E-paper PakistanToday 31st March, 2012

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Previous governments responsible for power crisis, says Gilani

Arrested Railways GM holds Bilour responsible for all wrongs

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Rs15.00 Vol ii no 273 22 pages islamabad — peshawar edition

IB chief tells SC release of any amount from secret fund and purpose of its usage was not available in writing g

ISLAMABAD The Supreme court on Friday directed the intelligence Bureau’s (iB) director general to file his written statement in a sealed envelope on april 23 mentioning the utilization of rs 270 million withdrawn by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government from iB’s secret fund allegedly to influence loyalties of the members of the Punjab assembly in 2009 to topple the provincial government. a three-member bench of chief Justice iftikhar Muhammad chaudhry, Justice Khilji arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez, was hearing a petition filed by air Marshal (r) asghar Khan some 16 years ago against the distribution of millions of rupees public money by the inter-Services intelligence (iSi) among the anti-PPP politicians to manipulate the 1990 election. The amount was allegedly disbursed by then army chief general Mirza aslam Baig,

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012 Jamadi-ul-awal 7, 1433

IB chief told to explain ‘funds for Punjab coup’ MaSood RehMan

Imran Khan: May find spot in time.....

then director general of iSi lt gen asad Durrani and defunct Mehran Bank’s chief Younas Habib to disrupt the general elections.

The court directed attorney general Maulvi anwarul Haq to produce ‘Mehran Bank inquiry commission report’ on next hearing, and court asked the counsels for asad Durrani and Younas Habib to submit their replies by april 23. at the onset of hearing, when attorney told the court that he could not get ‘Mehran Bank and Habib Bank inquiry commission reports’ from the law Ministry, the chief justice doubted if the report were intentionally being made unavailable, so as to hide some influential involved in the episode. The chief justice insisted the attorney general about iB’s stand over the withdrawal of rs 270 billion from its secret fund to topple the Punjab government.

Continued on page 04

SC pulls the plug on Raja’s RPPs Apex court says all RPPs contracts illegal, non-transparent Directs NAB to proceed against all persons involved in corruption, including former power minister ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

eclaring all rental power plants (rPPs) contracts illegal and nontransparent, the Supreme court on Friday directed the national accountability Bureau (naB) chairman to proceed against all the persons involved in corruption, including former minister for water and power raja Pervez ashraf, in accordance with the law.

The court also directed naB to submit fortnightly progress reports pertaining to actions against the persons involved in corruption in the case to the registrar Office for the judges’ perusal. a two-member bench of chief Justice iftikhar Muhammad chaudhry and Justice Khilji arif Hussain announced operative part of the 90- page verdict and held that rPPs mode of electricity generation proved a total failure and was incapable of filling the electricity demand and supply gap on a short term basis. The judgment said that during the award of rPPs contracts, PPra rules were violated and principle of transparency and open competition was not followed. The court ordered that the contracts of rPPs be rescinded forthwith and all the persons responsible for the same were liable to be dealt with for civil and criminal action in accordance with the law.

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02 News Today’s

Saturday, 31 March, 2012

ISlAMABAD

newS

Gallery 6 reopens with new face

nisar doubts govt’s will to implement foreign policy resolution

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CARTon

Quick Look

Arrested Railways GM holds Bilour responsible for all wrongs LAHORE: railways general Manager Saeed akhtar, who has been remanded into naB custody for 14 days in connection with corruption allegations, has reportedly told the investigation team that all his actions were based on directives of the Minister for railways, ghulam ahmed Bilour. according to reports, akhtar is accused of corruption of billions of rupees in Pakistan railways that included malpractices, hundreds of illegal recruitments, sale of scrap and mismanagement in railways in the last four years. naB sources said on Friday that Saeed akhtar has made sensational disclosures, alleging that most of the scrap was sold to persons close to the railways minister. it is worth mentioning that the railways minister got approval from the prime minister for a second extension in the tenure of Saeed akhtar. The minister has not only condemned the arrest of Saeed akhtar but described him as a very honest official. earlier, accountability court lahore-iii Judge ali Hassan rizvi handed over akhtar’s custody to naB officials. Staff RepoRt/aGenCIeS

Sporadic fighting in Karachi claims six lives KARACHI: Sporadic gun fire on Friday claimed six lives including an activist of awami national Party (anP) and an aSi. according to details, some unidentified motorcyclists, near Baitul Mamur Mosque in Peerabad neigbourhood, sprayed bullets upon Hidayatullah Mehsud, a member of anP Sindh council and made their escape leaving him dead. The incident spread violence in the locality forcing the owners to shut their shops and small businesses. Moreover, indiscriminate firing by unknown miscreants killed a man near Bilal colony in Korangi. Meanwhile, Orangi Town, Qasba colony and Banaras, including some other areas, remained in the grip of firing shots which continued from late Thursday. Two youths belonging to a political party also sustained injuries in Qasba colony. The enraged masses also set ablaze a number of motorcycles and buses in reaction. in the latest development, an assistant Sub inspector (aSi) police was killed in garden area after an exchange of fire with unidentified miscreants. The Police and rangers, in a crackdown, arrested more than a dozen suspected persons. Inp

Pakistani among four arrested after Denmark heroin find

ISLAMABAD: chief Justice iftikhar Muhammad chaudhry expressed his displeasure over the progress of the Sonia naz rape case submitted by the Punjab police and observed that if the Supreme court could summon the prime minister, it could also summon the Punjab chief minister. He was heading a three-member bench over a suo motu case of 2005 on Friday. The bench reprimanded the Punjab Police officials for changing their stances over whereabouts of the accused (retired and serving officers) involved in the said rape case. nnI

Miscreants blow up school in Charsadda CHARSADDA: Unidentified men Friday blew up a government school in the ebrahim Zai area of district charsadda. according to police sources, the miscreants planted explosives in the government Primary School no-2, completely damaging two rooms. onlIne

QUETTA: A boy sits outside a shuttered shop during a strike called by traders and political parties on Friday to condemn the killing of seven Shias on Thursday. ONLINE

COPENHAGEN afp

Danish police have arrested two employees of copenhagen airport after seizing 20.5 kilograms (45 pounds) of heroin, they said in a statement Friday. The drug was found on Wednesday hidden in a bag that had arrived from Pakistan.

“This is a huge haul with a street value of at least 25 million kroner (3.4 million euros, 4.5 million dollars), police inspector Knud Hvass said in the statement.

Four people were arrested in total — two of them 38-year-old airport staff who were detained on the airport premises. a third man, also 38, was arrested at his home and a 44-year-old Pakistani national was arrested Thursday in Spain in cooperation with Spanish police.

The statement said he could be extradited to Denmark.

Strike observed in Quetta against sectarian killings QUETTA Staff RepoRt

If we can summon PM, we can also summon Punjab CM: CJP

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a shutter-down strike was observed in Quetta on Friday against the sectarian killing of six Shias the previous day.

On Thursday, unknown attackers had opened indiscriminate fire on a van carrying passengers from the Hazara community in Quetta.

The strike call was given by the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), Shia conference and backed by Pakhtunkhwa Milli awami Party (PMaP), Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and other nationalist parties to condemn the incident.

Police and Frontier corps (Fc) were deployed in sensitive areas.

Trade and business activities in Quetta came to a halt and all shops, trading centers, retailers and commercial establishments on Prince road, Masjid road, liaquat Bazaar, Joint road, Saryab road, alamdar road, Hazara Town, Marriabad, abdul Sattar road, Zarghoon road and others remained closed.

Police rounded up over a dozens of suspects during the search operations for investigation. addressing a news conference at Hazara graveyard, vice president of the Shia conference said police had rounded up several people of the Hazara community during a peaceful protest.

The Hazara community staged a protest at the graveyard demanding an immediate arrest of culprits involved in targeted killings of the Hazara community.

The angry protestors burnt tyres on eastern Bypass and raised slogans against the government and law enforcement agencies for their failure to protect the life and property of people.

Balochistan has seen wave of sectarian and targeted killings in recent months.

On March 29, at least eight people, a woman and a policeman among them, were killed and 13 others injured in what appeared to be a sectarian attack on a group of Hazara people and in ensuing clashes between police and protesters.

Two killed in Quetta incidents QUETTA Staff RepoRt

Two people were killed and four others wounded including two women when the roof of a house collapsed in Dera Murad Jamali, on Friday. according to reports, the incident occurred in goth Bakar when the roof of a house owned by, Piral Solangi, collapsed due to its dilapidated condition. as a result, rahim Bakhsh and afsana were killed and four others, including Subat Khatoon, Babul and Farzan sustained injuries. People from the area retrieved the dead and injured from the debris and moved them to a nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, a main gas supply pipeline was blown up in Dera Bugti district while an official of civil Defense received injuries in a blast in Sibi, on Friday. according to reports, unidentified people attached explosives to a 15-inch diameter gas pipeline in Pir Koh area of Dera Bugti district that went off with a huge explosion, badly obliterating the pipeline. as a result, gas supply to a purification plant was lost from the damaged pipeline. However, no loss of life occurred in the blast. in another incident, an official of civil Defense, ghulam Sarwar, received injuries when explosives planted with a power pylon in Sibi exploded.

The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

foReIGn newS

ARTS & enTeRTAInMenT

SPoRTS

annan calls for immediate Syria ceasefire

Yashji is a sharp person, says Katrina Kaif

Whatmore observes young talent in hand

News 03 CoMMenT Before it’s too late The cooling off has hurt Pakistan more than anyone else.

protests, protests The PML(N) thinks itself as a government in waiting.

arif nizami says: Resetting of ties: The US does not trust the ISI.

aziz-ud-din ahmad says: Dictating to parliament: The TTP has gone a step further.

Raoof hasan says: Seeking the truth: The memo has become a test case for the judiciary.

Story on Page 15

Story on Page 16

Story on Page 18

Articles on Page 12-13

MPs link restoring NATO supplies with end to drone attacks ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

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dull session of the parliament on Friday urged the government to link restoration of naTO supplies to afghanistan to end to US drone attacks inside country as the main opposition party PMl-n largely remained absent from the House.

Starting the debate, PMl-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed called for making the resumption of naTO supplies conditional. “Unless the drone strikes were not stopped, naTO supplies should not be restored,” he emphasised as he believed these attacks against the national sovereignty. Mushahid proposed that the country should allow only those naTO containers which

carry foodstuff or similar things and disallow the transit of weapons in the naTO containers from the country to afghanistan. “The permission to allow weaponry in the naTO supplies means that we want to continue the conflict in afghanistan,” he noted. He commended the recommendations of Parliamentary committee on national Security saying it had come up with the best to redefine ties with the US. “This is for the first time that the US has taken seriously the Pakistani parliament after 9/11 incident on its soil as US President Barack Obama also suggested that they are waiting the decision of the Pakistani parliament on naTO supply,” he said.

Senator Mushahid, however, deplored the ‘lack of seriousness and homework’ for the session to debate the recommendations of the national

security committee. He even regretted the role of opposition in the joint session and felt that opposition appeared scared to debate these recommendations. “When their members signed the report in the committee, why they are running away from the parliament to discuss this issue,” Mushahid said. PPP senator Saeed ghani said if the people outside parliament are calling for stopping the naTO supplies by force, what the utility of this parliament is. “When parliament embarks upon formulating the foreign policy, these elements get up in arms,” ghani observed and added these very people had no objection when the dictators took the decisions on their whims.

PPP Mna akhunzada chattan said new foreign policy should be judged in the backdrop of drone attacks adding it would be successful if

these drone attack are stopped.

He also questioned the silence of those parties which were in power in KP and Balochistan during Musharraf era when naTO supplies began and added now they were raising hue and cry over it. There were no instances of protests, boycotts or walkouts during the sitting. The House deferred the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill for the fifth time. Four bills on the Orders of the Day were not taken up. it included the pro-women Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill 2009 which was deferred for the fifth time.

However, the House passed the Modaraba companies and Modaraba (Floatation and control) (amendment) Bill 2009 and the Delimitation of constituencies (amendment) Bill 2011. The house was adjourned to meet again on april 05.

PCNS discusses new recommendations on US ties ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Power shortfall down to 2,800Mw after protests LAHORE: electricity shortfall has reduced to 2,800MW amid demonstrations against power outages across Punjab. according to a PePcO spokesman, the total power generation has reached 10,854 megawatts however the demand stands at 13, 654 megawatts. Due to improvement in the oil supply, iPPs are generating 544MW and thermal plants are providing 1,823MW of electricity. However, hydel power generation has been restrained at 2,392MW due to shortage of water. Moreover, the rental power plants, which were suspended by the court, could produce only 85MW of the electricity. The electricity shortfall has now reduced to 2,800MW from 6,000MW. The PePcO spokesman claimed that unannounced load shedding had been ended and now it was being made according to the schedule of the distribution companies. nnI

The Parliamentary committee on national Security (PcnS) on Friday held a special sitting to discuss a new recommendation put forth by PMl-Q Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed who asked parliament to link the resumption of naTO supply routes with an end to drone attacks inside Pakistani territory.

Mushahid viewed that drone attacks were an attack on the country’s sovereignty and therefore the naTO supplies should not be allowed to be transported through Pakistani soil to the iSaF and US troops in afghanistan.

The committee, which had met

here at the Parliament House in view of the consultations held between the government and opposition sides on Thursday night to evolve consensus on the PcnS recommendations, also decided to scrap two of its previously made recommendations, a source confided requesting anonymity.

“The discarded recommendations related to parliament’s prior approval before any operation to be conducted by any foreign intelligence agency operation inside Pakistani territory. another trashed recommendation was about seeking parliament’s nod before handing over a Pakistani airbase to any foreign country,” said the source, adding that both recommendations

Un limits activities SC orders NADRA to in Balochistan devise strategy for CNICs to Hindu women ISLAMABAD onlIne

The United nations (Un) and other international organisations have restricted their activities in Balochistan a day after gunmen shot dead two local employees of a Un agency, Un sources have said. Police said unidentified gunmen attacked a vehicle of the Food and agriculture Organisation (FaO) in Mastung town and killed two of its employees on Thursday. Those killed included an FaO officer Muhammad Yousaf and his driver abdullah. another employee of the Un agency, irfanullah, sustained serious injuries in the attack, police said. The Un and other international organisations advised their employees to restrict their activities in Quetta, and other major cities. The aid agencies, whoever, said they would not halt operations in Balochistan. no group claimed responsibility. But the authorities suspect militants are behind the attack.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Hearing a suo motu case involving problems faced by the women of Hindu community in obtaining computerised national identity cards (cnics), the Supreme court on Friday ordered the national Database and registration authority (naDra) to sort out permanent solution of the issue, as it was the matter of three millions Pakistani Hindus. a three-member bench comprising chief Justice iftikhar Muhammad chaudhry, Justice Khilji arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez was hearing a suo motu case initiated on media reports, which highlighted problems faced by a Hindu woman, Pram Sari Mai, a resident of rahimyar Khan. She failed to get a passport to visit india even after paying a large amount in fee.

During the hearing, attorney general Maulvi anwarul Haq told

the bench that naDra had issued a new circular about issuance of cnics to the Hindu female through a simple affidavit.

Upon this, the chief justice observed that it was a temporary solution.

He said the naDra chairman had legal authority to amend the law pertaining to the matter. He said government should be consulted, if needed. The court directed naDra to sort out permanent solution of the issue and submit report on april 23.

On last hearing, the court had expressed reservations over the miseries of the Hindu community, particularly verification of their women’s marriage contract before issuance of cnics to them. “How can we satisfy three million Pakistani Hindu community, as they have equal rights as you have,” the chief justice had asked a naDra official. He had said that the court was bound to protect the rights of minorities under article 36 of the constitution.

had no logic or rationale and therefore the committee decided to discard both the recommendations.

The reviewed draft will be presented before the joint session of parliament on april 5. another session of the PcnS would be held on Saturday at 10am. an official statement also stated that in order to remove the reservation of various political parties upon the recommendations of the PcnS and to evolve consensus on unanimous recommendations in the joint sitting, the committee will hold its informal sittings and a new draft would be finalised. The new draft would be having in view of fresh proposals by opposition parties. The joint sitting of parlia-

ment would remain adjourned on april 3 and 4 due to the death anniversary of Zulfikar ali Bhutto.

The joint sitting would meet again on april 5.

JUi-F chief Fazlur rehman told reporters that all political parties were ready to contribute to evolve a consensus on parliamentary recommendations on the country’s foreign policy. He said army chief general ashfaq Kayani had assured the political leadership that he had not given any assurance to the US army leadership on resumption of naTO supplies. He said drone issue and naTO supplies could not be included in longterm policy of the government as these were not permanent issues.

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04 News

Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Previous govts responsible for power crisis, says Gilani ISLAMABAD

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r i M e Minister Yousaf raza gilani on Friday said the country was facing the problem of load shedding owing to the wrong policies of the previous governments.

To questions of the people in his monthly TV programme, Prime Minister Online, broadcast on Pakistan Television and channel Five, the prime minister said energy crisis was not a new issue. He said an important energy conference was being held on april 9, which would be attended by representatives from all the provinces to discuss and find solution to the energy crisis. referring to the inde-

pendent power producers (iPPs) initiated by Benazir Bhutto in 1994 during her first term, gilani said she was criticised for this initiative. He said said many corruption cases had been made against her, causing investors in the iPP project to run away from Pakistan.

“This situation created the energy crisis in the country.”

“We have added 3400MW to the national system with the help of short term projects and added that more electricity will be added by end of the year when many mid term projects will be completed.”

He said many other projects like Bhasha Dam, raising of Mangla Dam and other hydel projects are under construction to improve electricity and reduce load shedding. gilani said, “i

Balochistan Assembly adopts resolution asking govt to rationalise PIA fares for Quetta QUETTA: The Balochistan assembly adopted a resolution on Friday with consensus calling upon the federal government to rationalise Pia fares for Quetta as it has done for other sectors of the country, besides announcing night couch package for Quetta. The assembly session was held with Balochistan assembly Speaker aslam Bhootani in the chair. The speaker said Pia officials had briefed him when the issue was raised in the House. He said there were some technicalities and the members should first meet Pia officials to understand things and then approach the prime minister. The resolution was jointly moved by provincial minister engineer izmarak Khan of the anP, Mohammad ismail gujjar of the PPP and rahila Durrani of PMl-Q and PMl-Q leader Shiekh Jaffar Khan Mondokhail. The assembly members expression their disappointment about the implementation of the resolutions of the Balochistan assembly and said the federal government and its departments did not pay any attention to the problems of the people of Balochistan. Shahzada zulfIqaR

am from Punjab, and cannot discriminate against other provinces on the issue of load shedding.”

The prime minister said the provinces had been permitted to generate electricity, therefore, all provinces were equally responsible for energy crisis. He said the government was also making efforts to get energy from iran, adding that he had informally talked to indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about getting 500 to 1000MW of electricity from india.

He said the committee formed by him on energy would meet daily to look into the current condition of load shedding. “gas shortage is also a problem directly affecting the shortage of electricity, as many power projects use gas

and even provision of gas for fertilizers also create shortage for power projects,” he added.

He said the government is also making efforts to import lng from different countries to meet the demand in energy sector.

To a question about energy losses, the prime minister said PePcO and the Ministry of Water and Power had been restructured purely on professional basis and all areas had been made independent and it would improve the situation and reduce corruption and line losses. The prime minister said he had ordered that there would be no new tax in the next budget and relief would be given to the people. about change in federal cabinet, the prime minister said it was a routine matter

IB chief

bound to assist the court. appearing on notice, iB chief aftab Sultan told the court that he had checked the record, however withdrawal of the amount could not be confirmed. He said release of any amount from the secret fund and purpose of its usage was not available in writing. The chief justice inquired from the iB chief about Tariq lodhi, saying that the reporter had claimed lodhi was his news source. aftab Sultan then replied that lodhi was in london nowadays. The iB chief stated that although no written record was maintained about the usage of secret funds, audit report about the release of rs 270 million fund was made available to the Pac. The chief justice then directed him to provide such information to the court as well. To a court query, aftab Sultan said such amounts were not provided through banks, cheques or drafts. He said such amounts were given in cash. To another query, he requested the court to grant him some time to inform it in-camera about all the information about the said amount.

Continued fRoM page 1 During the hearing, a reporter of a local english daily and the editor of the newspaper, which published the news about the withdrawal of rs 270 million from iB’s secret fund, also appeared on notice and informed the court that they stood by the news. The reporter told the court that after publication of the news item, the interior Ministry issued an explanation saying that the iB did not fall under its’ ambit. However, he said the ministry did not contradict the release and utilization of the fund. The chief justice noted that 16 days had passed after publication of the news item, however, the iB did not contradict it, which he said prima facie indicated correctness of the news item. Meanwhile, the court asked the attorney general to call the iB chief to appear before the bench within half-anhour and explain about utilization of rs 270 million.

