4November 2011

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‘My son is innocent... he only did what his captain told him to do’

CHEATERS JAILED!

Butt perpetuated an atmosphere of corruption

Imran pained by convictions, Rameez unsympathetic

A sad day for Pakistan cricket

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Vol II No 131 32 Pages Lahore Edition

Govt has no solution to people’s woes: SC CJP says military govts have no public mandate, but democratic govt has no solution to problems despite having mandate

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ISLAMABAD

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maSOOd REHman

HIEF Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed on Thursday that military governments had no public mandate, however the democratic dispensation had no solution to public problems despite having public mandate.

The chief justice was heading a twomember Supreme Court bench, which also included Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, hearing a suo motu case coupled with two identical petitions filed by Federal Housing and Works Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) MNA Khawaja Asif involving allegations of corruption in the contracts of Rental Power Plants (RPPs).

The chief justice questioned who

would be responsible if the democratic government did not solve the people’s problems, adding that a democratic government had the mandate to solve the issues faced by the country.

During the hearing, when Khawaja Tariq Rahim, counsel for the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO), submitted that the country was facing problems left by the military government, the chief justice remarked that the military government did not have public mandate, thus the democratic government should respect the public mandate it had and solve the people’s issues.

Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, counsel for Reshma Power Plant and Techno Power, told the court that the government approved installation of 19 power plants, however there was no possibility of launching half of them, adding that at present only five power plants were func-

tioning. He said the RPPs that had started work were not being provided fuel.

Justice Hussain asked him why fuel was not being supplied to the RPPs, and Pirzada replied that only the government could answer the question. The chief justice noted that the people were thinking what was going on in the country as the RPPs were started without inviting tenders. He said talks were underway to seek loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank while the country was already under the burden of $67 billion in loans.

Pirzada said his clients were expecting that the court would give its decision in the best interest of the nation. The chief justice said the court always gave its decisions in the best interest of the nation.

Rahim assured the court that he would present details pertaining to the transparency of the RPPs besides giving details if there were any complaints registered against the companies involved in the projects.

CoNtINuEd oN PagE 04

Friday, 4 November, 2011 Zul-Haj 7, 1432

PM swings into action to rescue Railways, PIA ISLAMABAD Jalaluddin Rumi

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday directed the finance minister to immediately recommend professionals for formation of a new PIA board of directors and appointment of chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) for restructuring Pakistan Railways in order to improve the performance of both state-owned entities.

Chairing two separate meetings with the officials of Pakistan Railway (PR) and PIA, Gilani directed Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, who is also heading the Cabinet’s Committee on Restructuring (CCOR), to take measures for streamlining the restructuring process to improve the efficiency of both organisations. The railways CEO would replace the railway chairman and would strive to run railways on business lines.

As a follow up to the directions passed by the president, Gilani directed the Finance Division to guarantee timely payment of salaries and pensions to railways employees each month.

The PM was informed in the meeting that the financing agreement with the banking consortium would be signed within a week for funding the rehabilitation of 96 locomotives at a cost of Rs 6.1 billion.

It was decided in the meeting that railways sections that included Sibbi-Quetta, Quetta-Taftaan, Bahawalnagar-Fort Abbas and Narowal-Chak-Amro and other all non-economical routes would be closed CoNtINuEd oN PagE 04

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02 News

Friday, 4 November, 2011

lAhore

Today’s

lawyers observe ‘blackest day’

NewS

worlD view

absence of ministers continues to irritate senators ‘...son of a gun’

Quick Look

Story on Page 10

Story on Page 07

Story on Page 14

District court orders registration of case against Amir, Asif, Butt LAHORE Staff REpORt

A district and sessions judge on Tuesday ordered the Islampura station house officer to register a criminal case against Pakistani cricketers, Muhammad Amir, Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif for their involvement in spot fixing. The court issued orders on an application filed by Zubair Balqan submitting that Amir, Butt and Asif had been found guilty in the spot fixing case and had earned a bad name for Pakistan, adding that being the national heroes their act was intolerable. “They are liable to punishment thus the court may direst the Islampura SHO to register a criminal case against cricket stars.” After initial hearing, the court ordered the SHO to register a case against the three under charges of spot fixing and fraud and to submit a copy of the FIR in court.

PCB to defend cricketers if they are innocent: Malik ISLAMABAD OnlinE

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday said that cricket players were national heroes and that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would defend them if they were innocent. Talking to reporters outside Parliament House, he said the ministry had ordered the PCB chairman to extend full protection and legal aid to the players if they were innocent. He said an inquiry would be initiated to ascertain if the trio convicted of spot-fixing by a London court had been trapped.

PPP, MQM agree on new local govt system KARACHI app

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have agreed to give legal cover to the Sindh Local Government System, 2011, which is set to be presented in the Sindh Assembly.

The two parties met at the Chief Minister’s House on Thursday to discuss the bill and said the new system would be according to the expectations of the people.

The members of the meeting decided to hold further meetings to discuss all proposals and finalise the agreement. The participants of the meeting from the PPP included Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul-Haq, Sindh Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, Sindh Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Muhammad Ayaz Soomro, Sindh Archives and Special Development Minister Engineer Rafique.

The MQM representatives were Provincial Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed, Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed, former Hyderabad district nazim Kanwar Naveed Jameel and MQM Rabita Committee Member Wasey Jaleel and MNA Wasim Akhtar.

Three mutilated corpses found in Quetta QUETTA OnlinE

Police found three mutilated corpses in the Khazdar and Turbat areas of Quetta on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police found two corpses, which were later identified as Guhram and Ayyam from Turbat. Separately, the police found another mutilated body in Khazdar which was identified as Samad. The police handed over the dead bodies to their heirs after autopsy.

CatCHing fiSH On tHE SHORE: three fishermen together hold a fishing net while waiting for a catch in Karachi. ONLINE

Number of seats in 3 provincial assemblies increased g

Senate passes Delimitation of Constituencies (Amendment) Bill of 2011 ISLAMABAD Staff REpORt

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HE Upper House of parliament on Thursday passed the Delimitation of Constituencies (Amendment) Bill of 2011, which would lead to an increase in the number of seats in at least three provincial assemblies of the country, with Balochistan Assembly to retain its current number of seats.

According to Section 8(4) of the bill, which deals with delimitation of constituencies, the total seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have been increased to 124 from the existing 123, with women’s seats and seats reserved for non-Muslims to stay at 22 and three respectively.

In the Punjab Assembly, the number of total seats has been increased from the existing 368 to 371, also increasing the number of seats reserved for women from 65 to 66.

One seat has been added to the Sindh Assembly to make it 168, with no addition in the women’s seats or

the seats reserved for non-Muslims, which would remain 29 and nine respectively.

Subsequently, one new electoral constituency would be created in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two new constituencies would be created in Punjab and one new electoral constituency would be created in Sindh. For the purpose of election to provincial assemblies, the Election Commission of Pakistan will divide each province into as many separate territorial constituencies as the number of general seats. The constituencies for the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the provincial assemblies shall be such that each province forms one constituency with as many such seats as are allocated to that province.

Section 7 of the bill states that on the basis of population, the seats in the National Assembly for each province, the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and the federal capital territory were allocated as Balochistan 17, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 43, Punjab 183, Sindh 75, FATA 12

and the federal capital territory two, bringing the total to 332.

In addition to this number of seats, there shall be in the National Assembly 10 seats reserved for nonMuslims, making the final number to 342, which recorded no change in the existing number of National Assembly seats. The constituency for all seats reserved for non-Muslims in the National Assembly shall be the whole country. For the purpose of delimitating constituencies for general seats for FATA, two or more separate areas may be grouped into one constituency, the new law says.

Under the new law, the Election Commission of Pakistan may exercise its powers and perform its functions notwithstanding that there is a vacancy in the office of any one of its members, or that any of its members is, for any reason, unable to attend its proceedings and the decision of the majority of the members of the commission shall have the effect of the decision of the commission.

It is further provided in the new law that where the members attend-

ing the proceedings of the commission are four and they are equally divided in their opinion or where the members attending the proceedings of the commission are three and there is difference of opinion amongst them, the matter shall be placed before the entire commission for decision.

The law said further the commission may authorise two or more of its members, acting together, to exercise and perform all or any of its powers and functions. Where two or more members are authorised, their decision shall be expressed in terms of the opinion of the majority or if they are equally divided, the matter shall be placed before the commission.

The Standing Committee on Law held two meetings to approve further amendments to the “Delimitation of Constituencies Act of 1974”, and in the second meeting held on August 24 in which the bill was finalised, no senator from the opposition participated. All the senators who finalised the bill belong to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party.

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

ArTS & eNTerTAiNMeNT

ForeigN NewS

China and Russia pressure European union, dangle aid ‘the dirty picture’ runs into trouble

SPorTS

News 03 CoMMeNT

Sangakkara defies pakistan bowlers

ankara rounds: Looking at the progress…

finally: The MFN status and attendant issues.

Ejaz Haider says: Is cricket cricket now?: They’ve mopped the floor but who’ll turn off the tap…

agha akbar says: Imran in the Zone?: Will this rolling stone gather electoral moss?

naqib Hamid says: Banning halal?: The Dutch stirring up yet another controversy.

Story on Page 19

Story on Page 16

Story on Page 20

Articles on Page 12-13

Interpol can extradite Musharraf, Aziz if govt serious: legal experts Asma Jahangir says it is now responsibility of executive to implement court’s directives g Senior lawyer ikram Chaudhry says Pakistan can seek Commonwealth’s cooperation in extraditing Musharraf, Aziz g

ISLAMABAD

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maSOOd REHman

EGAL experts have opined that former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, being principal accused in the Akbar Bugti murder case, could be extradited through Interpol.

They said although Pakistan had no extradition treaty with the UK, the US and Dubai, where both the absconders keep moving, the two can be brought back through Interpol. They said the UK could be termed their permanent abode, as they spend most of the time there.

Talking to Pakistan Today, Ahmer Bilal Sufi, an expert on international law, said in compliance with the Balochistan High Court orders, both the accused could be brought back through Interpol.

He said although no extradition treaty had been signed by Pakistan and the UK, there were some instances under which both of them could be extradited. However, at the same time he said Interpol could not be substituted for an extradition treaty.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir said the federal government could secure extra-

dition of both men, if it showed seriousness in doing so. To a query, she said the court merely issued directives and did its job, but now it was the responsibility of the executive to implement these directives.

According to senior lawyer Akram Sheikh, the Balochistan High Court had directed the federal government to seek Musharraf and Aziz’s extradition in Bugti murder case, thus it was

mandatory for the government to implement the court’s order by taking affirmative steps, irrespective of indulging in technicalities. To a query, he said Interpol helped everyone, however it depended on a government’s seriousness and fairness.

According to senior lawyer Muhammad Ikram Chaudhry, Pakistan could seek the cooperation of the Commonwealth in extraditing Musharraf and

Aziz. He said on Pakistan’s request, the Commonwealth could put pressure on Britain’s Home Department to start criminal proceedings in British courts against Musharraf.

To a query, he said an additional complication was Britain’s obligations to humanitarian laws of the European Union, which abolished the death penalty within the grouping and prohibited extradition of suspects to countries where they were likely to face execution. However at the same time, he said Britain was bound by its obligations to the Commonwealth to coordinate with courts in other Commonwealth countries.

When contacted, former law minister Dr Khalid Ranjha said Britain’s Home Department would have to obey the capital punishment laws of European countries. He said they might fear that the Pakistani court would award a death sentence to Musharraf, and therefore deny the request.

At the same time, contrary to the opinion of the majority of legal experts, Ranjha said the court should not pass any order which was not executable. The extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK still hung in the air, as the clause of capital punishment remained the main hurdle in signing the treaty.

Will Bugti murder probe affect future military ops?

APMl spokesman claims no future military operations will occur if Musharraf tried g Shaukat Aziz letter claims provincial govt responsible for operation, federal govt knew nothing g

ISLAMABAD mian abRaR

The probe into Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder is likely to involve state institutions and trigger a controversy over whether the army should, in future, send troops in aid of civil authority or not.

The Bugti murder probe is set to open a national debate to determine whether Baloch leader Bugti was killed on the order of then army chief General Pervez Musharraf, also president of the country, or that he died in a military operation launched on the provincial government’s orders.

‘Army operAtions Are protected:’ Speaking to Pakistan Today, All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said, “Army operations are protected under the constitution and no army official can be tried anywhere other than a military court.”

Speaking on the letter by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, Fawad said, “I doubt media reports published on the Bugti case court proceedings and orders since media wrongly quoted Shaukat Aziz’s letter.” He said, “If the then army chief and president Pervez Musharraf is tried for the operation against Nawab Akbar Bugti, no army official will take part in a military operation in the future.

Any court verdict against military operations will lead to collapse of the state structure.”

Fawad said if the army officials were prosecuted and the operation against Nawab Bugti challenged, then Taliban leaders would also challenge the military operation in Swat and the claims of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, already demanding a probe into the military operation against his party under the Nawaz Sharif regime, would gain credence.

‘We Will not defend mushArrAf’: “If General Musharraf is arrested in this case, current army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, being the custodian of the armed forces, will have to respond.

The case is against the army, not General Musharraf. Let me tell you that General Musharraf is not going to respond to court notices since, under law, the provincial government and not the federal government is responsible for a law and order situation within its provincial limits,” he said, adding that Shaukat Aziz had correctly mentioned this in his letter.

Asked why a military operation cannot be challenged if excesses were made by the army, Fawad said a military court can probe any military operation under the Army Act in such a case but civilian courts could not do so.

Pandora’s Box.” “This is a vilification campaign against the army and not Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf did not kill Bugti himself nor did he order it since he had no enmity with Nawab Bugti. Army officers conducted the operation. If the government wants to arrest the former army chief, it can do so. We will not defend General Musharraf in this case,” he added.

Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said he had submitted his statement to the court and could not comment on Shaukat Aziz’s letter. He said law and order was the sole responsibility of the provincial government and the Interior Ministry was not responsible. ‘provinciAl govt, not federAl responsible’: In his letter to the provincial police officer, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz said the federal government was not responsible for law and order in any province and it was a ‘provincial matter’.

“I was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 20 August 2004 to 15 November 2007. I have been mentioned in the subject FIR and it has been alleged that President General Pervez Musharraf, who was also Chief of Army Staff, used me and others as part of a conspiracy to murder late Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. It was well known that the late Nawab Bugti died in the military operation during the night between 25-26 August 2006. Law and order is a provincial subject and does not fall within the preview of the Federal Government,” said the latter.

He added, “According to law, it is the Provincial Government who requisitions the armed forces to act in aid of civil power if considered necessary. I was informed about this unfortunate and tragic incident after the incident was broadcast by electronic media. Neither I nor my government were aware or advised about the incident prior to its occurrence. I would be pleased to provide any further assistance that may be required by you.”

if Firs are allowed against army operations, it will open a Pandora’s Box He said, “Civilian courts cannot fix criminal liability against army officer for a military operation. If FIRs are allowed against army operations, it will open a

fawad CHaudHRy

APMl Spokesmanf

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04 News

Friday, 4 November, 2011

Pakistan re-elected to UNESCO Executive Board with clean slate

US open to selling F-35 jet fighters to india WASHINGTON REutERS

The United States expressed interest on Wednesday in selling its most sophisticated fighter to India, just six months after New Delhi rejected two older US warplanes in a competition for an $11 billion contract.

The US Defence Department, in a report to Congress on US -India security cooperation, said if New Delhi indicated an interest in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon would be willing to provide information on the aircraft’s security and infrastructure requirements.

“The F-35 is something that we would be more than willing to talk to the government of India about should they request to find out more information about purchasing it,” said Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defence for South Asia.

ISLAMABAD OnlinE

REStORE lOCal gOvERnmEnt: former nRb chairman daniyal aziz addresses the Jeevay pakistan maqami Hakumat Convention at gujranwala. ONLINE

Imran rejects alliance with corrupt parties LAHORE Staff REpORt

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AKISTAN Tehrike-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has firmly ruled out the possibility of entering into alliance with political parties involved in corruption.

Talking to reporters at the Lahore Airport on Thursday evening after returning from China, Khan rejected all the rumours of PTI seeking an alliance with other political parties, saying his party would not forge an alliance with the corrupt.

He said that declaration of assets is a precondition for all politicians interested

in seeking an alliance with the PTI. He said his party would not give tickets to any corrupt politician, as a party board would decide it.

Separately, in a statement issued from PTI Central Secretariat, Central Vice

President Raoof Hasan said that reports appearing in this regard were totally unfounded.

He said the people who had become scared of the PTI after its mammoth rally were spreading such rumours. He said the PTI, being a popular party, was gearing up for the upcoming polls.

Hasan said the PTI was advocating change the system, which had denuded the country of its wealth.

He advised the people who were spreading such propaganda should instead brace themselves for the sweep which his party would make in the polls.

Shahbaz asks nation to recover looted billions LAHORE Staff REpORt

Looters and plunderers have pushed the country on the brink of collapse by misappropriating billions of rupees and it is time to bring them to justice and recover the looted money to end poverty and unemployment and break the shackles of slavery, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Thursday.

Addressing an inaugural ceremony of a project by the

Punjab government to issue interest-free loans, he said that a revolution could be brought about by providing such loans. He said the Punjab government, with the collaboration of Akhuwat, was starting a project to issue interest-free loans worth one billion rupees. He said the loans would enable the skilled youth to earn livelihood in a respectable manner and play their role in increasing national production.

Akhuwat Chief Executive

Dr Amjad Saqib informed about the activities of the organization and the project of provision of interest-free loans.

The chief minister praised Akhuwat for working to eliminate poverty and unemployment from the province by providing loans of over Rs 1.25 billion to the poor and deserving families during the last ten years. He said the project would provide interest-free loans of Rs 1 billion this year and that the amount would be increased next year.

Canadian gov under fire over bomber quip OTTAWA afp

The lieutenant-governor of Canada’s Newfoundland province, former cabinet minister John Crosbie, came under fire on Thursday for wisecracking about Pakistan suicide bombers and other matters. Crosbie at the swearing-in of a new provincial cabinet last Friday had recounted an American friend’s tale about the current US economic woes that earned him rebukes from a student association and the premier of Newfoundland. “This fellow said, ‘I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, social security, retirement funds, etcetera, I called a suicide hotline and got a call centre in Pakistan. When I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck’,” Crosbie quipped.

lhC summons NBP execs in murder case LAHORE Staff REpORt

The Lahore High Court summoned respondents, including Chairman National bank of Pakistan (NBP) Syed Ali Raza, NBP President Qamar Hussain and others in a writ petition seeking registration of a case against them in the murder of a former NBP executive Shabbir Abbasi.

