E-paper Pakistantoday ISB 15th January, 2012

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pakistantoday.com.pk

Rs22.00 Vol ii no 199 21 pages islamabad — peshawar edition

Sunday, 15 January, 2012 Safar 20, 1433

Gilani’s criticism PM seeks to ease tensions with army divisive, Kayani tells Zardari g

Gilani says it is important for all institutions to work in synergy ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

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Presidency denies army chief expressed anger at PM’s comments ISLAMABAD

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REUTERS

HiEf of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is furious with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for statements criticising the army and has demanded that they be clarified or withdrawn, Reuters reported on Saturday quoting “a senior military source”.

“The army chief complained to the president about the prime minister’s statements, and said they needed to be either clarified or withdrawn,” the source told Reuters. “He said such statements were divisive and made the country more vulnerable.” in an interview with Chinese media, Gilani had said the army chief and the inter-Services intelligence (iSi) director general’s replies to the Supreme Court were “unconstitutional”, infuriating the military’s high command, who issued a stern

press release.

As angry as Kayani is, the source said, the council of senior military commanders is even angrier, the source said. “There is a lot of pressure by the main corps commanders on the army chief regarding the statements of the prime minister,” the source said.

President Asif Ali Zardari met Kayani in an attempt to mend fences on Saturday. “The current security situation was discussed,” a presidential spokesman said, without giving any details. The Presidency, however, did say that there was no truth to the reports that Gen Kayani expressed anger at the prime minister’s comments.

“A section of the media has speculated on the contents of discussion between the president and army chief in the meeting, the reports, without quoting sources, are hypothetical, based on conjecture and in the realm of speculation,” the president’s spokesman farhatullah Babar said in a statement.

All need to work within their respective domain. This was the message Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani conveyed on Saturday to the state institutions without naming the armed forces and the judiciary, amidst a continuing standoff with the memo and the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) being the central issues.

Though a two-line statement issued by the Presidency after a meeting between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and President Asif

Ali Zardari said the “current security situation was discussed during the meeting”, the prime minister also took advantage of the meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) and used this civil-military forum to defuse the tension by suggesting that it was important for all institutions to work in synergy.

While the prime minister acknowledged that the armed forces of Pakistan were a pillar of the nation’s resilience and strength and that the nation hailed their heroic services in the defence of the motherland, he also mentioned the role of democratic institutions

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani chairs a meeting of the DCC on Saturday. online and said the civil institutions too had their due role to play for socioeconomic development and for ensuring progress and prosperity.

“Together in complete harmony

with each other and other vital institutions we can change the country’s destiny and accord its Continued on page 04

DCC leaves nAto attack response to parliament ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) on Saturday took no decision on resumption of NATO supplies, deciding in principle that parliament would take any decision on this vital issue along with the review of terms of engagement with the Unites States.

During the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the DCC was briefed on the US CENTCOM enquiry report on the attacks on checkposts in Mohmand Agency on November 26, 2011, including a comprehensive analysis by the director general military operations (DGMO). The meeting also elaborated on the country’s position on the report and it was decided that a response would be shared with all concerned shortly.

Earlier, in his opening statement, the prime minister said the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was not negotiable and the nation’s strength was its institutions and all endeavours would be undertaken to enhance their effectiveness and capacity.

Gilani said it had been a consistent endeavour of the govern-

ment to safeguard Pakistan’s supreme national interests in a most effective and inclusive manner. Terrorism and the continued strife and conflict in Afghanistan had directly and severely impacted Pakistan, he added.

“Thousands of our people, officers and jawans of the armed forces and security personnel fell victim to terrorism and militancy. We have achieved notable success in dealing with the menace of terrorism. We have done so in our national interest,” he said. He said further that the government and parliament and, above all, the people had stood fully behind “our brave armed forces and security personnel” and there was a complete national consensus that terrorism would not be allowed any space on the sacred soil of Pakistan.

“Pakistan has also been cooperating with the international community. Our cooperation is based on a ‘partnership’ approach, which entails mutual respect, trust and mutual interest. Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are not negotiable. We would reject any approach that would tend Continued on page 04

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Police and paramilitary soldiers gather outside a police office which was attacked by militants wearing police uniforms on Saturday. reuters

4 killed as terrorists attack DI Khan police office Three attackers blow themselves up, another gunned down

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PESHAWAR SHAMIM SHAHID

At least four people were killed and nine others were injured as terrorists stormed the District Police Office in Dera ismail Khan on Saturday afternoon in a brazen gun-and-bomb attack, which was foiled by timely action from police and security forces.

All four terrorists were killed and District Police Officer (DPO) Sohail Khalid Raana remained safe.

The terrorists, three of whom reportedly wore police uniform, stormed the DPO Office located in the cantonment area of the city and hurled hand-grenades at the policemen inside, followed by bursts of gunfire. A gun-battle ensued as the policemen retaliated and contingents of army and police rushed to the site to provide backup.

The fighting continued for around an hour and ended only after the terrorists had been killed.

Though Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information Minister Mian iftikhar Hussain said three policemen were killed and there were no civilian casualties, eyewitnesses and doctors said two of the victims were civilians and two were po-

licemen.Hussain told Pakistan Today that all four militants had been killed. Three of them blew themselves up with suicide vests, while the fourth was shot dead by security forces during the encounter. Hussain said the situation was now under control and fresh contingents of police and paramilitary soldiers had been deployed at the site of the attack.

“Army and police units have entered the police station and a search operation is over,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akbar Hoti told AfP. “We have recovered bodies of four militants, they were all wearing suicide vests,” he said. “We are checking the identity of the civilian casualties to ascer-

tain if they included any militants,” he added. Police intercepted the militants before they could enter the main offices, he said. So far, there have been no claims of responsibility for the attack, but officials believe Taliban militants were involved.

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02 News

Monday, 15 January, 2012

NewS

iSLAMABAD

foreigN NewS

Couple displays ‘The Way’ for art lovers at Gallery Louvre President has complete immunity under constitution: Aitzaz Thousands protest against nuclear power in Japan

today’s

Quick look

Story on Page 09

Story on Page 08

Imran warns govt of ‘tsunami march’ if judiciary maligned ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

AKiSTAN Tehreek-e-insaaf (PTi) Chairman imran Khan warned the government on Saturday to stop maligning the superior judiciary, failing which the PTi would launch a “tsunami march” against the government and in support of the judiciary.

Addressing a press conference following the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of his party held here at a local hotel, Khan said the independent judiciary and media were obligatory in order to make democracy the best ruling system, but the government was trying to destroy the judiciary to perpetuate its corruption.

At the CEC meeting, Air Marshal Asghar Khan also announced the merger of his party, the Tehreek-e-istaqlal, with the PTi, saying his party completely endorsed the principled politics pursued by imran Khan’s party. Asghar also appealed to the Supreme Court to hear his petition regarding the distribution of money to some politicians, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif, by the inter-Services intelligence (iSi) before the 1990 elections. imran Khan also asked the apex court on his party’s behalf to hear the case and to bring the facts in front of the public. “if iSi has distributed money among politicians, it should be

held accountable so that no such step can be taken again in future,” he said.

The CEC meeting noted with concern the ongoing political crisis created by the government by not implementing the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) decision of the Supreme Court. The committee observed that the prime minister and other members of the ruling party were attacking all institutions, including the Supreme Court, to hide their loot and plunder, resolving that if the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government tried to destroy the court and deny this nation the rule of law, it would be a direct assault on democracy that would be resisted by the PTi. imran Khan, however, said the PML-N should resign at once from the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly if it really wanted to get rid of this government.

Commenting on the Balochistan unrest, he said his party would cooperate with Baloch leaders before the PTi’s grand public meeting in Quetta, which would be held in March. He said he was committed to working for the welfare of the Baloch people, saying after coming into power his party would work in Balochistan according to the people’s wish. He also said he supported the formation of new provinces. imran announced that he would move the courts against electoral lists and said the last general elections were fraudulent since, according to the Election Commission, 45 percent of voters in that election were bogus.

Story on Page 14

Cornered PM to brief NA on economic achievements ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Cornered and severely criticized for its poor economic performance, Prime Minister (PM) Yousuf Raza Gilani plans to give a policy statement about the achievements of the government in the parliament. finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Secretary finance Dr Waqar Masood briefed the PM on the performance of economy during the first half of the current fiscal year. According to PM House statement, Gilani said he will give a policy statement in parliament soon about the salient features of the economy and the achievements of the government.

However, the statement did not contain any information on the resolution of the Rs 400 billion inter-corporate circular debt holding the economy hostage. No plan to curb Rs 350 billion power sector subsidies that are expected to increase the fiscal deficit by 2 percent in comparison with the revised official target of 4.7 percent was announced. During the last three years, the government has incurred Rs 1 trillion in power subsidy, one of the main reasons for high fiscal deficit of 6 percent of GDP during the last three fiscal years.

The statement did not mention any discussion on bleeding state owned enterprises (SOEs), like Pakistan Railways, Pakistan international Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mill. To keep loss-making SOEs afloat, the government is heavily borrowing from the domestic banks that has crowded out financing facilities for the private sector.

new committee to probe report’s ISLAMABAD AMER SIAL

The government has decided to constitute a new committee to further probe the findings of the enquiry report that holds former indus Water Commissioner (iWC) Jamaat Ali Shah responsible for not timely informing the Ministry of Water and Power (MOWP) about the construction of 45 megawatts Nimoo Bazgo hydropower project by india on indus River in the occupied Kashmir.

An official said the committee

Civilians have whip-hand in showdown with military ISLAMABAD REUTERS

for decades, Pakistan’s generals only had to pick up a phone and order the removal of anyone in the civilian government who had crossed them. it’s not so simple anymore, as the army is finding out in its latest battle with President Asif Ali Zardari.

Despite the numerous crises hounding Zardari’s government, the civilians for once hold the most cards in the non-stop bluffing game that defines Pakistani politics, giving it the confidence to stare down the powerful military, its political opponents and perhaps even the Supreme Court. for months, pundits have been predicting the downfall of Zardari. He has never been popular. He has never shaken off his nickname – “Mr 10 Percent” - which refers to his alleged cut of any government contract made when his wife was prime minister.

Nor does he have many friends in the military, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 64-year history through a series of coups, and for most of the rest from behind the scenes, setting security and foreign policy.

But now, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and his generals find themselves in a position of political isolation, and it is this that may have led to the army’s uncharacteristic restraint.

“Unless the situation is totally out of control, he (Kayani) does not want to intervene,” said Shauqat Qadir, a retired brigadier and military analyst. “There’s always a couple of guys who say, ‘Let’s do this, how long are you going to take this?’, but the rest of the commanders will say to take it easy,” he said. for all the headlines about the prospect of another coup, then, an army takeover looks unlikely any time soon. “They (Zardari and his allies) are on the offensive, because they think they have the upper hand,”

said Rifaat Hussain, a professor at the Quaid-i-Azam University in islamabad. Still, the open hostilities will reinforce the view that Pakistan’s leaders are caught up in power struggles so often that they are incapable of running a nuclear-armed country facing enormous social, security and economic problems.

‘MEMOGATE’: When a Pakistani-American businessman revealed his role in writing and delivering a controversial memo to the US joint chiefs of staff chairman, the army went ballistic. Ambassador Husain Haqqani was forced to resign, and ‘memogate’ has locked Zardari and the military in trench warfare ever since.

“They can take over, they have the capacity to take over,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst. “But they will find it extremely difficult to sustain power.

That’s the basic challenge for them.” few generals want to repeat the mistakes made by Pakistan’s last coup leader, General (r) Pervez Musharraf, who resigned as president in disgrace in 2008 to avoid impeachment for violating the constitution.

The military will also be reluctant to assume responsibility for a host of problems that range from a tottering economy, widespread poverty and power shortages that would open it up to further public criticism. furthermore, any military government would face international sanctions: its ties with Washington are already at their lowest ebb since 2001, and a coup would make it worse.

Under US law, no aid - other than for the promotion of democracy - may be provided to a country whose elected head has been toppled in a coup. Pakistan is one of the main recipients of US foreign aid, receiving almost $20 billion since 2001.

ZARDARI’S BET: President Zardari may have concluded that - given all this - the military will not have the stomach for another coup and is now daring the generals to make a move, betting that the civilians will win the showdown.

Close aides say Zardari wants to be remembered as the leader who worked harder than any other to promote civilian rule in Pakistan and loosen the military’s hold on power.

Zardari is “stubborn and headstrong with a strong sense of street politics”, said a senior member of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). “And he has a desire for a legacy as the man who finally got the ballot box to prevail.”

No civilian government has ever served out its full five-year term in Pakistan, but Zardari’s government might just do it. The next general election is due by 2013, and legislators will elect a new president, a largely ceremonial post, after that poll.

would further probe the inquiry report that holds former iWC responsible for negligence, as delay in informing the government allowed india to complete the project and get carbon credits from the United Nations (UN) despite the project’s location in a disputed territory. He said the former iWC had assured to participate in the committee’s hearings. in a recent meeting of the National Assembly Special Committee on Energy Crisis, MOWP Secretary imtiaz Kazi said the former iWC had left the country with ministry’s permis-

Bureacrat’s mother, sister killed in PiMs shootout ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

in a daring move, unidentified armed men barged into the main ViP ward of the Pakistan institute of Medical Sciences (PiMS) and shot dead two women, besides seriously injuring another woman, in an assassination attempt on a suspected criminal on Saturday. Police sources said the assailants entered PiMS ViP Ward no 9 and opened indiscriminate fire, killing Saleh Bibi and Bilqees instantly and seriously injuring Qamarun Nisa. The two deceased women were the mother and sister of the Cabinet Division joint secretary.

Police said they suspected the target of the attack was in Ward no 10, where Rana Sarwar, an accused in a kidnapping for ransom case, was being treated.

Police said, “As the killed women had no enmity and the main accused of an abduction case was admitted in the room next to the attacked room, we suspect the attack was on Rana Sarwar and the assailants misunderstood the location of their target.”

Police said a squad was also present on duty with the arrested suspect.

No arrests were made by the police till the filing of this report.

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Monday, 15 January, 2012

ArTS & eNTerTAiNMeNT

SPorTS

News 03

CoMMeNT

Veena Malik’s Chhanno gives Chikni Chameli a run for her money India totter towards big defeat

A grand alliance?

today’s

Moves to unite the opposition.

NAB in action: Suspect timing, though.

Humayun Gauhar says: Cat in the bag: Now out in the bizarre world of Pakistani politics.

Arif Ansar says: Civil-military tensions: We’re ignoring the global context at our own peril.

Quick look

M J Akbar says: Bedside manners: Politics is a game of convenience.

Story on Page 17

Story on Page 18

MUZZAFARABAD: Young men enjoy the weather with a snowfight on Saturday. INP

Articles on Page 12-13

US warns Israel on Iran strike MonItoRIng DESk

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findings against former iWC sion. He said his name was not placed on the Exit Control List and that he would return by mid february. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has already directed the MOWP to approach the Court of Arbitration (CoA) against india for constructing the hydropower project and receiving carbon credits from the UN. PM’s Advisor on Agriculture and Water Kamal Majidullah was finalising the members for the legal team to file the case in the CoA. The enquiry was ordered after media reports criticised

the government’s failure to block india’s construction of a water storage project in the disputed territory. india had constructed the reservoir in Leh district in the indian-occupied Kashmir. An enquiry conducted by the secretary of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had held the former iWC responsible. Since he had retired by the time the enquiry report was completed, the MOWP forwarded the report to the Establishment Division recommending to stop his pension.

Quake measuring 5.5 jolts Chitral CHItRAL NNI

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on Richter scale jolted Chitral and its surrounding areas on Saturday morning.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department, the epicentre of the quake was 115 kilometres

away from Chitral in the Hindukush mountain range.

The tremor was felt at 3:50am on Saturday. No casualty was reported from any part of Chitral and its surroundings. A low intensity quake measuring 4.3 on Richter scale had hit the same area on January 9.

S defence leaders are increasingly concerned that israel is preparing to take military action against iran, over US objections, and have stepped up contingency planning to safeguard US facilities in the region in case of a conflict, the Wall Street Journal said in a report on Saturday.

President Barack Obama, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and other top officials have delivered a string of private messages to israeli leaders warning about the dire consequences of a strike. The US wants israel to give more time for the effects of sanctions and other measures intended to force iran to abandon its perceived efforts to build nuclear weapons.

Stepping up the pressure, WSJ reported that Obama spoke by telephone on Thursday with israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet with israeli military officials in Tel Aviv next week.

The high-stakes planning and diplomacy comes as US officials warn Tehran, including through what administration officials described as direct messages to iran’s leaders, against provocative actions.

Tehran has warned that it could retaliate to tightened sanctions by blocking oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. denied the charge and condemned the attack. israel hasn’t commented.

The WSP report said that the US military

Iran claims CIA killed scientist MonItoRIng DESk iran said on Saturday it has evidence that the United States was behind the assassination of an iranian nuclear scientist this week in Tehran, iranian state media reported.

The iRNA state news agency said that iran’s foreign Ministry has sent a diplomatic letter to the US saying that it has “evidence and reliable information” that the CiA provided “guidance, support and planning” to assassins “directly involved” in Roshan’s killing.

The US has denied any role in the assassination. iran delivered the letter to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which looks after US interests in the country. iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations since the 1979 islamic Revolution. iRNA also reported that iran delivered a letter to Britain accusing London of having an “obvious role” in the killing. it said that a series of assassinations began after British intelligence chief John Sawers hinted in 2010 at

intelligence operations against the islamic Republic. British media have quoted Sawers as saying that intelligence-led operations were needed to make it more difficult for countries like iran to develop nuclear weapons. Britain’s foreign Office has condemned the killing of civilians. israeli officials, in contrast, have hinted at covert campaigns against iran without directly admitting involvement. in the clearest sign yet that iran is preparing to strike back for Roshan’s killing, Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, the spokesman for iran’s Joint Armed forces Staff, was quoted by the semiofficial iSNA news agency Saturday as saying that Tehran was “reviewing the punishment” of “behindthe-scene elements” involved in the assassination. “iran’s response will be a tormenting one for supporters of state terrorism,” he said, without elaborating. “The enemies of the iranian nation, especially the United States, Britain and the Zionist regime, or israel, have to be held responsible for their activities.”

is preparing for a number of possible responses to an israeli strike, including assaults by proiranian Shia militias in iraq against the US Embassy in Baghdad, according to US officials.

Panetta and other top officials have privately sought assurances from israeli leaders

in recent weeks that they won’t take military action against iran. But the israeli response has been noncommittal, US officials said.

“Our concern is heightened,” a senior US military official said of the probability of an israeli strike over US objections.

3 iranian border guards walk free after pardon QUEttA STAFF REPORT

The three iranian border security guards held for killing a Pakistani national were released by a court in Kharan district on Saturday, some 320 kilometres southwest of Quetta.

The iranian guards had entered three kilometres into Pakistani territory on January 1 in Washuk district while chasing a vehicle, and killed a Pakistani national Saeed Ahmad, 14, and injured his 12-yearold brother islam Gul. Later they were carrying the Pakistani nationals back into iran when the Balochistan frontier Corps (fC) intercepted and arrested them.

District and Sessions Judge Kharan Rasheed Umrani issued the release orders after a written pardon by the victim’s parent was pro-

duced. in the written pardon there was no mention of monetary compensation for the bereaved family, as the family stated that it had forgiven the murderers in the name of God. All three accused, and the parents and relatives of the deceased were present in the court room

when the judge announced the release orders.

A source told Pakistan Today that similar to the Raymond Davis case, US national who killed two Pakistani nationals in Lahore, the Pakistani authorities had helped the iranians in reaching a compromise

with the victim’s family. The source said that iranian authorities had paid the compensation amount, not in millions, but close to a million, besides covering the expenses on the treatment of the injured islam Gul in Zahidan. After the court orders, all three iranian guards were handed over to the fC Balochistan and were shifted to Naushki district.

Reportedly, fC officials drove them to the border town of Taftan on Sunday morning to hand them over to the iranian authorities.

The iranian government had been pressurising islamabad to secure the release of its three border guards. After refusal from the Pakistani side because the victim’s father registered a murder case, the iranian officials made a settlement with the bereaved family through tribal elders from both sides of the border and Pakistani district officials.

