E-paper Pakistantoday LHR 18th January, 2012

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We will happily go into opposition, says Imran Khan PAGE 05

Iran digs in with oil warning to Saudi Arabia

Awesome Saeed Ajmal puts England in a spin

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pakistantoday.com.pk

Rs15.00 Vol ii no 202 22 pages Lahore — edition

Wednesday, 18 January, 2012 Safar 23, 1433

AwAn out, AitzAz in

Awan’s rants cost him licence, temporarily

PM will have Aitzaz in his corner in SC

SC directs attorney general to ask president to engage another counsel

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ISLAMABAD

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MASOOD REHMAn

RKeD by the “unbecoming behaviour” of senior lawyer and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Babar Awan and to ensure dignity and respect of the court, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday temporarily suspended Awan’s licence to practice law and directed the attorney general to inform the president to engage an-

other lawyer to address arguments in his reference to revisit the death sentence of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, which the apex court said was one of the most important cases in its history. however, to provide fair opportunity to Awan, the court granted him time to file his reply and engage a counsel to defend himself. The court directed him to request the registrar to take up the case as soon as he engaged his counsel and filed the reply.

As soon as an 11-member larger bench of the Supreme Court headed

by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took its seats to resume hearing on the presidential reference, Awan, counsel for President Asif Ali Zardari, requested the court to grant him more time to file a reply Continued on page 04

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani talks to Aitzaz Ahsen at PM’s House. Online ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

he Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership on Tuesday finally engaged its top legal brain, former interior minister Barrister Aitzaz Ahsen, seeking his help to rescue Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who faces contempt of court for not implementing the Supreme Court order vis-à-vis the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

A seven-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday had issued a contempt of court notice to Prime Minister Gilani in the NRO implementation case and

directed him to appear in person before the court on January 19 (tomorrow).

The prime minister has been summoned for not writing a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases pending there despite the lapse of two years. however, Aitzaz has throughout been saying that the government has to implement the court order and there is no harm in writing the letter as the president enjoys constitutional immunity under Article 248 of the constitution. he said the president also enjoyed sovereign diplomatic immunity and no case against him could be initiated, even in a foreign land.

Continued on page 04

Mansoor Ijaz ‘gets Pakistani visa’, all set for visit ISLAMABAD OnlinE

The chances of Mansoor Ijaz, the central character of the “memogate” scandal, visiting Pakistan have brightened after an assurance by hamid Asghar Kidwai, a former executive director of Mehran Bank, that the military would ensure his safe return from the country, Online news agency reported, as Ijaz told a French newspaper that he had obtained a Pakistani visa for his visit and would go to the country despite several threats to his life. Online reported that a top intelligence official met Kidwai in Dubai and gave him an assurance on behalf of the military establishment that Ijaz would return safely after giving his testimony before the judicial commission probing the memo case. Online sources said that Kidwai had engaged Akram Sheikh to represent Ijaz in the case and had also secured the power of attorney from Ijaz in this regard. According to sources close to Kidwai, who is currently based in Dubai, he had formally accepted the role of an intermediary between Ijaz and the Pakistani military establishment. “It is obvious that cashmemo is now directly involved in the memo case as people like Ijaz and Kidwai hardly move without money,” the sources claimed, adding that the military establishment was not going to leave any stone unturned to make sure that Ijaz appeared before the commission appointed by the Supreme Court.

“The establishment fears losing the case if the prime witness does or could not appear before the commission,” they said. Meanwhile, Ijaz claimed that he would present more evidence before the enquiry commission when he appears before it to testify against former envoy to US, husain haqqani. he also appreciated the military establishment “for keeping calm” in the present situation. A section of the press reported last year that the Federal Investigation Agency had been forcing the Mehran Bank authorities to register a case against Kidwai for stealing documents regarding political bribes given between 1990 and 1994.

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02 News

wednesday, 18 January, 2012

lAhoRe

Today’s

Sorry, no trackers for you yet

NewS

foReIgN NewS

SC’s decision on nRO not in line with law: Asma

Rushdie in doubt for india festival after threats

Story on Page 05

Story on Page 17

Quick look

Story on Page 08

Chandio asked to resign to accommodate Babar Awan ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Subsequent to the suspension of former law minister Babar Awan’s licence to practice law, President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to reappoint him as law minister and has reportedly sought resignation from Moula Bukhsh Chandio to get he post vacated. however, mystery shrouded the development when Chandio contradicted the reports saying he neither had resigned nor had he been asked to do so. The reports of his resignation hit headlines on TV screens after the president had a meeting with him and Awan.

But the minister’s claim was rubbished by his senior colleague, Leader of the house in the

Senate Nayyar hussain Bukhari when despite Chandio’s presence in the Senate on Tuesday, Bukhari told the Senate chairman to defer a bill as Law Minister Chandio had resigned.

“This bill may be deferred for the next rota day as the law minister has resigned,” he said.

Upon this, PPP Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi asked, “Is there a law minister as of now?” To which Bukhari said he had no information in this regard. During the entire discussion, Chandio did not contradict Bukhari’s statement and remained silent. But after the Senate session, Chandio told reporters that he had not resigned. “I have not resigned as law minister and I would accompany the prime minister to the Supreme Court on January 19,” he said. however, adding that he would accept what-

ever decision the party leadership took.

A source in the PPP told Pakistan Today on Tuesday that Chandio was summoned by President Asif Ali Zardari and was directed to resign to accommodate Awan to send a strong signal to the judiciary after an 11-member bench had temporarily suspended Awan’s licence. however, after the news of Chandio’s resignation appeared in the media, the president was advised by the legal team of the prime minister to defer Awan’s oath-taking ceremony as it would badly affect the prime minister’s case. “This is the reason that oath to Babar Awan may be delayed for a few days,” said the source. Awan had resigned as law minister after he was tasked to represent the federation in Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case.

NADRA suspends CNIC registration in Sindh KARACHI: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has stopped its registration operations all over Sindh, including 17 centres in Karachi until February 5, and dedicated all its staff to update voters’ lists following the apex court’s orders, according to a report on Tuesday.

NADRA-Sindh Director General Zahid hussain said the leaves of all staff members had been cancelled and they had been ordered to focus entirely on updating the voters’ record. however, during the suspension period, 24 NADRA centres in Karachi and mobile teams in Sindh would provide information and registration facilities for computerised national identity cards (CNICs) to the people until 1:00pm daily. Until February 5, NADRA centres would issue CNICs only to those customers who had applied ahead of the suspension period. OnlinE

Shahbaz leaves for Germany as political pot boils

Motorway closed due to dense fog ISLAMABAD: Motorway was partially closed on Tuesday from Peshawar to Rashkai and Faisalabad to Pindi Bhattian due to dense fog. Motorway M1 from Peshawar to Rashkai and Motorway M3 from Faisalabad to Pindi Bhattian were closed, as visibility was down to zero, private news channel reported. According to the Motorway spokesman, a light cover of fog was present up to Swabi on Motorway M1 and visibility was up to 25 to 30 metres. On Motorway M2 near Kot Momen the visibility was up to 5 to 10 metres due to dense fog while area from Bhera to Kala Shah Kaku was under light fog cover. APP

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday surprised the country’s political leadership by leaving on a foreign tour at a time when the government is at loggerheads with the judiciary and army over the National Reconciliation Ordinance and memo issues.

Shahbaz had already triggered a controversy demanding an apology from Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for criticising Army chief General Ashfaq

Kayani. Before leaving for Berlin to attend the International Green Week, Shahbaz told reporters at the Allama Iqbal International Airport that the present government was to be blamed for the existing situation in the country. To a question, the chief minister said the Supreme Court issued orders on NRO a number of times but no attention was paid to them, rather the court was ridiculed. he said there was no threat to democracy if someone spoke against corrupt and inefficient rulers, adding that the democratic system should survive at all costs. he alleged that it was an open secret that billions of rupees deposited in Swiss banks had been looted from Pakistan by Asif Zardari.

To another question, he said that he had asked the prime minister to offer an apology to the nation, not the army chief. he said the contempt issue was between the judiciary and the government and the decision of the prime minister to appear before the court was welcome.

Shahbaz said the court’s decision was an outcome of severe confrontation of the last three-and-a-half years, following a collision course with institutions, bad governance and massive corruption.

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wednesday, 18 January, 2012

ARtS & eNteRtAINMeNt

SPoRtS

‘Tis the season to be married

Gambhir says new captain can't work miracles The resolution

News 03

CoMMeNt The PML(N) should have had its eye on the larger picture

inaction, indifference Misled youth are targeting settlers which is highly condemnable.

Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi says: Institutional role conflict: If the Court takes a lenient view, the crisis can be averted.

Harris bin Munwar says: Harris Bin Munawar: The government is fighting with both the judiciary and the military

Today’s

Quick

Shaukat Umer says: Terms of engagement: It would be important not to move from one extreme to the other.

Story on Page 14

Story on Page 18

RAWALPINDI: Peoples Colony residents burn their bills on Tuesday in protest against gas load shedding. Online

Articles on Page 12-13

MQM introduces bill seeking new provinces in Punjab, KP g g

Cites overgrowth of population, increased demand for social services as reasons Bill referred to standing committee concerned as PPP does not oppose ISLAMABAD

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former defence secretary moves IhC against his removal ISLAMABAD: Former defence secretary Lt General (r) Naeem Khalid Lodhi on Tuesday filed a writ petition in the Islamabad high Court (IhC) challenging his removal by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on the charges of “gross misconduct”. Lodhi was removed from the post of defence secretary by Gilani on January 10. however, Lodhi in his petition named President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani, secretaries of Cabinet, establishment and Defence Ministry Acting Secretary Nargis Sethi respondents. The court accepted his plea and fixed it for hearing on Wednesday (today). In his petition filed through Advocate Munir Paracha, he requested the court to set aside the notification of his removal and requested the court to restore him and also sought a stay order on the implementation of notification of his removal as a temporary relief until the final disposal of writ petition filed under article 199 of the constitution. STAFF REPORT

STAFF REPORT

he Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) introduced the 20th Constitution Amendment Bill of 2012 in the National Assembly on Tuesday seeking the creation of new provinces in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which was referred to the standing committee concerned as the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) did not oppose the legislation.

MQM MNA Wasim Akhtar introduced the bill, which proposes amendments to Articles 1, 51, 106, and 239 of the constitution. The MQM demanded the creation of a hazara province in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and formation of one or more provinces in Punjab after holding a referendum in the province.

The PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MNAs from hazara and South Punjab, Farzana Mushtaq, Jamshad Dasti and Shah Jahan Yusuf, thanked the MQM leadership for introducing the bill and urged the committee to take up the bill as soon as possible.

In the statement of objects and reason of the bill, it was stated that the overgrowth of population, increased demand for delivery of social services and the inaccessibility of the chief executive, his cabinet members, the bureaucracy and the law enforcement agencies were factors that had rendered the dispensation of justice to the people of remote areas almost impossible. Besides administrative inconvenience, the cultural and social diversity within the ideological unity

also necessitated greater harmony, hence the need for more provinces.

MQM leader haider Abbas Rizvi told reporters outside Parliament house that it was his party that devolved power from the Centre to the provinces, but the provinces started considering themselves the centre of power. earlier, PPP MNA Nafisa Shah introduced The Political Parties Order (Amendment) Bill of 2012 (Amendment in sections 11, 12 and insertion of new Section 8A). Nafisa said the bill was an effort of the Women Parliamentary Caucus and according to this bill, the political parties would have to give 10 percent quota of party tickets to women for general seats, while 33 percent representation would also have to be given to women party members in the party’s elected general council and any associated party committee and forums at the federal, provincial and local levels of the party. Nafisa, MNA Bushra Gohar, Tasneem Siddiqui, Dr Attiya Anayatullah and Asiya Nasir were the movers of the bill.

MNA Khurram Jahangir Wattoo introduced a bill to amend the Pakistan Penal Code (The Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill of 2012 Amendment to Section 53). The bill excluded women and children under 15 years of age from the death sentence. he introduced another bill to amend the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Ordinance of 2000 (The NADRA (Amendment) Bill of 2012 - Amendment to Section 10). The bill said NADRA should issue Computerised National Identity Cards for the lifetime of citizens.

MNA Azra Fazal Pechuho intro-

3 sitting MnAs of PPP apply for Senate ticket ISLAMABAD MiAn AbRAR

Besides 534 other applicants, three sitting MNAs of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) have also applied for party tickets for the upcoming Senate election, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.

A source in the PPP told Pakistan Today that a total of 537 applications had been submitted with the party secretariat, including those of Mian Raza Rabbani, Aitazaz Ahsan, husain haqqani, Babar Awan, Dr Abdul hafeez Shaikh, Farhatullah Babar, Malik hakmin Khan and Qasim Zia. “Today, the party’s parliamentary board meeting held at Zardari house interviewed applicants for Senate tickets from Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Interestingly, three MNAs have also applied for Senate tickets including Najamuddin Khan, Lal Mohammed Khan and Tariq Khattak,” the source added. The source said that the parliamentary board had interviewed some applicants while others would also be interviewed as the process continues.

The parliamentary board comprises

look

Faryal Talpur, Jahangir Badr, Rukhsana Bagash, Syed Khursheed Shah and Syed Nayyar Bukhari. “The party leadership has decided to accommodate around seven party workers in the Senate who would be tasked with working for the cause of poor party workers, as ministers have failed to maintain connection with the grassroots workers. A majority of the applicants is from Punjab, while around 142 applicants have applied from Sindh,” the source said, adding that of the applicants, Raza Rabbani, Dr hafeez Shaikh and husain haqqani have been short listed from Sindh. The source said president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar and wife of former PPP stalwart Naseerullah Babar have also applied from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Senate ticket. If given a party ticket, Babar would have to relinquish the office of president’s spokesman. Those who have applied for Senate tickets include Riffat Daha, Chaudhry Munawar Anjum, Rana Aftab, Akbar Khawaja, Aurangzeb Burki, Zafar Chaudhry and Khurram Latif Khosa, elder son of Punjab governor. Shabina Riaz Shaikh, spouse of a close aide of president Zardari, Ahmed Riaz Shaikh, and Shahida Jabeen have

also applied for party’s ticket on women’s quota and both are likely to win the PPP ticket on reserved seats for women. Though around two dozen applications have been received by the party secretariat from Balochistan, there is no word yet who would be given the party ticket. The PPP is holding negotiations with all political parties, including the PML-N, to get all Senators elected unopposed to avoid horse trading. It may be noted that all candidates were elected unopposed in the last Senate polls held in 2009 as a result of consensus decision by all political parties. Meanwhile, the source said the party’s central secretariat had also received some applications from party leaders for by-elections to be held in five constituencies that have fallen vacant after resignations filed by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Makhdoom Javed hashmi, Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali, Khwaja Khan hoti and Jahangir Khan Tareen. “Four applications have been received for by-election in NA-140, including those of Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed, incharge People’s Labour Bureau, Imran Ali, Malik Jamil Ahmed and Sardar Qadir Ahmed,” the source added.

duced a bill to amend the NADRA Ordinance of 2000 further, which sought to introduce changes to Sections 2 and 9 of the ordinance. Azra said the bill provided the facility of registration for those who had no parentage.

MQM MP Sufyan Yusuf introduced another bill to amend the Pakistan Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1898 (The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill of 2012 - Insertions of 297A, 297B). According to 297A, whoever without due permission from competent authorities exhumes a human corpse or any part of a human corpse shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years and also be liable to a fine, while according to 297B, whoever exhumes a human corpse or any part of the corpse with intent to cook, eat or to sell or to use for magic any organ or cooked any part of the human corpse or eaten or sold any organ or cooked any part of the human corpse shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than 10 years and shall also be liable to a fine.

The government did not oppose any of the bills and all were sent to the committees concerned.

Speaking on the occasion, PPP Chief Whip Khursheed Shah said a number of bills had already been sent to committees and they were not working them out.

Speaking on a point of order, MNA Jamshad Dasti accused housing and Works Minister Faisal Saleh hayat of taking hefty bribes through the Pak-PWD officials. he said a

committee should be formed to investigate the matter. he added that he would present proof to the committee. PPP MNA Noor Alam Khan pointed out that after various requisitions, the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was not being called, which was disappointing since it was the only platform for the accountability of ministries. he said the a new chairman for the committee should be appointed immediately.

Another PPP MNA, Abdul Qadir Patel, told the house that Iranian border forces had targeted 15 Pakistani fishermen when they were fishing in the maritime borders of Balochistan. he said Iranian forces claimed the fishermen had committed border intrusion, and had killed four out of the 15 when they shot at them. he said now the government of Iran was demanding a huge sum for the return of the dead bodies and injured fisherman under the head of treatment and other expenses. he urged the government to announce compensation for the fishermen. earlier, responding to a callingattention notice regarding the issuance of machine readable passport to its citizens for a period of five years instead of 10 years, creating problems for Pakistanis abroad, Parliamentary Interior Secretary Rae Mujtaba Kharal assured the National Assembly that the government would prepare PC-1 to issue the passports for 10 years with the option of five years also available. MNA Yasmeen Rehman, Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur and others had moved the calling-attention notice.

Kurd concerned over Awan’s licence suspension ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

expressing concern over the suspension of senior lawyer and PPP leader Dr Babar Awan’s licence to practice law in the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Bar Association’s (SCBA) former president Ali Ahmad Kurd on Tuesday said the judiciary could not earn respect by issuing contempt notices and imitating contempt of court proceedings.

Talking to reporters at the Supreme Court building, he regretted the apex court’s decision of suspending the law practicing licence of Babar Awan. he said it was a wrong way adopted by the judiciary to serve contempt of court notices for getting respect. Kurd said had he been scared of contempt of court proceedings, he would not have made speeches against the judges during lawyers’ movement for restoration

and independence of judiciary. he said the court should have shown restraint and the matter of Babar Awan could be referred to the Pakistan Bar Council.

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04 News Senators ask India to resolve Kashmir ISLAMABAD: Pakistani senators asked India on Tuesday to amicably resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including the core issue of Kashmir, amidst calls for peaceful coexistence and improving bilateral relations.

A delegation of Indian Lok Sabha members visited the Parliament house and briefly witnessed the proceedings of the house. The delegation was welcomed by the Senate chairman, the leader of the house and members from various political parties.

Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Prof Khurshid Ahmad said that a cordial relationship between the two countries was necessary but core issues which could affect ties should not be sidelined and must be resolved first.Senator Raja Zafrul haq said India must resolve the issues of Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachin, besides settling water disputes with Pakistan. STAFF REPORT

wednesday, 18 January, 2012

Senators demand Musharraf’s trial under Article 6 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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he senators on Tuesday asked the government to arrest former president Pervez Musharraf immediately after he lands in Pakistan and try him under Article 6 of the constitution, as Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani read out in the Upper house of parliament a long charge-sheet against the former military ruler.

“The federal government should register a case under Article 6 against Pervez Musharraf, who twice put in abeyance the constitution of the country and placed the judges under arrest. he is also involved in the Benazir murder case,” Rabbani said. he said Musharraf

handed over Shamsi airbase to the United States without any written agreement and added that he was liable to be charged under Article 6. he said Musharraf should also be arrested in the Bugti murder case, Balochistan operation and missing people case.

Senators Raja Zafrul haq, Abdul Malik, Zahid Khan and others also endorsed Rabbani’s stance and asked the government to register a case against Musharraf and arrest him as he was planning to come back to Pakistan. endorsing Rabbani, Khalid Soomro said a case should also be registered against Musharraf for killings in the Lal Masjid and Jamia hafsa operation. he also asked the government to take steps to improve law and order in Sindh. Speaking on a point of order, Jamaate-Islami (JI) Senator Prof

Khurshid Ahmad asked the chief of army staff, chief of air force staff and the defence minister to do what was needed to stop US drone strikes, otherwise they would lose credibility as they had publicly vowed to do so. he also criticised the government for keeping silent on fresh drone attacks. Senator Abdul Ghafoor haideri said a revolution could not be stopped if the government continued ignoring public sentiment on important national issues. he asked the authorities concerned to strike down US drones that entered the country’s air space in breach of sovereignty. Senator Lashkari Raeesani asked the interior minister to brief the house about those killed in an encounter in the Chamalang area of Balochistan some days ago. During the Question hour, the Senate chairman suggested Commerce

PM will have Aitzaz Continued fRom page 1 Aitzaz is highly respected among the legal fraternity for his mastery in legal matters, with a long track record of political struggle against tyranny and dictatorship throughout his career as a lawyer and as a politician.

According to an official statement, he called on Prime Minister Gilani and discussed with him the apex court’s contempt notice.