The chief justice said that according to law, the iB chief was

and it should not be a concern for any one. “all the members of cabinet are elected representatives and they are politicians.”

He said politicians were elected and deserved to be included in the federal cabinet as they had experience. about allegations of corruption against his sons, gilani said these were wrong allegations, adding that even the Supreme court had stated that his son was not involved in the Haj corruption case, but still the press was projecting the issue.

The prime minister said elections for local governments were not held, because of which there were no local elected officials to control prices.

“Price control is a provincial subject and should be dealt at the local

Slow progress causes WB to close 3 projects worth $650m in Pakistan ISLAMABAD onlIne

The World Bank (WB) has closed three projects worth $650 million for Pakistan due to slow progress on the projects, sources said on Friday.

However, economics affairs Division (eaD) Secretary Waqar Masood Khan said WB had not abolished the projects and had closed down only two projects, one of energy sector project (Balochistan) due to law and order and other was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which was abolished by the WB due to slow moving work on the project. However, the eaD secretary refused to tell the names and cost of the projects which had been abolished by the bank. according to the sources, the World Bank took the decision of

SC pulls plug Continued fRoM page 1 The court had reserved its judgment on December, 14, 2011 on the petitions of federal minister for housing Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat and PMl-n leader Khawaja asif in the rPP case. During adjudication of the case, in pursuance of the court orders from time to time, a sum of rs 8.689 billion was paid back to the government by different rPPs. This amount was paid to them as mobilisation advance, however, proceeding for recovery of interest amounting to rs 445.496 million from two rPPs Young gen and reshma were still pending.

While issuing directives to the naB chairman, the cJ said all government functionaries, including the ministers for water and power holding charge in 2006 and onward and from 2008 to onward, during whose tenure the rPPs were approved and the finance secretary holding the charge when mobilization advance

rate was increased from 7 to 14 percent, were liable to be dealt with under the naB Ordinance, 1999, by the naB. “all functionaries of PePcO, gencOs, PPiB and nePra along with sponsors (successful bidders) who had derived financial benefits from the rPPs contracts are, prima facie, involved in corruption and corrupt practices, therefore, they are also liable for the civil and criminal action,” said the cJ in his directions to the naB chairman.The chief justice said in the judgment that Bhikki rPP was paid rs 8,698 million against 811.605MW of electricity, whereas Sharaqpur rPP was paid rs 13,941.82 million against 1520.420MW of electricity.

He added that as regards the rPPs set up since 2008, out of nine rPPs to whom advance payment were made , six, including Techno Sahiwal, guddu, reshma, Young gen, naudero-ii and Techno Samundari had returned the advance payments in pur-

and provincial levels,” he said, adding the provincial governments should take notice of the problem of adulteration in edible items.

To a question about the situation in Karachi, he said, “Karachi is a mini Pakistan with a large population and different dynamics,” adding that it was the responsibility of the state to protect life and property of citizens but law and order in Karachi was a complex issue.

“The provincial government should fulfill its obligation and perform the primary duty to maintain law and order,” he said. gilani said despite the fact that all three main parties in Sindh were in the coalition government it was not a guarantee that law and order was under control all the time.

suance of court orders. However, mobilization advance payment made to Karkey, gulf and naudero-i had not been returned so far. it was categorically said in the judgment, “Despite down payment of billions of rupees to the rPPs, Karkey is generating 48.33MW against a capacity of 231MW and naudero-i is generating 9.16MW against a capacity of 51MW; whereas, gulf is generating 50.08MW against a capacity of 62 MW.” it added that Pakistan Power resources (Piranghaib, Multan) did not generate electricity at all, although down payment of $14.58 million was made to it, which had not been returned.

The judgment added, “Though rPP reshma has returned the down payment, yet it is still functioning and generating 15MW only against capacity of 201.3 MW”.

The verdict disclosed that per unit cost of electricity produced by the rPPs was on a very high side, as

abolishing the projects after reviewing the progress on the projects and found them slow so it brought to an end $300 million programme of PrSP and $50 million aJK community Development programme.

The asian Development Bank (aDB) is also likely to delay the disbursement of $1.1 billion as four projects of national High authority (nHa) have been found moving slowly or facing delay. The aDB committed $1.6 billion for projects of the nHa and these projects are supposed to be completed within the agreed period till 2015. The initial review of the implementation of these projects has revealed that the projects have been found to move slowly and are likely to cause further delay in the disbursement of the releases from aDB. Karkey was ranging from rs 35 to rs 50, gulf rs 18 to rs 19, naudero-i rs 12 to rs 19, adding that such rates were a blunt violation of ecc decision of September 10, 2008 which emphasized on making efforts for lower tariff through rPPs than iPPs on the similar technology for the first ten years. “all the rPPs are collectively generating just 120MW of electricity, adding huge amount has been paid to Karkey, gulf and naudero-i and if they are allowed to continue for the left over term, further huge amounts would be paid to them at expense of the public exchequer with no corresponding benefit to the consumers,” the judgment said. it said, “Prior to the introduction of rPPs, the system of generation of electricity under the control and management of Ministry of Water & Power, WaPDa, PePcO, gencOs, etc., had sufficient potential to produce more electricity, but instead of taking curative steps for its improvement, including clearance of circular debt of the iPPs or resorting to other means of generation of

India should scrap ‘excessive’ security law in Kashmir: Un NEW DELHI ReuteRS

india should scrap a controversial law which gives security forces battling militancy in the troubled regions of Kashmir and the northeast sweeping powers to search, arrest or shoot people, the United nations said on Friday. Human rights groups say the armed Forces Special Powers act (aFSPa) is a draconian law which the military arbitrarily uses to violate civilians’ rights. indian authorities and the army deny those charges, and say the legislation is essential to root out insurgents. Kashmir, the country’s only majorityMuslim region, has been the trigger for two out of three wars between india and its neighbour Pakistan. after a 12day visit to india, the U.n.’s Special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, christof Heyns, urged new Delhi to repeal the law, saying it was “a symbol of excessive state power” that “clearly violates international law.” “a law such as aFSPa has no role to play in a democracy and should be scrapped,” Heyns told reporters. a defense ministry spokesman declined on Friday to comment on Heyns’ remarks. Heyns, who will submit a report of his findings to the U.n. Human rights council next year, said he heard numerous testimonies from families of victims who had reportedly been killed in arbitrary executions carried out by security forces. among other powers, the aFSPa allows security forces to fire upon, or use force against, an assembly of five or more people, or anyone in possession of a deadly weapon. it gives legal immunity to the officials, so they can be neither sued nor prosecuted. in 2010, over 100 people were killed by government forces in protests against the aFSPa in Kashmir. local authorities in some areas have said they will stop using the law, but this has been blocked by the indian army.

electricity, billions of rupees were spent on Bhikki and Sharqpur rPPs, which proved a complete failure because the object could not be achieved as the shortage of electricity persistently continued, and yet more rPPs were installed,” the verdict said. The court ruled that the federal government, WaPDa, PePcO anD gencO had failed to control pilferage of electricity from the system because of bad governance and failure of the relevant authorities to enforce the writ of the government.

“Therefore, the government is required to improve the existing system of generation and transmission of electricity, by taking all necessary steps, including clearing of circular debt, et., so that electricity can be generated to the maximum capacity,” the verdict said. later in the day, Minister for Water and Power Syed naveed Qamar said that the national Transmission Despatch company (nTDc) would release notices of termination of contracts to all rPPs in line with the Sc order.

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

News 05

Imran Khan may find spot in TIMe’s ‘world’s 100 most influential people’

ISLAMABAD nnI

imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaaf, is likely to be selected among the 100 most influential figures of the world as he has secured eighth position so far in the Time magazine polling. He left gen ashfaq Kayani, chief of army Staff, Barack Obama and Bollywood celebrity Salman Khan far behind in the index based on online polling. Khan bagged 8,695 votes in his favour, which was more than 85 percent compared with votes (1,146) cast against him. gen Kayani secured 863 votes in favour and 1,028 votes against him.

Obama was cast 6,487 votes in favour and 3,808 votes were against him. Salman got 2,370 votes in his favour and 546 votes against him. imran is one of the two Pakistani and eight Muslims selected in the index. He has been most popular personality among all.

Two women fall victim to karo kari LARKANA Inp

Two women were killed after being declared karo kari in ratodero city on Friday. according to details, an 18-year old nadia Jalbani was killed by his relative in the name of honour in Bappar Muhalla of ratodero city, while another woman identified as Shehnaz Jalbani was also found dead in her house in Bhutta Wandh ratodero city. The sources said the woman was killed by her husband Madad ali Jalbani on suspicion of having involved in an illicit relationship with a man. The police shifted body of deceased Shehnaz to hospital for postmortem and later handed over to heirs.

KaRaChI: female family members of people arrested during a Rangers’ search operation in Kasba Colony, Kati pahari area, weep during a protest rally on friday. ONLINE

PML-N will not go against public sentiment: Nawaz Sharif ISLAMABAD

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aGenCIeS

aKiSTan Muslim leaguenawaz (PMl-n) chief nawaz Sharif on Friday said his party would never back any decision that might fuel public’s anger. addressing a consultation meeting with the party’s high-ups at Punjab House, nawaz said the nation had not yet forgotten the incidents like missile strikes and the US attack on Salala checkpost.

Several leaders, including raja Zafarul Haq, chaudhry nisar ali Khan, ishaq Dar, Zafar iqbal Jhagra, Mehtab abbasi, Khwaja asif and Mushahidullah attended the meeting.

The PMl-n chief noted that his

party was not in favour of doing politics over issues regarding restoration of the naTO supplies. However, he added that the sentiments of the country’s people could not be overlooked either. earlier, United States ambassador cameron Munter and British High commissioner adam Thomson separately called on nawaz in islamabad. according to sources, the US ambassador and UK high commissioner discussed with nawaz the naTO supply issue.

Matters including Pak-US relations, naTO supply and recommendations of the Parliamentary committee on Security were discussed during the meeting.

The sources further said that nawaz informed the envoys about the national stance on Pakistan’s sovereignty and security.

ISlaMaBad: nawaz Sharif in a meeting with British high Commissioner adam thomson. ONLINE

US discussing drones strategy with Pakistan: official WASHINGTON Inp

The Obama administration is talking with the Pakistanis about possible changes in the way the US conducts air strikes against terrorists in Pakistan, including providing Pakistan advance notice of attacks, modifying the targets and changing how targets are determined, according to a senior US official who is involved in intelligence matters.

The official, who would not speak for attribution because of the sensitivity of the issues, said the White House is making a serious mistake by putting the options on the table for the Pakistanis to seize.

“The big mistake was the administration - i did try to warn them - that once you put it on the table, it will only get worse,” the official said. “Sure enough, once they put it on the table, (Pakistan) grabbed it, and they’ve run with it and now it’s the centerpiece of their negotiations.”

The offer to put the issue on the table reportedly was made earlier this year by cia Director David Petraeus in a meeting with the head of Pakistani in-

telligence, lt gen ahmed Shuja Pasha.

“The director and i have had serious go-rounds about this particular issue before he did it, and he did it anyway. and now i think we’re paying the price,” the senior US official said. another US official who is not authorized to speak on the record denied any concessions were made. “no such concessions were offered to Pasha,” said the official, who would not answer questions about whether changes in the drone program have been discussed.

Deputy national Security adviser Ben rhodes told reporters earlier this week that he would not discuss the specifics of US-Pakistan counterterrorism programs, but said the story “did not represent the ongoing nature of the dialogue we have with the Pakistanis.”

The missile strikes by cia-operated unmanned aircraft has irked Pakistani officials who publicly say the country’s sovereignty is being violated and there are too many civilian casualties associated with the attacks. The US rejects the accusations. “if the main concern is sovereignty, the Pakistanis might want to deal with

the al Qaeda foreigners who are living within their borders and planning attacks on Pakistan, their neighbors and the West,” said the second US official.

The potential modifications in the drone program might not be as bad for the United States as some might suggest. although a former senior US intelligence official who is not privy to the specifics of the discussions is a bit nervous about what is being reported in the media, he suggests there’s a lot we don’t know, cnn in a report on Friday said. “i was struck by the language which said inform rather than approve. There is a very large difference,” the former official said. “and then the question is when you say inform, is it simultaneously? an hour before? a day before?” in addition, the former official raised the question about whether there would be an understanding with the Pakistanis that the United States still could act unilaterally if need be.

That question appeared to be answered by a senior Defense Department official during congressional testimony this week.

Michael Sheehan, the assistant sec-

retary for special operations, did not address the drone question specifically, but said the United States and Pakistan would try to work as best they can to resolve their differences. But he added that ultimately, “the president is going to do what he has to do unilaterally. and he will always protect that prerogative, to protect the security of the american people and our interest.” as the senior U.S. official put it, “We have good day, bad days and terrible days. This is the way we have a relationship with Pakistan. and sometimes that can all happen in the same day.”

The bumpy road ahead was also reflected by Senate intelligence committee chairman Dianne Feinstein who told cnn she has no confidence that the relationship with Pakistan will smooth out any time soon. The california Democrat will join her committee vice chairman and the ranking members of the House intelligence committee on an upcoming visit to Pakistan to demonstrate the importance of the nations’ relationship and to re-enforce their shared national security objectives.

over 100,000 have fled northwest Pakistan fighting: UnHCR GENEVA afp

Over 100,000 people have fled fighting between government troops and Taliban or al Qaeda-linked militants in northwest Pakistan since January 20, the Un refugee agency said Friday. “an estimated 101,160 people, mostly women and children, have become displaced since January 20 when government troops began security operations against militant groups in the Khyber” tribal district, said the UnHcr in a statement. The agency warned that a recent increase in the intensity of combat was pushing even larger numbers of families to flee the region to Jalozai camp, located close to Peshawar. an average of 2,000 families have been arriving daily at the camp since March 17, said the UnHcr. “new arrivals say that they have left their homes because of the proximity of fighting and due to instructions by the authorities to evacuate the area,” it added.

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06 News

Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Nisar doubts govt’s will to implement foreign policy resolution ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

x P r e S S i n g apprehensions over some clauses of the proposed resolution on foreign policy, leader of the Opposition in the national assembly nisar ali Khan on Friday said even if their reservations were removed, the government could not implement the unanimous resolution in its true letter and spirit. addressing a news conference at the Punjab House, nisar, flanked by other PMl-n leaders including Senator Mushahidullah and iqbal Zafar Jhagra, said if their party accepted the resolution, the government will open the naTO supplies. “But there are no signs that the government will act upon the resolution as in past it passed the same resolution for four

times but had not acted upon them,” he said, adding, “We agree with the resolution wholeheartedly but we are only concerned about its implementation.”

Talking about the clauses over which their party had reservation, he said his party objected to the clause regarding the presence of a foreign base in the country, along with some other clauses, adding that they were not ready to compromise on the sovereignty of the country at any cost. He, however, added that all the participants of the meeting including the government representatives and military establishment praised the PMln’s move of objecting the clauses which could harm the sovereignty of the country.

The opposition leader said he was fighting the war of Pakistan not PMln’s and would continue to create hur-

dles in the way of everything which would be against Pakistan. referring to some media reports, the PMl-n leader said he and his party was not creating any hurdle in way of resolution as most of its clauses were in favor of the country but the only thing which we could not allow was compromise on national security and sovereignty. nisar said they were in favour of the clauses that no drone attacks would take place in the country, it will be no free move of foreign military officials in the country and the people behind Salala attacks would be dealt according to the law.

He said during the meeting of political and military leadership held the other day, he had also raised the issue of afia Siddique and this time the government’s stance on their issue had completely totally changed.

hYdeRaBad: policemen load Sheesha in their van after a raid on a restaurant providing the banned item to customers on friday. ONLINE

no fresh polio case reported in Pakistan since January PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

not a single fresh polio occurrence case has been reported in Pakistan since January this year which, despite many difficulties, is a significant achievement. all the 15 polio cases came to limelight over the period are, in fact, back logs and vigorous efforts are under way to vaccinate each and every child during the ensuing polio vaccination campaigns.

This was told to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Barrister Masood Kausar while he was presiding over the third meeting of the Special Joint Task Force for FaTa and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Polio eradication at governor’s House on Friday which beside others was also attended by Mna azra Fazal Pechuho, who is member of the task force and also the sister of President asif ali Zardari.

The meeting was attended by provincial chief Secretary ghulam Dastagir akhtar, administrative secretaries and heads of concerned departments, commissioners, political agents of tribal agencies, district coordination officers, representatives of World Health Organisation, UniceF, Malinda and Bill gates Foundation and other organisations engaged in the struggle to get the world free from the polio threat.

Both governor Kausar and Mna azra Fazal Pechuho while noting the achievements with appreciation of further observed that though substantial steps are underway in getting rid of polio disease yet, there is a need not only to reach to each and every child of the province and FaTa. The polio eradication campaign, it was observed, is a continuous process and to make it fully result oriented, not only the zero level tolerance towards any short coming has to be maintained but there is also need to maintain quality in all respect.

Besides ensuring efficient working of polio vaccination teams, it was further stressed that regular review especially effective role of accountability teams have also to be maintained up to the mark.

Meanwhile, the meeting was informed that double gadget of cooling system is managed to maintain quality of vaccines.

The practice of providing vaccination facility at the transit routes has been continued and in Peshawar alone more than thirty thousands internally dislocated children were given polio drops. On a point, it was further told that hundred percent achievements have been targeted till end of June this year in all respects and it is determined not to spare any effort to make this possible. it was further told that ten days ahead of every polio vaccination campaign, formal coordination meetings are held right at the district and union council level wherein all concerned are updated and the issues thrashed out.

Bin laden fathered four children while on run: wife ISLAMABAD afp

Osama bin laden fathered four children as he hid out in Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks, his youngest wife told interrogators, according to a police report seen by aFP on Friday. amal abdulfattah’s account provides rare details of the al-Qaeda leader’s life from when he fled afghanistan in late 2001 until his death aged 54 last May during a US navy Seal operation in abbottabad, in Pakistan. abdulfattah, from Yemen, was arrested by Pakistani authorities following the US raid on bin laden’s compound near islamabad, along with two of his Saudi wives, and her five children.

The three detained widows face charges of illegally entering and residing in Pakistan. abdulfattah, 30, was shot while trying to protect her husband, according to the US. The police report, dated January 19, said abdulfattah was born into a family of 17 children and married bin laden because “she had a desire to

marry a Mujahedeen”, using the term for “holy warrior”.

The report, from the office of the inspector general of police in islamabad, recommended abdulfattah and her children be immediately deported. after arriving in Pakistan in July

2000 on a three-month visa, in the company of her sister and brother-inlaw, abdulfattah travelled to Kandahar, in neighbouring afghanistan, at the time capital of the Taliban regime.

The date of her marriage to bin laden was not specified, but the po-

lice report said afterwards she moved in with him and his other two wives.

“She further revealed that after the incident of 9/11, they all scattered and she came to Karachi with one of her daughter’s, Safia,” the report said. Safia, her first child by the alQaeda kingpin, was born in Kandahar in 2001.

She stayed in Karachi for eight to nine months, moving between homes arranged for them by Pakistani families and bin laden’s oldest son Saad. abdulfattah then met back with the fleeing bin laden in Peshawar, in northwest Pakistan. The report suggests that the pair did not part from that moment until the raid in abbottabad.

They stayed for eight or nine months in Swat, then for two years in Haripur, 90 minutes from islamabad, before moving to the garrison town of abbottabad in 2005. During this time, abdulfattah had four other children by bin laden, by then the mostwanted man in the world. in Haripur, aasia, a girl, was born in 2003 and ibrahim, a boy, was born the next year.

On both occasions abdulfattah gave birth in a public hospital, the police report said.

The other two children, Zainab, a girl, and Hussain, a boy, were born in abbottabad in 2006 and 2008. according to the report, the family movements while they were on the run were organised by “ibrahim and abrar”, two Pakistanis given responsibility for the task by members of alQaeda.

Both the men were killed by the americans during the raid on abbottabad and had been living in the same compound, along with ibrahim’s wife, Bushra, and bin laden’s son, Khalid.

The continued detention of bin laden’s wives has led to accusations that Pakistan is attempting to muzzle them to stop them from providing details that could embarrass islamabad or add to suspicions it knew where bin laden was.

Pakistan was humiliated by the covert american operation that killed the al-Qaeda leader in the early hours of May 2, practically on the doorstep of the country’s elite military academy.

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Council head says journalists’ complaints to be redressed ISLAMBAD Staff RepoRt

The Press council of Pakistan (PcP) is expanding its network at local and international levels by establishing linkages with various organisations for collaboration and experience sharing. according to a press statement issued on Friday, PcP chairman raja Shafqat abbasi said the council was in the process of signing MoUs (memorandums of understanding) with different institutions of the country to establish professional linkages with them.

