Beware of Imposters Acting as PTCL Officers

[lettertoshahid]

Last week my residential telephone was not properly working. It had some noise. A gentleman ranged us that he was a "big" PTCL officer and enquired our telephone number. It was surprising that a person himself rings us and does not know which number he contacted. We told him that he rang us hence he should know which number he dialed.. He again rang us this time enquiring our address where the phone was installed. We reminded him that he was, as claimed by him, a big PTCL officer as such he should see the same in our file with his Department. He became furious and started threatening us that we were not aware of his status and power and that we are misusing the phone. How can a residential phone be misused we did not understand. We told him we will make a complaint to Islamabad to which his reply was make a complaint to "USA". After ten minutes another call came the caller claiming himself from the Telephone Exchange asking for premises location where the phone was installed. The same counter demand was put by us that the caller should give us his name and phone so we may ring back and after our satisfaction every information needed would be given as being civic citizens it is our duty to cooperate with the authorities. About an hour later our phone went dead. It is my firm belief that the PTCL official never do such a thing. I am subscriber since 35 years. Misbehaviour or unnecessary calls from PTCL officials have never ever been experienced. It surely was someone hook and crook with devil design. Whatever may be said to the contrary or whatever the relevant figures may be shown the fact is law and order situation in the country is worsening. Mobile/car snatching, house thefts have increased. The low figures are because the common man losing hope for any fruitful outcome today mostly do not report such incidents. Sometime back incidents of undesired persons entering into houses posing themselves as electricity or gas meter readers were reported by the press hence we had quite a worry about it. The situation with Grace of God has passed. But as a conscientious citizen I wished to share our this experience with readers for caution and advice to their families particularly day time when they are on work.

[Pracs]

Thank you to share this with us, I am just curious whatever happened to your telephone line thereafter ? I mean is it working now and has PTCL been helpful in tracking what really happened ?

[Mahtab]

I am also Thankful to you to share this with us

[maani]

Apply to PTCL customers center with your ID card copy to get the detailed history of your telephone usage, this will make the matter clear, sometimes Line man or other internal staff misuses the lines as all the lines are at their disposal...

[Muhammad Adnan Arshad]

nice information shared by you 'mr. lettertoshahid'

[lettertoshahid]

Thank you very much all of you having put your comments. I wish to express here on two different angles.

ONE

Earlier I had been a member of many Pakistani web site Discussion Forums whether based in Pakistan or abroad. But I found Accountancy.com.pk and the lawandlawyer.com.pk the only Forums which are serious web site and its readers are only those who comment very nicely, with respect and dignity. Otherwise if one we may go different such Forums the comments would be 90% be non serious; in today’s modern short abbreviated words form not understandable for people like me and language filthy. One may go to, for example to pak.org discussion forum under the heading Pakistan Politics. Reading most of the comments a serious educated reader would feel a sort of bitterness in his mind. Most of comments in such web sites are from “burger” generation and from that population who are fed up from Pakistan, its people, its traditions customs. Put my post on most of these Pakistani sites, the comments 90% would, Ah Ah what a rubbish, do not have you something good to say, LOL, etc. Though readership if very limited on this Accountancy.com.pk but is from educated class and serious. If they disagree with the writer, they show their disagreement in a very gentle manner.


TWO

Coming to the subject about my telephone matter with some comments an advice has been given to me that I should contact so and so at PTCL and get full activity of my phone to know its use. I am thankful to this advice. I wish that my dear friends should keep in my that like 98% of our silent majority I am an ordinary man having no voice or strength and before going further the readers should read and keep the following in i=mind

Extracts from Column dated
Sunday 09.07.2006 Daily DAWN
By Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee

Colum Not on, general
By Ardeshir Cowasjee

" Subject three On September 6, 1965, Major Muhammad Taj and his unit were directed to get to the Khokhara Par border in Tharparkar district. Their assignment was to recapture Shakarbu ranger post some six miles away which had been occupied by the Indian army. They arrived at dawn to find activity on the Indian side. Major Taj attacked with a mobile force consisting of 16 men with MGs and RRs. The post was captured. Soon after, a rapid advance was made on the post by two Indian tanks accompanied by two rifle companies. Taj and his men opened fire, and L/Naik Khushi Muhammad took out on both tanks. Taj engaged the advancing Indians with mortar and machnegun fire, forcing them to withdraw, leaving behind a number of dead and two wrecked tanks. For this action, Taj was awarded Sitara-e-Jurat and Khushi Muhammad the Tamgha-e-Jurat.

