CMYK
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014 Zul Qida 14, 1435 Rs 17.00 Vol V No 73 16 Pages Lahore Edition
Floods on a rampage in punjab n
HUNT FOR NEW SPYMASTER BEGINS
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With Qadirabad headworks hosting a deluge, high levels of flood with combined thrust of Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi reach Trimmu headworks
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Exceptionally high flood level may continue until 12th while Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh are likely to be inundated STORY ON PAGE 04
LT GEN NASIR KHAN JANJUA, LT GEN NAVEED ZAMAN, LT GEN JAVED IQBAL PROBABLE CANDIDATES FOR ISI DG POST
An elderly woman wades through floodwater as she and other villagers vacate their village in Jhang district because of rising water level on Tuesday. ONLINE
STORY ON PAGE 03
‘CHINESE ARE INVESTING IN PAKISTAN, NOT GIVING ANY LOAN’ g
TALIBAN CLAIM ATTACK ON KARACHI NAVAL DOCKYARD, SAY THEY HAD INSIDE SUPPORT!
POWER MINISTER REJECTS PTI CHIEF’S ALLEGATION, CLARIFIES CHINA IS AIMING AT INVESTING $34B IN POWER SECTOR IN GADDANI STORY ON PAGE 10
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TTP SPOKESMAN SAYS ‘OPERATION WAS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF INSIDE HELP’ KARACHI POLICE CLAIMS SON OF SENIOR POLICE OFFICIAL ALSO INVOLVED IN DOCKYARD ATTACK, BODY FOUND NEAR DOCKS AREA STORY ON PAGE 03
21 killed, several injured as JUDICIARY WILL NOT ALLOW mosque collapses in Lahore MALIGNING OF STATE INSTITUTIONS
Death toll expected to rise as more than two dozen are still missing and many more are trapped under the wreckage n
EMERGENCY DOCUMENT SENT FOR VERIFICATION IN MUSH CASE
IHC ORDERS CABLE OPERATORS TO RESTORE GEO NEWS TRANSMISSION
Eight infants die at Vehari hospital due to lack of oxygen STORIES ON PAGES 04 & 06
STORY ON PAGE 02
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STORY ON PAGE 03
02 NEWS
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
PTI asks If sC Can hear, rule on PolITICal gaTherIngs IN ITS RESPONSE, PARTY ASKS SC HOW A POLITICAL SIT-IN SHOULD BE REGULATED IN FUTURE IN A MANNER THAT DOES NOT VIOLATE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER CONSTITUTION ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
HE Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has asked whether the Supreme Court has the jurisdiction to hear petitions against sitins and whether any judgments can be passed by the apex court to direct or regulate a political gathering in the form of a sit-in protest. PTI posed the question in response to the apex court’s call for recommendations from political parties over a petition regarding extra-constitutional steps and sitins in the federal capital. PTI’s counsel Yousuf Khosa submitted the party’s response before the fivejudge bench headed by Chief Justice
IHC ORDERS REMOVAL OF ‘UNNECESSARY’ CONTAINERS FROM CAPITAL
Nasirul Mulk. The response asked if the apex court could give guidelines on sit-ins and if there were any laws on such demonstrations in the country. The party asked as to how a political sit-in should be regulated in the future in a manner that does not violate fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. It also posed questions relating to the scope of Article 16 of the Constitution with respect to sit-ins. “What amounts to a reasonable restriction imposed by the law?” the party asked the question in its written response. “What falls under the remit of interest of public order? What determines the extent of the reasonableness of the restrictions and what actions would be in the
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
TRIBUNAL DISQUALIFIES JUI-F MNA, ORDERS REPOLLING ON NA-261 QUETTA STAFF REPORT
The Balochistan Election Tribunal Tuesday disqualified MNA Maulvi Agha Muhammad in a fake degree case. Maulvi Agha Muhammad was elected as an MNA from NA-261 Pishin-Ziarat on a ticket of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). Runner-up candidate Muhammad Essa Roshan of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) had challenged his degree. During court proceedings, it was proved that Agha Muhammad’s degree was fake and that he had never been to any educational institution. The tribunal ordered re-election in the constituency with immediate effect. With the loss of one seat, JUI-F currently holds two National Assembly seats.
PPP, JI SAY SC CANNOT ACT AS GUARANTOR: Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-eIslami (JI) in their replies said that the SC cannot act as a ‘guarantor’ to end the ongoing political unrest. Senator Aitzaz Ahsan submitted a reply on behalf of the PPP and JI in the apex court, stating that no circumstances could provide justification for any extra or unconstitutional act by any of the state’s functionaries. The reply stated that rigging in elections cannot be made grounds for dissolution of any provincial assembly or government as it would be in direct violation of 18th amendment of the Constitution which guarantees provincial autonomy. “This obviously means that
interest of public order?...what is the redressal mechanism for the citizens of Pakistan who are of the view that they have been deprived of their right to assembly as provided under the Constitution and deprived unlawfully by the state.” It also asked: “What are the responsibilities and obligations of the government against whom such a political dharna is being exercised?” PTI’s response came a day after the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PMLQ) submitted its reply in the court saying the current dispute should be resolved by the political leadership in accordance with the principles of democracy. Both PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) have been holding sit-ins in the federal capital since August 14.
Parliamentarians maintain that PM’s resignation is out of question
ONLINE
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered for removal of all the containers placed unnecessarily in Islamabad and vacation of all federal schools by police staying therein for security of the participants of sit-in protests by Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Athar Minullah took up the case for hearing Tuesday. During the preliminary hearing of the case, Mariam Khan submitted in the court the permission letter issued by the government to PTI and PAT allowing them to stage sit-ins in federal capital. She also presented report regarding the schools which are under use of the police. The report mentioned that about 60 schools are under the use of police which has been called in from other districts to perform duties during sit-ins. Justice Athar Minullah observed that the containers placed on the roads of Islamabad are creating difficulties for citizens and the traders’ community is also suffering. The local administration should remove the containers put on the roads illegally and the police should evacuate the school buildings being used by police, he ordered. The hearing of the case was adjourned till September 22.
PPP AND JI SAY SC CANNOT ACT AS ‘GUARANTOR’ TO END ONGOING POLITICAL CRISIS
MPS VOW TO RESOLVE CRISIS THROUGH DIALOGUE
ISLAMABAD
Parliamentarians on Tuesday continued discussion on the prevalent political situation in the country and appreciated the unity shown by all political parties for the sake of democracy and supremacy of Constitution and expressed confidence that the current political turmoil will be overcome through dialogue. Taking part in the debate during a joint session of Parliament, Senator Abdur Rauf said that unity and harmony shown by political parties in the current political crisis for the protection of Parliament and the democratic system is unprecedented in the country’s history.
‘rigging issues’ relating to National Assembly could not be made a ground or excuse for dissolution of any provincial assembly or government otherwise; it would be in violation of the principle of federation as held by the apex court’s three judgments.” The reply referred to the SC’s judgement in the Asghar Khan case, where the SC had ruled that in political affairs of the country or holding free and fair election, no role could be played by the secret agencies or officials thereof to favor one political party, group or individual over another. The reply further stated that the court is the apex court to ‘adjudicate’ cases and controversies between the parties to proceedings before the court under its constitutional or statutory jurisdiction. The reply further stated that the court should uphold the separation of power, independence of judiciary and rule of law and Constitution, to ensure level playing field for all political actors with no role for an ‘outside umpire’ . “Thus no issue whether political or otherwise could be taken outside the ambit of basic concept of supremacy of constitution.” Both parties expressed their expectation that the court would not go into the larger questions that are political in nature and require political deliberation and consideration in Parliament or otherwise. Both parties then requested the top court to pass any just and fair order as deemed appropriate in the circumstances of this case.
“All political parties have given matchless sacrifices for the cause of democracy in the country,” he said. Warning that any deviation from the Constitution will be fatal for the federation, Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s demand for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation is both undemocratic and un-constitutional. Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah said his party Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) fully supports Sharif as the elected PM. He warned that any step contrary to Constitution and parliamentary norms would push the country into anarchy while demanding that the government should ensure electoral reforms by introducing bio-metric system and
establishing an independent election commission for free, transparent and credible elections in future. Senator Kalsoom Parveen said that the process of dialogue should continue for resolution of current political crisis. She said all the parties are united for democracy and nobody can force the PM to resign. Briefing the joint session about the flood situation, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that despite limited resources, the government is making all-out efforts for the relief and assistance of the people affected by rains and floods and called upon all political parties to respond to the current crisis without politicising it. The House will be convened again at 11am today.
KHATTAK MEETS ARMY CHIEF, DONATES RS 100M FOR FLOOD VICTIMS RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has donated Rs 100 million for flood victims. The development took place during a meeting between the chief minister and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday. The two discussed the military operation in North Waziristan, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the devastating floods in the country. According to unconfirmed reports, 357 have fallen prey to the ravages of the flood across Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir so far while at least 206 people have been confirmed dead. At least 920 militants have been killed so far in Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which started on June 15. STAFF REPORT
SNAIL-PACED TALKS WITH PAT EXPECTED TO REACH SOMEWHERE TODAY ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has expressed confidence that some understanding would be reached with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) today (Wednesday) Talking to journalists in Islamabad Tuesday after another round of talks with PAT negotiating team in the presence of political jirga members, the minister said that the government had responded to the demands of PAT and talks were progressing. The minister said that it was their effort to culminate the dialogue process at the earliest so that sit-ins could end. However, he declined giving any further details Speaking on the occasion, jirga leader Sirajul Haq expressed hope that the crisis would be resolved in a peaceful manner. Moreover, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik said that in line with the aspirations of the people and suggestions of the media, the jirga has proposed a middle way that provides a way forward for all in the greater national interests. The senator said that the prime minister was cooperating out of the way in facilitating the work of the jirga and breaking the deadlock. Similarly, PTI leader Imran Khan and PAT leader Tahirul Qadri are also extending cooperation, he added.
EMERGENCY DOCUMENT SENT FOR VERIFICATION IN MUSH CASE SUMMARY SENT BY SHAUKAT AZIZ TO PERVEZ MUSHARRAF FOR IMPOSITION OF EMERGENCY PRESENTED IN COURT ISLAMABAD ONLINE
Former president Pervez Musharraf’s defence counsels Tuesday submitted in special court the summary which was allegedly sent to him by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz for imposition of emergency in the country. The court however rejected the summary, saying that it had to be verified before making it a part of treason case proceedings. Upon prosecutor Akram Sheikh’s objection, the court directed verification of documents. The defence counsel agreed
to send summary to Aziz and the Pakistani High Commission in London for verification. As the three-member bench presided over by Justice Faisal Arab took up the high treason case for hearing, defence counsels interrogated a prosecution witness, Federal investigation Agency (FIA) officer Maqsoodul Hassan. Hassan told the court that the investigation team had interrogated several people including two governors, however no evidence against any other except Musharraf was found. No proof of involvement of some other institution in enforcement of emergency has been
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file photo
found, he added. Upon this, Musharraf’s counsel Farogh Nasim questioned the need for recommending extended investigation if evidence was not found against anyone else. Hassan said that it was not correct that investigations were made
against Musharraf. No access was provided to the record despite a contact with Defence Ministry. Therefore, it was recorded that if someone else was involved, he should be identified. The hearing of the case was adjourned till Thursday.
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
NEWS
TALIBAN CLAIM ATTACK ON KARACHI NAVY DOCKYARD, SAY HAD INSIDE SUPPORT! TTP SPOKESMAN SAYS ‘OPERATION WAS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF INSIDE HELP’ KARACHI
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AGENCIES
HE Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack on a naval dockyard on the weekend, claiming they had inside help. Taliban militants attacked a Karachi naval dockyard in a raid which left an officer and two insurgents dead, officials said Tuesday. “We claim responsibility for the attack on the navy in Karachi,” spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told a foreign news agency. “We had support from inside the naval force for this attack. This operation was successful because of this support. We will continue targeting security forces like this in future also,” he added. The Navy said in a statement late on Monday night that “on Saturday a group of miscreants tried to penetrate Pakistan Navy Dockyard area defences at Karachi. Pakistan Navy security personnel responded valiantly and in the
KARACHI POLICE CLAIMS SON OF SENIOR POLICE OFFICIAL ALSO INVOLVED IN DOCKYARD ATTACK, BODY FOUND NEAR DOCKS AREA
ensuing encounter killed two while apprehending four miscreants alive”. After interrogating the suspects, the navy said in a statement that intelligence agencies had carried out raids to arrest suspected collaborators and accomplices and had recovered “a large quantity of arms and ammunition”. Ex-navy man killed Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo on Tuesday said that former navy official Owais Jhakrani — the son of AIG Ali Sher Jhakrani — was killed in the attack. Thebo said that Owais was involved in the navy dockyard attack, and that his body was recovered in the Kala Pani area in the jurisdiction of the Docks Police Station. The navy, however, said it had no information on Owais’ involvement, but confirmed that he left naval services a few months ago. The naval spokesperson said that two militants had been killed and that it had no information on Owais’ link to the attack. According to Thebo, Owais’ body has been taken by relatives for burial.
NAVY CONFIRMS OWAID JHAKRANI WAS A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF NAVAL FORCES
SIX SUSPECTED TERRORISTS, CIVILIAN KILLED IN NWA OPERATION RAWAlpiNDi: Six suspected terrorists were killed in an encounter in North Waziristan, the military said on Tuesday. A civilian working for the armed forces was also killed in the operation. The claims, however, could not be independently verified as journalists have limited access to the restive tribal agency. “The encounter took place on Tuesday afternoon during clearance of the operation in the area ahead of Dattakhel,” a spokesman for the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “A civilian logistic staff member was also killed in the same encounter when he was providing supplies to fighting forces,” the statement said. Dattakhel is considered a stronghold for terrorists and a clearance operation is under way in the area. STAFF REPORT
NAVY INVESTIGATING: Meanwhile, Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif on Tuesday told the joint sitting of parliament that authorities were investigating possible connivance of some naval officials in Saturday’s attack on the Navy dockyard in Karachi. During the session, PPP’s Senator Raza Rabbani requested the defence minister to take the House into confidence over Saturday’s terrorist attack.
On the call of the National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Asif said that the attack took place due to the possible connivance of some insiders and some suspected officials have already been apprehended in this regard while further investigations were being carried out. However, the minister said he could only present a more accurate picture once he is briefed by the relevant authorities.
Judiciary will not allow maligning of state institutions IHC ORDERS CABLE OPERATORS TO RESTORE GEO NEWS TRANSMISSION
OBSERVES THAT CABLE OPERATORS, NOT INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TERMINATION OF GEO TRANSMISSION
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to restore the transmission of private television channel Geo News till midnight on Tuesday, adding that it is cable operators, and not an intelligence agency, which have suspended Geo transmission in some parts of the country. Presiding over a single bench of the IHC on Tuesday, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui ordered that licences of cable operators who do not restore Geo transmission within the designated time should be revoked. The court observed that the transmission of Geo is suspended in some parts of the country due to cable operators but allegation of the closure of the transmission is levelled against an intelligence agency. Moreover, the court observed that it is being said that an intelligence agency is providing material to a specific private television channel.
