Earlier on Sunday, the online social networking service was banned in Pakistan by the country’s Ministry of Information Technology because “it failed to respond and take action regarding the publishing of blasphemous content.”

The news regarding banning and restoration of Twitter by Pakistani authorities had attracted widespread attention with reports emerging in local as well as foreign media.

A report in the The Washington Post reads: “The government restored access to Twitter before midnight Sunday, about eight hours after it initially blocked access. It was unclear whether the government reversed its decision because of action by Twitter or because of public criticism it received for its censorship.”

It also reads: “There was widespread criticism of the government’s action by those on Twitter, who tend to be more liberal than average Pakistanis.”

According to media reports Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik played a role in restoration of Twitter service in the country.

One of Mr Malik’s tweets on his Twitter account reads: “I spoke to PM (Prime Minister Gilani) and informed how people are feeling about it. PM ordered to reopen the twitter.” Another tweet reads – Request all members to retweet “condemn all those who generate anti Islamic tweets” I request for retweeting to friends of all other faiths.

Over the years Twitter has been gaining rapid popularity among Pakistanis. Today prominent politicians, celebrities, sportsmen, academics and people from different walks of life in Pakistan are using the microblogging service to interact with public seeking their feedback on various issues.

Scenes from the floods that devastated Pakistan in 2011. Pic: AP.

The launch of the report on Wednesday was chaired by the Pakistani Ministry of Climate Change’s Secretary Mr Muhammad Javed Malik, while UNDP Country Director in Pakistan Toshihiro Tanaka, representatives from government, national and international development partners, civil society organizations, academia and media were also present.

According to a UNDP press release:

The Asia-Pacific region must continue to grow economically to lift millions out of poverty, but it must also respond to climate change to survive. Growing first and cleaning up later is no longer an option.

While presenting the findings of the report, Toshihiro Tanaka, Country Director, UNDP said that “Asia-Pacific region, including Pakistan, needs to walk the tightrope between the pursuit of economic growth and vulnerability to climate change. We witness increasing frequency and impacts of climate related disasters. Disaster risk reduction is a must for any sustainable development strategy to be successful.”

A presentation on Pakistan’s National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) was also given at the launch. The NSDS will be presented at Rio +20. The NSDS focuses on integrating economic, social and environmental dimensions into the current development model with a view to make it more sustainable and equitable.

The much awaited Pakistan’s National Climate Change Policy which was recently approved by the Federal Cabinet was also presented at the launch. The policy provides a framework to address the climate change issues facing Pakistan and suggests ways and means to adapt to and mitigate the ravages posed by climate change.

The complete report is available here.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other government officials received Dr Chishty, who is 80 years old, at Islamabad Airport.

According to Express Tribune newspaper Dr Khalil Chishty was visiting his mother in Ajmer, India in 1992 when he allegedly got embroiled into a family feud that led to one of his neighbours being shot dead. “He has been in Ajmer since, living at his ancestral home during the 18-year trial before being jailed following his conviction in January last year,” reads the report.

Reportedly, President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari provided a plane to bring Dr Chishty back from India. As per a media report President Zardari had also written a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in April this year seeking his release and repatriation to Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.

NDTV of India reported that the Supreme Court of India in its order observed that, “Taking into consideration his (Dr Chishty’s) age (80) and his academic qualification and accepting his assurance that he will abide by the law, we permit him to travel to his native country Pakistan.”

The Indian media further reported that: “The Supreme Court will take up his (Dr Chishty’s) appeal against his conviction and life sentence on November 20. For this, he has to come to India by November 1.  In Pakistan, he has to deposit his passport at the Indian High Commission in Karachi.”

Dr Chishty’s family in Karachi has been anxiously waiting for his arrival ever since Indian Supreme Court’s decision granting him permission to visit Pakistan.

The News International quoted one of Dr Chishty’s daughters, Shua Javed, as saying “We have not made any preparations for his arrival except that when he arrives, his children and grandchildren [most of whom he has not met] will encircle him and talk to him to their hearts’ desire.”

