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Volume 13 Issue 331 Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 AH / March 8, 2013 - $1

SCORES INJURED AS BANGLADESH PROTESTS RAGE ON

capital, Dhaka. Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to break up Wednesday’s anti-government protests, injuring scores of people. The strikes were called after a special tribunal sentenced a top leader of Jamaat-e-Islami to death for alleged atrocities during the country’s 1971 independence war. Since last Thursday, when Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced, at least 61 people have died in clashes, mainly between police and Jamaat-e-Islami activists across the country. Sarwar Hossain, a protester, said the chaos began when hundreds of protesters attempted to join the rally in front the main opposition party’s headquarters. Hossain said they clashed with police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas. “We fled through an alley when the situation turned violent,” he said. “Many of us

have been injured.” The Daily Star newspaper said several crude bombs were thrown at police. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party called another daylong general strike on Thursday in response to Wednesday’s police action.

Jamaat-e-Islami campaigned against the creation of Bangladesh during a nine-month independence war with Pakistan 42 years ago, but denies any involvement in war crimes. The government says three million people died, 200,000 women were raped and millions were forced to flee to neighboring India during the war. The government initiated the war crimes trials in 2010. Prosecutors have put 12 people on trial, including 11 opposition politicians belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The parties say the trials are politically motivated

and aimed at suppressing the opposition. Jamaat-e-Islami supporters have attacked police, government offices and homes of minority Hindus, uprooted railroad tracks, and set fire to trains and other vehicles.

Source: Al-Jazeera

ISRAEL LAUNCHES SEGREGATED BUS SERVICE

Karachi, Pakistan: A powerful blast ripped though Abbas Town in Karachi on Sunday evening, leaving 45 people dead and over 150 injured. Since Imambargah Mustafa is situated close to the blast site, many residents began suspecting that the explosion was meant to target the men who had left their homes to offer Maghrib prayers. See details on Pag 14.

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Israel has launched two Palestinians-only bus lines in the occupied West Bank, a step an Israeli rights group described as racist and which the Transport Ministry called an improvement in service. The leftwing Haaretz daily reported that the ministry opened the lines on Monday, to be used by Palestinian labourers travelling between the West Bank and Israel, after Jewish settlers complained that Palestinians on mixed buses were a security risk. “Creating separate bus lines for Israeli Jews and Palestinians is a revolting plan,” Jessica Montell, director of the B’Tselem rights group, said on Army Radio.

“This is simply racism. Such a plan cannot be justified with claims of security needs or overcrowding.” The Transport Ministry said the two new lines would “improve public transport services for Palestinian workers entering Israel” and replace pirate buses charging them “exorbitant prices”. “The Ministry of Transport has not issued any instruction or prohibition that prevents Palestinian workers from travelling on public transport in Israel nor in Judea and Samaria,” it said, referring to the West Bank. “Furthermore, the Ministry of Transport is not authorised to prevent any passenger from using public transport services.” Rights groups, however, voiced concern that Israeli police at checkpoints in the West Bank would remove Palestinian passengers from regular bus lines and order them to use the new ones. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said all Palestinians returning to the West Bank would be searched for Continued on pg 24 stolen property, describing this as

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Violators of court orders Top secret world in US considered pious by govt: CJ Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday remarked that persons who go against court verdicts are considered pious by the government, adding that whenever the court gives a judgment, action is taken to the contrary.

The chief justice made these remarks while heading a three-member bench of the Supreme Court hearing the National Insurance Company Ltd (NICL) scandal case. Commerce Secretary Munir Paracha, counsel for FIA SM Zafar, counsel for Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim and other senior officers appeared before the court.

The court was told that Amin Fahim had appointed Ayyaz Niazi.

Four accused are outside the country and action is being initiated against them. Most of the accused who are present in Pakistan have been released on bail. A financial loss to the tune of Rs2.6 billion has been caused to the national exchequer in the NICL scam and a sum of Rs1.20 billion has been recovered.

The court was further told that the amount which was transferred to Amin Fahim’s account has now been transferred to the respective accounts from where it was trans-

ferred.

Justice Gulzar remarked that Ayyaz Niazi was appointed under the directives of Amin Fahim and the avenue of money transfer in the scam

Go and initiate proceedings against the accused persons. Register cases against those whom cases have not been registered,” the commerce secretary was told.

leads to the home of Amin Fahim.

“What then is left further,” he inquired.

The court asked the commerce secretary if it was his responsibility to take action against the accused.

“You have registered cases against them. Now provide evidence against them too, and if your evidence is proved false then action will be taken against you. When the court starts the hearing of any case then government institutions become active and before that, all of them lie in a state of slumber.

