E-paper PakistanToday ISB 16th December, 2011 by Pakistan Today

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US involved in Muammar Gaddafi’s killing, says Putin

Railways and PIA taking last breaths

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rs15.00 Vol ii no 169

22 pages lahore edition

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PM says memo case is conspiracy against president, NA, Senate Says NATO, US will have to respect Pakistan’s ‘red lines’ ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Thursday that the memo case was a conspiracy against parliament because parliament consisted of the president, Senate and the National Assembly. “Targeting the president means targeting parliament. I have spoken to the president today and he said he was feeling well and would fully recover soon,” the prime minister told parliamentarians from the coalition partners here at Parliament House prior to the National Assembly session. He recalled that Pak-

istan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, while addressing a public meeting in Faisalabad, had announced that he would approach the Supreme Court if the government did not take decision on the memo issue within 10 days. “The government took the decisions within four days and referred the matter to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security but he (Sharif) still went to the Supreme Court,” the prime minister said. Gilani said all the policy decisions would be taken by parliament because it was accountable to the people and therefore the authority to formulate na-

tional policies rested with it. ‘RED LINES’: Later, giving a police statement in the National Assembly, Gilani said the US and NATO forces would have to respect Pakistan’s “red lines”, which were sovereign equality, no unilateral actions inside Pakistan or against it and no transgression of its territorial frontiers. He said there would be no compromise on the country’s sovereignty, its legitimate interests, and that its territorial frontiers would be defended at all costs.

president, pm not linked to memo | page 04

US to blame if Pakistan fails in war on terror: Khar g g

FM says Pakistan has two agreements with US Rabbani says all agreements made by previous govts ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Thursday the suspension of $700 million aid by the United States would hamper Pakistan’s ability to fight the ongoing war against terrorism and the US would be responsible for Pakistan’s failure in the war. A source told Pakistan Today that the minister made these remarks during her briefing to the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting here at Parliament House. “The US Congress has passed a bill to block $700 million in assistance for the Coalition Support Fund to Pakistan. This would affect our ability to fight the ongoing war against terrorism. If we fail in this war, the US will be responsible for this failure because Islamabad cannot win this war alone. We will use the diplomatic channels of our friendly nations to take up this issue with the US authorities to get this decision reversed,” the source quoted the minister as telling the committee members. The NSC meeting took up a

two-point agenda – recommendations of the Envoys’ Conference to reevaluate and reassess the country’s relations with US, NATO and ISAF forces in the backdrop of the NATO attacks, and the memogate scandal in detail. The source said that apart from Khar, the defence secretary also briefed the committee on both subjects, stating that there were verbal agreements between the US and Pakistan on drone attacks, provision of air corridor and logistic support to the US and NATO forces engaged in the war in Afghanistan, but no written agreement was available either with the Defence Ministry or Foreign Ministry. Later, Khar told reporters that following the attack on Pakistani checkposts, relations with the US were put on hold for the time being, and a way forward for the government in this regard would be recommended by the joint sitting of parliament. “We have submitted the input of the Envoys’ Conference to the NSC which were broad in nature and were drafted in light of our national interests

PROFIT | PAGE 01

pakistantoday.com.pk

Friday, 16 december, 2011 muharram-ul-haram 20, 1433

Targeting Zardari means targeting parliament, says Gilani g

PM questions slow progress on utilisation of $2.9b ADB funds

and objectives. The NSC will use this input as a working paper and it will make its recommendations, which would be presented to the joint sitting of parliament. After a nod from parliament, the government will be able to take this partnership ahead,” she added. Asked to comment on the blockade of $700 million in US aid to Pakistan, the minister said Islamabad was less concerned about what the US Congress said and more concerned about what the Pakistani parliament wanted. Asked how many agreements were signed by Islamabad with Washington, the minister said there were two agreements with the US. Continued on page 04

No doubts about the memo: Kayani, Pasha COAS says memo a conspiracy against army and national security g ISI DG says he was satisfied with evidence provided by Mansoor Ijaz g

ISLAMABAD

MAsooD ReHMAN

IGHTENING the noose around the mastermind of the treacherous memo, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha on Thursday unanimously told the Supreme Court that the memo was a conspiracy against the army and national security and the evidence corroborated this. General Kayani submitted his reply to the Supreme Court in the memo case, stating that it (the memo) was “a reality” and a conspiracy had been hatched against the army and national security. The COAS said the Financial Times published Mansoor Ijaz’s article about the memo on October 10. He said he was informed about ISI chief Lt Gen Pasha’s meeting with Mansoor Ijaz on October 24 and Pasha was of the opinion that there was enough evidence to validate the authenticity of the memo. He said the ISI chief told him that there was evidence that illustrated that Ijaz was in touch with Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani between May 9 to 11 and they exchanged text messages and phone calls. He said the spokespersons for the Foreign Ministry and the Presidency denied the memo in separate statements on October 28. He said Admiral Mike Mullen, through his spokesperson, first denied receiving the memo on November 8 but a few days later he changed his stance. Kayani stated in his reply that during a meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on November 13, he had advised that those points of the memo which were leaked were very sensitive and that a decision had to be made. According to Kayani’s reply, he insisted the prime minister summon Haqqani so he could brief the country’s leadership on the matter. “I told the prime minister that time was limited and the sooner we found out the facts the better it would be,” Kayani said in his reply. He said on November 15, he was called by the president for a meeting. He said the prime minister had already informed the president about his (Kayani’s) recommendations on the memo issue. He said President Asif Ali Zardari informed him that the decision to summon Haqqani had already been made. He said US General James Jones confirmed on November 21 that he had taken the memo to Mullen. He said he was part of a meet-

ing that also included the prime minister, the president and the ISI chief on November 22. “It was during this meeting that Haqqani briefed all of us and Prime Minister Gilani asked for his (Haqqani’s) resignation and ordered an investigation,” Kayani said in his reply. At the end of the reply, Kayani wrote that there was enough evidence validating the memo and there should be a full review to evaluate the circumstances and the facts behind it. He said the memo tried to decrease the morale of Pakistan Army but was unsuccessful in doing so. LT GEN PASHA: In his four-page reply on the memo controversy, ISI chief Lt Gen Pasha stated that he was satisfied with the evidence provided by Mansoor Ijaz. He said Ijaz could not have written the article in the Financial Times without having evidence about the memo. He said the article was part of a neverending propaganda against the ISI. He requested the court to summon Ijaz and direct him to produce proof of the matter. He said without proof, no one could make such huge allegations in their article. He requested the court to summon the Blackberry data and Husain Haqqani’s computer and order its forensic examination. He said he would fully cooperate with the commission to be constituted by the court on the memo issue. Pasha said he had met with Ijaz on October 22 in London to learn the facts and he came to know about Ijaz’s article through the media wing of the ISI. He said the ISI was on the forefront in the security of the state. Continued on page 04

military mum on Coup Charges | page 04 ijaz submits notes impliCating haqqani | page 24

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02 News

Friday, 16 December, 2011

iSLAMABAD

newS

FoReign newS Chirac convicted of graft, but escapes jail

Angry students set BIse Rawalpindi office on fire Zawahiri, a dead man walking

Today’s

Quick Look

Story on Page 05

Malala Yousafzai awarded int’l peace prize

Railways, PIA taking last breaths LAHORE

LAHORE App

A promising Khyber Pakhtunkhwa student, who boldly stood up for girls’ education in face of threats from the Taliban, has been awarded a runner up prize by Dutch organisation ‘KidsRights.’ Malala Yousafzai, a 13-year-old student of Swat Valley, has earned herself the ‘International Children’s Peace Prize’ instituted by the Dutch organisation. The award, according to a media release, is presented annually to an exceptional child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable acts and thoughts have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world. Malala was one of only five children chosen from a pool of 98 originally put forward by organisations and individuals from 42 different countries.

Story on Page 10

IMRAN ADNAN

OTH Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Pakistan Railways (PR) are on the verge of collapse, with the national flag carrier having to cancel over a dozen flights because of shortage of aircraft and Railways having to halt all trains from the Lahore region because of unavailability of diesel, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. Sources said the PIA was facing serious aircraft shortage because of lack of spare parts, but nobody in the airline was willing to address the issue. A Boeing 747-300 had been grounded since August after its engines were sent for overhaul, but even after making payments the airline did not get back the overhauled engines, they said. In a recent meeting, said the sources, PIA Director Captain Muhammad Junaid Younus was told that the airline would bring back all its flight on schedule from the second week of January after overhauling the grounded aircrafts. But instead of formulating a concrete plan to avert the situation, it was decided in the meeting that the airline would not cancel any Europe-bound flights in order to avoid heavy penalties. The meeting resolved that the airline would reroute or reschedule only domestic or Asia- and Middle East-bound flights and would try to bring back grounded aircraft after completing necessary overhauling by January, they said. PIA sources revealed that out of a total of 39 aircrafts, nearly 16 - four Boeing 747s, two Boeing 777s and Boeing 737s each, six Airbus A310s and four ATRs - had been grounded for technical reasons. The mis-

management on the part of the airline had resulted in cancellations of some 12 domestic and international flights, including PK 257/8 (Karachi-Bahrain-Doha-Karachi), PK 241 (Karachi-Dammam-Islamabad), PK 896 (Karachi-Kuala Lumpur), PK 233/4 (Karachi-Muscat-Karachi), PK 221 (Faisalabad-Multan-Dubai), PK 222 (Dubai-Multan-Faisalabad), PK 304 (Karachi-Lahore), PK 307 (Lahore-Karachi) and PK 342 (Karachi-Faisalabad) on Thursday alone. Similarly, a number of flights, including PK 732 (Jeddah-Karachi), PK 220 (Abu Dhabi-Islamabad), PK 288 (Doha-Peshawar), PK 723 (Lahore-Manchester-New York), PK 385 (Islamabad-Lahore), PK 356 (Lahore-Islamabad), PK 726 (Riyadh-Lahore) and PK 451/2 (Islamabad-Skardu-Islamabad), were delayed by one to 10 hours. On the other hand, PR is also taking its last breaths because of unavailability of fuel. Sources told Pakistan Today that the Railways had to stop all trains from Lahore Railway Station because diesel was not available, which caused great hassle to passengers. They indicated that a number of trains coming from Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta would also halt operations at the railway station, because PR did not have any diesel stocks available in Lahore. A Railways official who wished to remain unnamed told Pakistan Today that it would be impossible for PR to restore operations until the availability of fuel. PR was trying to transport some 45,000 litres of diesel from Multan, which was being expected to reach Lahore on Thursday evening. However, he said the Railways might need a few days to restore its operations completely as most tracks had been blocked by halted trains, causing long delays.

Italian Embassy official’s appointment raises alarm KARACHI stAff RepoRt

Quarters concerned have expressed serious reservation over the newly-appointed head of the visa section at the Italian Embassy in Pakistan, as the diplomat had been accused of visa irregularities during his previous posting as attaché at the Italian Consulate Karachi, while on this account there is a strong possibility that his new assignment would facilitate the human smuggling network deeply rooted in country. According to details, the Italian Foreign Office in Rome has appointed Fabrizio Vignanelli as head of the consular section, replacing Rita Capaldi, the former head of the section. But the said diplomat has been placed as head of the visa section by the Italian Embassy in

Islamabad, which seems to be a clear violation of Pakistani visa rules, as the diplomat has applied his visa in a different category and even his clearance from authorities has been taken on the same account. Sources revealed that the above said diplomat had already served at the Italian Consulate in Karachi, where he along with other officials of the consulate, had faced thorough investigations by Italian authorities for their alleged involvement in a mega visa scam. He had also been warned by Pakistani authorities not to install sensitive communication devices within his residence illegally, during his previous posting in Karachi. Talking to journalists, former ambassador Shahid Ameen said that reappointment of the said Italian diplomat is a matter of great concern and such a per-

son could not be sent back to the same country where he already been accused and faced serious charges and in principle, he cannot be posted especially with the similar task for which he already faced an inquiry. It is also very surprising that the Italian Embassy has actually replaced Vignanelli in the visa section and did not even inform higher authorities in Rome about the ongoing criticism and reservations expressed by different circles in Pakistan over reappointment of the said diplomat and the subsequent assignment in the visa section. Quarters concerned expressed serious reservations as to why a diplomat, who already faced enquiry in a visa scam and other serious issues, has been reappointed in Pakistan and posted as head of the visa section.

Story on Page 15

FAISALABAD: Pakistan Textile Exporters Association workers block a main road during a demonstration against gas load shedding. Online

Faisalabad’s labourers block roads FAISALABAD fARAKH sHAHZAD

With over 600 industrial units in the Faisalabad district closed down on Thursday after the implementation of the new 4-day gas shedding schedule, industrialists, textile exporters and industrial workers joined together in protests and blocked roads for several hours. When industrialists attempted to run industries by force, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) stopped supply to both domestic and commercial consumers in the city. The protest began at the joint call of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, All Pakistan Bed Sheet and Upholstery Manufacturers Association, Khurrianwala Industrial Estate, Millat Industrial Estate and All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association. Demonstrations were taken out at

all entry points in Faisalabad, where protestors chanted slogans against the Federal Government for sinking billion dollar investments in the economy. The protestors demanded the government stop the gas discrimination immediately. The main protest began from Millat Industrial Estate and blocked the Millat Road for several hours. Speaking to media, Pakistan Hosiery manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone former Chairman and Chief Coordinator Ch. Salamat Ali said the government had created intentional hurdles for the Textile Industry. He asked the government to restore gas supply immediately. He asked, “How does the government expect the textile industry to compete with in the export market if it curtailing its gas supply?” Meanwhile, a protest was held at Khurrianwala under the ‘Save Industry Action Committee,’ which was attended by thousands of workers, staff and textile mill owners.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

ARTS & enTeRTAinMenT

SPoRTS

Nude photo shoot was not planned: Veena

Ashraful may miss second pakistan test

News 03

CoMMenT one-man demolition squad: Mansoor Ijaz and his verbal bullets.

Delaying the inevitable? Not being privatised yet.

Agha Akbar says: On the madrassah: Pakistan has its own educational apartheid.

Qudssia Akhlaque says: Not without an apology: No small matter, the Nato attack.

Mansoor Alam says: To our super-patriots: Cool it, please.

Story on Page 16

Story on Page 18

Articles on Page 12-13

Seeking divine intervention? only prayers can save us from floods, Shahabuddin tells nA Minister says nDMA without plan to avoid floods nA told govt charges Rs 24.44 tax per litre of petrol

ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

inister for Textiles Makhdoom Shahabuddin on Thursday embarrassed the treasury benches during the national assembly (NA) session by stating that people should pray to God before every monsoon season to save it from flooding as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has no plan to avoid floods. During the NA Question Hour, Shahabuddin said the government will begin the rehabilitation process in flood hit areas after January 2012 after the United Nations (UN) and NDMA will complete their damage reassessment. NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza observed that even though winter had started, flood victims were still wait-

5 killed in firing at district court

Munter, Raphael call on Imran ISLAMABAD

BHIMBER

stAff RepoRt

oNlINe

US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter and former ambassador Robin Raphael called on Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday. According to a press release issued by the PTI Secretariat, Imran reiterated that the problem of terrorism being faced by Pakistan was because of its partnership in the US-led War on Terror. The PTI chairman said that his party believed in having

At least 5 individuals were killed and 7 injured in a firing incident at district court premises on Thursday. Police brought handcuffed accused to the district court for a case. When they reached the court, unidentified armed individuals opened indiscriminate firing which left five individuals dead and injured seven who were shifted to hospital immediately. The attackers escaped from the scene. The killed included 2 prisoners and 3 passersby. The victims were residents of Tehsil Harnala. Police attributed the incident to an old enmity. However, police started a search operation.

Differences on gST on services to be sorted out today ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

The federal and provincial governments will again attempt to resolve the issue of agriculture income tax and settlement of disputes on GST on services during the National Finance Commission (NFC) meeting today (Friday). An official source said that the NFC meeting will be held after one and a half year delay and the Centre and provinces will attempt to sort out their differences on the uniform implementation of GST on services. Three provinces have already granted powers to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to collect GST on services on their behalf while Sindh is still adamant to take a solo flight. The federal government was expected to force Sindh to hand over collection of GST to FBR. But sources said that the provincial government was likely to resist the move. The Centre and Sindh government were at odds over collection of revenue from port-related services on which other provinces had expressed concerns.

ing for camps and blankets in Sindh. She directed the minister to summon a meeting of the of the provincial disaster management authority immediately to resolve the matter. REmITTANcES ImPRovING: Responding to a question, Minister of State for Production Khawaja Sheraz responding on the behalf of Minister for Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, told the NA that the total amount of foreign exchange sent to Pakistan during the years 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 (JulyOctober) by Pakistanis settled abroad was US $ 38.68 billion. Sheraz said the government shared the expense incurred in sending money to Pakistan. He said the government had succeeded in stopping remittances from coming through the ‘hundi system,’ which improved conditions. Responding to a supplementary question on agricultural sector proj-

good relations with all countries, including the US, but the partnership could not be fostered at cost of Pakistan’s national interest. “If the US wants friendship with the people of Pakistan it should stop violating its sovereignty through drone attacks and other incursions inside its territory,” Imran said. Imran Khan also strongly condemned the unprovoked attack on army outposts, in which 24 soldiers were killed. The PTI also dispelled media reports of Imran’s meeting with senior American officials at Dubai, UAE.

BBC apologises for showing anti-Pakistan content KARACHI AAMIR MAjeeD

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has tendered an apology to Pakistan for airing anti-Pakistan content and pledged that it would repair the damage by playing a documentary highlighting the sacrifices of Pakistan Army in combating terrorism, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. The BBC approached the All Pakistan Cable Operators Association (APCOA) and tendered an apology for televising an anti-Pakistan documentary. The BBC management pledged to the cable operators that a documentary would soon be prepared to

highlight the sacrifices by Pakistan, particularly its armed forces, in combating terrorism. Well-placed sources said that a delegation of BBC officials led by the India bureau chief met with cable operators and requested them to restore the channel’s transmission. The cable operators conditionally agreed to restore the transmission if the BBC tendered an apology to the Pakistani nation and promised not to air any anti-Pakistan content in the future. The delegation accepted the demands of cable operators and assured that such anti-Pakistan content would not be broadcasted.

ects, Sheraz said the 18th amendment had devolved the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to provinces and the projected had been shifted to them. ‘RS 24.44 IN TAx PER LITRE of PETRoL:’ To a question, ‘how much tax is collected per litre of petrol?,’ the Minister submitted a written statement detailing that Rs 24.44 per litre in tax was collected from the consumer price of Rs 87.95 per litre. He said this includes a petroleum levy of Rs12.31 per litre and sales tax of Rs12.13 per litre. Asked ‘how much funds had international donors/financers provided Pakistan for power sector projects since March 2008?,’ the Minister in a written reply submitted the amount obtained (disbursed) against the agreements from 1 March 2008 to 31 October, 2011 was $ 734.84 million. He said $ 98.46 million was received from international donors against 15 agreements during the first quarter of

the financial year 2011-12. He predicted an economic recovery citing progress in economy sectors during first quarter of the current fiscal year.

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04 News

Friday, 16 December, 2011

1965 war hero Air Marshal Nur Khan passes away ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

IR Marshal (retd) Malik Nur Khan, the hero of the 1965 PakIndia war, who later served as the Governor of West Pakistan died on Thursday at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi after protracted illness. Nur Khan was also part of the Pakistani contingent that clashed with the Israeli Air Force during the Six Day War (Arab Israel war 1967). Air Marshal (retd) Malik

Nur Khan (born 22 February 1923) was the Commander-inChief of Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. He led the Pakistan air force in achieving parity over the three times bigger Indian air force on the first day of the 1965 war. Nur Khan belonged to a small Village of Dandi, Tamman, Talagang. He later served as the Governor of West Pakistan and President of Pakistan Hockey Federation and Pakistan Cricket Board. Nur Khan was commissioned in the British Indian Air Force on 6 January 1941. Earlier he had

attended the Royal Indian Military College at Dehra Dun after completing his education at Aitchison College, Lahore. Nur Khan was also a member of the National Assembly from 1985 till 1988. He contested in 1988 election on a PPP ticket from NA 44 Chakwal II but wasn’t successful. After defeat in the 1988 elections he decided to

retire from politics and his cousin Malik Mumtaz Khan Tamman and Malik Allah Dad Awan began contesting elections from the same constituency. Notable amongst his assignments before partition was that of a flight commander in No 4 Squadron. In the RPAF, he commanded the PAF Academy and, as an air

commodore, of No. 1 Group at Peshawar. He also had a stint at the Air Headquarters as the Assistant Chief of Staff Air. Nur Khan was also part of the Pakistani contingent that clashed with the Israeli Air Force during the Six Day War. Israel President Ezer Weizman, who was also Commander of the Israeli Air Force and the Minister of Defense of Israel, wrote in his autobiography that: “He was a formidable fellow and I was glad that he was Pakistani and not Egyptian”. Nur Khan was the Air Marshal of Pakistan Air

Force, Governor of West Pakistan and the Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines. In 1960, PIA imported its first jetliner (a Boeing 707321 leased from Pan Am) under Nur Khan. Nur Khan was PIA’s Managing Director from 1959 to 1965. He succeeded in making PIA profitable basis within six years. Under his charismatic and inspirational leadership PIA became one of the leading and respected airlines of the world. Under his tenure PIA became the first Asian airline to operate jet aircrafts.

