PAKISTAN

Updated at: 1843 PST,  Sunday, May 02, 2010  FAISALABAD: A woman was made to lie down on her stomach and tortured in a police station of Faisalabad in the presence of senior male officers who appeared to be taking pleasure out of watching the humiliating act. It has become a common scene where accused, normally males, are subjected to flogging by police. But what happened in the above police station is enough to make humanity feel ashamed where the woman was tortured and abused before senior male police officers. A female DSP and SHO Women Zahida Perveen were also present on the occasion. Women constables slapped the woman, wearing red Shalwar Kameez, whoe was later made to lie down on her stomach for flogging on the orders of male police officers. SHO Nasrullah Niazi, on the occasion, appears to be talking to the woman, being subjected to the humiliation, about learning some lesson. The woman in the TV footage appears to be shouting, asking the female and male police personnel to stop the insulting act.

Updated at: 1403 PST,  Sunday, May 02, 2010  LAHORE: The power shortfall could not dwindle out despite it being a weekend with spans of 8 to 10 hours of load shedding being carried out in cities and 14-hour duration in the rural areas, Geo News reported Sunday. The government’s failure is out and out conspicuous in Balochistan where the span of power outages swelled to 20 hours, which triggered the problem of water shortage. Despite the tall claims by the government to cut down the power shortfall with the help of two weekly holidays, shortfall persisted itself with the power production standing at 10,500 Megawatts and demand still rising at 13,900 MWs, according to statistics provided by Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO). No proper load shedding schedule has been hammered out, as unequal spans of affliction are being carried out in the cities of the country. The power outage span in Karachi, Islamabad and Faisalabad is three hours; however, this span is ballooned to 12 hours in other cities including Lahore. In 14 districts of Balochistan, people are being bedeviled for 20 hours a day for ten days now. Water supply is badly affected, which has adversely impacted on agriculture. The problem has forced citizens to run around all day for potable water. Sindh’s urban areas including Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot, Nawab Shah, Qazi Ahmed, Jakobabad, Shikarpur, Obaro and Ghotki do not receive power for 12 to 14 hours; while, the rural areas are affected with 14 to 16-hour of load shedding. Hyderabad is suffering from 8 to 10 hours of load shedding. The urban areas of Bahawalpur are hit with 12 to 14 hours of load shedding and the span widens 14 to 16 hours in rural areas. It is cotton-sowing season and farmers are in hot waters, as the power crisis made them unable to run their tube wells. Several hours of load shedding are being carried out in Punjab cities including Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzzargarh AND Faisalabad. The people are facing great problems in hot weather in Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw, where 12 to 14 hours of load shedding has made the life miserable in urban areas and 16 hours in rural areas. The power crisis also sapped the blood from trade life.

 Updated at: 1927 PST,  Sunday, May 02, 2010
 PESHAWAR: At least 40 militants were killed and their 10 hideouts were destroyed on Sunday in aerial bombing carried out by security forces in Orakzai Agency.

According to sources, security forces backed by helicopter gunships pounded militant dens situated in Dabori, Ghalju and Khadzai areas. As a result of at least 40 militants were killed and several others injured.

In Orakzai offensive, so far over 550 militants were killed and their 75 hideouts were destroyed in more than five weeks.

 Updated at: 1856 PST,  Sunday, May 02, 2010
 ISLAMABAD: Mian Nawaz Sharif, chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has called for a lawful solution of the judicial crisis erupted in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He is currently on a private visit to England.

According to reports, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider contacted the PML-N chief on telephone and discussed with him judicial and political issues.

Speaking on this occasion, Nawaz urged the need to find an early solution of the crisis.

Updated at: 1135 PST,  Sunday, May 02, 2010  ABBOTTABAD: Entire Hazara Division is today observing shutter-down and wheel-jam strikes on call by Baba Hyder Zaman, head of Tehreek Soba Hazara, Geo News reported Sunday. Initially, some private vehicles were seen on Karakoram Highway and other link roads; but later on, Karakoram Highway was shut down from Abbottabad to Kohistan by erecting hurdles on various points. Also, all shops, bus stands and commercial centers in Mansehra and its suburbs are closed owing to the complete strike in the district. In District Batgram, all large trade centers and shopping plazas are lying closed despite the appeals and efforts by government parties. However, the strike in Kohistan is partial. The security arrangements have been beefed up during the strike in Abbottabad and its adjoining areas.

Updated at: 0959 PST,  Sunday, May 02, 2010  SWAT: A woman was killed and three persons were injured in a blast that rocked a house in Swat’s tehsil of Kabal this morning, Geo News reported Sunday. The blast occurred at the house of Roshanzada, who is member of local Peace Committee in Kabal area of Sangarserai, killing a woman and injuring three others. The nature of the blast could not be ascertained immediately. The injured have been shifted to a local hospital. Police said all the injured are out of danger. The relief activities could not be carried out smoothly as it is a far-flung area. The forces put a security cordon around the blast site.

QUETTA: Targeted killings happen so often in Pakistan's city of Quetta, they have become almost routine. Assassins drive up, fire a hail of bullets and melt into shadows as their victims bleed to death. Heading to and from work, or nipping to the shops, fear grips professional men and women in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, where a sharp increase in assassinations is being blamed on separatist rebels. An upsurge in killings threatens to ignite the southwestern tinder box, with possible consequences for neighbouring Iran and Afghanistan, and heavyweight allies China and the United States. Last week Nazima Talib became the most high-profile female victim, shot dead at point blank range as she got into a rickshaw to go home after another long day teaching mass communication at Balochistan University. A mother of one, she was the third member of staff killed in the past two years. Now others wonder whether they will return home at the end of a day's work. "Gunmen are roaming around killing teachers.... They have left us at the mercy of terrorists. I won't go to the university under these circumstances," said Farkhanda Aurangzaib, a professor in the English department. Police say sectarian and ethnic targeted killings in Baluchistan have claimed 87 lives and injured 303 people in 168 incidents so far this year. The killings embarrass the police, who concede that none of the assassins has been arrested, have forced some teachers to flee and fanned insecurity. Hundreds of people have died since Baluch rebels rose up in 2004 demanding independence and control of profits from natural resources in their region. Baluchistan, which makes up 40 percent of the country's landmass, is rich in oil and gas -- both desperately needed in energy-starved Pakistan. For decades, its people have felt excluded or marginalised by the central government and the province has long been a fertile breeding ground for Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants as well as separatist rebels. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned group fighting for an independent Baluchistan, claimed responsibility for Talib's death, threatened more killings and accused Pakistani security forces of mistreating Baluch women.