Tag Archives: pakistan
Group clashes leave 38 workers injured
Group clashes leave 38 workers injured Haseeb Haider / 23 August 2013 Two groups of workers clashed in a labour accommodation on Saadiyat Island early this week leaving 38 people wounded, sources said. The law-enforcement authorities controlled the situation and took some people into custody on Tuesday evening. According to witnesses, the incident happened when a group of Bangladeshi workers allegedly beat up some Pakistani workers around 8pm on Monday after an exchange of heated arguments between two workers of either nationality over the handing over of a key. Next day, Pakistani workers allegedly ganged up and roughed up Bangladeshi labourers and in the evening both groups again had a fight leaving at least 38 people wounded. The attack was a result of a long-brewing unease which started a couple of months back when Pakistani workers did not join Bangladeshis in their strike against low wages. The management fired and deported several workers replacing with Pakistanis, according to Farooq Langoov, Welfare Counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy, who met with Pakistani workers and narrated their side of the story to this correspondent. Asharf Zaitoon, spokesperson for Abu Dhabi-based Arabtec Holding, told Khaleej Times that two colleagues from Pakistan and Bangladesh quarrelled with each other over the handing over of a key of the kitchen. Later, several other workers joined the minor quarrel. The spokesman also confirmed that all those who were taken to hospital have been discharged after being administered first aid. Zaitoon said those who were taken into custody soon after the brawl had also been released and they were all back to work. The incident did not affect the construction activities at the two main sites, including the Mid-field Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport and Louvre Abu Dhabi, he added. The Bangladeshi and Pakistani diplomats amicably resolved the issue in cooperation with Arabtec Holding officials on Thursday afternoon. Farooq Langoov said the minor dispute had been resolved and for future, a mechanism had been devised to sort out any misgivings among workers, in order to avoid any brawl. He appreciated the UAE authorities and Arabtec Holding for their cooperation in resolving the issue amicably. Stressed from day’s hard work, construction workers of different nationalities clash with each other on minor issues like queuing up for food. But, Zaitoon said that his company had allotted separate accommodation to Pakistani workers on their request. “Now they have been relocated to Al Yas Island,” he said. On measures Arabtech has taken to stop such incidents from repeating in the future, he hoped this would not be repeated again due to the composition of the company’s labour accommodation. The company has people of up to nine nationalities staying together in harmony in certain labour accommodation. haseeb@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Pakistan ex-head Musharraf charged in Bhutto death
Pakistan ex-head Musharraf charged in Bhutto death (AP) / 20 August 2013 A Pakistani court Tuesday indicted former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf on murder charges in connection with the 2007 assassination of iconic Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, deepening the fall of a once-powerful figure who returned to the country this year in an effort to take part in elections. The decision by a court in Rawalpindi marks the first time Musharraf, or any former army chief in Pakistan, has been charged with a crime. Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup and stepped down from office in disgrace nearly a decade later, now faces a litany of legal problems that have in many ways broken taboos on the inviolability of the once-sacrosanct military in Pakistani society. He has been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and facilitation for murder, said prosecutor Chaudry Muhammed Azhar. The former army commando appeared in person during the brief morning hearing, and pleaded not guilty, said Afsha Adil, a member of Musharraf’s legal team. Bhutto was killed in 2007 during a gun and bomb attack at a rally in the city of Rawalpindi, the sister city to the capital of Islamabad. Prosecutors have said Musharraf, who was president at the time, failed to properly protect her. The judge set August 27 as the next court date to present evidence. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March after nearly four years outside the country and vowed to take part in the country’s May elections. But he has little popular support in Pakistan and ever since his return has faced a litany of legal problems related to his rule. He has been confined to his house on the outskirts Islamabad as part of his legal problems, and was brought to court Tuesday amid tight security. In addition to the Bhutto case, Musharraf is involved in a case related to the 2007 detention of judges and the death of a Baluch nationalist leader. He’s also faced threats from the Pakistani Taliban who tried to assassinate him twice while he was in office and vowed to try again if he returned. Continue reading
Sharif upset over border clashes, calls for peace
Sharif upset over border clashes, calls for peace (IANS) / 9 August 2013 Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed “sadness” on Thursday over the border clashes in Kashmir, and said India and Pakistan must take “effective steps” to restore normalcy on the frontier. Sharif told foreign ministry officials here that he was sad over the incidents involving Pakistani and Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir between the two countries. ‘The prime minister said it was imperative for both India and Pakistan to take effective steps to ensure and restore ceasefire on the LoC,’ a foreign ministry statement quoted him as saying. Sharif’s comments came as Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony earlier in the day formally accused the Pakistan Army of killing the five soldiers in Indian territory early Tuesday. Antony’s previous statement blaming ‘heavily armed terrorists’ and others in Pakistani military uniform led to a storm, with the opposition accusing him of trying to take away the blame from the Pakistan Army. Without referring to the death of the Indian soldiers, the statement said the clashes – two Pakistani soldiers were later wounded by Indians – had flared up tensions between India and Pakistan leading to ‘loss of precious human lives’. Sharif, who took power in June, emphasised that existing military-to-military channels could be more optimally used to prevent misunderstanding between the two neighbours. The present crisis, he said, should not be allowed to escalate. ‘Pakistan … is prepared to discuss steps with India for further strengthening of existing mechanisms both at the political and military levels,’ the statement quoted him as saying. This is the first major diplomatic crisis Sharif is facing and it comes ahead of a planned meeting between him and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September. Sharif said it was incumbent upon the leaders of India and Pakistan ‘not to allow the situation to drift and to take steps to improve the atmosphere by engaging constructively with a view to building trust and confidence’. He said he looked forward to his meeting with Manmohan Singh in New York, where he hoped to ‘discuss steps to further build trust and consolidate this relationship’. The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to persist in its efforts to improve relations with India ‘through a constructive dialogue on all issues’. Those present at Sharif’s meeting included Information Minister Pervez Rashid and Advisor to the prime minister on National Security Sartaj Aziz. The Tuesday killings of Indian soldiers and the wounding of a sixth have led to calls in India that further talks with Pakistan must be called off. Continue reading