PTi’s nest grows I wasn’t treated by govt abroad: Hashmi ijaz submits ISLAmAbAD: Under the leadership of former federal minister Jahangir Tareen, leaders from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PMLQ), are set to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) on December 19. The Tareenled group made the decision on Thursday in a consultation meeting after which Tareen held a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan and conveyed to him the group’s decision. They will join the PTI in a press conference in Islamabad. “Around a dozen former and sitting parliamentarians mainly from the PML-Q, including Jamal Leghari, Awais Leghari, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Ishaq Khakwani, Jaffar Leghari, Nasarullah Dareshak, Sikandar Bosan and Jahangir Tareen from the PML-F are set to join the PTI,” sources said. Former senator and minister of state for interior Dr Shahzad Waseem on Thursday announced joining the PTI in a dinner hosted by him in honour of Imran, which was also attended by PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi besides a number of PTI leaders and workers. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Waseem expressed confidence in Imran’s leadership. He said that under the PTI chairman’s leadership, the party would pull the country out of the existing turmoil. stAff RepoRt

ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Makhdoom Javed Hashmi stunned the Lower House by making an emotional speech while rejecting information provided to the National Assembly (NA) last month that the federal government had

spent around £30,000 on his treatment in the UK in 2010 for speech restoration therapy. “The wrong information not only breached my privilege but authorities who provided the disinformation breached the privilege of the whole house. I neither took even a single penny from the government nor expressed my intention to get a favour from the government,” Hashmi

said, speaking on a point of order. PML-N MNA Raja Asad moved a privilege motion on Hashmi’s behalf, which was adopted by the House and sent to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges by Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza. Hashmi said that his 40-year political career had no spots and stigmas. “Prime Minister Gilani came to my house

to inquire about my health and asked about any financial help but I declined his offer saying the money should be spent on flood affectees,” he said, adding that he (Hashmi) was against using public money. “I will not spare the man who embezzled public money on my name. I need a thorough inquiry into the matter to bring the culprits to the book,” he demanded.

President, PM not linked to memo, SC told ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

The replies of the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior submitted in the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday stated that the president and prime minister had no link to the controversial memorandum and the SC had no jurisdiction to entertain petitions on the controversy under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution. A three and seven page reply submitted by the Foreign and Interior ministries secretaries, respectively, and stated that all political parties in the parliament were

members of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and it had the jurisdiction to hold an enquiry into the ‘memo’ issue. Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq said the response of the ministries were the official replies of the federation on the memo matter. He referenced an article published in British-newspaper The Independent, which reported that the ISI Director General Ahmad Shuja Pasha had traveled the Arab world and other countries after the May 2 raid and sought and received permission from senior Arab leaders to ‘sack President Asif Ali Zardari’.

He quoted a section from the report: “I was just informed by senior officials of US intelligence, Mansoor Ijaz writes in a message on May 10, adding that ISI Director General Ahmad Shuja Pasha asked for, and received permission, from senior Arab leaders a few days ago to sack Zardari.” The ministries challenged the SC’s jurisdiction to hear the memo case and said the federation was the custodian of national sovereignty. The replies stated the Pakistan People’s Party’s government had rendered numerous sacrifices to restore democracy in the country.

Continued From page 24 According to a handwritten note by Haqqani given to Mansoor Ijaz: “US-Brits will beat shut out to get info out”, “Army wants to bring government down”, “Msg to Kayani - 1971 moment: Let President order inquiry, Let debate occur, coalition of willing US helps on Afghanistan, Pakistan doesn’t know what it wants, Biden gave blank sheet to Pak agents on nukes/Kashmir which Kayani threw out”. “Msg to Kayani - Let AZ do: (a) inquiry into what happened (b) Find out who is there… Let America do special ops (c) Won’t take nukes, need some discipline (d) We will help directorate S of ISI”.

Army mum on allegations against Pasha ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

As Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz continues to spill the beans, this time accusing Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha of travelling to meet some Arab leaders for their approval to oust President Asif Ali Zardari in the wake of the US raid in Abbottabad on May 2 that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the Pakistan Army’s silence over the revelation about the country’s top sleuth’s alleged attempt to remove a democratically-elected president has raised many eyebrows and questions on the ISI’s role in politics.

A questioner at the Foreign Office’s weekly briefing on Thursday asked Spokesman Abdul Basit that there were media reports that Mansoor Ijaz had claimed that the ISI chief talked to Arab leaders to gather support for a military coup in Pakistan in the days after the Abbottabad raid, the spokesman said: “Ridiculous.” In his 81-page response to the Supreme Court on Thursday, Ijaz gave details of his meeting with the ISI chief in London’s Park Lane Hotel on October 22, when he had handed over all evidence related to the alleged memo. This, however, was confirmed by the ISI chief in his four-page response to the apex court.

ANP’s Bushra Gohar demands ISI chief’s resignation g

opposition Leader Chaudhry nisar first defends the iSi chief, then takes a U-turn and endorses Bushra’s demand in national Assembly ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Amid exchange of allegations between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) over President Asif Ali Zardari’s health and the memo scandal in the National Assembly on Thursday, Awami National Party (ANP) legislator Bushra Gohar took the lead and demanded the resignation of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Ahmed Shuja Pasha for having been accused by Mansoor Ijaz for seeking Arab rulers’ support to remove Zardari. Gohar’s demand was supported by Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan which was a complete U-turn from his earlier stance in which he had defended Pasha, saying that Ijaz’s allegations against the ISI chief were part of a conspiracy to malign the national spy agency. “When a foreigner (Mansoor Ijaz) levelled allegations against Hussain Haqqani, he

(the ambassador) was asked to resign to make investigations transparent … now Ijaz has accused the ISI DG of seeking support of Arab countries for Zardari’s ouster but he (Pasha) is investigating the ‘memo’ issue … General Pasha should also resign to make the memo investigations impartial,” she said while criticising Nisar’s speech in which he had defended the ISI DG in the memo case and had termed Ijaz’s allegation against Pasha a lie. However, ANP Information Secretary Senator Zahid Khan distanced himself from Gohar’s demand, saying it was her personal opinion and not the party’s policy. Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Chaudhry Nisar criticised the government for its delay in rebutting news report in which Ijaz claimed that the ISI DG had sought support of Arab countries after the Abbotabad incident to remove Zardari. “I know he (Pasha) is not a fool that he would seek approval from Arab countries for

Zardari’s ouster … this is a conspiracy to malign the ISI in the world … the report is a lie and should be rebutted by the government but I do not know why the government is keeping mum over the issue,” he said. Later on when Gohar challenged the PML-N’s double standard on the memo case, Nisar backtracked from his stance, saying that he en-

dorsed Gohar’s demand. “Bushra Gohar represents the treasury benches, therefore the ANP should ask the PPP government to get resignation from the ISI DG … I was the man who repeatedly talked about General Pasha’s resignation in front of him during the joint sitting of the parliament,” Nisar said. Severely criticising the government over the Shamsi

Airbase issue, Nisar said giving the base to foreigners without any written agreement was tantamount to treason. “Who authorised former president Pervez Musharraf to hand over Shamsi Airbase to the United States for launching aerial attacks inside Pakistan ... the governments (previous and incumbent) have been denying the presence of NATO forces on the base for the last ten years which turned out to be a complete lie,” he said. On Zardari’s health, the opposition leader said that contradictory statements by top government officials had created confusion about the president’s health, indicating that the ruling party had no competence to run the affairs of the country. Expressing disappointment over the prime minister’s speech in the Senate on Wednesday, Nisar asked him to expose the conspiracy which was haunting him. “Had the PML-N intended to hatch a conspiracy against the government, it would have

succeeded three years ago in toppling the government,” he said without elaborating the nature and timing of the conspiracy which could be hatched three years ago against the government. Nisar further assailed the government for a reported expenditure of Rs 260 million on the renovation of the presidency’s kitchen. Responding to Nisar’s tirade, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said his party was not concealing anything from the nation. “Our government did not handed over Shamsi or any other airbase to NATO … we are releasing a daily health bulletin on the president’s health to the media,” he said. Kaira said that Ijaz’s charges against the ISI DG were as baseless as his allegations against Hussain Haqqani and others. On the reported renovation of the presidency’s kitchen, Kaira said the president himself had rejected the proposal and the government would soon issue a rebuttal against such news.

US to blame Continued From page 1 “One was about NATO supply routes and the other was military-to-military, which were an arrangement of the Defence Ministry and the defence secretary is briefing the NSC on that,” she added. RAbbANI: Later, briefing reporters on the in-camera proceedings of the committee, NSC Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani said the meeting lasted four hours. He said the committee would use the recommendations of the envoys’ moot as a working paper to build its own recommendations, which would later be produced in parliament for policy formulation. Asked whether any agreement had been signed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led coalition government, Rabbani, after slight hesitation, claimed that the coalition government had signed no agreements and all agreements were made by former regimes. When asked whether the committee was also briefed on verbal agreements with the US by Pakistan, Rabbani said the Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry had no record of verbal agreements. He said the defence secretary had briefed the committee on nine different agreements reached by different governments with the US, NATO and ISAF, and the committee deliberated upon all of them. “We have asked the defence secretary to submit the text of those agreements so the NSC may be able to propose amendments to those agreements. The secretary will provide those details in the next meeting,” he added. Rabbani said the committee had decided to bifurcate the memo issue and the postNATO attacks situation and in future separate meetings would be held for each issue and the next meeting for NATO review would be held on December 24. “On the memo issue, the committee decided to meet again on December 21. Today, some material was provided to the committee while the foreign secretary and defence secretary have been asked to submit more details in next meeting,” he added.

no doubts Continued From page 1 He stated that he had told the president in his meeting with him that the memo issue should be taken seriously. In response to the Supreme Court’s December 1 order in the memo case, except President Zardari, all the respondents submitted their replies on Thursday through Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq. Besides the army chief and ISI chief, the interior and foreign affaris secretaries also submitted their replies on Thursday through the attorney general. Haqqani and Ijaz had submitted their replies on Wednesday. The replies of the cabinet secretary, defence secretary and law secretary are yet to be filed. According to a Supreme Court handout, as already directed by the chief justice, copies of the replies filed in the Supreme had been forwarded to all the petitioners and respondents in the petitions, with the direction that if they desired to file replies on these replies, they may do so before the date of hearing, which was December 19.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

CDA helpless, ineffective to remove encroachments PAge 08 Delay in reviseD results

Angry students set BISE Rawalpindi office on fire Record, library gutted in arson g official spokesperson says revised results will be announced on December 24 g witnesses say policemen looked on as vandals continued rampage g

RAWALPINDI

KAsHIf ABBAsI

UNDREDS of angry students attacked the main building of Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) and set it on fire here on Wednesday. They students were said to be agitated over excessive delay in the announcement of their intermediate examination results. Reports reaching here said around 1,500 students from various colleges of the garrison city, armed with iron rods, sticks and bottles filled with fuel, ransacked the board’s main building and set it on fire. Resultantly official record, a library with around 3,000 books and furniture worth million of rupees were reduced to aches. The protesting students later said the Punjab government and Rawalpindi BISE were playing with their future by delaying their results. “We have been awaiting our results for the last three months...but so far there is no news from the board. That was why we had to take some extreme measures,” said Arshad Ali, an angry student. The protesting students also partially damaged others BISE buildings including Matriculation Branch and exam controller’s office, which were situated near the main building. However, no major property losses were reported there. It was also reported that some students took away some official files from controller’s office. They also damaged signboards present on two roads opposite the board’s building. Ironically, during all the rioting,

heavy contingents of police were present outside the board’s building but they didn’t take any action against the young vandals, hence giving a free hand to rioters. The policemen, however, later resorted to firing teargas shells and aerial firing to disperse the angry students. The protesters also blocked the Murree Road and Saidpur Road with burning tyres. They were chanting slogans against the Punjab government and the board administration. The protesters also damaged a number of passing-by vehicles by pelting stones. Due to students’ massive protest, all the fuel stations in the neighbourhoods were closed. That, however, caused problems for the general public. Three vehicles of the fire brigade department reached the scene to extinguish the blaze but the enraged students also broke windowpanes of one of the vehicles. The two-story building of the board was completely gutted and the fire brigade officials took hours to extinguish the fire completely. It may be recalled here that students had been protesting for the last several months for their ‘accurate’ results. In November, Rawalpindi BISE and others boards of the province announced ‘faulty’ results of Intermediate part-I exam, which were later on cancelled by the Punjab government, amid growing protests by the students. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif then directed all the board high-ups to announce the revised results within 45 days. Later on, other boards declared the new results but Rawalpindi BISE lagged behind despite passage of 40 days. That, according to students, was the cause of their violent protest of Thursday.

“We were busy in our work when hundreds of angry students entered the building… they asked us to vacate the building immediacy and then systematically set the building on fire,” said Shafqat Mahmood, a board official. He said when the students entered the building; the board’s acting chairman Dr Muhammad Ashraf and secretary Rana Atta were present in their offices. “But instead to holding talks with the students they ran away, which enraged the students further and their attacked turned to arson,” another official told this scribe, requesting anonymity. Yet another BISE official told Pak-

istan Today that on Thursday morning, a group of students had visited the BISE official and met the board’s secretary. He said they had come to get information about their results. But, he said, the secretary didn’t give them any deadline and it enraged the students. A spokesperson for the board, Arslan Cheema, claimed that all the ‘important’ record was salvaged before the fire erupted. He said the board would announce the results on 24 December. To a query, he said the board administration had been anticipating such vandalism and they had also informed the district administration on

Thursday morning. “The district administration deployed heavy contingents of police outside the building. But astonishingly enough, the policemen didn’t take any action against the protesters in time,” he observed. Speaking on the occasion, Raja Nasrulla, an office-bearer of the Punjab Teacher Union, alleged that some board officials, on the behest of the board chairman, were actually responsible for the arson. He said that in order to cover their failure in preparing the exam results, they had been provoking the students to do what they finally did on Thursday.

Six new police cases as PM opens national campaign today ISLAMABAD AsMA KUNDI

As Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is launching the December round of the Polio Eradication Campaign today, six new polio cases have been reported from across the country, raising alarm bells for the health authorities. The prime minister will administer polio drops to children here at a brief ceremony in this connection. He is also expected to speak on the occasion and share the progress made so far in this regard and challenges ahead. A federal health official said here on

Thursday that the PM would call upon all stakeholders including parents to play their role in ensuring the control on the spread of that crippling disease and its complete eradication. The official revealed that at least six new polio cases have been reported to the federal health authorities from across the country. He added that the new cases were reported one each from Bannu and Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and four cases from Killa Abdullah, Killa Saifullah, Harnai and Pishin in Balochistan province. He said the federal government was alarmed by the spread of polio across the

country and it had directed all the provincial government to accelerate efforts for its eradication. According to the official, the total number of polio cases reported in Pakistan in 2011 was 174 whereas the number of similar cases was 144 last year. He said, “It is very disturbing because as compared to Pakistan the number of polio cases in other countries is far low. In India only on polio case was reported during the current year, in Afghanistan the number was 59 and in Nigeria there have been 45 cases,” the official said. Dr Altaf Bosan, the national coordinator at the Prime Minister’s Polio Monitor-

ing Cell, while talking to Pakistan Today said, “The causes of increasing number of polio cases are different in different areas. In FATA, KP and Balochistan it is due to the security concerns the polio vaccine drive could not reach the remotest areas there. That’s why the relatively calm Punjab province has showed better performance in this regard.” He said the implementation of every campaign is being managed by district management bodies and polio campaign for FATA and other high risk areas will be held from 19 to 21 of this month. During the last meeting to review the progress of the National Emergency

Action Plan held at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Altaf Bosan said, it was learnt that there was a 61 percent increase in the number of polio cases across the country and Balochistan and Sindh were among the worst hit provinces. He said the main reason for sub-optimal performance in parts of Sindh and Balochistan was that the union council-level polio eradication committees were non-functional. He said the said meeting was also informed that a stern action was being taken in Punjab against the low performing executive district officers (EDOs) of the Health Department there.

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06 Islamabad Citizens’ complaints top priority of CDA ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Farkhand Iqbal directed the officials of the authority to resolve the complaints of citizens without any hindrance or delays. The chairman conducted surprise visits to different CDA offices, including One Window Operation, on Thursday. He said: “Employees build the image of institutions so it is necessary to work hard and utilise your professional abilities and skills. “CDA is a municipal body and a large number of people visit it in connection with their problems on a daily basis. It is the responsibility of the officials to address their complaints within their code of ethics and professional capabilities.” The chairman directed the employees to ensure punctuality. He said: “The One Window Operation is a public dealing office where officials who have experience and professional skills could be posted.” He directed various CDA formations to computerise all the authority’s records to ensure transparency.

Friday, 16 December, 2011

lOw gas pressure

Senate committee formed as life becomes miserable for domestic consumers ISLAMABAD

App

OLLOWING growing number of complaints of low natural gas pressure especially for the domestic consumers, a special meeting has been convened here on Saturday. The meeting to be chaired by Leader of the House in Senate Nayyer Hussain Bukhari is taking place after frequent questions pertaining to the issue in the Senate during the ongoing session, a source said. During the session several members of the upper house stressed the need for making an effective strategy to overcome natural gas related issues for the domestic sector.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has taken notice of the low gas pressure in certain localities of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, increasing gas supply to these areas, an official source said. As part of such relief-oriented measures, the supply of gas had been increased from 192 mmcfd to 244 mmcfd for the domestic consumers to overcome low gas pressure problem in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the source added. The source dispelled the impression that some sectors were being neglected in gas distribution, saying the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural was not favouring any sector in provision of natural gas. The official said government was

under no pressure to favour fertilizer sector, adding the supply of natural gas was being continued to avoid shortage of fertilizer in the market at this crucial time when farmers were in dire need. However, he appealed to the general public to adopt conservative approach regarding consumption of natural gas. Meanwhile, these days certain areas are facing problem of low gas pressure, forcing the residents to use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to cook meals while some are compelled to use firewood as fuel for cooking. “A delegation from our town met the SNGPL authorities to resolve the low gas pressure issue but our efforts yielded no results as we are still facing the same problem”, Usman Khan, a resident of

Ghauri Town said. Similarly, residents of other areas near Khanapul have also shared the same observations, saying they had to wake up in wee hours to cook breakfast. “We have to rise around 5 am to prepare breakfast and it has been an every day practice as the natural gas pressure goes down later”, Mir Janan, a taxi driver complained. Similarly, the I-10/2 sector is also going through the same ordeal of low gas pressure. “No gas appliances in our houses run such gas heaters, geysers etc, we use firewood to cook meals and even the tandoors. owners have hiked up rates, given such pathetic situation”, said Zahida Bibi a housewife.

Traffic congestion on Liaqat Road a headache for commuters RAWALPINDI stAff RepoRt

Motorists have to face problems because of the congestion on Liaqat Road, caused by encroachment and illegal parking along both sides of the road. The traffic wardens deployed seem unable to keep the traffic flow smooth. The Liaqat Road is one of the most important arteries of the city as it leads to the District Head Quarter Hospital (DHQ). During peak hours, commuters and ambulances heading towards the DHQ Hospital get stuck in traffic jams, causing unwanted delays. Shaukat Ali, a resident, said traveling on Liaqat Road required patience. “The commuters have to wait for a long time to reach their destination,” he said. People have expressed anger over the deteriorating traffic management and the indifference of the authorities and demanded that stern action be taken against the encroachers to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

AioU asks students to check results placed online for accuracy ISLAMABAD

RIsING DeMAND: Demand of dry wood has increased manifold due to natural gas load shedding. STAFF PHOTO

stAff RepoRt

Drama festival in full swing ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Superstitious beliefs have penetrated our society to an extent that a large number of people consult astrologers, numerologists, and tarots before making important decisions. Attempting to discourage this trend, Rawalpindi based theatre group ‘Stage Artists’ Welfare Society’ presented a production ‘Shadi

Ho Tou Aisi’ at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) Auditorium, which highlighted superstition as foes of progress and prosperity. The play was the third out of the 22 stage plays being exhibited during the ‘National Drama Festival-2011’ organised by PNCA to promote theatre and revive its traditions. The festival started on 12th December and will end on 29 December. Written and directed by Syed Saleem Afandi,

the bilingual (Urdu/Punjabi) play not only criticised the superstitions beliefs but also portrayed it as an indication of a weaker Islamic conjuncture among the majority of people. The play revolved around the preparations of two weddings in a superstitious household that takes every precaution according to the directions of an astrologer. The story begins when the astrologer tells the owner of the house (Jahangir) to marry his son (Salim), with a girl who has three letters in her name, threatening him with dire financial consequences if he fails to do so. Salim retaliates by saying that superstitions are against Islamic teachings and he will marry the girl of his choice, Lubna. Jahangir’s daughter, Sapna comes from UK as does his nephew, Babar. It is later decided that Salim will tie the knot with Lubna, while Babar will be married to Sapna. The two characters that entertained the audience the most were Boota, a servant in the house and Babar who as a resident of Gujjar Khan, is seen as a simpleton with a typical Gujjar Khan accent. However, things go awry on the day of the wedding and Jahangir blames the misfortune on not following the astrologer’s directions. Finally Salim comes up hard on stands upto his father and tells him to place his faith on Allah rather than on the astrologer. In the end both weddings take place without incident. The humorous discourse between the cast members added a light-hearted feel to the play.