He said that protecting national institutions is the judiciary’s domain, adding that some private television channels were maligning judiciary and intelligence agencies. The judge said that the court cannot allow any private television channel to indulge in mudslinging against head of any institution. The judge remarked that some anchors have made the judiciary a “football” and programmes are launched against the judiciary but no one is taking action against those private channels due to PEMRA’s negligence. While observing that it is the judiciary’s job to ensure sanctity of state institutions, Justice Siddiqui said that sometimes former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and sometimes Justice Jawwad S Khawaja are targeted. “If the judiciary will not safeguard national institutions then who else can do so?” Therefore, the court ordered that PEMRA should implement its code of conduct forthwith and action should be initiated against private channels maligning state institutions. ARY CASE: Meanwhile, Justice Siddiqui took up for
SAYS ARMY AND JUDICIARY ARE SENSITIVE INSTITUTIONS AND NOBODY SHOULD POINT FINGERS AT THEM hearing a petition filed by District Bar Islamabad President Naseer Ahmad Kiani against private television channel ARY News. The court sought report from PEMRA, ordered notice to ARY Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salman Iqbal to appear before it and issued notices to other parties concerned. Petitioner’s counsel Syed Nayab Hassan Gardezi, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Mehmood Khokhar, PEMRA counsel Rana Ahmad Hassan counsel, ARY anchorperson Mubasher Lucman and reporter Sabir Shakir appeared in the court. The court directed Lucman to watch his own program “Khara Sach” and give a written reply whether he considers what he is doing to be right or wrong. Politicians and rulers should be discussed but no harm should be allowed to be caused to national security institutions, the court remarked. The court issued notices to PEMRA, private television channels ARY, GEO, CPNE, Pakistan Broadcasting, ARY CEO Iqbal and others and adjourned the hearing of the case till September 22.
HUNT FOR NEW SPYMASTER BEGINS TOP FIVE ARMY GENERALS, INCLUDING ISI DG ZAHEERUL ISLAM, SET TO RETIRE NEXT MONTH ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR
All eyes are on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif as the quest for the country’s spymaster has begun with five top army generals set to retire in October. The outgoing officers include InterServices Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, Mangla Corps Commander Lt Gen Tariq Khan, Gujranwala Corps Commander Lt Gen Salim Nawaz, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani and Karachi Corps Commander Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani. Three out of five generals, including ISI DG, are set to retire on October 15. The COAS will send a panel of three nominees to the prime minister to name the new ISI DG. However, some members in the prime minister’s kitchen cabinet think that the prime minister may opt to “ignore” the list furnished by the army chief, sources added.
LT GEN NASIR KHAN JANJUA, LT GEN NAVEED ZAMAN, LT GEN JAVED IQBAL PROBABLE CANDIDATES FOR ISI DG POST
“The prime minister can even appoint a retired military officer as ISI DG,” a source in the government said. If it happens, it would be second occasion when a premier would appoint a civilian as ISI DG. Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had appointed Gen (r) Shamsur Rehman Kallu as spymaster for a short stint in 1989-90. However, some other leaders in the federal government told this scribe that the premier would avoid any further misunderstanding with the army chief and would rather appoint a serving army officer. “Nonetheless, there is a possibility that the prime minister may go for a junior officer to be elevated as Lt General so that he may be appointed as the new spy chief. By virtue of their connections with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, former Sindh Rangers DG Major General Rizwan Akhtar and Major General Mian Hilal Hussain could also be promoted for the slot,” sources said. WHAT ARE THE CHOICES?: Sources told Pakistan Today that General
Sharif’s most probable choices for the coveted slot may be Quetta Corps Commander Lt Gen Nasir Khan Janjua, Lahore Corps Commander Lt Gen Naveed Zaman and Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt Gen Javed Iqbal. JANJUA IS CONSIDERED ‘A THINKING SOLDIER’: Among the probables, Lt Gen Janjua may be a possible choice who has successfully overseen operations against Baloch militants across Balochistan. Janjua has a reputation of being a “thinking soldier” and is regarded as a competent officer who has also served as Director General Military Operations. He was lauded as a tactical genius as GOC of the 17th Infantry Division, Kharian, the formation which operated in Swat from the crucial phase of November 2007 to December 2008. Janjua earned his spurs long before the success of his well-crafted Operation Rah-e-Haq. He has got the seniority along with all the right postings and battle honours. ZAMAN HAS RAH-E-NIJAT UNDER
CMYK
HIS BELT: On the other hand, Lt General Naveed Zaman played a key role in Operation Rah-e-Nijat as GOC of the historic 7th Infantry Division. Zaman’s brother-in-law, Brigadier Moeenuddin Ahmad, was killed by assailants in October 2009, who ambushed him along with his driver and guard in Islamabad. IQBAL HAS SERVED AS DGMO: In the meanwhile, Lt General Javed Iqbal has served as Director General Military Operations (DGMO) and has also served as adjutant general. However, no threestar general is available to the prime minister who has also served in the ISI like General Zaheerul Islam. ANALYSTS SAY IT IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH DECISION: Defence and military analysts opine that with the appointment of new corps commanders, the democratic government would get rid of all its fears, which mostly have no evidence to blame the army, and it would have a smooth sailing. However, any blunder by the government may incite tensions with the army. The retirement of senior army officers would allow Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to appoint a new spymaster of his choice besides enabling Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif to tighten his grip over the most powerful institution in the country as he
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SC ISSUES NOTICES TO MUBASHER LUCMAN, ARY CHIEF ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to anchor Mubasher Lucman and the chief executive of the ARY news channel for broadcasting a defamatory program against the judiciary on May 29. A three-member special bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal, directed the Deputy Attorney General to explain as to why no one has been appointed for the post of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman and why it is being run on an ad-hoc basis. The Deputy AG informed the bench that a committee has been formed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to review the code of conduct for both print and electronic media after repeated attacks on the judiciary in the last few months. The bench observed that after reviewing transcripts of the program aired on May 29 on ARY news channel, there are many things which entail proceedings. The bench said that the media regulatory authority has been made toothless in the absence of a PEMRA chairman which is why there have been repeated attacks on the dignity of judges, adding that no requisite action has been taken as yet. The bench subsequently adjourned the hearing of the case until September 15. Lucman has been accused of defaming and ridiculing people, including judges of the higher judiciary, during his talk show. Earlier on July 7, a local court in Islamabad had issued a bailable arrest warrant against Lucman after he failed to appear before it. On July 2, the Islamabad High Court had issued bailable arrest warrants for the CEO of ARY TV channel and Lucman on a plea seeking to bar the channel for airing a programme against the judiciary. STAFF REPORT
KHAN REFUSES TO PAY HIS ELECTRICITY BILL ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has reportedly not paid utility bills for his Bani Gala residence in the wake of his call for the widespread civil disobedience movement. Khan’s utility bills for the month of August exceeded Rs 50,000 with an extra penalty of Rs 3,830. The last date for the payment of the bills was September 8 but according to reports, he has not paid the bills. The PTI chairman had given a call for civil disobedience on August 18 and had appealed to the nation to refuse to pay all utility bills and taxes in a bid to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. INP will appoint four new corps commanders. The COAS would be in a better position to influence the decision-making in the army as most of those retiring generals were more vocal and were in competition with him for posting as COAS after retirement of Gen Kayani. With the political turmoil touching its peak, analysts say that the General Sharif would be relieved once the junior officers nominated by him would take over the reins of four important corps from those senior generals who were in the competition with General Raheel Sharif for appointment as COAS – General Tariq Khan topping the list. GEN (R) MASOOD IS HOPEFUL: Defence analyst Gen (r) Talat Masood hoped that the new officers at top positions in the army would have a positive impact not only on the institution but also in civil-military relations. “Actually, the army chief takes some time to get hold of affairs. Since now transitional phase would soon be over, the command of COAS would be strengthened with his handpicked commanders taking over from seniors. It would also help better collegial decision making in the army. Since Gen Raheel is a true a soldier, this change of guards would help bring balance in civil and military ties,” he said. Asked whether the appointment of a new officer as DG-ISI would strengthen the prime minister, Masood said that the loyalty of army officers is always toward the state as well as toward the institution and not toward any individual.
04 NEWS
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Floods on a rampage in punjab WITH QADIRABAD HEADWORKS HOSTING A DELUGE, HIGH LEVELS OF FLOOD WITH COMBINED THRUST OF CHENAB, JHELUM AND RAVI REACH TRIMMU HEADWORKS
EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH FLOOD LEVEL MAY CONTINUE UNTIL 12TH WHILE SARGODHA, KHUSHAB, JHANG AND TOBA TEK SINGH ARE LIKELY TO BE INUNDATED
JHANG/CHINIOT/SARGODHA/KHUSHAB
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A man uses a rope while he wades through a flooded field beside his house following heavy rain in Pindi Bhattian on Tuesday.
STAFF REPORT
UNJAB Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif Tuesday dubbed the ruinous floods as “the deadliest in the country’s history” with over 4,000 homes destroyed and thousands of people rendered homeless across central and northern Pakistan. Raging waves of rivers Chenab and Jhelum are causing havoc and washing away everything that comes in its way. Thousands of villages in Chiniot, Jhang, Khushab, Kabirwala, Old Chichawatni and Sargodha have submerged due to the floods whereas the water has made its way into Bhawana city. The high levels of flood with the combined thrust of Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi has reached Trimmu Headwork, where the discharge of flood water is continuously being monitored for reducing the impact of floods on population at risk, a press statement released by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
Toba Tek Singh. A huge amount of flood water has accumulated in the Qadirabad headworks on River Chenab whereas the Trimmu Barrage is receiving 177,000 cusecs water on River Chenab, said NDMA official Ahmed Kamal, adding that if the
As much as 400,000 cusec flood water reached river Chenab at Head Trimmu Tuesday morning and the water level is rising constantly. Flood peak of 810,000 cusec was likely to reach the barrage last night which is expected to engulf Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang and
EIGHT INFANTS DIE AT VEHARI HOSPITAL DUE TO LACK OF OXYGEN VEHARI: Eight infants have died under mysterious circumstances at Vehari’s District Headquarter Hospital over a period of two days. Four of the infants died on Monday and another four died early Tuesday due to what is appearing to be a case of negligence on part of the hospital authorities. The relatives of the deceased infants claim that the deaths occurred due to lack of oxygen supply as well as malfunctioning of ventilators in some cases, pinning the blame on hospital administration. The families staged a protest against the hospital administration in front of the hospital and urged the Punjab chief minister to take notice of the incident. The relatives said that upon noticing deterioration in the condition of the infants, they tried to wake the doctors who were asleep during duty hours. Denouncing the claims of the relatives, the hospital administration said that 14 infants were on ventilators and it was hardly possible for eight out of 14 ventilators to malfunction simultaneously. However, doctors at the hospital have said that the condition of six infants currently on ventilators was also critical. EDO Health Dr. Afzal Bashir said that negligent staff member Dr Maqbool and the nurse incharge have been suspended. STAFF REPORT
SCOTTISH FLAG RAISED OVER DOWNING STREET LONDON AGENCIES
The Scottish flag was hoisted over Downing Street on Tuesday as Prime Minister David Cameron launched a fresh push to stop Scots voting for independence next week, although it fell down on the first attempt. The blue and white saltire made it halfway up the flagpole above Cameron’s office before it slipped down, but it is now in place and will remain there until the referendum on September 18. Opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband has
SYDNEY: A Pakistani sailor, who allegedly disappeared overboard during a multinational navy exercise in Darwin, has been found, said a report published on The Guardian. Earlier on September 7, the Royal Australian Navy had launched a search for the sailor, who allegedly went missing from the Pakistan navy ship PNS Nasr, at about 4.30am. It was initially believed that he fell off the ship while it was anchored in Darwin Harbour as part of the biennial Exercise Kakadu. Police said it was apparent that the man did not want to be discovered after they found his backpack in the water near the Cox peninsula and he was spotted by a worker there near Talc Head Police confirmed on Tuesday that the man was found hiding in a shed late on Monday night, adding that he seemed to be in good shape. The sailor was later handed over to immigration authorities. AGENCIES
called for public buildings across the country to raise the saltire over the coming days to show their support for the 300-year-old United Kingdom. Cameron and Miliband announced they would skip their weekly parliamentary debate on Wednesday to campaign in Scotland after a weekend poll put the separatist vote ahead for the first time. “Over the next few days we want cities, towns and villages across the UK to send the message to Scotland — stay with us,” said Miliband, after watching the flag raised over the council building in Liverpool in northwestern England. “We want to see the saltire flying above buildings all across our country.”
Political crisis in Pakistan may impact ties with India: US Congressional report WASHINGTON
PAKISTANI SAILOR ALLEGED TO HAVE FALLEN OFF SHIP IN AUSTRALIA FOUND
level of water crossed the present danger mark, spillway gates of Trimmu Barrage will have to be thrown open. The exceptionally high flood level may continue until September 12, the Pakistan Meteorological Department stated in a press release. As a consequence, Sargodha, Khushab, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh districts are likely to be inundated. According to reports, flooding has submerged entire villages and ruined crops. Over 2,500 villages are partially or completely submerged across the Kashmir area, while thousands of people are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued. Vast stretches of land in Chiniot, Kot Momin, Kot Amir Shah, Sargodha Road, Bhawana, Hafizabad, Sukheki, Bhalwal, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal and Mandi Bahauddin are all under flood water. According to figures provided by NDMA, Punjab was the most heavily-hit province in the country due to floods with at least 156 deaths reported, 265 houses damaged and 1,337 villages affected. In the meanwhile, Azad Jammu and
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The current political unrest in Pakistan could impact its relations with India as the Pakistan Army is having more control over the country’s foreign policy than ever, a latest US Congressional report said. “The Pakistan Army’s more openly direct control of the country’s foreign and security policies may, over time, shift Pakistan’s approach towards Afghanistan further into a policy framework that seeks to counter Indian influence there,” the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in its latest report ‘Pakistan Political Unrest’ this month. “It could also present new challenges to the goal of improving India-Pakistan relations, and put a damper on hopes for effective regional cooperation and commerce in South Asia,” said the Congressional report authored by Alan Kronstadt, CRS Specialist in South Asian Affairs. The report further mentioned that even though the protest led by cricketer-turned- politician Imran Khan has subsided this would definitely have an adverse impact on India-Pakistan relationship, with the Pakistan Army having more control over it than
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ever. “Whether Prime Minister Sharif sought out or merely acceded to the Army’s late August intervention as a facilitator between the government and the protesters, most analysts are contend that, because he has not demonstrated civilian control over domestic security, he will be left in a weakened state,” the report said. “This could have negative implications for US efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s democratic governance institutions. Any overt military ouster of Sharif could trigger another round of democracy-related US sanctions on foreign assistance to Pakistan, potentially putting an indefinite halt to what has been one of the highest-priority American aid programs since 9/11,” it added. “To many analysts, it appears unlikely that Pakistan in the near future will alter any of its foreign or security policies of interest to the United States. However, the US government has sought to help in fostering Pakistan’s democratic system, and that effort has been disrupted by the current unrest,” the CRS said. “Observers doubt, however, that the army would seek to take direct control of the government, not least as it is embroiled in offensive operations against Islamist militants in western tribal areas,” it said.
Kashmir suffered massive devastation due flooding in the Jhelum river affected more than 120 villages. At least 64 deaths were reported, whereas 2,132 houses were also damaged. NDMA spokesperson has said that 30,034 people in Azad Kashmir have been affected due to rain and flood. WEATHER PREDICTION: According to NDMA, scattered thundershowers with isolated heavy falls are expected over southeast Sindh, whereas isolated thundershowers are expected over Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Bannu and Kohat Divisions, Mohmand, Bajaur and Waziristan agencies, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir. PUNJAB CM, PM, COAS VISIT FLOOD-HIT AREAS: On his tour of Jalalpur Bhattian of Hafizabad district, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif advised relief workers to ensure safety of the locals. In the meanwhile, speaking to journalist during a visit to flood hit areas in the worse-hit Punjab, the chief minister said, “It is our responsibility to save every life, I have asked all political workers to go in the field and serve people.” Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif also visited flood-affected areas near Qadirabad, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Asim Bajwa said.