He said the Press council was also in touch with the Press council of Saarc, commonwealth countries and World association of Press councils to establish a working collaboration with them and learn from their experiences.

He said an advisory board would be constituted involving major universities of the country for capacity building and research activities. established in 2002, the council remained a non-functional entity; however, he said it had now been reactivated purely as an independent organisation with core objective of maintaining media freedom. abbasi said the council would not only address the complaints received from the public against media it had also been mandated to resolve issues confronting the media men.

He said the complainant would first lodge a complaint with the organisation concerned and in case of failure to resolve the issue within fortnight, the council would take up the issue.

Moreover, the council head said an inquiry commission would also be formed to be headed by a retired judge of the high court or equally qualified person. abbasi said the council had also formed two inquiry committees to look into relevant issues and complaints.

IHC stays extension of neSCoM retired officers ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The islamabad High court on Friday stopped the Ministry of Defense from giving extension to the retired officers of national engineering and Scientific commission (neScOM). Justice riaz ahmad Khan was hearing the case filed by some junior employees of neScOM through their counsel, advocate raja Saifur rehman. raja submitted before the court that the Supreme court in its judgment on Hajj corruption case had held that no officer would be given extension after the age of retirement because it blocked the promotion of junior officers who had to keep on waiting for their promotions.

The petitioners quoted the defence secretary, the national command authority (nca) Dg, the neScOM chairman and others as respondents. The counsel contended that the neScOM management, in violation of the apex court judgment, had prepared a summary of retired officers to grant them extensions after their age of superannuation, He added 23 officers were already working against permanent posts on contract at the eScOMand after their retirement. He also named the officers who were to be granted extensions after their age of superannuation. They are: M irfan Burney, anwar Muzaffar, amjad Jamal ghouri, col ruhullah Malik, anees Baig, col nisar, M aslam chaudhry, M arshad Mahmood, Mumtaz ali Khan, Sohail-ur-rehman and col Khalid Maqbool.

He prayed to the court to stay the extension of all retired officers and to start contempt proceedings against the neScOM management for ignoring the Sc judgment in the said matter.

BISP and State Life sign accord g

farzana says life insurance launched for social protection of the poor ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

He Benazir income Support Programme (BiSP) and the State life insurance corporation Pakistan (Slic) on Friday inked an agreement for three years from 2012 to 2015 to support 4.1 million breadwinners of its beneficiary families. PiSP chairperson Farzana raja, Slic chairman Shahid Siddiqi and BiSP Secretary Sher Khan were present on the occasion. The signing ceremony was signed on the completion of one-year (2011) agreement for 2.03 million breadwinners of BiSP beneficiary families between the two organisations and as an extension of the same coverage for another three years (2012 -2015).

Farzana raja, on the occasion, appreciated the role of State life insurance company in the success of the scheme which, she said, was an added social protection intervention launched

by BiSP for pro-poor approach.

The BiSP chairperson said that the scheme was part of the vision of

BiSP and aimed at helping the dependants (mothers, wives, children and sisters) of deceased at the time of distress with the compensation of rs 100,000 within the period of 30 days

IHC quashes FIR against accused in Hajj corruption case ISLAMABAD SalMan aBBaS

The islamabad High court (iHc) on Friday quashed the Fir registered against former establishment Division additional secretary SM Tahir in the Hajj corruption case, observing that the petitioner had been made a scapegoat while the real culprits in the case had been either let free or exonerated by the Fia authorities.

Justice Shaukat aziz Siddique heard the case filed by SM Tahir through his counsel, advocate Sanaullah Zahid, against the Fia authorities for registration of a case against him. The Federal investigation agency (Fia) had arrested Tahir, the then joint secretary, establishment Division, on the charges of concealing the facts regarding the age and pending cases against rao Shakeel from the competent authority during his appointment as director general Hajj in the Ministry of religious affairs.

The counsel for Tahir contended the establishment secretary and the additional secretary both knew that Shakeel was not eligible for the post, but even then they got the summary of his appointment approved from the prime minister.

The judge observed that in his estimation registration of case to the extent of the petitioner was without any jurisdiction, adding that the

appointing authority was liable to be dealt with according to the law. “But who dares in the Fia to do so?” the court questioned.

Zahid told the court that the Special Selection Board (SSB) about the age of Shakeel also took up this matter with the then national accountability Bureau (naB) Punjab director general.

He pointed out that former establishment secretary ismail Qureshi was nominated a coaccused in the case for the same allegations of concealing the facts, but he was exonerated from the charges.

He said Tahir had never had any criminal intention in the deal nor had it been proved by the investigation agency.

The Fir registered against Tahir by Special investigation Unit (SiU) of the Fia accused him of hiding the date of birth and the pending naB references against Shakeel from the SSB and the competent authority. Shakeel as the Dg Hajj embezzled millions of rupees last year, the Fir added.

When the court asked the Fia investigation officer, why the competent authority ignored all the facts presented before him during the appointment of rao Shakeel as Dg Hajj, the iO did not reply. after the arguments, Justice Shaukat declared the case to the extent of the petitioner as illegal and quashed the Fir against him.

as an economic shelter which is being given first time in the history of Pakistan. The scheme would be applicable to the beneficiary families of the BiSP across Pakistan.

CDA spring flower show kicks off ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The 30th annual Spring Flower and Vegetable Show 2012, organised by the capital Development authority (cDa), kicked off here at rose and Jasmine garden on Friday. cDa chairman engineer Farkhand iqbal inaugurated the event while representatives of various public and private sectors were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, Farkhand iqbal said that flowers were the integral part of our life and every effort would be made to promote the culture of flowers in the city.

He said, “This year we have expanded the show by adding different varieties of flowers and vegetables being exhibited.”

He vowed to expand it further in the coming years by including other varieties of flowers and vegetables in the annual event, adding that the purpose is to encourage the public to love greenery.

On this occasion, environment Member Mian Waheed-ud-Din said that the show would continue for three days and prizes would be distributed among the winners of flower and vegetable exhibition. Many government, semi-government, ngOs and private organisations and individuals are participating in the show.

He said that several varieties of flowers and vegetables were being displayed at the show. The organizations participating in this show are the capital Development authority, Khan research laboratories (Krl), Pak PWD, islamabad club, indonesian embassy, Pakistan air Force Hospital, national Highway authority, Pakistan Motorway & Traffic Police and others.

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Gallery 6 reopens with new face

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Artworks of country’s 63 artists on display today ISLAMABAD

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

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FTer running successfully in realm of promotion of art and culture in the capital, holding a number of exhibitions, gallery 6, after being relocated from g-10 to F-8, is to display the first painting exhibition at its newly furnished gallery6 from today (Saturday).

With the title ‘66 Statements,’ having paintings, drawings, sculptures, relief work, prints and photographs, the new premises of gallery 6 is spread over 5000 square feet with more than 400 running feet of display wall-space, making it the largest private gallery in the capital.

The exhibition includes 63 artists from islamabad, Karachi, Jamshoro, lahore and chakwal, two from australia and one from USa, who will display a large variety of works.

Sculptors are five, with a good display of four different mediums – clay, fibre glass, wood and metal. Drawings are by a senior artist Saeed akhtar; nazir ahmed, a recent graduate of nca rawalpindi; Henri Souffay, a French man married to a Pakistani woman and settled in Karachi for 35 years; and athar Jamal from indus Valley School of art and architecture. each one of them exhibits a distinctively different style.

Print makers are Zaira ahmed and aleem Dad Khan, the two faculty members of nca rawalpindi, and adnan Samuel Javed from lahore. Two signed prints of a leading australian artist Phillip Hall, who uses traditional aboriginal art technique in his paintings, are also on display. calligraphy works by six artists are also noticeably different. it includes masters like rashid ahmed arshed and ahmed Khan, meticulous akram Spaul, splashy arif Khan, vibrant Tahir Bin Qalandar and new entrant like Tayyab Munawwar. However, one thing common in all the works is that they are bright, lively and colourful. landscapes include a brilliant work of ghulam rasool on bohsaar. a fascinating landscape in acrylic and ink is by an australian artist gabrielle Pool, showing “fertility trees” in africa against a sunset background. Other works are by well-known names like nazir ahmed, Zulfiqar ali Zulfi and Mughees riaz. among them, also standing prominently is also the rapidly upcoming Matloob Baig. interestingly, in this category are also four painters from chakwal – amjad Hussain, raja najmul Hasan, Tanvir Kausar Mughal and his son Shehzad Mughal. One landscape is in dry pastels by islamabad based banker, Omar Waheed, who has become noticeable in a short period of two years. in this category, Shehla rafi outshines all with her subtle strokes and depth of work. Hanif Shehzad and

aQ arif have painted the cityscapes and it interesting to see arif taking some experimental steps on paper.

Women remain the focus of many painters in their iconic styles. Hajra Mansur, abrar ahmed and rind focus on eastern aesthetics of elongated necks, long drawn eyes with other romantic symbols like peacock and other birds. Mobina Zuberi captures a thoughtful woman, Wahab Jaffer celebrates with colours in new patterns, Muhammad ali Bhatti remains skillfully realistic, ali abbas dwells with Thar women with decreasingly less colour and increasing empty space, and iqbal Hussain shows himself painting a woman – an unusual composition from him. a very well done painting in charcoal and oil by the

late Mansur aye on his typical moon-faced women is a collector’s item. rM naeem’s ‘To whom it may concern’ from his new series of works titled ‘Today’ and Sana arjumand’s ‘annihilation’ are most innovative in dealing with their subject and in treatment of the paintings. Both are outstanding artworks and placed side-by-side without over-shadowing each other.

Omar Farid stands out with his unique psychedelic paintings, while Faten anjum distinguishes with her boldness. Farrukh Shahab dominates with the size and a new evolving cubical style and Mansur rahi distinguishes with his cubism. Zarah David’s paintings are surrealistic, while Musarrat nahid imam plays with black and silver with peacock feathers, creating style in simplicity, and aqeel Solangi extends his work with serene and mystic objects. abid Hasan from Karachi School of arts, Faisal asghar and aziz Hasan have used three different techniques in creating their abstracts like oxidising of silver leaf, ball-pen and fluorescent acrylics.

During the preview, Dr. arjumand Faisel the curator of the gallery appeared very excited as he said that it was a big challenge to display such a large variety of work and he is eagerly looking forward to the response of the visitors.

The exhibition will continue till april 15 at House no 19, Street 10, F-8/3 and the gallery will remain open on the weekends to facilitate those who are unable to take out time on work days.

Pakistan participates in Bangkok International Book Fair ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan is participating in the 10th Bangkok international Book Fair, being held at the Queen Sirikit convention centre from 29 March to 8 april 2012.

The book fair has been organised by the Publishers and Booksellers association of Thailand (PUBaT). Besides Thais, other participants include asian Pacific Publishers association (aPPa), aSean Book Publishers association (aBPa), and asian, european and american publishing houses and related organisations.

Mazhar-ul-islam, managing director, national Book Foundation

(nBF), is representing Pakistan at the Book Fair 2012 and its related events. a set of representative books on Pakistan, including those published by nBF, have been displayed, covering a range of subjects such as indus Valley civilisation, Buddhist gandhara, Quaid-e-azam Muhammad ali Jinnah, Pakistan movement, places of historic and tourist interest, and Pakistan’s history, culture, art and literature. The international book fair was inaugurated

by Her royal Highness (HrH) Princess Maha chakri Sirindhorn.

While visiting the Fair Halls, she stopped at the aPPa booth where Pakistani books are on display.

Mazhar ul islam presented a set

of books on Pakistan to Princess Sirindhorn, including ‘reconciliation – islam, Democracy and the West’ authored by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. earlier, on 28 March, the nBF managing director, participated in a conference titled ‘Digital impact on the Traditional Book Publishing and Printing in asia and the Pacific’ and shared Pakistan’s perspectives on the subject. among other things, while welcoming the advent of new technologies in book publishing and increasing trend towards e-books, Mazhar-ul-islam stressed the importance of also retaining the agesold tradition of books.

On the sidelines of the fair, MD

Mazhar-ul-islam has been meeting publishers from Thailand and the Southeast asia region to exchange views on possibilities of mutual collaboration. in his comments, ambassador of Pakistan to Thailand Sohail Mahmood underscored the importance of Pakistan’s participation in the Bangkok international Book Fair, noting that it had enabled book publishing industry in the country to showcase books. He also lauded the important role being played by the national Book Foundation.

He added that participation in the event would also contribute to efforts by both sides to strengthen the people-to-people relationship between Pakistan and Thailand.

Auditions: sAlsA & Hip Hop ...

monster truCk in islmAbAd

DATe AnD TIMe: MAR 31, 2012, 6:00 PM VenUe: KUCH KHAAS (ISlAMABAD)

DATe: MAR 20 - APR 21, 2012 VenUe: f-9 PARK, ISlAMABAD

DATe AnD TIMe: 05:00 PM, weeKly eVenT VenUe: THe CenTRe foR ARTS & CUlTURe

to all aspiring dancers, Kuch Khaas is holding an audition. the people who clear the audition will have to go through an intense Salsa or hip hop training program for a month. please send in your entries to zaidi@kuchkhaas.org with your name and contact details before the 30th of March 2012.

Monster truck in Islamabad.

our drumming circle is a (free!) ongoing event and is held every friday from 5 to 6 p.m. we are having a great time, and want to share the good time with you! our drumming circle has children ...

drumming CirCle

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Islamabad 09 Training participants vow to protect devolution process ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

ISlaMaBad: prize winners hold their trophies during annual Sports day at IMCG f-7/2. STAff PHOTO

SPIR body sworn in ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The office bearers of society of School of Politics and international relations, islamabad (SPir), Quaid-i-azam University, took oath at a ceremony.

SPir Director Dr lubna abid ali was the chief guest of the ceremony. She administered oath to the newly elected president of joint society of the SPir. later, Mujeeb afzal, in charge of SPir Society, administered oath to the rest of the cabinet.

The cabinet enthusiastically vowed to be faithful and work for the betterment of the society and honour of the institution. The SPir director congratulated all successful candidates and lauded their efforts for setting the democratic norms in the institution.

The newly elected body consists of President Shoaib ali Khan, Vice President Tanveer Farooq Maan, Vice President ir Sajjad Malik, general Secretary Summayah Khalid, Deputy general Secretary nighat Bano, Deputy general Secretary Madiha Shakeel Khan, Joint Sectary Shazeb Zaheer Butt and Finance Secretary anum raza Khan.

The election of the SPir Society was held under the supervision of chief election commissioner Summar rao on March 14.

Infant mortality increased in Dec last: FAFEN report ISLAMABAD:

c

Staff RepoRt

aSeS of infant mortality registered an increase in December last year as compared to the preceding month, said a Free and Fair election network (FaFen) report. infant mortality in this report refers to children who did not live to see their first birthday. The highest number of cases was reported in Sahiwal (225) followed by gujrat (157) and Faisalabad (136).

The report, released on Friday, is based on reported cases of diseases at government health offices in 79 districts. Of the monitored districts, 36 reported cases of infant mortality. it said that 51 children died before attaining the age of five years in seven districts while 124 mothers died due to pregnancy and delivery-

related complications in 31 of the monitored districts. according to the report, there were 2,199,222 cases of the observed diseases that were reported. among viral diseases, hepatitis was the most reported with 2,803 cases of which 619 were recorded in gujrat, another 551 in gujranwala and 321 in Bahawalpur.

On the polio front, three new cases emerged, one each in Karachi central, Dera ghazi Khan and Vehari while there were 27 cases of probable poliomyelitis, all being reported in Karachi central. also reported were 19 suspected cases of aiDS, 11 of them in Sargodha, seven in gujrat and one in gujranwala, the report said.

On the other hand, 1,774 cases of malaria were reported, Hafizabad topping the list with 499 cases, followed by Khyber agency (362) and Qila Saifullah (233). However, no case of dengue surfaced during the

Afridi to check fake branded health-related products ISLAMABAD Staff Rep o Rt

intellectual Property Pakistan (iPO) chairman Hameed Ullah Jan afridi has taken serious note of manufacturing and sale of fake branded health-elated consumable products in the markets, which are damaging national and multi-national brands. afridi asked pharmaceuticals and other related companies to point out elements involved in such mal practices and infringement. He stated this while talking to Pharma Bureau executive Director Dr Sadia here on Friday. iPO Director general Sajjad

ahmad Bhutta and members of Pharma Bureau were also present on the occasion. afridi said that it is a matter of grave concern that some elements are committing heinous crime by manufacturing medicines and food items by infringing the trademarks of renowned companies.

He asked the representatives of Pharma Bureau to point out such crimes and proceed for legal action against such types of counterfeiting so that they should be penalised according to the relevant laws.

The iPO chairman said that those producing counterfeited and pirated health-related products do not deserve any concession and

vowed that the iPO will provide a platform in collaboration with iP enforcement authorities to curb the menace of intellectual property rights violations in the society. afridi said that efforts were being made to improve the procedures of registration of intellectual property rights and registries had been asked to ensure the quality examination of iP applications in all respect before granting iP rights.

Dr Sadia lauded the role of the iPO in strengthening the iP system in the country and promised all possible support and cooperation for creating awareness about iP rights.

month. There were 111 cases of measles, tetanus (22) and meningitis (13). acute respiratory tract infections were the most commonly reported set of diseases constituting 53% of the total disease burden. Faisalabad (144,425), gujranwala (59,517) and Bahawalpur (53,268) were the top three districts reporting such infections.

Over 14 percent of the total diseases comprised gastrointestinal infections and 12% of skin diseases.

Moreover, there were 10,343 cases of animal bites and 1,635 of tuberculosis. eight out of 10 districts that reported the most cases of observed diseases were in Punjab and the other two in Sindh. Unlike last month, when Bahawalpur reported the highest disease burden, December saw Faisalabad recording the most cases (9%), followed by Bahawalpur (8%) and gujrat (7%).

Mehergarh, a center for learning, conducted a one-week ‘advanced leadership course’ for young activists from all over Pakistan working on democracy through their respective organisations. The training was organised by Mehergarh Youth consortium – a platform of youth groups and organisations. The leadership course extrapolated the basic elements of democracy and the essence of the 18th constitutional amendment. The purpose of the training was to inform the youth about the relevant constitutional changes in the overall institutional framework of Pakistan.

Organisations of the participants included Baacha Khan educational Foundation (Peshawar), Progressive Youth Forum (abbottabad), Uelect Pakistan (islamabad), awam (Faisalabad), Human empowerment leadership Program (Quetta), Youth Senate of Pakistan (gilgit-Baltistan), indus resource center (Karachi), DTce (islamabad), grass root in action (Hazara), Sindhi language authority (Hyderabad), British council (islamabad), Women Workers’ Union (lahore), Daily ibrat (Hyderabad), SPO (Hyderabad), neengar Society (Multan), Sindh Dost Study circle (Hyderabad), Progressive Youth Forum (abbottabad), Y-Peer network (lahore), aware girls (Peshawar) and Youth Parliament of Pakistan (lahore).

The training included a detailed course on the concept of federalism, eighteenth constitutional amendment, devolution process and local bodies system intertwined with a basic course on communication skills to help the young activists in communicating their point of view.

The overall theme of the training was to move forward, engage with provincial assemblies and take the devolution process to the third tier.

The participants received Senator raza rabbani’s new book ‘Biography of Federalism’ as textbook for the course. Facilitators for the training course included Dr Fouzia Saeed (Social activist and Director of Mehergarh), Zafarullah Khan (executive director of center for civic education), Dr. Khadim Husain (managing director of Baacha Khan Trust educational Foundation), Maliha Husain (program director of Mehergarh), amjad Bhatti, Paul lundberg, rafiq Jaffer (director, institute of Social Sciences). The young activists were ecstatic when Dr abdul Malik Baloch, ex-senator and president of the national Party in Balochistan, came to talk to the participants regarding the struggle of democracy in Pakistan. it was a highly thrilling moment for the young activists to have had the opportunity to talk to the celebrated politician.

To conclude the ceremony, ia rehman gave a session on ‘Way Forward’ suggesting that “we all become proactive in ensuring that devolution trickles down to the third tier of governance in Pakistan.” at the conclusion of the ceremony, the zealous young activists from all over Pakistan vowed to protect devolution and the constitution of the country.

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10 Islamabad

Saturday, 31 March, 2012

‘Earth Hour’ to be observed today g

lights to be switched off for one hour to express concern over climate change, global warming and conservation energy ISLAMABAD

a

MahtaB BaShIR

MiD the announced and unannounced load shedding for hours in both rural and urban areas of the country, Pakistan along with over 150 other countries will observe the world’s largest single campaign for the ‘earth Hour’ today (Saturday) by turning off lights for an hour from 8:30pm to 9:30pm in a collective display of commitment to a better future for the planet to reduce energy consumption.