Pakistan has been re-elected as a member for the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with a clean slate, a press release issued by the Pakistan Embassy in Paris.

The other countries elected from the Asia-Pacific Group are Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan.

Pakistan secured 156 votes out of a total of 186.

Five countries abstained, while twenty-five votes were declared invalid. No vote was cast against Pakistan, the press release said.

Pakistan’s re-election to the membership of UN-

PM swings into action to rescue Railways, PIA CoNtINuEd FRom PagE 1 after a detailed report by the railways officials on the matter.

About the long-standing demand of railways on provision of diesel for its locomotives, it was decided that supply would be ensured and the credit limit from the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) would be doubled. The Railways and PSO were in process of finalising and signing of a long-term fuel supply agreement and the PR had asked the government to increase its fuel ceiling from one million to two billion barrels.

The meeting was told that the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI) would start freight operations per public-private partnership from December 25.

Non-stop Business Express would be operated between Lahore and Karachi to provide Rs 1.15 billion in annual revenue to the railways.

Another train, Shalimar Express, would be operated between Lahore and Karachi under public-private partnership. The prime minister directed the railways minister to monitor progress of rail operations on a daily basis, as he himself would chair a meeting every month to review the programme for

railways’ turnaround.

He also directed to convene a special CDWP meeting within the next two weeks to reprioritise PSDPfunded projects of Pakistan Railways.

It was also decided to form an asset management company for managing noncore assets of PR, including land. The committee would be responsible to convert and earn revenue from the deserted property of PR. piA: In a second meeting that reviewed PIA’s progress, the government agreed to help the airline provided it exhibited tangible improvement in its performance.

The PM also constituted a committee headed by the finance minister and including cabinet and defence secretaries and the PM’s principal secretary that would submit a report in a week giving a roadmap for turnaround in PIA. Gilani said he would soon preside over a meeting to finalise the approval of the members of board of directors per recommendations of CCOR. The restructuring would incorporate professionalism, autonomy to the board of directors and minimal bureaucratic red tape in decision making to improve the efficiency of the national flag carrier.

Afghanistan, Pakistan take small steps towards repairing rift ISTANBUL REutERS

Pakistan and Afghanistan have stepped back from a near-rupture in relations following the murder of an Afghan peace envoy, officials said on Wednesday after several days of talks between the two countries.

Leaders of the two countries, accompanied by their army and intelligence chiefs, met at a regional conference hosted by Turkey for the first time since the assassination in September of peace envoy

and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani.

“We gained more than we hoped for. We broke the ice,” a Turkish official said of his country’s efforts to help repair a relationship essential to ending the war in Afghanistan.

“We all know the story here - it’s difficult,” a senior western diplomat said. “They know the bottom line is that they do actually need each other.”

Afghanistan had earlier cancelled talks with Pakistan after Rabbani’s killing in

Kabul by a suicide bomber posing as a Taliban peace emissary who Afghanistan said was sent from Quetta.

The assassination also prompted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to say there was no point in talking to the Taliban and that Afghanistan should instead deal directly with Pakistan, which it accuses of supporting and sheltering the insurgents.

Afghan and Pakistani officials, however, both indicated a willingness to try again to explore peace talks with insurgents - though they

differ on how these should be approached.

Kabul has in the past accused Pakistan of interfering in the peace process and of backing the Afghan Taliban including those in the socalled Quetta shura and the Haqqani network - to extend its own influence in Afghanistan and counter rival India. “In our discussions we ask Pakistan again and again to allow the Quetta shura to come and sit with Afghanistan at the negotiating table to find, to explore a peaceful solution,” Karzai’s

National Security Adviser Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said.

“We are ready to talk to everybody, every Afghan citizen if he or she is ready to talk for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he told Reuters.

A day after a trilateral summit hosted by Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan along with other countries in the region also signed up to a declaration on Wednesday reaffirming support for an Afghan-led process of reconciliation.

“We have to make dam-

age control (after Rabbani’s killing),” another senior western diplomat said. “We have to make clear we don’t delete the file of reconciliation.”

Pakistan, increasingly worried about the war in Afghanistan spilling over into its own territory, has long called for talks with Taliban insurgents.

Such talks have been endorsed by the United States provided insurgents are willing to sever ties with al Qaeda, renounce violence and respect the Afghan constitution.

ESCO’s Executive Board is being considered historic because the country took fifty more votes than the number of votes it secured during its last election in 2007.

It is the highest number of votes Pakistan has secured since 1999. This year Pakistan was able to secure Arab votes because of its active and effective role in advocating Palestine’s membership to UNESCO. The strong and effective representation of Pakistan

by Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, chairperson of UNESCO Programmes and External Relations Committee, also greatly helped to secure more votes. The Pakistani Embassy in Paris also extensively lobbied for the country before the elections.

govt has no solution to people’s woes: SC CoNtINuEd FRom PagE 1 He said parliament had already debated for five days on RPPs, adding that if any parliamentarian failed to turn up at the debate, it did not mean that parliament had not discussed the issue.

He said a presentation was also given to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) headed by National Assembly Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan while Khawaja Asif was also a member of the committee.

The court asked him whether both parliament and the PAC gave a clean sheet to the RPPs project.

The counsel for PEPCO said no objections were raised during the presentation of the projects.

He said the court was provided wrong information that Rs 50 billion was embezzled in the contracts of the RPPs. He said the government had paid Rs 18 billion as mobilisation advances to the companies to initiate the project so there was no justification for accusations that Rs 50 billion had been embezzled.

The chief justice asked him whether the government had made any viable policy in this regard. Rahim then said the RPPs had been approved by the cabinet and Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) during the government of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz. Later, the court adjourned further hearing until Friday (today).

PM appoints two secretaries ISLAMABAD Staff REpORt

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday appointed two federal secretaries. An official handout said the prime minister appointed Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad (DMG/BS-21) as the secretary for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Division and Mohammad Javed Malik (Secretariat Group/BS-22) as the secretary for National Disaster Management Division.

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

not everybody gets to be happy in the wedding season PAge 08

Serves them right for shaming us g

Citizens satisfied with British court’s spot-fixing case decision, condemn Pakistan Cricket Board LAHORE

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HaSSan SiddiQuE

HE public was generally infuriated with Pakistani cricket stars Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir after the court’s decision regarding the spot-fixing case.

Salman Butt’s house was locked after the verdict but his father, Zulfiqar Butt, said he would unleash the secrets about the mystery in the coming days. Butt’s family members might have left their home to escape backlash.

Citizens sympathied with Muhammad Aamir and hoped for his comeback.

Most citizens endorsed the decision of the British court on penalising the Pakistani trio. As soon as the verdict came appeared on the television screens, Facebook and other platforms were flooded with pubic reaction. Some said this would be a lesson for all the upcoming cricketers whereas others believed that Muhammad Aamir should have been given advantage of his immature age.

“We loved them, we worship them and we used to be proud of them. Look what they have done to us,” said Abbas.

lhC issues notice on petition against Ausaf’s appointment LAHORE Staff REpORt

Another citizen Qaiser said “Shame on our own cricket board. They should have kept an eye on the cricketers and they should have caught them.”

“The media should not humiliate the players,” said Umer, another diehard cricket fan. He also expressed sadness over Muhammad Aamir’s decision but said the rest of them deserved the jail term.

Citizens said it was unfortunate that Pakistan had become a laughing stock because of the greed of three people.

According to Usama, “The money

they earned cannot save them today.

Why couldn’t they be happy with the legal wealth they were earning?”

A conspirAcy?: Some people also considered it a conspiracy against Pakistani cricket.

A businessman Ahsan was of the view that most of the cricketers were involved in corruption and India’s Suresh Raina was also seen with a famous bookie during a World Cup match but unfortunately no action had been taken against the rest.

He also asked how Shane Warne had predicted a tie match between India and

England. “International Cricket Council has always been reluctant to pursue a corruption case against other countries,” he added. best prison boWling AttAcK? Humorous comments were also passed on the issue.

“The trio has played an interesting trick to obtain UK visa,” Ali, a student, said. “It’s a golden chance for Asif and Aamir to learn English,” said Ahmer, another student.

“The prison cricket team will now have the best bowling attack amongst all the prison teams,” said another citizen.

The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Punjab chief secretary and prosecution secretary on a petition challenging the appointment of Punjab Prosecutor General Ashtar Ausaf.

Advocate Arif Kareem filed the petition submitting that the Punjab government and the public prosecution department had conducted interviews for the post of prosecutor general in which 48 candidates appeared.

He said that the Punjab government ignored all applicants and appointed Ausaf, who was the family lawyer of the Sharifs. The petitioner said that the appointment was made against merit and rules due to which it should be set aside.

The next date of hearing will be fixed by the court office. The petition earlier came up for hearing on Wednesday before Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed but he refused to hear it due to his good relations with Ausaf. Afterwards, it was placed before the court of Justice Sheikh Ahmed Farooq.

‘PML-N to get a taste of its own medicine’ lAhore: The PPP will organise a public gathering on the same day whenever the PMLN will hold a gathering at any place to counter it, Punjab Opposition Leader Raja Riaz said on Thursday. He was holding a press conference at the Punjab Assembly Cafeteria. Riaz said that the PPP had tolerated abuses for the politics of reconciliation but now it would react as dirty language was used by the PML-N against the president. He said that negative politics of the PML-N would not be tolerated any more and responded in the same manner. Riaz said that the Punjab government had organised a “patwari show” on October 28 in which the CM used foul language against the president instead of presenting his own agenda. He predicted that the PML-N’s public gathering at Faisalabad would also fail, as Shahbaz had ru-

ined the province and people would never come to PML-N events. He urged Nawaz to instruct his brother for taking real steps against dengue, which was taking around 8 to 10 lives daily.

Riaz said that not a single example of such bad governance existed in history as it was in Punjab with contracts being awarded to ‘friends’ without any tenders adding, that the CM was holding around 19 ministries and the bureaucracy was running the province. Riaz said that Shahbaz’s poor governance had ended the writ of government owing to which law and order was worsening with every passing day. He appealed to the CJP to take suo motu notice of frequent corruption and murders in Punjab. Riaz alleged that the government had closed 12,000 schools and Danish Schools had failed. Staff REpORt

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06 Lahore eid traffic plan ready lAhore: Lahore City Traffic Officer (CTO) Ahmad Mobin said the flow of traffic during Eid days would be supervised by three superintendents of police (SPs), 13 deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), 148 inspectors and 2,890 wardens deployed in the vicinity of mosques, imam bargahs and at various recreational points.

As he announced the traffic plan he said 13 DSPs, 77 inspectors and 1,581 wardens would be deployed on the first day, adding that 13 DSPs, 71 inspectors and 1,309 wardens would be deployed on the second day, whereas 13 DSPs, 71 inspectors and 1,309 warden would be positioned to look over traffic issue of the city on the third day. He said Racecourse Park, the Zoo, Jinnah Park, Minare Pakistan, Jallo Park, Safari Park and other public areas would be kept under surveillance to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

The CTO requested the public park their cars only in parking zones to minimise hurdles in the flow of traffic caused by improperly parked vehicles. Staff REpORt

Friday, 4 November, 2011

Security beefed up for Eid LAHORE

L

Staff REpORt

AHORE Police will remain on high alert on the occasion of Eidul Azha to ensure maintenance of law and order in the city. More than 10,000 police officials, divisional Superintendents of Police (SPs), supervisory police officers (SPOs), station house officers (SHO), sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors have been deputed at the various sensitive points of the city, while the patrolling of mobile squads has been made more effective, said Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ahmad Raza Tahir on Thursday.

He said additional forces had also been deputed at important places, including shopping centres and markets of sacrificial animals established by the city district government. The CCPO said a comprehensive security plan had been chalked out for Eidul Azha, under which more than 10,000 police officials would perform ensure foolproof security for the Eid prayers at all mosques. He added that police officials equipped with metal detectors would be deputed at mosques, imam barghas and other religious places.

The CCPO also directed that foolproof arrangements be made at the entry points of the city and checking of suspicious persons and vehicles undertaken. Tahir said the Lahore Police of-

ficials would celebrate their Eidul Azha by ensuring a secure environment for the citizens of Lahore.

The CCPO called upon Lahore Police personnel to leave no stone unturned to serve the masses and eradicate scourge of crime from society.

He said officials of Police Emergency 15 would remain on high alert to take prompt action on the complaints of citizens. The CCPO appealed to religious leaders and citizens to completely cooperate with the police to make its security plan a success. Tahir also appealed to people to extend their whole-hearted cooperation for the eradication of terrorism and to inform the police about criminals or suspicious elements and vehicles.

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Three people died while a two-month old was injured in different road accidents on Thursday.

Edhi officials said Ghulam Mustafa, 32 and his mother Nargis bibi, 65, died in a car accident in EME society, while his two-month old child survived the crash. The white Mehran the family was traveling in collided with a pole after one of its tyres burst. The injured child was shifted to Jinnah Hospital.

In another incident, Soyen Masih, 65, resident of Modern Colony Kot Lakhpat was going to collect his pension when he was run over by a speeding car on Peko Road. Soyen Masih’s family refused to lodge any complaint with the police. poverty drives mAn to suicide: An under debt purse maker committed suicide due to poverty in the Rang Mahal Police precincts on Thursday.

Police officials said Zahid Butt, 30, resident of Wacho Wali Bazar, committed suicide by hanging himself from a fan. They said Butt had borrowed money for his brother’s cancer treatment.

hospitals to remain open during eid LAHORE Staff REpORt

Punjab Health Department has announced that the hospitals and health establishments would remain open during Eidul Adha holidays due to dengue virus.

Special duties have also been assigned to doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, Health secretary said during a media briefing regarding dengue in King Edward Medical University (KEMU). Vice Chancellor KEMU, Prof. Dr. Asad Aslam Khan, Director Health Information Management System Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua and other officers were present on the occasion.

BiSe employees get only one holiday LAHORE Staff REpORt

Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Lahore employees will have only one Eid holiday, as rechecking of Intermediate-I papers is underway.

The decision was taken by BISE Lahore Chairman Dr Allah Bakhsh to ensure timely rechecking of papers.

fire burns doWn shoe fActory: Valuables worth millions were incinerated after a fire erupted in a shoe factory in the Badami Bagh Police precincts on Thursday.

Fire fighters said a shoemaking factory erupted in flames due to short circuiting. They said the fire quickly engulfed the machinery and raw-materials in flames. They said a fire truck immediately responded to the call and extinguished the flames. The owner of the factory claimed the loss to be in millions of rupees. mAn dies in brAWl: A cafeteria owner died during a scuffle with

customers in a factory in the Kahna Police precincts on Thursday.

Sub-Inspector Arshad said Haji Afzal, 50, resident of Shadab Colony Chung was running a cafeteria in a factory on Ferozpur Road. He said Afzal got into a fight with three employees of the factory: Safdar, Khadim and Saleem. During the fight Afzal fainted and died on the spot. Arshad said an FIR was lodged against the aforesaid three men on the complaint of Azhar’s son under Section 302PPC. He said the three accused had managed to flee from the scene. The body of the deceased was sent to the morgue for autopsy. mAn inJured in mosQue cAve-in dies: A laborer, who got injured four days ago when an underconstruction mosque at Chubergi caved in, died in hospital on Thursday.

Police officials said Muhammad Abid, 35, who got injured on September 30 after a under-construction mosque near Chubergi caved in was shifted to Ganga Ram where he succumbed to his injuries. They said Yasim, the deceased’s father lodged an FIR against Muhammad Abdul, the contractor of the construction site, under Section 322PPC. The body was shifted to morgue for autopsy.

Jazba Foundation continues work lAhore: The Jazba Foundation (JF) had sent 1,000 ration bags to Sindh on October 22 and the second lot of three truck loads of rations was dispatched on Thursday.

The consignment of 1,000 ration bags consisting of rice, cooking oil, wheat, daal moong, sugar, red chillies, tea and washing soap were distributed through the army by former Punjab governor Lieutenant General (r) Khalid Maqbool. pRESS RElEaSE

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

Lahore 07

Lawyers observe ‘blackest day’ g

vow to continue to fight for the supremacy of the constitution LAHORE

T

Staff REpORt

erming it the ‘blackest day’ in the history of the country, the lawyers’ community on Thursday observed black day in condemnation of November 3, 2007 emergency imposed by of General (r) Pervez Musharraf.

The call for the observance of complete strike was given a day ahead by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Punjab bar Council (PBC) and Lahore High Court bar Association (LHCBA).

Accordingly, the lawyers wore black armbands, observed strike, attended bar meetings, and made speeches against Musharraf.

The lawyers recalled the sacrifices made by the legal community during the Lawyers Movement, fighting a long battle on the roads against Muharraf that culminated with his ousting from the power with surprise resignation as last ditch effort for face-saving and subsequent restoration of judges of the superior judiciary.

The strike call remained successful as up to 60 percent lawyers did not appear in the court and a lot of cases had to be adjourned for next dates of hearing by the judges. However in urgent cases like bails petitions the lawyers were seen appearing in the court in sympathy for their clients languishing in jails.

Some lawyers sent their clerks and secretaries

APMl thanks lawyers for not holding strike LAHORE Staff REpORt

The All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) on Thursday expressed gratitude to lawyers, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) for not observing a strike in connection with the anniversary of the emergency imposed by former president and APML President General (r) Pervez

Musharraf in 2007.

The party said that after restoration of CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, pending cases in courts had increased gigantically and the structure of lower courts had made accessibility of justice difficult for the people. A special meeting was held at the APML Punjab Secretariat with APML Spokesman Fawad Chaudhry in the chair.

He said that Supreme Court’s Bench No 1 was considered responsible for all legal activities in the country.

He said that litigants and other people visiting courts were disappointed from the restored judiciary, as it had failed to come up to expectations of the masses.

Fawad said that Musharraf will soon return to Pakistan and with the strength of votes, come into power and make revolutionary changes in the judicial system of the country to restore confidence of the masses on the judiciary.

asking the court for adjournment of their cases of lesser urgency. However, lawyers, wearing black armbands, were present at the bar premises, engaged in chit chat taking sips of tea and coffee, remembering the days of Lawyers. The LHCB held a general house meeting under chair of bar’s president Asghar Ali Gill in connection with black day where a large number of black coats participated and raised slogan against PCO and Musharraf’s emergency/martial law.