PM SAYS SIT-INS CAN’T BLOCK PAKISTAN’S PROGRESS JALALPUR BHATTIAN: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday vowed to continue the journey towards economic progress and development despite impediments being created by dharnas (sitins) in the federal capital. Addressing the flood-affected people in Jalalpur Bhattian area of Hafizabad district, the PM said, “The sit-ins are disrupting business activities in Pakistan and are part of an attempt to impede the course of development but we will continue the journey of development and serve the people.” “Let them continue with the sit-ins and we will continue to serve the masses,” he remarked. The PM said that the sit-ins are not doing any service to the masses and invited the protesters to abandon the sit-ins and come forward to help the people affected by the floods. Sharif assured the flood-affected people that the government would utilise all resources for their rehabilitation. “The government will compensate you for your losses and help reconstruct your houses,” he said. He said that once the flood water receded in the area, the government would conduct a survey to compensate the losses. APP
SIALKOT: PTI Chairman Imran Khan waves to supporters during a visit to flood-affected areas on Tuesday. In his address, Khan lashed out at the government for failing to prevent colossal losses caused by the floods. INP
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
Karzai urges abdullah, ghani to put aside differences OUTGOING AFGHAN PRESIDENT SAYS AFGHANISTAN IN DIRE AND URGENT NEED OF A NEW GOVT KABUL
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FGHAN President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday his successor must be chosen soon to “salvage the country,” which appeared to grow more volatile as the day progressed. In a rare public statement since he’s been forced to postpone his departure from office, Karzai addressed hundreds of Afghan leaders gathered in the capital to honour a slain guerrilla commander. Karzai pleaded with the audience to join him in pressuring Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah to put aside their differences so they can form a national unity government. “Afghanistan is in dire and urgent need of a new government,” Karzai said, as Abdullah and Ghani looked on
from the front row of the auditorium. “Our tenure has expired. We want a new government, and Abdullah and Ghani can bring us that new government through their unity.” United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also urged Ghani and Abdullah in a statement Tuesday to quickly reach an agreement that assures Afghanistan’s first peaceful transfer of power through the ballot box. “Both parties share a real responsibility to guide Afghanistan to a peaceful and more prosperous future,” the statement said. “Given the scale of the challenges, this can only be done jointly.” The challenge facing the United Nations, as well as the United States and its NATO allies, in encouraging a smooth transition appeared to grow even more complicated this week. Alleging that a June runoff election between the two men was fraudulent, Abdullah, a former foreign minister, on Monday declared himself the winner and said he would not accept Ghani taking power through “fraudulent means.” The audited election results, however, are expected to deliver the presidency to Ghani, a former finance minister. After Karzai spoke Tuesday, former Afghan president Sibghatullah
Mojadidi, a Ghani supporter, walked onto the stage to speak. But the heavily pro-Abdullah crowd began jeering and taunting him. Abdullah urged his supporters to remain calm, but the ruckus continued and Karzai abruptly left the auditorium. Mojadidi also left the stage. The scene, which Afghanistan’s Tolo News described as “chaos,” will likely raise questions about how much control Abdullah would have over his followers if election-related disturbances erupt in the coming days. And on Tuesday, concerns about potential violence rose as some Abdullah supporters put on a show-of-force
on the streets of the capital. Hundreds of men — many carrying assault rifles or knives — arrived in Kabul to honor Ahmed Shah Massoud, who was assassinated by alQaeda operatives two days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. They paraded around the city in trucks and cars plastered with Massoud and Abdullah posters, at times firing bullets in the air. Celebratory gunfire is common in Afghanistan, but the sight of heavily armed men patrolling Kabul streets is likely to exacerbate concerns about armed conflict if Abdullah and Ghani fail to agree on a new government.
KERRY VOWS ‘ENDURING COALITION’ AGAINST IS WASHINGTON AGENCIES
Top US diplomat John Kerry has vowed to build an enduring international coalition to defeat the Islamic State, saying almost every nation had a role to play in eliminating the militants terrorising Iraq and Syria. Speaking only hours before leaving on a mission to solidify the hardening front against the Islamic State (IS), Kerry praised the “new and exclusive” Iraqi cabinet agreed late Monday as a “major milestone” for the war-torn country. It had “the potential to unite all of Iraq’s diverse communities,” he said, referring to the sectarian divisions which have plagued the country for years. With over 40 nations already set to join the USled coalition to fight the group also known as ISIL, Kerry said “now is the time for Iraq’s leaders to govern their nation with the same vision and sense of purpose that helped to bring this new government together.” Kerry will travel first to Amman, in Jordan and then onto Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but other stops could be likely for the secretary of state, who is known for his whirlwind diplomacy. President Barack Obama also spoke with new
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi to congratulate him on the formation of a government, even though key security posts remain unfilled. “The prime minister expressed his commitment to work with all communities in Iraq as well as regional and international partners to strengthen Iraq’s capabilities to fight against this common enemy,”
the White House said in a statement. Speaking to reporters, Kerry pledged to build “the broadest possible coalition of partners around the globe to confront, degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL.” “Almost every single country has a role to play in eliminating the ISIL threat and the evil that it represents,” Kerry stressed.
ISRAEL URGES GLOBAL SPIES TO POOL RESOURCES ON ISLAMIC STATE JERUSALEM: Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon on Tuesday called for world intelligence agencies to work together against the Islamic State (IS) group. “In order to stop and overcome the Islamic State, we have learnt since 9/11 that there must be cooperation between intelligence agencies from across the free world, a sharing of experience and operational cooperation,” he told public radio. The Islamic State (IS) group is at the forefront of a sweeping militant assault that has overrun swathes of Iraq and holds significant areas of territory in neighbouring Syria. US President Barack Obama on Friday called for a broad coalition to defeat the IS fighters and he is to chair a key UN Security Council session on the threat on September 24. Asked about the proposed international coalition, former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin indicated Israel would likely share its intelligence with its allies. “The intelligence that we gather in the Middle East – which deals with threats from Iran, (Lebanon’s) Hezbollah, what’s happening in Syria, terrorist organisations in Sinai and the Gaza Strip – is of very good quality and we share it with our allies,” he told the radio. Last week, Yaalon adopted a recommendation by the Shin Bet internal security agency and designated both the Islamic State and al Qaeda affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades as an “illegal organisation” under Israeli law. The move allows for legal measures to be taken against both organisations as well as anyone found to be supporting or financing them. Last week, IS released a video showing the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff, who also reportedly held Israeli nationality, in the second such execution of a US journalist within a fortnight. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades is a Lebanese group linked to al Qaeda which periodically claims rocket fire on Israel. AGENCIES
NEWS
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SOMALI MILITANTS THREATEN US ATTACKS TO AVENGE LEADER’S DEATH MOGADISHU AGENCIES
Somali Islamist militants have threatened attacks in east Africa and the United States, warning President Barack Obama he would hear “shocking news” as punishment for a US missile strike that killed the rebel group’s leader last week. Al Shabaab made the threats late on Monday, hours after launching twin attacks inside Somalia against African peacekeepers and a government convoy. The death toll from those bombings rose to at least 18 on Tuesday, police said. “Let our mujahideen (fighters) wait for good news. And let Obama wait for shocking news,” senior al Shabaab official, Fuad Mohamed Khalaf Shongole, said in a recorded message, promising to avenge the death of Ahmed Godane in a US raid on Sept. 1. Al Shabaab demonstrated its ability to strike abroad on Sept. 21, 2013, when the group launched an attack on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, that killed 67 people. Godane publicly claimed responsibility for that assault, saying it was revenge for Kenyan and Western involvement in Somalia and noting its proximity to the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. He was also the group’s leader in 2010 when a series of bombs it let off in the Ugandan capital Kampala killed 74. Shongole’s message, which was released over the Internet, threatened further attacks in Kenya and Uganda. “As you have killed (Godane), many Americans will be killed in New York and Washington. This is real. Men have already been prepared,” he added.
BRITAIN TO SEND MACHINE GUNS AND AMMUNITION TO IRAQI ARMY, KURDS LONDON AGENCIES
Britain, on Tuesday, said that it would send machine guns and ammunition to Iraq to help the new government in its battle against Islamic State militants, the first weapons it has supplied since the conflict that flared in June. British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he would not rule anything out in the effort to “squeeze” the militants “out of existence”, but had signalled Britain would not join US air strikes before a new Iraqi government was in place. Britain’s ministry of defence said it would send machine guns and ammunition worth about 1.6 million pounds ($2.6 million) at the request of the Iraqi government and that the weapons would be used by Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish forces. “The Kurdish forces remain significantly less well equipped than (Islamic State) and we are responding to help them defend themselves, protect citizens and push back (Islamic State) advances,” it said in a statement. Iraq created a new government on Monday under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, sharing posts between the Shia Arab majority, Sunnis and Kurds. The shipment is due to arrive on Wednesday. Cameron has said several times that Britain was considering arming Kurdish forces. It joins Germany, France and Italy which have already agreed to send weapons.
FLIGHT MH17 HIT BY NUMEROUS ‘HIGH ENERGY OBJECTS’ THE HAGUE AGENCIES
A Malaysian passenger jet which blew up over rebel-held east Ukraine with the loss of all 298 people on board was hit by numerous “high-energy objects”, according to a report Tuesday which could back up claims it was downed by a missile. While the preliminary report from Dutch investigators does not point the finger of blame over the July disaster, it could heighten Western pressure against Moscow over its role in the bloody Ukraine conflict. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 “broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside,” said the Dutch Safety Board report. International experts have been unable to access the rebel-held crash site northeast of Donetsk because of fighting, and have relied on information from the black boxes, Ukrainian officials, as well
INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ACCESS THE REBEL-HELD CRASH SITE NORTHEAST OF DONETSK BECAUSE OF FIGHTING, AND HAVE RELIED ON INFORMATION FROM THE BLACK BOXES, UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS PICTURES AND VIDEO TAKEN AT THE SCENE as pictures and video taken at the scene. But the findings appear to back up claims that the Boeing 777, which plunged out of the sky on July 17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a missile. “The initial results of the investigation point towards an external cause of the MH17 crash,” said Tjibbe Joustra, chairman of the OVV safety board. He said more work was needed to determine the cause with greater precision and that the final report was expected by July 2015. Kiev and the West have ac-
cused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane with a surface-to-air BUK missile supplied by Moscow. The powerful weapon works by exploding directly outside the target and hitting it with a massive amount of high-velocity shrapnel. But Russia, which rejects Western claims it has sent in elite troops and heavy weapons to bolster the pro-Kremlin insurgency, blamed Kiev’s forces. And the insurgents again denied any role. “I can say only one thing: we simply do not have the military hardware capable
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of shooting down a Boeing passenger jet such as the Malaysian plane, “Alexander Zakharchenko, prime minister of the selfproclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, told Russia’s Interfax new agency. The downing of MH17 was the second tragedy for Malaysia Airlines after
the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370 in March, and threw the global spotlight back on the uprising in eastern Ukraine. “There are no indications that the MH17 crash was caused by a technical fault or by actions of the crew,” the OVV said.
06 LAHORE
WEATHER UPDATES
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290C
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Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
PRAyER tImINgs FAJR SUNRISE
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more rain on the way! LAHORE APP
the Met Office has forecast rain in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Rawalpindi division in the next 24 hours. According to the Met Office, a well marked low pressure area over southwest Madhya Pradesh (India) and adjoining north Madhya Maharashtra persists. the weather system is likely to move north-north westwards and weaken into a low-pressure area during the next 24 to 48 hours. Rain and thundershowers are expected at isolated places in upper Punjab (Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala divisions) whereas hot and humid weather is expected elsewhere in the country. In the provincial capital, maximum temperature was recorded at 34 degree Celsius on tuesday.
two more dengue cases surface in Punjab LAHORE stAff REPORt
two more people suffering from dengue virus were admitted in Rawalpindi and Lahore on tuesday, increasing the number of dengue patients to 29 across Punjab during the current year. According to Punjab Health Department, 25-year-old tayyab Sheikh was brought to Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore where the doctors diagnosed him dengue virus positive after blood examination and another patient named tehseen, 30, was admitted in Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi. Dengue is spreading across Punjab because of poor hygiene conditions. the heavy monsoon rains have provided ideal conditions for dengue-yielding mosquitoes to thrive in the stagnant waters.
LAHORE: Rescue workers remove debris of the mosque building as they search for trapped people. INP
21 killed, several injured as mosque caves in a DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE AS MORE THAN TWO DOZEN ARE STILL MISSING AND MANY MORE ARE TRAPPED UNDER THE WRECKAGE
LAHORE
RANA HAIDER
t least 21 people died and several others were injured tuesday as the roof of a mosque in Daroghawala area collapsed. the death toll is expected to rise over 30 are reportedly still trapped under the debris. According to details, the incident took place near a flour mill at AS Stop in Daroghawala, when a double-storey mosque’s roof collapsed when worshippers were of-
PTI MPAs enjoy perks despite tendering resignations LAHORE: twenty-nine Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI) members are still enjoying privileges as members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) despite tendering their resignations in the assembly. Sources in Punjab Assembly told a private news channel that salaries are being transferred in the PtI members’ accounts as their resignations have not yet been formally accepted. therefore, members are still enjoying the perks. PtI member and Punjab Opposition Leader Mehmoodur Rasheed has still not returned his official car. Following the resignation of PtI’s National Assembly members, the party’s MPAs from Punjab also tendered resignations from their seats and added that the PtI would issue a white paper against the “dismal performance” of the provincial government. the resignations have come as PtI is engaged in protests and sit-ins against the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif-led government over alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections. As of now, PtI and the government are engaged in talks to broker a settlement over the political impasse that has gripped the country for weeks. ONLINE
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fering Zuhr prayers. Locals began the rescue operation and tried to extract those trapped under the rubble by themselves. Later, rescue officials also joined in but machinery to navigate through the wreckage could not be brought to the site as the roads leading to the collapsed mosque were very narrow. the trapped people are being evacuated with the help of roof cutters. As many as 10 injured worshippers were taken to hospital and more injuries are feared as over 30 people are still trapped under the wreckage.
Senior government officials also reached the site to oversee the rescue operation. taking note of the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed the authorities to provide quality medical care to the injured. President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chairman Altaf Hussain have expressed grief over the incident which occurred in the backdrop of massive destruction caused by heavy rains and floods in Punjab.
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Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
SHAHBAZ SAYS WON’T ABANDON FLOOD SURVIVORS JHANG APP
CHINIOT: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif distributes relief goods among flood survivors during his visit to flood-hit Bhawana area on Tuesday. INP
‘unprecedented’ rains caused loss PUNJAB GOVT SPOKESMAN SAYS GOVT WAS PREPARED FOR RAINS BUT THE RAINFALL WAS MORE SEVERE THAN PREDICTED LAHORE
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He Punjab Government had commenced preparations to combat heavy rains and flash floods two months back but the intensity of the recent rains was unprecedented, which led to massive destruction despite the government’s preparedness, said Colonel (r) Shuja Khanzada while addressing a press conference tuesday at the Civil Secretariat. Punjab Government Spokesman Zaeem Qadri and Provincial Food Minister Bilal Yaseen were also present.
Khanzada said that the main reason for widespread destruction was that the heavy rains were “unprecedented”, adding that though the Meteorological Department had predicted rains, their intensity was much more than expected. He said that the Punjab government had received an alert for heavy rains but the rains were 100 percent more than expectations. “Yet the government’s preparedness managed to curb the intensity of losses,” opined Khanzada, adding that though calamity is much more severe than the floods caused in 1972, the losses caused are relatively lower due to Punjab’s government’s management. He said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had constituted sub-committees for assessment of
SAYS GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS HAS REDUCED LOSSES INCURRED loss in flood-hit areas and cash would be distributed among the flood-stricken people. Shuja said that more than 22,000 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas as rescue operations by the Army, police, Rescue 1122 and other organisations are underway while helicopters of the PM and Punjab CM were also being used for relief activities. He said that almost 1,400 villages had been affected by floods and 722 relief camps were established while 89 mobile dispensaries were providing health facilities to 13,000 people. “400, 000 animals were also rescued and 50,000 were given medical treatment while 1400,000 were vaccinated,” he added. “Almost 200,000 acres of crops were damaged and about 1,100 houses were affected partially while 352 have collapsed completely,” said Khanzada, adding that CM will constitute a committee to evolve a strategy to meet disasters in the future.