With the theme ‘i will if you will’, ‘earth Hour’ is a global WWF climate change initiative. This event calls for everyone to stand up and take responsibility towards a sustainable future. ‘earth Hour’ is not to be confused with earth Day. The hour is to be observed between 8:30pm to 9:30pm in the metropolis on

Saturday (today) by switching off lights to depict concern for climate change and global warming as the Ministry of national Disaster Management is joining 150 countries, 5,200 cities and millions of people around the world in the universal initiative for energy conservation, global warming and climate change.

Pakistan has a lesser contribution as compared to rest of the world towards global warming, but the country is at receiving end due to high global warming by neighbours like india and china.

Businesses and government organisations as well as community and political leaders will also take part in ‘earth Hour’. it’s about giving people a voice on the planet’s future and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for the earth.

The federal government has been celebrating this hour successfully in collaboration with the parliament, provincial governments, educational institutions,

corporate sector, media and citizens of Pakistan since its launch in 2010. The WWF Pakistan has played a key role in mobilising this campaign successfully in collaboration with media to express solidarity with global fraternity. like other parts of the world, millions of people in Pakistan will switch off lights on Saturday for an hour to draw attention to climate change and as a symbol of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour to celebrate ‘earth Hour 2012’.

Keeping in view the importance of this occasion, the Ministry of national Disaster Management will invite people to join hands and attend the candle lit vigil at the front lawn of the national assembly building at 8:30pm to 9:30pm today. roots School System (rSS) will join hands with WWF to celebrate earth Hour at roots college international, g8 Metropolitan campus, while few of many ngO workers, public sector/private sector employees, traders and shop-

keepers will also observe this hour in the federal capital. lights at the iconic building in islamabad, including the Presidency, the PM House, Pak Secretariat, the PM Secretariat, the Supreme court building and government secretariats all over the country will be switched off to observe this hour.

Offices of private news channels and newspapers, Uniliver Pakistan, Pia, banks, Pakistan Petroleum limited, ODgDc, government servants and general public will also observe ‘earth Hour 2012’. earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, australia, when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change.

Only a year later, ‘earth Hour’ became a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people of 35 countries observed the day. global landmarks such as Sydney Harbour

Bridge, The cn Tower in Toronto, The golden gate Bridge in San Francisco and rome all stood in darkness as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour. in March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third ‘earth Hour.’ Over 4,000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative. and now in 2012, an estimated 1.5 billion people in over 100 countries worldwide will be participating in the ‘earth Hour’.

The ‘earth Hour’ is a fabulous opportunity for the people of Pakistan and, in particular, youth to do something about climate change. On one night, in one hour, more will be done, more will be demonstrated, and more will be learned than any other ‘green’ initiative. Participate in the ‘earth Hour’ today and you can help make a difference.

‘People to be associated with capital’s uplift plans’ ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The participation of the public would be ensured in the decision-making process to maximise the benefits of development projects in the federal capital while for early redress of complaints, the cDa has been asked to designate the focal persons in different areas of the city and in this regard around 553 complaints have been redressed out of the total 667 complaints received in one month.

This was stated by Prime Minister’s Task Force on islamabad chairman Faisal Sakhi Butt while talking to media here on Friday after attending different meetings with the delegations from the rural areas of the city.

Butt said that the government was committed to speedy development of the city in line with the proposals of the local residents to make it one of the progressive capitals of the world. He said that the prime minister of Pakistan had taken keen interest in the better upkeeping of the city and future development of the federal capital on modern lines. Talking to the delegations from Shah allah Ditta, Tarnol, Sangjani and other rural areas, he said that rapid development would be ensured in the rural areas of the city to bring it at par with the sectoral areas. He said the development plan being carried out in the constituency of na-48 would be focused to overcome the missing facilities and development activities in the areas. He said President asif ali Zardari had promoted the culture of reconciliation and hatred and discriminations had been buried in the political process. He added that education and health were the priority areas in the development process of rural islamabad.

German embassy organises exhibition ISLAMABAD: The german embassy, in cooperation with the Pakistan german Business Forum (PgBF) and germanlinked companies and institutions active in Pakistan held a unique exhibition at Buch executive Villas. according to a press release, germany on the road has been designed to present the multitude of linkages between germany and Pakistan by giving german companies, germany-linked companies and german institutions an opportunity to display their activities in Pakistan in a concise and vivid manner. During the exhibition up-to-date information about germany as well as appealing give-aways were handed out and a buffet dinner was offered. The event was sponsored by BaSF Pakistan., cei logistics, excel group/PrintSol, gWe german Water & energy, KSB Pumps, Küppersbusch/Teka Pakistan, Man Diesel Pakistan, MeTrO cash & carry Pakistan, nordex Se germany, SaaS Synergie/alno and SaP Pakistan. Staff RepoRt

ISlaMaBad: Wahadat-e-Muslimeen activists stag a demo outside the national press Club against the killing of five people from hazara community in quetta. STAff PHOTO

‘Poor governance responsible for poverty and slow human uplift’ ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Weak governance is responsible for persistent poverty and the slow human development in Pakistan, so the country needs a continuity of democratic process, strong civil society, hard economic decisions and increase in internal revenue generation which will enable the country to have democratic and effective governance at various levels. These views were expressed by asia-Pacific governance and Democracy initiative Director Shabbir cheema while delivering a lecture on ‘governance for Human Development’ organised by Sustainable Development Policy institute (SDPi) here on Friday.

He said, unfortunately, government efforts to improve human development had miserably failed in Pakistan, and the reasons were lack of vision at policy level, absence of competence and commitment by political and bureaucratic management, and a strong feudal culture that influences governance in the country. cheema was of the view that democratic governments could not survive long if they did not build and sustain trust of

citizens, which was difficult to build and easy to lose in this age of information. He said though citizens’ trust in government was promoted by democratic governance, but it was not sufficient to sustain. He said positive aspect in Pakistan was that now actors from all state institutions wanted democratic processes to continue, and for the first time in its history an elected government was likely to complete its term. “Pakistan has a resilient society and only if its governance improves, the gaps between its potential and performance can be bridged. currently, Pakistan has several opportunities for change in the form of vibrant civil society, open and free media, rise of independent judiciary, huge resource base and individual entrepreneurship that can be utilised for ensuring human development the country ,” he went on saying.

Shabbir cheema highlighted significance and interrelations of governance with human development. He said governance crisis was evident from widespread corruption, inefficient public services, and a host of other failures. cheema said Pakistan’s poor rating at World governance indicator (Wgi) and Human Develop-

ment indicator (HDi) reflected that it needed to take drastic steps to improve governance and welfare of its citizens. He said weak governance in Pakistan was affecting its ability to cope with core social and development issues which were sustainable economic growth, poverty eradication, education, health, water, energy shortages and radicalisation of the society.

He said traditional governance concept comes with hierarchical bureaucratic systems which only focus on the maintenance of law and order and the provision of basic infrastructure and services. He said now broader concept of governance identifies three sets of actors, the state, civil society and the private sector, which co-produce the governance. He also shared various indicators that measure effectiveness of governance such as people’s voice and accountability, political stability, absence of violence, government’s effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law and control of corruption. cheema also said that external factors and powers had been playing a key role in Pakistan’s present situation, adding that endgame in afghanistan would have major impact on Pakistan.

Children perform Shakespeare’s plays ISLAMABAD: The Tree House nursery and Kindergarten held its annual graduation ceremony on Friday that was attended in a large number by the parents of children. The children performed various educational skits, nursery rhymes, a walk through the golden ages and the five year old graduating class brought to life a number of famous Shakespeare’s plays that enthralled the audience in the early hours of Friday morning. Owned and managed my naadiya K Manzur, the Tree House nursery and Playschool focuses on early childhood development and is considered the best preschool in the capital. Founded in the 1990s by Ms cathy Khan and subsequently taken over by her niece, naadiya K Manzur, in 2003, the Tree House has a credible reputation in the city for spreading quality education and early childhood care.

Speaking on the occasion, nadia said, “Here at the Tree House we focus on creating the desire to learn in children at a very young age; our children have grown to become brilliant students in schools all around the world and their parents’ feedback is a testimony to the hard work our teachers do.” The administration has done a splendid job with the arrangements and the applause for the young and talented children lifted the spirits of old and young alike. Staff RepoRt

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

Being practical The nation and the whole world are keeping their fingers crossed for the new terms of engagement that the parliament will decide.

Our worthy parliamentarians would do well to focus on the concept of interdependence rather than base their recommendations on the idea of sovereignty that should only guide the functions of the state. Sovereignty means having the ability to handle our problems ourselves with our own resources. Unfortunately, this we cannot do. not at this stage and not even in the near future.

We can either work in harmony

Their own informant? with US or subscribe to many conspiracy theories and abandon this relationship. if the parliamentary recommendations are based on pragmatic concerns, then they may be able to establish ties on a mutually beneficial basis for both the countries. But if the recommendations demand obedience from the US on matters that unilaterally benefit only Pakistan, then these recommendations will be useless.

Between the two extremes of ‘can do’ and ‘not possible’ lies the huge middle ground of many opportunities and possibilities. if designed and structured to strengthen Pakistan, these recom-

mendations can help the government to explore these opportunities and possibilities.

The mindset that views US only as ‘satan’ and ‘evil’ is hardly expected to see the benefits of a prolonged relationship with a state that can help us to achieve economic and social security for the people of Pakistan. This mindset fears the imagined threats of foreign invasion, intervention and attacks. if security is ‘freedom from threats’ than the real threat that we as a state face is not from US but these ‘reforms blockers’ who in the name of misguided ideology and tainted sovereignty create

road blocks and hurdles in the establishment of a purposeful and meaningful relationship with US. in the end, it is not the drone attacks or the Talibans who will challenge the security of the state of Pakistan. it will be the minds inside and outside the parliament of both our legislatures and policy makers who will fail to view ‘common threats’ and ‘common security’ that should in fact be the guiding principles to endorse new terms of engagement with US on long term as well as permanent basis.

LT COL (Retd) MUHAMMAD ALI EHSAN Karachi

low literacy rate education is an essential part of a man's life. and in this era of technology, advancement and globalisation, education is very important. it helps in improving living standards and enhances the quality of life. it also helps individuals to run their personal life and bring improvements in their society.

Pakistan cannot survive unless problem of illiteracy is solved. Most of our citizens are unable to read and write due to which they face a lot of problems. They are not even capable to read sign boards.

They hardly know how to communicate or how to utilise modern technology. illiteracy affects society terribly.

The more illiterate people there are in a country, the harder it will be for the country to develop.

There are many reasons of low literacy rate: for example, poverty, population expansion, male dominated society etc. Many people are living below the poverty line due to which it is not possible for them to send their children to schools, colleges and universities. in this sort of conditions, role and support of the government becomes unavoidable. This problem can be handled by providing education on cheap prices.

Therefore, it is necessary for the government to take solid steps towards this problem.

TAZEEN FATIMA Karachi

Threat to soil and water regrettably, there are 80 million people in the twenty-one upper and lower Sindh districts that do not have access to safe drinking water.

Therefore, significantly increasing the coverage of rural water supply in upper and lower Sindh districts is fundamental to achieving many of the internationally agreed Millennium Development goals (MDgs). Without safe water near to dwellings, the health and livelihoods of families will be severely affected; children’s education too suffers as the daily tasks of survival take precedence over all other concerns.

However, the deterioration in the quality of groundwater due to the right Bank Outfall drain (rBOD) and left Bank Outfall drain ( lBOD) which drain out the industrial and chemical waste in various upper and lower Sindh district needs immediate attention to avert the catastrophe. elevated concentrations of naturally occurring elements in water such as arsenic and fluoride, in my home district larkano, are having catastrophic impacts on health and fertility of the rich agrarian soil.

Pitiably, the previous successive regimes did nothing to mitigate the impacts. is there anyone in the present corridors of power and politics to direct the concerned departments both federal and provincial to take corrective and constructive steps to save millions of lives in Sindh province?

The provincial and federal governments and international organisations as well are appealed to launch “northern and Southern Sindh Quality Drinking Water Schemes” at the earliest. The sooner, the better.

Otherwise, millions of people will have to die premature deaths due to deterioration in the quality of groundwater in the upper and lower Sindh districts.

HASHIM ABRO Islamabad

a free-for-all? corruption is the malaise that is eating through the very fabric of our society. Be it our civilian leaders or military rulers, they are involved in one kind of corruption or the other. Our governmental infrastructure is riddled with corruption from the lowest tier to the highest post.

While it is true that the problem may not be as widespread as the media hype and sensationalism makes it out to be, it is big and alarming enough to warrant urgent attention. The people feel strongly about it which is what would explain the surge

electricity shortage This government has been in power for over 4 years, which is more than the tenure of any elected civil government in power for the past 20 years. Yet in these four years, instead of installing cheaper electricity power generation units, based on indigenous resources, it opted for expensive rental power, because of attractive kickbacks for a few. it blames another government, which was in power for 2 years and 8 months, almost 12 years ago, for turning down the Thar coal project, but has itself done nothing except for politicking on it. They could have started construction of small run-of-the-river dams for cheaper hydro electric power generation, but did nothing except going for setting up more expensive thermal power generation based on imported furnace oil.

While it is true that this government inherited an energy crisis from the mili-

of certain ‘tsunamis’ who make outlandish claims about eliminating corruption in 90 days.

Some corruption will always be endemic to the bureaucratic system but the widespread looting we see these days is unacceptable. every person should individually make the effort to be as honest in their dealings with government officials as well.

Otherwise, our society will become rotten to the core.

AHMAD ALI Lahore

tary junta of Musharraf, it is also a sad reality that they have only worsened this crisis. The rental power units that have been installed only produce less than 10% of the capacity for which they get paid a guaranteed lump sum, because of defective contracts negotiated by corrupt ministers and cronies of this regime. Pakistan's economy has suffered more from the incompetence and corruption of its own government than the loss caused to us by external terrorism.

MALIK TARIQ ALI Lahore

why this brain drain? according to official estimates of Pakistan Overseas employment corporation, around 36,000 professional including doctors, engineers, teachers have migrated to other countries in last 30 years and this human capital flight has increased drastically in recent years.

Mohamed Merah, a French-born self-confessed fanatic, who killed seven people – including three children – in a shooting spree in southwest France, stirred a sharp controversy when French authorities claimed that the offender underwent radicalisation during a trip to afghanistan bordering the tribal areas of Pakistan in november 2011. However, the French national of north african origins, was killed in a police commando raid in Toulouse at the end of the 32hours siege of his house on March 24, 2012. in the shocking aftermath of the Toulouse attacks, French as well as international news organisations were quick to trace back Merah’s training excursion in Pakistan militant camps.

Mohamed Merah, 23 years old, had a very dubious and capricious history. He was a proclaimed offender who was arrested on several occasions because of his involvement in drugs, thefts and violent crimes. However, he was hired as an informant and sent to afghanistan to spy upon al-Qaeda’s senior leadership in the tribal belt, by the Dcri, a French domestic intelligence agency. a former intelligence chief, Yves Bonnet, has also confirmed that Merah was on the payroll of Dcri before this grisly incident.

“He was known to the Dcri, not especially because he was an islamist, but because he had a correspondent in domestic intelligence,” Bonnet told la Dépêce newspaper.

Over the period of time, Merah developed severe differences with the French secret intelligence agency. in reaction, Merah, being a sociopath, went on a shooting spree on the children of a school in the Southern France. after the tragic events, in order to cover up their links with Merah, the French intelligence authorities put him down as a radical islamist who was trying to avenge the killing Palestinian children and punished France for sending troops to afghanistan. in this way, Dcri got rid of their own informant.

ANSAR MEHBOOB Rawalpindi

Dealing with pollution

Found: night street crimes. lost: the pleasure of after-dinner strolling.

Z A KAZMI Karachi

Our earth is a paradise if we live on it in a sensible way; otherwise it is the other name of hell. Unfortunately, at present, man is misusing the resources of the earth which can spell doom for his own existence. air, soil, water and space all are getting polluted. air pollution is taking place because of mindless felling down of trees and poisonous emissions from chimneys of factories and automobiles. excessive use of insecticides and pesticides is causing soil pollution. Poisonous elements are finding their way into the food that we consume.

Quite another type of pollution is noise pollution. it is caused by loudspeakers, factory buzzers, vehicular horns, high pitch of TV sets and radios and noises in streets and markets. noise pollution can cause great injury to our delicate nerves. in fact, all kinds of pollution are harmful to man in more than one ways. it is high time that we give attention to the hazards of pollution of all kinds.

Otherwise, there may be not only widespread epidemics, but man’s very existence on this planet may be in danger.

KARAR ALI Karachi

tion explosion? Pakistan has to learn from the strategy of other successful countries, like china, Bangladesh and egypt. china brought down the country's rapid population growth by encouraging “one-child family” and providing the family with free education until the age of 18. Bangladesh recorded impressive gains in slowing population growth by adopting the slogan “chhoto paribar, sukhi paribar” (small family, happy family). The religious clerics in Bangladesh would inform people about the significance of family planning in their sermons. contraceptives were distributed and literature was given out to spread awareness about the importance of family planning and safe sex. egypt controlled its burgeoning population through the “fatwas and edicts” issued from various centres of islamic learning endorsing family planning.

egypt has registered a swift decline in their population growth rates. The populations of 47 european nations are on the downward slide from 728 million this year to 653 million in 2050. This is probably due to well-thought policies marked by importance attributed to small family.

We have to overcome the problem on war-footing as a moderate population is a pre-requisite for our national development. Pakistan should adopt a holistic approach on it, i.e. on the one hand, the ulemas and religious scholars should play a motivating role and change the social attitudes of the people with regards to gender equality and family size; on the other hand, the government will have to improve awareness campaigns coupled with the contraceptive delivery services in the country.

MUHAMMAD ASLAM KHOKHAR Lahore

Being a developing nation, our people ought to give services to our own homeland rather than migrating to other countries for seeking pleasure and better life standards. Time and again our beloved country comes across several crises due to the absence of leadership and skillful human capital. in my opinion, it is cowardice to run away from the hurdles and challenges prevailing in one’s own country and serving developed nations for one’s sel-interests. We all know charity begins at home so why don’t we contemplate on what we should do for the uplift of our homeland.

MISBAH KANWAL Karachi

lost and found

Defusing the population bomb if population growth spirals out of control, it poses severe challenges of unemployment, education, health, housing, urbanisation and food security. Pakistan is confronted with a horrendous problem of overpopulation. as estimated (July 2012) by cia Fact book, Pakistan with 190,291,129 people living on its soil is the sixth most populous country on the globe and the fourth in asia. When Pakistan became independent in 1947, its population was estimated at 32 million. Sixtyfive years later, it has increased 5.6 times to 190 million.

The unchecked population growth is causing a catastrophic strain on the developing economy of Pakistan. no one can deny that achieving desirable rates of population growth could be an important factor in bringing sustainability of resources and averting energy problems.

Food problem and population are inter-

connected. The price of food commodities have gone five times up in Pakistan, compared to three years ago.

Family planning is necessary to improve the condition of the Pakistani masses. We cannot improve the condition of the masses without limiting the size of the family. The root causes of overpopulation are: a) unbalanced growth rate of rural-urban migration making rural land unused and cities become crowded. b) low governmental spending on awareness campaigns. c) low literacy rate as compared to other countries. d) Paucity of funds and capital for educational development sector. china is spending 12.1% of its total yearly budget on education, US 17.1%, UK 11.5, iran 17.7%, canada 12.7%, Uae 22.5% whereas education expenditure of Pakistan is 7.8 percent.

How to control the ticking of popula-

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 Before it’s too late Pragmatism needed

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he joint session of parliament which started on Tuesday failed to initiate a debate in earnest and had to be postponed after three sittings. The progress was stalled by differences developing over the consensus document outlining new terms of engagement with the US and naTO. The consensus developed by the parliamentary committee on national security turned out to be short lived as some of the signatories including the PMl(n) and the JUi(F) developed second thoughts about certain proposals. While some of the provisions might have suffered from drafting flaws, pressure exerted by extremist organisations too played a role in the withdrawal of support for the jointly prepared document. it has now been fifteen months since Pakistan scaled down its ties with the US and naTO to the minimum. The cooling off has hurt Pakistan more than anyone else. The decisions about new parameters of relations cannot be left on the back burner indefinitely. The delay has already compromised Pakistan’s interests. Some of the naTO countries have started withdrawing their troops from afghanistan. The US is scheduled to complete the drawdown by the end of 2014. Once the process is complete, Pakistan will be in the unenviable position of dealing with not only the Pakistani extremists but also their counterparts in afghanistan. From total dependence on the US, islamabad has gone to the equally harmful extreme of total alienation. By boycotting the Bonn conference, it has further painted itself in a corner. as things stand the country has no afghan policy except empty phrases like “afghan-led solution to afghan problems” or clichés like “ties based on trust.”