Mansoor Ijaz’s plans remain secret ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Uncertainty continues to shroud whether Pakistani-American businessman and one of the main characters in the memogate Mansoor ijaz will arrive to appear before the three-member commission on January 16 (tomorrow) as he has kept his arrival plan secret for security reasons.

However, a source close to ijaz told Pakistan Today he will visit Pakistan ‘very soon’ but did not provide a date. Moreover, there was no confirmation from the foreign office on whether ijaz had applied for visa to be able to travel to Pakistan. How-

ever, in a statement issued on Saturday, ijaz announced he will visit Pakistan to depose before a Supreme Court-appointed judicial commission to speak “the truth” about the memo, which, he claimed, was written on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari. ijaz. However, did not reveal the date of his arrival in Pakistan.

But, at the same time, he attacked former envoy to the US Husain Haqqani, alleging that the ex-diplomat had “orchestrated a media campaign” against him. “Dream on, Mr Haqqani. i am coming to Pakistan. And i am going to tell a truth which you will no longer be able to hide from. i will tell it with such clarity

and vigour that you and your brilliant legal team will find no space to run from it,” ijaz stated, adding that he would welcome cross examination by Haqqani’s counsel. His statement to media came after Pakistani interior Minister Rehman Malik said there was no threat to him in the country and that he would be provided security during his stay.

When contacted, Akram Shaikh, the counsel for ijaz, said his client was coming to Pakistan and a statement had been issued in this regard to the media on Saturday. However, Shaikh avoided revealing the exact date and time of arrival of ijaz, saying it could not be shared due to

security reasons. “i am not his media manager. i am his counsel to plead his case in the court,” said Shaikh when pressed on what threats ijaz was facing.

Asked whether ijaz had sent him power of attorney enabling him to represent him in the court, Shaikh responded in affirmative. “He has sent me papers to represent him and i would submit them with the commission on Monday,” he added.

Akram Shaikh met the attorney general of Pakistan to submit a joint application with the commission seeking adjournment in the memo case which hinted that ijaz might not appear before the commission on Monday.

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04 News ‘N’ attaches strings to cooperation with PPP Continued fRom page 24 democratic institutions the basic constitutional principle of trichotomy of powers must be fully respected and adhered to and in this regard calls upon the government to immediately implement, in letter and spirit, all previous Resolutions of Parliament and all decisions of the superior judiciary and to ensure that all administrative actions are strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the law, for smooth functioning of all state institutions.

This House reaffirms that as stated in the first paragraph of the Preamble to the Constitution, sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone, and the authority to be exercised by the people of Pakistan within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust. finally this House emphasises that the best guarantee for the strengthening of democracy is the successful resolution of the problems of the people of Pakistan by democratic institutions through dedicated, selfless and corruptionfree services for the welfare of the common man and in this regard calls upon the Government to discharge its constitutional obligations and provide relief to the suffering masses by devoting all energies and efforts to improve governance, eliminate gas and electricity load shedding, control inflation, create employment opportunities and put the country back on the path of self-reliant economic growth.

Sunday, 15 January, 2012

PM seeks Continued fRom page 1

rightful place in the comity of nations,” he said, understandably in an attempt to defuse the tension.

As the tension between the civil and military establishments continued to escalate, the meeting of the DCC had assumed a significant importance. it was for the first time the two sides sat across the table after the recent developments that clearly suggested that the relations between islamabad and Rawalpindi had become dangerously strained.

“National unity is the need of the hour. Democracy provides avenues to forge national consensus. Each organ and state institution has to play its due role, within its respective domain, to bring forth the best in promoting Pakistan’s national interest,” the prime minister said in his opening remarks at the DCC meeting, adding that the nation’s strength was its institutions. “We will do everything to strengthen our institutions with a view to enhancing their effectiveness and capacity. There should be no ambiguity on this account,” said the premier.

He said it had been his

government’s policy to allow and enable all state institutions to play their role in their respective domains for the common good of the people of Pakistan. “it is this desire to set good and healthy democratic traditions that has enabled us to always seek strength from the parliament, which is the hallmark of a democratic government,” the prime minister said, underlying the importance of parliament as a sovereign body.

Though a lot was being speculated about the meeting between the COAS and the president, Presidential Spokesman farhatullah Babar said: “A section of the media has speculated on the contents of discussion between the president and army chief in the meeting, the reports, without quoting sources, are hypothetical, based on conjecture and in the realm of speculation.”

The report had suggested that the COAS had complained to the president about the prime minister’s interview to a Chinese newspaper. it had also suggested that the COAS had asked the president to make the prime minister withdraw his statement or clarify it.

Suicide bomber kills 53 Shias at Iraq pilgrimage

Continued fRom page 1

of the terms of cooperation with US/NATO/iSAf is in process. We hope that decisions in this regard will be in line with the aspirations of our people and go a long way in preserving and protecting our national interests and promoting peace in the region,” he added. Gilani said Pakistan was a peace-loving country. “We are committed to forging good relations with all neighbours and the international community. Pakistan will continue to play a responsible role for promoting global and regional peace and security. Our record in international peacekeeping has been appreciated by the international community on a number of occasions,” said the prime minister.

RAWALPInDI STAFF REPORT

BASRA

A

AFP

suicide bomber killed 53 people in an apparent sectarian attack in southern iraq Saturday casting a pall over the climax of a Shia pilgrimage that draws hundreds of thousands from around the world.

The attack on Shia devotees on the outskirts of the port city of Basra, which left 137 wounded, came with iraq mired in a political row that has pitted the Shia-led government against the main Sunni-backed bloc and stoked sectarian tensions less than a month after US forces completed their pullout.

The violence was the latest in a spate of attacks against Shia pilgrims in the two weeks leading to the conclusion of Arbaeen, which marks 40 days after the Ashura anniversary commemorating the slaying of

DCC leaves nAto attack to compromise our sovereignty, honour and national dignity. Our contribution and steadfast commitment to stability and peace at home and in our region is unquestionable and second to none,” he said. “following the NATO/iSAf attacks on our border posts on November 26, 2011, this forum took clear decision. These were subsequently endorsed by the cabinet. The Parliamentary Committee on National Security was entrusted to formulate recommendations for consideration by parliament.

The committee has held several meetings and its conclusions and recommendations will be considered by parliament,” he said. “A full review

Allot alternate location to petrol pump, LHC orders authorities

The meeting was also attended by Senior Minister for industries and Defence Productions Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, finance Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh, interior Minister Rehman Malik, information Minister Dr firdous Ashiq Awan, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Khalid shamim Waynne, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Air force Chief Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila, the principal secretary to the prime minister, cabinet secretary, foreign secretary and director general of the intelligence Bureau.

imam Hussein, one of Shia islam’s most revered figures, by the armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD. The bombing killed 53 people and wounded 137, according to Riyadh Abdulamir, head of Basra province’s health department. He said women and children were among the casualties, but did not give further details.

The death toll was the highest since attacks on Shias in Baghdad and southern iraq killed 70 people on December 5.

The attacker, who had been distributing cake and other food to pilgrims walking to the Khutwa imam Ali, a site on the outskirts of Basra venerated by believers for its associations with one of the key figures of their faith, blew himself up near a security checkpoint. “i saw a soldier take hold of the attacker to take him to the officer in charge,” said Kadhim

Nasser, who was in charge of a nearby rest stop for pilgrims.

“As he was pushing him, something happened and the soldier fell to the ground.” “immediately, he blew himself up. When he did that, women and children were passing by. i saw dozens of women and children among the wounded,” the 42-year-old added. Pilgrims in southern iraq who cannot visit the central shrine city of Karbala to mark Arbaeen typically make the shorter trip to Khutwa imam Ali, which lies around 12 kilometres (seven miles) west of Basra.

Hundreds of thousands did make it to Karbala on Saturday amid massive security in face of the Sunni insurgent threat.

Officials said 15 million pilgrims have passed through the city in the past two weeks leading up to the end of the commemorations, including some 500,000 from outside iraq.

nAB also opposed Continued fRom page 24 least one year [to complete the process]. We have also requested the government to return our two wings of financial Crime and Anti-Corruption back to us,” he said.

Bokhari said currently NAB was investigating irregularities in Pakistan Railways and had achieved considerable success in putting this national institution back on track by recovering money from contractors and negotiating with the management of Royal Palm Golf Club to revisit the agreement. The other cases, which he said were under NAB’s scrutiny, related to NLC, Bank of Punjab and iSAf containers. The chairman, however, refrained from commenting on the questions related to the National Recon-

ciliation Ordinance (NRO), particularly about writing a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against the president, saying that it was not the bureau’s domain and the attorney general was the right man to answer this question. “i will also not comment on any matter that is sub judice,” he said, when pressed to give his opinion on the NRO. But he was all for the implementation of Supreme Court orders, saying: “it is the duty of every citizen to implement and obey the Supreme Court orders.” NAB Prosecutor General KK Agha, who was also present on the occasion, remained tightlipped and did not say a single word on the Swiss cases. He said he was unaware if the cases were time-bound.

Disposing of a petition, Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) Justice ijaz Ahmad ordered authorities concerned to allot an alternate place for a petrol pump affected by the construction of a fly-over on Murree Road. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had filed the petition through Qasim Chohan against the demolition of the petrol pump. The court had already issued a stay order in this case. However, the court disposed of the petition with an order to allot an alternate place for the petrol pump.

is gilani on his way out?

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A series of news reports appearing in foreign media, particularly in the British press, recently about Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani suggest that all is not well and it is being speculated here as well that President Asif Ali Zardari may make him a scapegoat and sacrifice him to mend fences with the army and the judiciary. Though PM’s House denies these reports, they keep appearing with a new angle. The Times of London has made the disclosure quoting “some observers” who predicted that Prime Minister Gilani may be considering resigning as part of a move to deflect the pressure on the president and regain the moral high ground for President Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). The newspaper report said President Zardari has also asked Aitzaz Ahsen to conduct secret negotiations with the court. Ahsen is also being tipped as a possible replacement for Gilani.

However, Ahsen also denied negotiating with the judiciary on behalf of the government. As the tension between the army and the government continues, the sacking of Lt General (r) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, the defence secretary, by the prime minister is also being seen as a desperate attempt by him to send a message to the army leadership that he is the chief executive.

However, it has not been taken well. Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, a close aide of the president, is also said to have not been consulted by the prime minister before sacking the defence secretary. it has also been reported that the Law Ministry had not considered the Defence Ministry’s opinion while recommending to the prime minister that the defence secretary had violated the rules of business. Another report by the Associated Press (AP) had claimed that the prime minister, fearing a coup against his government, had approached the British High Commissioner in Pakistan. However, this was also denied by the British High Commission and PM’s House.

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Couple displays ‘The Way’ for art lovers at Gallery Louvre PAge 07

Public sector health staff to have new career structure 250 percent raise proposed in personal allowances g CADD introducing bill in parliament soon g

ISLAMABAD

T

MAHTAB BASHIR

he Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) has planned to introduce a new career structure for health professionals serving in the public sector health institutions through ‘Career Structure for Health Personnel Act 2012’ to be introduced shortly in the parliament.

According to a copy of the draft act available with Pakistan Today, the new career structure will be streamlined with the objective of the scheme and the career growth of health professionals will be linked to enhancement in the professional education and skills through training, continuing education, higher qualifications, professional experience, research papers and performance laid down by the relevant regulatory bodies from time to time.

According to the draft, the health personnel opting to remain in the existing structure (BPS) will continue to remain entitled to all the facilities, perks and privileges currently admissible under the existing laws, orders and instructions as on June 30, 2011.

The Health Pay Scale 2011 stipend for doctors (including stipend for postgraduate trainee doctors (medical and dental) has been proposed as Rs 50,000 per month and for house officers (medical and dental) Rs 25,000.

Non-practicing allowance (NPA), health allowance and other allowances for health personnel pay scale (HPS) will be Rs 20,000

for HPS-9 and HPS-10, Rs 40,000 for HPS11 and Rs 80,000 for HPS 12 and 13.

According to the bill, basic pay scale medical professionals from Grade 17 to 22 will be hired through federal Public Service Commission while financial perks and benefits will be given as per the federal government policy for its employees. The Esta Code rules will be applicable to the basic pay scale employees.

Medical and non-medical officials are being given option by the government to either retain the basic pay scale or opt for new health personnel scale.

The health personnel scale employees from Grade 1 to 13 will benefit mainly from the enhanced allowances provided in the new structure, starting from Rs 2,000 and up to Rs 45,000 per month, a 250 per cent raise.

The health personnel scale entitles the health personnel to the health allowance (HA) and medical doctors and dentists to non-practicing allowance (NPA).

The recruitment system, according to the drafted bill, has been changed since medical professionals were previously hired through the federal Public Service Commission.

However, new rules will be framed for the selection of HPS employees since they were not selected through fPSC or other government procedures. The new scheme will ensure career growth of health professionals in the benefit of entire health care delivery system and to regulate appointment of health personnel, the document sated. (The information was shared by a senior federal official).

JI rallies against power, gas outages ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Around 100 activists of Jamaat-e-islami on Saturday took out a rally on motorbikes against corruption and unending power and gas load shedding.

The rally, led by Ji leader Mian Muhammad Aslam, started from G/10 Markaz and culminated in front of the Ji central office. Holding their party flags, the young activists chanted slogans against the government.

Speaking on the occasion, Mian Aslam said the rulers were raising power and gas tariffs on daily basis to fill their pockets and destroying the national institutions.

He said that despite the discovery of huge gas and coal resources in the country, the people were forced to live without power, gas and petrol. The poor were committing suicides for lack of basic necessities, he added. He stressed the need for early elections, saying the people were in great need of courageous leadership. H alleged corruption was at its peak in all government departments, which should be a source of concern for the rulers of the country who were enjoying lavish lives, but are reluctant to do something for the masses. Aslam said the people wanted to get rid of inflation and favoritism, which was impossible during the tenure of the PPP government. “The rulers of the country only want to take all the benefits by remaining in power. Why are they avoiding early elections?” he asked. He announced the Ji would organise a grand public gathering on Sunday (today) in islamabad to raise voice against the government.

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06 Islamabad

Sunday, 15 January, 2012

HAZRAT IMAM HUSSAIN’S CHEHLUM

Majalis held, Zuljinah, Alam and Tazia processions taken out ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

T

HE chehlum of Hazrat imam Hussain (AS) and his diehard companions was observed in the federal capital on Saturday with religious spirit and devotion.

The main procession was taken out from imambargah isna Ashri G/6-2 in which a large number of mourners participated.

On the occasion, majalis were held and Zuljinah, Alam and Tazia processions were also taken out. Speakers, in their speeches, said that Hazrat imam Hussain (AS) offered a unique sacrifice at Karbala for the supremacy of islam, Shariah and humanity as a result of which oppressed nations launched independence movements today. He said Pakistan came into being in the name of islam.

Strict security arrangements were also made by the islamabad police to ensure foolproof security. A police spokesman said that over 1,200 cops, eight special Quick Response force teams of Rangers, CiD and special branch of police were on duty to ensure proper security to the chehlum processions of Hazrat imam Hussain (AS). He said the federal police had chalked out an elaborate security plan for the occasion and strict patrolling was also ensured through an effective coordination among the personnel of law enforcement agencies.

exercise protects brain from silent strokes ISLAMABAD APP

Jogging, swimming, biking or other physical activity protects the brain from silent strokes, or small brain lesions that can lead to mental decline and raises the chances of a future stroke.

These silent strokes are more significant than the name implies because they have been associated with high risk of falls and impaired mobility, memory problems and even dementia, as well as stroke. Encouraging older people to take part in moderate to intense exercise may be an important strategy for keeping their brains healthy, BBC reported.

Researchers from University of New York, US compiled information on the exercise habits of 1,238 people who had never had

a stroke. About 43 percent said they did no regular exercise; 36 percent did light physical activity, such as playing golf or walking; and 21 percent said they did moderate to intense exercise, such as playing tennis, swimming, hiking or jogging on a regular basis. About six years later, researchers scanned the brains of the participants, who by then averaged 70 years old. The scans revealed that 16 percent had experienced silent strokes. it was found that those who reported engaging in moderate to intense activity were 40 percent less likely to have developed these small brain lesions than their sedentary counterparts. There was no difference in the likelihood of brain lesions between those who engaged in light exercise and those who did no regular physical activity.

Sangi to open digitised theses website ISLAMABAD: Allama iqbal Open University (AiOU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi will inaugurate AiOU digitised thesis website www.aiou.edu.pk of the university launched by Central Library in near future.

Theses of the students who have completed their MA/MSc/MS (lading to PhD), M.Phil and PhD have been placed on the website. The AiOU is the first academic institution in the country that has uploaded about 3,000 theses. After inauguration, the students, researchers and other people concerned inside and outside the country will be able to have access to these theses. STAFF REPORT

PDMA delegation visits rescue 1122 Service Academy RAWALPInDI APP

Balochistan Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Tahir Muneer Minhas along with senior officials visited Emergency Service Academy, Rescue 1122.

Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer briefed the delegates about the Emergency Services Reforms which have been carried out in Pakistan as a result of which the first professionally trained Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) was established in Punjab, said a press release issued here on Saturday.

The delegates were informed that the Service was started as a Pilot Project from Lahore in Oct. 2004 and gradually evolved into a comprehensive emergency preparedness, response and prevention system established under the Punjab Emergency Service Act, 2006 which includes emergency ambulance, rescue, fire services and disaster emergency response teams.

Based on the successful evaluation results of this model service in Lahore, the government expanded the service to all other districts of the province. The delegates witnessed the practical professional skills of the rescuers and also reviewed the ongoing training at Emergency Services Academy in different fields of Emergency Management which includes Medical first Responder course, fire fighting, Urban Search and Rescue, Rescue from height etc.

The delegates were impressed by the service and the standard of training imparted to rescuers at the academy.

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Islamabad 07

SACHET implementing GEP advocacy project ISLAMABAD

T ISLAMABAD: People warm their hands as they make flatbread at F-6 Kachi Abadi in the capital. online

Workshop on education budget tracking held ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A three-day workshop on education budget tracking, organised by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with institute of Social and Policy Science (iSPS), ended with a note of thanks to the participants by its (PCE) National Coordinator Zehra Arshad.

Participants across the country attended the workshop with an enthusiasm to bring a change as an outcome of this workshop through due process of allocation for public money spending as a budget.

During the workshop, Dr Salman Humayun deliberated issues of policy and budget making process, creating a nexus among education data, policy and budget. Siqqidue Tareen, a renowned trainer, unfolded multiple aspects of budget concentrating more on education budget by addressing all tiers and terminologies for its basic understanding. The participants were made aware of inefficiencies

and inappropriateness in allocating a budget.

To ensure its optimum usage, gaps were identified to mitigate challenges and create a surge. The participants identified the indicators resulting in low turnout in public schools and proposed alternatives for the utilisation of allocated budget. it would help empower citizens as a watch group to hold officials and policymakers accountable for proper budgetary allocations.

The PCE is tracking budget through a budget watch group across Pakistan as a regular feature during next couple of years that will enable to have evidence-based data allocation and utilisation of public education budget in Pakistan. The workshop would help to formulate a budget watch group, containing budgetary information, education statistics, information about quarterly releases and analysis on the basis of prior information which resultantly would highlight issues for efficient resource allocation to bring a positive change on sustainable basis.

Course on disaster management ISLAMABAD APP

The Preston University will hold a one-day training course on ‘Role of media in disaster risk management’ on January 18. The course is being organised by the Disaster Research institute established in November 2005 at Preston University.

Speakers from National Disaster Management Authority (Media Cell), experts from Preston University and veteran journalists covering disaster management-related activities would deliver lectures on disaster risk management.

2 women among five outlaws held ISLAMABAD APP

islamabad Police have arrested five people from various areas of the city, including two women and recovered ten liqueur bottles, two pistols and stolen items worth thousands of rupees from their possession, a police spokesman said on Saturday. According to details, an Assistant Subinspector Muhammad Ashraf from Bhara Kau police station arrested Nasir Masih from Mangu Townand allegedly recovered ten bottles of liqueur from him.

ASi Zafar iqbal from Tarnol police nabbed Sattar Khan for possessing two 30-bore pistols and Taj for possession of one 30-bore pistol.

STAFF REPORT

HE Society for the Advancement of Community, Health, Education and Training (SACHET), is implementing a four-month (Jan 2012-April 2012) advocacy project of “Addressing Gender Based Violence and Promoting Women Rights”, Pakistan Today learnt on Saturday.