Addressing the general meeting, LHCBA President Asghar Ali Gill said “we (lawyers) condemn the unconstitutional and unlawful Nov 3, 2007 steps of military dictator Pervez Musharraf and we will continue to block the way of unconstitutional steps of any government or dictator in future also.” Referring to the differences between the pro-judiciary and pro-PPP/government groups of the lawyers, Asghar Gill said they had right to have difference of opinion as it was one of the beauties of democracy.

However, the lawyers were united in defence of judiciary, Gill said, adding that the lawyers should not serve as political tools of parties. “November 3 is the darkest day I the history of the constitution,” said Secretary LHCBA Arshad Malik Awan, adding that thousands of lawyers and 60 judges were put in the jails by Musharraf when they obstructed him in his evil designs and ambitions to endlessly rule the country by PCO.

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A season of festivities for many, the majority cannot afford the lavish wedding trends being introduced by the haves LAHORE

M

XaRi Jalil

A N SOOR Bhatti, a 70-yearold rickshaw driver, makes enough to feed his family.

However, he will have to borrow a large sum of money for this daughter’s RaSHEEda bibi Maid wedding just a couple of days ahead of Eid. He has managed to educate all three of his daughters who are all ‘BA pass’ and now one of them is to be married. General inflation and income gap are making it impossible for him to arrange funds for a decent wedding function. Borrowing is his only option.

Irrespective of their socio-economic stature in the society, people prefer to hold their weddings in winter because of the bearable temperature and this year, with the wedding season comes the high prices.

Costs for the wedding dress, flowers, tables, tents, lighting, seating arrangements, food and the ancillaries have sky-rocketed, taking them completely beyond the reach of the poor and the middle-class. Gold, which is a necessity in Pakistani weddings, is expected to rise to Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 per tola between the months of November and December.

“By next year gold prices can go up to Rs 100,000 per tola,” says Khwaja Asad, a gold dealer based in Lahore’s Anarkali bazaar. “But this year although rates have varied, I can easily say that due to the weddings, and other events at the end of the year, gold prices will definitely rise.”

Though gold is imported from Dubai, Malaysia, and Europe mostly, and rates are determined by the dollar, the local demand also sets the prices for gold jewellery.

Farzana Jacob, a house maid also complains of the similar issues as Bhatti. “I have to travel to my village for a wedding and the travel costs are over-bearing,” she says pointing out that thanks to the lack of infrastructure people belonging to the lower economic strata cannot even travel for such occasions to their home towns or villages. “Besides that,” she says, “the clothes for our children cost so much that afterwards we forget all about ourselves.” Rising fuel prices, inflation, and devaluation of paper money has resulted in serious price hikes. The gap between the moneyed and the mediocre has widened to such an extent that as one side fails to make ends meet especially for such festive occasions, the other side unashamedly splurges money on trivialities, sometimes only to flaunt their social status. Consistent norms which are deep-rooted in society also continue to cause serious concerns for people.

“My daughter was rejected twice because we could not afford to give her dowry,” says 60-year-old Mehmood, who works in a mechanic shop.

“How will I ever collect so much money to send expensive gifts with her?”

“I did not have enough money to marry my daughter so she ran away with a neighbour,” said Rashida bibi who works as a maid in the Cantonment area, “her father says he will kill her if I express my desire to go meet her.” She said her other 4 daughters had also reached the ‘wedding age’ and she still had not been able to save enough to marry them off. “What do I do? I work in 4 houses but it is still not enough. It is never enough,” she said with tears in her eyes. This issue however does not affect the other side. The wedding season seems to bring joys for many, but this ‘many’ does not include the majority.

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

News 09

Don’t test govt’s patience, KP health minister warns doctors g

zahir Ali Shah says govt has limit to policy of compromise PESHAWAR Staff REpORt

I

KaRaCHi: people wait outside city courts, as lawyers marked a black day on thursday and boycotted courts to mark the 4th anniversary of emergency rule imposed by gen (r) pervez musharraf. ONLINE

SAFMA hails decision of granting India MFN status ISLAMABAD Staff REpORt

South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) Secretary General Imtiaz Alam has welcomed the government’s decision to grant India the status of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) as required by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

In a statement, the SAFMA secretary general said although much delayed, it was a good omen for the success of the agreement to create South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) that was signed in 2004 at the SAARC Summit in Islamabad.

He said with the decision, the bilateral trade was expected to go up to over $6 billion and frequency of trade across the LoC would also go up to the benefit of the Kashmiri people. However, he cautioned that if the non-tariff and para-tariff barriers were not removed, the decision would not help promote trade and investment as had been the case with India’s granting of MFN status to Pakistan long ago. Alam said the decision would help reduce smuggling, trade via third countries, bring down import bill especially on intermediary goods, raise revenues and help meet seasonal scarcity of food items across the borders.

He said the Pakistani manufacturers should be encouraged to explore huge Indian market for their exports and also initiate joint ventures with their Indian counterparts. The decision should also help a liberal and easy visa regime to promote tourism and people to people contacts, he said, adding that improving connectivity across borders, was the most important element in promoting trade, investment and mutually beneficial dependencies.

The SAFMA secretary general called on the two governments to move for-

JI submits adjournment motion on MFN status to India ISLAMABAD Staff REpORt

Senators from the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan on Thursday submitted two adjournment motions on national issues in the Senate.

In the first motion, it said the news of the decision of the cabinet to grant Most Favoured Nation status to India had fallen upon the country as a bombshell.

“This is going to have far reaching economic and political consequences. This is a matter of urgent national importance,” the senators said and begged that the normal business of the House be suspended to discuss the matter.

In the second motion, while giving print media report reference, in which it is said that during the last ten years, commercial banks, both public and private, had made huge profits at the cost of the ordinary depositor.

According to this report, public and private sector banks have swallowed up around Rs 1,100 billion during the last 10 years. This is a matter of urgent national importance, they added and sought discussion on the issue in the House. ward on other items of comprehensive dialogue to create solid basis for peace and cooperation between the two countries and the region at large.

He demanded lifting all barriers on free flow of information and free movement of journalists across South Asian borders. He hoped India and Pakistan would understand each other’s interest in bringing peace in Afghanistan.

Shahzad commission delays recovery of emails until after Eid ISLAMABAD Staff REpORt

Due to the absence of PFUJ President Parvez Shaukat, the probe commission on the killing of senior journalist Saleem Shahzad on Thursday decided to postpone the recovery of emails from the laptop of the deceased until after eid and in the presence of Shauakt, who is also a member of the commission.

A source said that during the meeting

of the probe commission, headed by Justice Mian Saquib Nisar, the head of FIA Cyber Crimes Wing Shahid Baloch appeared before the commission and briefed the commission that his team would facilitate the recovery of the relevant data from the laptop.

Though the meeting was held to recover the email data from the laptop of Saleem Shahzad, the absence of Parvez Shaukat, forced the commission to postpone the arrangement.

N a warning to protesting doctors’ associations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Health Minister Zahir Ali Shah on Tuesday announced the KP government would use tit-for-tat tactics against protesting medical professionals.

Avoiding commenting on whether medical professionals will be brought under ‘essential services’, Zahid said the KP government had used a policy of compromise but the time had come to deal with doctors with an iron-hand.

He said in an already difficult situation in KP, doctors had added to the troubles of poor patients and after their salary hikes Rs 1.3 billion was pent on doctors’ salaries from the government exchequer.The KP health minister was briefing media at the Peshawar provincial health directorate, with the Director General Health Services Muhammad Sharif, Secretary Health Munir Azam,

Lady Health Workers (LHW) Provincial Coordinator Dr Ihsan Turabi about the LHW protests against five months of unpaid salaries.

He said the KP government is planning to restructure the health department through which overlapping programs will be avoided and financials will be streamlined. He said the KP government had arranged Rs 360 million through bridge financing to give LHWs salaries before Eid-ul-Adha. He said the provincial health department was also responsible for the delay. He said he had assured LHWs to resolve their issues through mid-shift arrangements and the amount had been taken as a loan from the KP government. He said workers suspended during the protests would be reinstated since the crisis was not their fault.

Speaking on doctors on deputation, he said the same law applied to them and no extensions would be given after return from deputation. He said, “Either a person will have to leave his serv-

ice or join it again after returning from deputation.” He said officials concerned had been directed to evolve a service structure for nurses, like that of doctors and paramedics, so promotions do not remain a problem.

He said the deficiency of doctors in periphery hospitals was an issue which was addressed through appointing 500 new doctors on adhoc basis and 250 additional doctors will be available soon.

He said the doctors assigned to remote stations will be non-transferable.

He said the process to induct 300 more nurses had begun and the public service commission had been contacted.

He said after 2015 only graduate nurses will be inducted and a B.Sc courses for nurses had been started. He said, “We were deficient in Master Nurses. The government allocated Rs700 million for the masters program for nurses as a four-year course available in four medical institutions. He said about 150 candidates will be selected each year for the four-year Master Nurses program.

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10 News

Friday, 4 November, 2011

restore local government system: ex-nazims GUJRANWALA Staff REpORt

dERa gHaZi KHan: people flock to a cattle market ahead of Eidul adha to buy sacrificial animals on thursday. ONLINE

NATo sees Afghan progress despite attacks brussels: NATO’s chief on Thursday insisted that Taliban insurgents had been weakened in Afghanistan despite “spectacular” headline-grabbing attacks in recent days. Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the NATO mission was “moving in the right direction” and that enemy attacks have actually dropped by 26 percent from July to September compared to the same period last year. “Spectacular attacks capture the headlines. But they don’t capture more ground,” Rasmussen said at a monthly news conference. “They do not allow the enemies of Afghanistan to seize and hold ground. And the bigger picture is different. Overall enemy attacks are decreasing and the enemy has been weakened,” he added. A Taliban car bomb attack struck a NATO convoy on Saturday, killing 17 people including 10 Americans, four Afghans, two British contractors and one Canadian soldier. In another major attack on US interests in Afghanistan, suicide attackers blew up a truck bomb and raided UN and a US development office in the southern city of Kandahar on Monday, Rasmussen said NATO forces would continue to apply pressure on the Taliban-linked Haqqani network in order to coax them into negotiating an end to the fighting in the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan. afp

Absence of ministers continues to irritate senators Deputy Chairman Jamali adjourns proceedings as ‘mark of disillusionment’ for 10 minutes Members ask government to review its decision of two weekly holidays g

g

ISLAMABAD Staff REpORt

A

S a mark of “disillusionment”, Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali adjourned the proceedings of the House for 10 minutes as the absence of federal ministers from the House continued to irritate the senators for the second consecutive day on Thursday. Much to the government’s embarrassment, the presiding officer, Tahir Mashhadi had to defer the question hour to the next session as the ministers concerned were absent from the House.

Giving his ruling on the deferment of the questions, he said, “In no way the absence of ministers who have flouted the democratic norms and let down their own government, can be condoned.”

Calling it an irresponsible attitude on the part of the ministers, he hoped that they would ensure their presence and respond to the queries of the members in future. Chief Whip Islamuddin Sheikh said some of the ministers could not attend the session as they had gone for Haj. Earlier, the senators including Safdar Abbasi, Ishaq Dar, Zahid Khan, Azam Swati and Khurshid Ahmad criticised the government’s attitude towards the Upper House of parliament and demanded deferment of the question hour.

Treasury Senator Safdar Abbasi lashed out at the government for its attitude, saying there was no harmony amongst the cabinet members as a minister had gone against the government in the Supreme Court.

He warned that in the next elec-

tions, the people would hold the PPP accountable. He said FATA members had been raising their concerns for the many days but no one paid heed to them.

Khurshid Ahmed criticised the government for not taking parliament into confidence on the issue of granting status of Most Favoured Nation to India.

Members asked the government to review the decision of two weekly holidays, saying the move was adversely affecting the economy and adding to the problems of the people.

Ilyas Ahmad Bilour‚ Wasim Sajjad‚ Azam Khan Swati and Khurshid Ahmad said the gazetted holidays observed throughout the year should also be slashed. They were of the view that Pakistan being a poor country could not afford two weekly holidays.

Afghan Endgame and the Modern Silk Road ISLAMABAD alam Rind

During her recent visit to the region, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has propagated the concept of a “Modern Silk Road” as an instrument to recover Afghanistan from extremism.

In Tajikistan, she said the integration of war-ravaged Afghanistan into regional economy would be critical to its recovery.

This concept is rooted in the fact that widespread deprivation plays an important role in the Taliban insurgency. In Afghanistan, 40 percent of the population is unemployed and about 53 percent live below the poverty line. Daniel Markey had reported that in Pakistan, Taliban mostly are drawn from Afghan refugee camps and extremist madrassas in the Tribal Areas.

They are uneducated and poor with fewer other employment prospects. They join Taliban groups to earn a living and to enhance their social status. The relationship between poverty and extremism reinforces the idea that economic activity in shape of

Modern Silk Road along with military operations in Afghanistan will make up an effective counterinsurgency campaign. It will also serve as a key ingredient for long term stability in the region. With 2014 as a deadline for the pullout of the major chunk of Americans forces from Afghanistan, they are hectically working to realise their covert objectives in the region, which is to strengthen their grip on the Central Asian resources. The concept of Modern Silk Road and peace in Afghanistan has been interwoven to achieve this objective. The only thing that needs to be seen is that the arrangement accrues equitable responsibilities and benefits for the regional states or otherwise. Istanbul conference held on November 2, 2011 had regional economic cooperation on its agenda.

Interestingly, besides the US and UK, India also participated in the event. That clearly indicates that the US wants India to have greater role in the post-2014 Afghanistan. The new Transit Trade agreement with Afghanistan allows her trucks to carry Afghan good to Wagah border for fur-

ther export to India and the proposition to grant her the Most Favoured Nation status are the steps that reflect change in Pakistan’s stance towards her arch rival. It is also speculated that American sponsored arrangements may create hurdles in assured and uninterrupted flow of energy resources from Central Asia to China.

China has already established land links with Europe. The first route is based on existing Trans-Siberian Railway running from Vladivostok in Eastern Russia to Moscow that connects into Eastern Europe and to Rotterdam. In January 2008, China, Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany implemented this route and agreed to create conditions for regular train service between Europe and Asia.

The train covered the distance of 10,000 km in 10 days as against 40 days via sea. Similarly, a train was launched from Chongquig to Port Antwerp in Belgium in May 2011. It traversed the distance of 11,179kms in 16 days as against 36 days via sea. Nevertheless, the Chinese would like to have access to Central Asian states through

Afghanistan also. Any hurdle in materialising of the same will adversely effect USChina relations.

Another imbalance may crop up if India is given an out of proportion role in Afghanistan. In that case Pakistan will be confronted with an uncomfortable situation of being sandwiched between hostile Afghanistan and India. It will also be extremely difficult for Pakistan to extend transit trade rights to India while core disputes between the two countries continue to persist. More so, if US-China relations grow bitter, Pakistan would be in an awkward situation. The arrangement where India is given greater role and access to Central Asian resources will facilitate her rapid growth. That will help nurture India as a counter weight to China in a shorter timeframe. That certainly won’t be to the liking of Chinese. If Americans want to succeed in their quest to bring stability to Afghanistan and the region as a whole while exercising certain degree of control on Central Asian resources, they need to address the concerns of states contingent to Afghanistan.

Jeeway Pakistan Jeeway MaqamiHakoomat (JPJMH) Chairman Daniyal Aziz said provincial governments were illegally using Local Government (LG) funds and deliberately delaying local government elections in violation of Article 140A of the Constitution.

Daniyal was addressing at a large public meeting at Hermain on Thursday. A large number of women, youth, former Union Council, Tehsil and District Nazims, former councilors and others attended the public meeting. LCA Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and ex-Haripur Nazim Yousaf Ayub, LCA Sindh Convenor and ex-Nazim Sukkur Nasir Shah, LCA Punjab President and ex-Nazim Lodhran Asghar Shah Gilani, LCA Balochistan President and ex-Quetta Nazim Maqbool Lehri and others aaddressed the public meeting.

Daniyal Aziz said today’s participation shook the throne of rulers and if anybody tried to hinder the way of struggle for local governments, which is the democratic right of people, more resistance would be shown against it.

Daniyal said inflation had pushed the poor towards the wall and the poor have been deprived of even a one time meal.

He said this form of democracy is unacceptable where the poor are selling their children. He said inflation is caused to benefit billionaires who are sitting in assemblies. He said in our government there was no inflation He said: “I fie on this form of democracy where prices of petrol and electricity are sky-rocketing and the poor is unable to pay school and hospital fees. He said the days of corrupt rulers are over and now the poor will be empowered.

Aziz said provincial governments, through notifications, had funneled LG funds into MPA discretionary funds which is not permitted by law. He said MPAs were looting funds through contractors using this. He said local governments were the third tier of democracy and the political government had delayed LG polls for two years to usurp the political and democratic rights of local people, including women, minorities, peasants and labourers.

He said inflation could not be controlled through administrative measures but rather through increasing interest rates, which was against the interest of the political leadership, who had taken billions in bank loans.

He said the suspension of the Police Order 2002 had left Public Safety Commissions non-functional and the rights of locals were being violated.

He said Local Council Associations had filed 27 cases over the last two years in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and High Courts in four provinces to restore Local Governments and against the appointment of an administrator instead of Nazims but no progress was seen. Daniyal said each union council should be financially empowered with tehsil status and each tehsil be given the district status.

Training course on gBv response guidelines conducted in Kasur KASUR pRESS RElEaSE

A training course on the Gender based Violence Response Guidelines developed by World Health Organisation, was held for health service providers.

The course was conducted under “Training and Outreach Programme to End Gender based Violence” that is being implemented by the Basic Development Needs Programme in Kasur with the support of WHO, UKAID and Gender, Justice and Protection (GJP).

The focus of the training was to educate health service providers for sensitive response towards survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) at health care facilities. The health service providers framed recommendations on contextualizing prevalence and dynamics of sexual violence, medical ethics and implementation of guidelines.

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

Editor’s mail 11

Destroying agrarian economy Price of urea fertiliser has once again been increased by Rs 450 per bag. The last increase of Rs 202 was only two weeks back while the total increase in two weeks is 47 percent. This increase is over and above the previous frequent jumps.

Price per bag of urea was around Rs 950 last year while current price is Rs 2000 (ie, 111 percent increase in a year).

People are in a shock but have no choice

as no crop can be cultivated without generous use of nitrogen; a necessity government knows and tries to exploit.

Wheat and other important food crops have become unviable to cultivate on present input prices (fertiliser, diesel and electricity); then, where the agriculture sector comprising 70 percent of country’s population will get income and people their food from? By ignoring the livelihood of 70 percent people, the pres-

rejoinder ent government has a solution for the food problem.