The commercial shows Katrina Kaif advertising the cream in vulgar and foul manner. The bill boards which are placed all over the country shows Katrina’s legs, which is attention grabbing and diverts the mind of a driver, which can cause accidents. The ad only conveys the idea of vulgarism and nudity. The ad is highly inappropriate for any group of our Pakistani population.

Despite this letter ads of this kind are pretty commonplace in Pakistan. However, the advertisement and the reaction to it has been widely highlighted in the Indian media.

A report of the Times of India reads: “Katrina Kaif’s Veet ad is reportedly facing the brunt of a mysterious right-wing group in Pakistan that’s covering up her so-called ‘immoral’ billboards with messages such as “sell clothes, not your honour”.

Another report of Daily Bhaskar, India reads: “Katrina Kaif is creating quite a flutter in Pakistan, but this time round it’s not for one of her movies or her beauty! The actress is causing a havoc of sorts for one of her advertisements that’s being tagged ‘immoral’ by a few social groups based in the country.”

The said TV commercial can be viewed here.

But what shocked me was the news, on Sunday, that besides some police officials two cameramen of private news channels covering the operation were among the wounded.

According to Dawn newspaper these cameramen were Asif of Express television channel and Arif Ali of Dhoom television. It is pertinent to mention here that the overall death toll during the operation reached 24 on Monday.

This is not first incident in which mediapersons got injured. Besides many other incidents in which some journalists even lost their lives in the line of duty, Ehsan Kohati a senior reporter of Waqt News channel received bullet wounds while covering a rally in Karachi in November 2011.

It is generally observed that most of the time mediapersons, including reporters and cameramen, in Pakistan perform their duties in volatile situations without protective equipment which speaks volumes about lack of training and non-provision of protective gear by media organisations to their workers covering incident related to crime.

The following lines from an article published in The News on Sunday (TNS), a weekly magazine of The News International, Pakistan in May 2011 are still valid and need to be applied as nothing has changed, considerably, as far as provision of safety training and protective gear to the journalists is concerned.

“It is also important that journalists and editors are provided training to make more aware of the dangers and how to minimise them. Commissioning editors must be conscious of the risks involved in certain kind of reporting which often get overlooked in an increasingly competitive field. Reporters must demand insurance from their employers and certain protective clothing when working in certain volatile situations. Of course, the risk of being gunned down by groups or powerful interested groups unhappy over reporting of a certain sensitive subject will always haunt reporters, but steps should be taken to avoid unnecessary risks.”

The award was bestowed on the duo by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani in a ceremony organised by Pakistan Television (PTV), a state run television network, in Lahore on Saturday night.

The couple had returned to Pakistan after more than a decade to attend the PTV event held “to honour the huge contribution Shabnam and Robin Ghosh made to the Pakistani film industry over long decades beginning in the 1960s.”

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) the PM Gilani while addressing the ceremony eulogized the services of both the giant legends of the Pakistan film industry for the promotion of culture saying that their departure to Bangladesh had been a great loss to the Pakistani film industry. While stressing the need to strengthen relations between the two countries in all sector he also said “Both the artists were ambassadors of Bangladesh and Pakistan.”

The duo has been attracting extensive media coverage by Pakistani media. Their trip came a couple of days after the Dhaka High Court suspended the Bangladesh cricket team’s tour of Pakistan.

An editorial “Welcome back, Shabnam,” published in Pakistan’s The Express Tribune newspaper reads: “Her (Shabnam’s) fame as an acclaimed actress, from the 1960s well into the 1980s, coincided with an era when cinemas brought entertainment to so many lives. Shabnam is best known for her roles opposite reputable Lollywood actor Nadeem and is said to have played a crucial part in keeping this industry alive during the dark and difficult times under General Ziaul Haq’s regime.”

Unfortunately this is not the first time that young doctors in Punjab are on strike and denying treatment to patients visiting public hospitals, as in the past too they had exhibited this unprofessional and unethical attitude on several occasions.

A faction of  the Young Doctors Association (YDA) had launched the protest against the Punjab government over transfer of some postgraduate trainees by observing a boycott at outdoor patient departments (OPDs) in teaching hospitals of Punjab province’s Lahore last week.

However, over the past couple of days the strike has been extended across the province after the government did not respond to their demands.