The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has placed the assignments’ results of its ATTC and PTC programmes for the Spring Semester 2011 on its website www.aiou.edu.pk . “The purpose of publishing the results online is to identify any discrepancy in them, before the announcement of the final examinations’ results,” said AIOU Controller of Exams Munawar Hussain Sulhri. He advised all the students of these programmes to check their results and to report any discrepancy within one week to him.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Islamabad 07

Profiteers, black marketers to get summary trial Defaulter may face six month imprisonment, Rs 50,000 fine

ISLAMABAD

GettING ReADy foR CHRIstMAs: foreigners are busy shopping for the annual festival at a market in Islamabad on thursday. AFP

International Migrants Day on December 18 ISLAMABAD App

December 18 marks the International Migrants Day, across the world and in Pakistan, to recognise the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants worldwide. On this date in 1992 the United

Nations adopted the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. In 2000 the UN General Assembly designated 18 December of each year as International Migrants Day. This day is an opportunity to recognise the contributions made

by millions of immigrants to the development and well-being of so many countries in the world, to promote respect for the rights of immigrant workers and their families, and to highlight the issues that are of key interest to migrants and their communities. It also aims to curb all kinds of

violence and abuse faced by the migrants and their family members and advocate respect for their primary human rights; to request governments around the world to refine the UN Convention on Migrant Workers and to make the governments responsible for the fundamental rights of migrants.

stAff RepoRt

HE Senate passed a bill ‘The Islamabad Consumers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011’, on Thursday.The legislation provides for summary trials in the city’s limits, by which, special magistrates can try cases of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing, adulteration, sale of expired food items, items unfit for human consumption and over-charging prices for consumer goods. According to the newly included Section (8-A) of the Islamabad Consumers Protection Act, 1995, the magistrates are allowed to try suspects on the spot, and if found guilty, to sentence them with a six-month imprisonment term and a fine of up to Rs 50,000, or both. The bill also allows any person aggrieved by the order of the special magistrate to submit an appeal to the authority within fifteen days. The bill stated: “Without prejudice to the foregoing provisions and in addition to the powers exercised by the Authority where any right of a consumer is infringed or contravened by way of profiteering, hoarding, black-marketing, adulteration of food items, selling of expired items of food and other items unfit for human consumption or charging for goods or services in excess of the prices fixed by the competent authority under any law for the time being in force, it shall be tried by a special magistrate appointed under Section 14-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 in a summary manner as provided in sections 262 to 265 of the said Code. “If a special magistrate has reason to believe that any infringement or contravention of any right of consumer has been committed by any person, he may enter the place or premises where the infringement or contravention has been committed and try the same on the spot and punish the defaulter with imprisonment which may extend to six months or fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees or with both.”

‘symphOnies in lanDscapes’

Nazir showcases nature at gallery 6 ISLAMABAD MAHtAB BAsHIR

The use of soft tones and painting of scenic landscapes is a welcome break from the depression and gloom that is prevalent in our terror-ridden society. That is why, perhaps, the artists use their brush strokes to paint landscape to give art lovers a solace to get rid of looming terror threats and socio-economic hardships though for a time being. One such artist is Nazir Ahmed. Nazir’s painting exhibition “Symphonies in Landscapes” opens today (Friday 16 December) at gallery 6. Nazir graduated from NCA in 1976 and was highly inspired by Khalid Iqbal, the renowned art teacher and painter. From the third year in art school, he focused all his attention on landscape painting and received early recognition through several awards. Nazir has continued his journey in landscape painting since then. He is

among those few painters who opts to paint outdoors rather than in their studios. He derives great enjoyment witnessing the influence of changing light on colours in the surroundings. He then very carefully captures the details in the visual field and successfully creates the same life and spirit on the surface - canvas or paper. Nazir has command over different media – oil paints, water colour and ink and uses these with equal confidence and ease. Nazir’s oil paintings are descriptive and expressive. Water colour works are distinguished by simplification through the linkage of light, shadow and colours. The pen and ink drawings are striking with minimal use of lines. Whatever the medium, the outcome is the artwork that makes the viewer perceive the scene, most of which displays serenity and have a soothing effect. Commenting on this aspect, Nazir said: “I feel immensely happy when I succeed in capturing the scene with the pul-

sation of those moments.” Nazir studies the nature’s magnificence in many ways. The exhibition portrays his admiration for the trees, adoration of rivers, fascination with the clouds, love with the bright sunshine, honour to the silhouettes and incredible understanding of capturing the beauty of colours and their chromatic effects in nature. Among trees, Nazir has painted the splendour of almost every tree in his surrounding, including Sumbul, Kachnar, Amaltas, Gul-e Nishtar, Neem, Kikar, Weeping Willow and Bottle Brush. The blooming mustard fields have also received his attention like many other landscape painters. He also took up the challenge of handling those aspects in nature that are not stationary, such as flowing river water and moving clouds. He has worked on static subjects like historical landmarks such as Kashmiri Gate, Delhi Gate, Sheranwala and Jehangir’s tomb, but not as frequently as natural scenes. Discussing his work, Nazir said, “Nature fascinates me, as it is created not by man but by the Supreme Power and I enjoy its glory, attempting to capture it on my canvas or paper. The enjoyment of seeing, perceiving and then visually translating the nature cannot be described in words – during this process, I feel being in another world”. Dr Arjumand Faisal, the curator of gallery 6, said, “Admiration of nature by the artist is evident from each work, which is outstanding in its own way. There is striking beauty in the simplicity of each work. His works portray the magnificence of the nature with an aura of calm, and is devoid of decorative and adulterated glorification. These are true studies - whether done in oil, ink or water colour - it makes one perceive the seasonal characteris-

tics and related impressions.” Nazir Ahmed has also had an illustrious career in government service. Currently, he is working as Director (Handicrafts and Design) in Punjab Small Industries Corporation, Lahore, but has contributed in many other ways such as designing for various PTV programmes, illustrations and sculptures for documentary films, upgrading course on designing and illustrations for

National Book Foundation, illustrating some books. To date, he has participated in more than 50 group shows and held 12 solo exhibitions. He is returning to Islamabad with a one-man show after a long gap of 15 years, which will be well received by the art lovers of the twin cities. The exhibition will continue till 26 December, daily from 11 am to 7pm (including Sundays) at gallery 6, House 624, Street 44, G-9/1.

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08 Islamabad

Friday, 16 December, 2011

CDA helpless, ineffective to remove encroachments

weATheR UPDATeS

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Authority doing little to provide basic civic amenities to residents

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fAZAl sHeR

HE Capital Development Authority (CDA), despite its huge size and structure, has failed to fulfil its responsibilities fully, particularly when it comes to providing civic facilities to all the residents of the capital city. Apart from some upscale localities, most of the city’s neighbourhoods are rife with sanitation, water scarcity, environmental issues and rampant encroachments. While the kiosks of every kind are being opened on the city greenbelts and stalls are encroaching sidewalks every day but the CDA is playing the role of a silent spectator. Some neighbourhoods such as Aabpara, Faizabad, Melody, Blue Area, Super Market,

Jinnah Super market, Peshawar Road Market, Karachi Company Market, F-10 Markaz, F-8 Markaz, F-11 Markaz, G-11 Markaz and a few others have become the victim of worst kind of encroachment. The encroachers have set up kiosks and stalls in the city’s big markets, which are causing inconvenience to the citizens. The encroachers have also established small eateries on the greenbelts, which badly affect the city’s beauty. It is also observed that the encroachers have placed chairs and seats on the sidewalks in the city’s busy markets and these encroachments are a constant source of inconvenience for the residents. The residents allege the encroachments are mushrooming because some of the CDA’s staff extorts money from encroachers instead of removing them from the public property.

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They say that’s was why the encroachments are on the rise everywhere in the city despite tall claims of CDA’ enforcement directorate that they are conducting operation against encroachers on daily basis. “They CDA’s relevant department only takes action against those encroachers who refuse to pay them hefty bribes”, a wary resident complained. Moreover, the CDA drives against encroachments have little effect since most of the encroachers re-establish their businesses soon after any official campaign. Some citizens also complain that they reoccupy their vacated areas in connivance with the CDA’s officials. It is also observed the shopkeepers in different markets especially at the Blue Area and Aabpara place their goods out of their shops on the sidewalks which causes trouble for shoppers. A CDA official, seeking anonymity, told this scribe that the authority have conducted several operations against small vendors for encroaching but because of the ill-planning of the departments concerned the vendor recapture the place they are removed from. About the shopkeepers who encroach upon sidewalks along their shops, he admitted that they encroach upon empty public property in connivance with some of the officials of CDA’s enforcement directorate. He said the owners of various restaurants located in the Blue Area and Melody Market have also encroached upon the CDA’s land and other vacant places near their outlets to expand their services. But, he said, they do it illegally causing problems for the general public. The official said the CDA’s enforcement directorate, despite its huge infrastructure has failed to improve its performance. The citizens have demanded the high authorities should take notice of the situation and remove the encroachments in order to facilitate people and maintain city’s beauty. Most of the customers avoid coming to these markets because of these encroachments, the official added.

an illustratiOn Of pakistan

capOeira isltOwn

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DATe: TUeSDAY DeC 27, 2011 6:00 PM venUe: iSLAMABAD

DATe: nov 29 - DeC 25, 2011 venUe: iSLAMABAD

The band is set to visit Pakistan once again, this time to it's capital. Performing smashing hits like "That's My name", "My Passion", "Stay with Me" & the new track " Feelings on Fire " they are sure to set the stage ablaze and make you sway.

Do you have a passion for photography? Are you the one whose click could change how we see things? what about using your passion for a greater cause? if YeS is the answer here’s your chance!

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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Friday, 16 December, 2011

News 09

Opp walks against media silence on Balochistan ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

MAKING pots BeHIND BARs: At the sukkur jail, a prisoner makes pottery. INP

Trader robbed in Sialkot SIALKOt

Celebrate chemistry at Peshawar University PESHAWAR

ARIf MeHMooD sHeIKH

stAff RepoRt

Two armed men snatched Rs 1.1 million at gunpoint from trader Ejaz Ahmed and his friend during another broad day light robbery in Cantt’s congested Khawaja Safdar Ali Road on Thursday. The trader and his friend were going somewhere in a car, when the robbers halted their car and robbed them and fled. The Cantt Police registered a case, with no clue and arrest, in this regard. Earlier, two robbers looted Rs 0.3 million at gunpoint after inuring two security guards during a broad day light robbery in a private currency exchange located at Bano Bazaar. Reportedly, the accused stormed into the currency exchange, took hostage all people at gunpoint and shot injured two security guards Khalid and Iqbal on offering resistance and fled. The injured were shifted to Mayo Hospital where their condition was reported to be critical. Police are investigating with no arrest, in this regard. Traders have strongly protested against the incident demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

The year-long celebrations to commemorate the 100 years of Nobel Prize to legendry chemical scientist Madame Curie concluded at the University of Peshawar (UoP) with the resolve to make best use of chemistry in serving the humanity and mankind. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) had declared 2011 as the year of chemistry, and a series of events took place at the UoP under the Institute of Chemical Sciences. UoP Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Azmat Hayat Khan was the chief guest of the closing ceremony. Briefing about the activities held under the Institute of Chemical Sciences, Prof Dr Imdadullah said the institute had organised 16 different events, including workshops, symposiums, seminars and research thesis model exhibition this year to raise awareness among students on the importance of chemistry in our lives. The vice chancellor said the university was in contact with the government to bring the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) under it. He said if the proposal was materialised, it would benefit both the institutions, as the UoP had planned to build a state of the art chemical institute in it which would help university students to benefit from the research conducted the PCSIR.

‘Don’t employ a child at home’ SPARC launches ‘i have a dream’ documentary about children employed at home g

PESHAWAR stAff RepoRt

The launch ceremony of documentary “I have a dream” about the conditions of children who work at homes was organised at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday. The documentary was directed by human rights activist Samar Minallah with the support of SPARC (Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child) on the plight of child domestic labour and aimed at providing recommendations to eliminate the practice. The 30 minute documentary was shown to an audience that included members of civil society organisations and government departments concerned. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Director Labour Irfan Ullah Khan appreciated SPARC’s efforts to make the research-based documentary working children and said changes in the employment of children act 1991 were required to include child domestic labour in the category of child labour and increase the minimum age of employment. SPARC Executive Director Arshad Mahmood told the audience how children working at home has a negative impact on children. He spoke about incidents of tor-

ture, such as the Shazia Maseeh murder, and said working children needed proper legislation to be protected. He said the current legal framework did not have the provisions to eliminate child domestic labour and the matter had social and political acceptance. SPARC researcher Amina Sarwer shared findings on child domestic labour. She said that in 2004, data from the five major cities of Pakistan indicated every fourth house was employing a child worker. SPARC member Imran Takkar said child domestic labour deprives a child from the right to life, the right to physical and mental integration, the right to education, the right to development and is against the interests of children. The ceremony ended with a resolution proposing recommendations to prohibit child domestic labour. It said “cChild domestic labour must be covered in the list of banned occupations under Employment of children Act (ECA). Legislation regulating child domestic labor must be supported by the enforcement of compulsory education laws. Article 25-A of the constitution along with other educational policies should be implemented.”

HE opposition parties in the Senate on Thursday staged a token walkout from the House against media blackout on unrest in Balochistan, suspecting that it was being done under a well-defined policy. A day ago, senators from Balochistan raised concerns over the increasing number of missing persons in the province, while the state-owned and private media hardly carried the news. They said the Balochistan issue was being neglected in the national media under a policy to keep people ignorant of the exact situation in the province. Senators including Leader of the Opposition Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Hasil Bazenjo, Ismail Buledi, Gul Muhammad Lot, Surraya Amiruddin, Wali Muhammad Badini and Gulshan Saeed were of the view that the national press and particularly the stateowned Pakistan Television (PTV) should give proper coverage to the Balochistan

issue particularly when it is raised in the parliament. Haidri regretted that the issues facing Balochistan were not being truly depicted in the media. He said kidnapping for ransom and robberies were on the rise in the province but the media had failed to portray them properly. He asked the government to restore the subsidy for tube-wells to avoid damage to the agriculture sector in Balochistan. Later, the opposition staged a token walkout from the House over the nonportrayal of Balochistan issues in the national media. Responding to the concerns of the senators regarding Balochistan problems, Leader of the House Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said the welfare schemes promised with the Baloch people welfare would be implemented. He said although the maintenance of law and order was a provincial subject, the federal government had still provided all out support to ensure peace in the province. Responding to a call attention notice moved by Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, State Minister for Production

Khawaja Sheraz Mahmood told the House that the issue of missing NATO and ISAF containers had been thoroughly probed and according to the findings by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), over 28,800 containers had gone missing during the last few years. He said the Supreme Court had also taken a suo motu notice on the issue and had served notices to the all parties concerned, including the National Logistics Cell (NLC) and clearing agents. He said so far 22 officers had been given a charge sheet in the case. Bilour accused the NLC of being the main culprit in the scam. Responding to a point of order raised by Prof Sajid Mir regarding gas shortage in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Bukhari said the government’s policy was to provide uninterrupted gas to domestic consumers. He said a meeting in this regard had been convened with high officials of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) on Saturday to discuss the problem and find out solutions.

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10 News

Friday, 16 December, 2011

KP nurses call off week-long strike g

KP health Dept promises to resolve service structure, allowance issues within 3 months PESHAWAR stAff RepoRt

HYBER Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Provincial Nurses Association (PNA) on Thursday called off a week-long strike on assurances extended by the KP health ministry to address issues related to nurses’ service structure and allowances within a 3month timeframe. District Nurses Association President Farah Jalil told Pakistan Today that after successful talks with the KP health department authorities including Syed Zahir Ali Shah, provincial health minister, special secretary health Professor Dr Noorul Iman and Pakistan Nursing Association Vice President Tahira at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC)

Two workers killed in factory collapse PESHAWAR stAff RepoRt

At least two workers were killed and another got seriously injured when a shawl factory collapsed near Chowk Yadgar on Thursday. Sources said the incident occurred at 2:30 am, when the factory’s steam boilers exploded. The factory was located in the congested area of Pusht Chobtran near Chowak Yadgar. The Rescue 1122 staff immediately reached the site and shifted the injured person to a local hospital for treatment. The workers, who belonged to Gujrat, were sleeping in their compartment where the explosion occurred.

Ji expecting 400,000 people for ‘revolution rally’ PESHAWAR: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has almost completed the preparations for its Jalsah-e-Inqelab – the revolution rally – and is expecting a gathering of 400,000 people, with 100,000 only from the Peshawar district, JI Peshawar chief Bahrullah Khan said on Thursday. Addressing a press conference along JI local leaders, he said the rally would prove that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is a stronghold of the party. He said the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its coalition partners, the Awami National Party(ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Qauid (PML-Q), had given chaos, unemployment and inflation to the Pakistani nation. stAff RepoRt

Peshawar, the KP PNA called the strike off. She said nurses had been denied service structure for 50 years and not allowed health allowance and student allowance. The KP nurses association took out a token strike with black ribbons on their arms starting last Thursday and resorted to a two hour token strike from December 14 and had called for a complete strike with no emergency cover at all teaching hospitals of Peshawar from December 15. However, after successful negotiation between Nurses Association office bearers and the provincial health ministry, the strike being carried out by 4,060 nurses across KP was called off. Earlier on Thursday morning, before the negotiations with health authorities, nurses started began a boycott and strike with no emergency cover at Lady Read-

Rs 100m allocated to Kurram Tangi Dam, Qamar tells Senate g

water and Power Minister says Pakistan plans to import 1,000 Mw from iran ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar on Thursday said Rs 100 million has been allocated in the annual PSDP 2011-12 for the Kurram Tangi Dam. During question hour, he informed the House that 210 acres of land had been acquired at Rs 80,000 per acre for the project. He said funds from USAID will be used to construct the dam. He said as per the approved PCI, a three-year land acquisition period has been allocated for the project. However, he said, this was subject to the provision of the budget and the security arrangements made by the political agent. He told the House legislation will be passed to punish those pilfering electricity. He said action had began and over 2,000 FIRs had been registered against those involved in power theft. Qamar told the house Pakistan plans to import 1,000 MW of electricity from Iran and a Malaysian company hado offered to set up a power plant in Iran with a 3,000 MW capacity for transmission to Pakistan via Quetta. He said alternative energy sources were being used and 6 MW of wind en-

ergy had been installed by Zorlu Energi Pakistan Limited had been connected to the national grid in the first phase of a 56.4 MW project. He said 34 MW biomass and biogas plants were also operational at Dera Ismail Khan and Jhang. Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah on behalf of Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources informed the House that the government was trying to provide gas to small

towns and cities with over 1,000 houses and had set up 29,000 kilometers of pipeline in the last three years at a cost of Rs 19 billion. Similarly, the government planned to import gas from other countries cover the supplydemand gap. Senators from Balochistan staged a token walkout from the House over the non-fulfillment of the Balochistan quota in Water and Power Development Authority.

ing Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar and began protests in favour of their demands. They maintained that devoid of rights, nurses were facing problems and were not at mental ease to carry out their duties. Protesting nurses at KTH demanded a 100 percent increase in salary, increase in monthly stipends, provision of professional health allowance like doctors and setting up a separate nursing directorate for them. They threatened to observse set in before the KP provincial assembly on Saturday but KP health authorities under KP health minister Zahir Shah held successful talks with nursing office bearers at HMC and after assuring them of the redressal of their issues within 3-moths, the strike was called off.

Donors should help rehabilitate Malakand: KP finance minister PESHAWAR stAff RepoRt

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Finance Engineer Muhammad Humayun Khan urged international donor organisations to support the people of Malakand Division and Malakand Agency in their struggle for rehabilitation after last year’s devastating floods and foreign NGOs need to undertake mega flood protection and rehabilitation projects in Malakand Agency, particularly Totakan Tehsil. He was speaking to a three-member Department of International Development (DFID) delegation which called on him on Thursday. The delegation was led by European Union Counsellor and Head of Operations Berend de Groot. DFID Senior Governance Advisor Sikandar Ali, Secretary Finance Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, Special Secretary Finance Masood Ahmad and Additional Secretary Finance Nadem Bashir were present on the occasion. The Finance Minister disclosed last year floods had severely damaged the social infrastructure in Malakand Division and the government was utilising the bulk of its funds on rehabilitation and flood protection but needed more donor. The delegation told the minister finance on the objectives of their new public financial management programme and assured that all possible support would be extended to the people of Malakand and other areas of the KP by initiating different development projects.