During the meeting, it was agreed that Aitzaz would appear in the Supreme Court along with the prime minister as his counsel on January 19.

he had made history by defended two prime ministers in the court of law in different cases. having previously fought cases in defence of slain former PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto in the mid-90s, he had also taken up a case in defence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2001. he also successfully represented Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s case in the Supreme Court (PLD 2007 SC 578). Aitzaz and his associates had fought a legal battle against a 16-member team of government-hired lawyers representing the federation.

Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim to approach the rent controllers concerned for enhancement in the rent of the buildings owned by State Life Insurance Corporation across the country.

The house witnessed a heated exchange amongst the senators as they discussed export of liquor to India.

The commerce minister, in reply to a supplementary question, told the house that liquor was also being exported to India. however, Senator Khalid Soomro objected to the government’s decision saying that in an Islamic country. the liquor business should have been banned. hasil Bazenjo asked his colleague to shun dual standards, saying Murree Brewery and other liquor producing factories had been operating in the country for decades but they never objected to it.

Current account deficit swells to $2.154bn

he also led the lawyers movement as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to get democracy and the preemergency judiciary in Pakistan restored with peaceful resistance. however, he caught the ire of Benazir Bhutto and President Asif Ali Zardari for defending the chief justice but he remained steadfast in his resolve to lead the movement, which finally succeeded. After the restoration of the judiciary, he announced that he would not appear in front of any bench headed by the chief justice.

Now finding itself in a

difficult situation, the government reviewed its strategy and contacted him to represent the prime minister and he agreed to it as the seven-member bench hearing the case is not headed by the chief justice.

This will be the first case of the present government that he has taken up since it came to power. he was brought back to the top echelons of the party when he was given unprecedented respect on December 27, being asked by the president - against party traditions - to address the PPP public meeting at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh after him.

Pakistan turns down grossman’s visit

Awan’s rants

MONITORING DESK Pakistan has turned down a request from US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Marc Grossman to travel to Islamabad during his current trip to the region this week, The Washington Post said in a report on Tuesday. The report said it was annoying the Obama administration that Pakistan was increasingly standing up against the US and was saying “no” more often than ever to any American requests in the war against terrorism.

It said US officials felt America’s patience with Pakistan was wearing thin as it continued to block NATO supply routes to Afghanistan after the attacks in Mohmand Agency in November 2011, and no change was seen in its policies with regard to its links with extremist groups. A case in the point, said the report, was Foreign Minister hina Rabbani Khar bluntly telling US Secretary of State hillary Clinton that any unauthorised flight into Pakistan’s airspace risked being shot down.

Continued fRom page 1 and engage a counsel for the contempt notice issued to him.

The court turned down his request saying he had already been granted more than enough time, adding that unless the show-cause notice issued to him under Order IV, Rule 30 of the Supreme Court Rules of 1980 was decided, it would not be appropriate to proceed with the reference.

In reaction to the first show-cause notice issued to Awan for passing derogatory remarks against the judiciary at a press conference with four other PPP leaders after the court ordered formation of a judicial commission to probe the memo controversy, Awan had again ridiculed the court by saying that he had been served the notice because he was the federation’s counsel in the presidential reference and the purpose was to render his arguments ineffective. he had also recited verses in Punjabi to the effect that nothing happened despite the issuance of a notice. “Why make a complaint to the darling, why not welcome it?” the verses had said.

The court directed its registrar to collect the enrolment files of Awan from the Pakistan Bar Council and

KARACHI: The country’s current account deficit widened to $2.154bn during the first half of the present fiscal year against a surplus of $8m during the corresponding period last year. It means the country’s current account gap had increased to 1.8 percent of its GDP from a surplus of 0.0 percent during July-Dec FY11.

Workers remittances being the only indicator in the green zone, the trade deficit grew by 32 percent or in monetary terms $1.849 billion to $7.619bn compared to $5.770bn observed last year. iSMAil DilAWAR

the Punjab Bar Council, where he was enrolled as advocate of the high court, as well as the judicial files in pursuance whereof he was issued contempt of court notices by the Lahore high Court.

The court noted that it was not the first time Awan was issued a contempt of court notice by a two-member Supreme Court bench, but the Lahore high Court had issued him similar notices previously. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar pointed out that once he had also called Awan to his chambers for a contempt notice, but the notice was disposed of after Awan apologised.

Awan told the court that he was the member of a major political party of the country and he always respected the judiciary. The chief justice observed that where the judiciary was not respected, the system was derailed.

The court noted further that he had been appearing in the apex court and it had always respected him, but the attitude shown by him on January 4, 2012 after receipt of show-cause notice over the contemptuous press conference compelled the court to issue him a notice asking him to explain why his licence to practice law at the Supreme Court should not be cancelled.

Do go to SC, nawaz urges Gilani PIR JO GOTH OnlinE

Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday exhorted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to appear before the Supreme Court to answer the court’s contempt notice.

Nawaz arrived in Pir Jo Goth to meet Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi, who was elected the eighth Pir Pagara of the hur community. Rashidi is the eldest son of late Pir Syed Mardan Shah II who died in London last week. The PML-N chief pledged to continue cooperation with Pagara’s PML-Functional. Addressing a press conference with Pir Pagara, Nawaz accused the ruling clique of threatening democracy. “The democracy has no threat from anyone, other than the attitude of present rulers.” “Pakistan is passing through a critical phase. We

should all join hands because no single party can steer it out of crises,” he said, ruling out the possibility of his faction’s dialogue with the PPP. he urged the government to abide by SC orders and write a letter to the Swiss authorities for details of President Asif Zardari’s bank accounts. “Why are they reluctant to contact the Swiss government? Zardari should prove that it’s his own money, and not of the nation,” he added. The SC on Monday issued a contempt notice to Gilani, ordering him to appear personally before the jury on January 19 for failing to pursue the NRO cases against the president and other officials. “Gilani should face the Supreme Court. The situation would have been different had he acted on my advice,” Nawaz said. he said the government’s allies were also involved in humiliating the county’s prestigious institutions.

Another bullet-riddled body found in Panjgour QuettA: Another bullet-riddled body was found near Sorap dam area of Panjgour district, some 800 km away from Quetta on Tuesday. Levies officials said locals informed local administration after spotting a body lying desolated.

Administration moved the body to District headquarters hospital Panjgour. The deceased was identified as Panjgour resident Munir Ahmad. Family sources said the victim went missing six days ago and his motorcycle was found abandoned in Sordo area in outskirts of Panjgur on Monday. They said they had no enmities. The body had multiple bullet wounds.

STAFF REPORT

Kabul grants Islamabad’s transmission line request KABuL: Afghan President hamid Karzai’s cabinet on Tuesday expressed willingness for electricity exports from Uzbekistan to Pakistan through Afghanistan. At a meeting chaired by Karzai, the cabinet discussed a request from the Pakistani embassy for power exports from Uzbekistan through the landlocked country. A statement from the Presidential Palace said the government had granted the Pakistani request for the power line to pass through Afghanistan. “The route and conditions for this line will be decided by technical Pakistani and Afghan teams after negotiations,” Deputy Minister of Water and energy Ghulam Farooq Qazi Zada said. nni

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wednesday, 18 January, 2012

News 05

Aircraft of Pakistani pilot crashes in turkey ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A Pakistani Air Force (PAF) pilot Squadron Leader Masood hussain, who was on an exchange posting to the Turkish Air Force, crashed while on a routine training mission, with a Turkish under-training pilot on Tuesday. A PAF statement said that a portion of the wreckage of the trainer aircraft had been found in the sea near Izmir. The Turkish Air Force was carrying out search and rescue operations.

SC’s decision on NRo not in line with law: Asma

SHAnGlA: A beautiful view of ice-covered hills in Shangla Alpurai after the area received heavy snowfall on Tuesday. Online

ISLAMABAD OnlinE

Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Asma Jehangir on Tuesday said she was opposed to the NRO but the Supreme Court’s decision on it was not in line with the law and the constitution. Talking to reporters, she said there were several people involved in the NRO, adding that the SC could do anything at present. “The institutions should exercise restraint for the sake of the nation,” she said. Asma said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had appointed Aitzaz Ahsan his counsel. The matter had reached such a proportion that “our institutions will have to think about it seriously for the cause of the nation and survival of democracy”, she said. She said former president Pervez Musharraf must be sent to jail but those who joined hands with him should also be put to trial. “It won’t be in national interest if we remained buried in the past,” she said, adding, “Time has come to start thinking about the survival of the people rather than creating a clash among the institutions.” She said Islamabad should be made into such a capital that people could hear messages of peace from here rather than of confrontation.

We will happily go into opposition, says Imran PtI chairman admits his fledgling tehreek-e-Insaf can suffer if series of crises force general elections earlier than September or october g

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AFP

A K I S T A N Tehreek-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan says he is happy to go into opposition if his “tsunami” of popular support fails to bring him a landslide victory at elections now widely expected within months.

The 59-year-old former cricketer has ridden a wave of support buoyed by mass rallies and has openly backed the courts’ pursuit of embattled President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

But in an interview with AFP at his hilltop villa outside Islamabad, Khan admitted that his fledgling Movement for Justice could suffer if a series of crises force general elections earlier than September or October.

“The ‘tsunami’ is ready. We will be ready. Obviously it suits our party... if this government goes for another six

months,” he said.

If the current government collapses earlier than the summer, Khan could see his popularity – built on the back of nationalist rhetoric delivered with messianic zeal and rousing musical performances – put to a premature test.

“We would happily go into the opposition if we can’t form a government because basically it’s a battle between forces of status quo and forces of change,” Khan told AFP. Speculation is widespread that Khan’s party is being quietly groomed by the powerful military, which are believed to back moves in the courts to chip away at Zardari and Gilani’s authority.

“I think it’s the endgame because the government — it’s been openly defying the Supreme Court,” said Khan.

“I don’t think the Supreme Court is going to back down. They’ve called the prime minister dishonest so really in any decent democracy he should have resigned by now and then asked to go back

Malik believes memo is fake ISLAMABAD OnlinE

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Tuesday claimed that the memo was fake and part of conspiracies by Mansoor Ijaz against the Pakistan People’s Party. Talking to reporters in Islamabad, the interior minister said on one hand the PML-N was claiming to support democracy, but on the other, it had taken the “fake memo issue to the Supreme Court”. “US businessman Mansoor Ijaz had helped dislodged Benazir Bhutto’s government and the present memo issue is a continuation of the conspiracy,” he said.

Malik said the people have praised the prime minister’s decision to appear before the apex court in the contempt of court proceedings, adding that this gesture would help remove misunderstandings. he said the government had always respected the apex court and implemented its decisions and dispelled the impression that the PPP was on a path of confrontation with the judiciary. Malik said the opposition was using tactics to hijack majority from the PPP in the upcoming Senate elections, adding that the parliament would complete its tenure and elections would be held on time. The minister said rivals wanted to avoid Senate elections in March. he said the government would not act with the SC as their rivals did in the past. Malik added that conspiracy was being hatched against the government, but the government would complete its tenure.

to the people.”

But he added, “No one wants martial law in this country, none of us want it. I think the time for martial law is over in Pakistan.”

Khan insists his relationship with the generals is a “sensible” one that would put him clearly in charge should his party sweep to power.

“If I’m the prime minister, if I have the responsibility, I have the authority,” he said.

Predictions for early polls have inched forward as tensions have risen between the prime minister and army, and with the Supreme Court now holding Gilani in contempt of court.

The contempt order given by judges adjudicating corruption claims leaves the government’s fate perilously unclear.

Analysts say however it plays out, momentum is building for early elections, officially due at the beginning of 2013, but now believed more probable in either April or September-October.

Religious parties welcome PM’s announcement to appear in SC ISLAMABAD OnlinE

Religio-political parties have welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to appear in the Supreme Court against the contempt of court notice.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) praised the PM’s statement in the National Assembly to personally appear in the apex court, but demanded resignation of the prime minister as well as President Asif Ali Zardari.

Spokesman for Jamiat-e-Ulemae-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Amjad Khan told Online that appearance of the prime minister before the

Supreme Court would set a good precedence in Pakistan. “his submission before the court is in accordance with Islam and law of the land, this is an encouraging trend,” he added.

Not only the JUI-F, but JUI-S Chief Maulana Samiul haq also encouraged the government’s decision. he told Online that resignation of the government would not resolve the issue. The JUI-S chief said, “Instead of resignation, preparing a conducive environment for elections within a year would be a wise decision and would be helpful for democracy in the country.”

JI spokesman Farid Paracha said

appearance before the court was a right decision. “But the government’s members, including the prime minister, indulged in contempt of court a number of times,” he said.

Paracha said, “Only the contempt of court is not an issue of this government, under President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani, corruption was promoted and the government has failed to address the people’s problem, I say resignation by both of them would be a further positive development.” however, all religious parties agreed that any unconstitutional step would be opposed, saying they wanted change through democratic means.

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Taliban say no decrease in armed attacks in Afghanistan

taliban spokesman says fake email sent to media organisations suggesting that taliban had decided to decrease armed activities g Says intelligence agencies spreading rumors g

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FGhAN Taliban have strongly rejected reports that they have reduced attacks on foreign and Afghan forces in the wake of the opening of office in Qatar.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a fake email had been sent to media organisations, suggesting that Taliban had decided to decrease armed activities in Afghanistan.

“Such materials were parts of intelligence moves to spread rumors and Taliban strongly rebuff it and no such decision was taken,” he said while disowning such materials in a statement.

Taliban accepted that they were wishing to open their political office in Qatar for dialogue with international community and also demanded release of its members under custody of US in Guantanamo prison.

Sources said the US and the Taliban started another round of talks in Qatar just few days before the Bonn

Conference on Afghanistan. But the talks were in their initial stage and the Taliban demanded release of some prisoners as well as initial agreement about political office somewhere around Doha was discussed.

Taliban understand that Afghanistan had been engaged in a struggle and jihad for the past one and a half decade to establish an Islamic government in accordance with the request of its people.

“It is for this purpose and for bringing about peace and stability in Afghanistan that we have increased our

political efforts to come to mutual understanding with the world in order to solve the current ongoing situation,” Mujahid said. But, on several occasion the spokesman had made it clear that the understanding did not mean surrendering jihad. “We must say that some sources and reports often try to distort realities. For this reason we would like to ask all the officials of the media outlets to work within the framework of unbiased journalistic ethics, avoid circulating baseless and one-sided reports and only publish that which is confirmed by relevant sources,” he said.

NRDf holds polio awareness session LOWER DIR STAFF REPORT

National Research and Development Foundation (NRDF) Lower Dir on Tuesday held a community session at Pato Talash to raise awareness about polio. The meeting was addressed by a religious cleric Maulana Muhammad Rahim, health official Sher Bahadar and NRDF district coordinator Muhammad Abdullah. They asked participants to vaccinate children against polio and other infectious diseases. They said the Pakistan government was committed to make the country polio-free by the end of 2012. They said religious clerics and scholars in Lower Dir through Friday sermons and mosque announcements had been playing active role in eradicating polio. They urged local people to come forward and play their role too. The NRDF coordinator announced that 100 teachers and 100 clerics will be provided training session during the next month on polio and vaccination campaigns.

IJt protests against PSf PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

The Islami Jamiat-e-Talba (IJT) held a protest against violent incidents at Govt Sher Shah Road College and the Pakhtun Students Federation (PSF) opposite the Cantt Railway Station on Tuesday. The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans seeking early arrest of the accused involved in the incident.

Talking to journalists, IJT Nazim Zafar Bokhari alleged that PSF was behind violent incidents in colleges. he also blamed the Awami National Party (ANP) for worsening the situation in the province, saying that students were fired at by PSF activists, which injured some of them. he accused the PSF of beating the college principal and other teachers. Separately, the PSF also held a protest against the IJT and accused it of resorting to violence and demanded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to reopen the college. They said that the PSF wanted peace in all colleges but the IJT was a hurdle in this regard.

KARACHi: A boy throws meat for birds as charity at China Creek on Tuesday. inP

Villagers protest police ‘harassment’ KHAIRPuR: After a raid in which police arrested two accused on Tuesday morning, villagers took out a protest against police harassment and blocked the national highway, forcing police to suspend the arresting ShO. Baberloi Police raided village Pir Bux Machhi near Thar and arrested two accused Sudheer Machhi and Tanveer Machhi after beating up women, an old man and children. The arrested were accused of involvement in highway robberies and other crimes.

After the raid, hundreds of villagers took their protest to the national highway and blocked it a number of hours. Talking to media, protestors said the ShO had demanded bribes and robbed stuff from their homes.

They said the accused were innocent. ASP Nadeem reached the protest location and negotiated a settlement with protestors.

Responding to complaints against ShO Baberloi Mustafa Meerani and ShO A-section Khairpur Maqsood Raza, SP Khairpur Irfan Baloch suspended both and transferred them and posted a new ShO Baberloi. STAFF REPORT

Khar, Thomson discuss Pak-UK relations ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

British high Commissioner in Islamabad Adam Thomson called on Foreign Minister hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday and discussed ways to enhance relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom. expressing satisfaction at the second round of Pakistan-UK National Security Discussions held in Islamabad on November 22, 2011, the foreign minister praised the enhanced Strategic Dialogue launched between the two countries during Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Pakistan in April last year.

“She particularly emphasised the importance of expanding economic and commercial relations, saying that Pakistan offered enormous trade and investment opportunities,” said a foreign office statement.

The British high commissioner conveyed an official invitation on behalf of Foreign Secretary William hague to the foreign minister to visit London next month to review the progress achieved under the enhanced Strategic Dialogue.

They also discussed bilateral cooperation at international fora, especially the UN Security Council. They agreed that the two countries should coordi-

iSlAMAbAD: Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar talks to british High Commissioner Adam Thomson at the Foreign Office on Tuesday. inP nate closely to promote peace and development.

Khar reiterated that Pakistan had

always pursued a foreign policy on the basis of principles as enshrined in the UN charter. She said Pakistan was

looking forward to contributing constructively to the Security Council during its two-year term as a member.

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Clean water, not a dream anymore g

wASA all set to install 40 new filtration plants g Musharraf era plan ‘filtered out’ after Punjab govt finds irregularities worth millions LAHORE

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YASiR HAbib

he Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) is all set to install the first water filtration plant in February as a part of the Punjab government’s initiative to ensure potable water for the people.

It will be the first water filtration plan since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government came to power in Punjab in 2008. Around 40 water filtration plants are to be installed at the cost of Rs 42 million, while 20 will be installed in the first phase.

All plants will be installed at tube wells.

PuMPING POISON: This development came after the LDA, taking notice of the environment Protection Department’s (ePD) report that revealed the presence of high levels of arsenic in WASA’s 253 tubewells in July last year, ordered WASA to provide clean water to people.

Per ePD’s report, of the 392 tube wells as many as 253—almost 90 per cent—were pumping arsenic-contaminated water, posing serious health hazards to the citizens. PU Chemistry Department seconded ePD’s report, which was also counterchecked by Atomic Absorption Tests.

All the water filtration plants installed during former district nazim Amir

Reverse Osmosis

Mehmood’s tenure have been dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance by Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department.

WASA Managing Director Javed Iqbal told Pakistan Today that NeSPAK engaged with WASA to provide assistances on technical grounds while selection of firms and supervision had been completed.

After the prequalification process that would be finalised by the end of January, selected firms would start installing filtration plants in February.

WASA Project Director Shakeel Ahmed said UeT report found some tube wells supplying arsenic-ridden water but the number reported was less than that reported by ePA. “Arsenic is regarded as a slow poison and is present in rocks, soil, air, plants and animals and its long-term use can cause various cancers. The element, being tasteless, odorless and colourless, cannot be detected easily,” he added.

MuSHARRAF eRA PLAN ‘FILteReD Out’: Sources in WASA revealed that WASA’s Water Filtration Plant Programme had nothing to do with Clean Reverse Osmosis is a process in which dissolved inorganic solids (such as salts) are removed from a solution (such as water). This is accomplished by pushing the water through a semi permeable membrane. The membrane (which is about as thick as cellophane) allows only the water to pass through, not the impurities or contaminates.

These impurities and contaminates are flushed down the drain.

Drinking Water for ALL (CDWA) earlier planned by federal government during the Musharraf regime. Sources said Punjab government had shelved the CDWA project designed to install 3,494 water filtration plants, a brainchild of Musharraf, after tracing loopholes and kickbacks in the execution of project initiated in 2004.

The project, costing more than Rs 12 billion, was started when WhO, National Council for Water Research and a number

of other research organisations revealed that the water supplied to the citizens was not fit for human consumption and UNICeF disclosed that 20 to 40 percent beds were occupied in the hospitals by patients suffering from water-related diseases.

