epaper pakistantoday 23 February, 2012

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Pakistan will not support SC to take a jab Two Western Afghan talks until Kabul at private journalists dead, backs them: Khar housing societies Syria’s Homs pounded PAGE 03

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pakistantoday.com.pk

Rs15.00 Vol ii no 237 22 pages Karachi edition

The memo is from the president, claims Ijaz Mansoor Ijaz says sequence of messaging with Haqqani started on May 3, 2011 g Haqqani had told him Pakistan Army was pressurising president, government g Former envoy to US wanted a verbal, ‘quiet’ message delivered to preferably Mullen g

ISLAMABAD Tahir Niaz

This is coming from the president [Zardari] who wants to put together a new national security team, similar to the security organisation in the US,” the star witness in the memo scandal, Mansoor Ijaz, on Wednesday quoted the former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani as having told him in May last year when he allegedly sought the help of the US national in drafting and delivering the memo to the top US administration.

Sticking to his earlier claim, Ijaz made the statement via a video link from London before the three-member commission investigating the ‘memogate’ that triggered a tense standoff between the civilian and military leadership.

Ijaz reiterated that he drafted and delivered the memo to the top US leadership, which sought US help against a possible military coup in Pakistan, on the instructions of former ambassador Husain Haqqani. Most of the claims he made on Wednesday regarding the memo were the same he has made over the past few months.

Recalling a sequence of the messaging with Haqqani, Ijaz said: “The se-

PAGE 17

quence started on May 3, 2011, a day after the US raid in Abbottabad, at 16:58 European Day Light Time and 3-4 hours behind Pakistan time”.

“Then he (Haqqani) did not contact me until May 9 when he initiated the request. On May 9, 2011, at 12:31 European Day Light Time, I got first message from Haqqani when I was in Monaco and Haqqani was in London. The message was: Are you in London? I am here

just for 36 hours. Can we meet for after dinner coffee”? The answer from my side was: “I’m in Monaco but it’s no problem for me to fly up. Takes 90 minutes. What time did you have in mind? Where do you want to meet?” Ijaz said Haqqani called him the same day and said the Pakistan Army was pressurising President Zardari and the government.

Continued on page 04

thursday, 23 February, 2012 Rabi-ul-awal 30, 1433

Two major oil discoveries to meet 25% of consumption g

IP gas pipeline to take off with tenders being called today ISLAMABAD STaff reporT

Two major oil discoveries on Wednesday gave a major boost to local production, which would now become twenty-five percent of the country’s total consumption.

The combine production of these two wells, one in Nashper dug by Oil and Gas Development Authority (OGDCL) and the other by Hungarian company MOL in Markori, is projected at 40,000 barrels a day by the end of the current year.

The total oil consumption in the country is 380,000 barrels a day, while the current local production is 67,000 barrels a day.

Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain, who has been actively pushing for more oil discoveries, is expected to make a formal announcement in a couple of days.

In the gas sector, a source told Pakistan Today that the PakistanIran gas pipeline project was finally set to take off today (Thursday) with the tenders being called.

After India pulled out from the project, Pakistan and Iran stuck to it and Iran has already laid down the pipeline on its side of the border. With both sides disregarding any outside pressure, Pakistan also moved forward practically by calling tenders.

It has been learnt that government had decided to generate the required funds from its own resources, as China was not interested in investing in the project.

Govt hints at another increase in POL prices ISLAMABAD: Citing a price hike in the international oil market, the government has hinted at increasing POL prices for the month of March. Petroleum Secretary Ejaz Chaudhry on Wednesday told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources that the government might have no option but to increase the prices because of the uprising trend of international oil market.

Petrol prices could be raised from 94 paisas to Rs 2.68, whereas diesel prices could be raised by 94 paisas. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has started working on the recommendations, sources told a private television news channel. NNI

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02 News Today’s

thursday, 23 February 2012

lAHore

newS

love from across the border

‘Govt taking steps to bring faTa into mainstream’

Story on Page 08

Story on Page 06

CArtoon

Quick Look

Page 13

Increased petrol, diesel prices affected 91% Pakistanis: poll ISLAMABAD: A vast majority of Pakistanis – 91 percent – say the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices has directly affected them either severely (65 percent) or moderately (26 percent), according to a survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan and supported by Gilani Research Foundation. A nationally representative sample of men and women from across the four provinces was asked about the recently increased prices of petrol and diesel, and their influence on the people’s household budget. In response, 65 percent claimed that their lives had been “severely affected” by the increased petrol and diesel prices, while 26 percent said they had been “moderately affected”. Five percent said they were “slightly affected” whereas 3 percent claimed they had not been affected at all. One percent of the surveyed population did not give a view. iNp

KP Assembly condemns US Congress resolution PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday condemned the US Congress resolution regarding Balochistan, declaring it as a conspiracy against Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity. Tabling the resolution, Senior Provincial Ministers Bashir Bilour and Rahimdad Khan and MPAs Javed Abbasi, Mufti Kafayatullah, Hafiz Akhtar Ali, Akram Durrani, Haji Qalandar Lodhi, Sikandar Sherpao and Abdul Sattar Khan, condemned use of objectionable and controversial words in the resolution such as ‘extrajudicial murders of Baloch’, and ‘ethnic discrimination of Baloch’. Declaring the resolution as an open interference in Pakistan’s affairs, they said that it was the US’ retaliation for forced evacuation of the Shamsi Airbase and suspension of the NATO/ISAF supplies.

Supporting the resolution, JUI-F’s Kafayatullah said that the entire nation was paying for misdeeds of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf and said that despite the fact that the US and Afghanistan were the only countries involved in the Afghan war, Pakistan had suffered 40,000 casualties and losses worth $70 billion. oNliNe

‘ISI man’ held for disturbing missing persons’ relatives ISLAMABAD: A man was arrested for forcing relatives of missing persons to call off their strike at Red Zone, police said. Dozens of relatives of missing persons have been living in the protest camp set up in front of the Parliament for the last several days to force the authorities concerned to recover their beloved ones. The camp was set up by Defence of Human Rights (DHR). On Wednesday, DHR Coordinator Asif Mahmood lodged an application with the Secretariat police, alleging a man who introduced himself as an ISI agent was forcing them to close their camp. In his application, Asif told the police that the man twice visited the protest camp and asked DHR Chairperson Amna Masood Janjuo for negations. “He introduced himself as Shoibullah Cheema and offered Amna to strike a deal. He said that if relatives of missing persons called off their strike, he would arrange her meeting with the ISI officials,” Asif Mahmood stated in application. On this, Secretariat police registered an FIR against Shoib Ullah Cheema under Section 506/419/170 and arrested him. He is said to be a retired army officer. STaff reporT

religious groups protest against the burning of the Koran at a US-run military base in afghanistan. at least eight afghans were shot dead and dozens wounded on Wednesday in clashes between police and demonstrators. AFP

Talks necessary for permanent, solid Pak-India ties: PM ISLAMABAD

P

app

RIME Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said talks were necessary for permanent and solid relations between India and Pakistan.

Speaking at a reception in honour of Indian parliamentary delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar at the Prime Minister’s House, Gilani hoped that the ongoing dialogue process with India would prove productive.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted his suggestion for initiation of peace talks, Gilani said, adding that, “I respect Dr Manmohan Singh from the bottom of my heart and I share his desire for peace.”

The reception was attended by National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza and members of various political parties in the parliaments of Pakistan and India.

The prime minister said his government was committed to result-oriented, constructive and productive engagement with India. He urged both India and Pakistan to work together for the poor

people and against hunger, disease and poverty in the two countries.

“We should think about the future of the people so that they can have drinking water, health and education,” he said, adding that relations between parliaments of the two countries could become stronger. He stressed on enhanced people-to-people contacts and exchange of parliamentary delegations. “Governments come and go, but the love of people remains and your visit will pave way for strengthening relations between the people,” he added.

Gilani said the Pakistani parliament carried out a lot of legislation and the parliaments of the two countries could learn and exchange experiences with each other. The parliaments of the two countries share a lot of history, values and traditions, he added. The prime minister said he had also visited India as a speaker of the National Assembly and as a tourism minister.

He asked the Lok Sabha speaker to convey his regards to Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Speaking on the occasion, NA Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza said the parliamentary groups of

the two countries should frankly discuss all issues and work for alleviation of poverty and prosperity of the people. “We should divert resources for reduction in poverty and development and welfare of the people,” she added. She said the importance of parliamentary diplomacy had increased and friendship groups of parliaments of the two countries should hold meetings twice a year to increase mutual understanding.

Speaker Indian Lok Sabha Meira Kumar said she had brought a message of good wishes for the people of Pakistan from the people and parliament of India. She said Prime Minister Gilani’s visit to India to watch cricket match in Mohali was a beautiful message of friendship for her country.

Kumar said parliaments of Pakistan and India, in which different parties had representation, reflected the will of more than a billion people.

Parliament is the best forum to bring people of India and Pakistan together so that they can live in peace and harmony, she added.

She said the people of India desired a strong friendship with people of Pakistan, adding that, “I will tell people of India that people of Pakistan reciprocate their desire for friendship”.

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thursday, 23 February 2012

ForeIgn newS

ArtS & entertAInMent

SPortS

eight killed in afghan protests over Koran burning

Veena Malik signs a film for rs 1 lakh!

pakistan look for T20 consolation

News 03 CoMMent BB murder case: The generalissimo named again.

The ugly american?:

Fuelling anti-Americanism themselves.

Nazir Naji says: Integration, interrupted: How can we solve a problem we don’t understand.

Kuldip Nayar says: On judicial activism: It’s a good thing, despite what they say.

M Bhadrakumar says: Architects of the endgame: A situation getting more complex by the minute.

Story on Page 15

Story on Page 18

Story on Page 18

Articles on Page 12-13

Kabul’s presence a must in peace talks: Khar Foreign minister says Afghan govt confused over negotiations going on between washington and taliban in Qatar g

LONDON oNliNe/MaJiD KhaTTaK

P

AKISTAN will not support a US-driven initiative to start Afghan peace talks in Qatar until it is clear that the negotiations have the backing of the Kabul government, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Wednesday.

In an interview with the Guardian, Khar said the Afghan government was confused over the negotiations going on between the United States and the Taliban in Qatar.

She said even after a visit by Afghan president Hamid Karzai to Islamabad last week, it was unclear whether he really wanted his government to hold talks with the Taliban in Qatar.

“We are waiting for him to determine the course of action of his government and once that is done, we will want to be seen to be fully supporting it… The messages from Kabul are a bit confusing. At first they say they are supporting it but they say they are recalling their ambassador because they think they have not been taken into

confidence,” Khar said.

“For us, the dangers of being supportive of something where there is not enough clarity on whether the Afghan government is fully behind it, fully owns it, fully drives it, are too high. The stakes are far too high,” she said.

“What we expect of Afghanistan and the Karzai government is that they share with the rest of the world and with us what it is they truly want to do.

Yes, they want the path towards peace and reconciliation. They have already said that. But how do they plan to achieve it?”

Khar insisted that Pakistan would not actively hinder the effort to hold talks in Qatar, and denied reports that Islamabad had blocked some Taliban officials from flying to Doha to participate. However, in a reminder of the fragility of the Afghan-Pakistani relationship, the foreign minister again rejected Afghan pressure to allow Kabul officials have access to Taliban figures they believe to be in Pakistan, repeating longstanding Pakistani denials that Islamabad did not have any idea of the whereabouts of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.

“I am not an authority on where Mullah Omar is, but I do know that Pakistani authorities do not know where Mullah Omar is. I know that much,” she said, adding, “Pakistan’s view is that everything the Afghans ask us which is doable, which is realistic, which is based on facts, we will do… but it has to be based on facts.”

Khar is due to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in London this week but she said she had no power to seek an improvement in the relationship until Pakistan’s parliament had published the results of its own review.

Separately, in a speech at Chatham House, an international relations think tank in London, the foreign minister said Pakistan would give its full support to any clear effort by the Afghan government to achieve a political settlement with the Taliban but did want to lead a peace process that would impose a solution, Reuters reported.

On Pak-US relationship, Khar said Pakistan’s parliament was working on it and hoped that the outcome would be in the larger interest of Pakistan and its partners in war against terror.

nAB given two weeks to probe rs 950m US presses Pakistan to allow embezzlement ISLAMABAD oNliNe

The Senate Sub-Committee on Finance on Wednesday gave a two-week deadline to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate into embezzlement worth Rs 950 million in a transaction from NIPL. Chairing the meeting, committee convener Haroon Akhtar directed NAB to present a written report of the embezzled money trail until March 8. He expressed dissatisfaction over NAB’s performance and questioned why the bureau failed in three years to play a tangible role to investigate the case, as it recovered nothing so far, which was very unfortunate. “I want action now.

I want National Accountability Bureau to identify where the embezzled money has gone. Why the assets of Nadeem H Sheikh, the then CEO aren’t frozen so far? When NAB can arrest people from their homes then why it cannot manage to recover the embezzled money,” Haroon said.

Committee member Senator Haji Adeel said that National Accountability Bureau could arrest the prime minister and chief minister but could not do anything against culprits. National Accountability Bureau Director Toheedul Hassan informed the committee that after the committee’s instructions, the NAB chairman ordered the NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa DG to re-activate the investigation.

He informed the committee that after receiving eight complaints of irregularities against the embezzled money, investigation was started on May 15, 2009 at the headquarter-level but after one year it was shifted to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was later halted because of a stay order of the Sindh High Court.

bases in Balochistan NEW DELHI oNliNe

The United States is reportedly putting pressure on Pakistan to allow Washington to establish intelligence bases in Balochistan to gather intelligence on Iran, Indian media reported on Wednesday. According to a report published by The Times of India, the US Congress has been dis-

cussing a resolution to recognise the right of Baloch people to self-determination as a means of putting pressure on Islamabad to give in to the US demands. The move elicited angry reactions from Pakistan’s top leaders including Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who described it as an attack on the country’s sovereignty. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar also said though the

resolution was an isolated move by a few individuals, it “is contrary to the principles of the UN Charter and international law”. The report said three officials, two from the security agencies and one from diplomatic circles, confirmed that American diplomats and military leaders had been requesting for permission to allow their agents to operate near the Iranian border in Balochistan.

SC moved to stay Senate elections ISLAMABAD STaff reporT

A petition seeking direction to the government to stay the Senate elections, scheduled to be held on March 2, until the forthcoming general election of the National and provincial assemblies were held, was filed with the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The petition was filed by Dr Abid Rauf Aurakzai, chief executive of the School of Islam and Modern Science in Islamabad, through Advocate Tariq Asad under Article 184 (3) of the constitution, making the federation through the law secretary, the Election Commission of Pakistan through the chief election commissioner and the principal secretary to the prime minister respondents.

The petitioner contended that the circumstances did not allow for the Senate elections, therefore the elections should be stayed. The petitioner stated that the prevailing schedule of elections for the National Assembly for a period of five years and that of the Senate for a period of half the members for six years created hypothetical political conditions in the mandate of ruling party as experience shows that by fair elections the ruling party never wins the elections in the next tenure, but it remains in majority in the Senate by virtue of their mandate in the National and provincial assemblies.

This, he said always created political instability which caused ultimately the economic instability, thus the federal government be directed to amend the constitution so that the tenure of National Assembly as well as the Senate may be equal to preferably four years.

He said the government was stagnant and had failed in all fields and it was not practically functioning in any department. He said the main problems included political instability, corruption, economic crisis, identity crisis, legitimacy crisis, leadership crisis, decay of partnership among the federation and units, corruption in anti-corruption agencies, insecurity, antistate foreign policy, conspiracies against the army and its units, confrontation among the institutions, lack of transparency in public budgets and revenues, demand for separation or secession from the federation, mishandling of issue of war on terrorism, foreign attacks on its territory and external intervention in the sovereignty of state.

Barahamdagh open to any foreign support for independent Balochistan QUETTA ShahzaDa zUlfiqar

Barhamdagh Bugti, separatist leader and founder of Baloch Republican Party (BRP), on Wednesday said he supported US Congress bill, espousing self-determination for Balochistan, and he would accept the support of any country that helped the people of Balochistan gain independence.

Talking to reporters over telephone after being granted political asylum in Switzerland, Bugti urged all Baloch parliamentarians, including the province’s governor and chief minister to stop supporting “the state’s puppet system” and get affiliated with Baloch national movement.

He welcomed the move in the US Congress recommending the right to selfdetermination for Baloch people, saying military operation continued in Balochistan since 2005 and political activists were

being killed after being subjected to torture and their dead bodies were being thrown in streets.

Bugti said political parties and the media had kept silent over the injustices against the Baloch population.

But, following the US resolution, the media, which allocated more time to sports, had started debating Balochistan’s issues.

He said the media and human rights organisations were not allowed to witness human rights abuses in a number of areas, including Kohlu and Dera Bugti.

The Baloch leader said the proposed all-parties conference on Balochistan would be of no use, as the elements responsible for atrocities on Baloch people were now convening APCs. The BRP chief said the recent proBaloch attitude of political leaders and media was in fact not new for Baloch people, as it was aimed at protecting the endangered integrity and entity of Punjab,

instead of out of sympathy for the Baloch population.

He said the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz chief had now started speaking about Baloch rights when the integrity of Pakistan was at stake. He claimed that by raising the Baloch issue, Nawaz Sharif wanted to serve his political interests.

He said the situation in Balochistan was not hidden from anyone and nobody paid heed towards the province’s aggravating situation for the last two years.

“Military operation is being carried out in Balochistan for six years,” Bugti claimed, adding that several areas of the province had become no-go-areas.

Bugti, who is in self-imposed exile in Switzerland, said attacks were being carried out and bodies were being dumped throughout the province.

“The Balochistan issue cannot be resolved through packages,” he added.

Bugti said the Baloch people did not have an objection if Pashtuns wanted to

live with them.

Bugti said the Baloch nation would soon hear good news regarding Balochistan.

To a question about elderly Baloch leader Sardar Attaullah Mengal saying Baloch youth should consider whether they could protect independence after achieving it, the BRP head said he held due regard for him, added that he did not know that in what context and circumstances Mengal stated this.

He said if the Baloch people could achieve independence, they could surely protect it as well.

Bugti said he did not reject the possibility of the US having interests in interference in Pakistan, but the Baloch nation should benefit if foreign powers entered the province. He said the Baloch would welcome any interference from any foreign power and there was no harm if any foreign force came to Balochistan for serving its own interest by benefiting Baloch.

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

ISPr rejects issuing Pr on The memo is from the president, claims Ijaz Continued FRom page 1 Adiyala Jail inmates’ case ISLAMABAD: A spokesman of the ISPR on Wednesday strongly denied charges that the ISPR had issued a press release and commented on the sub-judice case of missing Adiala Jail detainees. In a statement, the spokesman said, “Neither any press release on the subject has been issued by the ISPR nor Major General Athar Abbas, the ISPR DG, made any statement on the issue.” STaff reporT

“It (Army) wants to bring the government down. The situation in Pakistan is serious”, Ijaz quoted Haqqani as having told him. Ijaz said Haqqani looked worried during the conversation. “Haqqani insisted that the message should be verbal and quietly and behind the backs of Pakistan Army and the ISI. Keep this away from Army and ISI, he (Haqqani) further asked me,” Ijaz claimed.

The essence of the message to be conveyed, Ijaz said, was “This is a 1971 moment”. However, Ijaz said, he did not understand what the reference was. “I inquired whom the message should be conveyed to. Haqqani said his preference would be Adm Mike Mullen who should convey the same to Kayani. I told Haqqani I don’t know Mullen and would check anyone who knows him. Upon hearing my response, Haqqani was confident that I would convey this message to Mullen,” Ijaz said while referring to the memo he drafted and delivered to the US administration allegedly on the advice of Haqqani.

Ijaz continued: “I asked him (Haqqani) on whose authority he was doing that. His response was there is a new thinking in Pakistan involving new people who want to change equation between US and Pakistan. A team of like-minded people like Lt Gen (r) Mahmood Ali Durrani and Gen (r) Jehangir Karamat (Both former ambassadors to the US) wants to reconstruct relations with the US. This (memo) is coming from the president who wants to put together a new national security team, similar to the security organisation in the US. Haqqani started giving point to me that he wanted me to convey to Mullen.“These include: Inquiry into the May 2 incident and members of the Abbottabad commission. US could have hand in choosing commissioners (Abbottabad Commission) to ensure the independence of the commission.

Army wants to bring the government down. And if the US conveyed to General Kayani to stand

down, government would further assist the US in locating the other bad boys (Mulla Omer and Aiman Al-Zawahri) and would allow US boots on Pakistani grounds.”

Ijaz said, “On the nuclear programme, Haqani assured that Pakistan would agree to add ‘discipline’ with respect to its nuclear programme and in this regard, he referred to negotiations that had already taken place between President Bush and President Musharraf. On Afghanistan: Haqqani said there was need to deal with the Taliban differently.

He also assured to eliminate the “S” Wing of the ISI. He also promised that the Mumbai incident culprits would be brought to justice as the US had been asking Pakistan for some time.”

Ijaz said Haqqani was speaking so fast that he could not take hand notes. “I told him to hold so that I could type it on my computer,” Ijaz added. He said the US also wanted access to the three widows of Osama Bin Laden which were at that time in the custody of ISI or the Pakistan Army.

On a question why did Haqqani ask him to do the ‘job’ and did not go for another channel or he himself delivered the memo to Mike Mullen, Ijaz said, “I would be plausibly deniable channel. I could not exactly remember if it was my opinion or Haqqani said so,” he added.

In view of the sensitivity of the matter, Ijaz said Haqqani suggested that in the subsequent communication they both use reference names for the US and the government of Pakistan.

“USA would be denoted as Ispahani (name of Haqqani’s wife) and Pakistan government would be denoted as Friends. ‘Boss’ was to be used for the President Zardari,” Ijaz told the commission.

He said the call made by Haqqani on May 9, 2011 can also be confirmed by his phone bill. The commission directed Ijaz to forward a copy of the bill to the secretary commission for onward transmission to the commission. However,

Ijaz requested that only the relevant pages of the bill (3 out of 39 pages) be used to confirm his claim and rest of the contents and contacts numbers must not be made public in any manner.

Ijaz said soon after consultations with Haqqani on May 9, 2011, he called James Jones who had recently retired as National Security Adviser. However, he (Jones) was not available at home.