Nonetheless, in this tug-of-war the ultimate victims are the poorer patients who out of sheer poverty are unable to visit private hospitals for treatment and are totally dependent on public sector health facilities.

According to a report of The News International the patients were not only denied treatment, but operation theatre and indoor services were also badly affected by the ongoing strike of the young doctors. The report reads: “The doctors and staff posted in operation theatres and indoor wards also relaxed in view of the suspension of outdoor services in hospitals, which took its toll on poor patients.”

It is pertinent to mention here that in February this year the young doctors observed strike against the government over removal of Punjab Institute of Cardiology’s head by the Punjab government.

The process of distributing laptops among 110,000 students across the province that fulfill the eligibility criteria is already underway. According to official figures, 63,690 Dell laptops have been distributed among the students so far.

While some call it a political show to attract youth by spending Rs 4 billion (Rs 90=$1) from the  kitty the others are critical of ignoring hundreds of government colleges where private sector is running computer labs because of the absence of state-run computer labs.

However the government believes the initiative to be “a move to bridge digital divide between the haves and the have-nots.”

Recently the Pakistani media reported that some recipients of the laptops have allegedly put the laptops on sale. According to a report of The Express Tribune laptops were reportedly being sold in markets for Rs20, 000 and lower than market prices by some recipients.

But a more recent report in the Daily Times newspaper has highlighted something different. It reported that “By procuring 110,000 laptops with inferior and outdated processors through a local company instead of directly from the manufacturing company at a much higher than normal price, the Punjab government incurred a loss of at least Rs 1.7 billion to the provincial kitty.”

The report claimed that the Punjab government bought Dell laptops with outdated Pentium-D processors for Rs 4 billion at a rate of Rs 37,000 per laptop while the retail market value of this machine was not more than a maximum of Rs 25,000.

According to the report the laptops being distributed among students are made by Dell, China, bearing model number InspironN4050, but the specifications of the machine distributed by the Punjab government are different from the same model in the market.

However the Punjab government rejected the report and claimed it did not incur any loss to the provincial kitty in the deal.

In an official handout the Punjab Minister for Education Mr. Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman said the laptops procured by the Punjab government—DELL Inspiron 4050— had the latest Intel Pentium Dual Core B950 chipset which was latest among the Intel Dual Core family of processors and comes with the latest Intel Sandy Bridge HM67 Chipset. He was of the view the laptop had some great features including a 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD, DVD Writer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3 in 1 media Card Reader, HDMI ports and a high resolution (1366 x 768) display and was an ideal platform to run all applications and address the requirements of students.

This video shows the kind of violent reaction from the people over the prevailing power crisis.

The video shows violent protest by people in Pakistani city Faisalabad. Faisalabad is an industrial city with abundant textile factories and is known as “Manchester of Pakistan”.

The Dawn newspaper reported that protesters in Faisalabad thrashed two motorists in the presence of police during a demonstration against unscheduled power outages on Tuesday.

“The protesters said power suspension had made their lives miserable while the federal government did nothing to overcome the energy crisis. They said owing to the crisis, a number of workers had lost their jobs. They threatened to launch a protest movement with the help of workers of other areas if the government did not manage the unscheduled outage”, reads the report available here.

The situation in Lahore, the provincial metropolis of Punjab province, is not different from Faisalabad. The Dawn report from Lahore city reads, “There is no power, there is no water and there is no routine for the daily life in the city. One wakes up in the morning to find clothes un-roned, no water for taking a bath and no light at home to get ready for office.”

The News International reported that the electricity shortfall in Pakistan has risen to 5,800 megawatts (MW).

The report reads: “At present 7,500 MW of electricity is being generated while demand stands at 13,300 MW. Lahore and other cities are experiencing 13 hours of loadshedding in several areas while in rural areas the duration is almost 19 hours.”

It is important to mention that the country witnessed violent protests over power outages in October last year too.

Muhammad Abdur Rauf is a senior Computer Science (CS) student at the School of Science and Engineering (SSE) of Pakistan’s premier Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). As per local media reports he will join Microsoft from Fall 2012 as a Software Development Engineer.