The SACHET is a right-based and non-profit organization for advocacy-cum-service delivery. it has been working since 1999 with a vision of “Promoting Human Development of the Disadvantaged in Gender Perspectives” through its community-based programmes and multiple projects in thematic areas of health, education, livelihood and trainings. it is implementing a four-month (Jan 2012-April 2012) advocacy project of “Addressing Gender Based Violence and Promoting Women Rights” under the Gender Equity Programme (GEP) of the Aurat foundation, with the support of American people through the United States Agency for international Development (USAiD). The project is being conducted in 10 districts of Punjab, including Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Khushab, Mianwali, Sargodha, Gujrat, Bhakar and Mandi Bahaudin.

The GEP campaigns are envisioned as an opportunity to commemorate the 16 days of activism against Gender Based

Violence (GBV), including the Pakistani Women’s Day and international Women’s Day and symbolically links theses days to generate widespread recognition of GBV and initiate a coordinated effort towards women’s emancipation and empowerment. in this context, SACHET organised a number of activities, including a poster and speech competition in the Hassan Abdal Tehsil, poster competition at the Sarai Alamgir Tehsil and a seminar at the Zamzama Restaurant, Attock Cantt.

During the event in the Hassan Abdal Tehsil, students were briefed about different forms of GBV. The students actively participated by delivering speeches and creating posters on the issue. A pledge against dowry-related violence was accepted and signed by 76 participants.

The poster competition against GBV, in the Sarai Alamgir Tehsil, was held at the Government College for Women.

50 students and teachers attended the activity, while 44 posters were created. The students also signed the pledge against dowry violence. The seminar at the Zamzama Restaurant in Attock was attended by teachers, religious leaders, community members and representatives from the governmental and non-governmental organisations.

During the event, the participants were briefed about different forms of GBV through presentations, documentary screening and interactive sessions. A pledge on dowry violence was signed by the participants. Attock Health executive district officer (EDO) graced the occasion as the chief guest.

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08 Islamabad

Couple displays ‘The Way’ for art lovers at Gallery Louvre

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MAHTAB BASHIR

HE Way’, an art exhibition by husband and wife Tariq and Natalia Kakar, showcasing Tariq’s dexterous sculptures and Natalia’s abstract and landscape paintings, opened at the Gallery Louvre on Saturday.

Natalia was born and educated in the state of Moldova, however she moved to Pakistan after her marriage with Tariq. Her art carries impressions from the land of her origin. Just as Moldova is a hub of Asian and European cultures, her art is a mixture of both as well. The vivid colours of her abstract landscapes and her palette knife technique are unbeatable.

Natalia’s work is currently being displayed in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Romania, france and Pakistan. ‘The Way’ is her 19th exhibition at the Gallery Louvre. Natalia’s landscapes are grounded in reality and dominated by the seasons. The flowers and vases reflect femininity as well as her western origin. The exhibition also featured some figurative pieces by her, which added yet another dimension to her work.

“Once i start painting, i cannot stop the flow of colours on my canvas,” Natalia said. Her painting ideology is simple: a painting should make the onlooker happy.

The visitors to the exhibition greatly admired her work, while co-owners of the gallery Saleem Lalani and Alina Saeed remarked that Natalia’s paintings were fresh and replenished the art as well as artistic scene in the federal capital as she dares to break the traditional wall of art.

Tariq, a sculptor with enormous potential, has over 15 exhibitions and uncountable commissioned work to his credit. His work displays culture, mastery and a keen desire to observe and assimilate the laws of an art form that has been developed over the millennia.

Alina Saeed appreciated the work of Tariq, adding that Pakistan had many talented sculp-

tors and the Gallery Louvre was trying its best to promote sculpture, a visual art which is still developing in the country.

Tariq was born and brought up in Balochistan and studied at the University of Moldova. He wanted to be a painter right from early childhood and would often be absorbed in playing with clay for hours. Tariq graduated from the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and furhter developed his professional skills as a postgraduate student at the National Academy of fine Arts and Architecture. Tariq’s work, unified by a single historical and philosophical drive, testifies to the master’s ceaseless search for new compositions, forms and devices and their skilful utilisation in the creation of image-bearing structures. An acutely personal perception of contemporary problems,

a deep insight into the affairs of the world around him and a sharp understanding of the historical record of his own people endow Tariq’s search with an innovative and creative strive.

Most of Tariq’s work displays deep psychological treatment. The figures are well-placed, light and precise. The polished surface of bronze flashes and tints, and in turn, fortifies the impression of the form’s mobility.

Along with giving form to minor, round sculptures, the painter in him remains on the look-out for new images for the creation of monuments, landscape compositions and decorative forms. He pays special attention to the silhouette and outline. The art exhibition would continue at the Gallery Louvre (House no. 8, Street 41, f6/1) till January 26, from 11 am to 7 pm.

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DATe: JAN 26 — 29, 2012 VeNue: NuST, H12 oPPoSiTe To PoLiCe LiNe

DATe: JAN 09 — 12, 2012 VeNue: NATioNAL CeNTre for PHySiC

After two highly successful intra-NuST episodes, NuST now invites you to its first ever All Pakistan event- NuMuN 2012. This January, we'd like to welcome you here at H-12 and change all that you know about this place for the better.

organised by Centres of excellence in Science and Applied Technologies, islamabad. in the last eight conferences more than eleven hundred papers have been presented and more than four thousand participants attended the conference. it is the largest scientific event in Pakistan which is held regularly.

DATe AND TiMe: eVery friDAy 6:30-7:30PM VeNue: KHAAS ArT gALLery iSLAMABAD Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dancing, ritual combat & music in a unique synthesis of self defense and rhythm.

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News 09

President has complete immunity under constitution: Aitzaz Ahsen g

Says democracy will not be harmed if president or PM are removed through constitutional means LAHoRE

P

STAFF REPORT

AKiSTAN People’s Party (PPP) senior leader and renowned lawyer Aitzaz Ahsen said on Saturday that President Asif Ali Zardari had complete immunity under Article 248 of the constitution and the Vienna Conventions.

He told reporters after inaugurating an exhibition of Bhutto family photographs, organised by Agha feroz Akhtar at Alhamra Hall here, that democracy would be under threat if any unconstitutional step was taken against the government. He refuted the notion that he was acting as an intermediary between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) or the

government and the judiciary, and termed such media reports baseless.

Responding to a question regarding court orders in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case, he said the fivemember bench of the Supreme Court had referred the matter to a larger bench. He said the government had not been given six options, it had, in fact, been told that the court could use all or any one of the six options listed in the order. He said he had submitted an application to the party for a Senate seat and denied he was offered the position of prime minister or chairman of the Senate.

To another question about the removal of the defence secretary, he said it was the right of the prime minister to form his team. He said Lt General (r) Khalid Naeem Lodhi could approach the

Wazirabad cardiology institute still incomplete 3 years past deadline Mega project for 6 districts still needs sanitary, electrical and mechanical work g over rs 1b still needed to complete remaining 15 percent of work and run the hospital’s 17 departments

g

WAZIRABAD STAFF REPORT

The Wazirabad institute of Cardiology (WiC) is still awaiting completion despite the scheduled deadline expiring three years ago in December 2008.

The Punjab Health Department started construction on three major cardiology centres in faisalabad, Multan and Wazirabad in 2007 to provide heartrelated health care facilities to the surrounding areas.

The WiC was planned for six districts: Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahawal Din, Narowal and Hafizabad in the Gujranwala division. The medical facility, featuring 220 beds, started with a cost of Rs 1,028.096 million and was supposed to be completed by the end of 2008. However, irresponsible attitude of Health Department officials, civil bureaucracy and the Punjab government has kept the local heart patients waiting for three additional years, with still 15 percent of construction work remaining.

The facility is still lacking sanitary fittings, electrical and mechanical work, and an air conditioning system. The

delay has also considerably raised the cost of the facility.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif formed a three-member committee in a parliamentary meeting in Lahore to give recommendations on the project. The committee submitted its suggestions eight months ago, but unfortunately no action was taken on them. Committee member MNA Khurram Dastghir said the WiC was supposed to be functioning in January 2012, but the Punjab government had not allocated any budget for the project in the budget for 2011. He said that Rs 260 million had already been spent on the infrastructure, and Rs 1,003 million were still needed to run the hospital’s 17 departments. High inflation in the country will further raise the cost if the authorities continue to delay the project’s completion, he added. Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Wazirabad Justice (r) iftikhar Ahmed Cheema also urged the government to complete the hospital at the earliest. He threatened to resign from his parliament seat if the project was not completed soon.

Five killed in Wazirabad road accident WAZIRABAD/FAISALABAD AGENCIES

At least five people, including three women, were killed and two were injured in a collision between a passenger van and car late on friday night.

Police said a Sialkot bound car carrying five persons on board ran into a passenger van coming from Gujranwala at Hajipura Chowk in Wazirabad. All five passengers in the car were killed on the spot while two van passengers were left critically injured. Police and rescue teams reached the accident scene and shifted the bodies and injured to hospital. Police and eyewitness said the cause of the accident was over speeding and reckless driving.

STuDEnT DIES Of BuS fALL In

fAISALABAD; BuS GuTTED: A small riot broke out on Saturday over an accident that claimed the life of a student.

On Saturday morning, a boy mounted on top of the bus, fell from the bus after an accident and lost his life. Police arrested the bus driver.

General public and students of nearby educational institutions blocked the road in anger and chanted angry slogans. The crowd set the bus on fire. When the fire brigade arrived, the bus was completely gutted.

Talking to a private television channel, angry students complained that accidents had increased in the city, with no one to control them. Students and their parents demanded the administration to bind drivers to comply with traffic rules and revoke licenses of those who break the law.

courts to challenge his termination.

Ahsen said if the president were impeached, it would not pose any threat to democracy in the country. He said Article 248 of the constitution did not allow any court to initiate proceedings against the president. He said, however, that if the prime minister or the president were to be removed constitutionally, no harm would befall democracy.

Earlier, he inaugurated the exhibition and said such exhibitions should be organised in other cities such by the government. He urged the PPP workers to visit the exhibition so that they could know the sacrifices of the Bhutto family for the country and democracy. Around 2,000 photographs have been put on display in the exhibition.

woman burns daughter-inlaw to death gUJRAnWALA INP

The woman, aided by her family members, burnt her daughter in-law to death over domestic disputes. Police said Muhammad Azhar resident of Suianwala in Shaheenabad married Amna exercising his own will two years ago while his parents opposed the love marriage. On Saturday morning when Azhar went out of house, his mother Surriya with the help of her daughter splashed kerosene on Amna and set her alight. Amna received serious burn injuries on body and face and she was moved to Gujranwala’s Civil Hospital but the hospital lacked a facility for treating burns. Later, she was rushed to Lahore in critical condition where she succumbed to her wounds.

Neighbours said Azhar’s family members used to taunt and quarrel with Amna. A case has been registered against the family but no arrest had been made till the filing of this report.

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10 News

Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Imran Khan says he’s not anti-west

WASHIngton AFP

imran Khan on friday rebutted charges he is anti-West and said his vision for an islamic society looked like Scandinavia. Khan reiterated his staunch criticism of the US campaign against islamic extremists as he addressed a forum in Washington. But he rejected perceptions that his views are antiWestern. Khan, an Oxford graduate who was formerly married to writer Jemima Khan, said he was one of the few Pakistani politicians to have spent substantial time in the West. “To be anti-Western makes absolutely no sense at all. The West is geography. How can you be antigeography?” Khan told the Atlantic Council, a think-tank, via internet video provider Skype. “And to be anti-American... how can you be anti-a whole country, where there are so many different views?” he said. “i have always been anti-the American war on terror. i have always thought that this was an insane war,” Khan said. A decade after Pakistan reluctantly supported the US-led campaign against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, Khan said that his country was far more radicalized and that billions of dollars had been wasted. “i have never understood what they were trying to achieve. i still don’t know what is victory in the war on terror,” Khan said. “in my opinion, the only solution is to have dialogue, a political solution, the same as is the case across the border” in Afghanistan, Khan said. But Khan,whom former military ruler Pervez Musharraf once called “Taliban without a beard,” said that he had to “demystify” his idea of an islamic society to Western audiences. “if you ask me today what is closest to that ideal, i would say the Scandinavian countries,” Khan said, praising them for their “humane society, where there is rule of law, a society that looks after its weak, its handicapped.” Such a society is the opposite of Pakistan “where literally the poor people are subsidizing the rich, while all the jails are full of poor people.” Some allege that Khan is being quietly nurtured by Pakistan’s military but he denied such charges. in the Washington appearance, he insisted that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf enjoyed across-theboard support and would triumph in free elections. Khan also harshly criticized Musharraf, who has vowed to return this month to launch a political comeback. Khan said Musharraf faced threats from forces stretching from restive Baluchistan to the tribal belt. “No longer being the president and having the protection which he has, i would not be the insurance company to give him life insurance,” Khan said.

BANNU: A policeman searches a car near Police Lines following a suicide attack on the District Police Office in Dera Ismail Khan on Saturday. inP

Ready to risk life to return home, says Musharraf WASHIngton

C

INP

LAiMiNG that the people of Pakistan need a viable alternative in this hour of crisis, former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that he was prepared to risk his life in order to return home from self-imposed exile.

“Well, there is a danger of that. Yes, indeed, there’s a possibility of that, absolutely. And when i’ve decided to go back, i have to take that risk,” he told Cable News Network (CNN) from Dubai during an interview when asked if he was aware of the risks that accompanied him returning to Pakistan. “i feel that the country needs me, and i feel that the country is going down so badly in all socio-economic elements and from all governance point of view, that it is high time that we bring about another political alternative which can produce a government with the majority of the people, with a mandate of the people who can run Pakistan, instead of doing politics only.

And i think i have a role to play there,” Musharraf said when asked why he was going back to Pakistan.

The former president said no date had been fixed for his journey yet, but it would be between January 27 and 30.

“Well, more than myself, my family and my friends, my well-wishers, are worried about that much more than myself.

But i have faced such threats all along since i was the president, and that threat will remain now also. i need to make proper security arrangements of

my own. And also, i expect the government to give me security as authorised to an ex-president of the country,” Musharraf said. Musharraf said the current bilateral relationship between islamabad and Washington was at its lowest ebb, lower than post-9/11.

“We’re at a very poor level. i don’t think they were at this level even after 9/11, when i took over,” Musharraf said when asked about the relationship between Pakistan and the US. He said it was extremely disturbing to anyone who understood geopolitics. “it is very disturbing, and i only wish that Pakistan and the United States mend fences and we move forward on a course which is in the interest of the region, in the interest of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the United States,” he added.

The former president said there was no danger to the safety and security of the country’s nuclear weapons, unless it was ruled by religious extremists, which was unlikely going to be the case. “if the country goes down and it gets into the hands of religious extremists as a country from the government, then only it is possible that all the arsenal then belongs to them...

But i don’t see that as a possibility,” Musharraf said.

CiA and Pentagon arguing on different metrics: report WASHIngton INP

A leaked Central intelligence Agency (CiA) report said on Saturday the situation in Afghanistan was mired in a stalemate, contradicting recent optimistic statements from the Pentagon.

Robert farley of the University of Kentucky believes intelligence and the military are looking at different things. “There is some division between the intelligence community and the generals, but i also

think that they are arguing on different metrics and they are looking at different things,” he said. “They also have different institutional interests,” he added. The generals most definitely wanted to make an argument that the military campaign was working, he said. The intelligence community was taking a much broader view regarding the long-term political prospects of the success of the Western-allied government in Afghanistan, and those two were a little bit different, he added. “That’s why the CiA is saying something different than

the Pentagon,” he said.

The report also claims that attempts to improve security are being undermined by corruption, incompetent governance, and Taliban fighters operating safely from neighboring Pakistan. Robert farley says the latter will benefit even more from the current political instability in islamabad, as well as from its state of affairs with the United States. Khalil Nouri, who is the cofounder of the New World Strategies Coalition, said the situation in Afghanistan was so grim that the US

might be having second thoughts about withdrawing. “it has been 10 years that has not unified the country, as it should have been. it looks like there’s no chance for the Americans to see the Afghan government standing on its feet,” he said.

“However, this could prolong Americans being in Afghanistan for quite a number of years, i would say, and the years are unknown at this time, but it looks like it’s going to be a long time because a corrupt government cannot function in a way that it is right now,” he added.

Blast injures one at Landi Kotal paramilitary camp BARA: One security official was injured when a bomb exploded near a paramilitary camp in Landikotal on Saturday. A locally manufactured bomb hidden near a paramilitary camp in the Landikotal area of Khyber Agency at the Pak-Afghan border went off with a loud sound. The blast left one soldier wounded and damaged a portion of the camp. The camp is situated at the major land route to Afghanistan which was used to supply US-led coalition troops before Pakistan suspended the supply line. inP

govt has made parliament rubber stamp: Amir Muqam SwAT: The government has reduced the parliament to a rubber stamp and decreased its significance and will face defeat after challenging the army and judiciary, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) president and deputy parliamentary leader Amir Muqam said on friday.

Muqam was addressing people gathered against power outages at Nishat Chowk Mingora. He said Asfandyar Wali was not supporting the government but aiding corruption. He said the government should announce elections immediately. He said a Malakand province was a right for which a resolution has been submitted in the assembly. He said if the outages in Swat did not end, protests will ensue. PML-Q Swat President Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha LaLa, general secretary Qaimos Khan, Sher Khan Baidara, Abdur Rahim, Azeem Khan advocate, Syed Akbar Shah and other leaders were present. Amir Muqam said the daily outages of 20-22 hours in the freezing cold in Swat had caused severe hardship. He questioned the ANP government for handing Malakand division to extremists and then vacating the region by forcing the entire population to move to other parts of the country.

He said the outages were the creation of artificial shortages of gas but it was clear that when the Chief Justice visited Wwat for the condolence of ex- Senator Kamran Khan no outages were seen. stAFF rePort

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

Cheap morning shows Although, the whole year round, what most of these morning shows aired on prominent TV channels exhibit, is mainly nothing but a display of indecency and senselessness, but they reach the zenith of vulgarity and impropriety when they start celebrating a week long segment called the “Wedding Week” which is annually celebrated on these channels.

All the famous TV channels are simultaneously observing this festival and

Land of the impure? in order to compete with each other and make their show the most eye-catching, they have literally crossed all limits of decency, modesty and morality.

All these festivities which are shown in the name of wedding should not be religiously or culturally acceptable to us.

But the hosts and guests present on these shows make us feel that our weddings cannot be deemed complete or there would be no element of enjoyment and fun in it if it is not celebrated in the

way as is shown by these channels.

Not only this, but also the way in which all these festivities are celebrated, reflects immense extravagance. Everyone from celebrities to experts like wedding planners, caterers, decorators, photographers, make-up artists, beauticians, hair stylists etc are called to participate in these shows, advertise their own organisations and products and give expert opinion on how to plan a wedding.

in doing all this, our TV channels fail to realise that according to our religion, everything, including marriage, should be done with simplicity and humbleness and this is the lesson which they should also impart through their platform. However, unfortunately, what we see on these morning shows is a display of profligacy, indecency and cheapness.

MADIHA VIQUAR Karachi

Musharraf's security former strongman Gen Pervez Musharraf has decided to return to the county by the end of this month. Before his sojourn back home, he intends meeting David Miliband in United Kingdom and King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia to secure guarantees for his safety when he arrives back after almost four years of self-exile. Mush has chosen Chitral as his new constituency to contest the next elections. Perhaps, he speaks Chitrali fluently and that's why he is sure of influencing people and winning votes. i am, however, concerned about his safety as Talal Bugti has already announced to pay a billion as Mush's head money. Even if the government deputes dedicated security guards to protect him, who knows one of them might change his mind, as in the case of Salmaan Taseer and indira Gandhi – both gunned down by their guards. instead of detailing local bodyguards, why not hire marksmen of the Blackwater or Xe, whatever it is now called. Hamid Karzai also employs burly black guards from the same company.

Lastly, Mush must pay for his security himself instead of encumbering the poor taxpayers. He is loaded with so much wealth that ordinary calculators fail to count.

DR A P SANGDIL Oslo, Norway

People first So a tug-of-war, as it happens in the evolutionary phase of the nascent democracies, continues in the country. Regrettably, in this sordid state of affairs, it is nobody else but the people of Pakistan who will bear the brunt. indeed, our incumbent rulers have never honoured commitments with their voters. Similarly, the losers, both in the parliament and those who are out of the parliament are just making promises.