Lt Colonel Muhammad Taj won his second SJ in 1971, in recognition of his performance in Dhaka during military action and the subsequent march to Rajshahi, fighting a number of battles en route. He crossed the Brahmaputra river, with its rapid flow, under the most adverse circumstances to capture Nagarban where battles were fought against the Mukti Bahini and defecting East Pakistan Regiment rangers.

This twice decorated officer retired from the army as a brigadier, and for many years has been living peacefully in his home (his castle?) in Islamabad. Peacefully, that is, until nine days ago. Why — is explained in a letter sent by Brigadier Taj to President General Pervez Musharraf on July 2

“Last night, an ISI major in plainclothes who called himself Tipu, with some 10 men also in plainclothes, armed with automatic weapons, entered my house and beat me, my daughter-in-law and my two grandsons.

“They kidnapped us and took us away to a deserted location where they threatened us with death if my grandson did not cooperate with them in identifying the children who had been involved in a playground incident with the relatives of a senior ISI officer.

“I told them that I was not aware of the incident but could ask the people in the neighbourhood to identity the children involved. We were brought to Faizabad in a convoy of at least five vehicles where the major proceeded to threaten the residents, and beat up and kidnapped another two boys. My daughter-in-law and grandsons were sent away to an undisclosed location by the major. In the meantime, a crowd of local residents gathered, freed me and took the major into custody. The Islamabad police, who had been called by the residents, arrived and took the major away.” Brigadier Taj went to the I-9 police station, filed an FIR, and then another ISI officer (also in plainclothes) appeared. Taj explained the situation to him, and the officer, a Colonel Nisar, ordered the release of Taj’s daughter-in-law and grandsons. They were dropped at a deserted location near his house in Sector I-8/4 an hour or so later. All three had torn clothes and were bruised and battered.

His letter ends “I am 80 years old now and can only look to you, Sir, as the President of Pakistan and the Chief of the Pakistan Army that I also proudly served, to restore my dignity as an ex-army officer and protect my basic rights as a citizen of Pakistan, and to order immediate action against all officials involved in this criminal act.”

There were many witnesses to the incident that took place on the night of July 1. Three houses on Street 86, I-8/4 were targeted by armed men in two separate cavalcades of double-cabined vehicles. From one house, an ailing teenager awaiting heart surgery was dragged out of his house, thrown on to the street, beaten and then thrown into one of the vehicles. His mother tried to come to his aid but she was pushed aside, her clothes torn, and she also was loaded into a vehicle. Brigadier Taj was slapped, pushed, roughed up, and pushed into one of the double cabins, and the cavalcades sped away.

The mother and her sons were taken to the G-9 office of the ISI while Brigadier Taj was taken to Faizabad to identify the other teenagers involved. Two other boys were picked up and sent to an agency ‘safe house.’

What has happened since then? Well, on July 6, the Director-General of the Inter Services Public Relations, Major-General Shaukat Sultan expressed his ‘regrets’ over the incident. In his own words “The incident is most unfortunate and extremely regrettable. This has been taken note of at the highest level. I assure you we are very concerned about the incident and action will be taken.” Strong words from a strong man!

Major ‘Tipu’ is supposedly a Pakistan Military Academy-trained man. What sort of men does this proud institution spawn, and who teaches them what?