Then Federal Ministry of environment presented the CDWA project to install two types of plants, ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis plants, to the Pakistan environmental Protection Council chaired by the Chief executive of Pakistan Pervaiz Musharraf in February 2001, and got it approved in 2004. Local Government Board senior official told Pakistan Today that after PML-N Punjab government came into power in 2008, it had planned to wind up the CDWL project, since it was a relic of the Musharraf era. Because the project belonged to federal government, it could not be implemented in the province, he added. “however, under 18th Amendment, the project has now fallen in the provincial periphery and the project can easily be gotten

LESCo’s laziness benefits people, for once LAHORE nAUMAn TASlEEM

Lahore electric Supply Company’s project of replacing old PCmetres with new digital metres is not working perfectly and the company has failed to meet the deadline of replacing all three-phase metres by December 2011, sources in the company told Pakistan Today on Tuesday.

Sources said the National electric Power Regulatory Authority (NePRA) had told the Lahore electric Supply Company (LeSCO) to replace all old three-phase metres with new digital metres by December 31, 2011. All metres, including domestic, commercial and industrial, were to be replaced. however, LeSCO could not meet the deadline and has requested the NePRA for extending the deadline till June 2012.

Sources said a number of reasons like shortage of funds, low manpower and lack of interest of the company’s employees caused the delay and LeSCO had now promised NePRA that the task would be completed by June 2012.

The replacement of the old electromagnetic metres is part of government plan to determine different tariffs for evening and morning times.

Those users who would get digital metres would be charged dual tariffs. For ex-

ample, if electricity is consumed during peak hours (6pm-10pm) then the tariff would be more than Rs 13 and in other timings the rate would be low. The measure was taken to reduce the consumption of electricity during peak hours. The sources said LeSCO would be installing around 300,000 metres by June 2012. The project of replacing old metres with newer ones was started in May 2010 and so far, the company has managed to install 175,000 metres. “The company in two years could only replace 6 percent of metres and in coming six months it is almost impossible that LeSCO could achieve the task of replacing all metres,” an official of the company said adding it seems LeSCO would ask for further extension in the June 2012 deadline. he said the main hurdle in completing the task was availability of funds, as one metre costs around Rs 8,000-20,000. he said LeSCO was replacing these metres without charging any amount from the old consumers while only new consumers have to pay for these metres.

Another reason of delay in achieving the target was lack of interest and human resource in LeSCO. “Besides replacing metres, the company has to perform other tasks like replacing old lines and accommodating public complaints therefore it is hard for the employees to show performance on all fronts,” the senior official of LeSCO added. LeSCO Customer Service Director Khalid Mehmood did not attend phone despite repeated contact.

rid of,” he added. Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah already termed CDWA project a fraud of billions of rupees during Punjab Assembly session on March 25, 2011. PA Speaker Rana Iqbal had also formed a committee to probe into non-completion of the water filtration plants scheme.

“The committee was to meet on March 30 but the session was barred to hold discussion on the issue on the direction of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif,” PML-N MPA told Pakistan Today. Government also found the scheme, he said, a burden thrown on the provinces by the federal government without their consent, forcing them to install the plants at rates said to be much higher than in the open market. teCHNICAL eRRORS AND CORRuPtION: Apart from the above fact, he added, Punjab government also detected technical errors and illegal commissions in the project. With a view to cap the project, third party audit would be conducted as ceremonial work, he added.

An official in Public health engineering Department said Punjab government objected that some of the companies selected by the federal ministry had links with people sitting in the federal government. Another objection was that federal government promised to

pay Rs 12.2 billion but paid only Rs 3.8 billion in 2010. “Federal government signed the agreement for the installation of the filtration plants against the deal of Rs 3 million for single and Rs 8 million for double filtration plant while the actual worth of the same plant was found to be just Rs 0.6 million in the open market,” he added.

Financial leaks worth Rs4.47 billion also surfaced in the project since ultra-filtration plants were acquired against payment of unit prices ranging between Rs1.

71 million and Rs2.82 million against the market price of Rs1.2 million, whereas, the per unit cost of osmosis plant was Rs2.6 million and Rs 7.8 million had been paid.

Above all, official of WASA engineering Branch told Pakistan Today, that if filtration plants were installed, they could not last longer due to higher cost of maintenance. Complete infrastructure required to repair and keep the filtration plants operational were missing at town level, he added.

According to the official in CM’s Secretariat, of the 3, 494 water filtration plants, around 212 had been installed across Punjab while 38 had been installed in Lahore.

AA Flowmatic engineering was awarded the contract to install 540 water filtration plants, Syed Bhais 768, KSB Pumps Company 793, Amin Brothers engineers 782 and Tauseef enterprises 611 in Punjab.

Ultrafiltration (UF) is a variety of membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semipermeable membrane.

Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane.

‘Punjab CM, why did you reappoint a corrupt VC?’ LAHORE ADnAn lODHi

Ignoring all the voices raised against the alleged corruption and irregularities committed by the Dr Mujahid Kamran, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s nomination of Kamran as the VC has not taken well by the teachers’ community at the Punjab University, who are terming it a ‘biased decision’. According to educationists instead of taking up the issues of Kamran’s irregularities, the CM had finalised his name and this decision would not bode well for the varsity. The education community was shocked on Tuesday after the nomination of Dr Mujahid Kamran, who according to ASA was involved in serious nature of academic corruption. It is important to mention here that CM Punjab on Tuesday sent a summary to the Governor’s Secretariat which stated that Dr Mujahid Kamran’s name was final among the three final candidates including PU IAS former head Dr Zafar Iqbal Jadoun and Garrison University VC Dr Jamil Anwer. It is pertinent to mention here that the CM is a competent authority to appoint VCs at public sector universities of the province and after the summary returns from the Governor’s Secretariat, it will be sent to the higher education Department that will issue a notification regarding the appointment of Kamran as PU VC for the tenure of four years. “Why was a shady person selected when two other competent candidates were also present? he has already served for four years there was no need to re-nominate him,” a PU faculty member said, adding “clearly the CM is not serious about solving the problems of the education community”. It is important to mention here that the PU ASA protested over the appointment of Kamran because they alleged that his previous tenure was full of irregularities, corruption and illegal appointments. They maintained that the VC had destroyed the varsity and his nomination for another term would give nothing to the varsity except the corruption and violation of merit. “We do not have a personal grudge against Dr Kamran, we are only protesting because PU would suffer if his reappointed,” another faculty member said, adding that Kamran had also violated the policy of one man one post during his tenure, apart from other irregularities.

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Plan to install trackers in Mujahid Squad vehicles shelved LAHORE

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fajr Sunrise 05:37 07:02

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OLICe has shelved the plan for installing trackers in the vehicles of Mujahid Squad. The proposal was aimed at keeping a check and improving the response time of patrolling vehicles, Pakistan Today has learnt on Tuesday.

The idea was a brainchild of former SP Mujahid Squad Muntazir Mehdi in order to draw crime prevention and detection strategy to secure society especially from street crimes.

The work on the idea was started by Muntazir with a positive nod of former Capital City Police Officer Aslam Tareen during last months of 2010. Initially, Mujahid Squad got trackers installed in eight vehicles of in a testing mood without spending a single penny. A local company with a name of Traffico, as a sample, installed these trackers which are functioning and the movement of the vehicles could easily be monitored from the Rescue 15 Control Room.

Sources told that during preliminary research for the installation of system, Mehdi asked different companies to bid.

Mehdi said initially, different companies placed bids for the installation of trackers between Rs 10,000 to Rs 23,000 as fee for each vehicle and Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month charges for each of them. he said the idea was to fight crime scientifically so that crime prevention and detection could be improved in the city in order to counter the challenge.

While briefing about the idea, he said in fact, they wanted to get all the vehicles in the system so that one officer of DSP rank could handle the affairs of the city at a time.

“Once, anyone reported any crime, the officer sitting inside the control room could identify the location of the caller and also knows the availability of patrolling vehicles available in the radius of 5 km of the scene. The officer could easily ask one vehicle to reach the crime scene while could order remaining vehicles to block the escaping points of the criminals about whom the caller had already given details to the police officials at control room.”

“A senior DSP ranked police officer with good sense of fighting crime could easily get several gangs busted only using the system”, Mr, Mehdi added. he, while giving further details, said the initiative was to initially get trackers installed in the vehicles of Mujahid Squad, then in the vehicles of Operations Wing of Lahore Police and later for Investigation.

Mehdi said he had proposed the former CCPO for giving a section of Crime Record Office under the administrative control of Mujahid Squad so that they could generate funds from those who required police’s clearance in order to purchase or cell their vehicles. he said that they were already generating funds to give 15 call records to different citizens, who required to furnish proofs to different insurance companies in order to get insurances from the companies concerned, but the cost of those documents were quite nominal which were only helping Mujahid Squad to meet the maintenance expanses of 15 Control Room. he said if they had even managed funds for

Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria become hotspots for polio transmission

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Pakistan, a part of the PAIN

BlooD BANK fAtMID ISlAMIC AllIANCe

the required initial investment that would not have solved the problem, because a specific and good amount as a monthly fee was needed to keep the tracking system working that could only be manage if government approved any funds for the said activity. he said he did not have any idea if the forthcoming officials of Mujahid Squad had moved summery to the top cops and to the authorities in the Punjab government or not.

SP Mujahid Squad Captain (r) Romail Akram, while talking to Pakistan Today, said the idea was shelved due to non-availability of fund. he said earlier the issue was taken up at personal level but later was dropped due to financial constraints. he said according to his information, the Punjab government had a plan to take police on board as well on IT City Project so as to computerise the system of Lahore Police.

“I had heard that the Punjab government has some plans to develop a tracking system for police vehicles and installation of security cameras under IT City Project,” Romail Akram added.

ArAbiC CAlligrAPhy

STAFF REPORT

The medical experts on Tuesday declared Pakistan among the countries, like Nigeria and Afghanistan, which have shown an increase in the number of polio cases last year. The World health Organisation (WhO) and UNICeF medical experts briefed the reporters at a conference on polio. They said that Poliomyelitis (polio) was a highly infectious disease caused by a virus which infects children through the mouth, through contact with infected secretions from the nose or mouth or through contact with infected faeces due to poor hand washing or eating dirt. The symptoms of the infection include fever, tiredness, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, pain in the arms and legs and may progress to paralysis sometimes. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. They said further that there was no cure for polio, adding that it could be prevented through vaccination with OPV drops.

The experts said that polio immunisation started as a part of the routine immunisation in 1982. In 1988, the World health Assembly passed a resolution to make the world polio-free and many countries have been successful in eradicating polio, while Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to have a significant number of polio cases. India has had recent dramatic decrease and only one case has been reported so far. The experts said further that it was essential to have high quality campaigns, with every child under five years receiving polio drops during every campaign, so that Pakistan could become polio-free. Punjab witnessed nine polio cases, compared to seven cases of the previous year. The experts discussed several immunisation methods, including organising the National Immunisation Days (NIDs) that provide transient barrier to the circulation of the virus and direct the polio eradication efforts. Moreover, geographically focused campaigns targeting high risk areas are identified by surveillance – a late strategy when the virus is localised. The experts suggested timely immunisation, starting at birth, adding that even 3 doses of OPV may only protect 75 percent children, therefore supplemental doses of OPV should be given to all children under five years of age during the mass immunisation campaigns. The next NIDs would be held from January 30 to February 1, the medical experts informed.

DOCUMENTAry MAKiNg COUrSE

ThESiS DiSPlAy, 2012

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DAte AND tIMe: JUNe 1, 2012, 4PM to 6PM VeNUe: hASt-o-NeeSt CeNteR CAllIgRAPhY ClASSeS are on-going, interested students can enroll throughout the year. the duration of one module is three months. there are four modules of learning calligraphyt: primary, secondary, advanced and higher. the course includes traditional pen and traditional paper making.

DAte: JAN 30,2012 VeNUe: lAwReNCe gARDeN Be a successful documentary maker and learn the art from the media professionals including orya Maqbool Jan.

DAte: JAN 16 to 20 VeNUe: NAtIoNAl College of ARtS (NCA) All bachelors’ classes of NCA including architecture, textile, miniature paintings, sculpture, interior design and others to show their final thesis in an exhibition

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Civil bureaucracy represents state, not govt: Khosa LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

UNJAB Governor Latif Khan Khosa said on Tuesday that the civil bureaucracy was a representative of the state rather than the government.

Addressing a delegation of the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) officers at the Governor house, he said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani would go to the Supreme Court on January 19 to present his point of view. he said

Cold spell to continue LAHORE STAFF REPORT

It remained partially cloudy with mild wind all day on Tuesday in the metropolitan, while the Met Office says weather will prevail till Sunday with some chances of scattered showers. Visibility was poor in the city, as thick clouds hovered in the sky, while cool breeze kept swirling adding to the cold spell.

The met office claims “A new spell of cold will hit the city after Sunday, but the weather would mainly remain dry,” said a meteorologist, adding that more rain was needed to eradicate dryness from the air.

“Yes! There is a prediction of rain but it would be scattered.” The Met Office says the spell of cool wind would remain unchanged till the start of next week, adding that the speed of the wind might decrease. The highest recorded temperature of the city was 12 degree Celsius, while the lowest was measured at 2 degree Celsius on Saturday.

The summary of the nationwide weather forecast, according to the Met Office, says mainly dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, however isolated rain with snowfall over the hills is likely in Kashmir and the adjoining hilly areas.

Foggy and misty conditions is likely in the plain areas of Punjab and KPK during next two to three days.

that the civil officers have to perform their jobs according to the constitution and law, adding that the Article 231 of the constitution bound the officers to accomplish the work without any political adherence. he said that the 1973 constitution guaranteed the freedom and justice of an individual and it was a responsibility of the civil servants to follow the policies of the state and take care of the people’s rights. Answering a question, he said that to strengthen the institutions, it was necessary to make democracy strong. he said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had always sacrificed for democracy, rule of law and the constitution. he said that the government had restored the judges and respected the judiciary.

PMA to support Punjab social security doctors LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Tuesday announced complete support to the protest movement of the Punjab social security doctors in Punjab.

The decision from the PMA office bearers came after a meeting with the Punjab social security doctors. Several PMA office bearers, including Dr M Tanveer Anwar, Dr Izhar Ahmed, Dr Ihsan-urRehman, Dr Yasmin Ihsan, Dr Kamran, Dr Sabahat habib Khan and Dr Salman Kazmi.

The PMA office bearers would participate in the protest to be held by the social security doctors on January 19 at all hospitals of the Social Security Department. They said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced a pay raise of Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 for the consultants and medical officers, respectively and Rs 6,000 and Rs 20,000 for the house officers and post graduate residents, respectively, in form of health professional allowance but this had not been implemented in the Social Security Department.

The PMA added that the social security governing body’s committee had also given approval to the same but the social security commissioner

was reluctant to implement it. The PMA has advised the social security commissioner not to force the doctors to protest and issue a notification of pay raise to the 1,800 doctors from July 1, 2011.

They have also appealed to the chief minister to take notice.

lahore to get 100 new buses next month LAHORe: LTC Chairman Khawaja hassan has said that fundamental reforms are being introduced in the urban transport sector for provision of efficient and affordable facilities to the general public. While presiding over a meeting Board of Directors at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Tuesday, he said the LTC would provide 575 buses of international standard, adding that 100 vehicles would be available on the roads of Lahore in the last week of February. he said promotion of CNG in public transport was an important feature of LTC, adding that the federal government should take immediate measures for provision of CNG to public transport on a priority basis. STAFF REPORT

lSE students pose for a photo on their big day (l) while one of them receives her medal from Punjab Governor latif Khosa (R). PR

eight bookies arrested LAHORE inP

Police arrested eight bookies and recovered computers and other equipment from their possession during a raid on early Tuesday morning.

According to details, police on a tip-off raided the house of a bookie Umer Riaz, located in the Ali Park area of Nadirabad, and arrested the bookies who were gambling on the cricket match. Police also recovered computers, LCDs, telephone sets and cash from the house.

In the preliminary interrogation, the detained persons have admitted their contacts with Indian bookmakers.

Police was interrogating the detained culprits and important revelations were expected.

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APPS owners’ Association holds elections LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Mirza Kashif Ali and Rana Tahir Saleem on Tuesday were elected the All Pakistan Private Schools Owners’ Association president and general secretary, respectively. According to a press release, the polling for the new office bearers for the year 2012 was held across the country. In Punjab, the panel of Mirza hussain Abbas from Lahore, Islam Shad from Multan, Nadeem Anwer from Gujranwala, Kamran Dhiloun, Wasim Chaudhry, Amanullah and Akhter Khan won the elections. In Sindh, the panel of Atif Salam from Karachi, hassan Ali Soomro from hyderabad, haider Ali, Mirza from Badin, Wasif Chandio from Nawab Shah and Ghulam Sarwar won the polls.

Seminar on special persons LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A seminar on Disability Awareness Campaign will be held today (Wednesday) at the University of education Township Campus in collaboration of Department of Physical education. Renowned orthopaedic surgeon from Mayo hospital Dr Khalid Jamil, Pace2life Chief executive Waqas Ahmad, Assistant Professor Division of education Dr Shaheen Pasha and others will address the seminar.

LHR 18-01-2012_Layout 1 1/18/2012 2:47 AM Page 10

10 Lahore

wednesday, 18 January, 2012

LHC allows amending a plea for Islamic laws LAHORE

L

STAFF REPORT

AhORe high Court (LhC) Chief justice on Tuesday allowed a lawyer to amend his petition, seeking abolition of un-Islamic laws and implementation of laws of Shariah in the country in the light of Objective Resolution.

CJ Azmat Saeed was hearing a petition filed by Ghazi Illumuddin Advocate, calling in question the un-Islamic element in the constitution that gives impunity to prime Minister and president of Pakistan. The petitioner sought a court order to abolish all un-Islamic laws that contradicted with the Objective Resolution of 1949 which provided that un-Islamic laws will be repealed and in their place Islamic laws and Quran and Sunnah will be implemented through a presidential ordinance. hinting at the un-Islamic elements in laws of the country, the petitioner said under Article 248 of the Constitution, the president, prime minister, chief ministers and ministers had immunity against

criminal proceedings, “while Islam says all people are equal before law and no one has impunity against any crime.”

During the hearing the petition CJ Saeed observed that courts were working according to constitution and law of the land and if any of the laws appeared to be against spirit of Islam, there was a platform of Federal Shariah Court that may be approached against it. Seeing the mood of the court the petitioner sought permission to make certain amendment his petition. The chief justice granted the permission and adjourning further hearing in the matter indefinitely.

GM RAILWAYS SuMMONeD: The Lahore high Court on Tuesday summoned the general manager (GM) operations and deputy directory Railways Lahore on January 20 for defying the court orders continuously.

The petitioner Allauddin submitted that Federal Services Tribunal had turned down his termination orders from the job issued by department officials on the basis of a false inquiry and directed to restore his job. But, the Railway authorities were not restoring his job despite the or-

ders of FST. he requested the court to issue directions to railway officials for reinstatement his job. The court had sought so many time reports from Railway officials but they did not file any reply and report on the petition.

LHC DetAINS AC, teHSILDAR OVeR AttItuDe: The Lahore high Court on Tuesday took Shalimar Town assistant commissioner and tehsildar into custody for five hours for not obeying the court orders and later let them go while accepting their apology and assurance to comply the orders.

A citizen Ahmad Gillani filed a contempt of court petition against Assistant Commissioner Shahid hussain and Tehsildar Imran Safdar. The petitioner submitted that the court had ordered them to retrieve his 54-kanal property in Tajpura from illegal occupants. But the officials defied the orders and had not retrieved his land till now. he prayed the court to take action against then under charges of contempt of court.

The judge summoned the assistant commissioner and tehsildar to explain why they did not obey the court order,

but the two officials could not give satisfying answer. Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan, while expressing his annoyance over their attitude, passed the orders to keep them in custody till the end of the court hours.

The officials continued to sit in courtroom for at five to six hours like prisoners. however, afterwards the court allowed them to go after they apologised their act and a law officer of the Punjab government undertook before the court that government officials will comply with the orders in letters and spirit.

The court ordered them to come up with compliance of its orders on Jan 23 and submit a report on the issue.

SeVeN JuDGeS tRANSFeRReD: The Lahore high Court (LhC) issued transfer and posting orders of seven judicial officers including a senior civil judge, two civil judges and four civil judgescum-judicial magistrates.

According to a notification issued by the LhC registrar office, Senior Civil Judge Sahiwal Nadeem Tahir Syed had been posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge Chunian on promotion, whereas Civil Judge Class-1 Shakargarh

Muhammad Nadeem had been posted as Senior Civil Judge Sahiwal, on promotion. Civil Judge Class-1 Mudassar Farid Khokhar was transferred from Sahiwal to haroonabad. The civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates who were transferred include Muhammad Amir Munir from Jhelum to Sheikhupura, Nadeem Ahmad Sohail from haroonabad to Sheikhupura, Nadir hussain Shah from Muzaffargarh to Sheikhupura and Muhammad Khan from Rawalipindi to Sheikhupura.