In the meantime, Ijaz said, he called two London attorneys to discuss the matter with them if they would be willing to communicate the message of Haqqani (to Mullen).

“Same day at 2pm Monaco time, Jones called me. I told him all. He expressed skepticism as his previous encounters with Pakistan officials were not productive.

Under no circumstances, he was willing to deliver a verbal message and without approval of the highest authority in Pakistan. Though I didn’t mention Haqqani’s name at the outset of my conversation with Jones but as soon as he heard the name of Haqqani, there was a snigger and he stressed that he would only deliver the written message backed by the highest authority,” Ijaz deposed. However, Ijaz said, Jones did not specify which highest authority he had in his mind. “I persuaded Jones to convey message that it was not for us to decided whether or not Haqqani’s message was relevant, whether or not Haqqani’s message was credible and whether the assumptions of Haqqani of stated coup were valid or not,” Ijaz further stated.

He said James Jones agreed (to deliver the memo to Mike Mullen) provided he received the message in writing and backed by the highest authority.

Earlier, Ijaz said his contacts with Pakistani officials were very limited for the last 10 years.

“There was one meeting in 2003 with General Ihsan, then ISI chief. One meeting with Musharraf in 2005 in London, which was a very brief meeting in which both sides exchanged pleasantries. The

third meeting was with President Asif Ali Zardari in May 2009, but I don’t remember the exact date.

The meeting with President Zardari lasted for approximately one hour in Washington DC,” he told the commission.

To a question posed by his attorney, Akram Shaikh during cross-examination, Ijaz said: “I met Zardari on the invitation of Haqqani who was then the ambassador to the US. The purpose of the meeting was to give President Zardari a briefing on important political matters before the US congress. I gave a briefing to Zardari.”

He further said he met General Shuja Pasha, the ISI DG in London for approximately four hours, starting from 6:30pm afternoon at Inter-continental Hotel on October 27, 2011 and the request in this regard was made by a senior ISI official.

“Gen Pasha asked me at the outset of the meeting if I had contact with Haqqani and the nature of our relationship. He also asked me to brief him about my background, personal and professional life and education and I briefed him. He also asked what led me to write opinion pieces and my political affiliation,” he added.

Earlier, when Ijaz referred to his blackberry messages to Haqqani, Zahid Bukhari, the counsel of Haqqani objected that he was not in a position to see what was on the screen of the handset of Ijaz and added the same was not admissible.

The secretary was asked to sit along with Ijaz to see the message himself. At a later stage, Bukhari raised another objection that “Ijaz was playing with his handset”.

“What is going on,” he said.

Ijaz also delivered the PIN of his handset, 2100d04f. He also gave Haqqani’s PIN as 2326a31d.

He also shared with the commission the email address of Haqqani that was haqqani@bu.edu. Referring to a number of messages that exchanged between him and Haqqani, Ijaz said it was not pos-

PM contempt case

NADRA cancels 90,000 bogus CNICs

Continued FRom page 22

In his statement, the attorney general submitted that he had already presented the documentary evidence consisting of four volumes in favour of the contempt charge framed against the prime minister. He said the evidence presented by him was enough to convict him on the contempt charge. The attorney general presented attested copies of 41 orders of the court passed in the NRO judgment of December 16, 2009, November 25, 2011 judgment in review plea against the NRO verdict, and afterwards including various orders passed in the NRO implementation case, which were flouted, disregarded and disobeyed by the prime minister. He said the first order for implementation of the NRO verdict was passed on March 29, 2010, wh ich also included paragraph 178 of the NRO verdict. At the onset of hearing, the court also dismissed an appeal filed by Shahid Orakzai against the objections raised by the Registrar’s Office on his petition against the appointment of attorney general as “prosecutor” in the contempt case. The court upheld the objections raised by the Registrar’s Office to the petition. Orakzai contended that the attorney general could not be appointed prosecutor in the contempt case against the prime minister, as he was appointee and subordinate to the PM. Justice Nasirul Mulk noted that the PM had not objected to his trial, while Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa noted that the court had the authority to replace the prosecutor at any time when it considered that the prosecutor was not proceeding in the case properly.

sible to delete or change the order of the messages. The commission would meet again and take up three applications submitted by Zahid Bukhari before recording the remaining part of the evidence of Ijaz.

Before Ijaz recorded his testimony under oath, the commission, through the secretary commission, ascertained the identity of the star witness as Musawar Mansoor Ijaz.

Zahid Bukhari, the counsel of Husain Haqqani told the commission that he had to cross examine Mansoor Ijaz in-person but could not proceed to London due to a delay in getting visa “I am not here to join the proceedings as cross-examination is not possible,” he added. The attorney general also endorsed the view point of Bukhari, saying there should be cross-examination. He also objected to Ijaz when he wanted to take help from the notes, saying he must make a statement from memory. However, Mansoor said, “It is not possible for me to exactly recall what happened during those three days in question.”

Lawyer Naseer Bhutta said the commission was seized with the matter and required to probe into it as directed by the SC, adding that strict rules were not applicable in the particular case.

AG quoted the Qanoon-eShahadat law, according to which, there should be no exception.

Akram Shaikh, the lawyer of Ijaz, said the commission was not a court, adding that the definition of court could not be extended to the commission as it was constituted only for investigation.

Chairman of the commission, Justice Faez Isa, observed that “in view of the objection of Bukhari and the AG, generality of the statement should be verbal… general procedure should be verbatim, however, to ensure accuracy, Mansoor Ijaz would be at liberty to refer to his Blackberry or other devices after seeking permission from the commission.” Bukhari also objected to the hand written note of Haqqani, calling it fabricated.

PESHAWAR: After installation of Bio-Metric System, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) cancelled around 90,000 computerised national identity cards (CNIC), which were double issued to one person. NADRA also terminated 183 employees, who were found involved in corruption. Sources told Online that special teams of NADRA, during an operation against dual CNICs, confiscated 38,000 cards through out the country while the remaining 52,000 CNICs were cancelled by red circling the record. Most of the duel cards were issued during the tenure of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf. oNliNe

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

three killed in Bara roadside bomb blast BARA/WANA iNp

At least three people were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Khyber Agency’s Bara tehsil on Wednesday. According to security sources, unknown miscreants had planted a bomb along a roadside in Sipah area of Bara that killed two passers-by and injured another. The injured man also succumbed to his wounds at a local hospital.

The political administration said curfew had been imposed in Datakhel, Razmak, Dousili, Mir Ali and Bannu Road areas indefinitely to maintain law and order. The Political Agent in Wana, Muhammad Javed Marwat, has summoned a grand jirga of Ahmed Zai and Wazir tribes. The 120-member jirga would represent all nine tribes of the agency and key issues relating to law and order, armed attacks on security checkposts and convoys would come under discussion

News 05

Citizens unhappy with travel restrictions imposed by Pakistan, Afghanistan PESHAWAR

F

ShaMiM ShahiD

OLLOWING muddied diplomatic relations and mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan, citizens are facing severe hardships and complications upon visits to each other’s country.

The Afghan nationals, like Indians, are now bound to report to police special branch in Peshawar upon their arrival in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or when crossing over the Pak-Afghan border with a visa and other valid documents.

On the other hand, Pakistanis are

also bound to report their whereabouts, employment status and stay details to a nearby police station in Kabul or any other main city or town across the warravaged country.

The procedure of reporting to police or intelligence agencies was introduced in the wake of deteriorating relations between the two neighbouring countries.

However, Pakistan was the first to introduce restrictions on Afghan nationals. A senior government official told Pakistan Today that the restrictions were not new rather they had been introduced around six months ago.

He confirmed that Afghan nationals were bound to inform police special

branch within 24 hours of their arriving in Pakistan, otherwise they could be detained. “After detention, proper cases are being registered against them and later they are being deported,” the official said.

The Afghan government has imposed similar restrictions on Pakistani nationals. Despite the deteriorating relations, nationals from both Pakistan and Afghanistan are visiting each other’s countries.

According to estimates, over 100,000 families from both Pakistan and Afghanistan have entered into relations with each other in the last three decades.

Whereas thousands of Pakistani na-

tionals are crossing over to Afghanistan for economic activities like labour and other skilled and unskilled work.

Due to a lack of proper hospitals and healthcare facilities, almost all major private and government hospitals across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are brimming with Afghan nationals.

Unfortunately, the mistrust between law enforcement, secret agencies and other government functionaries of the two countries has only created hardships for citizens pf both countries.

The restrictions of “reporting to police” are not only wastage of time for the visitors, but are worsening already tense relations between the two countries.

Afghan killed in Dara Adam Khel PESHAWAR STaff reporT

An Afghan national residing in Dara Adam Khel was mysteriously assassinated by unidentified people on Wednesday, who dumped his body along the roadside. Local residents spotted the body. The deceased’s real name could not be ascertained but he was known as Braith. He was a gun trader and sold weapons to Afghan militants and even the Taliban. No one claimed responsibility for his killing but it was believed that he was killed by the Momin militant group.

Journalist dies at lady reading Hospital PESHAWAR STaff reporT

Journalist Mustafa Kamal from Swabi succumbed to his injuries at Lady Reading Hospital on Tuesday night.

Associated with the Swabi Times, Kamal was critically injured in a bomb blast at Shewa Adda Swabi after the PTI’s public gathering around 13 days ago. He was among the 12 people injured in the blast.

The journalist was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard at Dagai town of Swabi on Wednesday.

haripUr: pakistan railways employees demolish houses as part of a drive against illegal encroachments on railways’ land. INP

MuMbai terror attack

Indian SC to hear intercepted calls between terrorists and their handlers NEW DELHI iNp

The intercepted conversation between the executors of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and their alleged Pakistani handlers during the carnage will be played in the Indian Supreme Court on Thursday after the prosecution said it was important evidence showing the strikes were “preplanned”.

Hearing an appeal of Ajmal Kasab, the sole convict of the carnage, against his death sentence, the court on Wednesday said it would hear the intercepts on Thursday at 2pm in the presence of counsel appearing for Kasab and the Maharshtra government.

Former Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for the Maharshtra government, said there was no problem in playing the conversation in the court and all arrangements would be made for the bench to hear the same.

A bench of Justices Aftab Alam and CK Prasad decided to listen to the conversation since the prosecution submitted that it was an important piece of evidence.

The prosecution had earlier told the court

that the intercepts among the 10 terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan established that the terror attack in Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed, was “pre-planned and prearranged”.

The apex court was told that evidence in the Mumbai terror attack case involving Kasab and nine slain terrorists clearly showed it to be a “pre-meditated” assault on the country’s commercial capital by the Pakistani terrorists, “guided by their handlers from across the border”.

Subramaniam had said the diary recovered from the boat, Kuber, used by the terrorists to reach Mumbai, disclosed that they had come together and on reaching the city, they split into five groups with specific targets.

The prosecution said while the attack was launched at Hotel Taj at the Gateway of India, the terrorists were interacting with their Pakistani handlers and the intercepted conversation clearly showed that they (handlers) asked them (terrorists) as to “why they did not sink the Kuber boat”.

Subramaniam said the Pakistani handlers also sought confirmation about the killing of the

navigator of Kuber, Amar Singh Solanki, who was beheaded by Kasab.

The prosecution said on reaching Budhawar Park, Kasab and other Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Abu Ismaile took a taxi and proceeded towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) Railway Station which bore the major brunt of their design.

Subramaniam had said while proceeding towards the CST in a taxi, Kasab planted a bomb beneath the driver’s seat which exploded after they alighted from the vehicle.

He said Kasab and his associate fired indiscriminately at the CST, killing 52 people.

Kasab has pleaded with the Supreme Court to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.

The apex court had on October 10, 2011 stayed the death sentence of Kasab.

In the special leave petition (SLP) challenging the Bombay High Court judgement, which had confirmed his death sentence, Kasab had claimed he was brainwashed like a “robot” into committing the heinous crime in the name of God and that he does not deserve capital punishment owing to his young age.

‘Violence against women is a universal phenomenon’ PESHAWAR STaff reporT

Violence against women is a universal phenomenon and women shelters such as Darul Amans and women centers are now recognised as a key factor in fighting for violence against women, speakers at a one-day provincial consultation organised by alliance members, NCSW, Shirkat Gah, Rozan and Dastak said on Wednesday.

NCSW Chairperson Anis Haroon chaired the seminar.

They said that there was a joint effort of certain NGOs to develop policy guidelines, which provide support and services to women in distress and survivors of violence. The efforts aimed at involving relevant government agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders in working towards creation of a comprehensive protection system for women survivors, which was compatible with their rights to human dignity and fundamental freedom. The first session of the discussion was about the present standards of care and treatment followed in shelter homes and women centers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Provincial Social Welfare and Women Development Minister Sitara Ayaz reiterated the role of a joint and cohesive effort to strengthen service provider systems for women survivors.

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06 News

thursday, 23 February, 2012

Baloch Youth Counsil to go to ICJ against Herbyar’s ‘crimes’

LONDON oNliNe

Baloch separatist leader Herbyar Marri is involved in the killing of innocent Baloch and Punjabis, Baloch Youth Council Chairman Mir Hazar Khan Baloch said on Wednesday, announcing to move the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the separatist leader.

In a statement issued here, he said Baloch leaders were fond of telling lies but

they could not continue doing so, adding that the leaders were rubbing salt into the wounds of the Baloch people.

Baloch said Khair Bukhsh Marri, father of Herbyar, ended his self-exile during the Nawaz Sharif government and returned to Balochistan via a military aircraft. He said upon his arrival, Marri purchased expensive vehicles and exploited the Baloch people.

He advised Herbyar to bring a change first in his own family as his elder brother was a leader of the Muslim League and another was a friend of the PPP chief. He claimed that Herbyar’s third brother was a member of a gay group.

“How can they bring a change… they are all usurpers,” he said.

The Baloch Youth Council chairman said Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s group, Laskhar-eBalochistan was involved in the killing of innocent people in Khuzdar and looting of buses on the National Highway.

Speaking about an active separatist leader Dr Allah Nazr, he claimed that Nazr was working for a non-Muslim Zikri group.

He said the Baloch loved Islam and Pakistan and had never forgotten the killing of 20,000 innocent people during a personal clash of Attaullah Mengal and a Bugti leader.

‘Govt taking steps to bring FATA into mainstream’ ISLAMABAD

I

app

N F O R M A T I O N Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said the government was taking practical steps for bringing people of the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) into the mainstream.

Talking to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kasuar, the minister said the government was taking all possible measures for the development of FATA. She said the Ministry of Information will play its due role in highlighting and projecting the real image of people living in FATA. She said the democratic government had given due rights to GilgitBaltistan people and identity to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Following the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, the

government has also abolished black laws in FATA,” Firdous said.

“The Pakistan People’s Party is a symbol of the federation and its government has not only empowered provinces but also provided them resources… Being the symbol of the federation, the PPP also has ability to strengthen the federation.”

She said President Asif Ali Zardari had laid special emphasis to protect the rights and development of FATA and added that the media could play key role to project real image of FATA. Barrister Kasuar said passage of the 20th Amendment was another victory for the democratic government. “Empowerment and giving resources to provinces are historical steps of the PPP-led government.”

He felicitated President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and political parties for adoption of the 20th Amendment.

SC moved for termination of Sindh University VC ISLAMABAD STaff reporT

A petition seeking immediate termination of Sindh University Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dr Nazir Mughal was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The petition was filed by former MNA Marvi Memon under Article 184 (3) of the constitution making the Sindh government, governor, chief minister, home ministry, education minister, the Sindh University VC, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and others as respondents. Without naming any parliamentarian, Marvi requested the apex court to direct the HEC chairman to investigate authenticity of degrees of around 23 parliamentarians linked to the Sindh University, which she claimed made Dr Nazir Mughal ‘indispensable’ for the provincial government. She accused the respondents of sabotaging the prestige, standard and

quality of education at the university for their personal gains.

She said that Mughal had previously served as the VC from 1995 to 1999 and reappointed in 2010 in a non-transparent manner, without undergoing the due process of appointment of a person at such a high designation. Memon alleged that three murders happened during the last two years, including the murder of Bashir Channa and two other students at the university, Rameex Sohag and Babar Sandilo.

Memon also accused Mughal of corruption and nepotism.

Marvi requested the court to direct reopening of academic activities at the university and other universities besides revoking all politically-motivated cases against the staff and students who staged protests for their right of education. She also pleaded for an investigation into murders of teachers and students.

Pakistan Post releases stamp in honour of former PAF chief

ISLAMABAD app

Former Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief Air Marshal (r) Nur Khan was paid glowing tributes at a ceremony held to mark his birth anniversary at the PAF Headquarters on Wednesday.

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman and others attended the event, including Nur’s family. Suleman unveiled a commemorative postage stamp of Rs 8 launched by Pakistan Post to acknowledge Nur’s services. Speaking on the occasion, the air chief paid glowing tributes to Nur and declared him as an ace fighter pilot and a visionary commander.

He said that Nur showed his true colour, when he was given the prestigious com-

mand of PAF on July 23, 1965. As air chief, Nur established the foundation of aggressive tactics, construed the time according to the situation and adopted ways and means that were in the best interest of the service, he added. The air chief also mentioned efforts of Nur for bringing PIA at par with other international airlines by acquiring modern planes.

Sharing his life experience with the legendary hero, Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan said that he was a very proud, patriotic, devoted and a decorated son of Pakistan. A documentary covering the life and achievements of Nur, produced by PTV, was also shown. The PAF Auditorium was also renamed as Nur Khan Auditorium. Suleman also presented a crest to Begum Farhat Nur Khan.

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love from across the border PAge 07

SC to take a jab at private housing societies

I

N the backdrop of strict orders from the Supreme Court, 21 private housing schemes that have not started development work are going to bear the brunt of SC’s anger in the coming two weeks, Pakistan Today has learnt.

There are more than 100 private housing schemes that have not completed their development works within the specific timeline. Of these, no work was started at all in the said 21 housing schemes. All these private housing schemes fall in the area controlled by the Lahore Development Authority.

A senior official of LDA told Pakistan Today that 21 housing schemes were officially bound to commence the development work within two years but even though the deadline had passed, no work had been initiated, leaving the allotees hay and dry.

He said the LDA had continued to play the role of silent spectator due to some highly-ranked officials’ connivance with the owners of the housing schemes.

“Status quo came to end after Supreme Court took suo motu action on the issue,” he added.

A full SC bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry ordered the launching of a crackdown on bogus and undeveloped housing schemes in Venus Housing Scheme case last year.

On the direction of SC, LDA took over 50 mortgaged plots measuring 82 kanals in Venus Housing Scheme, saying that development work on these plots was to be completed five years ago. The scheme, established in 1982, is located five kilometres from Lahore General Hospital at Ferozepur Road. LDA said the builder had also sold these plots but had not completed the development work.

After auctioning all mortgages plots in Venus Housing Scheme and starting the development works in 2011, LDA has

How dare you!

Cto summons 14 wardens for not keeping the way ‘clear’ for the Ig g officially, the wardens do not have to provide protocol to an Ig g

LAHORE Shafiq Sharif

About 14 staffers of City Traffic Police were called for explanation after Punjab inspector general of police got stuck in traffic mess at Canal Road late on Wednesday.

Per details newly-appointed IGP Haji Habib-ul-Rehman left his office at the CPO Complex located in Old Anarkali Area after 6:15pm. Sources said the IGP was heading towards his home located near Doctors Hospital in Johar Town Area. The IGP’s squad chose to use to The Mall Road and had to stop repeatedly at the different signals because of the prevalent traffic situation.

The IGP had to wait for a prolonged period at The Mall Road’s Canal Bridge while taking turn on Canal Road. Officials of City Traffic Police took some time in clearing the traffic mess and giving safe and clear way to the IG. Minutes after getting stuck into traffic jam, the convoy of IG faced another traffic mess at Jail Road’s Canal Bridge. Once again traffic wardens took few minutes while clearing traffic for the ‘honourable’ while remaining traffic remained choked.

Only few minutes after the IG left Jail Road and moved towards his destination, staffers of City Traffic Police (CTP) received a wireless message from Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Capt (r) Ahmed Mubeen. The CTO in his wireless message directed around 14 officials of CTP, who were performing their duties in Mall-1 and Shadman Sectors including two Senior Traffic Wardens (STW), patrolling officers and traffic wardens deputed at point duties, to appear before the CTO on Thursday (today) at 1pm at his office for explanation for showing serious negligence while performing their duties.

Well-placed sources in CTP told Pakistan Today that the CTO during his wireless message ordered traffic

wardens to keep the roads clear during the movement of IGP so that the convoy of IGP did not have to face any traffic mess, adding that the wardens obey this instruction till further notice.

A traffic warden claimed that under the protocol rules and regulations, IGP was not authorised to enjoy clear passage by the traffic police on city roads as is the case for VIP movement for which pilots of traffic police are deputed to ensure safe passage of any VIP convoy on city roads. Wellplaced sources said traffic wardens were ordered to keep the roads clear in routine for Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Governor Latif Khosa, Lahore High Court chief justice and three senior provincial ministers including Zulifqar Khosa, Rana Sanaullah and Dost Muhammad Khosa whereas the remaining authorities travels like a common commuter.

Warden on condition of anonymity said the wardens had failed to deliver because former IGP Javed Iqbal had never ordered traffic wardens to keep the way clear for him. He said Iqbal’s convoy used to travel on city roads like a common commuter’s.

Director Public Relations (DPR) at IG Office Nabeela Ghazanfar while quoting the IGP said no such incident had happened. She said the IGP had not got stuck in any traffic mess and had not directed the CTO for taking any action against aforesaid officials.

She said the IG did not want the roads to be cleared for him.

Chief Traffic Officer Capt (r) Ahmed Mubeen also refused to accept the occurrence of any such event. He said the traffic remained clear on all city roads through out the day expect in the surroundings of Press Club and Sheikh Zayed Hospital where traffic kept on moving slowly because of two different protests. He said the IG has not instructed CTP for clearing roads for his convoy during his movement.

SC

LAHORE YaSir haBiB

Private Housing societies

21 housing societies have failed to start development work even after five years

now rolled up its sleeves to tighten the noose around 21 private housing schemes for not initiating even a single development work.

LDA has served notices to them as preliminary proceedings for taking over possession of mortgaged plots in 21 private housing schemes in the city and subsequently selling them through open auction for executing development works in these neighbourhood as their developers had failed to complete development works in these colonies, despite lapse of specified period given to them for this purpose. It has also intimated the general public and developers of these schemes to file their respective objections in this regard and has asked them to tell the court if they have any pending transaction in the scheme. The objections must reach in the office of the Director Metropolitan Planning, LDA, within fifteen days.

