e-paper pakistantoday 23rd march, 2012

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Pakistan lifts Asia Cup in thriller, BD garners praise PAGE | 19

PAGES | 07, 08

Rs15.00 Vol ii no 265 22 pages Karachi edition

Friday, 23 March, 2012 Rabi-ul-Sani 29, 1433

The entire system has failed: SC LAHORE

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DHAKA: (L-R) Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain and Tamim Iqbal react after Pakistan won the final match at the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament on Thursday. REUTERS

No verbal agreements with US now: FO ISLAMABAD SHAIq HuSSAIN

Pakistan on Thursday said no verbal agreements would be made in the future with Washington and there would be complete transparency and predictability in its relations with the United States. “The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) has clearly recommended that no verbal commitments be made, and everything should be reduced to paper.

Continued on page 04

Aitzaz challenges contempt of court law, bench’s competence ISLAMABAD MASooD ReHMAN

The contempt of court case against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani took a new turn on Thursday with Aitzaz Ahsen’s argument that the existing Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003, stood void after the incorporation of Article 10-A in the constitution through 18th Amendment.

Aitzaz, who is defending the PM in the contempt of court case, argued that the existing contempt of court law was not in conformity with the constitution, thus contempt proceedings could not be conducted under it.

He asked the court to declare this law void. However, the court told him that he could properly challenge it.

A seven-member special bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed, was hearing the case. Aitzaz said that Article 10-A gives the right of a fair trial to every citizen, thus under the said article, the bench which had already Continued on page 04

STAff RePoRT

HE country’s entire system has failed and the government has lost its writ not only in Balochistan but also in other areas, Justice Jawad S Khawaja said on Thursday while hearing a suo motu case initiated against a girl’s gang-rape in Faisalabad.

The bench, comprising Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Athar Saeed, was hearing the case at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry. The court continued the proceedings after police did not arrest the main accused, Asghar Ali, a close aide of Punjab Law Minster Rana Sanaullah, despite strict orders given by the bench on the last hearing.

The bench was hearing an appeal filed in the Supreme Court by rape victim Samina Bibi, who sought cancellation of bail granted to the alleged rapists by the Lahore High Court (LHC). However, the apex court converted her appeal into suo moto notice on March 6 due to the seriousness of the offence, and directed the police to arrest Asghar, who remains at large from day one.

In his remarks Justice Khawaja said, “The girl, who cannot sleep at the night due to the agony of what happened to her, is waiting for justice, and the police is coming to the court every time with an excuse for not arresting the accused.”

“So whether it is the Khadim-e Ala of Punjab (chief minister of Punjab) or the judges seated on fancy chairs in the courts of law, they are all equal partners in the obnoxious crime committed against the innocent girl,” Justice Khawaja said, while looking towards the police high-ups lined up in the court and the victim girl who standing in a corner of the courtroom.

Court says govt has not only lost its writ in Balochistan but also in other parts of the country

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Justice Khawaja scolds police for not arresting an alleged rapist linked to Punjab law minister

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“It is alleged by some quarters that the Supreme Court is unduly interfering into the workings of the institutions, but tell me should we not give justice to this girl? Can we leave her at the mercy of police’s callousness which in this case helped a culprit escape from its custody?” “The court handed over the custody of the accused in this case to the district police officer (DPO), but he managed to escape.

Continued on page 04

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02 News Today’s

Friday, 23 March, 2012

LaHore

News

Inqilab Zindabad!

BISP is nation’s pride: PM

story on Page 10

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cartooN

Quick Look

Contempt of court law not in conformity with constitution: Aitzaz ISLAMABAD oNLINe

Prime minister’s defence lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan on Thursday expressed reservations over contempt of court law, saying no law could exist that was not in conformity with the constitution.

Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court after the hearing of the PM contempt case, Aitzaz denied the reports that he had expressed no-confidence in the Supreme Court bench.

He said there was no question of confidence or no-confidence as it was enshrined in the constitution that complainant or one who took suo motu action could not hear the case.

He lamented that a section of media was misquoting him and publishing false news. Speaking about his objection over the seven-

judge bench hearing contempt case against Gilani, he said his objection was legal point under Article-10 of the constitution.

The lawyer for Gilani said the judges had heard him patiently. He said under Article-10, a judge himself should not hear the case which he initiated without any one raising objection.

Aitzaz said a fair trial was the fundamental right under Article10A, which should be assured.

He said his viewpoint in the contempt case should be accepted, emphasising that as many as five judges did not deserve to sit in the bench according to Article-10A. “My objection is legal and technical. And, this stance of mine is correct to the best of my reckoning. Now, this is up to the court to decide on it,” he said, adding that Article-10A was put in effect on April 10, 2010.

Nation celebrates Pakistan Day today ISLAMABAD oNLINe

The nation will celebrate Pakistan Day on Friday to commemorate the Lahore Resolution passed in 1940. The day would dawn with 31 gun salutes in the federal and 21 gun salutes in provincial capitals. There would be a public holiday in all federal and provincial government offices, banks and private offices. The national flag will be hoisted on important public and private buildings throughout the country and all Pakistani missions abroad. This year too, the permanent feature of the armed forces parade on Pakistan Day has been cancelled. TV channels and FM radio channels will air special programmes and newspapers will bring out supplements to highlight importance of the day. Political, literary organisations and educational institutions have organised special functions to mark the Day. People will visit the mausoleum of the founder of the nation Quaid-eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi and Mausoleum of Dr Allama Iqbal to pray for their souls.

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Take interest in masses’ problems, PM tells cabinet ISLAMABAD

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STAff RePoRT

RIME Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday reprimanded his cabinet ministers for not taking interest in resolving the masses’ problems in general as he observed in the cabinet meeting that they were just facilitating people from their respective constituencies.

A source in the federal cabinet told Pakistan Today on Thursday that Gilani expressed displeasure over the ministers’ attitude of taking interest only in the problems confronting the people from their constituencies.

Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan too dropped a hint in this regard during press briefing on the cabinet meeting and told reporters that the prime minister had directed all ministers to mark their presence in every province of the country. “The ministers should not only confine to their own constituency and monitor the affairs of their ministries properly,” she said.

To a question on progress made so far in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, the information minister said a mindset was behind this assassination. “One thing is clear that it is not an act of an individual as a mindset is behind it… its a international conspiracy in which some local and international players are involved,’’ she said.

To a question about the next prime minister if Gilani was removed for any reason, Firdous said the PPP was not seeing such a situation in the near future. “It is too early to comment on it … if it happens the matter will be sorted out while taking allied parties into confidence,” she added.

On appointment of new chief election commissioner, Firdous said the prime minister and leader of opposition in the National

Assembly would jointly decide to appoint new chief election commissioner.

The information minister also dispelled the impression that PPP-led the government hade any anti-media policy. “The media is our partner… it is our power and we will never adopt any anti-media policy,” she added.

The federal cabinet reviewed the implementation status of cabinet decisions pertaining to Privatisation, Production and Railways divisions. The cabinet was informed that 50 percent decisions pertaining to Production, 50 percent to Privatisation and 45 percent pertaining to Railways had been implemented.

The cabinet also discussed progress on restructuring of Pakistan Steels Mill. The prime minister directed that complete plan in this regard should be brought before the cabinet in the next meeting.

The cabinet considered and gave its approval for confirmation of the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its meeting held on March 13. The cabinet was informed during the presentation on Consumer Price Index (CPI) that during the week ending on March 15 there was a trend of rise in price of 25 items including tomatoes, rice, gram pulse, vegetable ghee.

The cabinet considered and accorded its approval, in principle, to start negotiations and for signing of the inter-governmental agreement between governments of Pakistan and the Italy for Euros 57.75 million or CDCPII Ministry of the Economic and Finance of Italy through Artigiancassa SPA committed to finance the Citizens Damage Compensation Programme II (CDCP-II) through a soft loan of Euros 57.75 million of which 99 percent is untied and 1 percent is tied.

The cabinet considered and accorded its approval to signing of the Agreement on Transfer of Offenders between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

‘Musharraf was aware of Bhutto’s murder timing’ The reports by both the United Nations and the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) blame former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf for the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, according to an article published in the New York Daily News. The reports come in the wake of criminal proceedings against the seven accused in the case, including Musharraf, and the Pakistan government requesting Interpol to issue an international warrant for Musharraf’s arrest. According to Mark Siegel’s article, the United Nations’ 70-page report concludes that the failure of police to effectively probe Bhutto’s assassination, and the destruction of evidence, was “deliberate and ordered from above”. The JIT report said that Musharraf, working along with two police officers, was aware of the assassination plot against Bhutto and its timing, and personally ordered the destruction of evidence. The police officers facilitated the terrorists, who devised various phases of the plot, from conception to execution and cover-up operations, it added. Despite the fact that Musharraf had ordered security teams to guard two other former prime ministers who were his political supporters, Bhutto was provided with virtually no security. NewS DeSK

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

ForeigN News

arts & eNtertaiNMeNt

sPorts

french ‘al qaeda’ suspect dies in violent last stand

Priyanka bags Jaya Bachchan’s role in ‘Zanjeer’ remake

Amir must focus on rehabilitation: Lorgat

News 03 coMMeNt Sanctions?: It is for the US to end the talk about sanctions.

Not enough: There just isn’t going to be enough water.

fahd Husain says: Will the real author please stand up?: Is parliament supreme?

Kuldip Nayar says: A party losing its ethos?: The Congress is losing.

qudssia Akhlaque says: Parliament in focus: What did president’s address omit?

story on Page 15

story on Page 18

story on Page 18

Nearly 1,000 women ‘killed for honour’ ISLAMABAD

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AfP

T least 943 Pakistani women and girls were murdered last year for allegedly defaming their family’s honour, the country’s leading human rights group said on Thursday. The statistics highlight the growing scale of violence suffered by many women. Despite progress on better protecting women’s rights, activists say the government needs to do more to prosecute murderers in cases largely dismissed by police as private, family

affairs. “At least 943 women were killed in the name of honour, of which 93 were minors,” wrote the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in its annual report.

Seven Christian and two Hindu women were among the victims, it said. The Commission reported 791 “honour killings” in 2010. Around 595 of the women killed in 2011 were accused of having “illicit relations” and 219 of marrying without permission.

Some victims were raped or gang raped before being killed, the commission said. Most of the women were killed by their brothers and husbands.

Only 20 of 943 killed were reported to

have been provided medical aid before they died, the commission wrote. Despite the rising number of reported killings, activists have praised parliament for passing laws aimed at strengthening women’s protection against abuses. Rights groups say the government should do more to ensure that women subjected to violence, harassment and discrimination have effective access to justice. Last year, a Belgian court sentenced four members of a Pakistani family to prison for the murder of their daughter, who defied them by living with a Belgian man and refused an arranged marriage.

Balochistan MPAs concerned over law and order QuEttA SHAHZADA ZuLfIqAR

Balochistan MPAs on Thursday expressed concern over the worsening law and order in the province, suggesting holding a meeting to devise a strategy to curb mounting lawlessness in Balochistan.

The assembly session started with Speaker Aslam Bhootani in the chair. Irrigation Minister Aslam Bezinjo said that robbing passengers and kidnapping of bus drivers on highways had become a routine matter on Quetta-Karachi Highway. Criminals used vehicles having ministers’ name plates while committing different crimes with impunity, he said, adding that the CM should take the issue of law and order seriously and ensure that Quetta-Karachi Highway remains safe for all. PML-Q MPA Jaffar Mandokhail supported Bezinjo’s views.

Health Minister Ainullah Shams rejected allegations that

some provincial ministers were involved in kidnapping for ransom and asked the CM to conduct an independent inquiry into he matter. He said there were a number of showrooms in Quetta where smuggled vehicles were being sold without any fear but authorities concerned were paying no attention in this regard. Expressing concern over law and order, Senior Minister Abdul Wasay said that they should not condemn such incidents because they were in the government. He said that it was our responsibility to ensure security to people and their property but unfortunately so far the elected representatives had failed to do so, adding just statements on their part were tantamount to cheating the people.

Wasay said that criminal gangs were so powerful that they were even not sparing anyone, including politicians. The House also disposed of a resolution asking the provincial government to provide financial assistance to poor students studying in Army Institute of Medical Sciences after assurance that the issue would be resolved in the provincial cabinet.

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will appear in asghar Khan case if summoned: Nawaz sharif DUBAI: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has said that he would appear before the Supreme Court if summoned in connection with the Asghar Khan case. Talking to reporters on Thursday in Dubai, Nawaz said the federal government was violating the court’s orders, and was following the footprints of former dictatorial regime. He said the rulers should honour and implement the judgments of the courts.

He said that martial law would never come in Pakistan again. The PML-N chef said that Pakistan was left alone in the world due to the incompetence of the rulers. He said the people were facing load shedding, unemployment, worst law and order situation, and the PML-N would address all the public issues after coming into power. NNI

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No verbal agreements Continued FRoM page 1

I think once parliamentary process is complete, we will definitely proceed in accordance with the policy guidelines,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit at the weekly press briefing.

He said, “We do not see any reason as to why the government of Pakistan should be giving any verbal commitment on any issue because this whole process is aimed at bringing about transparency and predictability in our relations with the US and NATO. The government will strictly abide by parliamentary policy guidelines.”

The FO spokesperson was asked that the parliamentary committee had recommended that all the agreements with the NATO and the US should be written, so was it that the previous understanding and agreements for the logistic support and usage of air corridors were oral?

“If you read the parliamentary committee’s rec-

ommendations carefully, you would see that they referred to two written documents. One has already lapsed in February this year which was about Acquisition and Cross-servicing Agreement with the US. The other was an MOU signed on 19 June 2002 with the ISAF, with the UK, then the lead nation.

That MOU is still valid,” Basit said.

He said, “The parliamentary committee has recommended that these written agreements should be revisited, if need be, and appropriate provisions are incorporated to preserve Pakistan’s interest.”

“Depending on what the final recommendations and the policy guidelines of the joint parliamentary session are, we will then proceed accordingly but obviously if we were to revisit some of the agreements which were concluded in 2002, we will have to engage with the US intensively. For now, we are all waiting for the parliamentary process to com-

Entire system Continued FRoM page 1 Who had helped him run away?” Gathering courage to defend the police, Faisalabad City Police Officer (CPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana said the DPS involved in the case had been made an OSD (officer on special duty) after an enquiry into the escape of the alleged rapist from police custody.

The judge replied, “Do not say this, as you know

very well. The one who should have been suspended has been awarded important posting by you bosses.” Punjab Advocate General Ashtar Ausaf suggested printing advertisements in various newspapers to seek public support for police in arresting the fugitive accused.

The judge expressed annoyance over the suggestion, saying, “Ads will be a mere joke.

plete,” he said.

To discuss the PCNS recommendations, US Ambassador Cameron Munter also called on Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar at the Foreign Office on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Hina Khar said the parliamentary process would give public ownership to the re-engagement and transparency and predictability in Pakistan’s relations with the United States.

Meanwhile, when Basit was asked about Bangladeshi press reports that former ISI DG Asad Durrani provided money to Bangladeshi government in 1991, he said, “Let me say that these news reports are totally baseless.

These are not only baseless but also part of mischievous efforts to damage the brotherly and mutually beneficial PakistanBangladesh relationship.”

“Pakistan strictly adheres to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of other countries and that it would be

ill-advised to give credence to such false, misleading and self-serving stories,” he said.

When his attention was drawn to media reports that some French were being trained by the Taliban in North Waziristan and the French authorities had raised the issue with Pakistan, he said, “I deny these reports.”

Asked that as a policy statement Pakistan always condemned drone attacks inside Pakistan and what would the policy be after the parliamentary process, he said, “The parliamentary process is not yet complete. So, let us wait.”

“Our position on drone attacks is very clear. We consider these as illegal, unacceptable and counterproductive. It is an issue that involves our sovereignty. So, we cannot really agree or accept drone strikes inside Pakistan under any circumstances.

We have made our position very clear on that,” Basit said.

Asked whether Pakistan saw the Taliban as the next major stakeholder in Afghanistan, Basit said, “Pakistan’s position was made very clear by the

prime minister himself in his statement on February 24 urging all parties, including the Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami to join the reconciliation process.”

“Our position is very clear. We do not support any specific group. What we support are the efforts which lead to genuine reconciliation in Afghanistan and ensure peace and stability there,” he said.

To a query on diplomatic efforts being made

by Pakistan about separatist Baloch elements living in European countries, he said, “As I have told you earlier we had made demarches with certain countries and that we had been assured that they would not allow their respective territories to be used for anti-Pakistan activities.”

Commenting on 32 Indian consulates working in Afghanistan and their role in destabilizing Balochistan, he said, “Your information about the number of Indian consulates in Afghanistan is incorrect.

There is definitely foreign interference in Balochistan, and we are not oblivious to external interference.”

Do you think the accused, who is a close man of the Punjab law minister, will surrender himself before police after the ads?”

In a warning tone, Justice Khawaja said that the case was a test for police and courts, adding that if the police failed to arrest the accused, its top officials should prepare to leave.

The rape victim, Samina, told the bench that the alleged rapist was pressurising her to make a compromise and end the

case. “Bibi, you might make a compromise, but the court will not leave the case because it is now a suo motu notice and not just your appeal petition which you had filed for the cancellation of bails,” the judge replied. The court adjourned the hearing until March 27, giving the Faisalabad CPO another chance to arrest the rape accused. According to the details of the case, Asghar called Samina Bibi to his office for a job interview, but raped her along with

his four friends. The DType Colony Police Station in Faisalabad registered a case of gang rape on the application of the victim against Asghar Ali, Ansar Ali, Muhammad Ihsan, Tariq Ali and Karam Hussain under section 365-B and 376/2 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Except Asghar Ali, all the accused were arrested, however, LHC judge Mazhar Iqbal Sindhu had granted bails to them about seven months ago.

aitzaz challenges Continued FRoM page 1 served a show cause notice to the premier was not competent to conduct the trial proceedings.

