But for four centuries, the name of a female ruler in Gilgit has been recalled every time the crops were watered a sip was taken at one of the two irrigation canals that feed the valley.

Dadi Jawari, a 17th century ruler of Gilgit, gave the region perhaps one of its greatest gifts ever.

Ajeeni daljah and Khireeni daljah are the two main irrigation channels feeding Gilgit which had been built by Jawari between 1630 and 1660 AD.

They had been built to irrigate what is now Kashrote, Nargal, Majini Muhallas, Barmas and Sonikot areas in the heart of Gilgit.

“I am sure that she was one of the finest administrators this region has even seen,” says Sherbaz Bercha, a noted historian in Gilgit-Baltistan.

“The two main channels [Ajeeni daljah and Khireeni daljah] were dug during her rule and I must say we owe the expansion of our city to that great lady,” Barcha told The Express Tribune.

The channels were built to help expand existing settlements of the time which were confined to Barmas, Jutial and Napoor.
Interestingly, Gilgit’s residents refused to help with the canal’s construction.

The queen, thus, was forced to seek help from the Darel valley – what is today known as the Diamer district – to build her canal.

In the absence of proper recorded history of the region, Barcha conceded that they mostly rely on folklore and other accounts to piece together the history.

Ahmad Hasan Dani, a famous historian who wrote History of Northern Areas of Pakistan, wrote that Dadi Jawari used to dress like a man and ride horses and issued orders in her name.

“She took great interest in ameliorating the lives of people, undertook many welfare measures and built many roads in the country, [region]” Dani wrote. He corroborates the construction of the canals in his book.

The queen is also said to have travelled to all parts of her dominion, meeting the locals and inquiring after their troubles.

Once when she was said to be visiting the Sanekar fort in Bagrote area, she was besieged by her opponents. But being a resourceful and capable woman, she managed to break through the siege.

According to Dani, Jawari twice ruled the region. First from 1630 to 1660 AD and then from 1689 to 1705.

This account, however, is disputed by another historian, the late Shah Raees Khan. He says Jawari ruled Gilgit from 1642 to 1667.

While Jawari brought the gift of water to greater Gilgit, it has been neglected by subsequent generations.

The water of the canals was used for drinking till the early 80s. However, a fast growing population and lack of care for the canals means that water in the channels is highly contaminated and not fit for drinking.

Despite that, the canals, along with her work for women empowerment, mean that Jawari is immortalised in the region.
Today, we can see some of her legacy carried forward by pioneering women such as famous climber Samina Baig. via ET

(Published by: Mountain TV)

GILGIT (AP TV): Hasan stands outside a house in a Gilgit street. He is visibly nervous. “Should I knock on the door,” he hesitantly asks a group of boys surrounding him. “Yes you have to,” replies a boy in the group. Excited to be doing it for the first time, Hasan pulled down his mask and knocks on the door.

When the door opens, the entire group of children rushes in and starts performing a traditional play. The 14-year-old was part of ‘Shaap’, a traditional form of street theatre popular in Gilgit. It is a nascent form of  entertainment for children.

The shows are performed by groups of around 15 young boys, aged between 10 and 17. During the cold winter nights of December and January, they go house-to-house knocking on doors. When someone lets them in, they start performing the musical play.

The main characters in ‘Shaap’ are “Jaro” and “Jari” – a old man and an old woman, respectively. The couple’s characters are usually performed by teenagers under the age of 15. Their props are generally limited to masks and walking sticks to add a bit of visual depth to their characters.

The boys also bring their own musical arrangements, with the senior-most member of group carrying a drum.

The drummer usually goes door-to-door, beating the drum to alert residents about the arrival of Jari and Jaro, as the rest of the team who follow in tow.

“Apart from alerting the residents, the drumbeat ‘heats up’ the frozen atmosphere and the actors,” said city resident Altaf Khan.

The boys only visit around four houses a night before returning to their respective homes due to the extreme cold.

But in some cases, residents are not interested in allowing the kids into their homes. They simply tell the boys off at the gate.

But the boys are stubborn and do not leave without exacting a ‘tip’ – which could range from Rs10 to Rs200.