These schemes include Abu Zar Hous-

ing Scheme, Ahbab Cooperative Housing Scheme Phase-I, Al- Assar Housing Scheme, Al-Hamra Town Housing Scheme, Bagh-e-Iram Housing Scheme, Ravians Co-operative Housing Scheme, China Town Housing Scheme, Fazal Elahi/ Makkah Housing Scheme, Gulshan-e-Jinnah Housing Scheme, Green Valley Housing scheme, Hyde Park Housing Scheme, Kake Zai Housing Scheme Ph-II, Khurram Town Housing Scheme, Meraj Town Housing Scheme, OPF Farm Housing Scheme, Punjab Government Servants Housing Scheme Foundation, Rehman Abad Housing Scheme, Sally Town Housing Scheme (North), Saman Zar Housing Scheme, Sunny Park (Ext) Sunny Garden Housing Scheme and Zubaida Khatoon Housing Scheme Sources revealed that besides 21 housing schemes, there were also other housing schemes, some had completed just 50 percent of development works

and less than 50 percent even the lapse of 5 years. These schemes include Gulshane-Ahbab Phase-II housing society, Aitchison College Staff Housing Society, Akhtar Housing Society, Gulshan-e-Shalimar Housing Society, Gulshan-e-Awan Housing Society, Ittefaq Town Housing Society, Kakezai Housing Scheme Phase-I, Khayaban-e-zohra Housing Society, Rail Town Housing Society, Mohafiz Town Housing Society, Mohafiz Rown phase-II Housing Society, Nespak Phase-III (site-II) Housing Society, Pakistan Rajpat Housing Society, PCSCIR Staff phase-II and phase-III Housing Society, Regent Park Housing Society, Saadat cooperative Housing Society, Samanberg Khurd Housing Society, Saroba Garden Housing Society, Shahid Town Housing Society, Sui Northern Gas Employees Housing Society, Superior Courts Housing Society and Wapda Housing Society.

Police officer’s Dengue claims first victim daughter caught LAHORE stealing clothes!

STaff reporT

LAHORE: Daughter of a senior cop of Punjab Police was allegedly nabbed redhanded while stealing six ladies suit from a boutique located in K-Block of Valencia Homes late on Tuesday. Per details a girl, namely Fatima, daughter of a senior cop of Punjab Police posted at a lucrative post, visited a boutique (LS Ladies Shop) located in Mall Plaza at K-Block Market of Valencia Town. Wellplaced sources said owner of aforesaid boutique, Bushra, stopped Fatima while she was about to leave the shop and checked her bags which her servant Ghulam Rasool was carrying. Source said Bushra recovered six stitched suits worth Rs 4000-5000 each from the bags which Fatima was taking with her without paying even a single penny.

Sources said meanwhile Rehan, Fatima’s brother, reached the scene and paid Rs 25,000 for the suits recovered from Fatima. Fatima’s servant said he had stolen the suits on Fatima’s direction. Director Public Relations Nabeela Ghazanfar while quoting the senior cop said the boutique owner had fabricated the story and denied all allegations, adding that the clothes had been paid for. STaff reporT

It’s the med students’ turn to protest LAHORE: Scores of students from different medical colleges of Lahore protested in front of the University of Health Sciences on Wednesday against the recent MBBS result announced by the UHS. MBBS students from third year from different medical colleges gathered in front of the UHS against the result declared by the university.

They chanted slogans against the varsity administration and demanded that the result be changed. “Only those students are protesting who have failed the exam. They will have to sit for the supplementary examination as there was “no way the university can change the results”. STaff reporT

Health Secretary Capt (R) Arif Nadeem has directed the officers of the department to escalate the pace of implementation on the steps being taken for eradication of dengue mosquitoes at a time when the first victim of dengue has appeared in the provincial metropolitan on Wednesday. As per details, seven year old Maryam has become the first victim of the year as the government claims to have done its best to cope with dengue. The secretary said that public awareness campaign launched through the print and electronic media should be carried out in an effective manner to motivate the general public for participation in this campaign. He said this while presiding over a weekly meeting to review the performance and implementation on the steps already taken for dengue control in his office, here today. Health Addl Secretary (Tech)Dr Anwar Janjua, Director General Health Punjab Dr Nisar Ahmad Cheema, senior officers of health and other concerned departments and professors of different teaching hospitals also attended the meeting. The Health Secretary directed the department that the public awareness campaign should be made more attractive and effective so that masses could be motivated to actively participate in the anti-dengue campaign. He reiterated that dengue could only be controlled through full participation of the community in the preventive campaign. He directed all the divisional directors health to make high dependency units in their concerned teaching as well as district hospitals functional to provide best treatment facilities to the dengue patients in case of any outbreak.

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08 Lahore weAtHer UPDAteS

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

Love from across the border

PArtlY CloUDY

FrIDAY

SAtUrDAY

SUnDAY

22°C I 08°C

22°C I 07°C

25°C I 09°C

PrAYer tIMIngS Fajr Sunrise 05:16 06:37

Zuhr 12:17

Asr 15:30

Maghrib 17:56

Isha 19:17

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Revel in the sights and smells of Lahore and Karachi

T

MONITORINg DESk

HE moment you enter Pakistan through the Wagah border off Amritsar, it is a different story. The immigration staff at the Customs counters, the Pakistan Rangers, small-time officials and security personnel, the Pakistani hospitality and courtesy, all are at their best. No wonder, from Lahore to Karachi to Islamabad, the common sentiment you come across is that, both neighbours need to come together to exploit their huge potential and bring economic prosperity to the people, Sujday Mehdudia of The Hindu reports.

Our drive to Lahore, the capital of Punjab, springs in us a sense of nostalgia as if one is traversing through some old city of India. The security arrangements though convey a sense of “insecurity” in that country which has been struggling with internal security problems and political turmoil for years now. However, all that disappears as soon as one steps into the bustling markets and streets of Lahore. Suddenly, the insecurity gives way to a feeling of brimming warmth. People are out and out hospitable, going out of their way to ensure that the “Indian guests” are at home.

We soon squeeze into our busy travel schedule a visit toMinar-e-Pakistan, the great poet Allama Iqbal’s tomb at Lahore Fort, Moti Masjid, the memorial of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the infamous Heera Mandi plus a few lanes and by-lanes of Lahore. The streets are no different from any Indian city — laden with weather beaten motorcycles, bullock carts, tongas, three-wheelers, and rickshaws.

We also pay a visit to the famous food street at Gawalmandi in the old city of Lahore, the centre of traditional Pakistani food. The traditional Kashmiri-Persian architecture is used extensively in structures that dot the area. The food street in the evening is closed for traffic and one

has to take a horse-pulled carriage to reach it.

A major tourist attraction of the area is the Cuckoo’s Den at Shahi Mohalla which remains open all round the year 24/7. The food here is traditional and delicious, making it a true Lahori experience.

What one notices is, for the man on the street, any guest from India is special. There are discounts galore in shops when you say you are an Indian, there are friendly arguments over payment of food bills, gestures like offering of snacks and tea at almost all the places and a desire that peace should prevail between the two countries to allow free movement of people, if not the politicians.

The shopping in Lahore is also a delightful experience. The famous Anarkali Bazaar , which is one of the oldest surviving markets of Asia, is a must-visit. The Liberty Market located at Gulberg, a commercial hub of Lahore, is known for its rolls of lawn fabric, pathani suits, shawls and scarves with intricate designs, slippers, juttis, pumps and heels, traditional and modern gold and silver jewellery, lace, buttons and borders.

The famous brands like Gul Ahmed, Nishat and Shireen Khan’s boutiques sell the world famous Pakistani lawn fabric here.

KARACHI LIKE MUMBAI Moving on to Karachi, it is not too difficult to decide that the city just resembles Mumbai in its set up, streets, shopping complexes, the sea port, the breach hub. However, Karachi has a lot to offer when it comes to traditional carpets, designers suits, leather products — both for men and women — plus modern cafes, fast food joints and of course, the traditional cuisine.

Lately, Karachi has added a new marvel in the form of an upmarket food and entertainment complex called Port Grand Karachi, developed along the seaside. Port Grand, built at a cost of Rs. one billion (Pakistani), attracts visitors not only for food and entertainment but for a whole lot of things like free Wi-Fi, port bazaar, bookstore, florist shops, art lane, gift and antiques and outlets of international brands. Beach Avenue, a huge strip along the sea, is home to several restaurants.

Karachi is famous for its leather products, especially Pathani jutti, chappals and leather bags for women, traditional Pathani wear for women, designer lawn fabric and cloth trade which is mostly controlled by Pathans. One of the famous shopping destinations here is Zamzama, a place where the rich, famous and affluent like to hangout. If you want Pakistani, Afghani, Persian, Central Asian and Tibetan carpets or tribal rugs, this is the place to look for them.

Our short stay in Pakistani soon gets over. It is time to go back home, so people bid us farewell in the hope that non-tariff barriers come down soon to bring people of the two nations closer. Our driver Muhammad Husain pertinently sums up the popular sentiment, “People should be allowed to move freely to re-discover their roots as well as the strength of the two nations who have the potential to become Asian giants if they join hands.”

(The reporter was in Lahore and Karachi to cover Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma’s official visit to Pakistan recently.)

arabic calligraphy

letter to taseer ii

red bull paper Wings 2012 p ...

CollegeS / UnIVerSItIeS PUnJAB UnIVerSItY KInnAIrD College QUeen MArY College goVt. College UnIVerSItY UMt lUMS Uet lCwU SUPerIor College

99231257 99203781-4 36362942 111-000-010 35212801-10 35608000 36288666 99203072 111-000-078

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 23 – FeB 23, 2012 VenUe: tHe DrAwIng rooM Art gAllerY rashid rana, naazish Ataullah, Ayesha Jatoi, Mudassar Manzoor, rM naeem, Sadaf naeem, Irfan Hasan, Adeel Us Zafar and others display their art in an effort to capture past.

DAte: FeBrUArY 10 — MArCH 10, 2012 VenUe: UnSPeCIFIeD, lAHore Feeling the need for wIngS? After an overwhelming response to red Bull Paper wings held in Pakistan in 2009, the best and most creative Pakistani folders & throwers will have the chance to represent their country at the world Finals at Hangar-7, Salzburg, Austria this year also!

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

Lahore 09

nADrA employees continue strike for regularisation LAHORE STaff reporT

Contractual employees of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) continued their protest on Wednesday against the alleged delay in regularisation of their services for the second day. All NADRA offices and mobile kiosks remained silent in the provincial capital, causing eat inconvenience to thousands of customers. Hundreds of NADRA employees, including the members of the NADRA Employees Union Punjab and the NADRA Employees Welfare Association, staged a sit-in at the Lahore Press Club (LPC). NADRA officials held placards inscribed with slogans against the federal government and demanded immediate regularisation. Several protesting employees told Pakistan Today, that they had been working on the contract basis for several years, but the federal government had used delaying tactics in regularising them.

23 and counting…

iN The ShaDoW of The rich: a poor man sits with dogs at a bus stand near the Secretariat. MURTAzA ALI

LAHORE STaff reporT

Perhaps Muhammad Amin is the only person in the country who is awaiting gas connection for the last 23 years.

Thanks to the ‘efficient’ administration of SNGPL that after taking the application, did not bother to provide the gas connection. Muhammad Amin of House: 26, Faisal Street Ahata Molchand submitted an application (28169) with Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) Gulberg office on November 13, 1989. The SNGPL authorities did not pay any attention to the application and the applicant Muhammad Amin, despite all efforts, failed to get his connection. “I have been contacting the SNGPL authorities since 1989 but no body is paying attention to my appeal,” said the applicant adding that a number of his neighbours had obtained the connection but no action was being taken on his file. “My neighbours said that they obtained connections by greasing the palms of contractors of SNGPL but I don’t have money to bribe therefore my connection is still pending,” he lamented. Muhammad Amin appealed the higher authorities of SNGPL to take due action on his application and provide him justice.

According to rough estimates, at least 200,000 applications are still unattended by the SNGPL.

Punjab CM gets his acts straight LAHORE

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STaff reporT

UNJAB Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Sharif presided over a cabinet meeting at the CM Secretariat, here on Wednesday, which gave approval to the amendment bills in Punjab Katchi Abadies Act 1992, Punjab Service Tribunal Act 1974, Punjab Sugar Factories Control Act 1950 and Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation Act 2004.

The meeting also gave approval to the provision of land on lease for the setting up of Akhuwat University in Dera Ghazi Khan and establishment of Danish Technical University with the collaboration of Technical University METU of Turkey.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that proprietary rights would be awarded to the poor dwellers of Katchi Abadies and the purpose of the proposed amendment in Punjab Katchi Abadies Act 1992 was also to provide relief to the poor. He issued instructions for the formation of a committee at the provincial level for giving ownership rights to the residents of the Katchi Abadies and said that such committees should also be set up at the divisional level to implement the programme of awarding proprietary rights

to the dwellers of Katchi Abadies set up till December 31, 2011 AASHIYANA AS TRANSPARENT AS AIR: Computerised balloting for houses in extension project of the first Aashiyana Housing Scheme at Saroba Attari in the provincial metropolis was held at CM’s Secretariat, here on Wednesday. Provincial Ministers, Members National and Provincial Assembly, columnists, intellectuals, applicants and a large number of people belonging to various walks of life attended the function.

Shahbaz Sharif, while referring to the transparency of development projects of the Punjab government, said that like other projects, Aashiyana Housing Scheme is also unique with regard to transparency and there is no quota of any one including the Chief Minister in this scheme.

As many as 40,000 applications have been received for two thousand houses in extension project which is reflective of the complete confidence of the masses in the merit and transparency of the government. He expressed the hope that if Allah Almighty gave the opportunity, Aashiyana housing schemes for the shelter-less people would start under the leadership of Quaid Pakistan Muslim League-N Muhammad Nawaz Sharif throughout Pakistan.

every drop counts LAHORE: A delegation consisting of expert engineers from Save Water Save Pakistan Forum would meet the Punjab Governor Latif Khosa today and submit their proposals regarding Water and Energy crisis in Pakistan and the way out. The delegation led by Chairman, Engineer Bashir A. Malik is comprised of Former Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Managing Director Engineer Mansoor Ahmed, Agricultural Scientist Dr Muhammad Sadiq, Interfaith Harmony Chairperson Aleena Tiwana, TECH Society President Engr.

Abdul Majeed Khan and Zubair Sheikh, President TECH Club. This panel of experts will highlight the topics like Alternate Energy Resources, Impact of Water and Energy crisis on the society and the effects of water and energy shortage on the agriculture. Bashir A Malik will also present a copy of his recently published book titled Save Water Save Pakistan to the Governor Punjab Latif Khosa. STaff reporT

Medical, dental colleges withdraw fee hike LAHORE STaff reporT

Private Medical and Dental Colleges have withdrawn the fee raise of Rs 150,000 as additional fee over and above the regular fee of six to seven hundred thousand rupees which has been charged for the regular session. The decision was taken after the PMDC clarified their directions regarding the 20 percent fee raise at all Private Sector Medical and Dental Colleges in the country. Meanwhile, PMA has vowed to challenge the fee raise in the court of law.

Office bearers of PMA have further added that all the Private Medical and Dental Colleges had completed their admissions for this year, three months ago; but PMDC had recently sent an ambiguous letter to all colleges allowing them to raise the fee by Rs 150,000 that is 20 percent. The letter was being implemented at all Private Medical and Dental Colleges in retrospective affect, which was in fact illegal. All colleges administrations had been requested by PMA to refrain from such illegal acts and parents along with other doctor’s organisations had announced a protest drive against the illegal fee raise. PMDC has after this clarified their directions and directed all colleges to implement them from next year.

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10 Lahore gender budgeting keeps the women happy and the wallet heavy LAHORE STaff reporT

Punjab government’s Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP) has organised a one-day capacity-building training on Gender Responsive Budgeting for the officers of Finance Department here on Tuesday. Chief Guest for the said workshop was Additional Finance Secretary Farid Ahmad Tarrar who addressed the participants on the agenda of gender budgeting as a successful development model technique. Gender Specialist Roheen Rafique briefed that Implementation of Gender Reform Action Plan, was one of the major policy commitments of the Punjab government to uplift the women folk. The aim of GRAP was to bring about such changes in the structures and processes of government that it promotes equity among men and women, and to enable it to deliver on the rights and entitlements of women.

GRAP Punjab envisages essential reforms including political participation, women employment, institutional restructuring, and policy and fiscal reforms.

PU awards picture perfect Awais Ali Shaikh LAHORE STaff reporT

Punjab University College of Art and Design’s Awais Ali Shaikh, a student of BFA Part-IV, Graphic Designing has won prizes in photography competitions in two different categories including “Poverty” 2nd runner up award cash prize Rs 50,000 and “Dickens & the City” winner award Certificate cash prize Rs 20,000. Punjab University ViceChancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran congratulated him for his great achievement. These competitions were organised

by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund and British Council.

Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith warns of serious backlash

Model town’s election fever LAHORE: The Model Town Election Campaign is at its peak and Sahabzada Saif-ul-Rehman is the candidate for the seat of president whereas the candidate for vice president is Daud Bari. There are many projects for development and welfare of Model Town in their manifesto; including broadening of roads, improving sewerage system, allocating quota for residencies in schools and colleges, enhancing the security system and most importantly planting a power generation system for continuous and cheap electricity for Model Town residents. STaff reporT

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LAHORE

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division bench of Supreme Court Lahore Registry on Wednesday summoned Cabinet division Federal Secretary and health secretaries of all four provinces for March 12 in suo moto notice case against doctors’ strike and deaths by spurious medicines, directing them to submit detailed reports about cases of polio and hepatitis at provincial level. The two member bench comprising of Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani and Justice Mian Saqib Nisar also sought reports about health arrangements in all public hospitals and service structure of doctors.

The bench observed that “in the name of cheap healthcare facilities the government is making a joke out of the patients’ lives as the poor conditions at hospitals show a pitiable picture where several patients lay on one bed for getting medical help”. During the hearing, a six member committee of senior doctors earlier appointed by the apex court submitted a report before two member bench comprising of Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani and Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Wednesday. The committee members said the cases of hepatitis and polio were escalating due to unhealthy water and food and insufficient healthcare facilities, because health standards provided by WHO for Pakistan had not

tIMe 12:30 PM 02:00 PM 03:30 PM 05:15 PM 07:00 AM 08:30 PM 10:15 PM 12:00 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 AM 12:00 AM 12:00 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 PM 03:00 PM 05: 30 PM 08: 30 PM 11: 30 PM

been implemented in the hospitals and major reforms were required in all health sectors.

INTERIM BAILS GRANTED: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted interim bails till February 29 to three owners of a medicine factory which had caved in after a boiler explosion, claiming lives of 24 workers. A case was registered against the accused factory owners in Sabzazar Police under section 302/149, 324/ 427, 290/ 291 of PPC, after the collapse of the medicine factory.

The court ordered the accused to submit surety bonds of worth Rs 100,000 each to avail the bails. Justice Syed Kazam Raza Shamsi passed the order on a bail petition filed by three factory owners through their counsel Khurram Latif Khan Khosa. Their bail applications were dismissed by AD&SJ Chaudhry Nazeer Ahmad early in the day, and later the same day they moved the LHC for bails.

The accused factory owners including Zafar Iqbal, Zaheer Iqbal and Zubair Iqbal appeared before the court along their counsel. The petitioners’ counsel stated that an additional district

and Sessions Judge had dismissed the bail application of the petitioners, ignoring important legal aspects of matter. He pleaded the court to grant interim bail to the factory owners because FIR had been registered unlawfully inserting murder sections against the factory collapse.

HINA RABBANI, HUBBY UNDER THE HAMMER: A petition has been moved against eligibility of foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar contending that her husband Feroz Gulzar, owner of textile mills, was a defaulter as he had not paid payables worth Rs 70 million of electricity bills to Fesco since 2011. Asad advocate filed the petition stating that Gulzar, spouse of foreign minister owns a textile factory namely Galaxy Mills in Faisalabad and he had not paid his due electricity bills since 2011.

The petitioner said under article 630 of the constitution if a parliamentarian remains defaulter for six months he or she may be disqualified from the assembly membership. The petitioner prayed to the court to start proceedings against the foreign minister as she is also responsible about the factory run by her husband.

Court restrains Lahore police from harassing a citizen STaff reporT

Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith has demanded to deport US ambassador, condemning the burning of Quran by NATO forces in Afghanistan. The party leaders said if the US were permitted to open consulate in Quetta, the decision would be retaliated with full force. JAH held a protest demonstration in Main Market Gulberg on Wednesday.

Hafiz Khalid Shahzad Farooqi warned US soldiers that Muslims would not spare them if they did not stop humiliating their religion. He said US was involved in the deteriorating situations of Baluchistan.

FIlM

SC plans on curing the doctors

LAHORE

LAHORE STaff reporT

CIneMA

thursday, 23 February, 2012

Additional District & Sessions Judge (AD and SJ) Pervez Iqbal Sipra on Wednesday took notice of bogus cases against a citizen Muhammad Tahir, and restrained the deputy inspector general police (operations) to remove his illegal detention. He ordered the removal of untrue First Information Reports (FIR) against him in connivance with his opponents.

The court passed the order on an application filed by Tahir contending that a bogus FIR had been registered against him at the Ichara police station under section 302 for killing an 80-year old woman, whom in fact, had died a natural death which was later proved by a post-mortem report.

He said he was granted bail from the court of AD and SJ in the murder but his opponents and police had not stopped his illegal harassment and were giving him life threats. He said Faiz, Mehr

Anwar, Haji Nawaz Chugtai, Mina Usman Aziz, Moulvi Arshad and Sulman, in connivance with the station house officer (SHO) of the Ichara police, had trapped him in a fake murder case and were threatening him further after his bail.

The judge noted in his order that petitioner Tahir had requested that his accusers be restrained from harassing him, and found the contentions of the petitioner justified after hearing the arguments and perusing the records.

The judge said no one was empowered to harass a citizen illegally and the police had wrongly involved the petitioner in the bogus case. He ordered the DIG Police (operations), Superintendent (operations) (SP), the Sadar range SP, Deputy SP Ichara and the SHO of theIchara Police station not to harass him illegally and unlawfully.

