Tuesday, November 25, 2008

DCO Larkana transferred!

The Sindh government has transferred the District Police Officer (DCO), Larkana, Aziz Uqaly; and posted the Additional Secretary, Local Government, Jafar Abbasi; as DCO for the home town of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. The transfer was ordered on the directive of President Asif Ali Zardari who directed the Sindh government to remove the DCO as he received many complaints against him. The officials claimed that Uqaly was posted on the demand of Faryal Talpur MNA, Naudero, Larkana. However, the party leaders and legislators from Larkana complained to the president about the delaying in development work in Benazir Bhutto district and blamed the DCO for the delay.

President directs MPs to focus on Larkana uplift

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

ISLAMABAD: PPP parliamentarians belonging to Larkana district have complained to President Asif Ali Zardari against the attitude of the federal as well as provincial ministers towards the people of Larkana, the hometown of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.A group of parliamentarians, provincial ministers and notables from the Larkana division informed the president of their complaints in a meeting with him here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

They discussed with the president the problems being faced by the people of the area.The president assured the delegation that the government would look into their problems and try to address these issues. According to sources, the president directed the federal and provincial ministers to hold open Katcheries in Larkana at the mausoleum of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto fortnightly and resolve the issues on priority basis.

The sources said the president also directed Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah not to neglect the people of Larkana in the future and keep in touch with MNAs and MPAs of the hometown of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmad Khoro and MNA Faryal Talpur were also present in the meeting

Protesters warn of burning degrees!!!

LARKANA, Nov 16: Candidates who have passed the Sindh Public Service Commission’s test for lecturer’s job threatened on Sunday that they would burn their degrees and stage a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s House if appointment letters were not issued to them.Imdad Tunio and Ms Kausar Samo, two of the candidates who observed a token hunger strike and held a demonstration outside the press club, told journalists that 650 lecturers had passed the commission’s test and given offer letters in May 2008.

The government had promised to give them joining orders but later deviated from its commitment, forcing the job-seekers to go to the court, which ordered the government on Oct 21 to issue appointment orders within four months but it did not happen, they complained.They said that they had learnt that a summery on their appointment had again been sent to the chief minister and hoped he would sign it this time.They said they would be forced to sell their kidneys if the government did not issue appointment orders.

Charge-sheet submitted against taluka nazim

LARKANA, Nov 17: The Anti-corruption Establishment (ACE) Larkana on Monday submitted a charge-sheet against the suspended taluka nazim of Larkana Qurban Ali Abbasi and five other officers of Taluka Municipal Administration in the special court of anti-corruption Larkana. About four month ago the circle officer ACE Larkana Niaz Hussain Khajjar had registered an FIR against Qurban Abbasi and five officers for allegedly auctioning 87 residential and commercial plots at old bus stand and Sachal Colony of Larkana.

The circle officer said that the suspended taluka nazim had allotted plots without seeking permission from the council and dished them out to his ‘favourites’ during the ban period.Others nominated in the FIR included Abdul Karim Shaikh, Taluka Municipal Officer, Manzoor Ali Dhamraho, Land Grant Officer, Atta Muhammed Channa, Taluka Officer Finance, Yusif Maseeh, Taluka Officer Regulation and Liaquat Mirani, Taluka officer infrastructures, the circle officer added.Presently all the officers and the taluka nazim Larkana Qurban Abbasi were on bail. Sindh government had already suspended the Taluka Nazim and the naib nazim.Yasir Junejo backed by Awam Dost Panel had taken over the charge of taluka nazim.

It was learnt that ADP had managed the ousters the taluka nazim Larkana through PPP government when they had failed to unseat him through vote of confidence.They had tried time and again but could not succeed, therefore, they had done it with the tool of Sindh Local Government Ordinance through Sindh Local Government Commission, the sources said.

Delay in opening rice purchase centres to deepen crisis

LARKANA, Nov 15: Leaders of growers’ organisations and rice millers foresee further deepening of crisis if the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Supplies Corporation (Passco) delays opening procurement centres to buy rice produce from growers in Sindh and Balochistan.Ishaque Mughairi, president of Qambar-Shahdadkot chapter of the Sindh Abadgar Board, said on Saturday that the growers were compelled to sell Irri-6 rice at the rate of Rs500 to 600 per 40 kilograms in the absence of government’s procurement centres.