He repeatedly stressed that the judges of the seven-member special bench who issued the show cause notice to the premier and later framed contempt charges against him, were not competent to conduct the trial proceedings, “as it would be a violation of the constitution”.

He said that although Article 204 of the constitution dealt with contempt, however Article 10-A was a governing law, thus it should be followed for the due process of law, and ensuring and safeguarding the fundamental rights of the citizens. “It’s a plain surgical situation that a judge who initiates contempt proceedings and then frames charges is not competent for the trial of the accused,” Aitzaz argued.

“Prosecution of any case will not be possible if Article-10A is considered independent of all laws,” Justice Gulzar Ahmed noted. “Dou you mean and want to say that after issuing the show notice and framing the charges, we should have referred the case to another bench,” Justice Nasirul Mulk asked, to which Aitzaz replied in affirmative. The PM’s counsel said the matter was related to the qualification and disqualification of the prime minister, thus it was necessary that a fair trial must be conducted. To a court query, he said he believed that the judges who initiated contempt proceedings were not competent to conduct trial proceedings. “You cannot get a fair trial if the complainant is himself the judge,” Aitzaz argued. Justice Khosa told Aitzaz that these were not the proceedings he was pointing out with respect to Article 10-A. He said when a judge issues a show cause notice to the contemnor, he asks in the notice that why the contempt of court proceedings should not initiated against him.

He asked Aitzaz that it was

wrong to say that the court had decided to punish his client.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan noted that the proceedings could not be conducted if the issue of prejudice was raised too much.

Aitzaz, however, contended that this was not a matter of personal like or dislike, but of a fair trial.

He contended that the judges who initiated contempt proceedings against the premier could proceed with the trial, adding that if this process continued, the premier would be deprived of his fundamental right.

When Aitzaz repeatedly stressed that the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003, was in conflict with Article 10-A of the constitution, Justice Osmany asked whether the bench should follow the contempt of court ordinance or Article 10-A. Aitzaz said the bench would have to follow the constitution. To another query by Justice Osmany that whether justice was not ensured before the introduction of Article 10-A, Aitzaz said the said article had strengthened fair trial and justice. Justice Khosa told him that if he was not satisfied with the Contempt of Court Ordinance, he should challenge it properly. At the onset of the hearing, Aitzaz, while clarifying some media reports about his comments on the judges of the special bench, said his party had complete trust in the members of the special bench. He contended that his comments about his client that he was a “peer-o-murshid and gaddi nasheen” (patron and custodian of a shrine) were distorted by a section of the media. He said he did not seek any favour in this context. “You should clarify your position in this regard outside the courtroom, as the court has not sufficient time for hearing such clarifications about media reports.

The court adjourned further hearing until Monday, asking Aitzaz to conclude his arguments on that day. Aitzaz had requested the court to adjourn the hearing until next month.

west to pay afghan military $4bn a year: Karzai KABuL AfP

The West will subsidise Afghan security forces by more than $4 billion a year after US-led troops leave in 2014, President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday, implicitly accepting a cut in the planned size of his military. Western officials told AFP that no final agreements had been reached on funding or on the size of Afghanistan’s security forces after combat troops in NATO’s US-led International Security Assistance Force withdraw. But Karzai told a graduation ceremony at a military academy in Kabul: “It’s set that post 2014, for the next 10 years until 2024, the international community, with the US in the lead and followed

by Europe and other countries, will pay Afghanistan security forces $4.1 billion annually.”

AvAlAnches kIll 22: Avalanches killed 22 people, including women and children, in the north-eastern Badakhashan province, Afghan officials said on Tuesday.

According to initial reports, 21 people died in Irak village of Wakhan district on Wednesday night, said Sanaullah Amiri, provincial head of the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA). Massive rescue and clearing efforts were in progress in the avalanche-hit areas, district chief Syed Fairoz said, while confirming the death toll.

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SC to hear spy agencies’ stance on Balochistan in-camera ISLAMABAD

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STAff RePoRT

HE Supreme Court on Thursday accepted a request by spy agencies, allowing them to give the court an in-camera briefing over the worsening law and order and alarming increase in incidents of targeted killings and abductions for ransom in Balochistan.

A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez also directed the Balochistan chief secretary to submit a detailed report over incidents of targeted killings and abductions for ransom, as well as the arrests of the accused who were involved in targeted

23rd March and Dream of social welfare state FARzAnA RAjA March 23 is remembered as Pakistan Day and rightly marked as a day of rejoicing because it was the same day when the basis of our beloved homeland were laid down with a clarity of vision and a vivid line of action to achieve it. It was the day when the Pakistan Resolution was approved by the prominent Muslim leaders from across sub-continent. This vision was inspired by the dream of Allama Iqbal who, almost a decade ago, had envisioned a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent, where they could live their lives in accordance with their religious, social and cultural ideologies. This vision of Iqbal was evidently reflected in the resolution tabled by Maulvi Fazal-e-Haq, another prominent supporter and leader of Muslim identity, on March 23, 1940.

This resolution was not only based on a roadmap to acquire a new country but also comprised of an agenda of economic, social and religious freedom, for the Muslims of the subcontinents who were marginalised and discriminated against, in every field of life, due to their fewer numbers.

killings during the last three years.

The court also directed the spy agencies to point out during the in-camera briefing the areas of the province where law and order was extremely hostile.

The court observed that it was the duty of the provincial police and politicians to take steps to ensure stability in Balochistan.

The court was hearing a petition on Balochistan’s deteriorating law and order and incidents of targeted killings, filed by Balochistan High Court Bar Association President Hadi Shakeel Ahmed.

The provincial inspector general of police and chief secretary appeared before the bench on notice. The chief justice asked the chief secretary that what was happening in the province as even two po-

licemen were killed the previous day.

Upon this, the chief secretary said they were hopeful that the law and order situation would be controlled. “You might see a stable situation in files, but the position on ground is not stable,” Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said.

Expressing concerns over closing down of schools in Balochistan, the chief justice said teachers were reluctant to perform their duties due to worsening law and order, adding that the court should be informed in this regard.

“For how long will matters be kept hidden, because such an attitude is also affecting the situation,” he added.

The court asked what steps had been taken by the provincial government for developing the local body system.

Meanwhile, the court also expressed dissatisfaction over the Sindh police’ report on the murder of Balochistan Assembly Member Mir Bakhtiar Domki’s wife and daughter.

Sindh police claimed that some progress had been made in the case, but it could not be shared in open.

The court then directed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to give in camera briefing on Balochistan.

On the last hearing, the attorney general for Pakistan had told the bench that the ISI and MI wanted to brief the court in chamber over the Balochistan issue.

Both the top spy agencies have already submitted their classified reports over the Balochistan situation.

osama’s brother-

PTI to protest if NATO supplies in-law allowed to restored, says Imran meet sister LAHORE INP

Criticising parliamentary committee’s recommendations on US-Pakistan relations, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday that seeking apology from the United States while asking for more dollars was not logical to open NATO supplies, and warned of protests

against the current parliament if it restored supply routes through Pakistan. He warned that if the sitting parliament restored NATO supplies from Pakistan, then his party would stage protests against both NATO and the sitting parliament. He said that each minute of parliament’s session drains Rs 65,000 from the national exchequer, but the parliamentarians have failed to redress the masses’ suffering masses.

Yasin en route to appear before memo commission SRInAGAR oNLINe

Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Yasin Malik will arrive in Islamabad on Saturday to appear before the memo commission.

A JKLF spokesman said that Malik had left Srinagar for New Delhi to proceed onwards to Pak-

istan on Saturday, after he was asked by the memo commission to submit his application in person.

Malik had written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, seeking permission to depose before the memo commission after key witness Mansoor Ijaz claimed that Malik had met a senior RAW official in New Delhi.

IslAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday allowed Zakarya Ahmad Abd Alftah, brother of Osama bin Laden’s Yemni widow, to meet his sister.

The court issued notices to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and ministries of defence and interior to submit replies within two weeks over a petition filed by Osama’s brother-in-law. Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman heard the case, argued by Muhammad Aamir Khalil. The petitioner had asked the Islamabad High Court for quashment of cases registered against Amal Ahmad Abdul Fattah, his sister and Osama’s Yemeni widow, by the FIA. oNLINe

BisP is nation’s pride: PM ISLAMABAD STAff RePoRT

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday told his cabinet that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was a pride of the nation, as it had earned worldwide recognition as an effective social safety programme. He said developing countries had been advised by the UN secretary general to replicate the same. The prime minister also constituted a committee consisting of the minister for information and broadcasting, BISP chairperson, minister for interior and prime minister’s special assistant in the social sector to formulate a strategy to create awareness among the people about the programme as an effective instrument of women empowerment as per vision of Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto.

terms with Us must be made public: Fazl PESHAWAR STAff RePoRT

Reaffirming his party’s firm stance in favour of new terms and conditions regarding relations with the United States, chief of Jamiat Ulema–e-Islam Fazlur Rehman said, “All matters in this respect must be made public rather then deals beyond the curtain.” “Strategic partnership between the US and Pakistan has already been terminated. Now Pakistan needs long-term links with US on the basis of friendships,” Fazl remarked during a chat with reporters at a lunch on in Peshawar on Thursday.

Flanked by senior leaders and stalwarts of the party, Fazl said blockade of supplies to NATO has put the US under pressure, therefore, the government needs to remain careful in revival of new terms and conditions with the US.

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

altaf hails sc move on 7th wage award canvas gallery 9

WE WON! KARACHI

I

AAMIR MAJeeD

N the city that allows its residents only a few days of respite, jubilant citizens took to the streets to celebrate the thrilling two-run victory of the Pakistani cricket team over Bangladesh in the final of Asia Cup on Thursday.

Almost all areas in the city echoed with gunshots as citizens, mostly youngsters, thronged the streets and roundabouts, dancing to the tunes of national songs.

Holding national flags in their hands, some people also distributed sweets and felicitated each other over the sensational triumph of the cricket team.

Vehicular traffic came to a standstill as some people even started dancing on the roads by parking their vehicles along the roadsides.

Some cricket enthusiasts had installed large screens at certain points to enjoy ball-to-ball live coverage of the final match. The viewers were seen glued to the television screens until the last ball.

There were fireworks at every boundary scored by the national team while the youth also cheered every fall of wicket of the Bangladesh cricket team during the match.

Talking to Pakistan Today during the last moments of match, a

cricket fan in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Muhammad Hassan, a commerce student, said that he had missed his scheduled classes at the University of Karachi and had not moved from the television. “Pakistan has to win.”

“Some of our friends arranged plasma screens and invited all of us to join them,” he said. “We believe that the Pakistani team will win the match on the last ball.”

Another cricket fan told Pakistan Today said that he had made arrangements for over a 100 people and set up a tent in the street to enjoy the match.

“My best wishes are with the Pakistani team and I hope that we win this match,” Kamran Ali, resident of Kalaboard in Malir, said.

“Pakistan has the record that it always wins matches against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup and our team has to win the match to maintain the record.”

“Pakistan won the Asia Cup in 2000 and we are hopeful that the Pakistani team comes back to the country with the trophy,” he said.

Ali said that Bangladesh has proved its worth by defeating the world champions India and also Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup title but still Bangladesh is in a strong position in this match As soon as Pakistan won the match, all the people at the gathering started dancing and felicitating each other.

Youngsters at the clifton beach celebrate the victory of Pakistani cricket team against Bangladesh in the asia cup final on thursday. IMRAN ALI

SINDH ASSEMBLY SESSION

House boots Arbab for being chronic no-show ■ PPP-dominated sindh assembly disqualifies former sindh chief minister Dr arbab ghulam rahim as MPa KARACHI ISMAIL DILAwAR

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-dominated Sindh Assembly disqualified former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim as a member of the provincial assembly (MPA) on Thursday.

The PPP-backed move, however, could not attract the support of the lawmakers from the National People’s Party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML)Functional and the PMLQuaid, who stayed away from the house.

Though PML-Q’s Shaharyar Mahar attended the assembly, he left before Speaker Nisar Khuhro could put the motion to vote.

“The seat stands declared as vacant,” Khuhro told the house amid deskthumping and shouts of “Long Live Bhutto”.

Rahim, the self-exiled PML-Likeminded leader, was elected from PS-60 (Tharparkar I), the constituency from where the PPP tends to nominate Engineer Wali Muhammad Rahimoon, whom Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani termed perfect for the candidature.

As soon as the question hour concluded, Khuhro, quoting Sub-section 1 of Clause 56 of the Rules of

Procedures, informed the house that he had received certificates from the legislation, budget and accounts branches of the Assembly Secretariat that Rahim had remained absent without leave from the assembly for 40 consecutive working days from July 13, 2011 to March 21, 2012.

This 40-day period, Khuhro explained, was stretched over the last two to three sessions sans Saturdays and Sundays. “So, this house has to decide about the issue on a majority or minority vote,” he added.

This was followed by Durrani moving a motion, read out by other PPP lawmakers including Jam Mehtab Dehar, Saleem Khursheed Khokar and Nadir Magsi.

“Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh who has remained absent for forty consecutive days, his seat be declared as vacant,” read the motion.

PPP legislators Shazia Marri (Information Minister) and Rafique Engineer reminded Khuhro that there is no provision for a speech while a motion is moved in the house, as the chair gave the floor to PMLL’s Abdul Razzak Rahimoon.

“Not a good trend is being set, as previously Jam Madad Ali was disqualified

and now Arbab sahab is facing the same fate,” he said and walked out of the assembly in protest.

Marri and Engineer, however, did not object when their party members Durrani, Senior Education & Literacy Minister Pir Mazharul Haq and Law Minister Ayaz Soomro delivered long speeches to justify the disqualification of Rahim, whom Durrani contemptuously called a desert crow, attributing the derogatory remarks to a past statement of the late Pir Pagara Ali Mardan Shah.

“I, subsequently, asked the person (Dr Agha Javed Pathan) who had roughed him (Rahim) up with a shoe. He said, ‘I hit him because he used to abuse our mothers and sisters in his secretariat’,” Durrani recalled.

The PPP lawmakers said Rahim was disqualified by the people – not the house – for failing to serve his voters and in the “filthy way” he had run the Chief Minister House in his reign.

“For the past four years, this house showed a unanimous graciousness to grant him leave, but the tone and language he used in his telephonic public addresses warrant that the law should take its course against him,” said Haq, adding that Rahim had pleaded his case

in the courts, which also rejected his “contradictory” pleas.

Durrani said Rahim’s name should be included in the ongoing investigation of the Karsaz incident, as the then chief minister had aptly hinted at the deadly twin blasts on October 18, 2007.

“His (Rahim’s) statement in the morning that the participants of the Karsaz procession would cry in the evening prevents him from coming to Pakistan,” Advocate General Fatah Malik told the house what he said he had told the court when asked.

Malik also put a legal stamp on the disqualification move under Rule 56(1) of the assembly and Articles 64, 67 and 127 of the constitution.

After the house said “ayes” to the disqualification motion, the speaker congratulated the members for completing 100 days of the current parliamentary year.

Terming Thursday as 105th day, Khuhro recalled that the assembly had also held around 109 sittings last year.

Meanwhile, Mahar withdrew his privilege motion against the chief engineer of the Sukkur Barrage, who he said had successfully sought his pardon for his mistakes.

Also, a joint resolution tabled by Marri under Rule 211 was adopted by the

house to mark March 23 as a historic day for the people of Pakistan.

The house was prorogued by the speaker for an indefinite period.

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PakistaN today

10 karachi

Altaf hails SC move on 7th wage award

weatHer UPDates

35°c High

clear skies

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PraYer tiMiNgs Fajr 5:16

sunrise 6:32

Zuhr 12:39

Friday, 23 March, 2012

asr 4:06

Maghrib 6:45

isha 8:01

KARACHI STAff RePoRT

M

UTTAHIDA Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court’s decision on the 7th Wage Board Award, terming it a victory for the journalists’ community.

Congratulating the Pakistan Federation of Union Journalists, All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation and the journalists throughout the country on the acceptance of their application by the Supreme Court for implementation of the wage award, he said that there

was restlessness among journalists on the non-implementation of the award and the decision of the Supreme Court would go a long way in solving the problems of journalists.

Hussain said the MQM had been raising its voice for the problems being faced by the journalists and would continue to struggle for their rights at every forum in the future as well.

PAkIsTAn DAY MessAGe: The MQM chief felicitated the nation on the occasion of Pakistan Day (today), saying that the country cannot be put on the path of progress and prosperity unless the feudal system and concentration of power in

the hands of a few families is abolished.

“Freedom is a blessing and living nations value their freedom above anything else,” he said. “The founding fathers of Pakistan had laid the foundation of Pakistan on 23rd March 1940 for the Muslims of the subcontinent.”

Hussain said it is unfortunate that despite gaining independence, the country could not be liberated from the shackles of feudal lords.

“The feudal system and unjust division of resources had resulted in the dismemberment of the country and the survival of the remaining country is also being threatened.”

The MQM leader said that it is

necessary to promote national unity and cohesion in the present precarious circumstances. “The citizens of Pakistan must be given their legitimate rights irrespective of the prejudices of caste, colour, creed and ethnic background.”

He said that full autonomy should be given to the provinces according to the true spirit of the resolution passed on 23rd March. He said that the MQM is striving to establish a society in Pakistan according to the dreams of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allah Iqbal. “The MQM wants to eliminate the culture of dynastic politics in order to empower the poor and middle classes.”

starting time in Karachi

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contestants line up for a donkey cart race in Landhi on thursday. STAff PHOTO

Father stabs daughter to death KARACHI STAff RePoRT

A mentally challenged man stabbed his daughter to death in the remits of Sharah-e-Noor Jahan police station on Thursday.