Terrorism being an existential threat to the international community the world wants Pakistan to play its role in its eradication. as PM gilani put it, it is not a matter of the US alone, but 48 countries. The meeting of the civil and military leaders at the prime minister’s house has reportedly concluded on a positive note. The PMl(n) after airing reservations earlier has now agreed conditionally to the proposals. if the opposition has any meaningful reservations, these should be resolved by the time the joint session begins on March 5. The parliament has then to move apace towards formulating a realistic policy that best serves the interests of Pakistan while taking into account the security concerns of its allies also.

Protests, protests of the government, against a government

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he power outages seem to have turned into a federalist issue, with Punjab MPas leading a strike against the electricity loadshedding. now the provincial government happens to be headed by the principal opposition party at the federal level, so the strikes, the league would say, should not be construed in that manner. But to the other federating units, the province, which consumes the bulk of the electricity on the grid, yet doesn’t really contribute all that much, would be chuckled at. compare, for instance, with KP, which has only just started receiving the hydel profits that were its constitutional dues. compare with Balochistan, whose natural gas contributes to our thermal profile. it would also do the league well to realise the crisis in its context. The second BB government ushered in the era of the iPPs, much maligned a little later, that too at rates which seem like a song in retrospect. This left Pakistan in a position to export power to india; a famous reversal of those roles was seen the other day in Seoul. This electric surplus continued well into the nawaz Sharif government and lasted all the way through the later part of the Musharraf government, at the end of which there just wasn’t enough juice for everyone. Both the regimes did scant for addition of capacity to the profile. if there is any space for smug indignation, it belongs, counterintuitively, to the incumbents.

But let us not tread on that ground. let us assume what perhaps is the truth: that the present government has been far from ideal in its response to the electric crisis. in this framework, what should be considered is the acceptable modes of protest for what is, in fact, a sitting government. if a march is to be led by a chief minister - he promises this often what good would it do to an already fractured polity?

The PMl(n) thinks itself as a government in waiting. and, given the performance of the current PPP government, it might have a sporting chance. Under that assumption, it should avoid playing a game it would find hard to keep up with itself later on. The energy crisis is a global phenomenon. it should be above even international politics, what to speak of the national variety.

Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Resetting of ties on the slow mend

By Arif Nizami

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he top military and civilian leadership is striving to develop a consensus on our foreign policy, primarily on frayed Pakistan-US relations. it is heartening to note that apart from the coalition members, the opposition leaders in the national assembly and the Senate also attended the toplevel meeting chaired by the prime minister. But apart from the political parties, the military and the civilian leadership have not been on the same page on the issue.

Outside the parliament, a newly created pressure group largely composed of out-of-job politicians and mualanas of different ilk, the so-called Difa-e-Pakistan (Defence of Pakistan) council is playing a rejectionist role, ready to sabotage any deal. nonetheless Prime Minister gilani meeting President Obama in Seoul, President Zardari meeting Washington’s special envoy on afghanistan Marc grossman in Dushanbe and the military leaderships of the US and Pakistan having consultations, all in the last three days, underscores a sense of urgency on both sides to restore ties. according to the White House and he US State Department, the top-level talks have led to a better understanding between the two countries. Similarly, islamabad has put a positive gloss on the high profile engagements. Despite the bonhomie, intractable problems remain to be resolved.

The past one-year or so has been the most turbulent period in the chequered history of Pakistan-US relations. Starting from the raymond Davis affair last January to the abbottabad raid by US navy Seals in May killing Osama bin laden and the Salala incident in november, relations have gone consistently downhill.

The chimerical relations between the two allies have seen many ups and

whitelIeS W

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

network in the badlands of Pakistan.

The US has reportedly agreed to fewer but more targeted drone attacks. and they are continuing while both sides are talking. These attacks from the US military’s standpoint have their utility as they have helped in weakening if not actually destroying the al-Qaeda network in n. Waziristan. admittedly, there has been respite from terrorist activities in most urban centres of the country in the past year or so. These attacks have become fewer and far apart, and less lethal in their intensity. nevertheless, the militant network is still active mostly in Balochistan, KP and the tribal areas.

Targeted killings of the Shias, Fc and the police in Balochistan and some other areas of the country are adequate testimony to the fact that the hydraheaded monster of terrorism might have been scorched but not destroyed. it can easily raise its head again and strike with full might and fury. it is obvious that despite the fulminations of the leader of the oppositions nisar ali Khan and Mualana Fazlurrehman in the parliament, a modicum of agreement has been reached on ties with the US. Prime Minister gilani before his departure for china will make a last ditch attempt at building a consensus. Hopefully, he will succeed.

Some kind of framework has already been evolved which will be clinched when Secretary of State Hillary clinton arrives in islamabad in a few weeks. But this does not mean relations between the US and Pakistan will be hunky dory again. The US does not trust the iSi. The US congress is loath to approve more military aid for islamabad.

The US commander in afghanistan general John allen just before coming to Pakistan accused the Pakistani spy agency of maintaining ties with the Taliban and the Haqqani network. Similarly, the report that the just-retired controversial head of the iSi general Shuja Pasha rejected an offer by the US for advance notice of drone attacks does not help.

The iSi has not denied its ties with the militant networks proscribed by the US. it has maintained that it has to keep contacts with all sides like any efficient intelligence apparatus. What is to be seen is whether, under its new head, the iSi is able to carve a key role for itself in initiating talks with the afghan Taliban for an eventual exit strategy for the US and naTO forces.

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today

By ess Aich

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e hear that the ahmed riaz Sheikh clan keeps slipping in favour with the presidency. now it is the son and whiz kid, a “special assistant” in the hallowed corridors, who invites disapproval on the female company he keeps.

The lady from Karachi, though an important PPP member and office bearer, is considered “unsuitable”. She was spotted at a family wedding, fuelling more rumours.

The Big Boss noticed and registered his disapproval. apparently, the special assistant is not quite a big boy yet.

ell here is some real bad news for TV anchors and chat show hosts hoping to get a kiss-and-tell interview with general Pasha, the outgoing iSi chief. apparently, the general has refused point blank to appear before TV cameras and have secrets and facts grilled out of him, interrupted only by a sea of advertisements. We hear that he has turned down several requests and for good reason.

Besides not wanting to have his dignity stripped by sensationalism, he has a better plan to put across his version of history.

Word has it that he intends to write his memoirs in which no doubt there will be chapters, among others, on the abbottabad incident and Memogate. Step aside, TV anchors. it is publishers that are now making a beeline for the general.

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Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

downs in the past. even at the best of times american pundits aptly coined the term ‘frenemy’ to describe the roller coaster nature of US-Pakistan relations. in the past year, relations have hit an all time low. recently, Hollywood star george clooney revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that President Obama had told him that one place which gives him sleepless nights is Pakistan. as of now naTO supplies to afghanistan through Pakistan remain suspended. and despite the high level contacts between Washington and islamabad, the long-awaited apology from the US on the Salala incident is not forthcoming. it is not even clear now whether islamabad is still insisting on the apology to restore ties. indications are that most outstanding issues between the US and Pakistan have been sewn up in a broad framework of mutual understanding. Since neither side can afford a clean break, there is a sense of urgency to restore a modicum of normalcy as soon as possible.

The foreign office has claimed that no verbal agreement would be made in the future with Washington and there would be complete transparency in relations with the US. according to the recommendations of the Parliamentary committee on national Security (PncS), every agreement shall be written down and formalised. in a country where the approval rating of the US is one of the lowest in the world, this makes fine reading. The parliament can lay down broad policy framework and its committees can scrutinise all aspects of foreign and security policy. But speaking practically, the conduct of day-to-day policy will be rendered virtually impossible if the new guidelines are followed in letter and spirit. it is indeed ironic that despite the anxiety to rein in relations with the US, issues like details of the defence budget as well the conduct and working of the intelligence establishment remain beyond the pale of the parliament or its committees. like in all democratic countries, these matters should also be brought under the domain of the parliament. apart from the Salala incident (for which the US military has decided not to charge its soldiers), the use of drones - ostensibly to flush out militants - remains a flashpoint between Washington and islamabad. although drone attacks have been reduced quite a lot in the past few months, they remain the key weapon to kill and destroy the al-Qaeda

e hear that last week the indian delegation here in lahore to celebrate the life of a Punjabi freedom fighter, the late Bhagat Singh, and also to bury memories of wars fought between two neighbours, got involved in another war raging in lahore at the time. apparently their arrival coincided with the “designer lawn war” unleashed

by the textile industry in Pakistan.

The female indian delegates were seen shopping like crazy at a store in lahore’s liberty Market and later at the PFDc outlet in gulberg. However, though the “lawn war” is attracting indian clientele, it does seem that PFDc despite its elegant decor fails miserably to meet some essential requirement, a

well-greased credit card processing facility being one of them. There were several hitches before indian shoppers managed to pay their bill with plastic money.

However, the lawn war turned into lawn diplomacy. it worked; thanks, of course, to the freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

For feedback, comments, suggestions and, most importantly, tips, contact us at whitelies@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Comment 13

Dictating to parliament Seeking the truth Is it really free?

By Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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he government takes pride in having enabled parliament to undertake a review of the Pak-US relations, a vital part of the country’s foreign policy. Till now politicians were not allowed to enter the territory considered by the army as its exclusive preserve. Sen Farhatullah Babar reminded the parliament that the previous political governments had strived to reclaim what was their exclusive turf but failed to do so. a joint session of parliament is now reviewing the new parameters worked out by a parliamentary committee to determine relations between Pakistan and the US. is the parliament really free to take decisions? With the extremist organisations threatening the government of mayhem in the country and individual legislators of physical attacks in case they take decisions not liked by the extremists, every member of parliament expresses his views with an eye on the Damocles’ sword hanging over their head. as the killings of Salmaan Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti amply prove, falling foul of the extremist organisations can cost a politician his life. as a joint session of parliament initiated debate on Tuesday on the Parliamentary committee on national Security’s (PcnS) recommendations, threats were delivered loudly outside its gates where the Difa-e-Pakistan council (DPc) was holding a rally.

The DPc is an alliance of religious parties and banned extremist outfits working under new names. its leaders include Maulana Samiul Haq who is sometime referred to as the father of the Taliban move-

More relevant than ever, not less ment and former iSi chief lt gen (retd) Hamid gul. The DPc has been allowed to hold meetings all over the country despite the fact that it includes organisations like JUD, the humanitarian wing of the banned lashkar-e-Taiba and the morbidly anti-Shia aSWJ which is a reincarnation of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.

Since Jamaat-e-islami lost all representation in parliament with the departure of Senators Khurshid ahmad and ibrahim Khan, the party has started talking of violent agitation. is it possible for DPc to parade up and down the country with leaders of banned parties addressing mammoth crowds without a nod from the army?

The alliance may not have the army’s support in all that the DPc does but definitely seems to enjoy its tacit approval to rant against the improvement of ties with the US and india.

This would constitute another pressure on parliament which would be wary of taking any decision not liked by the army? after staging several rallies in major cities where fiery speakers opposed reopening of naTO supply routes, the DPc staged a sit-in outside parliament on Tuesday where a joint session was in progress .its leaders delivered fiery speeches and announced that they would not only reject the parliament’s decision to reopen the supply routes but also forcibly stop the nato trucks all over the country. in fact, this was the second rally by the DPc in islamabad after February 22. The meeting held earlier had delivered an identical message. Two of the leaders of banned outfits who were not allowed to enter islamabad by the local administration in February spoke at the DPc rally this time.

Junior leaders of the DPc were more upfront about what they intended to do if the government took decisions which were not to their liking. On Friday last speaking at a protest rally outside lahore Press club, Hafiz abdul ghaffar ropari of Jamiat-e-ahle Hadith, a component of the DPc, said his workers would bomb

any naTO containers that plied through Pakistan. He said the supplies would be stopped regardless of the parliament’s decision.

The militant wing of the extremists, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has gone a step further. On Sunday, TTP spokesman ehsanullah ehsan told reuters “if the parliament decides to restore naTO supplies, we will attack parliamentarians and their overlords.”

The threats are already producing the results desired by the extremists. The consensus document formulated by a multi-party parliamentary committee and duly signed by their representatives has suddenly become controversial.

The PMl(n) and JUi(F) have decided not to support it unless it is amended.

Speaking at a point of order in the joint session of parliament on Tuesday, Fazlur rehman categorically opposed the reopening of naTO supply route to afghanistan. He said if recommendations of the PcnS were approved with a majority, it will be the decision of the government and not the parliament. ch nisar said that his party would take part in the debate only if the government removed their reservations regarding some clauses. Both had earlier signed the consensus proposals.

The parliamentary committee had submitted its proposals in the last week of January. The parliament has yet not finalised the recommendations. The joint session which started on Tuesday has yet to begin the debate in earnest. The reason why it fails to catch the bull by the horns is known to all. in yet another attempt at forging consensus, PM gilani called a meeting of the country’s top leadership on Thursday. This time the military leadership was also roped in. it remains to be seen if the move would provide enough courage to the parliament to move ahead.

The writer is a former academic and a political analyst.

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he memo has not only become a test case for the judiciary to untangle, it is also so for Mansoor ijaz, the (named and un-named) government functionaries, the army and the iSi. i say so not for any other reason, but for the stands taken by each party in the matter.

So far, the principal witness in the case Mansoor ijaz has been the most forthcoming in terms of testifying before the Sc-appointed commission with transcripts of conversations and other proofs to substantiate that he was in contact with Haqqani and the memo conspiracy was, indeed, conceived and put in motion for implementation.

He has also indicated his willingness to forgo his privacy rights with regard to securing information from the BlackBerry company. Haqqani, on the other hand, while denying the allegations, has been non-cooperative saying that he had misplaced his two BlackBerry sets and did not remember his pin numbers. The army and iSi chiefs, in submitting signed affidavits with the Sc, ostensibly based on incriminating evidence secured by the iSi which has already claimed the scalp of the former ambassador to the US, were accused of having committed ‘unconstitutional acts’ by the prime minister – an accusation that has since been withdrawn under increasing pressure from the gHQ. in his affidavit, the cOaS had stated that the memo ‘was a reality’ that had ‘affected national sovereignty’ and should be investigated thoroughly. The government, on the other hand, considered the memo a ‘non-issue’ and questioned why the army chief had not brought the matter to the notice of the government any earlier than he eventually did. it also cautioned the iSi chief as to the chain of command that he needed to

By Raoof Hasan follow under the relevant laws and rules. The detailed log of conversations allegedly between various actors which is part of Mansoor’s testimony provides extensive incriminating details of the events of the night of May 1-2. amid reverberations of an accord having been reached between the government and the security establishment to bury the controversy, it remains to be seen whether the army and iSi chiefs stick to their stated positions or take steps backwards. in the former event, the memo could boil over into becoming a major controversy while, in the latter case, their own positions would be rendered untenable - an eventuality that neither of them would be able to live with. in such a situation, would pursuit of truth be a preferred option with either party, or will they join hands, as indicated in various reports, to quash it?

That brings us to the other party in the equation: the judiciary. So far, it has taken all the right steps. it appointed a three-member judicial commission to investigate the matter thoroughly which has given time

Candid Corner

and space to each party to state its case. When the government resorted to vile tactics to stop Mansoor ijaz from coming to Pakistan to appear before the commission, it conceded his request to record his statement through a video-link facility from london which he has since done to telling effect. after the completion of his cross-examination, the commission asked Hussain Haqqani to appear before it on March 15 with details of his phone sets, pin codes and any other evidence that he may want to produce in support of his contentions. He did not come. instead he asked for the provision of a similar facility that was accorded to Mansoor ijaz – recording of statement vide video-link from london. The commission rejected his request and directed him to appear in person before it on March 26. He has not done that again citing security reasons for his inability to travel to Pakistan and sent a communication directly to the cJ outlining his reasons for non-appearance. The Sc has, however, reiterated that he should appear in person before the commission as per his affidavit submitted earlier when he was allowed to leave the country that he would appear on a four-day notice.

The question is: will he come at all? if he does, of which the chances now appear to be slim, the matter would proceed towards its final resolution on the basis of ascertainment of evidence produced by each party before the commission. But if he does not, which appears the more likely option at this stage, what is the course that the judiciary would follow in pursuit of truth and what are the roles that every other party to the case would play, more notably the government and the chiefs of the army and the iSi? The matter has become even more relevant in the light of the proposals that the Parliamentary committee on national Security (PcnS) has submitted for discussion before the parliament for the revival of Pakistan-US relations. This endeavour would have to be viewed in a different perspective if some of our own senior officials were found involved in forging conspiracies with a foreign power to destabilise national military and intelligence institutions. So, it is absolutely vital that the court gets to the bottom of the alleged conspiracy before the parliament could move any further with the proposed review of the Pakistan-US relations.

The crucial factor here is not so much whether one party is guilty or the other. The crucial factor is the task of seeking the truth in a matter that has adversely impacted the legitimacy of the government functionaries and security institutions alike.

For them to continue with a stigma on their character would be absolutely untenable. apparently, the government is virtually pitted against the security establishment. if, along the way, there has been a decision to forget and forgive, that does not render the task of seeking the truth any less important and relevant. if, for any reason or a combination of reasons, the pursuit is aborted, it would be a sad day for the country, its institutions and its fast-obliterating credentials.

The writer is a political analyst and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He can be reached at raoofhasan@hotmail.com

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

fAshIon

Under-18s barred from Lady Gaga concert SEOUL afp

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OUTH Koreans aged under 18 have been banned from attending an upcoming concert by US pop diva lady gaga after it was rated unsuitable for younger audiences, organisers said. lady gaga will begin her third concert tour, ‘The Born This Way Ball’, on april 27 at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul. The show had an initial age rating of 12 and older but the Korea Media rating Board, a state watchdog, has adjusted it upwards, said event organiser Hyundai card. "Our company will respect the

board's decision and refund all ticketholders younger than 18," a Hyundai card official told aFP. Some religious groups in South Korea have opposed the concert, saying lady gaga has advocated homosexuality and performed in an explicitly sexual manner. lady gaga is expected to do 110 shows this year following on the success of her smash hit ‘Born This Way’. The eccentric star, who has a record number of almost 22 million followers on Twitter, will kick off her world tour in Seoul.

From there she will take her pop hits and extravagant costumes to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, new Zealand and australia, where she will stage six shows.

Showcase 2012 day 4: Ends on a high note NEWS DESK The last day of showcase 2012 ended on a positive note with the important announcement of an ethical fashion platform in which prominent designers from south asian countries will come forward to produce “garments without guilt”. The designers who showcased their collections on the last day of the event were. Faiza Samee: Her collection took inspiration from the courtesans of lahore and their beauty, grace and refined taste. in Faiza’s hands the past comes alive through colour, shape and style. Mian Nauman: His collection ‘Mela’ was an overt display of the feelings of festivity and joy embedded in Punjabi culture. Sanya Muneer: Her label launched its first screen print collection-a graceful and very feminine line with the signature fusion of cuts and embellishments that Sanya is known for. Datch: The Datch’s Spring Summer 2012 collection, ‘next Vintage’-is for those who love daywear in institutional colours like white,

blue and beige, combined with fresh summer colours like light red, lemon yellow and light blue. ‘Heritage Freak’ is for casual dressers, but with stylish details. ‘Urban chic’ is for the rockstar soul, in black and grey with touches of white. Agatha Ruiz de la Prada: after conquering the Spanish fashion industry, agatha ruiz de la Prada is in Pakistan for the first time. The collection included agatha’s classic linear shapes as well as oversized coats, tuxedos, wide-leg pants and jumpsuits, flared dresses and skirts - honouring the modern woman. Feeha Jamshed: She showcased the deeply personal ‘Minnaal’ collection, dedicated to her sister who passed away tragically last year in Paris. The collection consisted of silks, cotton, velvet, muslin and cotton jersey. This collection was also the launch of the ‘Feeha Jamshed’ brand label, for which the music was titled ‘For an angel’ by Mustafa ali Jamshed. Monia Farooqui: Her collection was about the glitz and glamour of the chandni Bar with an east meets west undertone.

The end of SRK and Arjun’s

friendship?

MuMBaI: There was a time when actors Shah Rukh Khan and Arjun Rampal were inseparable. So much so, that the two were seen together almost everywhere. The friendship between the two actors was very visible among their family members too.