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Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed the provincial administration to make all-out efforts to rescue the flood-affected people. While visiting the flood-hit areas of Athara Hazari tehsil at trimu, the CM said, “I have directed the administration to remain busy in rescue operations and not waste time in my protocol.” He said that the irrigation department officials were bound to brief him about the flood situation in the area. the DCO and the Secretary Irrigation briefed him about the flood situation and expected losses in the dis-
trict. the level of water was 300,000 cusecs at trimu headworks and water level was increasing, they said. talking to reporters, Shahbaz said that it was a big test of the nation and appealed to villagers to leave their homes for their own safety. He said the government would stand by the flood-hit people and serve them speedily. He said relief and rehabilitation of flood affected people is the top priority of the government. SLAMS IMRAN KHAN: Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan tehreek-eInsaf Chairman Imran Khan’s “irresponsible” remarks terming Chinese investment as a loan are part of some conspiracy to disrupt
Pakistan-China relations, while adding that the allegations are yet another lie concocted by Khan. Speaking to media persons in Lahore shortly before his visit to the flood-hit areas of Punjab, the CM said that a critical 10,400 megawatt power project was due to be signed during the Chinese president’s scheduled visit to Pakistan. He further explained that the visit had a hundred percent investment agenda and not a single rupee of debt was involved. Condemning the allegations leveled by Khan, he said that Khan has given three contradictory statements regarding the postponement of Chinese president’s visit to Pakistan.
08 COMMENT
Wednesday, 10 Septemebr, 2014
New red lines
Flawed disaster management Lazy king style
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S the floods play havoc in AJK, KP and Punjab, the federal agencies supposed to jointly manage the disaster are blaming each other for whatever goes wrong. The rapid filling of Mangla Dam has been questioned, so is the poor coordination among the flood protection agencies as well as acting on ‘unreliable’ information about flood data supposedly provided by India. The exercise is bound to create the perception that there is something wrong with the working of the agencies tasked to mitigate the impact of the ravages of nature. River overflows are not new to Pakistan. The country has faced a succession of major floods during the years 1955, 1973, 1976, 1988, 1992, 2010 and 2011. These have invariably led to losses of life and property, damage to crops, destruction of infrastructure and displacement of thousands of people. One had expected that the government would have developed a fairly efficient system of flood warning and providing relief to the affected population by this time. Meanwhile canals would be desilted and the banks of waterways strengthened; there should have been plans in place to deal with the worst scenario. What one sees is a repetition of the past mistakes. As usual the PML-N government has remained focused on mega projects costing billions of rupees. It had no time for the improvement of the system. Even in places where the population was warned in time, it was told to immediately leave without being guided to specified areas where food and shelter for the flood victims and fodder for their cattle could be provided. Many still remain marooned. The CM who is supposed to organise things from his office is running from one flood affected town to another, followed by crews of the TV channels, telecasting his activities live. This is bad administration as it takes the provincial chief executive’s attention away from the overall situation and hinders him from issuing timely directions to field officers. Instead of providing relief to the people, local administration is required to attend on the CM.
The protests and the government And endgame of the endgame?
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OW the N league has had to wriggle to avoid the axe; especially from protests it ruled out as insignificant from the beginning. PTI was the only proper political party agitating. And the core demand, that the PM accept one party’s verdict on the election from a year ago, and resign in shame, did seem a little far-fetched. But two weeks into the Khan-Qadri sit-in and they weren’t laughing anymore. There was even chatter doing the rounds in Islamabad, at a point, that the prime minister might actually go. Conspiracy theories spoke of the military finally ‘raising the finger’, of dissension within the ruling party, of a realisation that Imran had taken them to the cleaners and finished their credibility. Yet the opposition sided with the PM – even if the PPP relished in taking a few jabs in the process – and the military clearly ruled out any interference. For all intents and purposes, the protests seemed to have fizzled out. Yet the government is still forced into round after round of negotiations. And, for some reason, it continues to keep some space between its promises and actions, continuing to give the dharnas more reasons not to trust them. Initially they talked about accepting five-and-ahalf out of PTI’s six demands. But it soon became clear that while they had agreed to a lot verbally – like putting a 30-day time limit on the probe – things would turn out different, repeatedly, when written documents were exchanged – like leaving the probe open ended. Even Ishaq Dar’s latest, that an agreement is again close, finds no confirmation with the other side. Who, then, are they posturing for? And what demands does Khan’s team look to settle on, especially since the chairman is still thundering about nothing doing without the resignation? Surely, by now much of what could be said, and offered, is done a number of times already; verbally and in written form. All sides must also be aware of limits others can be pushed to. And since politics is the art of the possible, and this is the biggest political debate at the moment, it behooves the government and its opponents to exhibit a degree of political maturity and finally end the endgame that has been lingering for a good two weeks now. PTI must be more flexible in its terms for the probe. And the government must now be willing to take responsibility if it is exposed as illegitimate. And the deadlock must now end.
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor
Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963, 042-36375965
I
There is increasing demoralisation among people about the political tussle between politicians as well as with unknown hands behind them
Abdul QuAyyum KhAn Kundi
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don’t know about all of you but communication revolution especially social media has enabled me to talk to a large group of people in an efficient manner. I am lucky to have over 138,500 fans and friends from all over Pakistan, even in small villages. During the election campaign in 2013 there was hardly a village where a young man would not walk up to me to say he has interacted with me on Facebook. It was revealing and since then I take my Facebook postings quite seriously. I have had interesting discussions and debates with these friends on Facebook and email on social and political issues faced by the country. From these discussions I observed two distinct trends related to those that are over 40 and those under the age of 30. Middle aged debaters when they have no other argument to defend their point come up with this final argument that Pakistani nation is unique and experiences of other nations cannot be applied to it. This argument always surprises me. Its implied message is that somehow Pakistani nation is either sub-human so its instincts are different from other humans around the world or conversely it is a superhuman that the experiences of other nations are too inferior to be applied to it. This argument is not presented by people that are not highly educated, it comes from highly educated and successful people from
made a post on my Facebook page criticising TTP for promoting an extremist agenda. A young man from FATA engaged me in a debate on that. He said the leaders of TTP wanted to introduce sharia in the country. I asked him how old his TTP leader is. He said about 27 years old. I asked him from which university did he get his sharia degree. He said he didn’t know. I said what books he had used to tell him about the outlines of a sharia. He said they had shown him a fourpage flyer. This young man was so brainwashed that he was convinced I was going to hell for rejecting sharia and his TTP commander was a God-sent gift to the nation. The rising emotionalism in our younger generation, which now comprises almost 75 per cent of the population, has induced some of our politicians, anchormen, journalists, and other power brokers to use irrational rhetoric to motivate them for their own shortsighted agendas. It is also interesting that the narrative of English and Urdu newspapers and op-eds is 180 degrees apart which is another indication of the ignorance divide. With each jalsa we are achieving a new low in political rhetoric. Dr Tahirul Qadri’s rhetoric to kill every male member of a politician if he is assassinated should not surprise us. Dr Qadri is not alone; every other politician is also in this race to reach new lows. Our media loves this kind of rhetoric because it earns them audiences which translate into big advertising money. Our advertisers don’t care where their ads are shown. They want their ads to be in the front which in turn produces more sales for the product. A whole book is needed to talk about this topic. So I will close it with this final comment. Constitution is a legalistic document to control the lives of the people. There are other factors that should also play their part like culture, civic sense, and respect for others to create new red lines in our political and communal behaviour. Every right cannot be settled in a court of law. A social boycott of a corrupt or disrespectful politician has much more power but one that we have never tried.
diverse fields. It would be interesting if some PhD researcher on behavioural sciences should tackle this question in their doctoral thesis. My counterargument to them is that basic political instincts of all humans around the world are the same. Besides ensuring security of the basic human subsistence needs of food, clothing and shelter, all humans want peaceful lives; they want to have an opportunity to express their talents in a field of their choice; they want to be able to rise in the social status through their hardwork; they want social justice in the society and they want a level playing field for their children to have a better future when they grow up that includes good education, small business loans and job opportunities. People have an intrinsic instinct to judge politicians on these natural needs and support political parties that can offer these services to them. Instead of rejecting experiences of other nations we need to learn from them and adopt their best practices so that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel which costs time and resources. South Korea, Taiwan, China, Brazil, Turkey, Malaysia, just to name few countries, adopted this approach to catch up faster with the developed world. The second trend, I observed, with my younger friends is that they are driven by emotions to make judgments rather than use rational and critical thinking. This is an outcome of an education system that is laced with emotionalism rather than promoting critical thinking. It is a product of a culture that demands acceptance of authority of a superior (father, boss, teacher, political leader) rather than raise questions at them before accepting their judgments as final. Some days ago I had a good exchange with young men who enthusiastically told me that we should get rid of this corrupt system of government and democracy. I asked them what alternative they offered to the nation, they said they had no alternative. I asked them then on what bases they made this judgment to get rid of this system. They had no answer. I then asked them what books they had read to understand various systems or history of other nations in similar condition. They had done nothing of that. Their only argument was that because a certain person was promoting this idea, it must be abolished. Here is another real life story. Last year I
Abdul Quayyum Khan Kundi is former president of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, USA, and member PTI Advisory Committee.
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Parliament in practice It seems as if democratic norms are taking roots and getting meaningful for the future of politics in Pakistan. The current ongoing joint session of the Parliament with daily attendance by the prime minister along with the ministers, its media coverage and interest of the general public in the proceedings, all augur well for continued democratic system in the country. Though the initial proceedings focused on political complexity in the country these days, the situation now seems to be focused on floods. No matter either weak or strong, perfect or incapable, promising or average the representative democracy is, the real developed political future lies in this very form of government. Its performance will get better as it gets mature with time, just as the history of all the democratic countries show. So it is hoped that with such a small yet symbolic gesture at this important point of time in the political history of the country, Pakistan has started its journey towards developed, productive and public oriented democracy. FARVAT MALIK Lahore
The dire need of dams The torrential rains have resulted in historic floods that are worst in the past 20 years. This has resulted in growing concern that we have not built any storage dams in past 40 years. This was also emphasised by Mr Imran Khan in the national English press. The irony of the fact is that even Chief Minister of KP opposes KBD that would have helped store 6.1 MAF of flood water and irrigated 8 lac acres of barren land in Dera Ismail Khan. It is to the benefit of all concerned to build water storage dams like dams in India which has not suf-
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fered any harm from floods this year. It is the signal failure of our obstinate political leaders that do not seem to agree on any feasible hydroelectric dam to store rain water and generate cheap power and instead have opted to import coal to generate power. The hydel energy is known to be clean and cheapest affordable power for Pakistan. The govt boasts of 2/3rd majority and heavy mandate but it is fruitless when it comes to achieve consensus on building a dam like KBD. As such we are being punished by the Providence in that our rains have become a curse rather than being a mercy. We as a people are not aware of our ingratitude for water and are being punished repeatedly for this. DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI Lahore
Rules for the rich Here is one more example of how the rules do not apply on Parliamentarians and how the Pakistani judiciary is failing the nation. In 2012 the ECP had filed a complaint against Rehman Malik and ex-Parliamentarians for filing false documents, in which they had claimed that they were not dual nationals but in reality they were. According to the laws, since the proof was submitted by the accused, therefore they should be charged without any hesitation. But on Sep 20th, 2012, the Supreme Court had ordered the disqualification of 11 members, but strangely spared Mr Rehman Malik. The case was pending in the courts till date and now Rehman Malik’s lawyer simply put an application for acquittal. The ECP lawyers did not contest it and the Session Judge Ahmed Saba acquitted him. Strangely after this acquittal I see Mr Rehman Malik in a lot of government-PTI negotiations. It is also strange that the ECP cannot disqualify any candidate even though they themselves submit incorrect information, so what is the point of checking and submitting
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the information in the first place. Similarly it is very strange to see 11 members being disqualified in one case, but the 12th, Mr Rehman Malik was spared. He, with fake documents submitted in the ECP and being a dual national, spent the term in Parliament and as the Interior Minister of Pakistan. Taking all the benefits and being on one of the top posts of the government under such conditions clearly shows the failure of ECP, Parliament and judiciary of Pakistan. God save our country from these thieves. ENGR SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER Peshawar
Take over PTI, SMQ After Imran Khan, there’s no one more ambitious and overzealous than Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the PTI. With rash decisions and continuous dharnas, Imran’s popularity has suffered, especially when the government agreed to five of his six points. All sane voices in the PTI favour calling off the dharna but Imran is unwilling to settle for anything less than the prime minister’s resignation. It seems Imran wears a prime ministerial crown every night in his dream but when he wakes up, he gets a shock that it was only a dream. He quickly closes his eyes for the dream to return, but in vain. However, Imran Khan is less of a politician and more of a bouncer, as he frequently threatens his opponents with his fearsome bouncers. It is about time that Shah Mahmood Qureshi takes control of the party. He has thousands of disciples in Punjab and Sindh. He is also a good negotiator. Imran has seen his heydays; Qureshi must take over before the party disintegrates. Otherwise, Imran would be left alone in the field —– bowling, batting, wicket keeping — all by himself.