Once the ‘tip’ exchanges hands, the boys move on to the next house, happy to have at least earned something.

Dying tradition

While boys continue to perform the traditional theatre in areas such as Nagral, Kashrot, Majini Muhalla, Barmas, Amphery and Napura, its prevalence has decreased considerably over the years.

Technology is the chief culprit in this regard, keeping young and old alike preoccupied.

“There was a time when we had free time for such activities,” Khan told The Express Tribune.

“But now our kids only have time for technology,” he said, fearing that the decades old tradition was at risk of being forgotten.

KARACHI (Dunya News) - The alleged police encounter of Zeesgab got controversial on Saturday night as the family protested outside the police station and chanted slogans against police, reported Dunya News.

Police had claimed that they killed Zeeshan in an encounter on previous day and injured his two companions. But the family claimed that it was a fake encounter.

The mother and sister of Zeeshan asked that how was Zeeshan killed while he was in the custody of police. They said that they would protest until they get justice. 

KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided to restructure its organisational construct, sources informed on Sunday.

Under the new structure, PPP-Parliamentarians has been dissolved. The PPP will stay as the only functional party, the sources said.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will head the PPP while former chairman Senate Nayyar Hussain Bukhari will be the Secretary General, the sources added.

The PPP-Parliamentarians was a party created by Ameen Faheem during Pervez Musharraf's presidency. The party was an electoral extension of the PPP.

LAHORE (News92world) – Bitterly cold weather has enveloped various areas of the country with intermittent snowfall on the mountains.

A large number of tourists have flocked to Murree and Azad Kashmir to enjoy the enchanting weather.

Hundreds of tourists are also expected today whereas those already present there have prolonged their stay.

Light rain continues to fall in various areas of Punjab.

Met office has predicted more rainfall in different areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Besides this, winter will also persist in Karachi in the coming days as northeast winds has increased coldness in the city.

On the other hand, numeorus roads have been blocked in Dir due to heavy snowfall whereas power breakdown in Kaghan from the last one week has created problems for people.

Temperature fell below freezing point in Quetta, Ziarat and Kalat as a result of which water freeze up in the taps and utensils.

Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning:

Islamabad 5°C, Lahore 8°C, Karachi 12°C, Peshawar 4°C, Quetta -5°C, Gilgit 0°C, Murree -3°C and Muzaffarabad 4°C.

President Mamnoon Hussain has released the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2017.

Under the new amendment, which is now in effect through a Presidential Ordinance, the discretionary powers of the NAB chairman for a plea bargain have been revoked.

Following amendment of Section 25-A of the NAB Ordinance 1999, permission of the court is now necessary to strike any deal for voluntary return or plea bargain. Any person found involved in corrupt practices would be banned for life from holding any public or government office.

The Presidential Ordinance will be presented in the Senate on January 9. After approval of the National Assembly, it will be made an Act of Parliament.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, at a press conference on Saturday alongside Law Minister Zahid Hamid, IT Minister Anusha Rehman, and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Law, Barrister Zafar Ullah, had said there had been specific observations for a long time about Section 25-A (Voluntary Return and Plea Bargain) and the Supreme Court had also asked the Attorney General about the government's stance on the issue.

Earlier, persons striking plea bargain were disqualified from holding public or government office for 10 years but this law would ensure lifetime ban of corrupt elements, the finance minister had said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had assigned the task to review this law and the Cabinet's approval had also been obtained to change the existing law, he had added.

Published By: Geo TV

LAHORE (News) – Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif on Saturday has telephoned JUI-F chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman and inquired about his health.

According to details, the premier also sent bouquet to JUI-F chief over his successful operation of gallbladder at Ittefaq Hospital in Lahore.

On the other hand, Speaker of National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Saddiq and Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Shehbaz Sharif also arrived at hospital to see Fazal-ur-Rehman.

The leaders prayed for the speedy recovery of JUI-F chairman and directed proper medical facilities for him.   

Published by: Dunya News

LODHRAN (News Reporter PW) – Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan arrived in Lodhran city on Saturday for condolence with the victims  family of tragic train accident that occurred recently.

The PTI chief sympathised with relatives in a home in which four kids died due to train crash. He also talked to media in this respect.

“Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique should resign after the tragic Lodhran train accident”, Imran Khan demanded.

He asserted that the train accident was caused by negligence on part of the management and this is not the first time that a terrible accident had occurred. Imran Khan suggested that the communication system should be improved.

“If they had spent enough on railway crossing, the communication system would have improved”, he added.

Furthermore, he said that corruption in the country cannot be eradicated till big names are caught while National Accountability Bureau (NAB) only highlights people attempting small scale corruption.

Published by: Dunya News

ISLAMABAD (News92world) – Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has submitted additional documents in Supreme Court regards to Panamgate case, reported News92world.

The documents also include a transcript of interviews by Nawaz Sharif’s financial advisor Haroon Pasha.

According to details, it was revealed by Harron Pasha during his interviews on Dec 6, 2016 and Jan 4, 2017 that Sharif family has got all the records of assets’ ownership and revelations in Panama Papers.

The financial advisor of Sharif family also expressed during these interviews that they would submit all evidences and would try to satisfy the court.

Further hearing of Panmagate case would continue from Monday onward and in which the additional documents would be analyzed.

طیبہ کے والدین ہونے کے نئے دعوایدار سامنے آگئے، ڈی این اے ٹیسٹ کرانے کا مطالبہ

Pakistan’s former Indus water commissioner has claimed that the World Bank (WB) – the arbitrator between Islamabad and New Delhi over their ongoing water dispute – has relented to Indian pressure.

“In my view the World Bank has bowed to Indian pressure which in turn is stalling on the process of resolution by a Court of Arbitration (CoA),” Jamaat Ali Shah said in an interview with The Third Pole, a non-profit organisation. He said Pakistan had approached the World Bank to set up the arbitration court as a last resort only after it failed to resolve the issue bilaterally with its arch rival.

India recently revealed its intentions to block waters flowing into Pakistan. However, Islamabad took exception to the Indian designs, saying any such move would be taken as open aggression.

According to the ex-commissioner, the WB’s request to restart bilateral negotiations at the level of the Indus Commission is going to be an exercise in futility. “To my mind, this dilly-dallying on the part of the Bank only reinforces the latter’s intention to give impetus to Indian PM Narendra Modi’s threat of scrapping the treaty,” he said.

Shah went on to suggest that it was very alarming for Islamabad and there had been suspicion that India was pushing Pakistan for a Treaty II only on the western rivers, the waters of which were allocated to the latter in 1960. “That is why the Bank and the US are seen debating it and dictating Pakistan for an amicable resolution (revision in the treaty). Or at least India wants to get out of the restriction laid down on them in the IWT [Indus Waters Treaty] regarding western rivers, as India cannot liberally utilise these waters as per its will and demand,” he said.

In response to a question about the kind of strategy Pakistan should adopt in face of the growing hostility from its eastern neighbour, the former commissioner said the disinterest in matters of the ministry of water and power had added to the damage.

“Pakistan first notified India for resolution of the questions (on Kishenganga and Ratle projects) by a NE (neutral expert) and then withdrew it, then approached the Bank for a CoA,” he said, adding that it was an issue to be resolved by the NE being technical/design in nature.

According to Shah, processing the issue through CoA was not required. “But the question that comes to mind is to look deeper in the vested interest in the deadlock,” he said.

Claiming that many people aim to benefit from the case being taken from one authority to another, Shah said the expenses incurred were Rs300 million of which Rs190 million have already been paid.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2017.

ISLAMABAD: (News92world) After weeks of speculation, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday confirmed that former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif has been appointed the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition to combat terrorism. The defence minister told a private news channel that Gen Raheel’s appointment was made a few days back and that the government was taken into confidence about the former army chief’s new role.  He, however, would not provide further details.

Gen Raheel Sharif: A life in pictures

Well before Gen Raheel’s retirement, there were rumours that he might be made the head of coalition of likeminded Muslim countries Saudi Arabia had cobbled together last year in the wake of the conflict in Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries.

Speculations about Gen Raheel’s appointment were rife after he was recently spotted in Saudi Arabia. A video showing Gen Raheel escorted by security officials while performing Umrah went viral on social media in the last few days.

