on the education department.The Congress leader had earlier ordered several sweeping policy changes to raise the bar of education in the state.At a review meeting of the education department earlier this month, he had approved a policy for online transfer of government teachers from the next academic session, on lines of a similar system in several other states, including neighbouring Haryana.The Chief Minister had also asked the Principal Secretary, Finance, to make a special provision in the forthcoming budget to ensure proper infrastructure in terms of electricity, furniture, toilets and playgrounds in all government schools in the state.He had directed the Additional Chief Secretary (School Education) to work out the estimated expenditure for raising the necessary demand with the finance department in this regard.Amarinder reiterated his earlier directives on inclusion of foreign languages in the school curriculum to enable gainful employment of students not just within the country but globally too.He once again stressed the upgrade of English teaching in schools to empower students to meet global communication needs. PTI

Only 57% students pass PSEB Class X exam

Students in jubilant mood in Ludhiana after result was declared . Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22

No grace marks awarded, every second boy and every third girl appearing for the Class X Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) exam has failed to make it. The result was declared today. As in the case of Class XII  exams, the pass percentage this year has fallen from 72.25 to 57.50. A total of 3,30,437 students had appeared in the exam.  Shruti Vohra of Ropar topped with 98.7 per cent.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)About 28.53 per cent students have failed in one or more subjects (compartment). Of the 1,83,979 boys and 1 46,458 girls, only 96,315 (52.35 per cent) and 93,686 (63.97 per cent), have passed. It is clear the board had in the past inflated the pass percentage by awarding grace marks, placing 15-20 per cent students in the “pass” category. “Had we given grace marks, most pupils with compartment would have passed,” the board chairman said.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh,Lt General TS Shergill (retd), senior adviser to the CM

Jalandhar, May 22

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s project ‘Guardians of Governance’ (GoG) is set to be launched on July 1. Lt General TS Shergill (retd), senior adviser to the CM, said this here today.“The government is planning to rope in volunteers by July 1. It is expected to hire about 13,000 ex-servicemen for the project. The aim is to ensure that every beneficiary of welfare schemes gets benefits,” he said.Volunteers, he said, would be paid an honorarium and trained at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Chandigarh. After training, they will be placed under SDMs and DCs to act as their eyes and ears to scrutinise the public governance system in their jurisdiction.“They will not replace the government, but will ensure a speedy flow of information pertaining to governance in their areas,” Lt Gen Shergill added.

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

Having taken a stand before a nine-Judge Constitution Bench that right to privacy is not a fundamental right, the Centre today contradicted itself by telling another Constitution Bench hearing the WhatsApp privacy matter that personal data was an extension of one’s personality and hence a part of fundamental right to life.“Data of a user is connected to his personality and it is an integral part of Article 21 (Fundamental Right to Life and Liberty),” Additional Solicitor General PS Narasimha told a five-Judge Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra, which is examining issues arising out of the 2016 privacy policy of WhatsApp.“If any contractual obligation impinges upon that, it will have ramifications. We will come out with regulations (on data protection),” Narasimha said.On the face of it, the Centre’s stand in the WhatsApp case appears to be contrary to its categorical statement before the nine-Judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar that right to privacy was not a fundamental right.The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on September 6 after senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing WhatsApp, pointed out that the verdict of the nine-Judge Bench on right to privacy would have a bearing on the matter and it should be heard only after the judgment was pronounced by the larger Bench.Petitioners Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi had alleged WhatsApp’s decision to share all its subscribers’ data with Facebook impinged on privacy of 160 million Indian users.The Delhi High Court had last year ruled that WhatsApp should delete all data in its possession till September 25, 2016, but said the company was free to share the data with Facebook post September 25, 2016, thus enabling subscribers to voluntarily withdraw from the service if they were not keen on sharing their data with Facebook.The high court had asked the Centre and TRAI to examine the feasibility of bringing the messaging services under a regulatory regime in India. The petitioners challenged the HC verdict in the top court where the issue got referred to a Constitution Bench.

WhatsApp, FB can’t share ‘intimate’ data: Govt to SC

New Delhi, May 19

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the role of Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in subversive activities in the state.The NIA named the two in its preliminary inquiry, which precedes the filing of a case. It also named Naeem Khan, who was seen on television during a sting operation purportedly confessing to receiving money from Pakistan-based terror groups.The others named in the preliminary inquiry were Farooq Ahmed Dar, alias ‘Bitta Karate’, and Gazi Javed Baba of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. The five-member NIA team arrived in Srinagar on Thursday to question those named in the preliminary inquiry and to collect documentary evidence against them. The LeT chief is based in Pakistan.In a preliminary inquiry, the NIA can ask those named in the case to appear before it but cannot force them to do so, or arrest them.The NIA team will be reviewing evidence collected in connection with the burning of schools last year after the Hizbul Mujahideen’s poster boy, Burhan Wani, was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8. — PTI/TNS