Police said that Muhammad Rafiq, 55, was a mental patient and had frequent fights with his wife and daughter.

“At about 11:00 am on Thursday, he attacked his 22 year-old daughter Shabita with a sharp-edged object, critically injuring her. The woman succumbed to her injuries on the way to a hospital,” they said.

The body of the deceased was handed over to the hairs after medico-legal formalities at the Abbssi Shaheed Hospital.

Sharah-e-Noor Jahan SHO Nadir Khan told Pakistan Today that the suspect was arrested and the weapon also recovered from the crime scene.

The deceased woman was living with her parents after separating from her husband.

Police officials said an FIR was registered at the Sharah-e-Noor Jahan police station on the complaint of Muhammad Sohail, the brother of the woman.

Celebrating women, Al-Karam’s way KARACHI STAff RePoRT

Where women are given recognition and celebrated for their achievements and accomplishments on the International Women’s Day, Al-Karam has also taken initiatives to actively involve in furthering the cause for women development through its brand essence “To Look and Feel Beautiful is Every Woman’s Right”, celebrating the individuality of women on daily basis.

The idea behind the brand is not only for the women to look beautiful but also feel beautiful and with this in mind Al-Karam has joined hands with the renowned Behbud Foundation to further their cause.

The textile brand is also donating a percentage of its sales from the Spring/Summer 2012 Collection to the welfare organisation, which focuses on working towards under-

BARAKA SILSILA-e-NISBAT

privileged sections of our society especially women and children, to actively develop the status of women in our society.

Recently, Al-Karam hosted an event to celebrate the role of young women worthy of recognition in the society. The event encompasses a spectrum of fields from which the women were nominated by a reputed panel of judges for the “Women of the Nation Award”.

The award winners nominated by the jury were Nida Butt, Saba Ansari, Nausheen Leghari, Amina Agha, Naheed Mashoqullah, Nadia Hussain, Kiran Baluch, Laeeq Akbar, Farhat Ishtiaq, Naila Naqvi, Naiza Khan, Kiran Aman, Lal Majid, Parween Saeed and Sara Zaman. All the mentioned women have taken active steps towards the development of women’s status in the society through their own accomplishments.

The launch of the new Al-Karam studio in Bahadurabad was held at the event.

KHuSRo/AfSHAN

GoLDeN CoLLeCTIoN II

ARt EXHIBItIOn untIL MARCH 24 VEnuE: VM ARt GALLERY

ARt EXHIBItIOn untIL MARCH 24 VEnuE: GRAnDEuR

ARt EXHIBItIOn untIL MARCH 28 VEnuE: unICORn GALLERY

Farah Mahbub’s ‘Baraka Silsila-e-Nisbat’ until March 24 at the VM Art Gallery. Call 34940411 for more information.

Khusro Subzwari and Afshan Kohari’s art exhibition until March 24 at the Grandeur gallery. Call 35435744 for more information.

A group exhibition ‘The Golden Collection II’ until March 28 at the Unicorn Gallery. Call 35831220 for more information.

KHI 23-03-2012_Layout 1 3/23/2012 1:58 AM Page 11

Friday, 23 March, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

reclaiming our culture The collision between modern and old culture has set the background for the creation of several questions in the minds of people. The huge economic crisis, terrorism, lack of energy resources, desire for the revolutions and more importantly the planning to overcome these crises has affected the minds of people to a greater extent. The situation all over is vague and one can imagine himself standing on a film set of a war scene among the nations.

There is a huge difference amongst the cultures all over the world but if we take it in a broader sense, we see only two cultures: the western and the eastern. All the countries in the west share almost the same culture and same is the case in our part of the world.

In the eastern part of the world, the

Black Day in sindh religious culture is given priority and people stick to it. In the west, religious is just a part of their culture. Whatever they do is their culture; their culture depends upon their acts. They believe their culture is progressing with the progress in technology.

If we look closely at their practices, their acts have no controversy with their culture and both are the same. Some people blame the west for their obscenity and bluntness. They are of the belief that their thirst for glamour, fame, money and sex is a wrong approach towards life.

Those who blame them don’t realise that it is important to be honest with oneself.

How many people defend their culture? This type of a question easily answers why their culture is dominant on us. We, the Muslims of subcontinent and

the nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are living in a world where there is no importance of Islamic culture, Islamic traditions and Islamic spirit which are necessary for an Islamic state. Our country is the only nuclear power in the Muslim world and thus is believed to be the fort of Islam.

We have got the most intelligent people, the most knowledgeable jurists of this era, a country packed with natural resources and a country with a strong army, but instead of living strongly with our religious values and norms, we are gradually giving up on this.

We are running after glamour, fame and money which can be deposited in Swiss banks. Some people call it moderenisation and globalization, a globalisation in which our Islamic values and

norms will only be limited to our holy books, a globalisation where we will only be under the cultural dominance of the western people.

All the social institutions recognised by sociologists as social are playing their role to promote western culture. They are imposing it on a nation who has got its own religion, a proper routine life and traditions. How are we calling ourselves Muslims? We blame the society and the environment but we forget that the society is made from us and the environment is regulated by us. We need to recall our societal values left far behind, we need to update the concept of traditionalism which is buried in the rapid growth of the western culture.

ARIF HUSAIN BUKHARI Islamabad

times change Every time a new baby is born, a new invention is taking steps towards completion. Chances are that the new kid will probably be handling that invention in but a few years time comparing that to the fact that not thirty years ago, there wasn't a single telephone around to inform the happy yet tensed families. We can say that the generations are speeding towards modernisation every passing moment.

While all the new inventions are helpful, they are also killing the simplicity in every child's mind. They're ruining the generation in the most easiest ways; through blasting off kids' ears with the over-the-top quality, yet ridiculously expensive headphones; through smallest, undetectable MP3's that are probably being listened to in many lectures and class at this moment; through pathetically advanced gaming consoles that are depriving children of nature's best sunshine and sheer simple happiness.

Teenagers listening to music and not those important lectures could face problems in future. Children glued in front of their TVs, tongues sticking out in ridiculous concentration, are missing out on what could be their perfect childhood.

It's not very likely that in the years to come, they'll be telling their children happy 'tales' of their young days. But it's highly likely that they just might be comparing video games’ graphics and in the process, ruining their child's life too.

We need to get out and help those who are blindly wrecking their eye sights for temporary fun. Sure, these inventions are a huge help in this fast moving world, but as they say 'excess of anything is bad'.

FATIMA MOTALA Karachi

De-radicalisation centres This is apropos of your editorial “Deradicalisation centres” (23 January). It is quite encouraging that two de-radicalisation centres are being set up in Bajaur Agency and Tank, which will be jointly run by Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps. Efforts will be made to de-radicalise detainees arrested in conflict zones through interventions such as psychological counselling, vocational training and skills’ development.

The ground work has yet to start but we have started receiving a number of objections, like these centres are being set up in adjacent areas where there is growing militancy, there is a suspicion that such centres will become informal detention centres, forces should only remain involved in aggressive action and there should be a clear distinction between the responsibilities of the civilian and military arms and to achieve organisational efficiency and transparency, it should be only civilian arm of government at the forefront of all such initiatives.

It has been rightly pointed out that the state cannot rely solely on military strategy to turn the tide. But why we should have only aggressive picture of our army, paramilitary forces and agencies. We must work together and make these centres a success story. It is high time that we trust our own people and instead of handing over these centres to some foreign NGO or put it on sale to private parties, we should work in harmony.

AFSHAIN AFZAL Karachi

The University of Karachi had publicised on Friday that the university will remain open on Saturday despite MQM’s call to observe black day. As a result, several of us decided not to go since there was no public transport on the streets but this morning two point buses were attacked by miscreants near the university. The driver was a qualified one so he managed to dodge the miscreants but couple of students got bruised. Several cases like this were reported in different parts of the city.

Karachi University and other institutions should know that today was a strict call of strike and therefore they should have closed the campus rather than urging the students to risk their lives and come to attend classes.

This act is not only perilous for the students but it makes their parents concerned as well who have no idea if their child is going to come back home safely or not. In university every class and every lecture is imperative and that is why students try their best not to miss a single day.

Most of the time when there is a strike call, the university is also closed but I don’t why this time it wasn’t like that. Also these unusual and one-day-before called strikes are no benefit to anybody.

These strikes or rallies are only going to destroy our economy and our education system. The political parties need to stop thinking about their own benefit and need to sit down with the government and think about saving lives and saving the country.

AISHA AHMED Karachi

Misuse of cell phones

and superior quality. That was the golden period for PIA. Now PIA is going in loss. A couple of months ago, rumours circulated that the increased frequency of emergency landings by PIA were being orchestrated to tarnish its image and reputation. Investigation should be carried out to find out the truth.

PIA should give primary importance to the safety of the passengers and make efforts to avoid any untoward situation. Several untoward incidents have occurred in the last decade. It is necessary to tackle such incidents seriously to minimise the losses.

NIMRAH AMJAD Karachi

Cellular technology is taken as one of the most fascinating inventions of science. It was hard to communicate and means of communications were slow before its arrival.

Excess of everything is bad and Pakistanis have the ability to make everything look bad. Mobile phones are excessively used in our country. Moral and ethical values are overlooked while using cell phones. I believe that this thing in the hands of young blood is one of the root causes of many ills of our society.

A daughter is sitting with her father continuously ticking the keypad and father is chill enough to let her do that. In Pakistan phone packages are cheaper than everything. There are parents who are proud that their son/daughter knows everything about technology. They don't know that they are doing everything but studies. Young ones who don't have anyone to text find an interest in the form of games.

It has been proved that excessive use of cell phone is injurious to health. Foremost effect is on eyesight, but the main problem is that such a user gets lethargic as he is no more interested in physical games and exercise. The use of cell phone should be made limited and parents should keep an eye on their children.

AREEBA HUSSAIN Karachi

performance, egg quality parameters and hatching traits compared to local quail called “Betair”.

But unfortunately, due to continuous inbreeding, genetic potential of the imported quail might have deteriorated. Simultaneously no serious attempt has been made to improve genetic potential of our native quail.

Although public and private sectors made efforts for the development of quail farming, but the measures were not adequate and fall short of expectations for producing high yield of quail meat at a reasonable low cost.

The private sector was not given adequate monetary and technical incentives.

Even public sector organizations dealing in quail and allied industries faced enormous hurdles due to bureaucracy and lack of application of modern quail production technology.

These together with many other problems including poor quail management, low live body weight and meat yield, late ready to market age and lack of

quail processing are some of the important reasons for slow development of quail farming in the country.

The low live body weight and meat yield appears to be a great hurdle for development of commercial quail farming.

The situation therefore calls to take immediate concrete steps to improve genetic potential of our local quail.

Avian Research and Training (ART) Centre, of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore has been working on this thing for sometime now.

The main aims and objectives of this centre are as under: • Human resource development in the field of quail/avian production.

• Technical guidance and advice to the stake holders, small farmers and house-hold women in avian production.

• Research for enhancing genetic potential to improve performance and meat yield in local quail strains.

AHMED SULTAN UVAS, Lahore

fake it, till you make it ‘An Italian court threw out bribery charges against former Prime Minister Berlusconi under the statute of limitation.’ This is actually how it wants the Italian people to believe that nothing is wrong with their leaders and they can’t do anything

wrong. Almost the same situation is in Pakistan. Let’s see what happens here.

Z A KAZMI Karachi

Pia under crisis PIA is facing serious problems nowadays. Flight delays and cancellations have become the norm rather than the exception. The Pakistan International Airlines is also suffering from severe financial crisis.

It is, in fact, passing through a critical phase because of poor management, lack of maintenance, corruption and financial issues. There are complaints of terrible service, long delayed flights, emergency crash landings, cancellation of flights, and shortage of planes. These issues create frustration among the passengers. They feel fear and life risk while travelling through PIA. PIA has, in all, 39 aircrafts in its fleet. A number of aircrafts have been

grounded due to shortage of spare parts or overhauling. Latest news report claimed that PIA had grounded 18 planes. A recent PIA flight PK 303, from Lahore to Karachi, was 6 hours delayed on 15 March, 2012. The bad governance, poor performance and corruption are the major causes of its failure.

Unfortunately, PIA is functioning with costs higher than returns. The airline charges are enormously high for both domestic and international flights.

PIA claims that increase in oil prices and devaluation of Pakistani currency are the major reasons behind its deficit.

PIA in the past was known all over the world for its excellent performance

quail farming is good for meat production Quail farming can offer numerous benefits in terms of meat production, nutrition, and eggs. Salient features of quail farming with nutritive composition of its meat and eggs can be summed as: • Lesser market age 4-5 weeks • Less initial investment • May be started as cottage industry • Easily manageable by household ladies • A better tool to alleviate poverty Meat qualities: • Tastier than chicken • Promotes body and brain development in children • Best balanced food for pregnant and nursing mothers • Less fat and cholesterol content Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) was first described as a research model by and was used as a pilot animal for more expensive experiments in 1960. During 1970, research with Japanese quail expanded from avian-science related topics to biology and medicine, as bird could be kept easily relatively in large number in a small fa-

cility and be used as model animal for wide variety of works, from embryology to space related sciences. At the event of World Poultry Congress, 2004, the quail has been declared as the model avian species for future research. Quails are now commonly used as an experimental animal for biological research and vaccine production, especially Newcastle disease vaccine to which disease quails are resistant.

In Pakistan quail farming was started in early 1970, with the introduction of exotic breeding stock of Japanese quails.

However, quail production has remained as one of the neglected components of poultry sector in the country. Very little research work has been conducted on its breeding, incubation, housing, nutritional requirements, feeding, management and disease control aspects in Pakistan.

About four decades back a breeding stock of hybrid Japanese quails was imported in Pakistan with good genetic potential having better egg production

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.

KHI 23-03-2012_Layout 1 3/23/2012 1:59 AM Page 12

12 comment sanctions?

Not like Pakistan doesn’t have enough problems

Friday, 23 March, 2012

Will the real author please stand up?

The report is here. That’s all we know

A

s parliament debates the parameters of relations with the US, discordant notes emerge from the US. On Wednesday, Secretary Clinton reaffirmed that, notwithstanding the ups and downs, the Obama administration remains committed to relations with Pakistan. The same day, a State Department official gave the list of the 12 countries that could be subjected to US sanctions unless they significantly cut oil purchases from Iran. Islamabad already continues to be pressured against the construction of the badly needed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. While none of the UN sanctions binds its members to stop the import of oil or gas from Iran, a US law requires the imposition of sanctions to safeguard its interests.

Pakistan, which is hard pressed by power shortages, cannot but give priority to its own national interests. Washington has to understand that sanctions imposed on Pakistan in the past did not deter successive governments from pursuing what they considered to be vital policy options. These only made the US unpopular in the country.

The US has looked the other way as regimes playing vital role in its strategic plans violated US laws with impunity. In the case of the present sanctions also, important allies have been given reprieve for six months. While Islamabad may not always be acting in accordance with Washington’s demands it remains an important ally. The US would create problems for the fledgling democracy by imposing sanctions. What is of utmost importance for Washington and Islamabad is to improve mutual cooperation to be able to put a decisive end to militancy in the region. Unless the two are on the same page, the pot will keep boiling in Afghanistan even after the withdrawal of the foreign troops.

This would bode well neither for Pakistan nor for the rest of the world.

There is a need for rationality to prevail both in Washington and Islamabad. All out attempts need to be made at this juncture to improve the ties rather than create new causes of grievance. It is for the US to end the talk about sanctions. Unless Pakistan is able to put an end to the public uproar over gas and oil shortages, it cannot singlemindedly pursue the fight against militancy.

Not enough on world water Day

N

othing inspires more Malthusian angst than water scarcity does. There are seven billion people to feed in the world. And around two billion more are expected to be around by 2050. There just isn’t going to be enough water.

Of course, it is not just the two classically Malthusian factors of demography numbers and limited resources that are coming into play. Further mitigating factors like climate changes and the like are moderating the game as well. Not to speak of fresh water zones lying in conflict zones.

With food, Malthusian apprehensions were being kept at bay. Just when the world was going to see the proverbial hit the fan, the “green revolution” increased food production capabilities. And right about now, though the age of cheap food is over, it is believed that perhaps genetic modification, once apprehensions about it are removed, could perhaps play a role in meeting production targets.

Is the same going to happen with water? Even if we were to control carbon emissions, under the assumption that global warming is going to decrease, and if we were to somehow generate more energy through eco-friendly renewable sources like wind and tidal to undertake desalination projects, we would still not be able to grapple with this problem.

An effort, globally to deal with conservation is going to be essential. Consider Pakistan, consider how much water we waste. Consider how, in a soon to be water insecure city like Lahore, people wash cars, say, with drinking water. Too much water is wasted in the agricultural sector as well, with not many agriculturalists bothering with laser-levelling their land.

Water in the country should be metered and billed appropriately. This would be an unpopular decision by the government but it should be taken.

If there is a national consensus on large reservoirs, let us big large dams. Till then, let us desilt and properly line our canals and manage urban water sources well.

In addition to this, we need to work with the neighbouring countries, all of whom have serious water problems of their own, to work on well-calibrated, holistic solutions to take care of our large populations.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

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

By Fahd Husain

I

f you think the parliament is finally taking charge of foreign policy and national security issues – don't.

Allow me to explain: the Parliamentary Committee on National Security has submitted its report and a debate will ensue from next week. The report has spelt out recommendations for reviving ties with the United States which have been in deep freeze since the November Salala massacre. These recommendations are a curious mixture of belligerence, realism and often pure jest. The parliamentarians will now shower their pearls of wisdom on the contents of the report in a gallant effort to reach at some conclusion.