Mehr Rampal and Gauri Khan were very close friends. However, everything doesn’t seem to be well between the two actors, and they have not been seen together of late. In a recent party that Rampal had thrown to celebrate his business partnership with Rohit Bahl, the ‘Don’ was nowhere to be seen. And neither was his wife. Speaking to a leading daily a source revealed: “Arjun invited all his close friends from the industry which includes Shahrukh and Gauri. In fact, Mehr and Gauri have almost been inseparable all these years. But neither of them came.” few months back, Shah Rukh allegedly ended his friendship with Priyanka Chopra over speculations of an affair between the two. Then the King was seen avoiding Vidya Balan. And if the grapevine is to be believed, then Khan’s ‘Don’ co-star is the latest in the list to have received the cold shoulder from Shah Rukh. who knows who would be next in SRK’s list. aGenCIeS

Anti-smoking campaigner Vivek booked for public smoking MUMbAi: Vivek Oberoi and 23 others have been booked under the Tobacco Act following a surprise check in a restaurant, where cops stumbled upon sheesha smoking, the use of which is banned in public areas.

The 35-year-old actor, who is incidentally the ambassador for World Health Organisation’s antismoking movement, denied smoking hookah but probe will reveal the details. A police team had visited his restaurant and arrested all the customers for smoking sheesha. Around 15 hookahs were seized. Oberoi requested the cops to let him go as he did not smoke. However, all the customers including Oberoi have been booked. aGenCIeS

Aamir back again with ‘3 Idiots’ team MuMBaI: After setting the box office on fire with their 2009 blockbuster ‘3 Idiots’, Rajkumar Hirani, Aamir Khan and Vidhu Vinod Chopra will team up once again. ‘3 Idiots’, a comedy-drama, was directed

by Hirani and produced by Chopra. The film starring Aamir, Kareena Kapoor, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, omi Vaidya and Boman Irani was loosely adapted from the novel ‘five Point Someone’ written by Chetan Bhagat. Reportedly, Aamir has signed Hirani`s tentatively titled film ‘PK’, which is to be produced by Chopra. “we have finished writing ‘PK’," Hirani told reporters. Asked if the trio would team up again, Hirani said, "yes, it would be a return." earlier, Aamir on his birthday had said, "I would love to do Raju`s (Hirani) film. But I want him to make the announcement. The script is very good. Raju is a very good director and a very good human being. we have spoken about a film, but it is better if he announces it." This year, Aamir will be seen in ‘Talaash’, a psychological thriller directed by Reema Kagti which also features Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. It is slated for release either in november-end or early December. Then he has yash Raj films’ ‘Dhoom 3’, which is schedule to release in 2013. aGenCIeS

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15 Julia Roberts reflects on evil in

'Mirror Mirror' LOS ANGELES afp

Ulia roberts has taken time off from Hollywood of late to focus on her three young children -- but admits she enjoys being back on the big screen, as a fairytale villain in her latest movie. Playing the evil Queen in ‘Mirror Mirror,’ a new version of Snow White, marks a departure for the US actress, whose career has included everything from campaigning lawyer to high-class call girl and celebrity love interest. it is directed by indian filmmaker Tarsem Singh, who made last year's ‘immortals’. roberts, who at 44 remains one of Hollywood's most bank-

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able stars, made her name in films including 1990's ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘erin Brockovich’ in 2000, and said she never thought she would appear in a fairy tale. "Just the one sentence pitched over the phone: 'Hey, they're doing this Snow White adaptation,' that didn't grab my attention. i didn't have any interest in this one, really, until Tarsem lured me in his lurid way." she told reporters. The film tells the story popularised around the world by Disney, but gives it a different, sometimes comic or even absurd twist. The ‘notting Hill’ star said she liked playing the Queen, Snow White's cruel stepmother.

Lohan admits personal problems were making career `fall apart`

DiCaprio embarrassed by 'Titanic' performance

Justin Bieber fans declare twitter war on Gaga's little monsters WASHINGTON: lindsay lohan says she has realised that personal problems were harming her career and the actress now hopes to move forward by putting work first. lohan - who has endured a string of legal problems and stints in rehab in recent years had her probation for a 2007 driving under the influence (DUi) conviction come to an end on March 29. The troubled star admits it has taken her some time to figure out that she needed to correctly address the difficulties in order to move forward. “it’s a tremendous weight i feel has been lifted off my shoulders and i feel really grateful and just happy and ready to move forward,” a website has quoted her as saying. now that the sentence is complete, the ‘Mean girls’ star is hopeful she can put her career first and stop the spotlight being on her personal life. “i think i became more of a celebrity and i’d like to bring the focus back to what it is i love to do and what i started in this business for, which is acting. i think this being in my past (now) means it is something i can achieve,” the actress said. aGenCIeS

LOS ANGELES: Hell hath no fury like a Belieber scorned. earlier this month lady gaga surpassed Justin Bieber as the mostfollowed person on Twitter. But the Biebs' army has devised a plan to get their man back as king of the Twitterverse. "To all beliebers this is operation unfollow lady gaga," an ardent J.B. fan tweeted, as excerpted by the new York Post. "i'm sorry if your a 'little monster' but don't (you) want Justin to be #1 followed on Twitter? Well here is the plan.

First, it's simple to lok up lady gaga on Twitter. next unfollow her. i'm not trying to trash gaga or anything i am a [fan] of her music but i think Justin should be #1 followed on Twitter," the superfan added.

Bieber nation even created a hashtag to help get the pop icon back on top: #OperationUnfollowgaga. gaga's little Monsters were not amused by the Beliebers' tactics. "Pathetic," one fan responded. and while lady gaga might be queen of the social media world with over 21 million followers, we somehow think Justin is doing just fine with his 19 million-plus. aGenCIeS

Sonam Kapoor’s loss

samantha’s gain MuMBaI: Sonam Kapoor has opted out of Mani Ratnam’s new film. the role has now gone to the upcoming tamil-telugu actress Samantha Ruth prabhu who also will make her Bollywood debut with ‘assi nabey poore Sau’. "at this point in her career going Southwards for Sonam would give the wrong signal to the filmmakers in Bollywood. Mani had his heart set on Sonam since she suited the young innocent effervescent sophisticated girl`s role to the hilt. he had to look for a last-minute replacement," said a source. ‘assi nabey poore Sau’ had an interesting role for the female protagonist who had to go from age 15 to 25. Sonam was reportedly considered for the role, but later Samantha was finalised for it. Samantha was supposed to make her hindi debut with the movie’s remake ‘ek deewana tha’. the film pairs Samantha with aditya Roy Kapoor, who disappeared after ‘Guzaarish’ and ‘action Replayy’. Currently the actor is focusing on getting the look and performance as a 15going-on-25 loverboy right. aditya has gotten rid of his trademark curly mop for the role. "Both Sam and aditya have to have to go through three agetransitions from 15 to 20 to 25. their love story starts when they’re six. obviously Sam and aditya couldn`t play the six-year old pair. But the three other stages in the characters` lives have been pulled off effortlessly by the lead air," said Menon. aGenCIeS

LOS ANGELES: actor leonardo Dicaprio was embarrassed when he recently revisited his 1997 blockbuster ‘Titanic’. Director James cameron and Dicaprio's co-star Kate Winslet Tuesday attended the premiere of the new 3D version of the film. Dicaprio never made it to the red carpet, but cameron revealed his former leading man was left red-faced when he recently re-watched the film. "i wish leo could be here but he's shooting a film. it would have been great for leo to be here, to be part of the celebrations. i didn't show him the whole film but i showed him 18 minutes of it a few months ago. it was a good reunion for us but great to watch his reaction. He couldn't believe it. He said to me, 'i'm such a young punk. look at me.'

He was practically crawling under the seat. it was a good moment," dailystar.co.uk quoted cameron as saying. aGenCIeS

Beatles musical planned for 50th year of debut song

LONDON: a london musical will mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' debut single ‘love Me Do’, released in Britain in October 1962. ‘let it Be’ will feature live performances of a string of hits including ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Yesterday’ and ‘Hey Jude’.

Described by organisers as a "theatrical concert", the show will combine live performances with video footage to tell the story of the Beatles' journey to become the most successful pop group in history. ReuteRS

Kim tops forbes’ most overexposed celebrities list LOS ANGELES: Forbes magazine has released a list of the most overexposed celebrities, and it’s not too difficult to guess which star ranks first. We’ll give you a hint: she’s a Kardashian. The list is based on a survey conducted by encino, california-based e-Poll research. Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said they believe Kardashian is overexposed. Kardashian stars in multiple reality TV series and is a tabloid fixture who’s been endlessly scrutinised for her shortlived marriage to nBa player Kris Humphries last year. lindsay lohan and ‘Jersey Shore’ star nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi are tied for second on the list at 64 percent. not surprisingly, Kardashian’s sisters and co-stars, Kourtney and Khloe, also make appearances on the list. The survey ranks a total of more than 6,600 celebrities. Here are the top names on the list with their “overexposed rating”: 1. Kim Kardashian, 65% 2. lindsay lohan, 64% 3. nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, 64% 4. nadya “Octomom” Suleman, 62% 5. Paris Hilton, 60% 6. Kate gosselin, 57% 7. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, 56% 8. Kourtney Kardashian, 53% 9. levi Johnston, 51% 10. Khloe Kardashian, 51%. aGenCIeS

Yashji is a sharp person, says Katrina Kaif MuMBaI: Actress Katrina Kaif, who is shooting for yash Chopra's untitled film in london, has said the veteran Bollywood filmmaker has a sharp mind. After a gap of eight years, Chopra has returned to direction with the Shahrukh Khan Katrina starrer romantic film, which is slated for Diwali release. "we had a shooting schedule in london. It was extremely nice. The weather was cold out there but we had a nice time," Katrina at the launch of a book based on one of her films, 'Rajneeti - The film and Beyond'. "we think of yashji as a senior and young at heart man. But you have to be on sets to understand

how sharp he is. He picks up small things like something was disturbing me or something with my mood, he used to pick up all that-which no one else does. He is very special person." Shooting for the untitled film, which also stars Anushka Sharma, started in the third week of february in london. Katrina also happened to injure herself on the sets of the film, which she thinks is a good luck sign. "I hurt myself on bike. while I was getting off the bike I hurt my leg as I had it on silencer. But in a way it is a good luck sign," Katrina said. "every time I hurt myself during films, it turns out to be good thing." aGenCIeS

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16 Foreign News

Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Annan calls for immediate Syria ceasefire DAMASCUS

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nTernaTiOnal envoy Kofi annan urged Syria’s Bashar alassad to immediately implement a ceasefire, as fighting raged Friday even after the embattled leader said he had accepted the peace plan.

Demonstrators took to the streets across Syria to protest against what they regard as the inaction of arab governments in the face of a crackdown that the United nations says has cost more than 9,000 lives since March last year. Un-arab league peacebroker annan’s ceasefire appeal came as monitors said shells rained down on Homs, a main rebel bastion which has been the focus of much of President assad’s year-long crack-

down on anti-regime protests.

“We expect him to implement this plan immediately. clearly we have not seen a cessation of hostilities on the ground. This is our great concern,” the spokesman said, adding the “deadline is now” for assad’s regime to end all violence. The plan calls for a commitment to stop all armed violence, a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire, media access to all areas affected by the fighting, an inclusive Syrian-led political process, a right to demonstrate, and release of arbitrarily detained people. “i can’t tell you what the next steps will be if they don’t stop now,” the spokesman said, adding however that annan was due to brief the Un Security council on Monday and “we will take it from there.” annan is also working to convince the Syrian opposition to “lay down their

arms and start talking,” he said. Staterun news agency Sana said on Thursday that “President assad... has informed annan that Syria approves the plan (the envoy) submitted but had made remarks about it.” assad would “spare no effort” for the success of annan’s six-point plan but said the proposal would only work if “terrorist acts” by foreign powers stopped. The Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human rights said at least 11 people were killed in violence on Friday, most of them civilians. Protesters took to the streets despite a fierce assault by security forces on the town of Maaret al-numan in idlib province in the northwest. “The desertion of the arabs and the silence of the Muslims are the hardest things facing Syrians,” read a sign held up at a protest by hundreds of people in the idlib settlement of Kafaroma.

Clinton in Saudi push to end crackdown in Syria RIYADH afp

US Secretary of State Hillary clinton met King abdullah on Friday in the Saudi capital, state news agency SPa said, as she kicked off a two-country tour aimed at raising pressure on the Syrian regime. it said Defence Minister Salman bin abdul aziz, Foreign Minister Saudi al-Faisal and the kingdom’s intelligence chief, Mogran bin abdul aziz, also took part in the meeting but gave no further details. clinton is due on Saturday to hold talks in riyadh with ministers of Saudi arabia’s five gulf arab neighbours — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United arab emirates — before broader meetings on Sunday with arab, Turkish and Western officials in istanbul. aides said clinton will discuss how to make President Bashar al-assad comply with a new plan to end his crackdown on a pro-democracy movement, study further sanctions against his regime and consider ways to aid the opposition who will be in istanbul.

Israeli fire wounds 45 as Palestinians mark Land Day JERUSALEM afp

JeRuSaleM: an Israeli mounted policeman disperses palestinian protesters during a demonstration marking land day in east Jerusalem on friday. AfP

US, Russia to focus on ‘homework’ until election: official MOSCOW afp

Big breakthroughs between Washington and Moscow will have to wait until after the november US elections, with the two sides meanwhile doing “homework” on isues such as missile defence, a top US official said Friday. “This is an important ‘homework’ period in the US-russia relationship,” acting Undersecretary for arms control and international Security rose gottemoeller told reporters and students at a Moscow university. “now we have to think about the future,” said the veteran russia expert. “How are we going to cooperate on missile defences?” US plans to deploy a naTO-backed missile defence shield in europe has strongly bothered russia, which wants a legally binding agreement saying the system would not be used or aimed against it at any time. gottemoeller’s remarks came just days after US President Barack Obama was overheard telling his russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that he could be more flexible on the controversial issue once he is re-elected in november.

Turkey to cut Iran oil imports, bows to US pressure Refiner Tupras says to cut imports by fifth g Ankara hopes to obtain waiver from US sanctions g

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Turkey said on Friday it will cut imports of oil from iran by a tenth, ceding to US pressure a week after Washington warned Tehran’s customers they could incur US sanctions unless they significantly reduce purchases.

Pressure from Washington and Brussels, which will slap a eUwide embargo on iranian oil from July as part of a campaign against Tehran’s nuclear program, has led to a rally in oil prices this year as markets fear supply shortages.

The West’s energy watchdog, the international energy agency, has warned that iran might have to halve its exports by around 1

million barrels per day later this year because of the eU embargo and as its four biggest customers — china, india, Japan and South Korea — are also cutting imports.

Turkey, the fifth largest buyer of iranian oil, had previously refrained from committing to lower imports, saying it had long-established relations with its neighbour iran and was too dependent on its oil. its statement on Friday effectively leaves china as the only country that has yet to commit officially to cutting imports in a move that would potentially further squeeze Tehran’s stretched finances, which rely heavily on oil revenues. Turkey’s energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Friday the country would reduce purchases by around 10 percent and Turkey’s sole refiner Tupras, a unit of Koc Holding , said it would cut imports by 20 percent. “We plan to increase the number and the route of countries we buy oil from,” Yildiz

said, adding Turkey will partly replace the oil with 1 million tonnes it expects to buy from libya. The country is also in talks with Saudi arabia on spot oil purchases and longer term contacts, he added.

Turkey imports around 200,000 barrels per day of oil from iran, representing 30 percent of its total imports and more than 7 percent of iran’s oil exports.

EXEMPTIONS: Having been omitted from a list of countries granted exemptions by Washington, Turkey remained hopeful of obtaining a waiver to avoid U.S. financial sanctions. The United States exempted Japan and 10 eU nations from sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of iranian crude oil, but left iran’s top customers china and india exposed to the possibility of such steps. Tupras, the main Turkish customer, currently buys some 30 percent of its crude oil from iran, and it has an 9 million tonnes annual purchase contract.

israeli fire wounded more than 40 Palestinians in a series of low-level clashes on Friday as thousands rallied in the West Bank and gaza to mark land Day, medical sources said. Demonstrations also took place in annexed east Jerusalem and across israel, as well as in Jordan and southern lebanon to mark the annual event that commemorates the deaths of six arab israelis at the hands of israeli forces during protests against land confiscation in 1976. Palestinian medical officials said a total of 311 people were injured in clashes with the israeli army and police, of whom 44 were wounded by israeli fire. and one man was seriously hurt after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister. in gaza, 30 people were injured by live fire, while in the West Bank, 13 people were wounded by rubber bullets; in east Jerusalem, a senior official of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud abbas was hit in the mouth by a rubber bullet, medics said. The israeli army said it was aware of just two people injured by live fire in gaza, one of whom rolled a burning tyre at troops near the erez crossing, and another who approached the border fence and set something alight near Khan Yunis. at Qalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem, Palestinian youths hurled rocks and set tyres alight, and troops retaliated with a barrage of tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades, an aFP correspondent said. in Bethlehem, several hundred people rallied by the main checkpoint, and a man was seriously injured by a tear gas canister as troops tried to break up the demonstration, medics and an aFP correspondent said. in the northern West Bank, around 1,000 people rallied at Kafr Qaddum while another 500 people gathered in iraq Burin, with scores of people suffering from tear gas inhalation as troops tried to break up the protests. in gaza, 30 people were injured by live gunfire after thousands joined a march to mark land Day, a spokesman for the Hamas emergency services told aFP. Most of the injuries were in Beit Hanun, with 24 people injured near the erez crossing, while another six were hit near Khan Yunis in the south. The army confirmed firing toward a man who “lit a tyre and rolled it at the soldiers” near the erez crossing, hitting him in the legs. and military sources confirmed shooting a man in the leg near Khan Yunis after he set something alight very close to the border fence. in south lebanon, hundreds of Palestinian refugees gathered near the historic Beaufort castle as large numbers of lebanese troops looked on, with barbed wire erected to ensure no one approached the flashpoint frontier, an aFP correspondent said. and in Jordan, more than 15,000 people, joined “a peaceful sitin” at Kafrein, some 10 kilometres (six miles) from the allenby crossing, security officials said.

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Foreign News 17

US Senate urges Iran to free Bahai leaders WASHINGTON afp

The US Senate has urged iran to free jailed leaders of the Bahai faith and urged sanctions against officials in the islamic republic over treatment of the religion’s followers. in a resolution approved by voice vote late Thursday, the Senate said it “condemns the government of iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Bahai minority and its continued violation of the international covenants on Human rights.” The Bahais, whose faith was founded in iran two centuries ago, have faced persecution both before and after the 1979 islamic revolution. The clerical regime bars Bahais from higher education and government posts. The resolution urged iran to free seven Bahai leaders given 20-year prison terms in 2010 on charges that included “spying” for israel.

The Bahai global headquarters, which predates the Jewish state’s 1948 creation, is in Haifa. The Senate urged President Barack Obama’s administration to “sanction officials of the government of iran and other individuals directly responsible for egregious human rights violations in iran, including against the Bahai community.” Obama in September 2010 announced that the United States would freeze assets of iranian officials over human rights violations and took action against eight, largely over the crackdown on opposition protests a year earlier. The Obama administration’s chief focus, however, has been on halting iran’s nuclear program which critics of Tehran say is aimed at building an atom bomb. The Bahais consider Bahaullah, born in 1817, to be the latest prophet sent by god and believe in the spiritual unity of all religions and all mankind. There are more than seven million Bahais worldwide, including 300,000 in iran, community leaders say.

Hungary president cancels plans amid plagiarism scandal BUDAPEST afp

Hungarian President Pal Schmitt cancelled all his engagements Friday, news agency MTi reported, amid speculation he could resign after he was stripped of his university doctorate over plagiarism.

Schmitt’s spokesman also said the president would make an announcement on state television in the evening. “Pal Schmitt will answer all pertinent questions this evening on national television,” norbert Kiss told journalists gathered in front of the presidency in Budapest, without giving any more details. The Hungarian press widely expected a resignation Friday and was already debating possible successors. earlier in the day, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Schmitt, told public radio that the president alone must decide whether he should resign from the largely ceremonial post. “nobody except him can decide,” Orban said in his first reaction to the plagiarism scandal. Schmitt was stripped of his 1992 doctorate title Thursday after Budapest’s Semmelweis University found he had copied “word-forword” large passages of another writer’s work in his thesis on the history of the Olympic games. Schmitt returned on Thursday from a trip to South Korea but dodged journalists waiting for him at the airport. Opposition parties meanwhile called on him to resign. “He must go because he has become unworthy of the post of president,” said Socialist party leader attila Mesterhazy. an investigative committee from Semmelweis University had found Tuesday that Schmitt had copied large parts of his thesis, but ruled that the text complied with requirements at the time and put the blame on the university for not noticing. nevertheless, the university’s senate decided to strip him of his doctorate.

Weekly HVg first outed Schmitt in January, reporting that the “majority” of his thesis was a “word-for-word translation” of a text written in French in the 1980s by late Bulgarian sports expert and diplomat nikolai georgiev.