Even though they have the necessary resources, they are doing nothing, except for false promises. Obviously, like past successive regimes, the people of Pakistan are not their first priority. Had the people of Pakistan been their priority, much earlier they would have sunk their differences and made collective efforts to take this country, with its feeble institutions and fragile economy, out of this deepening crisis. indeed, the future of this country lies in democracy and nothing else. Any adventure or misadventure would leave this country nowhere. it is not too late yet if all players in the state affairs stop making promises and make a commitment to take this country to new horizons of peace, progress and prosperity instead of conflict, chaos and corruption.

HASHIM ABRO Islamabad

interference it is unfortunate that whenever steps have been initiated towards police reforms, political intervention has created hurdles in the process. One of the main reasons for the current deteriorated condition of the police department is the continuous political interference by certain political elements, in its workings. if the reason for such interference was to improve the performance of police, then it would have been welcome, but the situation is quite the opposite.

Pressure is created by these elements to serve their own vested interests and influence the department into doing their bidding. it is important that such influences should be removed from the police, if the department has to be converted into one that truly serves the citizens.

HASSAN BASHIR Islamabad

There has been no tinge of doubt any more that we as a nation have very diligently mastered the art of losing stuff.

We are conveniently losing precious national time, resources, energies, potentials, unity, identities, integrity, solidarity, sovereignty, geography and even our lives without any regret and remorse.

The latest addition in this list that really left my heart aching is the loss of some of our very precious countrymen just because of the apathy of the government towards maintaining the standards for the purity of foods and edibles.

The recent surge of adulteration, substandard food, fake medicines, and malnutrition is playing havoc with health of countrymen and especially the children by pushing them into the abyss of chronic diseases have ditched our all hopes.

The recent news about the bed riddance of the youngest Certified Microsoft Engineer Rafaya Kareem Randhawa made me think that maybe she also fell victim to the recent surge in impure food.

A bit of research and effort shows that the average life expectancy of a Pakistani is gradually decreasing because of contamination and adulteration are leading to diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other such diseases. We may live without electricity, gas but unhealthy, adulterous food will push our future generations into the hands of untimely death.

AAMIR SALEEM Rawalpidni

Selling for peanuts

Women for progress The culture of this land does not allow women to come forward and live their lives according to their own will. But then again neither democracy nor economic growth has been the part of the culture of this area. However, the changing dynamics of the world suggest that we incorporate these fundamentals so that our society could develop and grow. Likewise, our leaders and authorities should also focus on women, provide them

imran or Nawaz?

The youth of Pakistan, being a significant part of the population, could prove to be a significant factor in the upcoming elections. This places a burden on them to educate themselves about political parties and to choose their affiliation carefully.

Many youngsters join a political party and head towards their rally whether they understand its policies or not. The PTi is one such party. it is gathering a lot o fpublic support but it is yet to announce how it is going to bring about the change that it talks about?

Many of the youngsters joining PTi were kids when Nawaz Sharif came into power in 1997 and don’t understand the dynamic of Nawaz Sharif’s politics, yet they criticise him. if imran Khan has no concrete policy, then why does the youth flock towards his rallies? Do they go there to have a good time and enjoy the music and festivities? Or do they go there because they believe in change. it is true that his rhetoric exercises a great pull on the youth. But because of his vague populist rhetoric, people believe of him what they want to believe and project their hopes onto him.

Technically speaking, there is no comparison between Nawaz Sharif and imran Khan. Nawaz Sharif is an experienced and seasoned politician with better knowledge of running a state whereas Khan is politically naïve and inexperienced. Will it be right to compare a leader who was exiled from his country by a dictator with the other who was sitting along with that dictator and is now thinking of forming an alliance with him?

Nawaz Sharif might not be a perfect leader but he has learnt his lessons. He showed his concern for the people of Pakistan when he came out for the restoration of the judiciary. Many in Nawaz Sharif’s teams are those who fought against the dictator and were subjected to hardships. On the other hand, imran Khan’s team comprises of many people from Musharraf’s teams. is it so easy to forget the Lal Masjid issue, the

with a platform to come forward and become stakeholder in the development of this country. it should be realised that there are many aspects of our culture which still dictate us to remain in the dark ages. it’s time we let go of these draconian laws and help bring prosperity in this country.

AROOSA SHAUQAT Lahore

Bugti murder and many other issues of the Musharraf regime and vote for the people who supported these actions just because they are now with imran Khan?

The youth should seriously consider the flaws of each leader before voting rather than being swept away by the tide of populism.

MAJID TAIMOOR Lahore

The civil-military chasm As the political government’s term nears an end, issues and scandals that threaten to destabilise it prematurely are viewed with great antagonism. The memo controversy at this crucial time has triggered uncalled for animosity between the civil and the military apparatus. The divide has further been deepened by the conflicting and contradicting statements issued by the authorities. Surely no closet will be found without a skeleton or two hanging in it, but will this achieve any amiable outcome?

The government ought to realise that shouting wolf at the army for threatening the poor lamb that is the democratic setup is not plausible anymore because this time around, the wolf is caged, by its own need to appear civilised. A stable civil-military relation is the prime ingredient for strengthening democracy.

Alienating the military that has over the years acquired great depth in governance is clearly not a great idea.

Stirring up a storm and letting the media develop a frenzied response before declaring that there is nothing to fear has become the style of the government lately. The mysterious disappearance of the president followed by a completely ordinary comeback, and the enigmatic sacking of the secretary defence followed by an offhand explanation by the prime minister are but a few examples of poor media management and seem like diversion tactics. instead of adding to the pool of misunderstandings, the relationship should be pushed towards reconciliation. Surely General Kayani’s declaration that the

army supports the democratic process and is cognisant of its constitutional obligations and responsibilities should be a positive step in this direction. it is not just the military’s duty to stay in its turf but also of the civilians to assert themselves. it is now the duty of the civilian government to stop dragging the security apparatus into a debate that does not require their involvement and aim to resolve the controversy as soon as possible.

The civil government needs to grow into a more competent, organised and cohesive network in order to establish its strength.

PROFESSOR KABIL KHAN Peshawar

obey the SC The historic 5 member SC Order in the NRO case is keeping the entire nation on tenterhooks till the pending decision of the larger SC bench comes forth on the 16th of January. for the last four years, the rulers have openly disobeyed the SC by willing non-compliance. Now they have been given six more agonising days to forge new delaying tactics, now maybe through the parliament.

Mr Roedad Khan while commenting on the six options yesterday seemed to be very perturbed as to why the court has shown such laxity. He believes that simple order to issue show cause notices to all concerned named in the short order may have put an end to this delaying game.

The common man is fed up of these gimmicks by the rulers. So many lawyers/politicians, even Mr Aitzaz Ahsan, have also advised the government to just obey the SC orders in letter and spirit. This will give them some goodwill in the coming elections. Now the voter is well aware of these countermoves/tricks. Maybe their confrontation with the SC will become the cause of their loss in fair elections. i hope some sanity and long sightedness prevails upon them as time is running short.

RASHID MAQSOOD Lahore

it was reported a couple of nights ago on a private news channel that finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh expects 800 million USD revenue, from the auction of 3G fast internet license to telecom companies.

Here, i must forewarn all and sundry, that under no circumstances, the worth of this auction amount can be less than 4-5 billion dollars. india got 24 billion USD from the same auction in April 2010. Details are available at www.snayyar.com.

All patriotic citizens and institutions must beware, lest we may not be cheated again, by the people who sell valuable national assets for even less than the peanuts (as they did in Musharraf’s era).

SYED NAYYAR UDDIN AHMAD Lahore

remembering Pagara i still remember clearly when i first saw him and his younger brother living in Zia Manzil in Aligarh. As young people, we did talk to each other across the short boundary wall.

Later, i also met the younger Pir Sahib in Mr Junejo’s house in Lahore, when he was the railway minister in One Unit. He recognised me and was happy to recall those old days. i also met senior Pir sahib once with a relation of mine. Still later, i submitted my book on World Peace through his attendants but could not see him.

However i realized the greatness of his ancestors, when i met the head of Mujahid tribe in 1950 in Peshawar, who offered first hand account of the jihad.

His forefathers had come from Bihar with the first jihad led by Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barailvi, against the Sikhs, who had occupied Afghanistan and were reported to be oppressing the Muslims there, apparently in league with the British.

The huge group of over hundred thousand Muslims from the entire indian subontinent from Bengal, Bihar UP etc had been greeted by the forefathers of the Pir Pagara and had actively helped them in their efforts of overthrowing the Sikhs from Afghanistan and Peshawar.

The praise for the forefathers of Pir Pagara, narrated by the head of this Mujahid tribe, indicated the greatness of this family and their followers, who always stood like rock against the atrocities of the British. in view of these facts, i would request the Aligarh Old Boys Association to arrange a special commemoration for the late Pir Pagara.

SYED MOHSIN H RIZVI Karachi

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. Fax: +92-42-36298302. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk. Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively.

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12 Comment A grand alliance?

A united opposition can pull its weight

T

he decisions taken at a meeting of the opposition leaders on friday would increase pressure on the government while they would also put an end to any reckless move that could jeopardise the system. The meeting demanded early elections under a consensus CEC, a neutral caretaker government and timely preparation of electoral rolls. The leaders also called for an end to the government’s confrontation with the SC. A united opposition can put formidable pressure on the government to get their demands accepted. if the purpose behind convening the meeting was to seek endorsement for the PML(N)’s no-confidence motion against Gilani, the party has failed to achieve the objective. The idea was vetoed along with the tactics of collective resignations and long march peddled by Nawaz Sharif to affect an urgent government change. Highly suspicious of any move that could possibly provide an excuse to the usual undertakers to upset the system, the meeting opted for more restrained measures to get the demands accepted. These included persuading Zardari for resignation and Gilani for early elections. While the meeting attempted to bring down Nawaz Sharif from his high horse, it nevertheless presented him an opportunity to lead the entire parliamentary opposition provided he agrees to replace political brinkmanship with sober statesmanship.

A united opposition representing all the provinces led by Nawaz would carry much more weight than a Punjab-centred PML(N). Among other things, the decisions taken by the grand alliance would command a greater moral authority.

The message that politicians are determined to save the system would send a timely signal to powerful quarters. The DCC meeting on Saturday, which was preceded by a one-onone interaction between the President and the Army Chief, might help defuse the tension between the civilian and military leadership. Simultaneously, a message would also be conveyed to the government that it has no option but to accept the demands put up by a combined opposition. it is now for Nawaz to persuade the PML(N) hawks that their calls for removing the government through street agitation could isolate the party and overturn the apple cart. furthermore, a grand alliance alone can present itself as a viable alternative to the ruling coalition and would have better prospects in the next elections.

NAB in action Timing is everything

A

ccountability is as necessary for the functioning of a democratic setup as freedom of expression. it forms an integral part of the famous ‘check and balance’ system to keep everything transparent and clean.

NAB’s overnight operation seems justified when seen in this backdrop, but the fact that the motive behind this move is as vague as it can be, the whole exercise begs further careful scrutiny. Laying low had been the agenda of the organisation of late. This sudden burst of action does have some hidden meaning to it, many would claim, but is there any truth to such claims or was it just a routine action on the orders of the court?

As the government is part of an ongoing political tripartite crisis, involving the executive, the military and the judiciary, such an action is certain to raise eyebrows given the conspicuous inaction in the preceding months. Of the three who were arrested, former secretary establishment ismail Qureshi, who has assured of his cooperation and clarified that he appointed Adnan Khwaja after a verbal order from the PM, has been released by the court. Considering the fact that the next deadline for the government to get its act together is tomorrow, these arrests could be deemed as a step to tone down the ire that the government has attracted from the superior judiciary. Effectiveness of this action notwithstanding, if the NAB has taken this initiative on its own, one wonders what might have forced the change of heart of its chairman who vehemently opposed such an action only last week.

Due to the judiciary’s consistent grilling of the in-power politicians and a pliant attitude towards the khakis, the government feels cornered. it could use this flurry of activity as an excuse to delay imminent doom (in the form of the memo case and the NRO decision’s implementation case) and extract some leniency from the court. Agreeing to write to the Swiss authorities would also help in this regard as it may have no serious repercussions for the government. The president can claim immunity as provided by the constitution, a point that the judiciary would find very difficult to counter.

Though it is not going to be easy, riding the storm seems to be the best option for the government at present. And if the government’s vital monitoring institutes are allowed to run independently, there won’t be any Memogates or a need to write to the Swiss authorities.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36298305-10 Fax: 042-36298302 Karachi – Ph: 021-34330811-3 Fax: 021-34330900 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287414-6 Fax: 051-2287417 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Cat in the bag It’s wearing a judicial wig and an army uniform

By Humayun gauhar

O

verdose of speculation lead to ‘Great Expectations’ the last maddening week. With uncertainty and speculation rife, theories became ever more bizarre.

Then suddenly we got a glimpse of a funny looking cat that has been spoiling to come out of the bag – it’s wearing a judicial wig and an army uniform for God’s sake, not the usual army cap and judicial gown. That’s all that was left to make our mockery complete.

Newspapers tell us that a corps commanders meeting last Thursday decided that the army “would not intervene politically… [but]…if the apex court sought the army’s help for getting its decisions implemented, the request could be considered.” it means that we could be facing a judicial coup backed by the army and not the usual army coup backed by the judiciary. But it will be a coup nevertheless.

A military-judiciary nexus has always been there in Pakistan as it has in much of Muslim history. The Supreme Court has dutifully legitimised every military intervention.

This ‘age of madness’ though calls for absurd measures. This time judicial intervention could come first and army intervention later.

Legitimisation will be pre-facto for a Supreme Court order will be considered legitimisation, like “a revolution is its own justification”.

Why the desire to throw out the government so fast? it’s the ‘ides of March’ syndrome. The month sees the retirement of the iSi chief, Senate elections, and, most importantly, the Swiss case against Zardari gets time-barred if the letter that the Supreme Court wants the executive to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen isn’t sent before March: thus the desire to send the executive packing fast and the executive’s desire for March to pass fast. it is not the business of the army or judiciary to intervene under any pretext or throw out governments, form interim governments or force elections. All must go by the constitution. So before we start chattering we should familiarise ourselves with Article 190 of the constitution under which the Supreme Court could ask the army for ‘aid’. it says, without elaboration or explanation, “All executive and judicial authorities throughout Pakistan shall act in aid of the Supreme Court.” That’s it. it doesn’t say what kind of aid and for what. The army is part of the executive yet it could be required by the Supreme Court to act against the executive, which is like asking it to act against itself – illogicality in the extreme. How can the army enforce an order of the Supreme Court forcing the executive to do something without intervening if it doesn’t? Once, the Supreme Court – fearing a physical attack on it by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s goons – asked

for the army’s ‘aid’. The army didn’t comply.

Sharif’s goons attacked and left a big smirch on our benighted history. i would be all for early elections or even intervention if i was convinced that those waiting in the wings – political, military, judicial or even brazen US stooges – had credible solutions to our problems and realistic implementation strategies. None do. Military governments make good starts but give up to politicians because they try to become democrats. Political governments don’t even make good starts but their desire to become dictators combined with non-delivery, non-governance, nepotism and corruption enables coups. imagining that the judges have solutions has to be the biggest joke. The only solution is the obvious: let the process continue, let this parliament complete its term (unless the prime minister dissolves it), evolve, learn and hope that things will improve. Only the people can change a government, not an army or a Supreme Court. fools are those that engender feverish speculation with hysterical statements and those that don’t look at the bigger picture and the greater good. They forget that no matter what, nothing should be done that aborts the process and destabilises an already unstable country. They should also realise that times have changed and the world has no stomach for departures from the constitution, no matter what the excuse. fools are those that don’t realise that much of what is happening in Pakistan is part of a greater global game and they shouldn’t become unwitting pawns in it. The problem is the enemy within: so many witting pawns who don’t work for our good.

The prime minister tells the Senate that if he goes, they will all go too and we will not see another election in our lifetimes. Can you blame people for thinking that his government is on the brink? Then he tells the National Assembly that he will not tolerate a “state within a state”, an obvious reference to the army. The army is under him and it’s his fault if he can’t control it. He shouldn’t bleat publicly like one of Mary’s lost lambs, raising the already high temperature. Next he says in an interview to a Chinese newspaper that the army and iSi chiefs have violated the constitution. That’s a serious charge indeed, for it borders on treason.

So fragile is the country that it goes into a spin over an article in a foreign newspaper by one Mansoor ijaz, an odious publicity-seeking Pakistani-American with dubious credibility. it then goes into reverse spin when a retired US general gives a somewhat contrary state-

ment. it betrays a country at war with itself.

The reason for this hysteria is the allegation by ijaz that he delivered a memo written at the behest of our former ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani through a retired US general to the former US Chairman JCSC asking for help against a possible coup in return for bringing the army and the nuclear programme to heel. if true, could it be the president that is the mastermind? if true, it also borders on treason and puts the president at the mercy of Haqqani: will he say that the memo is only a figment of ijaz’s imagination, or that it was his own brainchild, or that the president asked him to? One noose, two necks. Will he save his own neck or will he put it around the boss’ neck? The whole thing will stand or fall on the testimony of ijaz and his Blackberry. Safest place to keep Haqqani is either the president’s or prime minister’s house.

Any wonder that they are hysterical and are trying everything to prevent the Supreme Court from proceeding. is it political bipolarity or is there a method to the prime minister’s seeming madness? Conventional wisdom has it that he is convinced that since he or his government are nearing an untimely demise, best to go as political martyrs rather than failures to ensure life after political death. Thus, he is goading the army into taking over. The clever generals are hiding behind the cloaks of the judges.

And Don Quixote is tilting full speed ahead.

What a country.

What say you of the born-again democrat Nawaz Sharif who chose to move the Supreme Court knowing that a higher body, a parliamentary committee, would conduct an inquiry into the memo affair? How can you have two inquiries on the same issue? Whose findings would prevail? Obviously of the higher body, but not necessarily in Pakistan because Sharif will call the parliamentary committee’s report suspect since the opposition is a minority.

What say you of a Supreme Court that admits Sharif’s petition for hearing instead of waiting for the report of the higher body? How can there be parallel inquiries? And they go and form a commission to investigate it. What if their commission’s report is different from the parliamentary committee’s report? Would the Supreme Court ride roughshod over it?

Best solution: no parliament, no parliamentary committee, no report. All are naked in these public baths.

The writer is a political analyst. He can be contacted at humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

Regional Press

A comeback?

Daily Pashtun Post

T

he former president, General Pervez Musharraf, is preparing to visit Pakistan in the upcoming days and has resorted to establishing links with Saudi Arabia and contacting its rulers in this regard. He has also contacted certain other countries to get an assurance for not facing any kind of ‘embarrassment’ on his return to the country.

Pervez Musharraf has stated clearly that he will come to Pakistan to contest the general elections and that he will do it from the Chitral constituency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He made these announcements while addressing the APML rally in Karachi. Musharraf on the occasion also asserted that it was during his rule that the country was disentangled from iMf loans and the incumbent government once again had reverted to the old path of taking loans from the international monitory body. He reiterated that he would

come to Pakistan no matter what and was ready to face all the problems that would come his way.

While Perevz Musharraf made claims of his comeback, the interior ministry on the other hand maintained that he was a proclaimed offender and would be duly arrested on his return to Pakistan because he has been named in the murder case of Benazir Bhutto and Nawab Akbar Bugti. it is feared also that his return could cost him his life.

Whether he does come back or not, it cannot be denied that his reign was one of the worst times for Pakistan and we are still reaping the results of the mistakes committed during his tenure, not just in foreign policy but in internal issues as well such as governance. it is beyond doubt that the decade of his rule inflicted great losses on the country. it still remains to be seen what the fallout of his ‘return’ will be.

– Translated from the original Pashto by Abdur Rauf Khattak

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Comment 13

Civil-military tensions

Bedside manners

Ignoring the external context for our internal turmoil

Marriages of convenience are the mainstay of politics

PoliTact

By Arif Ansar

i

n the last few days, a number of scenarios are being discussed in the media that could play out in Pakistan, as a result of the present civil-military tensions. Generally, the analyses of the local variables impacting the situation have been mostly on the spot. However, the external factors connected with the regional and global context that also impacts the assessment, have been glaringly missing. Consider this for an example; although the Memogate scandal has become the source of inter-institutional tensions within Pakistan, its origin is tied to the direction and control of the nation’s foreign policy.