Prepare to be amused.

Many points in the report deserve to be contested. Others require a reality check. But such a critique – if it has to have some substance – will need the parliamentarians to have a fair understanding of the nuances that often define our relationship with the United States. Blaming the Americans for everything under the sun may make for solid political grandstanding, but not serious policymaking.

This report is a policy document, not a political manifesto. It will require scrutiny with some sophistication. This may be asking for too much.

Let's add a rider here: it is clearly unrealistic to expect the parliament to be stuffed with foreign policy experts. It is also unfair to ask the parliamentarians as a whole to conjure up substantive alternate narratives. Once these limitations are factored in, a limited role remains for these representatives. They can give suggestions and then at some stage shout 'ayes' and 'nays' to determine the fate of Pakistan's policy towards the United States.

The equation does not add up. One reason perhaps is the absence of a proper, institutionalised foreign-policymaking framework. In plain English, this means the parliament doesn’t have the structure to make such policy because, well, it never has.

Consider how this report got done. The task was assigned to the committee on national security. So far so good. Then there was radio silence. No one knew what the committee was doing. A shroud of secrecy was blanketed over all proceedings. Senior officials were summoned before the committee to provide input, but no one knew who was saying what and why. For three months, the committee worked behind closed doors. And then, voila! The report appeared all primed and padded with a ribbon on top. Did the members of the committee – no Kissingers them – brained up the recommendations? Did the Foreign Office provide a ready-made draft? Or did the military high command tell them what needed to be said? We do not know. It is therefore not surprising that the committee finds itself standing on weak legs.

It could have been different. Open, transparent and, thus, more legitimate.

Yes I'm referring to the committee hearings format. Now such a format is not part of the procedure in our parliamentary system but that does not mean a more informal way could not have been adopted. In such a manner, options backed by solid logic and reasoning could have been de-

bated and discussed. Individual and institutional viewpoints could have been aired and dissected. In addition to providing a richer and deeper discourse, this would have also painted a transparent picture of where the political leadership stood, and more importantly why it stood where it stood.

Distilled and filtered through such a process, the report would have arrived in the parliament already injected with a degree of public legitimacy. This would have lifted the burden off the shoulders of the parliamentarians and allowed them to look at the bigger picture. A nip and tuck here and there, and the deed would have been done.

The stuff that dreams are made of.

What we now have is a document whose real authors remain a mystery, tall claims notwithstanding. The opposition led by PML(N) has already stated its reservation vociferously. The religious parties and the Defence of Pakistan Council are smelling treason. Rallies and protests against the possible re-opening of the Nato supply routes have been announced. The right wing is licking its lips and sharpening its swords. The hunt is about to begin.

The worst possible scenario is the whole thing being reduced to a farce. Mudslinging matches over serious policy matters are generally not very useful. In the end, the politicians may end up being their own worst enemies, and allowing the national security establishment to snigger and say: "we told you these guys can't handle these issues". The pendulum then will swings back from the parliament to GHQ. Brace for the empire to strike back.

The writer hosts a primetime talk show on ARY News. He has worked as Director News of Express News and Dunya News and Editor The News, Islamabad.

He can be reached at fahd.husain1@gmail.com or on Twitter @fahdhusain

A party losing its ethos?

The Congress disappoints. Again and again.

Border Crossings

By Kuldip nayar

N

umbers are important in a parliamentary system and PM Singh’s assertion that he has them should be assuring to the ruling Congress.

After its debacle in state elections of UP and Punjab, the party’s anxiety is understandable.

Even if he has the requisite numbers, they meet the needs of the constitution, not that of governance. Except for the first few years, the Manmohan Singh government has been lousy in its performance. Price rise has been constant and the decline in growth relentless.

The same Manmohan Singh who introduced economic reforms with Victor Hugo’s words that the time for the idea of India has come and none can stop it is now bereft of ideas. He is listless and his government gives the impression as if it has outlived its stay.

If one were to count the scams, they would beat all the governments hollow since independence. So much money, trillions of rupees have lined pockets of ministers, bureaucrats and outsiders, both Indian and foreigner. Never before has the public exchequer been

looted so openly and so unashamedly.

But for some enterprising media hands and activists, the scandals would not have come to light. And the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the kingpin, would have gone on keeping Manmohan Singh in the dark if the Supreme Court had not pointed out that officers and advisers at the PMO were to blame. Strange, no one has been punished, strengthening the belief that Dr Manmohan Singh knew all but stayed quiet because of political compulsions.

How these instances of corruption do square up with the numbers is the question. Even if the Congress had a majority on its own, its stock is so damaged that the party would need to overhaul itself and effect some miracles to come back into the people’s reckoning.

The reason why the people voted for it in the past for decades was the different image the Cognress projected from its rival, the BJP. Whether it is competitive politics or the abandonment of values, the Congress looks a duplicate copy of the BJP. Both are corrupt and both are communal and casteists. True, when Indira Gandhi ousted morality from politics in the seventies, the party lost the sense to differentiate between right and wrong.

Still there were times, even during Manmohan Singh’s regime, when the hope of cleaner and nobler politics flickered. Why do the future of government and the Congress look so bleak now? Can the Congress turn back from the precipice?

In fact, the party can begin a new chapter if it were to introduce a bill in parliament to lay down that the political parties would accept money only through cheques and would get their accounts audited by the recognised chartered accountant firms. This step will raise the reputation of the Congress and remove the stigma that the suitcases full of currency go right up to the top in the party to finance elections. The BJP is no different but the responsibility of cleansing the system lies on the shoulders of those in power.

The Congress is, however, doing the opposite. With the help of the obedient Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the scandals are minimised to favour the party which comes to support the Congress.

More than that is the absence of remorse. The insensitive Congress continues to make mistakes. Take the case of reservations. During the recent election in UP, which has 19 per cent of the Muslim electorate, Law Minister Salman Khurshid introduced a subquota for Muslims from the overall 27 per cent reservations for Other Backward Classes.

That the Muslims are 80 per cent backward is a fact which the Sachar Committee has brought out, but the Law Minister using this during the elections has muddied the waters of pluralism and given strength to the BJP’s obsession with Hindutva.

The Congress is supposed to have secular credentials.

Casting even a shadow on them tantamount to betraying the

ethos of independence. But then the Congress of today is increasingly going away from those values and principles.

Now its purpose is to concentrate power at the centre, unlike Mahatma Gandhi’s precept of decentralisation. Federalism is the core of the constitution and it is that very core which Home Minister P Chidambaram and his ministry are trying to destroy. The proposed creation of NCTC is nothing but setting up machinery for snooping about what the states are doing in the subjects which the constitution has allotted them exclusively.

The protest raised by some of the chief ministers should have put an end to this move. Yet the President’s address mentions the proposal.

If nothing else, such acts of the Congress government may revive the third or fourth front of non-Congress and non-BJP chief ministers. They are meeting on April 19 to chalk out their strategy on how to stop the centre from encroaching upon their authority. They have also been disturbed by home secretary’s remark that the chief secretaries should not “act like stenographers” to the chief ministers. This may have made the non-BJP states all the more determined to have a loose kind of liaison so that they are not pushed by the centre any more.

Were this to happen, the Prime Minister’s claim that his government has the numbers does not mean much. His other allies may also leave him.

The writer is a senior Indian journalist.

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

comment 13

the Eleventh Parliament in focus On of endings and new beginnings Glaring omission in presidential address

Cross Currents

By Qudssia Akhlaque

F

or the past week, the parliament has been the focus of attention with two joint sittings of both the houses for historic as well as symbolic reasons.

The joint session convened last week marked the fifth consecutive address by any elected head of the state in Pakistan, signaling strengthening of democratic dispensation in the country. Equally important was the joint session this week as the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) tabled foreign policy recommendations for debate. Significantly, this is for the first time that the parliament is taking the lead on foreign policy formulation which has been, until fairly recently, the exclusive preserve of the security establishment.

President Zardari’s address was long on rhetoric and high on hollow claims. As he gloried mostly in past laurels, no vision or roadmap was offered for the future. He raced through the written text, blowing the PPP-led coalition government’s trumpet as if the nation was as out of touch with reality as the president ought to be, living in that cloistered Aiwan-e-Sadr. Perhaps the main objective was more to go through the motion of making history than to make much sense.

Much has been said and written on the contents of president’s address, particularly on the domestic aspect so no point burdening readers with more on this.

However, the foreign policy segment of the presidential address was largely missing from the animated national debate and discussion that followed it. From the international perspective, the timing of the address was particularly important in the backdrop of three key developments: the endgame in Afghanistan and the Afghan reconciliation process;

the mounting pressure from the US and international community on Iran regarding its nuclear programme; and the process of a reset in Pakistan-US relations.

Hence the diplomatic community had its eye and ears tuned in.

In the bilateral context, the president specifically referred to Afghanistan, the Afghan-led peace process and the transit trade agreement. He talked about trade with India and perhaps to blunt the likely domestic criticism in the same breath underlined the need to resolve the difficult issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

On Pakistan-US relations, the president acknowledged that 2011 had been a challenging year and made it clear that Islamabad would continue to engage with Washington despite irritants.

Characterising Pakistan’s relations with the US as multi-dimensional and important, he left it at: “We seek to engage meaningfully with the US on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect.”

Conspicuously, he overlooked the most controversial issue of US drone strikes and took no position on it.

Notably, the president talked about Pakistan attaching great importance to Russia, hinting intense engagement between the two countries in the coming months. This has also been advocated by the PCNS in its recent recommendations. In a positive development Russia has shown interest in investing in the IP project and a high-level Russian delegation with officials of Russian gas giant Gazprom is expected to visit Islamabad. Russians are also keen on investing in Thar coal. More importantly, Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Pakistan this September in what will be the first-ever trip to Pakistan by any Russian head of state.

It was obvious from the President’s address that Pakistan’s diplomatic radar will be more receptive to East Asia, Africa and Latin America, regions that offer tremendous opportunities for bilateral cooperation but have been ignored in the past.

Iran came out as the most glaring, and a rather intriguing, omission in the presidential address at the joint session. Nonmention of Iran was a

conspicuous departure from his previous year’s address and came as a surprise particularly after the warm embrace with Iran at the trilateral summit in Islamabad last month. At a post trilateral summit press conference with his Iranian and Afghan counterparts only in February, President Zardari had emphatically declared that Pakistan will pursue the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project come what may.

He had gone on to declare that Tehran will find Islamabad on its side in the event US attacked Iran. His declaration and gesture of solidarity was widely welcomed at home and in Iran. And coming from no less than a head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces it was not a message that US could have ignored. PM Gilani and Foreign Minister Khar were equally categorical in their stand on the IP issue amid strong voices of opposition from Washington. Dismissing US threats and rejecting any foreign pressure on the IP project their message was loud and clear: that the project is in Pakistan’s national interest and it won’t be dropped.

However, this firm resolve of the top leadership did not reflect at all in the presidential address. A somewhat lame explanation given by a senior Pakistani diplomat when his attention was drawn to this omission was that Iran is part of the Islamic world which the President mentioned in his address. But then so is Afghanistan and it was specifically mentioned.

The multi-billion dollar IP project is vital for energy-starved Pakistan which is currently in the midst of unprecedented energy and power crisis. So then why did Iran and the most important energy project for Pakistan not figure in the president’s address? Is there a re-think or a sign of Pakistan getting cold feet? Was it a deliberate omission in view of the very obvious and growing US unease? Or did the President want to simply take the cushion of the parliament to proceed ahead with the IP project? This should be clear in the coming days.

The writer is a senior journalist and has been a diplomatic correspondent for leading dailies. She can be reached via email at qudssia@hotmail.com

T

his week was like watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham: a little happiness, a little sadness.

First, please permit me to blow my own trumpet. I’m very happy today. The Guardian, one of the most respected English-language newspapers in the world, noticed my blog on Delhi, called The Delhi Walla.

In a cover feature called ‘Tales of the City’, the daily said: “From Delhi to New York, there are local bloggers opening their cities up to the world.”

The Delhi Walla was featured with five blogs based in New York City, Cardiff (Wales), Isle of Wright (England), Portland (USA) and Ottawa (Canada) respectively. Written by Patrick Barkham, a feature writer for the Guardian, the story had this to say about me: “Five years ago, Mayank Austen Soofi (that’s me!), “a small-town guy” from Uttar Pradesh, was a frustrated writer working as a waiter in a five-star hotel in Delhi. Daily excursions into his new city were his escape; he wrote about the city to understand it himself and The Delhi Walla blog, created in his local library, was the result. A celebration of the food, culture and books of India’s capital, it aims to profile 1% of Delhi’s 11 million population. “Each seems to live in a different Delhi.

To have a fleeting sense of their personal Delhis makes me appreciate the nuances of my Delhi,” he says. In his approach he eschews negativity and criticism. “I write without intending to be provocative,” he said in an interview with Rediff.com. “I don’t like writing bad things about people. No point.” He has started a reading club called The Delhi Proustians, written four guidebooks and a new book will be published by

By Mayank Austen Soofi Penguin India later this year. “I think it’s the best narrative non-fiction to have come out of India after Mala Sen’s excellent India’s Bandit Queen. You see, I don’t fake modesty,” he says.”

Isn’t this cool?

But this week came with a bit of sadness too. Two evenings ago, I knocked at the door of Payal Singh, keeper of her family’s treasure: six hardbounds of the eleventh edition of Encyclopedia Britannica.

“These hefty books belong to my mother’s father,” Payal said, showing me the valuables. “He was an English teacher and could recite the entire Shakespeare from heart.”

The volumes in dark brown suede consti-

Delhi Calling

tuted Payal’s entire library. They are precious, especially so after the company that produces the famed reference books announced in this month that henceforth, according to the UKbased The Independent, Encyclopedia Britannica will concentrate on the online encyclopedias, and that the last-ever print edition – a 32-volume set weighing 129 pounds – won’t be replaced when the last 8,000 sets are finally sold.

Payal’s encyclopedias are also more valuable because the eleventh edition, published in 1910 and 1911, was considered a masterpiece.

It was not merely used for reference, but was also read for pleasure.

Writing in The New Yorker‘s website, author Roger Angell describes ‘The Eleventh’ as “the most popular and acclaimed edition of them all — the Koh-i-noor, the Cary Grant of the genre.”

Like many others, the website of the Canada-based newspaper National Post also published a story on the closure of the print run of Encyclopedia Britannica. It referred to The Eleventh, saying: Connoisseurs agree that the 29-volume 11th edition, published in 1911 in association with Cambridge University, was far and away the best. It appeared about the time the ownership of the Britannica was moving from Britain to the United States, where it was soon owned by Sears Roebuck and later became part of the University of Chicago.

The 11th was the first edition with a comprehensive index and the first to include biographies of living people. The editors enlisted distinguished writers to contribute many articles, a practice later abandoned. In the 11th, Thomas Henry Huxley wrote on biology, Bertrand Russell on geometry, Algernon Swinburne on Mary Queen of Scots and Prince Peter Kropotkin, famous as both a philosopher and an anarchist, on the philosophy of anarchism. The illustrations were so good that single pages were often framed and sold separately. When Jorge Luis Borges received his first literary prize, he used the money to buy a copy of the 11th and cherished it for the rest of his life.

“My grandfather had all the 29 volumes of the eleventh edition,” said Payal. “Some went missing. Many others were destroyed by silverfish. We are left with volumes 7, 8, 23, 26, 28 and 29.”

Opening volume 23, I found a page that shows the presence of silverfish.

“Oh,” said Payal.

Later, while flipping through another volume, Payal discovered more silverfish attack.

It was very sad. But, let’s end on an optimistic note. The entire Eleventh can be found on the net. Happy reading.

Mayank Austen Soofi lives in a library. He has one website and four blogs. The website address: thedelhiwalla.com. The blogs: Pakistan Paindabad, Ruined By Reading, Reading Arundhati Roy and Mayank Austen Soofi Photos

KHI 23-03-2012_Layout 1 3/23/2012 1:59 AM Page 14

14

Friday, 23 March, 2012

Rihanna and Katy Perry

plan

IN LIMELIGHT

girl power anthem

LOS AnGELES

S

AGeNCIeS

INGERS Katy Perry and Rihanna are planning to record a girl power duet. The pop stars are working on an "iconic" collaboration, but are not in a rush to record it.

"We've collaborated on a lot of things, but just not songs yet. It's one of those things that's got so much build up that we have to deliver," dailystar.co.uk quoted the ‘Part of Me’ singer as saying. "I want it to be like that Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin song ‘Sisters Are Doin It for Themselves’, not like (Shakira and Beyonce

song) ‘Beautiful Liar’,” she said. "But I definitely want to do something that is so

iconic. (Rihanna) kind of busy too. We're both busy but we planted the seed two years ago.” ‘Beautiful Liar’ would be Beyonce's smash 2007 collaboration with Shakira, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. “How disappointed would you be if that song came out and it's no good? Sometimes you have to wait for greatness," Perry added. However, the 27 year-old came under fire for criticising Beyonce, forcing her to tweet: “Everyone who thinks I dissed anyone, puhlez. Get a life, cuz it's not mine! #hoodratcominout. If ya ears are filled with wax it's time to get a cleanse boo. Anywayz . . . (steps off box)."

ses ena Malik po MUMBai: ve her forthcoming f on the set o 5 kms’. AfP i 12 a b film ‘Mum

Sadia Imam to

tie the knot

Moscow: a model displays a creation by russian designer slava Zaitsev to mark his brand 50th anniversary during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion week. AfP

nEWS DESK Ruling millions of hearts with her modeling and acting skills, Pakistan’s well recognised fashion model-turned-drama artist Sadia Imam will tie the knot very soon. After Reema Khan and fashion model Aisha Linnea, Sadia is also to get married.