JaKaRta: an Indonesian policeman fires tear gas during a clash between police and protesters at a rally against the government’s plan to hike prices of fuel on friday. AfP

Afghan policeman shoots dead nine colleagues KABUL

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n afghan policeman poisoned and then shot dead nine of his colleagues while they were sleeping early Friday in the eastern province of Paktika, police and provincial government officials said. it was the latest in a series of shootings by afghan security personnel of their local and foreign colleagues, deaths that have ramped up tensions between the allies even as naTO-led forces prepare to pull out by the end of 2014. Paktika provincial police chief Dawlat Khan said the shooting happened before dawn in Yahyakhil dis-

trict. “a local policeman named asadullah was persuaded by Taliban insurgents to carry out the firing inside the security check post,” he told aFP. “First he poisoned his colleagues and then later he woke up for night duty at 3:00 am. Then he used his assault rifle to kill his nine colleagues. They were sleeping inside the post.” asadullah fled the scene after the shooting and is on the run, he added, and there were no survivors. Mokhlis afghan, spokesman for the Paktika governor, confirmed the attack and that one policeman had fled, adding that two others had been arrested. earlier in March, another nine afghan police were killed, in the southern province of Uruzgan, in an insurgent attack that au-

thorities said was believed to have been facilitated by a fellow officer and suspected Taliban infiltrator. The gunman in Friday’s attack and his victims belong to the so-called local afghan police, militias that form part of the government’s security forces but do not come under the national police set-up.

Paktika is a hotbed of the Haqqani network, essentially a faction of the Taliban allied to al-Qaeda, and neighbours Pakistan’s tribal belt, which Washington considers to be a global hub of alQaeda and Taliban militants. The Taliban, who have been fighting an insurgency against Hamid Karzai’s government in Kabul and its Western allies for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the attack. Spokesman

french police round up suspected Islamists as vote looms PARIS afp

French police arrested 19 people in a crackdown on suspected islamist networks Thursday as President nicolas Sarkozy made the battle against extremism the keynote of his re-election campaign. arrests took place in several cities, including Toulouse, where extremist gunman Mohamed Merah was shot dead by police last week after a series of cold-blooded shootings that left seven dead, including three Jewish children. Sarkozy said the arrests targeted “radical islam” and that the trauma in France after the shootings in Toulouse and nearby Montauban was like that felt in the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks. agents from the Dcri domestic intelligence agency and elite police carried out the dawn raids in Toulouse in the southwest, the Paris region, nantes in the west, lyon in the southeast and the Provence region. Three of the 19 suspects arrested were women, police said. Judicial sources said 17 of those arrested were being held for questioning. in France, suspects in terror-re-

lated cases can be held for up to four days without charge. a senior police source told aFP authorities had up to 100 suspected islamist radicals in their sights and Sarkozy said Friday’s operation was only a start. “There will be other operations that will continue and will also allow us to expel from our national territory a certain number of people,” said Sarkozy, in the thick of campaigning for France’s april-May presidential election. “What must be understood is that the trauma of Montauban and Toulouse is profound for our country, a little — i don’t want to compare the horrors — a little like the trauma that followed in the United States and in new York after the September 11, 2001 attacks,” he told europe 1 radio. after trailing Socialist candidate Francois Hollande for months in the polls, Sarkozy has jumped ahead in firstround voter intentions and seen his support rise in the wake of the attacks. generally seen as stronger on security than Hollande, Sarkozy is keen to make law and order a key issue in a campaign that has so far been dominated by the economy, jobs and spending power, where the Socialist is

stronger. The latest poll by cSa released Wednesday said 30 percent of voters would pick Sarkozy and 26 percent would go for Hollande in the april 22 first round. But all polls still predict Hollande winning the May 6 second round. Sarkozy said Friday’s raids were not directly linked to the Toulouse shootings but targeted at extremists networks. Police said Kalashnikov assault rifles and other weapons were seized. among those arrested in the nantes region was Mohammed achamlane, the head of a suspected extremist group called Forsane alizza, the sources said. Three Kalashnikovs, a glock pistol and a grenade were seized from his home. Some of Sarkozy’s opponents branded the arrests a public relations stunt, with Steeve Briois, the general secretary of the far-right national Front, calling the raids “an electoral manoeuvre”.

“The ‘big haul’ made overnight by the Dcri and the raiD — the elite police unit that shot Merah — doesn’t fool anyone,” he said in a statement.

“Waiting for the horror of the Toulouse killings to start taking action shows the cynicism and opportunism of nicolas Sarkozy.”

Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message to aFP: “last night, a mujahid fighter attacked a security check post. as a result, he killed nine puppet local policemen. “The mujahid fighter has managed to escape and joined the Taliban ranks.” naTO troops have been ordered to adopt strict new security precautions to counter the threat. iSaF commander US general John allen ordered some advisers to carry weapons and for naTO units to designate one team member as a “guardian angel” to stay armed and on alert for possible fratricidal attacks, officials said. coalition troops working at afghan government or military buildings are required to move desks to make sure their backs do not face the door.

United Nation official raps India over ‘extrajudicial killings’ NEW DELHI afp

a top Un official called on india on Friday to investigate allegations of rampant extrajudicial killings and abolish a sweeping law that allows security forces to shoot on sight. christof Heyns, a Un Special rapporteur, issued the call after travelling for 12 days through india’s insurgency-hit Jammu and Kashmir state and the northeast, as well as the states of Kerala, gujarat and West Bengal. Heyns, the Un expert on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, urged the indian government to set up a commission of inquiry into widespread allegations of what he dubbed “so-called fake encounters”. “Despite constitutional guarantees and a robust human rights jurisprudence, extrajudicial killings are a matter of serious concern in india,” Heyns said. in a statement he described “fake encounters” as: “a scene of a shootout is created in which people who have been targeted are projected as the aggressors who shot at the police and were then killed in self-defence.” india must tackle a culture of impunity that protects troops, police and public officials from prosecution over illegal killings, custodial deaths and detentions, as well as improve rights for women and children, he added.

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Sharapova beats wozniacki to reach Miami final Page 21

Whatmore observes young talent in hand LAHORE Staff RepoRt

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He new Pakistan cricket team coach Dav Whatmore has shown he meant business as he spent most of his time this week at the rawalpindi cricket stadium where the national Super eights T20 championship is underway. Whatmore along with fielding coach, Julian Fountain have been present at the Pindi stadium for all the matches since Monday. "They come to the stadium before the start of the first match and leave late night all the while watching the players in action and taking down notes," a board official said.

The official said that Whatmore was expected to have a meeting with the chairman of the Pakistan cricket Board (PcB) Zaka ashraf after the tournament as he was planning to set up a conditioning and training camp for a shortlisted

Cancer-hit yuvraj Singh gets Tendulkar boost

players picked from the national Super eights event. "it is clear that Whatmore wants to have a close look at the young talent in Pakistan and get a chance to

work on them with Fountain," another official said. Whatmore's presence at the national tournament has also prompted national selectors to be present at the venue. Pakistan's next international assignment is tour to Sri lanka, starting late May. Whatmore took over as Pakistan coach before the asia cup, where Pakistan beat Bangladesh in the final to win the title after 12 years.

The board has given him an initial two-year contract to work with the team but officials say the contract can be extended depending on the results Whatmore produces. a board official also confirmed that they have got encouraging response for the position of bowling coach with the national team, which was advertised with a deadline of March 23.

"Mostly local coaches have applied but there are also some foreigners interested in the job," he said. The PcB advertised for a bowling coach after aaqib Javed's

resignation from the position. The PcB chief has said that he was keen to appoint another professional coach, who can help Pakistan produce the best bowlers. "The committee is handling the appointment of the bowling coach.

We have experts on that committee who will be dealing with that matter. i don't involve myself in their day to day work, but just ensure that they are doing their job properly," ashraf said.

"My personal preference is to appoint the best person for the job, irrespective of whether that individual is from Pakistan or outside. We want whoever is appointed to be a professional coach and help us in producing the best bowlers and to give those bowlers the best techniques," he added. Sources said that the board would be taking Whatmore's input before appointing a bowling coach as he has to work on the support team under the australian.

Strauss under scrutiny as England slump

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indian World cup hero Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering after cancer treatment, received a boost when batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar visited him in london. The duo met for an hour at an apartment of Yuvraj's friend on Wednesday, the Press Trust of india news agency said Friday, adding the all-rounder got a warm embrace from Tendulkar and they posed for photographs. Tendulkar, the world's leading scorer in both Test and oneday cricket, wished Yuvraj a speedy recovery and an early return to the game. Yuvraj was discharged on March 18 from a hospital in the United States, where he had been undergoing chemotherapy for a malignant tumour between his lungs. Thousands of well-wishers, including US cycling great lance armstrong, have sent messages to the 30-year-old Yuvraj, who is known for his aggressive batting and disciplined spin bowling. Yuvraj, who has scored 8,051 runs in 274 onedayers and 1,775 runs in 37 Tests since making his international debut in 2000, is expected to return to the field in May.

england captain andrew Strauss faces close scrutiny of his batting and leadership skills as he attempts to keep his spin-shattered team on top of the world Test rankings. england, who toppled india from the mantle with a memorable 4-0 whitewash on seaming wickets at home last year, have come unstuck on the spinner-friendly tracks of asia over the last three months. The 75-run defeat to Sri lanka in the first Test in galle on Thursday was england's fourth consecutive loss, following the embarrassing 3-0 hammering by Pakistan in the United arab emirates. if Saeed ajmal and abdur rehman wrecked england in the Uae with a combined haul of 43 wickets in the series, Sri lanka's rangana Herath and Suraj randiv grabbed 18 of the 20 wickets in galle. england are already assured of a bonus of $175,000 from the international cricket council as the number one side on the cut-off date of april 1, but their future at the top remains perilous.

Strauss' men will slip to number two behind South africa if they fail to win the second and final

Test in colombo from Tuesday. among mounting concern for a badly bruised england is the form of their captain. Strauss has now gone 23 innings without adding to his 19 Test centuries, averaging a poor 28.52, and has managed just one three-figure knock in his last 48 innings. He made 26 and 27 in galle, falling both times to Herath, but the left-hander put on a brave face. "i feel in good form, but you're judged on your performances and i have not performed well enough," the 35year-old admitted. "My job in the side is to score runs, the same as any other batsman, and i have not scored as many as i would have liked in the last 12 months or so. "That's very frustrating, but hopefully i will put it right next week." Strauss admitted his team's inability to put runs on the board had proved costly, both against Pakistan and Sri lanka. england's batting coach and former Test skipper graham gooch backed Strauss to come good as a batsman and saw no threat to his captaincy. "as far as i am concerned, andrew Strauss is the best guy to captain england," gooch said on Friday. "He is also one of the two best opening batsmen in the country along with alastair cook. "i have every confidence in him. i see the passion in him. i see the commitment every day on the training pitch trying to improve his game.

england’s Broad out of final Test COLOMBO afp

england seamer Stuart Broad was on Friday ruled out of the second and final Test against Sri lanka with a calf strain and will immediately fly home, dealing a further blow to the tourists. The 25year-old is also a doubt for the indian Premier league, which starts next week, where he has signed up for Kings xi Punjab. Broad played in the first Test in galle, which england lost by 75 runs, despite struggling with a sprain in his left ankle. He suffered the calf injury during the match. "Broad has been ruled out of the final Test against Sri lanka after a scan today confirmed a right calf strain," england and Wales cricket Board (ecB) said in a statement. "Broad will return to the UK immediately for further assessment before beginning a rehabilitation programme which will determine his availability for all cricket, including the iPl." england will not seek a replacement for Broad for the Test starting at the P. Sara Oval in colombo on Tuesday, leaving Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn in the reckoning to fill the vacant spot. england need a win to stay on top of the Test rankings. a draw or a defeat will see South africa take over as the number one side.

Pakistan showcase security and passion for cricket ISLAMABAD aGenCIeS

The three schoolboys jumped a barrier and walked nearly a mile to buy tickets to a Twenty20 at rawalpindi cricket Stadium.

Truth be told, 14-year-old classmates azizullah Khan, Zubair Khan and noman Khalid would have been happy to walk almost any distance to see their heroes up close; Saeed ajmal and Umar gul taking wickets and Umar akmal whacking boundaries.

The boys had only ever seen them on television for the last three years, ever since foreign teams refused to tour Pakistan after gunmen attacked the Sri lanka team bus on the morning of a 2009 test in lahore.

The ambush killed six police officials and a van driver, wounded and scarred members of the Sri lanka tour party, and shut the door on Pakistan hosting international cricket. "i have not seen international matches here," azizullah said as he bought three tickets for 300 rupees from a makeshift ticket

booth in a container beside the road. "everyone here is thinking, when will international cricket return to Pakistan?" good question.

The Pakistan cricket Board still hopes it will be next month.

Bangladesh accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan in april for the first time since 2008 and play three one-day internationals or two ODis and a Twenty20. a high-powered Bangladesh delegation - led by the country's cricket board head Mustafa Kamal - was briefed on security by top officials of the Pakistan government. But the PcB is still waiting for a response from Bangladesh. in the meantime, the PcB and government have been working to make cricket a safe haven for their own people.

For the Super eight Twenty20 tournament in rawalpindi, which featured most of Pakistan's international players, all eight teams were given beefed up security. about two dozen armed guards in two vans escorted each team from the hotel to the stadium and back, and 1,400 security personnel were posted in a three-kilometer

(two-mile) radius of the stadium. everything went off without a hitch, except for the fate of the home team, the defending Super eight champion rawalpindi rams, who were knocked out after losing their group matches to the Sialkot Stallions and lahore eagles. "(For) the last three years there has been apprehension regarding security measures," said Malik Matloob, a senior rawalpindi police official. "Whether it's a local or international (event), we consider it as an international challenge for us, that's why we're arranging (security) like it is an international cricket event. "now we are in a position ... we can make any arrangements for national as well as international cricket." new Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore and fielding coach Julian Fountain regularly watched the sold-out matches from ViP boxes and the PcB felt the tournament served a dual purpose in delivering highclass matches to local fans. "i think it's very important for our own survival to have these events," PcB director

Zakir Khan said. "it's for the international community to see that cricket is safe and at the same time we are producing quality cricketers and we are competitive in the world arena.

Pakistan test spinner Danish Kaneria, who played for one of the two teams from Karachi, hoped Bangladesh will come to Pakistan and help break the ice.

"Once a smaller team (like Bangladesh) comes to Pakistan then automatically the other teams will get to know what our security is like," Kaneria said. "The security provided by the PcB and the administration over here is wonderful. They are taking care of us as if we are playing international matches."

PcB hired DgM Securities to liaise with local police. The company has worked with the PcB for 10 years, looking after stadium security for series against new Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, india and the 2008 asia cup. "after 2001 (and the 9/11 attacks), things changed," company chief executive Syed nadeem Mansur said. "We have

started to install metal detectors to scan every single visitor at every entrance and then we have started to scan their luggage with x-rays, too." closed circuit cameras are also around the stadium to watch the crowd. "anybody can come here and see the security measures, and if they find any gap in the security measures we would be surprised," Mansur said.

He added he briefed the Bangladesh delegation and said the visitors were convinced the security was sufficient. "if somehow they don't come ... i am always interested to know if it is a security matter," Mansur said.

Shariq ahmed, a fan at the Super eight wearing the green jersey of Pakistan, believed the tournament's successful security should send positive signals abroad.

"This gives us a chance to show international players that Pakistan is a safe country," ahmed said. "There's a huge response from the crowd with the stadium full in every match, and that's a good sign for Pakistan cricket."

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Guard Group in Summer Cup final LAHORE: guard group its match of the Summer cup Polo to qualify for the main final to be played on Sunday here at the aibak ground of the lPc. guard group hav-

ing five goals from previous four chukkers added another five to beat newage which added another five to its previous four goals. Thus guard group won the match 10-9.

raja Samiullah and Taimur ali Malik played a winning role while abdul rehman Monnoo and Shah Shamyl alam performed from the losing side. Staff RepoRt

FAysAl bAnk t20

Dolphins down eagles, Stallions win over Rams LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Karachi Dolphins defeated lahore eagles by five wickets in the ongoing Faysal Bank T20 cup at rawalpindi Stadium on Friday while Sialkot Stallions defeated rawalpindi rams by seven wickets in the second match of the day. Put into bat lahore reached 148 for eight in with imran Farhat being the highest scorer for lahore but asad Shafiq with his half century got Karachi a five wickets win. lahore eagles reached 50 runs in 7.1 overs and 100 runs in 13.3 overs. azhar ali 30 , imran Farhat 19 a scored 50 runs for the third wickets in 41 balls. But Karachi got its 50 runs in 5.2 overs and 100 runs in 12.0 overs. later asad Shafiq reached his 50 off 39 balls to ensure win for Karachi.

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lAHoRe: Guard Group and newage riders in action during the Summer Cup Polo. NADEEm IjAz

Kallis, Ingram punish India JOHANNESBURG

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nDia were at 71 for no loss by the seventh over when rain halted the play in a one-off Twenty20 international with india at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday. india required another 149 runs with 10 wickets in hand and 12.1 overs to be bowled. gautam gambhir 49 and robin Uthappa 18 were at the crease at the time the games was stopped. earlier, Jacques Kallis and colin ingram shared a rapid century partnership as South africa posted a formidable total of 219 for four.

Kallis made 61 off 42 balls and the lefthanded ingram raced to 78 off 50 deliveries after South africa were sent in to bat.

The pair put on 119 of 80 balls for the second wicket. indian captain MS Dhoni used eight bowlers but runs flowed as the batsmen took advantage of a good batting pitch, short boundaries and a fast outfield. richard levi gave the hosts a fast start, hitting four boundaries before being caught at

South afRICa R. levi c Sharma b I. pathan 19 J. Kallis c Sharma b ashwin 61 C. Ingram c Sharma b Raina 78 20 f. Behardien not out 22 J. ontong b Raina a. Morkel not out 16 extras (lb1, w2) 3 total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 219 foW: 1-22 (levi), 2-141 (Kallis), 3-168 (Ingram), 4-203 (ontong) Bowling: p. Kumar 2-0-22-0 (1w), I. pathan 4-0-44-1 (1w), V. Kumar 3-0-32-0, ashwin 4-0-33-1, Y. pathan 1-0-9-0, Raina 40-49-2, Sharma 1-0-14-0, Kohli 1-0-15-0 did not bat: d. Vilas, J. Botha, W. parnell, J. theron, l. tsotsobe India: MS dhoni (capt), Virat Kohli, Robin uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf pathan, Ravichandran ashwin, Irfan pathan, Vinay Kumar, praveen Kumar. toss: India, umpires: Johan Cloete, Shaun George (both RSa). tV umpire: adrian holdstock (RSa), Match referee: Chris Broad.

slip for 19 off seven balls. The Kallis-ingram stand enabled the later batsmen to go for their shots, with new cap Farhaan Behardien hitting an unbeaten 20 off 11 balls and Justin Ontong 22 off seven before albie Morkel, coming in with only three balls remaining, hit Suresh raina for two sixes and a four.

south Africa launches reforms after bonus scandal JOHANNESBURG: The board of cricket South africa on Friday agreed to launch a series of reforms recommended by a ministerial panel that investigated a $600,000 bonus scandal. The board had already suspended chief executive gerald Majola for one year, but on Friday it agreed to overhaul its governing structures to avoid a repeat of the saga that has damaged cricket's image in South africa. acting cSa president Willie Basson said the board will "apply the recommendations from there in the best interest of cricket South africa with the influence and contribution of independent and outside members to enrich the process". Basson said all cSa affiliates would be asked to provide input to a new steering committee, which would provide guidelines for a meeting later this year gathering the board, sponsors and other interested parties who will decide on how to reform South african cricket. "This is a matter of urgency. i would like this matter to be finished before our annual meeting in September," Basson said after the board meeting. a government-initiated inquiry headed by retired judge chris nicholson in March recommended prosecutors open a case against Majola over a scandal that has dogged the national cricket body for several years. companies have been reluctant to sponsor the national team and tournaments, and Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said last week that cSa needed fresh leadership to create "a new era of hope and clean governance". afp

lahoRe eaGleS InnInGS 30 taufeeq umar c Shahzaib hasan b tanvir ahmed 9 adnan akmal b haaris ayaz Imran farhat b Mohammad Sami 41 23 azhar ali c Rameez Raja b haaris ayaz 3 humayun farhat b faraz ahmed ali azmat c tariq haroon b Rumman Raees 11 Saad nasim run out Sarfraz ahmed 19 Junaid zia b Rumman Raees 0 Mohammad Khalil not out 1 11 extra lb 3, w 6, nb 2 148 total 8 wickets; 20.0 overs; fall of wickets 1-46; 2-48; 3-112; 4-115; 5-119; 6-146; 7-147; 8-148 Bowling: Mohammad Sami 4.0-0-35-1, tanvir ahmed 4.0-0-341, Rumman Raees 4.0-0-27-2, haaris ayaz 4.0-0-25-2, faraz ahmed 4.0-0-24-1 KaRaChI dolphInS InnInGS Shahzaib hasan c S-aad nasim b Mustafa Iqbal 19 14 Khalid latif c I-mran farhat b emmad ali 2 Rameez Raja b Mustafa Iqbal asad Shafiq c taufeeq umar b Mustafa Iqbal 58 Sheharyar Ghani not out 44 Sarfraz ahmed c Saad nasim b taufeeq umar 1 Mohammad Sami not out 3 8 extra lb 1, w 5, nb 2 149 total 5 wickets; 18.1 overs; fall of wickets: 1-22; 2-24; 3-74; 4-136; 5-143 Bowling: Mohammad Khalil 2.0-0-19-0, Junaid zia 2.0-0-24-0, Mustafa Iqbal 4.0-0-26-3, ali azmat 1.0-0-15-0, emmad ali 3.00-18-1, Saad nasim 4.0-0-34-0, taufeeq umar 2.0-0-10-1, azhar ali 0.1-0-2-0 toss: Karachi dolphins, who chose to field, umpires: ahmed Shahab and nadeem Ghauri, Match Referee: Ishtiaq ahmed

lahore whites beat lahore Shaheen LAHORE Staff RepoRt

lahore Whites beat lahore Shaheen by 10 wickets and qualified for the regional prequarterfinal of the 14th national Veteran Senior cricket cup. at race course Park ground, lahore Shaheen batting first 109 all out after 24.4 overs. Shokat ali Junior 50 & Javeed Orangzaib 11 runs. lahore White Bowling asim Sheikh right arm leg Spinner bowling well 5/25 wickets, Tariq Siddiqui 2/17, Mohtasham rasheed 2/30 & Shahid aslam 1/19 wickets. in reply lahore White 110 without loss any wicket after 13 overs. Test cricketer Saleem Malik played well 61 runs not out & ghaffar Kazmi 47 runs not out. Javeed ashraf, Muhammad Kaleem Umpire & abdul Hameed was the scorer.