On the run with the Taliban Zawahiri, a dead man walking BANNU Afp

Nothing terrifies Taliban fighter Tariq Wazir more than US drones, a harbinger of instant death invisible to the naked eye and proof of America’s mastery of the skies. Each time he hears the low hum reminiscent of a bumble bee, fear clutches his heart and he remembers how 20 of his comrades were pulverised by missiles they never saw coming in the tribal badlands. Gone are the days of communicating by phone and travelling freely. Instead he spends his days praying or reading newspapers in safe houses, moving under the cover of darkness, trying to keep one step ahead and stay alive. An AFP reporter was this week given a tantalising glimpse of the day-to-day life of a group of the Taliban, travelling with them for four days between safe houses in North Waziristan. He and three other journalists were invited to interview the head of the faction, Hakimullah Mehsud, or “another top Taliban leader” but the interview never materialised, due to what the Taliban said were “security reasons”. Instead, they spent each night on the move, resting by day in relatively comfortable mud-brick homes with kitchens, running water and toilets, offered freshly cooked meals and fizzy drinks. It was a relatively sophisticated logistics operation that shows how embedded the Taliban are in North Waziristan, where the military has resisted US pressure to launch a sweeping offensive. Their fervour for fighting and hatred of the US and the federal government was plain to see. But so too were lighter moments, like sunning themselves in the courtyard,

reading Urdu newspapers to keep abreast of events and listening to songs praising the glory of jihad blasted out of cassette players. In the past three years, there have been 236 US drone strikes in Pakistan, killing at least 1,767 people. Taliban foot soldiers admit they have had a devastating impact on their lives. “I lost 20 close friends in drone attacks. It’s the biggest danger for us,” said Wazir, a commander in North Waziristan who refuses to give his real name. “It has restricted our movement. We take a lot of care before moving from one place to other, we avoid using the phone,” he said. Precautions have not been relaxed despite a one-month reprieve in missile strikes since November 17. The Long War Journal quoted US intelligence officials as saying the attacks are “on hold” so as not to further strain the alliance with Islamabad after a NATO air strike killed 24 soldiers on November 26. In response, Pakistan shut its Afghan border to NATO supplies and evicted US personnel from the Shamsi Airbase, a reported hub for CIA drones, although most of the aircraft are thought to take off from US bases in Afghanistan. Officials concur there is a temporary moratorium on drone attacks, but witnesses say surveillance flights are incessant. The Taliban fighters wear the uniform of any adult man in the tribal belt. They carry Kalashnikovs wherever they go, tuck pistols into their belts and sometimes sport hand grenades around their waists. Dressed in traditional shirts that fall to the knees, caps rolled down over the ears, waistcoats and balloon-style trousers, they conceal their guns under the itchy folds of the blankets wrapped around the head and shoulders.

WASHINGtON Afp

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri is a man with a price on his head, and whether he is on the move or has gone to ground, probably in Pakistan, his days are likely numbered, US experts say. After the killing of Osama bin Laden in May in a secret raid deep in Pakistan by US elite commandos, Zawahiri took over at the head of the organisation behind the September 11, 2001 attacks. Elimination of the co-founder of the terrorist organisation would be a devastating blow to AlQaeda’s central command, and Zawahiri is being relentlessly pursued by the US, say experts. “A missile could strike him anywhere, day or night, at any time,” said psychiatrist Marc Sageman, a former CIA agent in Pakistan and author of “Leaderless Jihad.” “If he waits too long in the same place he runs the risk of being spotted. But if he moves it’s worse, he becomes even more vulnerable. It’s an untenable position.” It was by slowly piecing together the trail of his only authorised contact that bin Laden was pinpointed and then killed during the US helicopter-borne raid on his compound in Abbottabad. That precedent should haunt Zawahiri’s days and nights, said Thomas Hegghammer, a terrorism specialist at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies. “Bin Laden was very cautious but he had to maintain a certain amount of contact with the organisation. And it got him killed,” Hegghammer told AFP during a conference in Washington on Al-

Qaeda after bin Laden. “I think al-Zawahiri is doing the same, with even a lower profile, being more careful of who he is talking to,” he said. Yet speaking to contacts is vital if he wants to retain some influence. “And every time he is doing it, he is taking a life-threatening risk. He has a choice: fading away or risking his life,” Hegghammer added. “He knows the CIA is working hard on him. He is on borrowed time. They will take him out. Tomorrow, in two months or in two years. But they will get him, too,” he said. Unquestionably, the most effective weapon in the US war against AlQaeda has been the CIA’s secret—and thus never officially acknowledged—drone campaign targeting key terrorists in Pakistan. But in a worrying setback for the drone programme, US relations with Islamabad have plummeted since the Bin Laden raid, most recently over the killing of 24 troops in a US air strike near the Afghan border. Under Pakistani orders, the US over the weekend vacated Pakistan’s Shamsi Airbase where the CIA’s drones were reportedly based. Experts say the loss of the Shamsi base is not insurmountable, as drones can be flown from Afghanistan. But the drone strikes, once a daily occurrence, appear to have been on hold since midNovember, and it is unclear when they will resume, said Andrew Liebovitch, an expert at the New America Foundation. “US and Pakistani officials have said that Shamsi was being used mostly for maintenance and support operations, and that operations were shifted away from Shamsi following the May raid that killed Osama bin Laden,” he said.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Editor’s mail 11

The lessons of history December the 16th is the darkest day in the history of Pakistan when the country was dismembered that witnessed a surrender by the Pakistan army. The loss of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) can be attributed to collective failure of civil and military high command. The major share must be borne by the army as Gen Yahya was the President and CMLA of Pakistan. It is so painful that even after losing half of the country, no lesson has been learnt as we are more divided than the past. Pakistan is suffering from political and economic mismanagement, divisive policies, lawlessness, rampant corruption and ethnic friction. Pakistan is at crossroads, there are choices to be

why always civilians? made now whether Pakistan survives as a dictatorship, a democracy or whether Pakistan survives at all. There is a saying that a country gets the rulers it deserves. That may be true where regular free and fair elections are held, but Pakistan's election history is not that good. The country is full of ignorant people who elect inept and corrupt people in the elections. There is no stability in Pakistan's economy. There is no security in the country. As a country we are like beggars, depending on foreign loans and grants by the IMF and rich countries. We have foreign debts of over $ 59.53 billion. And then we realise that most of these debts were in fact looted by politicians, rulers,

bureaucracy and defence personnel and are now in their personal accounts, in Swiss and other banks. The entire nation is disturbed, perturbed and want change to break the status quo. Pakistan was not created for a few families, it belongs to its 180 million citizens. The country cannot be left at the mercy of corrupt politicians and leaders thrust on the people through selective mechanism who are not the true representatives of the people. We have suffered a lot on account of trust deficit between the army and the rulers. This must come to an end. All institutions must work within their domain and there should be no interference from either side. Our survival still lies in

democracy that suits the people and not the one that is imposed by dictatorial means. The nation has a chance to break the shackles of status quo and reject all those who have been tried again and again and failed to deliver. The country is bigger than the government. Any future disaster will destroy both the government and opposition. We must remember we are passing through difficult times: let us not wait for that fateful day when someone breaches our sovereignty again. The nation must get united, its further fragmentation would lead to a greater disaster and chances of recovery may be difficult. LT COL (retd) MUKHTAR A BUTT Karachi

The Kashmir concern This disputed territory of Kashmir is under constant dispute, and there seems to be no solution for this problem. Even though the liberals all support the notion of a mutual relationship between both countries, this issue remains unsolved. The Kashmir issue also helps the countries to justify their expenditure on defence. It also gives the government of each country an opportunity to show their goodness. The main responsibility lies with the government, the army, the international arbitrators, and the Kashmiri people and political parties. This, however, can be amended now as civil society can also play a great part in resolving this issue. It can amend the stories that each side has regarding the Kashmir issue and pay more attention to the actual history and the experiences of the people. In today’s globalised world it is highly possible for the people to develop conflicting views but the civil society can change this by formulating an independent media which would enable the foreign policy of each country to get a new face. Moreover, the Kashmiri people can be asked to voice their views on blogs, tweets and other mediums. This would help the actual experiences of the people side by side. Thus the civil society can help in portraying this issue as being a trilateral one. This means that an effective solution to this issue can only be reached if the three parties adopt a strategy of talking to each other and not talk against each other. MIQDAD SIBTAIN Karachi

The day Dhaka fell

need to pose pre-conditions for the prospective post-2014 extension of US military troops in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has demanded to be given back its sovereignty which means that the unilateral nature of military operations inside Afghanistan is threatening their sovereignty. Pakistan too, on the other side, is undergoing great trauma as national emotions have been severely bruised by the attack upon its security forces for which there is no apparent reason. This US high handedness and over ambitiousness in Afghanistan are proving detrimental for the much coveted peace. The progress in Afghanistan needs to be step wise where the broader aim ought

to be achievable and sustainable peace, instead of forcing ideas and demanding the impossible from the regional players, especially Pakistan. The approaching deadline and the need for a definite exit strategy have the Americans scampering for regional options. The Pakistanis, despite the current upheaval and growing trust deficit, are not considering the option of pulling out of the war on terror as the end approaches. But it needs to redefine its terms of engagement in the war on terror to align the outcome with its national interests. Also, to enter into a written agreement with the US so as to avoid any further ambiguity in its objectives in this war.

An enhanced border security and surveillance system, however, can ensure that such attacks can be dealt with in future. Pakistan should not stop pushing for a political solution to the Afghan problem and to keep the peace process going. The US ought to be asked for a clear roadmap instead of a Powerpoint plan so that we may proceed forward in harmony. We must clarify our position to the world that Pakistan too wants a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and that it is not a game spoiler, but seeks peace that does not jeopardise its own national interests. LUBNA HAMEED Islamabad

Pakistan and the United States are at it again, but this time it seems the situation is out of control. At least, that’s what the Pakistani side is harping on. After the Nato attack on two of Pakistan’s checkposts in Mohamand Agency, the relation between the both have gone sour, more than ever. In a latest twist in the Nato-Salala checkpost attack, the US Congress has approved measures to freeze American aid

The corrupt republic

I read in a news that former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani has sued the US magazine Newsweek for publishing an article written by Mansoor Ijaz. Husain Haqqani has served a notice which claimed that the article has caused “irreparable damage” to his and President Asif Ali Zardari’s reputation. Mansoor Ijaz in his article claimed that President Zardari and Haqqani were aware of the 2 May raid in Abbottabad beforehand. It is good to see that Hussain Haqqani has taken this step but I am thinking as to why he didn’t sue the Financial Times where Mansoor Ijaz’s article was published regarding Memogate. MUBASHIR MAHMOOD Karachi

Corruption is the mother of many other evils, like bribery, favouritism, nepotism, misuse of authority, breach of trust, deliberate delays and denial of justice in the performance of duty. Pakistan was demanded and established in the name of Islam in which all the Pakistanis were expected to lead life according to the righteous and virtuous principles of Islam. Pakistanis were expected to earn their livelihood by lawful means but in the quest of becoming overnight rich Pakistanis have engulfed in materialism and have become deliberately negligent about the distinction between the lawful and the unlawful. Corruption has become a cancer for Pakistan’s economy. According to a rough estimate, about 40 percent of government revenue is eaten up by dishonest businessmen and industrialists by evasion of government taxes with

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani while addressing the Senate on Wednesday said that one Senate member sitting in the hall was still in touch with Mansoor Ijaz, the person responsible for Memogate scandal, but he was not going to reveal the name of that member. I request the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to send a notice to the prime minister asking him to name the person immediately so that timely action can be taken before it is too late. This matter is directly linked to Pakistan's security. Prime Minister Gilani's silence can cost Pakistan dearly, something that nobody wants. M RAFIQUE ZAKARIA Karachi

The leaders of PPP in every talk show on the TV keep on harping about the 11 years spent in jails of Pakistan by our President Asif Ali Zardari for no crime of his as he was never convicted by any court local or foreign. The public

wants to know a few things about his conduct during the trials. One, how many times he presented medical certificates in order to avoid his appearance in the courts; two, how many times he was released on parole; three, what class he was given in different jails and what facilities he enjoyed in the jail including family privacy; four, how many times he personally appeared in the courts and; finally, who were involved in destroying the evidence of various cases against Asif Ali Zardari. For example, Wajid Shamsul Hassan (our envoy to the UK) who made a secret visit to Switzerland and removed a truckload of documents concerning Swiss cases. If our President is innocent and all the cases are fabricated against him, he should justify how has he amassed huge assets worth billions of dollars all over the world vis a vis his sources of income. MUHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA Lahore

16 December – Bijoe Dibosh; the victory day for Bangladesh while Pakistanis remember this day as ‘the tragic fall of Dhaka’ happened. This was the day when nine-month long Bangladesh Liberation War (‘Muktijuddho’ in Bengali) ended in 1971 with the surrender of Pakistan army. All this war period is marred with senseless bloodshed, atrocities and hatred. Bangladesh claims that around three million people were massacred by the Pak army; however, they have failed to find any mass graves during last forty years. Same time Urduspeaking ethnic groups and West Pakistanis living in then East Pakistan were subjected to immense reprisal attacks, torture and devastation of properties. There are so many unanswered questions and open issues pushed under the carpet, assuming these will never ever wake our conscious. Pakistan never accepted that it was the economical and political discrimination which sowed the seeds of secession among Bengalis. Refusal of a military dictator to honour Shaikh Mujib’s Awami League’s landslide victory in general elections of 1970 was just to close the fate of a united Pakistan. Pakistan never accepted that it was the defeat of the theory that just a common faith can glue a country of diverse languages and cultures. Pakistan never offered an official apology for the countless massacres carried out by its forces whether it was March 25 Operation Searchlight in Dhaka University slaughtering scores of students and faculty members or another infamous massacre of Bengali intelligentsia a couple of days before the surrender. Pakistan also refused to accept a large number of East Pakistan based Urdu-speaking people who opted to remain as Pakistanis. Bangladesh never brought to justice its Mukti Bahini liberation force members who indulged in gross scale atrocities against non- Bengali population. Sense of denial prevails in both countries which is not the solution. The real and primary perpetrators and instigators of these unfortunate events should be brought to justice. But maybe it’s too late as only historians can now try them in their analysis of the events of those dark days. Till that time it’s time to sleep over or indulge in another denial of rights to our own people. MASOOD KHAN Jubail, Saudi Arab

No more aid. Good...

irreparable damage

Break your silence

The 2 May incident is the case study of injured ego of our powerful establishment but this is not the first time civilians have been made scapegoat for the injured ego of our establishment, especially if one looks back in history and finds what happened in the aftermath of Ojhri Camp incident and Kargil fiasco when noose around us was being tightened. Pakistan should have been given credit for playing its part in eliminating world’s most wanted terrorist but we changed our stance merely after 12 hours lest ego of our ‘powerful circles’ should hurt. How long will we keep saving the ego of the establishment? DR NAUMAN BASHIR Islamabad

for Pakistan of about $700m. How much this strongarming tactic of the US can change the tone of Pakistani counterparts yet remains to be seen, but what really matters is that Nato cannot afford to suspend its supplies for long. And, that’s what Pakistan is hedging its bets on. AFTAB IQBAL Lahore

the unholy alliance of the bureaucrats in charge of taxation departments. The government is incessantly forced to take loans from international financial institutes just to run their normal functions. This social, moral and religious evil can be curbed only by enacting a law to make it punishable with capital punishment, with the corrupt bureaucrats and government officials publicly hanged or stoned to death. These black sheep of our society have made our country a corrupt republic. SANA ASLAM Karachi

11 years in jail

need to redefine terms Considering the state of increasing mistrust between Pakistan and the US, a stage has arrived where the US is not ready to play its supposed role as a superpower and where Pakistan is ready to redefine its role in the war, the endgame is far from clear. A lot of stress has been given to the sovereignty issue by both Pakistan and Afghanistan.The multiple incursions into the Pakistani territory from Afghanistan are being translated as serious offences by Pakistanis due to which anti-American sentiments are on the rise. The fact that the US/Nato forces are notorious for breaching the sovereignty of the host nations is evident from Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s

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 one-man demolition squad

Friday, 16 December, 2011

On the madrassah Reforms a must

Thus spake Mansoor, again…

ansoor Ijaz’s claim regarding the alleged memo was taken extremely seriously by the establishment, opposition parties and the Supreme Court. The DG ISI traveled all the way to London to meet and personally quiz Ijaz. PML(N) leaders appearing in talk shows fumed and frothed while the party’s top leadership, unwilling to wait for a parliamentary enquiry, took the issue to the Supreme Court. The SC ominously referred to the Watergate trial that had prematurely ended the Nixon presidency and appointed a oneman committee ordering it to complete the enquiry in 15 days. The government summoned ambassador Haqqani to Islamabad where he was told to resign while the SC clamped a travel ban on him. Responding to a query, Ijaz has now detailed the background of another alleged plot. According to him, he had been told by a senior CIA official that the DG ISI had traveled to a few Arab countries to gauge their reaction “in the event they had to remove Zardari from power and so forth.” Many are likely to consider Ijaz’s second charge as serious as the one against Haqqani and Zardari and would expect that the SC gives the statement equal importance as it proceeds with the memo case. What Prime Minister Gilani said in the Senate on Wednesday carries a premonition of the government being overthrown and parliament sent home. Gilani called on the parliamentarians to save the system, maintaining that if the government was removed in an unconstitutional way, the parliament too would not be spared and they must not forget that “there would be no polls in our lifetime”. Gilani’s critics might reject the warning as selfserving. What surprises one is that the concern was expressed by a man who has all along insisted that all institutions were working in harmony and there was no threat to the government from any quarter, least of all from the army. Such is the sad state of affairs in Pakistan that a statement from a foreign citizen with doubtful credibility can threaten the entire system while another can give birth to doubts about the fidelity of the top military officers to their oath.

Delaying the inevitable? not being privatised

n the brave new world that followed the end of history, many have remarked how the labels of left and right are not applicable anymore. Yet, one can find instances where the spectrum, to an extent, still exists. What passes off as the mainstream left in the country – the PPP, ANP and a smattering of regional parties – is, for instance, in favour of tax reform like the RGST. The parties of the bazaar – the Muslim Leagues and the middle-class MQM – are against it. Another example is how to deal with public sector enterprises. A drain on the exchequer, these white elephants have proved to be bottomless pits as far as funds are concerned. But as the cabinet meeting that was held in Peshawar the other day served to show, the PPP government does not have it in it to pull the plug. Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan International Airlines and Wapda are all off the chopping block with no prospect of privatisation. Instead, orders have been issued to restructure these. A sigh of relief, of course, for the scores of employees who work for these enterprises and the government’s hope that this decision translates into favourable political outcomes. If you look at it, like all important issues of public policy, a case can be made for keeping these organisations. The PSM, for instance, was never meant to be profitable; its purpose was to provide subsidised steel to the industrial sector. Any attempt to privatise it, therefore, could be construed as anti-industrial. The PIA and Railways, businesses as they might be, ply to commercially unviable destinations only because they view there services as ones that the state should provide to its citizens. Wapda is a utility and its grid covers areas that wouldn’t have made sense, at least initially, to cover. All of these do what states do for their citizens. But these are all an insufferable drain as well. Organisations like the Railways might have been poorly managed but few realise that its death warrant was signed the day the NLC got the cargo contracts which were the Railways mainstay; the immense expansion of the road network also should serve to take away unrealistic expectations. The PIA can be managed well but not without massive layoffs at this top-heavy organisation. The same is true for Wapda. It is indeed possible to save these organisations but they won’t be. The capacity of the Pakistani state to deal with these challenges is limited. It is imperative for governments to draw the line somewhere and take some mature decisions that are not based on electoral calculus.