Significant developments are occurring in the neighbourhood of Pakistan that will have an impact on the political, economic and security situation of the country. The Afghan reconciliation process and events related to iran are two such developments. iran has especially received the least amount of coverage in the Pakistani media. furthermore, the 5-day visit of General Kayani to China also got scant attention, particularly when it took place in the aftermath of the NATO attack and the newly unveiled US defence strategy that emphasises a shift towards the Asia Pacific.

On the last night of 2011, the US signed some of the toughest sanctions to date in a bid to coerce iran into abandoning its nuclear program. The sanctions have widereaching impact as they target iran’s crucial oil sector. They also stipulate that financial institutions that do business with the iranian Central Bank will be barred from operations in the US. This has led to a scramble by countries around the globe that import iranian oil to either find an alternative oil supplier or negotiate with Washington for a waiver from the sanctions. in retaliation, iran has

threatened to close the vital oil lane of the Strait of Hormuz. for most countries that import oil from iran, the threat of being excluded from the US market is too great to ignore. Nonetheless, China has been enraged by the unilateral US decision which it says places US domestic law above international law, and is coercive and impinges on the free functioning of foreign and trade relations of other nations. india is said to be applying for a waiver from the US, although indian efforts to reduce reliance on iranian oil began last year after india had trouble finding a payment mechanism for trade with iran. it should be noted that in addition to concerns over the security situation of Pakistan, the American pressure also played a role in convincing india to drop out from the iPi gas pipeline project.

Pakistan’s response to the brewing iran crisis came from its foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar. She stated that neither UN nor US sanctions on iran will affect its deal of importing gas and added that, ‘Pakistan is bound to accept UN sanctions but has not accepted any pressure in this connection’. She clarified that a variety of sanctions have been imposed by UN, US and European Union and that the import of gas does not fall under the UN sanctions. Moreover, Pakistan is suffering from acute gas shortage and will utilise all option to meet its needs, she added.

The fact is that these sanctions will complicate Pakistan-iran and Pakistan-US relations. The shortage of energy resources in Pakistan is already stimulating domestic turmoil and impeding economic activity. The real question is will Pakistan also ultimately need a waiver from the US. There is also talk that Pakistan might leverage the blocked NATO Afghan supply line to get an iranian waiver.

Turkey is using a similar tactic; it has claimed an exemption from the sanctions based on being a negotiator between the West and iran. in recent weeks, insurgent activity has also increased near the Pakistan-iran border. Since November, Pakistan’s security forces have suffered two serious attacks near the iranian border. These ambushes were attributed to the Baloch insurgency and in each incident up to 15 fC personnel were killed. Pakistani authorities have blamed sectarianism as well as an Afghan role for dis-

turbances in Balochistan, and have lately not accused india. The situation on the iran-Afghanistan border has also been tense after the downing of US stealth drone RQ 170 in iran. if war does breakout in the Persian Gulf, the Saudis and the US are likely to be on the same side while the Chinese and the Russian interests are intertwined with iran. This complicates Pakistan’s position as it has traditionally been close to the gulf monarchies and the US. in the recent sectarian tensions in Bahrain that caused GCC forces to intervene, Pakistan’s military reportedly also helped out. in the aftermath of US iran oil sanctions, China’s premier Wen Jiabao is heading to the Gulf counties of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar from January 14 -19.

Wen Jiabao’s visit will be the first by a Chinese premier to Saudi Arabia in 20 years. During his visit, he is expected to discuss the Arab Spring with the leaders of these countries. it is clear that the main worry for China, and for other emerging powers, is that the instability in the Middle East does not lead to any disruption of their energy supplies.

All major world powers are closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and interpreting what it means for them. On the other hand, Pakistan appears to be myopically focused on its internal politics, perhaps not realising that the local politics is ultimately impacted by the external dynamics. And, how the country adapts to these regional and global influences may, in fact, play a more decisive role in shaping the nations future. While Pakistan’s civilian government may need US and western support to survive politically, the nation's security and defence policies are drifting away from the US. On the other hand, as the US and NATO relations have deteriorated with Pakistan’s military, it needs the help of the unpopular civilian government.

As the transition in the global balance of power fully plays out, many skirmishes are likely to break out locally. Resisting or ignoring these external forces of change can be very problematic.

The writer is the chief analyst for PoliTact (www.PoliTact.com and http:twitter.com/politact) and can be reached at aansar@politact.com.

Third Eye

By M J Akbar

T

he much-married diva Elizabeth Taylor had an unanswerable riposte for a pesky reporter after one of her husbands, Mike Todd, went up to the Great Hollywood in the Sky. “Mike’s dead,” she said, “what do you want me to do, sleep alone?” Elizabeth Taylor should be formally recognised as the defining icon of contemporary indian politics. True love has its limits.

Romance is nice, but not essential to fill a bed. What do you expect political parties to do when a partner is dead or departed? in practical terms, the second is worse than the first, just as a divorcee has more problems than a widow.

Alliances do not come apart for tactical reasons.

They disintegrate over strategic interests. in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee and Congress are not squabbling. They are preparing for the inevitable battle for the same space.

Both Mamata and Congress know that the Left front will need a decade in Bengal before it can revive, but that there is an election due in another four years. The Congress will be Mamata’s principal opposition in the next Assembly elections. for the Congress, the Trinamool Congress is an usurper and a maverick intervention in what should have been a natural return to power for the Congress.

The Congress lost Bengal in stages, through a two-step alliance between a breakaway Congress faction and the Left. its first manifestation, in the 1967 elections, was the United front. it took ten tur-

bulent years, including a bloody Naxalite insurrection and the Emergency, for the Left front to emerge as the natural ruling force of Bengal in 1977. While there is no certainty in politics, it is possible that Congress will mount a similar two-stage assault on Mamata Banerjee, which means an initial alliance with the Left in the next Assembly polls. Mamata Banerjee is certainly worried about such a possibility, not least because it makes sense for those determined to dislodge her at any cost.

Congress and Left are not in a hurry because time is always on the side of the opposition. Mamata Banerjee is in a hurry for precisely the same reason. She has to maximise her strength at the peak of her popularity. There is after all only one direction in which you can travel from a peak, downwards. Mamata Banerjee has a vested interest in a mid-term poll, because she is certain to make huge gains from a Parliament election. She could easily have 30 or even more MPs if polls were held this year, with commanding Cabinet portfolios in the next central government. Some of the better salesmen in her entourage might even be encouraging dreams about the prime minister’s gaddi. ideally, Congress would have wanted Mamata Banerjee to merge her party into the national organisation, but the Lady of Calcutta has tasted independence, always dear to a Bengali’s temperament. Conversely, the patterns emerging out of Uttar Pradesh suggest a slow transition that fructify into a Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance that could, in a few years, lead to merger. Congress is not as hopeless in UP as it is in Bihar, but nor is it a natural claimant for power. it needs some bulk infusion of ground presence, in addition to its high-flyer leaders. SP provides that. There are no serious ideological differences between the two parties, given that ideology has

shrivelled into a corpse anyway.

SP faces one serious problem, however. for nearly half a century, UP has been a rewarding playground for fractious parties. The reasons are slowly becoming irrelevant. UP’s political consciousness, shaped by the freedom movement, as a bulwark of nationalism and natural home of prime ministers, will reassert itself, and sooner rather than later.

The next general elections could well be the last in which regional parties get any mileage; after that the state will gravitate between the Congress and the BJP. Regional leaders will have to choose in order to survive.

The appetite for separate identity will fade once the vote begins to wither.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was weaned by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia’s socialist, anti-Congress thesis. His son and heir Akhilesh wears the party red cap but has no real interest in such baggage. Mulayam is a child of the Hindi movement of the 1960s.

Akhilesh is a child of the English movement that has been such a remarkable fact of the last two decades in india. The British Raj has been replaced, after an uncertain gap of a few decades, by an English Raj. its powerful bureaucrats in media have already discovered, to their delight, that Akhilesh is “one of us”. The English-centric Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav make comfortable partners, and might wonder why they are contesting on separate symbols, and for the same Muslim vote, by a general election in 2019.

Both in the contrivance of Hollywood and the simulation of politics, marriage is a pact held together by convenience.

The columnist is editor of The Sunday Guardian, published from Delhi, india on Sunday, published from London and Editorial Director, india Today and Headlines Today.

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14 Foreign News

Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Myanmar says 300 political prisoners freed nAYPYIDAW

M

AFP

Y A N M A R said Saturday it freed more than 300 political prisoners in its most significant amnesty yet, a move which prompted the United States to pledge it would restore full diplomatic ties. friday’s releases, which included a number of prominent dissidents, were hailed by Western powers that have long demanded the freeing of political detainees before they will consider lifting sanctions on the isolated nation.

US President Barack Obama said the amnesty was a “substantial step” towards democracy in a country ruled for decades by the military, while the party led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi called it a “positive sign”.

Myanmar said friday about 650 in-

mates were included in the mass pardon, but it had not been clear how many were political prisoners.

Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Ko Ko said Saturday that 302 of those released were on a list of political detainees compiled by a political group, thought to be Suu Kyi’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

But he insisted that none of those had been jailed for political reasons.

“We didn’t take action against anyone because of politics or beliefs,” he told reporters.

“This release was not according to the demand of any person or any organisation. We released them according to the true benevolence of the government.” it is not clear how many more political prisoners are still behind bars, but Ko Ko said 128 people remained on the list submitted by the unnamed political group.

These prisoners could not be released for security reasons because they had committed serious crimes, he said.

Htay Kywe, one of the most prominent dissidents freed, told AfP as he arrived at Yangon airport after leaving a prison in western Rakhine state: “We will work with momentum. We will continue working for democracy.”

About 200 political detainees were let out in October, and estimates of the number left in prison after that amnesty ranged from 500 to more than 1,500.

The Thai-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) said that 272 political prisoners were released on friday, while more than 1,000 remained locked up.

“We consider that leaving the remaining political prisoners behind bars is a way of torture,” a statement from the group said.

Those freed included leading prodemocracy dissidents who were at the

forefront of a failed 1988 uprising in which thousands died and participants in 2007’s “Saffron Revolution” protests.

Another 100 of those released were former members of the intelligence service, according to minister Ko Ko. Among them was Khin Nyunt, a former prime minister and intelligence chief who was ousted in 2004 in a power struggle and placed under house arrest.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington would begin the process of exchanging ambassadors with Myanmar and pledged to take further steps to boost relations.

The US has been represented by a lower-ranking diplomat, a charge d’affaires, since it withdrew its ambassador in 1990 in protest after military rulers refused to accept the results of elections won by Suu Kyi’s party.

The nominally civilian government that came to power last year in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has surprised

Top Syria army defector to set up high military council

Tibetan attempts self-immolation in China BEIJIng AFP

BEIRUt AFP

A top Syrian army defector will announce later on Saturday the creation of a special council that will oversee all military operations against the embattled regime of Bashar al-Assad, his media advisor told AfP. General Mostafa Ahmad al-Sheikh, the most senior commander to defect from the Syrian army, will make the announcement in Turkey, where he sought refuge earlier this month, fahad Almasri said in a telephone interview. “This high military council, headed

by Sheikh, will oversee military operations in conjunction with the free Syrian Army,” Almasri said. “The council will include highranking officers who will plan operations to be executed by the fSA,” he added. “it will also help organise defections within the army and will be in contact with officers in the regular army to encourage large-scale rather than individual defections.” The fSA, which groups Syrian army deserters, claims to have some 40,000 fighters under its command. The government crackdown against the 10-month popular revolt in Syria has left more than 5,000 people dead according to the United Nations. Almasri said that Sheikh, 54, defected from the army in early January along with his son and a brother, who were also in the military.

Another brother who was a member of Syria’s ruling Baath party also fled.

even sceptics with a series of reformist moves. it froze work on an unpopular dam supported by powerful neighbour China last year and on Thursday signed a ceasefire with a major armed ethnic Karen group involved in one of the world’s longest-running civil conflicts.

The country recently announced plans to hold by-elections on April 1 and Suu Kyi — released from years of house arrest in November 2010 — plans to stand for a seat in parliament in a constituency near the main city Yangon.

The 66-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner said earlier this week that her country was “on the verge of a breakthrough to democracy”.

The state-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the latest amnesty aimed to ensure stability, peace and national reconciliation, calling for “all-out efforts into the emergence of a democratic nation”.

TUNIS: People shout slogans and hold flags of Tunisia during a demonstration to demand jobs and dignity as the north African country marks a year to the day since its despot Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled into exile on Saturday. AFP

thousands protest against nuclear power in Japan tokYo AFP

About 2,000 demonstrators hit the streets of Yokohama on Saturday calling for an end to nuclear energy in Japan after the March 11 disaster that sparked the worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.

They marched in the port city southwest of Tokyo chanting in chorus: “We don’t need nuclear power. Give back our hometown. Protect our children.”

The protest, organised by several anti-nuclear and environmental groups, also saw residents evacuated from areas outside the fukushima Daiichi plant take part.

Japan had previously aimed to use nuclear power to generate around 50 percent of its energy needs by 2030 in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the energy independence of the resource-poor archipelago.

But sentiment has shifted since the quake and tsunami crippled the plant’s cooling systems, sparking reactor meltdowns that spewed radiation into the environment forcing tens of thousands to evacuate from a 20-kilometre radius.

Radiation fears have become part of daily life in Japan after cases of contaminated water, beef, vegetables, tea and seafood. The government has been at pains to stress the lack of an “immediate” health risk.

70 missing from italy cruise ship accident ROME: Around 70 people are missing from the italian cruise ship which ran aground overnight, but could be safe on the island of Giglio near the scene of the accident, an official said Saturday. On the basis of information supplied by the operators of the Costa Concordia, which said 4,234 passengers and crew were on board, “we have found 4,165, which is a difference of about 70 people,” Giuseppe Linardi said, adding that a door-to-door search was under way on Giglio. He said 52 children on board the ship, their ages up to six years old. Linardi had earlier given a death toll of three and said 14 people were injured. Other sources spoke of about 40 injured, two of them seriously suffering from concussion and spinal injuries. Port authorities in the Tuscan city of Livorno which coordinates rescue operations admitted that much more time was needed to compare the passenger list with that of the more than 4,000 survivors who were taken to the small port of Santo Stefano not far from the site of the accident. Port authority official Enrico del Santos said people were evacuated by “life boats and the private boats of Giglio residents who then hosted those rescued”. AFP

A Tibetan set themselves on fire near the restive Kirti monastery in southwest China on Saturday and police fired on a crowd of locals who attempted to rescue the burned body, rights groups said. The 16th self-immolation attempt to hit Tibetan areas in less than a year, the incident occurred in Sichuan province’s Aba county, scene of sporadic unrest since a monk set fire to himself and died last March, free Tibet and the international Campaign for Tibet (iCT) said. it was not immediately known if the Tibetan died in the latest incident — nor was the person’s gender immediately clear. “There is an emergency situation in Aba after a layperson self-immolated and was beaten badly by police,” Kate Saunders, director of Washington-based iCT told AfP over the telephone. “free Tibet can confirm that at least one woman has been shot,” Stephanie Brigden, director of the London-based campaign group said. it was not immediately known if the woman survived the shooting. iCT said its sources inside China also said police had fired on the crowd. Saunders said iCT’s sources told her “locals tried to drag the body away and police fired, causing more people to gather in the street.” free Tibet said an eyewitness source described the situation as “terrifying,” that “a strong gas” was used on the crowd and that “many had fallen to the ground” and were then beaten and detained.

Official government accounts directly contracted the rights groups’ claims. A man reached by telephone Saturday evening at the Aba municipal Communist Party committee’s propaganda department told AfP he knew nothing about a self-immolation and denied the clashes in the street. “This is not true. We have police on the street as normal. The town has normal order,” he said, declining to give his name. Before Saturday, at least 15 Tibetans have set fire to themselves over the last year — most young monks in their teens or early 20s — but the last self-immolation on Sunday, was perpetrated by a high-ranking Buddhist cleric. Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has expressed concern over the wave of self-immolations, which he blamed on the “cultural genocide” of Tibetans under Chinese rule. At least nine of the 15 who have set themselves alight have died, while the whereabouts of the others remains unknown as they have disappeared into custody, rights groups say. China blames the Dalai Lama — who fled Tibet following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959 and is vilified as a “separatist” by Communist authorities — for much of the unrest in Tibetan-inhabited regions. The government denies it uses repressive methods against Tibetans, insisting that they enjoy freedom of religious belief and that huge ongoing investment into Tibetan-inhabited areas has greatly raised their standard of living. But after each selfimmolation, authorities have increased security in the area where the incident occurred, which rights groups say has exacerbated the problem. A woman from the Aba traffic police reached by telephone told AfP it was normal to have more police on the street at this time of the year.

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Foreign News 15 elBaradei says won’t run for egypt presidency

ALLAHABAD: Hindu devotees perform rituals and take holy dip in Ganga at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti festival during Magh Mela on Saturday. AfP

10 die in stampede at indian shrine nEW DELHI AFP

At least 10 people, including six women were crushed to death in the middle of the night when a stampede broke out at a religious shrine in central india, media reports said Saturday. The victims had gathered outside the Muslim shrine of Hussain Tekri in Madhya Pradesh state to take part in a religious ceremony after midnight on friday. Police pushed the crowds back, causing people to fall down and get trampled to death in the dark, the Press Trust of india (PTi) news agency said. “Six women and four men were killed in the incident,” police official Rajesh Vyas told PTi. The shrine attracts tens of thousands of people each year who believe that a visit can cure any illness. Stampedes are a regular risk in india where policing and crowd control are often inadequate at temples and on pilgrimage routes, where throngs of fervent devotees congregate on auspicious occasions.

The last major stampede was in January 2011 in the southern state of Kerala when more than 100 people died as panic spread among worshippers crossing mountainous terrain in the dark to visit a shrine.

Shaken Kazakhstan prepares to vote after clashes AStAnA

K

AFP

AZAKHSTAN suspended campaigning on Saturday as it prepared to go to the polls to elect parliament to breathe new life into tightly-controlled politics in the energy-rich Central Asian nation.

Sunday’s elections to the lower house of parliament whose seats are all occupied by loyalists of the ruling Nur Otan party come one month after 16 people were killed in the energy-rich region of Mangistau in unprecedented clashes between oil workers and security forces.

Strongman President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on the eve of the polls that the make-up of a new parliament would open a new era in the country’s monochrome political life.

“As a result of the election, parliament will be represented by at least two parties,” said 71-year-old Nazarbayev, who has ruled over the energy-rich nation of over 16 million since 1989 and is

the only president post-Soviet Kazakhstan has ever known. “This is a new political phase of the country’s development. We will work with all political parties in a constructive manner.”

Authorities banned all campaigning and publication of polls for a “day of silence” so as not to influence voters ahead of Sunday’s election.

Seven parties are contesting the polls but critics say the vote is expected to provide just a veneer of democratic representation to the parliament as the two parties expected to win the most votes are both loyal to the president.

According to the institute for Social-Political Research, Nur Otan (Light of the fatherland) should win over 80 percent of the vote — only just off the 88 percent it received in the last polls in 2007. its nearest challenger on around seven percent should be the Ak Zhol (Bright Path) party which garners its support mainly from businesspeople and the middle class but steers clear of outright criticism of Nazarbayev.

The opposition All-National Social Democratic Party (OSDP), which is ex-

pected to come in third, pledged to bring out people onto the streets if the authorities rigged the election. “if we are cheated this time around, then there won’t be any more elections in our country, we don’t play these games,” party chairman Zharmakhan Tuyakbai told supporters at a meeting. “if they lie to us this time, steal people’s votes, we’ll take to the streets.”

The polls will also be stalked by the trauma of the clashes between striking oil workers and police in the Caspian Sea region of Mangistau which exposed the inability of the authorities to solve a months-long labour dispute. The opposition and international observers condemned the conduct of the April 2011 presidential election which saw Nazarbayev win over 95 percent of the vote in a poll where even one of his rivals voted for the Kazakh strongman.

A total of 9.2 million registered voters will choose 98 deputies in the 107-seat Mazhilis, with the other nine MPs representing Kazakhstan’s various ethnic groups chosen by its assembly of the peoples.