FIA Director Lahore Waqar Haider appeared before thecourt when the court sought report on the matter of Lahore land. The chief justice expressed annoyance when he saw Waqar Haider, saying: “Contempt of court case is pending hearing in our court against you and you are appearing here. How can you appear. What happened about your case.”

Waqar Haider told the court his case is lying in the bench led by Justice

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Respectable nations, who lead the world from the front, learn fast from their mistakes and follies——something which is seemingly true in the case of the United States of America that has now created a “top-secret world” in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—-an event that has gone on to transform the world politics in less than 12 years.

Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies today work across the United States on programmes related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the world super power.

Similarly, an estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington D.C., hold top-secret security clearances in the United States.

A lengthy investigative report published by the prestigious “Washington Post” on July 19, 2010 had stated: “The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many

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people it employs, how many programmes exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.”

This report titled “A hidden world, growing beyond control” was authored by journalists Dana Priest and William Arkin.

The top American newspaper had written in July 2010: “In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001.

Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 US Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.

Many security and intelligence agencies do the same work, creating redundancy and waste. For example, 51 federal organizations and military commands, operating in 15 US cities, track the flow of money to and from terrorist networks.”

The esteemed “Washington Post” had further gone on to write: “Analysts who make sense of documents and conversations obtained by foreign and domestic spying share their judgment by publishing 50,000 intelligence reports

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

B.C. Liberals survive budget vote amid ‘ethnic vote’ scandal While the so-called ‘ethnic vote’ scandal continues to dog B.C. Premier Christy Clark and the Liberal Party, the government survived a more immediate problem — a vote on the second reading of the provincial budget, which passed Tuesday. The Liberal majority in the legislature is now secured by only a few MLAs, and without MLA Kash Heed taking his seat due to family matters, the Liberal margin was down to just four votes. The budget passed with 45 MLAs in favour and 38 opposed. The budget will still have to pass a third reading before becoming official. Losing the second reading vote would likely have meant an early election.

On Monday, Deputy Premier Rich Coleman insisted he wasn’t worried. Clark announced Monday that Multiculturalism Minister John Yap wasleaving his cabinet post while her deputy minister, John Dyble, undertook an investigation into

the leaked government strategy to woo ethnic voters. The news came after the premier’s then-deputy chief of staff Kim Haakstad, who helped draft the 17-page Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan more than a year ago, announced she was stepping down on Friday. Clark has apologized three times for the document, which was leaked by the NDP in the legislature, and the language used in it. The plan made several proposals to entice ethnic voters in the run-up to the May provincial election. It also suggested government resources could be used. Though Clark had said Monday she may yet get caught up in the unfolding scandal, she denied the possibility of that happening after the vote on Tuesday. Clark had said there may be more action based on the outcome of the report, but she wouldn’t detail what action might need to be taken. While forcing out the premier and B.C. Liber-

al Party leader just 10 weeks before an election might sound unlikely, Clark told reporters Monday that all options were on the table. Heed acknowledged there is division in the caucus over Clark’s leadership, spurred on by the leaked document.

Martyn Brown, Gordon Campbell’s former chief of staff, says there’s one sure-fire way to unite the party — find a new leader. Liberal caucus members leaving an emergency meeting with Clark Monday at the legislature said they were united behind her, but were also awaiting the outcome of deputy minister John Dyble’s review of the controversial document. Clark’s cabinet ministers said Sunday they supported the premier even though mistakes had been made. Cultural Development Minister Bill Bennett calling the leaked document a “doozy” of a political gaff. B.C.’s next provincial election is slated for May 14.

Source: CBC News

US and Saudi send warnings to Iran and Syria

The United States and Saudi Arabia have presented a united front to Iran and Syria, alerting Iran’s leadership that patience over its alleged nuclear ambitions is wearing thin and warning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that they will boost support to rebels unless he steps down. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, was in Saudi Arabia on Monday on the latest leg of a nine-nation tour through Europe and the Middle East on his first overseas trip as Washington’s top diplomat. In Riyadh, on Monday, Kerry reminded Iran that US President Barack Obama has vowed not to allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon and that he has kept all options, including military options, on the table to prevent that from happening. The window of opportunity

for a diplomatic solution “cannot by definition remain open indefinitely”, Kerry said. “There is time to resolve this issue providing the Iranians are prepared to engage seriously on the P5+1 proposal.

But talks will not go on for the sake of talks and talks cannot become an instrument for delay that will make the situation more dangerous,’’ he said. Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, whose country shares concerns with other Gulf Arab states about increasing Iranian aggressiveness in the region, agreed.

