E-paper PakistanToday KHI 15th December, 2011

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Imran dares govt to keep people away from Karachi rally

Cabinet committee shelves privatisation plan for PSEs

British prime minister snubs calls to renegotiate with EU

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PROFIT | PAGE 01

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rs15.00 vol ii no 168 22 pages Karachi —

pakistantoday.com.pk

edition

Gilani hits back at ‘conspirators’ g g

PM says an incumbent parliamentarian is still in touch with Mansoor Ijaz Says Zardari was sent for treatment in Dubai because of threats to his life ISLAMABAD TAHIR NIAZ

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani hit back on Wednesday at the ‘conspirators’ who took the memogate controversy to the Supreme Court, saying an incumbent parliamentarian was still in touch with Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, who was a man of “questionable credentials”.

“I would not name him but I want to tell you that a sitting parliamentarian is still in touch with Mansoor Ijaz,” the prime minister insisted while responding to the points raised by members of the Upper House of parliament regarding the memogate scandal. The prime minister said: “If they (conspirators) have taken the issue to the Supreme Court to prove who was behind the memo, their intentions are very clear.

Should we take a certificate of patriotism from someone? If so, we should rather

say goodbye to politics,” he added.

Though the prime minister said he had no objection to the conspirators’ move to take the issue to the apex court, he termed it a conspiracy against

the president who, he added, was part of parliament. “What do they (conspirators) want to achieve?” he asked, adding that Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani was made to resign. However, he said no one should be condemned unheard.

“I took the resignation from Haqqani in the presence of the president, army chief and ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) DG,” he said, adding that Haqqani had been given a chance to clarify his position. The premier said Wali Khan, Maulana Maudodi and Nawab Akbar Bugti had also been declared traitors. “This trend should come to an end… otherwise I fear another debacle like East Pakistan,” he warned. He warned further that the country could face disintegration if the constitution was not adhered to in letter and spirit. continued on page 04

‘Pasha sought Arab approval to oust Zardari’ MONITORING DESK In a claim that is all but guaranteed to send further shock waves ripping through Pakistan’s corridors of power, British newspaper The Independent said in an article published on Wednesday that the ‘evidence’ offered by PakistaniAmerican businessman Mansoor Ijaz, a central figure in the memogate controversy, in support of his allegations also revealed a second clandestine, rival plot to remove President Asif Ali Zardari

from office. The article quotes a section of the Blackberry Messenger (BBM) conversation where Ijaz informs the recipient on the other end – he claims that it was Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani - that “senior Arab leaders” had given the green light for Zardari to be evicted from the Presidency, merely hours after the memo highlighting the president’s own plight with the continued on page 04

was there ever going to be a coup? | page 15

thursday, 15 december, 2011 Muharram-ul-haram 19, 1433

Zardari discharged from hospital but no word on return g

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President moves to his residence in Dubai Health certificate reports left arm numbness, transient episode of loss of consciousness ISLAMABAD

P

MIAN ABRAR

RESIDENT Asif Ali Zardari got a clean bill of health from his physicians on Wednesday and was discharged from hospital to move to his Dubai residence for rest, finally putting to rest speculations about his condition.

However, there was no clear word from the government whether or not the president would return and take rest at the Presidency or if he would be resting at his residence in Jumeirah, a posh residential area in Dubai.

“Actually, it has not yet been decided whether [his] rest at home will be in Dubai or in Islamabad. It depends on whether doctors permit him to travel after discharge. It should be clear tomorrow, God willing,” said Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar when asked if the president would return before December 27 to attend the death anniversary of his wife, slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The certificate issued by the American Hospital further confused the situation as it said: “All investigations were within normal

range and he was kept for observation for a few more days and (he) is planned to be discharged on December 15, 2011, to rest at home as advised and to continue on his regular heart medications.” This again added to the controversy about his return, as there was no specific mention about how long he was advised to rest and whether he was in a condition to travel. continued on page 04

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02 News Today’s

Thursday, 15 December, 2011

ISlAMABAD

NewS

woRlD vIew

A ‘model’ public school without furniture, toilets

ppp grills pMl-N over Maryam Nawaz’s political launch

Muslim veils are sartorial apartheid

Story on Page 08

Story on Page 10

Quick Look

Story on Page 15

TIP complains against alleged CDA cartel for award of Rs 3b contract Islamabad: The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) on Wednesday brought the attention of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman to a complaint regarding an alleged cartel being formed by the CDA officers for awarding a contract of over Rs 3 billion. The letter written by TIP to the CDA chairman said that the complainant had reported that the CDA officials had formed a carted to award the Rs 3 billion contract of the Park Enclave Infrastructure work to a pre-selected contractor. The complainant said that his firm, enlisted as No Limit Contractor for past 20 years with the CDA, had not been pre-qualified for the contract, though they had complied with all the requirements as per the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, including the PPRA Regulations of July 2008, for application of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs). “Kindly institute a committee, comprising of odd number of persons, with proper powers and authorisations, to address the complaints of bidders according to the requirement of Rule No 48, and the committee shall investigate and decide upon the complaint within 15 days of the receipt of the complaint,” the TIP said. The TIP said that the principal accounting officer responsible for CDA shall conduct an administrative review under the PPRA Notification dated February 10, 2010, on the findings of the complaint and take action in accordance with the conduct rules in the event of an unfair procurement process. The CDA chairman should ensure that the CDA officials do not violate the PPRA Rules, and readvertise this tender to avoid the charges of mis-procurement under Rule No 50, if the complaint was found to be correct, said the letter. “This act is also termed as a collusive practice under the Rule No 2 (f). Collusive practices among the bidders (prior to or after bid submission) are designed to establish bid prices at artificial, non-competitive levels and to deprive the procuring agencies of the benefits of free and open competition,” concluded the TIP. MIAN ABRAR

Abbottabad commission briefed at ISI headquarters Islamabad: The members of the commission probing US Abbottabad raid on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and to get briefing from the agency officials investigating the incident. An official said the commission members also evaluated evidence found in the compound used by Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Though the ISI and security officials had already briefed the commission on the incident, however, for further investigation, it was decided that the commission members should visit the agency’s headquarter and it would be provided the evidence collected by agency from the compound allegedly used by Osama bin Laden. Although the ISI and security officials have already briefed the commission on the incident, however for further investigations, it was decided that the commission members visit the spy agency’s headquarters. According to an official, former ambassador Hussain Haqqani, who was earlier summoned on December 14, has now been asked to appear before the commission on December 19 to answer allegations that he ignored diplomatic procedures while issuing hundreds of visas to American spies. Former information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed would also appear before the commission on December 18 to record his statement. He would also present before the commission relevant record about the visas issued to US operatives by Haqqani. STAff RepoRT

President’s reply in memogate case as per law, says Babar Islamabad: President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar on Wednesday said President Asif Ali Zardari would file his reply with the Supreme Court as per law and the constitution. Babar, however, evaded more comments when asked if the president would meet the SC deadline to submit the reply. Sources told Online that army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani and ISI DG Lt Gen Shuja Pasha would file their replies through the attorney general. oNlINe

SWAT: Govt High School Qambar students studying in the open after the school building was destroyed by terrorists. ONLINE

Sovereignty to be on top of new terms with NATO, ISAF: Gilani

Tareen group to join PTI in few days ISLAMABAD STAff RepoRT

PM says let’s wait for discussions on drone attacks whenever dialogue resumes between Pakistan and US

g

PESHAWAR SHAMIM SHAHId

Reaffirming his government’s stance on ensuring the country’s sovereignty, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said it would be on top of priorities in the new terms of engagements with NATO and ISAF in the ongoing war on terror.

“Let the recommendations come first, but I need assurance and guarantee on the sovereignty of my country,” Gilani said in a press conference at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor’s House on Wednesday. He said unilateral actions like the Mohmand attack should not be taken in the future.

Asked about Pakistan’s stance on US drone attacks and other issues, the prime minister said, “So far we are disgruntled, let us wait for discussions on such matters whenever the dialogue resumes between the two sides.” He, however, defended government’s steps of halting supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The prime minister said that in reaction to the Mohmand strike, “the government’s decisions was in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the joint session of parliament and All-Parties Conference”. He said the decision was in accordance with the expectations of the masses and endorsed by the recently-held ambassador’s conference. On relations with

Afghanistan, Gilani said, “A sovereign, independent, stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. We and Afghan leadership realise that we both suffered from terrorism. We have to wage a joint struggle against violence and terrorism.”

Commenting on relations with Afghanistan, Gilani said others could come and go back, but “we have to stay here”. He said issues regarding strengthening of relations with Afghanistan could be fixed in new terms and conditions with NATO and ISAF. The prime minister avoided commenting on media reports regarding streamlining of affairs between the civilian government and military, saying “I am unaware of such reports.”

He, however, said that “all institutions perform according to the constitution”. Expressing pleasure with the federal cabinet’s meeting in Peshawar, Gilani said, it was helpful in discussing public sector development strategies.

He said the federal government allocated funds for Lowari Tunnel, Chashma Right Bank Canal and High Way in Mansehra according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s proposals and priorities. He directed for an early completion of remaining portion of the Peshawar Bypass. Besides chairing the federal cabinet meeting, Gilani attended joint parliamentary party meeting and a gathering of PPP stalwarts and activists at the Governor’s House.

Under the leadership of Jahangir Khan Tareen, leaders from the Pakistan Muslim LeagueFunctional (PML-F) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) are likely to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) on December 19. The Tareen-led group made the decision after PTI Chairman Imran Khan expressed reluctance in forging an alliance with any political party. Previously, the group was mulling the option of having an alliance with the PTI after getting a new political party registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). A source close to the dissident group told Pakistan Today on Wednesday that the likeminded leaders would now join the PTI just before its Karachi rally scheduled for December 25. “Around a dozen former and sitting parliamentarians mainly from the PMLQ including Jamal Leghari, Awais Legahari, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Ishaq Khakwani, Jaffar Leghari, Nasrullah Dareshak, Sikandar Khan Bosan and Jahangir Tareen from the PML-F are set to join the PTI,” the source said. He said the group was mulling how sitting parliamentarians like Tareen and Legharis would tackle legal challenges in case they joined the PTI without tendering resignations to parliament. The Tareen-led group has met numerous times in the last few weeks in Lahore and Islamabad to decide the group’s future course of action.

When contacted, Ghulam Sarwar Khan said they were having consultations but the final decision would be taken in the meeting today (Thursday) in Islamabad.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

News 03

foReIgN NewS

ARTS & eNTeRTAINMeNT

Jewish extremists attack Jerusalem mosque

Beauty queen fined after pretending to be sister eCB denies Sharjah snub linked to match-fixing Coping with the hype:

SPoRTS

CoMMeNT Realism needs to prevail in the current standoff with the US.

Reforms: Is there really any need?

Nazir Naji says: Security? What security: A defeated notion still kept alive.

dr James Zogby said: Partial much?: The Republican candidates’ Israel bias.

Imran Husain says: Canning democracy: The current crop of politicos won’t do.

Story on Page 18

Story on Page 16

Story on Page 20

Articles on Page 12-13

Punjab govt succeeds in delaying LB polls for another 6 months LAHORE

D

NASIR BuTT

ESPITE opposition’s several attempts to sabotage the official business of the treasury on Wednesday, the Punjab government succeeded in getting the provincial assembly’s nod to legalise its wish of delaying the local body elections for another six months.

In its 32nd session chaired by Deputy Speaker Rana Mashud, the Punjab Assembly deliberated on a number of legislations tabled by Minister Nadeem Kamran in absence of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.

Interestingly, the opposition members having prior knowledge of

official business for the day, willfully created quorum issue several times and members of the opposition left the assembly during the proceeding.

Legislators of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Syed Hassan Murtaza and Semal Kamran separately pointed out the lack of quorum to foil the treasury’s bid to table important legislations, but the government successfully manged the quorum and completed the official business of the day.

With the passage of Hindu Disposition of property (Amendment) Bill 2011, The Punjab Conferment of Proprietary Rights on Occupancy Tenants and Muqarraridars Bill 2011, was put deferred.

This bill would be presented for passage later on. A total of ten bills presented in the House were referred to house committees.

These bills included The Walled City of Lahore Bill, The Punjab Local Government (Second Amendment) Bill 2011, The Ghazi University, DG Khan Bill 2011, The Punjab Civil Servants (Amendment)Bill 2011, The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment)) Bill 2011, The Punjab Public Defender Service Act 2007 (Repeal) Bill 2011, The Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Amendment ) Bill 2011, The Punjab Public Service Commission (Amendment ) Bill 2011, The Settlement Commissioners (Validation of Orders ) (Repeal) Bill 2011, and The

NA speaker accepts Nisar’s resignation as PAC chairman Govt reluctant to call joint session of parliament: Nisar

Punjabi Taliban attacked PNS Mehran: attacker’s wife The wife of a militant killed in the attack on a Naval airbase in Karachi has said that Punjabi Taliban were involved in the ambush, a TV channel quoted police sources on Wednesday. Sabeeha, who is in police custody, said her husband Qari Shahid had brought five terrorists for attacking the base and two for an attack on the CID, Police Lines. She also divulged that Shahid was aided by Jandullah terrorists for planting a bomb to target the Malir police in Karachi. MoNIToRING deSk

Islamabad: Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday said the government was shying away from summoning a joint session of the parliament, and that he wanted to raise questions on President Asif Ali Zardari’s health in the National Assembly on Thursday (today). “The government should stop concealing facts from the nation.

The people on the streets want to know the truth about the president,” he said while talking to reporters. He also targeted Imran Khan, asking him to declare the details of assets he possessed in the past 35 years. He said that he was amazed how Imran could have purchased land for a house in Islamabad by selling his flat in London. “Has he sold his flat or the Buckingham Palace,” he asked. STAff RepoRT

ISLAMABAD STAff RepoRT

As National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza accepted the resignation of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan from the office of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, the PPP is likely to give the lucrative position to party’s Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira after making an

offer to the PML-N under the Charter of Democracy. “The government will ask opposition leader Nisar Ali Khan to appoint new chairman of the PAC from opposition members following the Charter of Democracy (CoD). But as we know, the PML-N leader will refuse the request, the government

will play to the galleries on the issue and later slot may be given to some PPP MNA most likely to Qamar Zaman Kaira,” said a PPP leader.

Fehmida accepted Nisar’s resignation on Wednesday and a notification in this regard was issued by the National Assembly’s Secretariat.

Evacuee Property and Displaced Persons Laws (Repeal) Amendment Bill 2011.

Besides tabling the bills, Minister Nadim Kamran replied to a number of queries about the Food Department, saying the government had established centres of wheat procurement in Lahore in Rakh Chabeel, Raiwind, Burki and Kahna.

He said in 2009-10, a total of 64,255 metric tonnes of wheat was bought in Lahore district.

He said in Hafizabad district, a total of 15,500 metric tonnes of wheat could be hoarded and in Chiniot, 36 godowns were available for the wheat.

The House was later adjourned until today (Thursday).

Pakistan and China hold talks on human rights Islamabad: Pakistan and China held consultations on human rights issues in Islamabad on Wednesday. The Chinese delegation was led by Special Representative on Human Rights Qi Xiaoxia, deputy director general at the Department of International Organisations and Conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Asif Durrani, director general at the United Nations, led the Pakistani side. “The two sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues in the multilateral human rights field and on further strengthening cooperation in the UN human rights bodies particularly the Human Rights Council and the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly,” said a foreign office statement. Both sides underlined the importance of pursuing dialogue and cooperative approaches at the multilateral level based on the UN charter. STAff RepoRT

Imran vows to go ahead with Karachi rally g

warns govt not to try and stop people from attending public meeting LAHORE/GUJRANWALA STAff RepoRT

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Wednesday that he was committed to holding his procession in Karachi on December 25 against all odds, and warned the government not to try and stop the tsunami of people who would attend.

The PTI chief was holding a press conference at his Zaman Park residence, where 18 politicians including former Punjab chief minister Mian Afzal Hayat and Hussain Jahaniyan Gerdaizi joined the PTI. Khan said in the current political situation, only a change could save the country and in Karachi he would gather more people than he did at his public gathering at Minare-Pakistan, Lahore. He said the war on ter-

ror did not give Pakistan anything other than destruction and he had always opposed it, so Pakistan should refrain from being part of it in future. “We will not be the slaves of anyone, we want friendship with everyone,” said the cricketer-turned-politician.

He said December 25 was an important date for him since it was the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam. He said it was a sign of revolution that the children of other political leaders were joining his party and across the country, people were becoming a part of his party on their children’s request. He said that these youngsters would bring a revolution in the country and this was the same youth who had supported him a lot when he was collecting funds for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. He said he was glad that seeing the success of the PTI, Pak-

istan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders had started being mindful of the rights of their workers because they were ignored and deprived. He guaranteed that there would be no corruption in the government if his party was elected into power. Later, addressing a convention of Christians in Green Town, Khan said he wanted to turn Pakistan into a just and harmonious state where people of all religions and creeds lived like brothers. Speaking at a ceremony in Gujranwala later, Khan welcomed into the party former PML-N MPA SA Hameed. Former PML-Quaid MPA Ashraf Butt, Barrister Ali Ashraf and six former presidents of the Chamber of Commerce Sheikh Muhammad Aslam, Shaukat Javaid, Nawaz Ahmed Bajwa, Asad Elahi, Rana Shahzad Hafeez and Khalid Mahmood Chadda also joined the PTI.

lAHoRe: The pTI chairman addressing a minorities convention at Green Town on Wednesday. GNI

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04 News

Thursday, 15 December, 2011

‘Cross-border movement breaches sovereignty’ ISLAMABAD STAff RepoRT

Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali on Wednesday urged Pakistan and Afghanistan not to let anyone use their lands for carrying out attacks against each other, saying that cross-border movement of terrorists breaches the sovereignty of Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting of the ANP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), Asfandyar Wali said that he had appeared before the Abbottabad Commission on Tuesday and expressed his party’s point of view. “The incident of May 2, being an extraordinary violation of Pakistan’s air space,

could not be ignored but the sovereignty of Pakistan was also being violated by the Uzbek, Arab and other foreign terrorists in their movement from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Had Pakistan not let such violations of its sovereignty take place, the incident of May 2 would not have happened. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan must ensure that that they will not let anyone to use their lands against each other,” Asfandyar Wali said.

He also endorsed the two measures of the Pakistan government, closing the NATO supplies and getting Shamsi Airbase vacated from the US, in retaliation to the NATO strike in Mohmand Agency.

Answering a question regarding threat to the democratic system in the country, the ANP president said that as a matter of principle, the democratic process should not be interrupted. “We, being a democratic party, have reiterated that we are against any interruption in the democratic political system. Otherwise, I do not apprehend any threat to democracy in the country,” Asfandyar said.

Regarding the petition

by Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) in the Supreme Court on the memogate issue, Asfandyar said that the PML-N should have asked the parliament to take up the matter prior to moving the court.

Pasha sought continued froM page 1 Pakistani military was delivered to Admiral Mike Mullen, seeking help from the US to rein in an army furious at the May 2 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden. “I was just informed by senior US intel that GDSII Mr P asked for, and received permission, from senior Arab leaders a few days ago to sack Z. For what its worth,” Ijaz writes in a message on May 10 according to The Independent. “In his hasty typing, where he manages to turn ‘DG-ISI’ into an anagram, Ijaz was saying that top American spooks have told him that Lieut. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha secured a green light from Gulf potentates to overthrow the government,” says the article.

Ijaz told the newspaper in a phone interview from London a few days ago that when the memo was being written, he wanted to independently verify whether the Zardari government was really in trouble.

“One of the things I had done,” he explained, “was to make sure that a senior person that I know in US intelligence would have had the opportunity to review what was about to sent over.”

This, he said, was why Leon Panetta came to know of the

memo, hinting at a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) link.

Ijaz told The Independent that he felt the measure was necessary “to make sure that there was nothing we were doing that was against US interests”. The “wellplaced source” got back to him about a day later. “And the person told me that their information was that Pasha had traveled to a few of the Arab countries to talk about what would be necessary to do in the event they had to remove Zardari from power and so forth,” Ijaz was quoted as saying.

When The Independent asked him if he found the information credible, a “slightly exasperated” Ijaz replied: “Of course I thought it was credible. I wouldn’t have repeated it if I didn’t. When I say, ‘a senior intel source,’ I mean senior.”

Based on this ‘credible’ information from his source, Ijaz claimed he had “confirmation that there was a real threat there at some point”.

“The question of whether the shadow of a coup ever fell on the early days of May lies at the very root of Memogate and remains unresolved. Ijaz has claimed that coup jitters spurred Haqqani into ac-

tion. Indeed, all claims in this regard emanate from Ijaz. They appeared in his column on the pink pages of the FT (Financial Times) and in the memo that he dispatched. Haqqani, by contrast, denies there was ever talk of a fourth phase of Pakistani military rule. The army and the ISI, at least on this occasion, won’t disagree with the former ambassador,” said the article.