However, there was no official confirmation about his visit to Saudi Arabia.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, would not offer any comment when approached about his appointment, saying that the military’s media wing was not authorised to say anything on his activities since he is retired.

Since the defence minister has confirmed Gen Raheel’s appointment, the move is seen as significant given the fact that Pakistan was initially reluctant to join the Saudi-led initiative. In fact, Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia saw an unusual strain after Islamabad refused to send troops to Yemen to fight Houthi rebels last year.  Saudi Arabia was so upset with the parliament’s resolution urging the government to stay away from the conflict in Yemen that a senior Saudi envoy at the time said the Kingdom felt betrayed.

Raheel Sharif named chief of Islamic military coalition, says Khawaja Asif

In order to pacify Saudi Arabia, Gen Raheel travelled to the Kingdom a few times and eventually Pakistan agreed to join the Saudi-led military coalition.  The government, however, clarified that the Saudi coalition was not meant to interfere in Syria or Yemen. It also insisted that Pakistan would not send ground troops to any other country.

Officials here said the primary objective of the Saudi coalition was to coordinate efforts to fight groups such as Da’ish in the most effective manner.

Pakistan has maintained a somewhat neutral policy on some of the hotspots in Middle East particularly in Syria and Yemen. The policy was aimed at ensuring a delicate balance with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are at odds with each other on the Middle Eastern politics. Gen Raheel even attempted to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Iran but could not achieve much success.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2017.

KARACHI: (News92world) In the wake of strident protests by various groups, Sindh Governor Justice (retd) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui has refused to ratify the Sindh Assembly’s forced conversion bill, officially known as Criminal Law (Protection of Minorities) Bill. “Please reconsider the legislation,” said Siddiqui in his message to the Sindh Assembly Secretariat.

In his observations, the governor referred to the letters written by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), MQM parliamentary leader Sardar Ahmed, as well as the protest by religious parties, which either called for the bill’s withdrawal or proposed amendments to it.

PPP may revisit bill against forced conversions

“Today, we have received the bill with the governor’s message. The governor’s plea for reconsideration means he has asked for the bill’s withdrawal and for the introduction of a new law,” said Sindh Assembly Secretary GM Umer Farooq while talking to The Express Tribune. With the governor’s message appended to it, he said, the bill will be presented at the upcoming session of the Sindh Assembly. “However, it is the house’s prerogative to accept it or not,” he said.

The private bill – jointly moved by the ruling PPP and the PML-F lawmakers and unanimously passed by the assembly on November 24 –recommended that change of religion not be recognised until a person becomes 18 years old.

It also prescribed severe penalties for forced conversion of religion and said, “Any person who forcibly converts another person shall be liable to imprisonment for a minimum of five years and maximum of life imprisonment and a fine to be paid to the victim.”

Following the passage of this proposed law, the PPP leadership, civil society members and minorities had celebrated the development and called it a ‘landmark’ achievement in the history of the assembly, which became the first legislative forum to adopt such a law in the country.

However, religious parties rallied against the proposed legislation, calling it against the spirit of Islam and threatening street agitation over it.

According to a source, the PPP government has apparently succumbed to the pressure and has agreed to make amendments to it.

“After Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq’s phoned PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the latter asked the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to withdraw the law and introduce a fresh bill,” an official source said.

Some sources even claimed that the governor objected to the bill on the advice of the Sindh CM.

However, Nand Kumar, the bill’s architect, insisted it was a genuine issue because forced conversions continue to pose a threat to the Hindu community. “Minor girls are compelled to change their religion and get married to Muslim men in Sindh,” he said, terming the government decision to withdraw the law a ‘cowardly act’

“No one objects to changing their faith out of their free-will. But it is a criminal practice to forcibly convert anybody,” he added. “I don’t know where the PPP stands after this decision. The party claims to have taken the mantle for the rights of minorities, yet it has surrendered that role,” he said.

More forced conversions going on than reported, says MP

PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, justified his party and government policy. “We still own this bill, but since some parties have expressed reservations, so we have to redress the same,” he said. “The government will not withdraw the bill, but will make amendments to it,” he added.

However, sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that the bill will again be sent to a standing committee for the point of view of religious parties to be incorporated in it.  “I don’t know what will be the fate of this law, but it may hang in the balance,” a senior bureaucrat in Sindh Assembly said.

The PML-N’s MNA Ramesh Kumar Vakwani, who also heads the Pakistan Hindu Council, said: “It will be a big tragedy for non-Muslims, if the bill is withdrawn.  After this 

decision the extremist elements will become confident and minorities will feel insecure.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2017.

ISLAMABAD (News92world News) – Clouds, rain, snowfall, cold weather, that is what different cities of Pakistan have witnessed in last 24 hours and the intensity of cold increased due to rain in parts of country. Clouds in Lahore started to drizzle in the evening which made the smoky atmosphere clear and weather more cold.

In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained a bit in some areas, and more in others. It also hailed in Sialkot, drizzled in Darya Khan, Quaidabad and Kasur.

Meanwhile, snowfall has also blanketed Murree after which tourists came in large number to enjoy the weather. Many cars were stuck as well due to blockage of roads.

Mountains and trees in Galyat, Malam Jabba and Thandiani also remained under the veil of snow.

Neelam Valley was covered with six to eight feet of snow and Leepa was enveloped with five. The ground connection of some areas of Azad Kashmir was also cut-off due to land sliding.

The clouds and cold wind in Karachi made the weather as well as the moods of people pleasant, and brought winter with them.

The met office has predicted drizzle in Karachi in next 24 hours, rain in Islamabad and upper Punjab, and fog in plain areas.

(Published by: Dunyanews)

BAHAWALPUR (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Saturday visited Victoria Hospital and met the victims of Lodhran train crash that killed 9 people including eight children. The minister pledged to ensure justice to the bereaved families and announced Rs15 lac for the families of the deceased and Rs3 lac for the injured.

He said that three suspects have been arrested from whom investigation is underway however, the signal was functional and the incident took place due to negligence of railway crossing worker.

He also revealed that proposal regarding the mental and psychological tests of drivers and assistant drivers with provision of mobile phones to them is under consideration.

The incident took place when a school rickshaw was trying to pass through Jalalpur’s open railway crossing and struck by train due to negligence of railway employee.

The eye witnesses said that train collided with the vehicle in the presence of railway worker who didn’t close the gates.

Sources told that the mishap had occurred due to no communication system at the crossing. 

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Police officers have geared up the search of minor maid Tayyab, who was subjected to torture at additional session judge’s house, and arrested her parental aunt. According to details, Special Investigation Team (SIT) has detained victim’s aunt Pathani Bibi for further interrogation. On the other hand, four parties have surfaced claiming to be Tayyaba’s family after which two of them have given their blood samples at PIMS Hospital for DNA test.

The child was reportedly employed by an additional session judge in Islamabad and initially told police she’d fallen down the stairs and burnt her hands by accident, Pakistani media reported.

But in a later statement she said that she was beaten and that her hands were burned on the stove by the judge’s wife, reports have said, citing police.

Authorities then placed the girl into a women’s shelter.

But on Tuesday the child’s father told authorities he forgave the judge and his wife, and that his daughter’s story was untrue, so no charges were brought.

The girl’s parents were then reported to have taken her from the women’s shelter and disappeared with her.

The widely-publicised images of her injuries caught the attention of the Supreme Court, which issued a motion initiating a legal case.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar demanded the child be found and a full investigation held by next Wednesday.

Earlier, Supreme Court (SC) had sought complete investigation report over Tayyaba torture case in three days.

Granting time to additional session judge’s wife Maheen Zafar, the court had ordered to submit reply till Wednesday.

DIG Police Islamabad had been directed to constitute a high level investigating committee and to present the minor maidservant and her real parents in next hearing. 

PINDI BHATTIAN (Awesome News) – Unknown parents left an infant on road in severe cold in Pindi Bhattian’s Hamza Town on Wednesday. The helpless child was bitten by dogs who avulsed the baby’s nose. Police have transferred the child to Allied Hospital Faisalabad in critical condition where doctors are trying to save infant’s life. There are wounds on the face of baby as well as on the body.