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| India-Pakistan |
| Khairpur feudal lord clips cell company lines |
| 2009-03-24 |
| A foreign cellular company operating in Pakistan has written letters to all the concerned departments of the government to take notice of a landowner of Khairpur, who has cut its optical fibre cables four times in one week, allegedly to the raise the rent. One of the top officials of the cellular company said that all the foreign investors, who have put their money in the telecom sector, were concerned and many have threatened to wind-up their business because of political backing for the miscreants. The optical fibre of Mobilink, connecting the rest of the country with Karachi, passes through Khairpur and one of the persons from whose land the optical fibre was passing demanded Rs 3.5 million per month as rent, which was much more than the standard rent being paid to the rest of the landowners from where the optical fibre passes. After negotiations failed with that person, he cut the optical fibre twice on 17-03-2009 and once on 18th and 19th of the current month to get a contract signed of his choice. The spokesman for Mobilink, while talking to The News, said a person in Khairpur has cut the optical fibre of Mobilink four times in three days. He said that the demand of the person, from whose land the optical fibre was passing, was to raise the rent by substantial amount than the standard. He said that Mobilink was not disclosing the name of that person. Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Ali Mirza, when contacted, said that he was not aware of the mishap with the foreign investor and vowed that he would sort out that person irrespective of his backing. "There is no name of the miscreant in my list and I would ensure that foreign investors were not blackmailed by anyone," said Zulfiqar Mirza adding: "The cellular company in trouble should contact me and it is the mission of my leaders to ensure safety of all people and companies and infrastructure and I would leave no stone unturned to get the problem solved." While one of the top officials of Mobilink requesting anonymity said that all the foreign cellular companies operating in the country had raised their concern over the issue as it would lead to winding-up or limiting their operations in Pakistan. He said: "Even the Orascom Telecom Company, the mother organisation of Mobilink, has written a letter to the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad showing deep concern over the issue and even was mulling of limiting its services if such things continued as these effect the international standards and causing inconvenience to the customers." "If we give Rs 3.5 million per month to Doda Khan, then every landowner in Pakistan would claim such a hefty rent, which would cause substantial loss to the cellular companies." However, sources close to Doda Khan rejected the allegation of blackmailing by the landowner. They told The News that Doda never adopted any illegal course. He would uphold the law in all his transactions, they said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Both subject to interception, 3dc. |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-03-24 15:28 |
| #1 Microwave or Sat links in the 3rd world. Wires - copper or fiber - just don't justifiy themselves. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-03-24 10:31 |