As they discourage local cultivation by increasing input prices to unprecedented level, they import cheaper food items. This strategy seems serving threefold purpose for the rulers. They earn more revenue for exchequer and margins from black-marketing for themselves; earn kickbacks from importers and foreign sellers and further weaken country’s

economy.

Before present government’s depravity set in, many people were of the view that democracy even in its worst form was better than dictatorship. I am sure they did not know what the worst form of democracy could be. Four years of Zardari-Gilani rule has compelled everybody to rethink.

IMRAN HOTIANA Lahore

Naval war College The Punjab government has asked the Navy authorities many a time to shift the War College from the Mall Road to some suitable location away from the civilian population. The authorities did not care. Navy building has already been attacked in the past and there is a possibility of it being targeted again. Moreover, there is no justification for locating the War College on the Mall Road, which is nowhere near any river or sea, other than the smelly canal that usually serves as a sewage drain.

Most worried are the top honchos of the Punjab government, the DMG and the PSP types, who live in palatial villas of the GOR-1. They fear being caught in the crossfire if the terrorists attacked the college. Of course, lives of the bureaucrats are more precious than the lives of the poor civilians. Even if the tussle is between the Navy and Punjab bureaucracy, the location of the War College in the middle of the city is inappropriate.

The Navy is suggested to vacate the villa, and the Punjab government is suggested to put it to a proper use.

DR JAFFER KAPADIA Lahore

Showing-off As the date of Eid-ul-Azha is coming near, the charms of this festival are touching their peaks. But what we observed today is that most of the people among us have really forgotten the purpose of sacrificing. They just buy the cattle to show that they belong to elite class.

This act not only vanishes the gist of sacrifice and develops inferiority complex in some people. People must fulfill their obligation only for its acceptance. This step collectively can lower down the high rates of cattle market indeed.

ANUM AFROZ Karachi

For Senator Durrani Senator Durrani has has filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a good initiative but only politically motivated, seeking recovery of black money estimated at 500 billion dollars hidden

by Pakistani nationals in the secret accounts in offshore banks of Switzerland, Spain, UK, USA and unnamed properties being operated upon through agents and front-men of corrupt Pakistani politicians, civil and military bureaucrats and businessmen. The court has directed him to do some needful for resubmission.

I request Senator Durrani and Mr Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary, Chief Justice of Pakistan, to include two issues as well; namely, to investigate as to who were the people and how much individually was pulled out of their accounts and transferred abroad just a day before Nawaz Sharif announced seizure of foreign currency accounts. It was reported then that the rich were tipped off before time. That is why very little came in hands on seizure of these dollar accounts. Rather than punishing those account holders, the focal point be made those bank managers who helped all this.

Secondly, a lot was heard and read about Kalia and Khanani and still occasionally is heard but how strange our judicial system is that till today not a single word has leaked out or became public any hint of names whose money these two allegedly siphoned out abroad. So the whole system, it appears, is that if under any compulsion any issue is forced to be taken up, then protect those who are actually “technical experts” (functionaries) in actively helping such loot and plundering. Until this “middle man technical expert” is not taken due serious care of with, an intent to route out the disease will never end.

JAVED Karachi

This refers to the news report “Behind pro-Zardari MQM rally lies a deal with PPP” published in your newspaper on 31 October 2011. The report alleges that the rally organised by the MQM in Karachi on 30 October was the outcome of “settling core issues with the PPP”. It also alleges that demands were made from the MQM side during the meeting with Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik to stop the on-going Rangers operation in Karachi. I reject the report as baseless.

MQM Chief Mr Altaf Hussain has been calling for indiscriminate action against the killers, extortionists, land grabbers, drug peddlers and terrorists involved in undermining peace and stability in Karachi. The rally at Tibet Centre was not planned in advance and was not even remotely connected with the meeting in London. A decision was taken by the o-ordination Committee of the MQM to organise a protest rally against the unparliamentary language used by the Chief Minister of Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

This report is baseless and far from truth.

ENGR NASIR JAMAL Central Information Committee, MQM

Plea to imran Khan

Spot-fixing scandal The press reads that spot-fixing scandal tarnishes Pakistan’s image in the world. True enough, sadly. But, out of the numerous other scandals, is there even one that has not dis-

our political culture Pakistan lacks genuine political leadership which is the basic requirement for democracy to flourish and its fruits to be delivered to the people, who are supposed to be the power base of electoral democracy. Time has run out for such politics because the patience of people has also run out. In a democratic culture, men who lead political parties are never worshipped like pirs, but are open to public scrutiny and criticism. When political leaders want to behave like demons and address rallies that remind us of similar rallies addressed by fascist leaders like Hitler or Mussolini, then it is cause for concern. Leaders of such political parties have to lead by example and are therefore judged according to a higher code of ethics and propriety than that applicable to common citizens, because if elected they would be in the corridors of power and the policies that they draft will impact lives of millions. Such men have to place all their assets open for public scrutiny and should have no criminal record, drug addiction or any involvement in financial indiscipline.

Resort to violence and intimidation as a tool for asserting influence have no place in a democratic political culture.

There should be no conflicts of interest such as building industrial empires and increasing their land holdings while in power. Leaders of political parties that

graced the country at home and abroad?

form part of a sitting government should be based in Pakistan and all their stakes and assets should be located in Pakistan.

Unfortunately, most of political parties in this country are being run like fascist parties, where leaders are worshipped and no party worker can dare to differ with him. Almost all major financial corruption scams involving pilferage of billions have a trail that leads to political party leaders sitting in power.

Abusing their powers of discretion and laws of land are considered perks of power and there is not even any remorse or embarrassment when caught red handed. Obstruction of justice is done as a matter of right and show of power.

Once elected, they want to assume powers of dictators and lose all contact with people, whose votes put them there in the first place.

MALIK TARIQ ALI Lahore

FAROOQ ZAMAN Lahore

After the recent judgment given by jury of Crown prosecution, I think the cricketers who are found guilty in these cases should be banned for life, trialed in courts of Pakistan as well and their assets should be taken into confiscated. I think these players should be given punishment so that a lesson could be given to other players in order to save the nation’s integrity and shame from these types of

activities in future.

The ICC’s anti-corruption unit which is working to stop corruption in cricket did nothing in controlling such incidents before hand. The government and the PCB should take strong steps to clean up the domestic cricket. The cricketers should be asked to give the details of their bank accounts and they should be regularly checked by boards.

BILAL AHSAN Islamabad (II) Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty of fixing parts of a Test match against England in a case that has thrown the credibility of the international game into doubt.

Former Test captain Butt and fast bowler Asif face jail after a court in London convicted them of deliberately bowling three no-balls during the Lord's Test in August 2010 as part of a "spot-fixing" betting scam.The cricketers who have defamed the country internationally must be given exemplary punishment so that no one dares defame the country again. I suggest no leniency should be observed to them and their guilt be treated as treason.

Further, I suggest in the greater national interest of the country, informal ban of taking Sindhi and Balochi speaking players in national teams for cricket and hockey must be lifted immediately.

MOHAMMAD KHAN SIAL Karachi

corrupt.

Perhaps the only solution lies in closing down this airline, followed by rehiring the best and most qualified of employees with no issues of lack of integrity. Airlines all over the world, faced with similar problems, have resorted to such remedial measures to get rid of the cancers that afflict them from within. Political interference by the sitting government and the dictator that preceded it has destroyed PIA. The award of exclusive procurement of technical spares to Transworld Aviation FZE, based in Dubai will only further aggravate the serviceability of its grounded fleet.

Unfortunately, the crisis that afflicts PIA is neither lack of passengers nor skilled human resources, but its misman-

agement and massive pilferage by a corrupt and incompetent management dominated by unqualified cronies, all with a controversial political patronage and visible conflict of interest. Be it leasing of aircraft, procurement of technical stores, or choice of appointing GSA and GHA, violation of transparent laid down procedures are a common factor.

While airlines all over the world prefer to acquire technical spares from a range of varied approved vendors, PIA has decided to appoint an unknown sole vendor. This will deny PIA not just competitive prices, but cause prolonged technical delays and grounding. Almost every vendor supplying aviation spares offers a credit line.

The factors that dictate the choice of a supplier for aircraft parts depend on

Cricket corruption

People of Pakistan have shown their trust on your leadership and are prepared to ignore certain part of your political ideology, plan to deal with the Taliban and foreign policy issues.

No doubt the majority of people are fed up with old politicians due to their failure to solve the multifaceted problems faced by the people. The present leaders of PPP and PML(N) disappointed the people.

Instead of working for the welfare of masses, they have been looking after their personal interest.

It is imperative that you should not form any alliance with corrupt politicians, even with those who have their own winning constituency.

During election, the party tickets should be given to those whose reputation is above board even if they don’t have experience of contesting the election, because the people want change and the change will be visible only when new politicians will replace the old rotten politicians.

S T HUSSAIN Lahore

result delayed The National Testing Service (NTS) is a laudable institution which has been conducting various tests for admissions in medical colleges and engineering universities. Written examinations of various jobs are also taken by the said institution time and again.

On 16 October, I appeared in test for the post of Section Officer (BS-17) conducted by National Testing Service on behalf of the National Assembly.

The staff over there clearly told us that the result would be announced in one week but unfortunately it has not happened yet even though many more days have passed.

It seems that there is something wrong. I request authorities to look into the matter and get the result announced on merit basis.

DR IRFAN ALMANI Chakwal

The fate of PiA The decision by PIA to eradicate a Revenue Management System that offered its clients a variety of competitive fares based on seasonal loads and routes will only translate into loss of much needed revenue passengers. Instead of stopping pilferages by the nexus of corrupt executives within PIA marketing, procurement and corporate planning divisions, an incompetent management has chosen to raise their fares astronomically high.

Irregularities in RBDs for Umra or Hajj and other peak load seasonal sales of tickets have led to pilferage of billions in revenues for the airline, when marketing officers in connivance with select travel agents released bulk seats at low fares to them, causing financial losses to PIA, with a bonanza for this nexus of the

the location of the vendor and his proximity to the site of the aircraft grounded and availability of part at the most affordable cost to an airline.

In case an airplane is in a critical state such as Aircraft On Ground status, airlines tend to pay higher price to expedite their operation and earn valuable revenues. It seems PIA by default will be resorting to buy expensive spares, because every technical delay will lead to an AOG status, since the airline has made a suicidal mistake of denying itself a range of vendors by limiting their supply line to one vendor with a first right of refusal.

Those responsible for this criminal decision have done immense damage to this vital national asset.

GULL ZAMAN Peshawar

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 may be edited for length and clarity.

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12 Comment Ankara rounds looking at islamabad’s options

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Is cricket cricket now?

wo round of talks on Afghanistan, including tripartite Pak-Afghan-Turk summit and a conference of representatives from around 20 countries, have ended to be followed by a larger Bonn conference early next month. The tripartite summit achieved minor successes centred on providing Turkey greater leverage in Pak-Afghan disputes. It was agreed to induct Ankara into the training of Afghan security forces and to launch a joint tripartite mechanism to investigate Rabbani’s murder. The idea of regional cooperation cropped up at both the summit and the conference. As Zardari strongly supported regional cooperation at the summit, it was made clear that he visualized a cooperation between Islamabad, Kabul and Ankara ‘guided’ by Turkey.

At the larger conference India insisted that regional cooperation had to be an inclusive platform to address the common challenges facing the region. Further, the platform was required “to assist Afghanistan in the transition and beyond.” Karzai’s position was no different as he maintained that there was no hope for peace in Afghanistan without help from ‘neighbours’ to combat terror groups. At both the summit and the conference, Karzai called for greater assistance from Pakistan action against terrorist strongholds in the tribal areas which he maintained was not forthcoming Kabul readily agreed to the inclusion of Turkey in the regional cooperation mechanism on account of the Turkish clout in Afghanistan based on historical links, ethnic ties with the Afghan Uzbeks and development assistance. It wants India to be included on account of New Delhi’s potential to provide aid and help in the development of infrastructure. While this creates apprehensions in Pakistani establishment, New Delhi with its huge $1.3 billion aid package cannot be just wished away.

Islamabad can do three things. First, to enhance economic cooperation with both India and Afghanistan as an incentive for them to maintain friendly ties with Pakistan. Second, to hunt out the terrorists irrespective of their affiliations to remove the stigma of supporting terrorism. Third, to bring in both Turkey and China into the proposed regional cooperation mechanism to offset any possible imbalance created by New Delhi’s presence.

Finally

the pawns have been taken out but what about the hand that moves them?

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By Ejaz Haider

Most favoured nation

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most significant development, the granting of the Most Favoured Nation status to India. What this means, to the uninitiated, is that India’s exports are going to be treated exactly the way exports from other countries are. Lest the churlish get all worked up over this, the Indians gave us the MFN status back in 1996.

The right-wing parties have spoken out against the decision. Interestingly, the profile of this group, the one that opposes the peace-through-trade initiatives, has started occupying the far right end of the political spectrum. The mainstream right and centre-right parties, the Muslim Leagues, particularly Nawaz Sharif’s faction, have become staunch advocates of such plans. The normalisation of trade ties between the two countries looks like a foregone conclusion, despite being scuttled occasionally by certain unfortunate events.

The reason for all this is that though certain segments might be hit initially, it is a win-win situation for both sides.

Consumers on both sides of the border will benefit because of surpluses in particular crops on either side. And since the global food crisis extends to India as well, the relative prosperity that the agricultural community has been enjoying of late owing to a rise in prices, won’t be interrupted. Once the immediate problems of competition hits the Pakistani farmers of certain crops, there can be an adjustment period following which freer trade between the countries will do everyone good.

Gone is the erstwhile “Hindu growth rate” of India.

Gross inequalities in the Indian economy aside, there is impressive absolute growth in India that should spill over into neighbouring countries if there is free enough trade.

Of course, certain apprehensions can be more than addressed by the Indians. If they were to work on non-tariff barriers and the troublesome visa restrictions (which, granted, both sides have) they can go a long way in making the dream of a freer subcontinent true.

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

Friday, 4 November, 2011

o, the trio of Butt, Asif and Amir have got their sentences.

We wanted them hung, drawn and quartered. The argument was simple: the three have disgraced Pakistan, brought disrepute to Pakistan cricket, let down the cricket-mad Pakistani nation, they must pay for it.

Why do I find it difficult to share in this rage against them? Or, feel that while it is important to clean up the game and make people accountable, it is advisable to place the corruption of these boys in a broader context, the money and gambling racket whose tentacles are everywhere and which is sponsored by people who use these players as pawns?

Of course, individual greed plays its role. Some players are more amenable to it than others. That is how it works everywhere. One Pakistani player defected and publicly recorded the fact that he was threatened by the mafia if he didn’t play to lose. Someone else would decide to play along if that’s the only game in town.

I was sitting vis-à-vis Salman Butt only a couple of weeks ago, a chance meeting at a dinner, trying to get a sense of what was going on. He was tense. He expressed the hope that he wouldn’t be indicted because Amir had confessed. I got the feeling that Asif and he, the two senior players, along with their lawyers perhaps, had devised a plan to get Amir to confess so the other two could probably walk away from the mess. Amir, for his part, was likely to get a lenient sentence, if at all, and the damn nightmare would be over.

I am no lawyer but I came away from that chance meeting with two thoughts: their plan, if it could be called that, was clever by half and unlikely to succeed. And the two seniors were being selfish in their hope that by presenting Amir as the sacrificial lamb they would escape the knife. Deep down, however, I could sense Butt’s unease. He wasn’t sure it would work but that was his only hope.

I felt sorry for them.

Now they have turned upon each other. Accusations are flying thick and fast. We are commenting on how the covenant among thieves has fallen apart.

Another disgrace has been added to their already disgraced personas.

It is so easy, commenting, when we face no real moral challenge ourselves. When we are down and out, not all of us can pen a beauty like George Orwell.

Most of us will either beg and short-change or knife and mug others, depending on how we are constituted. But the moral

challenge doesn’t only and always reside in adversity. Prosperity is equally susceptible to falling prey to greed or we wouldn’t have had Rajaratnams of the world making fast bucks through, as in his case, insider trading.

Moral challenge is tricky business and one doesn’t need to read the trolley experiments to figure out its complexities. William Golding tried to start with school children marooned on an island to see how they would interact and found that before long the island resembled the world we are so familiar with: competition, aggression, vanity, greed, struggle for resources, all the assorted sins, biblical and secular.

The case of these cricketers is of people caught between the two extremes of rags and riches. Many, like Asif and Amir, make it big and lose perspective. I am less sympathetic to Butt on that score. He should have acted with more sense both because he was the skipper and because he didn’t come from the street. Yet, as I noted, prosperity may not be a thwarting factor in playing such games on and off field.

Now they have had their comeuppance. Butt has not only paid for it through a wrecked career but more personally by having his child’s birthday on the same day that he was found guilty. That is a recurring motif he will have to live with for the rest of his life – it’s a terrible punishment that I’d not wish on anyone.

But what does make me angry is the fact that in this sorry saga no one has paid attention to the absolutely unsavoury role of Pakistan Cricket Board, the body that must be blamed primarily for this turn of events. The PCB is supposed to promote cricket: find young cricketers, train and groom them, keep an eye on their activities and when needed, punish them to send a message to everyone that any behaviour that is not cricket will not be tolerated.

If this is the role PCB has to play

and we are agreed on it, then we can be absolutely sure on the basis of empirical evidence that it has failed to play it.

Even in cases where it has sought to punish players for being out of line, it has done so either belatedly or halfheartedly. It allowed or tolerated many misdemeanours by senior players and because none was really punished, the PCB laid the ground for junior players to emulate bad examples. Leadership requires setting the right example.

Going by that, these players played on the pitch prepared for them by the PCB. If the PCB had taken cognisance of this issue at home, we would have been spared this saga in an English court.

Finally, what about the money flowing into the game and impacting players? Money is good, we are told, it helps the game and the players. Not always, I say. Rashid Latif blew the whistle on what money was doing back in the mid-90s. Talk to anyone who observes cricket and they would tell you how powerful the mafias have become.

And yes, they can, and actually kill people. It’s billions of dollars we are talking about. There are nexus players between big business and crime syndicates. And much of this money resides in India, the country where millions of fans help sponsors make mega bucks.

Not all of this money and activity is illegit. But much of it is. The line that separates the legal from the illegal gets diffused at many places. The big players can have teams of smart lawyers and accountants who are the sherpas in this terrain. Taking out cricket players is fine; it should be done. But that is just mopping up the floor. The court in London might like to look at the tap that’s running and would continue to run long after the trio of Butt, Asif and Amir are pushed into oblivion, left to deal with their disgrace privately.

