The News 
International

Facilities for Farooq as per jail manual demanded

                                    By our correspondent

              KARACHI: Deputy-convenors of the Muttahida Co-ordination Committee
              and members of the suspended Senate, Aftab Sheikh and Nasreen Jaleel,
              have said that Muttahida MPA Dr Farooq Sattar is being meted out
              inhuman treatment in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody at
              the MPAs' Hostel.

              In a telegram sent to the NAB chairman on Wednesday, they demanded
              of that Farooq should be provided all the facilities as per jail manual. "He
              is not being allowed any movement in the 6x8 cell. He is in solitary
              confinement under strict security. He is not allowed to speak in any
              other language except Urdu with his parents, who are Gujarati-speaking.
              The guards make an inventory of every single item that is handed to
              Farooq. The guards note down the details of all the conversation that
              took place between Dr Farooq and his parents," said the message to the
              chairman.

              They maintained that Dr Farooq had only been accused of some
              unspecified and totally ambiguous octroi case without any details. The
              prosecution has yet to establish the charges and bring them home. This
              type of treatment establishes that his conviction was a foregone
              conclusion, even without trial, a premeditated act. This is a grave and
              wanton violation of human rights. He is a man of extremely frail health
              and suffers from stomach ulcer, heart ailment, and stomach disorders,
              added the Muttahida Coordination Committee leaders and requested
              humane treatment according to prison rules, justice and equity.

              AMBASSADOR: The Swedish Ambassador in Pakistan, Peter Tejler, on
              Wednesday met Muttahida leaders at Nine-Zero, Azizabad, official
              residence of Altaf Hussain.

              He remained with the leaders for some time and discussed political
              matters, in particular problems confronted by the party, said a Muttahida
              press release. Present on the occasion were the deputy-convenor,
              Muttahida Co-ordination Committee, senators Aftab Sheikh and Nasreen
              Jaleel, and other leaders.

              ECL: Muttahida MPAs have demanded of the Chief Executive to make
              unified policy for the exit control list (ECL) for all the political leaders.
              They observed that the policy in the case of Muttahida was
              discriminatory.

              They alleged that on Tuesday former Interior Minister Chaudhry Shujaat
              Hussain and speaker of the suspended Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez
              Elahi were allowed to leave for Dubai. They claimed that those involved
              in the loot and plunder were being allowed to leave the country, while
              Muttahida legislators were being denied the facility.