CAIRO: The ex-head of the UN nuclear watchdog and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei said on Saturday he would not run for the Egyptian presidency, saying there is still no real democracy in the country. “My conscience does not allow me to run for the presidency or any other official position unless there is real democracy,” ElBaradei said in a statement received by AfP. He praised the revolutionary youths who led massive popular uprisings that ousted president Hosni Mubarak last year but said “the former regime did not fall.” ElBaradei compared the revolution to a boat and charged that “the captains of the vessel ... are still treading old waters, as if the revolution did not take place.” He charged that corruption was still rife in post-Mubarak Egypt, which is being ruled by a military council since the veteran president was ousted from power in february following an 18-day popular uprising. “We all feel that the former regime did not fall,” he said in the statement. ElBaradei denounced the “repressive” policies of Egypt’s new rulers, who he said were putting “revolutionaries on trial in military court instead of protecting them and punishing those who killed their friends.” His comments reflect growing disenchantment with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed forces. The SCAf has repeatedly pledged to cede full powers to civilian rule when a president is elected by the end of June but there is widespread belief that the military wants to maintain a political role in the country’s future. The military has also come under fire over its human rights record in recent months in the face of accusations that it has been resorting to Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent. Egypt witnessed deadly clashes between democracy protesters and regime forces in November — before parliamentary polls began — and again in December. Mubarak is on trial and the prosecution has called for him to be hanged for the killing of hundreds of demonstrators in the January-february 2011 revolt. AFP

taiwan’s Ma wins second term as president tAIPEI AFP

Taiwan’s Beijing-friendly leader Ma Yingjeou secured a second four-year term as president Saturday, promising better ties with China after an election watched intently by the United States.

“We’ve won,” a jubilant Ma, 61, told crowds of supporters gathered at his campaign headquarters in downtown Taipei after vote counting showed him securing 51.6 of the vote with 90 percent of ballots tallied. “in the next four years, ties with China will be more harmonious and there will be more mutual trust and the chance of conflict is slimmer. “i will ensure a sustainable environment for peace for Taiwan,” added Ma, who in his first term oversaw the most dramatic thaw in the island’s ties with China since the two sides split over 60 years ago.

His main challenger Tsai ing-wen, a 55-year-old China-sceptic, conceded defeat after her disappointing showing and announced she would step down as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

“We accept the Taiwan people’s decision and congratulate President Ma,” she

told her party faithful. “We want to give our deepest apology to our supporters for our defeat.”

Tsai, who had been vying to become the island’s first female leader, took 45.7 percent of the vote, according to unofficial tallies.

George Tsai, a political scientist at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei, said the result was a vote of confidence in Ma, who raised exchanges with China to unprecedented levels and introduced a sweeping trade pact.

“The outcome shows that voters generally approve of Ma’s policies promoting ties and reducing tensions with China,” he said.

“He has a new mandate although it’s an open question how fast and how far he can go in his second term.”

By contrast, a win for Tsai could have ushered in a period of uncertainty in ties with China, as her DPP has traditionally favoured distancing the island from the mainland.

“The reason why the Chinese mainland is so concerned about the Taiwan election is because we are worried that the idea of ‘Taiwan independence’ will be further spread by the process, as it was in the past,” the state-controlled Chinese paper

TAIPEI: Taiwan President and ruling Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (L) and his wife Chou Mei-ching (R) greet supporters after winning the presidential elections outside the party’s campaign headquarters on Saturday. AFP

Global Times said friday.

Although China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, Beijing still claims sovereignty over the island, and has vowed to get it back, even if that involves going to war.

Surveys published last week had

shown the race would likely be too close to call, with Ma of the Kuomintang (KMT) party leading Tsai by as little as three percentage points.

The United States, had also kept a close eye on the election, hoping the outcome would not upset the stability that the

strategically vital Taiwan Straits area has experienced since Ma assumed power in 2008.

A third candidate, former KMT heavyweight James Soong, 69, never stood any real chance of winning but his support base overlapped with Ma’s and had threatened to steal precious support from the incumbent.

Officials had expected a heavy turnout, but official figures were not yet available.

Chang Poh-ya, chairwoman of the Central Election Commission, said friday she expected about 80 percent of the island’s 18.1 million eligible voters to take part in the election, compared with just over 76 percent in the 2008 vote.

The Ma camp counted on the support of an estimated 200,000 China-based Taiwanese businesspeople and their relatives who returned home to vote. “i voted for Ma because i am doing business with China and i often travel there,” said businesswoman Ane Wei at a polling station in Taipei. “it’d be more convenient for me and good for my business if he remains in office.”

Ruby Yang, an office worker, said she had cast her ballot in favour of Tsai “because i want to see the first female president in Taiwan”.

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16

Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Brangelina

roped in

IN LIMELIGHT

to present Golden Globes ABC

H

O L L Y W O O D super-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will present an award at this Sunday’s

Golden Globe Awards, ABCNews.com has confirmed. Both are riding the wave of a stellar year and are nominated for awards at the ceremony. Pitt has earned raves for his performance as baseball coach Billy Beane in ‘Moneyball’

and is nominated for Best Actor in A Motion Picture Drama. The film, which Pitt produced, is also nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama. Jolie is nominated for her film ‘in the Land of Blood And Honey’ in the Best foreign film category. The Bosnian war film marked Jolie’s directorial debut. Other presenters at Sunday’s ceremony will include Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Salma Hayek and Jake Gyllenhaal. The presenters’ list was announced as nervous Golden Globe show bosses insisted on a ‘seven second delay’ to rein in the show’s host, tricky Ricky Gervais.

The delay lets Dick Clark, the award show’s legendary 83-year-old producer, cut comments about celebs in attendance that are deemed too close-tothe-bone to broadcast. it comes after Gervais, controversial star of ‘The Office’, upped ratings on the ceremony last year by making digs at A-list stars like Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. The 69th annual Golden Globes are voted on by the Hollywood foreign Press Association and recognise outstanding work in television and film.

MuMBAi: John Abraham, rahul Bose, gul Panag, model Pooja Mishra and Anupama Varma walk on the ramp during the Kingfisher fashion show to support Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012. AFP

Glitz tresors Jewellery

launched in lahore nEWS DESk A new jewellery brand, Glitz Tresors Jewellery, was launched in Lahore by jewellery designers Sabeen fawad and Zarghuna Ahmad. Many top and emerging fashion models such as Sadia faisal, Alyzeh Gabol, Amna Babar, and Hanna Butt exhibited the glamourous jewellery at

the launch. The exquisite cuts and designs of the jewellery easily won over the guests.

The jewellery line consisted of modern and contemporary gold pieces. imtisal Zafar of Verve Event Management organised the Glitz Tresors Jewellery launch whereas Sofia Mirza, Aamir Mazhar, and fashion designer HSY were the celebrity guests at the exhibition.

Ranbir-Shah Rukh Khan to

co-host Filmfare Awards

MUMBAI: SrK and ranbir have been paired together to host the 57th idea filmfare awards 2011 this year. There are awards and then there is filmfare. The premium film magazine's award show is something else. if you are featured on filmfare, you have arrived they say. The prominent award show began in 1954. The awards get widely noticed for its sheer star presence and long-standing association with Hindi cinema.

The hosts of filmfare are often quirky, cheeky and fun! They amuse the audience with their mad antics. They take healthy digs at their contemporaries and nominees thus keeping everyone glued to their seats. it was Shah rukh and Saif who got the ball rolling. Soon after, the younger generation took over with ranbir and imran playing the perfect hosts. filmfare will happen on 29th of January at the film City this year for which Shah rukh and ranbir have been zeroed in as hosts. Apparently imran Khan was also approached for the same but since he may be in New york on 29th, he let the offer pass. AGENCIES

LoNDoN: An ice sculpture works on a block of ice during the London ice Sculpting festival. AFP

You are

fired!

HoNg KoNg: A woman poses in front a poster advertising an art exhibition prior to the upcoming Chinese New year that begins on January 23 and marks the year of the Dragon. AFP

MUMBAI: Tired of his ‘unprofessional’ behaviour, Ekta Kapoor and Sanjay Gupta have decided to replace Vivek in Shootout at Wadala. Vivek Oberoi in Sanjay Gupta's Shootout At Wadala was all set to match Akshay Kumar in Milan Luthria's ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Part 2’. The actor who played Maya Dolas in Gupta's ‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’ was reportedly going to play Dawood Ibrahim in the second part of the film. However, Gupta doesn't “want him” anymore. Tired waiting for the actor to get back with a confirmation, Gupta and producer Ekta Kapoor have not only decided to replace him but also ask Vivek to return the script that he had been keeping with him. The fact that Vivek took too much time to revert back with a definitive answer irked Gupta. “We ran out of patience.

I don't put up with such behaviour. We don't want Vivek in the film now. We have also asked him to return the script,” said Gupta. Ekta, however, decided to remain diplomatic and simply added: “Gupta felt that he needed someone with a different personality than Vivek. We abide by the director's vision.” AGENCIES

MUMBAI: The new Vijay Dinanath Chauhan of ‘Agneepath’ is might impressed with Sanjay Dutt's portrayal of Kancha Cheena. Hrithik roshan has been successful in giving a new image to Agneepath's Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. But it seems like the antagonist Kancha Cheena played by Sanjay Dutt is having a bigger impact. Sanjay Dutt's bald and bulky look as the new Kancha Cheena in Agneepath remake undoubtedly has a menacing look. And this villain is ruling the trailers as well as posters of the film. while any other Bollywood hero would have had a complex with the villain's persona equaling up to him (if not overshadowing), Hrithik roshan is graceful enough to accept Sanjay Dutt's impact and importance. Sources close to the actor insist that Hrithik was might impressed with Sanjay Dutt's act and avatar during the making of ‘Agneepath’. The duo had worked earlier in Mission Kashmir but the Sanjay Dutt that Hrithik saw in ‘Agneepath’ was divergently different. Hrithik also went on to compare the new Kancha Cheena with the likes of gabbar Singh. AGENCIES

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17 Ali Zafar’s dream

comes true A

nEWS DESk

Li Zafar recently got to meet one of his favourite actresses, Madhuri Dixit.

Ali and Mads happened to be shooting in the same studio and he got to see her in person. Ali still hasn’t gotten over the chance meeting and has been gushing

to people about how beautiful and young she still looks. But he rushes to explain that he’s not just impressed with her looks but also her talent and attitude towards work. Apparently, after he began his career in Bollywood, he heard how she was the most down-to-earth, pleasant and hard working persons in the industry and she brought a great vibe to the set. Ali looks up to these virtues.

Veena Malik’s Chhanno gives Chikni Chameli a run for her money NEwS DESK: The first look of Veena Malik’s item song ‘Chhanno’ from the film ‘Gali Gali Chor Hai’ has just been released and boy oh boy! Is she looking hot! Dressed in a sizzling pink and orange ghaghra and a minuscule choli, with loads of ethnic jewellery to boost her sexy image, Veena’s sure going to grab eyeballs with this sexy number! The Pakistani actress has also changed costumes in the song and the green number that she is wearing later in the song, will get lots of item gals green with envy. It’s not just the dress, her famous pout and raunchy lyrics, but her oomphy gyrations that will give a competition to Sheila, Munni, Jale Bai and Chikni Chameli!

rio De JANeiro: Models present designer creations during the rio fashion week, 2012 winter Collection. AFP

Longoria to steal souvenirs from ‘Desperate Housewives’ set LoA AngELES AGENCIES

Eva Longoria says she is planning to steal souvenirs from the set of her hit TV serial ‘Desperate Housewives’ as she wants a memento from her time on the show. The 36-year-old, who is filming her final scenes as Gabrielle Solis after eight years in the role, said she is determined to pick up a piece of memorabilia despite executives at US network ABC advising against taking any items, reported Daily Express.

“We got a call from ABC putting the kybosh on anybody taking anything from set, so now i’m not naming things in interviews that i’m going to steal because it’s not allowed. But we’re stealing some stuff later... but i’m not going to name what i’m stealing!” Longoria said.

Actor Gene Hackman OK after bike crash

tickets to ‘Dark Knight rises’

REUTERS

already selling out LoS AngELES AGENCIES

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ won’t open until July 20, but tickets for a midnight showing are not only on sale - some of them have already been bought out completely. Entertainment Weekly reports that anxious fans can purchase admission to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ midnight opening on July 19 in iMAX theaters in San francisco and Los Angeles using movie ticket e-retailer fandango. Unfortunately for those living in the Big Apple, it is

Hrithik Roshan

compares Kancha Cheena

to Gabbar Singh

Actor Gene Hackman was taken to the hospital on friday after he was in a collision while riding his bicycle in the florida Keys, but the Oscar winner was released after routine tests, a spokeswoman said. Hackman was riding his bike and got bumped from behind by a car, said Susan Madore, a spokeswoman for the actor. Because he was on an island, he had to be airlifted to the hospital, she said. But he only suffered “a couple minor bumps and bruises” and has been released from the facility, she said. Hackman, 81, has won two Oscars, one for his leading role in 1971 film ‘The french Connection’ and the other for his supporting part in 1992 picture ‘Unforgiven’.

already sold out of New York midnight iMAX showings. A fandango rep tells EW that it’s not unheard of for tickets to go on sale so far in advance, although this is earlier even than ‘Avatar’s’ pre-sale, which began four months before it was released in December of 2009. The furore for this film surely has studio execs at Warner Bros. dreaming of another record-setting box office showing, as ‘Dark Knight Rises’ predecessor, “The Dark Knight’, holds the No. 2 spot for best opening weekend thanks to the $158 million it brought in at the box office in 2008.

All's not well between Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri?

MUMBAI: There’s turbulence in the Khan household, or so it seems. Gauri Khan, wife to Shah Rukh Khan is upset about the recent rumours of an alleged link-up between him and his ‘Don’ co-star Priyanka Chopra. Shah Rukh Khan, known to be the perfect family man, finds himself in such a situation for the first time. Priyanka Chopra, we hear, is miffed with the news as well, and it has been reported that she has accused actress and Gauri Khan’s good friend Neelam Kothari for spreading the slander.

Neelam, on the other hand, is upset at being accused and took to clarify her stand on her micro-blogging site. So whilst everyone is upset about the SRK-PC alleged link-up, PC proves to be displaying a casual, unperturbed persona as she awaits her trip to Macau in the coming weeks. A source close to Shah Rukh said: “Shah Rukh Khan is a complete family man. He dotes over his children and will ensure that no such rumour affects them in any way. Gauri and he have withstood the test of time. The Khan family will always remain a beautiful one.” AGENCIES

LOS ANGELES: in an award ceremony that is hailed as the telling route for the oscars, actor george Clooney won the Critics Choice Best Actor Award for his portrayal of father Matt King in fox Star Studios comedy-drama ‘The Descendants’. Last year, the major winners at the annual Critics Choice Movie Awards went on to take home the oscar as well, so all eyes are now firmly on ‘The Descendants’ with the golden globes approaching this weekend, (5 nominations for the film). ‘The Descendants’ is directed by Alexander Payne of the oscar winning "Sideways" and stars george Clooney as Matt King, a privileged Honolulu attorney from a landowning family who is compelled to reevaluate his marriage and life, while his wife lies comatose in a hospital bed following a boating accident. with 5 golden globe nominations already as well as being chosen as the best film of 2011 by Los Angeles film Critics Association, ‘The Descendants’ is expected to blitzkrieg all major film awards this year, starting with the approaching oscars in february. AGENCIES

George Clooney

seals an Oscar?

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

it’s crunch time...

Page 20

India totter towards big defeat PERtH

A

SCOREBOARD

AFP

NOTHER dismal performance by india's creaking top order had the tourists tottering towards a heavy defeat after the second day of the third Test against Australia in Perth on Saturday. At the close of play, india, needing to win to have any hope of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, were 88 for four in their second innings after yet another collapse, an overall deficit of 120 runs.

Veteran Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 32 and Virat Kohli on 21. Young paceman Mitchell Starc, who claimed the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar cheaply in the indian second innings, said the Australians didn't expect to have to bat again in the match. "We feel we have got enough to possibly bowl them out without having to bat again," he said. "We are going to have to bowl pretty well tomorrow, but i think we have got enough to get there." indian paceman Umesh Yadav, who was a rare chink of light for the tourists as he took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket, put on a brave face.

"There are still three days left in the game," he said. Australia were dismissed earlier for 369 in their first innings, bolstered by a pugnacious 180 from opener David Warner, giving the home side an overall lead of 208 after the indians made just 161 in their first innings. Yadav's one-man heroics gave his indian side some hope, but their ageing top-order batsmen again failed to deliver in the second innings. As was the case in their 122-run defeat in Melbourne and innings loss in Sydney, the indian rot set in early in their second time with the bat. Left-armer Starc picked up the wicket of opener Gautam Gambhir (14), caught in the slips from a

SSgC, Punjab w, NBP register wins

PerTH: Australian opening batsman David warner plays on way to his century against india at the wACA ground. AFP

PerTH: Sachin Tendulkar leaves the crease after being given out for eight runs on day two of the third Test. AFP

steepling delivery in his first over.

Out-of-form opener Virender Sehwag never looked comfortable and fell to Peter Siddle one run later for 10, while Tendulkar will have to wait at least one more Test for his 100th international century, after being trapped leg-before wicket by Starc for a paltry eight. V.V.S. Laxman's poor series continued when he was caught in the slips off Ben Hilfenhaus for a nine-ball duck as india slumped to 51-4. Australia resumed the second day at 149 for no wicket and looked set

to bat the indians out of the match when openers Warner and Ed Cowan put on 214 for the first wicket. However, three wickets fell to Yadav before lunch -- Cowan (74), Shaun Marsh (11) and Ricky Ponting (seven) -- sparking a brief indian fightback.

Warner, dropped on 126, looked set to become the second Australian batsman to pass 200 in as many innings, but he holed out to a back-pedalling Yadav at long-on off paceman ishant Sharma. Yadav completed the catch inside the boundary rope, ending

5th Indigo Golf title for Salman LAHORE: in the 5th Club indigo Golf Tournament, contested over 18 holes at the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club Golf Course yesterday, Salman Chima turned out to be the winner after his startling performance. Over 120 competing golf amateurs enjoyed a great golf outing supplemented by superb Mobilink hospitality and the company of some towering corporate LAHore: irfan Akram, VP Customer Care, teeing-off the 5th Club indigo leaders. The golf may have carried an element invitational golf Tournament. of social touch but those in practice and in appreciable form remained focused on performance and winning positions. And naturally, while the passionate ones produced quality golf and scores of excellence, others had ragged scores and felt not too happy about over par scores that reflected poor application of golfing skills. The star of the day in gross category was Salman Chima, a 12 handicapper who came up with a startling round of gross 74, two over par, and in the process managed to gain an edge over his nearest rival Malik Shahid Abbas by one stroke. Abbas carded a gross 75 as against Amer's 74. Both these contenders reflected control over their tee shots and fairway shots and regular pars enabled them to emerge as the winners of first gross and second gross positions and picked up their trophies to the applause of a large number of fellow competitors. in this category Omer Salamat came third with a score of 77, followed by Asad Amin 80 and Col(r) Zulfiqar Rana 82. The race for net honors also produced sufficiently great performances that were unbelievably heartening. A round of net 14 under par is a rare happening and the credit for this goes to Amir Chaudry, an 18 handicapper, who played as well as any good single handicapper, the pars coming in regular succession and stroke losses few and far. in the net section faisal Naseem Kari picked up the second slot with a round of net 64, eight under par. Another performance that deserves tremendous praise was of Nadeem Azam who had to be content with the third prize, with net score of 68 certainly a demonstration of his accuracy and control. Other good performances were by Naseer Akhter, iftikhar Taj Mian, Dr.Ahsan Shamim, Nadeem Azam and Bakhtiar Hameed. At the conclusion of this corporate golf event, irfan Akram, Vice President, Mobilink distributed prizes to the winners. STAFF REPORT

AUSTRALIA 1st innings (overnight 149 for 0) E. Cowan b Yadav 74 D. Warner c Yadav b Sharma 180 S. Marsh c Laxman b Yadav 11 7 R. Ponting b Yadav 18 M. Clarke c Dhoni b Khan M. Hussey c Sehwag b Kumar 14 B. Haddin c Dhoni b Khan 0 30 P. Siddle b Yadav R. Harris c Gambhir b Yadav 9 M. Starc not out 15 6 B. Hilfenhaus c Kohli b Sehwag 5 EXTRAS (lb3, w2) 369 TOTAL (all out; 76.2 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-214 (Cowan), 2-230 (Marsh), 3-242 (Ponting), 4-290 (Warner), 5-301 (Clarke), 6-303 (Haddin), 7-339 (Hussey), 8-343 (Siddle), 9-357 (Harris) 10-369 (Hilfenhaus).

BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 21-3-91-2 (1w), Umesh Yadav 17-2-935 (1w), Vinay Kumar 13-0-73-1, Ishant Sharma 18-0-89-1, Virender Sehwag 7.2-0-20-1.

INDIA 1st innings 161 (V. Kohli 44; B. Hilfenhaus 4-43) INDIA 2nd innings (follow on) 14 G. Gambhir c Hussey b Starc V. Sehwag c Haddin b Siddle 10 R. Dravid not out 32 8 S. Tendulkar lbw Starc 0 V.V.S. Laxman c Marsh b Hilfenhaus V. Kohli not out 21 EXTRAS (b1, lb1, w1) 3 88 TOTAL (for four wickets, 32 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Gambhir), 2-25 (Sehwag), 3-42 (Tendulkar), 4-51 (Laxman).

BOWLING: Ryan Harris 8-1-23-0, Ben Hilfenhaus 9-2-25-1, Mitchell Starc 6-2-14-2, Peter Siddle 7-2-21-1 (1w), Mike Hussey 2-0-3-0.

Toss: Australia, Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK), Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Video umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS), Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

a remarkable 159-ball knock by Warner. His innings featured 20 fours and five sixes, the opener raising his century off just 69 balls - the equal fourth-fastest in Test cricket -late on the first day. Skipper Michael Clarke, who scored an unconquered 329 in the second Sydney Test, went for 18, caught behind off Zaheer Khan. following their war of words, Khan got one over Brad Haddin, having the wicketkeeper caught behind for a three-ball duck, but it was Australia who looked well set to have the last laugh.

LAHoRE STAFF REPORT

SSGC, Punjab Whites and NBP registered wins in the 31st U-21 National Hockey Championship in progress here at National Hockey Stadium. However, at the end of the round matches NBP, SSGC, Wapda and Railways were leading their group’s points table.

RESULTS SSgC beat KPK 6-0 (full Time), 1-0 (Half Time), SSgC: Qayyum Dogar 19th minute (fg), waseem Abbas 2 goals 46th & 59th minute (PC), zahid 47th minute (fg) & Safeer Hussain 2 goals 52nd & 54th minute (fg). railway vs Punjab (C) 2-2 (full Time) Draw, 1-1 (Half Time), railway: Daud Khalid 28th minute (fg) & M. fiaz 54th minute (fg). Punjab (C): M. Mushtaq (Capt) 2 goals 25th & 68th minute (PC). Punjab (w) beat HeC 1-0 (full Time), 0-0 (Half Time), Punjab (w): Arslan 49th minute (PC).

NBP beat Army 6-1 (full Time), 4-1 (Half Time), NBP: Kashif Javed 13th minute (PC), Khurram Shahzad 2 goals 16th & 62nd minute (fg) & Ayub Ali 3 goals 22nd, 33rd & 53rd minutes (fg). ArMy: M. yasir 28th minute (fg).

POINT TABLE POOL A: PS TEAMS 1. NBP 2. ArMy 3. iSLAMABAD 4. fATA POOL B: 1. SSgC 2. PHf ACADeMy 3. SiNDH 4. KPK POOL C: 1. wAPDA 2. HeC 3. PuNJAB (w) 4. BALoCHiSTAN PooL D: 1. rAiLwAy 2. PuNJAB (C) 3. PAK. BoArD

P 3 3 2 2

W 3 2 0 0

D 0 0 0 0

L 0 1 2 2

GF 43 28 0 0

GA 1 6 21 43

PTS 9 6 0 0

GD +42 +22 -21 -43

3 3 2 2

3 2 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 1 2 2

18 9 0 0

2 7 9 9

9 6 0 0

+16 +2 -9 -9

3 3 2 2

3 1 1 0

0 0 0 0

0 2 1 2

20 7 2 0

1 3 6 19

9 3 3 0

+19 +4 -4 -19

2 5 5

4 +2 2 +0 1 -2

2 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 1

0 4 0 5 1 3

Whatmore set for Pakistan coaching job LAHoRE STAFF REPORT

Dav Whatmore, the man tipped to become Pakistan's next cricket coach, arrived for an interview in Lahore Saturday, moving a step closer to taking the sport's hot seat. Dav Whatmore reached her by a private airline to hold his final round of talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials who appear set to appoint the Australian as the national team's coach. After landing at Lahore’s Allama iqbal Airport, Whatmore avoided to talk to media men present at the airport. He is expected to

meet PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and other officials during his stay in Lahore.

The committee appointed to select the head coach for national team finalized its recommendations last week that were conveyed to the PCB. Reports said that the PCB has 95 percent finalised Whatmore as the next head coach. However, the final appointment would take place after England series.

The 57-year-old former Australian batsman, who coached Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, is the favourite to replace Waqar Younis who quit the post in September last year over health issues. PCB appointed for-

Lahore rams win rugby Sevens title LAHoRE STAFF REPORT

Lahore Djuice Rams won the Lahore-Dehli Rugby Sevens tournament beating DH Gold i the final here on Saturday. Dehli Lions Rugby club lost the match against DHA Greens score of 35-7. Lahore’s player Tahir scored two tries. Delhi lost the semi-final to DHA Gold. Delhi got the third position in the match with Muzaffargarh which was the 3rd/4th position playoff. Saraib Qazi from Delhi played a very good game and the score at the end of first half was 12-0 towards Delhi. The second half was also an exciting half but Delhi was totally dominating over the young travelers from the farthest city of Muzaffargarh. The final score was 20-0. The 7-a-side tournament took place at the DHA rugby Stadium.8 club teams took part in this tournament. Delhi Lions won the opening match against Lums 22-0. UMT faced Muzaffargarh Rugby Club with the later wining with a score of 27-7. The third match was clinched

by DHA Gold against Garrison Service Bulls with a score of 17-10. in the fourth match LRfC beat DHA Greens 20-0. The Bowl event was played between all the losing sides. The first match LUMS beat UMT Johar Town 5-0. in the second match DHA Greens beat Garrison Service Bulls 44-0.

mer opener Mohsin Khan as an interim coach against Sri Lanka and BD but had to extend his stint in charge for the series against England as the selection process was delayed. Pakistan will take on England in the first of three Tests in Dubai from Tuesday. The Tests will be followed by four one-day and three Twenty20s. A new coach will take over during the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in March.

PCB appointed a three-man committee headed by former captain intikhab Alam, which shortlisted five candidates for the post. "Whatmore has reached here and we will talk to

him on the issue," Alam was quoted by a foreign news agency, without giving further details. PCB has also kept silent on the issue so as not to derail the process. Whatmore, who played seven Tests and one one-day international for Australia in 1979, was in talks with the PCB through another former captain Ramiz Raja, who assisted the committee. Whatmore, who also coached Bangladesh between 2003 and 2007, resigned from his role as coach of the indian Premier League side KK Riders earlier this month. Pakistan has a history of sacking its coaches and has had six in the last ten years.

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Sports 19

PREVIEW: AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012

DJOKER, THE ODDS-ON FAVOURITE player who won two Wimbledons and a clutch of french Opens. His muscular playing style leaves him prone to injuries and we may have seen the best of him. federer, on the other hand, played some of his best ever tennis at the end of 2011. He is fit and his effortless style means that his age is not a handicap. He may be the only player who can dismantle Djokovic’s impenetrable defence. federer defeated the Serb in Paris and had two match points at the US Open, so he knows he has the game to make it happen. Roger has been pacing himself, playing fewer tournaments and that has yielded dividends. He is still as motivated and hungry as ever as his coach Paul Annacone stated recently.

Local hope, Lleyton Hewitt meets German Cedrik-Marcel Steeb but could play Andy Roddick or rising Canadian star Milos Raonic in the second round.

Hewitt has been bothered by injuries and is looking to wind down his career with a good performance here. But he simply does not have the firepower of the top players and is half a step slower.

SportS thiS Week ALI AkBAR HE Australian Open kicks of the 2012 season on Monday. After a series of tournaments leading up to the main event, the self-proclaimed Grand Slam of Asia Pacific will be the first of the four major events around whom the tennis circuit revolves.

The seedings among the men are predictable and it is difficult to look beyond the top four players for the winner.

Novak Djokovic is the favourite, having started the season with some dominating tennis in the Abu Dhabi exhibition.

Djoker has not played any of the warm up events, hoping to play himself into top form in the tournament itself. This may not be a bad idea because he was looking quite ragged at the end of the 2011 season and may be pacing himself now.

On form, Djokovic would be the oddson favourite. He is scheduled to face Andy Roddick in the quarters and Andy Murray in the semis, although Roddick on current form would find it hard to get by Robin Haase or Milos Raonic. Raonic is the wild card favourite, having won in Chennai and possessing the best serve in the game.

Roger federer and Rafael Nadal are scheduled for a semi-final meeting should they get there although federer will have to get by Dolgopolov of Ukraine in the quarters. Nadal will be looking nervously at the prospect of facing the giant American John isner in the quarters. Another outside favourite Del Potro would meet American Mardy fish in the quarters, although fish, on current form would have to be at his very best to get that far. fish has a difficult match against Giles Muller in the first round and would not relish the prospect of

T

HIGHLY WATCHABLE facing Phillip Kohl Schreiber in the third round. Also in the bottom half of the draw is the talented under achiever from the Czech Republic, Thomas Berdych. Berdych has a quarter final against the Spanish clay court specialist, Nicholas Almagro and should be too strong on the hard courts.

Andy Murray has a difficult first round encounter with rising American Ryan Harrison. Harrison has a very good high kicking serve and would be playing with nothing to lose. This promises to be one of the potential upsets of the initial rounds. Murray would face Gael Monfils in the quarters with the winner playing Djokovic in the semifinals.

The player with the best chance of

taking the title outside the top four would be Joe Wilfred Tsonga, the french Mohammad Ali look alike. Tsonga won in Doha and has been having some consistent performances of late. Should he get his powerful serve and ground strokes going, Tsonga has a very good chance of upsetting Andy Murray in the quarters.

FORM OF HIS LIFE Djokovic is in the form of his life. He had an unprecedented season last year although fatigue led to some tailing off at the end. He will look to continue his mastery over Nadal this year after beating him six times last year. Nadal is no longer the same

Some of the early round matches to watch in the men’s draw would be: 1) Andy Murray vs. Ryan Harrison: Harrison would be fancying his chances, hoping to ride his big serve to a huge upset. Murray’s defence will probably prevail.

2) Bernard Tomic vs. Fernando Verdasco: Tomic is a talent, the best Australian player to emerge after Lleyton Hewitt.

Verdasco has slipped out of the top 20 and looks to have lost his motivation.

Look for Tomic to advance.

3) Janko Tipsarevic vs. Dmitry Tursunov:

Pakistan uP against the best

THE WOMEN’S SCENE US open champion Samantha Stosur will be the local hope but she has some serious competition before she reaches the second week. Nadia Petrova lurks in the third round and Marion Bartoli in the fourth.

Petra Kvitova will be the favourite, ahead of the under achieving Wozniacki. Kvitova has the game to be one of the greats of the game. Her aggressive go for broke style, allied to a sound technique, means that she does not have to grind out too many matches. Her biggest challenge will come from Serena Williams. When she is on her game Williams is as good as any player that has ever played. The two could meet in the semis although Serena is seeded only 12 this year. Other in form players are Victoria Azarenka and Li Na of China who seems to have recovered from her late season slump, following a win over Kvitova last week.

Amla, Duminy steer South Africa to victory

the Yorker Length nabeeL sabir

g

iVEN the conditions, after a stupendously successful 2011, the Pakistan cricket team will be looking at the year 2012 will lots of optimism and sanguinity, which commences with a tough series against England in the UAE. This is going to be Pakistan’s most exacting test for quite some time.

The team itself is a nice blend of youth and experience and is on an upward curve. However they will be up against Andrew Strauss and England – the number one Test team in the world, brimful of talented and experienced cricketers.

There is no doubt that England is a wellrounded unit, with all bases covered.

England’s main strength lies in their batting. Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook as openers are well settled right-left combination, with Jonathan Trott at number three, Kevin Pietersen at four, with ian Bell and Eoin Morgan in the middle order and perhaps the best wicketkeeper batsman in business today, Matt Prior coming in at number seven. This England squad arguably has the most proficient Test lineup today.

Strauss and Cook form a skillful opening pair at the top and both have been in fine form for the last two years. Jonathan Trott at number three is a complete batsman, having an insatiable appetite to accumulate in the orthodox manner. At number four, Pietersen is indeed one of the finest attacking batsmen around. At number five, transformed himself into a reliable article in the last couple of years and was England’s best in Tests last year with 950 runs at 118.75. At No 6, there is that sensational southpaw Eoin Morgan, who actually is ambidextrous and can be devastating on his day. To round it off, Prior is technically correct and can score really well if the top order has failed, with a tail that can wag.

Pakistan bowlers will have their work cut out against this England batting on good UAE pitches. England’s bowling attack too is an attractive combination. James Anderson and Stuart Broad will open the bowling. Anderson is an intelligent seamer while Broad will hit the deck hard and trouble the batsmen with his height. There is competition between Chris Tremlett, Steve finn and Graham

Two veterans with solid baseline games. Tursunov probably has the heavier weight of shot but Tipsarevic was impressive in Chennai and should squeeze through.

4) Mardy Fish vs. Gilles Muller: Muller has done well in the Majors, reaching the fourth round in Melbourne earlier in his career. This match could be a tossup. Fish is a flashy player but does not have the day to day consistency that guarantees him a place in the second weeks of majors – a possible upset.

5) Michael Llodra vs. Ernest Gulbis: Gulbis is a talented under-achiever. He travels in his private jet and could perhaps not be as hungry as some of the others. On a good day he can beat a lot of people.

Look for the veteran Llodra to get by.

Onions for the third seamer’s spot with Tremlett having an edge if England opt for three seamers. And then you have Graeme Swann – a high class off-spinner who relies more on his off spinning variations than going for away going Doosras.

Swann is the one who can really trouble the Pakistani batsmen given their susceptibility against high quality spin. England might opt to play two spinners keeping in view the conditions which will bring Monty Panesar in the mix. Monty is back after some time, staking his claims for Test spot with eight wickets in the side game against PCB Xi. This Pakistan side may not have many star players in their ranks but they are a cohesive and proficient unit which knows what is expected of them and know how to play well within their capabilities. While opener Mohammad Hafeez has been really good in the last year or so Taufeeq Umar has also managed to get runs, though there seems to be some reluctance in his overall batting.

Taufeeq still needs to prove it to himself before everyone else that he can deliver at this level after 10 years of international cricket under his belt. He will be well served if he tries to be more positive.

Azhar Ali is going to bat at three and this can be a big series for him. He has recently scored his first Test ton after a string of fifties and Pakistan will require solidity and runs from him in this series.

Much will depend on how Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq fare in this rubber. Both are experienced pros and will be required to lead Pakistan’s charges with not only good batting by themselves but also by taking the youngsters alongside. At number six one feels that Umar Akmal should get the nod ahead of Asad Shafiq as Pakistanwill need his firepower in the middle order as Shafiq has

proved to be pretty cocooned in his batting.

Akmal looked full of intent in domestic cricket as well on the Bangladesh tour and playing him here will be a good bet. in the bowling department it’s high time Umar Gul takes the step up and prove his mettle at the Test level and this could be that series. He has got everything in him which a top notch Test bowler should have but despite having good times in limited overs cricket he hasn’t been able to deliver that much in Tests. for Umar Gul’s partner there will be stiff competition between Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema. Although Cheema has taken wickets lately but one feels that Wahab Riaz has pace and Junaid Khan has talent and variation which will be much needed against a formidable England batting line. Saeed Ajmal will be the main weapon for Pakistan in this series but he will be well advised to shun over-experimentation and bowl more off spinners. Off late Ajmal has started bowling way too many “Doosras” and it can be sooner rather than later that he gets picked up by the top sides. if Pakistan go for two spinners than they have another reliable performer in Abdur Rehman. The leftie can be really good with his variations and can prove to be a real test for Kevin Pietersen given his susceptibility against left arm spinners.

All said and done it will be an exciting series given the fact that both teams have good teams on hand and both have been playing good cricket in recent times. Pakistan needs to be positive and give it their all and there is no reason why they can beat England which will be a massive lift for them. for England they need to prove themselves in all conditions. They might have beaten Australia in Australia last year but playing against Pakistan in this neck of the woods can be a totally different ball game for them.

EAST LONDON: Half-centuries from Hashim Amla and JP Duminy helped South Africa secure a five-wicket win in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka on Saturday. opening batsman Amla weighed in with 55 off 58 balls while Duminy was not out on 66 off 87 deliveries. South Africa, chasing Sri Lanka's 236 for six, reached 237 for five with eight balls remaining. Amla and graeme Smith (28) provided the hosts with an impressive start thanks to an opening stand of 76 before Duminy controlled the middle-order as the hosts took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Amla looked in complete control during his innings, which included five fours and two sixes. Duminy was content to simply work the ball around and struck just one six. Sri Lanka owed their final total to Dinesh Chandimal, who ended not out on 92, and lefthanded opening batsman upul Tharanga. He made 66 off 85 deliveries with six fours and a six.

Chandimal, together with Nuwan Kulasekara (22) and Angelo Mathews (28), provided the innings with some late impetus. The third match of the series is in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

South Africa won the first game by 258 runs. Dinesh Chandimal and upul Tharanga hit halfcenturies in a battling Sri Lankan performance. Seeking to come back after a record defeat in the first match in Paarl, Sri Lanka made 236 for six after being sent in on a slow pitch on an overcast day. Tharanga hit 66 and Chandimal 92 not out as Sri Lanka made some amends after being bowled out for a record low 43 in Paarl. Sri Lanka made another poor start, with captain Tillekeratne Dilshan run out for his second successive nought and Kumar Sangakkara caught behind for three as they struggled to 21 for two after 10 overs. Tharanga and Chandimal put on 84 for the third wicket to build a foundation for a late innings acceleration that yielded 109 runs off the last 15 overs. But the tourists were seldom able to break a stranglehold imposed by tight South African bowling and tigerish fielding. The wickets taken included two spectacular diving catches, by Dale Steyn at short fine leg to dismiss Mahela Jayawardene and robin Peterson, running back from mid-on to end an aggressive innings of 22 off 13 balls

by Nuwan Kulasekera. The left-handed Tharanga made his runs off 85 balls with six fours and a straight six off JP Duminy. Chandimal hit only one four in reaching his fifty off 84 balls but added five more boundaries off the remaining 31 balls of his innings to finish tantalisingly short of a third one-day international century in 19 matches. Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morne Morkel took two wickets each after rain delayed the start by 26 minutes. AGENCIES

SCOREBOARD SRI LANKA U. Tharanga c De Villiers b M. Morkel 66 T. Dilshan run out (Du Plessis) 0 K. Sangakkara c De Villiers b Tsotsobe 3 D. Chandimal not out 92 M. Jayawardene c Steyn b M. Morkel 19 N. Kulasekara c Peterson b Tsotsobe 22 A. Mathews c M. Morkel b Steyn 28 EXTRAS (lb1, w5) 6 TOTAL (6 wkts, 50 overs) 236 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-21, 3-105, 4-140, 5-164 BOWLING: Steyn 9-1-54-1, Tsotsobe 10-2-43-2, M. Morkel 9-1-39-2 (3w), A. Morkel 6-0-29-0, Duminy 6-0-26-0 (1w), Peterson 10-0-44-0 (1w) SOUTH AFRICA G. Smith c Tharanga b Prasad 28 H. Amla b Prasad 55 J. Kallis c Chandimal b Prasad 37 J. Duminy not out 66 A. de Villiers run out (N. Kulasekera) 17 F. du Plessis c and b Malinga 18 A. Morkel not out 12 EXTRAS (lb3, w1) 4 TOTAL (5 wkts, 48.4 overs) 237 Fall of wickets: 1-76, 2-94, 3-152, 4-193, 5-224 BOWLING: Malinga 10-1-38-1, N. Kulasekera 80-47-0, Mathews 2-0-13-0 (1w), Prasad 10-0-46-3, Dilshan 8.4-0-44-0, K. Kulasekera 1-0-6-0, Herath 9-0-40-0 Result: South Africa won by five wickets, Man of the match: JP Duminy (RSA), Series: South Africa lead the five-match series 2-0, Toss: South Africa, Umpires: Billy Doctrove, Shaun George, TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG), Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL).