Tahir also appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan, governor Punjab, prime minister and president of Pakistan to give him protection because he feared for his life.

GCU holds 10th convocation LAHORE STaff reporT

The Government College University (GCU) held its 10th Convocation on Wednesday in which girls secured top academic positions in 21 out of 26 disciplines at the BA/BSc (Hons) level, outshining the boys. Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa presided over the convocation proceedings cochaired by GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Khaleequr-Rahman. Around 1, 291 students received degrees, medals and certificates at the convocation attended by the vice chancellors of nine universities, including Punjab University, GCU, Sargodha University, the University of Education and University of Lahore. The convocation report highlighted that girls also secured 13 out of 16 prestigious academic gold medals and rolls of honours that were awarded to students for their extraordinary excellence in academics. Only three medals were secured by the male students. Addressing the convocation, the Punjab governor said he would ensure financial resources to set up a GCU new campus at Kala Shah Kaku. The VC said the GCU planned to take a qualitative leap forward by developing strong linkages with the industry through general support, research centres and institutes, industrial affiliate programmes and new business incubators and technology parks. The vice chancellor said the GCU was bringing about a “massive improvement” in its teaching and administrative strategies. He said a number of bold initiatives had been taken recently which included the reduction of tuition fees by 35 percent and hostel dues by 50 percent. He said the new examination rules, in line with the international norms of the semester system, had been devised and implemented.

As many as five students were awarded medals, with 26 students receiving rolls of honour for their extraordinary performance in co-circular activities. Students awarded with medals included: Isha Tariq, Ali Zafar, Kamran Hussain, Maryam Darakshan and Adeel Shahrayar. Around 55 scholars were awarded PhD degrees in various subjects of science, arts and literature.

Dengue awareness seminar held at gC for women LAHORE STaff reporT

Parliamentary secretary for Health Dr Saeed Elahi addressed an awareness seminar against dengue at the Government College for Women in Model Town on Wednesday.

Elahi said the entire society would have to fulfil its responsibility towards the elimination of dengue breeding by adopting the principle of “prevention is better than the cure”. He said the active participation of the people was essential in supplementing the efforts of the government.

He added that a solid strategy had been evolved for to eliminate the dengue throughout the province.

He informed that the presence of dengue mosquito larvae had been not been detected so far, according to vector surveillance teams.

He said the government had provided chemicals, spray pumps and fogging machines to the administrations of all districts that were likely to be affected and all arrangements were being made according to schedule.

And the award for the best university in Pakistan goes to…

LAHORE STaff reporT

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is all set to announce the ranking of Pakistani universities on the basis of quality teaching and research produced by the higher education institutions from across the country.

The ranking of the universities, specifically done according to categorisation of major disciplines, will be announced on February 23, 2012 at a press conference at the HEC secretariat. The primary purpose of the ranking exercise is to share with the general public a comprehensive data on the key issues that determine the state of higher education in a particular institution. Ranking is a quality indicator and this information helps shed light on key indicators of higher education institutions in Pakistan to allow students, parents, potential employers and all other stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding higher education institutions.

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

Editor’s mail 11

Suggestions for AJK Public Service Commission The AJKPSC is going to conduct the competitive examination against the post of ACs and Tehsildars in some months.

According to authorities concerned there is a problem of examination centres being available in Muzaffarabad, capital of AJK. This examination consists of around ten papers which require the centre to be available for at least five days, two papers each day. But the Commission takes one paper each day which not only wastes times but also brings myriad of problems. Some papers, with considerably less score weightage can be held on one day, in the morning and evening. It

will save time of the candidates and the Commission. Moreover, the commission holds such exams in June or July which is not an appropriate weather-wise for the aspirants who hail from different parts of Pakistan. The following suggestions can be analysed and put to practice if found suitable: 1. March and April are the most appropriate months for the exam because after May there will are examinations of PMS, LLB etc in Punjab, Balochistan, KP and Sindh. It will be difficult for those candidates who belong to such areas.

They would not have enough time for the

the 20th Amendment preparation of their other exams.

2. If the centres are not available in Muzaffarabad, Islamabad or Mirpur can be good options for the exam. Islamabad and AJK’s matriculation exams do not take place in the same month. There will be many centres available after 10 March this year in Islamabad.

3. Two papers must be held on each day. It will save time as well as money of the candidates.

4. Many centres will be available after the CSS exam on 10 March.

5. Merit must be maintained at all levels, written as well as interview.

This is the voice of a number of candidates who want to take this exam in April and to be a part of bureaucracy of the justice denied territory, Kashmir.

People have been struggling for justice here since 1947. If the govt maintains transparency, meritocracy and justice in recruitment to bring new talented blood in administration who have the courage to take a stand on the Kashmir issue in the national as well as international level, a change will be seen in a standstill environment.

A CANDIDATE Muzaffrabad, AJK

Saving Balochistan Balochistan has been simmering for decades due to the collective follies of the civil and military regimes. We now see the issue being discussed in the US Congress and some day we might find it being debated on the floor of other countries’ assemblies too if we continue to ignore the problem.

The right of the people of Balochistan to a representative government has always been ignored. Even democratic governments did nothing to address this problem. At present, among the 64 members of the provincial assembly, only 14 belong to the PPP but it is still running the government in Balochistan. The security forces have also failed to make any concerted efforts to arrest the deteriorating law and order situation. The killingand-dumping practice goes on unchecked.

It’s unfortunate that while our political parties don’t waste any time in uniting on issues in which their interests are involved, the latest 20th Amendment being a case in point, they fail to do anything concrete about issues which pose a threat to the integrity of the country.

The only way forward now is to hold an all parties conference on the Balochistan problem, initiate dialogue with all Bloch leaders and give them not only their due share but more than that.

TARIQ HUSAIN KHAN Karachi

education ignored When asked how much educated men were superior to those uneducated, Aristotle answered, “As much as the living are to the dead.”

For about 50 days, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, for about 16 days, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, and for about 11 days, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology, Nawabshah and other universities of interior Sindh are closed.

Where is civil society? Where is media? Where is judiciary? Where is ruling PPP? In the last general elections of 2008, people of Sindh gave heavy mandate to PPP, almost 90 percent of provincial assembly’s seats were bagged by PPP. But, this is shocking that all universities of interior Sindh are closed and not even a single MPA of ruling PPP bothers to debate this issue in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh.

This is feudal mindset; to deprive the people of their fundamental right of education. This is a real eye-opener for central leadership of the government. The Honourable President of Pakistan should take notice of this issue without any delay. And for the next general elections, Pakistan Peoples Party leadership should award tickets to middle class well-educated youngsters, dedicated workers of PPP, instead of these uneducated feudals, peers and gadi nasheens.

Another worthwhile thing is that if the ruling PPP wants to perform good in the next general elections like it did in 2008, then its PPP central leadership has to go for paradigm shift in its basic policies. Some well-educated senior legislators of party belong to Sindh, like Fauzia Wahab, Raza Rabbani and others, they should be elevated to important key positions.

Education of interior Sindh is being crippled by feudal mindset. Interior Sindh has remained the strongest fort of PPP since 1967, and this region needs special importance.

DR SAIFUR REHMAN Islamabad

Our constitution was drafted in 1973.

But, due to marital laws, the amendments have been consistent. The 20th Amendment is the latest achievement of the government, they have managed to include a clause which takes away all the power from president to appoint interim PM or cabinet.

This is one of those rare moments when opposition and government are sitting on the same side of the table. Not only for the parties sitting in the parliament is this a good news, but also for those who despite not being in the parliament have stated that under the current president there can be no free and fair elections. This to me and many others is a good step for free and fair elections. It will not be wrong to give credit to PML(N) for bringing the amendment as they took a stance for it in the parliament.

As much as I appreciate this amendment, I am against amendments.

Amendments mean that this constitution is not the perfect one so it requires a bit of working. If it is so, then why not draft a proper one?

MAJID TAMOOR Lahore

Prices of medicine

Not your right Now that the United States has slapped new sanctions on Iran, it seems the history is about to repeat itself, only this time the actors will be changed. The US will do everything to prove that Iran wants nuclear weapons, instead of peaceful nuclear energy, and is a threat to the peace of the world.The next thing you know would be US Marines landing in Iran,

Monthly progress report We have been hearing news spurts of Bhasha dam since 2006 with its first ground breaking by ex-President Pervez Musharraf and then its second foundation stone laying ceremony in 2011 followed by breaking news of funding by Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the tune of four billion dollars. The total outlay for the dam is stated to be from 12 billion to 14 billion dollars, to be completed at the earliest in 12 years. The nation cannot wait spellbound with the flash of news every now and then like a lullaby.

What we need is a monthly progress report by Wapda on the actual work done on the ground so as to be satisfied on the rate of progress. The nation has been kept waiting since past four decades for a mega dam to rid the country from power and water shortage.

These twin menaces have been the

killings thousands and bringing a change in regime, and bringing democracy.

This is the new US warfare tactic: do as we say or we will bring democracy to your country.

ALI AHSAN Lahore

bane of Pakistan to land it in an economic mess with the shelving of KBD due to illogical opposition of KP and Sindh in their blind animosity to Punjab while the politicians of Punjab did nothing due to their narrow vested interests.

DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI Lahore

From accusations into proof According to a report, Afghan officials are holding talks with the Taliban in Pakistan, and quoting the head of Afghan Peace Council Kandahar, Ata Mohammad Ahmadi, the report manipulates it as “a possible signal that Islamabad is boosting its support for Afghan peace efforts.”

Wire agencies quote Mr Ahmadi as saying “in the last 10 days, our peace council delegation has gone to Quetta three times in twos and threes.” This was as a result of the Afghan government re-

peatedly urging Pakistan to support its efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Whether or not the report that in 10 days almost three delegations of the Afghan peace council have visited Quetta is true, and the Pakistan government has yet to confirm the authenticity of this report, the bottom line is that such a report has ‘intriguingly’ established that the Afghan Taliban are very much in Pakistan and the so-called Quetta Shura does exist.

Will it help the Afghan peace process move forward, or further implicate Pakistan in the case of providing safe havens to the Taliban. If it is true, then obviously the people at the helm of affairs or either unaware of its implications or they are ignorant of the fact that the world is waiting to turn the accusations into an established proof.

ESCHMALL SARDAR Peshawar

The pharmaceutical companies have increased the prices of medicines manifold. They are motivated by greed of profit. Patients are already suffering due to doctors’ and nurses’ protest rallies and strikes. Many patients have lost their lives. Now the pharmaceutical companies have joined their hands to financially burden them.

The Competition Commission should take stern action against these companies. The price control magistrates should be ordered to take action against profiteers. The politicians should take notice of this unreasonable hike in the prices of the medicines.

These companies are already making a lot of profit on brand name products.

Only generic drugs are little cheaper. Although it cost only a few bucks to manufacture drugs, but the profit remains exorbitant.For more profit, companies are always considering to increase prices.

Greed for money rules their psyche. They are not concerned with the difficulties of the patients or their pocket book. They are merciless profiteers and in fact killers of humanity. The concerned authorities are requested to take some action to curb this inconsiderable price increase.

JAVAID BASHIR Lahore

Drone attacks “Pakistan’s High Commission to Britain says Islamabad has the means to retaliate unless carnage ceases.” Why should they when it has little financial cost to them? At least 10 suspected militants were killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan on 8 February. So, is it fair that the suspected militants would remain suspected in CIA’s record till eternity?

Z A KAZMI Karachi

the state of education in Pakistan Education is one of the basic factors which play a vital role in the development of a country. Education also combats unemployment, confirms sound foundation of social equity, awareness, tolerance, self esteem and spread of political socialisation and cultural vitality.

Like many other developing countries, the situation of Pakistan’s education sector has not been very encouraging due to poverty, unemployment, over-population and slow pace of economic development in the country.

It has been 64 years since Pakistan got freedom but still we are far behind in development. According to latest Pakistan Labour Force Survey 2009-10, the overall literacy rate is 57.7 percent which is quite unsatisfactory to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The state of education in Pakistan is in shambles. Pakistan is the second country in the world with the highest number of children who do not go to school. A large number of students who make it to schools, however, drop out by

class five. According to NEP, about 72 percent make it to grade five which means a dropout rate of 28 percent. This significant figure further brings down the chunk of the population that makes it to school. Such a large number of students outside school mean that they are deprived of the opportunity to learn and acquire skills for playing a meaningful role in society.

The emphasis in education is still on a general and liberal type of BA or MA degree. The change towards scientific and technical education has still not taken place. The quality of education is low; the teachers are under-paid, undertrained and dispirited. The students are apathetic as they see no relationship between education and higher earnings or status in the society.

Pakistan's planners continued to allocate insufficient resources for education, especially for primary education.

Moreover, the money allocated was not effectively spent. The hostility of the feudal and the indifference of the educated

elite are primarily responsible for the neglect of education in Pakistan.

There is a need to find a plausible explanation for Pakistan's very poor performance in the field of education as compared to other East Asian countries and even amongst SAARC countries with the possible exception of Nepal. Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and the emphasis which Holy Quran places on education is not found in the holy books of other religions.

The elite of Pakistan have no interest in primary education. The children of the elite go to English medium schools and they do not bother at all whether children of their subordinates receive any education and even if they receive education in some form, its quality is very poor.

Today corruption at each level has increased, judiciary and education departments have suffered too. Through constructive education we can prepare our students according to our golden norms and values, and remove various

faults found in the education system. Education system of Pakistan is facing strong criticism both at national and international level. Good and positive education builds nations and makes it strong. Our educational policies have been criticised because of lack of implementation at each level.

Now the people are openly talking about the failure of democracy and curse of corruption because of lack of education. Corrupt leaders are only power seekers and do not take keen interest in education and welfare of common man.

When our top leadership protects the corrupt and fake degree holders, the result is obvious to all.

We all need honest, competent, devoted leadership, who knows the fruits of positive, constructive education. Only an intellectual, competent and faithful leadership knows the price of constructive education and will be able to do some good things for the Pakistani nation.

NAZIMA BIBI Lahore Garrison University, Lahore

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

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12 Comment BB murder case Investigation concludes

D

evelopments in the Benazir Bhutto murder investigation have always had a glacial speed.

The conclusion of the current JIT investigation also names the same people again. The difference: the government now says it will try to apprehend former president Pervez Musharraf through Interpol. Though this development received most of the attention, the actual significant development is the naming of the premises of the Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak as being the venue of the planning. The interior minister was careful in his briefing at the Sindh Assembly in not directly implicating Maulana Sami-ul-Haq who runs the seminary but he did throw in a word of caution to him and all other seminaries to ensure such types of activities are not facilitated there.

Also named is the dreaded Qari Hussain, popularised by the media as the Baba-e-Fidaeen. Not related to just the BB murder case in particular, the Qari has at his disposal the militants’ most potent weapon yet: the suicide bomber. The apprehension of this individual is linked to cases other than this one.

Another person called in is former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, who had made a curious and cryptic statement on the eve of the former prime minister’s murder. They will beat the drums during the day and will cry after sunset when the lights are out. Now, it is still not known whether his situation was a monkeywith-a-typewriter but he must be asked to explain his position.

Former president Musharraf, who had a telephonic rally at Karachi recently, has more reasons to defer his return to the country. After the interior minister’s address to the legislators in Karachi, he brushed off the allegations and maintained that the responsibility was that of the provincial government and the PPP itself. If the generalissimo is indeed so certain of his innocence and if he isn’t really scared (as he has reminded anyone who would listen ad nauseum), it is perhaps time he should come back and face up to the charges against him.

the ugly American? not winning hearts and minds

D

espite the declaration of the best intentions, the Americans are capable of producing the worst results. Washington maintains it wants to win the hearts and minds of the people to defeat the militants. The actions of the US army in Afghanistan however continue to create hatred and add to the anti-US sentiment. As if the video of the four US soldiers urinating over the dead bodies of Afghan militants was not enough, now comes a report of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Bagram. Reportedly, the staff at the base had ordered the burning of "extremist literature" found in a library in the base's detention block. That copies of the Holy Quran were also included in the category indicates the utter insensitivity of the Americans to crucial Muslim concerns despite being in Afghanistan for ten years. How could those who ordered the action forget the bloody protests in the country just two years back leading to several deaths in reaction to Pastor Terry Jones’ announcement to burn the holy book?

Despite being a world power, the US fails to care for the sensibilities of the people it interacts with. This has added a further dimension to the Ugly American syndrome. It has strengthened perceptions that it is not only as individuals travelling abroad but also as a nation dealing with other countries that the Americans are loud, arrogant and disrespectful. Actions conducted by the US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have further buttressed the notion. What the US soldiers did in Abu Ghraib was an unprecedented and demeaning war crime. The subsequent gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl by US troops at Mahmudiya and the killing of the victim and her family members roused indignation in Iraq and abroad.

What humiliations of the sort do is to further enflame the anti-US sentiment in the Muslim community. The governments that cooperate with the US lose respect in the common man’s eyes. The actions provide material to the extremists to play with the public sentiments. What is more, they create an environment which is favourable for the breeding of militancy. In nascent democracies like Pakistan, the actions weaken the hands of forces opposed to violence and supporting peace. How many more decades the US will take to shed the image remains uncertain.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

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

thursday, 23 February, 2012

Integration, interrupted The chance the Baloch were never given

By Nazir Naji

A

couple of days ago, I was amazed when a so-called analyst said on a television channel that “the Balochistan issue started after 9/11.” There are other such people who see the issue in the backdrop of East Pakistan. As the armed insurgency heats up, solutions and formulae of all hue and colour have been proposed.

The prime minister is fervidly trying to organise and APC. But who will attend this APC? The current parliamentary parties and leaders? What good will that do as the insurgent groups categorically reject their legitimacy. The fact that is not being foregrounded is that the provincial assembly of Balochistan and parliamentarians and senators belonging to Balochistan are increasingly under pressure. These people have no links with the people of their province and no influence to speak of in Islamabad. What will the inclusion of these toothless non-representatives in the APC achieve? Any promises that may make, they will not have the authority and ability to follow through on them. The people who will purportedly represent Balochistan will for all intents and purposes be de facto representatives of the government of Pakistan.

Neither does the government on Pakistan have any control over Balochistan neither the local influentials or tribal leaders who conduct their politics in the name of Balochistan. Balochistan is currently ruled by might – the might that is wielded by the military and that which is wielded by the armed insurgents. The might of the military extends merely till the boundaries of their cantonments and checkposts. Outside these limits, their authority vaporises and the real people in control are the insurgents. These are the areas where a Pakistani flag cannot be raised and the Pakistani administration is not effective at all. Out of the leaders conversant with the federation, only Akhtar Mengal is the one who can visit these areas freely and is also in contact with the insurgents. But due to his personal and familial experiences, his bent and political agenda is now increasingly closer to those resisters.

Another proposition is to form an advisory commission. As per this suggestion, the commission will present its report after hearing the perspective of all stakeholders. In the current scenario, this suggestion seems like a joke. The power to find a solution is with those who exercise power outside the military-controlled

areas and these people are no longer willing to present themselves before any official government commission or accept its validity.

The experiences of the Baloch with Pakistan are not that pleasant. They are filled with bitterness and hardship and then some. Before Partition, Balochistan wasn’t in the complete control of the British. Tribal leaders ruled their own areas and the state of Kalat was ruled by the Khan of Kalat who was respected as an elder. He had no administrative authority or any written or constitutional basis for any decisions related to partition. His authority stemmed from tradition or riwaj.

This is why when the Khan of Kalat agreed to accede to Pakistan, this decision was not automatically applicable on the Baloch sardars. It was required that these areas be integrated as independent entities within the Pakistani federation like those of the then NWFP or that these areas be negotiated with individually or collectively. But the political leadership that came after the Quaid did not have this historical acuity through which such problems could be resolved peacefully. The result was that the army was used repeatedly to put the stamp of authority on Balochistan and to bring it under administrative control. Each one of these effort was strongly denounced and resisted by Baloch sardars. So much so, that rebellions even surfaced in the area of Kalat which had formally acceded to Pakistan.

The government opted for the stick over the carrot and it declared the political activities of Kalat leaders illegal. These leaders included Muhammad Amin Khosa and Abdus Samad Achakzai (who was a supporter of the Congress in united India).

During this time, the whole of Balochistan operated under the tribal system. There was no provincial administration to speak of. When rebel activity restarted in 1958, Lt-Col Tikka Khan (who later became chief) conducted an army operation against Sardar Nawaz Khan. He was arrested and subsequently hanged. Other tribal leaders were also called in on the pretext of negotiation but were arrested and death became their fate.

Balochistan stayed in the throes of instability for a very long time. When Yahya Khan came into power and reversed the One Unit, Balochistan was also restored as a province. General elections were conducted under this new arrangement. After the fall of Dhaka, the 1973 constitution that was evolved was also signed by the then elected Baloch leadership. Only Sardar Khair Bux Marri did not accept that constitution. But still, it was after the implementation of the 1973 constitution that Balochistan formally became a part of Pakistan. A coalition government of ANP and JUI was formed there and the chief minister elect was Sardar Ataullah Mengal.

But as soon as democratically elected government were formed after the passage of the constitution, military operations were also initiated in Balochistan. An area which had never operated under any formal central or provincial system was given no time to integrate into a modern state system. If the local leadership had been allowed to implement the imperatives of the

new constitution, Balochistan would have been slowly but surely brought into the mainstream and the province would have accepted the writ of state and rule of law.

But as soon as the democratically elected dispensation was disposed and military operation initiated, those old system were revived and the tribal mode of authority was in practice again, the people compelled to rise in action for their rights.

The Baloch struggle for rights should not be seen as a movement for independence.

In reality, these are tribal people who are not accustomed to living under a state.

And after they became a part of the state of Pakistan, they were not given the time to go through the gradual process of actually becoming a part of the state. They were not give the time to learn the ropes of becoming citizens of a rational state as opposed to living as people under the tribal system of authority.

To change one’s lifestyle that one is accustomed to takes a long time. We did not give them that time and are still not willing to. We want to bring them under the rule of law on our own terms and when they refuse to do so, we use force against them.

Even the British whiled away their time using arms and military might against the Baloch and we too are doing the same thing. We didn’t let the historical processes that would integrate Balochistan into the Pakistani federation kick in. I would like the powers that be to explain to me that a person who has lived his entire life according to the tribal code, how do they expect him to become a law-abiding citizen as per the state’s code by bombing him.