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

jottings By Agha Akbar

his last one was a kind of happening week. Gen Dempsey holding forth in a vein not too dissimilar from before and the envoys conference in Islamabad revisiting our foreign policy; hearing of the various cases in the apex court, including the revived NRO case; passing of the landmark Anti-Women Practices Bill and almost simultaneously being reminded why the law was so desperately needed yet could have so little impact without the society changing its mindset and values, through the sentencing of a family of four Belgian-Pakistanis from sizable to long prison sentences for having killed their own slip of a girl for ‘honour’. But the images that continued to haunt one were of the tortured children and young men in chains in a seminary in Karachi. Not one or two but around 50 of them, all bearing scars of the inhuman treatment meted out to them. Their images and tales of anguish, a child not more than 10 or 11 describing how he was routinely tied up and whip lashed, were deeply distressing even in a people who have become seemingly immune to such horrors. The don of the madrassah, the pious mullah, meanwhile had made good his escape. Live television brought this to our lounges and made one focus on this, even if only momentarily. That when we know that this is not an exception, by no means a one-of-a-kind instance. There maybe some madrassahs where inhumanity on such scale might not be practiced, but these would not be very many. And the physical and sexual abuse happens almost everywhere. Yet we all look the other way, none daring to have a peep inside the closed world of the madrassah and what transpires there. Why? None, not even the state, dares to take on the power of the mullah by challenging the sanctity of the space of the madrassah. This is analogous to the Roman Catholic Church in the olden times and the power it wielded then, before the excesses and extravagant practices inside were exposed. It has never since regained its former power and pomp. The same fear is at work here too, for once the madrassah, and what goes on within it, is exposed the mullah may lose control for ever, for his power stems from there, and from his hold on those he indoctrinates. And this is what made the mullah and the madrassah so endearing to our spooks – it provided them the raw material, the cannon fodder for their

covert activities. The rapid proliferation of the madrassahs since the mid 1970s onwards has much to do with this acute dependence of the state agencies on this convenient conveyer belt of already indoctrinated youth who only had to be sent on a mission like the intoxicated or drugged disciples of Hasan bin Sabah, the original assassins. That was also when, the Saudis and the Iranians, brimming with petrodollars, started financing the madrassahs for their proxy wars on our turf and the same production line was dedicated to anti-Shia, anti-Sunni, anti-Wahabi and anti-Ahmadiya causes. (The funding levels have remained massive and consistent, making the maulanas rich and powerful. Such has been the interest that madrassah textbooks have been printed in Saudi Arabia and Iran, and provided gratis, with the US also getting on the bandwagon in recent times, no prizes for guessing why.) And this is not to mention state organs using them to quell nationalist movements in what was then the NWFP in the 1970s and 1980s, which is said to be the case in Balochistan now. And one should also not forget their role in the former East Pakistan in 1970-71, for which the trial of a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (theirs now, but ours then) is ongoing at this very time. The madrassahs have also been held responsible for being the main breeding grounds for hate, intolerance, bigotry and sectarianism. To be fair, they are not alone in this though. Our officialissue textbooks contain enough venom to indoctrinate the young and impressionable with what can be safely called falsehoods. Despite what the madrassah may stand for, howsoever critical one may be about its context in a post-modern age and the practices associated with it, one thing is certain: it cannot be abolished for it would injure the feelings of a major part of our people, creating more fissures than we can handle at this particularly difficult juncture in our chequered history. The only way out is

reform that is holistic, and that too would be resisted not just by madrassahs but other private purveyors of education– tooth and nail, or even by grenade and kalashnikov. That is why reform has to be all-encompassing, enveloping our entire education system and not just restricted to being madrassah-centric. That would test the will of our government, at both the federal and provincial level. India had done it early, when madrassah-educated but multi-faceted religious scholar Maulana Abul Kalam Azad immediately after the Independence as central minister announced its policy: one educational system for all, from one end of India to the other. From that one step, India has benefited tremendously. Even the madrassahs had to conform to that system, imparting education according to the national syllabi. As a corollary, now there are examples of madrassahs having Hindu students in sizable numbers. The incentive for them is almost free board and lodge, and education of the same quality that they’d get elsewhere. Madrassahs in India thus retains its Muslim root and character yet hugs the mainstream. In Pakistan, unlike most civilised nations, we have a system of educational apartheid. And the madrassah represents just one aspect of the so many diverse tiers that are meant to keep the rich, the middle and lower middle class and the poor apart, with the cost of education having a direct bearing on the level of its quality. Madrassahs aside, unless that changes, until this educational apartheid ends and until education is not free, for all and one that has not such disconnect with our culture and history, we would continue to suffer its consequences. The faces of the tortured young men only told the story of a suffering that blights the entire nation and its future in so many ways. The writer is Sports and Magazines Editor, Pakistan Today.

Regional press

Talking to the Taliban Daily Wahdat

he Western media is worried over reports regarding talks between Pakistan and Taliban militants. Instead of flashing news item pertaining to the confirmation of dialogue by Taliban commander Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the western media has foregrounded the denial of these talks by an unknown militant. The West believes that after reconciliation with the Pakistan government, these Taliban could intensify terrorist acts inside Afghanistan. Many international news outlets are casting their aspersions regarding this dialogue process. The Asia Times reports that such dialogues have further affected the already tense re-

lations between the United States and Pakistan. Reuters quoting a Taliban leader has reported that the Pakistan government has freed 145 Taliban militants. Similarly, Reuters has also held Lashkar-i-Jhanghavi responsible for the terrorist acts in Afghanistan on the eve of Ashura procession, despite Afghan authorities being silent on the issue. No one can deny that dialogues are a viable option of resolving the conflict with the militants. It is high time for leaders and rulers of both Pakistan and Afghanistan to go ahead with such negotiations and ignore the negative propaganda of western media in this respect. – Translated from the original Pashto by Shamim Shahid

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Comment 13

Not without an apology

To our super-patriots

How to bring relations back on track?

Discretion is the better part of valour

Cross Currents By Qudssia Akhlaque

n the 10-year US-led ‘war on terror’ there has been repeated criticism in Pakistan about its objectives and strategy. Pakistan too, as US's principal partner in this war, has gone ahead despite distrust and disagreements. Suspicion in fact has been the mainstay on both sides, as has been the need to remain partners. But the November 26 US-led Nato attacks on the Salala border posts in Mohmand Agency upset even this uneasy partnership. Twenty-four Pakistani troops were martyred in these air-strikes. Pakistan has rejected Washington’s& Brussels’s initial explanation of self-defence or even the attacks being accidental. According to Pakistan's narrative, the deadly attacks were pre-meditated. The two narratives obviously clash. In Pakistan, the question being repeatedly asked is why would a key ally actually opt to attack? What was the intended purpose? The US-led Nato forces demolished men and materials at these checkposts recently set up to prevent, reportedly TTP militants coming from Afghanistan and attacking Pakistani forces. Pakistanis claim the Americans had been informed of these border posts. Meanwhile, in Washington the US military chief Gen Martin Dempsey refuting the Pakistani insistence of the Nato attack being a deliberate one wondered, “What in the world we will hope to gain from it?” It has come down to Dempsey's word versus what Pakistan's Director-General Military Operations believes has happened and has accordingly briefed the Cabinet, the parliamentary committees and the media. Dempsey's question even many outraged Pakistanis share. Could CIA without Dempsey's

clearance have masterminded this? Possible objectives: to test Pakistan’s institutional threshold for a Salala-like US attack to assess the political, military and diplomatic response from Pakistan. The US military chief has already declared that under hot pursuit, terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan need to be dismantled. Notably BBC’s recent twohour documentary “Secret Pakistan” points to the US, UK and Nato attempt at scapegoating Pakistan for their failure in Afghanistan. It conveniently ascribes the lack of progress in the decade long war against terrorism in Afghanistan and their occupation of the country to “Pakistani duplicity.” Could the Pentagon and CIA have retaliated to the attacks inside Afghanistan by largely Pakistan-based militants like the Haqqani network? Attacks also targeted the US embassy and Nato headquarters in Kabul earlier this year. Is the underlying message: if our soldiers are targeted, yours will also not be spared? This is also somewhat reflected in the post November 26 attack statement from the Nato Secretary-general, saying he was sorry to learn about the deaths of Pakistani troops just as he is sorry about deaths of Nato and American soldiers in Afghanistan. Where is the parallel, how can foreign troops killed by militants be equated with deaths of Pakistani soldiers caused by an attack by US forces? Another view could be that according to Pentagon/CIA calculations, the Salala attack was a punitive move to strengthen antiPakistan TTP thereby putting pressure on Pakistan to facilitate dialogue and help ‘deal’ with the Taliban and the Haqqani group. The Salala attack has led to the surfacing of another key fear of Washington’s final aim to neutralise Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Fear is again gripping the imagination of several national security analysts. The argument is that the Salala attack would instigate political instability in Pakistan, weaken the military establishment and reinvoke fear about the Pakistani nuclear arsenal falling in the “wrong hands”. This would, many argue, even if somewhat unconvincing, make a case for international regime to step in and

‘secure’ Pakistan’s nuclear weapons before extremist forces take over. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA operative and now an influential voice in Washington, has advocated this position. His earlier article titled ‘Containment of Pakistan’ reflects this view. Obama chose Riedel, in 2009, to lead the inter-agency review of policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan for the White House. According to Riedel, as reported in a December 5 AFP story, “the Pakistani army is gradually installing a new military dictatorship, without even needing to resort to a coup.” He argues that "The new military dictatorship that is emerging in Pakistan will be very different from its predecessors." However, while the CENTCOM report of the formal investigation into the Salala airstrike is due on 23 Dec, privately Nato officials have conceded that it was a “massive miscalculation” on the part of a local commander who decided to go for an overkill. That like in three previous similar incidents, this time too they would be able to get away with such a deadly attack. Despite recent exchanges between Pakistan-US military officials, in Pakistan the word is that unless an apology is forthcoming, resumption of genuine security cooperation is unlikely. In Washington, meanwhile, the importance of the relationship is being daily underscored; yet there is no indication that Washington will apologise. For both countries, but for different reasons, severing of ties is virtually unthinkable. Some imaginative, win-win approach is definitely needed to bring this currently crisis-ridden relationship back on track. In addition to an apology, punishment of those responsible for the attack, Pakistan also seeks guarantees that a repeat of Salala will not occur. The writer is a senior journalist and has been a diplomatic correspondent for leading dailies. She was an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow at The Chicago Tribune in the US and a Press Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge, UK. She can be reached via email at qudssia@hotmail.com

hank goodness the nationwide frenzy stirred by our super-patriotic but lazy anchors, members of establishment and others on the Nato-ISAF attack and Memogate is somewhat on the wane. Until now, public emotions and fear of the establishment were so strong that no TV analyst or newspaper columnist could dare express doubt or question the official line. However, Pakistanis are back to coping with the perennial issues of “Bijlee, Pani aur Mahngai” which have made ordinary Pakistani’s life miserable, or in Hobbes’s words “brutish, nasty and short”. The question is who benefited from it. There can be no doubt that the frenzy was irrational and has damaged Pakistan’s international position so badly that it may take years to recover from it. Pakistan’s regional and international isolation has further intensified and its international credibility is down to zero. Aside from its diplomatic situation, Pakistan’s economic condition has also suffered further loss: its stock markets have lost many points since then, the value of its currency has declined by more than 10%, while government borrowing has exceeded Rs 3 trillion, flight of capital has increased manifold, unemployment and underemployment have increased, corruption is at an all time high, and the law and order situation reBy Mansoor Alam mains precarious. In short, the sense of insecurity in the public has aggravated and the political situation - already unstable - has been further destabilised. The back of the nation has reached a breaking point. Nevertheless, our PM, parliamentarians and the establishment did not hesitate or think twice about boycotting the Bonn conference on Afghanistan. According to newspaper reports, our COAS has given local commanders permission to fire at all intruding forces without permission from the high command. On the other hand, the reaction of President Obama, senior officials of his administration, Nato secretary general and others has so far been muted. Since the Nato attack was undoubtedly deliberate and it was known to the crew of its helicopters and fighter planes that both Pakistani posts were manned by its soldiers, their expressions of regret and sorrow may not be sincere. Nevertheless, discretion being the better part of valour, we should accept them at face value and use them for damage control. The Bonn conference was held without us and our boycott did us

no favours. It took some far-reaching decisions and the western countries are economically and militarily capable of implementing them without our help. Although Pakistan’s cooperation would help them in achieving their goal of a stable, more peaceful and terrorist-free Afghanistan, post withdrawal of US forces in 2014, it is not an indispensable condition for West’s success in the war against terrorism. Therefore, our non-cooperation can at best only slow down their victory but will not deter them from pursuing this objective. On the other hand, these countries are in a strong position to damage Pakistan economically, diplomatically and militarily. Pakistan is under heavy foreign debt to western countries and west-dominated international financial institutions and is not in a position to pay its debts or even service it without the assistance of these countries and institutions. Some Pakistanis may believe that we can simply commit a default, like some Latin American countries in the past, but that may result in the confiscation of all of Pakistan’s moveable and immovable properties abroad. In other words, PIA, National Shipping Corporation, foreign branches of Pakistani banks etc will cease to exist. Our foreign trade will come to a standstill, and foreign investment - already low - will dry up completely for umpteen years to come. Militarily also, Nato can inflict irreparable damage to our armed forces and all our economic and military infrastructures, in case we try to blackmail the West by threatening to use or sell nuclear weapons to radical countries or groups. Letting safe havens exist for terrorists to plan 9/11 like attacks will surely lead to massive military repercussions. There should be no doubt in our minds or that of our military leaders that the West will not take military action against us for fear of our nukes or their falling into the hands of terrorist. Nothing would serve militant groups more than conflict escalating between Pakistan and Nato as they could capitalise on the resultant chaos. Some of our super-patriots may consider such practical thinking as an act of cowardice on my part. But there are tens of thousands of Pakistanis like me who are neither lackeys of the West nor afraid to uphold the honour and dignity of Pakistan when required. But we do not believe in adventurism at the cost of Pakistan’s integrity and independence. I, therefore, hope that my advice will be taken as a realistic and patriotic assessment of our situation by all concerned rather than as act of cowardice. The writer is a former Ambassador of Pakistan

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14 Foreign News

Friday, 16 December, 2011

Toxic alcohol kills at least 102 in east india KOLKAtA Afp

yItZHAR: jewish settlers’ children read from the holy torah, on the rubbles of an illegal settlement house, which was demolished by the Israeli army on thursday in the northern West Bank near the palestinian city of Nablus. afp

israel razes structures in west Bank settler outpost MItZPE YItZHAR Afp

Israeli troops demolished two structures in an illegal settlement outpost in the northern West Bank in a pre-dawn operation on Thursday, military officials said. Troops and police entered the outpost and demolished a residential building and a goatshed, both of which were built on private Palestinian land, police and the military said. “The operation in Mitzpe Yitzhar was in accordance with a Supreme Court order to remove these structures by the end of the year because they are built on private Palestinian land,” said Guy Inbar, spokesman for COGAT, the military unit responsible for civilian affairs in the West Bank. Mitzpe Yitzhar outpost is an informal extension of the nearby Yitzhar settlement which lies five kilometres (three miles) south of Nablus. The outpost has never been formally recognised by the Israeli government and is home to some six families. Settler activists had hoped to prevent the operation but appeared to be taken by surprise, with troops reportedly entering the area via a Palestinian village, then declaring the outpost a closed military zone. Moves by the state to dismantle outposts often spark so-called “price tag” attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinians and their property, which lately have also been aimed at the army and leftwing Israeli activists.

Toll from Belgian carnage climbs to 5 BRUSSELS Afp

The toll from a murderous spree by a lone gunman in the Belgian city of Liege on Thursday climbed to five dead and 125 wounded after a woman succumbed to her injuries overnight, officials said. Armed with grenades and an automatic assault rifle, ex convict Nordine Amrani killed two teenaged boys and a 17month-old baby in a square crowded with school-children and lunch-hour Christmas shoppers on Tuesday before turning the gun on himself with a shot to the head. Police also found the body of a cleaning-woman in her 40s lying in a shed he used to stash cannabis and arms. She had been killed earlier that day. An inquiry was continuing Thursday into the motive behind the attack but indications from officials and Amrani’s lawyers indicated an act of desperation by a former detainee living in fear of being thrown behind bars again. The Belgian parliament Thursday will debate the country’s gun laws as well as the followup of prisoners released on parole following the deadly attack.

US involved in Gaddafi killing, says Putin g

US says ‘ludicrous’ to accuse it of killing gaddafi Putin ‘pleased’ young Russians protesting g

MOSCOW

Afp

USSIAN Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the US special forces of being involved in the killing of deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.“Who did this?” Putin said in his annual televised phone-in with Russians. “Drones, including American ones. They attacked his column. Then using the radio - through the special forces, who should not have been there - they brought in the so-called opposition and fighters, and killed him without court or investigation.” Russia had initially allowed NATO’s air campaign in Libya to go ahead by abstaining in a UN Security Council vote. But it then vehemently criticised the campaign which Putin at one stage compared to a “crusade”. His comments mark the first time that Russia has implicated the US administration in Gaddafi death. ‘LuDIcRouS’ To AccuSE: Meanwhile, Washington said Thursday it was “ludicrous” to accuse it of a role in the killing of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said US special forces were involved.“The assertion that US special operations forces were involved in the killing of Colonel Gaddafi is ludicrous,” US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta’s spokesman, Captain John Kirby, said.“The killing of Gaddafi has been very well documented publicly the circumstances surrounding it and

whom in fact was responsible for it,” he said in Baghdad where he was accompanying the Pentagon chief for a flaglowering ceremony marking the end of the war in Iraq. “We did not have American boots on the ground in the Libya operation. All our support was done through the air and on the seas,” added Kirby. Putin on Thursday said the results of Russia’s parliamentary elections reflected popular opinion but said he was pleased by the sight of mass protests of mainly young people. “I saw on television mostly young, active people clearly expressing their positions. I am pleased to see this,” Putin said in his first reaction to the mass post-election protests. In the first questions in his annual phone-in session with Russians, Putin tackled head-on the issue of the protests that followed December 4 parliamentary

elections and shook his 12-year domination of Russia. “The fact that people are expressing their point of view about the processes occurring in the country, in the economy, in the social sphere, in politics, is an absolutely normal thing, as long as people continue acting within the law. “I expect them to continue doing so,” he added. The ruling party United Russia won the parliamentary elections but with less than half the vote, a result the opposition said would have been even worse in free polls. “In my opinion, the result of these elections unquestionably reflects the real political make-up of the country,” said Putin. “The fact that United Russia retained its leading position is a very good outcome,” he added. “As for the fairness or unfairness: the opposition will always say the elections were not fair. Always. This happens everywhere, in all countries.” But in an apparent bid to calm the claims of fraud, Putin ordered the installation of web cameras in every Russian polling station. “I ask the central election commission to install web cameras in all 90,000 polling stations in the country and put the footage on the Internet so the whole country can see,” he said. But Putin also took the opportunity to mock the protesters, saying he thought white ribbons worn as a symbol of their demonstrations against his rule were contraceptives in an anti-AIDS campaign. “I decided that it was an anti-AIDS campaign... that they pinned on contraceptives, I beg your pardon, only folding them in a strange way,” Putin said. He also alleged that some of the participants were hired to protest against the government.

Toxic home-brewed alcohol thought to have been laced with the highly dangerous chemical methanol has killed at least 102 people in eastern India, a local official said on Thursday. “The death toll has touched 102,” the district magistrate of 24-Parganas district in West Bengal state, Narayan Swarup Nigam, said by telephone. Those affected are from 10 villages in the area near the border with Bangladesh, with the three nearest hospitals packed with gravely sick victims, many of them labourers or rickshaw pullers too poor to afford branded alcohol. Nigam said that methanol had been detected in at least 20 victims, raising suspicion it could be to blame. The chemical is a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as an anti-freeze or fuel, but it is also sometimes added by producers of “moonshine” or home-brew liquor to increase the alcoholic content of the drink. If ingested, it can cause blindness and liver damage and it kills in larger concentrations.

israel prepares for second stage of prisoner swap JERUSALEM ReUteRs

Israel began preparations on Thursday to release 550 Palestinian prisoners in the second stage of a deal with Hamas that brought home soldier Gilad Shalit after five years of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s Prisons Service posted on its website the list of prisoners whose jail terms are to be cut and a spokeswoman said they would be assembled in two jails prior to release on Sunday. Israeli citizens have 48 hours to contest the releases in court, though historically the judiciary has chosen not to intervene in prisoner exchanges which it views as a political decision. In the first stage of the Egyptian-mediated prisoner exchange, the most lopsided in Israel’s history, 450 Palestinians were released on Oct. 18 in return for Shalit.

Kashmiri shopkeeper killed by anti-india protesters SRINAGAR Afp

A shopkeeper in Indian Kashmir died after being stoned and beaten for refusing to close his store in line with a protest by anti-Indian demonstrators, police said Thursday. Tariq Ahmad Bhat, 25 was “severely beaten by a group of stone pelters” on December 3 after defying a call to down shutters in support of a demonstration in the Muslim-majority region’s main city, Srinagar, a police statement said. The demonstration was against the arrest of a number of Kashmiri separatist activists. “The miscreants pelted stones at his shop and severely beat him with a cricket bat. He suffered serious head injuries and died Wednesday evening” in a Srinagar hospital, the statement said.