Mr Rauf is not first Pakistani student who has been offered a job by Microsoft as earlier in 2011 Mr Maisem Jaffer Ali, also a CS major at SSE,  secured a job at Microsoft and that too a year before his graduation.

But story of Mr Rauf is different. He was admitted to LUMS under the university’s National Outreach Programme (NOP). The National Outreach Programme provides educational opportunities to bright and talented students, from smaller cities, villages and inner city areas of large urban centres, who are unable to meet the programme’s regular fee requirement.

LUMS website says: “Rauf was admitted to LUMS as a National Outreach Programme (NOP) scholar in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences but after a year when the time came to choose a major Rauf realised that he wanted to do Computer Science. Rauf got himself transferred to SSE and the rest as they say is history! Besides excelling at CS courses, he is also working as a Research Associate at the Computer Science Department.”

According to the Express Tribune newspaper Mr Rauf’s job at Microsoft would require him to use his skills testing computer programmes and software for bugs. The news report available here reads: “In the past, Rauf has freelanced for some local and international companies. He also has experience in developing software applications for Android-powered devices.”

According to The Express Tribune newspaper, Pakistan’s National ICT R&D Fund, a division of the Ministry of Information Technology, on February 22, 2012 called for proposals for the development, deployment and operation of a national level URL Filtering and Blocking System. The report, available here, reads: “The filtering and blocking system will function as a firewall for the entire country and will have the potential to block the access of any specific URL throughout the country.”

“Reporters Without Borders”, a non-governmental organization which defends journalists and fights censorship, in its report issued on the eve of World Day against Cyber Censorship on March 12 asked the Pakistani authorities to abandon this project maintaining it would result in the creation of an Electronic Great Wall. “If they go ahead, Pakistan could be added to the Enemies of the Internet in 2013,” reads the report.

On March 13 the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also strongly reacted to the proposed plan of the government and termed it a move to further restrict freedom of expression, creativity and peaceful thought on the Internet.

In a statement the HRCP chairperson Ms Zohra Yusuf said, “Censorship is already very tight in Pakistan; 13,000 websites considered guilty of publishing adult and blasphemous content have already been blocked. On November 14, 2011, authorities requested mobile operators to censor the content of SMS and ban 1,600 words and expressions. Over the last summer, operators received the order to submit lists of Internet users trying to escape censorship, which corresponds to a system of surveillance.”

According to the statement available on the HRCP website the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the HRCP requested the government of Pakistan “to put on hold the set-up of the filtering system and ensure that the measure does not end up institutionalizing Internet censorship and surveillance and is consistent with Pakistan’s obligation to protect the freedom of expression.”

Lahore, provincial metropolis of Punjab province, is estimated to generate 5000 tonnes of garbage every day which, now, the government claims will be disposed of in a proper manner.

Mayor Istanbul Mr Kadir Topbaş, Ambassador of Turkey in Pakistan Mr Mustafa Babur Hizlan, Chief Minister of Punjab Mr Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and other officials from both the countries attended the launch ceremony held on Sunday.

The Chief Minister of Punjab said the same model would be replicated in other Pakistani cities including Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Peshawar and Karachi. He also thanked the President, Prime Minister of Turkey and Mayor of Istanbul for making the project a reality.

He was of the view there were strong bonds of friendship, brotherhood and sincerity between Turkey and Pakistan saying, “That is why despite tendering of the project the Turk companies reduced the cost and also conducted the survey of the project at extremely minimum charges,” reads the Punjab government’s handout.

The Mayor of Istanbul said the projects with Punjab government were not commercial ventures but were aimed at serving the people of Pakistan.

According to Express Tribune newspaper the Mayor of Istanbul Dr Kadir Topbaş was given a warm welcome on Sunday as he arrived for a two-day visit to inaugurate waste management and bus transport projects that are being conducted in collaboration with Turkish companies.

The newspaper quoted Dr Kadir as saying that Istanbul was cleaner than New York. “Istanbul produces 15,000 tonnes of garbage a day which it recycled or used to produce electricity,” reads the report.

The National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) Bill 2012, which has already been unanimously approved by the National Assembly (lower house) and Senate (upper house), was signed by President of Pakistan Mr Asif Ali Zardari into law on this special occasion.