Even today, we are committing the same follies. We never gave them a chance to become a part of the state but we are dealing with the rebellion as if a proper part of the state is up in arms, and not a periphery that was never under its writ to begin with. The people of the tribal areas of Pakhtunkhwa spread throughout the rest of Pakistan by participating in economic and trade activities. They brought back the effects of urbanisation to the tribal areas. Even this didn’t happen in Balochistan. We want them to leapfrog a developmental gap of centuries to talk to us in our idiom and on our terms.

The slogan of independence is being raised by a few educated Baloch. This slogan means nothing to the ordinary Baloch.

Because a Baloch is born free and he spends his life according to the customs and traditions of his tribe. His independence is linked to this way of life – his riwaj. Our idea of independence is not their idea of independence. His law is his riwaj. If a policeman arrests a Baloch for thievery and tells him to sit by a tree and say that he will come back for him in the evening, he will still find that man sitting there by the tree. He doesn’t know what the state’s might is; all he knows is how to follow his tradition.

The problem that we have been trying to solve for 65 years, we still haven’t understood it properly. How in the world do we expect to solve it?

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

regional press

on disenchanted voters Daily khabroona

T

here is still about a year before elections are slated to take place and it is now absolutely certain, barring extreme insinuating circumstances, that the incumbent government would complete its constitutional tenure. But as its tenure nears its end, the political temperature in the country is warming up. The country is witnessing the warming up of political campaigns by various political parties and big rallies and membership drives are taking place in various parts of the country.

The incumbent government during the last four years not only faced a deteriorating law and order situation but also had to face certain other critical issues including political tension between institutions and many constitutional impasses. Every political and religious party is now fishing for the peoples’ trust and want to ensure that the vote comes out in their favour.

However, the common people seem disillusioned with the political

process due to being disenchanted by the bad governance record of the incumbent government. They may bring a vote through change but it seems that they do not have much faith in the fact that their conditions will improve.

The low voter turnout in the previous elections may be indicative of the conditions wherein voters are losing confidence to take pain to go to polling stations for any possible change in the country through the democratic way. The reason for this disinterest in democratic processes could be the public losing faith in the ruling elites of the country.

The brawling among political parties and the constant levelling of allegations against each other instead of focusing on the problems of the masses has disappointed the poor strata of the society and they are pessimistic about seeing a solution to the problems of unemployment, price hike and the unstable law and order situation in the country.

– Translated from the original Pashto by Abdur Rauf Khattak

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

On judicial activism More power to the judiciary’s elbow

Border crossings By kuldip Nayar

I

have always considered that the success of lawyers’ movement in Pakistan in 2008 was its first war of independence. The formation of Pakistan was the result of a peaceful agreement which it signed with India under the aegis of the British government.

The primacy of Pakistan’s Supreme Court is because of that movement. There was a time when the SC would uphold the army coups as it did in the cases of General Ayub and General Ziaul-Haq. A new interpretation to the constitution, the rule of “necessity,” was provided to give legitimacy to the coups.

The court has now graduated to be a powerful entity so as to arraign even PM Gilani for contempt and indict him. The Supreme Court’s Chief Justice is the same Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who suffered at the hands of the army because he dared to go against the wishes of then COAS General Pervez Musharraf. Justice Chaudhry was confined to one room, along with his family, for months and made to undergo more or less a solitary imprisonment. That in a country, where all other institutions are tottering, the emergence of the SC is indeed evoking hope for the future of democracy.

Yet I have not been able to understand the logic of criticism that by strengthening the judiciary, the polity is weakening because such a process is at the expense of the power that the executive and parliament enjoy. For instance, the institutions in India have gained because of a series of judgments. The recent one, which Gilani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan has quoted to defend the Pakistani prime minister, is the cancellation of 122 licences of allotment in the 2G spectrum (mobiles) scandal

on the ground that PM Manmohan Singh did not know about the letters which his office (PMO) had received from the indicted former Telecom Minister A Raja. The blame was put on the officials and advisers. So has been the tenor of Aitzaz Ahsan’s arguments.

In India, the judiciary has gone to the extent of laying down that parliament cannot change the basic structure of the constitution, meaning thereby, secularism, federalism and the parliamentary system. True, parliament represents the people but in the heat of the moment or any vociferous movement, parliament can be swayed by the mood in the country prevailing at a particular time. The same principle that the basic structure constitution cannot be violated holds good for Pakistan as well, even though its SC has not said so unequivocally.

By kicking up the dust, the real issue of corruption cannot be obscured. President Zardari is said to have laundered billions of dollars and stashed in Swiss banks. The fact that then President General Musharraf condoned the crime through an ordinance (the NRO) does not mean that Zardari can appropriate the money which really belongs to the Pakistan exchequer.

Gilani is only President Zardari’s face. He owes his office to him and therefore it was natural that he should take the responsibility for the president’s acts of omission and commission.

Gilani’s defence that Zardari enjoys immunity under the constitution may be all right for legal purposes, although the SC would probe whether immunity is absolute or whether it can be questioned in any way. At least the SC can order that the money stashed abroad be brought back to Pakistan even if it “remains” in Zardari’s account. Immunity means that no action can be taken against Zardari since he is the president who enjoys such powers under the constitution. Yet immunity cannot be stretched to a point where Zardari is not directed to transfer back the stashed money to the Pakistani banks.

Chief Justice Chaudhry was not lessening the stature of the executive by asking Gilani to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen the case of Zardari’s assets in

banks in that country. That Gilani sits over the court’s order for more than two years is unacceptable. To characterise a case of corruption as an attack on government or, for that matter, parliament, is like missing the forest for the trees. The corrupt, however high in position, should be brought to book to revive people’s faith in democracy. Too many instances of graft in South Asian countries have disfigured democracy in the region.

It is difficult to guess about the fate of Gilani’s trial for contempt. Already the court has appointed Attorney General Anwar-ul-Haq as the prosecutor.

This amounts to pitting the government’s top legal adviser against the prime minister. The ruling PPP has rightly said that it is a sad day in the history of Pakistan since the serving prime minister has been charged. If one were to look at the case from a different angle, the court’s judgment could be described as a day when democracy touched the greatest height in Pakistan—a country where the judiciary was once party to the rule of the armed forces.

The black money, stashed abroad, is going to haunt the Manmohan Singh government because the director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said at a public forum that the Indians have unaccounted money, as much as Rs 24.5 lakh crore (about $500 billion) in banks abroad. He has also been frank enough to say: “If the king is immoral, so will be the subjects.”

The CBI director has himself admitted that it would be difficult to bring back the money: “The probe is complex, time consuming, costly and requires political will.”

Now that the example of Pakistan’s SC is before us, some individuals can approach our Supreme Court to direct the government to bring back the money to India. Here the hurdle of immunity does not come in. The committee which the Indian SC appointed in an earlier case to look into the matter is too slow in processing. Some shock treatment to the government is needed.

The writer is a senior Indian journalist.

Comment 13

Architects of the endgame They’re all ‘coping with frogs’

By M k Bhadrakumar

T

he two-day trilateral summit of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, which concluded in Islamabad on Friday, 17 February 2012, has exposed the fault lines in the Afghan peace process.

In principle, this trilateral forum is all about counter-terrorism and a regional initiative, which has an economic dimension as well.

Much has changed since the last session of the trilateral forum in June 2011. There is recognition today that the Obama administration’s Afghan ‘surge’ at best produced patchy results that are not sustainable and the Afghan forces’ capacity to shoulder the responsibility for security is in doubt. Unsurprisingly, the US has made a strong pitch for the political track aimed at engaging the Taliban and reaching an understanding over the post-2014 scenario.

To be sure, Taliban sense victory. And so does Pakistan. The US is in a hurry to disengage from the war but remains a stakeholder in regional security. The similarity with the Geneva talks in the runup to the withdrawal of the Soviet forces in Afghanistan is striking.

Pakistan is on the lookout for a settlement on its terms failing which it prefers to sit out for the foreign forces to leave (which is inevitable in the very near future) so that it has a freer hand to choreograph the future Afghan power structure.

There are, of course, dissimilarities, too. Principal amongst them is that Pakistan’s relationship with the US can in no way be compared to its poor equations with Russia. Pakistan cannot do without the relationship with the US and the Pakistani elites – civilian and military – are not contemplating a strategic defiance of the US. Thus, Pakistan seeks to orientate the Afghan endgame in a direction that not only helps it to realise its national interests but also enables it to rebuild its relationship with the US, given the imperatives of keeping alive its struggle with India, of protecting its nuclear assets and so on, aside extracting as much benefit as possible out of the emergent complex set of regional and global relations.

Pakistan finds itself well-positioned for the Afghan endgame. It

has done well to ensure it won’t be isolated or be without options in the post-2014 scenario. Meanwhile, Pakistan has also begun improvising on the experiences of the late 1990s. It is making contacts with the non-Pashtun groups of the erstwhile Northern Alliance.

Pakistan would like a line of communication open to them and such contacts mesh with the cordiality that happily prevails today in Pakistan’s relations with Russia, Iran and the Central Asian states. Indeed, Pakistan would do all that is possible to pre-empt the re-emergence of a unified phalanx of nonTaliban forces in Afghanistan or of any regional powers fuelling an active anti-Taliban resistance. Indeed, Taliban led by Mullah Omar and the Haqqani clan will remain Pakistan’s key ‘strategic assets’.

Therefore, Pakistan tried to fine-tune the trilateral summit in such a way that it retains the free option of a ‘regional initiative’ (in the event of rebuff by the US) while at the same time signalling to Washington that it is keen to do business. On the latter side, Pakistan is dragging its feet with regard to the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. Again, it is showing greater activism in respect of the TAPI pipeline, which is also what Washington wishes.

From the US viewpoint, the most important signal is Pakistan’s preference to work with it in the peace talks at Qatar rather than gang up with Karzai. A local English daily summed up: “Mr. Karzai’s… request for Pakistani help indicates a desperate attempt to open up his own links with the [Taliban] group outside of, or at least in addition to, the Qatar process being run by the Americans… But Islamabad offered the usual statements in response, refraining from making any commitments”.

What is stunning, nonetheless, is the manner in which Pakistan snubbed Karzai. “Deliver Mullah Omar? If that is the expectation, then there’s no reality check then.

Then they’re [Kabul government) not only unrealistic, but preposterous…,” said Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar. The stridency of tone betrayed the selfconfidence that Pakistan has played itself into a strong negotiating position vis-à-vis the US and has no real need of Karzai’s partnership. The theatrics bear simi-

larity with the temper tantrums thrown by the Zia-ul-Haq regime from time to time, as Pakistan played for time at the Geneva talks.

Pakistan gets a good opportunity to fathom whether Washington has mellowed when the CENTCOM Chief James Mattis visits Islamabad to hold discussions with the army chief Ashfaq Kayani. If Mattis fails to rise to the occasion, Pakistan always has the option to revert to the ‘regional initiative’. The trilateral forum with Afghanistan and Iran will continue to serve a purpose. And, indeed, Pakistan is also due to host a quadrilateral summit with Russia, Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the coming months before the NATO summit takes place in May in Chicago.

The US’ interest lies in shepherding Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Taliban onto a single purposive track before the NATO summit is held, where the Obama administration will be hard-pressed to keep the US’s European allies engaged in the Hindu Kush. That effort suffers a setback if the Afghan-Pakistan discord exacerbates.

Peter Tomsen, who was President Ronald Reagan’s special envoy during the ‘jihad’ of the 1980s recently narrated an analogy based on what the late Abdul Haq, famous Afghan Mujahideen commander, once told him in those halcyon days of the ‘jihad’ about the futility of outsiders masterminding intra-Afghan talks.

Tomsen wrote that the US is behaving like an Afghan bazaar merchant trying to balance the weight of frogs on opposite trays of a produce scale. By the time the merchant begins to load the second tray, the frogs on the first tray will inevitably jump off and eventually, “even the most determined merchant will give up.” That is the moment between now and 2014 – when the merchant gives up, finally – that Pakistan seems to be waiting for.

Tomsen underscores, “progress will come only through [US officials] disengaging from direct involvement in the intraAfghan dialogue, even while encouraging the Afghan sides to reach agreement.”

The writer is a former Indian diplomat.

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14

thursday, 23 February, 2012

Adele adds to awards haul at triumphant BRITs

in limelight

LONDON afp

J

UST over a week after her spectacular sweep at the Grammys, British soul diva Adele triumphed on home soil Tuesday at the annual Brit Awards in London.

The 23-year-old picked up two awards -- including the prestigious British album of the year -- to add to the six Grammys she won in Los Angeles, cementing her status as one of Britain's most successful pop exports in years.

Adele -- whose career was threatened last year by a throat illness -- claimed British female solo artist and best album for ‘21’, which topped the charts in Britain and the United States. Accepting the best album gong, she said: “Nothing makes me prouder than coming home with six Grammys and then coming home and winning British album of the year. I'm so proud to be British and to be flying the flag.” The singer also thanked her record company “for letting me be the kind of artist that I've always wanted to be,” and her fans.

“No one's ever made me feel like I have to be any different, so thank you very much,” she added. However, her global

chart-topper ‘Rolling at the Deep’ was beaten to best single by British boy band One Direction's ‘What Makes You Beautiful.’ The home-town winner sang her hit song in front of a packed 02 Arena, only her second performance since undergoing surgery to cure her throat condition.

Fans were shocked to read a post-Grammys interview in which the soul diva said she was taking five years off to "be in love and be happy." But the singer later laughed this off. It was also a successful night for folk-inspired singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, who won best British male and British

breakthrough, and for Coldplay, who were named best British group for a record third time. US singer Bruno Mars topped the best international male category, while compatriots Foo Fighters picked up the best international group. Barbadian superstar Rihanna -- who was awarded best international female -- was among the performers along with former Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher and Coldplay. Veteran four-piece Blur brought the ceremony to a close with breezy renditions of 1990s indie classics ‘Girls and Boys’, ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife.’

Justin Bieber’s second book due out in the fall NEW YORk cBS/ap

The 17-year-old pop sensation, whose first book was published in 2010, is back with his second book. HarperCollins announced Tuesday that it will publish ‘Justin Bieber: Just Getting Started’ in September. The book

is described as “the second official photographic book” from the multiplatinumselling superstar. The company promises a look inside the world of Bieber: Touring the globe, making a movie and recording his new album. His first book, titled ‘First Step 2 Forever: My Story,’ was published in October 2010. It has sold more than a million copies in 25 languages.

Saif ali Khan

ARRESTED,

THEN RELEASED, IN ASSAULT CASE

MUMBai: Actor Saif Ali Khan has been accused of assaulting a fellow diner at the taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai and will be arrested, police said. Police reached to arrest Khan from his house. “Khan has been charged with assault and participating in assault, as there were two or three others involved,” an official in the Mumbai police. “we are investigating.” Khan, 41, was dining with girlfriend Kareena Kapoor and friends at the taj Mahal Palace hotel on tuesday night when he got into an argument with complainant Iqbal Sharma. trade honcho Iqbal nadim Sharma, 44, is a resident of Juhu, Mumbai. He’s a South African national of Indian origin. He was dining with his family at the same restaurant. the scuffle took place when Iqbal asked Saif Ali Khan to lower his volume. Saif in turn asked him to go to a library if he wanted. An argument ensued and Saif allegedly punched the guy in the nose. Iqbal has sustained nose bone fracture. news reports say that it’s a case of trivial hurt and that it’s a bailable offence. According to the police, the statements of independent witnesses are being recorded and the investigation is under process. the police are expected to record statements of actors Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora as both were present during the time of the incident. Khan was later let off on bail. the actor had been earlier accused of assaulting a photojournalist in Patiala in 2008. aGeNcieS

ALI ZAFAR TO PERFORM AT BANDRA FORT Ali Zafar has already made a mark in B-town with two hits (‘tere Bin laden’ and ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’) to his credit. the singer-turned-actor will now perform at the national finale of the Clean and Clear the times of India Fresh Face 2011 contest on February 24. the actor with the soulful voice, also known as the Prince of Pop in Pakistan, has been living out of a suitcase these days. one of the times 50 Most Desirable Men of 2011, Ali rose to fame in 2003 with his smash hit ‘Channo’, and recently released another album titled ‘Jhoom’. His track ‘Madhubala’ from ‘Mere BrotherKi Dulhan’ topped the charts last year and now the song ‘london to Paris, Paris to new York’ is becoming a rage.

Ali still gets excited at the prospect of performing live. “It’s the best way to stay connected with the audience and with yourself. while working on albums or movies, I don’t get to interact with the audience, but when I am on stage there’s no barrier between us. this kind of interaction is very important for an artiste. It’s a different high.” He has fond memories of his first live performance. “that was right after my first album released. I was backstage and didn’t have any idea what was going on. when I stepped on stage, there was an ocean of people in front of me.” Ali says he loves interacting with the crowd when he is on stage. “A concert shouldn’t be boring. At no point should the performer lose connection with the audience. My priority is to ensure that the people present at the concert should leave with beautiful memories. It should be among the best evenings of their lives.”

Besides acting, Ali has also been busy writing lyrics, composing and singing for his next movie. “I don’t leave anything-like recording or arranging-to others. there have been times when I have been shooting at one end of a studio and recording at the other end. It’s not an easy job, but I am a workaholic so I enjoy every bit of it.” Ne WS D eSK

who’s kidnapped who? that’s the question that weighs heavy in the rom-com, ‘tere naal love Ho gaya’, which is about a feisty girl who stages her own kidnap to escape an impending marriage. out of a forced wedlock and into a ceaseless road adventure where the acquaintance between the boy and the girl turns first into friendship and then into love. riteish Deshmukh and genelia D’Souza pair up for this romantic comedy directed by Mandeep Kumar. the movie also has om Puri, tinu Anand and Smita Jaykar in supporting roles. Pakistani siren Veena Malik makes a special appearance in the film. ‘tere naal love Ho gaya’ is the third film of riteish Deshmukh and genelia D’Souza together. the couple made their Bollywood debut together in the 2003 box office disaster ‘tujhe Meri Kasam’ and followed it up with the commercially successful ‘Masti’ in 2004. Interestingly, the leading couple of the film got married during the film promotions after knowing each other for 8 years.

Fans in India and Pakistan both are excited to see the couple again on screen after their marriage. In Pakistan the film is being distributed by IMgC global whereas publicity is done by encyclomedia Pr. Ne WS D eSK

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15 Veena malik signs a film for

RS 1 LAKH! NEWS DESk She may be known for creating ripples with her publicity stunts but not many of us know the real story of Veena Malik. Veena Malik, who has earned herself the title of being the latest ‘drama queen’ in town, is actually one of the lowest paid actresses in town. Veena, who took to fame post her stint in the reality show Bigg Boss, is desperate to sustain the limelight. Since getting big projects is not an easy affair, it is learnt that the actress has lowered her price and is signing films for as low as Rs 1 Lakh.

Confirming this, our source says, “This might sound strange but the fact is that Veena Malik is one of the lowest paid actresses in town.

Apart from her publicity stunts, the actress has no substantial work to talk about and now she has become the darling of every small time producer. It was surprising to know that the actress recently signed a film for just Rs 1 Lakh only.”

Dressing table Salon Spa launched NEWS DESk A new addition to Ktown with its unique philosophy of a ‘Candy store of beauty services for women’, Dressing Table Salon Spa in Karachi is the hot spot for ladies to get pampered with spa treats and to indulge in various soul relaxing services. The launch was well attended by drama artist Ayesha Omar, Anoushay Ashraf, Uzma Jameel Beg, Alizeh Ashraf, Frieha Altaf and Zanib Pasha wearing a Zari Faisal collection.

The PR and marketing of the launch was handled

by Catalyst.

Ritesh-genelia first post wedding movie, ‘tere naal love ho gaya’, all set for release

lindsay to play elizabeth taylor in biopic LOS ANgELES cBS

Lindsay Lohan will reportedly play the legendary Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming biopic on Lifetime Network's TV movie ‘Liz and Dick.’

The project has been in development since last May and is to be produced

by Larry Thompson. Lohan, who has had many bouts with the law, will have to stay out of legal trouble in order to keep the role, a source said. She is currently finishing up a community service assignment she received after pleading guilty last spring to stealing a necklace from a California jewellery store. The 25-year-old will also make her fourth appearance as guest host on ‘Saturday Night Live’ March 3. She was last seen on the big screen in 2010's ‘Machete’ and on TV in 2009's ‘Labour Pains.’

In December, Lohan appeared in Playboy magazine in a mostly nude pictorial.

Mick Jagger, BB King bring blues to the White House WASHINgTON afp

President Barack Obama broke into song at a White House blues show, as Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger urged a reluctant US leader to step up and sing a few lines. “Not tonight!” the US leader protested as Jagger and blues legends B.B. King and Buddy Guy invited him to sing along to the classic ‘Sweet Home Chicago.’ To cheers from the audience, a smiling Obama sang parts of the tune, an ode to his adopted hometown, originally made famous by the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson. Obama singing soul legend Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay

Kareena bags

KJo-Balaji biggie MUMBai: In December last year, Karan Johar and ekta Kapoor, the filmmakers who are also best friends, had announced their co-production venture. However, the leading lady for the ambitious project remained undecided. reportedly, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were both being considered for the project. And now, it has been learnt that Bebo has won the battle. Kareena, who had reportedly opted out of two major projects - rohit Shetty’s ‘Chennai express’ and Milan luthria’s ‘once upon A time In Mumbaai Part 2’ recently, surely had bigger plans up her sleeve. A source close to the film told the newspaper, “Kareena has bagged a very big role in this film. Currently, she is Karan’s favourite. He was very happy with her performance in ‘ek Main Aur ekk tu’.” In fact, Karan and ekta have apparently had plans to work together for a very long time. the film that has finally realised their dream will be directed by newbie Akshay roy. It will go on floors

by December, this year. Karan and ekta, who have been meeting rather frequently to discuss the film, plan to finish the casting of their coproduction by the end of this month. the source revealed, “Both Balaji and Dharma are considering emraan Hashmi for the male lead.

