Senators get paid for nothing

The Pakistani nation with over 35% people living below the poverty line will pay over seven million rupees (C$189,000) to its senators as daily allowance from May 20 to June 8 despite the Senate’s long recess. A senator is paid C$93 daily allowance in case the upper house of the Parliament is in session and hence in total Rs0.35 million would be paid to 100 senators each day from the national exchequer.

As per rules, the parliamentarians are paid even for Saturdays and Sundays when a session is on. Interestingly, so far, there has been no hint from any treasury or opposition senator that he or she would decline the payments, local media said. Senate Chairman Mohamedmian Soomro, in an unexpected move adjourned the house for three weeks primarily to cool down the raging tempers of the opposition senators over several issues.

Moral cops

The personnel of Muhafiz (Protector) Force have allegedly started harassing young couples visiting public parks in this provincial metropolis of Lahore in Pakistan to extort money.  The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has expressed deep concern over the issue of police personnel harassing visitors, especially young couples, and have demanded the senior police officials to stop the Muhafiz Force from abusing their powers at public parks. A PHA official said the force had received a number of complaints from visitors, particularly young couples, who have been victimised.

Business end of terror

Aga Khan Academy, an educational institute, will be established soon in Dhaka to offer quality education to young learners. The Aga Khan Foundation is now working to develop the country’s education sector, besides co-operating NGOs in promoting healthcare and services similar to the above in Bangladesh.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the leadership, Prince Aga Khan, leader of the Ismaili community, may pay a visit to Bangladesh, which will be celebrated from July 2007 to July 2008.

Foreign ship sinks

Fifteen on board Panama flagship MV Dolphin 2 that left the southeastern Bangladesh port of Chittagong port on its way to Yangon are feared dead as the vessel sank near the Myanmar coast being caught in the cyclonic storm. They said the 6,000-tonne capacity cargo ship carried steel billets to Bangladesh from India. The vessel was caught in the storm near the Myanmar coast and sank. ‘The captain and four other members of the crew, out of the 20 on board the vessel, managed to return to the shore. The fifteen remaining are missing,’ said an official of the ship’s local agent.

Taliban's revenge

The May 15 suicide attack on the Afghan-owned Marhaba Hotel in Pehawar was the Taliban’s revenge for the arrest of their senior military operational commander a month ago and the killing of Mullah Dadullah in Afghanistan. Around 25 people, including the hotel owner and his son and relatives, were killed.

when the suicide bomber blew him up as customers packed the hotel restaurant at lunchtime on May 15. The sources said senior Taliban commander Mullah Saeedullah and Qari Rehmat Din, Afghan prayer leader in Mardan district, were “picked up” from areas close to the hotel and handed over to the US in April. The suicide bomber had taped a message on his legs warning that “US spies will meet the same fate.”