According to Dawn newspaper the National Commission of Women Bill 2012 provides autonomy to the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW). “The aim is to ensure that the NCSW remains an independent body, empowered to investigate any case pertaining to women. Thus, it will be empowered, for example, to investigate crimes against women, inspect women’s prisons, and ensure policies that dispense gender justice” reads the Dawn’s magazine report.

Speaking on the occasion President Zardari said the National Commission on the Status of Women had been empowered to protect the social, economic, political and legal rights of women.

And finally some words about a recent international achievement by a Pakistani woman. Undoubtedly the year 2012 will always be remembered for this achievement as this woman from Pakistan did what men from the country’s male-dominated society could not do over the years. Yes, she is Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy who brought the first ever Oscar award for Pakistan. Her documentary “Saving Face” won Oscar award under the category ‘Best Documentary, Short Subject’.

According to the Express Tribune newspaper Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has advised President Asif Ali Zardari to award Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy with Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the second highest civil award, in recognition to her great achievement.

Since then, people of Pakistan have been missing international cricket on home soil. According to a report by Pakistan Today, since then, the Pakistani team has been travelling all over the world to play their home fixtures and have been forced to play in conditions that are alien to them.

There is no doubt that the absence of international cricket on Pakistani soil has also been causing an economic loss to the country and its people besides depriving cricket fans in Pakistan to go and see live international cricket matches on home grounds.

It is therefore the latest news reports about the likely arrival of the Bangladesh cricket team to Pakistan are greatly welcomed by fans.

A nine-member delegation from Bangladesh comprising officials of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), security and other government officials arrived here on Saturday to inspect and assess security for the proposed tour of the Bangladeshi cricket team to Pakistan.

According to a The News International report, Bangladesh promised to work towards bringing international cricket back to Pakistan. As per the report, the Chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCP) Mustafa Kamal talking to media after his arrival here on Saturday said: “We will work hand in hand to convince our other colleagues there in the ICC (International Cricket Council) to bring back cricket to Pakistan at the earliest.”

The latest move by Bangladesh has received huge national and international media attention. The Times of India reports: “Pakistan government officials have promised intense security measures for a nine-member delegation from Bangladesh which will assess the country’s ability to resume hosting international cricket.”

This unfortunate incident of high-handedness by influential Pakistani elite in police presence was captured in form of a video and was seen by the world through Pakistani TV news channels.

Ms Waheeda Shah of the ruling party, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was a candidate of provincial assembly from Tando Muhammad Khan (PS-53) and later won the election.

A lot was written about the incident and action was demanded against the PPP candidate and the police officers present on the occasion. Afterwards the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) not just withheld official results of PS-53 but also ordered registration of a police case against Waheeda Shah.

According to a report appeared in The News International: “The electoral body not only has condemned the unruly behaviour of a personnel aspiring to represent the people in parliament, but on receipt of a report from the Provincial Election Commissioner, Sindh, the commission has taken some key decisions in this connection.”

Now according to latest media reports Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) Mr Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has also taken notice of the incident and has issued notices to Waheeda Shah, Inspector General (IG) Police of Sindh province and the Election Commission of Pakistan to appear before the apex court on March 2.

It is pertinent to mention here that according to a media report efforts were also accelerated to downplay the disgraceful act of slapping a poling agent by the PPP candidate. According to the Pakistan Today report “Waheeda Shah held a press conference with an alleged burqa-clad woman and showed that the matter has been settled down. But independent candidate from the same constituency Mushtaq Ali Talpur claimed that the woman shown in the conference was not the victimized woman.”

She had faced extreme criticism, especially from rights activists, for intruding privacy of people.

In the live episode Khan, along with other ladies, chased dating couples in public parks in Karachi and asked questions about their relationship with each other and questions such as whether their family members were aware of their meeting at a park.

This episode had also led to heated debate over role and responsibility of media. There were  reports in local as well as international media about the particular episode, highlighting grievances of the people over role and responsibility of media. After great public pressure, management of the news channel had to fire her in January this year.