The writer is Contributing Editor, The Friday Times.

Regional press

The human cost of war Daily Pakhtun Post

T

he ring leader of the so-called war on terror America has started making a mockery of both Afghanistan and Pakistan as on one hand America wants cooperation with these countries but on the other hand it is pursuing policies that are badly affecting the innocent masses of both the countries in the region.

Currently the killings of innocent people (civilians) have doubled in Afghanistan as the alien forces’ activities have taken a heavy toll on them in the name of action against terrorists. No solution of the issue is in view despite the country concerned harping on the topic time and again.

But one thing is clear: the killings of civilians in attacks carried out by American forces and that of allied ones is only creating further difficulties for nobody but the Americans as hatred levels rise against it. This rampant anti-Americanism cannot be good for any policy, whether military or political, that it wants to pursue in the region.

Also these rising incidents of what is dubbed ‘collateral damage’ will adversely affect the joint strategy chalked out with the Afghan government. America needs to ‘avoid’ killings of innocent people in Afghanistan and leave the people to live their own life that in turn would be helpful in bringing peace back to the region.

– Translated from the original Pashto by Abdur Rauf Khattak

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

Comment 13

Imran in the Zone? Banning halal?

Of food, faith and furores.

maybe. maybe not.

Jottings

By Agha Akbar

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here are occasions in a sportsman's career when everything he touches seems to turn to gold. Every move he makes, in whichever sport he displays his wares, seems a most natural and easy thing. Time slows down, the ball floats towards him and the feet move effortlessly. The senses of sight, speed and instinct are heightened. Every shot he tries comes off seemingly without effort. His mind is calm as a millpond. And winning just happens!

In sport, this is known as being in ‘The Zone’. All athletes strive to be in ‘The Zone’ but it is an elusive spot. Only the champions are in or near the zone most of the time. This is the Holy Grail of Sport.

At the twilight of his career, in 1992, Imran Khan was surely in that zone. He predicted that he would capture the World Cup. Literally down and out (the odds were indeed long: 50-1) when he made that claim, he had pinned his hope on a miracle – and the miracle happened for him.

In the political arena, which has been more of a ‘timeless test’ spanning nearly 16 barren years he has been consigned to the wilderness – to the point that the ‘exile’ almost seemed to have attained a sense of permanence. He seemed at a loss, desperately in search of another miracle.

Now all of a sudden after a decade and a half’s sweat and toil, and being mocked at, something that would have broken the heart of the most persevere, especially with so little to show for all the effort, he is again predicting a triumph – an electoral victory that will catapult him to power.

If the turnout at Gujranwala

and Faisalabad had given him confidence, Lahore’s mammoth gathering– with well over a hundred thousand responsive souls in attendance and a rocking middle class carnival effect– was a resounding statement that must have, above all, surprised him.

After many a false start, the size of the audience at Lahore alone seems to have given Imran a sense of arrival, and a born-again self-belief.

He had come to his home town to beard the self-proclaimed Lion of Punjab in its den.

Whether he has succeeded in that remains to be seen, but his impressive show has left the PML(N) smarting. The PTI had already assumed the status of a spoiler in the KP and central and northern Punjab, and that was enough to send shivers down the PML(N)’s spine, for this had been Nawaz territory since 1985. The threat must have been considered serious enough by the party think tank for Shahbaz Sharif to unsportingly hold his own rally two days before and paint himself into a corner with a speech so uncouth and hysteric in nature that October 30 made Imran look even taller.

While Imran has raged and Shahbaz has ranted, the PPP has been cool and composed. Only one little statement from the PM: the PML(N) is targeting the government and the president only because Imran is denting it in its stronghold. The PPP’s not getting into a verbal brawl also was a hint that Shahbaz's speech had little impact on it. If your ‘mortal threat’ in response gets a yawn, one should know where one is standing, and by now the PML(N) perhaps has got the message.

The MQM’s gesture in holding a rally in support of the government though must have been appreciated by the PPP. (The MQM certainly has a card sharper’s nous about producing the trump it needs at the right moment. It had turned Karachi into a vast killing field and was asking Zardari to resign when the intent was to pressurise the government. And now when it wanted to score with the government, an angelic pro-democracy, pro-Zardari and, to settle its own score, an anti-Nawaz show).

Imran may consider gathering under his banner apolitical middle class of all ages (but mostly the youth) a stellar performance, but does that make him the rising son of our politics?

Is he really in The Zone politically? Has his path to power been paved by hitting his main Punjabi rivals for a six in the context of the jalsas?

The next elections are eons away. The public sentiment may change, and the PML(N) may regroup in the interregnum. Then the PTI has so far only been a one-man show, and that is not enough to get to power in a parliamentary democracy. While the jalsa was choreographed very well, a similar modicum of organisation is nowhere in sight where the party apparatus and working is concerned.

The fact that there is no dependable second tier of leadership for a party that has been around for a while, and Imran (‘The bigger the jalsas, the more people would join PTI’, has been his mantra) is depending on gathering his ‘electables’ by staying on the road. From the evidence thus far, he will get a decent audience, but whether this rolling around will get him some credible electoral moss is debatable.

To most political analysts, he may have lots of populist slogans, but he seems to lack a tangible agenda, any real depth and understanding of the issues confronting the country. The anti-climax on his big day was that he had nothing much to say, other than the same old spiel that he continues to mouth in one TV programme after another.

This though apparently doesn't matter to his supporters. For them, it seems, the persona suffices. But it is definitely not enough to win an election– even from the urban centres.

Though one is not a betting man, the odds on Imran winning at the next hustings remain as long as they were on his team in that 1992 spring. Can he skipper his motley crowd of a party to similar success? Would another miracle happen for him?

The writer is Sports and Magazines Editor, Pakistan Today.

By Naqib Hamid

T

his has been a difficult year for multiculturalism in Europe. And it seems that there may be a new controversy in the making as some Dutch lawmakers plan to pass a legislation against ritual slaughter in Netherlands, thereby disallowing Muslims as well as Jews to produce Halal and Kosher meat, respectively. This article examines this issue and its various dimensions.

Some members of the Dutch parliament have been advocating lately the prohibition of slaughter methods prescribed by religious regulation of the Muslim and Jewish communities, causing dismay among the two religious minority communities in Netherlands. The new legislation, having been passed by the Parliament already this June and awaiting consideration in the Dutch Senate, if put into effect, will bar the Muslims and Jews to slaughter animals before these have been stunned; effectively making butchering of animals according to religious rites illegal. If successful, the ban will affect almost a million Muslims living in Netherlands as well as an estimated Jewish community of 40,000-50,000 adherents.

The bill was initially proposed by The Party of the Animals, a political outfit with only two seats out of the 146seat Dutch Parliament on animal welfare grounds, holding the viewpoint that failing to stun the animals before slaughter subjects them to unnecessary pain and that there is a “worldwide consensus among scientists that animals

suffer terrible if they are not first stunned before slaughter.”

When brought to the Parliament for debate and discussion it gained support from the centrist parties ‘on secular scientific grounds.’ The move for such a ban, in itself, is a controversial step, having the potential to spark tensions. Yet the entire philosophy of this movement acquires a different meaning, when one notices that controversial personalities like Geert Wilders are its leading supporters.

Analysing the case at hand from the sociology of religion perspective is extremely interesting. First of all is the pluralism debate that lies at the heart of the affair; the increasingly visible nexus of cultural conservatism movements and political advocacy, and the widening gulf between public religion and the secular mindset. Secondly, one wonders whether Europe’s Enlightenment scheme is, in anyway, slowly changing? Thirdly is the fact that this potential ban does not only affect the Muslim community but also the orthodox Jewish groups, something which many Muslims groups may find hard to accept, the general perception being that conservative Europeans have always been pro-other faiths, so as to speak, in comparison to Islam. Also, it will be essential to see how the religious communities, particularly the Muslims across the world, react to this step.

It will also be important to see how the socio-economic dimension of this ban will affect the two communities, if it is put into effect, since both will have to import meat from other parts of Europe for their consumption. Will other European countries also follow suit?

And given the privilege to engage with this topic on an existential level, the ban somehow arrives as an intricate test for all of us about what ‘rights’ actually are, whether of human communities or animal populations. And at a deeper level, it should also make us engage in the query about what pain really means, whether to animals

or for humans.

In the days ahead, it will be interesting to see how the Muslim and Jewish communities negotiate with the situation.

Will the Muslim community in Netherlands join hands with their fellow People of the Book for an organised, collective effort towards revoking the ban or will the traditional negative views dividing the faiths let the ban’s supporters prevail.

Similarly what will be the strategy of the two faith communities to ‘prove’, so as to speak, the validity of slaughtering rites not on religious grounds only but rather, perhaps just as significantly, scientific grounds. Currently the International Union for Muslim Scholars, under Yusuf alQaradawi, has been the leading voice for the Muslims in this issue asking ‘Western governments to initiate a scientific symposium inviting specialists on the animal world, religious scholars from minorities and the European Council for Fatwa and Research to discuss the means of scientific slaughter.’ However, Muslim scholarship with its traditional attitude of believing in and propagating taken for granted matters - without realising that the secular-scientism of the West is challenging many of these - may find this to be a perplexing task.

After controversies on religious symbols, dress and architecture as well as freedom of expression, we may soon witness a schism over food and faith in a changing state of affairs in Europe too. Voting on the issue is likely to take place sometime in December.

Whether the legislation will be approved by the Dutch senate or not is unclear as yet as some Dutch MPs are calling it a very sensitive matter. However the issue itself shows that the debate over pluralism, religious values, human, and now animal rights, is here to stay.

The writer teaches sociology at the University College Lahore (UCL). He can be reached at naqibhamid@gmail.com

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16 Foreign News libya central bank looks to iMF amid cash crisis TRIPOLI REutERS

Libya’s acute cash crisis is set to get worse and its banking system requires a complete overhaul that will be guided by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the central bank’s recently appointed governor said.

Saddek Omar Elkaber, head of the central bank, said just $1.5 billion out of around $170 billion of Libyan assets abroad had been unfrozen, and with the first delivery of the war-torn country’s new banknotes still nearly two months away, the liquidity crisis was far from over. “The first shipment will arrive at the end of December... We are going to have to manage the liquidity problem until then,” Elkaber said.

Reform of Libya’s banking system should be guided by a roadmap assembled by international bodies including the IMF, the new governor said, but for now the central bank’s priority was coping with the banknote shortage.

Wage increases, medication and reconstruction are putting a further strain on the very limited cash supply, and queues outside banks have grown longer this week ahead of the greater Eid festival of sacrifice, when families traditionally buy a sheep for slaughter at a cost of around 500 Libyan dinars ($410).

A lack of cash as well as a shortage of animals has caused prices to rise by several hundred dinar, compounding the problem.

Despite a UN resolution scrapping sanctions following the death of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi, the process of unfreezing Libyan assets is lengthy because the money is spread out across many countries with different regulations.

“The promises have been made for the media,” Elkaber said.

Friday, 4 Novermber, 2011

China and Russia pressure European Union, dangle aid CANNES

E

afp

MERGING giants pressured EU countries at the G20 on Thursday to solve their debt crisis, with Beijing dangling $100 billion in rescue funds if the eurozone guarantees its bailout will work. Along with China, Russia cautiously offered Europe financial aid, but President Dmitry Medvedev also scolded European governments, saying that they must act more decisively to clear up their mess.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but in my opinion our partners’ actions need to be much more dynamic and decisive to bring about order,” Medvedev said. Medvedev met his Brazilian, Indian, Chinese and South African counterparts ahead of the official opening of the G20 summit where they “discussed the European debt crisis.”

Kremlin economic advisor Arkady

Dvorkovich added that the leaders agreed that they would “work out a common position of BRICS member states on the eurozone.” Individually, the emerging giant leaders also warned their EU counterparts that they had to steer the continent out of the crisis to avoid dragging the world economy into a new recession. Chinese President Hu Jintao told his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy that Europe had primary responsibility for resolving the debt crisis, adding that he had confidence that it has “all the wisdom and capability” to fix the problem. Beijing also said it could provide up to $100 billion (73 billion euros) in support for the eurozone, a member of the Chinese central bank’s monetary policy committee said in an interview Thursday. If certain conditions are met “one could think that an amount around 100 billion dollars is not inconceivable,” Li Daokui said.

The European Union has been looking eagerly to China’s war chest of $3.2

trillion in foreign exchange reserves which it hopes could help bankroll the expansion of its bailout fund to one trillion euros to contain its debt crisis.

The head of the European Financial Stability Facility, Klaus Regling, travelled to Beijing last Friday for talks about a possible contribution, but China has so far made no firm commitment to provide financial assistance. Beijing wants certainty that the EFSF package works. In addition, China wants to know what sort of guarantees would be offered if the bailout fails. On Thursday, Medvedev said that “Russia is part of Europe, and its problems concerns us.”

“We will participate in financial aid programmes in EU countries, at least through the IMF,” he added. Brazil said earlier that it would not purchase European bonds but would provide help via an IMF-administered fund. Separately, Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner slammed the current system of “anarchic financial capitalism.”

She said: “What I propose is a return to real capitalism... because what we are experiencing now is not capitalism, it is anarchic financial capitalism where nobody has any control.”

EU leaders thought they had put the Greek debt crisis to bed with a rescue plan on October 27. But Greece shocked the markets with an announcement that it would put the package to a referendum.

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued a strong statement, saying that “much more needs to be done” to restore investors’ confidence in the eurozone. “The twin summits of the European Union and eurozone a few days ago have helped to restore a measure of confidence in the markets, but much more needs to be done,” Singh said.

“It is imperative the difficult decisions needed to address the economic challenges in Europe and elsewhere are taken swiftly,” the Indian prime minister said.

Bangladesh war crimes defence ‘harassed’: hrw DHAKA afp

Human Rights Watch called on Thursday for Bangladesh to investigate threats to defence lawyers and witnesses at a court probing alleged war crimes from the nation’s 1971 war of independence.

The court, set up last year to try people suspected of carrying out atrocities during Bangladesh’s bloody nine-month battle against Pakistan, is due to start its first trial on November 20. “Harassment of defence counsel and witnesses further tarnishes a flawed process,” Brad Adams, Asia director at the New York-based watchdog, said.“If the Bangladeshi government wants these trials to be taken seriously it must (make) sure that lawyers and witnesses don’t face threats or coercion.”

Threats have been made against lawyers representing Delawar Hossain Sayedee - a leader of the Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami who is charged with 20 counts including crimes against humanity and genocide, the campaign group said.

CANNeS: Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron talks to US President Barack obama, german Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy before the start of the g20 Summit of major world economies. AFP

Israel halts UNESCO funding over Palestine membership g

Palestinian UN campaign promises more tensions JERUSALEM afp

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday ordered a halt to Israel’s financial contributions to UNESCO after the organisation granted the Palestinians full membership. “Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered the freezing of Israel’s contributions to UNESCO,” the premier’s office said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Palestinians insist they will seek membership in more world bodies in the face of US and Israeli opposition, even as all sides suffer damage in the campaign for UN statehood.

After the UNESCO vote this week to accept Palestinian membership, more than a dozen other UN agencies and international bodies are on the Palestinians’ checklist - with full UN membership as the ultimate prize.

The Palestinians hope to become signatories to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, according

to the head of their UN delegation, Riyad Mansour.

That would be followed by similar applications at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the UN Industrial Organisation, Mansour said.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation, International Postal Union, and International Telecommunications Union and others could all potentially allow Palestinian membership, diplomats and officials said.

“We are exploring all the possibilities. We believe that doors have been opened for us to join other entities and agencies,” Mansour said. That would further infuriate Israel and the United States, both of which fiercely oppose Palestinian UN membership, insisting that only direct Israeli-Palestinian talks can resolve the Middle East conflict.

After the vote at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Israel announced more construction in

Palestinian territories and froze crucial tax payments to the Palestinian authority. Under a law which forbids funding for international bodies that allow Palestinian membership, the United States cancelled a $60 million grant to UNESCO and would probably have to do the same for other agencies.

The Palestinians have defended their decision to join UNESCO. “If we join such an organisation, join humanity on a good thing, how is that radicalisation? Who are we harming?” said Mansour, who called Israel’s retaliatory measures this week a “radicalisation.” The UN Security Council will soon have to decide what to do about the full membership bid filed by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on September 23.

The council’s membership committee meets again Thursday and must produce a final report for a November 11 meeting.

The United States, as a permanent member, has vowed to veto any Security Council move for Palestinian statehood.

But it is anxious to avoid an embarrassing vote to block the bid, and has been desperately lining up “no” votes and abstentions from other members. No date for a final vote has yet been set.

The Palestinian campaign is born out of mounting frustration at the peace process deadlock. The two sides have not held direct talks aimed at resolving the decades-old conflict in more than a year.

Many experts say Abbas is determined to press the UN campaign to the limit. “The Palestinian Authority feels strengthened, domestically and internationally,” said Mansouria Mokhefi, head of Middle East programs at the French Institute for International Relations in Paris.

They have “overwhelming support from a majority of countries around the world, except the United States. Now they are saying to the international community: ‘It is time to show your colors.’“ With a “radicalisation” on both sides, the peace talks will undoubtedly

go through “considerable stress,” Mokhefi predicted. Some diplomats have warned, however, that the Palestinian leadership could suffer from renewed tensions with Israel and the United States and face its own backlash.

US ambassador Susan Rice has said even a UN General Assembly vote in favor of super observer status, which Washington could not block, would not amount to Palestinian sovereignty.

“The reality is nothing is going to change,” she has said several times.

Other envoys have predicted that the raised hopes in the Palestinian territories could even lead to violence.

Israel is also suffering. Its approval of another 2,000 housing units in the occupied territories and the withholding of Palestinian taxes has drawn criticism from Washington, the United Nations and Europe.

The United States is meanwhile seeing its image tarnished by its opposition to the campaign.

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Friday, 4 Novermber, 2011

Foreign News 17

Anti-wall Street protests shut down US port OAKLAND afp

One of the United States’ busiest sea ports remained closed early Thursday after antiWall Street protesters marched on it at the climax of a day of protests and strike action.

California’s port of Oakland, which does 59 percent of its trade with Asia, sent staff home early as hundreds of protesters besieged the docks, at the fourth busiest US container port by cargo volume, according to its website.

“Maritime operations remain effectively shut down,” said a Port of Oakland statement in an update late Wednesday night, adding that services “will not resume until it is safe and secure to do so.

The dockside shutdown came after thousands of people rallied in the city center during the day to support a strike called after police fired tear gas while clearing a protestors’ camp last week, injuring one person. “Celebrate the death of capitalism,” read a banner on a makeshift altar decorated with flowers.