US Marines ‘exaggerated’ deeds of war hero WASHINGtON Afp

McClatchy newspapers alleged that key facts in the corps’ publicised account of Corporal Dakota Meyer’s actions in a 2009 battle were inaccurate, overstated or unsubstantiated. The US Marine Corps on Wednesday rejected a report that the elite unit exaggerated the deeds of a former trooper who won the country’s most prestigious military honor for his valor in Afghanistan. The Marines said they were “disappointed” with the article. “We firmly stand behind the Medal of Honor (MOH)

process and the conclusion that this Marine rightly deserved the nation’s highest military honor,” the Marine Corps said in a statement. Meyer, 23, was the first living Marine since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor, which was presented to him on September 15 by President Barack Obama in a televised White House ceremony. Obama hailed Meyer for defying orders and rushing into the heart of an ambush to retrieve fallen comrades, save 13 fellow Americans, kill eight Taliban insurgents and leave his gun turret to rescue two dozen Afghans. But the McClatchy report, written by Jonathan Landay, a journalist who was accompanying Meyer’s

unit and witnessed the 2009 battle in the Ganjgal Valley, said details of that account were untrue or unconfirmed. It was not possible for Meyer to have saved 13 US troops, the article said, because 12 Americans were ambushed in the battle, including the McClatchy reporter, and four troopers were killed, it said. And military documents indicated that the arrival of helicopters secured the survival of the remaining personnel, not Meyer’s vehicle. There are no statements from fellow troops confirming that Meyer, who has since left the military, killed eight Taliban as claimed on the Marine Corps website, the article said. The driver of Meyer’s ve-

hicle, Staff Sergeant Juan RodriguezChavez, reported seeing Meyer kill one insurgent. There were also no sworn statements that backed up the portrayal of Meyer leaping out of his gun turret and pulling the 24 wounded Afghans into his truck, according to the report. Meyer’s driver described nine Afghan soldiers getting into the Humvee armored vehicle by themselves while Meyer remained in the turret, it said. The article also said there was no evidence that supported the White House and Marine Corps account that Meyer defied orders by heading towards gunfire to help his comrades.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Foreign News 15

Syrian dissidents declare creation of ‘National Alliance’ g

Syria deserters kill at least 27 troops g iraq to send peace delegation to Syria: Maliki g Canada to evacuate nationals from Syria IStANBUL/NICOSIA

Afp

GROUP claiming to represent the majority of the opposition movements inside Syria declared Thursday the foundation of a “National Alliance” of revolutionary forces aiming to topple the regime. “Various revolutionary groups sought to unify their operational and political leadership to join forces and overthrow the regime,” Mohammed Bessam Imadi, a former Syrian ambassador to Sweden, told a press conference in Istanbul. “Now that the time is ripe, it has become necessary to declare our existence publicly. Therefore, we announce the National Alliance of

Forces, Coordinators and Councils of the Syrian Revolution, Al-Leeqa,” he said, reading a statement. “We have managed to gather all these groups under the same umbrella,” he said. Meanwhile, Syrian army deserters killed at least 27 soldiers and members of the security forces during clashes in the southern province of Daraa on Thursday, a rights group said. The fighting broke out at dawn at checkpoints in three separate locations, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. As the toll mounted, UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged world powers to act “in the name of humanity” against the crackdown, and the US State Department’s special coordinator on Middle East affairs, Frederic Hof, likened the Damascus regime to a “dead man walking.”

Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday said Iraq will send a delegation to Syria to try to convince Damascus to implement a Baghdad initiative to end months of bloody conflict. The initiative is aimed at opening a dialogue between the opposition and the Syrian government to reach a result that satisfies both sides, he said. Meanwhile, Canada announced Thursday it was organising an evacuation of its nationals from Syria, saying the situation in the violence-wracked Middle East nation “continues to deteriorate.” Foreign Minister John Baird said Ottawa had “have directed officials to undertake a voluntary evacuation over the next month” and in the meantime was calling on Canadians “to leave Syria immediately, by any available means and while options exist.”

Syrian commanders ordered protesters shot: HRW cAIRo: Syrian military commanders have ordered troops to indiscriminately shoot at unarmed protesters, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday based on interviews with former soldiers who defected. The defectors named 74 military and intelligence officers “who allegedly ordered, authorised, or condoned widespread killings, torture, and unlawful arrests,” the rights group said in a statement. Troops were ordered to stamp out the anti-government demonstrations “by all means necessary”, including lethal force, HRW said. It said that about half of the defectors interviewed were given direct orders to fire on both protesters and

bystanders. “Defectors gave us names, ranks, and positions of those who gave the orders to shoot and kill,” Anna Neistat, HRW’s associate director for emergencies, said in a statement. One defector identified as “Amjad” said he was deployed in Daraa in the south, and told HRW that he was ordered by his commander to fire on protesters on April 25. “The commander of our regiment, Brigadier General Ramadan Ramadan... said, ‘Use heavy shooting. Nobody will ask you to explain.’ The New York-based rights group said its report, “By All Means Necessary,” was based on interviews with more than 60 Syrian former soldiers. AFP

2011 tOpshOts

italy, Libya to reactivate friendship treaty ROME Afp

Italy and Libya are ready to “reactivate” their treaty of friendship, Prime Minister Mario Monti said Thursday after a meeting with the head of Libya’s National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil. Abdel Jalil was in Rome to discuss the 2008 treaty of friendship between Libya and its former colonial power Italy, which was signed by the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi and former premier Silvio Berlusconi. The treaty saw Italian companies granted billions of euros in contracts in exchange for $5 billion in compensation for colonial rule, to be paid over 25 years. It also included construction of around 1,700 kilometres of motorway coastline in Libya at a cost of $3 billion, and allowed Italy to send back immigrants reaching its shores from Libya. Monti reiterated Rome’s willingness to “unblock as soon as possible frozen Libyan funds” in Italy. “Italy has already unblocked 600 million euros”, he said, adding that a part of that sum could be used to reimburse Libyan debt owed to Italian businesses.

iranian uranium to go into nuclear plant mid-February

IstANBUl: turkish Muslims burn a picture of egyptian president Hosni Mubarak on january 30, 2011 during a protest against his regime outside the egyptian consulate, following a police crackdown on deadly protests in which around 50 people were killed. AFP

tEHRAN Afp

Iran is to insert its first domestically produced high enriched uranium into its Tehran reactor by mid-February, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said in comments published by the state IRNA news agency on Thursday. The announced deadline could sharpen international tensions over Iran’s controversial nuclear programme at a time of increased speculation in Israeli and US media of military strikes on Iran’s atomic facilities. “Within the next two months, the first fuel plate produced with the 20 percent enriched uranium will be placed in Tehran’s research reactor,” Salehi, who previously headed Iran’s nuclear organisation, was quoted as saying. His statement was an excerpt from a longer interview to be released in full on Saturday, IRNA said.

Thousands rally in China WuKAN: Thousands of residents of a Chinese village under police blockade rallied Thursday to demand the government take action over illegal land grabs and the death in custody of a local leader. The people of Wukan - a fishing village in the wealthy southern province of Guangdong with about 13,000 inhabitants - accuse corrupt local officials of stealing communal land without compensating them. Wukan has been the scene of repeated and at times violent protests over land seizures, a hugely contentious issue in China, where authorities are accused of colluding with developers in lucrative real estate deals. Local anger boiled over with the death Sunday in police custody of a village leader tasked with negotiating with authorities over the row. AFP

Asia frets over oil as US eyes new Iran sanctions

Chirac convicted of graft, but escapes jail

US talks to China, others on fresh iran sanctions g South Korea, Japan eye exemptions from proposed US sanctions g

SEOUL/tOKYO ReUteRs

Plans for fresh US sanctions to isolate Tehran have sent shudders among Asian governments who fear they will have no way to pay for Iranian crude imports and face rising costs to fuel the region’s growing economies. Top buyer China, meanwhile, is looking to cash in on the pressure Tehran faces to snap up discounted Iranian crude. At stake is around 1.4 million barrels of oil that Iran ships to Asia every day, meeting 10 percent of demand from top buyers China and India. South Korea, Japan and India are scrambling to find ways to keep the oil flowing. Any restriction on oil supplies from Iran, the world’s fifth-largest crude exporter, could drive up already high oil prices and threaten economies already facing the impact of the euro zone debt crisis. Japan is in talks with US diplomats about a possible waiver to US legislation that would make it more difficult to pay Iran. South Korea would also

seek an exemption if the bill is signed into law, which US Congress expects to send to President Barack Obama as early as this week. Existing sanctions do not penalise non-US refiners from buying Iranian crude, but they make it hard for foreign banks to pay Iran the hard currency that makes up around 50 percent of its government revenue. New US measures would make paying harder still by blacklisting the OPEC member’s central bank. EU leaders called for more sanctions against Iran by the end of January, in an effort to increase pressure on Tehran over its disputed nuclear programme. The United States has assured all Asian buyers, including China, that it would work with them to ensure the global oil market remained well supplied, as Washington seeks to derail Tehran’s nuclear programme. It is unclear how the US hopes China would cooperate if Washington imposes another round of unilateral sanctions. Beijing has previously criticised measures imposed outside United Nations’ sanctions. Beijing is Iran’s biggest trade

partner but there is no sign Tehran is using oil to keep China sweet. Tehran is not budging on terms and wants Sinopec and state oil trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp to pay more and faster than it has done in 2011. While Beijing looks to take advantage of political tensions, both Japan and South Korea struggle to balance their close alliance with the United States with their dependence on Iranian oil imports. US politicians have included a provision in the legislation to allow Washington to grant a waiver to countries that have helped US efforts to isolate Iran. Previous rounds of international sanctions mean it would be tough to find alternative payment channels, he said. Those sanctions have blacklisted many other Iranian banks. South Korea, the world’s fifthlargest crude importer, wants to keep Iran’s central bank accounts open at two Korean banks, government officials said. Without them, it cannot pay for Iranian oil. If Seoul fails to achieve a waiver, it may seek a grace period to make new arrangements and avoid falling foul of the sanctions, they added.

PARIS Afp

Popular former French president Jacques Chirac was convicted of graft on Thursday but escaped jail when he was handed a two-year suspended sentence for running ghost workers at Paris city hall. The 79year-old statesman, who was excused from court on medical grounds, was found guilty of influence peddling, breach of trust and embezzlement between 1990 and 1995 when he was mayor of the French capital. The verdict marked the end of a long legal drama.Thursday’s tough sentence was a surprise. Even state prosecutors had called for Chirac - who still polls as one of France’s most popular figures.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Nude photo shoot was

IN LIMELIGHT

not planned, says Veena

new DeLhi: Models display creations made from recycled tin cans during the 'Canviroment week 2011' event.

MUMBAI

ZeeNeWs

OLLYWOOD proved to be a steppingstone for a successful career for Pakistani starlet Veena Malik, courtesy her sleazy stint in TV reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ season 4. Veena’s latest antic that has taken her country by storm is her nude photo shoot for FHM magazine. Though Veena admitted posing topless, she categorically denied going full monty for the magazine. She has also slammed fashion designer and stylist Umair Zafar for accusing her of being involved in a meticulously planned gambit. He had said that Veena knew about her nude portrayal on the cover of the magazine as she wanted to gain enough publicity ahead of the launch of her ‘Swayamwar’. Veena’s representative Sohail Rashid said that the actress was shocked to learn about the false accusations made by Umair, as she had no idea about his existence and added, “Besides, there was no reason for her to make such publicity stunts, as she is a well known and famous personality herself. She has under her belt as many as six Bollywood projects in the pipeline, why would she need publicity?” However, even Rashid admitted than Veena had posed topless. “Let me explain, she had covered herself with her arms. It was not a nude shoot, as being claimed. In India, we need to live up to international standards, hence this bold shoot was done by her. Now the legal battle will ensue from our front,” Rashid added.

MoSCow: Singer Paul McCartney performs during his concert.

Lady Gaga named top earning woman in music MELBOURNE AGeNCIes

Lady Gaga has been crowned the biggest-earning female artist of the year. According to Forbes.com, the ‘Marry the Night’ singer’s earning was more than double of any other female pop stars over the past 12 months, raking in an impressive 90 million dollars in 2011, the Daily Telegraph reported. Country singer Taylor Swift came in second with 45 million dollars with Katy Perry closely behind her with 44 million dollars. Beyonce Knowles and Ri-

Ranveer to

hanna rounded off the top five, earning 35 million dollars and 29 million dollars respectively. Gaga’s remarkable earnings were mainly due to her ‘Monster Ball’ tour, which grossed 1.3 million dollars a night as well as

MUMBAi: Kalki Koechlin dances during the launch of Swarovski 'Swing, Sing and Shine' collection show.

many endorsement deals, which included the likes of Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Monster Cable and PlentyOfFish.com. The earnings estimates were arrived with the help of data from Pollstar, RIAA and others, as well as extensive interviews with industry insiders including lawyers, managers, concert promoters, agents and, in some cases, the musicians themselves. The Top 10 of Forbes.com’s Top Earning Women in Music List was rounded off by Pink, Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Adele, Alicia Keys and Britney Spears.

woowithSonakshi Dev Anand’s songs MUMBAI: Dev Anand lives again! in the soonto-start-shooting of six million rupee-action-adventure ‘Lootera’, Ranveer Singh would reportedly be shown wooing Sonakshi Sinha with some of the evergreen star’s hit numbers, including ‘Khoya khoya chand’, ‘Tere mere sapne’ and ‘Yeh dil na hota bechara’. Producer Madhu Mantena, who was associated with hMv-Saregama, will apply for the rights of Dev Anand melodies. These, say a source, would not be applied to the film in any random fashion. The songs would be filmed keeping the mood and tempo and flavour of the original sequences, and no tampering to the core of the compositions or their screen interpretations at all. Apparently, director vikramaditya Motwane would shoot the songs in black-and-white. Ranveer, a huge Dev Anand fan, would be shown as a Dev Anand fan in the film, sporting the same hairstyle, clothes, attitude and of course the songs. AGeNCIes

LonDon: Former Spice girls singer geri halliwell signs an autograph for a guest at British Chancellor of the exchequer george osborne's annual Christmas party. SAo PAULo: South Korean pop singer g.nA performs during a world tour with other artists, aimed at increasing Korean pop music popularity in the region. LoS AngeLeS: Actresses Regina King and Judy greer announce the nominees for Best Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries at the Screen Actors guild Awards nominations Announcement.

Buying frenzy greets

Priyanka scared

Liz Taylor dresses auction

debut album will

NeW yoRK: The allure of owning a piece of elizabeth Taylor's glamour - and her epic romance with Richard Burton - drove prices sky high wednesday at an auction of the hollywood legend's haute couture and jewellery. Coming the day after a recordsetting $116 million auction of Taylor's fanciest jewels, including an $11.8-million pearl necklace, the sale at Christie's in new York again saw stunning prices. A highlight of the auction - the yellow chiffon dress she wore for her first marriage to fellow star Burton - did not go under the hammer.

Christie's announced it had been withdrawn and would be donated to an institution. Taylor was always famous for her extraordinary wardrobe and one of the biggest successes of the auction was a silver Christian Dior evening gown and matching bag fetching $362,500, leaving the estimate of $4,0006,000 trailing. Another Dior, this time an evening gown in scarlet chiffon, sold for $20,000, four times the pre-sale estimate, while a beaded 1992 versace jacket known as "The Face," fetched $128,500, more than six times its high estimate. AGeNCIes

spill out her life

DUBAI: priyanka Chopra is worried that people will get to know too much of her private life through the lyrics she has written for her debut album. the actress and former Miss World has turned singer and is set to release her music album in 2012. “We’re hoping to record a single in the next couple of months and let’s see where it leads,” Gulf News quoted her as saying. “you know, the more I’ve written, the more I’ve realised I’m spilling out my life in the music and it’s really scary because I’m a very private person and when I read my lyrics I go, ‘My God, it’s me!’ you can tell so much about people by just reading their lyrics,” she said. AGeNCIes

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17 If I die, heed my advice, Jackson told daughter LOS ANGELES AGeNCIes

Michael Jackson told his daughter Paris, "If I die tomorrow, always remember what I told you," the 13-year-old said Wednesday, recalling how her King-of-Pop father encouraged her acting talent. In her first solo TV interview, Paris - who is working on her movie debut said she wanted to act from a young age, and revealed how she initially thought it was "stupid" when her father forced his children to wear face masks. She loved acting since she was "really little, because my dad was in the (1988) movie 'Moonwalker,' and I knew he could sing really well, but I didn't know he could act. I saw that and I went 'Wow, I want to be just like him,'" she said. "We did (acting) improvs together, he would give us little scenarios, and say like, 'In this

scene you're gonna cry, and I'd cry on the spot," she told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, in excerpts released ahead of the Thursday broadcast. Asked if she could cry on the spot, she added: "Yes... apparently I was faking it a lot of times." Paris, dressed in black with a black hat reminiscent of her fa-

ther, remembered how she and her siblings Prince Michael and Blanket had to wear face masks when they were young, to protect their identity. "I'm like, this is stupid, why am I wearing a mask?" she said, but added: "I realized... the older I got, he only tried to protect us." And she recalled: "He said, 'If I die tomor-

‘the help’ tops nods as Hollywood

eyes awards season LOS ANGELES AGeNCIes

‘The Help’, a film about the lives of black servants in the pre-civil rights US south, topped Hollywood’s first main prize shortlist Wednesday as Tinsel Town gears up for its annual awards season. The movie garnered four nominations from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the union representing some 200,000 film and television performers. Unlike the more famous Oscars, SAG awards are handed out to both film and TV shows. The SAG announcement comes one day ahead of nominations for the Golden Globes, also seen as a key indicator of hopes for the Oscars, the climax of Hollywood’s annual gong-fest. ‘The Artist,’, a tribute to the silent movie era, was in second place with three SAG award nods, including for outstanding cast performance - which has in the past pointed towards the ultimate prize, the best picture Academy Award. On the small screen, Emmy-winning sitcom ‘Modern Family’ won five nomina-

Pilots

tions including best ensemble cast in a TV comedy, while there were nods also for British actresses Kate Winslet and Maggie Smith. Actors George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Glenn Close are also among stars tipped for prizes from the Guild. For outstanding cast performance, Disney’s ‘The Help’ is up against ‘The Descendants,’ “The Artist,’ girls’ night favorite ‘Bridesmaids’ and Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris,’ hailed by many as a long overdue return to form. For best actor, Clooney - playing a single father in ‘The Descendants’ - faces competition from DiCaprio, for his portrayal of legendary FBI director J Edgar Hoover in ‘J Edgar’ and Pitt in baseball movie ‘Moneyball’. Also in the running for the male prize are Demian Bichir for his role as an immigrant in a ‘A Better Life’ and Jean Dujardin, who made a big splash with the homage to silent movies, ‘The Artist.’ For best actress Streep, playing Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady,’ is up against Close in ‘Albert Nobbs,’ Davis in ‘The

row, always remember what I told you.' And I took his advice, and I remembered everything he told me." Paris, who was 11 when Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, will star in a live action/animated film called ‘Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys’, based on a famous book series for teenagers. Her movie debut news comes after a tough few months for the Jackson family, as the star's doctor Conrad Murray stood trial for involuntary manslaughter. He was convicted and sentenced to the maximum four years last month. Paris Jackson famously cried at her father's funeral, but managed to speak through her sobs: "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father... you could ever imagine.... And I just wanted to say I love him... so much." In October she appeared on stage with older brother Prince Michael, 14, and nine-year-old Blanket, at a tribute concert for their father in Cardiff, Wales.

Help,’ Tilda Swinton in ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ and Michelle Williams as Monroe in ‘My Week With Marilyn.’ The SAGs shortlists were notable for some absentees, including Martin Scorsese’s ‘Hugo’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘War Horse,’ which many have tipped for possible awards over the next few months. They were hoping for better news early Thursday, when the Golden Globes nominations will be announced. They will be followed by the SAG awards on January 29, while Hollywood has to wait until February 26 for the Academy Awards, to be hosted by Oscars veteran Billy Crystal, after Eddie Murphy pulled out amid a row.

No more winter

blues with LAHORE stAff RepoRt

As a brand, Kayseria is constantly inspired by the allure of all great traditions of the world, past and present – a vast reservoir of ideas aesthetics and concepts handed down, across countless ages by artistes who have historically striven towards the creation of that which is beautiful. Drawing on this guiding design ethos, this winter, Kayseria presents a mix of living colours and designs, vibrant and eclectic, etched on to their signature and renowned quality fabric. The Kayseria Winter Collection draws further inspiration from Fashion Designer Klint, animal prints, African Ikat, Islamic motifs, Egyptian Art, Fresco, Islamic Geometry, Mughal Art, Chintz, the Chinese province of Miao, Islamic Textile, Phulkari, Petradeuro, Floral Mosaic and Abstract art as envisioned by their lead designer, Waleed Zaman. Indeed Kayseria interprets the winter season as bright and vivacious with a variety of over 25 winter designs all available in three piece suits as well as single shirts, including exclusive digital prints in multiple colour palettes. The Kayseria Winter Collection also comes with embellished buttons, embellished water lace, exclusive appliqué velvet lace, cotton satin embroidered trousers, “malmal” embroidered dupattas, organza embroidered lace and grip embroidered trousers for select designs with fabrics such as Lyocell, Modal Staple, Finer Cambric, Cotton Linen, Silk Jacquard, Khaddar, Bamboo Slub Modal, Bamboo Slub Cotton, Chiffon, Grip Silk and Chamois Silk. Shahnameh, an exclusive range of Men’s Easternwear by Kayseria is also being presented within the brands’ Winter Collection, with over nine designs available in multiple colour palettes based in fabrics such as Silk Jacquard, Chambray and Cambric. The Winter Collection is now exclusively available at over 60 Kayseria outlets across 5 countries.