The article goes on to say that the need for a coup “never arose” because before the memo even reached Admiral Mullen, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had already declared his support for the military and spy agency in no uncertain terms.

Gilani also did not call for the independent enquiry floated in the memo, handing the responsibility instead to the army’s adjutant general, and told The Independent a day later that the government, the army and the ISI were “all on the same page”.

The article states that the only person claiming that Lt General Pasha was indeed touring Arab capitals to muster support for a coup is Ijaz, and like other claims and accusations he made in the memogate controversy, this one also rests on his questionable credibility.

foreign Ministry to forward envoys’ proposals to parliamentary body ISLAMABAD

The 56-year-old Zardari had flown to Dubai on December 6 on health grounds on the insistence of his children in the midst of the memogate scandal over alleged attempts by one of his close aides to seek US help to limit the powers of the military leadership.

“Mr Asif Ali Zardari has been admitted to the American Hospital Dubai on Tuesday, 6 December 2011, with a chief complaint of left arm numbness and twitching with a transient episode of loss of consciousness that lasted for few seconds, which was witnessed,” said the certificate issued by Dr Khaldoun Taha, MD FACC, American Hospital, Dubai.

The certificate said further that upon arrival at the hospital’s Emergency Room, the president was fully awake and conscious with stable vital signs. “Given his

history of heart disease, cardiac and neurological investigations were carried out which included MRI of the brain, lumbar puncture, 2-D echocardiogram, carotid Doppler and complete blood test,” said the certificate.

When Babar was asked whether the president would return home before December 27, the spokesperson said: “I can’t give a definite date of (the president’s) return to Pakistan. It would depend on the doctor’s permission to travel.”

It was also officially announced on December 6 that the president had gone to Dubai for his routine medical tests and to meet his children. Interestingly, his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was present in Pakistan when the president left for Dubai, and one of his daughters was in Britain.

The president’s close aide and his physician, Petroleum

ISLAMABAD

SHAIq HuSSAIN

IRfAN BukHARI

The Foreign Ministry will present the recommendations of the Envoys’ Conference today (Thursday) before the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, which will meet here with Senator Raza Rabbani in the chair. The committee meeting has been convened to discuss the situation arising out of November 26 NATO air strikes in Mohmand Agency and to probe into the memo purportedly sent by President Asif Ali Zardari through Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador in Washington and Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistani-American businessman, to the Obama administration seeking help against a feared military coup in Pakistan.

The two-day Envoys’ Conference, which concluded on Tuesday, suggested the government to renegotiate two important accords on NATO supplies and logistic support to the United States.

The conference also asked for NATO apology over Mohmand agency’s strike in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed along with various other recommendations. The conference was held to draw a plan on how to revise the foreign policy and especially reshape the relations with the United States after the NATO attack. The Foreign Ministry will now present these recommendations before the parliamentary committee, which will give them a final shape along with its own recommendations on how to reshape Pakistan’s US policy. In his comments on Wednesday, Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said that after the NATO strikes on two Pakistani outposts in Mohmand Agency last month, Islamabad was forced to opt for a harder stance and take certain important decisions such as the suspension of NATO supplies and boycott of Bonn Conference. He said the agreement to give supply routes to NATO forces was clinched back in 2002 and presently it was in a written form, along with other pacts with the US.

HE government’s trouble-shooter, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, for the first time in the last three years admitted a failure when he told the federal cabinet on Wednesday that “despite best efforts”, he had failed to catch corrupt elements in the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM). Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had tasked the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in August 2009 to unearth corruption in the PSM. A source told Pakistan Today that during the debate in the federal cabinet meeting over restructuring of the PSM, Malik said some “mafias” had occupied the mills and its labour unions were continuously sabotaging the government’s efforts to revive the entity.

Zardari discharged from hospital continued froM page 1

Malik admits failure in unearthing PSM corruption

Minister Dr Asim Hussain, repeatedly said that the president was normal at when he left for Dubai and that he would return within three to four days.

Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Shah had claimed in a TV programme on Tuesday that the president would most likely return before December 27 to attend the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto. On Sunday, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told BBC that the president was making “rapid improvement”, but needed rest and would take two more weeks to return.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Wednesday that President Zardari was fine. “This is his (the president’s) own country. He can return whenever he wants,” he said.

Malik also said he would advise the president to take some rest.

T

Gilani hits back continued froM page 1 He said parliament should survive under all circumstances, even if the government and prime minister were sent home. Gilani asked the opponents to move a no-confidence motion against him or impeach the president if they did not like their faces. However, he challenged the opponents that they could not form a government if he resigned. He said the next government would also be a coalition government and general elections would be held on time. The prime minister said it was for the first time that the army chief, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman and ISI chief were made answerable to parliament. The government took bold decisions in the wake of the November 26 NATO attack, which also reflected the aspirations of the people of the country.

“Whether it is the NATO attack or the OBL operation, the government held the national interest supreme,” he said. Taking pride in the supremacy of parliament, the premier said the issue of the

“Rehman Malik said the labour unions of PSM were so headstrong that they were not allowing even sincere officers to work for the betterment of the mills and dictating their terms to the management,” the source said.

According to the source, Malik admitted that he had failed to unearth cases of corruption in the PSM through the FIA mainly due to the powerful “mafias” operating in the PSM. “Despite my serious and sincere efforts to bring corrupt elements of the PSM to the book as directed

by Prime Minister Gilani in 2009, I could not get transparent inquiry conducted by the FIA due to pressure tactics of such labour unions,” the source quoted Malik as saying.

In August 2009, Gilani had sacked then chairman of PSM Moeen Aftab Sheikh on graft charges and directed

the FIA to investigate the alleged corruption in the PSM. The Supreme Court also took suo motu notice of the issue and has reprimanded the FIA several times in the past two years for its lack of progress in the case. The source said the PPP ministers vowed in the cabinet meeting that the government would revive the PSM, as it was founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

“Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh told the cabinet that restructuring of the PSM was a must and bailout packages could not revive the sick mills. He (sheikh) told the cabinet that so far Rs 50 billion had been provided to the PSM, but to no avail,” the source said.

The source added that Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah and MQM ministers sought security for 20,000 PSM employees in case the mills were restructured.

NATO attack and memogate was referred to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. “You (parliamentarians) have to take the decision… now the decisions will be taken in parliament whether it is NATO, ISAF, Kashmir issue, policy on Afghanistan and US or the nuclear programme of the country,” he said.

On rumours regarding the health of the president, Gilani said he was not admitted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) for security reasons. “We, the family members rather, forced him to go to Dubai,” he added. He said the president could not go to PIMS even to enquire after the health of his ailing father because of security threats. On concerns expressed by the parliamentarians on the Balochistan situation, the prime minister said the committee constituted by the government on Balochistan would take all the parliamentarians into confidence on the issue. Terming the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) a reconciliation policy, he said there was no difference between the NRO and a plea bargain, and added that even dictators who came with the slogan of ending corruption could not eliminate the menace.

Two peace militiamen killed in Bara ambush LANDIKOTAL oNlINe

Militants attacked progovernment militia in the wee hours of Wednesday in Khyber Agency, killing two militiamen and a security official.

Sources said the peace lashkar was ambushed when it was on routine patrolling. Two volunteers were killed while another two were injured, officials said.

The militants also killed a security official after they kidnapped five security personnel.

The authorities have blamed Lashkar-e-Islam for the attack.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Displaying similarities between Christianity and Shi’ism Art exhibition 07

Additional portfolio lands electric power minister ‘in the dark’ ■ KeSC disconnects power supply to Sindh Information Ministry for defaulting on Rs 1.5 million bills ■ Shazia Marri holds the provincial information portfolio also KARACHI

I

GHulAM ABBAS

N the third incident within three days of power supply disconnections over payment default to buildings under the use of government officials, the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) on Wednesday cut off electricity supply to the Sindh Secretariat’s barrack 86 for non-payment of Rs 1.5 million bills, pushing the Information Ministry among others into the dark.

Interestingly, Shazia Marri, the Sindh information minister, also holds the provincial electric power portfolio.

Starting a mass power disconnection move against its defaulters, the KESC had recently severed electricity connections to the official residence of Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and a farmhouse owned by a prominent leader of the Pakistan Muslim LeagueQuaid, Haleem Adil Sheikh, over payment default.

On Wednesday, however, it was the turn of Sindh Secretariat – the headquarters of political administration.

Well-placed sources in KESC told Pakistan Today that the power

sup-

ply to the barrack was disconnected due to non-payment of bills amounting to Rs 1.5 million, despite several notices being issued to the consumer.

“On November 17, the consumer had submitted Rs 20,000 out of the huge amount.

[But] the supply will only be restored after clearance of all dues,” they said.

Referring to disconnection of power supply to Palm Village resort over default of Rs 5.7 million and Ayaz Soomro’s residence on non-payment of two months’ bills, the sources claimed that the recent developments prove the KESC believes in indiscriminate action against defaulters.

‘INdUsTRIalIsTs’ aGENda’: Meanwhile, lambasting the Karachi Chamber Of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president among other business leaders, the KESC stated that the recent demand by the industrialists for taking over the power utility’s control has exposed their real intentions behind criticising its performance.

In a statement issued by the KESC on Wednesday, it was said that ‘a group of selfish industrialists’ has been misusing the respectable platform of KCCI and misguiding the entire

industrial sector for ‘their personal ambitions of encroaching upon the energy sector under the cover of false electricity-related complaints’.

“In their one-sided and untrue zeal to champion the cause of industrial community, they conveniently forgot the fact that the KESC had exempted all major industrial zones of Karachi from load shedding for more than two years until now, but only under very pressing gas shortage,” the KESC stated. “[The industrialists] had actually confessed to their deception and hunger for which they had been harming the interests of the whole sector.”

The power company also reiterated its pledge to keep the industrial wheel moving and to serve the entire 20 million population of Karachi in spite of the minor hassles like the ‘disturbing attempts by a handful of industrialists’.

Terming the demand for putting the names of the KESC’s top management on the exit control list as “ridiculous”, the KESC stated that it was not politics but simple power supply business where top management needs to be present for performing their public interest responsibilities.

When housewives turn terrorists!

■ TTP militant’s widow confesses she was involved in PNS Mehran and CID headquarters attacks KARACHI TARIq HABIB

The widow of a slain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant has confessed involvement in several terrorist attacks in the city, including the Mehran Base attack and the bombings at Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine, Crime Investigation Department (CID) headquarters and residence of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhry Aslam.

According to the Joint Investigation Report (JIT) of Sabiha Shahid, wife of Shahid Khan alias Qari Shahid, the woman was also involved in providing explosives for an attack inside the University of Karachi (KU) campus.

Qari Shahid was among the three kidnappers, associated with the banned militant outfit, killed on December 5 in an encounter with police in Allah Wala Town, Korangi. In the joint raid by Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) and Capital Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), an abducted industrialist, Riaz Chinoy, was recovered. The two other slain militants were identified as Qari Amir and Moosa, while Shahid was stated to be the ‘ameer (in-charge)’ of Punjabi Taliban’s Karachi unit.

Sabiha was arrested by the law enforcement agencies from the spot and later produced in an anti-terrorism court (ATC), which remanded her into police custody for five days.

On Wednesday, the police produced the woman before the ATC again, after completing the interrogation.

Sources in the AVCC told Pakistan Today that the Qari Shahid group had provided logistical support to militants who attacked PNS Mehran in May – the 16-hour siege had left at least 11 soldiers dead and several warplanes destroyed.

“We carried out attacks on the

Mehran Base, shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, CID head office and at the house of CID SSP Aslam,” the militant’s widow told the investigators.

In the JIT, she revealed that Qari Shahid was also involved in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.

Six policemen and two civilians were killed on March 3, 2009 when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers was attacked by a dozen gunmen near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The cricketers were on way to play on the third day of the second Test against the Pakistani cricket team. Six members of the Sri Lankan cricket team were also injured. “[Shahid] was a member of the team that attacked the Sri Lankan cricketers and fled the scene along with other assailants,” Sabiha said.

Qari Shahid’s widow also admitted to providing the explosive device to the TTP activists, who planted the bomb near the main cafeteria inside the KU. The low-intensity blast had left at least three people injured.

Three TTP activists – also KU students – identified as Abdul Hafeez, Fayz Ali and Muhammad Omer alias Qari Omer were arrested from the varsity, who later confessed during interrogation that their leader was Qari Shahid.

The sources said that Sabiha also physically participated in all the terrorist activities along with other terrorists.

“She is an expert in manufacturing explosive devices and also using weapons, and got her training in Waziristan,” they added.

They said that Sabiha hails from Rajan Pur in southwestern Punjab and got married to Qari Shahid around two years ago. She is the mother of a fivemonth-old child.

‘Journalists... brace for Human foetus found more difficult times ahead’ in garbage dump KARACHI

KARACHI

qAZI ASIf

With journalists from Karachi reluctant to take names of criminals or the organisations responsible and the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa already unsafe for journalists, the coming times will be a lot more difficult for the media in the country.

This was observed by speakers at a round table conference held in the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Wednesday that was arranged jointly by KPC, South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) and South Asian Media Commission (SAMC).

“Journalists from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are ready to tell the names of those responsible for murder of journalists or from where they receive threats, but the journalists of Karachi are not ready to point out the [alleged] accused,” the speakers said. “They must come forward to nominate the persons or organisations.”

“In Pakistan, the killings of journalists were started in 1979 when three reporters were killed at a time in different areas of Sindh,” they said. “[But] the secret agencies, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military

STAff RepoRT

Intelligence (MI); political parties, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party; nationalist parties; and banned militant and religious outfits are behind escalating the situation in Karachi.”

The speakers said that 13 journalists, including Saleem Shehzad and Wali Babar, were targeted and murdered in a manner which questions the safety of media persons. “Security has become the most frightening issue for all those who cover or write on conflicts, terrorism, extremism and strategic issues.”

“The media, on its part, must observe professional and ethical stan-

dards and agree to some credible selfregulatory accountability mechanism while the security agencies should stop recruiting journalists and define a clear code,” they opined.

The speakers said that the interference of [intelligence] agencies in the media must be stopped by the armed forces’ leadership and complaint cells be created at all security agencies to entertain the complaints of citizens against the excesses of their officials.

At the conference, a number of resolutions were passed during the session, where Imtiaz Alam, Ziauddin, Tahir Hassan Khan and Mazhar Abbas were among the speakers.

Much to the shock of everyone who saw it, a human foetus was found in a garbage dump in the New Karachi Industrial Area No 6 on Wednesday.

The seven-inch foetus, allegedly that of a baby girl, was found when some people saw a group of children playing with something that appeared “odd”.

Upon close inspection, it was discovered that the object was indeed a human foetus.

Witnesses claimed that it was that of a girl but it is uncertain as to how the gender of the foetus was determined.

The witnesses told Pakistan Today that they believe the foetus was aborted and dumped in the garbage dump.

Residents of the area said that there are dozens of illegal abortion centres operating in New Karachi and these crimes usually go unreported.

After performing final rites, the foetus was buried in a graveyard in the area by the people who Children with the human foetus. found it.

DISTOrTED DuE TO GrAPHIC NATurE

ImrAN ALI | ImAGE

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

‘Polluters need to be prosecuted’ ■ environment minister says legal action required against those violating environmental and forest laws KARACHI

L

STAff RepoRT

EGAL action needs to be taken against those violating environmental and forest laws and FIRs may be lodged under Section 144 against them because nothing is more important than the health of citizens, provincial Environment Minister Sheikh Muhammad Afzal said on Wednesday.

He was presiding over a meeting at the Environment Protection Agency Complex in Korangi.

“Environmental issues should be seriously taken and a mechanism and feasibility be constructed to build garbage transfer stations in order to effectively dispose of the garbage of the city,” he said. “Only 12,000 tonnes of garbage are usually estimated in the city while the current infrastructure still needs to be made better in order to efficiently dispose of waste,” he added.

“Dumping of garbage in different

areas is a matter of concern as it spreads different kinds of diseases.”

Touching upon the issue of shortage of funds, he said that it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the desired targets for want of funds. However, he encouraged the officers concerned to work honestly to redress environmental issues and directed them to plant trees which are eco-friendly and reduce the grievances of the people.

Addressing the participants of the meeting, he said that a mechanism should be furnished for planned and unplanned population and through hard work, garbage can be utilised for different positive purposes such as generation of electricity.

He said that areas with dense population including katchi abadis are most affected by inefficient methods of garbage disposal, and it is the need of hour to create awareness among masses regarding environmental pollution and people

Altaf wants people of Punjab to make MQM’s Multan rally a success ■ Says he will make important announcements about the establishment of Seraiki province KARACHI STAff RepoRT

should be instructed to throw their garbage at designated dump sites.

Sheikh said his department is striving hard to resolve environmental issues but the cooperation

of other departments is very vital in this context. He also directed other departments to avoid dumping solid waste on the seashore as this practice has affected marine life.

In a video message for the people of Punjab, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has said that he would make important announcements on December 23 about the establishment of a Seraiki province and the rights of the deprived people living in southern Punjab. According to a press release issued on Wednesday, Hussain said that the MQM would translate its words into action if it came into power. He hoped that the people of southern Punjab would assert themselves on December 23 by attending his party’s public meeting in Multan and make it the biggest one in the history of that city. He praised the workers of the MQM Multan zone for their dedication and hard work and hoped that they would leave no stone unturned to make the rally a success. He appealed to philanthropists to donate generously to the MQM as “it is the only political party of the poor and middle-class people” and “there are no feudal lords in the party”.

Sindh Assembly session on 16th KARACHI STAff RepoRT

The Sindh government has called the next session of the provincial assembly on December 16. Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro told the media on Wednesday that the government has called the session to introduce some bills and have others passed. According to sources, the bills on the new local government system will not be tabled in the House because there is still no consensus on the issue between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Prof Adeeb Rizvi’s wife passes away KARACHI STAff RepoRT

Traders in the garden area kept their shops closed on wednesday to protest the murder of a colleague a day earlier.

ImrAN ALI

‘utilisation of resources panacea to energy crisis’ KARACHI STAff RepoRT

The energy crisis in Pakistan can be mitigated by utilising the country’s resources, said Thatta Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Jaffar Abbasi on Wednesday at an event organised by Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s ‘Indus for All Programme’ to observe the World Energy Day at Makli in Thatta.

The event was attended by representatives of nongovernmental organisations, academia, civil society and the media.

“Sindh has immense potential for alternate energy resources that needs to be exploited at the maximum level,” said Abbasi.

Speaking on the occasion, Indus for All Programme Coordinator Nasir Ali Panhwar said Pakistan is facing an economic crisis mainly due to energy shortage. “Due to long hours of power load shedding, the industrial and agricultural sectors have been badly affected while hospitals and schools suffer as well,” he added.

Panhwar was of the view that the world’s landscape in energy generation is changing and the country should strive towards solar and wind en-

ergy production for its sustainable development.

He said that the WWF under its Indus for All Programme has installed 63 solar, six wind, four hybrid and 96 biogas units at Keenjhar Lake, Keti Bunder, Pai Forest and Chotiari Reservoir. “A wind corridor along the coastal regions of the Sindh has the capacity to generate power of 50,000MW,” he added.

Another speaker Rasool Bux Dars said that renewable energy has vital economic advantages that are absent in traditional methods. He also said that once installed, solar and wind farms have low maintenance costs and longer shelf-life.

Dr Hajira Rizvi, wife of renowned doctor and director of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Prof Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi, passed away on Wednesday evening after a brief illness. She completed her MBBS in 1961 and married Prof Rizvi in 1970. She was a private medical practitioner and actively involved in a number of social welfare and philanthropic activities. She left behind a daughter, a son and her husband to mourn her death. The funeral prayer for the departed soul will be offered at Imambargah Shah-e-Karbala in Rizvia Society, Nazimabad on Thursday at 4 pm.

Rangers arrest nine suspects in raids KARACHI STAff RepoRT

The Pakistan Rangers conducted raids in different areas of the city on Wednesday and arrested nine suspects. These areas included Naseer Tower Complex, Ahsan Arcade Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nayaabad in Lyari Town, Banaras in Orangi Town and Chakra Goth in Korangi Town. The Rangers also recovered weapons and motorcycles from the arrested men’s possession.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

‘For Bhittai, ritualism was not enough’ sage for centuries,” she said.

Riaz said that Bhittai’s poetry is an elaboration of spiritual quest. “Bhittai was a creator of music. Some of his surs were created in musical nodes. His followers are singing his famous sur Kalyan for 250 years,” she added. “He was a believer of spiritualism and used to say that ritualism is not enough.”

She said that Bhittai had a Sufi family background and was also interested in Maulana Rumi’s poetry. “That is why people compared him to Mualana Rumi. However, Sufis do not believe in competition.”