However on Frontline, a programme of Express News channel, on Monday night Ms Maya Khan revealed that the dating youth shown in the morning show were actually paid actors therefore there was no question of intruding privacy. The former host was a bit tearful while justifying the episode, saying she did that particular episode based on complaints she received from the public, especially worried parents.

According to a report of the Express Tribune newspaper, Maya Khan, while criticizing the media and civil society for ganging up on her, said she was never given a chance to present her side of the story. The report quotes Maya Khan as saying:

I have been under house arrest ever since the media outcry against my show started. I am abused through phone calls, text messages and via Facebook.

This video, aired by Pakistan’s Dunya News TV, is sufficient to understand the manner in which supporters of the winners usually respond over the victory of their respective candidates. This particular video is about aerial firing by supporters of a candidate of the Awami National Party (ANP), a political party which rules the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, jointly with the country’s main ruling party – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Interestingly the ANP supporters/workers resorted to aerial firing in anticipation of the victory of their particular candidate in the country’s city Mardan outside the party’s main office.

The other part of the video is about aerial firing by supporters/workers of another political party, the PML-N, which rules in the country’s Punjab province. This footage has been taken from Multan city which is a major city of the Punjab province and is also hometown of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. According to the video, no one stopped the PML-N workers from aerial firing as there is a PML-N government in the province. It also says many PML-N parliamentarians were present during the incident but did not stop their party workers from aerial firing.

The last part of the video is about incidents of violence at different polling stations in which some workers of different political parties suffered injures.

It is unfortunate that over the years violence has become an integral part of elections in Pakistan. The increasing incidents of aerial firing also demand stern action by those at the helm to discourage people from indulging in such dangerous activities. There have been many incidents in past in which innocent people lost their lives owing to indiscriminate aerial firing.

According to this news report by Dawn newspaper, a man was killed and two others injured in aerial firing last year.

HEC Chairperson Dr Javaid R. Laghari announced the ranking of Pakistani universities on the basis of quality teaching and research at a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday.

Following is the list of top 10 universities of Pakistan issued by the HEC.

1. Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
2. Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad
3. The Aga Khan University, Karachi
4. University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
5. University of the Punjab, Lahore
6. National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad
7. Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi
8. University of Health Sciences, Lahore
9. COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
10. Lahore University of Management Sciences

According to a press release issued by the HEC the ranking criteria for the universities included student intake as well as graduates produced at BS, MS and PhD levels, number of qualified faculty members, student-teacher ratio, quality of research produced and published in journals of international repute, physical and technological infrastructure, international collaborations, resource generation and sports facilities.

Dr Javaid R. Laghari while announcing ranking of the varsities said “Ranking is a quality indicator and this information will help shed light on key indicators of higher education institutions in Pakistan to allow students, parents, potential employers and all other stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding higher education institutions.

“It will also provide a transparent mechanism to universities on how they compare against their peers, and will inculcate a spirit of competition to raise the standard of education. The activity will also help promote a culture of participation in the world university rankings, which will help significantly in reflection of Pakistan’s higher education development at the international level,” he said, as per the HEC press release.

The witness, Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistani-American businessman, gave his statement from the Pakistan High Commission in London through a video conference facility while the three-member judicial commission was present at the Islamabad High Court.

According to a Guardian article of January 12, “The allegations made by Mansoor Ijaz reach all the way up to President Asif Zardari, and could end up with treason charges against the country’s former US ambassador, Husain Haqqani, or even the president himself.”

Reportedly the judicial commission had consented to record the statement via videoconferencing after Mansoor Ijaz refused to travel to Pakistan, claiming he feared for his life.

News International reported that during Wednesday’s session Mansoor Ijaz handed over to the judicial commission a 29-page testimony along with other evidence, including his BlackBerry, PIN, phone numbers, emails, code words, documents and other key information in connection with writing of the memo and its delivery to Admiral Mike Mullen through James Jones.

Dawn newspaper reported that Mansoor Ijaz said on Wednesday he delivered a secret memo seeking American help to avert a feared coup after Islamabad’s ambassador to the US told him it was from the president.

The report reads:

The controversial unsigned memo was allegedly an attempt by Zardari, through his close aide and former envoy Hussain Haqqani, to enlist help from the US military to head off a feared coup in Pakistan last year following the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEALs.”