“We hope that the negotiations will result in putting an end to this problem rather than containing it,” he said, “taking into account that the clock is ticking and negotiations cannot go on forever.” In addition to Saud and the Saudi crown prince, Kerry met in Riyadh with the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, all of whom are equally wary of Iranian intentions. In a joint news conference after the meeting Kerry and Saud

told reporters that Assad had lost all claim to be Syria’s legitimate leader. Saud, whose country along with other Gulf states is widely believed to be supplying weapons to the Syrian rebels, said Saudi Arabia could not ignore the brutality Assad is inflicting on his people. Saud also decried the fact that the Assad continued to get weapons from “third parties”, a veiled reference to Russia and Iran, which have backed the regime through the conflict. “Saudi Arabia will do everything within its capacity, and we do believe that what is happening in Syria is a slaughter, a slaughter of innocents’’ he said. “We can’t bring ourselves to remain quiet. Morally we have a duty.’’ The Obama administration has resisted appeals from the Syrian opposition to provide it with weapons and ammunitions over fears that they could fall into the hands of Islamic hardliners who have gained support among Assad opponents. But Kerry sidestepped a question about whether the arms reportedly being supplied to the rebels by Saudi Arabia and others were a concern. Instead, he criticized Iran, Hezbollah and Russia by name for giving weaponry to the Assad regime.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Israel accused of abusing detained children

Palestinian children detained

by Israeli authorities face systematic abuse that violates international law, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said in a report. UNICEF estimated that 700 Palestinian children aged between 12 and 17 were arrested by Israeli security forces every year in the occupied West Bank. The world organisation said it had identified some examples of practices that “amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture”. According to the report, which was released on Wednesday, most of the youths are taken into custody for throwing stones at Israeli security forces. Tel Aviv says it takes such incidents seriously, noting that rock-throwing has caused Israeli deaths. Illtreatment of Palestinian minors typically begins with the arrest itself, often carried out in the middle of the night by heavily armed soldiers, and continues all the way through prosecution and sentencing, according to the report. “The pattern of ill-treatment includes ... the practice of blindfolding children and tying their hands with plastic ties, physical and verbal abuse during transfer to an interrogation site, including the use of painful restraints,” the report said.

It said minors suffered physical violence and threats during their interrogation, were coerced into confession and not given immediate access to a lawyer or family during questioning.

“Treatment inconsistent with child rights continues during court appearances, including shackling of children, denial of bail and imposition of custodial

sentences and transfer of children outside occupied Palestinian territory to serve their sentences inside Israel,” the report said. Such practice “appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalised”, it added.

UNICEF based its findings on more than 400 cases documented since 2009 as well as legal papers, reports by governmental and non-governmental groups and interviews with Palestinian minors and with Israeli and Palestinian officials and lawyers.

Qadoura Fares, chairman of the Palestinian Prisoners Club which looks after inmates and their families, praised the report and called for Israel to be held accountable. A spokeswoman for Israel’s Prison Service said there were currently 307 Palestinian minors in Israeli custody, 108 of whom are serving a prison sentence. Most of them are between the ages of 16 to 18 and the rest are under 16. UNICEF said Israel had made some “positive changes” in recent years in its treatment of Palestinian minors, including new hand-tying procedures meant to prevent pain and injury. It also noted a 2010 military order that requires Israeli police to notify parents about the arrest of their children and to inform minors they have the right to consult a lawyer. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said officials from the ministry and the Israeli military had cooperated with UNICEF in its work on the report, with the goal of improving the treatment of Palestinian minors in custody. “Israel will study the conclusions and will work to implement them through ongoing cooperation with UNICEF, whose work we value and respect,” he said.

Source: Al-Jazeera

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

North Korea vows to can- China’s Wen leaves office under cloud cel Korean War ceasefire of suspicion, warning of corruption

North Korea vowed Tuesday to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War, citing a U.S.-led push for punishing United Nations sanctions over its recent nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean joint military drills. Without elaborating, the Korean People’s Army Supreme Command warned of “surgical strikes” meant to unify the divided Korean Peninsula and of an indigenous, “precision nuclear striking tool.” The statement came amid reports that Washington and North Korean ally Beijing have approved a draft of a UN Security Council resolution calling for sanctions in response to North Korea’s Feb. 12 nuclear test. The draft is expected to be circulated at the UN this week. Heated military rhetoric is common from North Korea when tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula and during U.S.-South Korean war games, but this latest statement is unusually specific. It threatens to block a communications line between North Korea and the United States at the border village separating the two Koreas, and to nullify the 60-year-old Korean War armistice agreement on March 11, when two weeks of U.S.-South Korean military drills will draw 10,000 South Korean and 3,500 U.S. forces. An earlier round of drills between the allies began earlier this month. Pyongyang’s recent nuclear test and rocket launches, and the subsequent call for U.N. punishment, have increased already high animosity between the North and Washington and Seoul. The United States and others worry that North Korea’s third nuclear test takes it a big step closer toward its goal of having nucleararmed missiles that can reach America,

and condemn its nuclear and missile efforts as threats to regional security and a drain on the resources that could go to North Korea’s largely destitute people.