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WORLD VIEW 09
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
Islamabad’s many problems
foreign PoLicy
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HUSAIN HAQQANI
FTER paralyzing Islamabad for days, the crowds at boisterous protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are starting to thin out. But even if Pakistan's current political standoff comes to an end, the country's deeper political crisis won't. Sharif, who leads the conservative and pro-business Pakistan Muslim League party dominant in the populous Punjab province, has successfully rallied to his side most political parties represented in parliament. A consensus seems to be emerging within Pakistan's political class that the country's fragile democratic system should not be derailed. But the underlying causes of instability -- terrorism, ethnic and sectarian conflict, and economic stagnation -- remain unaddressed. The protests were initiated by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and Canada-based cleric Muhammad Tahirul-Qadri. The two political allies are clearly tapping into the disenchantment of Pakistan's urban middle class, which wants social and political reform even if it does not agree on what reforms to adopt. Sharif's style of governance, which puts family members and friends in charge of key government functions, doesn't appeal to most Pakistanis. Nor is Sharif's tendency to try to marginalize all opposition and his confrontational approach towards Pakistan's all-powerful military winning him many supporters. Most Pakistani analysts now seem to agree that Khan and Qadri would not have dared to challenge Sharif in the streets had they not been encouraged to do so by someone from within the army hierarchy. The army has ruled Pakistan directly for 33 years and has played a behind-thescenes role during periods of intermittent
civilian rule, including splitting and forming political parties. The military also influences politics by initiating smear campaigns against political figures it does not like by describing them as unpatriotic. The army insists it has no political agenda. But the timing of the protests, in conjunction with the retirement of top generals, coupled with Pakistan's history of military intervention, makes the generals' role suspect. Moreover, Javed Hashmi, Khan's close associate and president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party, has now gone public with accusations that Khan told his colleagues that he was being backed by senior army officers. It's a story that Pakistan has seen many times in its 67-year history. And it is, sadly, a key component of the country's continuing political dysfunction. Khan claims that he wants fresh elections because the vote that brought Sharif to power in May 2013 was rigged. That makes as much sense as Al Gore announcing a sit-in 14 months after the 2000 U.S. presidential election. Similarly, Qadri claims he wants a revolution in Pakistan because the country is mired in corruption. But he also has no explanation for why he chose this particular time to return from a decade in Canada, coinciding with Khan's agitation. Corruption in Pakistan did not start only this summer. I, like many others, suspect that the protests were timed to coincide with the pending retirement of five top generals, including the head of the ubiquitous InterServices Intelligence (ISI), Lt. Gen. Zahir ul-Islam. In Pakistan, prime ministers facing political challenges are often more willing to extend the tenure of powerful intelligence chiefs in order to maintain their favor. Previous civilian governments have faced manufactured crises around the time they had to make critical decisions about replacing ISI directors-general. Sharif may yet succeed in beating back the latest challenge to his authority. But the euphoria about economic reform and peace with India that marked Sharif's inauguration last year -- the first transfer of power in Pakistan's history from one civilian government to another -- is already gone. Pakistan's latest imbroglio highlights the country's permanent political crisis. Despite the constant rewriting of constitutions -- the country has had three since its founding in 1947, in addition to several amendments and draft constitutions -
- Pakistan is far from developing a consistent system and form of government. Political polarization persists between Islamists and secularists, between civilians and the military, and among different ethnic and political groups. Political factions have often found it difficult to cooperate with each other or submit to the rule of law. Political factions have often found it difficult to cooperate with each other or submit to the rule of law. At any given time, one or the other political party has been aided by the military intelligence apparatus, which plays a behind-the-scenes role. Political rivalry, like the kind now on display between Khan and Qadri and Sharif, has been cited throughout Pakistani history as a reason for military intervention. Pakistan's military, which dominates the state even in the presence of an elected government, has developed a set of policies that include an emphasis on Islam as a national unifier, hostility towards India as the principal foreign-policy objective, and an alliance with the United States that helps defray the costs of Pakistan's massive military expenditures. These policies have encouraged extremist Islamism, promoted the pursuit of strategic objectives disproportionate to the state's capacity, and obstructed Pakistan's political evolution. But the disproportionate focus on ideology, military capability, and external alliances has weakened Pakistan internally. The military has been developed at the cost of all other elements of national power, such as the economy, education, technological innovation, and institutional strength. The country's institutions, ranging from schools and universities to the judiciary, are in decline. The economy's stuttering growth is dependent largely on foreign aid or International Monetary Fund and World Bank financing. GDP stands at $236.6 billion in absolute terms -- the smallest economy of any country that has tested nuclear weapons. But these issues barely get any mention in Pakistan's national discourse. The oversimplified Pakistani narrative makes it seem that the country's real problems are wresting Jammu and Kashmir from India, fighting Indian and American "hegemony," and keeping in check the corruption of elected civilian leaders. Sharif's latest troubles, too, are the direct result of his attempt to modify that national narrative by wresting control of foreign policy and national security issues
from the military. He spoke of normal trade relations with India soon after his election in May 2013, without insisting on resolving the Kashmir dispute first, and argued that Pakistan's interests are better served by staying out of Afghanistan's internal matters. The Pakistani military and its political allies see civilian initiatives for peace with India as treason. The military also remains unwilling to revise its policy of employing Afghan proxies, like the Taliban and the Haqqani network. Pro-ISI television news channels heaped scorn on Sharif for being pro-American and proIndian, just as they had condemned the government led from 2008 to 2013 by President Asif Ali Zardari. Allegations of collusion between the political opposition and elements within the army seldom surprise Pakistanis: During periods of civilian rule that have been interspersed with direct military dictatorship, the army has consistently refused to submit itself to the decisions of, or scrutiny by, elected civilians. And it has looked for allies wherever it could find them in the political arena. The scope of direct military intervention in the form of a coup has diminished lately. Instead, Pakistan's 20-odd 24-hour television news channels have become instruments of pressure on elected leaders through vicious propaganda guided by the army's psychological operations experts. Both Sharif and Khan have a reputation for obstinacy and their protests were meant to provide the military with a fig leaf for acting as the final arbiter in a political deadlock. A prolonged sit-in out-
US SHOULD NOT BE A SILENT PARTNER TO ISRAELI SETTLEMENT EXPANSION L a Times JEREMY BEN-AMI
Last weekend's Israeli government announcement that it plans to seize almost 1,000 acres near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank for the purpose of building yet another massive Jewish settlement should be the straw that breaks the camel's back in Washington. For decades, the United States has greeted each new settlement building announcement from Jerusalem with a pious statement of disapproval. Generally, these statements, issued by the White House or State Department, contain adjectives like "unhelpful," "counterproductive" or even "illegitimate." Successive Israeli governments have blithely ignored these protestations, and the settler population living over the 1967 Green Line has grown from around 10,000 in 1972 to around 515,000 today. It's time for the United States to make its words mean something. How can the world expect effective U.S. leadership and action in dealing with hostile actors across the Middle East when even its closest friend in the region flagrantly ignores its policies? What can Washington do? Actually, quite a lot. Israelis understand very well that their country's most important international relationship is with the United States — the only ally it can, in the final analysis, rely on, the only one standing between it and almost total diplomatic isolation on this issue. So if the United States were merely to state that it was undertaking a thorough, top-to-bottom review of its policy toward Israeli settlements, a review involving all relevant departments of the
federal government, that would certainly cause Israel to take notice. If the Obama administration were to go a step further and declare that it is the view of the United States that settlements are not merely "unhelpful" or "illegitimate" but illegal under international law as laid out in the Fourth Geneva Convention, ordinary Israelis would understand that their government's determination to push on with settlements was causing real, serious damage to the U.S.-Israel relationship. The United States correctly called the settlements illegal until 1980, but this policy was reversed by President Reagan. Since then, Washington has used vaguer, less meaningful expressions of disapproval that Israel has interpreted as a tacit green light to move ahead. Going back to the previous, clear terminology would empower opponents of these settlement decisions within the Israeli Cabinet, including Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have to explain to voters how he justifies his settlement policy in the context of the harm it would be doing to the U.S.-Israel alliance, as well as the wider diplomatic discredit Israel is facing around the world. The latest decision by the government — described by one Israeli peace group as the largest grab of Palestinian land for the purpose of building settlements in 30 years — could hardly be more negative and harmful, both in its timing and intrinsic nature. It may be true that the land, which is being expropriated from five Palestinian villages, lies within one of the settlement blocs likely to be retained by Israel in any prospective peace deal. But until there is such an agreement, this kind of land
grab can only be seen as a blatant unilateral move to create new facts on the ground. This Israeli decision was particularly unfortunate coming on the heels of the latest Gaza cease-fire, which seemed to offer a new start for diplomacy in tackling the conflict. One would have thought, following that war, that Israel would do everything possible to strengthen Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is committed to diplomacy and nonviolence. Instead, this move undermines Abbas and reinforces his opponents, including Hamas. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research last week released a poll showing that Hamas has overtaken Abbas and his Fatah party in popularity. A clear majority of Palestinians say they support rocket attacks against Israel and armed resistance in general. Netanyahu has often said that the Palestinians must choose between Hamas and peace. So far, he is making that choice very easy for them. Israel's leaders and its people also must own up to the choice they face: Resolve the underlying conflict with the Palestinians by the establishment of two states, or leave the conflict unresolved and in a downward spiral. Sadly, Israel's present government, as this latest settlement decision shows, seems intent on making one wrong choice after another. The United States should no longer be a silent partner to never-ending settlement expansion. As a friend and ally, it owes Israel and Israelis the truth — unrelenting settlement expansion undermines hopes of peace, weakens and isolates Israel, and harms the U.S.-Israel relationship. Jeremy Ben-Ami is president and founder of the U.S. lobbying group J Street.
side parliament by Khan's hard-core followers, joined by Qadri's devotees, coupled with Sharif's stubborn refusal to resign, would be perfect justification for a military-brokered settlement. Educated Pakistanis are often torn between their support for democracy and civilian control of the military, on the one hand, and their desire for social and political reform, on the other. Just as Sharif is a flawed advocate for democracy, Khan and Qadri's calls for reform are tainted by their covert ties with the military and its intelligence arm. At the root of Pakistan's crisis is a refusal of all major actors to play by predetermined rules and in accordance with the constitution. The Pakistani military does not realize that its meddling makes Pakistan less stable, not more. An elected government must have the right to make policy in all spheres, including foreign affairs and national security. But politicians like Sharif also need to recognize that winning an election does not give them the right to govern arbitrarily. As for the likes of Khan and Qadri, they need to learn to wait until the next election rather than cutting secret deals with generals to secure a share in power through a soft coup. Pakistan's problems are myriad: a seesaw economy, low literacy rates and educational performance, and growing international isolation as others see the country as an incubator of Islamist extremism. These come from decades of political mismanagement. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the generals and politicians refuse to change their ways. That's likely to keep the country lurching from crisis to crisis.
INDIA’S NUCLEAR DEAL WITH AUSTRALIA SIGNALS A NEW PHASE IN REGIONAL DIPLOMACY Times of india Tony Abbott is the third Australian prime minister to visit India since 2009 and the civil nuclear deal that his government has signed with New Delhi is the first that Canberra has inked with a country that isn’t a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The return of two stolen ancient statues — of Nataraj and Ardhanariswara — set up the atmospherics for this latest round of diplomacy. But the deal to supply uranium has put in place the foundation for a new phase of partnership. Australia was once a country we only played cricket with but the changing security architecture of Asia and new economic imperatives have redrawn the pitch. Australia is now reimagining itself as an Asian middle power, rather than a western one. It is also discovering a commonality of interests with India: democracy, English language, trade and students to name just a few. As a former Australian foreign minister once observed: “Perth and Chennai are closer to each other than Sydney is to Seoul, to Shanghai, or to Tokyo.” As M S Dhoni’s cricketers prepare to head to Australia in November, so are India’s naval admirals preparing for the first round of bilateral naval exercises in 2015. The civil nuclear deal is welcome because Australia has about 40% of global uranium reserves and India 21 operational nuclear power reactors, slated to go up to 30 by 2032. India’s own uranium reserves are not enough with annual uranium needs expected to increase from 400 tonnes currently to 2,000 tonnes by 2022. With India looking for energy security and Australia bigger markets, the strategic partnership makes sense. Currently, coal, gold, copper and petroleum account for over 80% of Indian exports from Australia while India primarily exports gems, jewellery and passenger cars Down Under. This pattern should change. Leading Indian companies are now investing in Australia and the $17 billion two-way trade between both countries must increase substantially.
10 BUSINESS CORPORATE CORNER
LAHORE: Omer Tariq, Majid Khan, Farhan Akram, Malik Atif and others photographed at the launch ceremony of Gul Ahmed outlet near EME Society. PR
uFone intRoduCes tHe aLL in one ‘uFone suPeR CaRd’ ISLAMABAD: Ufone, the most innovative telecom service provider, introduces another first-of-its-kind ‘Super Card’ providing its customers with the most worry-free offer for the whole month including talk time, free messages and 2G+3G internet. The Super Card features 1000 minutes for all Ufone, PTCL numbers, 150 minutes to all local mobile networks, 1000 SMS to all local mobile networks and 1000 MB mobile internet for all 2G and 3G customers. The most exciting element of this offer is all taxes are inclusive and no additional subscriptions charges; mean no hassle of calculating rates or checking balances. The offer can also be availed through U-Load. Regarding this exceptional new offer by the operator, Taimur Faiz Cheema, GM Marketing at Ufone, said, “Ufone’s motto of providing innovative offers and keeping the customers first is adapted in all facets of our business. We have always provided the most hassle-free and affordable packages, like the Super Card, to endow our customers’ with peace-of-mind and a surety of selecting the country’s best telecom service provider.” PRESS RELEASE
FPCCi awaRds goLd MedaL to nBP
KARACHI: National Bank of Pakistan has been awarded gold medal for its “Banking and Financial Services” by The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) during the 2nd Achievements Awards ceremony at local hotel in Karachi. Honorable President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain gave this award to National Bank of Pakistan which is received by Mr. Khalid Bin Shaheen, Senior Executive Vice President and Group Chief, National Bank of Pakistan. This award is a top slot award and is given on the basis of NBP’s banking and financial services for the economy. This is consecutively second year that NBP is honored with this award. Applauding the services and contributions of different sectors of Pakistan economy, FPCCI organized 2nd Achievement Award Ceremony. The event was graced by people from all walks of life including top bureaucrats, foreign diplomats, members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry, NBP Corporate Communication and other social elite. PRESS RELEASE
BuRj BanK signs Mou witH FBR’s LaRge taX PayeRs unit KARACHI: Burj Bank Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Large Tax Payers Unit (LTU), Karachi, a formation of the Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan. LTUs were created to provide convenience to the large taxpayers of the country. The Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony of Burj Carsaaz was held at Burj Bank Limited’s Head Office in Karachi. The signing ceremony was conducted between Ahmed Khizer Khan, President & CEO of Burj Bank & Dr Muhammad Irshad, Chief Commissioner, Large Tax Payers Unit, FBR, Karachi. With this MoU, Burj Bank will become the first Islamic Bank in Pakistan to enter into any business understanding with the LTU. Through this MoU, LTU employees will be able to benefit with preferential Burj Carsaaz services, such as quick processing time & discounts on financing of new and used cars. The Management Committee and senior officials of Burj Bank attended the signing ceremony whereas LTU, FBR was represented by Ms. Nausheed Javaid Amjad, Commissioner LTU, FBR and Mr. Syed Shakeel Ahmed, Additional Commissioner LTU, FBR. PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
(‘KHAN, GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT’)
we weRe taLKing aBout CHinese investMent, not Loan: asiF POWER MINISTER REJECTS PTI CHIEF’S ALLEGATION, CLARIFIES CHINA IS AIMING AT INVESTING $ 34B IN POWER SECTOR IN GADDANI ISLAMABAD
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DDRESSING a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif clarified that China was aiming at investing in Pakistan and not sanctioning a loan. Rejecting allegations levelled by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in this regard and advising him to consult experts before making unfounded assertions, the minister said China was to commit investment worth $ 34 billion during the visit of its president to Pakistan. The power minister also rejected
ASIF SAYS THAR COAL WILL BE USED IN SINDH’S MINE-MOUTH PROJECTS WHILE COAL WILL BE IMPORTED FROM AUSTRALIA, INDONESIA, SOUTH AFRICA AND NOT CHINA FOR GADDANI PROJECTS
Khan’s claims that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) rules had been amended to accommodate agreements with China. The PEMRA chairman is from Sindh and it has representatives of all provinces, he added. The minister said advertisements were issued for setting up of coal-based power plants at Gaddani. He said the claim of Imran Khan that Chinese coal was to be used for these projects was baseless as coal imports would be made from different sources including Australia, Indonesia and South Africa through a transparent manner. He said the government would procure coal for state-owned power plants while independent power plants (IPPs) themselves would procure coal for
their plants from whatever source they want. Referring to Khan's claim that Pakistan had largest coal reserves in Thar and there was no need to import coal, Asif said Thar coal reserves will be used for mine-mouth projects being launched by the
Sindh government in collaboration with the private sector. Dispelling the impression that “more-than-required” power will be produced as a result of these power projects, he said China and Pakistan had already studied this aspect. The project have been prepared keeping in view current power deficit, maintaining growth rate being envisaged in coming years, and reviving industry that has shut down due to power shortage. The minister said new transmission lines will also be laid with collaboration of the private sector. He informed that circular debts have reduced from 295 billion to 238 billion while five billion more recovery has been made in spite of sit-ins.
President tells traders to make the best out of investment policies KARACHI APP
President Mamnoon Hussain has urged the business community to take maximum benefit from the government's investment policies. Addressing the business community at 2nd Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Achievement Awards ceremony Monday, the president said that the present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was making all possible efforts for promoting trade and industry with a focus on attracting local and foreign investment. Prominent in the cluster of business community were FPCCI president and ECO Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Zakaria Usman, former SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry president and former FPCCI president Tariq Sayeed, FPCCI Senior Vice President Shaukat Ahmed, FPCCI Vice Presidents Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir, Khurram Sayeed, Mian Mahmood Ahmed, Muhammad Adnan Jalil, Munawar Mughal, Naima Ansari, Shaikh Imtiaz Ahmed, Ismail Suttar, Shakeel Ahmed Mukhtar, former FPCCI vice presidents Engr MA Jabbar and Akbar Abdullah and FPCCI Secretary General MA Lodhi. President Mamnoon Hussain said the govern-
ment is moving in the right direction on social and economic fronts. Very encouraging indicators appear at the international level as well. He, however, sought suggestions from the business community about, how to effectively maintain law and order as the government realised the value of peace and security for the economic prosperity of the country. Hussain recounted the achievements of PML-N government and showed his confidence that through better policies and hard work it will succeed in overcoming all the major challenges including energy crisis, and law and order in the country. Pakistan has a very bright future and by 2050 we will be 18th largest economy in the world, he said with optimism. The present government has inherited many problems like energy crisis, law and order, and Rs 14,800 billion loans. All these will take some time to settle down. He advised the people to desist from unnecessary criticism of the government and take the ground realities into account. "The society should discourage and distance itself from the corrupt people," he stressed. The president emphasised that economic prosperity and development is not possible without promoting quality education and skill development especially among the female who make more than 50 percent population of the country.