Fahmida Riaz

KARACHI STAff RepoRT

T

HE poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is unique, and even after 250 years since his demise, his ideas of peace and love for humanity are thought-provoking and create magic, renowned writer, poet and feminist Fahmida Riaz said on Wednesday.

Riaz was delivering a lecture on Bhittai’s message of love and peace through Sufism at an event organised by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation.

“Pakistan is blessed with a rich heritage of Sufism that promotes the message of peace, tolerance and harmony. In today’s world, the ideals of peace and harmony cannot be achieved until we reflect and internalise the message of Sufis, who promoted this mes-

Patience, humanity adopt, For anger is disease Forbearance bringeth joy and peace, If you would understand. shah latif’s message of peace in his sur Kalyan

karachi 07 PakistaN today

At ‘rehabilitating’ madrassas, it’s all psychology NEWS ANALYSIS BILAL FAROOQI According to a myth attached to the Hashashin (a 12th century sect that was so notorious for politically motivated murders that the word “assassin” is derived from its name), boys in their adolescence, drugged with hashish, were exposed to paradisiacal gardens where there were feasts and girls. Later, they were thrown into a dungeon and told that if they wished to return to that paradise, they would have to follow orders to kill other people and be prepared to sacrifice themselves in the process.

This mode of training bears some resemblance to the method being employed at the madrassa in the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi where children and teenagers were kept in chains and subjected to brutal torture.

During their painful ‘rehabilitation’ at these madrassas, the students are also told about the path to ‘salvation’; a chance to escape the miseries of this world and enter paradise, where they can indulge in all pleasures that they desire including virgins and feasts. But for this to happen, they would have to ‘appease’ God and follow the orders they would be given. The students’ gullible young minds readily accept this notion and that is how terrorists are produced, particularly suicide bombers, ready to give up their lives to kill other people.

Besides, in order to make humans callous enough to take other’

lives, it is necessary to fill them with hate and rage. That explains the ill-treatment of students at the seminaries.

Only after suffering cruelty can most people become ruthless to others. The idea is to show them the ugly side of the world so that they can learn to hate. It is all psychology.

Many unregulated seminaries are training centres run by the Taliban or other militant outfits.

One of the children recovered from the madrassa in Sohrab Goth told the media about how the Taliban visited the seminary to see if the next stock of humans, brainwashed into becoming killer zombies, is ready to do their bidding or not.

The parents, who leave their offspring at these seminaries, do not have the slightest idea as to what goes on there.

They believe that they are doing

Displaying similarities between Christianity and Shi’ism ■ Komail Aijazuddin’s ‘Altars’ and Muhammad Ali’s ‘Condolence Theatre’ being exhibited at Canvas gallery KARACHI fIZZA HASSAN

The opening of a two-person show – Komail Aijazuddin’s ‘Altars’ and Muhammad Ali’s ‘Condolence Theatre’ – was recently held at the Canvas Gallery.

People from all walks of life, including artists Sameera Raja and Durriya Kazi as well as Safinaz Muneer from the famous designerduo Sana Safinaz, attended the launch of the exhibition that presents the perspectives of two Shia artists about the tragedy of Karbala.

Out of 17 artworks that are on display, five are Ali’s paintings, whereas 12 are Aijazuddin’s altars.

While the material worked on and the philosophy behind the art is entirely different, the two young artists have presented

the similarities Christianity and Islam, especially Shi’ism, share.

The artists have used different forms of theatre as an analogy in their work.

Talking about his paintings on exhibit, Ali said he took inspiration from various aspects of the Shia culture from across the world.

While the Condolence Theatre from Iran inspired him to paint a picture, the Muharram processions and the ritual of qama zani also worked as a spark.

Believing “painting is a popular art form”, he created paintings that already existed.

Terming his “altar ego” as the protagonist of the paintings, Ali said the images represent his emotional state and not necessarily the reality.

“We hear more with our eyes than with our ears; therefore, I decided to visually present, in front of my audience, my identity,” said the Indus Valley School of Art and Ar-

chitecture graduate.

On the other hand, Aijazuddin’s altars celebrate weddings – a reference to the wedding of Qasim in Karbala – and pay homage to St Sebastian, a Christian saint.

Holding in high regard the great martyr of Islam, Imam Hussain, and St Sebastian, it was natural for Aijazuddin to objectify the two historical personalities.

Working on a theme that is essentially contemporary, however, he has deviated from the traditions and kept the characters from religious robes.

“In a country where Muslims have to use ‘we’ when talking about religious issues, I have dared to present my version; however, I leave it up to the people to decide what they think about it,” said the tall, chatty artist.

In a country where it is easy to label an act as “blasphemy”, it would be impious, if not blasphemous, to not see the art collection.

their children a world of good by helping them become better human beings through the teachings of Islam. However, it is not Islam that is taught there.

Our law enforcers have raided one madrassa in Karachi and recovered more than 50 children and teenagers. But what about the hundreds of others, where similar activities are under way, operating across the city?

It is not as if the law enforcement agencies are not aware of their presence. They have the entire list of unregulated seminaries in the city at their disposal. But for some reason, they have hesitated to take action against them.

The law enforcement agencies need to launch a major crackdown against these madrassas so that children can be prevented from turning into the barbaric mullahs, who run these places.

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weATheR UPDATeS

30°C high

A microcosm of Pakistan’s soul

Clear skies

17°C low

19% humidity

fRIDAy

SATURDAy

30°C I 17°C

30°C I 16°C

SUNDAy 30°C I 16°C

PRAyeR TIMINgS fajr 5:48

Sunrise 7:08

Zuhr 12:27

Asr 3:26

Maghrib 5:45

■ karachi is at once a favoured destination and an emerging dystopia, writes Steve Inskeep in Instant City

Isha 7:07

Starting time in Karachi

CITy DIReCToRy eMeRgeNCy helP PolICe 15 BoMB DISPoSAl 15, 99212667 fIRe BRIgADe 16, 99215007, 99215008 eDhI 115, 32310066-2310077 KhIDMAT-e-KhAlQ foUNDATIoN 36333811 ReD CReSCeNT 35833973 goveRNoR’S hoUSe 136 ChIef MINISTeR’S hoUSe 99202051 MoToRwAy PolICe 130

hoSPITAlS ABBASI ShAheeD CIvIl JINNAh NICvD AgA KhAN TABBA

99260400-09 99215749, 99215960 99201300-39 99201271-6 34930051 36811841-50

BlooD BANK hUSSAINI fATIMID PwA

32238405-8 32225284, 32258656 99215740, 32735214

CoMPlAINT KeSC PTCl KwSB CDgK SUI gAS

118 1218 1339 134 1199, 99231603

RAIlwAyS INQUIRy CITy STATIoN CANTT STATIoN

117, 99213565-6 99213538 99201118

AIRPoRT flIghT INQUIRy PIA ReSeRvATIoN

114 111786786

CollegeS / UNIveRSITIeS KARAChI UNIveRSITy NeD UNIveRSITy fUUAST DUhS SMIC fAST-NU SZABIST IoBM IBA IvS

99261300-06 99261261-8 99244141-9 99215754-7 99217501-3 111128128, 34100541-7 111922478 35090961-7 111422422 35861039-40

THE TIMES OF INDIA SouTIk BISWAS

K

ARACHI’S bawdy offerings to the world did not survive for long. But while it lasted, the city swung. In the mid1970s, Pakistan’s most vibrant city boasted of nightclubs, hotels and bars. Alcohol flowed freely. “We even had the striptease. We had floor shows, belly dancers. Karachi was full of life,” recounts Tony Tufail wistfully. Chasing a dream to make his tortured city the new Beirut after Lebanon hurtled towards a civil war, Tufail, hotelier, impresario and business mogul, ran nightclubs and picked up his dancing girls from Paris and Lebanon.

Then he got more daring and built a gigantic casino on the beach. By the time it was ready, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was dead, and Ziaul Haq politely refused to give permission to begin its operations. “We were free (once),” sighs Tufail.

Tufail is one of the many people who bring Karachi to life in Steve Inskeep’s Instant City, a gripping exploration of an overpopulated and febrile megacity in one of the world’s most troubled nations.

Using the 2009 bomb attack on a Shia religious procession that killed dozens of people and led to more violence as a leitmotif, Inskeep investigates the vicissitudes of a complex city in what is easily one of the most gripping and brilliantly researched books of the year.

Like most instant cities, Karachi is at once a favoured destination and an emerging dystopia. On the face of it, it even looks promising. It has thriving businesses, a seaport with a gateway to Central Asia, an expansive beach, and diverse people. Look closer, Inskeep suggests, and you see an enervating city of over 13 million people with fault lines like no other, at once diverse and divisive, embracing and deadly.

A magnet for migrants – Karachi

faced two mass migrations, once during the partition and the next after the 1971 Bangladesh war – the fight for the city’s treasures is an unending one. As with most instant cities, land is at the heart of struggle between politicians, businessmen and gangsters. The city is also, as Inskeep writes, the “destination of pilgrims and home of poor, and a base for makers of buildings and bombs”. Taliban fighters and a thicket of extremists groups find refuge in what some residents wryly call a back office for militants.

In Inskeep’s eloquent and empathetic telling, Karachi is a surreal city. It is a city which reels under massive power cuts, but where the rich play night golf under blazing generator-power lights. It is a place where the rhythm of death plays as incessantly as that of life, with several hundreds of people dying every year in spasms of political killings while soldiers and security guards watch over the powerful. It is a metropolis where smugglers turn community leaders turn realtors turn politicians – a familiar story in the subcontinent; where half of the residents live in the “realm of the extralegal”; and where over 500 illegal neighbourhoods house about 2.5 million people.

As Inskeep investigates the bombing of the Shia procession, he finds that Karachi is fighting the same demons as the rest of Pakistan – 90 percent of its people share the same faith that masks the great diversity and deep divisions. The deadly battle over ethnicity and turf between the Mohajir-dominated Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a party carved out entirely of a refugee identity, and the Pasthun-dominated Awami National Party is just one of them. Hundreds are also murdered in sectarian wars between the Sunnis and Shias.

But Karachi is also filled with bravehearts, who work tirelessly to prevent the collapse of a city where the state appears to have withered

kARACHI Book fAIR

away. Take, for example, Abdul Sattar Edhi, a simple-living 85-year-old migrant, who runs the ubiquitous Edhi ambulance service and has seen his city descend into a spiral of violence. Or Perween Rahman, who directs one of the world’s most challenging slum development works in Korangi and offers some clues to the future of Karachi. She shows Inskeep maps of land being gobbled up by brazen encroachment by politicians in cahoots with authori-

fAIZ AHMed fAIZ

ties. So Rahman herself becomes the state within a state, helping dwellers to lay sewers themselves.

So how do you fix Karachi?

Inskeep says the city should protect its feisty press, strengthen law and order, and embrace its tradition of religious and ethnic diversity. A failure to engage with its reasonably rich diversity – despite the exodus of Hindus – is destroying it. Karachi, clearly, is a microcosm of Pakistan’s many battles for its soul.

ReTRoSpeCTIVe: 40 YeARS

BOOK EXHIBITION STARTS DECEMBER 16 AT 10:00 AM VENUE: EXPO CENTRE

DISCUSSION ON DECEMBER 16 AT 07:00 PM VENUE: T2F 2.0

ART EXHIBITION STARTS DECEMBER 17 AT 05:00 PM VENUE: VM ART GALLERY

‘7th Karachi International Book Fair 2011’ from December 16 to 20 at the Expo Centre. Call 99232667 for more information.

‘Ub Tum Hee Kaho Kiya Karna Hae: Self and Society in Faiz Ahmed Faiz’ on December 16 at The Second Floor.

Call 35389033 for more information.

Danish Azar Zuby’s ‘Retrospective: 40 Years’ from December 17 to 31 at the VM Art Gallery. Call 34940411 for more information.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

News 09

haqqani refutes efforts to ‘malign’ him ISLAMABAD pReSS ReleASe

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani has rejected the impression that he tried to leave the country along with President Zardari, as the latter was leaving for treatment in Dubai. Responding to reports in a section of the press, Haqqani said, “Prejudice makes some people lose all sense of logic. Why would I have returned if I was in any hurry to leave the country?” he asked.

“Such reporting is a direct attempt to malign me ahead of Supreme Court proceedings relating to so-called memo issue as well as an appeal seeking my legitimate right to be heard and to have freedom of movement under the law and constitution,” he said.

Haqqani said that he will draw the attention of the SC towards these blatant attempts at influencing public opinion and court proceedings through orchestrated news.

It is amusing that the reporter and editor of the same newspaper decided to target my persona the same day revealing their attempt to orchestrate propaganda with malicious intent, he added.

“I have come to Pakistan to clear my name and won’t leave before doing that.

My detractors first said that I won’t come to Pakistan, I proved them wrong.

I will prove them doubly wrong in not so far a future,” the former envoy said.

In his statement, Haqqani said he finds it odd that a column writer claimed to be in possession of an authentic account of his interaction with the bigfour: the President, the PM, the army chief and the DG ISI. “If the proceedings of a meeting between 5 people, including me and four people dealing with national security at the highest level, are available to the writer, he clearly possesses rather unusual information-gathering qualities or was engaged in something other than journalism.”

peSHAWAR: pakistan WApdA Hydroelectric Central labour union activists demonstrate in support of their demands outside the Governor’s House on Wednesday. ONLINE

Employees demand govt review decision of privatising PESCO PESHAWAR S TA f f R e p o RT

Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) employees have demanded the government review the decision of privatising the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) and have threatened to besiege the Parliament House Islamabad on December 21, in case the decision is not taken back.

Hundreds of WAPDA employees threatened the government during a protest demonstration held under the auspices of Pakistan WAPDA Hydro Electric Cen-

tral Labour Union (PWHECLUCBA) outside the cantonment railway station on Wednesday.

Holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against privatisation of PESCO, unemployment, political interference in government departments and increase in electricity bills, the protesters chanted slogans against the government’s decision.

After registering their protest with reporters, the employees marched to the Governor’s House and blocked Sher Shah Soori Road for all kinds of traffic.

Central Chairman Gohar Taj, Provincial Chairman Mohammad

Iqbal and Deputy Chairman Mustajab were leading the protesters.

They said on one hand, the government was restoring sacked employees while on the other the revenue generating institutions of the country were being privatised.

They expressed concern over the proposed decision of privatisation and said PESCO was a revenue generation institution and its privatisation would directly affect the consumers because the company would increase power tariff.

They demanded the government review the proposed decision.

Blast kills two fC troops in Balochistan QUETTA oNlINe

At least two Frontier Constabulary personnel were killed and five others injured when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in Balochistan, media reported on Wednesday.

Reports said the incident took place in the Mand Bulo area of Turbat, where the FC officials were on a routine patrol.

The dead and the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital while a large contingent of police and paramilitary soldiers cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Balochistan has been witnessing a low insurgency waged by Baloch nationalists, demanding more provincial autonomy.

KHI 15-12-2011_Layout 1 12/15/2011 1:36 AM Page 10

10 News Kohat DIg orders arrest of two cops allegedly aiding criminals KARAK STAff RepoRT

Kohat Deputy Inspector General of Police Masood Khan Afridi on Wednesday directed the Karak police to arrest two police officials for their alleged negligence and providing weapons to the accused.

He also suspended two investigation officers in the murder case of Alam Zeb, the brother of alleged gang rape victim Uzma Ayub. The DIG also directed the officials to conduct a fresh inquiry into the killing of Zeb. Afridi along with the investigation team inspected the site of the murder and also visited the residence of Uzma.

Balqasim Jana, Uzma’s mother complained to the DIG about the negligence of the then SHO of Takht-e-Nusrati police station Haji Rehman and added that constable Sohail provided a pistol to the accused to kill Zeb. The DIG ordered the arrest of both police personnel.

She also complained that two investigation officers, Muhammad Nawaz and Wali Sher, took the accused ASI, Hakeem Shah in a private vehicle to the court and the DIG suspended both the investigation officers.

He directed the investigation officer DSP Mir Chaman Khan to complete the inquiry into the matter and submit the report within three days.

He also directed Takht-e-Nusrati SHO Yousaf Khan to arrest Ibrahim Shah, the prime accused, within two days.

The DIG also patrolled the area and directed the Karak police to beef up security to provide complete protection to the family.

Thursday, 15 December, 2011

SC accepts Haqqani’s appeal against Dec 1 order in ‘memo’ controversy ISLAMABAD

S

STAff RepoRT

ETTING aside the Registrar Office’s objections to the appeal of former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani against the Supreme Court’s December 1 order in the memo controversy, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Wednesday ordered fixation of the appeal before a ninemember larger bench on December 19 along with other pleas seeking probe into the memo issue.

Haqqani’s appeal, filed by his lawyer Asma Jahangir on Friday seeking recalling of the court’s December 1 order, was rejected by the SC Registrar’s Office after raising various objections, including that the appeal could not be filed against any order of the court, but a review petition could be filed.

Haqqani on Saturday filed another plea against the Registrar’s Office’s objections that was referred to the chief justice, who after hearing it in chambers, set aside the objections and directed its fixation for hearing.

In the first hearing of the memo case

on December 1, the Supreme Court had appointed a commission to probe into “memogate” and had stopped Haqqani from leaving the country.

The court had also asked the president, army chief, the ISI head and Haqqani to submit their replies with the court within two weeks. The petitions seeking probe of memo controversy were filed by PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and others.

On Friday, Haqqani had submitted his reply to the court, requesting that Nawaz Sharif’s petition be dismissed with costs. He had also moved a separate

govt likely to allocate Rs 260m for renovation of Presidency kitchen ISLAMABAD fAZAl SHeR

More Sikhs pledge allegiance to Imran Karzai should learn from India’s peSHAWAR: A Saint Mary School’s student jumps through a ring of fire on the annual sports day on Wednesday. STAFF PHOTO

PESHAWAR

STAff RepoRT

Another group of Sikhs joined the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday, and expressed full confidence in Imran khan’s policies.

Sikh community leader in Peshawar Sardar Santok Singh announced joining the PTI in a press conference along with dozens of companions at Peshawar Press Club. PTI office bearers in Peshawar were also present on the occasion. Santok Singh and his companions joined the PTI a day after a group of Sikhs led by Sahib Singh announced their allegiance to Imran Khan after quitting the Awami National Party.

While addressing the press conference, Santok said that although he was new to politics, but he and his fellow Sikhs believed that Imran Khan was the only politician who could save the country.

PTI leaders welcomed the Sikhs to their party, saying their memberships were a proof of the party’s popularity among the minorities.

‘enormous maturity’: Haroon NEW YORK oNlINe

Afghanistan’s “accusatory” stance towards Pakistan will not help bilateral ties, Islamabad’s envoy at the UN has said, advising President Hamid Karzai to learn from India’s “enormous maturity” in dealing with issues, the Indian media reported on Wednesday.

“I wish President Karzai could take a leaf out of the Indian book, instead of being accusatory towards Pakistan,” Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon told “Hindustan Times” in New York.

Noting that a “massive change around” has come today in the IndiaPakistan relations as compared to the post-26/11 environment, Haroon said that the two neighbours were beginning to see “things from each others’ perspec-

tive”, thanks to the dialogue process. He said even if a “leaf falls on the grass in Afghanistan,” the Afghan leader points a finger towards Islamabad, saying the “Pakistanis must have done it”.

“It does not work that way. I

think India would be a good example for Karzai to follow in which he should realise that this accusatory game gets no where”.

The Pakistani envoy said if India and his country were building ties, Afghanistan should “take a clue” and also be on the same track and “learn from India which has shown, in my mind, such enormous maturity”.

“Let’s talk to each other.... May be something good comes of it. That is what is happening between India and Pakistan. I think it is a proud moment for both countries,” he said.

Karzai had last week blamed Pakistani extremists for the attack on Shiite Muslims in Kabul that killed 58 people. Demanding justice from the government in Islamabad, Karzai had said his country will pursue the issue with Pakistan “very seriously”.

PPP grills PML-N over Maryam Nawaz’s political launch LAHORE NASIR BuTT

It was Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) turn to grill the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over the launch of Maryam Nawaz in politics at the provincial government’s expense.

Alleging the use of educational institutions for political purposes by Maryam, PPP lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday not only pointed out political weaknesses of the ruling party in Punjab, but also offered to arrange public gatherings for Maryam, hinting that the PML-n could not do so itself.

The House, which was proceeding

plea challenging the December 1 order of the apex court on Nawaz Sharif’s petition on the memo scandal.

In his plea, Haqqani said he was deprived of his rights of being heard, guaranteed under the constitution. He contended that the court was influenced by media hype that was often motivated by ulterior motives and that it had been based on the accusations of a dubious individual. He also had contended that Nawaz’s petition was not maintainable under Article 184 (3), as he had not mentioned any violation of fundamental rights.

smoothly, turned into a fish market when PPP legislator Uzma Bukhari objected to the use of educational institutions and colleges as a political platform for the political launch of Maryam Nawaz. But neither the education minister nor the speaker gave any ruling on the objection.

