Illegal kidney transplants: Case disposed of after centre assures SC of no more operations

By Masood Rehman

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of a suo motu case against Kidney Centre, Rawalpindi, for carrying out illegal transplantations of human organs after it was assured that no further transplantations would be carried out.

A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ch Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, disposed of the case. The court had summoned the last three year’s complete record of the kidney centre to know how many transplantations/operations were carried out.

Earlier, in an undertaking Aadil Hospital, Lahore, had also decided not to carry out transplantations of any sort or description in future.

The court said that the object of promulgating Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Ordinance, 2007 was to provide for the regulation, removal, storage and transplantation of human organs and tissues but it seemed that the provisions of the ordinance were not adhered to strictly and the sale of human organs was going on in two hospitals whose names were mentioned in a letter sent by the Transplantation Society of Pakistan’.

The court took suo motu notice of the illegal sale of organs after the Transplantation Society of Pakistan pointed out that Kidney Centre, Rawalpindi, and Aadil Hospital, Lahore, were involved in the trade.

The law was introduced by the Shaukat Aziz government on the instructions of the apex court, which had directed the administration to devise measures against illegal donors, sellers and purchasers of human organs by introducing a proper law.

Complaints about mushroom growth of private clinics in the country, especially in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, had prompted the apex court to take up the matter.

It was revealed that poor donors from small villages were enticed into selling their kidneys through middlemen to buyers, mainly from Middle East countries, because of poverty or huge debts.

A few years ago some newspapers had even printed chilling photographs of at least a dozen brick kiln workers posing shirtless outside Lahore Press Club. All of them had sold their kidneys to pay off debts to kiln owners to earn their freedom. (DT Report)

Capital Hospital’s upgradation ordered

*secretary calls for establishment of the hospital’s medical college
* Hospital caters to employees of 14 government departments * Cabinet Division

ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary for Cabinet Division Zafar Mehmood on Friday directed high-ups of Capital Development Authority (CDA) to ensure provision of state-of-the-art facilities to patients at Capital Hospital (CH).

According to a press statement, he issued this directive during a visit to the CH. He also asked the CDA to take necessary measures to upgrade the hospital in line with modern technology. Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Atta Muhammad Raja, CDA Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan and all CDA Board members also accompanied Zafar.

Medical college: He also asked the hospital administration to go for possibilities either to affiliate the CH with any private medical college or set up its own medical college.

He emphasised the need for converting the hospital into a teaching hospital, so that expertise of senior medical specialists could benefit the patients. Zafar directed the authorities concerned to provide latest healthcare facilities and medicines to the city residents.

On the occasion, the CDA chairman said the authority was already working on a plan to upgrade the CH. Emergency services will be improved and professionally skilled experts inducted into the CH medical board, he added. Khan said the CH was already catering to general population of Islamabad besides the CDA employees.

Briefing: Earlier, CH Executive Director Dr Hamid Zaib Khan briefed the Cabinet Division secretary on the hospital. He said the CH, established 27 years ago as a dispensary, had now become third major hospital of this city. He said the hospital was also providing healthcare facilities to the employees of 14 government departments.

Under the CDA chairman’s guidance, Dr Zaib said, efforts were underway to install high-tech equipment and maintain relevant facilities at the hospital to bring it at par with two other major hospitals of the city. The CH is the first healthcare centre of the city that is installing its own oxygen plant, he said.

In the end, the Cabinet Division secretary visited different wards, emergency and X-ray departments and ambulance, rescue and emergency services centre of the hospital.

PM Yousuf Raza Gilani announces restoration of deposed CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday announced that the government had decided to reinstate the country’s Supreme Court chief justice in a bid to end political turmoil.

Main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has been locked in a showdown with President Asif Ali Zardari demanding the reinstatement of the top judge, who was sacked by ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2007.

‘I announce today that Iftikhar Chaudhry and all other deposed judges will be reinstated from March 21,’ Gilani said in a televised address to the nation.
The current Supreme Court chief justice will retire on that date, allowing Chaudhry to take over, the premier said.

He directed provincial governments to release all those arrested during a stringent government clampdown aimed at foiling a so-called long march organised by lawyers and political activists, due to reach Islamabad on Monday.

He also immediately lifted section 144, a 19th century British law, put into effect in the capital and the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and North West Frontier Province outlawing public demonstrations.

Arrests made as last option: Sherry Rehman

ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said that the government had no other option except to go for arrests.

Addressing a news conference here, she said that rulers had repeatedly given a civil disobedience call that is against the democratic process.

“We already tried to stage peaceful protest,” she said.

The minister said that differences remain among political parties all over the world but rebellion call is never given.

Sherry further said: “We didn’t come into power through backdoor as our leader Benazir Bhutto had sacrificed her life for the cause.” However, we never raised the flag of rebellion.