North Korea says its nuclear program is a response to U.S. hostility that dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war. Even amid the tension, however, North Korea has welcomed high-profile American visitors, including former basketball star Dennis Rodman, known for his piercings and tattoos as much as his Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Rodman met the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, called him an “awesome guy” and said Kim wanted President Barack Obama to call him. The trip was criticized for giving the authoritarian leader a propaganda boost, but Rodman suggested “basketball diplomacy” could warm relations. Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, made a four-day trip in January, but did not meet Kim. North Korean propaganda regularly cites decades-old, Cold War-era American threats as the reason for its nuclear efforts and holds that the North remains at risk of an unprovoked nuclear attack. Washington and others say brinksmanship is the North’s true motive for the nuclear push. The North’s statement called U.S.-South Korean military drills a “dangerous nuclear war targeted at us.” “We aim to launch surgical strikes at any time and any target without being bounded by the armistice accord and advance our long-cherished wish for national unification,” the statement said. Source: CBC News

For much of Wen Jiabao’s decade as China’s Premier, questions swirled about his loveable, friendof-the-people persona and the role he played in the Communist Party government. Was he genuinely the populist “Grandpa Wen” who cried at disaster scenes and occasionally advocated for greater democracy and freedoms? Or was he “China’s best actor,” as one prominent political dissident labelled him, a cynical politician who paid lip service to democracy while his family allegedly made an astonishing fortune during his time in power? The questions hung in the air Tuesday as Mr. Wen prepared to give his final major speech at the opening of China’s once-a-year parliament, the National People’s Congress. Before he spoke, there was whispered speculation in the ornate lobby of the Great Hall of the People that Mr. Wen might use the podium to make a last-ditch argument for political reforms. Others joked darkly that the outgoing Premier might instead make an emotional farewell in case the corruption allegations meant he was never to be seen again. There were even rumours Mr. Wen wouldn’t give Tuesday’s speech unless he was first declared vindicated of all suspicion. This is a time of political transition in China, a rare moment when no one knows precisely how events will play out, particularly with the shape of the next government not yet clear and incoming president Xi Jinping spearheading an anti-corruption drive. But Mr. Wen stuck to his 29-page script in addressing the rubber-stamp legislative body. Speaking under a giant red star, Mr. Wen said that China needed to maintain its focus on economic development, declaring a growth target of 7.5 per cent for 2013, while upholding “the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” He got applause when he called for greater environmental protections – a top-of-mind topic in smog-blanketed Beijing – and when he said the government must “safeguard China’s maritime rights and interests,” a reference to a highly charged boundary dispute with neighbouring Japan. However, his call to “ensure that officials are honest, government is clean and

political affairs are handled with integrity” was weakened by the scandal surrounding his family’s own finances and a separate media report last year on Mr. Xi’s family fortune. Neither man is known to be facing any kind of investigation. As Mr. Wen spoke, the 2,965 delegates watched a big-screen television alternate between close-ups of the retiring leadership – President Hu Jintao, Mr. Wen and their Politburo – and the new one headed by Mr. Xi and Li Keqiang, who will succeed Mr. Wen as Premier this month. All stared unsmilingly into the camera when their turns came. The message was clear: There will be stability, even amid change, and continuity at the top. And Mr. Wen, one of the most popular politicians the Communist Party has produced, was the one delivering it.

Though he had declared freedom and democracy “irresistible” in a 2010 interview on CNN that was censored in China, Mr. Wen uttered neither word in his last address as Premier. Instead, the 70-yearold proudly listed the many achievements over the decade that he and Mr. Hu headed this authoritarian, one-party state: China’s inaugural manned space flight, its first aircraft carrier, the country’s expanding high-speed rail network and Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Olympics. He also highlighted the growing challenges the new leadership will face: runaway corruption, an expanding wealth gap and accelerating environmental deterioration.

Mr. Wen did tell delegates that “China has entered a crucial stage of reform, and we must further emancipate our minds,” but it was only one line in a speech that lasted 100 minutes. He offered no specific prescription, either, only a broad admonition to “carry out all-around economic, political, cultural and social reforms.” What those reforms would be was left to the next generation of leaders, led by Mr. Xi and Mr. Li. Mr. Xi, who is already head of the Communist Party and the military, will formally become president at the end of the National People’s Congress, which is expected to last 10 to 12 days. A new cabinet, headed by Mr. Li as premier, will also be announced in the next two weeks. Source: Globe and Mail

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez dies at 58

Venezuela’s controversial President Hugo Chavez died after a lengthy struggle with cancer on Tuesday, throwing the already divided country into a state of uncertainty. Vice-President Nicolas Maduro broke the news on national television. Chavez died at 4:25 p.m. local time, Maduro said, though the exact cause of death was not released. With tears running down his face, Maduro called on Venezuelans to be “dignified inheritors of the giant man” Chavez was. Chavez, who was one of Latin America’s highest-profile leaders since he swept into office in 1998, had been struggling with cancer for almost two years and had recently undergone surgery in Cuba.