Uzma said she welcomed Maryam in the political battlefield, but the speaker should give a ruling on the issue whether public educational institutions and their premises could be used as a political platform for an unelected personality.

She said public meetings were being arranged at women colleges by pressurising the heads of these educational institutions. These remarks infuriated

the PML-N and Zaeem Qadri rejected the allegations. He said Maryam did not go to these institutions herself and no public money was used for the functions.

Qadri said Maryam visited the colleges on invitation by student bodies.

Raja Riaz said if the PML-N could not arrange public meetings for Maryam, the PPP was willing to arrange public gatherings for her where she could deliver her speeches. Upon this, Qadri said it was not the PML-N that had turned the Presidency and the Governor’s House into hubs of political activities. “Constitutionally student unions have right to invite any personality, including Maryam Nawaz, at their functions,” he added.

During the question hour earlier, PPP’s Syed Hassan Murtaza not only protested but staged a token walkout from the House against the remarks of a provincial minister and not including opposition lawmakers in the sugar-cess committees. However, on the instructions of the speaker, provincial minister Ahsanul Haque Qureshi brought him back in the House.

During the question hour, most of the lawmakers from both sides contradicted the statistics presented by Parliamentary Secretary on Food Saeed Mughal regarding the payment of 99.99 percent of last year’s outstanding dues to sugarcane growers and other relevant figures.

The cash-strapped government is likely to approve a huge amount for the renovation of the kitchen of Aiwan-e-Sadr as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has sent a PC-1 of worth Rs 260 million to the Planning Commission for approval of the reconstruction and renovation of the presidency kitchen. “The authority sent a PC-1 worth Rs 260 million for renovation of kitchen and over Rs 2 million for the demolition of the existing kitchen to the Planning Commission for approval, a few days ago,” a CDA official said. After the approval, the CDA will execute the project in the next financial year (2012-13), the official said. He said that after the renovation of the kitchen of presidency, it would be able to provide food for over 600 VIPs at one time. The government also approved a huge amount for the renovation and construction of accommodation in the Aiwan-e-Sadr in the current financial year (2011-12) under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), he said.

The official said that in the current financial year, the government approved Rs 75.23 million for strengthening the security system at the Parliament House, Rs 1000 million were allocated for the construction of 106 family suites for parliamentarians, while Rs 37 million were allocated for the construction of residential and non-residential accommodation for police at the Aiwan-e- Sadar, he said.

Army denies talks on resuming NATo supplies ISLAMABAD STAff RepoRT

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday clarified that there was no mention of resuming NATO supplies during the telephonic conversation between ISAF commander General John Allen and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Monday. “During the telephonic conversation between General Allen and General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on December 12, 2011, the issue of reopening NATO supply routes never came under discussion as has been highlighted in the statements of the ISAF commander,” said an ISPR statement. “It would be appreciated if unnecessary speculation in this regard is avoided,” it added.

Security forces arrest militant commander SWAT STAff RepoRT

The security forces on Wednesday arrested Hussain Shah, allegedly an important militant commander, from Mingora. According to sources, Hussain Shah, a resident of Ali Grama village, Kabal Tehsil, was responsible for attacks on the security forces. The security forces arrested Hussain from Mingora after receiving intelligence reports and transferred him to an unknown place for investigation.

KHI 15-12-2011_Layout 1 12/15/2011 1:36 AM Page 11

Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Editor’s mail 11

The memo of treachery Hidden behind intentions of the persons who sent the infamous memo of the Memogate, there is another one too: the Memo of Treachery, and it has considerably been unveiled. Actually it is no great a mystery. It in fact deals with corruption, transferring wealth abroad, placating foreign support, staying in power and acquiring more power. In other words, it is the money complex in action. It involves the puppets living abroad, posing as the linchpin for such Faustian bargains.

It is certainly not about civilian control over the military establishment – which in itself is a good thing – it is about the corrupt, self-serving elite who seek foreign support to keep robbing the people of Pakistan. For them, betraying Pakistanis is not an issue, but a part of their agenda.

The foreign support that they seek could: 1.

Weaken Pakistan’s national se-

let people decide curity by cutting ISI-Army down to size.

2.

Invite US military forces in Pakistan for partial occupation, as if drones were not enough.

3.

Exposing and ultimately compromising Pakistan’s nuclear projects, depriving Pakistan of its deterrent.

4.

Handing over Pakistanis demanded by India, without any scrutiny of their claims.

It is practically advocating steps leading to Pakistani nation’s eventual and complete enslavement to the US geopolitical diktat and Indian over-lordship plus much worse. All that was asked by the authors of the treacherous memo was to be in power in Pakistan.

Now even Admiral Mike Mullen, the recipient of the memo, has recollected, after initial denial, a memory loss, apparently from too much work, and confirmed that the memo was sent by Pakistanis friends of the US. Hussain

Haqqani the Pakistan Ambassador has obviously rejected Mansoor Ijaz’s claim about memo. But the irony is that Hussain Haqqani is himself known as ‘America’s Ambassador for Pakistan in Washington’.

In essence, the memo is a clear case of treachery against the state of Pakistan.

Hussain Haqqani’s resignation is not enough. He should be tried for treason in a fair trial. If found guilty, he should be dealt with according to the law. Remember, it was Hussain Haqqani who reportedly told the Americans that Pakistanis were like carpet merchants haggling over price.

I want to let him know that we are not carpet merchants but proud, patriotic, peace loving, freedom loving nation, except for a tiny minority of self-serving, thieving, foreign supported elite.

The nefarious characters involved in the plot to weaken ISI, dilute the army, invite American troops into Pakistani

homes, compromise nuclear arsenal, accept every Indian demand and the long list of crimes of infamy are traitors of the worst order.

If they are not traitors then what is treachery to Pakistan? This is not about a clash between liberals and fundamentalists. It is about the right of Pakistani nation to live in peace and freedom, with security, prosperity and honour. An unfettered nation, master of its own destiny, without being sold to the first bidder, invaded by America, threatened

by India and betrayed by its own corrupt and treacherous elite.

The time has come to squeeze the space on traitors of all hues. If Islamabad-Rawalpindi cannot deal with a ‘rogue ambassador’, what can it do? If those who betray Pakistan are not dealt today, it would be tragic.

BRIG (retd) NADIR MIR Lahore

Momentous decisions Regrettably, there is no walk of life left which is free from corruption of abominable proportions in our country.

But the way our bureaucrats and technocrats are doing financial corruption is beyond one’s comprehension. Of course, they are the people who are sapping down Pakistan. They are the people who are rusting away our institutions. They are the people who are eroding the moral fabric of our society.

Indeed, our bureaucrats and technocrats are the real brains behind corruption. They invent various ways and means for financial corruption. Transport facility for the senior officers, including BPS-20, 21, 22 is one such form of corruption which is both moral and financial. These unscrupulous people cause billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer under the head of transport facility.

The recent decision of the government to monetise the transport facility to officers from grade 20 to 22 would save billions of taxpayers’ rupees in the long run.

Indeed, it is a right step and in the right direction, if implemented in letter and spirit, billions of rupees would be saved. The government should also take steps to reduce other perks and privileges of these bureaucrat and technocrats.

Furthermore, the Parliament of Pakistan deserves handsome praise for unanimously passing the Women Protection Bill and Anti-Acid Throwing Bill which envisage heavy penalties for offenders.

These landmark bills will help protect our womenfolk from several social evils deep-rooted in our ignorance, draconian traditions and male-dominated society. Kudos to the women parliamentarians who worked hard to make it a law!

HASHIM ABRO Islamabad

Appoint a negotiator Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani while addressing a moot on water and power development has commended the efforts of Water and Power Ministry as also of Wapda while also commenting that the Kalabagh Dam became a victim of political controversy. It is unfortunate that the PPP even in its third tenure has not been able to sort out the political controversy on Kalabagh Dam in spite of its claim to represent all the provinces of Pakistan.

A perfect water and power project has not been built since four decades. It is suggested that a negotiator may be appointed by the Prime Minister from amongst retired Supreme Court judges acceptable to all the provinces to call a meeting of their representatives including engineers to once for all hear out all the controversial points and give a verdict on the net benefits of the dam to satisfy the all concerned.

This is essential as Bhasha dam alone would require too long a time while Kalabagh Dam could be built in half the time if political reconciliation could be achieved on the project in a transparent manner.

DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI Lahore

President Zardari’s illness has again sparked a series of rumour-mongering which has proved to be a further blow to the existing instability of Pakistan.

Why do we want an elected government to go? Why do we want to derail a political process?

Are we never going to learn from our past and at least give our feeble democracy a chance? We are witnessing a change in the political culture of our country, especially amongst the youth who have suddenly realised that there is still hope. But in order for this dream to mature further, we need some time.

Meanwhile, let this government finish its tenure which is hardly a year now. If we let it happen it will be a great achievement for our country’s politics. The political parties should now stop speculations regarding the fall of government as all this is leading us nowhere except that we are becoming a laughing stock in the international community.

Our elected government should now focus on how to salvage the situation.

From Abottabad fiasco to Memogate to Salala checkpost attack by the Nato forces and now to President Zardari’s illness, there is a chaotic situation in Pakistan, making it even more vulnerable than before.

We can reverse this process and make our future governments truly democratic only if we are given an honest chance to decide our fate.

MUHAMMAD EMAD KHAN Lahore

The real change

Is it a tough demand?

The demand for a formal apology and a guarantee that an attack such as the Nato air strike on Salala checkpost inside Pakistan’s Mohmand Agency will not take place, at least intentionally, is fair enough considering the extent of loss suffered by the Pakistani side. However, war dynamics do not allow anyone to issue a guarantee that casualties would be restricted to just a specific area and that the possibility of error remains predominant. Wasn’t everything supposed to be fair in love and war? To get beaten up by your own ‘ally’ included? But then this significant war principle ought to be applied to all and sundry in the war.

That Pakistan gets a good smacking by the international media and officials in Washington every time it fails to thwart a militant attack upon the Allied Forces inside Afghanistan shows that the rules are different for every stakeholder and certainly don’t draw on the fairness paradigm. Threats to block military and civilian assistance to Pakistan, translating to a miniscule amount considering the sum already spent by the Pakistan government, hardly does anything for either the ongoing long war

KeSC’s actions I have come to the conclusion that the KESC is doing its best to end loadshedding in Karachi. In many areas where electricity theft is zero and people pay their bills in time, loadshedding has finished. From the last two years, 90 percent loadshedding is done on a scheduled time. KESC’s next step which has the

or for the survival of the country. Yes, it may however be instrumental in stealing the warmth right out of a few very large high level pockets.

So, what ought to be done when the Isaf commander refuses point blank to issue a ‘guarantee’ that an attack of such a magnitude will not happen again? How does he propose to develop a ‘balanced relation between Pakistan and Nato’ in this backdrop? Upon what pretext can this relationship possibly develop? The next best and acceptable option would be to issue at least an apology for such a blatant act of barbaric violence with no apparent reason, something that the Pakistan army and the people of Pakistan are expecting.

Pakistani officials have still exhibited their commitment towards eradicating militancy from their territory but with a renewed strategy that focuses on achievable and sustainable goals, as it is always the slow but steady that wins the race.

PROFESSOR KABIL KHAN Peshawar

Everyday we hear the word "change" which we no doubt need desperately, whether it is a "tsunami" of Imran Khan or a revolution of Sharif brothers, but it is observed that majority of the youth is being attracted by charismatic personality of Imran Khan.

What really matters is that whoever claims to bring this change, must bring reforms in national politics and policies.

Regardless of who we support, we must cultivate a sense of nationalism by bringing positive changes in our attitudes, habits and way of thinking. This will help greatly in making a better nation along with a prosperous country.

AMIR ALI Lahore

Imran Khan’s assets

support of every common man is that they are disconnecting supplies to powerful politicians of Sindh who have not paid their dues. Sindh’s Law Minister Ayaz Soomro had his connection discontinued because of this new policy. Power supply was also disconnected to the farm house of Haleem Adil Sheikh who is Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister.

Now a common man can rest assured

that the powerful politicians, the elite and the government officials are also answerable to some laws and regulations.

But one thing is sure: KESC can end loadshedding in the city but it cannot reduce tariff. For this, the government has to provide subsidy or will have to take control over KESC. MUBASHIR MAHMOOD Karachi

The much awaited detailed assets of PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan were made public in Islamabad. Imran Khan has a manifesto that will give rights to the poor and downtrodden people of the country.

The cricketer-turned-politician owes 530 kanals land in Mian Chunno, Punjab and 300 kanals in Islamabad. The former he inherited from his grandfather and the latter he purchased by getting a loan from his ex-wife.

Should not we call him now Lord Imran or Baron Imran? Having 300 hundred kanals land in Islamabad is a real wonder that can change the fate of the poor people and will definitely end their miseries. I would request the PTA Chairman to donate his land to the poor people of Pakistan.

Believe me, by doing so he would become Mohatir Muhammad of Pakistan as he has the vision and flair to change the lives of the poor masses.

IFTIKHAR MIRZA Islamabad

belonging to federal government and its state owned enterprises like Pakistan Railways were not allowed to be gobbled by the elite land mafia and sold at market price, enough money could have been generated to fund free education for poor and bail out Railways.

In Karachi, prime real estate belonging to federal government was allotted to political activists of a pro-Musharraf party in that city. In Lahore, land worth hundreds of billions was given almost free for yet another golf course by the military junta. The priority is golf, palatial residential societies, farm houses for few instead of more schools, playgrounds, hospitals and colleges for the majority.

Unfortunately for this country, the state absolves itself of its obligation to provide education, health and clean drinking water to the most deprived sections of our society. With such a mindset of the ruling elite and an establishment, whose priority is confined to allotment of more plots to the paid servants and its political cronies, no doubt this country is a perfect breeding ground for fanatics and religious bigots.

What choice the poor have other than sending their sons and daughters to these madrassahs with the hope that their children may benefit from education. We should be asking the provincial government, local police and ministry of religious affairs for their failure to regu-

late and monitor these madrassahs, located not in some remote part of Pakistan, but our major cities and towns.

Yet, instead of blaming the tax-evading traders, feudal and cartels of this country for the plight and miseries suffered by millions of our poor, we will blame these madrassahs, most of whom give free education to the poorest of the poor. Until the state abolishes these madrsaahs and replaces them with schools, Pakistan and its citizens will continue suffering because this country and its citizens are there to serve the ruling elite and endure their insatiable greed.

MALIK TARIQ ALI Lahore

Sohrab goth madrassah Some 57 boys belonging to poor families were found shackled in chains from the basement of a madrassah located in Sohrab Goth Karachi. As the news surfaced, we have seen our so-called human right activists and NGOs coming out of their secure houses blaming the religious madrassahs for all the troubles that afflict Pakistan, but they dare not hold the factors and vested interests in this country for failure of the state to provide subsidised education facilities.

In the developed world, state subsidies are only extended for projects that relate to the most deprived sections of their society. In Pakistan, it is the reverse.

If trillions of rupees worth real estate

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 15-12-2011_Layout 1 12/15/2011 1:36 AM Page 12

12 comment Coping with the hype on Pak-US relations

W

hile the proposals formulated at the ambassadors’ conference have yet to be taken to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and then considered

by Parliament, Nato Commander in Afghanistan Gen John Allen has indicated he has already “a sense of progress” regarding the possible lifting of Pakistan’s communication blackout imposed after November 26 Nato attack. The General revealed that in his telephonic conversation with Gen Kayani, both sides expressed a commitment to work through the incident even though a statement by the ISPR has stated that the issue of the reopening of the supply routes did not come up in the telephonic conversation. These at-odds statements will fuel speculation rather than put them to rest.

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, too, has talked on the telephone with Gen Kayani, instead of his Pakistani counterpart Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, which indicates that the issue is being settled mainly through military channels, keeping the civilian setup out. The clarification by State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland that the $700 million freeze in US aid to Pakistan was not meant for the civilian component of the aid indicates that the measure was meant specifically to put pressure on the military.

The proposals submitted by the ambassadors’ conference are quire realistic. The unusual favours granted to Washington by the COAS-cum-President in 2002 were meant to provide an incentive to the US to continue to support his quasi-military rule. There is absolutely no sense in why Islamabad should not be adequately charging the NATO for the wear and tear of Pakistan’s highways caused by thousands of Nato containers and for amenities provided to the trucks and their drivers. The NATO enquiry should be credible enough to allow the resumption of the container traffic and mutual coordination. The drone strikes must not be undertaken without a prior understanding with Islamabad and the Afghan refugees should be repatriated at the earliest.

While many would welcome a way out of the untenable confrontation between the US and Pakistan, the media hype has created unrealistic expectations that neither the government nor the army is in a position to fulfil. The end of the confrontation, whenever it comes, should be seen to be a joint decision of the civilian government and the armed forces. It must not lead to another blame game.

Reforms futile tilt at the windmills

A

dreadfully daunting task, contesting an election. Many have been humbled at this altar. Captains of industry and commerce, retired generals, exceptional professionals, star civil servants, all of them have been surrounded by sycophants who have told them one simple yet alluring lie: the people love you. Off to the polls, then, and the mightiest of the mighty have had their security deposits confiscated by the election commission for lack of the minimum number of votes.

It is a Herculean task, requiring an immense amount of patience, a skin thicker than would put a rhinoceros to shame and apt judgments on countless of constituency rivalries and dynamics.

Despite the infusion of money into the whole process, it is still not possible (yet) to simply buy one’s way into a chamber of legislature or elected executive office. Many might have splurged successfully to this end but they would have had also had to go through the tortuously difficult motions of an election campaign as well.

Be that as it may, however, though money cannot guarantee a candidate a success, not having any can also almost surely guarantee failure. The minimum required campaign war chest might vary from constituency to constituency but it has become, all around, a rather expensive proposition. Yes, there is middle-class representation in the houses from all provinces, but they have made it there despite our political culture, not because of it.

One wonders whether the recent press conference of six progressive political parties that asked for election and land reforms only stated the problem and did not really proceed in providing workable solutions. What exactly does one mean, in 2011, by land reforms? And if the Americans can find ways around campaign finance restrictions, then so can we, under the very valid assumption that anything that an American can do, a Pakistani can do better.

The uninterrupted evolution of the democratic exercise in the country will serve to strengthen, as institutions, our political parties and create within them the need to have professional and intellectual members. This will also happen within constituencies, which will feel their case at the federal and provincial levels will be best represented by bright sparks who are not necessarily landed or moneyed.

Till then, any proposed election reform would either be a bad, unenforceable law or one that would restrict the freedom of the democratic process itself.

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

Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Security? What security?

Clinging to fallen idols…

By Nazir Naji

W

hat is the basis of our tug-of-war with the US? The question of national security.

This question is one of sensitivity and that of immense importance for every state. The death of 24 of our soldiers in the Nato attack is indeed a big tragedy. But it is unfortunate that this has not happened for the first time. If the registering of our protests was so important at this breach of our security and sovereignty (as it should be), why did we allow things to reach such a pass? Why didn’t we huff and puff at the first such instance?

What is the difference between then and now? If we consider the situation, the US was first regularly giving us economic and military aid and was bearing cross-border incursion into Afghanistan with patience. Concomitantly, we also bore the attacks on our posts. We were silent when a pro-Pakistan jirga was bombed and we silently let the drone attacks continue. What does this mean? This means that we can be forgiving about the national security issue when we want and unforgiving and unyielding when we want. This vacillation engenders uncertainty and misinformation.

Every country in the world has a consistent and zero-tolerance policy with regards to its security. There is no leeway here. Those that exhibit laxity are the ones that are not only the target of foreign aggression but are also expected to bear such instances.

Even now, our reaction to the Nato attack is limited. We’ve blocked Nato supply lines on trivial matters beforehand. Even now, we have no intention of closing them up for good. Official statements indicate that there will be a little give and take on the matter but the routes will be opened. The conditions that we have set before the US in our state of umbrage are nowhere near enough to redress the aggression we have suffered. They have already reserved the right to apologise saying that they will decide whether to do so after their investigative report. The report is definitely going to give arguments in favour of their operation and their apology, if any, is going to be prefaced with a string of ifs and buts. Is that enough recompense for an attack on our national security. No expert

on defence affairs or seasoned politician would say that an apology would be an even trade for the blood of 24 of our men.

We raise a lot of hue and cry about security issue; we have practically turned our country into a security state. Our national income and foreign loans are neither used on developmental projects and infrastructure nor on creating employment and economic growth. The lion’s share is spent on security-related matters.

What does that mean? The baseline is that wherever there is expenditure on security, the primary reason is to save the country from foreign aggression and give the public a secure environment to live in. Russia, China, India, the US and other countries where security was given top billing and a strong defence infrastructure was built, the public was given peace and the opportunity to prosper. What did we get?

Our main aim in giving security top priority was to liberate Kashmir.