Sadia Imam’s to-be-husband belongs to a well known family in Karachi and Sadia’s family is also happy with her decision.

Sadia started doing radio shows from Islamabad and later appeared on TV. She was earlier married in 2005 to Pakistani-Australian Aslam Khan.

A pain in the back

MuMBAI: a week back ranveer singh suffered a back injury while shooting for vikramaditya Motwane’s ‘Lootera’ in Dalhousie. though, the makers tried to underplay the seriousness of the accident, it was discovered that ranveer, unable to walk post the injury, was not only moved out of the location on a stretcher, but also advised complete bed rest. amidst reports of Motwane’s film being postponed due to the actor’s condition, ranveer’s father said, “He has been brought back to Mumbai. He is resting at home. Frankly, i cannot tell you when he will resume shooting. First, let him recover.” ranveer getting injured on the sets is surely not the first. scary action sequences are slowly adding up to the list of back injuries in Bollywood. in october 2011, Hrithik suffered a fall on the sets of ‘agneepath’. the back injury that initially seemed minor, turned out to be pretty serious. King Khan is also the king of injuries. the actor, who has broken several bones in his body (knee, arm, etc), too suffered a slip disc in his back in 2002. akshay Kumar also injured his back on the sets of ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi’. the actor still carries a special pillow to the sets of his films so that he can use it while sitting on the plastic chairs between shots. He needs to it to support his lower back. AGeNCIeS

LoNDoN: Hugh grant, Pixie Lott and David tennant attend the British premiere of the film ‘the Pirates! in an adventure with scientists’. AfP

This one’s for the

red carpet

MuMBAI: they had once scorched the screen with their sizzling chemistry. But anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, Bollywood’s ‘dhak dhak’ pair had not been the best of friends over a year. By refusing to play sonam Kapoor's mother in anil’s desi version of ‘Freaky Friday’, Madhuri had reportedly angered her former co-star. recently, filmmaker vidhu vinod chopra decided to step in and sort out the problems. it was learnt that all is well again between the two actors. Now chopra surely had vested interest in the patch up. the filmmaker, who completes thirty years in the industry, will be holding a first of its kind, retrospective of all his productions across various theatres in the subcontinent starting March 9. For the screening of his 1989 blockbuster ‘Parinda’, chopra needed his lead actors anil and Madhuri to walk the red carpet. He asked them to let bygones be. and both agreed, realising that they were angry over a rather trivial issue. the ‘trivial’ issue in questioned occurred when anil offered Madhuri Jamie Lee curtis’ role in his version of ‘Freaky Friday’. anil had quite a few names in his mind for the role including Kirron Kher, rekha and even shabana azmi. sonam was to play the Lindsay Lohan's character. initially Madhuri had agreed but later had backed out citing date problems. according to a source, this had annoyed anil. However, one phone call from vidhu vinod chopra seems to have worked wonders. the once superhit Bollywood jodi will once again walk the red carpet. AGeNCIeS

MuMBAI: Priyanka Chopra seems to bear a fixation for the Bachchans. After having appeared in the remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer blockbusters- ‘Don’ and ‘Agneepath’, PC is all set for a hatrick as she has been chosen as the female lead in a yet another Big B remake - ‘Zanjeer’. This time, the bubbly actress will reprise the role of none other than Jaya Bachchan.

The actor bagged the coveted role, despite speculation that she is being sidelined by the influential lot in the industry. After this new development, these reports can now be put to rest.

Moreover, according to a source, for her part in the new age ‘Zanjeer’ that is set against an oil mafia backdrop it is rumoured that Priyanka has been offered a cool Rs 11 crore. It has been learnt that Priyanka, who has already had her meeting with the makers of the film, is up for the challenge and will mostly give her nod of approval soon. AGeNCIeS

KHI 23-03-2012_Layout 1 3/23/2012 1:59 AM Page 15

15 Jessica Biel to star

Robert De Niro

apologises in ‘Psycho’ for ‘white first lady’ joke with Scarlett Johansson

LOS AnGELES

T

Dhupia poses MUMBai: Neha ration of a gu during the inau orld’ store. w i ig ‘D il ta new re

AGeNCIeS

HE Hollywood star will join Scarlett Johansson in ‘Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho’, a film following the legendary director's struggle to bring the most chilling movie ever made to life on the big screen. So does she fall prey to Anthony Perkins' deranged motel owner–manager, Norman Bates? Fortunately for her, no. Instead, per Deadline, Biel will essay the role of Vera Miles, the actress who played Lila Crane in the classic 1960 horror thriller and managed to escape from Bates in ‘Psycho's finale. Alas, Johansson isn't so lucky. She gets to play Janet Leigh and, take after take, recreate the infamous shower scene in which Leigh's character, Lila's sister Marion Crane, is stabbed to death.

Anthony Hopkins stars as Hitchcock and Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville. Biel will next be seen starring opposite Colin Farrell in the remake of ‘Total Recall’, which hits theaters in August.

LOS AnGELES

A

ReuTeRS

CTOR Robert De Niro apologised for joking at a Democratic fundraiser with Michelle Obama about the possibility of having a "white first lady" at the White House after November's presidential elections. The Oscar-winning star of ‘The Godfather: Part II’ and ‘Raging Bull’ said he had intended no offense with the remark about the wives of Republican presidential contenders Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney.

“My remarks, although spoken with satirical jest, were not meant to offend or embarrass anyone -- especially the first lady,” De Niro said in a statement. De Niro found himself in hot water after the fundraiser when he introduced Michelle

Obama as the main speaker.

“Callista Gingrich, Karen Santorum, Ann Romney. Now do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?”

De Niro said. “Too soon, right?” Newt Gingrich called the remarks inexcusable and divisive. Michelle Obama's office said the joke was "inappropriate."

Depp lends vocals to new rock tune LOnDOn AGeNCIeS

Superstar Johnny Depp has teamed up with his rocker pal Marilyn Manson to record a cover version of Cakly Simon’s classic ‘You are so vain’. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star offered his services for the collaboration, playing drums and lead guitar while Manson provided vocals for the tune. The song will appear as a bonus track on Manson`s upcoming album ‘Born Villain’, Daily Star reported. “We wanted to do a cover of a song which we thought was ironic for each other. It’s a bonus track on my new record and the video will probably be us looking at each other in a mirror,” Manson said. It’s not the first time the 48-year-old actor’s rock credentials have gone down on record.

He has also contributed guitar tracks to Oasis’ 1997 album ‘Be Here Now’.

Twitter tries (and fails) to kill off eddie Murphy LOS AnGELES

Saif: It’s a shame Pakistan has

banned ‘Agent Vinod’ nEW DELHI AGeNCIeS

an is seen MUMBai: saif ali Kh ile riding a motorbike wh film ng mi co up promoting his ‘agent vinod’. AfP

Priyanka bags Jaya Bachchan’s

role in ‘Zanjeer’ remake

The ban on the upcoming film ‘Agent Vinod’ in Pakistan has disappointed actor Saif Ali Khan, who is also the co-producer of the film. Reacting to the ban, Khan said that it’s a shame because the idea is to have open films between the two nations. “It’s a shame. It’s roughly if all the people in this room went to see the film in the mall. I think it translates to about a crore, which is a lot of money.

Its not out about the money, it’s a shame because the idea is to have open films between the two countries,” the actor said. “I was very proud that this was not a jingoistic film that was bashing Pakistan.

In fact the heroine in our movie is playing a Pakistani girl. So we were hoping that they would appreciate that because really we can’t give them better,” he added.

The film was banned because some negative elements were

shown as being from Pakistan in the film, said Khan, who was accompanied by his girlfriend and co-star Kareena Kapoor. “It’s a realistic kind of thriller in the sense that we have shown that there are some negative elements in Pakistan towards India and maybe their censors have problem with us saying that. Maybe we have shown a few people on the most wanted list being harboured in Pakistan, which surely is also a fairly known fact,” he asserted.

“So, maybe they have taken offence to that. But in the end we want the RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) agent to win and all the baddies to lose. If they are uncomfortable to that then maybe we should just publicise the fact that ‘Agent Vinod banned in Pakistan’. Which we probably should be,” he added. The censor board of Pakistan banned the film for its alleged reference to the Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

MuMBAI: his might come as a shocker but if rumours are to be believed, actor ranbir Kapoor was the one who introduced the new love birds in tinsel town – Nargis Fakhri and shahid Kapoor to each other. ranbir who was at one point of time linked to his ‘rockstar’ costar introduced her to shahid at one of his parties. and the duo hit off instantly. so much so that now the latest buzz is that Nargis has shifted to shahid’s apartment. ranbir and shahid’s friendship is also recent. the two actors had met formally before but bonded during this year’s Zee cine awards in Macau. the camaraderie between the two actors has increased ever since then and shahid was also invited to be a part of ranbir’s first world tour. ever since Nargis met shahid, the two have been spending a lot of time together. Nargis is a constant factor in all of shahid’s parties including the famous birthday bash in goa where Fakhri went a day ahead with shahid to organise the party. while ranbir continues to be linked to his exes Katrina (they are reportedly back together) and Deepika(they have become best of friends on the sets of ayan Mukherjee’s next), he is making sure that his ‘good friend’ Nargis also gets ample attention from shahid. although the couple in question has denied the link up, sources close to the two have admitted that they are indeed in a relationship. AGeNCIeS

Michael Jackson's home on sale for $23.9 million LOS AnGELES AfP

The plush Los Angeles mansion where Michael Jackson died is on sale for $23.9 million, and a major celebrity is interested in buying it, according to realtors and the TMZ celebrity website. The sevenbedroom, 13-bathroom property, described as the centrepiece of an "elegant and sophisticated French chateau estate," includes its own movie theater, a gym and a pool, said the realtors' website. "The estate... offers a glamorous theater for screenings in a grand style, a magnificent wine cellar and tasting room, elevator, a spacious spa with gym, and an elegant guesthouse," as well as an "expansive pool and gardens," it said. TMZ reported that the property went on sale on Monday, and said a "major

The Ranbir factor in Shahid-Nargis

love story

celebrity" is set to visit it. Realtor Mauricio Umansky, head of The Agency in Beverly Hills, will only show the property to serious buyers who have prequalified, meaning they have the money to buy it. The singer, who was in Los Angeles rehearsing for a series of comeback London shows at the time of his death, was being treated with the drug as well as others to help him battle chronic insomnia.

MuMBAI: He chose not to take up the role of Dawood and be overshadowed by others in sanjay gupta’s ‘shootout at wadala’. though this surely angered the filmmaker, vivek oberoi had bigger plans for his next gangster character. the actor has now agreed to play the lead in Kumar taurani’s next. the film, yet untitled, is a love story. when contacted taurani confirmed that he has indeed signed vivek for the role and added, “My venture will go on floors on March 24. the associate director of ‘Prince’, vinnil Markan will direct this.

Neha sharma is the female lead opposite vivek.” However, when probed further, taurani refused to divulge further details. a source close to the actor said, “vivek did not want to disappoint his producers by taking up a small role in ‘shootout at wadala’. He is already playing the lead in ‘Kismat Luv Paisa Dilli’ and the main villain in ‘Krrish 3’. He simply chose to put behind all the accusations that sanjay gupta made and let his work do the talking.” thus, the actor opted for taurani’s next gangster film to lend him voice. AGeNCIeS

AGeNCIeS

Fortunately, rumours of Eddie Murphy's death have been greatly exaggerated.

The Hollywood star has once again fallen victim to the dreaded Twitter death hoax, after word has been trending that he died in a snowboarding accident in Zermatt, Switzerland. Sound familiar?

It should, as the exact same fate was falsely reported to have befallen him in December 2010. Thankfully, however, Murphy is alive and doing just fine. Such claims are routinely found to have been sourced to a fake news story by Global Associated News, a website enabling people to create their very own celebrity death headline. Either way, Murphy is part of an exclusive club of celebs who've read about their own demise on Twitter including Owen Wilson, Reba McEntire, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and, most recently, Rowan Atkinson of Mr Bean fame.

Vivek Oberoi’s

gangsta rap

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16 Foreign News

Friday, 23 March, 2012

French ‘al Qaeda’ suspect dies in violent last stand tOuLOuSE AfP

A

SELF-PROCLAIMED al Qaeda militant died in a hail of bullets on Thursday as he jumped out of an apartment window at the end of a 32-hour siege in southern France.

Mohamed Merah, the main suspect in a wave of shootings that killed seven people, had tried to blast his way out of the siege in the city of Toulouse after members of an elite force known as RAID entered his flat. But Interior Minister Claude Gueant said the 23-year-old had been found dead on the ground in a dramatic end to the lengthy standoff.

“The killer came out from the bathroom shooting very violently.

The bursts of gunfire were frequent and hard,” Gueant said.

“A RAID officer who is used to this kind of thing told me that he had never seen such a violent assault.

“RAID officers of course tried to protect themselves, to return fire, and then in the end, Mohamed Merah jumped out of the window with a gun in his hand, continuing to fire. He was found dead on the ground.” The exact cause of the death was not immediately clear.

Merah’s flat was reportedly on the first floor above the ground floor.

Sustained bursts of gunfire had been heard outside the apartment shortly after sources told AFP police were moving “rapidly” to end the siege, but progressing “step by step” through the apartment in fear of booby traps. A total of around 300 shots were

fired. Three loud explosions near the apartment were heard shortly before police said the officers had moved in, and an ambulance was then seen passing through a security cordon.

Merah had been holed up since Tuesday night after being tracked down by police as the main suspect in a wave of shootings that killed seven people, including three soldiers and three Jewish children.

Gueant had earlier said police had lost contact with Merah but that he had told authorities he wanted “to die weapons in hand”. Prosecutors said Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, had fought off several police assaults on the flat on Wednesday and bragged to negotiators of having been trained

by Al-Qaeda on the AfghanistanPakistan border.

Sarkozy vows to crack down on extremist indoctrination PARIS AfP

French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed on Thursday to crack down on extremist indoctrination in the wake of the murder of seven people by a selfproclaimed Islamist militant. He said he wanted legal action against people who regularly consulted jihadist websites or who travelled abroad for indoctrination and said he wanted to stop French jails being a breeding ground for extremism. “Henceforth, any person who habitually consults Internet sites which praise terrorism and which call for hatred and violence will be punished under criminal law,” he said in a televised address. Any person who travels abroad for “indoctrination into ideologies which lead to terrorism” will be prosecuted, Sarkozy said, shortly after the alleged killer of the seven was shot dead by police in Toulouse. The president added that he had asked his justice minister to investigate the propagation of extremist ideologies in French prisons.

french intelligence under fire over ‘al Qaeda’ serial killer

Threat of strike on Iran is working: Israel’s Barak jERuSALEM AfP

The threat of a military strike on Iran is preventing the Islamic republic from taking the final steps towards developing a nuclear bomb, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday. “We are seeing with our own eyes the reason why Iran, which really wants to achieve a military nuclear capability, is not taking some of the steps defined by the IAEA as breaking the rules, why it is not breaking out,” he told public radio, referring to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. “One of the reasons is the fear of what will happen if, God forbid, the United States or maybe someone else acts against them,” Barak said, referring to the threat of an air strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Israel and Washington disagree over the imminence of the Iranian nuclear threat, and the only way to overcome this disagreement was to step up the sanctions imposed on Tehran and to ensure the upcoming talks achieved results, Barak said. “There’s a point of disagreement and the only way of getting over it and resolving it is by accelerating the sanctions, and by setting down a short timetable for the talks next month, to test if they mean to stop their nuclear programme or not,” he said.

PARIS AfP

The French government went on the defensive Thursday amid questions over why its intelligence service had failed to deal with petty criminal turned alleged jihadist serial killer Mohamed Merah. With hindsight, Merah’s past appears to make him an obvious suspect — he had at least 15 criminal convictions, some with violence, had become a radical Islamist and travelled to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He and his brother were both known to French intelligence because of their fundamentalist Salafist ideology. One press report said that in 2010 Merah forced a youth to watch videos of Al-Qaeda hostage beheadings. When the boy’s mother complained, Merah allegedly attacked her, putting her in hospital for several days.

Merah allegedly later went into the street outside the women’s house, wearing military fatigues and brandishing a sword, shouting “I’m with Al-Qaeda,” the Telegramme newspaper reported. A criminal complaint was lodged and police interviewed the woman but apparently there was no follow up. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has been lambasting Muslim immigration as part of her presidential election campaign, was quick to accuse the government of “laxity” towards the “fundamentalist risk”.

Socialist Jean-Pierre Chevenement, a former defence and interior minister, said the killings were “a warning for services in charge of anti-terrorism”.

TouLouSe: french members of the RAID special police forces unit leave after the assault on the besieged flat of self-professed al qaeda militant Mohamed Merah on Thursday. AfP

Despite shootings, extremist Islam waning in France: experts PARIS AfP

Muslims in French suburbs remain vulnerable to extremist indoctrination but those lured into radicalism are an “ultraminority” and the spread of jihadism is declining, experts say.

Mohamed Merah, a 23-year-old suspected Al-Qaeda militant of Algerian descent was killed Thursday following a shootout with police, after being linked to seven murders in southwestern France in the last eight days. The former resident of a Toulouse suburb is believed to have been drawn into radicalism after joining a group of Salafists — an ultra-conservative brand of Islam — and travelling to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Such trips to Aghanistan “were quite common in the 1990s,” amid the euphoria of the muja-

hedeen victory over Soviet troops who had invaded the country, said Samir Amghar, author of “Salafism Today.”