Task force formed to solve Blue Area problems

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Tariq Mehmood Khan on Tuesday said Blue Area traders’ problems would be solved on immediate basis.

According to a press statement, Mehmood Khan said Blue Area was commercial heartland of the capital and the CDA had formed a task force to solve traders’ problems.

He was speaking to a delegation of traders, led by Blue area Traders Welfare Association President Malik Sohail Hussain. He said representatives of traders were part of the task force so that real problems were located properly.

He said Jinnah Avenue flyover would be completed within a month and a proposal for construction of a mosque, a dispensary and an association office had been approved. staff report

Task Force to be formed to relocate Kuchi Abadi out of Islamabad: Kamal Shah

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Interior, Syed Kamal Shah has said a Kuchi Abadi Task Force is planned to be formed comprising CDA, ICCI and local administration representatives to relocate these abadis out of Islamabad.

Talking to a large delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) lead by its Acting President Shaban Khalid, the Secretary Interior said an "Encroachment Control Task Force" will also be constituted including ICCI representative.

The task force would identify and advice for removal of encroachments from the markets, he added and ensured the business community that no businessman shall be arrested without his clearance.

The Secretary Interior during the meeting ensured the business community that all possible measures would be taken to solve problems with their collaboration and consultation.

He said that businessmen would be given representation in Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), that could spare time and invest money for its activities so that citizens’ problems could be solved with mutual efforts, he added. He said an "Industrial Area Evaluation and Crime Control Committee" will be formed giving representation to ICCI in it as well for controlling crimes in industrial areas with joint efforts.

Before this, ICCI Acting President said that close cooperation and better collaboration between business community and the local administration is the need of the hour for resolving businessmen problems and for facilitating the growth of business & economic activities in the area.

He called for the establishment of a Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) giving representation to ICCI in it to facilitate citizens in prompt resolution of their problems with mutual efforts. He said crimes in industrial areas of Islamabad were on the rise and proposed the establishment of a separate police station for crimes control in these areas. He emphasized that ICCI should be taken on board to regularly review and suggest remedial measures for controlling the rising crimes in industrial areas.

The delegation informed the Secretary Interior that Kuchi Abadis in Islamabad were proving a cause of security risks and called upon the local administration for relocating them out of Islamabad to some other proper place.

They said due to increasing encroachments at various markets of Islamabad, businessmen and customers were facing problems and drawn the attention of local administration for their removal. They said while taking police action against any businessman, ICCI should be taken on board.

They said due to non-promulgation of Rent Control Act, disputes between tenants and owners were on the rise and called for promulgation of a balanced Act to avoid such disputes. They said due to security problems, businessmen were feeling insecure and had to deploy private security guards for protection of their business interests.

They requested the local administration for issuing arms license on recommendation of ICCI to business concerns and private security guards for equipping them with better arsenal.

The business community observed the positive interactive approach of the M/o Interior and ensured fruitful results for betterment of business activities in the region with the continuation of such policies.

Speeding bus kills student

Protesters block Islamabad Expressway, torch 7 vehicles

* Police fire teargas shells, resort to aerial firing for seven hours
* Rangers called out to disperse protesters
* Road users say district admin failed to pacify students

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: Police on Wednesday restored to baton-charge, teargas and aerial firing to disperse students protesting on Islamabad Expressway against a student’s killing by a speeding bus in the vicinity.

The students blocked the expressway for over eight hours and torched seven vehicles before police dispersed them.

The students took to Islamabad Expressway, IJ Principal Road and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road soon after Mansoor, a 3rd year student of Government Commerce College, H-8, died after being run over by a speeding bus near Faizabad chowk.

Police apprised the students of the bus driver’s arrest but they refused to go away until the alleged killer was punished on the spot.

There followed baton-charge of students by police. The students retaliated by pelting police with stones.

Police teargassed students to disperse them. As a result, the students spread all over the expressway.

People from nearby areas and the PML-N workers joined students, who later blocked Islamabad Expressway near Dhoke Kala Khan and began burning tyres.

Police fired teargas shells on the mob and resorted to aerial firing for seven long hours but the students stayed put. They later called Rangers for help and managed to disperse protestors.

The students set fire to seven vehicles including a police van and a CDA firefighting vehicle, and broke windowpanes of several private vehicles. Some policemen and protestors suffered injuries in the process. Police arrested a couple of protesters.

Top police officials, including SSP, Islamabad, Ahmad Latif, Deputy Commissioner Amir Ali Ahmad, SP Nasir Aftab, SP (Investigation) Sajid Kayani and SP (Headquarters) Mirwaise, were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad Expressway’s hours-long blockade inconvenienced people traveling between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The road users blamed their misery on the district administration’s failure to pacify enraged students.