After Playboy headlines,

cleared good news to use iPad during takeoff, landing for Lohan

WAsHINGtoN: Apple's iPad has been cleared for use by American Airlines pilots during takeoff and landing in a move that could make bulky flight bags crammed with manuals and charts a thing of the past. American Airlines began testing iPads as "electronic flight bags" last year and a number of other carriers, including United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, have followed suit. But pilots were barred from using the touchscreen tablet computers during "critical phases of flight" - operations below 10,000 feet (3,048 metres) - pending further evaluation. Les Dorr, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman, said American Airlines received authorisation from the FAA on December 1 to use the iPad in the cockpit during all phases of flight, including takeoff and landing. "American Airlines is the first major air carrier to get approval for operational use of the iPad as an electronic flight bag," Dorr told AFP, adding that the authorization followed an evaluation period of around six months. AGeNCIes

los ANGeles: A judge showered rare praise wednesday on troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan, saying she had surpassed the terms of her probation and could go on vacation over the coming festive period. The encouragement from Judge Stephanie Sautner came days after Lohan made headlines when a nude Playboy photo shoot of the actress leaked online, triggering the magazine to bring forward the release of the print issue. The terms of Lohan's probation have restricted her travel but not her right to work, as long as she fulfills community service and other commitments. "Miss Lohan, you have actually done the work, and done it not only on time, but early," said Sautner, who has seen the 25-year-old regularly over the last year or so, during which the star has faced repeated brief terms in jail. Specifically she told Lohan that, as long as she fulfills her probation requirement of 12 days of community service and four therapy sessions between monthly court appearances, she has the right to leave California on vacations. AGeNCIes

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

King Djokovic reigns supreme Page 21

DhAKA: Pakistani cricketers jog during a team training session. AFP MIRPUR CRICINfo

There is some confusion surrounding Bangladesh's squad for the second Test against Pakistan, which begins on Saturday, over the status of Mohammad Ashraful. The coach Stuart Law has said Ashraful was part of the squad - and he was seen training with his team-mates - but the selection panel's list, which is yet to be approved by the BCB president as is mandatory, does not contain his name. The confusion arose after the selection panel were reported to have picked a squad for the second Test excluding Ashraful and the injured Rubel Hossain, and giving Shafiul Islam a recall. The list is expected to be approved by BCB president Mustafa Kamal, who is due back in the country late on Thursday night. Ashraful, however, checked into the team hotel yesterday along with the other members of the squad and went through the pre-match procedures this morning and it seemed the team management were working on the assumption that he would be picked. "As far as I know, Ashraful is in the squad. That's why he's here in practice. We haven't been told anything different," Law said. "Maybe it is speculation and that sort of thing goes on in this part of the world. "All I have done is prepared like a Test match. I have told everyone to be prepared for all outcomes come match day. That's the same in any team. We have turned up here today as a squad from the first Test. We have all practiced like we are playing a Test match. So that's not an issue." Akram Khan, the chief selector, told reporters that the panel had finalised the team and handed it over to the BCB. "We submitted the team to the board today because we have only two days in hand for

Asia Cup dates rule out India series LAHORE

T practice before the second Test match." Ashraful had made a comeback to the squad for the first Test against Pakistan, after being dropped for Tests against West Indies and the ODIs against Pakistan. He managed only 1 and 0 in Chittagong.

Bopanna wants Indo-Pak peace match LAHORE stAff RepoRt

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna sees the tennis series between Pakistan and India would open up new horizons in relations between the two countries Bopanna arrived here Thursday to attend the wedding of his doubles partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. Qureshi, 31, recently got engaged to Faha Makhdoom, a Pakistani British citizen who was chosen by his family. Celebrations over four days will mark the couple's marriage this week. Talking to journalists here at the Lahore Gymkhana tennis courts along with compatriot Muhammad Mustafa, Bopanna said that he was feeling at home and would hope to see the two countries break all shackles of hatred and live together peacefully. Pakistan’s Davis Cupper Aqeel Khan was also present on the occasion and practiced with Bopanna and Mustafa. "I have come here to attend Aisam's wedding and I am very happy for my friend," Bopanna said. Bopanna said Qureshi was

his best friend in the tennis world and he was pleased to be part of his friend's happiness. Responding to a question about his pairing with Qureshi, Bopanna said he would not reply to any queries about

tennis. "It's a moment of happiness for my friend, lets enjoy it," he said. Bopanna will return to India on December 19 after the festivities. “It’s nice to be in Pakistan and I hope we resume tennis between the two countries which in turn would increase interest in the sport in both the countries,” Bopanna said. Bopanna and Qureshi, who doubled up in 2007 and shot to fame by finishing as runners up in last year’s US open, have been poster boys for Indian-Pakistani rapprochement. “We are good friends and will remain good friends,” said Bopanna. “I am here to attend his wedding and am very happy at that.” Bopanna said they were still waiting for permission for the “peace match.” “We offered to play a match at the Wagah border and wrote letters to both governments, but we still await clearance,” said Bopanna. A recent thaw in relations and a resumption of the tenuous peace process earlier this year has raised hopes that direct sports matches can resume, notably in India and Pakistan’s twin obsession of cricket.

stAff RepoRt/CRICINfo

HE Asian Cricket Council has confirmed that the Asia Cup 2012 will go ahead as scheduled, from March 12 to 22 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, all but ruling out the possibility of Pakistan touring India as outlined in the Future Tours Programme, reported Cricinfo. The decision was taken at the ACC's meeting in Singapore earlier this week; it also endorsed, pending a fuller discussion and satisfaction with security and other issues, a proposal by Pakistan to host the 2014 tournament. "It was agreed that the Asia Cup 2012 would go ahead on the proposed dates," Subhan Ahmed, the PCB chief operating officer, was quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "There was

discussion of the ACC postponing the Asia Cup if both India and Pakistan agreed to play their series within that slot but that idea has faded out for many reasons." The PCB was hoping at the meeting to get some confirmation from the BCCI on the resumption of bilateral series between India and Pakistan but Subhan said that the BCCI representative, Ratnakar Shetty, was unable to give any assurance in the absence of N Srinivasan, the president of the Indian board. "Pakistan-India series was not on the agenda at the ACC meeting but we were looking forward to Srinivasan coming across to discuss it," Ahmed said. "We had an ideal platform here to talk with our India counterpart but Srinivasan didn't attend the meeting. "Shetty was not in a position to talk on it. So I don't think India and Pakistan could play each other in a full series next year but they will meet in the Asia Cup." PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf was also in Singapore. He was due to travel to Chennai in the first week of December to talk to Srinavasan on the mutual cricketing interests of both countries but the sudden illness of President Asif Ali Zardari, also the PCB's chief patron, forced him to postpone of the visit. At the ACC meeting, Pakistan also proposed hosting the 2014 Asia Cup. Subhan said that the other ACC members showed their support and understood how essential the hosting of the event was for the country but asked the PCB to satisfy them on security concerns. "Our request has been endorsed and was not turned down. They want a full discussion on the precautionary steps that the PCB will take to ensure security. We obviously assured them the best and the case has been deferred until next meeting."

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Major headache for MCC LONDON Afp

Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major has resigned from the committee of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) because of “fundamental disagreements” over the redevelopment of its Lord’s headquarters. Major’s move came after the club’s recent announcement it was scaling back

hBL takes initiative from PiA in quaid Trophy LAHORE

its ‘Vision for Lord’s’ plan, originally conceived at a cost of £400 million in 2007, which aimed to increase the London ground’s 28,500 capacity on the back of a programme of luxury flats built at the Nursery End of the ‘home of cricket’. Instead the new scheme will see a more modest ‘stand by stand’ redevelopment. “For me cricket has been a lifelong and enduring passion and it will remain so,” Major, as much of a ‘cricket tragic’ as

former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, said. “The solace the game has given me in good times and bad, the friendships I have made, and the sheer joy of the game will never fade. “My decision to resign from the committee of the world’s pre-eminent cricket club has been reached with very great sadness and I wish other members of the committee well in their future deliberations.” An MCC statement said: “MCC has

SYDNEY

Habib Bank on Thursday overhauled a slender opening innings lead against PIA on day two of the Division-I Quaid-i-Azam Trophy match here at the LCCA ground. PIA resumed their innings at 136 for six but went down to 184 and then HBL gathered 245 for six at the time the stumps were drawn for. Meanwhile at the Gaddafi Stadium, WAPDA were at 186 for three in reply to NBP’s first innings total of 358. sCoRes: LCCA ground, Lahore. habib Bank 128 in 37.2 overs (Shan Masood 17, Ahmed Shahzad 15, Fahad Masood 44, Danish Kaneria 20, Ali imran 6-45, Kamran Sajid 3-12) and 245-6 in 63 overs (Ahmed Shahzad 81, hasan Raza 58*, Shan Masood 34, Fahad Masood 35*, Akhtar waheed 3-66). PiA 184 in 48.4 overs (Kamran Sajid 41, Faisal iqbal 35, Sarfraz Ahmed 32, Sarmad Anwar 3-60, Danish Kaneria 3-53, Fahad Masood 4-56). overnight score: PiA 134-6 in 34 overs, Toss: PiA, Umpires: zameer haider & Ahsan Raza; Referee: Aziz-ur-Rehman, At gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. national Bank 358 in 101.4 overs (Fawad Alam 65, qaiser Abbas 103, 177 balls, wahab Riaz 84, 134 balls, hammad Azam 24, imran Khan 5-126). wAPDA 186-3 in 52 overs (Riffatullah 94, Aamir Sajjad 41). overnight Score: national Bank 274-7 in 75.4 overs, Umpires: Saleem Badar & ihtsham-ul-haq; Referee: Saadat Ali.

Afp

EW Australia coach Mickey Arthur has set up a training camp for his under-fire batsmen ahead of the opening Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne. Concerned by Australia’s fallibility against the swinging ball exposed in the team’s seven-run loss to New Zealand in this week’s Hobart Test, Arthur has put in place a three-day camp in Melbourne next week. Cricket Australia said Thursday Test captain Michael Clarke will be joined by Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Dan Christian, Shane Watson and possibly Shaun Marsh, who has a back injury, in the MCG nets from next Tuesday. They will be facing bowling machines that will simulate the deliveries of tall Indian seamer Ishant Sharma and others. Meanwhile in Canberra, David

Warner, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja, who all played in the Hobart Test, will be playing for a Chairman’s XI against India in a three-day game. Arthur said the camp was designed to sharpen the focus of the Australian top order ahead of four Tests against the second-ranked Indians. “What we’re going to do at the batting camp is we’re going to talk about the Indian bowlers, we’re going to set up bowling machines a la Ishant Sharma, guys like that,” Arthur told The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday. “We’re going to practise against the swinging ball and get our basics right before Boxing Day. “There’s no major reconstruction of anyone’s technique -- it’s literally getting our guys thinking about the Test match, thinking as a group and honing our fourday skills to get the guys best prepared to play on Boxing Day.” Watson, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, has endorsed the con-

LAHORE stAff RepoRt

The 48th meeting of the Pakistan Hockey Federation Congress, 21st meeting of PHF Executive Board and 14th meeting of the PHF Women’s Council will be held in the Conference Room of National Hockey Stadium Lahore on December 26. According to an official of the PHF, Women’s Council meeting will start at 9 am, followed by the PHF Executive Board and Congress meetings. In the meetings, performance of senior and junior teams, calendar of events for the year 2012, budget estimates, audited statement of accounts and appointment of auditors will be discussed, he added.

cept of a batsmen’s get-together, particularly as a vehicle to combat swing bowling, a weapon New Zealand used to great effect at Bellerive Oval. “No doubt high-quality swing bowling is a big challenge, especially if the ball is moving late,” Watson told the newspaper. “I’m not sure if it’s a problem for Australian batsmen, it’s a problem for cricketers in general. “No doubt there have been times when we’ve had collapses when the ball is swinging around and seaming around, but other teams are having challenges as well.” Watson said Australia’s batsmen would have been working diligently on preparing individually for the vagaries of the Indian attack, regardless of whether a camp was called or not. “Guys would be doing everything possible to make sure their games are in the best place and make sure what happened against New Zealand doesn’t happen again,” he said.

wAPDA destroy KPK in national women’s hockey

inter-board weightlifting from 22nd

PhF Congress meeting on 26th

accepted with great reluctance the resignation from the club’s committee of Sir John Major because of fundamental disagreements over the direction of policy on the Vision for Lord’s; the manner in which decisions have been reached, and their wider implications for the club. “MCC has expressed grateful thanks to Sir John for his substantial contributions during three terms on the committee.”

Aussies set up batting camp ahead of India Test

stAff RepoRt

The All Pakistan Inter-board Weightlifting Championship will be held at the Old Campus University ground on December 22 at 11 am. Lahore Board announced its eightmember team consisting of gold medal winners of the Lahore Board Weightlifting Championship. Four lifters from Punjab College of Commerce: Shawaiz Qaiser 62 kg class, Salman Akeel Butt 69 kg, ASAD Talal 85kg, Mohammad Abdullah Butt 94kg, four lifters of GCU: Harris Butt 56 kg, Mohammad Ahsan 77kg, Aalamgeer 105 kg and Ali Javed +105 kg category will represent Lahore Board. Faisalabad Board will defend its title. Weighing will be held at 9 to 10 am.

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LAhoRe: Railways and Sindh players vie for the ball. NADeeM IjAZ

LAHoRE: Another five matches were played in the 27th National Women’s Hockey Championship with WAPDA breaking all previous records of goals in a match against KPK here at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore on Thursday. WAPDA went into goal spree right from the start of the match and banged the board 37 times making mockery of the rival team game standards. KPK however got one goal in a fluke. In the second match of the day, HEC beat Sindh Whites by one goal and the winning sitter came when Ambreen found an opening. Punjab Colours had a field day in their win against their sister team Punjab Whites. Colours got 20 goals and at the time of breather they had already got 16. Iram with four goals was the highest scorer of the match, Mayda Aslam placed in five goals, Sidra Younis, Mobeen Ilyas and Iqra shared two each with Tahmeena getting one. It was the third match of the day that saw WAPDA making KPK a toy in the field. Out of the 37 goals they got 18 in the first session. Amna Mir converted a dozen goals, Ayesha Bashir 11, Rabia Qadir six, Azra Nasir three, Marium Mansha and Neelma Hussain two each and Kanwal Aslam one goal. stAff RepoRt

Qasim tasked with security for Chinese team LAHORE stAff RepoRt

The Pakistan Hockey Federation has appointed Qasim Khan to coordinate with the hockey and security officials during the Pakistan and China series that will start later this month. The Chinese hockey team will visit Pakistan from December 19 to 26 and will play 4-test match series against Pakistan. The Chinese team will play four matches against Pakistan’s mix of senior and junior players. China will play their opening match in Karachi on December 21, with further matches in Karachi on December 22, Faisalabad on December 24 and Lahore on December 25. The national selection committee has approved the same team, which participated in the Champions Trophy Tournament held at Auckland. The Committee has made only one change in the team. Due to injury to Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Umar Bhutta is inducted in the team. The Pakistan team will assemble at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi, on December 18. PHF secretary Asif Bajwa said

that the China series would be the start of the international team’s visit to Pakistan. “We have put into place the highest level of security for the series and the Chinese team visit to Pakistan will pave the way for other international teams visit to Pakistan,” he added. “We are also planning a four-nation tournament later in the coming months and preparation in this regard will be moved forward after the series against China,” an official of the PHF revealed. He further stated that the PHF also plans to hold another two international events next year. “We would hold Asian Club Championship and the Indoor Asia Cup,” he maintained. PHF secretary Asif Bajwa said: "We are hoping that this series will eventually pave the way for foreign teams to play in Pakistan in other sports as well. We have held discussions with the government and they have assured us they will provide us top level security. This tour is very significant for Pakistan sports," Bajwa said. The foreign teams showed reservations after the terrorists attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in March 2009.

Bangladesh refuses visas to Pakistani sports journalists LAHORE stAff RepoRt

The Bangladeshi Embassy in Pakistan has refused visas to Pakistani journalists who had applied to cover Pakistan’s Test series in Bangladesh. In a shocking development on Thursday, veteran journalists Asher Butt, Yousuf Anjum and Mian Asghar Salimi were handed visa snubs without any reason. A veteran of more than two decades, Asher Butt has reported high profile events like Cricket World Cup, Champions Trophy as well as Pakistan’s bilateral series from around the globe. The refusal left him dumbfounded. The visas were first delayed due to which the journalists missed the first Test. Now with the second and last Test a day ahead, the passports of the journalists have been returned. The accreditation of these journalists was duly made by the PCB.

LhC adjourns plea against zaka’s appointment LAHORE stAff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court on Thursday again directed the federal government to give reply on a petition challenging the appointment of Zaka Ashraf as Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and adjourned further hearing indefinitely. Justice Umar Ata Bandial was hearing a petition filed by Tariq Asad Advocate against Zaka Ashraf appointment. The federal govt, federal secretary sports and chairman PCB have been challenged in the petition submitting that cricket boards around the world are run by independent governing bodies whereas government was controlling cricket board in Pakistan. The petitioner-counsel argued appointment of a political person like Zaka Ashraf on the post of PCB chairman is violation of ICC rules and regulations. Asad also prayed to set aside appointment of Zaka Ashraf as PCB Chairman. Arguing his case, Asad Advocate said appointment of Zaka on political basis will ruin cricket further. He referred to performance of former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt who also lacked professionalism and his policies and actions harmed the game as rifts and divisions started in the team due to his poor management. Quoting the ICC rules and regulations, the petitioner said that no politically motivated appointments could be made in the PCB as it is bound to follow the ICC rules to qualify for international cricket. He pleaded that federal government be directed to follow ICC by-laws and frame a democratic constitution of the PCB or amend Article 5 so that all office bearers be appointed by elections.

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20 Sports

Friday, 16 December, 2011

Barcelona beat Al-Sadd to reach Club World Cup final

YoKohAMA: Barcelona midfielder Andres iniesta (C) controls the ball. AFP team. I’m very sad to say this. It’s very unYOKOHAMA

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weakened Barcelona outclassed Al Sadd 4-0 at the Club World Cup on Thursday to set up a final clash with Santos, but the result was overshadowed by a serious injury to striker David Villa. The Spanish international, who has been linked with a move away from the Camp Nou, could be out for at least six months after he was stretchered off with what Barcelona said was a fractured left tibia. “He broke his bone so he will be returning to Barcelona as soon as possible,” said a sombre Pep Guardiola, the coach of Barca. “It will take some time to return to the

fortunate. “I was talking to the other players in the changing room and saying that to recover from a broken bone takes time.” Guardiola added that Javier Mascherano and Alexis Sanchez, who replaced Villa on 39 minutes, also picked up injuries, but was unable to say how serious they were. And he added of the 30-year-old Villa: “He’s going back to Spain to have an operation. Missing him is a blow to our team. We are very sad and hope that he will recover as quickly as possible.” Guardiola left Xavi, Dani Alves, Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique out of his starting 11, but it hardly mattered as the Qataris, the Asian champions, were torn apart. As anticipated, it was all Barcelona from the

off at a packed International Stadium in Yokohama, near Tokyo, in a game that felt more like an exhibition match than a competitive fixture for the 66,298 fans. Barca had a mammoth 70 percent of the possession in the first 15 minutes, pinging the ball around as Al Sadd chased shadows under the floodlights in a hopelessly one-sided contest. It was only a matter of time. The only surprise was that it took the Catalans so long to register their first real shot on goal, with Mohamed Saqr in the Qataris’ goal saving smartly from Villa just after 15 minutes. Guardiola threw his hands up at one stage when one move broke down, but on 25 minutes the Spanish side went ahead, and it had nothing to do with their class and everything to do with some hugely

comical defending. A cross from the left fell tamely to former English Premier League defender Nadir Belhadj, who controlled the ball, which ran loose to Saqr. But Saqr, who like the Algerian Belhadj was one of the heroes of Al Sadd’s unlikely run to the Asian crown, hesitated over whether he should pick it up, and as he thought about it the Brazilian Adriano nipped in to prod home. Al Sadd could not get out of their own half and it was no surprise when the Spanish champions went 2-0 up, Adriano rifling the ball low and hard under Saqr, who again ought to have done better. Seydou Keita grabbed the third after he was set up by Lionel Messi, who had a quiet night by his exceptionally high standards, as the news filtered through on Barcelona’s website of Villa’s injury.

Philander, technology sink Sri Lanka CENtURION Afp

Vernon Philander claimed his third fivewicket haul in as many Test matches as South Africa dominated the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park on Thursday. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 180 and South Africa replied with 90 for one, with captain Graeme Smith hitting 61 before he was out eight balls before the close. Philander took five for 53 and fellow fast bowler Dale Steyn grabbed four for 18 as Sri Lanka struggled after being sent in on a green pitch which offered bounce and movement to the South African quicks. There were two half-century partnerships during the Sri Lankan innings, with Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews all reaching 30, but the rest of the batting crumbled. Sri Lanka lost their last six wickets for 24 runs off 32 balls. The collapse was sparked by a burst of three wickets in five balls -- all confirmed by television reviews -- which ended a spirited fifth wicket stand of 65 off 79 balls be-

tween Samaraweera (36) and Mathews (38). Philander broke the partnership when he had Samaraweera caught behind off a ball which bounced steeply. The batsman was given not out by umpire Rod Tucker but the South Africans asked for a review and the hotspot technology showed that the batsman got a faint edge to the ball. The next ball brought the wicket of Kaushal Silva, again after the batsman was given not out by umpire Tucker. The review requested by South Africa showed that Silva gloved the ball down the legside to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. Three balls later new batsman Thisara Perera was caught at slip off leg-spinner Imran Tahir. He was given out by umpire Steve Davis and television umpire Richard Kettleborough was again brought into action when Perera unsuccessfully sought a review. Philander, who took five wickets in an innings in both his previous Tests against Australia last month, had Mathews caught at slip to achieve the feat again before Steyn bowled the last two batsmen, Chanaka Welegedara and Dilhara Fernando with successive fast, straight balls.