‘I asked (Haqqani) on whose authority he was doing this?” Ijaz said. “He (Haqqani) said this is coming from the president of Pakistan who wanted to put together a new national security team similar to national security team in USA,’ Ijaz said.

The judicial commission will resume recording the statement from Mansoor Ijaz on Thursday (today).

According to Dunya News, the Congressman was of the view that the people of Balochistan were subjected to violence and extrajudicial killing. “They have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country; and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status,” he demanded.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar took a strong exception to the draft resolution submitted in the US House of Representatives maintaining that the draft resolution was contrary to the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

According to website of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign minister while reacting to the resolution said: “Such an unfriendly and irresponsible attempt by a few individuals in Washington was aimed to create distrust between the peoples of the two countries.” She also said: “The National Assembly of Pakistan had unanimously adopted a resolution condemning a recent open hearing on Balochistan by the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations. The National Assembly resolution had clearly represented the legitimate reaction of the people of Pakistan.”

Head of Pakistan’s largest religious party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Mr Syed Munawar Hasan, strongly condemned the resolution and termed it a blatant interference in the country’s internal affairs. In a statement, the JI leader stressed upon the government to review its ties with the US and to end its support in the terror war and devise an independent foreign policy.

Similarly, Mr Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, who is chief minister of the Punjab province and also a senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), also strongly condemned the resolution. He said in a statement: “The resolution, based on prejudice and malafide, has salted the hearts of Pakistanis who are already hurt by drone attacks.”  He also sai:d “The problems of Balochistan and Balochis are the problems of Pakistan and we will not allow any country to challenge our sovereignty under the garb of these problems.”

According to Dawn newspaper, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Saturday said that the US policy had nothing to do with the resolution tabled in the US House of Representatives on the Balochistan province. According to the report, US respected Pakistan’s sovereignty and Balochistan was an internal matter of the country.

The whale shark, a 40-feet long female weighing 15 tonnes, has finally been shifted to the country’s capital Islamabad where it will be preserved at the Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) as national heritage, local media reported.

According to The Express Tribune, the fish was found dead and was four to five months pregnant. The report reads: “Experts did not find any marks under the skin which suggests that it was hit by a ship. The absence of injuries that could be caused by a hook or fishing net have ruled out the possibility of it being killed by fishermen.”

As per a report, a British scientist had also visited Karachi to examine and record the details of the 11-metre-long whale shark. According to Khaleej Times report available here, the scientist was accompanied by a documentary production team ‘Windfall Films’ to ascertain the cause of its death as well as to measure the carcass and possibly make a film on the giant fish.

The fish had attracted huge local as well as international media attention. According to a report published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Qasim Khan, who is in the business of buying fish, had paid about $US 2000 for the behemoth, which was discovered dead in the Arabian Sea off the southern Pakistani city of Karachi. The report further reveals Mr Khan had set up the business by putting the giant fish on display under a cloth tent next to the harbour.

However The Express Tribune reported that the fish was actually government property and could not be put on display. It also added that Mr Qasim, who had bought the whale shark for Rs200, 000, would be compensated.

The decision came at a meeting chaired by ECP’s secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan at the country’s capital Islamabad on Tuesday. According to media reports the landmark decision would enable 3.7 million Pakistanis living outside the country to exercise their right to vote.

According to the Dawn newspaper: “The meeting decided to give the voting right to the Pakistanis living in other countries and registering their names in the electoral rolls. The meeting also mulled over mechanism of voting which included postal balloting, setting up polling booths in Pakistani embassies and other options. The voting mechanism would be decided later in another meeting.”

The Express Tribune reported that the debate on whether overseas Pakistanis should be allowed to participate in Pakistan’s elections gained steam after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan moved the Supreme Court, seeking that those living abroad should be permitted to vote.

The ECP decision has been widely welcomed, especially by those living abroad. A number of local TV channels showed special reports from different countries including U.S. and U.K after the decision on Tuesday in which overseas Pakistanis were shown expressing their excitement over their right to vote while living abroad.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, congratulating the overseas Pakistanis, said he had been advocating the cause at all the forums and also during his visits abroad. As per a Business Recorder report the premier said that Pakistanis working in other countries were keenly interested in peace and progress of their motherland and had always reached out to their countrymen during difficult times, particularly in the aftermath of natural calamities.

Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has also welcomed the decision. He proposed that the Election Commission of AJK should also immediately bring under consideration a similar move for granting voting rights to over three million Kashmiris abroad.

The event was jointly arranged by the British Council and Formation Awareness Community Empowerment Society (FACES) Pakistan at Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore in which, besides a number of local students, five foreign students interacted and discussed in detail as to how they could play their role in peace building, promoting tolerance and co-existence.

According to a press release issued by FACES Pakistan during the interaction, local students belonging to different religious backgrounds shared their experiences with visiting foreign students. Lakhan Kumar informed the foreign students that he never felt any threat in Pakistan saying his life experience was very good.

Dilawar Singh, another student, said the Sikh community received love, care and support in Pakistan from other community members like Muslims, Hindus and Christians.

The local students of other religions informed the foreign students that they were enrolled in reputed educational institutions in Pakistan according to their abilities and they never faced any hurdle in pursuing their education in the country.

Sri Lankan student Abiharan Pushparatnam said that his opinion about Pakistan had improved hundred times after his visit to this country.

According to the British Council its programme Active Citizens links civil society networks, community leaders and community networks in Pakistan, UK and 22 other countries across the world to deepen trust and understanding within and between communities.

Similarly as per the British Council’s website FACES Pakistan, one of its partners for the Active Citizens programme, is a non-profit organisation with the mandate of empowering under represented societies to stand on their own feet.

“Its acronym denotes it to be the Formation, Awareness, and Community Empowerment Society, an organisation that helps communities gain access to concerns such as inter-religious harmony, human rights, social justice, sustainable development and gender equality”, the website reads.

Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim inaugurated the exhibition jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry and India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). The initiative has been supported by Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry and Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

According to Pakistan’s first bilingual news and photo wire service, Online International News Network (OINN, Mr Makhdoom inaugurating the exhibition said: “Both the governments of Pakistan and India are determined to ensure normalization of trade and economic relations and the Indian exhibition is part of the efforts being put in this direction.”

The report adds the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal speaking on the occasion to say that visa regime was the main hindrance in the promotion of bilateral relations which was going to be eased. He also said a wide range of products were put on display by the Indian manufacturers in “The India Show” which will pave the way for future trade and commercial ties between the two countries.

As per advertisements published in the Pakistani media on Saturday, the 3-day mega event, which will continue till February 13, has 100+ pavilions on manufacturing sector, healthcare/ medical, tourism, chemicals, textiles & apparels, IT, cosmetics, jewellery, auto component, handicrafts etc on offer.

It is pertinent to mention here that media of both the countries have been giving special coverage to The India Show. The Times of India reports: “Trade ties between India and Pakistan are expected to get a boost as New Delhi reaches out to the business community across the border.”

The kind of open hostility towards each other, both by India and Pakistan, over the years can be gauged from the fact, as reported by Dawn newspaper, that Makhdoom Amin Fahim was the first Pakistani commerce minister to visit India last year in over three decades.

The giant whale shark washed ashore on Tuesday but according to media reports it was spotted unconscious 10 days ago some 150 kilometers away from the fishery.

Staff of Karachi fisheries lift a carcass of whale shark in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday. Pic: AP.

A video of Geo News about the dead giant fish is available here. According to this video some fishermen had gone out fishing on Tuesday and had found the dead fish and brought it to Karachi Fish Harbor.

The dead whale shark was lifted off the water with the help of more than two cranes, after earlier attempts had failed.

In July 2010 a 17-foot whale shark was found on the shores of Hawksbay in Karachi, but Tuesday’s fish was certainly more than double in size and weight.

Later in the evening the Express Tribune newspaper reported that dead shark was sold at Rs 1.7 million (around $18,888). The report also reads: “Two cranes were called in to fish the dead whale shark out of the water, which was approximately40 to 50-feet long and six-feet wide. Both cranes failed to pull out the fish and were sent back as at least three more cranes were required to carry out the task.”