Fourth subject A woman friend of mine (who does not wish to be named for obvious reasons), on June 23 took her mother to a restaurant on Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman Road — a very crowded area. When she was driving away after dinner, her car touched another car, registration number AJD-775. She got out, and though no damage had been done, offered her profound apologies to the young boy driving the car. He got out, and while he roundly abused her, a woman in the car on her mobile telephone summoned reinforcements. Another car, AKB-754, arrived driven by another young man who got out, joined in the abuses and then slapped and punched her. She drove to Jinnah hospital and obtained a medico-legal report which she took to the local police station to lodge a complaint. The SHO refused to register an FIR as one of the boys was the son of a superintendent of police. Since then she has contacted the additional inspector-general of police, the Citizens Police Liaison Committee and the home minister seeking aid. None was forthcoming.

She came to me last week and I sent her off to IGP Sindh Jehangir Mirza, a good policeman and a good man. He had the cars traced and confiscated. My friend was called to the police station to identify the cars, which she did. The police informed her that now that the cars had been confiscated the boys would soon be identified. On Friday, July 7, I was told by the SHO of the Frere Police that the cars had been released on the orders of the IG — who has since confirmed to me that he had given no such orders. The matter is now being ‘investigated.’




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See in the first example what happened to Major Taj who is a Sitra-e-Jurat. Then see what happened to a lady who went in her car to take her mother for dinner and got herself slapped on the road. This lady has a car, drives herself, goes out for hoteling which means she has a good status. She has resources as she has link with highly influential powerful people like Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee. Whereas I till today have no scooter let alone a car, my hoteling is in empress market and if someone arrests me there is no one can give my guarantee in police station, I have no friend who could even give a letter to editor in my case.

Keeping the above in view then re-read my problem. The telephone got cross talking. The person on the other end was threatening he is big officer of PTCL, he can do this and that. Cross talking is a technical thing. My guess is crossing talking was going on not merely with my phone but with one (or two others) who was actually teasing or abusing on phone. There is no question of misuse of my phone because from early 08.00 to late hours I remain in office. My parents are too old who hardly use phone due to limited income of our home hence we have no time or money or misusing. My presumption was phone of some politician or a crony of a politician has got crossed with mine and with one who is abusing or misusing the line. The politician or police officer or the one who is getting these misused calls is frustrated. In case he gets to know my address he would come barging with klashinkove at my home. Any such a thing can happen in our country particularly in Karachi. If as might as Major Taj is not save from Maj. Tipus, how can I or my too old parents could be. You can be framed any time because for powerfuls as that whose child was involved in above case, can get you picked up any time without any fear from law or even of President of the country.

Hence was the reason I thought it better to keep quite. I did not make a fault complaint instantly because I was afraid the concerned hot minded politicians or the Tipu must have influence with PTCL. I let the phone remained dead for two days and thereafter I got it re-connected through normal complaint.

It was not my phone mis-used that I needed to know the monthly activity of my phone. It was some unknown third person who might had been mis-using the his phone causing nuisance to the person who was claiming to my family as a big PTL officer. The matter was very simple, it would not had worried us at all had the caller not claimed himself as a big gun of PTCL and then asking from which number we were speaking. This created a worry that some devil was on the line and wisdom being just an ordinary street person in this country demanded to be very cautious. Understand it from an example that about 8-10 months back son of a Colonel was murdered in Rawalpindi. He did not file any report saying I have left the matter with my Allah as I have no hope of any justice.

Many thanks for the advice that in such a case I should had contacted PTCL for investigation with a copy of my ID Card. When it comes to a politician or childof a police officer or of a military officer whom some other children beat or misbehave and there exists many Tipus then no chairman of PTCL can issue me a clean chit. It is more wise for me to remain silent and be cautious for future rather than depositing unnecessary photo copy of my ID Card as then I can not take it as guaranteed that soon on the basis of copy of ID Card no public phone call booth will be working in Peshawar or a house building loan taken somewhere in Quetta. This is not just filthy imagination of my mind, these are hard facts of life, if you still have not heard of people having suffered on this account..

Brothers, reading this please keep in mind I am an ordinary person, of no financial or other status. I am of course a coward, if today’s modern language is to be taken..