CenTURion: South Africa’s vernon Philandehr delivers a ball on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka. AFP

guard group thrash hira valves in MMA Cup

sCoReBoARD

stAff RepoRt

sRI lANKA first innings t. Dilshan c philander b steyn 6 32 t. paranavitana b philander K. sangakkara c Kallis b philander 1 M. jayawardene c smith b steyn 30 t. samaraweera c Boucher b philander 36 A. Mathews c Kallis b philander 38 K. silva c Boucher b philander 0 t. perera c Kallis b tahir 1 R. Herath not out 14 4 C. Welegedara b steyn D. fernando b steyn 0 extRAs (b1, lb7, nb6, w4) 18 totAl (47.4 overs) 180 fall of wickets: 1-11 (Dilshan), 2-12 (sangakkara), 3-66 (paranavitana), 4-91 (jayawardene), 5-156 (samaraweera), 6156 (silva), 7-157 (perera), 8-175 (Mathews), 9-180 (Welegedara), 10-180 (fernando) BoWlING: steyn 10.4-3-18-4, philander 13-2-53-5 (3nb, 2w), Morkel 10-1-48-0 (3nb, 2w), Kallis 8-2-31-0, tahir 6-0-22-1 soUtH AfRICA, first innings j. Rudolph not out 27 G. smith lbw b fernando 61 D. steyn not out 0 extRAs (nb2) 2 totAl (1 wkt, 34 overs) 90 fall of wicket: 1-88 (smith) BoWlING: Welegedera 9-2-19-0 (1nb), perera 8-1-34-0, Mathews 3-2-4-0, fernando 7-1-21-1 (1nb), Dilshan 2-0-4-0, Herath 5-2-8-0 toss: south Africa, UMpIRes: steve Davis, Rod tucker (both AUs), tV UMpIRe: Richard Kettleborough (eNG), MAtCH RefeRee: Chris Broad (eNG)

Guard Group on Thursday taught polo lesson to Hira Valves and the combined team of Rijaz and Pessi beat Master Paints in the MMA Polo Cup here at the LPC ground. Guard Group hammered a dozen goals against Hira Valves and gave away just two goals. Hamza Mawaz Khan led the goal spree with five five goals with Taimur Ali Malik got four goals. They were supported by Saqib Khan Khakwani (two) and Hassan Agha Khan (1). Maj. Babar Mehboob and Feroze Gulzar were the scorers of the losing side. Rijas/Pessi got five goals against Master Paints who managed three. Ahmed Ali Tiwana converted all the three goals from the winners while Ahmad Nawaz Tiwana hit two and Hassan Ali Farrukh added one to complete the losing side’s tally. Umpires for the series were Mohsin Atta Khan Khosa, Naveed M Sheikh, Sameer Habib Oberoi and Malik Azam Hayat Noon.

LAHORE

Sri Lanka needs to get the basics right expeRt CoMMeNt

MAheLA JAYAwARDene We don't tour South Africa that often, so when we get an opportunity, it's a big occasion for us. The South African team has played some really good cricket. They've got some really good fast bowlers, and a good spinner now in Imran Tahir. As a unit they are very potent. We want to take the challenge upon us to try and do something dif-

ferent and win a Test match here. We've come close a few times but we haven't got over the line yet, so that is a major goal for us - to try and win a Test match. To do that, we've got to try and do the processes right. There are a lot of little things we need to focus on. As a team, we have to be consistent in all departments. We've let ourselves down in a few of the Test matches in the last six months, because we haven't batted well or we haven't been able to bowl teams out twice. We need to try and get that all-round consistency going. If you analyse it, we haven't been beaten that badly inTests this year. We had one terrible session in Cardiff in England and lost the series 0-1, but we fought well at Lord's and the Rose Bowl. Against Australia we lost 0-1; we had our opportunities to beat them in the last Test match and we couldn't finish it off. Against Pakistan we had one really poor day and lost the series.

I'm not denying we were outplayed by England, Australia and Pakistan, or claiming their victories were undeserved. Ultimately they played the better cricket and were worthy winners. I'm just highlighting that in six Test matches we fought well and competed. The issue is that we haven't been consistent, and that has been our main problem. Turning it around will not be easy, but from our perspective the only approach to take is to keep building on the positives and try and keep improving. At the moment we are trying to smooth our transition. For the senior players, it's an important challenge to try to get right. Kumar was exceptional against Pakistan, but both Dilshan and I were disappointed to not have contributed more. Our performances matter because we have to try and take as much pressure off the younger players as we can. For the batsmen especially, this tour is

going to be a tough challenge. Unfortunately for them, we have played England, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, who are among the top teams in the world right now. But they will learn from this and it will be a big investment for us for the future. Quite a few of them have shown improvement over the last six to eight months. I know they feel more confident now. Hopefully they are heading in the right direction. In South Africa the conditions will be particularly challenging, but we know what we are up against. Technically you need to sort yourself out a bit. For the youngsters it's all about confidence. They have to try and play their natural game and not get overwhelmed by the occasion or the conditions or the opposition. Everyone is talented, that's why they are here. So they have to back themselves to go out there and enjoy the game - simple as that. As it stands now,

we've had different batsmen performing at different times. In England, Prasanna Jayawardene got a hundred; Sanga got a hundred right at the end; and Dilshan got a good hundred at Lord's. Against Australia I got a hundred and Angelo Mathews got a hundred. We've had different guys performing individually, but now we need to perform as a unit and get big runs in the first innings of a Test match. The batting unit has to try and take more responsibility, especially the senior guys. It's about building a team together and not being over-reliant on the senior players. For example, Mathews is probably heading in the right direction. He is somebody who will probably take that mantle forward and try to be a leader. We've got a couple of other young guys coming through the system, and they need time to settle down. Until such time, it's up to the senior players to try to take the team forward. (cricinfo)

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Sports 21 watCh It LIve TEN SPORTS South Africa v Sri Lanka Test 1 Day 2 01:30PM

STAR CRICKET Sydney Sixers v Brisbane Heat 01:00PM

‘Super’ Dan steps up a gear

LIUZHOU Afp

LIUZHOU: Zhang Nan (top, R) and Zhao Yunlei (top, L) of China compete with Robert Blair of Scotland (bottom, R) and Gabielle White of England (bottom, L) during their mixed doubles Group A match. Zhang Nan (CHN)/Yunlei Zhao (CHN) won by 21-10, 21-18. AFP

King Djokovic reigns supreme PARIS Afp

With three Grand Slam titles, five Masters, a 70-6 winning year and a record cash haul of 12.6 million dollars, Novak Djokovic was the king of 2011. Spurred on by leading Serbia to a maiden Davis Cup title at the back end of 2010, the 24-year-old put together a 43-match winning run in the first half of 2011. It was a surge which brought him the Australian Open title in January and was only ended by a rejuvenated Roger Federer in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. As well as claiming a second title in Melbourne, Djokovic won all the season’s opening four Masters at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome, defeating Rafael Nadal in the finals of all of them. The Serb then defeated Nadal to win Wimbledon -- taking the Spaniard’s world number one spot in the process -- before

clinching the US Open. Again Nadal was the vanquished opponent in the final after Djokovic had defeated Federer from two sets, and two match points down, in a breathtaking semi-final. Djokovic’s landmark season eventually took its toll with a

combination of back and shoulder trouble comdemning him to four defeats in the year’s closing stages. “I had an unbelievable year. Nothing can really ruin that. I will always remember this year as the best of my life,” he said. Even John McEnroe, whose season winning record of 82 wins against just three defeats, set in 1984, was briefly within the Serb’s sights after his US Open victory when he was at 64 wins against two losses, was in awe. “He has had the greatest year in the history of our sport,” said the American. Djokovic probably played one of the shots of the year on match point against Federer at Flushing Meadows when he unleashed an all-or-nothing forehand service return which left the great Swiss rooted to the spot. Federer double-faulted on the second match point and Djokovic was on his way again. The figures back up Djokovic’s year of dominance. He beat Nadal six times out

of six, Federer four out of five and world number four Andy Murray, two in three, with the Briton’s win coming courtesy of an injury retirement in the final in Cincinnati. The world’s leading three men have now won 29 of the last 32 Grand Slam crowns. Since the start of 2004, only Gaston Gaudio (2004 French Open), Marat Safin (2005 Australian Open) and Juan Martin del Potro (2009 US Open) have broken their stranglehold. Nadal took his majors collection to 10 in 2011 with a sixth French Open title to equal Bjorn Borg’s record Paris haul. The Spaniard lost his number one spot to Djokovic and cut a jaded, frustrated figure as the year closed, complaining about player burn-out and scheduling at the US Open. But claiming the winning point for a fifth Davis Cup triumph against Argentina in Seville in December at least breathed new life into the Spaniard.

China’s star shuttler and world number two Lin Dan stepped up a gear at the World Superseries Finals on Thursday, slamming 20 smash winners to beat Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat in straight games. “Super” Dan, the sport’s most decorated player, had been less convincing in his first match of the tournament, but took just 41 minutes to dispatch with Hidayat, 21-12, 21-19. It gives Dan, who is aiming to win his first-ever Superseries Finals title, two victories out of two after he beat his compatriot Chen Long in a tougher contest on Wednesday at the season finale in Liuzhou, southern China. Earlier in the day, world number one Lee Chong Wei trounced Indonesia’s Simon Santoso 21-10, 21-15 as he stepped up his own bid for a fourth consecutive World Superseries Finals crown. The Malaysian ace buried 15 smash winners as he sent Santoso packing in just 34 minutes , after taking three games to beat Japan’s Sho Sasaki on the opening day. China’s Chen Long battled back from a game down to beat Japan’s Tago Kenichi 12-21, 21-18, 21-13 to also make it two out of two in group play at the $500,000 event. China’s Olympic champion Lin Dan, who is seeking the last major title to elude him, will face Indonesian star Taufik Hidayat in an eagerly awaited clash during Thursday’s evening session. Meanwhile China’s top women’s seed Wang Yihan recovered from her shock loss to South Korea’s Sung Ji-Hyun as she scored a two-games win over Denmark’s Tine Baun. Sung beat Juliane Schenk of Germany in the other early women’s match. The World Superseries Finals is the culmination of badminton’s annual Superseries, with the top eight in each of the singles and doubles categories playing in a round-robin system to reach the weekend semis and finals.

Governor’s Cup Golf tees off today LAHORE stAff RepoRt

The Millat Group-sponsored Governor’s Cup Golf Tournament will commence here at the par 72 Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course from Friday (today). Addressing a press conference here Thursday at the Gymkhana Golf Club, Amer Mehmood, Captain Golf, gave details of the three-day activity. Convenor Khawaja Imran Zubair, Diector Millat Tractors Ahsan Imran and Tournament Director Khawaja Pervaiz Saeed were also present on the occasion. Khawaja Pervaiz informed that the time has come, once again for the aspiring amateur golfers of the country to try their luck and make efforts to achieve success in this prestigious Governor’s Cup Golf Tournament. “A large number of golf players of the country eagerly look forward to this grand event because it affords them an opportunity to test their golfing skills and the same time gauge the progress in their golf game and ability,” he added. He further said that age wise, this cham-

pionship enters the 28th year and all along, the support of Millat Group of Companies, headed by a keen and enthusiastic golfer and also a corporate leader, Sikandar Mustafa Khan has always been a bright spot of the occasion. In keeping with past practice and tradition, Sikandar Mustafa Khan, Chairman of this top corporate entity, has ensured continuity of the required sponsorship. This brings glad tidings for the large number of participants who look forward to getting joy out of participation and performing to a level where excellence in application of golfing skills becomes their benchmark. Amer Mehmood, Captain Golf, stated that the event is open to amateurs, seniors, veterans and ladies. He further said that the main stakeholders in this championship are the amateurs and “we expect them to fight it out for honors and glory,” he said. He said that the events to be contested among seniors, ladies, amateurs and veterans. He further said that evaluation of participants potential golfers attaining a handicap of 4 and below ate considered an honour and an achievement. Quite a few of such talented golfers are taking part in this such as Mohammad Rehman (Royal Palm), Maj Khushal

Khan (Abbottabad), Ghazanfar Mehmood (Rawalpindi), Imran Ahmed (Gymkhana), Sameer Iftikhar (Gymkhana), Khawaja Imran Zubair (Gymkhana), Khalid Mahmood (Rawalpindi), Robin Bagh (Sargodha), Idrees Nisar Tinkoo (Rawalpindi), Haider Attique (Rawalpindi), Wazir Ali (Gymkhana). Other strong contenders are Sardar Murad Khan (5), Lt Col Raja Asif Mehdi (5), Waleed Zubair (9), Dr. Arshad Mahmood (9). As per rules of the competition, the Championship trophy will be awarded to the competitor with the best net score. By virtue of this, players with a double digit handicap and ample golf playing skills can tilt the advantage their way, if nerves are kept in control, and, application of golfing skills is continuous and steady: Ayub Qureshi, Jamal Nasir, Danish Javed Khan, Mohammad Nasir Irshad, Dr. Dildar Hussain, Asad Agha and Sardar Muhammad Ahmed Leghari. He further said that the prizes are for amateurs best net and the main trophy will be awarded to the champion with the best net score. The defending champion is Sardar Muhammad Ahmad Leghari of Lahore

Ahsan imran (C) of Millat group and Khawaja Pervaiz Saeed (1-R) in the press conference. STAFF PHOTO Gymkhana. Other Winners of the past decade are Mr. Mohammad Nasir Irshad (2009), Mr. Mohsen Zafar (2008), Mr. Waleed Zubair (2007), Dr Zahid A Khan (2006), Mr Muhammad Hashim (2005), Mr. Tashfeen Ashraf (2004), Mr. Shoaib S Bokhari (2003), Mr. Omer Azim (2002), Mr. Mohammad Safdar (2001). Prize distribution ceremony will be

held at 4 pm on Sunday at Lahore Gymkhana Golf Club. Governor Punjab Sardar Mohammad Latif Khan Khosa will be the chief guest. Ahsan Imran of Millat Group stated that Millat realises its corporate social responsibility and has contributed substantially to the flood relief efforts and continues to patronise golf and hopes to contribute in this sport.

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Friday, 16 December, 2011

Pakistan criticises ‘wrong’ US aid freeze g

FO spokesman refuses to comment on memogate, says issue is sub judice ISLAMABAD

troops in Afghanistan. As the House of Representatives passed the bill, Robin Raphael, adviser to Special American Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman, called on Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar here at the Foreign Office on Thursday. Raphael was accompanied by US Ambassador Cameron Munter. “The foreign minister told the US officials that the fresh move in the US Congress to freeze aid to Pakistan would lead to further worsening of ties between Islamabad and Washington and it would have been prudent if such a step were avoided,” said a Pakistani diplomat privy to the meeting. Basit said: “As you know, we are in the process of reviewing our terms of engagement with US, NATO and ISAF in their entirety. The issue of Pakistan’s sovereignty, let me emphasise the issue of Pakistan’s sovereignty, is non- negotiable.” Answering a query on US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta’s

sHAIQ HUssAIN

AKISTAN on Thursday came down hard on the United States for freezing $700 million in aid to Islamabad and said that the US Congress’ move was not based on facts and hence wrong conclusions were unavoidable. “We believe that the move in the US Congress is not based on facts and takes a narrow vision of the overall situation and hence wrong conclusions are unavoidable,” Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters at his weekly press briefing. He also said once again that Pakistan’s sovereignty was not negotiable. The bill would freeze the aid and link its resumption to assurances that Islamabad will take steps to thwart militants who use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against US-led foreign

statement that Pakistan must stop infiltration of militants into Afghanistan, he said: “Pakistan has deployed 160,000 of its troops and established over 900 checkposts along the PakistanAfghanistan international border. To another question that Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Wajid Shamsul Hassan had been reluctant in appearing before the Abbottabad Commission, he said: “I think you should better put this question to the high commissioner but we have not detected any reluctance on his part. I would not know exactly when he is required to appear before the Abbottabad Commission. So, let us wait and see.” He also termed “ridiculous” Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz’s claims that ISI chief Lt General Ahmad Shuja Pasha sought support from Arab leaders to oust President Asif Ali Zardari.

US House passes Pakistan aid sanctions WASHINGToN: The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation to freeze some Pakistan aid, slap harsh new sanctions on Iran, and endorse indefinite imprisonment of suspected terrorists. Acting shortly after the White House dropped a threat to veto the bill, the Republican-led chamber voted 283-136 to approve the $662 billion Defence Authorisation bill, which also sets high hurdles for closing Guantanamo Bay. The White House later backed off a threat to veto the bill. The Democratic-held Senate was expected to vote on the same bill as early as Thursday. The bill would freeze roughly $700 million in aid to Pakistan pending assurances that Islamabad has taken steps to thwart militants who use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against US-led forces in Afghanistan. “If this legislation becomes law, we’ll work with the government of Pakistan on how

Former French minister charged with Pakistani arms deal graft PARIS Afp

A former French minister was charged with graft Thursday over alleged arms deal kickbacks said to have funded the presidential campaign of an ally of President Nicolas Sarkozy. A lawyer working for the families of victims of a Pakistani bomb attack thought to be linked to the deal, Olivier Morice, said Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres had been charged with “embezzling public funds”. Earlier, police had confirmed that the suspect had been arrested

on Tuesday and held overnight before being questioned by investigating magistrates. He is now free, but expected for face trial for his role in “the Karachi affair”. Vabres, 57, culture minister between 2004 and 2007, was serving as a senior adviser to then defence minister Francois Leotard in 1994 when a suspect contract to sell French submarines to Pakistan was signed. The contract has since become the focus of a graft probe, amid allegations that kickbacks from the deal were used to fund Edouard Balladur’s failed 1995 presidential campaign, for which Sarkozy acted as spokesman.

Ijaz submits handwritten notes implicating Haqqani ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

In response to the Supreme Court’s December 1 order in the memogate controversy, the central character of the scandal, Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, submitted his 81-page written reply on Thursday with documentary evidence to substantiate his claims made in the memo issue, including notes handwritten by Husain Haqqani. According to the documentary evidence (communication log form) he annexed with his written reply, as many as 85 communications including phone calls and Blackberry Messages took place between him and former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani during May 9 and May 12, 2011. According to the communication log, the first communication was initiated by Haqqani on May 5, 2009 with the contents: “Are you in London? I am here just for 36 hours. Can we meet for after dinner coffee or s’thing?” The last communication made by Haqqani to Ijaz on May 12, 2011 was: “Thanx. On way to Isloo. Will touch base on return.” About contact with Pakistani officials, Ijaz said: “While I maintain high-level political and military/intelligence contacts in nearly two dozen countries around the world, during the past decade, I have had no contact with any Pakistani government officials, civilian, judicial, military or intelligence - with the four exceptions (ambassador Haqqani excluded) - A: 2003 when I last interacted with the former DG ISI Gen Ehsanul Haq, shortly before he left the DG ISI position in 2004. B: Nov 2005 when my friend and I visited the prime minister of Pakistan and some military officers during and after our trip to Kashmir as the earthquake reconstruction period began. C: May 5, 2009 when I met with President Asif Ali Zardari for 45-50 minutes at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington DC at the invitation of ambassador Haqqani to

brief the president shortly before he met with US officials at the White House. D: Oct 22, 2011 when I met alone with ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha at his request for approximately four hours in London to provide him with the same accounting of facts provided to the court.” He said over the past decade, he maintained regular contact with Haqqani through email, Blackberry chat exchanges, SMS, in-person meetings and telephonic discussions. He said he, purely being a friend, had been assisting Haqqani in communicating his messages in ways that only he dictated. In his reply he also submitted two PIN numbers of Haqqani’s unique Blackberry. He said in response to Haqqani’s request, he had made a 16:03 minute long call to Haqqani on September 5, 2011. He also stated that after publication of his article in the Financial Times, Haqqani called him and told him that Gen Pasha was coming to London. He said he met with Gen Pasha on October 22, 2011 at Park Lane Hotel London for four hours and shared the facts with him, besides providing all the evidences and record about the ‘memorandum’. He said Gen Pasha had made it clear that he was in London with the consent of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. He said he had told Gen Pasha that he had been assisting Haqqani in transmitting the messages to Admiral Mike Mullen. “I also made clear to Gen Pasha that I did not want to personally be involved in any debriefing of him that would lead to a disruption of the civilians government’s normal business - he responded by making clear that it was his and Kayani’s deep desire to see a government complete its term, but that the rumours of what was contained in the memorandum from a content perspective could simply not be ignored,” Ijaz stated. On this basis, he said, he had agreed and started meeting with Gen Pasha and told him the truth. Continued on page 04

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd. Printed by Ghulam Akbar, AA & NHT Group, Plot 24, Shalimar Road, Lilly Market, Soan Garden, Islamabad.

we can fulfil the requirements. But, this requires us to maintain a strategic perspective,” US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. The measure had drawn fire from civil liberties groups that denounced its de facto embrace of holding alleged extremists without charge until the end of the war on terrorism declared after the September 11, 2001 attacks. US President Barack Obama, who had threatened to veto earlier versions of the yearly measure, will sign it when it reaches his desk despite lingering misgivings, spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement before the vote. “However, if in the process of implementing this law we determine that it will negatively impact our counterterrorism professionals and undercut our commitment to the rule of law, we expect that the authors of these provisions will work quickly and tirelessly to correct these problems,” said Carney. AFP