An elementary school teacher, was helping carry a banner reading: “Bail out schools and services, not banks!”

“Our classrooms are overcrowded, he said.

“The banks are being bailed out - but not the schools.” While the protests were mainly peaceful, some acts of vandalism were reported, targeting closed-up bank branches downtown. Protesters headed towards the port and blockaded different terminals by early evening - at which point the port declared itself effectively closed.

A line of several dozen riot police in gas masks blocked the march at one point but later dissipated without conflict, and most protesters did not even come close to police lines. A giant black banner strung up across one intersection read: “Death to capitalism.

Occupy everything!” With their mission accomplished by late evening, the protesters began heading back downtown.

Police blocked freeway entrances.

In the Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall - where violence flared last week after riot police moved in to clear a two-week old camp - the Occupy encampment had expanded back to more than 50 tents.

iran ready for worst, warns US about ‘collision course’ BENGHAZI afp

Iran’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Tehran was “prepared for the worst” and warned the United States against putting itself on “collision course” with his country. On the sidelines of a news conference in the Libyan city of Benghazi, Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was asked about news reports of Washington accelerating plans for a strike on Iran over its controverial nuclear programme.

“The US has unfortunately lost wisdom and prudence in dealing with international issues. It depends only on power.

“They have lost rationality; we are prepared for the worst but we hope they will think twice before they put themselves on a collision course with Iran,” Salehi said.

Washington and other Western powers suspect Tehran is seeking to build nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies. It says its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful ends to which it has a right.

Washington insisted on Wednesday that it remains committed to a diplomatic solution of the nuclear standoff with Iran as talk mounted in Israel of a political push for a pre-emptive strike.

“We remain focused on a diplomatic channel here, a diplomatic course in terms of dealing with Iran,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Two Afghans killed in herat attack HERAT afp

Two Afghan guards were killed in an assault on an international logistics company working with NATO in Afghanistan, police said Thursday, adding that all the attackers had been killed. “Five attackers were involved, two of them detonated at the beginning at the gates and the other three were shot dead by security forces,” said the deputy police chief for Herat.

regiSTro: Brazilians set off over 2,000 paper lanterns, celebrating the Day of the Dead, following a Japanese tradition. registro is home to one of the oldest Japanese communities in Brazil. AFP

7 killed after Syria agrees to peace plan DAMASCUS

S

afp

YRIAN troops killed seven people in the flashpoint central city of Homs on Thursday, just a day after Damascus pledged to withdraw its forces from protest centres under an Arab League plan to end the bloodshed. Activists called for mass demonstrations to test the genuineness of the government’s commitment to the peace blueprint, voicing scepticism about its readiness to rein in a crackdown that the UN says has cost more than 3,000 lives since mid-March.

London and Washington said despite Damascus’s agreement to the Arab League plan after weeks of prevarication, they still believed President Bashar alAssad must heed the demands of anti-

Main points of Arab League plan cAiro: Syria has agreed to an Arab League plan to end the country’s crisis.

Following are the main points of the Arab plan: 1: - Complete halt to the violence, whatever its origin, to protect Syrian civilians.

2: - Release of people detained as a result of the recent events.

3: - Withdrawal of every type of military presence from towns and residential districts.

4: - Allow concerned organisations from the Arab League, Arab and international media to move freely throughout Syria and find out the reality of the situation.

According to the text of the plan, “after tangible progress is achieved by the Syrian government in applying the terms of the four preceding points,” the Arab ministerial committee will have contacts and consult with the government and various Syrian opposition bodies. The aim of these will be “to prepare a conference of national dialogue within two weeks.” The plan does not stipulate the exact date for the military withdrawal nor when the two-week period should begin. afp government protesters and step down.

Seven people on Thursday died, while “Heavy machinegun fire is still being heard,” the Britain-based watchdog

added in a statement received in Nicosia.

Under the hard-won deal announced at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo late on Wednesday,

the Syrian government is supposed to withdraw its troops from all protest centres, although the text set no timetable. The blueprint agreed by Syria provides for a “complete halt to the violence to protect civilians.”

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), which organised the anti-government protests on the ground, said it doubted “the integrity of the Syrian regime’s acceptance of the points suggested by the Arab League’s initiative.”

It called on Syrians to “validate whether armed forces... have been withdrawn from the cities and towns, and whether violence has been stopped, detainees have been released, Arab and international media correspondents have been allowed in the country, and if a dialogue has been made possible.” “This validation should come through maintaining all forms of peaceful protest,” it said.

South iraq bombings death toll rises to nine BASRA afp

Three motorbike bombings in the southern Iraq port city of Basra killed at least nine people and wounded at least 37, police and a doctor said on Thursday, raising a previous toll. A police lieutenant colonel said that nine people were killed and 37 wounded in the Wednesday night bombings. But a senior official in the Basra health department said that at least 12 people were killed and more than 70 wounded in the blasts.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity.

Violence has declined nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 258 people were killed in October, according to official figures.

20 skeletons found in man’s flat: russian police MOSCOW afp

Police found around 20 sets of human remains apparently dug up from graves in a man’s apartment in the central Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, Russian news agencies reported Thursday. “It’s known that the suspect is a 45-year-old man who is into local history. Apparently the bodies were dug up from graves at different cemeteries,” a police source said. It was reported that investigators found 23 remains of women, adding that the bodies had been clothed “in dresses and other clothing.”

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18

Friday, 4 November, 2011

Another roadblock for

SOCIETY

‘Heroine’ MUMBAI

O

ZEEnEwS

NE after the other misfortunes seems to come in the way of Madhur Bhandarkar`s ambitious project ‘Heroine’. Just when Bhandarkar was happy to begin the shooting of ‘Heroine’ after its glitzy promotion at Cannes, Aishwarya Rai opted out of the film. After a lot of controversy and delay, filmmaker managed to bring Kareena Kapoor on board. And now, it has once again hit the roadblock, this time it is the music composers abandoning the film. As reported by a daily, Madhur may lose his music composers Salim-Sulaiman.

This is because the composer duo and UTV had a fallout.

Salim-Sulaiman have apparently demanded royalty for their music and this hasn`t gone down too well with the production house. UTV has asked an explanation for the composer duo`s demand. “UTV did not expect SalimSulaiman to make such a demand. The composers have worked with UTV in Madhur Bhandarkar`s ‘Fashion’ in 2008. The Box Office success of the film had at the time benefited Salim-Sulaiman as well,” informed a source to a tabloid. The source further added, “It`s not that SalimSulaiman have had a successful run in the recent past.

So their demand for an additional royalty has raised a few eyebrows.” The production house UTV is being reluctant on one hand while the music composer duo are immovable from their demand too.

BeiJiNg: Models display a collectio n

by MgPiN Make-u p Styling 2012 durin g the bi-annual Chin a Fashion week. Th e 10-day fashion extravaganza will highlight some 44 fashion shows an d six contests hosting over 200 designers. AFP

loNDoN: (l-r) French actress Berenice Marlohe, British actor Daniel Craig and British actress Naomie harris pose at a photocall to announce the start of production of the 23rd film in the James Bond series; 'Skyfall', on Thursday. The film sees Craig return to the role in his third outing as the spy hero and will be directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes and will co-star harris and Marlohe. Production begins on November 7 with worldwide release scheduled for october 26, 2012. AFP

Tusshar

does not mind getting into

‘soft porn bracket’ MUMBAi: Tusshar Kapoor, who has shed his guy-next-door image, for his upcoming movie ‘The Dirty Picture’ says he is not perturbed of being dubbed as a ‘soft porn’ star.

Tusshar will seen in the Milan luthria film, a biopic based on the life and death of Silk Smitha, alongside vidya in a bold avatar, besides emraan hashmi and veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. “There are lots of shades to my character. it is not something that will get overshadowed by the title.

My image is not going to be damaged. Today, sex is not a taboo anymore. even if i get a soft porn image i don`t have a problem with that,” Tusshar told reporters in an interview. The actor essays the role of a writer named ramakant. while ramakant is genuinely in love with the character portrayed by vidya, veteran actor Naseeruddin plays the character of an ageing superstar who lusts after her. while emraan on the other hand hates her.

The are some intimate scenes in the film but the actor says he wasn’t uncomfortable doing it. Also, he had to lift vidya for a photo shoot of ‘The Dirty Picture’. Since vidya had put on weight for her role, Tusshar could not get his act right and ended up giving over 150 shots. agEnCiES

Ranbir and I

stay away

from each other:

Priyanka MUMBAi: There has been news that actress Priyanka Chopra and ranbir Kapoor aren’t the best of friends anymore. And the relationship between the two is being termed as ‘strained’ on the sets of ‘Barfee’, a film of which they are a part. Priyanka Chopra simply laughed the rumour off. She said, “i’ve had no fight with ranbir Kapoor. he’s a good friend. it’s just the kind of film that ‘Barfee’ is that makes us want to stay apart. we both have difficult roles in the movie. i’m autistic and he is deaf and mute. it’s not easy to snap in and out of character just like that. So we need our own space, and we very often stay away from each other and the rest of the cast and crew. ‘Barfee’ is not like ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ where you could just let your hair down and have a good time even when in character and off it.” AgeNCieS

MUMBAi: Tom Cruise is all set to visit india for the first time ever with wife Katie and daughter Suri. Buzz has it that Tom will fly to india after wrapping up a promotional trip to South Korea, and will be taking a flight from Seoul to either Mumbai or Delhi on 3rd December and will fly out on 5th December. Tom will be on a tight schedule and won’t be visiting the Taj Mahal, as the actor will focus on the promotional activities of ‘Mi:4’. Anil Kapoor, who is also a part of ‘Mi:4’ and will be playing host to the hollywood heartthrob, revealed, “This is not just a movie promo trip. i see it as a combination of movie promotions and the keeping of a gentleman’s word. This goes back to the golden globe awarded to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in January 2009, you’d remember Tom was the celebrity called to give away the award, and that was when i first spoke to him. we spoke about what a huge fan following he has in india, and i told him he must plan a trip. he’d promised me that he would try to work that out. Then, when i landed a guest appearance in ‘Mi:4’ and met him next in lA, i reminded him of the india trip, and this time, he said he was going to have it in place shortly. i think he has built this into his global travels this time as a conscious effort along with the studio. After all, when has a star of his stature ever come here as part of a movie promo activity?” zeeNewS

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19

‘The Dirty Picture’ runs into trouble

MUMBAI agEnCiES

Himesh Reshmaniya who is on cloud nine post the success of his film ‘Damadamm’ is throwing a success party for Salman Khan. “Salman Bhai is returning on he 12th of November and I am planning a grand party with him,” he gushes. “I am happy that anything that comes now onwards from the theatres is a profit for me as my print cost and advertisement cost as a distributor has been covered due to the profits done by the music alone and I am hoping now to work even harder on my new projects,” he says. ‘Damadamm’ is getting more shows in Gujrat.

Himesh is also planning to visit Ajmer Sharif soon to seek blessings. “I am happy my Diwali gamble has paid off well,” he says.

MUMBAI ZEEnEwS

‘T

Himesh Reshmaniya to throw success party for Salman

HE Dirty Picture’ has run into dirty waters it seems.

Family members of actress Silk Smitha, on whose life the film is based on, have alleged that the makers of the film did not seek permission from them before making the film. Silk Smitha’s brother V Naga Vara Prasad has now sent a legal notice to producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria for making a film on his sibling`s life without family`s consent. “We came to know through TV channels and newspaper reports that ‘The Dirty Picture’ portrays my sister in a rather obscene way. Ekta Kapoor is making the film with Vidya Balan in the lead role. Neither the producer nor the director contacted us (the family). What right do the producer and the director have to make this film, without the family’s consent?” said an angry Vara Prasad. Vara Prasad said that even though he has sent a legal notice, there hasn’t been any response from the other side. Silk Smitha hailed from Kovvali village in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Her family still lives in the village, where her brother is a semi-literate agriculturist. The family was shocked and upset when they heard that the film had some explicit scenes. Vara Prasad added, “We have to see the content of the film. Whatever is objectionable has to be deleted. Those days, the media was limited hence we could not get the actual truth behind her death. Many believe that she ended her life because of financial problems. It may not be the truth.”

minissha lamba When Oprah Winfrey is a beach babe MALDIVES agEnCiES

Minissha Lamba loves spending time at the beach. “I’m totally a beach person,” said Minissha. The actress can sit for hours at the beach doing her fav things - like watching the sunset and hearing the sound of water rippling in the background. Minissha loves swimming, so any beach which allows her to indulge in her favourite hobby, is her favourite. She says, “But Maldives is my favourite and I feel I am at home when I am here.”

Anil Kapoor to play perfect host to Tom Cruise

tried to kill herself LOS ANGELES agEnCiES

Oprah Winfrey has revealed that she tried to kill herself in 1981 when she discovered that the man she was in love with was married and had children. Winfrey, 57, was so upset of the fact that that she could not be with radio DJ Tim Watts that she drove her car into a tree in an apparent suicide bid. The chat show queen had even wrote a suicide note to her best friend Gayle King, who put her on a 24/7 watch after she survived the crash. According to the National Enquirer, Watts said that he and Oprah were both young and at an age when people do stupid things they might regret later. The 59-year-old radio DJ insisted that they were now good friends and that they both had put their past behind them. “Friends are hard to come by so I’ll hold onto the few I have,” the Daily Mail quoted Wattsas saying. “What happened between me and Oprah took place a long time ago and we have both learned from it. I have no hard feelings towards her and she has none towards me. We were both young and at an age when people do stupid things they might regret

Bangalore

bakras

for Shah Rukh Khan

MUMBAi: This Bakrid, Bollywood superstar Shah rukh Khan will get bakras from Bangalore. Mohammad MD ibrahim, a self-confessed fan of SrK, will be sending him three goats and three sheep for Bakrid. Talking to a daily, ibrahim said, “For the past two years we have been annually sending sheep and goats to Shah rukh Khan. last year, we had sent him a goat which cost me rs 5 lakh. But that goat was very special and he (Shah rukh Khan) wanted it. The goat had a moon shaped scar on its forehead which fascinated the star and he wanted it for the festival.” ibrahim, who had planned to send Shah rukh Khan two goats this year, finally had to make it six when a relative of the actor personally asked him for goats and sheep. “we had someone from Maharaja Furniture who approached us and asked us if we could supply animals for sacrifice during id at Shah rukh Khan’s house, and we agreed to supply,” he said. “we want to send the best sheep and goats to him. it will cost around rs 12 lakh for sending it through flight. it will reach him on November 5,’’ added a jubilant ibrahim. zeeNewS

later. We both moved on and are at good place in our lives,” he added. Watts met the TV star in 1981 when she was a production assistant at WJZ-TV in Baltimore.

a song for ash’s eyes MUMBAI agEnCiES

UK based singer Arjun Coom has written a song dedicated to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s eyes. Titled ‘Remember Tonight’, the song goes on to describe Ash’s eyes and how much Arjun is in love with them. Coom joins the ranks of other British-Asian artistes like Jay Sean who have collaborated or have been influenced by Bollywood beauties.

Arjun is an upcoming singer who has got accolades from local music critics who hailed him as one of the rising stars in the British Asian music scene.

Marriage, business are

Shilpa’s priorities MUMBAi: Shilpa Shetty’s acting career has been a topic of debate ever since she married businessman raj Kundra - what with people speculating about her long awaited indo-Chinese film, ‘The Desire’, or her Bollywood comeback with Sunny Deol.

The actor went through a dry spell careerwise, until she reinvented herself as an entrepreneur, and since then, has starred in yoga DvDs and become the brand ambassador of an iPl team. “leaving movies had never been a conscious decision, it just happened. i was working on a couple of films with Sunny until they got shelved. in the meantime, i launched my own fitness DvD and got into a spa business. And all this happened without much planning,” says Shilpa, adding that her film career has taken a back seat for the time being.

“Now, my marriage and business are my priorities,” she says. So is she quitting films?

She says her acting choices have also changed post marriage. “For me to do a film now, something different and challenging has to come my way,” says Shilpa. AgeNCieS

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

imran pained at sentence Page 22

PCB to work closely with iCC ACU LAHORE Staff REpORt

The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday termed the tainted trio as a disappointment for the game and the country.

PCB Spokesman Nadeem Sarwar issued a following statement on the conviction of Pakistani players in Southward Crown Court in London: “The conviction and sentencing of some Pakistani players is a sad day for Pakistan cricket. Instead of having pride in playing for their country, these players chose to disappoint their supporters, damage the image of their country and bring the noble game of cricket into disrepute. There is little sympathy in Pakistan for the sorry pass they have come to.

“The PCB is determined to ensure that any form of corrupt behavior from Pakistan cricket is stamped out. To do this following steps are being undertaken: Training courses under PCB education program would be upgraded for all players and particularly younger entrants into international cricket to inform them of the law and spirit of the game, theinducements that may be offered to them by unscrupulous elements, and the pitfalls associated with deviant behavior.”

He said: “Strict vigilance protocols to be introduced to monitor the game, devise appropriate rules and procedures of conduct, and keep away bad elements always on the lookout to trap players.”

“The code of conduct and the parameters of registering and approving anyone desirous of being an agent of the players will be reviewed and strengthened further. No unauthorized hiring of agents would be permitted.”

“A recommendation would be made to the government to consider passing a law in the parliament making corruption in sports a criminal offence. This would not only be deterrence, but also allow proper prosecution and punishment for criminal behavior,” he added.

BUTT TO APPEAL SENTENCE

Fixers sent to jail LONDON

A

afp

British judge jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, two of his bowlers and their agent Thursday for their part in a Test match-fixing scandal which rocked the international game.

Butt, 27, looked aghast as he was sentenced to 30 months in prison at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where he and fast bowler Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of fixing parts of a Test match against England in August 2010. Asif, 28, was jailed for a year, while 19-year-old bowler Mohammad Aamer, who had pleaded guilty to involvement in the scam to pre-arrange no-balls for shadowy South Asian betting rings, was sentenced to six months.

Corrupt British agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, who had also pleaded guilty but had denied he had initiated the scam, was given two years and eight months.

“These offences, regardless of pleas, are so serious that only a sentence of imprisonment will suffice,” Judge Jeremy Cooke told the four men, adding that they would each serve half their sentences and then be released on licence. He said the three players were motivated by greed despite the large amounts of money they could earn legitimately, and said he hoped the tough sentences would deter future cricketers from following their example.

The judge also condemned the effect their actions had on the game of cricket “the very name of which used to be associated with fair dealing”.