Chavez’s condition had worsened in recent weeks and the leader had been completely out of the public eye. This week, he contracted a “severe infection,” Venezuela’s Communications Minis-

ter Ernesto Villegas said. Chavez won re-election in October 2012, defeating Henrique Capriles in a bitter campaign. Capriles attacked Chavez’s government for issues including rampant violent crime and corruption, winning about 45 per cent of the popular vote in the process. Maduro, a loyal spokesman for Chavez, is set to lead Venezuela. The opposition, however, is expected to contest Maduro in a snap election that it argues should have been called after Chavez was unable to be sworn in on Jan. 10 as the constitution stipulates. Shortly after his re-election, Chavez flew to Cuba for cancer treatment. It was his second major bout with the disease. The Venezuelan government released a “proof of life” photo of Chavez in a Cuban hospital bed, smiling, with his daughters at his side, but the status of his recovery remained unclear.

Chavez returned to Venezuela in

February, but remained hidden from public view. The government said Chavez was undergoing “chemotherapy of strong impact.” Chavez — a close friend of Cuban leader Fidel Castro — was known as an antagonist to the American government, though former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien remembered him fondly on CBC-TV’sPower and Politics. “He was a very colourful politician who had very different policies than many of us, but I had the privilege to meet him many times,” Chrétien said. “He did his best, even if we did not agree many times on the issues.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper released a statement offering his condolences to Venezuela’s citizens. “At this key juncture, I hope the people of Venezuela can now build for themselves a better, brighter future based on the principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for human

rights,” the statement said. U.S. President Barack Obama also issued a statement Tuesday. “At this challenging time of President Hugo Chavez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government,” it said. Other U.S. politicians, like California Republican Congressman Ed Royce, were less than kind. “Hugo Chavez was a tyrant who forced the people of

Venezuela to live in fear,” Royce said. “His death dents the alliance of anti-U.S. leftist leaders in South America. Good riddance to this dictator.” Some 190,000 Venezuelans, many of whom are anti-Chavez, live in the U.S. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon extended his condolences to Chavez’s family and the country of Venezuela, while Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, called Chavez’s death “a tragedy.”

Source: CBC News

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

E D I T O R I A L

Giving Peace a Chance

The withdrawal of NATO forces is nearing, so is the need of “friendly environment” surfacing in the Pak-Afghan region. Indeed, negotiating with Afghan Taliban is of crucial importance at this hour.

Similarly, Taliban on Pakistan side have to give peace a chance too.

There is no doubt that Sectarian warfare has turned Pakistan upside down: To a great extent, there is a justification in finger pointing towards Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Punjabi Taliban, FATA warriors, the secessionists in Balutochistan, the Baluchistan liberation army (BLA) as they keep defying writ of the State creating difficult scenario for the region unfortunately.

And of course, the warring gangs of Karachi have added further fuel to the painful reality, yet with the aggravating law and order situation, the authorities also are increasingly becoming too incapacitated to crack down on the (anti-Pakistan) proxy warriors.

The Taliban factions (from within) and foreign intruders are successfully launching their attacks all over the country. They even have penetrated the security forces.

The fact is Karachi-the commercial hub now resembles a battlefield where proxy war is being fought to satisfy the stakeholders.

Furthermore, the degree of looting, target killing and kidnapping for ransom is severe enough to scare off the peaceful citizens.

Sadly, the paralysis of country’s administrative machinery and the ongoing terror attacks in Karachi and elsewhere, especially the “Shiite-genocide” at different locations show that the enemy appears determined to dismantle the country at all cost by using all available tactics.

Many are justified to suspect a major game plan is at play to break the country into pieces. God forbid!

Certainly, the religious extremism is un-Islamic thing, which becomes a weapon (remote control) in the hands of mysterious stakeholders.

But unjustifiably, the security apparatus is only functional to protect the VIPs in Pakistan, and the vulnerable public remain prone to deadly attacks 24/7. Hence, government’s commitment to the fight against terrorism is increasingly becoming questionable.

Some TV channels are suggesting the militants of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) in Karachi are involved in the recent merciless genocide of the ill fated Shias of Abbas Town and the killing of Hazaras as well.