LHC MOVeD ON KARGIL ADVeNtuRe: The Lahore high Court (LhC) was moved Tuesday for constitution of a commission to probe into the Kargil incident. Rana Illumuddin, the counsel for the petitioner, took the plea in the petition that 13 years had elapsed after the Kargil incident, but facts had not been made public so far. he pleaded that Pervez Musharraf was holding Mian Nawaz Sharif responsible for the incident. he prayed the court to constitute a judicial commission to probe into the incident so that the people could come to know about the factual situation and responsibility could be fixed.

Man kills wife over domestic dispute LAHORE inP

A mother of two children was gunned by her husband over a domestic dispute on Tuesday.According to details, accused Zakaullah, a resident of Sherakot, Lahore, had developed differences with his wife Sumera over domestic issues. On Monday-Tuesday midnight, the couple exchanged hot words after which Zakaullah took out his pistol and shot his wife dead. he fled the scene after committing the crime. The deceased was mother of two daughters and got married to Zakaullah four years ago. The police have registered a case against the murderer and started search for him.

lSe wins Best Delegation Award at lUMUN

OF liCE AnD CiGARETTES: Maryam bibi’s favourite hobby is removing lice from her grandson’s hair and smoking a Marlboro. nADeeM iJAZ

LAHORE

7 killed in various incident

PRESS RElEASE

LAHORE

The Lahore School of economics won the coveted LUMUN Best Delegation trophy for the second consecutive year. LUMUN enjoys a distinction of being the largest Model United Nations Conference in all of Asia.

This year was no exception as over 2000 individuals from over 100 institutions across the country gathered at LUMS to simulate various United Nations committees.

Prominent universities present at the conference were GIKI, NUST, LUMS, Punjab University, FAST, Beaconhouse National University, IQRA, AIMC, Bahria University, Kinniard College, Government College and UeT. This year, the Lahore School was represented by Abu Bakr hayat, Affan Sherwani, Umar Akram Sahi, Khawaja Talal Sadiq, Shahira Khan, Wasae Imran, hamza Ghaznavi, haziq Masood, Saad Sohail and Zain hyder.

The team won an unprecedented 8 out of 10 Best Delegate trophies along with two honorable Mention Awards.

Aitchison College stood second in the competition with a 6 out of 10 score.

STAFF REPORT

A 22-year-old woman died in a hospital on Tuesday a day after she swallowed poisonous pills at her paramour’s house in Irrigation Colony in the Musfatafabad Police Area.

The police said Majeedan alias Sonia of Kanhanpur Kasur reached the house of Waqar Shah to see him on Monday evening. Waqar’s family, however, told her to leave since Waqar was not at home. Quoting the victim, police said she was given some substance and was dragged out of the house by Waqar’s father Syed Bakht Baidar Ali Shah, his wife and daughter.

Police said the woman who fell unconscious was shifted to Mayo hospital where she died. Police registered a murder case against three family members on the victim’s last statement before death that she was served poisonous substance. Police shifted the body for autopsy and took Baidar into custody.

FOuND DeAD: A 24-year-old man was found shot dead in front of a factory in Nishtar Colony Police Area on Tuesday.

Some locals informed police about a body lying opposite to a local factory located in

Azam Chowk. Police arrived at the scene to find the man dead with multiple bullet wounds. Police said five bullets had been fired at the man yet to be identified.

MINOR’S BODY: A premature baby was found dead near Science College on Wahdat Road on Tuesday. A Rescue 1122 ambulance responded to an emergency call and handed the body over to the Iqbal Town police. Police said the baby was apparently a six-old-month fetus and unidentified person(s) had thrown it away after an abortion.

BOY ReCOVeReD: Nawab Town Police recovered a 4-year-old boy on Tuesday who was abducted on Monday evening. Chung ASP Jahanzeb said the victim, identified as Abdul Rehman, was kidnapped by some unidentified person on Monday evening.

The boy’s mother named Perveen Bibi informed the police on Rescue 15 and got a case registered under under section 363 of PPC. The complainant impli-

cated her neighbor named Fatima alias Sania.

The police team grilled the accused woman during which she confessed her crime and said that she had given the child to her friend named Shahida of Chungi Amar Sidhu. She further said that the loss of her three children had pushed her to kidnap the minor.

QuACK KILLS CHILD: An eightyear-old boy died when a quack administered a wrong injection on him in Factory Area on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Ahsan, a son of Naeem of Bank Stop Chungi Amarsadhu. The victim’s family members blocked the traffic by placing the body on the road and chanted slogans against the quack. Factory Area police have registered a case against the quack doctor Mohammad Younas.

ROBBeRY CuM MuRDeR VICtIM DIeS: A 22-year-old youth expired in a local hospital on Tuesday, four days after he was shot and wounded by

two robbers in the limits of Qila Gujar Singh police station on Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Majid Nazeer of Qila Gujar Singh area. Police said the victim Majid along with his friend was standing outside his house four days AGO when two armed robbers snatched a cell phone from him at gunpoint and fled away from the scene.

Majid chased them, upon which one of the two robbers fired shots at him.

ACCIDeNt: A 30-years-old man was crushed to death by a speeding tractor trolley in the Chuhan Police Area on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Muhammad Ahmed, 30. The locals caught the tractor driver and handed him over to the police.

SWINDLING: A 50-year-old man died at the hands of some unidentified swindlers in Lorri Adda area on Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Mir Asghar. Police suspected that some poisonous substance served by some swindlers had claimed his life.

MuJAHID SQuAD: SP Mujahid Squad Cap (R) Romail Akram on Tuesday ordered the installation of standard emergency lights at police pickets. he directed DSP headquarters to prepare a feasibility report in this regard.

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wednesday, 18 January, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

the trichotomy of power Regarding the executive and the judiciary, the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 has described a system of trichotomy of power.

The constitution assigns the Supreme Court a unique responsibility of maintaining harmony and balance between the three pillars of the state, namely, Legislature, executive and Judiciary.

The idea is to ensure that the state organs perform their respective functions within the stipulated limits and constraints.

As a guardian of the constitution, the court is required to “preserve, protect and defend" this document. But it is very sad that the current judiciary under the

Drifting to nowhere Lordship of Iftikhtar Chaudhry has failed to maintain harmony and balance between the pillars of state.

The executive has gone all out to defend the system of trichotomy of power envisaged in the constitution of Pakistan. even the chief executive of our country, the prime minister of Pakistan, is going to appear in the Supreme Court for the sake of defending democracy.

The number of NRO beneficiaries is 8041. So far, only one person, the president of Pakistan, has been targeted and the remaining 8040 people seem to be exempted from accountability. Is this not against national interests?

As far as the president is concerned,

Swiss cases are no more an issue as former Swiss Attorney General Daniel Zappeli clarified that the "Swiss courts cannot reopen the cases against President Zardari due to the immunity he enjoys as President."

The furore must die down as the international law also provides immunity to President Zardari. We have practical examples of France and Sudan regarding this.

The French courts do not take action against Sarkozy for his alleged involvement in the submarine scandal, allegedly done while he was not the president and the Sudanese president is not being arrested due to his sovereign

immunity anywhere in the world despite an International Criminal Court warrant against him, for violations he did while in office.

President Zardari is the lawfully elected president and is as such immune from any legal action under the article 248 of the Constitution.

Mr Chief Justice should follow the constitution of Pakistan because clashes between institutions cannot be digested by our country, against the backdrop of a faltering economy, widespread poverty and the bloody war with Islamist militant groups.

DR SAIF UR REHMAN Islamabad

Modern postal service According to a recent news item the ministry of postal services is considering a same day mail delivery (24-hour delivery), initially in four capitals and later to be implemented in the whole country. To achieve this, the ministry will computerise the whole system.

The ministry is ensuring 24-hour delivery within provincial capitals. It was perhaps 1975 when PPP’s downslide in governance started when workers were too empathetically reminded of their “rights” but deliberately not told of their obligations.

There were no computers back then.

One day at about 11:30 am or so I dropped a letter at the Saddar Post Office letterbox. By 3:30 pm same afternoon the addressee, a business concern from Ranchore Line, acknowledged me over the phone. But today with computers, motorcycles and whatnot they are still planning for a 24-hour delivery.

The department is going to buy new computers for the purpose. This senior citizen taxpayer wishes to know where those new computer are which were were installed in Saddar Post Office in the name of an Internet Café.

I used that good service for about six months at a rate of Rs 25 per hour. One fine morning when I went there the room was locked, from the transparent glass panel, there were no computers. A staffer at the Saddar Post Office working area smiled to me saying “have gone homes”.

JAVED Karachi

we are civilised We Pakistanis are always labelled as an uncivilised nation, intolerant and illmannered. But we are more civilised and brave as compared to other civilised nations. how? Because we are a nation deprived of the necessities of life, a country where food is not sufficient, access to clean water is a luxury, where there is shortage of electricity and gas… you name the problem, we have it.

In addition, when it comes to protest for our rights, we only burn a few tyres, hold few placards, banners, and hold a candle light vigil. We usually protest for few hours and then go back to our work.

Next morning we all get up like a normal human being assuming that things are normal now. Reason being, we are a peace-loving nation.

If we look at the most civilised British society, a society which is blessed with all the basic human rights, where quality of life is like one would dream to live in, only last year there were riots in UK where the angry mob burned London, Manchester, Bristol and other cities causing loss of billions of dollars.

The ambassador of peace miserably failed to deliver what they have been posing for ages.

Who is more tolerant, more civilised?

It is extremely difficult to survive in a country like Pakistan where political instability is a constant factor since its birth.

Yet we the people of Pakistan celebrate our festivals with full zeal. Be it our eid, Independence Day, marriages, birthdays, political gatherings, New Year, 25 December and even a cricket match.

We are a happy nation in real sense.

We proudly stand among the bravest nations as we live in conditions no other nation could even think of surviving in.

We have the strength and the power and above all we have faith in ourselves.

MARIAM KHAN Lahore

The youth acts as a pillar of a country for achievement and prosperity. It’s the most important resource of a country, a resource that moves with ambitions to give its country a name. A resource that is most powerful in determining the shape of a nation. The man who sketched the picture of this country always addressed to the young blood of Pakistan and tried to trigger them into action.

Viewing the condition of the nation today, I think are we not doing enough for this country. Despite having all the abilities to make anything possible, we seem distracted. Our youth is going nowhere. One is forced to cry to see the pearls of this “mitti” doing things which are disaster for them. The youth has adapted those cultures which are taking them to nowhere. Moreover, having all the facilities does not mean you are done with yourself and this country. Our youth lacks guidance as to how they can give the best to their motherland, how they can cope with this rapidly improving era.

There comes a time when we should realise our worth and start moving with an aim, an aim that leads us to the destiny where our life blooms.

Making our own lives worthwhile, we can prove our love for this country and its people. We have to manifest the best of us by giving this country many names to be proud of. I also suggest media to appreciate the youth and actively help them to explore the best opportunities.

FARIHA HUSSAIN Lahore

Stop them

Another increase The recent increase in oil, CNG and LPG prices has sent turmoil across the entire population of the country. As a major portion of our energy needs are fulfilled by using fossil fuel, the prices of almost every commodity and amenity is sure to go up. I don’t know why the OGRA and gas authorities are unable to handle the situation and provide relief to the public. They should resort to importing gas from Iran right away, without wasting any more time.

CNG loadshedding should be handled on a more fair and just manner. Instead of providing gas to the domestic users, the industries should be the top priority as without them working at their best, there is no chance of having a functioning economy. And without economy, there is no chance of making progress.

PARVEZ JABRI Karachi

threat to democracy

Is it for real?

Does the government deem anything more significant than its own existence which is being threatened by the memo controversy? Apparently not, as the deteriorating economic conditions, continued militancy in the country, power and gas shortages that make life of the common man miserable, the pathetic state of industry and state institutions are issues that do not move the authorities from their comfort zones.

Dragging the armed forces that already have enough on its plate with the ongoing war is bound to create more chaos and confusion.

The army ought to remain where it is instead of being involved in political issues or be given any undue significance in the memo affair. The statement issued by the army chief should have been enough to assuage the panicky politicians against an imminent coup.

This entire hullabaloo can be seen as a diverting tactic exhibited by the government to switch attention from all other live issues that plague the country and to ensure the continuity of democracy by gaining public sympathy.

It would be best if the extra time and energy that is invested in debating, fighting and frothing over the memotriggered turmoil is used to resolve more important problems such as the water crisis that threatens our existence, terrorism that has isolated us in the region, increased attacks on our security forces, cross-border infiltrations, critical condition of Balochistan that needs immediate redress, a continued turbulence in Karachi and so on. The only means the government should employ to ensure its existence is nothing but good governance.

DR NIDA SHAMI Ontario, Canada

Recently, I had a chance to visit the health festival, which was organised by a private sector hospital, in the vicinity of a big departmental store on Multan Road, Lahore. It was nice to see that the people with their families were coming there in pretty good numbers despite the fact it was a cold evening as the festival was being held in an open space.

Different sorts of stalls were set up there by public and private sector concerns, though not in a big number, which had displayed their products there and were distributing leaflets and other material to attract the attention of the people coming there.

One such leaflet, which was given to me, was about a gadget which, it was claimed, if used in a vehicle could result in a saving of up to 25 per cent of fuel consumption while giving more mileage and power to the car besides being environment friendly as well.

A visit to the stall concerned proved more useful and educative for people like me. I could not help desire that if at all such technological innovative equipments are there which help in saving fuel expenses to an appreciable level of up to 25 percent.

These should be tested and examined in detail by the federal and provincial governments. The results, if found in line with the claims of the manufacturers and suppliers, should be publicised through print and electronic media for the overall benefit of the people who are much worried and concerned over frequent petrol, CNG and diesel price-hike.

If people have no control over POL prices, then they still can go for fuel saving measures in order to minimise financial burden on their pockets and

resources, in particular those having limited and moderate earnings.

DANIYAL A NAJMI Lahore

Beyond claim Are we living in the 21st century? have we left behind the centuries old practices of absolute dictatorship (might is right), slavery, gender discrimination and human rights abuses? Yes, we claim that we are now living in a different world that is proud of prevailing democracies, across-the-board justice and equal human rights regardless of caste, creed, gender, religious affiliations.

But have we really gone beyond the claim? The champions of democracy will come to help you only if democracy in your country is in their favour.

Otherwise, they will continue to support dictators, one-man-show, in the name of stability.

Yes, physical slavery was officially abolished few decades back, however, economic enslavement in the name of globalisation is on the rise. What prompted me to write this letter is the video recently posted on web showing four American soldiers urinating on three corpses, apparently of Afghan Taliban.

What is the difference between these soldiers bound by various post-WW II conventions and the ruthless and brutal forces of the past fighting for emperors and kings with no obligation for human rights?

Let’s put aside the rhetoric of democracy, human rights and gender equality; we are still the same people as we were under Pharaohs, Greek, Roman and the later empires – rights and justice only for my own people.

MASOOD KHAN Jubail, Saudi Arab

Pakistan is facing a real threat of its own ‘Talibanisation’, especially in the KP, where a large population of illiterate and impoverished masses reside. Taliban hold hostages in madrassahs all across the countryside. They train young men in these seminaries and religious abodes.

They turn out terrorists and suicide bombers for nefarious activities.

They want to impose their brand of Islam. They have no knowledge of Islam and follow the traditions and customs of their tribes. Strict adherence to wrong ideas and hatred to education and progress has made them narrow-minded bigots. They are focused on punishing and killing people for their liberal views.

They have trained merciless killers and bandits to create chaos and confusion in the society. They are a great menace to the country. They must be stopped at any cost.

JAVAID BASHIR Lahore

PM’s emotional speech Prime Minister Gilani's speech in the national assembly the other day was emotional and moving. There cannot be two opinions about what he said in his speech about democracy and the sacrifices made by the party. It is also true that he has been in jail and faced antiterrorism cases. It is also on record that the PPP has always been fighting dictators irrespective of the consequences. It is also correct that the government has been elected for five years and credit must be given in restoring the constitution to its original shape. So far so good.

But, the questions arise when their performance in the past four years comes to focus. It is very difficult to count any plus point as for as governance is concerned. The nation is without power, gas, water, jobs, security. The institutions of the country have virtually collapsed. The nation stands more divided than it was during the dictator's rule. There is rampant corruption everywhere in every field. Law enforcement agencies are deployed only to protect the legislators at the cost of common man.

The country has come under heavy debt over the years. The fleet of ministers have done no good job except enjoying their perks and privileges. It is also true that the one who made the NRO is roaming free but what about the beneficiaries? how about recent scandals like sugar price manipulation by mill owners, cement pricing and petrol price manipulation by oil companies? Pakistan has been turned into a free country, especially in the sense that everyone is free to loot and rob it. Such negative contributions must be answered.

MUKHTAR AHMED Karachi

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

LHR 18-01-2012_Layout 1 1/18/2012 2:47 AM Page 12

12 Comment the resolution the problem with the parliament

T

he military has at its disposal all the muscle and money that it wants. The courts have at their disposal their judgments and their irreplaceable position in any democracy. What does the parliament have in this standoff between institutions?

Does it have the moral authority that comes with representing our teeming millions? Does that count for anything anymore in our unfortunate republic? For whatever it is worth, however, parliament passed the other day the pro-democracy resolution tabled by the ANP. The ruling PPP tried its best to have a unanimous resolution passed through, and though it failed to win over the principal party of the opposition, it didn’t do too bad a job at it either; not only did it get the PML(Q) to agree, it brought the MQM on board, which was dilly-dallying initially. But the real feather in treasury’s cap was the opposition’s JUI(F), which also signed the resolution.

The original resolution was worded a little sharper than the current, watered down version, which, in its own right has some rather powerful stuff. No one can find fault with it and it makes all the right sounds. It urges all state institutions to “strictly work within the limits imposed upon them by the constitution.”

If it were strictly a pressure building move, placing the parliament firmly on a particular side of the gathering storm, the resolution has, despite the best of intentions, failed. The biggest opposition party in the house, the PML(N), walked out, revealing a fissure in the parliament for the powers that be to zero in on. And both the MQM’s initial reluctance and their past history leave no questions as to where the chips will fall when push comes to shove.

The PML(Q)’s ideology, or lack thereof, also presents a problem.

And that right there is a problem. The army, by its nature, has a unity of command. The judiciary doesn’t have to be unified but unfortunately in the recent past, most of our judgments on major issues haven’t had any dissenting notes. The parliamentarians, on the other hand, by the very design of their institution, cannot – should not – be on the same page with each other. The PML(N) should have had its eye on the larger picture and should have participated in some institutional activism.

Inaction, indifference Unending sufferings of Balochistan

B

alochistan has evoked interest among the Pakistani officialdom only for its gas, mineral resources and maritime potential. That the province is also inhabited by human beings who look up to the state for their economic and social development and to be treated at par with the rest of their compatriots has generally been forgotten. This has been the situation irrespective of whether the rulers were of the khaki brand or those wearing civilian clothes. As only few and ineffective voices were raised in the rest of the country against the inhumane treatment, the people of the province, particularly the Baloch developed a cynical attitude towards the federation and its institutions.

While the security of coal mines, power pylons and gas pipelines was sufficiently ensured, successive governments have singularly failed to provide security of life to those living in Balochistan. The deep sense of deprivation climaxed when Akbar Bugti was killed in Musharraf era after receiving threats from the military ruler. The subsequent operation by security forces and the phenomenal increase in the forced disappearances and killings of political activists added fuel to the fire. Failing to get relief from Parliament and courts a number of frustrated and misled youth are targeting settlers which is highly condemnable. however, state sponsored lawlessness usually gives birth to armed struggles. The other day Shahzain Bugti announced a bounty for Musharraf’s head. The Baloch youth, says Ataulah Mengal, do not want the province to remain a part of Pakistan.

Two reports presented before the SC have been rejected as unsatisfactory. Instead of being worried about the grim law and order situation, the administration remains unperturbed. The SC was stunned when the chief law officer of the province told the court the situation in Quetta “is not as bad as in Karachi” forgetting that Karachi’s population was more than three times that of the entire Balochistan province. Another official had suggested to the court to keep hearing of the case pending for an indefinite period. The frustration in Blochistan will rise to all time high in case the SC was to fail to relieve the sufferings of the Baloch.

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

wednesday, 18 January, 2012

institutional role conflict Moderation and restraint is the call of the day

T

he threat of military takeover, discussed in the political circles on 11 January, has been averted, at least for the time being. however, the civilian federal government faces another threat caused by the Supreme Court’s decision to issue a contempt notice to the prime minister. This has created a very difficult and dangerous political situation. Unless the SC and the prime minister adopt an accommodating disposition towards each other, there is bound to be the much dreaded clash between the elected executive and nonelected SC. This can bring the military back to the centre stage whose disposition will then shape the direction of the political system.