“It’s the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket... which make the offences so serious,” he told the court. Cooke said people had regarded the three players as “heroes”, but they

A board outside Southwark Crown Court in london lists the sentences handed out to the accused in the spot-fixing case. “procured the bowling of three no-balls for money to the detriment of your national cricket team”.

“Now, whenever people look back on a surprising event in a game or a surprising result or whenever, in the future, there are surprising events or results, followers of the game who paid good money... will be led to wonder whether there has been a fix,” he said. “What was to be honest, sporting competition may not be such at all.

“In Pakistan, where cricket is the national sport, the ordinary follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities. “You, Butt, Asif and Aamer have let down all your supporters and followers of the game.”

The world of cricket has reacted with dismay to the worst fixing scandal since

South Africa captain Hanse Cronje in 2000, but welcomed the convictions as a way of sending an important message that cheats would not be tolerated.

The ICC has already banned Butt for 10 years with five suspended, Asif for seven years with two suspended, and Aamer for five years straight after finding them guilty of corruption in February.

They are all appealing the bans.

The scam was uncovered by the nowdefunct News of the World, the tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and shut down in July over a scandal involving its journalists’ role in the illegal hacking of voicemails. At a hearing on Wednesday, lawyers for all the defendants had exchanged claims and counterallegations in a bid to reduce their clients’ sentences, which could have seen them

Sangakkara defies Pakistan bowlers SHARJAH

SCOREbOaRd

afp

Kumar Sangakkara notched his 27th Test hundred to propel Sri Lanka to an imperious 245-2 on the opening day of the third and final cricket Test against Pakistan on Thursday. The 34-year-old stylish lefthander ended the day on 112 -- his second hundred of the series after hitting 211 in the first Test, guiding his team during a 173-run second wicket stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan who made 92.

That repair-damaging stand followed the early loss of opener Tharanga Paranavitana (four) who fell off paceman Umar Gul’s fifth ball of the match after Sri Lanka decided to bat on a batting-friendly Sharjah stadium pitch. Sangakkara, who topscored with 78 during Sri Lanka’s nine wicket defeat in the second Test in Dubai, also completed 9,000 Test runs when he reached 28, hitting a crisp boundary off paceman Junaid Khan. The former Sri Lankan captain is the 11th batsman in the world and only the second Sri Lankan behind Mahela Jayawardene (9895 runs) to cross 9,000 or more in all Test cricket.

He jumped out of his crease to lift leftarm spinner Abdul Rehman for his second six to reach the three-figure mark -- his seventh against Pakistan -- to show why he is currently regarded as the top batsmen in the world. He has so far hit 11 boundaries during his near six-hour stay at the crease.

Partnering him was Mahela Jayawardene on 32. Dilshan, who had 38 runs in the last four innings, realised he belonged to the top of the order as he shrugged away the poor form, hitting 12 boundaries and a six during his 168-ball knock.

Pakistan lead the series 1-0 after winning the second Test in Dubai by nine wickets. The first Test in Abu Dhabi ended in a draw. Dilshan’s elevation to

SRi lanKa 1St inningS t. paranavitana c younis b gul 4 t. dilshan c younis b ajmal 92 K. Sangakkara not out 112 32 m. Jayawardene not out EXtRaS: (lb3, nb2) 5 tOtal: (for two wkts) 245 fall of wickets: 1-4 (paranavitana), 2-177 (dilshan). bowling: gul 17-6-43-1 (nb1), Khan 17-2-63-0 (nb1), ajmal 273-71-1, Rehman 24-5-62-0, Hafeez 1-0-3-0 OvERS: 86 pakistan: mohammad Hafeez, taufiq umar, younis Khan, misbah-ul-Haq (captain), azhar ali, asad Shafiq, adnan akmal, Saeed ajmal, abdul Rehman, umar gul, Junaid Khan. tOSS: Sri lanka umpiRES: Simon taufel (nZl) and Shahvir tarapore (ind) tv umpiRE: Shozaib Raza (paK) matCH REfEREE: david boon (auS)

jailed for a maximum of seven years.

Majeed claimed that the extent of the corruption in the Pakistan team went beyond the current case.

The agent’s lawyer said he had paid out £65,000 to Asif, £10,000 to Butt and £2,500 to Aamer, explaining that the larger amount was paid to Asif to ensure he did not switch to another fixing racket.

Lawyers for Butt and Asif had dismissed the claims about the cash.

In a statement read to the court, Aamer claimed he had feared for his future in the national side if he did not get involved, but said: “I want to apologise to Pakistan and to everyone that cricket is important to. “I do know how much damage this has done to the game, the game which I love as well, more than anything else in the world.”

Corruption not widespread: iCC LAHORE Staff REpORt

The ICC said that corruption cases were sporadic and were not widespread. ICC anti-corruption chief Sir Ronnie Flanagan issued a statement on Thursday. “I think it (corruption) is certainly not rampant in the world of cricket. I think it is engaged in by a tiny number of people.

Sadly, I wouldn't say the instances we have seen brought to justice are totally isolated either. The vast, vast majority of cricketers are not only wonderfully talented, but wonderfully ethical people. “It is only a tiny proportion of people, some of whom may have a predisposition to it and some who succumb to the evil advances of other people. My message to the followers of cricket is keep following, keep loving this wonderful game and don't be thinking that corruption is rampant within the game.”

Players to get assistance from govt LAHORE Staff REpORt

ShArJAh: Sri lanka’s cricketer Kumar Sangakkara (r) hits a ball for six runs on his way to scoring unbeaten 112. AFP the top meant opener Lahiru Thirimanne was axed while paceman Suranga Lakmal was also left out to bring in off-spinner Suraj Randiv and 26-year-old paceman Kosala Kulasekara for his first Test. Pakistan were unchanged from the second Test. The change at the top did not help

Sri Lanka to a flying start as Paranavitana edged the fifth ball of the innings from Gul and was smartly snapped up by Younis Khan in the slips, with the score at four. Two balls before his dismissal, Paranavitana was dropped at forward short-leg by Azhar Ali, but the opener

failed to capitalise on the chance. Pakistan introduced spin at both ends after 10 overs, but the batsmen remained untroubled. Dilshan survived an easy catch off a short ball from Gul, which seemed to have hit the glove, but Indian umpire Shahvir Tarapore remained unmoved.

Minister for Interior Rehman Malik said on Thursday the government would defend the Pakistani cricketers allegedly involved in spot-fixing, if they were found innocent. Addressing media persons outside the Parliament House in Islamabad, he said assistance would be provided to these players, if required. But, he added the people would not spare them as they are already found involved the fixing case.

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

Sports 21

A sad day for Pakistan cricket LAHORE

F

Staff REpORt

ORMER cricketers, officials and government functionaries believe that the verdict is a lesson for all cricketers. Here are reactions from former cricketers. rAshid lAtif They deserved this punishment, they had it coming.

But now the Pakistan government and the Pakistan Cricket Board should also take action against them.

These convictions will hopefully serve as a deterrent to others in future because cricket should not be allowed to be corrupted by anyone. shAhid Afridi I feel sorry for the trio’s family members.

It’s a tough time for the family members of the three players. They should have not taken the wrong course. They

should have been cautious in their career.

They should have learnt halal and haram and I am thankful that my upbringing was an example.”

JAllAluddin Given the terms of the sentences, the verdict is not that harsh. Now is the time for the PCB to take some harsh decisions and there should be no political appointments in the board. It would be difficult for these cricketers to come back in the game but it’s their fundamental right to be given the right to start their careers once they serve their punishments. This verdict would make the corrupt cricketers more cautious and only those are criminals who are caught. These three cricketers were trapped and caught.” senAtor enver bAig The Justice Quyyam reports said everything about what steps should be taken to prevent the match-fixing but nothing was done to control the

Tears for Aamer’s family

epidemic. I believe cases should be filed against all those PCB officials who have failed to handle the issue. moin KhAn The way the case progressed and the events unfolded, it was expected that the trio would be handed punishments.

Aaamer admitted early on and the others tried to defend.

The case was strong against Salman and Asif and in the end they got what they deserved.

ZAheer AbbAs It is a sad day for Pakistan cricket but I think the authorities now need to take a fresh look at world cricket in light of this case The people including myself today face an embarrassment. It is a black day.

Who would have thought that one day cricketers would be sent to jail. rAmiZ rAJA The decision is hard one for the fami-

lies of the three cricketers. Justice has been done and you got to get rid of the corrupt elements from the game. The verdict will act as a great deterrent for future aspirants.

These big fishes need to be taken to task.

Even though there was sympathy for Aamer he was quietly and secretly be given a chance by the ICC to come up clean before the trail began but he didn't.

As a result he is behind the bars as well.

He would have learned his lessons but it's a hard way to learn, especially when you are 18 or 19.

WAQAr younis I was part of the team when the whole episode took place. It was an ugly side of the game. I don't know much

about the criminal law in England but cricketers being sentenced to jail is sad for cricket and bad for Pakistan.

Unfortunately it has happened now and I pray the whole episode should end and Pakistan need to start afresh.

I could not even think of any of these guys being involved when the whole thing was taking place. If I knew then things could have been managed differently and the board could have got involved and unfortunately it ends this way and they have to suffer. bAsit Ali What is the ACU doing that is the question: such a big scandal could break out and happened under their noses? The ICC and member boards need to review their working.

The judgment passed was a stigma on Pakistan cricket and would not be washed away for a long time.

Amar Cables secure final spot LAHORE Staff REpORt

ChANgA: Nasim Akhtar (r), mother of Mohammad Aamer, watches a Tv channel with neighbours as the london's court verdict is delivered against her son. AFP Allah will do justice with us,” she said, watchCHANGA BANGIAL afp

Relatives wept and professed the innocence of their loved ones on Thursday as a London court jailed three Pakistani cricketers for fixing parts of a Test match against England.

“My son is innocent and he did the no ball at the asking of the captain,” said Nasim Akhtar, the mother of Mohammad Aamer, tears rolling down her cheeks at her home in the village of Changa Bangial outside the Pakistani capital. Aamer, 19, is the youngest of the trio and was jailed for six months. Pakistan former Test captain Salman Butt, 27, received 30 months and fastbowler Mohammad Asif, 28, received one year in jail.

Corrupt British agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, who had also pleaded guilty but had denied he had initiated the scam, was given two years and eight months. Aamer’s mother, who lives in a simple two-roomed home, 73 kilometres (46 miles) east of Islamabad, said she feared she might die before he returns home.

“I spoke to him two days ago and he asked me to pray for his acquittal... I’m ill after this case, suffering from several diseases and I may not be here (when he gets out),” she added.

“My prayers are with my son and only

ing news of the verdicts being broadcast on television in her living room, surrounded by female relatives.

Aamer’s house is located on a narrow street. The village of Changa Bangial is surrounded by farmland, where workers were tilling the land with tractors.

After hearing the verdict on television, Aamer’s wife started crying while neighbours gathered at the residence to express sorrow over the conviction.

“He should not have been sentenced after his confession. We were under the impression that he will be released after the imposition of a fine,” said Aamer’s brother, 26-year-old Mohammad Ijaz.

In the eastern city of Lahore, where Butt was brought up in relative luxury compared to Aamer, his sisters spoke to reporters to defend their brother and claimed he had been made a scapegoat for a wider conspiracy.

“The punishment is unfair, it is shocking.

Our brother is innocent,” said Khadija, veiled and in her 30s, outside the family home.

“We talked to him this morning he was very upset and asked us to pray for him... His crime is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” she added.

Amar Cables reached the final of the final of the second Amar Cables T20 Veteran Cricket League after defeating Gulberg Gymkhana by 44 runs at Ali Garh Cricket ground on Thursday.

In the first semifinal match, Amar Cable made 171 for seven in 20 overs.

Dastgeer Butt scored 71 runs while Amer Ilyas Butt made 61. Imtiaz Sipra took two wickets for 28 runs. In reply, Gulberg Gymkhana were bowled out for 127 runs.

Afzal Munir scored 31 runs while Nadeem Butt made 26 runs. Tariq Rasheed grabbed four wickets for 13 runs while Arshad Khan and Munir shah took two wickets each. In the end, chief guest SPM chief Aizad Hussain Syed gave away the man of the match award to Tariq Rasheed. Amer Ilyas Butt and former test cricketer Arshad Khan also present. The second semifinal will be played between SPM Stags and SPM Bucks today at the Ali Garh Cricket ground at 10:30am.

lAhore: Chief guest SPM head Aizad hussain Syed gives away the Man of the Match award to Tariq rasheed. Amer ilyas Butt and former cricketer Arshad Khan are also present. STAFF PhOTO

Asian netball champion india ready to tour Pakistan lAhore: The reigning Asian netball champions India has shown willingness to come to Pakistan for a three-match series in February next year, Pakistan Netball Federation Secretary General Mudassar said. “Pakistani women’s team will visit India in response to the tour in March, 2012,” he added. “India is ready to tour Pakistan and the series is most likely to be held in the mid of February”, he said. “We have two options to hold this event, first we can hold this

event in Islamabad, and the other option is to hold this series in three different cities”, he said. The South Asian archrivals last played in 2006 when Pakistan defeated India 2-1.

“Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has given its go-ahead for the series event but we are still suffering as far as the financials are concerned. I hope the Federation would be able to get some sponsor for the series as there is no chance to postpone or cancel the series”, he added. Staff REpORt

KC clinch Inter-region Women’s T20 title

Butt’s family insists he is innocent LAHORE Staff REpORt

Relatives of the Pakistan cricketers convicted in London over a "spot-fixing" scam have expressed shock at the players' jail sentences. But some cricketing figures have said they have no sympathy with the players. sAlmAn butt's sister rubAb My mum is not well. His wife, ever since she had the surgery with the baby - they haven't been eating, they keep crying there's tremendous stress and there's a lot of tension.

But it's quite natural of course because he's my only brother, he's my mum's only son; he means everything to us.

And he's in a foreign country, he's all alone, none of us is there with him and it's quite painful. sAlmAn butt's sister KhAdiJA The punishment is unfair; it is shocking.

Our brother is innocent.

We talked to him this morning. He was very upset and asked us to pray for him... His crime is that he was at the wrong place at the

wrong time. sAlmAn butt's fAther ZulfiQAr My son has been implicated and made a scapegoat.

I will produce evidence and documents to prove what is really happening in this case. My son was trapped and we were asked not to speak to media until the case ie being heard. I will hold a press conference in a day or two and show proof who else is involved in this crime. There are several people involved and I have proof. mohAmmAd AAmer's brother mohAmmAd iJAZ He should not have been sentenced after his confession. We were under the impression that he will be released after the imposition of a fine. mohAmmAd Asif’s fAther hAsAn din If he has done something wrong he should be punished. The jails are for people who have done something wrong. I am a farmer and don’t spend a single penny from Asif’s money. I am a self made man and what is wrong is wrong.

lAhore: Supporters of the KC team cheer their team. (right) the Kinnaird College team with winning trophy. MURTAZA ALI LAHORE Staff REpORt

Kinnaird Club won the Lahore Inter-region Women’s T20 Cricket Championship after beating Ravi Club in the final here at the KC ground on Thurs-

day.

Bating first, KC made 110 in 20 overs. Maham scored 30 runs while Nimra made 18 runs. Saba took one wicket.

In reply, Ravi Club were bowled out for 34 runs in 14 overs. Nimra took

three wickets while Aisha Khan and Sadia shared two wickets each. Nimra was declared the player of the final and also the player of the tournament. PCB director cricket Zakir Khan was the chief guest and gave the prizes to the best performers and winners.

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22 Sports Players not distracted by fixing scandal LAHORE Staff REpORt

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said that the team was not distracted by the news of Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif’s sentence in spot-fixing case by a London court. Misbah said the team was fully focused on their current series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Misbah, who replaced Butt as the captain since the Lord's Test, has led the Test side admirably, ensuring that Pakistan went undefeated in series against South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies. Pakistan lead the Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 after two matches. "We have a good bunch of boys and everyone is focusing on his own performance. There's a good spirit. We know each other well and that's the key. The country's name comes first, people come and go, every player needs to remember that," he said.

Afridi confident of playing long innings LAHORE Staff REpORt

Shahid Afridi has said he is "strong, fit and in good shape" to come back from the wild period he spent out of the Pakistan limited-overs side due to his retirement.

Afridi had made himself available for selection after Zaka Ashraf succeeded Ijaz Butt as PCB chairman and was named on Wednesday in the ODI and Twenty20 squads for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE. His selection came hours after he met Ashraf in Lahore.

Afridi last played for Pakistan in the West Indies in May, when he had a public falling-out with the coach Waqar Younis. He was replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq as captain in the limited-overs formats, after which he announced his retirement, saying that he would not play for Pakistan under that administration.

"It's obviously very tough to be out in such a manner. It indeed was a very difficult time and I am happy that I am back," Afridi said. "I am strong, fit and in good shape to cover the wild period I had lost during the time of retirement.

"I was well supported by the seniors in the team and also by Misbah, which is really good. Now I am ready to contribute in the team as a senior player."

"I am focusing on maintaining my allround abilities. I had a successful county stint, which gave me ample confidence of doing well in both departments."

Pakistan may miss Qatar TT event LAHORE Staff REpORt

The Pakistan Table Tennis Federation named a two-member Pakistan team comprising a male and female to represent the country in the Qatar Peace and Sports Table Tennis Cup. But Pakistan’s representation in the event is in doubt after one of the players employer WAPDA has not despite several requests from the federation given No Objection Certificate to the female player.

The event is scheduled from November 21 to 22 and the team is to leave for Qatar on November 20 and return on November 23. It has been learnt that the Army has given its player Awais NOC for participation in the event but Sadia Falak of WAPDA was not being issued the NOC putting the national interest at stake.

Friday, 4 November, 2011

TRI-NATION HOCkEy

Pakistan down hosts Australia to win title LAHORE

P

Staff REpORt

AKISTAN won the Tri-Nation Hockey Tournament Thursday beating world champions Australia in the final in Perth. In a thrilling contest, Pakistan defeated Australia 4-3. Shoail Abbas, Muhammad Touseef, Muhamamd Imran and Shakeel Abbasi scored the goals for Pakistan. The third team of the tournament was India. Australia defeated Pakistan in the two round matches while they played draw with India. However, in the final Pakistani team displaced brilliant performance and outclassed Australia to lift the trophy.