Though, Taliban claim to establish a strict Muslim religious order, yet their track record of brutality and terrorism show their anti humanity and anti Islam mindset. They have indulged in destruction of schools, places of worship, market places, housing complexes and

public property. They have killed over 45,000 innocent Pakistani civilians so far. In complicity with other terrorist groups, these Taliban are still involved in target killings and massive genocide in the major cities of Pakistan.

Enough is enough: It’s time for sitting on the negotiating table for all parties in the region. Therefore, Pakistan is now fully supporting the Taliban’s new address outside Afghanistan.

In this regard, British Prime Minister David Cameron hosted Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan’s President Asif Zardari for trilateral talks on Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation process. The three leaders agreed to open an office in Qatar’s capital for negotiations, believing that the Taliban are softening their hardline stance against discussions.

Subsequent to the recent five days dialogue between the Afghan Taliban and the United States in Qatar’s capital Doha, Pak foreign minister Khar’s visit to Qatar shows the seriousness and determination to bring peace in the region But, the Afghan Taliban at Doha once again insisted for the release of their prisoners and kept rejecting the government of President Hamid Karzai.

On the other hand, Pakistani Taliban militants have welcomed the five-point declaration of an All

Parties nine hour Conference (APC) called by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) for steps to restore peace in Pakistan’s restive tribal areas. .Exclusion of the word terrorism: It’s noteworthy that the political parties have sent a positive message by excluding the word terrorism from the joint declaration. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) shura (council) gives it high regards. (Dawn News) . As per the declaration, thirty political parties agreed on forming a grand tribal jirga representing all schools of thought. It is common in Afghanistan and in the tribal belt of Pakistan, bordering the areas with Afghanistan.

However, the Taliban want to propose their own names for representing them in the grand assembly. It’s been agreed to negotiate peace with the militant elements through a grand tribal group comprising 17 representatives. The declaration added that practical steps were needed to end lawlessness in the country. The process of peace negotiations would be fully supported to establish a rule of law in the society.

Oops!

1- Not taking Pakistan Tehreeke-insaf (PTI) on board is the biggest blunder which has already been made by the APC. 2- One-sided concessions to the Taliban can ruin whatever success the armed forces have achieved

Letters & Opinions

Eid Milad un Nabi and innovation By: Arooba Haq Richmond My dear Muslims, I enjoy reading the Miracle and Al-Ameen as they offer me news from the Muslim Community in the Lower Mainland and across the world. Yet I was appalled that last week’s issue of the Miracle showcased many pages of people celebrating Eid-Miladun-Nabi. So you may be thinking why am I appalled? Don’t I love Prophet Muhammad(s)? Yes, I do. And how do you show love?

Just by declaring it? Or by following and emulating who you love?

If we love Rasullullah(s), then as Muslims we must not just state we do so like hypocrites, but we must also perform the actions and have the proper intentions (niyaa) when performing those actions.

As Muslims we know that the only man ever to reach near perfection was Muhammad (s). Thus, if we want to better ourselves, we should follow him and do what he did. And who else should we emulate? His companions of course, as they were the rightly guided and many were given knowledge that they were to go to paradise.

They loved the Prophet(s) more than anyone else, so much so that they were willing to give all

their wealth and even their life to the Prophet(s). Think hard now, how much do you really love the Prophet(s) in comparison? I ask this to myself first and foremost.

So what did the Prophet Muhammad(s) do on his birthday?

Did he arrange for a feast and invite all his friends? Did his companions throw a large party and sing nasheeds to praise and glorify him? Nay, neither the Prophet(s) nor his companions celebrated his birthday during his life or after his death. A person asked Allah’s Apostle(s) as to who amongst the people were the best. He said “Of the generation to which I belong, then of the second generation (generation adjacent to my generation), then of the third generation (generation adjacent to the second generation)” [Sahih Muslim, Hadith 6159, Narrated by Aisha].

The Prophet (s) also said: “I urge you to follow my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided khaleefahs after me; adhere to it and cling to it firmly. Beware of newly-invented things, for every newly-invented thing is an innovation (bid’ah) and every innovation is a going-astray.” [Narrated

by Ahmad, 4/126; al-Tirmidhi no.

2676]. In addition, after the be-

loved Prophet(s) completed his Final Sermon, and upon it, near the summit of Arafat, the revelation came down:“…This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My Grace upon you, and have chosen Islam for you as your religion…”[Al-Quran, Surah al-Maa’idah 5:3].

So this leaves the intelligent man/woman to wonder, if the Prophet(s) and his companions did not celebrate his birthday, and they were the best of generations, who are we to think we are better to form a new innovation in our religion? When Allah has stated that he has perfected our religion for us, who are we to say we know more? Have we become so arrogant and proud that we will follow others blindly when our Lord and our Prophet(s) have decreed that in matters of religion, we must not add bidah (innovations)?