This is the second time that the SC issued a contempt notice to an elected prime minister. It was in 1997 that the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had to face a contempt notice from the SC. It led to a series of unfortunate developments in

By Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi N o v e m b e r - D e c e m b e r 1997. Now Yousaf Raza Gilani faces a contempt notice from the SC. There is another more unfortunate incident in our history. In 1979, the SC convicted a former civilian Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, for ordering the killing of a person and gave him death sentence which was carried out by the military government on April 4, 1979.

The current trouble between the Supreme Court and the federal executive was brewing for some time because the executive was not willing to comply with some orders of the SC. The options given to the federal government by the SC last week have strong political connotations and turn the federal government into a ‘lame-duck.’

The major sticking point appeared to be the

writing of a letter to a magistrate court in Switzerland for reopening of the cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The federal government maintained that the president had immunity from criminal proceedings and thus it did not write the letter. Though the constitutional provision regarding the immunity of the president from initiating and pursuing criminal proceedings is unambiguous, the Supreme Court wanted the president to seek this immunity from the SC. The federal government did not take the plea of presidential immunity in the Court and sent no reply.

The legal experts would debate the merits of the federal government’s attitude towards the SC or the contempt notice of the SC. The most troubling aspect of this episode is that institutional conflict will jeopardise the future of Pakistan’s nascent democracy.

The Parliament has expressed support for democracy and representative government on 16 January and the coalition partners have also expressed confidence in the federal government. If such a prime minister is convicted by the SC the government circles are likely to express resentment which can set the stage for political conflict.

The prime minister is expected to appear before the SC on 19 January. he needs to outline his position as to why his government did not proceed against the president. If the government wants to invoke president’s immunity, it has to take that position in the Court. however, the Court can still ask why was the response not given earlier? If the Court takes a lenient view, the crisis can be averted.

The change of the prime minister before or after the Court’s final ruling is not going to solve the problem because the latter would continue to mount pressure on the new prime minister after successfully embarrassing a prime minister.

In Pakistan’s polarised political environment, the executive-judiciary conflict is being interpreted by the opposition political parties from their respective partisan angles. The PML(N) is happy that the federal government is in trouble and they would like the prime minister to be convicted by the SC. however, they would prefer that the Court forces the federal government to quit and new elections are announced instantly.

The opposition parties need to adopt a long term perspective. The current situation is so hazardous that if it is not handled carefully, the civilian democratic political system can turn upside down. If they decide to support the SC and seek the ouster of the federal government through street protest, the PPP

and allies will counter such a move. This will be the beginning of a crisis which the political forces will not be able to manage.

The SC’s pressure and a head-on political wrangling between the government and the opposition will shift the political initiative to the military. The military, rather than political forces, will decide how the situation is to be addressed. The military has five options available to deal with the situation. It can force a change of leadership from within the ruling coalition to defuse tension. It can convince the political leaders to create a broad-based government for stabilising the situation. The other option is to create an interim government for holding elections. Still another option is to install a government of its choice in the name of implementing the Court decisions while staying in the background.

Such a government can continue for a couple of years. The last option is well-known in Pakistan. It is direct assumption of power by removing the federal and provincial governments, parliament and provincial assemblies. This time it may have to abolish the superior judiciary unless the latter gives a quiet consent in view of exceptional circumstances.

The last option is problematic because the military’s problem is not a “take-over” but what to do the “Day After.” Given Pakistan’s internal crises and difficulties at the international level, the military will find it extremely difficult to sustain power. Direct military rule will have extremely negative implications for Pakistan’s troubled economy and adversely affect the military’s capacity for countering militancy and terrorism. however, it can play the role of a kingmaker with the backing of the Supreme Court by manipulating the divided and weakened political forces. Both can take measures to keep the political leaders under check. All political forces will lose except those willing to be co-opted by the nonelected state institutions.

The need of time is that all state institutions and leaders step back and work towards finding a middle way. No single state institution can effectively manage the affairs of the state. The Supreme Court alone cannot manage the state or rectify all ills of the state and society. Similarly, the executive must respect the judiciary and seek the cooperation of other state institution. Without moderation and restraint the civilian democratic process will collapse.

The writer is an independent political and defence analyst.

if Zardari must hang Everyone else should too

Man bites Dog

By Harris Bin Munawar

T

op leaders of Pakistan Army decided in a meeting last week that they would make no compromises on ‘national security’, and according to reports, also promised to provide protection to Mansoor Ijaz – the man who said the army “breeds hatred among Pakistan's Islamist masses and then uses their thirst for jihad against Pakistan's neighbours and allies to sate its hunger for power”.

Mansoor Ijaz may come to Pakistan to testify against former ambassador husain haqqani.

It is not clear if haqqani collaborated with Ijaz to write a controversial memo asking the US to depose Pakistan’s top military leaders, but his travel documents have reportedly been confiscated, he is not allowed to leave the country, he is hiding in the Prime Minister’s house because he fears

for his life, and he will likely be charged with treason. But it is clear that Mansoor Ijaz did write the memo. It is ironic that he has been promised security by the very army he had asked the US to act against. If the memo was a conspiracy against Pakistan, why is army supporting one of the conspirators? What are the legal implications of such a move?

It is not clear whether husain haqqani violated any regulations, but he was summoned, questioned, and made to resign before the probe began although he was in no position to influence the probe.

But it is clear the ISI chief did not inform the prime minister before or after he met Mansoor Ijaz, although he is required to report to him. he was not made to resign, although he is in a position of influence. When the prime minister made statements that the military must follow the constitution, the army warned of “grievous consequences” through a press release.

Apparently, Shahbaz Sharif was more upset about the statement than the military itself. his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, one of Pakistan’s top politicians, has taken the issue to the Supreme Court doing exactly what the army had wanted him to do. earlier, he had said in public meetings that the ISI was supporting his rival

Imran Khan.

The government is fighting with both the judiciary and the military, and it must go, a key leader from his party said in a TV debate. When his opponent reminded him his own party’s government had fought with the judiciary and the military before it was deposed in 1999, he admitted it was a mistake. Nawaz Sharif and his party had also made appeals to the US to support his government against the military.

Some of the judges who had given a legal cover to the 1999 coup are still part of the Supreme Court.

The top court of Pakistan took up the memo case before several other matters of public interest as they too vowed to protect ‘national security’. haqqani’s lawyer Asma Jahangir said the court gave the petitioners relief more than they had asked for, and decided that ‘national security’ was more important than her client’s fundamental rights.

“I am also a parent and a citizen of this country and feel concerned,” Justice Jawad S Khwaja said in a comment during the hearing. But judges do not show similar concern in the ongoing cases in which ISI is accused of breaking rules, such as picking people up without due process, or funding conservative political parties in elections against the PPP.

The judges did not even show concern when the military promised to protect Mansoor Ijaz, the man who admits he wrote the memo that could jeopardise Pakistan’s ‘national security’.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan has promised to rally towards Islamabad and topple the government that the people of Pakistan had elected for five years. Most of the political leaders he will be flanked with were part of the previous military regime and have recently left the party believed to be backed by the military establishment. They will try to usurp power from a legitimate civilian government that includes leaders who opposed them when they were in power with a uniformed president.

President Zardari has been in jail for about a decade over charges of corruption of which none was proven. The people who had made those cases later admitted they were made under pressure from the military establishment.

If everybody else’s actions are past and closed transactions, why must Zardari hang? And if Zardari must hang, everyone must hang.

The writer is a media and culture critic and works at The Friday Times. He tweets @paagalinsaan and gets email at harris@nyu.edu

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wednesday, 18 January, 2012

Season of justice but does it appear to be the same?

By Ali Aftab Saeed

T

his is Pakistan’s season of justice. And whatever else one may say about the ongoing cat and mouse encounters between the Supreme Court and the PPP, it certainly provides for entertaining television. What passes as analysis on twenty five TV channels (no less), the press conferences, Sheikh Rasheed (for comedy), and the frank speeches by the PM – isn’t it amazing that more than three decades later, everybody, without exception, is still a Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wannabe?

– and what not.

In terms of their views on the above judicial battles, people can be classified into three (broad) groups. One: those who feel the Supreme Court, despite its good intentions, appears to be involved in judicial activism, even if not openly taking sides.

They are hoping that the activism stops soon. They may be in a minority but they have good memories. Two: those, who believe that the Supreme Court is following not only the letter, but also the spirit of the law. Needless to say, they are rooting for the Supreme Court.

Three: those who are cheering for the Supreme Court despite knowing that the Supreme Court is involved in judicial activism. They feel that the ends justify the means, and what really matters is that the Supreme Court has its heart in the right place.

The third group acknowledges that while the court is allowing itself to be perceived as a biased party, what other option does it have? What other option does the country have? how else, in other words, will

we be rid of Zardari and Co? People are looking up to the new Supreme Court as the only institution that has the intent as well as the power to save the country at this critical juncture.

So, while it is a little disconcerting that cases against certain institutions and people can’t be heard (usually can’t even be accepted to be heard), we should be thankful for whichever crook gets unlucky enough to get caught in the judicial grip.

The second group maintains that while the legislature makes laws, it’s the Supreme Court’s job to interpret those laws; therefore, saying that the Supreme Court interpreted the law incorrectly is a non sequitur. The Supreme Court may appear selective in the dispensation of justice but then that is so because it addresses the petitions presented to it.

“Why don’t you move the Supreme Court against people you believe are above the law?”, they ask. As for the proactive nature of Supreme Court, the Supreme Court’s response was only fair and measured considering the political gamesmanship from the government.

The first group argues that being politicians, Zardari and Gilani would always play politics, as would Sharif and Altaf bhai. That is their job. They point out that the people who are always outraged about one immorality or the other on the part of politicians don’t know what democracy is all about.

The judicial system is not there to completely eliminate immorality (which is impossible), but is a framework that endeavours to ensure the rule of law in a consistent manner.

Politicians will never be consistent; the courts must be, on account of being the organs of justice. The politicians may have been less than perfectly mannered but the courts should be (and are) higher than playing one-upmanship with them.

If the courts become biased, or are perceived as such, then there is no bigger tyranny conceivable because now it is

being done in the name of justice. We have seen the endsjustify-means theory at work way too many times in the past, and the results have always been far from desirable. On each occasion, we had been told it was a critical juncture in the life of this country. People moved the courts but nothing doing. The judges often acted as extensions of the top military leadership in those days.

Thankfully it doesn’t happen now. Although there are perceptions that certain institutions are still above the law, most people believe that the judges don’t take dictation from the GhQ anymore. There is absolutely no doubt in the world that Justice Iftikhar is a man of rare courage. I am sure his wisdom matches his courage, if anything; and same goes for the other honourable judges of the Supreme Court. I would, therefore, implore the honourable judges to exercise even more restraint than they have been doing.

Some people are hoping that the Supreme Court, using some sort of a doctrine-of-necessity arrangement, may postpone the Senate elections if the present government is still there come March. It will be a devastating blow to the reputation of the Supreme Court if that happens. Also the rumours of the seventeen judges gathering to nullify the expected denotification of COAS and DG-ISI need to be denied (even if it was the PM himself who also hinted at it).

Coming back to the positives of this crisis (in addition to great television): The PM has improved his speaking skills considerably – he is still no Roosevelt, mind you. The going down fighting attitude of this government despite so many crises is also promising, because if it was even a few years ago, the military men would have taken over long ago. Who says evolution is a myth?

The writer is a member of the band Beygairat Brigade that has recently released the single Aaloo Anday.

Comment 13

Terms of engagement Priority to Pakistan’s interests

I

n an article, that appeared last Wednesday in this very space, it was observed that with the opening of the Taliban office in Doha the focus will shift from military action to diplomatic engagement between the US and the Taliban. The concluding query of that article, where Pakistan fitted into this equation, is intended to be addressed in this piece.

The answer, given the complexity of the situation, has to be staggered because Pakistan’s role in the Afghan denouement would depend largely on the chemistry of its emerging relationship with the United States, currently in a state of limbo following the Salala incident. The content of the revised relationship would facilitate a better understanding of the prospects of Pakistan’s role in the Afghan reconciliation process. It is thus vital that the ongoing review of our relations with Washington is based on a realistic assessment of our strategic interests in Afghanistan. The first leg of this review has, per force, to start with the terms of engagement.

It would be important not to move from one extreme to the other. The terms agreed to in 2001 were patently lopsided giving, as they did, a free run of our territory. The new terms must aim to remove the iniquitous aspects but need not be so stringent as to suggest a retaliatory mindset. These should reflect a reasonable balance between ISAF’s requirements and Pakistan’s interests. In this context some points are noteworthy.

There should be absolutely no ambiguity on what we cannot do. As expressed earlier in these columns our redBy Shaukat Umer lines should be drawn in bold leaving no room for misunderstanding or miscalculation of the type witnessed recently. A partner, or for that matter an adversary, should not be left in the dark about the undoable and the intolerable. If that incurs some downgrade in relations with an ally it should be preferred over an equation that leads to acrimonious breakdowns due to absence of clarity.

Pakistan’s alliance against terror had impacted directly on its people in multiple forms ranging from political polarisation and social disruption to a vivid and immediate sense of insecurity caused by indiscriminate suicide bombings.

Accordingly, the revised terms of engagement should not be shrouded in secrecy but must be placed in the public domain. There should be no more surprises for the people of this country in the form of Raymond Davis or the recurrent killings of innocents by aerial predators. No country allows unaccountable operational access to foreign operatives on its soil.

Modalities of intelligence sharing

may be strengthened but intelligence collection must remain strictly within national control and jurisdiction. Ceding this function to foreign powers constitutes the gravest travesty of sovereignty.

Similarly drone strikes need to be restricted to and directed against individuals and groups designated as common enemy by both sides.

These would have to be carefully identified taking into account the recent developments on the diplomatic front. If the Afghan Taliban are now considered worthy candidates for peace making, their exemption from drone strikes should be the next logical step with the exception of those seeking sanctuary in our tribal belt after attacking American troops in Afghanistan. This would necessitate the putting into place of more efficient channels of communication and intelligence sharing across the Durand Line. Broadly speaking, in principle, drone strikes should be limited to Al-Qaeda operatives and their direct affiliates.

Pakistan’s insistence on an apology for the wanton killing of our security personnel is valid.

In its latest meeting, the Defense Committee of the Cabinet had unanimously rejected the outcome of the US-led inquiry into the Salala attacks. It is, however, debatable whether we should continue to demand the apology from the highest American authorities. Since the deaths were caused by NATO troops an apology from its high command conveyed through appropriate diplomatic channels should suffice.

This coupled with adequate compensation for the victims’ families should come close to meeting our concerns.

Payment by ISAF for the passage of logistical supplies through Pakistani territory should have been included in the terms from the very beginning. extensive use of our infrastructure must entail an appropriate levy to compensate for the unavoidable wear and tear. This should be preferred over aid payments which emphasise dependence and are subject to mood swings in the US administration and Congress.

The revised terms of engagement must include a separate chapter on the joint handling of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. This blood thirsty syndicate has sown havoc in our cities and towns. Their latest round of blood letting against our security personnel and civilians alike must place this group at the top of our priorities in the Afghan endgame. These are as eligible for drone strikes as Al-Qaeda given their avowed mission to dismantle the Pakistani state. effective mechanisms for countering this scourge must be included in the revised terms of engagement.

The new terms must feed into a clear vision of a new Afghanistan, which will be discussed next week.

The writer is Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the United Nations and European Union.

He can be contacted at shaukatumer@hotmail.com

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14

wednesday, 18 January, 2012

‘Tis the season

IN LIMELIGHT

to be married ANITA SALEEM

W

hILe in t h e W e s t it’s the season to ‘be merry’, here in the east we mostly perceive it as the season to ‘be married’. I’m sure most of you would have attended more than two weddings this season and received invitation cards for many more. There may be a number of reasons why people schedule their wedding in the winters: probably because it is the holiday season and guests from different cities and from across borders can fly in and join the celebration, the weather is friendlier than the harsh summers that we go through or simply because culturally we have deemed it the ‘Shaadi season’. Anyhow, whatever the reason, winters have clearly emerged as the right season to tie the knot. Acknowledging this fact, PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week was held last month in Lahore in which a num-

DesIgNeD by:

Nida Azwer's PhoTogRAPh by:

Faisal Farooqui

ber of top notch designers participated. ‘The Wedding expo’ is also scheduled on 28th and 29th of January here in Johar Town. With all these wedding-related events happening, Pakistan Today felt the need to catch up with some of the designers to find out the latest wedding trends. emraan Rajput claims that his designs are unique because, “they depict the originality of craftsmanship and reflect the true colours of our cultural heritage.” he candidly discloses his favourite designs: “The blue embroidered Lehnga for Mehreen Syed and the Red Royal Sherwani for Rohail Pirzad because they are very innovative, unique, traditional and represent a perfect look for the special day.” One designer whom emraan openly admires is hassan Shehryar Yasin, “hSY is a magician. I truly admire his work and his aesthetic sense. his creations are very unique and every fashion hSY creates appears very practical.”

Talking about the PFDC

L’Oréal Paris Fashion Week recently held in Lahore, emraan said,” PFDC and L’Oreal Paris together successfully organised one of the best shows in the history of Pakistan Fashion Industry. It provided a great opportunity for the emerging talent to showcase these collections with the best in the industry.”

Sara Rohale Asghar also has some amazing designs to offer. She plays with the colour palate and design and in her own words, “every outfit is an individual piece with its very own colour combination and design.” She admits that her designs have a signature style embellishment but she insists, “If you would keep them all together you will see them being different in their own kind.” Sara generously names some other designers whom she feels have great stuff to offer, “Umar Sayeed for his breath taking bridals. Ali and Fahad for the exuberance and dramatic presentation and of course hSY for his grandeur.”

The wedding season is of particular importance as far as the women’s wear is concerned, but now times have changed and men have become much more fashion conscious too. Nida Azwer recognizes this trends and she recently launched her menswear. Not just that, she also presented her line of couture for children.

She finds it difficult to name one favourite design as she feels, “each of my designs is special for me as a lot of thought and effort goes into each piece and all pieces are carefully crafted.” She particularly liked the PFDC L’Oréal Paris Bridal Week because it brought designers, different makeup artists, choreographers, and jewellery designers under one roof to define the bridal look for the season.

Oprah raves about meeting

‘beautiful Bollywooders’ MUMbAi: International talk show queen oprah winfrey, who is in India to shoot for her new show, is all praise for Bollywood celebrities after meeting them at a party hosted in her honour by socialite Parmeshwar godrej. “was so great meeting you and all the beautiful Bollywooders.

Directors, poets, screenwriters, what a nite!” the 57-year-old wrote on her twitter page. on her maidan visit to India, winfrey got a warm welcome from Indian socialites and Bollywood celebrities like megastar Amitabh Bachchan, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and Aishwarya Rai at the party. the guest list also included filmmakers Ashutosh gowariker and Rajkumar hirani, actors Anupam Kher, his son Sikander Kher, Abhishek Bachchan, hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty with husband Raj Kundra, Abhay Deol with actress-girlfriend Preeti Desai, lara Dutta, Dino Morea, Sameera Reddy, Kalki Koechlin, Kangna Ranaut, Anil Kapoor and Imran Khan. Before going for the party, winfrey went to the Bachchan residence Jalsa to meet Abhishek and Aishwarya's two-month-old daughter, nicknamed Beti B. oprah is in India to shoot for her new show ‘Next Chapter’, which will see her travelling around the world and interviewing celebrities. She is scheduled to attend the forthcoming Jaipur literature festival. AGEnCiES

hoNg KoNg: Models present creations during the Shimmering Reflections show at the hong Kong fashion week. AFP MIlAN: Models display designer creations during the Men’s fashion week.

AFP

MUMBAI: hrithik Roshan poses during a promotional event for his forthcoming film ‘Agneepath’. AFP

George Clooney

quits

drinking

lOS AnGElES: Actor george Clooney has decided to quit drinking because of health reasons. the 50year-old, who won the golden globe award for best actor for his performance in ‘the Descendants’, pledged not to use intoxicating drinks for a few months. “I’ve made a little New Year’s deal that I wouldn't drink for a while.

I’m giving my liver a chance to catch back up,” Contcatmusic quoted Clooney as saying. AGEnCiES

MUMbAi: She is one of the most sought after leading ladies in the Hindi movie industry, but actress Priyanka Chopra prefers characters with grey shades over positive roles.