We fought three wars with India on that count. In all three instances, we were the one who initiated the proceedings. Immediately after independence, when conflict arose on the fate of Kashmir, before negotiations could be started, some local commanders initiated proceedings in Kashmir and said that it was the tribal mujahideen crossing over to help their Kashmiri brethren. The presentday Azad Kashmir is the fruit of Kashmiri labour. The tribal mujahideen had scarce little to do with it and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan was liberated and defended by local residents.

But the presence of these tribal mujahideen was used as an excuse by India to formally send it army to Kashmir and this army occupation continues to this date.

We sent insurgents in 1965 with the idea that the Kashmiris would rise with them but that id not happen which then led to us formally initiating military action in Chumb sector.

We then had to fight the ’65 war consequently and go to Tashkent and promise that we would solve the Kashmir dispute by talking it out bilaterally. This amounted to leaving UN out of the reckoning. Another consequence of the 1965 war was that the idea strengthened in East Pakistan that Pakistan’s defence capabilities were centred in and meant for West Pakistan and that East Pakistan would be thrown to the wolves in the case of war with India. This led to the genesis of the idea of cessions. Our notions of state security had been badly defeated and we gave India the room to manoeuvre in 1971, giving it chance to break our country into two. Uptill then, every paisa spent on defence had gone down the drain.

After the 1971 war, we had to appeal to the international community for the freeing of 95000 prisoners of war. We opened the Kargil front again in 1999 and had to appeal to the US

for the freeing of our soldiers from India. We already had the nuclear bomb at that point in time. It was a bomb that was solely for dealing with India. But it amounted to naught in this case.

In 1979, we started interfering in Afghanistan’s internal matters. After a while, America bought our services in the country for dollars and arms.

When the retreat of the Soviet Army was assured, we bestowed on Afghanistan the status of our ‘strategic depth’ and asked US to recognise this in the Geneva Accord. The elected PM did not deem this to be suitable at the time and he drafted the Accord as per international rules and signed it.

Our security’s guardians started berating the US for abandoning us whereas in reality, the US had come through on its commitment by giving us the promised aid and arms while also ignoring our nuclear programme as an added bonus. What they did was prop up Zia’s government which was indeed harmful to Pakistan. But our security experts were revelling in the power of ruling the country. They had already cooked up a plan to ensure ‘strategic depth’ by propping up the Taliban. The rule of our propped-up Taliban did not last but what did happen was that the country was occupied by the US. Now we are again adamant that the US should ensure our and curb India’s influence in Afghanistan before exiting.

It is common sense that the US fought this was to ensure its own interest, not ours. After accumulating such huge losses, it will do what is in its own best interests. If it deems fit, it will change the schedule of its withdrawal but it will never give us the opportunity to bring Afghanistan under our influence. Whatever we want for ourselves, we’ll have to milk it while staying inside the framework of the US’ interests. If we think that we can bring the US to its knees by closing supply routes or airspace, we are dead wrong. On the flipside, we could sustain even more losses. We’ve already suffered much due to declaring Afghanistan our ‘strategic depth’. Apparently, not enough.

Isn’t it time we reviewed our security paradigm and the faulty policies associated with it. Before preparing a ‘new roadmap of relations with the US’, it would be better if we made a new roadmap for our security and its policies. Our notion of ‘security’ is now badly outmoded and thoroughly defeated. We should reformulate it and then start a new chapter of relations with our neighbours and international powers. By including Afghanistan in our security calculus, we have divided ourselves on the eastern and western front and spread ourselves too thin. We have nothing to gain in Afghanistan. Its better we open our eyes to that.

The writer is one of Pakistan’s most widely read columnists.

Regional press

Surrendering?

Daily Wahdat

A

fghan officials have claimed that 21 Taliban militants have surrendered in the Hirat province (bordering the Islamic Republic of Iran). The militants who have surrendered have pledged living in peace and abiding with the law of the land. The leader of the surrendering Taliban has assured extending due support to the Afghan government in its drive for reconciliation and the return of peace. The Afghan government claims that more militants are willing to lay down their arms as well.

Such an act of surrender is surprising as no quarters were expecting any militant to willingly lay down arms.

Could these claims or media reports that the Afghan officials are making be justification for their act of minting millions of US dollars from the international community?

The international community has given around 36 million

USD to the Afghan government in connection with its National Reconciliation Policy.

No one can deny that almost all of the Taliban had refused to surrender when late Afghan President Prof Rabbani was leading the commission. But the Afghan authorities claim that there has been a “change in the mindset of Taliban after the assassination of Prof Rabbani.”

It is also being claimed that it is hard for the militants to continue their resistance in winter when almost all of Afghanistan’s mountains are covered by heavy snow. But the common Afghan believes that the surrender of the Taliban is nothing more than eyewash aimed at minting more and more dollars from the international community in the name of reconciliation.

– Translated from the original Pashto by Shamim Shahid

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Partial much?

Gop hopefuls quash palestinian hopes

Washington Watch

By Dr James J Zogby

O

n December 7, 2012, six Republican candidates for President (Rep Ron Paul was not invited) appeared before the Republican Jewish Coalition (NRC) to campaign for Christian votes. There are Jewish Republicans, to be sure, but not enough to make a difference in this primary contest. No, the real prize that drew the candidates to the NRC event were the 40 percent of GOP primary voters who are declared "born-again" Christians who fervently believe that Israel can do no wrong and that it is their religious duty to support any and all Israeli policies as a prerequisite to hasten the "Day of Judgment".

The speeches were mostly filled with hysterical criticism of President Obama's "appeasement" of Israel's enemies and hyperbolic praise for Israel. Because their remarks included such irresponsible charges and promises, I have included significant excerpts below in order to give a flavor of how out of touch today's GOP is from current Middle Eastern realities: Newt Gingrich "As President, on my first day in office, I will issue an executive order directing the US Embassy in Israel to be moved to Jerusalem as provided for in the legislation I introduced in Congress in 1995…The US should explicitly reject the concept of a right of return for Palestinian refugees. The so-called right of return is a historically impossible demand that would be a demographic disaster and mean the end of the Jewish state of Israel. We are for a right to prosperity, a right to freedom, a right to the rule of law, a right to private property, but we must be totally opposed to a right of return…[And] the UN camps

system must be replaced by a system of earned income and property rights to restore dignity and hope to every Palestinian.”

[Gingrich on The Jewish Channel, the next day] "Remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places. And for a variety of political reasons we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940's, and I think it’s tragic."

Michele Bachmann “It seems as if lately, our President has forgotten the importance of Israel to America and thinks of our relationship only in terms of what we do for Israel. The President is more concerned about Israel building homes on its own land than the threats that Israel and America face in the region…Our policy has confused engagement with appeasement and has inspired Israel’s enemies.

“Obama improperly calls for Israel to retreat to indefensible 1949 armistice lines with swaps, and to then still face further demands to divide Jerusalem and allow a Palestinian ‘right of return’ to overrun the entire state of Israel.

The Obama administration has also unconditionally given the Palestinians unprecedented amounts of US foreign aid, and opposed Congressional efforts to condition aid on the real steps that would bring about peace."

“The so-called Palestinian ‘right of return,’ would demographically destroy Israel by swamping it with millions of Arabs who never lived in Israel, thereby turning the world’s only Jewish state into the world’s 23rd Arab state.

“My administration will fully recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital…My administration will also recognise Israel’s 1980 annexation of the Golan Heights and any settlements, which Israel, as a sovereign state, chooses to annex.

Simply put, my administration will accord Israel the respect to which sovereign, democratic nations are entitled."

Mitt Romney "Over the past three years, President Obama has... chastened

Israel. He’s publicly proposed that Israel adopt indefensible borders.

He’s insulted its PM. And he’s been timid and weak in the face of the existential threat of a nuclear Iran.

"These actions have emboldened Palestinian hard-liners who now are poised to form a unity government with terrorist Hamas and feel they can bypass Israel at the bargaining table. President Obama has immeasurably set back the prospect of peace in the Middle East."

Rick Perry "President Obama has systematically undermined America's relationship with Israel…I want to be clear I support the goal of a Palestinian state, but it should be the Palestinians who meet certain preconditions.

"Instead, the administration has insisted on previously unheardof preconditions for Israel, such as an immediate stop to all settlement activity. President Obama has suggested the 1967 borders as a basis for negotiations. And he has instituted the practice of "indirect talks", subverting the Oslo Accords.

"Israel does not need our President demanding gratitude for being the best friend Israel has ever had while his Secretary of Defense rails that Israel has to "get back to the damn table" with the Palestinians, and his Secretary of State questions the viability of Israel's democracy, even as his Ambassador to Belgium blames anti-Semitism among Muslims on Israel's failure to accommodate the Palestinians"…This torrent of hostility towards Israel does not seem to have been coordinated, but rather is the natural expression of this administration's attitude towards Israel."

All of this goes beyond the normal platitudes offered up in an election year. It was dangerous, shameful, and crass pandering, making it clear how far today's GOP has moved from the realitybased foreign policy of the BushBaker era. And while it's hard to imagine the alternate universe inhabited by these candidates for President, it's frightening to think of where they will take US’ Middle East policy should any of them be elected.

The writer is President of the Arab-American Institute.

comment 13

Canning democracy It’s the peoples’ system and the people shall fix it

W

ho says Pakistan’s political leadership wants democracy? Review the last week and give me a realistic answer! There is a hue and cry designed to disenfranchise the electorate. The government is being asked to go. By socalled ‘new’ democrats, part and parcel of the very same system albeit sidelined for now, who intend to replace it. There is nothing new on offer; it’s the ‘same ole’ ganging up under new apparel. The moot question: is the Pakistani electorate going to fall for this sham again?

I for one sincerely hope not. Democracy is the right of free vote, the guarantee of freedom and defined unequivocally as ‘of the people, for the people and by the people’. This is denied to us by the existing system. What we have is an elitist democracy designed for those in political power and those in cahoots with them. “In political power” here defines all those in political reckoning, whether in or out of office, with a highly affected sense of entitlement.

It is this sense of entitlement that is behind the creation of hundreds of registered political parties that operate with no ostensible financial resources, without a programme and perhaps with just a council and some lackeys. They neither go to the polls nor perform any visible political function. There very existence is questionable.

The continued absence of qualifying criteria is condemnable.

The free right of the people exRandom Thoughts ists only to the extent of the vote.

That too is dubious as it is, to a very

By Imran Husain large degree, sequestered within the feudal and baraderi systems.

The voter becomes irrelevant once a representative is elected. Within parliaments and the various echelons of power, a different energy prevails. That energy is concentrated purely on the machinations of aggrandising the so-called elite.

The current emergence of alternate political options is very welcome. The peoples’ euphoria is based on the belief that, perhaps, things will be different. A huge press campaign on the Internet is discussing whether Imran Khan can or cannot bring “change”. It’s a very relevant discussion. However, a lot is inspired by rhetoric and the emotional response to it. It is this emotional response that politicians prey upon because it does not demand an inviolable commitment.

All it does is whip up frenzy. Under the present political system, nothing will ever change.

It has been a downer to see that the emerging leadership is seeking to befriend electable candidates in

an environment that is mentally prepared for a real change. The concept of murshid and mureed is the very crux of what is damaging the peoples’ rights. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto provided the real alternative in the 1970 election. His slogan delivered the ballot despite the fact that it attacked a ‘benevolent’ dictatorship during which Pakistan prospered more than at any other time. His first parliament consisted of primarily of those who at the time were termed unelectable. That was his political tidal wave.

The electronic media has unleashed a deluge of talk show participants who promote and project political programmes and visions, if that is what they can be called, and argue incessantly in favour of literally nothing. I don’t know what the program is called but the recent skit depicting Imran is pertinently factual of what is being said and the manner that it is being said.

The time is here for the people to change the politician. It is apparent that political parties will continue to fight each other on rhetoric-based platforms with the usual promise of solving all problems once in office. The manifestoes are only released under duress picking up a few issues without any penalties for default. We need to change this.

The people should provide the manifesto and criteria for electing its future leadership. There are existing, unmet demands that need reiteration and specific policy decisions regarding modus operandi and timeframe for resolution.

There are expectations, aspirations, perhaps one can go so far as calling it a peoples’ vision; these need to be expressed and responded to by political aspirants.

These need to quantified, recorded and published. Someone, perhaps an organisation, with the resources needs to take up the challenge.

The electronic media needs to play a national role in ensuring that coherent responses and answers are made available to the electorate. Their responsibility does not lie simply with providing entertainment by relaying political squabbles or doctored online telephone calls. Let the electorate view the responses of all political parties to their specific questions. And let them elect candidates based on their declared values.

There has been a huge amount of “chunna lagaoing” for the last sixty years while the nation has shouted itself hoarse.

It’s time for delivery. The last thing Pakistanis want to see five years down the line is a similar clamour for recognition.

Democracy is embodied in the constitution; it is the peoples’ right, no one must be allowed to can it.

The writer may be contacted via email at imranmhusain@gmail.com

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14 Foreign News

Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Belgium’s lone wolf gunman felt ‘harassed’ by police LIEGE Afp

The lone wolf Belgian gunman who went on a murderous spree in the city of Liege, killing four people before turning a gun on himself, had a long criminal record and seemed fearful of returning to jail. As a shocked nation sought to understand the motives behind the carnage by 33-year-old Nordine Amrani, tearful residents of Liege laid wreaths on the city’s central Saint Lambert Square Wednesday, scene of the attack the previous day. “It’s awful just being here, having to take the bus, after what happened,” said a woman on the square. The site was packed with Christmas shoppers and children just out of school when Amrani lobbed grenades at bus shelters and turned his assault rifle on the crowd. A 15-year-old boy died on the spot while a baby of 17 months and a 17year-old boy succumbed to injuries in hospital. Police early Wednesday also found the body of a cleaning-woman of around 40 in a shed used by Amrani to stash cannabis plants and an impressive collection of illegal weapons. “Nordine Amrani committed suicide with a bullet to the head,” Liege city prosecutor Daniele Reynders told a press conference.

GAZA CITY: A palestinian flag flutters as thousands of supporters of the Islamist movement Hamas gather in Gaza City to celebrate the 24th anniversary of its foundation on Wednesday. afp

Iran talks with Saudi about uS plot claim TEHRAN

Jewish extremists attack Jerusalem mosque JERUSALEM

Afp

Iran held talks with Saudi Arabia to try to convince Riyadh it had nothing to do with unfounded US claims of a plot to kill the Saudi envoy to Washington, Tehran said according to media on Wednesday. Iran’s intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, travelled to Saudi Arabia on Monday to clear up “misunderstandings” created by the US allegations, foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a report by ISNA news agency. “One of the issues which is of great importance is regional security issues — plots and schemes aimed at endangering relations and cooperation between regional states,” Mehmanparast was quoted as saying.

“America has thrown some allegations at Iran which must be exposed as baseless and unfounded through clear and direct negotiations and to remove suspicions,” he said. The US claims — that Iranian officials were involved in using an Iranian-American car salesman to hire a Mexican drug gang to blow up the Saudi ambassador — “targeted the security and interests of both Iran and Saudi Arabia,” he said. “These scenarios seek to ensure the interests of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Mehmanparast said. The United States made its allegations in early October and claimed it traced the supposed plot back to the Quds Force, a special operations unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the plot, which have strained already frayed relations with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Press Agency reported that Moslehi met Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, who is Saudi Arabia’s interior minister, and the head of the Saudi intelligence service, Mogran bin Abdel Aziz. SPA said “questions of common interest” were discussed, without disclosing details. Moslehi’s trip to Riyadh was the first by a top Iranian official since Iran-Saudi ties took a dive following Saudi military intervention in Bahrain in March to back the Sunni regime against Shiite-led democracy protesters. Relations have further deteriorated with Riyadh accusing Tehran of interfering in neighbouring Arab states and warning that Iran’s nuclear programme could pose a threat to regio

J

Afp

EWISH extremists on Wednesday tried to torch an old mosque in Jerusalem, as Israel reopened a controversial ramp leading to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, whose closure sparked Muslim anger. The overnight attack on the disused mosque in downtown west Jerusalem saw unknown attackers try and set the building alight and daub its exterior walls with racist anti-Arab slogans written in Hebrew.

It was the latest in a slew of socalled “price tag” incidents — revenge attacks by Jewish extremists which generally target Palestinians and Arabs, although they have also been directed at the army and leftwing Israelis. The attack targeted the Nebi Akasha mosque, which dates back to the 13th century and had not been used as a place of worship since Israel’s creation in 1948. The city council currently uses the building as a storage facility. “During the night, there was an attempt to set fire to a disused mosque in the city centre,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, saying an investigation had

doMA: A palestinian man inspects his burnt truck that is believed to have been torched in a ‘price tag’ attack, which are usually carried out by extreme Jewish rightwing elements in response to steps by the government to dismantle outposts or to carry out measures seen as harmful to the settlement enterprise. afp been opened into the attack which took place just off Jaffa Street, west Jerusalem’s main shopping artery.

The attack was swiftly condemned by the Al Aqsa Foundation, an offshoot of Israel’s Islamic Movement, which said it held Israel “fully responsible for this terrible crime” and for not acting against the perpetrators.

Arab Israeli MP Mohammed Barake also lashed out at his fellow parliamentarians for fanning the flames of racial hatred with a spate of draft legislation targeting Israel’s Arab minority. “Responsibility for the mosque

burning does not only lie with the gang of fascists who carried it out, but also with some of the scumbags among the MPs and ministers,” he said in a statement.

“Those MPs should not pretend they are shocked when the draft laws they back become a raging fire that devours mosques,” he said. Opposition head Tzipi Livni called the arson “a hate crime” carried out by “a constantly growing group of extreme Israelis who are forcefully trying to turn Israel to a different state which — like them — is lawless.”

Israel reopens access ramp to Al-Aqsa compound JERUSALEM Afp

Israel on Wednesday reopened a controversial wooden access ramp to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, just over 48 hours after it was closed on safety grounds in a move which had sparked Muslim anger. “It was opened this morning,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, saying it was “open as as normal for visitors, both Christian and Jewish.” He said no work had been carried out to stabilise or alter the ramp, but pointed out that a fire engine had been stationed nearby and other unspecified safety precautions put in place. “It hasn’t been touched yet, nobody has changed anything,” he said. “The decision was made by the municipality that it can be used again.” The structure has been at the centre of a complex row between the city council and the Jewish and Muslim groups which respectively oversee the Western Wall plaza and the Al-Aqsa mosque compound next to it. The city says the ramp poses a fire hazard and could collapse onto the women’s prayer section by the Western Wall. But Muslim leaders fear the demolition could have a destabilising effect on the mosque compound and accuse Israel of failing to coordinate the renovation with the Waqf, which oversees Islamic heritage sites. It was closed on Sunday night, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an apparent about-face, on Tuesday ordered the existing ramp be strengthened to make it safe. “The government’s decision to fortify the ramp and fix its safety shortcomings, in accordance with the city’s engineer’s orders, ensures the municipality’s preliminary demands to ensure the safety of those using it,” the city council said late on Tuesday.

Eu parliament celebrates Arab Spring with Sakharov prize STRASBOURG Afp

The European Parliament honoured five Arab Spring activists with its Sakharov human rights prize Wednesday, including the Tunisian who sparked region-wide uprisings by setting himself on fire.

Just two of the winners, who share a 50,000 euro ($70,000) prize, were in the parliament for the presentation ceremony. Tunisian fruitseller Mohamed Bouazizi won the award posthumously for freedom of thought, while a Syrian pair, lawyer Razan Zeitouneh and cartoonist Ali Farzat, were prevented from

attending “for obvious reasons”, according to EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday. The other winners were Egypt’s Asmaa Mahfouz and Libyan dissident Ahmed al-Zubair Ahmed alSanusi. Parliament president Jerzy Buzek hailed “five courageous women and men who represent the Arab Spring,” on the day Time magazine named simply ‘the Protester’ as its person of the year.

Bouazizi, an unemployed university graduate, set himself on fire on December 17 to protest abuses under the 23-year Tunisian regime of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. He died two weeks later. Egypt’s Mahfouz helped organise strikes and protests against

Hosni Mubarak’s regime. “I would like to tell you how proud I am for all the martyrs of Arab revolution. We will not betray them,” she said in her acceptance speech.

Libyan dissident Sanusi, 77, spent 31 years in prison after trying to organise a coup against late leader Moamer Kadhafi and is now working with the country’s new rulers.