HBL and MasteRCaRd enteR into stRategiC CoLLaBoRation DUBAI: Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Pakistan’s largest commercial bank, and MasterCard today announced a partnership which will pave the way for the introduction of MasterCard’s innovative payment tools in Pakistan that will provide a safe, simple and secure payment experience to cardholders. The announcement was made during a signing ceremony held at the MasterCard’s office in Dubai between Faiq Sadiq, Group Head - Payment Services, HBL and Raghu Malhotra, Division President - Middle East and North Africa, MasterCard. “We are very excited about our partnership with MasterCard,” commented Sadiq. “As Pakistan’s largest bank, we recognize the importance of providing Pakistani’s with the latest and most secure payment options. Working with an industry leader such as MasterCard will help us deliver on our commitment to introduce innovative payment solutions for masses in Pakistan.” PRESS RELEASE
FasHion PaKistan to PaRtiCiPate at 2nd edition oF tdaP aaLisHan PaKistan eXHiBition deLHi LAHORE: With the success of Lifestyle Exhibition 2012 along with an overwhelming response from top notch brands under their belt, Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP) is planning to hold “Lifestyle
The women should walk shoulder-to-shoulder with men in all sectors. But, they should not forget the Islamic values. He urged the trade bodies especially FPCCI to focus on research and skill development of the manpower. They should set up research centres and develop non-traditional products to catch regional and international markets.
Circular debt reduced to Rs 238b ISLAMABAD: A meeting on energy resource rationalization for power sector chaired by Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar Tuesday was informed that the circular debt had been reduced to the level of Rs 238 billion from Rs 295 billion. The finance minister directed the secretary water and power to take further steps to reduce the amount of circular debt of DISCOs and make people aware how they could reduce their bills substantially by conserving electricity during peak hours. Dar further directed the secretary to ask DISCOs to reduce their line losses from the figure approved by NEPRA. NNI
Pakistan” exhibition at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 11-14 September, 2014. The exhibition is meant to showcase Pakistan’s finest textiles, leather, fashion accessories, handicrafts, engineering and agro Products; followed with the display of Pakistani cuisine, and B2B meetings arranged with Indian importers. Representing Fashion Pakistan’s presence at the event will be the most exclusive designers from within the council and administrative faculty; namely, Sanam Chauhdhri (chairperson), Wardha Saleem (CEO), Deepak Perwani, Mehreen Noorani, Adnan Pardesy, Misha Lakhani and Ahsan Nazir, who will partake in the Lifestyle Expo. Through the efforts made by these designers, Pakistan’s fashion industry is now reaching immeasurable standards, sufficient to expand bases abroad, their participation is symbolic of the iconic milestones hit and harvested. PRESS RELEASE
BRusseLs joins tHe eMiRates netwoRK KARACHI: Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies, has today marked its inaugural flight to Brussels in Belgium. The new daily service will see up to 16,000 Emirates customers travelling on the daily Boeing 777-200LR between Dubai and Brussels each month. As the airline’s 145th worldwide route, Emirates will play a key role in further developing natural business links between Belgium and key markets in the Far East. Emirates also estimates that it will deliver a boost to the country’s tourism sector, with Belgium a popular jumping off point for Europe bound travelers from Australasia. “We’ve had lots of customers asking us to fly to Brussels over the years so this really is fantastic news for them. Belgium’s tourism is thriving and we believe that we can drive demand even higher by providing great competition with our multi-award winning product and service,” said Thierry Aucoc, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Europe and Russian Federation. PRESS RELEASE
LEISURE 11
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
HaGaR tHE HoRRIblE
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
You've got a big dream -- maybe more than one -- and today is a good time to get to work on it. Things may start to look really great, but only if you're willing to put in some sweat equity!.
You may not quite understand what's going on today, but that doesn't mean that you're helpless. In fact, if you keep at it, you are sure to pick up what you need to know along the way.
Put off delicate communication for at least one more day. You can usually fake your way through almost anything, but today, your energy may fail you at exactly the wrong time. Hold off!.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Your decision making is sound today -- and your energy is good enough that you should find it simple to explain yourself. Things should make quite a bit of sense by this time tomorrow!.
Nothing is clear! You need to hold off on any big projects until you get all the information you need, and that is likely to take another day at the very least. Move forward slowly, if at all.
It's not a productive day, but you can still feel satisfied when all is said and done. You may want to try something a little different when circumstances start to line up against you.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Your flexibility is key to something new and big today -- so it's a good idea to stretch out before you take on anything serious! Experiment with new ideas and points of view to come out ahead.
Your artistic side is fully engaged with the world today, and you should be able to see your immediate situation in a new way. That could lead to a much rosier outcome if you stay positive.
Today is all about expanding horizons, so get out there and try new things. You may find that your energy is better for socializing than it is for hard work, but you may have to do both.
dIlbERt
GaRFIEld
baldo
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Compassion comes more easily to you on a day like today -not that it's ever that hard to draw it out! You may need to prioritize between several people or groups in need, so get ready.
Take a little extra care with people today -you can tell that they're more delicate, and there's just no need for you to make their situation any worse. Score a little extra karma!.
Transform your life today -something needs to change, and you can tell that your energy is just right for making it so. You should find it easier than ever to make a real, positive difference!.
cRosswoRd
sUdoKU
woRd sEaRcH
ACROSS
bRIdGE
How to play fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the squares contains all the digits. The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once.
MUSIC NATION NEwER PANIC PhONE POLE RELATE RELEASE RESEARCh SCENES SChOOL SCREEN SINGLE SPECIAL STATE UNUSUAL wATCh wATER wORLd
Today’s soluTions
ENIGmatIc play
cHEss white tO PLAY AND MAte iN twO MOVes 8
crossword solution
7 6 5 4 3 2
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
chess solution
A
1.Rxc7 bd8 2.bxg6+! Kxg6 [2...Kg7 3.Rxf7+ Kxg6 (3...Qxf7 4.bxf7 bxb6 5.bxe6) 4.Ne5+ Kh5 5.g4+ Kh4 6.Ng6+ Kxh3 7.Qb3+ Kxg4 8.Qf3#] 3.Ne5+ Kh5 [3...Kg7 4.Rxf7+ Qxf7 5.Qxc6] 4.g4+ Kh4 5.Qb3 *
1
sudoku solution
1 Senior naval officer (4,7) 9 Greek leader in the Trojan war (9) 10 Standard score for golfers (3) 11 Central American forest tree used to make floats, rafts, models etc (5) 13 fortified wine from Sicily (7) 14 Gas discovered by Joseph Priestley, d. 1804 (6) 15 Critical examination (6) 18 driver under instruction (7) 20 One shunning all animal products (5) 21 Sign of assent (3) 22 Peevishness (9) 24 Noted inventor of "medicinal compound" (4,3,4) DOwn 2 George Gershwin's older brother, the lyricist (3) 3 Raise (7) 4 Generator (sometimes 'human'?) (6) 5 Essential — most private (5) 6 Attractive (9) 7 hoodwinking (11) 8 family's financial supporter (11) 12 (Very) fast-growing conifer(s) (9) 16 Enfold — surround (7) 17 despicable person (6) 19 A bit cold (5) 23 Indian bread (3)
ASIdE COAT COMMERCIAL CyCLES dAIS dEATh dECIdE ELECTION ExPECT fOUNdATION fUNNy fUTURE INfORM kEEN kNIT LOCAL MATCh MISERy MONTh
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Wednesday, 10 September 2014
ARTS
A FIVE-MINUTE WALK EVERY HOUR HELPS PROTECT AGAINST DAMAGE OF SITTING ALL DAY: US RESEARCH OING for a short stroll every hour can help protect against the damaging effects of sitting all day. U.S. researchers found taking three fiveminute walks for every three hours spent sitting can reverse the harm caused to leg arteries. There benefits remain even when the walks are slow, they say. Sitting for long periods of time is associated with a higher risk of raised cholesterol levels and greater waist measurements. This, in turn, can lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Earlier this year experts, said sitting down can be as bad for our health as smoking - and that inactivity is the fourth biggest killer of adults in Britain. It is thought the average British adult spends up to 70 per cent of their day sitting down. The new study found that when sitting, muscles become slack and do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart. Blood can pool in the legs and affect the 'endothelial function' of arteries, meaning they are less able to expand from increased blood flow. Reduced 'endothelial function' of
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the arteries is one of the first markers of cardiovascular diseases like heart disease and stroke, as arteries may become stiff and less able to pump blood around the body. Lead study author Saurabh Thosar, a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, U.S., said this is the first study to provide evidence of these effects. The research involved 11 nonobese, healthy men between the ages of
GOOGLE MAKES MAJOR ADVANCEMENT IN OBJECT RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY
20-35 who participated in two randomised trials. In one trial, they sat for three hours without moving their legs. Researchers used a blood pressure cuff and ultrasound technology to measure how each of the femoral arteries, the main arteries in the thighs, functioned when the men first sat down, and again at the one, two and three-hour mark. In the second trial, the men sat during a three-hour period but also walked on a
treadmill for five minutes at a speed of 2 mph at the 30-minute mark, 1.5-hour mark and 2.5-hour mark. The researchers once again measured how their femoral arteries were functioning each hour as in the previous study. Mr Thosar said: 'We have shown that prolonged sitting impairs endothelial function, which is an early marker of cardiovascular disease, and that breaking sitting time prevents the decline in that function.' 'There is plenty of epidemiological evidence linking sitting time to various chronic diseases and linking breaking sitting time to beneficial cardiovascular effects, but there is very little experimental evidence.' The researchers looked at how sitting down affected 'flow-mediated dilation' - the amount arteries were able to expand as a result of increased blood flow. Looking at the main artery in the legs, they found that during a three hour period of sitting down, 'flow-mediated dilation' was impaired by as much as 50 per cent after just one hour. But people who walked for five minutes for each hour of sitting saw their arteries function as normal. Courtesy DAILy MAIL
TWITTER STARTS E-COMMERCE PUSH WITH 'BUY' BUTTON
NEWS DESK A team of Google researchers have developed an advanced image classification and detection algorithm called GoogLeNet, that can recognize a wide range of objects, reported Digit.in. Google says in a blog post that ‘GoogLeNet’ algorithm can quickly recognize objects in images and can also locate and label multiple object sizes in one image. The software can even determine an object within or on top of an object. The internet giant says that the technology advances are "directly transferable to Google products such as photo search, image search, YouTube, self-driving cars, and any place where it is useful to understand what is in an image as well as where things are." The algorithm was created by Google interns Wei Liu and Scott Reed, along with Google researchers, Yangqing Jia, Scott Reed, Pierre Sermanet, Dumitru Erhan, Drago Anguelov, Andrew Rabinovich, and software engineer Christian Szegedy. The software was recently placed first in the ImageNet large-scale visual recognition challenge (ILSVRC). Google has made the software open to developers to further increase its accuracy. Recently Microsoft's research team also announced a breakthrough in Object recognition technology under Project Adam. Under the research Microsoft voice assistant Cortana will receive the ability to identify a wide range of objects. The technology was announced at the company's Faculty Summit by Microsoft Research's executive vice president of technology and research, Harry Shum. At the event Cortana was successfully able to recognize several dog breeds from just a photograph. Microsoft says that the technology could be used in building new tools for visually challenged people.
Micro-blogging service Twitter will soon start testing a "buy" button as it seeks to generate more cash from users. The button will sit inside a tweet and allow people to click to buy an item directly from that message. Tests with a "small percentage of US users" and a limited number of commercial partners are due to begin shortly, it said. The trials marks a more serious attempt by Twitter to generate revenue by means other than advertising. Before now, it has been possible to buy via Twitter but this has revolved around users sending public messages with a special hashtag in them to confirm purchase of an item. By contrast, the buy button would be used alongside
messages pushing a particular product or service, said Twitter in a blogpost. Once users have clicked, they will be prompted to enter payment and shipping details. If a user is already known and registered with a service or merchant, they will be asked to tap the button again to confirm purchase. Twitter said 19 partners had signed up to the tests, including pop singer Rihanna, non-profit group Nature Conservancy and fashion brand Burberry. The first items to be sold via the button were likely to be time-limited, such as event tickets or other limited edition goods, said Nathan Hubbard, Twitter's ecommerce boss in an interview with the New York Times. Courtesy VIA BBC
5 WAYS GUT BACTERIA ARE GOOD FOR MORE THAN JUST YOUR GUT
Exercise may improve more than just the look and diameter of your gut, according to a recent study. It may also increase the bacterial diversity within it, the study published in June in the journal Gut showed. But is having more gut Bacteria a good thing?: To give you an idea of the importance of your gut bacteria: At any given moment, you are housing more microbes than human cells. The largest populations of these microbes reside in the large intestine and the mouth, although you'll also find them elsewhere. We begin collecting these microbes the moment we are born, and continue throughout our lives. In recent years, researchers have begun to pay more attention to these microbes and their impact on our health. Here are just a few of the results showing the reasons why gut bacteria is good for more than just the gut. 1. Diabetes prevention: A daily dose of probiotics (good microbes) may help prevent weight gain and insulin resistance, according to a mouse study published in 2013 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Insulin resistance is a condition that can be a precursor to type 2 diabetes. 2.
Improved urinary tract health: Probiotics may be beneficial in preventing urinary tract infections in women, according to a 2006 review of peer-reviewed studies published in the journal Drugs.
3.
Allergy prevention or treatment: Women who take probiotics during pregnancy may reduce their child's chances of developing allergies, according to the evidence from available studies presented in a 2013 article in the journal Pediatrics.
4.
Improved immunity: Probiotics may increase the activity of immune cells in the elderly, according to a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Nutritional Science.
5.