And why not? Her role of a femme fatale in ‘7 Khoon Maaf’ has fetched her a prestigious award. “i like doing negative roles. i think they are lots of fun. it's so good being bad,” said the 29-year-old who bagged the Screen award for the best actress in a negative role for ‘7 Khoon Maaf’.

Priyanka had earlier donned negative shades for the 2004 successful film ‘Aitraaz’- for her performance in that film also she had won the Filmfare award for the best performance in a negative role. The former beauty queen is careful while choosing a role as she feels that the character should leave an impact, however, small it is. “i think the most important thing in a character to see that it has a presence. A character should not feel wasted or redundant.

Even if it is a small role, the scenes that you have should make an impact, that is important,” said Priyanka who will be seen playing Hrithik's love interest Kaali in ‘Agneepath’ releasing soon. besides ‘Agneepath’, Priyanka is also busy shooting for ‘Teri Meri Kahaani’, ‘barfee’ and ‘Krrish 3’. AGEnCiES

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15 ‘The Artist’ leads ‘Tinker’ in BAFTA nominations LONDON

S

loNDoN: Daniel Radcliffe and actress holliday grainger poses for pictures at a photocall to mark the 2012 BAftA (British Academy of film and television Awards) nominations. AFP

REUTERS

ILeNT movie ‘The Artist’ made itself heard on the awards circuit, leading the field with 12 BAFTA nominations. The French blackand-white comedy, a homage to the “pre-talkie” era set in 1920s and 1930s hollywood, was shortlisted for best film, actor, actress, director and original screenplay by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It maintains its momentum a week before the Oscar nominations are announced and after its triumph at the Golden Globes when it scooped three prizes.

‘The Artist’, about a silent era

movie star whose career collapses with the advent of sound, was one ahead of Cold War-era spy movie

to go dark to protest web piracy WASHINGTON AFP

MUMBAI: oprah winfrey gestures as she walks down a road. winfrey is on her first visit to the country to film an episode of her new talk show, ‘oprah’s Next Chapter’ and attend a literary festival. AFP

It's good

to be bad: Priyanka Chopra

Free online knowledge site Wikipedia will shut down for 24 hours later this week in protest at draft anti-online piracy legislation before the US Congress, founder Jimmy Wales said Monday on Twitter. “Student warning!

Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!”

Wales said on the microblogging site.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.’ MLK - on Wednesday, Wikipedia demands,” Wales said, citing slain US civil rights leader Martin Luther King. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is currently before the house of Representatives. Wales said Wikipedia would go dark for a full 24 hours in english, saying: “Final details under consideration but consensus seems to be for ‘full’ rather than ‘soft’ blackout!” “This is going to be wow. I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday.

Tell everyone you know!” he said.

Volunteer-staffed Wikipedia turned 11 years old on January 15th and boasts being the largest encyclopedia in history with more than 20 million articles in 282 languages.

‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ which garnered 11 nominations. ‘hugo’, Martin Scorsese’s

the Spy who Drove Me: 50 years of Bond cars on show LoNDoN: The largest collection of James bond vehicles in the world opens to the public on Tuesday in britain featuring classics such as the Aston Martin Dbs from ‘Quantum of solace’. From earlier bond films, the Phantom III Rolls-Royce from ‘goldfinger’ and the Lotus esprit s1, which takes a trip into the sea with Roger Moore at the wheel in ‘The spy Who Loved Me’, are also among the 50 vehicles on show. The ‘bond in Motion’ show at the National Motor Museum in beaulieu, southeast england, marks half a century of 007 films. Also featured are the vintage 1962 Rolls-Royce from ‘A View To A Kill’ which was pushed into a lake by bond’s foes Zorrin and May Day, played by singer grace Jones, with bond still inside. The premiere of the exhibition on sunday was attended by bond stars such as britt ekland who played bond's bumbling accomplice holly goodnight in ‘The Man With The golden gun’. The exhibition also showcases boats, motorbikes, sledges, jets and parachutes used in bond films. The exhibition will run until December 31. AFP

Hrithik

eager

family adventure, scored nine followed by ‘My Week With Marilyn’ with six, and five nominations each for ‘The help’ and ‘War horse’.

As expected, Meryl Streep made it on to the shortlist for best actress for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’. She is heavily favoured to land an Academy Award for the performance. ‘harry Potter and the Deathly hallows - Part 2’, the last of eight instalments in the record-breaking boy wizard franchise, garnered four nominations-make up and hair, production design, sound and special visual effects.

The BAFTA awards will be handed out on February 12 at London’s Royal Opera house.

to show ‘Agneepath’ to Big B

MUMbAi: If hrithik Roshan is eagerly awaiting the release of ‘Agneepath’, he is equally keen to show the film to the original Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Amitabh Bachchan. “I think once the film is ready for previews, he will be the first person we will call,” said hrithik who reprises Amitabh's role in the ‘Agneepath’ remake. the original, directed by Mukul Anand, came in 1990 and Big B had won a national award for his performance in the movie. while the original ‘Agneepath’ was produced by Yash Johar, the remake is being financed by the late filmmaker's son, Karan Johar. At the same time, he is also excited about Sanjay Dutt's villainous role in the action thriller and claims that Kancha Cheena will be the next big villain in Bollywood.

“If you are an actor, you want to do all kind of roles. Kancha is one of the best roles and also one of the best performed roles. there was one gabbar Singh, there was one Mogambo and now one Kancha Cheena,” the 38-year-old said at a promotional event held at a McDonalds outlet for ‘Agneepath’. hrithik also said that this remake of the original 1990 film may not be as stylish as the original, but is definitely entertaining. ‘Agneepath’ is a very simple and a hard-hitting film. I have seen the film, so I can say that it is quite entertaining," he said. Besides promoting Karan Malhotra-directed ‘Agneepath’, which releases Jan 26, hrithik is also working hard on his fitness for his father's ‘Krrish 2’. AGEnCiES

Other nominations include: besT ACTRess: Meryl Streep: ‘the Iron lady’ berenice bejo: ‘the Artist’ Michelle Williams: ‘My week with Marilyn’ Tilda Swinton: ‘we Need to talk About Kevin’ Viola Davis: ‘the help’ besT ACToR: brad Pitt: ‘Moneyball’ Gary Oldman: ‘tinker tailor Soldier Spy’ George Clooney: ‘the Descendants’ Jean Dujardin: ‘the Artist’ Michael Fassbender: ‘Shame’ besT PICTuRe: ‘the Artist’ ‘the Descendants’ ‘Drive’ ‘the help’ ‘tinker tailor Soldier Spy’

Singers pay condolences to concert stampede victims NeWS DeSK: Singers Atif Aslam, Ainee Khalid and Arif Lohar paid condolences to the families of the victims of the accident that occurred at the musical concert, held at the Alhamra Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Singers who performed live at the musical concert, after which three girls were killed in a stampede following a bomb hoax, were shocked at the unexpected situation. Atif Aslam and Ainee Khalid expressed their grief saying, “Deepest condolences to the victims and their families for their terrible loss.” Ali Zafar who was not part of the concert also tweeted about this incident. The tweet reads: “Deeply saddened and perturbed by the incident. My condolence to the families of the girls.”

Death by headphones triples PARIS: The number of US pedestrians who have been killed or badly injured while wearing headphones has tripled in six years, according to a study published Tuesday. More than half of the incidents involved pedestrians who were run down by trains. Two-thirds of the victims were males and under the age of 30. The research warns of “inattentional blindness” when wearing headphones, meaning a distraction that lowers the resources the brain devotes to external stimuli. The trawl of US accident statistics covered iPods, MP3 players and other musical devices. It did not include mobile phones. AFP

‘Angry brides’ wage war on dowry NeW DeLHI: A new online game in India called ‘Angry Brides’ which seeks to highlight the problem of illegal dowry demands for women has attracted more than 270,000 fans.

The game by online matchmaker shaadi.com -- inspired by the hugely popular ‘Angry Birds’ game -- sees players attack prospective grooms greedy for dowry with a variety of weapons, from a brick-red stiletto to a broomstick. The three grooms -- an engineer, a doctor and a pilot -- dodge the attacks while demanding dowries starting at 1.5 million rupees ($30,000). each time a player hits a groom, he or she wins money towards a virtual anti-dowry fund. AFP

Cop act: It’s Salman v/s Shah Rukh yet again!

MUMbAi: we guess the year 2012 has great entertainment in store for us. especially for Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan’s diehard fans. filmmaker gautham Vasudev Menon, who is currently busy with his Prateik starrer ‘ek Deewana tha’, is already planning a new project with either Salman or SRK in the lead. the film would be a hindi remake of Kamal haasan’s ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ in which the veteran had played a daredevil cop. talking to a tabloid, a source said, “Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ (2006) was a superhit because it was one of the more modern crime thrillers with some super advanced special effects. It’s the role of a daredevil cop who is not just defined by his work, but also the style in which he does it,” added the source. however, the filmmaker chose not speak much about the star cast but only divulged that fact that he is in talks with many actors. “we are

showing the film around and we hope it gets picked up. As far as SRK and Salman go, all I can say is that it is a wish list. It would be great if either come on board, because it’s a film for the masses,” said Menon. whoever says ‘Yes’ to the role, it might just become a bone of contention between the two warring Khans. ZEEnEWS

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16 Foreign News

wednesday, 18 January, 2012

Radical Islamists main threat to Norway: intelligence OSLO AFP

Radical Islamists pose the biggest threat to Norway even though it was a rightwing extremist who carried out the twin attacks there last July that killed 77 people, Norwegian intelligence service PST said Tuesday.

“The threat associated with these groups is worrying today,” PST chief Janne Kristiansen said as she presented the agency’s annual threat assessment report.

“In recent years, we have seen that these are people who grew up in Norway and were radicalised and who consider Norway and the Norwegian society the enemy,” she explained.

The number of Islamic extremists in Norway remains small, but their ranks could expand and they have become ever more operational, according to PST, pointing to a growing trend of extremist youths going to training camps in conflict areas before returning to the Scandinavian country.

The threat from rightwing extremist groups meanwhile remains unchanged, according to the intelligence agency, which stressed that this movement would continue to count few followers in 2012.

“The number of violent rightwing extremists in Norway is still low. Attempts to actively recruit to the anti-Muslim movements have failed so far,” Kristiansen said.

Ukraine’s tymoshenko gets massage in jail

KHARKIV AFP

The personal masseur of Ukraine’s former premier Yulia Tymoshenko visited her in jail Tuesday after supporters of the opposition leader complained she was confined to bed with back pain.

Ukraine’s prisons service said that the masseur arrived at the Kachavinska penal colony in the eastern Kharkiv region with the special massage table that Tymoshenko had demanded for the procedure.

“Yulia Volodymyrovna’s personal masseur arrived this morning,” the prison’s spokesman Yuriy Chumak told reporters.

“She brought her personal massage table.

The procedure will last several hours.” he added a special commission from the Ukrainian health ministry was also at the prison and they would examine Tymoshenko after her massage. her supporters say Tymoshenko has been left bed-ridden by untreated back pain. In the latest health alarm, they said she fainted earlier this month after taking medication prescribed to her by prison doctors.

Ukraine’s prisons service had earlier claimed that Tymoshenko had rejected their offer of a massage as the “table offered by the prison did not suit her and she wanted a professional table.”

Tymoshenko was transferred to the Kharkiv jail on December 30 to serve out her seven-year sentence for abuse of power, after a Kiev court rejected her appeal against the conviction.

CAIRo: egyptian riot police restrain a protester screaming at supporters of ousted president hosni Mubarak outside the police academy during Mubarak’s trial on tuesday. AFP

Syria rejects Arab troops, UN urged to step in g

11 civilians killed in fresh violence, including eight who died in a minibus explosion in northwestern province of Idlib DAMASCUS AFP

S

YRIA on Tuesday ruled out any deployment of Arab troops as proposed by Qatar to halt 10 months of deadly unrest, as army defectors urged the UN Security Council to intervene. “Syria rejects the statements of officials of Qatar on sending Arab troops to worsen the crisis... and pave the way for foreign intervention,” the foreign ministry said. “The Syrian people refuse any foreign intervention in any name. They will oppose any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of Syria and the integrity of its territory,” it said in a statement.

“It would be regrettable for Arab blood to flow on Syria’s territory to serve known (interests),” the ministry added, without elaborating. In an interview with US television aired at the weekend, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, said he favoured sending Arab troops to Syria to “stop the killing.” From its base in Turkey, the Syrian Free Army (SFA) called on the 22-member Arab League to “quickly transfer the case of Syria to the UN Security Council,” in a statement signed by its leader Riyadh al-Asaad, a dissident colonel. The United Nations has pledged to assist the Arab mission deployed in Syria since last month, saying Monday it would start training the bloc’s observers within

days.But the defector force is seeking much bolder action from the world body and urged the international community to “act quickly against the regime through Chapter 7 of the UN charter to maintain peace.”

The Security Council’s robust Chapter 7 provision allows for UN-backed forces to initiate military action, not simply respond when attacked. UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday said “the situation in Syria has reached an unacceptable point,” and urged the Security Council to respond with “seriousness and gravity and in a coherent manner.” But tough action by the council has been repeatedly blocked by Damascus allies China and Russia, which vetoed a Western draft UN resolution in October that would

Mubarak defence challenges death penalty call CAIRO AFP

hosni Mubarak’s main lawyer on Tuesday challenged prosecution calls for egypt’s former president to be hanged for the deaths of protesters, saying there is no evidence to show he ordered security forces to open fire.

Mubarak was wheeled into court as his defence began a five-day challenge to calls for the ex-strongman who was ousted from power last February 11 to be executed for the deaths of hundreds of pro-democracy protesters.

“There is no evidence to prove that Mubarak gave orders to open fire on the protesters,” lawyer Farid al-Deeb said, citing what he said was testimony by egypt’s military ruler Field Marshal hussein Tantawi and former spy chief Omar Suleiman. Tantawi and Suleiman testified last year behind close doors and the court imposed a gag order on their testimony, but according to lawyers both have said they had no knowledge that Mubarak gave such orders.

On October 2, Tantawi himself said in a speech that Mubarak never ordered his security forces to open fire on demonstrators who rose up against him in January-February 2011, forcing him to quit after 18 days of protests.

“Nobody asked us to open fire and nobody will open fire” on the people, Tantawi said at the time. Deeb spent one hour listing Mubarak’s achievements from the time of his birth in 1928 until his ouster, describing him as “a respectable man who is neither bloodthirsty nor aggressive,” an AFP correspondent said. “he is a just man, not a dictator... and a man like him cannot be held responsible for criminal acts like those he is accused of committing,” Deeb told the court. The attorney began his case by identifying himself as “the lawyer of he who served egypt for 60 years, 30 of them in the armed forces and 30 as the president of the republic.”

The ailing 83-year-old Mubarak was wheeled into court lying on a stretcher under a blanket, his eyes shielded by dark sunglasses. Presiding judge Ahmed Refaat told the audience that the court has pledged to allow the defence to submit arguments and documents “that preserve the rights of the defendants.”

Refaat has given the defence team 25 sessions until February 16 to make their case and Deeb said in published statements on Tuesday that he has requested five days to deliver his arguments.

Chief prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman said at a previous hearing that Mubarak must have ordered police to open fire on

protesters during violence which left more than 850 people dead.

Mubarak “must have agreed on the killings,” Suleiman told the court on January 5, explaining that co-defendant and former interior minister habib al-Adly would have given the orders to police commanders to fire on protesters.

Six senior Adly aides are also being tried in the case while Mubarak’s two sons, Gamal and Alaa, are on trial with their father on separate charges of corruption in the same court. Deeb denied newspaper reports that Gamal Mubarak and his mother Suzanne gave him instructions on how to present his case and refused to reveal his strategy. he reportedly told the government daily AlAkhbar that he “does not have a magic wand, nor surprises to offer,” and that he would present his defence “in line with the law.” The flagship government daily Al-Ahram said on Monday that Deeb would make surprise revelations.

Deeb, meanwhile, told Al-Masry AlYoum that Kuwaiti lawyers were among several attorneys who had joined the defence team but would not take an active part in arguing the case. he also insisted that Mubarak must lie on a hospital bed throughout the trial and not sit on a chair as he did during the last hearing.

have condemned Assad’s regime. Russia, which has accused the West of eyeing Libya-style regime change in Damascus, on Monday distributed its second draft resolution that blames both sides for the crisis and opposes strong UN action, Western diplomats said. France on Tuesday dismissed the Russian draft, saying it fell “very far from responding to the reality of the situation in Syria.” Leading Western powers have so far ruled out military intervention like that waged against Moamer Kadhafi’s regime. Syria’s ‘warning against the deployment of Arab troops comes amid signs of stronger coordination between the military and political opponents of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Britain cuts thousands of armed forces jobs LONDON AFP

Up to 2,900 members of the British army including 400 Gurkhas will lose their jobs along with 1,000 air force personnel in the latest round of defence cuts, the government said Tuesday.

Around 300 members of the Royal Navy will also be axed.

Many senior army posts will be cut, including eight Brigadiers and 60 Lieutenant Colonels and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Gurkhas affected would be those with more than six years’ service.

Defence minister Philip hammond insisted the government had “no choice” but to axe the posts as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) after the previous Labour government overspent on defence. But hammond insisted the British army — which still has more than 9,000 troops in Afghanistan — would be more flexible and responsive after the cuts.

“Difficult decisions had to be taken in the SDSR to deal with the vast black hole in the MoD budget,” he said.

“The size of the fiscal deficit we inherited left us no choice but to reduce the size of the armed forces — while reconfiguring them to ensure they remain agile, adaptable and effective.

“As we continue with the redundancy process, we will ensure we retain the capabilities that our armed forces will require to meet the challenges of the future.

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Foreign News 17

Iran digs in with oil warning to Saudi Arabia TEHRAN AFP

Iran on Tuesday warned US ally Saudi Arabia to rethink plans to compensate for Iranian oil exports cut by sanctions, and boosted security for its targeted nuclear workers as it dug in under its showdown with the West.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told Riyadh to “reflect” on a vow to open its oil taps to make up for an imposed reduction in Iran’s oil sales. he said such a position was viewed as “not friendly.”

At the same time, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered security stepped up for all of Iran’s nuclear workers following the assassination last week of a key scientist, First Vice President Mohammad Reza

Rahimi said. The moves signalled a hardening of Iran’s stance as it confronted intense pressure over its controversial nuclear programme through Western sanctions impacting its economy, and a covert campaign including murder and sabotage.

Already, the Islamic republic has started new uranium enrichment operations at a heavily defended bunker southwest of Tehran, and it is preparing to hold more navy war games in the Strait of hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, a strategic chokepoint for much of the Middle east’s oil.

The tensions have raised the spectre of possible military action.

Speculation has increased of Israeli air strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, and

Washington has deployed warships near the Strait of hormuz to ensure the channel stays open. Gestures to defuse the tensions have so far made little progress. Iran says it is now willing to restart talks with world powers on its nuclear activities that collapsed a year ago, but it has not formally responded to a eU letter offering a resumption of the negotiations.

The US government in recent days sent a letter to Iran’s leaders, with whom they have had no direct contact in more than three decades.

But Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, quoted by ISNA news agency, said it contained “nothing new”. his spokesman added that Iran would only reply to it “if it’s deemed necessary”.

iran boosts security for all in nuclear field teHRAN: Iran has boosted security for all its nuclear workers after one of its scientists was assassinated last week, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Tuesday.

“Whoever is active in the nuclear field will be put under special care,” Rahimi said in remarks reported by the official IRNA news agency. The order was given by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rahimi said. ISNA news agency quoted the vice president as saying the additional measures were on top of ones ordered 10 months ago for Iran’s nuclear scientists. “This time around, the government ordered that anyone who is active in the nuclear field, from low levels to higher ups, be under surveillance and put under special care,” Rahimi said. Iran’s police chief, Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, told reporters Tuesday his forces and the elite Revolutionary Guards would provide the security for nuclear personnel.

“The job has been divided between us and the Guards. Security details will be introduced for all of them, based on their importance,” Mehr news agency quoted him as saying. AFP

Attackers kill 51 in South Sudan clashes JUBA AFP

Gunmen killed at least 51 people in the latest ethnic clashes in South Sudan’s troubled Jonglei state, the region’s governor said Tuesday. “The whole night (Monday) they burned the town... 51 are confirmed dead and now we have 22 (injured) evacuated to Juba,” said Jonglei governor Kuol Manyang.

Armed men stormed the village of Duk Padiet in northern Jonglei late Monday, with most of those killed “women, children and the elderly,” Manyang told AFP. “We are expecting more to be injured because they ran to the villages last night,” he said, blaming gunmen from the Murle ethnic group for the attack.