While calling for reconciliation, he pointedly thanked Libya’s European neighbours for their “unambiguous diplomatic and military support.” Zeitouneh, a 34-year-old lawyer, created a blog to document atrocities committed by Syrian President Bashar alAssad’s regime during its relentless crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners. She

is in hiding and sent a letter praising “all the brave people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and beyond” for fighting to secure a future “free of repression, prisons, and blood-spilling.” Farzat is a political satirist whose cartoons have helped fuel the pro-democracy revolts. In August, Syrian regime security forces brutally beat him, breaking both his hands. He sent a video message expressing his grief and sorrow at the number of victims in Syria which “increases with every minute.” Past winners of the prize named after Soviet-era physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov include anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela and former UN chief Kofi Annan.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Foreign News 15

8 troops die as Syrian army defectors retaliate DAMASCUS

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Afp

RMY defectors killed at least eight Syrian troops Wednesday in an act of revenge after security forces shot dead five civilians, activists said, in the second such insurgent attack in as many days. “At least eight soldiers were killed in an ambush on four military jeeps travelling in the village of Al-Asharna on the outskirts of (the central city of) Hama,” said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The ambush was carried out by “army defectors in response to the death of five Syrian civilian citizens who were killed (on Wednesday) morning when their car was hit by secu-

rity forces” near Al-Khataab, it said in a statement. The violence comes amid diplomatic wrangling, as Western nations seek tough action against Syria at the UN Security Council, where the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has support from his veto-wielding ally Russia.

In its statement received in Nicosia, the Observatory said three army “defectors” were wounded when they clashed with regular troops at Lujat in southern Daraa province, cradle of the revolt against Assad’s 11-year rule. “Heavy gunfire was heard in the town of Hirak,” also in Daraa, which came under assault by military forces backed by tanks and troop carriers, said the rights group. In Douma, to the north of Damascus, telephone lines were completely cut off at dawn while heavy gunfire could be heard

near a state security office.

In Harasta, on the outskirts of the capital, security forces conducted raids and arrests in an assault that was coupled with “power-cuts in some neighbourhoods,” the Observatory said. The reports cannot be independently verified as most foreign reporters cannot enter or move freely in Syria.

Activists reported the deaths of at least 23 civilians across Syria on Tuesday at the hands of security forces seeking to crush the unprecedented protest movement that erupted mid-March. Also on Tuesday, army defectors ambushed a Syrian security patrol, killing seven in revenge for a raid that cost 11 civilian lives, they said, while state media said Syrian border guards shot dead two “terrorists” from Turkey. The unrest gripping Syria was the focus of a UN Security

Council meeting on Tuesday, with UN rights chief Navi Pillay estimating more than 5,000 people have died since March in the government’s crackdown on dissent. Pillay’s private briefing to the 15-nation council — where Russia and China blocked a resolution condemning Assad in October — heightened divisions over how to respond to the Syrian violence. Washington has denounced the Security Council’s silence on Syria as “unconscionable.” But Moscow said that the West is pursuing an agenda of “regime change” by putting pressure on Syria’s government but not on armed groups in the troubled country.

Pillay told reporters she had given the new toll of more than 5,000 dead — including some 300 children — and recommended the Assad regime’s crackdown be referred to

the International Criminal Court. “The widespread and systematic nature of the killings, the detentions and the acts of torture — I felt that these acts constituted crimes against humanity,” said Pillay. “Inaction by the international community will embolden Syrian authorities, and ensure perpetrators go unpunished,” Pillay said.

The Arab League has called an emergency meeting of the 22-member bloc’s foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday to respond to Syria’s proposal to admit observers in exchange for an end to regional sanctions.

The meeting would seek recommendations for the ministers on steps to take if Damascus refuses to sign the agreement on observers, said Mohammed Zaidi, an adviser to Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi.

‘The protester’ named Time’s person of year NEW YORK Afp

Time magazine named the collective “protester” around the world as its person of the year Wednesday, citing the change brought by street demonstrations from Arab countries to New York. The shared honor for protesters beat the traditional individual contenders, who included Admiral William McRaven, commander of the US mission to kill Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.

“There’s this contagion of protest,” managing editor Richard Stengel said on NBC television. “These are folks who are changing history already and they will change history in the future.” The magazine, featuring a cover photo of a female Arab protester, goes on the newsstands Friday.

Iraqis burn US flags to celebrate troop pullout FALLUJAH Afp

Hundreds of Iraqis set alight US and Israeli flags on Wednesday as they celebrated the impending pullout of American forces from the country in the former insurgent bastion of Fallujah. Shouting slogans in support of the “resistance,” the demonstrators held up banners and placards inscribed with phrases like, “Now we are free” and “Fallujah is the flame of the resistance.” Surrounded by the Iraqi army, demonstrators carried posters bearing photos of apparent insurgents, faces covered and carrying weapons. They also held up pictures of US soldiers killed and military vehicles destroyed in the two major offensives against the city in 2004. “We are proud to have driven the occupier out of Iraq, at the cost of enormous sacrifice,” said Khalid alAlwa, the local leader of the Islamic Party, a Sunni Muslim grouping.

Top Putin ally quits as Russia parliament speaker MOSCOW Afp

A leading ally of Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he was quitting his post as Russian parliament speaker, after polls that saw the ruling party lose support and face protests against vote-rigging. Boris Gryzlov is the highest-profile casualty yet of the controversy surrounding the December 4 parliamentary elections that has for the first time shaken Putin’s decade-long domination of Russia. “I have decided to renounce my mandate as a member of parliament... It would be wrong to occupy the post of speaker for more than two terms,” said Gryzlov in a statement on the website of the ruling United Russia party.

dAMANHuR: An egyptian nun and a woman wearing a niqab walk past security guards outside a polling station in damanhur in the coastal governorate of Buhaira on Wednesday. AFP

Islamists look to extend success in egypt elections CAIRO Afp

LONDON Afp

British Prime Minister David Cameron brushed aside calls Wednesday to renegotiate an EU treaty, as his deputy premier’s appearance beside him in parliament cooled talk of a coalition rift. Conservative leader Cameron said he “made no apologies” for vetoing a new treaty at a eurozone crisis summit last week, a move which led to the other 26 European Union nations making an agreement without Britain. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg of the pro-Europe Liberal Democrats stayed away on Monday when Cameron made a statement to lawmakers on the issue, but he was by his side at prime minister’s weekly questions on Wednesday.

Cameron’s comments came a day after European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said that Britain’s demands for its financial services industry to be exempted from EU regulation threatened to break up the single market. At a raucous final session before the Christmas break, opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband said it was the “sensible thing for him (Cameron) to do to re-enter the negotiations and try to get a better deal for Britain.” “I make no apologies for standing up for Britain,” Cameron replied. The two party leaders also traded barbs about the state of the 19-monthold coalition after Clegg stayed away on Monday and said at the weekend that Cameron’s actions were “bad for Britain”. “Let me say it’s good to see the deputy prime minister back in the house,” Miliband said, to laughter from MPs. Cameron hit back, saying that there would always be disagreements in a coalition and “no one in this house is going to be surprised that Conservatives and Liberal Democrats perhaps don’t always agree about Europe.” “It’s not that bad, I mean, it’s not like we’re brothers or anything,” he joked, referring to Ed Miliband’s battle last year with his brother, former foreign secretary David Miliband, for the Labour leadership.

Voters poured into polling stations Wednesday in the second round of landmark elections that will shape Egypt’s post-revolution future, with many backing Islamists who have already emerged as front-runners. Some 18.8 million Egyptians are eligible to cast their ballots in the second round of the threephase legislative polls, the first since Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February after 30 years in power. The powerful Muslim Brotherhood, which clinched the most seats in the opening phase through its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), was eager to sustain the momentum. “For a strong parliament, which meets the demands, the concerns and the priorities of the people, let’s continue,” the party said on its official Facebook page. Long queues formed outside polling stations in a third of Egypt’s provinces, where voting kicked off at 8:00 am (0600 GMT). At the Mohammed Qureib school in the Giza working class Bahr alAatham neighbourhood, soldiers were letting voters through five or six at a time. A policeman admonished the voters not to campaign for candidates or talk about their preferences, but some were eager to explain why they were voting for the FJP.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Nadeem Salamat

in limeligHt

begins music workshop at Al hamra LAHORE

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STAff RepoRT

ADEEM Salamat began the three day music workshop in Al Hamra on Wednesday, December 14, discussing and demonstrating the basics of South Asian music, and its modern twist in recent times. The theme of the workshop was the promotion, projection and establishmenet of the classical and semi-classical, sufi and contemporary music through lectures, practical demonstrat i o n s , teaching a n d singing.

Its objective is to raise aware-

ness, understanding and appreciation of music for the region.

“Music has 12 taals,” said Salamat in his lecture. “There is no basic difference between Western or Eastern music because the basis of music will always be 12 taals, or notes.” He said that though there were fused compositions appearing in the music industry today, it was without doubt Allan fakir who sang the first fusion folk song in the history of Pakistan, and Ghulam Fareed Sabri who sang the first fusion qawwali. “Music is a natural phenomenon that human beings cannot live without,” he said. “There are many who feel that it quenches the spiritual thirst but I don’t take it that way. I think it is essential for life.” The music workshop will continue till December 16, 2011.

Beauty queen fined after pretending to be sister

TokYo: Zac efron greets Japanese fans at a special screening of his latest movie ‘New Year’s eve’.

loNDo for photNo: paula patton premie graphers at poses Impossibre of ‘Mission: the uk le - Ghos t protoco l’.

dhupiamotion I: Neha MuMBAduring the prom poses upcoming file Saala’. of her Can’t danc ‘pappu

LONDON TeleGRApH

Shanna Bukhari, 25, was pulled over while driving her family’s red MG sports car earlier this year. She claimed to be her sister but was rumbled when an eagle-eyed police worker saw her picture in the local newspaper. The paper had reported how model Bukhari wanted to become the first Muslim to represent Britain in the Miss Universe pageant. Bukhari was brought before the courts and pleaded guilty to wilful police obstruction, driving without insurance and driving without a licence - as she was only permitted to use an automatic car. She was fined £800 and ordered to pay £100 costs at Manchester magistrates’ court. Bukhari, of Deepdale Avenue, Withington, was stopped while driving on February 21. She was then arrested and charged. The court heard how a police marker had been placed on the vehicle due to an unrelated investigation. The car was seized and Bukhari was given seven days to produce her documents. Instead she repeatedly lied about her identity, claiming to be her sister and giving various versions of her name. It was only when the police community support officer saw her picture in the M.E.N. weeks later that Bukhari was tracked down.

SToCkHolM: Roon arrives for the premieyereMara the movie ‘The Girl W of The dragon Tattoo’. ith

Salman’s Hrithik Roshan SRK, detractors using Ash to pull splashing 2 million a month on fitness

MuMBAI: Bollywood hunk hrithik Roshan is leaving no stone unturned to make a big splash at the box office with ‘Krrish’ sequel. Apparently, hrithik has just hired most expensive American trainers - Kris gethin and Maraica Johnson - to get back into shape, the actor is also paying two million Indian rupees per month for the rigorous training session. A source said, “Kris gethin came down to Mumbai in September for the Mr olympia contest. That’s when he met a common friend of hrithik. And when hrithik was thinking of hiring a trainer to help him get in shape for ‘Krrish 3’, the friend suggested Kris. The body building process that Kris uses is called DTP. hrithik will have to go through rigorous training sessions that will change every week.” Zeenews

MuMBAI: We all were waiting to see Aishwarya Rai sizzle on-screen in Sanjay leela Bhansali’s dream project ‘Bajirao Mastani’ opposite Shah Rukh khan. But buzz has it that Ash is actually not contemplating making a comeback any time soon and she is certainly not in talks with Bhansali over the project in question. ‘Bajirao Mastani’ was initially offered to Salman khan, when Salman was in Bhansali’s good books. However, post his break-up with Aishwarya, Salman’s relationship with Shah Rukh khan and the filmmaker worsened. After ‘Guzaarish’, Bhansali and Salman’s relationship could only get worse than ever before. And since ‘Saawariya’ failed miserably, the two haven’t been discussing any project together. However, what comes as a rude shock from insiders is that detractors of Salman and Shah Rukh have been deliberately using Aishwarya’s name to broaden the animosity between the two superstars. Moreover, SRk is not doing ‘Bajirao Mastani’ as was reported earlier.

ZeeNeWS

them apart?

Steve Jobs biography

Amazon’ s top seller for 2011 wAShINgToN: A biography of the late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs was Amazon’s best-selling book this year despite hitting store shelves and electronic readers only in late october, Amazon said Monday. ‘Steve Jobs’ by walter Isaacson, which went on sale on october 24, less than three weeks after Job’s death, topped the list of Amazon top-selling books for 2011, print and Kindle editions combined, the Seattle-based company said. “even though it was published in october, the sales have been phenomenal in both formats,” said Chris Schluep, Amazon’s senior editor of books. Next on the list was ‘Bossypants’ by comedian Tina fey and ‘A Stolen life’ by Jaycee Dugard, a California girl who was kidnapped as a child and held for nearly two decades.

Rounding off the top 10 were ‘The Mill River Recluse’, a selfpublished Kindle novel by Darcie Chan, ‘In the garden of the Beasts’

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17 RED ALERT

Laal’s new video a breath of fresh air LAHORE

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XARI JAlIl

NCE in a while, it is good to see someone sing about our working class…or any working class, for that matter. Love themes are over done, but never get boring somehow, because emotions always count. But besides that in Pakistan, it has become more of a tradition to sing about political problems, politicians and their corruption and several other ‘political’ issues that are all interconnected. But talking about the working class, the core of our country, the backbone of our economy, and the reason we get all our dirty work done…ah, that’s a different matter altogether. By sidelining communist parties since the Zia regime, we have successfully also sidelined the issues that they have always raised: feminism, power to the working class, justice, and democracy among others.

Politics aside, this video recently released by Laal band, featuring Ammar Aziz on vocals, concerns itself with that section of the working class probably facing the worst of circum-

NeW YoRk: Sc arl ett the ‘We Bought a Zoo’Johansson attends premiere. by erik larson, ‘A Dance with Dragons’ by george RR Martin, ‘The Paris wife’ by Paula Mclain and ‘The litigators’ by John grisham, ‘The Abbey’ by Chris Culver and ‘Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle)’ by Christopher Paolini. AGeNCIeS

stances: bonded labourers. It seems surreal as if we are still living back in the days when slavery was rampant; but perhaps in Pakistan’s context it is true. Slavery in the form of bonded labour does in fact still exist, and these labourers are subject to low wages, long working hours, inhuman working conditions, and are in the end, bound to serve the feudal lord who ‘owns’ them.

After ‘Dehshatgardi Murdabad’, Laal now raises the issue of these laborers, in their song.

This was originally a poem by Musarrat Aziz written back in the 1980s that has been given a melody by her son Ammar.

Ammar Aziz himself is an NCA graduate, is an activist and filmmaker, and in an ironic twist works in an advertising agency!

Mussarat Aziz, who was a Socialist student leader in her time, originally wrote the poem against the law of ‘aadhi gawahi’ or ‘half witness’ meant for women, along with the exploitation of bonded laborers.

The video is more focused on the bonded labour issue, with Taimur Rehman and Ammar Aziz singing together at a brick kiln location. The two have also

co-directed the video.

The video is simple, yet effective. There are no flashy editing techniques, and it is in full colour instead of dreary sepia tones or a dark black and white effect which is usually considered so hip these days. It starts with a message saying that there are overall 55 million labourers in South Asia, slowly dissolving into a little girl giggling shyly. Throughout the song the setting remains in different locations at the brick kiln, where Taimur is seen slowly strumming his guitar and Ammar sporting a red shirt and a dark jacket sings, somehow reminding of those old PTV songs that always gave a message. Honestly speaking the composition could have been better, but again it is catchy, and slow, and certainly signifies the mood of a new dawn approaching, at the same time showing the seriousness of the issue. Again at the very end, we see some red activists rejoicing in a crowd, dancing with each other and giving some symbolic moves in their march.

The song is about hope. It is about a dream to strengthen those who are downtrodden and oppressed, so they can unite and give way to a greater change. The video

i s strong, and it successfully transfers this simple thought across to anyone watching it.

“The band believes that the poetry is relevant even today as we continue to face oppression at multiple levels,” say Laal band members. “Thirteen years after the Supreme Court declared bonded labour to be unconstitutional, and a decade after the National Assembly passed the Bonded Labour Liberation Act, there are still one million bonded workers in the brick kilns of Pakistan.”

To his credit Aziz has made a 20 minute documentary on the Hasht Nagar situation, where in

NCAites impress with ‘group art’ LAHORE STAff RepoRT

The National College of Arts (NCA) held a series of drawings on Wednesday, December 14, where students displayed their collaborative art work based on collaborative styles. It is an age-old tradition to have multiple hands working on a single piece of artistic creation. This has been manifested in different forms in different regions of the world.

In the 15th century during the Ottoman Empire there was the Nakkashane or studio where different artists worked on a single miniature painting. In medieval Europe there were weaving industries where members of a weaver’s household would work on different areas of the same

tapestry. In more recent times there were less rehearsed collaborations such as the surrealists’ game of Exquisite Corpse, which involved a single sheet of paper passed from artist to artist. Each contributed an impromptu image, which led to a strange amalgam at the end. Keeping this rich tradition of collaborative work in mind, Dua Abbas, Wardha Shabbir, and Ali Asad Naqvi have attempted in the series of drawings displayed, a creative collaboration of their own. The pieces bear impressions of more than one set of hands, and more than one strain of thought. Contributing individually to a single work, yet trying to maintain a kind of anonymity at the same time to better facilitate the blending of three minds, the artists say that they found the process refreshing.

elizabeth taylor pearl sells for $11.84m NeW YoRk: A huge pearl once worn by european royalty and last owned by hollywood siren elizabeth Taylor sold for a record $11.84 million at a blockbuster auction in New york on Tuesday. “la Peregrina”, depicted in art works over the centuries and coveted by kings and queens, was bought for Taylor by her actor husband Richard Burton in 1969.

Suspended from a Cartier necklace, the pearl had been estimated to sell

by Christie’s for $2-3 million but the figure shot up in fierce bidding, reaching the highest price for any pearl jewellery at auction. The pearshaped white pearl was a highlight of Christie’s sale of the legendary jewelry and fashion collections amassed by Taylor, the so-called “Crown Jewels of hollywood”. The actress, who died in March at the age of 79, had seven husbands during her glamorous life, countless admirers and a passion for jewellery. AGeNCIeS

the 1950s peasants took over the land and occupied it. Aziz traveled all the way up north and made the film there in challenging circumstances. His film was also shown at the Dhaka Press Club. “All attempts for workers’ reforms have failed and the only path to their emancipation is a peoples’ revolution,” says the band. “This song is a celebration of workers’ struggle and hope for a new dawn.”

‘Son of Pakistan’ premiere today at PAf Cinema LAHORE STAff RepoRT

The PAF Cinema in Cantt will be showing new Lollywood release, ‘Son of Pakistan’, on Thursday, December 15, 2011. Red Carpet will be at 5:30 pm. The film is directed by Jarrar Mirza and produced by Chaudhry Hameed Alam. It stars Babar Ali, Shamil Khan, Babrik Shah, Sana, Meera, Laila, Bilal Khan (late), Ghulam Muhiuddin, Sila Hussain, Shafqat Cheema, and Laila Zubairi.

Rihanna most ‘liked’ singer on

Facebook MelBouRNe: Rihanna is the most ‘liked’ and ‘listened to’ musicians on facebook in 2011. The singer beat Bob Marley and Avril lavigne to the top spot, sharing the top three with the late reggae artist and pop punk singer. After ‘we found love’, Katy Perry’s ‘last friday Night (T.g.I.f)’ and lMfAo’s ‘Sexy And I Know It’ were the songs most ‘listened to’ on the social networking site, the Daily Telegraph reported. Surprisingly, Adele’s ‘Someone like you’ was only on the 10th most ‘listened to’ list and the British singer didn’t even make it to the top 10 most ‘liked’ musicians on facebook. The Top Ten most ‘liked’ musicians on facebook in 2011 were: 1. Rihanna, 2. Bob Marley, 3. Avril lavigne, 4. David guetta, 5. enrique Iglesias, 6. Usher, 7. lady gaga, 8. Metallica, 9. green Day and 10. Black eyed Peas. The Top Ten Most listened to Songs on facebook in 2011 were: 1. ‘we found love’ – Rihanna and Calvin harris, 2. ‘last friday Night (T.g.I.f.)’ – Katy Perry, 3. ‘Sexy And I Know It’ – lMfAo, 4. ‘Titanium’ - David guetta and Sia, 5. ‘first of the year’ – Skrillex, 6. ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ – Skrillex, 7. ‘without you’ – David guetta and Usher, 8. ‘Stereo hearts’ – gym Class heroes featuring Adam levine, 9. ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ – foster the People and 10. ‘Someone like you’ – Adele. AGeNCIeS

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

lin Dan kicks off Super Series final with win Page 22

India great gavaskar demands IPl dues NEW DELHI Afp

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar says he is “shaken and baffled” by his national cricket board’s refusal to pay his $1 million fees per season for the Indian Premier League. Gavaskar says the cash-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) owes him the money for serving on the governing council of the glitzy Twenty20 league for the first three seasons from 2008 to 2010. He said the money was promised to him by the then IPL chief Lalit Modi, who was subsequently sacked by the BCCI after the third season on charges of financial irregularities. “The BCCI has made a U-turn on my contract,” Gavaskar told the NDTV news channel. “I am baffled after reading reports that the BCCI has refused to pay me my dues. “My faith in the BCCI has been shaken.” The IPL, which features leading players from around the world in a franchisebased contest, is facing a government probe into financial mismanagement and money laundering. The BCCI has declined to comment on Gavaskar’s demand. The fifth edition of the IPL is due to start next April.