Women's reproductive health: Five strains of Lactobacillius bacteria (a type of probiotics) may be effective in fighting overgrowths of Candida, a type of fungi that is often responsible for genitalia infections, according to a study published in February in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. Courtesy LIVe sCIeNCe
MEN WHO SMOKE COULD GIVE THEIR UNBORN BABY ASTHMA - EVEN IF THEY'VE QUIT SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THE BIRTH A father’s smoking could damage his unborn child’s health - even he quits years before the birth, a new study has revealed. Norwegian researchers found a baby had a greater risk of asthma if their father smoked before they were conceived. The findings add to growing evidence which suggests that poor health can be recorded in a father’s sperm or a mother’s eggs. Australian research published earlier this year found that drinking, smoking or eating badly could put a baby's health at risk - years before it is conceived. Obesity or other problems caused by lifestyle can then be passed on to the next generation - making a baby ‘preprogrammed’ for a life of poor health. The Australian scientists say they wanted to re-iterate that ‘parenting starts before conception.’ The new research on smoking, presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in
Munich, is the first study in humans to analyse the link between a father's smoking habits before conception and a child's asthma. The study analysed the smoking habits of over 13,000 men and women via a questionnaire. The researchers examined the link in both mothers and fathers and looked at the number of years a person had smoked prior to conception, the incidence of asthma in children and whether the parent had quit before the baby was conceived. The results showed that ‘non-allergic asthma’ asthma without hayfever - was significantly more common in children with a father who smoked prior to conception. This risk of asthma increased if
CMYK
a father smoked before the age of 15, and the longer the father smoked, the greater the risk of their baby developing asthma. No link was found between the
mother’s smoking before conception and a child’s asthma. Dr Cecile Svanes, from the University of Bergen, Norway, said policymakers should warn men about how their lifestyle could affect their future children. She said: ‘This study is important as it is the first study looking at how a father's smoking habit preconception can affect the respiratory health of his children. 'Given these results, we can presume that exposure to any type of air pollution, from occupational exposures to chemical exposures, could also have an effect.’ She added: ‘It is important for policymakers to focus on interventions targeting young men and warning them of the dangers of smoking and other exposures to their unborn children in the future.’ Courtesy VIA MAIL oNLINe
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
artS
NORWAY BASED PAKISTANI MUSICIAN JOHN LEO RELEASING NEW SINGLE entertAinment Desk
N
orWAY born and based Pakistani singer, John Leo, also known as Khakan Altaf Chaudhry, is in the process of releasing his brand new single ‘Always’ which is an upbeat rock/pop track with a great vibe. In 2013, John Leo released two singles: This Time Around & Shine, as well as an EP called Different Ways. His first single, This Time Around, established him as Norway’s exciting new Asian artist and paved the way for the success of his EP. Different ways received airplay on radio channels in Norway, UK and Italy as well as an interview on City FM 89. It also achieved the #1 spot on Taazi.com. John also headlined Scandinavia’s biggest annual
mela festival last year, the oslo Music Festival. John Leo might be living and producing his music in Norway but he has strong Pakistani roots, being fluent in Urdu and Punjabi. He will also be releasing his first Urdu single later this year. Johna.K.A Khakan is a multitalented musician who began playing the keyboard at the age of 13 and wrote his first English song at the tender age of 16. He was influenced by both, Western musicians such as Michael Jackson and Princeas well as Pakistani bands such as, Junoon, Strings and Vital Signs. Writing, composing and producing his own music,John Leo’s fans can see his various cultural influences inherent in his tracks, which mostly fall into the pop/rock genre. It might also interest
How I Met Your MotHer star NeIl PatrIck HarrIs fINallY MarrIes DavID Burtka
his followers to know that music is John’s passion and something he strives to give time to on a daily basis, while at the same time, balancing a career as a physician during the day. Speaking about why he has now chosen to reach out to his fans in Pakistan John says, “Pakistan is a part of me. I am pleased with the positive feedback I’ve received from people in Pakistan. I hope to soon play some live shows, and I’m looking forward to showcasing my tracks in both English and Urdu to the public.” Considering the music scene in Pakistan has long been suffering due to the ban on YouTube along with the ever prevalent security risks, it is heartening to see Pakistani musicians based abroad reaching out to their local fans and providing them with quality entertainment.
After dating for more than 10 years, actor Neil Patrick Harris recently got married to his partner David Burtka in Italy. The couple, parents to twins Gideon and Harper, tied the knot Saturday. How I Met Your Mother producer and director Pam Fryman officiated over the ceremony. "We happily confirm that Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka were married in Italy in an intimate ceremony surrounded by their close friends and family," a rep for Harris said. The couple announced their engagement via Twitter in June 2011 after passage of the Marriage Equality Act in New York. Harris then revealed that they actually got engaged five years earlier, but decided to keep the news a secret.
BeINg aN actress Is loNelY: krIsteN
Agencies ‘Twilight’ star Kristen Stewart says acting moves a person into isolation. The 24-yearold actress says that people get intimidated by stars and don’t approach them, which leaves actors lonely. “Actors become superisolated. Again, I’m not complaining about it, it’s just that you have a very unique perspective on things because people don’t talk to you, they feel like they are not allowed to come up to you and say hi”, said Stewart, “So suddenly you’re incredibly lonely and people hire friends to have and what happens is the lines get blurred between co-workers and friends.”
Agencies In the mega clash of 'om Shanti om' and 'Saawariya' in 2007, debutante Deepika Padukone had emerged a clear box office-winner against first-timer Sonam Kapoor. Seven years later, the question is will Deepika continue to remain a step ahead on the success ladder with 'Finding Fanny' or will Sonam take a lead this time with 'Khoobsurat'? Both the films are releasing
within a week's time this month. Deepika's film is releasing Sep 12, while Sonam's new offering hits the screens Sep 19 and both actresses are going out of their way to ensure their movies are promoted in the best possible manner. 'Finding Fanny', an English language entertainer by Indian filmmaker Homi Adajania, is definitely not a film that every actress will risk especially after delivering four back-to-back Bollywood hits but Deepika took it.
Nevertheless, one should give it to Sonam for choosing to step into the shoes of the enigmatic rekha for "Khoobsurat", the new age twist on the 1980 film "Khubsoorat" - one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's evergreen films and which continues to have a dedicated fan following even after more than three decades. Both the actresses come from different backgrounds. Sonam comes from a family of actors and filmmakers while Deepika's father, Prakash Padukone, is the country's badminton icon. Yet, it is Deepika who has managed to cement her space in Bollywood as a performer, better than Sonam, who has been more in news for her fashion sensibilities despite having the talent to carry out roles as different as in "Aisha" and "Delhi-6". Her hopes are high from 'Khoobsurat', which promises to show her in an exuberant and lively avatar. Another highlight of the film is that she is paired with Pakistani sensation Fawad Khan. Meanwhile, Deepika is also hoping to strike gold yet again with the offbeat 'Finding Fanny'. But there's no mean competition or so it seemed from photographs from a 'Finding Fanny' screening, where Deepika gave Sonam a warm welcome in Mumbai.
WHEN SALMAN, JACQUELINE WERE SPOTTED TOGETHER Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut gave Bollywood a new onscreen pairSalman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez, a Jodi that rocked the silverscreen with their sizzling hot chemistry. Jacqueline, who is now a prominent member of the Salman Khan camp in Bollywood, holds the heavyweight in high esteem. Speculations were that the Sri Lankan beauty was the new lady in the ‘Dabangg’ superstar’s life. But the two actors in question refrained from uttering anything about their equation, thereby triggering curiosity. However, if the latest buzz is anything to go by, then Salman apparently took Jackie along with him to meet a friend at 3am. Salman’s female pals have often been spotted at his residence or along with him at wee hours, so this isn’t unexpected. The actor has always hinted at remaining unmarried and it is just a matter of time when the hunk decides to change his mind. Jacqueline or someone else, Salman’s fans will certainly be happy to see their Bhai with his ladylove. Zee News
‘Pk’ Is aaMIr kHaN’s tougHest fIlM ever
Agencies
Sonam vs Deepika - who’ll win the box office game?
Agencies
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Khan feels that his role in his upcoming film 'PK' has been very challenging for him and is one of his most difficult films. 'PK' is also one of his most emotional films as he had to portray different emotions within seconds. The actor is of the view that if he put his films on scales then all his films will be on one side and PK on the other. Aamir has time and again been praised for his perfectionist behaviour and yet again 'PK' seems to be another example of this. Without revealing much, Aamir shared that people will understand and connect with 'PK' only after watching the film. Looking at the poster itself, one can gauge how different is the film and Aamir's role in the film. The actor also had to learn Bhojpuri to portray his character.
MaHIra wIll work wItH raNveer IN BollYwooD MovIe
entertAinment Desk The Humsafar star, Mahira Khan, will soon light up the Bollywood silver screen with actor ranveer Singh in an unnamed Yash raj film. Her acting abilities have already got her international success through her HUM TV serial, Humsafar, which has garnered success not only in Pakistan but in abroad as well. In conversation with a local news channel, Khan said, “I will enlighten Pakistan’s name with my acting abilities. I will try my best to achieve success with my acting abilities and not with vulgarity.” Earlier various Pkaistani actors and actresses have entered the Bollywood industry in the hope to attain international recognition. However their careers in Bollywood turned out to be quite controversial. Let’s how does it turn out to be for Khan.
aksHaY turNs 47, But DefIes age
Agencies Bollywood’s daredevil hero Akshay Kumar turned 47 Tuesday but he only seems to be getting younger by the day, feel his friends and colleagues, who have wished him a “Happy Birthday”. Stars like Hrithik roshan and Sonakshi Sinha took to Twitter to wish the action titan, whose new TV reality show “Dare 2 Dance” has been appreciated.
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14 SPORTS
Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
Kabir Khan named new hbl CoaCh SportS DeSk Former Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan has been appointed Habib Bank Limited’s coach for Pakistan’s new domestic season. Kabir had recently resigned as Afghanistan’s coach stating that the job had taken a toll on his family life. He coached Afghanistan in two stints - from 2008 to 2010, and from December 2011 to 2014. He has now signed with HBL for a year. “We have offered him a contract and he has accepted,” Abdul Raqeeb, HBL sports head. “Having observed his international career with Afghanistan we are excited to get his services. He is a coach with a caliber who worked hard with developing the Afghanistan team to get them recognised in the world. It’s good to have him in our circuit and I am sure he will spur a new spirit in the team.” HBL includes some prominent international players such as Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq and Abdur Rehman. Kabir, who played for HBL for nearly a decade, played four Tests and 10 ODIs for Pakistan
real madrid track Germany star Kramer
Yusuf and Chawla train in south afriCa i
SportS DeSk
N their quest to be battle-ready for the upcoming Champions League Twenty20, Kolkata Knight Riders sent four of their players Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Manvinder Bisla and Kuldeep Yadav to Bloemfontein in South Africa for 15 days of training that included cycling, running and mountaineering. Looking to carry on the momentum from the IPL triumph, Knight Riders batsman Yusuf said the camp between August 20 and September 3 in South Africa under renowned trainer Adrian Le Roux has helped them immensely to be in top shape during the off season. “We trained hard during those 15 days,” said Yusuf . “We used to go for outdoor cycling and mountaineering and for long treks. The gym sessions were also very good. So it was a complete fitness and endurance routine that helped us remain in great shape during our off season. “It was good fun as well. We had a great time together. All of us gelled well and made use of the opportunity. Though
Piyush, Bisla and Kuldeep came back after 12 days I stayed on for 3 more days to complete a satisfying camp.” Yusuf, who last played a T20 for India against South Africa in March 2012, finished off a great season for the Gautam Gambhir-led Knight Riders. He smashed the fastest IPL fifty, in just 15 balls, to help the Shah Rukh Khanowned unit stay second in the league stage and finally clinch its second title. “We also had proper training in the in-
SA SKITTLE IRELAND FOR 71 IN FIRST T20
Reports in Italy suggest Real Madrid are keeping tabs on Bayer Leverkusen central midfielder Christoph Kramer AgencieS The Spanish giants could be interested in the German international in the next transfer window and are ready to offer €15m for him. Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti still has doubts over his central midfield and sees Kramer as the perfect complement to Toni Kroos, who the 23-year-old is familiar with from the national team. Although Leverkusen own the player, Kramer spent last season on loan to Borussia Moenchengladbach and was a member of the German team that won the World Cup in Brazil this summer. However, his contribution to the final win over Argentina was short-lived as he needed to be substituted in the first half with concussion following a clash with Ezequiel Garay.
SportS DeSk South Africa’s bowling attack proved too good for Ireland in the first of their three T20s played in Solihull. Although they did not have it all their own way with the bat, Ireland then slumped to 71 all out. Shabnim Ismail and captain Dane van Niekerk produced miserly four-over spells, conceding just 10 and eight runs respectively. Ireland’s last eight wickets fell for 39. It had been a tricky start for South Africa, who completed their series against England on Sunday, as they slipped to 28 for 3 in the seventh over. The innings was given some bulk by a stand of 65 between Marizanne Kapp and Bernadine Bezuidenhout then late striking from Chloe Tryon, who hit 28 off 12 balls, provided them further breathing pace. Isobel Joyce was the pick of Ireland’s bowlers with 3 for 16 and then top scored in the reply.
Watson faces challenge from Marsh SportS DeSk Conventional wisdom suggests that Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh could no more squeeze into the same Test team than two wicketkeepers could. In the long-term, that seems true. But in the UAE, where Australia may play two spinners, it is just possible that the selectors will want both Watson and Marsh to provide pace-bowling support to the two frontline fast men. And that would create a fascinating subplot to the tour. Watson, 33, the established allrounder, a man who has captained his country but has also flattered to deceive. Marsh, ten years younger, the raw up-andcomer with lesser credentials but boundless potential. There will be room for only one at home against India, when three fast men and a spinner are picked. Could Watson be fighting for his Test future in the UAE? At first glance, Marsh appears less ready for Test cricket than Watson was at the same age. Watson debuted at 23; Marsh will debut at 23 if he plays against Pakistan. Watson had played 33 first-class games, Marsh has played 38. Watson had 67 wickets at 28.38; Marsh has 56 at 26.92. Strikingly similar figures so far. But the big difference is in their batting numbers. Watson made his Test debut with 2355 first-class runs behind him at an average of 47.10, including eight hundreds. Marsh has 1768 runs at 28.51, with only two centuries. In Australia’s all-conquering team of the early to mid-2000s, Watson was considered a No. 7 and fifth bowler. If he plays against Pakistan, Marsh will almost certainly bat in
the top six. Different eras, different standards. But a decade after his debut, Watson is still trying to find his niche in the team. “Allrounder” has been taken to mean “all round the batting order”. He has batted everywhere from No. 1 to No. 7, including a brief period as a non-bowling No. 4. Injuries have hampered him, but so has his inability to turn his regular starts into big, match-winning scores. His latest injury was the ankle problem he sustained when he stepped on a ball at training in Brisbane before the team flew out for the one-day tri-series in Zimbabwe. That allowed Marsh to establish himself in the ODI team with two 80-plus scores, and a hat-trick of sixes off Dale Steyn. Choosing players for Test cricket based on one-day form has hurt Australia in the past - Xavier Doherty in India last year is a notable example - but Mitchell Marsh’s 211 for Australia A against India A this winter in a first-class match was encouraging. He is also coming off a Sheffield Shield season that brought 493 runs at 37.92, more runs at a better average than his brother Shaun, albeit without any centuries. “He’s a package, an all-round package and it’s really pleasing to see we’ve got a few of them around at the moment,” the national selector Rod Marsh said. “Every team needs an allrounder and we’ve got two or three now that are looking pretty good.” But Rod Marsh spoke highly of Watson when he announced the squad for the Pakistan Tests. “Shane Watson is a seasoned campaigner, he’s got a pretty good first-class record when you have a look at it, he’s got nearly 9000 runs, over 200 wickets, four Test hundreds,” Marsh
door nets with the local players of ‘Knights’ club helping us with our drills. We batted, bowled and special emphasis was laid on the fielding department. It was a totally different culture there and we learnt different things. Inshallah everybody will see an improved Yusuf Pathan. We left on a good note in IPL this season and I wish to pick up from there when we take field in CLT20.” Initiated by Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore, the camp gave a nice
opportunity for the four players to get a feel of world-class training before the CLT20 and if Yusuf and Piyush honed their skills then Bisla and Yadav, who is a slow left-arm chinaman bowler from Uttar Pradesh, got much-needed international exposure. . “It was Venky Mysore’s idea to keep the camp in the off season to provide the ultimate opportunity to these KKR players. It was certainly a great exposure for the players as it provided a perfect getaway to train in South Africa,” said Knight Riders team director Joy Bhattacharya. “It was a nice off-season exercise for the players. It will certainly add to their resume and to train under top facilities in Bloemfontein under world-class trainers like Adrian Le Roux is a great opportunity. And I am sure all these four players will benefit from this outing.” While Yusuf is hoping for a return to the national team soon, legspinner Piyush is also looking for an opportunity to sneak into the team before the 2015 World Cup. Yusuf, 31, has represented India in 57 ODIs and played 22 T20Is before falling out of favour after a slump in form. He was also a part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2011.
said. “Apart from that he can be as destructive as any batsman in the world and I think he’s in a pretty good space at the moment.” When asked if Marsh and Watson could play together in the UAE, Rod Marsh said: “You can fit more than one allrounder in a Test team, yes, but whether it’ll happen remains to be seen.” Whatever the UAE tour brings for Mitchell Marsh, it is a step closer to becoming Australia’s next long-term allrounder. For his own part, he hopes he can use the Test tour to learn from Watson, and if he makes his debut it will be a bonus. “It would be a dream come true,” he said. “I probably wasn’t expecting it to happen this fast, and I’ve still got to get a game. There’s a lot of hard work between now and that Test. We’ve got the T20s and one-dayers. Fingers crossed I can keep going well in that, and we’ll see what happens. “We all know that Shane Watson’s the first picked allrounder in Australia, and he’s a world-class player. The biggest thing for me is just being around him, working with him on and off the field. And then if I get the opportunity, we’ll see what happens. “But I’m just looking forward to getting over there; just to be around that squad - it’s a very settled Test side, and there’s a lot of experience. I’m looking forward to working with Shane Watson as much as I can. He’s been a great help for me. I’m really looking forward to that.” Just how much Watson will enjoy being challenged by a man ten years his junior remains to be seen. Last week, he said that the competition for all-round places would only increase with the emergence of James Faulkner as well as Marsh.