If we have been told to by Allah to offer 2 fardh for Fajr prayer, will we offer 4 fardh instead? Superficially, it may seem you are enhancing a good deed, but in reality you are disobeying Allah’s orders and praying whatever you please.

Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that we are better than Rasullullah(s) or better than his

companions, by engaging in an act that did not even occur until centuries after his death. Let us not let Shaitan lead us astray, as he (the cursed one) loves to sneak up upon Muslims and lead us astray by pushing us towards bidah.

The first official celebrations of Milad-un-Nabi took place in Egypt by the Fatimid dynasty in eleventh century. The Fatimid celebrations were influenced by elements of Sufism. So this is not something from the Prophet’s (s) time, rather it is an innovation which occurred afterwards, and something Muslims follow today.

Remember, there is no Wahhabi, Moderate, Modern, or Extremist Islam. No, there is only ISLAM, and we are not moderate, extreme, or modern Muslims. No, we are MUSLIMS. So let us not follow any man with a beard blindly, as Allah tells us

Continued on pg 10 IMPORTANT NOTE: Letters to the editor do not reflect the opinion of the Miracle media group. We do not publish anonymous letters or the letters of the people who do not disclose their identity to ‘The Miracle.’ A writer can use a pen name or request ‘The Miracle’ to withhold his / her identity. Please include your daytime telephone number for the confirmation of your letter. We regret the inconvenience.

against terrorists.

3- The APC announced that the incumbent government, the caretaker setup and the next government would be bound to follow declaration.

Almost everyone now realizes that only a viable solution through negotiated settlement is in the best interest of Pakistan and the region, but time will tell where the dust settles.

Waan laysa lil insani illa ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

Meralce Media Group Inc.

Contact Info Mailing and Office Address 9160-136A Street Surrey BC. V3V 7Z8 Canada Fax: 604-582-7809 Founder: Nusrat Hussain Managing Editor: M. Naseer Pirzada Sub- Editors: Khadija, Misbah & Sabeeh Hon. Chief Editor & Urdu Editor Mohammad Rafiq Advertising: info@miraclenews.com Ph: 604-690-0400 Email: naseer@telus.net Editorial Board: Mr, Shums Jillani, Mr aslam Hayat, Mr.Azhar Syed, Mr. Shams Siddiqui, M.A.L. Naumani, Mr Tariq Mian Graphic Design: Design Team Copyright: 2001 Miracle Media Group Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Printed in Canada Attention: The opinions express herein contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessary those of “The Miracle”. These are offered as a means for “The Miracle” to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of “Bringing Harmony To All The Communities.”

CONTENTS Editorial & Letr Int. News Local Politics Faith Artcles Home and Garden Life Style Health Sports Urdu

6 4,5 12,13,16 11 7,8 11,14,17 18 21 22 29 32-38

Phone 604-690-0400 Email miraclenews@telus.net, info@miraclenews.com Website www.miraclenews.com

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

E D I T O R I A L On the authority of Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: A man from among those who were before you was called to account. Nothing in the way of good was found for him except that he used to have dealings with people and, being well-to-do, he would order his servants to let off the man in straitened circumstances [from repaying his debt]. He (the Prophet p.b.u.h) said that Allah said: We are worthier than you of that (of being so generous). Let him off. (Muslim al-Bukhari and an-Nasa’i).

The Reality of the

Akhirah (Hereafter) By: A K M Mohiuddin Akhirah. Akhirah. Akhirah. Allah Subhanahu wa ta’la insistently repeats and reminds us of it on almost every page of the Qur’an. So does Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the last Messenger of Allah (swt) for mankind, with every word he speaks and everything he does. They tell us that the Akhirah is more real than the ground under our feet. Real success or failure is success or failure in the Akhirah for which Allah (swt) will be the sole Judge. Nothing in this world has any value if it does not benefit man on the Day of Judgment. Thus, there is no Islam without the Akhirah, and no sensible Muslim can remain forgetful of it lest he become a loser on that Momentous Day. Still, it is very easy to lose sight of the Akhirah, even for us believers, or to fail to be fully conscious of this most important reality. It is easy to forget that we will harvest in the Akhirah what we sow in this world, and that - for good or for bad - we are all engaged in sowing, each moment of our present life. There are various reasons for this loss of sight and forgetfulness.

One, we do not see the Akhirah before our eyes as we do other things. Two, we have no experience of it. And thirdly, of course, we have our many distractions. The vivid and variety-filled world that we see before our eyes absorbs our attention, time and energy.

This world seems solid and permanent, while death seems remote and the Akhirah merely an abstract proposition of no immediate relevance.

In fact it was not meant to be easy for us to keep the Akhirah in mind. It is on the question of the Akhirah that our iman is sorely tested.

Our attitude to the Akhirah depends solely on the strength and vitality of our iman.