Youths clash with security forces

A knife-wielding protester in Srinagar on Friday. Tribune Photo: Yawar Kabli

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 19

Protest demonstrations leading to clashes between youths and security forces took place in downtown Srinagar after Friday prayers while clashes were also reported from some other parts of the Valley during the day.Soon after the Friday prayers, youths took to the streets in the Nowhatta area where the main mosque, Jamia Masjid, is located. The masked youths indulged in stone-throwing on the police and CRPF, triggering clashes. The protesters were chased away by the forces while shops were closed in the area.All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who delivers Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid, was kept under house arrest at his Nigeen residence since early morning preventing him from offering Friday prayers, a spokesman said.Protests were also held in the Lal Chowk area of Anantnag in south Kashmir in which some miscreants tried to enforce a shutdown in the area. The police reached the spot and chased away the miscreants with the help of traders, the spokesman said. He added that normalcy was restored and the markets opened.Demonstrations, called jointly by separatist leaders against the detention of Asiya Andrabi, who heads the Dukhtaran-e-Millat, were also held in some other areas, including Sopore and Hajin towns of north Kashmir and Pulwama in south Kashmir.Restrictions in Srinagar todaySrinagar: The authorities have decided to impose restrictions in areas falling under the police stations of Nowhatta, MR Gunj and Safakadal in Srinagar on Saturday. “The decision was taken as a precautionary measure to avoid any untoward incident,” an official spokesman quoting District Magistrate, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Lone said on Saturday. The restrictions are being imposed ahead of the 27th death anniversary of Moulvi Mohammad Farooq, father of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The separatists have announced to organise a rally to commemorate Moulvi Farooq and former APHC leader Abdul Ghani Lone on May 21. TNS

The acquittal of all the accused in the Orbit bus case is unlikely to surprise anyone familiar with the cosy police-politician relationship in Punjab. Efforts were made right from the start to win over the victim’s family members and witnesses. None of the 34 witnesses the prosecution produced could be of any use in sending the accused to jail. It is a familiar, recurring story. In fact, a conviction would have come as a surprise. People in Punjab have over time got used to acquittals and clean chits in high-profile cases — prominent being those of the Badals (disproportionate assets case), Capt Amarinder Singh (Amritsar Improvement Trust case) and Bikramjit Singh Majithia (drug case). An obliging prosecution not only decides to lose the legal battle but also refuses to challenge an adverse verdict. Witnesses turning hostile are seldom proceeded against for perjury. To avoid the ignominy of an acquittal, the investigating and prosecuting agencies now choose to withdraw cases from courts. The Orbit case has raised issues which can have consequences for the justice system and public faith in it. A serious charge of murder and molestation of a minor girl was brought against the staff of a private bus. The Badals, then in power, used the money power to buy the witnesses’ silence and save their own transport company. If it was an accidental death since no one saw the girl being molested or pushed out of the bus, why was compensation as high as Rs 24 lakh awarded or is it the company policy to pay so much in every accident case? Is a government job offer made to the family of each accident victim or was it a special arrangement for cases involving Orbit buses?   Anyway, the private company owners and staff have got away lightly even though a girl travelling in their bus met with a tragic end. A law of torts in a more civilised society would have imposed a hefty penalty on the erring company. Here private culpability has been covered with a private arrangement. The present dispensation did once talk of conflict-of-interest legislation but that was perhaps during the initial euphoria over government formation. 

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 17

Educational Institutions set up by the Army are gaining popularity among the people here as nearly 15,000 students are studying in these schools which continue to function smoothly despite uncertain atmosphere in the Valley.Established in 1983, the most prestigious school is Army Public School (APS), Srinagar. It is a part of a chain of 134 schools across the country that are run by the Army Welfare Education Society.  The school has about 1,000 students, mostly locals, on its rolls.“The APS is primarily meant to provide education to the children of Army men hence 90 per cent seats are reserved for them. Rest of the seats are for children of civilians. However, APS, Srinagar, is the only Army institute in the country where 60 per cent students are locals,” said school principal Sandeep Marattha.“Earlier, we had the Academic Performance Index (API) of 32 per cent but now ours is the only school which has crossed the 300-mark and hit 322.86 per cent API. I have got the best principal award continuously for two years,” he said.During the 2016 unrest, when all educational institutions in the Valley remained closed for more than five months, the APS, Srinagar, located in the high-security zone of Army Headquarters in Sonwar, was the only institution which functioned normally.“Parents want to send their children here but we have our limitations and we accommodate accordingly. We do not compromise on education of the children. Our students have become doctors, engineers and study in IITs. Many of our students from Kashmir have also joined the Army,” said another officer, who looks after the school.There are 20 Army Goodwill Schools in all districts having on rolls at least 15,000 students. These are run by the Ministry of Defence. The schools have produced talents such as kickboxing champion Tajamul Islam, officials said.The first Goodwill school was set up by the Army in Uri in 1999 and since then more schools have came up across the Valley. This week, the Army set up another school in volatile Kulgam district which has been named after Lt Ummer Fayaz, the young Army officer who was killed by militants recently.

APS set up in 1983

• Established in 1983, Army Public School (APS), Srinagar, is part of a chain of 134 schools across the country that are run by the Army Welfare Education Society
• The school has about 1,000 students, mostly locals, on its rolls
• There are 20 Army Goodwill Schools in all districts catering to at least 15,000 students