Pakistan are the ninth ranked team in the FIH’s latest rankings while Australia are at the top of the table. Sohail Abbas showed that he still has a lot of fire in him, Shakeel Abbasi showed glimpses of his class and other scorers Mohammad Imran and Muhammad Tausif gave their hearts out to pull out this improbable win for the greenshirts. The victory will boost Pakistan hockey as they prepare for the London Olympics 2012, which just months away now.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minsiter Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani congratulated the hockey team for winning the Tri-Nation Hockey Tournament. pcb chAirmAn congrAtulAte hocKey teAm: The new PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf has congratulated the Pakistan hockey team for winning the Tri-Nation Hockey Tournament in Australia. Pakistan beat Australia by 4-3 in the final to claim the title. In a message to Pakistan Hockey Federation President Qasim Zia, Zaka said: It’s a matter of great honour that the national team won the hockey title against one of the best teams of the world. Its is under your leadership the game of hockey is flourishing and I congratulate you and the hockey team for this achievement and wish that the green shirts keep bringing laurels for the country and bring back the lost glory.”

Earlier, Australia handed India a 1-2 defeat in a friendly hockey match on Thursday, ending a thoroughly disappointing trip Down Under for the team.

India were previously supposed to play for the bronze of the just concluded tri-nation Challenge, meeting the new entrant Australia A. However, the organisers decided to hold a Test match as only Pakistan and Australia's senior team figured in the tri-nation apart from India.

A strong Australia led by Fergus Kavanagh was too much for India to handle. The defence which

Pakistanis played their hearts out in the final. held its own most part of the match -- the Indians managed to ward off five penalty corners on the trot in the first half -- fell apart in the closing minutes.

Goal-less at the lemon break, Daniel Hotchkiss gave finishing touches to a move by Tim Bates to give Australia the lead. Sandeep Singh, who had till them missed three penalty corners, finally struck to equalise for India.

It seemed that the match would end in a draw but the Indian defence began to crumble in the last five minutes, conceding long corners in numbers.

Indian forwards again came a cropper upfront, failing to convert good moves into goals. At the same time, barring the last 10 minutes of the first half, in which Tim Bates missed four of the five penalty corners he took, the Australian team was on the backfoot.

Gurbaj Singh, Arjun Halappa, Sardar Singh, and Ignace Tirkey set up many chances for the forwards but they failed to score, fumbling in front of the goalmouth.

After nearly a three week tour, the Indians will now return home. After a brief rest, they will assemble for a camp in Pune.

"Our next target is the Champions Challenge in South Africa late November. The area is about 300 Meters above sea level. We have high altitude training facilities in Pune, we are therefore going to have our camp there," said chief coach Michael Nobbs.

Imran pained at jail sentence for Pak cricketers SHARJAH afp

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan on Thursday said he was pained to hear the news of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer being jailed for fixing parts of a Test match against England.

Pakistan former Test captain Butt, 27, received 30 months, fast bowler Asif, 28, received one year in jail and 19-yearold Aamer was jailed for six months.

Butt and Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of deliberately bowling three no-balls during the Lord’s Test in August 2010 as part of a “spot-fixing” betting scam uncovered by Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World.

Aamer and players’s agent Mazhar Majeed, sent down for 32 months, had already pleaded guilty to involvement in the scam.

Khan said it was painful to listen to the news.

“It is painful to listen (to) the news as a former Pakistan cricketer and I feel really sorry for their families,” Khan, who was on a political meeting here, told AFP. “In a way I also feel sorry for these cricketers because they are from Pakistan where there are massive corruption cases against president (Asif Zardari) and they must have thought crime pays,” said Khan, who now heads his political party -- Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice).

Khan said the punishments are a wake-up call for Pakistan cricket.

“The verdict is a wake-up call for Pakistan cricket and from now on we

should be ultra careful and, like we did in the past, should never allow the corruption to set in,” said Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup win in 1992.

Khan criticised the previous cricket boards for sweeping the matter under the carpet.

“We should not hide behind the justification that it (fixing) happens in international cricket. It does happen, but Pakistan should set its house in order first and anyone involved should be punished,” said Khan.

Khan said he always felt sorry for Aamer.

“I always felt sorry for Aamer,” said Khan, himself a great fast bowler. “He may have been influenced by the atmosphere around him, secondly he was the best young fast bowler and for the fact that he came out with a confession,” said Khan.

Another former captain Ramiz Raja said he has no sympathy for the players.

“I have no sympathy, I have always maintined that in a team when the rest of the guys are fighting to win a game and two or three are fighting against it, trying to sell their souls to the devil, they cannot be afforded any sympathy,” said Raja.

“They hurt Pakistan cricket, their fans and even though it may sound rough to some of the fans but justice has been done and they deserved the punishement they got.”

Raja said the verdict will serve Pakistan cricket well.

“Even though it’s a sad situation for their families, justice has been done. You need to rid such elements from the game

and it’s good for Pakistan cricket.

“Cricket needs good ambassadors and passionate cricketers who can be good ambassadors, who can serve their country honourably and unfortunately these three were on a diffrerent track,” said Raja.

Former coach Waqar Younis, in charge of the team during the England tour when the case surfaced, termed it “ugly.”

“I was part of the team when the whole episode took place. It was an ugly side of cricket. I don’t know much about the criminal law in England but cricketers being sentenced to jail is sad for cricket and bad for Pakistan,” Waqar told AFP. “Unfortunately it has happened now and I pray the whole episode should end and clear the Pakistan team to start afresh.”

Waqar said he could never think of the three players being involved.

“I could not even think of any of these guys being involved when the whole thing was taking place.

If I knew then things could have been managed differently and the board could have got involved and unfortunately it ends this way and they have to suffer.” Waqar hoped Pakistan do not lack in role models.

“It was a great loss for the team

at that time, especially Amer. He was upcoming and very energetic with a big future. I hope there is no absence of role models. I only hope the whole episode will be taken as a positive thing by the younger cricketers.

“Pakistan cricket should be thankful in a way that the whole thing is now taken care of. We need to take this positively and move on from here and we have done well since it started and we can do better than this.

“I have no doubt that talent is there and things will improve.”

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Friday, 4 November, 2011

Sports 23

SHARJAH: Pakistan’s pacer Umar Gul (C) celebrates with teammates after dismissing Sri Lanka's batsman Tharanga Paranavitana (L) on the first day of the final Test. AFP

watch It LIve ESPN C’wealth Bank Tournament of Champions 2011 02:30PM

TEN SPORTS Pakistan v Sri Lanka 3rd Test Day 2 11:00AM

Barwa Bank sponsors Pakistan’s ziad in Marathon des Sables LAHORE Staff REpORt

Doha-based Barwa Bank is sponsoring its official Ziyad Rahim for the Marathon des Sables (MdS) slated for April 6-16, 2012. According to Gulf News, Ziyad Rahim, a Pakistani, is the head of Barwa Banks Risk Assessment Division and is the son of cricket commentator Tariq Rahim and nephew of General (retd) Jehangir Karamat, former Chief of Army Staff. The Marathon raises money for the treatment of NOMA, an acute gangrenous infection that affects the face. The MdS is a grueling marathon and is considered to be the toughest footrace in the world. The participants cover 255 kms of the Moroccan Sahara Desert over six days. Barwa Bank Chief Executive Steve Troop said: ”We are all inspired by what Ziyad is endeavoring to do and wanted to show our support, both for him as our colleague and also for a very worthy cause”.

Ziyad is a well known marathon runner having participated in races all over the world.

Aisam-Bopanna out of valencia open LAHORE Staff REpORt

Pakistan tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna crashed out of Valencia Open on Thursday.

In a thrilling quarterfinal encounter, Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares defeated Aisam-Bopanna in a super tie-breaker. Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares won the match by 0-6, 6-4, 10-8.

USA stun Pakistan in Kabaddi world Cup LAHORE Staff REpORt

Pakistan stunned by USA in their first match of 2011 Kabaddi World Cup in India on Thursday. USA defeated Pakistan by 43-39. At the end of first half, USA were leading by 23-20. Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in their second group match on Saturday.

PiA thrash KPT in PPl LAHORE Staff REpORt

PIA thrashed KPT in the eighth Pakistan Premier Football League on Thursday while PAF and Navy played draw.

In the first match, PAF held Navy oneall draw at Municipal Stadium, Rawalpindi. Muhammad Ramzan opened the scoring for Navy in the 45th minute but the equaliser came in the 77th minute through PAF’s Saleh Khan.

In the second match, PIA thrashed KPT by 4-0 at KPT Football Stadium, Karachi.

Muhammad Ishtiaq scored the first goal in the 29th minute followed by two goals from captain Shakir Lashari in the 60th and 83rd minute and in between Abdul Jabbar Junior scored in the 68 minute of the match.

JUdGE’S vERdICT ON FIxERS

Butt perpetuated an atmosphere of corruption Here are excerpts from Judge Jeremy Cooke's remarks on sentencing the four at Southwark Crown Court in London: – sAlmAn butt sentence: Two-and-a-half years.

Cooke said he did not think the no-balls he was being sentenced for were "isolated incidents".

He said Butt, a "natural captain" and a well-educated "man of status", was clearly "the orchestrator" who bore "the major responsibility" for the corruption.

He blamed Butt for involving the teenage Aamer, who would be inclined to follow his captain's orders, especially when it was "part of the common culture".

Corruption "may have been more widespread" and "permeated the team" beforehand but Cooke had not seen direct evidence.

If so, Butt "perpetuated such an atmosphere of corruption".

He said Butt had done "a terrible thing" which showed his true character and would likely end his career.

The judge said he had taken into account the fact that Butt's wife gave birth on Tuesday and the family was reliant on his financial support.

The former Test captain's cricket ban "enables me to take a more lenient course" than the four-year jail term he might have given, Cooke added.

– mohAmmAd Asif sentence: One year.

Cooke said Asif's culpability was less than that of Butt and Majeed and limited to bowling one no-ball.

"You bowled a no-ball in order to obtain payment and in order to assist others

to cheat at gambling," the judge said.

He said there was no evidence of his prior involvement in fixing but it was clear Majeed had "every confidence" in him taking part and it was "hard to see how this could be an isolated occurrence".

He said Asif's ban from playing cricket meant his career was also effectively over, and therefore enabled a more lenient sentence. However, "these crimes of which you have been convicted require that a sentence be imposed which marks them for what they are and acts as a deterrent for any future cricketers who may be tempted".

– mohAmmAd AAmer sentence: Three months.

Cooke gave Aamer credit for pleading guilty, saying "t took courage to do so".

Without the plea, he would have received a nine-month sentence.

But the judge rejected Aamer's claim that his only involvement was bowling two no-balls at Lord's, as a result of pressure including threats to him and his family, and fears for his future.

"The reality of those threats and the strength of the underworld influences who control unlawful betting abroad" was witnessed in the evidence, Cooke said.

He said Aamer came from a village background where life was hard.

"Compared with others, you were unsophisticated, uneducated and impressionable. You were only 18 at the time and readily leant on by others," he said.

"I am clear that you bear less responsibility than your captain who influenced you," he said, but Aamer agreed to do it nonetheless.

There was evidence that he had been involved in discussions on fixing around the preceding Test at The Oval, though there was "no evidence" it occurred.

His cricket ban will "create problems" in returning to the game.

– mAZhAr mAJeed, agent to several pakistan players sentence: Two-and-a-half years.

Cooke rejected Majeed's claims that he was just boasting about fixing to the under-

cover journalist who exposed the scam.

"You said it had been going on for years," the judge recounted, adding that the agent and Butt were the "architects of the fixing".

It seems Majeed took the "lion's share of the cash" and the three no-balls cited in court were "only part of the corrupt activities" he was involved in.

Majeed had said he had been fixing within the Pakistan team for about twoand-a-half years and was involved with fixing for other people, the judge said, although he could not say if this was just the tip of the iceberg.

It was clear the agent was passing on information to contacts in India and Dubai, "all part of your corrupt activity" to defraud bookmakers in different markets, Cooke said. Majeed had decided, as witnessed in an email, "to make as much money as you could from the game of cricket -- by corrupting those involved", he said.

Majeed would have received four years in jail if not for his guilty plea.

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PML-N distances itself from Shahbaz’s rant LAHORE yaSiR Habib

M

AKING it loud and clear that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s language at Bhaati Chowk had nothing to do with the party policy, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has changed altogether its “Go Zardari Go” campaign to recover from the political bouncer bowled by Imran Khan at Minar-e-Pakistan and cope with criticism from inside the party over the venue of PML-N’s rally at Bhaati Chowk, CM’s derogatory onslaught against the president and the abrupt rescheduling of planned rallies.

The party now plans to change the

political game “by hook or crook” between mid-December and mid-January.

“The target is clear and it will be achieved even if we have to team up with the Chaudhys, Fazlur Rehman and other political forces in and outside parliament,” said a source in Raiwind.

The “Go Zardari Go” campaign has been shelved until after Muharram upon the return of PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for medical check-up. His visit to London was not earlier planned, but was appended with his Turkey tour after he felt some pain in the chest and learnt about the birth of his grandson.

The extension came at a time when the party needed him and wanted him to address the Faisal-

abad rally on November 4.

Nawaz absence has left a bad taste in the mouth for his fans, workers and the general public. Some call it a natural handicap of Nawaz that he fails to strike at the right time.

They call it an inborn immaturity of Nawaz, showcased especially while dealing with Zardari. However, various groups feel that his close aides forced him into political blunders by showing him rosy pictures of bleak future and making him blind to political realities.

Nawaz has taken control of the upcoming rallies, directing party “diehards” and “firebrands” to cease all work related to anti-government campaign, a PML-N senior leader said. However, he ruled out the rumours that the Sharifs had

shelved the agitation plan.

The PML-N has also distanced itself from Shahbaz Sharif’s abusive language and derogatory remarks against Zardari. “What Shahbaz said at Bhaati Chowk does not reflect the PML-N policy,” a close aide to Nawaz said.

PML-N Secretary Information Mushahidullah Khan said the “Go Zardari Go” drive would resume upon Nawaz’s return after Muharram.

Admitting that Imran Khan was an undeniable reality, he said the PML-N never ruled out Imran factor in politics and always considered him a reality even in the past. However, he said Imran was not a threat to the PML-N, as he would wreak havoc upon the PPP and others by hijacking their traditional vote bank in Southern Punjab.

Power tariff upped by rs 1.77 per unit

US drones kill three Haqqani men in NWA PESHAWAR

ISLAMABAD

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OnlinE

A US drone strike killed at least three militants in North Waziristan on Thursday, destroying a compound in a mountain stronghold of the Afghan Taliban’s Haqqani network, officials said. The attack took place in Darpakhel Sarai, just outside Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan. “A drone fired two missiles on a militant compound. At least three militants were killed,” a senior security official told AFP. He said those killed were loyal to Jamil Haqqani, an important Afghan commander in the Haqqani network whom US officials said was killed in a drone strike in North Waziristan on October 13. A US official at the time named him as Janbaz Zadran, saying he “played a central role in helping the Haqqani network attack US and coalition targets in Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan”. Other intelligence officials in Miranshah and Peshawar confirmed Thursday’s missile strike and casualties. Three other wounded militants were pulled out of the rubble and taken to hospital, witnesses said. One of them was carried out on a cot by seven to eight militants enveloped in dust. Militants cordoned off the area and were preventing anyone from accessing the destroyed compound, they said. A local intelligence official said about 10 militants had been inside the compound but that some had managed to escape.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday approved a power tariff hike of Rs 1.77 per unit on a request by the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA). The power tariffs have been raised for the month of September.

According to NEPRA, tariff of power distributing companies had been reviewed upwards under monthly fuel adjustment, as electricity to the tune of 8.11 billion units was sold out to these companies during September. According to NEPRA sources, the electricity prices were raised due to soaring cost of furnace oil. The recent hike is not applicable to Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) and lifeline users. It should be pertinent to note here that the CPPA pleaded NEPRA to raise tariff by Rs 1.80 per unit. NEPRA had earlier hiked power tariff by Rs. 5.08 for the months of July and August.

Frequency of cross-loC trade to be increased ISLAMABAD app

The governments of Pakistan and India have agreed to increase the frequency of cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade and bus service on both Uri-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakot routes in Jammu and Kashmir. The two countries also agreed to open bank branches on both sides of the LoC to do away with barter system of trade, increase fixed telephone lines for communication link between the people of two parts of Kashmir and introduce trade permits for businessmen to facilitate their travel across the LoC, Kashmir Media Service reported. The trade, which is presently confined to two days on the both cross-LoC routes, is being increased to four days a week. Both the governments had directed the officials engaged in the cross-LoC trade to raise necessary infrastructure and increase other facilities for raising number of days of the trade on the two routes of Kashmir and Jammu regions.

CHanga bangial: nasim akhtar, mother of former cricketer mohammad aamer, reacts after the london court verdict against her son on thursday. AFP

Pakistan recognises new Libyan govt ISLAMABAD SHaiQ HuSSain

Breaking its months-long silence, Pakistan on Thursday announced it had formally recognised the new National Transitional Council (NTC) government of Libya, which came into power after the ousting and death of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Pakistan had earlier expressed its concerns over foreign intervention in Libya and also the use of force to change the government in Tripoli, when the Libyan people rose up against Gaddafi, backed by NATO. The foreign policy managers in Islamabad had opted for a waitand-see policy owing to the fluid situation in Libya as the NTC rebels fought Gaddafi loyalists for months in various parts of Libya.

One other reason for Pakistan’s reluctance to recognise the new Libyan government was the country’s decades-old ties with Gaddafi.

“Pakistan maintains an embassy in Libya. There is a Libyan

embassy in Islamabad. We have long-standing ties with the Libyan people.

We wish them a prosperous future and it is important to note that in case of any change in government it is not every time that a government is recognised but it is the state that is recognized, and we recognise both the state and the government of Libya,” said Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua at her weekly press briefing. normAlising: To a question about granting of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India, she said: “The cabinet gave the Commerce Ministry the mandate to take the process of normalisation forward, which would culminate in the observance of MFN principle in its true spirit.

“It is evident that we wish to normalise trade relations with India in a mutually beneficial manner. The cabinet unanimously decided in principle to accord MFN status to India,

which both sides will have to work towards in further engagements by the commerce secretaries,” she added.

“As I have already said in our last briefing, the issue of peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, for example, was discussed by the foreign secretaries in the meeting that was held earlier this year and later by the foreign ministers themselves, and a reference to this discussion is also included in the joint statement that was adopted following the visit by the foreign minister to India,” said Tehmina.

Janjua said the trilateral meeting of the presidents of Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan, assisted by foreign ministers, proved to be extremely useful. trAining: She said two protocols were signed among the three countries to train police personnel and conduct mutual military exercises. Under the trilateral pact, the Pakistan Army would train the Afghan National Army as well as police, she added.

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