In fact, emraan has recently signed his first Dharma production to be directed by rensil D’Silva.”AgenCIeS

Charlie Sheen apologises to Kutcher

Together’ was a sure-fire hit last month, garnering positive coverage on cable news and online-one of the videos of him crooning ‘I’m so in love with you,’ at New York’s famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, has been viewed over five million times on YouTube. Earlier Jagger, 68, delivered some bluesy rock in his renowned dancing swagger in the East Room of the US presidential mansion at the ‘Red, White and Blues’ event, singing ‘I Can’t Turn You Loose.’ He also let loose ‘Commit a Crime’ with fellow British rocker Jeff Beck. As president, Obama told the audience, “some nights when you want to go out and just take a walk, clear your head, or jump into a

car just to take a drive, you can’t do it. Secret Service won’t let you. And that’s frustrating. But then there are other nights where B.B. King and Mick Jagger come over to your house to play for a concert. So I guess things even out a little bit,” he joked. Obama said at the event that the blues remained a popular and powerful genre. “This music speaks to something universal. No one goes through life without both joy and pain, triumph and sorrow, the blues gets all of that, sometimes with just a lyric or just one note,” Obama said. “As we celebrate black history month, the blues reminds us that we’ve been through tougher times before.”

LOS ANgELES aGeNcieS

Actor Charlie Sheen has written an open letter to Ashton Kutcher apologising for his recent criticism of the actor, and admitted that his comments were ‘disrespectful’. The 46-year-old recently made headlines when he voiced his opinion about his ‘Two and a Half Men’ replacement. “I’m tired of pretending the show doesn’t suck. I’m tired of pretending Ashton doesn’t suck. It’s nothing personal. I just feel bad for him.

He’s saddled with such bad writing,” Sheen said. Sheen has now issued an apology to Kutcher, but says he stands by his criticism of the show. “Dear Ashton, My bad. I was disrespectful to a man doing his best. I got excited and I threw you into the crossfire, but the rest of my statement I stand behind. You however, deserve better. Safety in your travels good sir,” he said. Sheen was fired from the show in March last year after months of erratic behaviour and Kutcher was subsequently hired to take over.

New York taxis to get iPads NEW YORk afp

New Yorkers may be able to surf and ride at the same time if a plan to put iPads, or a similar device, in the back of taxis takes off. A San Francisco company, Square, is proposing a pilot program to install tablet computers in the back of 50 taxis, replacing the little-loved miniature television screens used in all cabs since 2007, showing commercials and some news and entertainment clips. Riders would be able to make Internet searches, play games or shop on the tablets. Square is due to present its plan to city authorities next month.

it’s arranged marriage for

KATRINA

MUMBai: Katrina Kaif might have got her share of success at the box office but the same cannot be said about her love life. After staying in Salman Khan’s shadows for several years, problems had hit paradise. Following the big Khan fallout on Kat’s birthday, the actress too had decided to give up on her romance with the Khan. Following her first big break-up, the actress who was having a good time in ranbir Kapoor’s arms on screen was reportedly enjoying it off-screen as well. tired of her romantic failures, Katrina has now decided to stay away from industry wallahs in matters of the heart. In fact the actress has asked her mother to ‘arrange’ a suitable boy for her. A close friend of the actress revealed, “Katrina has told her mother to find her a guy. She has decided to go with whatever ‘momma says’.” this decision comes in the wake of rumours about Katrina and her ex-flame ranbir Kapoor rekindling their romance. Katrina, currently in london, is not amused with the stories about her and ranbir floating around.

And though the actress was unavailable for comment, her friend explained, “Katrina is done with ranbir. She didn’t want to spend time with him and that’s why decided to opt out of Ayaan Mukerji’s film. In fact, Katrina will not consider offers to be cast opposite ranbir in the near future.” As far as love is concerned, Katrina is done with Bollywood actors. “no looking for or falling in love in the film industry for Katrina. She has learnt the hard way that love is a rare commodity in the industry. She wants to avoid any more emotional stress in the future and just focus on her work. no emotional involvement with co-stars, no matter what the temptation,” added the friend. aGeNcieS

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16 Foreign News Mubarak trial enters last day before verdict CAIRO afp

The landmark murder and corruption trial of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak enters its last day of hearings on Wednesday, with the judge expected to announce the date of the verdict.

The trial could see the toppled dictator, his interior minister Habib al-Adly and six security chiefs sent to the gallows if convicted of complicity in the deaths of peaceful protesters during the uprising that overthrew him a year ago.

Adly is expected to address the court on Wednesday, judicial sources said.

Mubarak could in theory hang if found guilty. The prosecution has called for the death penalty.

But if sentenced, the former president would be able to appeal, according to judicial sources.

Mubarak, 83, has been brought into the hearings by helicopter from the hospital in the Cairo suburb where he is being held because of his ill-health, and then wheeled into the dock on a stretcher.

But the trial that was supposed to be a historic moment when the dictator is brought to justice by his long-suffering people, has been widely criticised as little more than political theatre.

The case is legally weak, lawyers have said, charging that the prosecution has taken to the microphone to deliver sermons rather than hard evidence.

The trial itself, which began in August, has been choppy — a short investigation period, brief hearings, a three-month hiatus, incomplete testimonies and a speedy ending, the lawyers said.

Activists who joined the protests that toppled Mubarak last year say they would have rather seen him tried for abuse and mismanagement committed during his 30 years in power than for events that took place during a few days of the uprising.

Mubarak also shares the defendant’s cage with his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, who face corruption charges along with their father.

The ruling military council, headed by Mubarak’s long-time defence minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, has been eager to prove that it harbours no loyalty to its former master.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has been the target of protesters’ anger in the past months over accusations of mismanagement and human rights abuses.

If Mubarak is convicted, his lawyers and legal experts believe there would be strong grounds for appeal. And his acquittal could further inflame the growing protest movement against military rule.

thursday, 23 February, 2012

Eight killed in Afghan protests over Koran burning kABUL

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T least eight Afghans were shot dead and dozens wounded Wednesday in clashes between police and demonstrators protesting over the burning of the Koran at a USrun military base, officials said.

In Kabul and in provinces to the east, north and south of the capital, furious Afghans took to the streets screaming “Death to America”, throwing rocks and setting fire to shops and vehicles as gunshots rang out.

In the eastern city of Jalalabad, students set fire to an effigy of President Barack Obama, and the US embassy in Kabul went into lockdown.

In Kabul, hundreds of people poured onto the Jalalabad road, throwing stones at US military base Camp Phoenix, where troops guarding the base fired into the air and black smoke rose from burning tyres, an AFP photographer said. Afghanistan is a deeply religious country where slights against Islam have frequently provoked violent protests and Afghans were incensed that any Western troops could be so insensitive, 10 years after the 2001 US-led invasion.

The US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, apologised and ordered an investigation into the incident,

admitting that religious materials, including Korans “were inadvertently taken to an incineration facility”.

Allen and US deputy defence secretary Ashton Carter called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai Wednesday to apologise again for the incident at Bagram airbase north of Kabul, the president’s office said.

Karzai asked Allen to cooperate fully with a government investigation into the burning and told him to “make sure that such incidents do not happen again in future”, a statement said.

Karzai also urged the US military to speed up a transfer to Afghan control of the controversial US-controlled prison at Bagram, sometimes known as Afghanistan’s Guantanamo Bay. “The sooner you do the transfer of the prison, the fewer problems and unfortunate incidents you will have,” the president told Carter.

Two US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP the military removed Korans from the prison because inmates were suspected of using the holy book to pass messages to each other. Six protesters were killed and 13 wounded in Shinwar district of Parwan province north of Kabul, provincial administration spokeswoman Roshna Khalid told AFP, saying the protesters had attacked police with rocks and some were armed.

KaBUl: afghan police clash with protesters during a demonstration against Koran desecration by Nato troops in Kabul on Wednesday. AFP Kabul demonstrators attacked antiriot police, forcing them to retreat and shots were fired as they tried to march on the centre of the capital, killing one person and wounding at least 11, according to a health ministry official.

The demonstrators were driven back and the protest was over by midafternoon, witnesses said.

About 100 university students demonstrated in west Kabul and dozens more people gathered at par-

liament until they were driven away by riot police.

“We are the protectors of the Koran, we want those who burnt the Koran to be handed over to us, we want justice,” said Rahim Shah outside parliament.

In Jalalabad, more than 1,000 demonstrators, many of them university students, blocked the highway shouting “Death to Americans, Death to Obama”, while there were pockets of demonstrations across the city.

DeNpaSar: prisoners look from a tower during a riot at Kerobokan prison on the indonesian resort island of Bali on Wednesday. indonesian security forces stormed the prison near dawn to end a riot. AFP

Iran pushes nuclear drive after failed IAEA visit TEHRAN afp

Iran’s nuclear work will go on, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday after UN inspectors left Tehran following a visit that failed to lift their suspicions of atomic weapons research. “The Iranian nation has never been seeking an atomic weapon and never will be. It will prove to the world that a nuclear weapon cannot create supremacy,” Khamenei told Iranian nuclear scientists, according to a government statement.

“The path of scientific development, particularly the nuclear field, should continue strongly and seriously,” he said. “Pressure, sanctions, threats and assassinations will not bear any fruit and Iran will continue its path of scientific development,” Khamenei said.

The forceful restatement of Iran’s longheld position came after a fivestrong delegation from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency left empty-handed following two days of

talks focusing on suspected military aspects of the country’s nuclear programme.

The delegation’s leader, UN chief nuclear inspector Herman Nackaerts, said on his return to Vienna that, although it had “approached this trip in a constructive spirit,” no agreement with the Iranians on elucidating worrisome activities was forthcoming.

Despite requests, “we could not get access” during the visit to Iran’s military site in Parchin where suspected nuclear warhead design experiments were conducted, Nackaerts said.

“We could not formalise the way forward. We will now report to the (IAEA) director general and later to the board of governors,” Nackaerts said.

“Then we will have to see what are the next steps.”

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement that “it is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin” during this latest visit, or a previous one at the end of January. An IAEA spokeswoman

confirmed that “at this point in time, there is no agreement on further discussions” with Iran.

That contrasted with an assertion

by Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, who was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying discussions “would continue.”

The trip was seen as an important precursor to a possible resumption of talks between Iran and the P5+1 powers — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany — which broke down in Turkey 13 months ago.

Western suspicion that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons research were crystallised — although not entirely validated — in a November IAEA report.

Since the report’s release, Europe and the United States have been ramping up economic sanctions on Iran, targeting its vital oil exports. The measures add to four sets of UN sanctions punishing the Islamic republic for not giving timely explanations of its activities. This week, it deployed war-

russia warns against ‘catastrophic’ attack on iran MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday warned a strike against Iran could have “catastrophic” consequences and urged nations not to draw early conclusions from this week’s failed mission by UN nuclear experts. “The scenario of military action against Iran would be catastrophic for the region and possibly the whole system of international relations,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a news conference. His comments came after a five-strong delegation from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) left empty-handed following two days of talks focusing on suspected military aspects of the country’s nuclear programme.

Chief nuclear inspector Herman Nackaerts said the team “could not get access” during the visit to Iran’s military site in Parchin where suspected nuclear warhead design experiments were conducted. Gatilov urged nations to wait for the IAEA’s official report before deciding to condemn Iran for failing to cooperate with the agency. A spokesman for the foreign ministry separately said that inspectors had visited Parchin on at least one previous occasion and had not yet fully explained why they needed to visit the site again. afp planes, missiles and radar facilities in exercises to boost the air defences of its nuclear facilities.

Iran has also announced a halt to

the limited amount of oil it exported to Britain and France in retaliation for an EU embargo on its oil due to come fully into effect in July.

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

Foreign News 17

greece rushes to pass bailout laws amid protests ATHENS reUTerS

The Greek parliament, barricaded from protests by workers and pensioners angry over austerity, scrambled on Wednesday to pass laws needed to secure payment of a second international bailout for the debt-laden country.

Lawmakers set to work on a flurry of measures demanded by euro zone states in exchange for a 130 billion euro (108 billion pound) rescue, as Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager maintained a barrage of scepticism about Athens’ ability to meet its reform commitments.

“To be honest, I have doubts, but it’s the best we could do,” De Jager told French daily Le Monde when asked whether Greece could implement the new bailout programme agreed by euro zone ministers early on Tuesday.

He called for a strengthening of the euro area’s financial firewalls around Greece, combining the current temporary rescue fund with a new permanent 500-billion-euro one due to come into force in July - a move so far opposed by Germany. Credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded Greece further ahead of a planned bond swap under which it will enforce sharp losses on private creditors as part of the bailout programme.

It was the first of widely expected cuts from all rating agencies because Greece will pass into technical default on its liabilities once the transaction is completed, which Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said must take place by March 12. “The exchange, if completed, would constitute a ‘distressed debt exchange’,” Fitch said in a statement downgrading Greece to C from CCC. When the bond swap is finished the Greek sovereign rating will drop further to ‘restricted default’ and then will be re-rated again “at a level consistent with the agency’s assessment of its post-default structure and credit profile,” Fitch said.

Under the terms agreed on Tuesday, private holders of just over 200 billion euros of Greek bonds will take a loss of 53.5 percent in the face value of their holdings to ease Athens’ debt burden.

Laws to enact the debt swap went to parliamentary committee on Wednesday and are set to be adopted in plenary on Thursday. “To implement all the agreements reached in Brussels on February 21 and meet tight deadlines the formal announcement of the PSI (debt swap) offer must take place no later than Friday,” Venizelos told Parliament’s Economic Affairs Committee.

The legislation requires that investors get at least 10 days to consider the transaction and creates so-called “collective action clauses” (CACs) forcing all bondholders to proceed with the transaction once it has won a specified level of approval.

NeW Delhi: italian Deputy foreign Minister Staffan De Mistura 2nd (l) attends a delegation-level meeting with indian Minister of State for external affairs preneet Kaur (r) to resolve the impasse arising out of the killing of two indian fishermen by two italian naval officers. AFP

2 Western journalists dead, Syria’s Homs pounded g

US calls Syria’s use of force ‘shameless brutality’ DAMASCUS

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WO Western journalists were more than a dozen people killed Wednesday as Syrian forces pounded the rebel city of Homs, activists said, while calls mounted for a truce to allow in humanitarian aid.

The latest barrage came a day after security forces killed at least 68 people across Syria, adding to an overall death toll of 7,636 since March when antiregime protests broke out, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The toll includes 5,542 civilians, the head of the Britain-based rights monitoring group, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP. At least 13 more civilians were killed in shelling of the Baba Amr district of Homs early Wednesday, the 19th straight day that the city in central Syria was being pounded, the Observatory said.

American journalist Marie Colvin, who reported for London’s Sunday Times and French freelance photojournalist Remi Ochlik were killed in the bombing of Baba Amr, French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said.

France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy said the deaths of the journalists showed that “this regime must go.”

Activist Omar Shaker from inside Baba Amr told AFP that two were killed and three others wounded as a shell crashed into a makeshift media centre set up by anti-regime militants.

The French newspaper Le Figaro said one of its reporters, Edith Bouvier, was wounded in the legs.

The area remained the target of random shelling, blocking attempts to remove the bodies, Shaker said.

French television reporter Gilles Jacquier was killed in Homs last month as a shell exploded amid a group of

journalists covering protests in the city on a visit organised by the Syrian authorities.

A Syrian citizen journalist, Rami alSayyed, who provided live footage on the Internet from Baba Amr, was killed late Tuesday when a rocket hit a car in which he was travelling, activist Hadi Abdullah told AFP. US State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland condemned the death of the two western journalists in a press conference, calling the Syrian government’s use of force “shameless brutality.”

Strauss-Kahn questioned for second day in vice ring probe LILLE afp

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was questioned by French police for a second day on Wednesday over allegations that he took part in sex parties organised by a corrupt vice ring.

The 62-year-old former Socialist minister, who until last year was the frontrunner to replace Nicolas Sarkozy as president of France, was taken into custody on Tuesday in the northern city of Lille.

He was questioned all day then magistrates prolonged his detention for 24 hours. The interrogation could be extended again, but sources close to the investigation said he was expected to leave custody later Wednesday.

A magistrate will have to decide whether he is released without charge or placed under formal investigation on charges of “abetting aggravated pimping by an organised gang” and “misuse of company funds.” If charged, he could be released on bail or remanded in custody pending a trial.

Under French law, aggravated organised pimping carries a prison term of up to 20 years and profiting from embezzlement five years and a fine. The wealthy international statesman, whose wife is an heiress and who normally lives at one of Paris most exclusive addresses, was held overnight in a spartan 7.5-square-metre (80-square-foot) cell with a squat toilet. Investigating magistrates want to know whether he

was aware that women who entertained him at parties in restaurants, hotels and swingers’ clubs in Paris and Washington were paid prostitutes. They will also ask whether Strauss-Kahn knew the escorts were paid with funds fraudulently obtained from a French public works company by his hosts, Paying a prostitute is not illegal in France, but profiting from vice or embezzling company funds to pay for sex can lead to charges. The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund admits he has an uninhibited sex life, but denies any role in pimping or corruption and has indicated he will deny any criminal wrongdoing. Lawyer Henri Leclerc has said his client may not have known he was with prostitutes as “in these parties, you’re not necessarily dressed. I defy you to tell the difference between a nude prostitute and a nude woman of quality.”

Two businessmen, Fabrice Paszkowski, a medical equipment tycoon with ties to Strauss-Kahn’s Socialist Party, and David Roquet, former director of a local subsidiary of building giant BTP Eiffage, have already been charged. The pair has alleged links to a network of French and Belgian prostitutes centred on the Carlton Hotel in Lille, a well-known meeting place of the local business and political elite in a city run by the Socialist Party.

In all, eight people are facing trial in connection with the “Carlton affair”, including three executives from the luxury hotel itself, a leading lawyer and the local deputy police chief, Jean-Christophe Lagarde.

russia backs daily Syria truce call, opposes corridor MOSCOW afp

Russia said Wednesday it backed a call by the International Committee of the Red Cross to set up a daily two-hour truce in Syria but opposed establishing humanitarian corridors for reaching civilians. The foreign ministry said Russia was growing “seriously concerned” about the humanitarian situation in Syria and was putting pressure on both President Bashar al-Assad and the armed opposition to halt the violence. “We are seriously concerned by incoming reports about the difficult humanitarian situation in Syria,” said Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich. “We actively support the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross” to establish a truce, Lukashevich told a weekly press briefing. “It is presumed that this pause will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to the nation’s population.” But another top official said Russia was not backing a call by France to set up actual humanitarian corridors for delivering assistance to flashpoints such as Homs because these would require support from foreign troops.

“Creating these corridors would hardly be effective,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.

“This would require special mechanism and forces, and logically speaking, this could lead to the use of force, should things go wrong.” He said the idea backed by Moscow and the ICRC was to ensure “a humanitarian pause — not humanitarian corridors,” The Kremlin separately reported that President Dmitry Medvedev discussed the crisis by a telephone with Saudi King Abdullah. “Dmitry Medvedev and King Abdullah exchanged views about the situation in the Middle East in the light of the events in Syria,” the Kremlin said without providing further details. Russia has firmly resisted foreign military intervention in the country and together with China vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions condemning Moscow’s traditional ally Assad for the violence. Gatilov said Russia was growing increasing concerned by reports that the armed opposition groups were receiving military assistance from abroad.

“That the armed opposition is receiving support is a well established fact,” he told reporters.

“The shipments that cross the border from Lebanon.... support the armed opposition. We feel this only feeds and escalates the situation.”

Russia has emerged as Assad’s closest international ally and its support for a truce puts pressure on the regime to open the border to foreign supplies.

But Russia has refused to single out Assad for criticism and on Wednesday again called on both his forces and the armed opposition to end the violence.

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

Peer in another diplomatic coup Page 21

Pakistan look for T20 consolation DUBAI

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Pakistan bowling lacks depth: Imran

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AKISTAN captain Misbah-ul Haq said his side is desperate to redress the balance in a Twenty20 international against England Thursday after a one-day series whitewash by the tourists. Pakistan were Tuesday routed 4-0 by England, who showed a big improvement from their 3-0 defeat in the preceding three-Test series.

Misbah wants his side to regain the upper hand, but also wants to use the match as a stepping stone towards the World Twenty20 series later this year.

"This is a very important series for us, more so because we won the Tests, they won the ODIs and now it's almost the decider," said Misbah. "And if you consider that this is World Twenty20 year, it's very important for us to come back." England will defend the title they won in the West Indies in 2010 when Sri Lanka host the fourth edition of the World Twenty20.

"I think we need to learn from England on how they transformed their fortunes in ODIs, and I am confident that my boys can do that," added Misbah.

"I don't think we were dispirited, because the team wants a win desparately and that's why we were like that. Everybody was trying to give one hundred percent and when it slips out of your hand it seems you are disjointed."

Pakistan will ring some changes, with experienced batsman Younis Khan and Azhar Ali returning home while dashing uncapped left-handed opener Awais Zia joins the Twenty20 squad. England have retained Alastair Cook, originally not named in the Twenty20 squad, after he showed great form in scoring back-toback hundreds in the first two one-day matches. England paceman Stuart Broad meanwhile said his side would be using every opportunity possible to help prepare them for the defence of their World Twenty20 title. "Of course, we need to make use of every game we have because there isn't many leading to the World

Jayawardene hits out at ‘Mankad’ dismissal BRISBANE afp

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene says Indian off-spinner Ravi Ashwin's controversial "Mankad" dismissal of Lahiru Thirimanne in Brisbane flouted the spirit of the game. Thirimanne survived the dismissal during his innings of 62 in Sri Lanka's 51-run one-day international win over India at the Gabba on Tuesday, but only after the Indians decided to withdraw their appeal. A Mankad is where the bowler whips off the bails at the non-striker's end instead of releasing the ball.

Ashwin legitimately did this when Thirimanne, who was on 44 at the time, left his crease too early. But after umpires Paul Reiffel and Billy Bowden talked to India's stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag and veteran Sachin Tendulkar, the Indians decided to give Thirimanne a reprieve. Jayawardene conceded that Thirimanne had strayed from the crease but said Ashwin's decision to Mankad him was wrong. "I probably felt there was a little bit of fault in our guy to be honest, but I think in the spirit of the game Sehwag did the right thing (withdrawing the appeal)," Jayawardene said.

kARACHI afp

DUBAI: england's twenty20 captain Stuart Broad and Pakistan's captain Misbah-ul-Haq pose for photographers with the t20 Series trophy at the Dubai International Stadium. AFP Twenty20. And that being in the sub-continent we need to really make use of these conditions," said Broad. "It makes these games pretty important. We are not looking to these matches as a warm-up, we are looking to win this series and that is what we will be focusing on," added Broad.

"Cookie is keen to play Twenty20 cricket.

He has made that pretty obvious. He has been kept on in the squad because obviously we have got some injury concerns in the squad," said Broad of Cook, retained as cover-up for injured Ravi Bopara.