Bopanna arrives to attend Aisam’s wedding

‘Pakistan team positive about its chances in England series’ ISLAMABAD

P

pCB looks to improve domestic cricket

App

AKISTAN former cricket captain, coach and team manager Intikhab Alam said on Wednesday that the team is optimistic regarding its chances against the upcoming England series to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year. Intikhab, who now works as the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director of Game Development and its Director of Cricket Operations (International), has been in the UAE this week to check on arrangements ahead of the tour.

In a press release issued here, he said: “We are very positive. The way the team has gelled means morale is rocketing high but we have to make sure we keep playing that same way. “England is the number one Test side in the world and so despite our recent successes (against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) they will be different kettle of fish.

“They will be a real test but we have enough talent to beat them. We have done it in the past and we can do it again.” Intikhab said he expected Pakistan’s bowling would be the team’s strength in the upcoming series that features three Tests, four ODIs and three T20Is, starting with the opening Test at Dubai Sports City which begins on 17

laHORE: Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram has refused to be part of the task team formed by the PCB to improve domestic cricket. The PCB has decided to form a task team to improve domestic cricket which will be headed by Intikhab Alam. An official of the board said that Wasim Akram was also requested to be a part of the body but he excused because of his pre-scheduled professional commitments. Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Sarfraz Nawaz, Imtiaz Ahmed, Moin Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Zakir Khan (Director Domestic Cricket, Secretary of Committee). Chairman PCB, Ch Zaka Ashraf, approved to constitute a Task Team to give suggestions to PCB for the improvement of Domestic Cricket in Pakistan.

The Task Team will study and review the existing structure of domestic cricket considering its weaknesses and strengths and will propose any changes, if they feel that is required. The body will meet and deliberate at the times and places of their convenience. They will meet as many times as they consider appropriate to undertake the study and review. The body will have a recommendatory role and the recommendations will not be binding on PCB. They will assist PCB in evaluating the domestic cricket and its structures. The task team will submit its recommendations to the PCB within two months of its formulation. STAff RepoRT January. “What we have to work on is our fielding and batting against better attacks like England,” he said. “But we are fortunate to have a complete bowling attack with all the spin options - legspin, left-arm and off-spin - and we have good fast bowlers as well.”

And Intikhab said the Pakistan players’ familiarity with conditions in the UAE would also work in their favour.

“We’ve been playing back-to-back series but the players will have a fortnight’s rest

before they come back here to the UAE so they should be in good shape. “The team is used to playing here in the UAE with matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and also Sharjah so we should have an advantage in that respect.” Intikhab checked out the facilities at Dubai Sports City and was impressed by what he saw.

“I wanted to check out the facilities at the (ICC) Global Cricket Academy,” he said. “I think it’s all very good and they have got all the necessary equipment, in-

cluding different types of pitches,” he said. “There’s the ProBatter simulator, where you can face any bowler you want.

It makes sense and it’s very good as it gives you the same atmosphere as you get facing that bowler for real. And there’s a spin bowling machine - that’s very interesting too. “The facilities are top class (at the ICC Global Cricket Academy). They’ve worked very hard, provided all the facilities and you can’t complain about anything,” he added.

South Africa seek step up against Sri Lanka CENTURION Afp

LAHORE STAff RepoRT

Rohan Bopanna, Indian tennis star and former partner of Pakistan tennis ace Aisam ul Haq has arrived in the city to attend the wedding ceremony of his partner. Pakistan tennis legend Asiam will be tying the knot with Farah Akmal this coming Saturday with Walima reception scheduled for December 18 at the Model Town Club.

South Africa will seek to end a sequence of disappointing results in home series when they take on Sri Lanka in the first of three Tests at SuperSport Park on Thursday. South Africa have lost one and shared three of four most recent home series, with a loss against Australia in 2008/09 followed by drawn series against England, India and Australia. Sri Lanka, though, should not provide too stiff a challenge for the home side.

The tourists have had more than a year of poor results and appear to be particularly vulnerable in bowling since the retirement of world record-breaking off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, whose last Test match, against India in Galle in July 2010, marked Sri Lanka’s most recent win. Since then Sri Lanka have lost four and

drawn 10 of 14 Tests. The large number of drawn games is an indication that Sri Lanka’s batting is stronger than their bowling - but they will be up against a strong South African bowling attack in conditions expected to favour pacemen. “The main thing we need to adapt to is the bounce and the pace,” Sri Lanka vice-captain Angelo Mathews said. He admitted the team had not played well recently but said there was a confident mood in the side. “The team is in a good mood but we need to show it out there on the field.”

Much would appear to depend on the form of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who have been Sri Lanka’s leading batsmen for the past decade - and who shared a world-record third-wicket stand of 624 when the sides last met five years ago in Sri Lanka. Sangakkara suffered a hand injury in his team’s only warm-up match at the weekend but is expected to play.

SouTH AfRICA (pRoBABle): graeme Smith (capt), AB de villiers (vice- capt), Jacques Rudolph, hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wkt), vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir SRI lANkA (fRoM): Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice- capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva (wkt), lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Chanaka welegedara, Dilhara fernando, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana herath, Thilan Samaraweera, Umpires: Steve Davis and Rod Tucker (AUS), Tv umpire: Richard Kettleborough (eNg), Match referee: Chris Broad (eNg)

ECB denies Sharjah snub linked to match-fixing LAHORE STAff RepoRT

The English and Wales Cricket Board have denied the snub of Shajrah Stadium in their upcoming series against Pakistan for links to alleged match-fixing. The Sharjah Stadium’s international return was temporarily put on hold, as the “grand old lady” of cricket in the United Arab Emirates was omitted from the list of venues hosting matches for the upcoming series against England.

The Pakistan and England series commences on January 17, features 3 Test matches, 4 One Day Internationals and 3 Twenty20 internationals and will only be played entirely at two venues, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Sports City Stadium.

According to Pakpassion, the Sharjah Stadium, built in the early 1980s, was the hub of one-day cricket between 1984 and 2003 and has hosted 201 one-day internationals - a world record for a limited over matches venue. Arch rivals Pakistan and India played at Sharjah regularly until New Delhi refused to give permission to their national team to play at the neutral venue in 2000. When the proceedings of the Qayyum Inquiry into match-fixing were published in 2000, Sharjah Cricket Stadium’s name turned up again and again and once India refused to play there, the venue was banished to the cricketing wilderness.

The ground did not stage international cricket between 2003 and last year, when Afghanistan used it for a two-match one-day series against Canada.

In recent times though the stadium had been unkempt and hardly looked fit to host cricket again. However, refurbished, revamped and relaunched, the glory days of Sharjah were back when Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka in a Test match and also a One Day international last month. Fans supporting both Asian teams packed the stadium to the rafters and to some it felt as if Sharjah had never been “away from hosting cricket”.

Prior to the publication of the schedule between Pakistan and England, Sharjah had been widely expected to host at least two of the limited overs matches and there were many raised eyebrows when the schedule did not include Sharjah for any matches against England. Whispers of Sharjah being ignored for the series versus England due to the previous murmurs of match fixing began to surface and some started to question why the venue that had the best attendances against Sri Lanka was ignored.

An ECB spokesman quoted by the website denied the allegations that the Sharjah Cricket Stadium had been ignored as a venue against Pakistan due to it’s links to alleged match fixing and despite the fact that the Sharjah Stadium had once again proved that it was fit, ready and worthy of hosting international cricket. “The tour

itinerary to UAE was agreed and publicised prior to the renovation work being completed at Sharjah cricket ground” stated the ECB spokesman.” He continued “ECB’s view was that it would not have been fair to supporters to change prepublicised venues at this late stage when many would have already made travel arrangements and booked accommoda-

tion.” When asked if the Sharjah Cricket Stadium had been snubbed by the ECB due to previous alleged match fixing links, the ECB spokesman stated “No, that is not correct.”

When contacted by PakPassion.net a PCB spokesman however stated that “The Pakistan Cricket Board were very keen to ensure that Sharjah was the host for at least a couple of

matches against England, but the England and Wales Cricket Board were not keen on playing in Sharjah.” The PCB spokesman added “The Sharjah Cricket Stadium had done a very good recently in hosting the Sri Lankans for a Test match and a One Day International and we felt that it was worthy of hosting some cricket for the series against England.”

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

sports 19

Amir wants result overturned and a rematch BOLTON ReuTeRS

The bruises were still visible on Amir Khan’s face Wednesday when he said he was confident of agreeing a rematch with Lamont Peterson after controversially losing his WBA super-lightweight and IBF light-welterweight titles to the American last week.

The Briton’s camp has lodged an official complaint over the refereeing of Saturday’s fight in Washington D.C. where Khan was deducted two points in a splitdecision defeat. “We are trying to get the result overturned, if not then a rematch is going to happen,” Khan told Reuters in an interview at a gym he set up in his home town of Bolton in northwest England and where pictures of him adorn several walls.

“Even if the result does get turned over, I would still give Lamont Peterson a deserved re-match. We’ll do it somewhere neutral, not in D.C. or in the U.K. Somewhere like Vegas ... where it will be neutral judging and a neutral referee.” Referee Joseph Cooper penalized Khan one point in the seventh round for pushing and one in the 12th when he hit Peterson on the break in the fight which was taking place in the

American boxer’s home town. The deductions proved crucial when the scores were announced, one judge giving the fight 114-111 to Khan but the other two scoring it 113-112 for Petersen.

Khan said he would never fight in Washington D.C. again and believed other boxers would now also snub the venue. “I don’t think there will be other big fights there, definitely not, after seeing what happened to me,” he said. “People are going to think why should we go there because of the decision, and the refereeing and judging is not according to our profession.” Confident that Peterson would stick to his word and agree to a re-match in March or May, Khan was already thinking about how to get back his belts. “(The key is to) not stay on the ropes too long, not stand in front of

State Bank rout NBP to take Inter-region Cricket crown GUJRANWALA STAff RepoRT

State Bank U-19 completed a 117-run rout of National Bank to lift the Inter-Region/Departments U-19 One day Cricket Tournament 2011-12 Triangular Stage trophy here at the Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala on Wednesday.

Banking on the efforts of Muhammad Afzal and Junaid Ali, State Bank gathered 243 runs and later bowled out NBP for just 126 runs in 31.1 overs. Shabbir Ali, Abdul Mateen and Fawad Khan were the stars of the match for National Bank.

With this win, State Bank pocketed Rs 200,000 while NBP U-19 was given Rs 100,000. Junaid Ali of State Bank was named the man of the match. However, NBP’s Sami Aslam with 484 runs was the best batsman, Babar Azam and Jaahid Shaukat of NBP and Muhammad Nawaz

of Karachi Region Blues were the best fielders for six catches each while Fawad Khan of State Bank with 15 wickets was the best bowler and the best wicketkeeper was Talha Qureshi (NBP) with 13 dismissals and all the best players were awarded Rs 20,000 each. scOREs: State Bank U-19 – 243 in 44.4 overs: (Muhammad Afzal 66, Junaid Ali 48, Fawad Khan 33, Shahzad Ali 33, Usman Qadir 3-66, Fayyaz Butt 3-29, Imran Dad 2-59, Salman Ali Agha 2-62) v NBP U-19 – 126 in 31.1 overs: (Sami Aslam 48, Salman Ali Agha 30, Shabbir Ali 3-14, Abdul Mateen 3-52, Fawad Khan 2-21) REsUlT: State Bank U-19 won by 117 runs TOss: State Bank U-19; Umpires: Akmal Hayat & Nasar Khan; Match Referee: Ashraf Ali; Official Scorer: Sohail Zaidi.

him, keep the movement, keep the distance ... be just one step ahead of him really,” the 25-year-old said.

“I always knew he was going to be a tough fighter, he’s got one of those styles that makes it difficult. “People were saying to me you can go in there and knock him out in four or five rounds but I knew it was going to go the distance and I trained very hard for the fight.” The defeat was Khan’s second in 28 fights since turning professional after winning an Olympic silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games. His postfight comments have been blasted as sour grapes by some Internet bloggers but Khan denied he was being a bad loser. “I’m not complaining,” he said. “I’ve said Lamont Peterson fought a great fight, it was just judged unfairly.” The loss has forced him

to delay his plans to move up a weight division, where he would hope to fight the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. “It’s maybe made me stay at this weight category for one more fight, so it’s giving me that one more fight of experience and then from that I’m going to move on to 147 (lbs),” he said. His former promoter Frank Warren has questioned whether Khan should be considering the change, saying his defense was not as good as it should be, but Khan disagreed.

“I think I’ll be a better fighter at 147 ... the last three pounds are really hard to lose so maybe I lose a bit of power and maybe a little bit of speed but at 147 I would be much stronger, wiser,” he explained.

Despite his own disappointment, he still found time to dwell on tough times for his other major sporting passion -- soccer club Bolton Wanderers who lie bottom of the Premier League. “If I do get the chance it would be good to go and speak to the team,” said Khan, whose shorts featuring the Bolton Wanderers logo are displayed in a frame in the gym’s reception. “If I can give them any motivation I will definitely do that ... We have to turn it round in the next couple of games, if we don’t we are going to be relegated and we don’t want that.”

NatioNal WomeN’s HoCkey

Balochistan, Punjab Whites register wins

lAhoRe: The players in action during the National women hockey Championship. NADEEm IJAZ LAHORE

B

gUJRANwAlA: PCB’s Director operation Zakir Khan with the winning team after the final of the Inter Region/Departments U-19 one-day Cricket Tournament 2011-12.

STAff RepoRT

ALOCHISTAN, Punjab Whites, WAPDA, Railways and HEC had an easy sailing in the 27th National Women’s Hockey Championship that resumed after a day’s rest here at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore.

On Wednesday, another five matches were played with Balochistan wining the first match against Sindh Colours by 1-0.

The only goals of the match came in the

BCCI’s cold response over series disappoints PCB LAHORE STAff RepoRT

The PCB has lost hopes of a bilateral series with India early next year after getting a cold response from BCCI officials during the Asian Cricket Council meeting in Singapore this week. According to reports, it is unlikely that India will host Pakistan for the scheduled future tour program Test series in March-April next year. The reports said there were many hurdles in the way, including the organisation of the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, India's packed international schedule and the Indian Premier League, which is due to start from second week of April.

"The PCB officials who went to attend the ACC meeting and talked with Indian board officials on the sidelines didn't get a very positive response about resumption of bilateral ties, including the scheduled series in India next year," the report quoting PCB sources said. It said it was because of this

that the Pakistan government had still not given permission to PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, to travel to India this month for talks. "Perhaps the Pakistan government has sensed the existing scenario and that is why Ashraf has still not got a green signal from concerned quarters to visit India," reports claimed. Interestingly, the Asia Cup venue and dates were finalised last year when Indo-Pak relations were improving after the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali. Pakistan's PM travelled to Mohali for the match on the invitation of his Indian counterpart. The ACC meeting in Singapore discussed the dates for the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held in March. Interestingly, the PCB has been insisting that the Asia Cup dates can be rescheduled if the BCCI confirms it will host Pakistan next year in March-April.

"There is still hope that Pakistan and India might end up playing a oneday and T20 series in the short span of time available to the Indian board in March-April," a source in the PCB said.

first half and Rozeena Tooti Khan of Balochistan team was the scorer.

In the second match, Punjab Whites beat KPK by 2-0 and both the goals were scored in the second half when Abida and Raisa found the proper gaps in between the rivals defence to get the goals.

In the third match, WAPDA beat Sindh Whites by a bag full of goals by 140. They got eight goals in the first half with their striker Ayesha Bashir scoring five goals, Azra Nasir getting three while Uzma Lal and Rabia Qadir shared two goals each and Iram Bukhari and Neelma

Hussain shared one apiece.

In the fourth match, Railways outlasted Army by 3-1. Railways took two goals lead in the first half and did not let Arm sneak past their defence. Maria Sabir banged in two goals and the third of the winners came from Asma Ashraf while the Army’s lone goal scorer was Shahida.

Mrs Yasmeen Rehman (MNA) was the chief guest during the Railways and Army match. HEC in the last match of the day had to struggle hard to get a win against Punjab Colours. The goal that separated the teams came from HEC’s Mahmona.

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

Nathiagali Cycle Race on 23rd

LAHORE STAff RepoRT

Abbottabad to Nathiagali National Cycle Race will be held on December 23 with the winner getting the Lala Ayub Trophy.

President KPK Cycling Association and Secretary Pakistan Cycling Federation Syed Azhar Ali Shah disclosed that the PCF awarded the event of Abbottabad to Nathiagali National Cycle Race to Khyber PK Cycling Association.

They said that all the four provinces, FATA, Army, Railways, Sui Southern Gas, WAPDA, Islamabad and special invitee Afghanistan will participate in the race. The race will start from Board of Secondary Education Office Murree Road, Abbottabad and will finish at Nathiagali Bazar.

The cyclists will climb 32 km distance from 4000 ft sea level to 8000 ft sea level.

This is the highest in Galliyat. KPK Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah will be the chief guest of closing ceremony at Nathiagali.

Meanwhile, a general council meeting of the Pakistan Cycling Federation will be held under the chairmanship of President PCF Munawar Baseer at Abbottabad on December 22. The PCF aim to internationally recognise the Abbottabad as Sports City of Pakistan and in this regard the PCF have planed a number of cycling event at Abbottabad. The last Tour De Pakistan Cycle Race was also finished at Abbottabad.

PIA, Army notch wins in PPl

Ten-man madrid labour to Cup victory MADRID Afp

LAHORE STAff RepoRT

PIA and Army registered wins in the eighth Pakistan Premier Football League 2011 on Wednesday.

PIA defeated PMC Athletico FC by 1-0 at the PMC Football Ground, Faisalabad.

The all important goal of the match was scored by PIA’s Imran Khan who came in as a substitute forward and banged in the goal in the 86th minute.

Army beat KPT by 2-0 at the Jinnah Football Stadium, Islamabad. Army got their goals from forward Shakeel Yousuf in the 45th minute and Ansar Ahmed in the 63rd minute.

Meanwhile, two matches were played in the eighth Pakistan Football Federation League 2011 Second Division on Wednesday.

SSGC and PPWD played a goalless draw at the Railways Football Stadium here while PTV beat ZTBL by 2-0 at the same venue later in the day.

PoNfeRRADA: Ponferradina’s defender Samuel San Jose (l) vies with Real Madrid’s forward gonzalo higuain (R). AFP

A goal in each half from Jose Callejon and Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid get their defence of the Spanish Copa del Rey off to a winning start at third tier club Ponferradina on Tuesday.

Real won the Cup for the first time since 1993 when they beat Barcelona in last season’s final, but Jose Mourinho’s side came into this last 32 first-leg tie looking for a morale boost after losing 3-1 at home to their bitter rivals in Saturday’s Clasico.

Mourinho made nine changes to his starting line-up against Ponferradina, who sit second in their division, with Ronaldo and Marcelo the only men keeping their places.

Sami Khedira set up Callejon to score his sixth goal of the season just before the half hour, but the visitors looked laboured at times, and were reduced to ten men when Raul Albiol was sent

off for a second yellow card midway through the second half.

However, Ronaldo sealed a 2-0 win shortly after, leaving Madrid very much in pole position ahead of next Tuesday’s second-leg.

The match was one of 13 being played on Tuesday night, while Barcelona, who are currently in Japan at the Club World Cup, won the first leg of their tie with third-tier L’Hospitalet 1-0 last month.

ReSulTS fRoM THe SpANISH kINGS’ Cup oN TueSdAY: lAST 32 fIRST leG PoNTfeRRADA 0 ReAl MADRID 2 CADIZ 0 vAleNCIA 0 MIRANDeS 1 vIllARReAl 1 AlMeRIA 1 oSASUNA 3 AlCoRCoN 1 ReAl ZARAgoZA 1 CelTA vIgo 0 eSPANyol 0 CoRDoBA 1 ReAl BeTIS 0 ReAl MAlloRCA 0 SPoRTINg gIJoN 1 RACINg SANTANDeR 3 RAyo vAleCANo 2 geTAfe 0 MAlAgA 1 ReAl SoCIeDAD 4 gRANADA 1 DePoRTIvo lA CoRUNA 3 levANTe 1

etihad supports half Marathon race LAHORE STAff RepoRT

Etihad Airways sponsored the Islamabad Dashers’ first Annual Half Marathon in which a total funding of Rs 525,000 was raised, and would be utilized for building the Mashal School and Cancer Hospital in Lahore.