Remote and impoverished Jonglei has seen a dramatic escalation of bloody tit-for-tat attacks between rival ethnic groups over cattle raids and abduction of people. Newly-independent South Sudan has declared Jonglei a national “disaster area” while the United Nations has launched a “massive emergency” operation to help some 60,000 people affected by the violence. Last month an 8,000-strong tribal militia of Lou Nuer youths marched on Pibor, to exact revenge on the Murle people there for alleged attacks, abductions and cattle raiding.

Now officials claim the latest violence is the Murle’s response.

One attacker was killed, a suspected Murle man wearing military fatigues, Manyang said. The village “was attacked by people positively identified as the Murle armed youth,” said Philip Thon Leek Deng, the local MP.

heavy snow, avalanches kill 16 in Afghanistan KABUL AFP

heavy snow and avalanches have killed at least 16 people in mountainous northeastern Afghanistan, leaving dozens more trapped in their homes, an official said Tuesday.

A week of heavy snowfall cut off main roads in remote Badakhshan province, making it difficult for rescue workers to reach affected villages.

“So far 16 people have been killed as a result of heavy snow and avalanches in at least six districts of Badakhshan,” provincial spokesman Abdul Mahroof Rasikh told AFP. Twelve districts remain unreachable, but rescue teams made it to Ishkashim district where around 70 families are still trapped under snow, he added. heavy snowfall and avalanches kill scores of people in Afghanistan each winter.

In 2010, avalanches killed more than 150 people in the high-altitude Salang pass through the hindu Kush mountain range that connects Kabul to the north.

AtheNS: Demonstrators shout slogans during a 24-hour strike against the austerity measures on tuesday. AFP

Rushdie in doubt for india festival after threats

ROME AFP

NEW DELHI AFP

British author Salman Rushdie’s planned appearance at a literary festival in India was thrown into doubt on Tuesday due to security concerns caused by protests from influential Muslim clerics.

Rushdie was due to speak at the five-day event that starts on Friday in the city of Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan, but his name has been dropped from the programme of events.

Festival organisers, who declined to be named, said that Rushide’s advertised appearances had been removed from the programme for security reasons, but that he was still expected to attend. “he will not be in India on (Friday) January 20 due to a change of schedule. The festival stands by its invitation,” festival producer Sanjoy Roy told AFP, without giving further details.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot told the NDTV news channel on Tuesday that “Salman Rushdie’s presence does have security implications and we are keeping a close watch and have been in touch with the organisers.

“At the same time we can’t prevent him from coming since he is a PIO (Person of Indian Origin),” Gehlot added, referring to Mumbai-born Rushdie’s status as a permanent visa holder.

Last week, the Darululoom Deoband seminary in the

70 passengers plan class action suit over Italy cruise wreck

northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh demanded the government stop Rushdie from entering the country because of his allegedly blasphemous writing about Islam.

More than 70 passengers from the Costa Concordia luxury liner which sank off the coast of Italy have joined a class action suit against the owner, consumer rights association Codacons said Tuesday.

“Over 70 passengers who were on board the ship have joined the class action suit initiated by our association,” Codacons head Carlo Rienzi said in a statement.

“Our objective is to get each passenger at least 10,000 euros compensation for material damage and also for... the fear suffered, the holidays ruined and the serious risks endured,” he said.

The legal action will have to be judged admissible by a magistrate in a procedure which could take “some months”, according to the co-head of the consumer rights association, Marco Ramadori.

Ramadori said he was “fairly confident” that the action would be allowed.

The Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 people when it ran aground on Friday shortly after starting a sevenday Mediterranean, leaving at least six dead and 29 missing.

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wednesday, 18 January, 2012

Djokovic dazzles Page 21

Awesome Ajmal puts England in a spin

DUBAI: Pakistan's Aizaz Cheema (C) celebrates with his teammates after he dismissed england's Jonathan trott (l). AFP DUBAI AFP

P

AKISTAN off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took a career-best seven wicket haul to destroy england's much vaunted batting line-up on the opening day of the first Test here on Tuesday. The 34-year-old, whose claims of a mystery delivery surrounded the lead-up to the three-Test series, had figures of 7-55 which wrecked england to 192 all out on a slow turning pitch at the Dubai Stadium.

In reply Pakistan finished on 42-0, with openers Mohammad hafeez (22) and Taufiq Umar (18) unbeaten. They trail by 150 runs with all ten wickets intact.

Ajmal, whose previous best of 6-42 came against the West Indies at Guyana last year, bowled with variety, unleashing a straight delivery bowled with a roundarm action which kept low, seemingly his mystery one he named 'teesra' (the third one). his superb bowling kept rival batsmen guessing and destroyed england's hopes of a sound start, watched by a pawltry crowd of 1500.

Only wicket-keeper batsman Matt Prior batted with defiance, scoring a brilliant 70 not out for his 19th half-century.

This was england's lowest total in the last ten Tests since Australia bowled them out for 123 at Perth in 2010.

Ajmal dismissed Andrew Strauss (19) with the last delivery of his first over, the 19th of the innings, and then had Ian Bell

(nought) out with the first ball of his next, before trapping Kevin Pietersen (two) leg before three balls later. england went to lunch at a precarious 52-5.

Prior then added 39 for the sixth wicket with eoin Morgan (24) before Ajmal struck again, dismissing Morgan and then Broad (eight) -- both leg-before off miscued sweeps.

Prior then ensured england reached 130 - their lowest in a Test against Pakistan on two occasions - by adding a fighting 57 for the eighth wicket with Graeme Swann (34) before Ajmal took the last two of the three wickets. Pakistan played two frontline spinners in Ajmal and left-armer Abdul Rehman, with hafeez giving them an extra option of spin. england may be regretting their decision to leave out the in-form Monty Panesar and play three seamers alongside off-spinner Graeme Swann.

Pakistan introduced spin as early as the sixth over through hafeez, who was rewarded when england opener Alastair Cook edged his third delivery to wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal for just three.

Paceman Aizaz Cheema then dismissed Jonathan Trott (17), caught behind by a diving Adnan off a leg-side edge to leave england at 31-2.

Ajmal then bowled Strauss who went for a pull but missed the ball and lost his off-stump.

Bell was then caught behind off a straight delivery from Ajmal.

SCOREbOARD EnGlAnD, 1st innings: 19 A. Strauss b Ajmal 3 A. Cook c Adnan b Hafeez J. Trott c Adnan b Cheema 17 K. Pietersen lbw b Ajmal 2 0 i. bell c Adnan b Ajmal 24 E. Morgan lbw b Ajmal M. Prior not out 70 S. broad lbw b Ajmal 8 34 G. Swann b Rehman 1 C. Tremlett lbw b Ajmal 12 J. Anderson lbw b Ajmal EXTRAS: (lb2) 2 TOTAl: 192 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Cook), 2-31 (Trott), 3-42 (Strauss), 4-42 (bell), 5-43 (Pietersen), 6-82 (Morgan), 7-94 (broad), 8-151 (Swann), 9-168 (Tremlett). bOWlinG: Gul 12-4-35-0, Cheema 12-0-43-1, Hafeez 6-3-5-1, Rehman 18-5-52-1, Ajmal 24.3-7-55-7 Overs: 72.3 PAKiSTAn, 1st innings: Mohammad Hafeez not out 22 Taufiq Umar not out 18 EXTRAS: (lb1, nb1) 2 42 TOTAl: (for no wkts) bOWlinG: Anderson 5-1-16-0, Tremlett 3-0-13-0 (nb1), broad 4-2-3-0, Swann 3-1-9-0 Overs: 15 Toss: England Umpires: billy bowden (nZl) and bruce Oxenford (AUS) TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS) Match referee: Javagal Srinath (inD)

Pietersen survived a confident lbw appeal but was given out after Pakistan challenged the original decision.

Adnan, who took three catches behind the stumps, fumbled on two occasions, failing to stump Morgan when the batsman was three and dropped Swann on eight -both off Ajmal.

DUBAI: Saeed Ajmal celebrates after he dismissed James Anderson. AFP

Ajmal's best bowling in tests S.PERVEZ QAiSER

Saeed Ajmal recorded his best bowling performance in Test cricket by taking seven wickets for 55 runs on the opening day of the first Test match against england at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (January 17).

It was the fifth best bowling performance for Pakistan against england after Abdul Qadir's nine for 56 at Lahore in 1987-88, Saqlain Mushtaq's eight for 164 at Lahore in 2000-01, Imran Khan's seven for 40 at Leeds in 1987 and seven for 52 at Birmingham in 1982.

Saeed Ajmal's previous best bowling in an innings of a Test match was six for 42 against West Indies at Providence in May 2011. ** Ian Bell received his ninth duck in 117 inning of 70 Test matches. It was his second golden duck. he was out off the first ball against Australia at The Oval in 2005. ** england made 192 in 72.3 overs in their first innings. It was 15th time when england scored less than 200 runs in an innings against Pakistan. ** Matt Prior and Graeme Swann's 57-run stand was the 10th best 10th wicket stand for england against Pakistan. ** Andrew Strauss became only the fifth england captain to lead in 40 or more Test match. Mike Atherton (54 Tests), Michael Vaughan (51 Tests), Nasser hussain (45 Tests) and Peter May (41 Tests) were the other england skippers to captain in 40 or more Tests before Andrew Strauss also led england for the first time against Pakistan at Lord's in 2006 after playing 50 Test matches.

BeSt BOWLING FOR PAKIStAN AGAINSt eNGLAND IN teStS Figures 9-56 8-164 7-40 7-52 7-55

Bowler Abdul Qadir Saqlain Mushtaq Imran Khan Imran Khan Saeed Ajmal

Venue Lahore Lahore Leeds Birmingham Dubai

Season 1987-88 2000-01 1987 1982 2011-12

Result Pakistan won Draw Pakistan won Pakistan lost Awaited

Marsh struggling to regain form Gambhir says new captain can't work miracles PeRtH: Struggling Australian batsman Shaun Marsh has admitted he is running out of chances at Test level. having been sidelined by his latest back problem, the left-hander was rushed back into the Australian side for the Test series against India on the back of just one Twenty20 innings. he is yet to reward the faith of the Australian selectors, with just 14 runs at 3.50 batting at number three in a series the home side has otherwise dominated to lead 3-0. Marsh has again received the backing of the selectors by being retained in the 12-man squad for the fourth Test in Adelaide, starting next Tuesday, but admitted the pressure to make a susbstantial score was reaching critical mass. "At the end of the day my job is to score runs and I haven't been doing that in the first three Test matches," he said. "There's always pressure, that's part and parcel of playing international cricket, I've just got to try to turn it around. "You don't get too many chances to play Test cricket so I know my chances are running out." In a bid to regain some form, Marsh has been released to play for his domestic Twenty20 side, the Perth Scorchers, on Wednesday. The 28-year-old, who has played six Tests and scored 298 runs at 33.11, including a century on debut against Sri Lanka, conceded it was one of the most important matches of his career. "I'm just looking forward to getting out there and spending a bit of time in the middle," he said. "I've had some poor games lately in the Test arena, which has been disappointing, so to get out there and hopefully score a few runs to get the confidence back would be nice." AFP

PeRtH: Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said Tuesday a change of captain for the fourth Test against Australia would not banish his side's problems and urged the whole team to raise its game. The Indian camp confirmed opener Virender Sehwag would take over the captaincy from suspended M.S. Dhoni for the Test in Adelaide, which starts next Tuesday and is the final match of the series. Australia has already won the series after emphatic victories in the first three Tests, and the last match is a chance for India to redeem themselves. Gambhir said he was confident Sehwag would do a good job as skipper but conceded that would not count for much if the rest of the team continued to perform badly."Ultimately, I have always believed that a captain is only as good as his team," Gambhir said. "Captains don't make a difference, it is the 11 players on the field that make the difference. "M.S. has done a great job, but it is the entire team that has not performed and that needs to take the blame. "It is not about Viru (Sehwag) and what difference he can bring to the team." Dhoni, who has been widely criticised for both his tactics and leadership, was suspended for one match for overseeing slow over rates. It will be the fourth time Sehwag, Dhoni's deputy, has led India in a Test. After another session in the nets at the WACA Ground in Perth, Indian officials confirmed the Test squad would have three days of rest before holding their first training session in Adelaide on Saturday. Gambhir said the Indian team had let their country down with their lacklustre performances. AFP

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Sports 19

Benazir women Cricket Challenge Cup from 22nd LAHORE STAFF REPORT

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he Pakistan Cricket Board women wing has collaborated with Zarai Taraqyati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) to hold the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Challenge Trophy from January 22.

Addressing a press conference here at the Gaddafi Stadium, PCB Women Wing Chairperson Mrs Bushra Aitzaz said that ZTBL is supporting the PCB by providing its corporate help for an event that aspires to promote women’s cricket in Pakistan.

Anjum Saeed Akhtar, MD & COO Kissan Support ZTBL was also present on the occasion. She said that six teams will be competing for the coveted trophy that is named after Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The first edition of this T20 competition commences on January 22 and from now on it will be an annual event. For the 2012 Trophy national level players have been divided into six teams including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw, Balochistan, Federal Capital and the ZTBL. To make the format exceptionally competitive, the six teams have been divided into two pools, with the winner of each pool qualifying for the final.

The opening ceremony of the event will be held on January 22 at the Kinnaird College Ground while the final will be played on January 24 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. On the first two days, three matches a day have been scheduled, with

tauseef trophy match tied LAHORe: Punjab Club has moved into the League stage of 15th Tauseef Trophy cricket Championship after winning the super over against Wahdat eaglets club played at Wahdat Colony ground the other day. Punjab club and Wahdat eaglets match had tied, after Tied match Wahdat eaglets had made 7 runs in super over (6 balls) then Punjab club had made 8 runs in 4 balls so Punjab club has declared the winner of the match Scores: Punjab Club 132 all out in 18.5 overs. Tahir Abbas 34, Ali 36, Faisal 15, Imran Talib 10. M ALi Shah 2/40, Ali Tipu Sultan 2/16, Adil 2/12, Qamber Ali Shah 1/19.

Wahdat eaglets 132 all out in 19.5 overs.

M Ali Shah 37, Asghar 26, Najaf LAteef 13, Zahid Khan 19, Ali Tipu Sultan 19(no). Imran Talib 2/34, Asif Ashfaq 2/27, Awais Tariq 1/21, Faisal 1/18, Sheraz Butt 1/34, Zia 1/13. STAFF REPORT

gulberg gymkhana beat SPM Bucks LAHORe: Gulberg Gymkhana beat SPM Bucks by 4 wickets in the opening match of the 14th National Senior Veteran Cricket Cup here at the Ali Garh Cricket ground. Scores: SPM bucks batting first 191/8 after 30 overs. Toseef Mughal 51, Muhammad Shahbaz 46, Nadeem Khan 37, Tariq Mehmood 16 and Soud Cheema 15 runs. Afzal Munir 4/38, Azhar hussain 2/26, Amjad hussain 1/40 & Khalid Mehmood 1/36 wickets.

In reply Gulberg Gymkhana 192/6 after 29.3 overs. Muhammad Zubair played well 70 runs not out, Asif Mehmood 25, Imtiaz Sipra 26, Afzal Munir 25 & Muhammad Amjad 12 runs not out. Nadeem Baig 2/40, Ashfaq Aslam 1/29 & Muhammad Shahbaz 1/40 wickets. Waleed Yaqoob, Javeed Ashraf Umpire, Muhammad Arif was the scorer. Muhammad Zubair Declared man of the match. STAFF REPORT

M Siddique Memorial Cricket in pre-quarters LAHORe: The six prominent clubs of the city including P&T Gym, Model Town club, Wahdat eaglets, Tauseef Club, Mughalpura Whites and Lahore Gym have marched into the pre quarter finals of the 9th M Siddique Memorial Cricket Tournament. Model Town club has won the event 5 times, while Shining club, model Town greens and Anwar sports have won the event one time each. STAFF REPORT

two to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium and one at the Kinnaird College ground.

Another additional incentive providing competitive edge will be that the matches held at Gaddafi Stadium will be televised live by PTV Sports. entry for families and female specta-

tors at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore is free, she said. Ms Bushra Aitizaz said: “The PCB is committed to promote women cricket on all levels in the country. having been neglected for so long, women cricket needs special attention. In the short span of time we have been sponsored adequately by the

PCB, our women cricketers have taken major strides in international cricket – winning the Asian title, qualifying for ICC Women Cricket World Cup and punching above our weight in bilateral series against better ranked opposition. “Now we not only need to sustain but improve our stan-

lAhoRe: PCB women wing Chairperson Bushra Aitzaz addresses a press conference to give details of the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto women Cup while Anjum Saeed Akhtar, MD and Coo Kissan Support ZtBl, and PCB media official Nadeem Sarwar look on. STAFF PhOTO

dards to be the best in the world. We need to consolidate the pool of available cricketers, and improve on a consistent basis.

This new addition to our cricketing calendar is an endeavour to give our players greater exposure to competitive cricket.

This will be an opportunity for our top players to showcase their talent and polish their skills by competing against the best in the country.” She further added, “I urge the Lahorites to bring along their families to witness these matches. This will boost the morale of our women cricketers and at the same time send a positive signal to international community, projecting Pakistan as a safe place to play cricket."

Anjum Saeed Akhtar, MD & COO Kissan Support ZTBL said, "ZTBL is a farmer-friendly and sports-friendly organization. In the last three years we have beefed up our sports teams by employing fresh talent. This has paid dividends as the ZTBL teams have excelled on the national level. Our women team is winning the national championship for last two years. We had ten members in the National Women Team that won the Asian Gold medal last year. “Now we are extremely happy to have provided this inaugural women’s event our support, believing that it would go a long way in promoting women’s cricket”. The winner will be given Rs 100,000 and the runnerup team will be awarded Rs 50,000 while the Player of the Tournament would get Rs 25,000 and the Player of the Match receives Rs 10,000.

Run outs slow Sl momentum UCP win All BLOEMFONTEIN AFP

Two crucial run outs slowed Sri Lanka's momentum in the third one-day international against South Africa at Chevrolet Park on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka, trailing 0-2 in the five-match series, made a competitive 266 for nine but it might have been considerably higher if their two star batsmen, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, had not been run out, both by direct hits.

Upul Tharanga (58) and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) put on 94 for the first wicket. Sangakkara, batting at number three, looked set to take full advantage of the good start on an easy-paced pitch as he stroked his way to 38 off 37 balls.

But Sangakkara fell to a superb piece of fielding by Faf du Plessis, who dived far to his left at backward point to stop a cut by Dinesh Chandimal, then hit the stumps at the batsman's end with Sangakkara

stranded after the batsmen hesitated.

Jayawardene was run out for 15, four balls into the batting powerplay in the 36th over, when he was sent back by Chandimal, slipped as he turned and could not recover to beat an accurate throw from Colin Ingram at mid-off.

Chandimal was out for 36 three overs later when he mistimed a pull against Morne Morkel and was caught at mid-off.

With the leading batsmen dismissed, Nuwan Kulasekera survived a simple chance to captain and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers off Dale Steyn when he had two. he went on to make a valuable 40 off 38 balls.

The left-handed Tharanga dominated the opening stand with Dilshan and reached a stylish 50 when Dilshan, who failed to score in the first two matches, was on 18.

Tharanga made his 58 off 65 balls with five fours and two sixes.

Dilshan, who had less of the strike during the partnership, scored 33 off 49 balls with two fours.

Seven-star Ajmal rubbishes bowling action suspicions DuBAI: Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal brushed aside suspicions over his bowling action after wrecking england with career-best figures of 7-55 on the opening day of the first Test here on Tuesday. The 34-year-old, whose claims to unveil a mystery delivery he called teesra (the third one) surrounded the build-up of the three-Test series, helped Pakistan bundle out england for 192 on a slow turning pitch at Dubai Stadium. Pakistan finished the day on 42-0, trailing by 150 runs.

Former england paceman Bob Willis raised suspicions over Ajmal's action.

"The off-spinner is fairly orthodox. The delivery that I have a problem with is the doosra (second one)," Willis, referring to Ajmal's delivery which turns the other way than the normal off-spin, while commentating on Sky Sports in england.