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

Melbourne & Manchester

A tAle of two

etihAd StAdiumS Melbourne Renegades with the Pakistani duo Afridi and Razzaq are out of the Big Bash race, while Manchester City’s season seems to be disintegrating on many fronts

IT’S CRUNCH TIME...

ALL BASeS CoVereD kUnWAR kHULDUnE SHAHID A massive sporting week lies in the wait as Pakistan take on the top-ranked test side in the world, and the first tennis major kicks off. Then there are a couple of colossal games in the NBA and the Serie A to look forward to. Here’s a look ahead to some clutch time action across four different continents, covering four different sporting domains.

Looking ahead to the Pakistan England series, Australian Open, Milan derby and the Mavericks-Kings showdown IS IT TSONGA TIME?

ENGLISH CHALLENGE

Comment

B

J.k WALI

riSBANe Heat piled on the misery over a lackluster Melbourne renegades at the etihad Stadium on Thursday with a 12-run win, that saw the home side’s hope of qualifying for the semis – mathematically and otherwise – being buried under the Pacific ocean for another year. with global superstars like Abdul razzaq and Shahid Afridi, and the likes of Hodge and Nannes within their ranks, Melbourne were one of the favourites for this season’s Big Bash.

However, patchy performances throughout the season, that has seen the renegades lose four of their six matches, have resulted in Melbourne finding themselves at the foot of the table.

Afridi – captain McDonald’s go-to bowler – has bowled with typical menace throughout the campaign, and is the leading wicket-taker for his side with nine wickets. But his batting, like that of most of the team – including his flamboyant compatriot – hasn’t been worthy of writing back home (or any place else for that matter) about. razzaq hasn’t quite stepped up to the plate in Australia, and has been struggling for form with both bat and ball, following a very lucrative summer with Leicestershire.

Knowing razzaq, it’s only a matter of time before he gets his grip on the bat; however, his bowling has become a patched up locomotive of satirical contradictions. it goes without saying that razzaq is not the same bowler he was 10 years ago, but that does not mean that he still can’t contribute to the teams he plays for, with the ball. The first thing razzaq should do is that he should cut down on his run up. it is indeed ironic that Afridi with a three and a half step run up has the potential of bowling faster than razzaq, who has a needlessly protracted run up to the bowling crease. Another thing that this long run up does is that 4-5 yards before bowling the delivery razzaq actually slows down, instead of gaining more steam at the crucial time. And let’s face it, those legs aren’t getting any younger; they need to be protected and optimally utilised. A shorter run-up would not only conserve energy, it might result in a rejuvenated Abdul razzaq; who’ll still have enough nip and seam to trouble the batsmen – even at 125 kph. Both Afridi and razzaq will be pivotal in the limited-overs formats against england and need to be on their A game. The latter especially, is someone who breeds on confidence given by those at the helm, and Misbah must look to restore that in razzaq – because even at the wrong side of 30 he still has a lot to offer to Pakistan cricket.

Meanwhile in the etihad Stadium in Manchester, things do not look quite as rosy as they did a month back. Manchester City have lost three out of the last four games, including back to back home defeats – after going the entire 2011 unbeaten at home –, they are out of the Champions League and the f.A Cup and are on the brink of being eliminated in the Carling Cup as well. Couple this array of misery with the fact that despite going great guns throughout the season, they are only three points ahead of possibly the most mediocre Manchester united side for a couple of decades and a side managed by Harry redknapp! And to round off all the gloom, roberto Mancini’s godfather-esque Marlon Brando like interviews smack of desperation and of at least 2280 mmHg of pressure on his shoulders – City are feeling the heat of being the favourites for the ePL title. roberto Mancini has blamed every single entity outside of Manchester City – from biased referees, Luis Suarez, his tailor and even the tea lady at old Trafford – for the downfall of his side. And experience showcases that once a manager pulls out a barrage of accusations when things are beginning to crumble at the club; it means that he’s losing his plot – unless he is Alex ferguson or Jose Mourinho. The team that Mancini put out against Liverpool, in the Carling Cup, was collectively worth 150 million pounds, with the bench costing around 70 million pounds; hence, when you’re playing real life ‘football Manager 2012’ with a lot of oil money funding your shopping list, the expectation is bound to soar. Not winning the league, after everything that City have done – and more importantly everything that united have not done – in the first half of this season, would be disastrous for Manchester City and roberto Mancini. Speaking of disasters, who came up with the “Thunder Down under” slogan again?

wBA orders Khan-Peterson rematch WASHINGTON: The world Boxing Association on friday ordered a rematch within 180 days of the controversial light-welterweight world title fight between Britain's Amir Khan and American Lamont Peterson. The move comes in the wake of a much debated split-decision victory by Peterson over the englishman last month in washington, Peterson's hometown, and after a formal appeal by golden Boy Promotions to the wBA on behalf of Khan. "i'm pleased that justice has been done and the wBA has ordered an immediate rematch," Khan said. "All we ask as sportsmen is for a fair and level playing field when we compete. "Lamont Peterson proved in our fight that he is a great competitor. i hope a second bout will be just as exciting. i want to prove without doubt that i'm the best in the 140-pound division by taking care of business in the rematch." referee Joe Cooper deducted points from Khan in the seventh and 12th rounds for pushing, a rare call, and did not credit Khan with what should have been a knockdown in the first round, according to the wBA. The sanctioning body said Cooper's moves impacted the outcome of the fight. Had Khan not been docked the point in the final round, judges scores would have made the fight a draw and Khan would have kept his titles. instead, Peterson took the wBA and international Boxing federation crowns, improving to 30-1-1 with 15 knockouts. Khan fell to 26-2 with 18 knockouts. Peterson, mentioned as a possible next foe for Manny Pacquiao, could vacate the wBA crown rather than fight a rematch with Khan and even keep a share of the title, depending on what happens in next week's iBf hearing on the fight. "unfortunately, we are in this process of dealing with these unfounded protests," said Barry Hunter, Peterson's manager and trainer. "Khan blames everyone and everything but his performance and lack of ability to make adjustments in the ring for his loss. "it would be an understatement to characterize Lamont as being disappointed in the unprofessional manner in which Khan is attempting to discredit his performance in the ring and victory." Promoters, meanwhile, hope they have the chance for a Khan-Peterson rematch. "i'm thrilled about the decision and hope that we can start negotiations and get the rematch done," golden Boy chief executive richard Schaefer said. "Both Amir and Lamont are terrific young men and athletes who fought their hearts out in washington last December. i am sure that fight fans from around the world applaud the wBA's decision." AFP

The year 2011 was a lucrative one for both Pakistan and England in more ways than one. England warded off the Australian challenge in Australia to retain the Ashes and then blanked the indians to sit at the apex of world rankings. Pakistan, on the other hand, took a timely breather from offfield antics and stabilised matters under Misbah, that has seen them sans a series defeat since they last look on England in the summer of 2010. Two opponents fancying their chances and going full throttle at each other is a scrumptious prospect for any sports fan – and the Pakistan-England series promises to be exactly that.

The English batting is an ensemble of solidity, but some of their lot might find it difficult to cope with UAE’s conditions. Andrew Strauss, for one, needs pace and bounce in the wickets to nourish his trademark square of the wicket shots; and since those two ingredients would be as rare as meat balls in a Russian salad, expect him to continue his barren spell that has seen him without a test century since the Gabba test in Australia. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have been the cornerstones of the English success as far as the batting is concerned, and these two are the ones that pose the most daunting threat to the Pakistani side. Kevin Pieterson – quite often the decisive factor for England – versus Saeed Ajmal is one mouthwatering prospect; and the one who comes out on top, might just script his side’s triumph. ian Bell and Eoin Morgan complete a formidable batting lineup with consistency and free scoring prowess respectively.

Despite the English batting being exceedingly impressive on paper, it’s their bowling wherein the match-winning wherewithal lies. However, with conditions not being fast bowler friendly – definitely not James Anderson friendly – their pacers would struggle. When the ball doesn’t swing, Anderson is as effective as a ferrari in a quagmire. Stuart Broad – the man of the series against india – might be traversing resurgence, but again he might not as effective as he is in England. The same goes for Onions, finn and Tremlett – if the wickets are dead; then so are the English pacers.

Therefore, it is the English spinner(s) who’d be vying to write the ‘Swann’ song for the Pakistani batsman – and of course it’s Graeme Swann who heads this two man queue. England have relied on the ‘three pacers one spinner’ combo recently, and hence the chances of Monty Panesar getting a game hinge on extreme pitch conditions or England going for five bowlers. The former is more likely to happen.

The Australian Open draw has conjured up something that didn’t happen in any of the four majors last year – federer and Nadal in one half and Murray and Djokovic in the other. Tennis – much like any knockout competition – rests on the head-to-head between different competitors. Take for example the fact that on paper the World Number One player Djokovic’s closest rival is Nadal – the second ranked player – but you don’t need this writer to unravel the fact that the Serb would rather take on Nadal than federer or Murray, as things stand, with him whitewashing the Spaniard 6-0 last year.

Similarly had Nadal faced federer in either of the US Open or Wimbledon finals last year, he would have had been the undisputed favourite.

Of the trio behind Djokovic, Murray is the one that poses the biggest threat to Djokovic. A MurrayDjokovic semi could be an ideal opportunity for the former to beat the latter; considering that there is significantly less pressure in the semifinal as compared to the final – which Murray quite often fails to overcome. if there ever is a time to bet on a dark horse making it deep in a major it’s at the Aussie Open. Considering the frenchman’s form at the tail end of last year, and the start of this year – winning the Qatar Open – JoWilfred Tsonga could in fact break his Grand Slam duck in Melbourne this year.

Djokovic might be the overwhelming favourite, but it’s hard to see him recovering in such a short span of time after overexerting himself throughout last year – the same goes for Nadal. federer could have a decent tilt; but he must be praying to the tennis gods that Nadal is ousted before the semis – because we all know that if there is no roof on top of the stadium (i.e not an indoor match), merely Nadal’s forehand crosscourt suffices in overpowering the Swiss. However, this column – outrageously – goes for the winner of a potential Murray-Tsonga quarterfinal to win the whole thing. Also watch out Milos Raonic and Bernard Tomic to leave their imprint on the tournament.

MILAN DERBY

One of the biggest fixtures on the European calendar takes center stage in Milan, as the two city rivals – AC and inter – battle it out for supremacy today. Both sides are on a rich vein of form; inter have won their last five matches to move to within eight points of the league leaders, while AC Milan are unbeaten in the last 12 games since October.

The fact that the two teams are on their A game, makes the timing of the fixture perfect for a tasty match-up.

AC Milan have been in title-winning form throughout the season, scoring 32 goals and conceding eight goals – laying the foundation of their success on a miserly defence and on clinical finishing.

Cladio Ranierri’s men are on a roll of their own with their five-game winning streak culminating in a five star thrashing of Parma. A win for inter would narrow the gap between the neigbours to five points; and that coupled with bragging rights and the forms of the two sides should result in a feisty clash.

Yepes, Cassano and flamini are longterm absentees, and have been joined by Aquillani and Gattuso on the treatment table recently; and hence Seedorf should replace the Liverpool man. The good news for inter is that Sneijder, forlan and Stankovic have all returned to full fitness, and should be ready to face AC Milan today. However, with Pazzini and Milito likely to form the striking duo upfront, forlan and Stankovic might start on the bench. ibrahimovic and Sneijder would be the key players in the game, and the one who makes more of an impact could guide his side towards victory.

DALLAS TAKE ON SACREMENTO

After a stuttering start, the Mavericks seem to have found their groove, and would be looking to continue their recent resurgence. Dallas would be going for their 15th straight home win over Sacramento today. After losing the first three games of the season, Dallas have now improved their record to (7-5) – with four wins on the bounce. Sacramento shouldn’t have enough to counter the Mavericks’ threat.

Dallas’ recent upsurge owes a lot to their recent defensive solidity; and with Kings scoring a Western conference low of 93.0 points per game and conceding 102.3 – Sacramento should have trouble on both ends of the court. With Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter et al, there should be only one winner in this one.

At the start of the season, last month, Dallas topped the forecast charts with the shortest odds of retaining their NBA title this season. However, the aforementioned indifferent start has meant that the doubting Thomas has been busy scrutinising Mavericks’ chances this year. Dallas need to capitalise on their home form, and need to overcome challenges of the likes of Sacramento and beat them resoundingly to shush the sceptics. it goes without saying that the big German will play a huge part as the NBA season unfolds, and competition heats up in the West.

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Sunday, 15 January, 2012

National pride Arfa Karim passes away

‘N’ attaches strings to cooperation with PPP g

opp party sets three tough conditions for supporting govt’s parliamentary resolution ISLAMABAD

T LAHoRE STAFF REPORT

Arfa Karim Randhawa, the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional from 2004 to 2008, passed away in the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Lahore, on Saturday night. She was in a state of comma for the last 26 days and was on ventilator.

Yesterday only, doctors had reported that Arfa had shown some signs of life while Microsoft founder Bill Gates had advised that she be moved to a hospital in Dubai.

According to her father, her funeral will be held at Cavalry Grounds at 10am on Sunday (today) and she will be buried in her native village. Earlier, Arfa had suffered from cardiac arrest and epileptic seizure on December 22, 2011, that had led to a ‘global brain injury’, which refers to damage to the entire brain due to lack of oxygen. Arfa, now 16, was living the life of a normal teenager and was doing her A-Levels at a local school in Lahore, where she was the head girl.

AwARDS: Arfa was bestowed with several awards, including fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in Science and Technology, Salaam Pakistan Youth Award, President’s Award for Pride of Performance, and one for learning how to fly a plane at 10.

Mossad agents posed as CiA to recruit Pakistani militants: fP WASHIngton AFP

Agents with israel’s Mossad agency posed as American CiA agents in operations to recruit members of the Pakistani militant group Jundallah, a report in foreign Policy magazine said on friday. Using American dollars and US passports, the agents passed themselves off as members of the Central intelligence Agency in the operations, notably in London, according to memos from 2007 and 2008, said the report. “it’s amazing what the israelis thought they could get away with,” a US intelligence officer told foreign Policy. “Their recruitment activities were nearly in the open. They apparently didn’t give a damn what we thought,” said the official. “The report sparked White House concerns that israel’s program was putting Americans at risk,” an officer told the magazine. “There’s no question that the US has cooperated with israel in intelligence-gathering operations against the iranians, but this was different.”

The Mossad activities could further jeopardize the already tense relationship of the United States with Pakistan.

MIAN ABRAR

HE Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) on Saturday attached strings to its cooperation to the government-sponsored resolution about parliament’s sovereignty and support to the democratic system by proposing three tough amendments: asking the ruling coalition to implement all parliamentary resolutions and court decisions, ensure corruption-free governance and take all administrative steps in accordance with the law.

National Assembly (NA) Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan submitted the draft of the amendments in the NA Secretariat on Saturday to apparently foil the government’s plan to pit the parliament against the judiciary and the army through its resolution. it, however, seems that the government’s plan to get its resolution passed unanimously would not materialise as the PML-N has proposed tough preconditions through its

amendments to the resolution. Under these amendments, the PML-N has asked the government to fully implement all Supreme Court decisions ‘in letter and spirit’ and take immediate steps to resolve the issues being faced by the people through ‘corruption-free services’.

The PML-N has proposed an amendment in Paragraph 3 of the government’s resolution and asked the government to substitute the words “and all state institutions must strictly function within the limits imposed on them by the Constitution” with “and in this regard calls upon the government to immediately implement, in letter and spirit, all previous Resolutions of Parliament and all decisions of the superior judiciary and to ensure that all administrative actions are strictly in accordance with the Constitution and the law, for smooth functioning of all state institutions”.

The PML-N also called for the entire Paragraph 4 to be replaced with a new one. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s resolution had said: “The House reiter-

ment to discharge its constitutional obligations and provide relief to the suffering masses by devoting all energies and efforts to improve governance, eliminate gas and electricity load shedding, control inflation, create employment opportunities and put the country back on the path of self-reliant economic growth.” fInAL DRAfT Of RESOLuTIOn AfTER PML-n’S AMEnDMEnTS: This House believes that the present democratic dispensation, which is about to complete four years, came into being as a result of great sacrifices rendered by the people of Pakistan. This House reiterates the belief of the democratic forces that the future of Pakistan and well being of its people lies in the continuation and strengthening of democratic institutions and constitutionalism for the resolution of national issues, strengthening of the federation and empowering the people of Pakistan This House believes that for the furtherance of democracy and

ates that sovereignty lies with the people of Pakistan and the parliament is the repository of the collective wisdom of the people.” The PML-N wants it replaced with: “This House reaffirms that as stated in the first paragraph of the preamble to the constitution, sovereignty over the entire Universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone, and the authority to be exercised by the people of Pakistan within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust.”

The PML-N also proposed substitution of Paragraph 5. The PPP resolution had said: “This House endorses and support the efforts made by the political leadership for strengthening democracy and reposes full confidence and trust in them,” which the PML-N wants to replace with: “finally, this house emphasises that the best guarantee for the strengthening of democracy is the successful resolution of the problems of the people of Pakistan by democratic institutions through dedicated, selfless and corruption-free services for the welfare of the common man and in this regard calls upon the Govern-

Continued on page 04

Judge releases Ismail Qureshi RAWALPInDI STAFF REPORT

KARACHI: Police personnel display the weapons seized from suspected Taliban militants on Saturday. online

NAB also opposed to new accountability law ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

it’s not only the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that is opposed to the proposed accountability law pending with the Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice for almost two years, but the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is also against the legislation.

“We have our reservations and we have conveyed our concerns to the parliamentary committee that the proposed law will dilute the role of NAB and it will be a step backwards,” NAB Chairman Admiral (r) fasih Bokhari told a group of reporters on Saturday.

Bokhari, who recently assumed the post of NAB chairman, however, ap-

peared to have brought a new vision to revamp the country’s top accountability watchdog with a particular focus on the preventive aspect of eliminating corruption, instead of what he called “nabbing the corrupt straightaway”.

His strategy, which he plans to introduce, is more focused on putting in place a mechanism of check and balance with the involvement of all state institutions to strengthen the role of the regulators to stop corruption at its source by providing protection to the top officials of the government for saying “no” to all political pressures. “We need to strengthen the regulators besides providing protection to the officers who sign papers under pressure to save their jobs,” Bokhari said, explaining how he would make NAB an effec-

tive institution to prevent corruption as he believed it could not be eliminated but could be curbed.

Though he claimed he was more concerned about the rampant corruption in the country than others, he appeared to be more of a realist who would not ruthlessly pursue the cases of corruption against the high and mighty despite having the power to take cognizance of any reported case of corruption. He said the Supreme Court had asked NAB to investigate irregularities in the state enterprises, which was hampered by the shortage of human resources and financial constraints. “We are in the process of recruiting 300 people to NAB and it will take at Continued on page 04

An accountability court on Saturday released former establishment secretary ismail Qureshi on preconditions, directing him to appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) whenever he was required to, as a private TV channel reported Qureshi as saying that he had simply been following the orders of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani all along.

Qureshi was brought to the accountability court with Administrative Judge Tariq Abbasi hearing the case. He was held by NAB for his alleged involvement in the illegal appointment of Adnan Khwaja as the managing director (MD) of the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL). However, it was inadvertently included in a report in Pakistan Today on friday that Qureshi was arrested for his alleged involvement in financial embezzlement at the National School of Public Policy. During the course of hearing on Saturday, the judge asked the investigating officer why Qureshi had been arrested and whether he had been summoned by NAB for enquiry before his arrest, upon which the officer told the court that Qureshi was required for investigation into the record of the case regarding the illegal appointment of Khwaja, because of which he was arrested. He also admitted that NAB did not summon Qureshi before his arrest.

The judge remarked that there was a huge difference between an investigation and an enquiry, and expressed surprise that he had been arrested when he was willing to cooperate with the enquiry. Qureshi assured the court that he would fully cooperate with the authorities during the enquiry and also submitted a surety bond for his release and assured the court that he would appear before NAB whenever he was told to do so. After hearing the arguments, the court released Qureshi with orders to appear before NAB whenever he was required to. Qureshi told reporters after his release that he issued all orders on instructions of the prime minister, but the responsibility had been placed on him.

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