“A number of people went to Afghanistan and Pakistan to train,” explained the sociology professor at France’s School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences. “But for several years, we have seen a decline in jihadism because of the strong pressure of the French and European security services,” he added. He said current estimates put the number of Salafists in France at between 12,000 and 15,000, but “jihadist Salafists are an ultra-minority.”

Gilles Kepel, author of “Jihad, The Trail of Political Islam,” said it was “worrying when the Salafists impose their rules, for example, wearing of the full veil, on other Muslims.” “When there is a rupture between their values and the values

of the French Republic, it makes fertile terrain for radical Islam,” he stressed, adding that extremist recruiters target those “who are marginalised.” They are speaking “in a general manner to people in working class neighbourhoods, but not strictly to the working classes.

Radicals also target “a strong proportion who are from the middle and upper classes. People who have studied, who are university graduates,” Amghar said. But, he explained, the channels through which extremist recruiters connect with new sympathisers have evolved since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. “In the 1990s, the radical imams, the preachers, were able to recruit in the mosques,” he said.

“After September 11, because of the surveillance of the French intelligence services in the mosques, it became very

difficult. The recruitment from then on happened through interpersonal relations, or over the internet. Bernard Godard, co-author of “Muslims in France”, said probing Merah’s path to radicalisation was a crucial next step. “We’ll have to see how he was initiated, how he was fed jihadism,” Godard said. Speaking Thursday after Merah was killed, French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to crack down on extremist indoctrination.

He said he wanted legal action against people who regularly consulted jihadist websites or who travelled abroad for indoctrination and an end to French jails being a breeding ground for extremism. “Henceforth, any person who habitually consults Internet sites which praise terrorism and which call for hatred and violence will be punished under criminal law,” he said in a televised address.

Riyadh eases ban on single men in shopping malls RIYADH AfP

Single men in Riyadh will be able to visit shopping malls during peak hours after a Saudi prince eased restrictions aimed at stopping harassment of women, media reports said Thursday. Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh’s governor, has decided “not to prevent any single men from visiting malls” in the capital on evenings and weekends, when malls are most crowded, AlRiyadh newspaper reported. The decision was made by a committee made up of local officials and representatives from the feared religious police, said the daily. Shopping malls are a favourite leisure destination for young men and women in the ultra-conservative kingdom, where cinemas and theatres are banned. Previously, single men were only allowed into shopping centres at lunch time on weekdays, a move the authorities said was intended to prevent women being harassed during peak hours. But that had “many negative consequences, including the gathering of men outside the shopping malls and harassing women” there, the daily reported, according to the committee.

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

Foreign News 17

Portugal hit by general strike against austerity measures LISBOn AfP

Public services across Portugal ground to a halt Thursday as unions staged a 24-hour strike against austerity measures agreed by the government in return for an international bailout. Garbage went uncollected, ports and schools closed, public transport was disrupted and other public services were affected by the country’s second general strike in four months. The metros in Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal’s second-largest city, were closed, forcing tens of thousands of commuters to find an alternative way to get to work or school. The majority of ports, including the port of Lisbon and Viana do Castelo in the north, were closed, according to the country’s biggest union — the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP) — which called the strike. The strike disrupted rail service between Lisbon and Oporto and halted garbage collection in several cities including Lisbon and its suburbs and the southern city of Evora, famous for its Roman ruins, it added. “The participation rate is strong in the public transport sector, among garbage collectors and the health sector,” CGTP secretary general Armenio Carlos told reporters, adding that “dozens” of schools were closed. Some taxis in Lisbon sported black ribbons in solidarity with the strikers. But while public services were widely affected, most banks, restaurants, supermarkets and pharmacies in the Portuguese capital remained open.

IAEA says in talks with N. Korea over inspectors’ visit VIEnnA AfP

The UN atomic agency IAEA has begun consultations with North Korea over a possible visit to the country by its inspectors to monitor its nuclear activities, a spokeswoman said Thursday. This comes as neighbour South Korea prepares to host a nuclear security summit in Seoul next week, with Pyongyang’s atomic programme likely one of the hot topics.

“I can confirm that the IAEA has started consultations with the DPRK (North Korea) about its invitation,” International Atomic Energy Agency spokeswoman Gill Tudor told AFP by phone Thursday. She could not yet say however when the consultations would end and when the inspectors’ visit to the isolated country might take place. North Korea expelled UN inspectors in 2009, but announced earlier this week that it had invited them back to monitor a nuclear freeze deal with the United States.

On February 29, Pyongyang had agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, along with long-range missile launches and nuclear tests, in return for 240,000 tonnes of US food. It also promised to readmit IAEA inspectors after a three-year absence.

Mali president safe after coup BAMAKO AfP

Mali’s President Amadou Toumani Toure was under guard by loyalist troops Thursday after being forced to flee an attack by a military junta which claimed to have ousted his regime. The putschists, calling themselves the National Committee for the Establishment of Democracy, said they had acted due to government’s “inability” to put down a Tuareg-led insurrection in the north and tackle terrorism. Foreign powers expressed alarm over the coup, with France suspending cooperation with its former colony, urging soldiers not to harm Toure who was at a military barracks in Bamako under protection from his elite paratrooper guard. The junta appeared on state telivision overnight and their leader revealed to be Captain Amadou Sanogo.

The 63-year-old Toure has not spoken publicly since and remained in Bamako, protected by his presidential guard at a military camp.

DeNPASAR: Balinese Hindu devotees carry effigies called ‘ogoh-ogoh’ symbolising evil, on Thursday as part of a traditional celebration ahead of the Day of Silence, locally known as ‘Nyepi’. AfP

Syria deaths pile up despite UN peace call BEIRut

F

AfP

IERCE clashes raged across Syria despite a UN Security Council peace call, with 10 civilians on a bus trying to flee to Turkey among at least 26 people killed Thursday, monitors and activists said.

The bus, with women and children on board, was shot up near the town of Sermin in the northwestern province of Idlib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, without identifying the assailants. An opposition activist on the ground, Milad Fadl, contacted by AFP in Beirut, said the civilians were headed for Turkey to escape the bloodshed when regime forces opened fire.

The Britain-based Observatory said earlier that a 17-year-old boy was killed and dozens wounded in an army assault on Sermin itself. Army forces attacked several towns, while rebel fighters struck army posts in several provinces and an-

nounced a command structure to coordinate hit-and-run strikes in and around the capital. In the deadliest attack on the army, five soldiers were killed in a raid on a military checkpoint in the region of Latakia, said the Observatory.

The region has a large population of Alawites, members of the minority offshoot of Shiite Islam to which President Bashar al-Assad also belongs and which forms the backbone of his regime. In the south, rebel fighters killed a soldier and wounded four others near the village of Saida in Daraa province, where Syria’s year-old revolt against the regime erupted, said the monitoring group. Army deserters killed two soldiers in the town.

It added three civilians were killed as troops sprayed heavy machinegun fire in Qusayr, a town in the flashpoint province of Homs, central Syria, where rebel forces killed four soldiers. The reports could not be confirmed due to restrictions on the movements of foreign media. The escalation came just hours after the Security Council passed a statement urging Assad

and his foes to implement “fully and immediately” international envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan. Annan’s plan calls for Assad to pull troops and heavy weapons out of protest cities, a daily twohour humanitarian pause to hostilities, access to all areas affected by the fighting, and a UN-supervised halt to all clashes. A correspondent at the scene also reported violent clashes in and around Sermin, a village near the town of Banash in Idlib, as army shelling and tank fire threw up thick plumes of black smoke.

Free Syrian Army fighters and regular troops were locked in close-up street fighting, rebel Sergeant Abu Adel told AFP by telephone from the scene of the clashes, as civilians took shelter in basements. At least four civilians, including two children, were killed and more than 30 wounded, according to FSA sources.

“Tanks have been posted on the SerminBanach road blocking any evacuation of the wounded or villagers from fleeing the clashes,” said another rebel fighter, Abu Salem.

Palestinians urge donors to cough up promised funds RAMALLAH AfP

Palestinian premier Salam Fayyad on Thursday urged donors to hastily provide promised funds to help the Palestinian Authority weather a financial crisis.

Speaking a day after a meeting of international donors in Brussels, known as the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, Fayyad said the monies were crucial to help the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to meet its obligations. At the close of the meeting, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere who chairs the committee, urged supporters “to ensure the contribution of $1 billion (760 million euros) in assistance” in 2012 and urged Israel to facilitate the transfer of tax monies due to the Palestinian Authority.

“What is more important is that this money, or at least

part of it, is transferred as quickly as possible so the Palestinian Authority can deal with its difficult financial crisis,” Fayyad told the official Voice of Palestine radio. The European Union had pledged 155 million euros ($204 million) and the United States was working to complete its allocations for 2011. “What is equally important is funding from the Arab countries,” said Fayyad.

“Funding from the region is crucial. Until now, all we have received from the Arab countries in 2012 is $32 million (24 million euros) from Qatar, which we are grateful for but we need much more,” he said. “The Palestinian Authority depends on its tax revenues in addition to financial aid in order to fulfill its obligations, including salaries. If the aid doesn’t come through... it will seriously hinder the Palestinian Authority from

fulfilling its obligations.”

In its closing statement, the committee referred to the need for “burden sharing” between the donor nations. It also hailed a technical agreement between the Israeli and Palestinian finance ministries to make the collection of tax monies “more efficient and transparent” and urged a “swift conclusion and implementation” of the deal.

And it called on Israel “to facilitate sustainable growth of the Palestinian economy... by taking further steps to improve movement of people and goods, development, and trade and exports” in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as in east Jerusalem. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations have all expressed concern over the budgetary problems difficulties being faced by the Palestinian Authority as a result of Israeli restrictions.

10 killed on bus fleeing Syria violence BEIRut AfP

Ten people, including women and children, were killed on Thursday as they were fleeing violence in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on board a bus headed to Turkey, monitors said. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the bus driver and nine members of two separate families were killed when the vehicle came under fire. He said the killings took place near the town of Sermin, along a road that links Idlib province to Turkey further north.

Milad Fadl, a local activist reached by AFP from Beirut, said regime forces had opened fire on the bus headed to a refugee camp in Turkey. Abdel Rahman said the victims included three children under the age of 15 and two women.

EU to slap travel, assets freeze on Assad’s wife: diplomats BRuSSELS AfP

The European Union is set to slap a travel ban and assets freeze on President Bashar al-Assad’s wife Asma and other members of his family, EU diplomats told AFP on Thursday. Asma al-Assad is on a list of 12 people, including a handful of the president’s relatives, whose assets will be frozen and who will be barred from travel across the 27-nation bloc, the sources said. As a British-born and British-educated former investment banker, it was widely believed Asma al-Assad’s grounding in Western values would help give the regime a more human face and shatter the isolation of the secretive Assad family. But in the last weeks she became the focus of sharp criticism after Britain’s Guardian newspaper released e-mails showing the ruling couple shopping for luxury goods as the country slid into bloody chaos. She will be one of a dozen names added by EU foreign ministers Friday to a blacklist of around 150 firms and people already targeted in 12 previous rounds of European sanctions, EU sources told AFP. An EU diplomat said members of the 27-nation bloc were agreed on adding 12 people and two companies to the list but that no joint move was expected on closing EU embassies in Damascus unless the situation deteriorated.

KHI 23-03-2012_Layout 1 3/23/2012 1:59 AM Page 18

friday, 23 March, 2012

williams, clijsters make triumphant returns Page 21

afghanistan qualify for world t20 DuBAI AfP

Afghanistan booked their place in the 2012 World Twenty20 on Thursday with a 47-run victory over Namibia in the first final of the 16-nation qualifying tournament. In a battle of two undefeated teams, Afghanistan were bowled out for 146 in their 20 overs before Namibia were dismissed for 99 in the 19th over.

Despite the loss, Namibia will get a second chance of making the World Twenty20 when they face either Ireland or the Netherlands in Saturday's second qualifying final. Afghanistan, who also played in the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, saw openers Karim Sadiq (28) and Javed Ahmadi (24) give their side a flying start with a partnership of 57 by the seventh over. But Namibia slammed the brakes on the scoring rate with skipper Sarel Burger taking with 3 for 16.

However, the African side never recovered from a precarious 18 for four by the fourth over with seamer Dawlat Zadran boasting figures of 3 for 1 off his first two overs.

Burger and Nicholaas Scholtz, with 22 runs each, gave a little middle-order impetus, but Afghanistan were simply too powerful in all departments as they coasted to a place in the finals in Sri Lanka in September and October.

Right-arm fast bowler Aftab Alam claimed 4 for 25, sweeping up the tail in the process. Earlier, Ireland swept past Canada in the play-offs, winning by 10 wickets while the Netherlands edged out Scotland by three wickets.

Ireland will face the Dutch on Friday with the winner of that game taking on Namibia on Saturday for the second available berth in Sri Lanka. Afghanistan and the winner of Saturday's final play-off will meet in the tournament finale on Saturday night. The winner will be slotted into Group B in Sri Lanka alongside Australia and the West Indies with the runner-up going into Group A against India and defending champions England.

wi summon Barath for out-of-form Powell

Amir must focus on rehabilitation: Lorgat DuBAI

M

CRICINfo

OHAMMAD Amir must go through a process of rehabilitation, including educating himself and others about the perils of corruption, and not focus on the reduction of the ban imposed on him by an ICC tribunal for his involvement in spot-fixing, the ICC chief Haroon Lorgat has said. Lorgat also said the ICC rules do not allow for a reduction of the five-year ban and stressed the importance of respecting the verdict the independent tribunal had reached.

In his first statement after returning to Pakistan from England on February 26, Amir had said he would not request the ICC to reduce his ban, which runs until 2015.

Lorgat said Amir should start the rehabilitation process by doing the right things. "I would prefer that the starting point should not be about whether we [ICC] could reduce the sentence," Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai, en route to Sri Lanka where he will release the first batch of tickets for the ICC World Twenty20. "Let that [the reduction of the ban] be the end result of a process of rehabilitation since he has now come clean, if that is indeed the case. Part of the sanction he received from the ICC tribunal was to educate himself and for him to educate others. So let us do all the necessary building blocks before we get to a point where anyone could ask, 'Does he now deserve a review?'" Amir was released from custody after serving half of his six-month sentence for his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal during the Lord's Test in 2010. The Crown Prosecution Service had brought charges against Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif under conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after a sting operation carried out by the now defunct News Of the World.

Butt and Asif had pleaded not guilty in court but were found guilty in November 2011; Amir pleaded guilty to the charges and did not

10ThWeST ASIA BASeBAll CUP

Pakistan to take on Iran in opener LAHORE

GROS ISLEt

STAff RePoRT

AfP

Hosts Pakistan will play Iran in the opening match of the 10thWest Asia Baseball Cup at the Punjab Stadium here on Friday.

Iran was the first team to arrive Pakistan on Wednesday. Meanwhile, secretary Pakistan Federation Baseball Khawar Shah said that Afghanistan had also reached the city on late Thursday evening and the third foreign team Sri Lanka will arrive on Friday.

Khawar while welcoming all the foreign teams in Pakistan ensured fool-proof security arrangements for them.

“The Punjab government has made excellent security arrangements for the visitors and Inshallah the event will be successfully end on March 28,” he said.

“The PFB made hectic efforts for a successful bid to get this event and as we have organized first SAARC Cup in Lahore last year, and all the foreign teams returned back home happily this time five teams have confirmed the participa-

West Indies have dropped out-of-form opener Kieran Powell and replaced him with Adrian Barath for the remaining two one-day internationals against Australia. Powell made just 20 runs in the first three matches of the series, which stands at 1-1 with one tie, ahead of the last two games in St Lucia on Friday and Sunday. The 21-year-old Barath has played 12 ODIs for West Indies since his debut two years ago. weST INDIeS SquAD: Darren sammy (captain), adrian Barath, carlton Baugh, tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson charles, sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kemar roach, andre russell, Marlon samuels.

stand trial. Amir, however, had pleaded not guilty before the ICC's tribunal in Doha in February 2011.

Life could have been different and perhaps easier for Amir, Lorgat said, had he pleaded guilty in front of the ICC tribunal in Doha. Amir had maintained he was innocent at the time. The three-man tribunal - comprising Michael Beloff QC, Sharad Rao and Justice Albie Sachs - banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Amir for ten, seven and five years respectively, after finding them guilty of spot-fixing. Amir's reaction to that decision was that he would appeal the ban in the Court of Arbitration of Sports in Switzerland. He later decided not to appeal. "I find it very unfortunate for Mohammad Amir. We did provide him with lots of opportunities," Lorgat said, when asked if he was disappointed Amir did not confess in Doha. "The tribunal might have looked at it differently and who knows what decision they could have come to on sanction. It could have been a different story. I am sad for him." In an interview on Sky TV after his release from custody, Amir said he had been tricked into bowling no-balls to order during the Lord's Test by his agent Mazhar Majeed and his captain Salman Butt. He said he did not "have the courage" to admit his guilt to the ICC tribunal. Lorgat's advice for Amir was to not to give up and, "do all the right things." "Come into the education process and don't just give up the game," Lorgat said. "Retain your faith in the future. He must be prepared to tell his story and explain to others what they need to be careful of." Lorgat felt the ICC, the PCB and Amir, and all other stakeholders, should work together to try and ensure no other player falls prey to corruption. He said Amir could talk, over video, to the players during the ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in Australia later this year. "If Mohammad Amir stands up and delivers a message of caution about this murky world, people are going to sit up and listen.

That is one example of rehabilitation."

tion including India, besides Pakistan,” he said, But he said later on India failed to send the team, leaving it a four-nation contest. He said though Nepal had also expressed the desire to come to Pakistan, but it was, too late to entertain them at that stage.

The secretary said the Pakistan team was fully prepared to get top position,. He said Iran and Sri Lankan were two tough contestants.