SqUaDS for The firST TWeNTY20 ENGLAND: Stuart Broad (captain), Alastair Cook, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann PAKISTAN: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Awais Zia, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam, Shoaib Malik.

Umpires: Ahsan Raza (PAK) and Shozab Raza (PAK) Tv umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK) Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

Proteas clinch T20 series in thriller AUCkLAND afp

South Africa battled to a thrilling three-run win over New Zealand to claim the Twenty20 series 2-1 after the Black Caps suffered a dramatic late batting collapse in Auckland on Wednesday. New Zealand restricted South Africa to seven for 165 and went into the last two overs needing just 10 runs for victory, only to fall short after losing three wickets, including ducks for Nathan McCullum and Doug Bracewell. Adding to the tension, James Franklin and Tim Southee both had chances to snatch victory at the death off the bowling off Marchant de Lange but could not connect bat with ball. Franklin needed a six off de Lange's last ball but missed, scampering down the wicket for a run as the Proteas celebrated, then realised to their horror that the delivery had been ruled a no ball. That gave Southee the opportunity to be the hero with a boundary but his air swing went nowhere near the ball, stranding New Zealand on seven for 162. It was a disappointing end for New Zealand after Jesse Ryder marked his return from injury with 52 and openers Rob Nicol (33) and Martin Guptill (26) started their run chase brightly. But the result was also testament to South Africa's neversay-die attitude after man-of-the match Johan Botha picked up the crucial wickets of Guptill and Ryder to swing the match their way. "It was an amazing team effort, I'm really proud of the men," captain AB de Villiers said. "We hung on at the end there." De Villiers admitted South Africa lost momentum when batting first and he was unsure if 165 runs would be enough on the short boundaries at Eden Park. JP Duminy top scored for the tourists on 38 and there were decent contributions from Hashim Amla (33) and AB de Villiers (29). But the Proteas never fired and needed a 22-run cameo from tail-ender Wayne Parnell to edge them towards a competitive total. New Zealand's top priority early in the innings was to defuse the threat from opener Richard Levi, fresh from a record-breaking unbeaten 117 in the second match, in which he smashed 13 sixes and scored a 45-ball century. The dangerman helped himself to one six from Michael Bates but was dismissed for 11 trying for a second off the next ball, failing to get enough power onto his shot and sending the ball sailing to Nicol. Nicol was the stand-out performer for New Zealand, taking two wickets and two catches as well as being involved in a run out.

ScoreBoarD

Former players rallied round Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq on Wednesday despite his side's woeful showing in the 4-0 one-day series mauling by England. Pakistan failed to carry the momentum of their 3-0 Test whitewash of England in the UAE into the one dayers, losing all four games to suggest they will be vulnerable to their resurgent rivals in the Twenty20 series starting Thursday. England strolled to a four-wicket win in the fourth game in Dubai on Tuesday, with Kevin Pietersen hitting a second successive hundred. The sudden slump in form prompted former captain Imran Khan to bemoan a lack of depth in Pakistan's squad. "England lifted itself after the Test defeat while Pakistan failed to carry on the good work," Khan told reporters. "We lacked depth in bowling and batting and that helped England win all the matches." But the legendary all-rounder backed captain Misbah-ul Haq to continue as skipper in the short form of the game, having already led a remarkable revival of the Test side. "Misbah needs to show more aggression but its early to write him off," said Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup win in 1992. "Misbah must bat up the order to get good totals." Khan rejected the suggestion the side would be better served by seperate captains for the three forms of the game. "If one captain is doing well in all three forms of the game then there is no use having separate captains," said Khan, who now heads political party -- Tehrik-e-Insaaf, which means Movement for Justice. Former spinner Iqbal Qasim also backed Misbah, urging critics to give him time to turn around the side's oneday fortunes. "He has committed some mistakes but we should back him," he said, adding that the team appeared to relax in the one-day series after their Test win. "There was lack of consistency in the selection, sometimes they played with four spinners and just one seamer which affected their performance," he said. Qasim said Pakistan must chose specialists for Tests and limited overs.

english cricket chief settles libel case LONDON SoUTh africa r. levi c Nicol b franklin 11 h. amla c B.Mccullum b Bracewell 33 a. Morkel c Nicol b Southee 10 aB de Villiers b Nicol 29 Jp Duminy run out 38 J. ontong lbw b Nicol 6 J. Botha c Guptill b Southee 2 W. parnell not out 22 r. peterson not out 11 eXTraS (lb1, w2) 3 ToTal (7 wickets; 20 overs) 165 fall of wickets: 1-20 (levi), 2-39 (a.Morkel), 3-59 (amla), 4-121 (Duminy), 5-129 (de Villiers), 6-130 (ontong), 7-137 (Botha) BoWliNG: hira 2-0-20-0, Bates 3-0-29-0, franklin 2-0-23-1, Southee 4-0-22-2, Bracewell 4-0-28-1, N.Mccullum 2-0-22-0, Nicol 3-0-20-2 SoUTh africa r. Nicol c levi b Morkel 33 M.Guptill c amla b Botha 26 J. ryder c M.Morkel b Botha 52 B. Mccullum c de Villiers b peterson 18 K. Williamson c a.Morkel b M.Morkel 6 J. franklin not out 9 N. Mccullum c de Villiers b de lange 0 D. Bracewell c amla b de lange 0 T. Southee not out 0 eXTraS (lb5, w12, nb1) 18 ToTal (7 wickets; 20 overs) 162 fall of wickets: 1-65 (Nicol), 2-73 (Guptill), 3-112 (B.Mccullum), 4-142 (Williamson) 5-158 (ryder), 6-160 (N.Mccullum), 7-160 (Bracewell) BoWliNG: peterson 4-0-34-1, de lange 4-0-36-2, a.Morkel 1-0-13-0, M.Morkel 4-0-31-2, Botha 4-0-20-2, parnell 1-0-14-0, Duminy 2-0-9-0 Toss: New zealand Man of the match: Johan Botha (rSa) Series: South africa win the series 2-1 Umpires: Gary Baxter (Nzl), chris Gaffaney (Nzl) TV umpire: Barry frost (Nzl) Match referee: roshan Mahanama (Sri).

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England cricket chief Giles Clarke has settled a libel case against him stemming from allegations about secret plans for a rebel Twenty20 league in England, it was confirmed on Wednesday. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Clarke had been sued by international sports marketing giant IMG over suggestions in a 2010 email about plans for a breakaway T20 league that would "destroy world cricket's structure." However a statement from the ECB on Wednesday said the case had now been settled after Clarke accepted IMG had not broken any ICC regulations. "This statement confirms that Mr Clarke accepts that IMG did not act in breach of ICC rules and intended to act within the official structures of world cricket," an ECB statement said. "IMG accepts that Giles Clarke was not intending deliberately to damage its reputation. On that basis the parties have agreed to settle the litigation on confidential terms."

Clarke, who is bidding to win a third term as ECB chairman, still faces legal action from former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi over the claims.

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Daredevil Pietersen relishes ‘best one-day knock’ PCB to send its curators abroad for training DUBAI afp

Swashbuckling England batsman Kevin Pietersen hailed his century on Tuesday as his best in one-day cricket, saying his hard work with spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed helped him overcome batting blues. The 31-year-old hit a match-winning 130 to steer England to a four-wicket win after being set a 239-run target by Pakistan, giving his team a 4-0 clean sweep of the series. Pietersen's knock was a total contrast from his tally of 67 during the 3-0 rout in the preceding three-Tests during which he struggled against Pakistan's spin duo of Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman.

But since his transfer to Indian Premier League side Delhi Daredevils for this

Punjab clinch Pentangular Cup 2011-12

year's tournament was announced in January, Pietersen has hit back-to-back hundreds in England's wins. Pietersen termed this week's as his best, surpassing his previous highest one-day score of 116 made against South Africa at Centurion in 2005.

"I am allowed to say it was probably the best one I've played," Pietersen said on Tuesday. "The hard work I've been putting in with Mushy has paid off. I've spent hours and hours with him. I came in early today, early the other day (to practise)," he said of his work with the former Pakistan leg-spinner. Pietersen said he knew he had to bat through the innings after England lost captain Alastair Cook for four in the first over in their runchase. "I like to really calm things down and just watch the ball and play it. I

thought that the total they had, if I batted for 50 overs and took the game deep and batted with a bit of experience, we could come close. "I just wanted to take the game deep, and I wanted to target bowlers as well. I think that was the key to the success. You need experience, lots of it, in order to keep the situation very simple -- and back your ability." Nevertheless, Pietersen said he still has a lot to learn "You need a lot of confidence in your ability. I am not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination. But wow, I thoroughly enjoyed it (the innings)." Pakistan and England now play three Twenty20 internationals, with the first here on Thursday. The remaining two matches will be played in Dubai (February 25) and Abu Dhabi (February 27).

LAHORE STaff reporT

Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Zaka Ashraf said that the board has planned to send its Curators to conduct training abroad.

Zaka Ashraf directed to the Chief Operating Officer, PCB Subhan Ahmad to make comprehensive plan for sending Curators to Dubai Sports City and ICC Global Cricket Academy for training.

He said that the Curators will be given training on latest technology of keeping the ground green and colorful.

Cook, Misbah praise England’s comeback win

LAHORE STaff reporT

two matches decided in UCC women Cricket LAHORE STaff reporT

Two matches were decided in the UCC Lahore Women Championship 2012 here at Model Town Ittefaq Ground on Wednesday.

In the first match, Ummah Club defeated Griffen College by four wickets.

ScoreS: griffen College (89 runs for five). noreen 10, Zubda Khan 10. Iqra razzaq took two wickets. Ummah Club (92 for six in 10 overs). Sumbal Shahid and Mehreen Ali scored 18 runs each. Momina Hafeeze and Zubda Khan shared two wickets each. In the second match, Kinnaird Club beat Shining women Club by eight wickets. Shining Club (81 runs for nine in 20 overs). Shakeela rehman 19 and Maryam Shah 18. Sana Mir (captain) took three wickets, Anam Amin had two and nimra Imran, Qanita Jalil and Bisma Maroof shared one wicket each. Kinnaird College (83 runs for two wickets in 11 overs). nida Dar 37 not out, Qanita Jalil 16 and Bisma Maroof 23 not out.

LAHORE STaff reporT

The Pakistan cricket Board has on Wednesday highlighted that it has an extensive schedule for Academy Programs for the current and coming years.

The programs that could not take place in 2009 and 2010 have been restarted and are included in the schedule.

An official of the board said: “In 2012-13, we plan to conduct a full-fledged Game Development Programs which will include a 12-week NCA Emerging and Future Players Program, 6-8 weeks U-19 Program, 4 weeks U-16 Program, 8 weeks U-19 Regional Academies Program (in all 11 Regions), 2 weeks Regional U16 Program and NCA Specialized Coaching Programs for which four consultants namely Javed Miandad (batting), Sarfraz Nawaz (fast bowling), Abdul Qadir (spin bowling) and Rashid Latif (wicketkeeping) have already been employed to unearth new talent Nationwide.”

“The NCA in addition, also conducts regular Game Education Programs for Coach, Trainer, Physiotherapist and Cricket Analysts and also intend to conduct a 2nd Level III and First ever Level IV Coaching Course in 2012 in collaboration with Cricket Australia.”

lAHore: taufeeq Umer, captain of the winner team Punjab, receives the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup from the chief guest. STAFF PHOTO

Punjab won the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup (First Class) 2011-12 defeating Sindh by 511 runs on fifth and final day of the match here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday. Punjab playing first scored 496 and in response Sindh were all out 235 while in the second innings Punjab piled up 412 all out and Sindh were set to win 674 runs but they only managed 162 all out.

With the win, Punjab won a purse of Rs 10,00,000 while runners-up Sindh Rs 500,000. Aamir Sajjad of Punjab was declared the Man of the Match and got Rs 50,000. Best Batsman Yasir Hameed (KPK) 461 runs, Best Bowler Raza Hasan (Punjab) 26 wickets, Best Fielder Bazid Khan (Federal Area) and Wicketkeeper Muhammad Zohaib (Punjab) seven catches and all these players got Rs 50,000 each.

The prize distribution ceremony held after the match and former captain Imtiaz Ahmed was the chief guest of the event.

ScoreS: Punjab 496 in 155.2 overs: (Aamir Sajjad 252, 462 balls, 32x4s, Usman Salahuddin 57, 141 balls, 5x4s, taufeeq Umer 51, 93 balls, 7x4, raza Hasan 36, 59 balls, 4x4s, 1x6, Danish Kaneria 6-160, Faraz Ahmed 2-116) and 2nD innings 412 in 87.3 overs: (Haris Sohail 150, 140 balls, 24x4s, 3x6s, Muhammad Ayub 123, 153 balls, 15x4s, Muhammad Zohaib 50*, 98 balls, 6x4s, taufeeq Umer 26, 44 balls, 5x4s, tanveer Ahmed 4-87, Danish Kaneria 3-124, tabish Khan 2-98) v Sindh 235 in 63.1 overs: (Faraz Ahmed 48, 100 balls, 10x4s, Fahad Iqbal 44, 95 balls, 7x4s, Ali Asad 33*, 72 balls, 4x4s, Sarfraz Ahmed 24, 49 balls, 3x4s, Muhammad Khalil 5-73, Bilawal Bhatti 4-79) and 2nD innings 162 in 54 overs: (Ali Asad 33, 57 balls, 7x4s, Saeed Bin nasir 28, 49 balls, 6x4s, Khurram Manzoor 20, 94 balls, 2x4s, Bilawal Bhatti 4-74, raza Hasan 3-23) result: Punjab won by 511 runs, overnight Score: Punjab 2nd Innings 367-6 in 74 overs, toss: Punjab, Umpires: Shakeel Khan & rasheed Bhatti, referee: Musaddaq rasool, Scorer: najmus Saeed.

PCB plans extensive programme for nCA

DUBAI

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IVAL captains Alastair Cook and Misbah-ul Haq on Tuesday agreed that England staged a valiant fight-back after their Test rout by Pakistan to register a clean sweep in the one-day series.

England, who lost the preceding three-Test series 3-0, came back strongly to rout Pakistan 4-0 in the one-day series, finishing with a hard-fought, four-wicket win in the final match on Tuesday. The victory also helped England overtake Pakistan in the International Cricket Council one-day rankings, moving into fifth spot and pushing down the South Asian side to sixth. Cook, who scored back-to-back hundreds in the first two matches, said it needed a team effort to change the fortunes. "It's a really good comeback. I said

at the start of the series, if we're going to turn this round we're going to need people to stand up and be counted. A number of us have done that," said Cook. Cook said the win was more significant given the weather conditions. "Pakistan had won 14 out of 15 one-dayers in a row. For us to win 4-0, in sub-continent-like conditions, is a fantastic achievement," said Cook, whose team was thrashed 5-0 in India last year.

"What happened in India, when we lost 5-0, gave us a chance to put that to be and say, 'this is what we need to do if we want to improve'. I couldn't have asked any more from our team, the way we've responded after India defeat," said Cook.

Pakistan scored 237 on the back of solid half-centuries from Asad Shafiq (65) and Azhar Ali (58) but were restricted in the final overs by paceman Jade Dernbach, who finished with a career-best 4-45.

Kevin Pietersen hit a career-best 130 to

steer England to their first-ever whitewash over Pakistan since 1987. "KP will take all the headlines for an amazing innings but it's great to see Craig (Kieswetter) come in when we're 60 for four -- in a new position for him -- and look as comfortable as he did," said Cook of the wicket-keeper, who made 43. Cook also praised paceman Steven Finn who registered identical career-best figures of 4-34 in the first two matches and finished the series with 13 wickets. "The last 10 oneday games Finn has played, he's been excellent," said Cook, who will stay as cover up for the three Twenty20 internationals starting here from Thursday.

For his part, Misbah said that England lifted itself in the ODIs. "England have improved and really batted well since the Tests. They've started playing the spinners well and to get four centuries at the top was remarkable," he said.

PCB asks Kaneria to explain kARACHI reUTerS

Danish Kaneria will be called before the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) integrity committee to explain his involvement in a spot-fixing probe.

London - Danish Kaneria will be called before the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) integrity committee to explain his involvement in a spot-fixing probe that saw former Essex team mate Mervyn Westfield jailed.

A joint statement on Monday from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the PCB denied the former Pakistan leg-spinner had been cleared to play despite his claims to the contrary.

“Following reports in the media in which Danish Kaneria claims to have been issued with a clearance certificate,

the ICC, the ECB and the PCB can categorically deny such a clearance certificate was ever issued,” read the statement.

“The PCB stated that, following the Mervyn Westfield judgment, Danish Kaneria will again be called to appear before the integrity committee to explain his position.

“The PCB also confirmed the Kaneria clearance matter is pending before the integrity committee of the PCB where in the last meeting he was directed to provide copies of the tapes of his Essex police interview,” added the statement.

Kaneria was named in a London court last week as a go-between in the scandal that resulted in a four-month prison sentence for former English county player Westfield.

The Pakistani, who took 261 wickets in 61 Tests, was arrested in 2010 along with Westfield on suspicion of spot-fixing

during an Essex match against Durham in 2009 before being released without charge.

Kaneria's Essex contract was terminated in 2010 and he has not played for Pakistan since the scandal came to light, appearing several times before the board's integrity committee.

A London court heard last week that Kaneria told Westfield a friend would pay him to co-operate in a spot-fixing scam an allegation denied by the player.

“Danish is innocent according to the Essex police after complete investigations,” his brother Vicky told Reuters last week.

“Now this trial is over we will submit all documents and evidence asked for by the PCB to get his name cleared.”

Kaneria has taken the PCB to the Sindh high court, arguing he should be eligible for selection by his country.

wahdat eaglets down Mehboob Park gym LAHORE STaff reporT

Wahdat Eaglets has qualified for quarterfinal of the 27th Mohammad Yaseen Akhter Memorial Event when they downed Mehboob Park Gym by six wickets at Wahdat Colony ground.

Scores: Mehboob PArk Gym 143 in 19.2 overs. M Amir 26, M Waqas 32, Imran Bashir 24, JAmshaid 25. M Ali Shah 4/28, Qaiser Ashraf 3/32, Asghar 1/24, Zaheer Siddiq 1/10 Wahdat Eaglets 145/4 in 18.4 overs.

NAjaf Lateef 24, Adil 25, Haris Nazar 51(no), Zohaib Siddiq 30(no). HAris 2/25, Waqas 2/26.

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

weightlifting team named for South Asian C’ship LAHORE STaff reporT

The Pakistan Weightlifting Federation has on Wednesday named a seven weightlifters for the national team for participation in the 1st South Asian Championship 2012.

The South Asian Championship will be held in Nepal from March 21 to 25 and the trial to select the weightlifters were held at Railway Stadium Garhi Shahu. Besides the seven-members another four has been put among the standbys. Mushtaq Ahmed and Abdul Aziz Khan will accompany the team as Coach and Manager Respectively while final shape will be given after getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) & financial support from Pakistan Sports Board. The selected: Khurram Shahzad (WAPDA) 94Kg, Muhammad Irfan (WAPDA) 77Kg, Mustaqeem Mahmood Butt (H.E.C) +105Kg, Tahir Ahmad (WAPDA) 105Kg, Muhammad Shahzad (WAPDA) 56Kg, Imran Ismail (H.E.C) 62Kg, Abu Sufian (Railway) 69Kg STAND BY: ,Yasir Ali (H.E.C) 62Kg, Sajid Rasool (Railway) 105Kg, Zohaib Manzoor (Railway) 77Kg, Muhammad Tahir (Punjab) 77Kg.

tseng vows to relax to win US open SINgAPORE

Formula one: Vettel fastest in f1 testing BARCELONA afp

germany's two-time defending Formula one world champion Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time in the morning test runs here on wednesday. the 24-year-old red Bull driver

clocked a fastest lap time of 1min 23.056sec in his 20-lap spell on the circuit. testing continues here until Friday and there will be a final series of testing back here on March 1-4, before the teams travel to Australia for the opening race of the season in Melbourne on March 18.

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SeBaSTiaN VeTTel (ger/reD BUll-renAUlt) 1:23.056 20 SerGio pérez (MeX/SAUBer-FerrArI) 1:23.062 42 Nico hülKeNBerG (ger/ForCe InDIA-MerCeDeS) 1:23.141 52 ferNaNDo aloNSo (eSP/FerrArI) 1:23.640 32 DaNiel ricciarDo (AUS/toro roSSo-FerrArI) 1:23.986 32

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leWiS haMilToN (gBr/MClAren-MerCeDeS) 1:24.040 37 7. Nico roSBerG (ger/MerCeDeS-AMg) 1:24.555 53 8. ValTTeri BoTTaS (FIn/wIllIAMS-renAUlt) 1:25.858 54 9. ViTalY peTroV (rUS/CAterHAM-renAUlt) 1:26.605 19 10. charleS pic (FrA/MArUSSIA-CoSwortH) 1:28.092 35

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World number one Yani Tseng said Wednesday the "stress" of wanting to add US Women's Open to her collection of major titles had overshadowed her efforts to win the trophy so far. Tseng became the youngest player ever, male or female, to capture five majors after claiming the Women's British Open last year at the age of 22, but said the one she now craves is the US title -- to complete a career slam.

"For the Grand Slam, of course, US Open is one of my goals," the Taiwanese superstar golfer said Wednesday at a Singapore press conference ahead of the $1.4million HSBC Women's Champions tournament. "If I don't win this year, I still have many more years to come but I would love to win as soon as I can."

Tseng said the pressure of chasing the US Open trophy has haunted her in recent years, but vowed to take a more relaxed approach when she challenges for the this year's title in Kohler, Wisconsin, in July. "Every time I go to the US Open I just feel more pressure than any tournament, just more stress," she said.