In Shahdadkot, which had 75 rice mills, the Basmati variety of rice was being sold at Rs700 to 800 per 40 kg, with small khatedars and growers bearing the brunt of what he called tremendous ‘cuts’ on sale of their rice produce.

The traders deduct 30 maunds from 1000 maunds of rice under different pretexts, he said.He termed government’s announcement of establishing Passco’s procurement centres an eyewash and said that no procurement centre had been set up so far in Sindh and Balochistan.He said that thing would never improve without a comprehensive procurement policy and alleged that exporters, millers and government had joined hands to squeeze out the growers.Reports from Qambar indicated that no procurement centre had been opened there and growers’ demand for enhancement in rice procurement price from Rs700 per 40 kg had fallen on deaf ears.The influential traders who had obtained wheat from government godowns at the rate of Rs675 per 40 kg were openly selling it to growers in the absence of certified seed at the rate of Rs2,000 to 2,200 per 50 kg bag, he said.

Gada Hussain Mahesar, senior vice-president of Larkana chapter of Sindh Abadgar Board, regretted the cold-shouldered attitude of the agriculture department and said that he had written to federal and provincial governments, cautioning that delay in procurement would harm wheat crop and so the economy.Mr Mahesar called for effective and timely arrangements for procuring rice and said that Sindh and Balochistan produced 2.6 million tons of rice (3.9 million tons of paddy) per year.He termed Passco’s claim about purchasing rice impracticable and said that it lacked experience and sufficient technical staff to cover all the 900 mills in both the provinces.

He disclosed that Sindh and Balochistan earned $700 million from exporting rice annually and called for convening a meeting of the representatives of growers, millers and concerned government officials to pull growers out of present crisis.Siraj Rashdi, president of the Larkana chapter of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, regretted non-existence of procurement centres in both the provinces and said the support price for rice at Rs700 per 40 kg was quite reasonable.He said that poor peasants were compelled to sell out their share in the yield at lower rates because they could not afford to withstand the pressure of repaying loans and meeting other requirements.

LARKANA: Arts Council project hits snags

LARKANA, Nov 16: Construction work at the Arts Council Complex in the city is yet to begin although the district government has allowed to select a site.Subsequently, the plot was earmarked for the Arts Council Complex had been proposed for judges’ lodges, sources said.The project, a dream of the Sindh culture and tourism department, was approved by the Pakistan Development Party at a meeting in Islamabad on December 23, 2005 with an estimated cost of Rs79.743 million, sources privy to the project told ApnaLarkana.com team.

Funds were duly allocated for it, they added. The department, through a letter on January 18, 2006, asked the Larkana executive district officer (revenue) to allocate a plot for the purpose but received a ‘no’ reply.Former district coordination officer of Larkana Haji Khuda Bux Larik on January 29, 2005 asked the EDO to select a suitable site for the complex but without any success.The then deputy district officer, general administration, Khalid Haidar Shah on March 24 2005 sought the help of Larkana Taluka Nazim Qurban Abbasi for site selection who identified a plot near the Police Training School on Larkana-Waggan Road, said the sources.The deputy director of planning through a letter to the DCO on April 4 called for early utilisation of funds.The then EDO (Revenue) Ghulam Mustafa Phull on April 19 2005 identified a plot measuring 14,641 square yards opposite the Chandka Medical College and asked the concerned department, after getting no objection, to begin the work, which it never did.

The then DCO Ahmed Bakhsh Khokhar, to expedite the process, wrote on April 21, 2005 to the deputy director of planning and development to utilise the plot. The deputy director in his reply called for early implementation of the project but the correspondence again remained ineffective, said divisional president of the People’s Culture Wing, Abdul Sattar Khuhawar.Former culture secretary Abdul Qadir Mangi in a letter on March 14, 2007, to the then DCO Larkana Naseer Jamali deplored delay in work on the project with the warning that the funds would be surrendered if work did not start immediately.

He sought allotment of two acres initially for early execution of the project but it was not done.Recently, the office-bearers of People’s Culture Wing met Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who sought a report from the culture department, Mr Khuhawar said.Further action is awaited.