"The ICC have accommodated this delivery - they changed the rules to allow these bowlers to bend their elbow 15 degrees which is what makes it so difficult for the batsmen," said Willis. AFP

SCOREbOARD SRi lAnKA 58 U. Tharanga c ingram b Peterson T. Dilshan c Steyn b Duminy 33 38 K. Sangakkara run out (Du Plessis) 36 D. Chandimal c Smith b M. Morkel 15 M. Jayawardene run out (ingram) n. Kulasekara b M. Morkel 40 A. Mathews c Petersen b Tsotsobe 15 19 K. Kulasekara run out (Tsotsobe) l. Malinga b Steyn 2 R. Herath not out 1 EXTRAS (lb1, nb1, w7) 9 266 TOTAl (9 wkts, 50 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-94 (Tharanga), 2-102 (Dilshan), 3-154 (Sangakkara), 4-183 (Jayawardene), 5-192 (Chandimal), 6220 (Mathews), 7-259 (n. Kulasekera), 8-262 (Malinga), 9-266 (K. Kulasekera) bOWlinG: M. Morkel 9-0-65-2, Tsotsobe 10-0-40-1 (2w), Steync 10-0-55-1 (1w), Duminy 5-0-26-1 (1w), A. Morkel 20-9-0 (1w), Peterson 10-0-45-1 (1nb, 1w), Du Plessis 4-0-25-0 (1w) Did not bat: D. Prasad South Africa: A de Villiers, G. Smith, A. Petersen, C. ingram, J. Duminy, F. du Plessis, A. Morkel, R. Peterson, D. Steyn, M. Morkel, l. Tsotsobe Match situation: South Africa need 267 to win Toss: Sri lanka Umpires: Johan Cloete (RSA), nigel llong (EnG) TV umpire: billy Doctrove (WiS), Match referee: Jeff Crowe (nZl).

Pakistan Varsity weightlifting LAHORE STAFF REPORT

University of Central Punjab won the All Pakistan Intervarsity Weightlifting Championship title.

Around eleven universities of the country participated in the event and UCP topped with 106 points having won six Gold Medals, and one Silver and one Bronze medal.

University of Central Punjab Players, Ahmad Mahmmod, Imran Ismail and Mohammad Shahid Ali, habib Asghar, Ali Affan and haroon Shaukat won gold medals and set records in 56 Kgs, 62 Kgs, 69 Kgs, 77 Kgs, 85 Kgs and 105 Kgs categories respectively. hafiz Umair Javaid bagged Bronze Medal in 94 Kgs Category and Yasir Ali won Silver Medal in 62 Kgs category. Imran Ismail of UCP got the title of Best Lifter of the Championship. Prof. Sohail Afzal, executive Director, Punjab Group of Colleges congratulated the players and gave them cash prizes.

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workshop Div take Railway Bodybuilding title LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Workshop Division won the Railway Interdivision Bodybuilding Championship contest held at the Railway Stadium.

Workshop got 66 points to take the title.

Lahore Division 2nd with 53 points.

Karachi Division 3rd with 37 points.

Rawalpindi 4th with 29 points. Railway Police 5th with 20 points. Multan Division 6th with 8 points. Shahid Butt, Maqsood Ahmad & Shaukat Ali was the Judges. Syed Najam-ul-syed organized the championship. end of the championship chief guest former Mr. Pakistan Shahid Butt give away winner trophy to workshop division coach. Sports officer PRSB Rashid Mehmood Butt, Akram Awan, Nayyar Javeed Mufti, Manzoor Ali Arif, Iqbal Butt & large number of spectator on the occasion.

NBP, SSgC, Punjab Colour wapda win in Jr National hockey LAHORE STAFF REPORT

NBP, SSGC, Punjab Colours and Wapda registered wins on Tuesday in the 31st U21 National hockey Championship being played here at the National hockey Stadium. NBP beat Punjab Whites in the opening match of the day 2-1. the tams were ;locked at one-all at half time. NBP got win through Ahmed Zubair 5th minute (FG) & Kashif Javed 46th minute (PC) while Punjab Whites scorer was hafiz hassan 14th minute (PC). In the second match SSGC beat Railway by three goals. The winning team made two goals in the first half and another in the second half and all their goals came from Waseem Abbas 2 Goals 10th & 33rd minutes (PC) and M. Asif 62nd minute (PC).

Punjab Colours defeated Army by four goals to one in the third match of the day.

Punjab led the first half 2-1 and got their goals through Waqas Nobet 2 Goals 14th & 50th minutes (FG), Shaheryar 23rd minute (FG) & Adnan Anwar 65th minute (FG) while Army’s scorer was Mohammad Saleem 26th minute (FG).In the fourth match of the day, WAPDA Beat PhF Academy 2-0 (Full Time). They scored one goal each in either halves and their scorers were Mohammad Rizwan 17th minute (FG) and Mohammad Suleman 47th minute (FG).

hockey coaching course begins LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The five day coaching course for the grooming of male and female coaches as part of the PhF development programe at National level started here at the Conference Room of National hockey Stadium Lahore. Usman Anwar, Director General Sports Board Punjab performed the Opening Ceremony.

In his address Usman pointed out that coaching is a complete science and those who deliver techniques on modern scientific lines to their athletes always achieve their targets. Khawaja Muhammad Junaid is conducting the Course and Rana Mujahid Ali is associating him.

The following Coaches have reported for the Clinic: Ajmal Khan Lodhi, Shahid Ali Khan, Danish Kaleem, Ahmed Alam, Anjum Saeed, Jan Muhammad, Dilawar hussain, Muhammad Ali, Khawar Javaid, Rahim Khan, Mubasshir Mukhtar, Rana Zaheer Ahmed, Sabir ALI, Farooq Khan, Mumtaz haider, Muhammad Akhlaque, Abuzar Umrao, Major Tariq Ahmed, Masood-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Shafqat , Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Aslam Roda, Rana Asif, Yasir Khurshid, Mujahid Afzal, Muhammad Riasat, Muhammad Asif, Mirza Waheed Baig, Muhammad ejaz, Sohail Akram Janjua, Ms. Beenish, Ms. Saman Islam, Ms. Chand Parveen & Ms. humaira Mughal.

MelBoURNe: Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic hits a return against Vera Dushevina of Russia in their first round match. AFP

Ali's legacy still both butterfly and bee BILL DWyRE Muhammad Ali turns 70 on Tuesday, and for many of those 70 years, he has had us all on the ropes. To say he is merely a famous boxer is to say the sky is always blue. There are so many sides to him his nickname should be Octagon. Now, he is revered. Passage of time softens and endears. he is ill, and has been since 1984, when he first received a diagnosis of Parkinson's. That was just three years after his final fight, when he made one last, mostly pathetic, effort to convince the world he was still "the Greatest."

Today, we see an aging man, ravaged by a disease, and we add sympathy and empathy to our reverence. We have long since chosen to forget how an inflated ego inflicted 61 fights on a brain. We have stopped wondering if the Parkinson's is just a convenient medical label, in Ali's case, for a condition better characterized as hit-in-the-head-toomuch syndrome. In boxing, of course, that is an epidemic.

It would be easiest to simply say happy birthday and follow with a recitation of his heavyweight titles, his stunning success against the feared Sonny Liston that put him on the map, and his legendary trilogy with Joe Frazier. But Ali did not become one of the more famous people in the world simply by winning lots of fights. he was a daily headline, the bigger ones outside the ring. he was complicated and unpredictable, refreshing and controversial.

Millions cheered his name and a like number jeered it. he was impossible to figure, the Rubik's Cube of sports. he won a gold medal for the United States in the 1960 Rome Olympics and proudly stood on the victory stand. Later, he reportedly threw the medal into the Ohio River after not being allowed

to eat in a whites-only restaurant.

Once Cassius Clay, he joined the Nation of Islam and became Muhammad Ali. he was drafted for the Vietnam War to fight for the country whose national anthem once honored him on an Olympic victory stand. he refused to go, telling the world, "I ain't got no quarrel with the Viet Cong." The uproar that created also became a rallying cry for many white war protesters who had been seeking a statement logical and fitting for all.

In his three fights with Frazier, encompassing 41 rounds of brutal boxing that certainly contributed to his current illness, Ali treated Frazier with disdain and disrespect. he characterized him as an "Uncle Tom" and created a racially insulting rhyme before their third fight in the Philippines: "It will be a killa … and a chilla … and a thrilla … when I get the gorilla in Manila."

Frazier took his anger about Ali to his grave last year. When a shaking, shell-of-hisformer-self Ali lighted the torch in the Olympic opening ceremony for the 1996 At-

lanta Games, Frazier said he watched and hoped Ali would fall and be burned.

Ali's treatment of Frazier was the Bad Ali. There is also the Good Ali. Bob Arum, chief executive of Top Rank Boxing and Ali's lawyer and promoter for many of his fights, tells of the time they were in London, training for a fight, and Ali's handlers got a call that a wealthy Pakistani dignitary had invited Ali to his home. "It seemed like a command appearance, so Ali went and I went along," Arum says. "The closer we got to the place, the worse the neighborhood got — not a neighborhood of a rich person. We arrived at a row house, and when we went in, we had to take turns eating because the kitchen was so small.

"We knew we had been had. It turned out the man had a pretty young daughter he wanted to introduce to Ali. "Most big athletes would have stomped out. Not Ali. he didn't miss a beat. he sat right down with all of them, played the piano, did magic tricks and treated the fam-

ily like they truly were royalty. We stayed for two or three hours."

Next to the Frazier trilogy, Ali's most famous boxing moment was his fight with George Foreman in October 1974, in Zaire, the "Rumble in the Jungle." Foreman, a delightful storyteller who has escaped the usual result of being hit in the head a lot, loves to tell how he pounded Ali for seven rounds in Zaire. Then, tiring late in the seventh, he leaned on Ali, who whispered in his ear: "George, is that all you got?" To which Foreman responded to himself, "Yup, that's all I got." In the next round, Ali knocked him out.

Foreman has deep affection for Ali and calls occasionally to check on his health.

Foreman says that Ali can speak and be understood if you call in the morning, before fatigue sets in. On one recent call, Ali asked Foreman how many grandchildren he had.

Foreman told him five.

"I got seven," Ali said. "Beat you again, George." The water that has poured over the dam in Ali's life sits mostly still now. his appearances bring millions of dollars to charities. With Ali in the room, check-writing comes easier. he won't just have one 70th birthday party, but several, including one in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand on Feb. 18. he is a man who has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, who traveled to Iraq to negotiate directly with Saddam hussein for the release of American hostages, who was involved in calling for the eventual release of the three American hikers in Iran. he has lived a life of everything and anything. he has been liked and disliked and is now mostly beloved. he is an enigma and a treasure. happy birthday, Muhammad Ali, whoever you are.

Courtesy Los Angeles Times

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Kvitova, Sharapova power into 2nd round

watch it Live STAR SPORTS Australian Open Tennis 05:30 AM

ESPN Sports centre 08:00PM

MELBOURNE AFP

florida training pays off for Murray

W

IMBLeDON champion Petra Kvitova powered into the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday as Russia's Maria Sharapova also won her first match with ease.

After going 2-0 down at the start of the match, Kvitova won 12 straight games to sweep aside Russia's Vera Dushevina in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 in 71 minutes. The Czech left-hander dropped her first service game but once she found her range there was nothing Dushevina could do to stop the onslaught.

Kvitova, 21, who reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne last year, broke the Russian three times in each set and faced only two break points on her own serve, underlining her dominance. "After a slow beginning it was fine," Kvitova said. "You know, it looks easy, the score, but it wasn't.

The games, some were very close and I'm glad that I'm through."

Kvitova now goes on to play Carla Suarez Navarro after the tricky Spaniard beat Romania's IrinaCamelia Begu 6-1, 7-5. Former champion Sharapova demolished Argentina's Gisela Dulko 6-0, 6-1 in less than an hour. Sharapova, who won the title in 2008, was at her ruthless best as she overpowered the Argentine in stifling conditions. It was an impressive display by Sharapova against a player who was once ranked as high as 26 in the world. The Russian fourth seed also showed no signs of a left ankle injury that forced her to withdraw from the Brisbane International two weeks ago.

Sharapova claimed the first set in just 25 minutes and didn't lose a game

MELBOURNE MelBoURNe: Maria Sharapova of Russia hits against gisela Dulko of Argentina in their match in the Australian open tennis tournament. AFP until 2-0 in the second set, when her serve temporarily deserted her. But she quickly recovered to break straight back and run away with the match. "I knew I had a tough opponent today," a delighted Sharapova said afterwards. "I focused on every point and took her time away -- she's a player who loves time on the ball."

Sharapova has a relatively easy passage into the third round with her next opponent US qualifier Jamie hampton. German 14th seed Sabine Lisicki survived a scare from Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele to win 6-2, 4-

6, 6-4, while Slovakia's 17th seed Dominika Cibulkova thumped fellow countrywoman Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3, 6-1. Two seeded Russians also progressed. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (15) downed Czech Klara Zakopalova 76 (7/5), 6-1 and Maria Kirilenko (27) beat Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova 6-4, 6-2. elsewhere, Israel's Shahar Peer was a 6-2, 6-0 winner over Isabella holland of Australia, Canadian Alexsandra Wozniak beat China's Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-3 and Vania King of the US downed Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

Green Bay, day-glow and the four seasons

Serena looks rusty on return

MeLBOuRNe: A selection of brief stories from the Australian Open on Tuesday: Courier delivers for day-glow Fernando Fernando Verdasco's luminous yellow-and-orange outfit attracted plenty of guffaws, but TV commentator Jim Courier said the high-visibility get-up -- with matching cap -- reflected well on the Spanish hunk. "he's a man who's not uncomfortable with his looks," said Courier during Verdasco's defeat to Bernard Tomic on Monday. "Any man who's prepared to be an underwear model is not going to be afraid of this gear."

BetHANIe PACKS It IN Meanwhile colourful American Bethanie MattekSands sported gridiron-style black eye paint and a green

dress in support of her beloved Green Bay Packers. "Watching the Pack in the players lounge before my match at 11!!! Trailing at the half but winning it in the end! Bleed Green today!!!" however, the outfit didn't help her -- or the reigning Super Bowl champions. Mattek-Sands crashed out in three sets to Agnieszka Radwanska on Monday, while Green Bay were upset 37-20 by the New York Giants.

Four seasons in a fortnight for Sharapova Melbourne is known for its changeable weather, and 2008 champion Maria Sharapova said she had gone from hot to cold to back again in recent days. "I've been through many stages of weather here in the last couple of weeks," said the Russian fourth seed after a sweltering day two. AFP

AFP

Andy Murray's Florida training proved invaluable as the British hope handled the heat to progress to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday. The world number four, with new coach Ivan Lendl in his corner, bounced back from losing the opening set to oust American Ryan harrison in four sets in searing on-court temperatures. Murray, 24, twice a beaten finalist in Melbourne, eliminated the 77th-ranked harrison 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 3hr 12min on hisense Arena. The Scot uses his Florida base to work on his fitness ahead of every new season and he adapted well to the sweltering conditions that have greeted the year's opening grand slam tournament this week.

fed Cup camp in full swing LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Fed Cup Camp Commandant K.M Bakhsh has pointed out that despite a short duration camp training of the girls the team will perform well.

Talking to this scribe, he said that a 14 days camp is insufficient for us to prepare the girls for Fed Cup and it should have started at least two weeks earlier.

The camp is in progress her at the PLTA’s Coaching Center courts under the supervision of former Davis Cupper Mohammad Khalid. Ushna Suhail, Saba Aziz and Sara Mansoor are having three to four hours training daily on the same surface they would face in China. The team will leave for Chinese city of Shenzhen on January29.

Australian open: Djokovic dazzles MELBOURNE AFP

MELBOURNE REUTERS

A rusty and agitated Serena Williams returned to Melbourne Park after a two-year break with a scratchy 6-3 6-2 win over Austria's Tamira Paszek on Tuesday. Williams, unable to defend her 2009 and 2010 titles last year due to a freak foot injury, entered Rod Laver Arena with only two matches under her belt in five months. The lack of match practice showed for much of the 79-minute contest against the feisty Wimbledon quarter-finalist. Muttering and cursing as her baseline rockets missed their targets, Williams knuckled down enough to break Paszek once in the first set and twice in the second, and closed out the match with a pair of booming serves.

The win was the 13-times grand slam champion's 15th in a row at the year's first grand slam. She faces Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the second round.

Novak Djokovic made a dazzling start to his Australian Open defence Tuesday but his close rival Andy Murray was slower off the blocks and home hope Samantha Stosur became the first big name to fall.

World number one Djokovic powered past Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-2, 6-0, 6-0, in a victory so comprehensive he even won a point with an audacious trick shot between his legs.

By contrast Murray, runner-up to the Serb last year, was embarrassed by a near-identical party-piece from Ryan harrison before subduing the American 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Injury-troubled Australian veteran Lleyton hewitt ground out a trademark late-night, four-hour marathon 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win against 83rd-ranked German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe to set up a sec-

ond-round match with Andy Roddick.

But Australia's US Open champion Stosur became a major casualty as she froze in front of her home fans, allowing Romania's Sorana Cirstea to record a fa-

mous straight-sets win.

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and glamorous Russian Maria Sharapova, the 2008 Open winner, both started strongly and 2008 runner-up

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga went through alongside fellow French seeds Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet. however, Djokovic looked the pick of the men's players as the Wimbledon and US Open champion launched his pursuit of a third straight grand slam title in style, exemplified by his crowdpleasing trick shot.

Leading 3-0 in the third and standing on the baseline, Djokovic turned his back to the court and clipped a shot between his legs to the flummoxed Lorenzi, who embarrassingly netted.

It was a sign of overflowing self-belief in the Serb, who won 10 of 11 finals and went 70-6 last year -- despite being derailed by injuries after the US Open - in a season described by some as the best in tennis history. "I just have more confidence that I'm playing on right now. I just believe that I can win, especially against the biggest rivals in the major events," Djokovic said.

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Musharraf in two minds about returning home LAHORE nADEEM SYED

With his party in total disarray and the political setting back home highly unwelcoming, former president Pervez Musharraf is reconsidering the schedule of his return to Pakistan. Sources in his party, who asked not to be named, disclosed that the former president was now considering postponing his return to Pakistan for the time being.

Musharraf earlier announced at a public meeting in Karachi that he would return to Pakistan later this month between January 27 and January 29. The announcement on the part of Musharraf, however, was hardly welcomed in Pakistan as evident from the statement of top Pakistani officials. Both Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Sindh home Minister Manzoor Wassan made it clear that he would be arrested upon his arrival in Pakistan. The spokesman for All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) – Musharraf’s party - Fawad Chaudhry then said despite the negative tactics of the government, Musharraf would return according to his promise. APML sources, however, claimed that Musharraf had delayed his return to Pakistan after receiving negative feedback from his party officials that he would not be received well in Pakistan upon arrival. his party’s leaders also briefed him that the party was least prepared to give him a decent reception upon his return at the moment, nor was it in any position to achieve anything politically from his return. Meanwhile, the spokesman and one of the founding members of the APML, which Musharraf established after his exit from Pakistan, Fawad Chaudhry resigned from his party office.

Chaudhry, who was an ardent supporter of Musharraf, said of late he was not being involved in the decision-making process of the party, so he decided to quit. Party officials denied that Musharraf had changed his mind. They claimed that Musharraf would return on schedule and arrangements to give him a warm reception on his arrival were underway.

Haqqani gets time to shore up review plea SC accepts request for more time, adjourns hearing for indefinite period

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ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

he Supreme Court granted time to former ambassador husain haqqani’s counsel Asma Jahangir on Tuesday to file additional documents containing more grounds in support of his review petition against the court’s December 30, 2011 order, which declared the petitions for investigation into the memo controversy maintainable and constituted a three-member judicial commission headed by Balochistan high Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to probe the matter and submit its report within four weeks.

When a nine-member special bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar

Muhammad Chaudhry took up the review petition of haqqani against the court’s order and Shahid Orakzai’s petition challenging the composition of the judicial commission probing the memo issue, Asma stated that she had just obtained the certified copy of the court’s detailed judgement on the memo issue, thus she required some time to file additional grounds in support of haqqani’s review petition.

The court accepted her request for more time and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period. The court also issued a notice to Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul haq to assist it on another petition against the composition of the judicial commission probing the memo issue.

In his review petition, haqqani stated that the court had heard the petitions on the question of maintainability, however in its December 30 order it fully exhausted the entire relief sought by the petitioners in every respect. he requested the court to stay proceedings before the judicial commission until the disposal of the review petition, as he said he would suffer irreparable harm if the commission reached a conclusion while his review petition was still pending.

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Tribal journalist gunned down in Charsadda PESHAWAR : S TA F F R E P O R T

Renowned tribal journalist Mukaram Khan Atif was gunned down by unidentified gunmen at a mosque in the Shabqadar area of district Charsadda on Tuesday evening. he was 40. Sources said Atif had recently moved from Mohmand Agency to Charsadda. he was offering evening

Published by Arif Nizami for Nawa Media Corporation (Pvt) Ltd at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.

prayers at a mosque near his house in Deppo Korona when he was gunned down. he was shot in the head multiple times and succumbed to his wounds at Lady Reading hospital, Peshawar. Atif was affiliated with Dewa radio and also served as a correspondent with various newspapers. he was active among tribal journalists and also served as a correspondent for Dunya News from Mohmand Agency.