The marathon was a joint collaboration between the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad and the Islamabad Dashers.

Etihad’s Country Manager Amer Khan in Pakistan said: “Etihad Airways is proud to have been associated with such committed and talented individuals. We are always on the lookout for ways and means by which we can help make a difference in the local community.”

On behalf of the Islamabad Dashers, Ms Sadia Salman expressed his gratitude to Etihad Airways and all participants, for supporting the first Annual Half Marathon. She appreciated the successful and smooth conclusion of this fun filled healthy activity.

Lin Dan kicks off Super Series final with win LIUZHOU Afp

China’s badminton star Lin Dan started his quest to bag his first-ever Super Series final title Wednesday by dispatching compatriot Chen Long, while women’s number one Wang Yihan lost to South Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun.

“Super” Dan, badminton’s most decorated player, beat Chen 21-15, 19-21, 2117 in a closely fought battle, with both shuttlers jittery at the last major event of the year.

“This was the first match of the tournament -- neither of us were prepared to have to face a teammate,” Lin said of the Tuesday draw that pitted China’s top two singles players against each other.

“I made some mistakes in my attack and I felt my footwork was not right, so I was nervous. The first match is always hardest.” Lin is seeking to win the “Super

Grand Slam” by adding the Superseries title to his Olympics, world championships, World Cup, All-England, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Asia Championships and Asian Games wins.

“Of course, I would like to win it all.

This is the first time I’ve played in the Superseries final -- all the top men’s singles players are here,” Lin said.

“I hope to play well and get better and better.” In the upset of the night, South Korea’s Sung beat reigning world champion Wang 13-21, 21-16, 21-19, in a evenly fought battle, with Sung coming from behind in the third set to win the round robin match.

“I was just too anxious out there, I couldn’t control the game and she was able to come back,” a disappointed Wang said as sweat dripped from her face.

“We both played hard and at a high level -- she was just better than I was during the last points.”

In other matches, Danish veteran Peter Gade celebrated his 35th birthday by dispatching Simon Santoso of Indonesia 21-13, 21-9 in men’s singles, while his compatriot Tine Baun beat Germany’s Juliane Schenk 21-12, 21-11 in the women’s bracket.

“Today my physical condition was really good,” Gade said, adding that he had more on his mind than the Superseries title.

“I have already started to change the things I need to change in the preparation for the London Olympics, so I should think in the long term, not just focus on this tournament.”

Players at the $500,000 tournament have been divided into groups of four during round-robin play, with the top two in each group advancing to Saturday’s semi-finals.

Results from group play in badminton’s Super Series finals played in liuzhou, China wednesday (x denotes

group and seeding): MeN’S SINGleS: lee Chong wei (MASxA1) bt Sho Sasaki (JPNxA4) 21-11, 18-21, 21-12, Peter hoeg gade (DeNxA2) bt Simon Santoso (INAxA3) 21-13, 21-9, lin Dan (ChNxB2) bt Chen long (ChNxB1) 21-15, 19-21, 21-17 WoMeN’S SINGleS: Sung Ji hyun (KoRxA4) bt wang yihan (ChNxA1) 13-21, 21-16, 21-19, Tine Baun (DeNxA3) bt Juliane Schenk (geRxA2) 21-12, 21-11, wang Xin (ChNxB1) bt Sayaka Sato (JPNxB4) 21-7, 21-9, Saina Nehwal (INDxB2) bt youn Joo Bae (KoRxB3) 21-14 17-21 21-14 MeN’S douBleS: Chai Biao/guo Zhendong (ChNxA3) Cai yun/fu haifeng (ChNxA1) 21-15, 14-21, 21-19, hashimoto hirokatsu/hirata Noriyasu (JPNxA4) bt Ko Sung hyun/yoo yeon Seong (RoKxA2) 21-19, 18-21, 21-19 WoMeN’S douBleS: wang Xiaoli/yu yang (ChNxA1) bt Poon lok yan/Tse ying Suet hKgxA4) 21-9, 21-11, ha Jun eun/Kim Min Jung (RoKxA2) bt Cheng wen hsing/Chien yu Chin (TPexA3) 21-18, 21-18 MIXed douBleS: Zhang Nan/Zhao yunlei (ChNxA1) bt Xu Chen/Ma Jin (ChNxA2) 21-18 19-21 21-18, Tontowi Ahmad/liliyana Natsir (INAxA3) bt Robert Blair/gabrielle white (SCo/eNgxA4) 21-10, 21-12, Joachim fischer Nielsen/Christina Pedersen (DeNxB1)

bt Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthongkam (ThAxB4) 21-15, 21-17, Chen hung ling/Cheng wen hsing (TPexB2) Shintaro Ikeda/Reiko Shiota (JPNxB3), 19-21, 21-16, 21-17.

lIUZhoU: lee Chong wei of Malaysia returns against Sasaki Sho of Japan. AFP

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Thursday, 15 December, 2011

TOYOTA: Brazil’s Santos striker Neymar (R) scores a goal past Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol players Naoya Kondo (L) and Hidekazu Otani (C). AFP

Neymar lights up Club World Cup TOYOTA

N

Afp

EYMAR showed why he is the most coveted player outside Europe as he lit up the Club World Cup with a sumptuous strike Wednesday to send Santos on their way to a likely final against Barcelona. All the talk before the semi-final clash against the host side Kashiwa Reysol had been about the 19-year-old forward, and he did not disappoint, scoring a sensational first goal as the Brazilians ran out 3-1 winners.

He will probably meet Barcelona and Lionel Messi in Sunday’s final, though the European champions first need to dispose of the Qataris Al Sadd in the other semi-final on Thursday. However, Santos coach Muricy Ramalho, who cut a prickly figure at the post-match press conference, admitted he was concerned about the number of chances Kashiwa created, especially in the second-half. “There were some difficulties in defence,” he said. “Usually that’s not the case in Brazil for us, but tonight the defence was not functioning.”

He soon however grew impatient at reporters’ questions over his backline.

“When we are defending but not attacking we are criticised, but when we attack we are criticised for not defending,” he said, claiming Neymar’s goal was nothing

India to ask London to drop Dow Chemical

NEW DELHI Afp

The Indian Olympic Association will formally ask organisers of the London Games to drop Dow Chemical as a sponsor over its links to the Bhopal disaster, acting chief Vijay Kumar Malhotra said Wednesday.

“We will express our displeasure to London Games organisers and ask them to drop Dow as one of their sponsors,” Malhotra told AFP, adding that the company’s role was “unacceptable”. In 2001, Dow Chemical bought fellow chemical company Union Carbide, whose pesticide plant leaked gas into the central Indian city of Bhopal in 1984, killing tens of thousands in the world’s worst industrial accident. Malhotra said the Indian Olympic Association would formulate its demand over Dow at a two-day meeting of the body in New Delhi which is set to begin on Thursday. He stressed that India would not boycott the event.

Indian activists have been battling for more compensation money with protests being led

by Shivraj Chauhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh state where Bhopal is located.

Malhotra said he had received a petition on Wednesday signed by 11,000 campaigners for Bhopal victims, led by former hockey Olympian Aslam Sher Khan. Union Carbide settled with the Indian government in 1989 by paying $470

million for the Bhopal victims.

Dow, which is sponsoring a fabric shroud to be installed on the main Olympic Stadium, says all liabilities for the disaster were resolved with this payment. Malhotra, an influential member of the main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party, has sent letters to Sports Minister Ajay Maken and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking their advice on the contentious issue.

“Olympics are about love, brotherhood and transparency and this company (Dow) is linked with (Union Carbide) which was responsible for killing thousands of Indian people,” he said. “It’s unacceptable that such a company is a sponsor in the Olympics.” Maken last week described the row as a “sensitive issue” and said he has asked India’s Olympic body “to take a strong decision on the issue”. London Olympic chief Sebastian Coe has defended the Dow Chemical sponsorship deal but Labour politician Ken Livingstone, who was mayor of London when the city won the right to host the Games, has urged a rethink. Malhotra holds temporary charge of the IOA as his predecessor Suresh Kalmadi is in jail over corruption charges stemming from last year’s shambolic Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The row over Dow has sparked a country-wide debate, pitting national sentiment with the Olympic dreams of athletes.

“The sentiments of the people should be put forth,” IOA secretary general Randhir Singh said on Tuesday.

“We cannot ignore them. We have informed the IOC (International Olympic Committee) of the protests in India.”

Khan, a member of India’s 1975 hockey World Cup winning team, said nothing short of a boycott would convey the country’s hurt.

sports 21

Surgery setback for Australia’s Rice

unusual for the teenage talisman.

The young Brazilian international, who has been linked with almost every top club in Europe and compared to the Argentine Messi, was almost on the scoresheet after only five minutes, but his low shot bounced off a post. On 19 minutes he did score, and it was some strike.

He picked the ball up with his back to goal, dummied inside and from outside the box unleashed an unstoppable leftfooted curling shot that nestled in the top corner of the net. Goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno had no chance.

Five minutes later the South American champions went two goals ahead when striker Borges, who has been in prolific form in the past year, got away from his marker and crashed the ball into the other corner of Sugeno’s goal. Japanese champions Kashiwa, who have their very own talented Brazilians in coach Nelsinho and J-League player of the year Leandro Domingues, were stunned.

But to their credit they belatedly found some rhythm at the Toyota Stadium and they had the better of the rest of the first-half, without really creating a clear chance on goal for their yellowshirted fans in the crowd of 29,173.

Santos might have taken a 3-0 lead minutes after the re-start, but Sugeno saved with his legs from Danilo.

watCh it LivE TEN SPORTS South Africa v Sri Lanka Test 1 Day 1 01:30PM

TEN SPORTS UEFA Europa League 10:55PM

Bowlers shine in PIA-hBl match LAHORE STAff RepoRT

The eleventh round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy rolled into action and on the opening day PIA took lead against Habib Bank at the LCCA ground on Wednesday while National Bank played cautiously against WAPDA at Gaddafi Stadium. PIA first bowled out Habib Bank in 37.2 overs and then took slender six runs lead by scoring 134 runs for six at the close of play. Ali Imran of PIA was the star bowler with six wickets while Sarmad Anwar and Danih Kaneria damaged the PIA innings with three and two wickets respectively.

SCoReS: habib Bank 128 in 37.2 overs (Shan Masood 17, Ahmed Shahzad 15, fahad Masood 44, Danish Kaneria 20, Ali Imran 6-45, Kamran Sajid 3-12) v PIA 134-6 in 34 overs (Kamran Sajid 41, faisal Iqbal 35, Sarfraz Ahmed 28*, Sarmad Anwar 3-60, Danish Kaneria 2-37).

Toss: PIA Umpires: Zameer haider & Ahsan Raza Referee: Aziz-ur-Rehman At gaddafi Stadium, lahore. National Bank 274-7 in 75.4 overs (fawad Alam 65, Qaiser Abbas 84*, wahab Riaz 28*, hammad Azam 24, Imran Khan 482) v wAPDA. Umpires: Saleem Badar & Ihtsham-ul-haq Referee: Saadat Ali.

WAPDA clinch National Women’s Handball title LAHORE STAff RepoRT

SYDNEY Afp

Australian triple Olympic champion Stephanie Rice faced a battle to reach London 2012 Wednesday after undergoing shoulder tendon surgery just months before national trials. Rice, 23, revealed the operation on her official Twitter feed, describing it as an “arthroscopy on my right shoulder which had a small tear in the tendon”. “Everything else was aok and should be back in the water before Christmas,” she said. “Surgery went really well. Surprised with how much movement I’ve already got back in my shoulder,” added Rice, saying she was trying to keep positive. The Beijing 2008 triple gold-medallist now has just three months to find top form, with Australia’s London Olympic swimming trials scheduled for March. It is the same shoulder that required surgery last year, forcing her to withdraw from the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the Delhi Commonwealth Games. Rice became the pinup girl of Australian swimming after her Beijing blitz, which equalled the record Australian individual haul for a single Olympics held by athlete Betty Cuthbert and swimmers Shane Gould and Ian Thorpe. But the intervening years have been a struggle for the one-time golden girl, with a disappointing season in 2009 and the 2010 surgery keeping her from the pool for several months. Rice won two bronze medals in the individual medley and medley relay at the July World Championships in Shanghai, her first major international meet since 2009, but failed to take a medal in her other individual events.

WAPDA clinched the title of the 10th National Women’s Handball Championship held at WAPDA Sports Complex, Kot Lakhpat, Lahore. The event was held under the auspices of the Pakistan Handball Federation and was organised by WAPDA Sports Board.

Teams from Punjab, Sindh, KPK, Army, WAPDA, HEC and Police participated in the Championship. WAPDA beat HEC by 24-9 in the final. Punjab secured third position while Army got fourth place. PEPCO Managing Director Rasul Khan Mahsud was the chief guest and distributed trophies ad medals amongst the position holders.

Muhammad Jahangir (President Karate Federation), Muhammad Khalid Mahmood (Director General Sports WAPDA), Haji Muhammad Shafiq (Pakistan handball Secretary), Hafiz Imran Butt (Secretary Weightlifting) and Ch Muhammad Asghar (secretary Wrestling) were also present on

lAhoRe: The wAPDA team receives the winners trophy from the chief guest. STAFF PHOTO the occasion. Zakira of Punjab was declared the best scorer. Qurat ul Ain (HEC) was the best goal Keeper while Parveen Akhtar (WAPDA) was announced as the best player of the Championships. WAPDA Handball Team Manager Khalid Rashid was awarded the IHBF Medal by PHF.

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SC reserves verdict in rPPs’ case ISLAMABAD STAff RepoRT

kABul: uS Secretary of defence leon panetta and Afghanistan president Harmid karzai during their joint press conference at the presidential palace on Wednesday. AFP

Pakistan to impose NATO transit tax

Afghanistan success lies in Islamabad, says Panetta

MONITORING DESK Pakistan is drawing up plans to tax NATO for using its territory to supply troops in Afghanistan, in retaliation for the recent death of its soldiers in a “friendly fire” incident in Mohmand Agency, The Guardian said in a report on Wednesday. Under the proposal, a transit tax or fee will be imposed on every shipping container sent through Pakistan, senior military and civilian officials told The Guardian. The move follows the death of 24 soldiers shelled by a US helicopter at a checkpoint last month. The tax is likely to add tens of millions of dollars a year to the cost of the decade-long war. It is thought that the government would levy around $1,500 (£970) per shipping container sent through Pakistan, along with separate charges for each fuel tanker that goes through to Afghanistan. Islamabad suspended the movement of NATO supplies to the landlocked country altogether after the deaths on November 26. The tax on NATO supplies would provide Pakistan with a facesaving way of reopening the route. Following the deaths at the border, Pakistan also terminated the American use of a small airbase, Shamsi, and boycotted an international conference on Afghanistan.The international coalition in Afghanistan has benefited from free transit of goods through Pakistan for nearly a decade, under agreements forged with Islamabad soon after the overthrow of the Taliban regime.A senior Pakistani official said the free transit of US and NATO military supplies was allowed under two agreements signed in 2002, when dictator Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf was ruling the country.“Under the agreement, NATO got to use our transport infrastructure for no cost, but what we got in return, we don’t know. It is high time to revisit the agreement,” said the official, who did not want to be named, as the new policy has not yet been announced. “The agreement appears to be one-sided.”The levy would also confirm the dramatically changing nature of Pakistan’s ties with its western partners, from a strategic alliance to a transactional relationship, with deep suspicions on both sides.

g

uS defence secretary says Pakistanis ‘better damn well’ work toward securing country

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA

U

ReuTeRS

S Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday declared that success in Afghanistan could not be achieved without cooperation from Pakistan, warning that Pakistanis “better damn well” work toward securing their country.

“Ultimately, to win in Afghanistan, we have to win in Pakistan as well,” Panetta said as he visited US troops in Paktika province of Afghanistan, according to the American Forces Press Service. “If we are going to secure [Afghanistan], the Pakistanis better damn well secure their country, as well.” Thanking the American troops for their hard work in the region, the

US defence secretary maintained that their sacrifice had created real results.

“For all the sacrifice that you are doing, the reality is that it is paying off and that we are moving in the right direction, and we are winning this very tough conflict here in Afghanistan. And it is mainly due to you, to all of you,” he said, according to AFPS. Still, there were many obstacles in Afghanistan’s path forward, Panetta said. “Are there challenges out there? You are damned right there are challenges. Are we going to be able to take on those challenges?

You are damned right we are,” he said.

But Panetta expressed confidence that Afghanistan would eventually be a nation of self-governance, free of safe havens for the Taliban. “And that is because of what you are doing right here, right now,” he said.

US not cutting $700m civilian aid to Pakistan WasHINGTON: US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday that Washington had not cut the $700 million civilian aid to Pakistan and the Defence Authorisation Bill was under discussion in Congress, American media reported. Nuland was quoted as saying that the Department of Defence provided strategy on how to utilise military aid and how to note its success.

If this legislation became law, the US would work with the government of Pakistan to make sure that the requirements were fulfilled, she added.

American lawmakers had earlier agreed to freeze $700 million in US aid to Pakistan until it provided some assurances of assistance in the fight against improvised explosive devices (IEDS) in the region. ONLINE

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict in the Rental Power Projects (RPPs) case and directed the counsel for the Ministry of Water and Power and Pakistan Electric Power Company Limited (PEPCO), Khawaja Tariq Rahim to submit his written arguments by Saturday. A two-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain heard a suo motu case along with two identical petitions filed by federal minister Faisal Saleh Hayat and PML-N MNA Khawaja Asif alleging huge corruption in the award of RPPs’ contracts. Reserving its verdict, the court held that a detailed judgement, instead of a short order, would be announced. Concluding his arguments, Rahim informed the bench that upon determination by NEPRA, outstanding amount of fuel price would be paid to the Reshma Power Project. Counsel for Karkey RPP, Akram Sheikh while concluding his arguments stated that per the accord, Karkey was bound to supply 231MW of electricity, whereas total power generating capacity of Karkey was 330MW if fuel was supplied to it, which he contended was the responsibility of the government. The chief justice asked Akram Sheikh to produce any document to prove his contention that fuel supply to the RPP was the government’s responsibility, on which he said it had been described in Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC), which is the amended form of request for proposals (RFP). Khawaja Asif submitted a synopsis and rebuttal before the bench and contended that one party was given six RPPs, which he said was admitted by the counsel for Walters Power International, adding that despite the experience of Bhikki rental power project, the same party was awarded contract of six RPPs. He said in case of Bhikki, the rent agreement was for one year, whereas gas supply agreement was for nine months, adding that power of $137 million was supplied by it, whereas it was paid an amount of $217 million. He said NEPRA being a regulatory authority was mandated to oversee the power sector, however it seemed to be abysmally absent in the decision making process for the subject matter and appropriate inquiries.

He said violation of PPRA rules by PPIB in all the RPPs tenders was also witnessed.

He said annual loss to the local industry was around Rs210 billion per year due to load shedding. He regretted that masses have crushed by buying electricity from these RPPs on very high rates.

SC gives January deadline for explanation of NrO fiasco ISLAMABAD MASood ReHMAN

The Supreme Court fixed the hearing of matters pertaining to the government’s failure to implement its verdict in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case for the first week of January and asked the president, prime minister and 36 others to explain why the court’s December 16, 2009 verdict declaring the NRO unconstitutional had not yet been implemented in letter and spirit.

The court issued notices to the attorney general and the prosecutor general of the National Accountability Bureau

(NAB). It also asked the president and prime minister as well as their principal secretaries, the NAB chairman, provincial governors, chief secretaries, police inspectors general, secretaries of interior, law, cabinet, establishment and home, advocates general, provincial prosecutors general and others, to file by the first week of January their replies explaining why the verdict in question was not implemented despite the fact that there was no stay order against it and a review petition on it had been dismissed last week. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry issued a fresh order in the NRO implementation case and recalled that the apex court had

declared the NRO void ab initio and being ultra vires to the constitution on December 16, 2009, and later dismissed the review plea against it on December 8, 2011.

However, he said, the verdict was still not implemented in letter and spirit.

The court said in its December 16, 2009 verdict that all the cases (approximately 8,041) that were closed under the NRO, promulgated by former president Pervez Musharraf, should be reopened, which included the Swiss cases against President Asif Ali Zardari as well. The court orders were implemented in thousands of other cases, but the letter for the restoration of Swiss cases relating to

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

President Zardari was not sent to Swiss authorities. A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by the chief justice had previously heard the NRO implementation case where several top officials faced the music for failing to obey the apex court’s orders, which included former NAB chairman Naveed Ahsan, Prosecutor General Dr Danishwar Malik and Deputy Prosecutor Abdul Baseer Qureshi.

On December 8, 2011, the court had dismissed the government’s review petition against the NRO verdict and told all the authorities concerned to comply with the December 16, 2009 judgement completely and without any further delay.