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Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
is CiliC just another one slam wonder? C
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ILIC beat Nishikori in straight sets, 6-3 6-3 6-3, but the crowd was relatively scant and muted from the off - partly because of the 5pm local time scheduled start, but also because they were expecting that the final would be a chance to see one of the big names of men’s tennis. Instead, the match was the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that at least one of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer were not playing for the title; and only the third time in a decade that the title hadn’t been won by one of that trio. Andy Murray won the US Open in 2012, and followed that up with a Wimbledon win in 2013. Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Federer in five sets at Flushing Meadows in 2009, is the only other man to have clinched the title - and since that day, the injury-ravaged Argentine has not been back to a grand slam final and only once made it to a semi-final. What CiliC Said: “It seems completely unreal to be called grand slam champion. I was dreaming about this
Schumacher coming home from hospital
all my life and suddenly last four, five days everything started to change. It’s just a huge accomplishment and huge moment for me and for my team and for everybody around me who was with me all these years supporting me, believing in me and never giving up. So this is just the peak of the world. “A lot of guys are saying people would like to watch top four guys much more to extend their streak at the top and to extend their run at the grand
slams because they attract the most the fans and the TV. But one day definitely they are going to go out and there’s going to be a need for somebody else. “I feel this time, this year, I think the guys from second line were a bit lucky because Andy Murray was also having trouble with his back; Wawrinka was up and down with his tennis after Australia and a few other players were not playing at their best all the time; and Rafa is not here. So
that opened a little bit the gate for everybody else. I feel it’s going to definitely be much bigger competition next year. I think the game of tennis is definitely going to evolve much more.” What NiShikori Said: “You know, I’m disappointed, but it was a good two weeks.I think I showed my potential. I can beat anybody now. So if I can keep training hard and also practise hard, I think I have more chances coming up. A lot of young guys are coming up. Dimitrov, Raonic did semis in Wimbledon. I think it’s great for the tennis. For me, I didn’t do well in grand slam these couple of years. Never make the semis or quarters. So that was the goal for this year, to make the semis. And I did it this year.” Despite the doom-mongering, it seems rather unlikely that this very unusual year heralds a sea-change at the top of men’s tennis, despite Cilic and Stan Wawrinka winning their first slams. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic will all be back, as will Murray; Cilic was gracious enough to note the injuries and difficult conditions that affected some of the big names, although that shouldn’t detract from his achievement.
Falcao, Blind and Rojo all set for United debuts at QPR SportS DeSk
The German legend has been in hospital in Grenoble ever since hitting his head while skiing off piste at Meribel at the end of 2013. The family confirmed in a statement that the driver, 45, will return to his home to continue his treatment. “Considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months,” the statement read. “There is still, however, a long and difficult road ahead.” The statement reiterated the family’s request for privacy and added that “it should not be assumed that massive changes in his health status were the reasons for the move”, as well as clarifying that no building work at his home has taken place to cater for his condition. Schumacher’s accident, in which his head hit a rock when he fell while skiing with his teenage son, caused severe damage to the seventimes world champion - and a leading Swiss neurologist recently cautioned that the driver will “remain an invalid” for the rest of his life. SportS DeSk
Colombia striker Radamel Falcao, a deadline day loan recruit from Monaco, Netherlands defender Daley Blind, signed from Ajax, and Argentina defender Marcos Rojo, brought in from Sporting Lisbon, are all expected to play against QPR. With Ander Herrera, signed from Athletic Bilbao, also returning after three weeks out with an ankle injury, United are hoping to kick-start their season after picking up two points from three league games and suffering a humiliating 4-0 League Cup exit at third-tier MK Dons. Club director Sir Bobby Charlton summed up the sense of anticipation at Old Trafford on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a great adventure of how we pull ourselves back around,” he told the club website. Dutch international striker Robin van Persie added: “I can’t wait to train and play with the world-class players we signed.That feeling, that we are going to perform well, has only got stronger after the buying of players over the last weeks I find it very exciting.” The United side is expected also to include Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, a £59.7m British transfer record signing from Real
Madrid and England left back Luke Shaw, signed from Southampton. The impending unveiling of United’s reshaped team for QPR’s visit eased fears on Tuesday about the fitness of defender Phil Jones, who limped out of England’s 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifying victory in Switzerland after 77 minutes on Monday evening. Jones was due to be examined by the medical staff in Manchester on Tuesday. If ruled out, he is likely to be replaced by Rojo, in the three-man
defence used in manager Van Gaal’s 3-5-2 system. The arrival of Falcao roused most excitement. Spanish midfielder Juan Mata said the goals coring South American is “not just a player, but a fantastic striker whose ability to score is extraordinary. “I am sure he will give a lot to our group, as a person and with his goals.” United are 14th in the Premier League with two points and without a win while QPR are 12th with one win and three points.
F1 SET FOR MAJOR TEAM RADIO CLAMPDOWN SportS DeSk Following discussions at an F1 Strategy Group meeting at the Italian Grand Prix, it is understood a number of teams have asked the FIA to find a way of banning certain types of radio communications because they are considered a turn-off for fans. The radical push has been prompted by the theory that a perception that drivers are ‘puppets’ who simply follow instructions from the pits is one of the factors in F1’s popularity decline. There is also particular concern that drivers are relying more and more on information from the pits about where they can gain laptime, especially in comparison with their team-mates. This is especially true of championship contenders Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, who have both been fed constant information by Mercedes this season.
Although there is little desire for a total ban on team radio, it is understood that efforts will be made to outlaw specific communications from the pits that help drivers with their performance. This is likely to come from a strict en-
forcement of Article 20.1 of F1’s Sporting Regulations that states: “The driver must drive the car alone and unaided.” The FIA could make it clear that any communication from the pits that helps the drivers with their performance -
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rather than being for procedural or safety reasons - is a breach of the rules. Radio conversations from drivers especially the more entertaining ones popular among fans - will still continue unchanged. Discussions between the teams and the FIA on the matter are ongoing, and a clarification is expected before the Singapore GP. McLaren racing director Eric Boullier said that the ramping up of radio messages this year was a legacy of the new fuel efficiency rules - but conceded that the situation could be better for fans. “The constraint we have this year is less fuel, and harder tyres, and I understand it may be a confusing message for the fans that the drivers have to save tyres and they have to save fuel, whatever,” he said. “Radio messages and instructions have always been done since the radio was first in place. It [the issue] is something new now because it has been broadcast for the past three years.
SPORTS 15
murraY drops out of ranKinGs top ten SportS DeSk British number one Andy Murray faces an uphill struggle to secure a place in the World Tour Finals after dropping out of the world top ten. Tomas Berdych currently occupies the final qualifying position. Murray has been in the top ten since 2008, but his form has suffered significantly since undergoing back surgery in September 2013. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the only top ten player he has beaten since then.
hodGson embraCes enGland pressure AgencieS England’s dismal World Cup campaign, and the uninspiring win over Norway last week, led some to question whether Hodgson was the right man to lead England forward. However, England emerged victorious over Switzerland from what was billed as their toughest Euro 2016 qualifier. Yet despite the victory, which came courtesy of a Danny Welbeck double, Hodgson knows his team must continue to impress over the next two years to prove the England manager’s optimism is not just hot air. “You’re always under pressure,” Hodgson said. “The day when an England manager is not under pressure, we’re not asking enough of him and his team so that’s never bothered me.” Hodgson has always maintained England’s early World Cup exit was down to “fine margins” rather than any dramatic collapse. The England manager resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes in the wake of the disappointing campaign in Brazil. He rejected the opportunity to turn to some more experienced heads and instead he has maintained his trust in the youngsters he introduced towards the end of the last qualifying campaign. “On Monday the players proved what I have been trying to say all along,” Hodgson added. “They proved that, yes, the World Cup didn’t go our way, and we were very disappointed, but we have been building, we have been changing players, introducing new ones, so it wasn’t a question of us suddenly hitting a brick wall (in Brazil). It wasn’t a case of - all of a sudden this is all wrong, we have to do something different. “It was a question of maintaining faith that we’re on the right track, that we were getting the right players in the team. “These young players will be good players without a shadow of a doubt so it was important to get off to a good start against the team in the group which people will be thinking are our biggest rivals.” Hodgson was also happy that his players maintained their desire to play for England despite the winless campaign in Brazil. “The one thing about these players, and I hope the public understand this, is that they all have a burning desire to play for England,” the 67-year-old added. “Jack Wilshere would play left back if I asked him to. “They care about both. Ever since I encountered these players, there has not been one who has not really shown me that they want to play and do their best for me.” Given that the top two teams qualify automatically from each group, England would have been odds-on to make it to Euro 2016 even if they had lost in Basle. And England’s next opponents San Marino and Estonia should cause Hodgson’s team no problems at all. But with such a straightforward qualifying campaign ahead, Hodgson has the chance to introduce some continuity in terms of personnel and formation.
SPORTS Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
LAHORE
i
Staff RepoRt
N a huge blow to Pakistan, offspinner Saeed Ajmal has been banned from bowling in international cricket by the ICC after his action was deemed to be illegal for all deliveries. Ajmal, who has been Pakistan's lead spinner in all formats in recent years, was reported after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month. The decision to ban him was taken after an ICC accredited team of bio-mechanics experts tested his action at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. Ajmal can apply to the ICC for a re-assessment at any time after modifying his action."An independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan's offspinner Saeed Ajmal to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect," the ICC said. "The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations." Ajmal, however, was hopeful that a medical condition the natural bend in his arm because of an accident - would work in his favour when the appeal is made to the ICC's bowling review group. "I am positive about this and not worried because I believe I can make the World Cup," Ajmal told reporters in Faisalabad. "They are yet to consider my medical reports and once they do it I am sure there shouldn't be any problem. If one has a medical problem then what can he do? So I am 100% positive and hoping for the best." Ajmal is the No. 1 ranked bowler in the ICC ODI rankings and is among the top ten in Tests and Twenty20 internationals. He his the highest wickettaker across formats in the last three years. This was the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, the bowler had been reported while bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month. The issue of suspect bowling actions had come up during the ICC cricket committee meeting in June, where there was a general consensus among members that the current methods used to detect illegal actions were imperfect. It had recommended changes to help match officials get more support from biomechanists in order to identify illegal actions with "more confidence".In the last few months, Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand's Kane Williamson were reported and subsequently banned from bowling due to illegal bowling actions.
Saeed ajmal banned from bowling PCB MULLING OPTIONS AFTER AJMAL BAN LAHORE Staff RepoRt Hours after the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said the board would appeal the ban on Saeed Ajmal to an ICC-appointed Bowling Review Group (BRG), the PCB has backtracked from that position and said it was "contemplating its future course of action and weighing all options." "The PCB has referred the matter to its recentlyformed Illegal Bowling Action Committee, which will consider the matter and revert with their views and/or recommendations and the Board shall thereafter decide what action to take", Shaharyar said in a PCB statement. The ICC rules allow the PCB 14 days from the receipt of the report on Ajmal's action to file an appeal. The BRG shall comprise the following persons: a current member of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission (in the Chair and with the casting vote only), a current ICC referee, an ex-international player, an ex-
international umpire and a human movement specialist. The ICC General Manager - Cricket shall be an ex-officio member of the BRG. Earlier today, soon after Ajmal was banned from bowling in international cricket after an independent analysis at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane found all his deliveries to be illegal, the PCB had seemed more certain of its intention to appeal. Though the PCB was aware that an unsuccessful appeal could lead to Ajmal being banned from bowling in international cricket for a period of time, it said at the time, that it would appeal in order to understand the angles from which Ajmal's action had been analysed. It is understood that the board maintained Ajmal had a medical condition following an accident that affected the movement of his elbow and that had been accepted by the ICC when his action was cleared previously. "Our experts understood that it is the doosra that may be suspected but that proved wrong because his entire action was called illegal," Shaharyar had said
at a press conference earlier in the day. "So that's a concern for us but we are going to appeal because we want to understand if the ICC has covered all the angles or not. An appeal obviously will benefit us because there is the chance that he may be cleared and get back straight away. "Otherwise if the appeal is unsuccessful we are wary of the one-year ban imposed on him, but then again he can remodel his action within the period and return to cricket. We have two weeks to lodge an appeal. We have to face this with courage and go through it without panicking. We have bowlers who can fill in for Ajmal and won't let the team miss him." This was the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, the bowler had been reported while bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month. This was the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, the bowler had been reported while bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month.
Thai fooTballerS offered $1.7m win bonuS
SQUAD CUT DOWN TO SIZE
BANGKOK: Thailand´s footballers will share a $1.7 million bonus if they take gold in the upcoming Asian Games in South Korea, the head of the kingdom´s football association said Tuesday. The generous cash incentive has been offered for the men´s team by a Thai sports magazine publisher who is a big football fan, according to Worawi Makudi, president of the Football Association of Thailand. "If they are champions at the Asian Games, they will get 55 million baht ($1.7 million),” "The association has tried our best to find something that will encourage and motivate them." The football competition, which in the men´s competition is restricted to players aged under 23, starts before the opening ceremony for the Games on September 19. Thailand have never taken gold in football at the regional showpiece and rank 157th in official FIFA charts, below tournament heavyweights China, Japan and both North and South Korea. Their preparations have also been hampered by the omission of key midfielder Jakkaphan Pornsai from the squad due to a clerical error. This year´s edition at Incheon of the Asian Games, dubbed Asia´s Olympics, cost just over $2 billion to host. agencieS
NEW DELHI agencieS
India´s sports ministry on Tuesday slashed the contingent going to the Asian Games in South Korea, leaving out 146 athletes who stood only a slim chance of winning medals. The Indian Olympic Association wanted government approval for a mammoth 942-member squad that included 662 athletes to travel to Incheon for the September 19-October 4 event. But the ministry gave the go-ahead
to only 516 athletes and 163 officials after three weeks of deliberations that ended at Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s door. The contingent will take part in 28 disciplines after several others including bowling, karate, modern pentathlon, rugby, soft tennis and triathlon were axed from India´s original list. "The exercise (to prune the squad) was undertaken to ensure that only deserving athletes, coaches and support personnel are participating in the Games," said a release from sports min-
ister Sarbananda Sonowal´s office. Sonowal took the decision "in consultation with the Prime Minister", the release added. The men´s and women´s football teams, which have been training in China, were given the green light despite media speculation that both could be axed. India had sent 609 athletes in a 933member delegation to the previous Asian Games in Guangzhou, China four years ago. They took part in 35 disciplines and won 65 medals, including 14 golds.
Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.
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