LCU annual sports held LAHORE Staff RepoRt

in all 10 sports events were held on the opening day of the lahore college of University annual sports being held at the institute ground.

ReSultS 200 Meter race, iqbal Bano, Hina iqbal, Bisma afzal Obstacle race, Faiza aslam, Saira Zulfiqar, Javeria rafique 400 Meter race, Bisma afzal, asia Sattar, ghazala Siddique chatti race, Humaira Yasmin, raheen Khalid, rabia Sharif 4x100 Meter relay race, ghalaza Siddique, Bisma afzal, asia Sattar Balance race, Hira Shahid, asia Sattar, Maria nazir Staff vs Students Tug of War, , , class iV employees race, Mubeen ali, Muhammad azam, M. Javed admin Staff Sack race, M. asif, M. nadeem, Shahbaz Majeed Musical chair for guests, Khalida Malik, Faiza niazi, Tayyaba Malik.

lAHoRe: The students and teachers of lahore College University compete in tug of war during the annual sports. STAff PHOTO

lAHoRe: Salman Akeel Butt lifts 126 kg in jerk in the 77 kg class during the naqi Butt Memorial weightlifting Championship. STAff PHOTO

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Saturday, 31 March, 2012

Rallying: Hirvonen in lead as ford duo spin off FARO afp

citroen's new recruit Mikko Hirvonen inherited the lead in the rally of Portugal on Friday after Ford duo Jari-Matti latvala and Petter Solberg spun off in treacherous conditions. after the second day's first three special stages Hirvonen improved from his third place overnight to top the overall standings. The Finn's closest pursuer is russia's evgeny novikov who is over 36 seconds back with norwegian Mads Ostberg (41s) in third. Overnight leader latvala left the road and ended up in a ditch towards the end of the fifth stage with former world champion Solberg, who had briefly held the lead, suffering the same fate in the sixth stage.

Army-PAf in neelum-Jhelum Basketball final LAHORE Staff RepoRt

army and PaF have reached the final of the WaPDa Sport Board-organised neelum-Jhelum Men’s national Basketball championship being played here at the WaPDa Sports complex. in the semifinal PaF beat railways with 88-61 score and army defeated Wapda 74-64.

ReSultS: PAf scorers were Ahmad Jan 28, M. Akhtar 20, M. Praim Shahzad 17 while Raiwlays got its points from Shan Malik 15 Allah Baksh 12, Asher Gil 7. Army got its score from Pervaiz Hussain 29, nawazish Ali 16, Mudassir Khan 14, waheed Akhtar 09 and wapda scorers were Jahangir Ahmed 12, Atif Mukhtar 09, falak farid 07, Amir Iqbal 05. The final will be played today at 4 pm while the 3rd and 4th Position March between Railways and wAPDA will be played at 9:00am.

Jr Talent Hunt camp LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The Punjab lawn Tennis association has announced the junior talent-hunt tennis camp for boys and girls that will get underway at the PlTa Tennis academy from Monday (april 2).

Khawaja Mohammad Bakhsh, secretary PlTa, said that the object of the camp is to promote that game at the grass root level and develop interest of the youngsters towards the sport.

The secretary himself will supervise the camp and for further details contact Mohamamd ayub 0322 4097256.

14th Aamer Hayat Khan Rokhri Badminton from 23rd LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The 14th aamer Hayat Khan rokhri Badminton Tournament will start from March 23 to 29 here at the new Khan Hall with an aim to lift the standard of the sport. addressing a press conference here on Friday, Shahrez abdullah Khan rokhri, president Punjab Badminton association and chairman organizing committee, said that all the four provinces, Fata, gilgit Baltistan, islamabad and departments including Wapda, Police and

nBP are taking part in this tournament.

He further informed that a total of rs 150,000 will be distributed among the winners of the event to be contested in men’s, ladies, singles, doubles and mixed doubles categories. Wajid ali and Palwasha Basheer are the defending champions of the tournament which is to be participated by around 150 players from across the country, he maintained.

He also announced the organizing committee that have naqi Mohsin, rana ishtiaq, Shahnawaz Malik, Tayyab Sohail, liaqat ali, Khawaja akhtar abbas,

azhar Javed and rafeeq Babar.

He further informed that chinese shuttlecocks will be provided in the tournament. “i have joined the sport as its president once officiated by my father just to keep it from decaying and lead it once again to sky high.

“Pakistan players were among to hundred but now none of the Pakistanis is among top 500 in the world. and even due to the parallel body the World federation has banned Pakistan and for that i would try my best to get the country its lost status,” he maintained.

lUMS Super 10’s Rugby LAHORE: The Pakistan rugby unions in collaboration with the Punjab rugby association lums University will hosts lUMS Super 10’s rugby Tournament which is being held from april 14-15. Pakistan rugby Union Development officer Jamal Quersi said that that lums organizes this tournament every year. This is ten a side tournament full of great rugby matches. this is came at very important moment when Pakistan team preparations on ground to Play asian 5 nations tournament in May. Staff RepoRt

Of conspiracy theories and referees winning titles EPL CRYSTAL BALL KUNWAR KHULDUNE SHAHID

United might have benefited from a refereeing clanger on Monday, but that is not the reason why they’re the frontrunners for the league title and another controversial decision goes in Manchester United’s favour at Old Trafford, and in turn instigates another train of “why don’t you just hand them the title” chants. it is true that Michael carrick’s challenge on Danny Murphy late on in the United-Fulham game was a stonewall penalty, and it is also pretty obvious that another referee bottled it big time at the Theatre of Dreams, but to say that United would go on to win the title because of refereeing gifts is stretching the clamour a bit too far. granted, United tend to get refereeing blunders more often in their favour, than against them at Old Trafford, but that’s something all home sides benefit from.

There is not a single ground in any division of any league in the world where the officiating errors aren’t skewed towards the home side. except that in the case of United – with all their success – this tilt is touted as a conspiracy theory by the opposing fans, the media and quite often rival managers as well. it’s human nature to be intimidated by thousands of fans constantly behind your back. it shouldn’t be the case with someone officiating at Premier league level, but it doesn’t mean that this manifestation of incompetence on Michael Oliver’s part

was intentional. and to suggest that if the english champions go on to defend their title it would be because of a collective scheme of the referees union is not only the quintessential demonstration of paranoia it also shows total discard of

the efforts of a team that has been on the up since December, and made a tough run of fixtures look like a cakewalk – at least in terms of the points accumulated. in fact United have had quite a few decisions going against them this season at Old Trafford as well.

Off the top of my head; the penalty kick awarded for the foul that never was against Ben arfa, possibly the best tackle that rio Ferdinand has conjured up this season in the match against newcastle and also the horrendous challenge on Javier Hernandez that ashley cole got away with, are two major incidents that spring to mind.

Yes the cliché that things ‘even things out’ over the course of the season, isn’t exactly true – for

the rub of the green almost always tends to favour someone – but over the course of 38 games the luck factor is significantly reduced than say in a cup final, hence the other cliché that ‘the league table never lies’ is spot on.

Sir alex’s press conference or indeed his general persona quite often smacks of arrogance, and he knows his way around intimidating people as well. But he hasn’t built his empire solely by shouting his displeasure in the referees’ eyes. even the fact that this United side, which is quite a few notches below the United teams of years

gone – and as their european misadventure divulged – below the standard other top european teams are setting, finds itself three points clear at the top of the table is proof of the resilience of this group of players. and this again is mostly due to the ethos created by Sir alex at Old Trafford. United have been on the up since the turn of the year – following the back to back defeats against Blackburn and newcastle in December –, which has seen them overtake Manchester city at the summit of the league. and while United got away with Michael O l i v e r pulling out a refereei n g clanger on Monday, that will not be the reason behind the defence of their title – if it materializses of course…

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LiSbON: Finish pilot Mikko Hirvonen and co-pilot Jarmo Lehtinen compete in their Citroen DS 3 WRC during the second stage of the 2012 Portugal Rally. AfP

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Sharapova beats Wozniacki to reach Miami final

Key BISCAyne: Maria Sharapova celebrates a point against Caroline wozniacki during the Sony ericsson open semi-final at the Crandon Park Tennis Center. AfP MIAMI afp

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Hree-TiMe runner-up Maria Sharapova booked her second straight Miami final Thursday, rallying to beat disgruntled caroline Wozniacki and set up a title clash with agnieszka radwanska. Sharapova clinched a 46, 6-2, 6-4 semi-final victory over the Dane after two hours, 34 minutes, the match ending in acrimony as Wozniacki objected to the chair umpire's overrule of

a call to Sharapova's benefit on match point.

World number four radwanska's 6-4, 6-2 victory over Marion Bartoli was more straightforward, but included an injury to the seventh-seeded French player as well as a power outage that held up proceedings in the second set. "For sure one of the weirdest matches, especially the lights," said Poland's radwanska, who led 4-2 in the second set when the court went dark. "You're really focused on the match and really want to finish in two sets.

Suddenly, the lights go off." She kept her concentration and returned to finish off Bartoli, who reached the semi-finals by handing world number one Victoria azarenka her first defeat of 2012. a day after that triumph, Bartoli was hindered by a left thigh injury and had 35 unforced errors, failing to hold serve once. radwanska's reward was a meeting with Sharapova, who has won seven of their eight encounters. "i'm just going to try to play aggressive and mix everything," radwanska said.

"We'll see what's going to work." Sharapova was serving for the match and up 40-30 when her second serve was called long -- a call overruled by the chair umpire, who ordered the point replayed.

Wozniacki did not like it, but was out of video challenges. Sharapova stepped up to serve again, working her way into position to put away a forehand for the victory. Wozniacki, who declined to shake hands with the chair umpire after the match, said it did not matter that television replays showed he was correct. "i think when the ball is so close that i think he should give her a chance to challenge at least when i don't have any challenges," Wozniacki said. "She was going to challenge it, anyways. So if it shows it's good, it's good. if it shows it's out, it's out. The ball was so close that it might as well have been out."

Sharapova said she would have certainly challenged the call if the umpire had not overruled it. "it is a tough situation to be in because it is close to the end of the match and both of us fought so hard for over two hours and you don't want the match to end like that," she said. Sharapova is now a perfect 4-0 in semi-finals in Miami -- but 0-3 in finals.

Birthday boy monaco sinks fish MIAMI afp

argentina's Juan Monaco celebrated his 28th birthday in style by surprising eighth-seeded american Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the WTa/aTP Miami Masters tournament on Thursday. not many people gave underdog Monaco a chance against Fish, but the 21st seed has now won three straight against the american after dropping their first two matches back in 2005 and 2006. "i can't believe it," Monaco said. "i have a lot of emotions it is good to celebrate this way, playing unbelievable tennis on my birthday. "every shot i wanted to play i did. it was a perfect match for me. i returned well and then i served very, very good." in

the semi-finals Monaco will face either world no. 1 novak Djokovic or fifth seeded

Spaniard David Ferrer, who were playing in the night session. Fish broke Monaco in the

sixth game of the second set to make it 3-3 but Monaco responded by winning three straight, closing it out on the first of three match points with a backhand drop shot.

This is Monaco's ninth appearance in Miami but the first time he has reached the semis. Monaco, of Buenos aires, improved to 11-4 on the year and is chasing his second title of 2012 after capturing his fourth career crown in Vina del Mar in February. Monaco put on an impressive serving display by winning 71 percent of his first serve points as he needed just 82 minutes to oust Fish. The 30-year-old Fish, who lost in the second round at the australian Open and in the third round at the indian Wells Masters, fell to 7-5 in 2012. The hard-serving Fish finished with just one ace, one double fault and won 40 percent of his second-serve points.

watCh it Live ESPN Sports Center 07:30PM

Radwanska reaches Miami final

Key BISCAyne: Agnieszka Radwanska reacts to a lost point against Marion Bartoli of france during the Sony ericsson open. AfP MIAMI afp

World number four agnieszka radwanska beat French seventh seed Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday to reach the women's final of the Miami hardcourt tennis tournament. Poland's radwanska, who shrugged off a power outage that halted the match for more than 30 minutes to wrap up the victory, will face world number two Maria Sharapova in the championship match on Saturday. radwanska ended an impressive run

by Bartoli, who had handed world number one Victoria azarenka her first defeat of 2012 in the quarter-finals.

Model Town Gym crush Shah Kamal LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Model Town gymkhana crushed Shah Kamal club in the lahore region cricket association Sprite lahore cricket league 2011-12.

Model Town gymkhana got 10 wickets win at the ittefaq cricket ground. Shah Kamal club made 98 in 35.2 overs. arslan Sher remained top scorer with 21 runs. Basit Saeed (right arm Fast) of MTg took 3/17, imran iftikhar (off Spinner) took 2/1 and abdul rehman (OS) also took 2/14 for his team. in reply Model Town gym chased the small target in 10 overs without losing any wicket. Jamil Khan and aimad ul Haq remained unbeaten on 54 and 35 runs.

Djokovic downs determined Ferrer MIAMI afp

Defending champion novak Djokovic booked a semi-final match with Juan Monaco at the Miami Masters on Thursday, holding off a determined David Ferrer of Spain to win 6-2, 7-6 (7/1). The Serbian world number one started the match playing superb tennis, dictating the rallies and giving fifth-seed Ferrer few chances to gain a foothold.

He took the first set in just 32 minutes and broke Ferrer in the first game of the second, but the tenacious Spaniard refused to go down without a fight. Ferrer regained the early break and was holding his own until a loose service effort from the Spaniard saw Djokovic break for a 5-4 lead and a chance to serve out the match.

Ferrer denied him and the set then went to a tie-break. Djokovic claimed an early advantage as Ferrer swatted

an ill-judged forehand into the net to fall behind on his serve on the first point. Djokovic, 24, was firmly in control during the tie-break as he advanced to a meeting with Monaco, who celebrated his 28th birthday by surprising eighth-seeded american Mardy Fish 6-1, 6-3. "it's always going to be tough against David. He's one of the greatest competitors on the circuit," said Djokovic, the winner of the past three grand Slams. "i didn't want to get to the third set because physically he's always there." "i had a fantastic first set, break up in the second twice, serving for the match, and then in some moments, you know, i allowed him to take control in the rallies," Djokovic said. "luckily for me, it was decided in a tiebreak," he added. in the other quarterfinal, Fish broke Monaco in the sixth game of the second set to make it 3-3 but Monaco responded by winning

three straight games, closing it out on the first of three match points with a backhand drop shot. it is Monaco's ninth appearance in Miami but the first time he has reached the semis. "i can't believe it," said Monaco, the 21st seed. "i have a lot of emotions. it is good to celebrate this way, playing unbelievable tennis on my birthday. "every shot i wanted to play i did. it was a perfect match for me. i returned well and then i served very, very good."

Fish said Monaco's all-around game was too much for him. "He did a lot of things well and i think more than anything else, he shrunk the court extremely well with his movement and that's why i think you saw a ton of errors from me," the american said. "i was pressing a lot just because he wasn't giving me anything." Friday's other semi-final will pit secondseeded Spaniard rafael nadal against British fourth seed andy Murray.

Key BISCAyne: novak Djokovic of Serbia in action against David ferrer of Spain during the Sony ericsson open. AfP

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fai gets 2-year term for lobbying for ISI WASHINGTON ReuteRS

a US judge on Friday gave an american of Kashmiri origin a two-year prison sentence after he admitted secretly receiving millions of dollars from Pakistan and its spy service while lobbying in the United States. Syed ghulam nabi Fai, 62, a naturalized US citizen, pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy and tax violations dating back to 1990 for a scheme to conceal some $3.5 million that came from Pakistan to fund his lobbying efforts over the disputed territory of Kashmir. US District Judge liam O’grady in alexandria, Virginia, handed down the prison sentence for Fai, to be followed by three years of probation. Prosecutors had urged the judge to sentence him to four years in prison while Fai argued he should be sentenced to home confinement. Fai served as the executive director of the Kashmiri american council, which described itself as a nonprofit organization run

by Kashmiris and funded by americans. But US authorities have said some of the money came from Pakistan’s intelligence service, iSi, and that he failed to register as an agent of a foreign government as required under US law.

Prosecutors said Fai tried to draw the attention of US officials to india’s actions in the disputed territory of Kashmir and away from Pakistan’s own actions in the divided mountain area. The two nations have fought two wars over it. “Syed Fai is today being held accountable for his role in a decades-long scheme to conceal the fact that the government of Pakistan was secretly funding his efforts to influence US policy on Kashmir,” said assistant attorney general lisa Monaco, head of the Justice Department’s national Security Division.

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Two soldiers, 35 militants killed in Orakzai operation PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

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laiMing to have killed 35 miscreants and getting control of militant strongholds in Upper Orakzai, officials on Friday said two security personnel had been killed and 11 others injured in clashes with the militants.

an official said security forces started advancing to gain hold of the Barlaas area of Upper Orakzai in the night between Thursday and Friday.

The operation continued until Friday morning. Officials said during the clash, the militant strongholds were targeted, resulting in the killing of 35 miscreants. The official said 32 dead bodies were in their possession and

identified, while three had been left beyond recognition. During the military action, 13 dens of militants at Barlaas were also destroyed. as a result of severe resistance, two personnel of the security forces were killed and 11 others injured. The killed were identified as Frontier corps constables Wakeel ahmad and Sher nawaz.

The officials said advancement con-

tinued in the area and claimed further increase in casualties of the militants. They also informed that security forces, with the help of helicopter gunships, also got hold of Daboori, Badama, Sandoori and Sra garhi areas of Upper Orakzai.

US drone kills four in NWA: at least four suspected militants were killed when a US drone fired

four missiles on a hideout in main bazaar of Miranshah, headquarters of north Waziristan agency, in the early hours of Friday. Tribesmen in Miranshah said some suspected militants were sleeping inside a building in Sarafa Bazaar when they were struck by four missiles fired by a US drone. Officials confirmed the killing of four militants.

US to rely on India if Pakistan does not open supply routes WASHINGTON onlIne

US will have to default and rely on india and the northern distribution network if Pakistan does not open up its crucial afghan supply route, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Friday. However, the Pentagon official testifying before a congressional subcommittee did not gave details of the indian network, on which it can depend for its crucial supplies to afghanistan. “if we can’t negotiate or successfully negotiate the reopening of the PaK glOc (ground lines of communication) we have to default and rely on india and the northern Distribution network, our increased strat airlift,” Marine corps lieutenant general Frank Panter, the Deputy commandant for installations and logistics, told lawmakers. Both are expensive propositions and it increases the deployment or redeployment, Panter said in his testimony before the readiness Subcommittee of the House armed Services committee.at the same time, the Pentagon official indicated that this (india) is a sensitive issue.

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.

Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir, Resident Editor: Rana Qaisar