England leapfrogs Pakistan in ODI table LAHORE STaff reporT

England took a sweet revenge of its 3-0 defeat in the Test series by outplaying Pakistan by 4-0 in the four-match ODI series which ended in Dubai on Tuesday. While doing so, England has moved ahead of Pakistan in fifth place on the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table. Alastair Cook’s side wrapped up the ODI series by beating Misbah-ul-Haq’s men by five wickets in the last ODI in Dubai after having won the earlier matches by 130 runs, 20 runs (both in Abu Dhabi) and nine wickets (in the third in Dubai). For this superb achievement, England has earned five ratings points which has put it on 111 ratings points while Pakistan has dropped to 104 ratings points after conceding five ratings points. It is also the first time since 1987-88 when England has won all the matches of an ODI series against Pakistan. Nearly 25 years ago in Pakistan, Mike Gatting’s side had defeated Abdul Qadir’s men 30 in a three-match series. England, in the series which was played immediately after the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987, won matches in Lahore (by two wickets), Karachi (by 23 runs) and Peshawar (by 98 runs). England, after blanking out Pakistan, now has fourth-ranked Sri Lanka firmly within its sights. Sri Lanka is two ratings points ahead of England with a minimum of three matches remaining in the threenation tournament Down Under where the other participating sides are host Australia and India.

raNKiNG oN feBrUarY 21 RANK 1.

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TEAM Australia India South Africa Sri Lanka England Pakistan

RATINGS 129 116 116 113 111 104

Cook, Finn vault into top 10 LAHORE

STaff reporT

England captain Alastair Cook and fast bowler Steven Finn have broken into the top 10 of the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings after stellar performances against Pakistan in the four-match ODI series which finished in Dubai on Tuesday. Cook has jumped 27 places to eighth position on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after finishing as the leading run-getter in the series with 323 runs, including back-to-back centuries in the Abu Dhabi ODIs. Cook, who won the Test Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in London in 2011, has now become the second highest-ranked England batsman after Jonathan Trott who has dropped two places to sixth position after managing just 38 runs in the series. Flamboyant Kevin Pietersen is the other batsman who has made a charge on the batting ladder after impressive performances with the willow. The Surrey batsman scored 281 runs in the series at an average of nearly 94 following scores of 14, 26, 111 not out and 130. For these entertaining per-

Bolt, Powell renew rivalry in rome

formances, Pietersen has been rewarded with a jump of 22 places which puts him in 26th position. He is now England’s third highest-ranked batsman after Trott and Cook, while batsmen to follow the former England captain are Eoin Morgan in 30th (down by two), Ravi Bopara in 58th (up by 11) and Craig Kieswetter in 60th (up by five).

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for

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TEAM New Zealand West Indies Bangladesh Zimbabwe Ireland Netherlands

ODI bowlers, Finn has achieved a careerbest ranking of ninth by rocketing 67 places to ninth position. The 22-year-old Middlesex bowler claimed 13 wickets in the series and he is now the second England bowler inside the top 10 after off-spinner Graeme Swann, who has finished in third position after gaining one place. Stuart Broad is the other England bowler to have improved his

RATINGS 88 79 62 46 36 15

ROME afp

World 100-metre record holder Usain Bolt will renew his rivalry with fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell at the Diamond League meet here on May 31, organisers confirmed on Tuesday. Bolt was a huge draw at the Olympic Stadium last year where almost 50,000 people turned up to watch the world's fastest man. He didn't disappoint either by overhauling Powell with a late surge to win the 100m in 9.91sec. Five-time world champion Bolt will open his pre-Olympic season in Europe competing in the Golden Spike event in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava on May 25. After Rome he will compete in the Oslo leg of the Diamond League meet on June 7, as he prepares for the Olympic Games in London this summer.

ranking. He is now in 24th position after rising five places while Jade Dernbach, who took four for 45 in the fourth and final ODI, has broken into the top 100 after lifting 27 places to 91st spot. The latest player rankings, which were released on Wednesday, doesn’t present good news for the Pakistan players. In the batting chart, Umar Akmal has dropped out of the top 10, falling to 13th

pakistan can climb five places if wins t20 series LAHORE: South Africa has swapped places with New Zealand on the Reliance ICC T20I Championship table after winning the three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series which concluded in Auckland on Wednesday. South Africa now trials number-one ranked and ICC World Twenty20 champion England by 11 ratings points. England goes head to head with Pakistan in a three-match series in Dubai on Thursday. And to retain the number-one position, England will have to avoid losing all three matches of the series. A 2-1 series win will keep England on top of the tree even though it will drop to 128 ratings points while Pakistan will join India on 108 ratings points. However, Pakistan will be ranked above India when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. If Pakistan wins the series 2-1, then England will slip to 122 ratings points while Pakistan will move ahead of Australia in fifth position on 113 ratings points. However, if Pakistan wins all the three matches of the series, then England will drop to third while Pakistan will rise to second position. In this scenario, England will concede 14 ratings points and will finish on 116 ratings points while Pakistan will gain 12 ratings points and will finish just one ratings points behind South Africa. STaff reporT

T20 raNKiNGS RANK 1.

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TEAM England South Africa Sri Lanka New Zealand Australia India Pakistan West Indies Afghanistan Ireland Zimbabwe

RATINGS 130 119 117 114 110 108 106 89 75 (TBC) 51

position, down by three places, captain Misbah-ul-Haq has slipped three places to 29th spot, Shahid Afridi has dropped one place to 38th position, Younus Khan has slipped seven places to 43rd spot and Mohammad Hafeez has fallen five places to 48th position. The only Pakistan batsman to make an upward movement is Asad Shafiq who has gained nine places and now sits in 70th spot.

Pakistan bowlers to drop in the bowlers’ chart include Mohammad Hafeez, who has slipped from second spot to sixth position, Shahid Afridi, who has dropped from 11th to 15th spot, and Umar Gul, who has ended in 35th position after falling 11 places.

Saeed Ajmal, who finished with 10 wickets in the series, leads the bowlers’ table, followed by South Africa’s Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

The left-arm fast bowler trails Saeed by 29 points and will be aiming to move ahead of the Pakistani when he appears in the threematch ODI series against New Zealand which starts on Saturday. In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Mohammad Hafeez has dropped one place to third as Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan continues to lead the pack.

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thursday, 23 February, 2012

MONTMELÓ: Ferrari’s Spanish Fernando Alonso drives during a training session at Catalunya’s racetrack. afp

Sports 21

Peer in another diplomatic coup

waTCh IT LIve TENSPORTS Pakistan V England 1st T20 09:00PM

Master, Diamond Paints win in Punjab Polo LAHORE STaff reporT

DUBAI: Agnieszka radwanska of Poland returns to Shahar Peer during their Dubai wtA open match. AFP DUBAI afp

S

Injured Azarenka withdraws from Dubai

HAHAR Peer, who became the first Israeli female athlete to compete in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) two years ago, is making another piece of diplomatic history at the Dubai Open tennis here this week. Peer was originally refused a UAE visa, amidst prolonged controversy back in 2009.

In stark cotrast, this year she has been invited to compete in the same tournament - almost certainly the first Israeli athlete to have been granted such a privilege.

It all comes as a reward for her courage, persistence and remarkable on-court success in Dubai over the last two years at a time of ongoing problems in Arab-Israeli relations. Her presence in Dubai has not only influenced the cultural and political climate, it has also boosted hopes here that Dubai could possibly host the Olympics in 2024. There was a political tremor when, after much wrangling and fiercely strict security arrangements, Peer was even-

DUBAI: Shahar Peer returns the ball to Agnieszka radwanska during their Dubai wtA open match. AFP

tually allowed to enter the Dubai Open in 2010. It led to some of the finest tennis of her career, bringing sensational wins over Caroline Wozniacki and Li Na, and a run to the semi-final halted only by an inform Venus Williams.

Last year Peer again found that the special ambience of her visit helped her raise her game, taking her to the quarter-finals before this time losing to Wozniacki.

"It's an amazing gesture (to be invited)," Peer said after winning her opening match this year against Fatma Al Nabhani of Oman. "It's not something that you just think it's going to come naturally. "So it's an overcome [sic] for them and I really appreciate it," she added, apparently meaning that there were obstacles to overcome before the decision could be made. Amongst them are the organisation of her living, changing and dining facilities separate from other players, a designated and protected outside court for all Peer's matches, bodyguards, and, in the past at least, snipers hidden in strategic locations. "I really appreciate them coming forward and

giving this to me," Peer added. "I think we're doing amazing things here in the last few years, so I think it's very good for everybody."

Asked whether her high profile appearances here have had a big impact back home, Peer said: "Actually they talk all the time - it doesn't matter whether I'm here or not."

"Obviously it's also a big thing for us as Israelis, what I've been doing here the last few years, so they really support and appreciate it. "I think 2010 was one of the top two or three tournaments ever for me. I also played really well at the Australian Open when I got to the quarters.

"But I played some of my best tennis here. I've beaten two top 10 players and two other top 20 players so it has been an amazing week for me." On Wednesday though Peer may find it hard to get beyond the second round. Although she won her opening match soundly, she next faces an exceptionally tough opponent in the shape of fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The talented Pole came from 3-5 down in the final set to beat Amanda Wozniak of Canada 6-1, 6-7(6),7-5 and reach the second round.

Master and Diamond Paints teams leaped to hard-fought win in the Enterprise Punjab Polo Cup 2012 on Wednesday here at the Lahore Polo Club ground.

Master Paints having half a goals advantage leapfrogged over Pakistan ArmyNadra 8 ½-5 while Diamond Paints relied entirely on its two and a half goal handicap advantage to leave Coca-cola ruing 8 ½-7. In Master Paints win Gaston Moore was the star with five goals while Ignacio Del Tour hit in two goals while Sufi Muhammad Amir added one while James Harper and Ahmad Nawaz Tiwana shared two goals each from the losing Army-Nadra team with Raja Temur Nadeem getting one. In the other match Diamond Paints got six goals in the field and took full advantage of the 2 ½ goals while Coca Cola managed seven in a losing cause. Shah Shamyl Alam in a calculated move converted five goals with one goal support from Mir Shoaib Ahmad while Coca-cole got all their seven goals through Manuel Crespo. Umpires for the matches were Simon Mclaren Tosh, Saqib Khan Khakwani and Shah Qubilai Alam while Raul Laplacette and Santiago Mendivil were the referees.

Saqlain appointed director for hockey events LAHORE STaff reporT

top seed Isner advances at Memphis tennis MEMPHIS afp

DUBAI afp

World number one Victoria Azarenka has paid the price for her 17-match winning start to the year after being forced to withdraw from the $2,000,000 Dubai Open with a damaged ankle. Azarenka has been suffering from the ailment ever since winning her first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open, in Melbourne three weeks ago. She managed to struggle through in Doha last week and win the Qatar Open as well, but only by taking painkillers and risking compensatory injuries. "I'm concerned not to do more damage," said Azarenka. "I've been told to rest ever since Australia. "I left it a couple of days (after arriving in Dubai) to see how it is, but it is difficult in that time to do a miracle. "It will give me peace of mind now to make sure it is not really serious. It has to be taken care of right away." It means the Dubai Open has now lost both its top two seeds, with the second-seeded Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova withdrawing with a virus before the tournament started. Four well known names have pulled out altogether. The others are Li Na, the French Open champion from China, who has a back injury, and Vera Zvonareva, the former Wimbledon finalist who has a hip problem. It may be a blessing in disguise for Azarenka, who admits there may also be psychological benefits in taking a break now. "I definitely need time to take my mind off tennis," Azarenka admitted. "I have not been home since for ever." She will now probably return to Minsk and take two weeks off before going to the tough American hard court swing in Indian Wells and Miami in March. Azarenka also agreed that the setback might influence future decisions on her schedule. Rafael Nadal has reduced his schedule slightly this year, to protect his body, and Azarenka was asked if she might do likewise.

No. 1 seed John Isner hammered 26 aces en route to a 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/4) victory over Gilles Muller in the first round of the Memphis Open on Tuesday.

The world number 13, who is chasing his fourth career title, clinched the victory by winning the final three points of the second set tiebreaker.

The 26-year-old Isner won 48 of 50 first-serve points and had just two double faults compared to nine double faults for the Belgian Muller in the 100 minute match. Isner is also hoping to win his first title indoors. He lost in the 2010 final to fellow American Sam Querrey Isner next faces Donald Young who advanced to the second round with a three set win over Grigor Dimitrov on Monday. In other matches on Tuesday, Ryan Sweeting beat American countryman James Blake 6-0, 6-2 in just

45 minutes and wild card Querrey rallied to defeat Alejandro Falla 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Sweeting won 75 per cent of his first service points and broke the former world number four Blake three times in each set.

Former Pakistan hockey captain and Olympian Mohammad Saqlain has been appointed as director of the tournament to supervise the hockey activity of the Punjab Sports Festival.

Saqlain has taken charge of his new job.

Director General Sports Punjab on Wednesday appointed Saqlain for the festival. A meeting of the organizing committee has also been called for February 24 to review the arrangements of different events including hockey. The meeting will be attended by Olympians and government officials. During several committees will also be formed.

Inter-district Sports Festival rolls into action LAHORE STaff reporT

On the opening of Inter-district Sports Festival 2012 a number of sports events were conducted at various venues of the province.

In athletics final, University male competitions were held while Waseem Qadir inaugurated the general public kabaddi. Kasur beat Nankana 35-27.

In 100 m, Mohammed Imran from University of Central Punjab bagged first prize with a time of 11:21, Aon Ali won 200 m in 23:87, M.Waseem from GC University was first in 400 m with 53:56 time and 800 m in 2:18:00. M.Asif from Superior University got frist place in 1500 m race with 4:15:94 timing. In javelin throw, Alam from GCU was first. In shotput, Zaeem Iqbal was first whereas M.Ikram from University of Central Punjab won the long jump. In general public athletics, Husnain Ali (Lahore)

won first in 100 m. In 200 m, M.Faisal (Lahore) secured first, in 400 m, Muzaffar Iqbal (Lahore) achieved first position, in 800 m, Sadaf Javed (Lahore), in 1500 m, Mohsin Raza (Sheikhupura), in long jump Waheed Ashraf (Lahore), in shotput, M.Mushtaq (Kasur) and in javelin throw Nadeem Akhtar (Lahore) attained first

position. In karate colleges boys, 48 Kg category, Mubashir of Shalimar College was first. In 55Kg: Hafeez of Superior College, in 55-plus Kg, Waqar Wakeel of Superior was winner. In school karate, 48 Kg: Saweel Khan Honors Public School was first. 55 Kg: Ali Mehmood of Model School and in 55-plus Kg: Noman Gondal of Govern-

ment School won the title. In general public karate, 48 Kg: Rehan Ali (Lahore) achieved first position, 55Kg: Aqib Muneer (Lahore) and 55-plus Kg: Mirza Rehan (Lahore) was winner.

In girls college hockey Final, Kinnaird College thrashed Government College Sheikhupura 7-0. In badminton general public, Sheikhupura beat Kasur 2-0, Lahore defeated Nankana Sahib 2-1 and in the final, Lahore thrashed Sheikhupura 2-0. In school boys badminton, Sisa School outplayed Government Model School Warburton Nankana 2-0. In general public Football, Lahore outplayed Kasur 5-3. In volleyball general public, Kasur defeated Nankana 2-1 (20-25, 25-19, 15-12).

In semifinal, Sheikhupura beat Lahore 2-0 (25-20, 25-18) and in the final Sheikhupura beat Kasur 2-0. In weightlifting, 62 Kg: M.Saleem (Lahore).77 Kg: Shan Akram (Lahore) and in 105-plus Kg: Husnain Raza (Lahore).

LHR 23-02-2012_Layout 1 2/23/2012 3:41 AM Page 22

thursday, 23 February, 2012

SC makes Ag’s statement, evidence in PM contempt case part of record ISLAMABAD MaSooD rehMaN

The Supreme Court on Wednesday recorded the statement of Attorney General for Pakistan Maulvi Anwarul Haq, who is acting as a prosecutor in the contempt case against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, and made its part of the court record after thorough examination the volumetric documentary evidence submitted by the prosecution to establish that the PM committed contempt and was liable to be convicted. A sevenmember special bench headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk and comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed, directed Aitzaz Ahsen, counsel for the PM, to positively submit the list of witnesses along with their statements by February 27. The court fixed February 28 as next date of hearing. During the hearing, the attorney general submitted that he reserved the right to submit additional documentary evidence and produce witnesses after submission of prime minister’s written statement in the matter. Aitzaz said he too reserved the right to raise objections if further evidences were produced by the attorney general. He said he would consult his client over the evidence so far produced by the prosecution and then file his reply on February 27. He said his client might go through the whole evidences as these were not in his notice. To a court query, he said on February 28, he would put forward his submission of evidences. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa inquired Aitzaz whether he was willing to file a reply in the matter under Section 342 of CrPC, to which Aitzaz said he would get directions from his client over the evidence so far produced by the prosecutor and then file the reply on February 27.

Continued on page 04

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Nawaz attaches strings to APC participation LAHORE

P

STaff reporT

ML-N President Nawaz Sharif has agreed to attend the planned All-Parties Conference (APC) on Balochistan, provided the government arrest Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killers and recover all missing persons.

According to a declaration issued by the PML-N on Tuesday, the party was ready to attend the APC proposed by the government to devise a strategy to address all conflicting issues in Balochistan.

However, participation was linked to the arrest of murderers of Akbar Bugti and the recovery of missing persons, the declaration said.

Nawaz stressed upon the government to live up to the PML-N’s demands

if it wanted to hold the APC and make it a success.

Meanwhile, PML-N senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq called the planned APC ineffective, as Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had earlier announced the Balochistan rights package, but did not implement it.

Talking to reporters at SNGPL office, he said Balochistan was up in flames.

“Baloch MPAs receive funds but most of them are siphoned off,” he alleged. He also accused PTI Chairman Imran Khan of misleading the people on the 20th Amendment, saying Khan did not even know the basics of politics. However, party insiders said the PML-N’s conditions were almost a refusal to participate in the APC. Prominent Baloch leaders, including Shahzain and Brahamdagh Bugti, have already refused to participate in the APC.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Tuesday constituted a committee that was tasked with contacting the political leadership of the country, inside and outside parliament, and convince them to agree upon a mutually convenient date for holding the APC. Last Wednesday, Gilani had announced that the government would soon convene an All-Parties Conference (APC) to discuss and address issues of Balochistan, particularly the law and order situation in the province.

“There is a law and order situation in Balochistan, which has to be addressed.

We are also talking with the coalition partners in this respect,” Gilani had said in an interaction with senior newspaper editors at the Prime Minister’s House.

He said the government’s initiative of “Aghaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan” aimed at

removing a sense of deprivation among people of the province, adding, however, the worsening law and order in Balochistan had overshadowed the initiative.

Medical students ransack, set ablaze UHS Multan office

iSlaMaBaD: indian parliamentary delegation led by lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in a group photo with prime Minister Yousaf raza Gilani at the pM’s house. INP

MULTAN: Students of medical college who failed their examination held a protest demonstration and set ablaze the office of University of Health Science on Wednesday. Per details, students of Nishtar Medical College Multan who were declared unsuccessful in the medical exam gathered outside the office of University of Health Science (UHS) and held a protest demonstration. The protesting students blamed the UHS for negative marking in checking of exam papers. The enraged protestors then barged into the office and set ablaze the official record and furniture after ransacking. Fire fighters were called in who extinguished the fire after half an hour. Heavy contingent of police reached the scene and brought the situation under control. INP

pakistan asks centcoM chief to put off his visit ISLAMABAD Shaiq hUSSaiN

After Special US envoy Marc Grossman, General James N Mattis, the chief of US Army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), who was supposed to visit Pakistan a few days ago, has also advised by the Pakistani authorities to put off his trip until the completion of parliamentary review of Islamabad’s relations with Washington in the future.

General Mattis was expected to visit Islamabad in the middle of this month to meet

army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and other senior military officials, but he was asked by Pakistani authorities to postpone his trip until the parliamentary review of Islamabad-Washington ties was over.

“The parliamentary review of relations between Pakistan and US will end with the joint session of both Houses of parliament, but it too is facing delay due to current political crisis in Islamabad, Senate polls and now the latest row between Islamabad and Washington over a resolution introduced in US Congress asking for a sovereign country for Baloch people,” said a Pak-

istani diplomat, seeking anonymity. “The session, which was expected to be held in the first week of February, will now be held in March, most likely in the middle of the month,” said the Pakistani diplomat.

“The delay in the parliamentary session means that the important trips of ambassador Grossman and General Mattis to Pakistan will be delayed further,” he said.

He said the US was not happy over the delay in the completion of parliamentary review and that had been conveyed to Islamabad as well, but the government had no other choice but to wait for joint session

of parliament.

However, he hastened to add that in order to take care of important issues of coordination and anti-terrorism cooperation between the Pakistani and US armies, the two sides could also agree on scheduling the General Mattis’ visit to Islamabad before the parliamentary session. The relations between Pakistan and US have been marred by tensions since the killing of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a covert US raid on May 2 last year. These tensions exacerbated further after NATO airstrikes on two Pakistani border posts in

PPP, MQM agree on seat formula in Sindh KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Wednesday struck an understanding on seat adjustment for Senate elections in Sindh.

After the consensus between the parties, two of the nine PPP candidates would backpedal in support of MQM candidate. Seven of the 12 Senate seats would go to the PPP, four to the MQM and one to the Pakistan Muslim LeagueFunctional (PML-F). In the first phase, Dr Kareem Khwaja withdrew his nomination papers filed for technocrat seat. Another PPP candidate Rashid Rabbani and either Sahar Kamran or Shahida Rehmani contesting on women seat, will quit their candidacy.

The PPP has also kicked off negotiations with Ghaffar Qureshi of the Likeminded Group to renounce his candidature so that all candidates of the

coalition parties could be elected unopposed.

The allies’ candidate will win even if Qureshi does not capitulate, as his group has only four seats, while, at least 21 votes are required for the success of a candidate. According to the drawn up formula, Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh of the PPP will have technocrat seat, Haram Ram Kashori Lal the minority seat, while Ajiz Dhamra, Saeed Ghani, Dr Kareem Khwaja and Mian Raza Rabbani will be elected on general seats. The woman seat will go to either Sahar Kamran or Shahida Rehmani. A general seat has been doled out to the PMLF’s Muzaffar Hussain Shah.

The seats given to the MQM will have Barrister Farogh Naseem on technocrat seat, Nasreen Jalil on women seat and Mustafa Kamal and Kanwar Naveed Jamil on general seats. ONLINE

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

Editor: Arif Nizami, Executive Editor: Sarmad Bashir

November killed 24 soldiers.

Nonetheless, the resolution introduced last Friday by a member of US House of Representatives, Dana Rohrabacher (Republican from California), which said the people of Balochistan should have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country, led to furor in Pakistan and took the prevailing tensions to new heights. It is part of reconciliatory efforts that Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will meet US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the sidelines of a conference in London today (Thursday).