“Our boys are well trained by a Korean coach and they are looking in a good shape to beat all the sides to win the top position and to enter the main round of the Asia Cup where it will be playing against giants like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China,”he said.

He said one team from this round and another one from the East Asia qualifiers would make the six-team contest of the Asia Cup to be held later this year.

Khawar said Iran was a fast emerging nation in the baseball arena but Pakistan had the potential to give them tough time. Pakistan Olympic Association president Lt. Gen. (retd.)

Syed Arif Hasan will inaugurate the tournament.

PHF announces Junior team for Malaysia tour LAHORE STAff RePoRT

The selection committee of the Pakistan Hockey Federation on Thursday selected an 18-member junior national team for matches against Malaysia and Korea.

The trials to select the final lineup of Pakistan junior hockey team were held at the National Hockey Stadium Lahore and the national selection committee finalized the following contingent after approval of President PHF. The junior hockey team is like to leave Lahore for Kuala Lumpur on April 4.

TeAM offICIALS: rana Mujahid ali (team Manager), anjum saeed, Danish Kaleem and ahmed alam (coaches), Dr. asad abbas (team Doctor) and syed abuzar Umrao (video-analyst).

PLaYers: Mazhar abbas (capt), amjad ali, Muhammad Khalid, Muhammad aleem Bilal, waseem abbas, Muhammad Kashif Javed, tasawwar abbas, Faisal qadir, Zohaib ashraf, M. Bilal Khan, Fahad Khan, Muhammad irfan (v.capt), Hafiz Umer sardar, Muhammad Dilber, Muhammad Jaffar, Muhammad suleman, Muhammad Umair & Hafiz rizwan ali.

gayle, wicB stand off continues BAnGALORE AGeNCIeS

Chris Gayle's return to the West Indies team has been delayed once again as no decision was taken in the meeting involving Gayle and the WICB. Gayle had met with the chief executive, Ernest Hilaire, and president, Julian Hunte in the meeting chaired by the prime minister of St. Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves.

Gayle was expected to return to the West Indies team for the ongoing series against Australia which ends on April 27 after the meeting.

Gayle is also contracted to play in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore until May 27 and in the English county T20 tournament for Somerset and was said to be keen in taking part in both tournaments. This in turn makes him unavailable for the series against Australia as well as West Indies' tour of England that starts on May 5 and goes on till June 24. This is believed to be the reason behind the continuing impasse.

Gayle last represented West Indies in the World Cup quarterfinal against Pakistan in March 2011. He was not considered for selection after his public criticism of the WICB and the coach, Otis Gibson. Gayle had also refused to take back his comments or issue an apology for the same. The WICB had also asked Gayle to make his priorities clear saying that he would not be given permission to play in T20 tournaments around the world if he was available to play for West Indies at that time.

Brilliant England win Sri Lanka tour match COLOMBO AfP

England displayed their batting prowess ahead of next week's Test series in Sri Lanka by winning the final practice match with an astonishing run chase on Thursday.

The tourists surpassed a stiff target of 359 from 64 overs with four wickets and 20 balls to spare against a Sri Lanka Development XI in the three-day match at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo.

Wicket-keeper Matt Prior led the assault with a blistering 84 off 60 balls, and was ably supported by Kevin Pietersen (52), Ravi Bopara (66) and Samit Patel (72).

Graeme Swann brought up the win

for the world's top-ranked Test side with 14 runs off three balls -- four, six and four -- off leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi.

Out-of-form Ian Bell was the lone batsman to miss out, falling for 11. He has now scored just 25 runs in three innings on the tour so far.

The tourists suffered a blow when it was revealed that Bopara was unlikely to bowl in the two-Test series due to a side strain.

Bopara will, however, still be available for selection as a specialist batsman, a team spokesman said.

The home team, who resumed their second innings at the overnight score of 44-1, moved to 199-4 before the innings was declared during the lunch break.

Angelo Perera, a 22-year-old right-

hander, followed his 85 in the first innings with an unbeaten 90 off 70 balls, studded with eight boundaries and six sixes. The tourists won the first practice match against the Cricket Board XI by an innings and 15 runs.

The first Test opens in Galle from Monday, followed by the second in Colombo from April 3.

BRIef SCoReS: sri Lanka Development Xi 1st innings: 4316 declared (chamara silva 163, thilina Kandamby 64, angelo Perera 85, stuart Broad 3-69, steven Finn 2-93, samit Patel 1-83) england 1st innings: 272-4 declared (andrew strauss 100 retired, Jonathan trott 101 retired) sri Lanka Development Xi 2nd innings: 199-4 declared (angelo Perera 90 not out, steven Finn 1-17, tim Bresnan 1-16) england 2nd innings: 360-6 (Kevin Pietersen 52, ravi Bopara 66, Matt Prior 84, samit Patel 72) england won by four wickets.

coLoMBo: england cricketer Kevin Pietersen plays a shot during the third day of a three-day practice match against sri Lanka Development Xi at the sinhalese sports club ground. AfP

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

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Pakistan win Asia Cup, B’desh praise DHAKA

SCoReBoARD

AfP

P

AKISTAN claimed the Asia Cup with a thrilling two-run victory over a dogged Bangladesh on Thursday, breaking the hearts of home supporters who saw their unfancied side take the game to the wire. The visitors -- tournament winners in 2000 -held Bangladesh to 234-8, agonisingly short of Pakistan's 236-9 despite impressive half-centuries from Shakib Al Hasan (68) and opener Tamim Iqbal (60).

Stunned silent crowd, agonized Tamim Iqbal, a tearful Mushfiqur Rahim, gloomy Nasir Hussain and a pensive Shakib Al Hasan. Emotions ran high and Sher-eBangla Stadium was engulfed in it. Never had Bangladesh played such a high profile game. For the first time, odds were not stacked against them and they played, played not like underdogs but as heavyweights at par with their opposition Pakistan. Stats generally hide more than what they reveal, but here the 2-run loss does not hide anything; it only reveals character, the character of a bunch of youngsters talented cricketers. Pakistan paceman Aizaz Cheema starred with the ball, grabbing three wickets, while fast bowler Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal each took two to strangle Bangladesh's run-chase. But Shahid Afridi was awarded the Man of the match award.

The hosts, appearing in their first Asia Cup final, looked well placed to win the day-night match, watched by Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but faltered in the final over.

Needing nine runs to win with three wickets in hand they could manage only six, as Cheema held his nerve to see out the game.

Cheered by a capacity crowd, Bangladesh started their innings strongly, reaching 68 for the opening wicket through Tamim and Mohammad Nazimuddin (16), before Pakistan struck with three wickets in the space of 13 runs. Tamim, who was initially dropped from the squad but later added as a 15th member, hit eight fours in his fourth successive halfcentury before being caught by Younis in the

DHaKa: the Pakistan team celebrates with the asia cup at the sher-e-Bangla National stadium. AfP covers off Gul. Shakib kept alive Bangladesh's hopes with an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket with Nasir Hossain (28), but his dismissal in the 44th over put the hosts under pressure. Bangladesh had earlier restricted Pakistan's free-scoring batsmen with tight bowling and a solid fielding performance.

Left-arm spinners Shakib and Abdur Razzak and paceman Mashrafe Mortaza bagged two wickets apiece for Bangladesh, with Sarfraz Ahmed leading Pakistan's innings with an unbeaten 46. Having upset the odds to beat World Cup winners India and

runners-up Sri Lanka in league matches, Bangladesh looked like they could repeat the trick after capturing three wickets in the opening 15 overs to have Pakistan at 55-3.

Mortaza struck in his third over when he had opener Nasir Jamshed (nine) caught by Mohammad Mahmudullah in the covers before seamer Nazmul Hossain trapped Younis Khan leg-before for one. Bangladesh's fielders expertly supported their bowlers with Nasir running the tourist's skipper Misbahul-Haq out with a direct-hit before Nazmul held a good catch at mid-on to account for

Wolves-Panthers to open T-20 Cup LAHORE/ISLAMABAD STAff RePoRT

The Pakistan Cricket Board has on Thursday announced teams for Faysal Bank Super 8 Twenty-20 Cup 2011-12 The tournament will be played from March 25 to April 1 at the Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi.

In continuation of its three-year contract for Domestic Cricket with PCB, Faysal Bank will now be collaborating with PCB to organize the second T20 Cricket Tournament of the second season. The three year partnership between PCB and Faysal Bank is setting a precedent which is going to go a long way in uplifting the standard of domestic cricket in the country. The matches will be telecast live on a private channel. A total of eight teams have been divided into two groups.

Group-A have Faisalabad Wolves, Peshawar Panthers, Karachi Zebras, Lahore Lions and Group-B includes Lahore Eagles, Sialkot Stallions, Rawalpindi Rams, Karachi Dolphins.

Aarij Ali, Head Retail, Faysal Bank reiterated the banks commitment to cricket and said: “Faysal Bank has recently launched its corporate campaign. We now have a Brand Promise to share with Pakistan.”

Subhan Ahmad, COO PCB said: “PCB’s resolve is to further strengthen the domestic structure in line with our vision of providing cricketing opportunities at all levels and in achieving this objective Faysal Bank has been our valued partner."

The opening match will be played between Faisalabad Wolves-Peshawar Panthers. Faysal Bank will be awarding the winning team Rs 2.5 million as prize money and Rs 1 million for the runners up. Two matches will be played every day starting at 4:00pm, and 8:00pm respectively.

The scheDUle Of MATches Is ATTAcheD: March 25: Faisalabad Wolves-Peshawar Panthers, Lahore LionsKarachi Zebras March 26: Lahore Eagles-Sialkot Stal-

PAKISTAN: 40 Mohammad Hafeez c Nazmul b Razzak 9 Nasir Jamshed c Mahmudullah b Mortaza 1 Younis Khan lbw b Nazmul Misbah-ul-Haq run out 13 umar Akmal c Rahim b Mahmudullah 30 Hammad Azam c and b Shakib 30 Shahid Afridi c Nasir b Shakib 32 46 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 4 umar Gul c Shakib b Mortaza 4 Saeed Ajmal b Razzak 9 Aizaz Cheema not out 18 eXTRAS (b2, lb8, nb4, w4) 236 ToTAL (for nine wickets; 50 overs) fall of wickets: 1-16 (Jamshed), 2-19 (Younis), 3-55 (Misbah), 4-70 (Hafeez), 5-129 (Azam), 6-133 (Akmal), 7-178 (Afridi), 8-199 (Gul), 9-206 (Ajmal).

BowLING: Mortaza 10-0-48-2 (w1), Nazmul 8-1-36-1, Razzak 103-26-2, Shahadat 9-0-63-0 (nb4, w2), Shakib 10-1-39-2 (w1), Mahmudullah 3-0-14-1.

BANGLADeSH: 60 Tamim Iqbal c Younis b Gul 16 Mohammad Nazimuddin c Younis b Afridi Jahurul Islam c Younis b Ajmal 0 Nasir Hossain c Misbah b Gul 28 Shakib Al Hasan b Cheema 68 Mushfiqur Rahim c Jamshed b Cheema 10 17 Mohammad Mahmudullah not out Mashrafe Mortaza c Jamshed b Ajmal 18 6 Abdur Razzak b Cheema 0 Shahadat Hossain not out 11 eXTRAS (lb5, nb2, w4) 234 ToTAL (for eight wickets; 50 overs) fall of wickets: 1-68 (Nazimuddin), 2-68 (Jahurul), 3-81 (Tamim), 4-170 (Nasir), 5-179 (Shakib), 6-190 (Rahim), 7-218 (Mortaza), 8233 (Razzak).

BowLING: Hafeez 10-0-30-0 (w1), Gul 10-2-65-2 (nb1), Ajmal 102-40-2 (w1), Afridi 10-1-28-1 (w1), Cheema 7-0-46-3 (nb1), Azam 3-0-20-0 (w1).

Result: Pakistan win by two runs Man of the match: Shahid Afridi (PAK) Man of the tournament: Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) Toss: Bangladesh umpires: Steve Davis (AuS) and Ian Gould (eNG) TV umpire: S. Ravi (IND) Match referee: David Boon (AuS).

lions, Rawalpindi Rams-Karachi Dolphins March 27: Karachi Zebras-Faisalabad Wolves, Lahore Lions-Peshawar Panthers March 28: Karachi Dolphins-Sialkot Stallions, Lahore Eagles-Rawalpindi Rams March 29: Lahore Lions-Faisalabad Wolves, Karachi Zebras-Peshawar Panthers March 30: Karachi Dolphins-Lahore Eagles, Rawalpindi Rams-Sialkot Stallions March 31: Both the Semi Final April 1: FINAL The first semi final between Winner of Group (A) Vs Runner Up of Group (B) and the second Semi Final between Winner of Group (B) Vs Runner Up of Group (A). The teams and managements were selected by their respective regional associations for the event.

The TeAMs: Rawalpindi Rams: Sohail Tanvir (Captain), Umer Amin (V.Captain), Naveed Malik, Awais Zia, Jamal Anwar, Babar Naeem, Hammad Azam, Muhammad Nawaz, Yasir Arafat, Yasim Murtaza, Samiullah, Muhammad Rameez, Adnan Mufti, Umair Mushtaq, Nasir Malik, Tahir Niazi, Muhammad Ayaz, Zahid Mansoor. Officials: Sabih Azhar (Coach), Amir Ahmad Shah (Manager).

Peshawar Panthers: Umar Gul (Captain), Muhammad Fayyaz, Gohar Ali, Akbar Badshah, Rifatullah Mahmand, Zohaib Jan, Israrullah, Shoaib Khan, Muhammad Rizwan, Jamaluddin, Musadiq Ahmad, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Waqar Ahmad, Aftab Khan, Riaz Afridi, Aslam Qureshi, Afaq Ahmad. Officials: Abdur Rehman (Coach), Roazamin Khan (Manager).

Lahore Lions: Abdul Razzaq, Adnan Rasool, Ahmad Shahzad, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Ali, Jahangir Mirza, Jamshaid Ahmad, Kamran Akmal (Captain), Nasir Jamshaid, Raza Ali Dar, Sohail Ahmad, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Kashif Siddique, Fahad ul Haq, Asif Yousaf, Tanzeel Altaf, Muhammad Irfan. Officials:

Mohsin Kamal (Coach), M. Ijaz Butt (Manager).

Lahore Eagles: Taufeeq Umar (Captain), Saad Naseem, Mustafa Iqbal, Muhammad Khalil, Muzaffar Mahboob, Muhammad Hamza, Junaid Zia, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Asif Raza, Adnan Akmal, Hamza Paracha, Asif Ashfaq, Ali Azmat, Emmad Ali, Humayun Farhat, Waqas Aslam, Fahad Masood. Officials: Manzoor Elahi (Coach), Najam Mirza (Manager).

Faisalabad Wolves: Muhammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Ali Waqas, Misbahul Haq (Captain), Jahandad, Farrukh Shahzad, Imran Ali, Naveed Latif, Sabir Hussain, Khurram Shahzad, Muhammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Khalid, Muhammad Talha, Asad Ali, Waqas Maqsood, Shahid Nazir, Ali Raza. Officials: Ijaz Ahmad Jr. (Coach), Tariq Fareed (Manager).

Sialkot Stallions: , Imran Nazir, Kamran Younis, Shahid Yousaf, Shoaib Malik (Captain), Ali Khan, Abdul Rehman, Rana Naveed ul Hassan, Sarfraz Ahmad, Shakeel Ansar, Ayub Dogar, Naveed Arif, Raza Hassan, Ali Akbar, Qaisar Abbas, Haris Sohail, Rizwan Sultan, Kashif Sohail, Mansoor Amjad. Officials: Naveed Anjum (Coach), Naeem Akhtar (Manager).

Karachi Dolphins: Shahid Khan Afridi- (Captain), Muhammad Sami, Asad Shafiq, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hassan, Rameez Raja, Sarfraz Ahmad, Fawad Alam, Tanvir Ahmad, Sohail Khan, Rumman Rais, Faraz Ahmad Khan, Haris Ayaz, Tariq Haroon, Ahmad Iqbal, Javed Mansoor, Hafiz Asad, Mir Hamza. Officials: M. Masroor (Coach), S.M. Ishaq (Manager).

Karachi Zebras: Akbar ur Rehman, Adnan Baig, Faisal Iqbal, Khurram Manzoor, Rameez Aziz, Hassan Raza (Captain), Shaharyar Ghani, Muhammad Hassan, Danish Kaneria, Atif Maqbool, Anwar Ali, Uzairul Haq, Azam Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Saeed Bin Nasir, Tabish Khan, Fahad Iqbal, Zohaib Shera. Officials: Tahir Mahmood (Coach), Saeed Jabbar (Manager).

Mohammad Hafeez (40). Nasir had a hand in one more dismissal when he dived forward at long-off to take a superb catch to remove Shahid Afridi after the batsman had hit one six and four boundaries in a brisk 22-ball 32.

The hosts did not allow Pakistan to build a big partnership, the highest stand of the innings being 59 for the fifth wicket between Umar Akmal (30) and Hammad Azam (30).

TeAM cOnGRATUlATeD: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and PCb chairman Zaka Ashraf have on Thursday congratulated the Pakistan

team for winning the Asia Cup after a hightension final against Bangladesh. The president and the prime minister congratulated the players, coach, manager and the officials for winning the Asia Cup. The PCB chairman besides congratulating the Pakistan team also praised the efforts of the Bangladesh team.

Bangladesh made history by reaching their first-ever Asia Cup final with a comfortable five-wicket win over Sri Lanka, four-time winner of the tournament, on Tuesday night.

However, Pakistan halted their fairytale when they beat fighting Bangladesh in the final.

