Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday said the government is committed to improving the living standard of people, especially in the rural areas.Talking to a group of farmers, in Bahatar area, in district Attock, during his unscheduled visit to participate in wheat harvesting, he said with the help of measures taken by the government, the life of the farmers is being improved.

The Prime Minister said economy of the country has been improving day by day and the economic activities are also enhancing in the rural areas as the farmers are getting more incentives for their crops.

Appreciating the hardwork and dedication of the farmers in the improvement of the per acre yield of different crops, the Prime Minister said their hardwork and good rains have provided them bumper crops this year.

He said said due to the incentives being provided by the government to the farmers through subsidised fertilizers and other inputs, the farmers have improved per acre yield.

He said timely rains, hard work of the farmers and provision of subsidised inputs by the government are the factors for bumper crops this year.

The Prime Minister announced to install tube-wells in the areas where the farmers are facing shortage of irrigation water.

He said the government is committed to improving the living standard of the people, either living in rural or urban areas of the country.

Appreciating the performance of District Nazim Attock, Maj. (Retd) Tahir Sadiq, the Prime Minister said there has been record development projects in the area during the last three years.

The Prime Minister said due to better economy, the government has the resources and it has been able to resolve the problems of the people.

Shaukat Aziz said the Pakistan Muslim League worked hard under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to achieve a separate homeland for the Muslims to live according to injunctions of Islam in a peaceful atmosphere.

He said the PML government is now making sincere efforts to fulfil the agenda of Father of the Nation through making the country progressive and developed and a great Islamic state.

The Prime Minister urged the people to work for the welfare of the country through discipline, unity, and hardwork. "If we will work with unity and dedication, no one can challenge us," he said.

He said the government has been taking measures to ensure peace and tranquillity for promoting brotherhood in the society.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday said due to the incentives being provided by the government to the farmers through subsidised fertilizers and other inputs, the country has achieved bumper crop this year.Talking to newsmen here after participating in the harvesting of wheat crop in Bahatar in district Attock, the Prime Minister said by grace of God Almighty, there has been bumper wheat crop across the country including Barani areas and irrigated lands. He said the provision of inputs at subsidised rates, especially Rs. 400 subsidy in per bag of fertiliser, had been very successful and the farmers have record and bumper crops this year. Shaukat Aziz said the agriculture sector, which is backbone of the national economy, was being given special consideration by the government to increase per acre yield of all the crops in the country. The Prime Minister said two third majority of the population lives in the rural areas, therefore, the government has been providing maximum facilities to people living in these areas.

District Government Attock has completed 227 schemes worth Rs. 375 million in education sector reform programme initiated by Chief Minister Punjab Ch Pervaiz Elahi.

District Education Officer (elementary) Malik Mohammad Ashraf told that under crash recruitment programme, 2,549 educators have so far been recruited in the district while the process to fill 1500 vacant posts in education department was in final stages.

He said that district government had upgraded 265 schools including 15 high schools, 92 elementary, 139 primary and 19 Maktab schools, while 18 new schools had been set up in far-flung ares of the district.

Malik Ashraf said that Attock was facing acute shortage of science teachers and special efforts were being made to overcome the shortage. He said that establishment of Comsats information technology institute, polytechnic school and education college were some of the big achievements of the district nazim in education sector.

 He said that Attock district was far ahead from other districts of Punjab for turning the dream of “Phara Likha Punjab” of Chief Minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi into reality.

The leader of PPPP from Attock, Syed Azmat Ali Bukhari has said that his party would not allow general Musharraf to repeat his "previous practice " (of rigging elections) in the forthcoming general elections of 2007.

While addressing a public gathering with other renowned leaders of PPPP, he strongly berated the rampant poverty, unemployment, and inflation in the Country.

He vowed that Benazir Bhutto would return to her Country and would also contest the general elections, while urging the masses not to vote for current Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who won his previous seat from this very constituency.

He also condemned the police brutality meted to participants of a public gathering on 14th Jan, and vowed not to spare the SHO city, responsible for baton charging the public rally at Teen Mela Chowk and vowed to beat the SHO in his very home.

The leader expressed his solidarity and sympathies with the wounded public and said that their sacrifice would not go in vain. The district nazim was also criticized, and said that the wounded public should be shown to the Chief Justice, as a living proof of the brutality of police.

While terming the Liaqat Bagh public rally as a huge success, the speakers claimed that the government was really scared of the popularity of the party, and said that the very police who baton charged this gathering would baton charge the current government soon

Justice Iftikhar’s convoy reaches Peshawar

ISLAMABAD: The convoy of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry reached Peshawar.

Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will administer oath to the newly elected office-bearers of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) and address Peshawar Bar.

The convoy of Justice Iftikhar warmly received by large number of people when it entered in Peshawar. The convoy had left Islamabad residence of chief justice at 8:30 am this morning for the NWFP capital.

The workers of Jamat Islami welcomed the convoy at Golra More on Peshawar road with flower petals. The members of Islamabad and Rawalpindi Bar Associations and Muslim League (N) women workers received the convoy at Motorway Interchange.
Courtesy Geo

 A convention of thousands of lawyers in Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier Province, to express solidarity with suspended chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry yesterday turned into a rally against military rule in Pakistan.

Leaders of the Peshawar High Court Bar and other speakers launched strident attacks on President General Pervez Musharraf, demanding reinstatement of the chief justice.

"We do not want a service judiciary. The message from this gathering is clear that the people of Pakistan want a civil democratic society and not a military dictatorship," said Latif Afridi, president of the Peshawar High Court Bar, to loud applause.

Describing Justice Chaudhry as a hero, he said lawyers in particular and the people of the country in general saluted him for standing up to a dictator.

Afridi vowed that lawyers would continue their struggle till the chief justice was restored his post.

Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who is leading the panel of lawyers defending the chief justice at the Supreme Judicial Council hearing the presidential reference against him, said the time had come to establish constitutional rule in the country.

"If someone is in uniform we are also in uniform," he said, referring to the black coat and tie worn by lawyers.

Chaudhry himself travelled to Peshawar from Islamabad in a motorcade that grew larger and larger en route and, in his speech, dwelt at length on the sanctity of the Constitution.

PESHAWAR: Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said on Saturday has underscored the need of rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution, which provided the nation with the best course to resolve its problems.

He believed that the need to follow the constitution is imperative for good governance in the country and said that deviation from constitutional obligations is always a dangerous course for the state.

Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry stated this while addressing Peshawar Bar after administering oath to the newly elected office-bearers of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) here today.

The chief justice said the separation of power in his view is the best course, as it delivers good governance and eliminates chances of corruption.

He said judiciary should act with distinctive roles, and in this regard he described the role of judiciary more vital and important.

He said that the judiciary responsible for guarding the constitution, which helps prevent the country from anarchy.

Earlier Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was accorded a warm welcome upon his arrival by Chief Justice Peshawar High Court, Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Shah Jahan.

Plea against PM’s election dismissed on technicality

 An election tribunal of the Lahore High Court comprising Justice Syed Zahid Hussain on Friday dismissed on technical grounds a petition challenging election of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to the National Assembly from NA-59 Attock-III.

The judge held that the returned candidate, having won the election with the vote and support of electorate, should not be unnecessarily entangled in litigation and that his election should be challenged only on firm and sound footings.

Engineer Jamil Ahmad moved the petition and was himself pleading the case.

The judge observed that except for the petitioner, no affidavit had been filed with the petition - not even the person who claimed to have photographed/prepared the video of the polling. There were hundreds of press-clippings/photographs appended with the petition but no affidavit had been placed on record.

Security tightened for Chief Justice Chaudhry’s visit

The NWFP government on Friday beefed up security around the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on account of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s visit on Saturday (today).

“Security arrangements have been finalised for the CJP’s visit. Policemen deployed from Attock to the PHC building will ensure the safety of lawyers and political activists,” NWFP Police Chief Mohammad Sharif Virk told reporters. PHC CJ Tariq Pervaz Khan also inspected the PHC premises where Justice Chaudhry would address bar members.

Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) President Abdul Latif Afridi told Daily Times that arrangements had been finalised for the CJP’s visit. He appealed to political party activists not to shout their party’s slogans and bring flags to the lawyers’ rally. “Our opponents are trying to portray the lawyers’ rally as a political show,” he said.

“The PHCBA has invited five representatives from each political party and civil society organisation to the lawyers’ oath-taking ceremony,” he added. He said the lawyers had also met the NWFP home secretary, who, he said, had directed officials concerned to make security arrangements for the CJP’s rally.

Talking to a delegation of Attock's lawyers who called on him at his residence on Friday, the Chief Justice has expressed his gratitude to lawyers community and termed them part of his team.

The Chief Justice has said that they (Lawyers) rendered unprecedented support for the supremacy of the judiciary.

The delegation comprised of members of Punjab Bar Council Malik Asif Advocate, President Bar Association Attock Rana Afsar Ali, former President Sheikh Ahsan-u-Din, Sardar Imtiaz Khan and Khalid Malik.

The delegation of Attock Bar invited the Chief Justice to address District Bar Attock in his way to Peshawar. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Ch in response assured the delegation that he would soon address Attock Bar.

The delegation while expressing their gratitude said that Attock's lawyers would accord warm welcome to him at Hattian Qutba Kamra Chowk.

More than 58, 200 prisoners are languishing in 31 jails of the Punjab against the capacity of 21,027.

According to an official report issued in March, the prisoners included 1,121 juveniles and 698 women. As many as 36,688 men and 949 juveniles are facing trial.

About 6,938 prisoners including 44 women have been convicted. Out of 698 women prisoners, 382 are facing trial and 272 are convicted.

Out of 58, 203 prisoners, 22,174 including 358 women and 314 juveniles have been charged with murder under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The highest number of prisoners (convicted and under-trial) are involved in murder cases.

The Sikh baptism ceremony, Baisakhi, also known as the harvest festival in Punjab was celebrated by Sikhs at Shri Swami Narayan Temple on Saturday.

It was on this day the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, chose to transform the Sikhs into a family of soldier saints, known as the Khalsa Panth. It marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year.

The celebrations began at the small temple located within the Swami Narayan at 9pm although worshippers started gathering since evening to attend the ‘Akhand Path’ (continuous reading of the Sikh Holy Book Guru Granth Sahib).

“The Akhand Path is usually arranged two days before and the Bhog Sahib, the completion ceremony, is on the morning of Baisakhi but in Karachi Akhand Path lasts for seven days,” informed Sameet Kumar, the Gayani (religious leader) of the temple.

He said that Baisakhi is not a grand affair in Karachi because most of the Sikhs travel to Thatta, Lahore or India where large-scale celebrations are held. “It is specially colourful in the villages where Sikh farmers celebrate the harvesting season by dancing on the fields,” he adds.

     He said this while inspecting various models prepared by the Home Management & Interior Decoration Department of Home Economics College for the decoration of Education Wing of Civil Secretariat Lahore here Wednesday.

     He said that the students of the Home Economic College did  excellent work on Attock Fort after which it was decided to assign  the task of improvement of Education Wing of the Civil Secretariat to them and they also showed commendable performance on this project.

    He was informed that models for Education Wing have been  prepared in such a manner that no alteration would have to be made  and colour scheme of building, decoration of walls, setting of  furniture besides proposals for beautification of windows have also  been included.

Museum and Education  Wing of Civil Secretariat to the Education Minister.