Obama’s Larkana Connection

United State’s Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has a connection with Larkana, city of Bhuttos of Pakistan. In 1981 Obama as a student visited Larkana for a partridge hunting session. His host was one Hasan Chandio. City of Larkana was renamed. Its original name before the raj was Chandka. Chandios are still considered be the biggest landlords of Sindh.
During his visit to Pakistan he stayed in Hasan Chandio’s residence and later he traveled to interior Sindh for partridge hunting. In Sindh partridge hunting is considered as a symbol of good hospitality.


Hasan Chandio is Obama’s Pakistani friend who lives in Westchester County of New York. Obama also made friends with another Sindhi currently Chairman of Senate Muhammadmian Soomro who hails from Shikarpur hardly one hour’s drive from Larkana. He lived at Muhammad Ali Society residence of Ahmad Mian Soomro father of Chairman Senate Muhammadmian Soomro.

SPSC office in Larkana

LARKANA, Nov 22: The camp office of Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) would start functioning in Larkana in the first week of December.It would be established in the district government’s secretariat and the Sindh government had already given a go ahead for setting up such a camp office in Larkana, sources in the SPSC told Dawn.It was learnt that former principal of Chandka Medical College, Professor Akbar Haidar Soomro, and a member of SPSC had visited Larkana and held meetings with the concerned officers and the proposed offices.The SPSC had its head office in Hyderabad and presently two camp offices in Karachi and Sukkur were working and there was a dire need of establishing camp office in Larkana to facilitate the educated youth to easily appear in different examinations.Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah would inaugurate the camp office, sources said.—Correspondent

Sassui Bhutto enters to reclaim the Bhutto flag

Larkana: Fatima Bhutto(left) Ghanwa Bhutto(center) Sassui Bhutto(right) showing mehndi by orphan kids, Zulfiqar Junior in little snap also shown.

LARKANA: CM opens train service between Larkana, Karachi

LARKANA, June 22: Inaugurating Qalandar Express, a new train from Larkana to Karachi, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Saturday night urged the Pakistan Railways authorities to introduce more such trains in Sindh to facilitate commuters.With lower air-conditioned facilities, Qalandar Express would shuttle between Larkana and Karachi with few stops and cover the distance of 453 kilometres in 10 hours.

He said if railway service was brought at par with coaches, the passengers would prefer to travel by trains as it was the safest and easiest mode of transport.He said both Asif Zardari the co-chairperson of PPP and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani had taken interest in starting this train as the slain leader Ms Benazir Bhutto had desired for it.

He said previous governments had ignored Larkana and deprived it of almost all facilities. He said communication was the tool to development and the present government had focused on taking pro-people measures and added that remote areas were being focused in this regard.Speaking on the occasion Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, who had filed a constitutional petition in Sindh High Court Larkana circuit for starting fast train service between Larkana and Karachi, announced its withdrawal. He asked the railways authority for reshaping its policy with the concentration to improve its service on neglected sections.

The General Manager of Pakistan Railways, Asad Saeed, called for providing security to the railway staff so that service could continue in a smooth way.Later, the chief minister launched a book ‘Jhamoriat ki Naveed’ of Sarmad Chandio published by MPA Munawwar Ali Abbasi on Saturday night at SZABIST Larkana campus. While announcing Rs25,000 for the poet, the CM stressed the need of supporting literary activities and appreciated the efforts of the MPA.The chief minister also participated in a programme held by Larkana PPP to pay homage to the leadership of late Ms Benazir Bhutto marking her 55th birth day.Our Khairpur correspondent adds: Addressing pubic gatherings in Drib Mehar Shah, Pir jo Goth, Saddar ji Bhatiyoon and Piryaloi on Sunday, the chief minister said that his party stood by its slogan of “Roti Kapra aur Makan and pledged to implement Benazir Bhutto’s five-point agenda.He said that PPP did not come into power through back door but through people’s power.

Referring to Kingri, he said that people of this area have been ignored for the last 12 years and compelled to bow down but the world has changed now. He said that his government had focused on improvement of health, education and wanted an end to unemployment. He saluted the people of Sindh and said that despite police pressure and harassment, they fulfilled the promises made with Benazir Bhutto.

The Sindh CM said that the shortage of irrigation water in Sindh would end soon and pledged to utilise all the resources for the poor.