Amir Atlas in Pak Int’l Squash semis LAHORE STAff RePoRT

The semi-finals line-up of the 2nd FMC Pakistan International Squash Circuit-I, 2012 were decided on Thursday with the top seeded played making the last four.

In the quarter-finals, Amir Atlas Khan, Farhan Zaman, Aqib Hanif and Danish Atlas Khan beat their respective rivals with little resistance.

The semifinal matches will be played today at 2.30 pm and AVM Syed Razi Nawab, Senior Vice-President Pakistan Squash Federation will be the chief guest while in the second Mian Fazal Haq, Senior Vice Presi-

dent Punjab Squash Association will be the Chief Guest.

The final match will be played on March 24 (tomorrow). Farooq Shahid, MD FMC United (Pvt) Ltd. will be the chief guest.

RESULTS Amir Atlas Khan (Pak) beat Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari 5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-2 (3-2) 70 Min Danish Atlas Khan (Pak) beat M. Saqib Yousaf (Pak) 11-1, 11-3, 11-13, 11-3 (3-1) 55 Min Farhan Zaman (Pak) beat Kashif Shuja (NZL) 11-9, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5 (3-2) 64 Min Aqib Hanif (Pak) beat Owais Khan (Pak) 9-11, 11-4, 11-2, 13-11 (3-1) 36 Min.

islamabad, Police in Dar Hockey final lAhORe: Islamabad has qualified for the final o the 1st All Pakistan Munir Dar Gold Cup Hockey Tournament being played at Bahawalpur Stadium. Islamabad will take on Pakistan Army in the final. Army beat Air Force 4-1 and Islamaad beat Police 2-1. Pervaiz Tari and Saeed Rasool were the chief guests of the matches. STAff RePoRT

Button fears Malaysian wash-out SEPAnG AfP

Formula One pace-setter Jenson Button Thursday warned Malaysia's notorious downpours could decide this week's grand prix after winning the washed-out edition in 2009. The McLaren driver said the fast-running Sepang circuit was a very different proposition to last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, where he seized control of the new season with victory at Melbourne's parkland lay-out. But he said Malaysia's frequent torrential rain was the unknown factor that had the potential to throw teams' plans into disarray, or even end the race altogether. "It's so different to last weekend. It's very fast and flowing and it's very smooth compared to a street circuit," But-

ton said. "And it's one of those places where you really don't know what the weather's going to do.

Previously when I won here the race was cut short because of a red flag. That's the thing -- it doesn't just rain, it chucks it down.

"So if it does rain we hope we can continue racing because it's a great circuit." Button's sole win at Sepang, near Kuala Lumpur, came when officials were forced to call off the grand prix mid-race when a tumultuous storm made the track undriveable. Button, in the lead at the time of the stoppage, went on to win that year's drivers' championship. On Thursday afternoon, sporadic heavy rain soaked sweltering Sepang as drivers visited the track. Free practice starts on Friday morning and the race begins at 4:00 pm (0800 GMT) on Sunday.

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

McIlroy enjoys cheering girlfriend Wozniacki MIAMI AfP

Former World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy is taking some time off from preparing for next month's Masters to support girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at the WTA and ATP hardcourt event in Miami.

McIlroy, who led after the first three rounds at last year's Masters only to fade in the back nine on Sunday, enjoys watching Denmark's Wozniacki, the fourth seed who will open this week against Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. "Tennis events have a different atmosphere," McIlroy said in comments posted on the WTA website.

"It's packed into a smaller space so there's a little more buzz going on. It's a nice change to be on the other side of the ropes, being a supporter. I've

secretaries meeting for sindh games

been to a lot of tennis tournaments the last few months." Northern Ireland's McIlroy, who lives nearby, was World No. 1 for two weeks after winning the US PGA Honda Classic earlier this month but England's Luke Donald won last week to end McIlroy's brief first global golf reign.

McIlroy appeared with Wozniacki on Tuesday and the story of a "no junk food" bet he lost to Wozniacki was revealed. McIlroy lost when he enjoyed a slice of his mother's birthday cake. Wozniacki received a diamond bracelet as a result. "He's a very bad liar so he actually told me straight away afterwards," Wozniacki said. "He was like, 'I feel guilty.'

I said, 'Don't feel guilty. I feel great!'" McIlroy might get his chance at a rematch, however. "I was thinking to make another one because it was too easy," Wozniacki said. "He didn't even last two weeks."

PBCC to probe in blind team’s poor show against India

KARACHI STAff RePoRT

The Chef de Mission of Karachi Division for the forthcoming Sindh Games, Zahid Rizvi has called the meeting of All Karachi Zone discipline secretaries. The meeting has bee called to on March 24 at SSB Sports Complex Nazim Abad to discuss the details about the traveling, accommodation and match events schedules at Mirpurkhas. Zahid also expressed his delighted to announce that the sprint queen of South Asia Naseem Hameed will also grace the Games as special invitee. He added that all teams are selected on merit and he was confident to retain Mohinjo daro Trophy this time as well. Meanwhile, the Karachi Tennis Association has finalized the names of both male and female tennis teams which will represent Karachi zone in the games.

The selection committee was comprised Sarwar Husain (secretary KTA East) and Mohammad Fahim (secretary KTA South). The men team: Khalid Ali Nazar, Fahim Ramzan, Robin Das, Fahad Khan, Suroor Khan (official). Women: Hania Naveed, Urooj Iltifat, Neha Khan, Wania Khan, Hajra Nadeem (official).

ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has set a four-member committee to probe in national team’s dismal performance against India in the ODI and Twenty-20 series held at Chennai this month.

India’s blind cricket team beat Pakistan both in the Twenty-20 and ODI series. The committee comprises Imran Ahmad Sheikh as chairman while members include Tariq Mehmood Awan, Bilal Satti and Yousaf Haroon. Talking to APP, Syed Sultan

Shah, Chairman PBCC and senior vicepresident of the World Blind Cricket Council said, “The committee will submit its report to PBCC on April 16. We never lost to any team so poorly. I am really disappointed with the team’s poor show.”

Sultan blamed the aging players and their physical fitness for the national team’s defeat against India.

“Some players in the team are getting old and are not physically up to the mark,” he mentioned.

Sultan said a lot of changes are expected in the team before the Blind

Cricket World Cup to be played in December this year at Bangalore, India.

“We won’t be including the aging players in the team and instead young players would be given the chance,” Sultan said adding that Masood Jan, Muhammad Fayaz, Muhammad Shahbaz and Ch. Muhammad Mudassar’s future to be named in the World Cup squad is at stake.

“Anees Javed’s performance wasn’t up to the mark in the recent tour to India and he too would have to earn his name in the mega event’s squad,” he said.

Sultan further pointed at the team’s poor running between the wickets in the series against India and said there are chances that Abdul Razzaq won’t lead the team in the World Cup. “He isn’t performing well and he will have to earn his name in the team now,” Sultan concluded.

However Pakistan blind cricket team captain Abdul Razzaq has said he would retire after this year’s World Cup. “I would run an academy for blind cricketers at Lahore after my retirement. I want to give youngsters a chance to come up and play after my retirement,” he said.

Tiger back at full strength for Bay Hill test ORLAnDO AfP

orLaNDo: Holly sonders of the golf channel during the pro-am as a preview for the 2012 arnold Palmer invitational presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill club and Lodge. AfP

Tiger Woods says he is back at full strength after a tendon strain and physically ready for the challenge of eight rounds in eight days that he faces playing this week's PGA event at Bay Hill.

Woods comes into the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his final tuneup for the Masters in two weeks at Augusta National, after a practice round last Sunday at Augusta, the two-day Tavistock Cup exhibition and a practice round Wednesday.

"I feel really good now," Woods said. "That's just because of treatment. I've had some good therapists on board and they've done some really good work." Woods withdrew in the final round of the World Golf Championships event at Doral earlier this month with tightness in his left Achilles tendon, sparking concerns that nagging injuries had returned to foil yet another season.

The 14-time major champion, chasing the all-time record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, pulled out after hitting a tee shot on the 12th hole in the last round of his third consecutive tournament in as many weeks. In making his recovery with the Masters in mind, Woods decided to test his endurance and stamina with a Sunday practice round, then the Tavistock team exhibition the past two days and at Bay Hill, where he has won six times. "It felt great at Augusta and that was the test," Woods said. "I played Tavistock because of that test and here I am ready to go." Woods said that the Achilles tightness could return without warning but noted that he recognizes the signs of trouble and has learned that proper treatment at the proper time gets the situation back to normal.

"That's one of the reasons why I wasn't really that concerned about it, that I would come back and play these

events, because when it gets that tight, treatment for two or three days, it's all fine, all the swelling goes way and I'm good to go," Woods said.

Woods felt a twinge of pain in his back on Wednesday when a photographer took a picture of him in the middle of his downswing and he stopped, but said his back loosened up and felt fine. Time has taught Woods not to play through the injuries when they happen.

"I used to be able to just kind of play through it, but then again, that's also set me back and one of the reasons why I had surgeries is that I would ignore those and just kind of play through it," Woods said. "I had success, but the problem is, it was also detriment at the same time physically.

"I've changed my practice routine based on that.

If things aren't feeling right, I just won't hit balls for four or five hours. I'll go work on something else." Woods tried to play through knee and Achilles injuries last year and made his injuries worse, forcing him to miss the US and British Opens. Tournament host Palmer says he sees flashes of Woods in his prime in the form that Woods has shown, even though Woods has not won a tour-sanctioned event since November of 2009. "I'm watching him swing and I'm watching him play, and I see some moments of the oldfashioned Tiger that is very good," Palmer said.

"He's strong enough and smart enough to do the things that he always did. It's just a matter of getting it in the proper order to make him play the kind of golf that he played in the past 20 years. "If I were making a prediction, I would say, look out, because one of these days, he's going to come back and play pretty good golf." Palmer's event will not include World No. 1 Luke Donald or World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, both choosing to rest in the two weeks prior to the year's first major.

wapda secure third place in challenge cup LAHORE STAff RePoRT

Wapda has o Thursday secured third position in the KPT National Football Challenge Cup-2012 at Karachi. WAPDA beat Navy 4-1 on penalty kicks at the KPT Football Stadium. WAPDA got its goal through Zulfqar Shah (FW & Captain) 1 Goal @ 59 minute and Muhammad Afzal (FW) 1 Goal @ 69 Minute. (1 goal each by Rana Fakhar Hayat, Zulfqar Shah, Akram Masih and Muhammad Shahid in Penalty Shout out).

Navy’s scorers were Sajjad Ahmed (FW) @ 7 Minute, Muhammad Ramzan (DF) through Penalty Kick @ 27 Minute (1 goal

by Shahid Muneer in Penalty Shoot out).

The final of the event will be played on Friday when KRL will take on KESC at the KPT Football Stadium, Karachi.

teams reach Lahore for int’l cycle race LAHORE STAff RePoRT

All the participating of the Lahore to Sahiwal International Cycle Race has reached the city to take part in the event which will paddle off on March 23 from Punjab Stadium. Idris Haier Khawaja, Secretary General Pakistan Cycling Federation, said that the participating teams from Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtun Khwa and Punjab and Aftghanistan arrived here while all the arrangements of the race have been finalised. Rana Mashood, Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly and Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman Minister for Education, Excise and Taxation will be the chief guest of the occasion and will flag off the race for Sahiwal at 08.45 am. The commissioner and DCO Sahiwal will be the chief guest to welcome the race at Sahiwal and after lunch break will give away the cash prizes of Rs 100,000 to the first six position holders of the race.

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Friday, 23 March, 2012

sports 21 WaTCh iT LivE ESPN Sports Center 07:30PM

teen titan thompson seeks another LPga win CARLSBAD AfP

KEY BISCAYNE: Kim Clijsters returns the ball to Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. AFP

Kleybanova makes moving comeback after cancer fight MIAMI

Williams, Clijsters make triumphant returns MIAMI

AfP

Russia's Alisa Kleybanova, a former top20 player who missed the past 10 months battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, is making an inspirational return to the WTA Tour this week at Miami.

Kleybanova defeated 64th-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday to reach a second-round matchup on Friday against compatriot Maria Kirilenko, the 22nd seed who lost her only career meeting with Kleybanova.

"I still feel like I'm building my game, and it'll take time before I reach my highest level," Kleybanova said.

"I'm just going to try to get better with every match. I hope the good results will come, but I'm not going onto the court just thinking of winning. Who knows what will happen in the next one?"

Kleybanova's comeback on and off the court at the $9.6 million hardcourt event played alongside an ATP event captured the attention of her fellow players, including World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

"Highlight of my day yesterday was seeing Alisa Kleybanova being on the tennis court back winning! so happy for her!" Azarenka said in a message on her Twitter website.

Surrendering two service breaks in the first set Kleybanova battled back to advance, breaking in the fourth game of the second set and holding into the third, where she jumped ahead 4-0 to seize command.

"For everyone else it's just the first round but for me it was very emotional," she said. "I'll always remember it. It will always be the first match of my comeback.

"I felt I was playing better the more I was on the court. It's not just about the win though, it's that I'm back on court.

"If I didn't win, it's not like I would have been mad. I was just happy to be playing points, feeling all the emotions again... it's something I missed a lot."

F

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ORMER world number ones Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters made triumphant returns to the WTA after long layoffs with victories on Wednesday at the WTA and ATP Miami hardcourt tournament. Seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who has not played a WTA event since pulling out of last year's US Open, defeated Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-3 in 77 minutes. "It was great to be back out there," Williams said. "It was definitely a bit nerve-wracking... but I was able to get a great start and settle in and play well against a really difficult opponent. It was definitely an ideal start."

Williams announced at last year's US Open she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren syndrome, an illness that saps her energy and causes pain in her joints. "Just to be in this tournament is a huge win for me," Williams said. "That's what I told myself going in, that this is a win. I have nothing to lose. I just tried to get in the tournament. There were a lot of tournaments I didn't make." Williams, who did play doubles for the US Fed Cup team last month, pulled out of last year's US Open after a first-round victory. "At this point in time it's important for me to play smart," Williams said. "I'm an attacker. That's what I do best and that's what I tried to do today. I don't have the time to give any points away. I have to stay really focused on my game plan.

"The good thing is I'm playing well.

I know how to play, so I haven't lost any steam in that, the fact that I can play tennis. That's comforting for me."

Belgium's Clijsters, playing for the first time since her Australian Open semi-final loss to World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, rallied to eliminate Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. "It's al-

Lexi Thompson, the 17-year-old US prodigy who became the youngest winner in LPGA history last September, takes aim at another title starting Thursday at the $1.7 million LPGA Kia Classic.

Thompson won the LPGA Navistar Classic by five strokes and was given a tour membership after becoming the youngest tour champion at 16 years, eight months and eight days. Now she gets to enjoy an official rookie season.

"I'm just going to focus on my goals and what I want to improve on my game," Thompson said. "I'm really happy with where my game is at. To get that win gave me a lot more confidence.

"I've been working on a lot of short game, putting a lot, doing my putting drills. But the specific thing I'm working on my ball striking is just posture, keeping my posture good and a good set-up."

Scott Thompson, Lexi's father, served as her caddie last season, but he now carries the clubs for older son Nicholas on the US PGA's developmental tour, with Lexi's clubs in the hands of veteran bagman Greg Johnston. "Greg knows pretty much every golf course and knows it really well," said Thompson. "He has a lot of experience so hopefully it will help me out in the long run, and hopefully he'll be on my bag for a while."

Thompson will challenge a field at LaCosta that includes World No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan, who won her second title in four starts this year at last week's LPGA Founders Cup. Tseng has 14 career LPGA victories and became the fastest LPGA player to win $8 million, doing so in 99 events over four years, one month and two days.

Retired Mexican star Lorena Ochoa held the old mark of 115 events over four years, four months and 16 days.

Sandra Gal of Germany is the defending champion of the event, the final tuneup for next week's first major championship of the season, the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Rancho Mirage.

"This week is all about trying to prepare yourself as good as possible so can you go into next week with lots of energy and kind of stress-free," said World No. 3 Suzann Pettersen of Norway.

World No. 2 Na Yeon Choi of South Korea, Japan's Ai Miyazato and reigning US Women's Open champion So Yeon Ryu of South Korea are also in the field.

ishikawa vows not to abandon Japan ORLAnDO AfP

KeY BiscaYNe: venus williams in action against Kimiko Date Krumm during the sony ericsson open at crandon Park tennis center. AfP ways tough to get that first match rhythm under your belt," Clijsters said.

"When it comes down to my game I felt I wasn't quite going through my shots as I should have. "I was just trying to find that rhythm, but on the other hand maybe forgetting to still play aggressive tennis. But as I started to feel more comfortable with the conditions and being in

a match situation again I was hitting better, and that definitely showed in the second and third sets." Clijsters, who won at Miami in 2005 and 2010, skipped last week's Indian Wells tournament to rest her injured ankle, the latest in a list of ailments in the past year that has also included a bad shoulder, wrist and abdomen worries.

New US PGA Tour special temporary member Ryo Ishikawa plans on spending plenty of time at events in Japan even as he works towards being able to play a full schedule in America one day. The 20year-old Japanese sensation, speaking on the eve of his Thursday start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, Florida, said he will not abandon playing in home events, at least in the near future. But in Tokyo, the Japanese daily Nikkan Sports reported that Ishikawa's camp had started "research" on a house where he would base himself in preparation for his "fullscale participation in the US tour next year." "Long term, yes, it's my dream to be playing the majority of events over here," Ishikawa said in Orlando. "But it wouldn't happen in the near future because the Japanese Tour helped me reach where I am. I'm really grateful for what I have in Japan. "For physical reasons, the time difference and geological differences, distance-wise, for my physical state, I think it's better to stay over here (in the US) and play. That would be the ideal situation. But in the near future, no."

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