To keep our iman healthy and strong and ensure its continuous growth we have to nourish and nurture it. This can only be done through our passionate engagement with Allah’s (swt) Book of Guidance for us and His Noble Messenger Muhammad (saws).

In this connection it would help to ask ourselves what the basis of our iman is. First, we believe that the Qur’an is the word of Allah (swt). We have all the evidence we need to be sure that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and preserved in its original form. And thus we believe that whatever Allah has said in the Qur’an is true. Nothing can be truer. Allah (swt) has not said anything that we do not need. And since He has placed so much importance on the Akhirah, the Muslim has to take it seriously. Any confusion in the heart about the veracity of the Qur’an will naturally undermine a Muslim’s sense of the reality of the Akhirah.

We further believe that Muhammad (saws) is a true Prophet of Allah (swt). Even the minutest details of his life are known to us. In fact, there is no one else in history or in our personal life whom we know better. His life convinces us. There is nothing false about him; he never told a lie or deceived anyone.

Muhammad (saws) never sought any reward from others for what he did. All his struggles and hardships were for the sake of Allah (swt) alone. The Qur’an emphatically proclaims this: “No reward do I ask of you: it is (all)

in your interest: my reward is only due from guidance imbued into it, man has a will of sending of human MesAllah: and He is Witness to all things.” (Surah his own and the freedom to use it the way he sengers to guide and foreSaba 34:47). Even when we pray for him by wishes. Man’s case therefore is different: the warn man fit in. Together, saying sallahu alayhi wa sallam (Surah Al- scheme and guidance for man must also be they can safely conduct man to the Akhirah. The human MessenAhzab 33:56), it is for our benefit, not his. Our different. prayers do not advance Muhammad’s (saws) As man can choose how to behave, there has ger is needed not only to convey the place before Allah (swt) in any way. His posi- to be some arrangement for his proper ac- message from Allah (swt) but no less tion is secure with Allah (swt), but saying our countability and a dispensation of what he has importantly to also show man how to taslim is an unfailing means for us to please earned through his choice. This requires the make use of the revelation. Thus Allah’s Allah (swt). Thus we trust the most trustwor- presence of all the parties involved and the (swt) scheme for mankind finds fulfillment thy, selfless and caring human being who ever availability of all the evidence at one place through three things: the Revelation, the Mesand time, and a judge capable of dealing with sengers and the Akhirah. lived.

We can also find confirmation for our belief everyone with unquestionable thoroughness We Muslims believe in these things because nothing else makes sense. All else is confuby engaging our capacity for thinking. Islam and justice. does not require us to close our minds. On the Before man faces his judgment, though, the sion and disorder. contrary, it encourages us to think. Allah (swt) basis on which he is going to be judged must Now, what remains for us to do is to keep our repeatedly prods us to observe and draw les- be made known to him. Observing the orderly vision of the Akhirah real, vivid and fresh, sons from what we observe and rebukes us for behavior of the minutest of particles in the and work to prepare ourselves while we are in universe, man can feel sure that the basis for this world for that inevitable and overwhelmour failure to think and reflect.

As thinking and reflecting beings, we can ask order in his life is also available. If he looks ing eventuality. It is on our vision of the Akhirah that our response to life, its conditions and ourselves one question. What does life look for it, he will find it. like without the Akhirah? What meaning or Man with his pure innate capacity for think- all that befalls us, depends. sense and purpose is there in life if there is ing and reflection can easily arrive at a point As always, we have the example of our most no Akhirah? None. Without the Akhirah, all where he can feel the existence and working beneficent friend Muhammad (saws). How is chaos, useless, valueless. On an entirely of a Supreme and Perfect Being, the need real, immediate, acute and vivid the Reality of self-enclosed worldly level there cannot be for guidance from that ultimate and unfail- the Akhirah was to him can be seen from this any such thing as right and wrong, good or ing Source and the advent of a final moment Hadith: “They (his Companions) said: ‘Oh, bad. All are equal and therefore meaningless. of resolution when all confusion and bewil- Messenger of Allah, we saw you reach out Without the Akhirah, an occasion for an ab- derment will be dispelled and all conflicts to something, while you were standing here, solutely thorough and flawless account-taking resolved, a moment when there are no more then we saw you restrain yourself.’ He said, from man and according him what he truly loose ends or unanswered questions. These ‘I saw Paradise and reached out to a bunch of deserves, any edifice of meaning or value that are the most urgent and profound truths that its grapes, and had I taken it you would have man might wish to erect crumbles even before man needs to know and can realize by his own eaten of it as long as the world endured. I saw it can be started. In such a case, what need effort. And this is one of the urgent messages Hell also’” (Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Hadith 1982). There are numerous other ahadith that or justification can there be in continuing to at the heart of Islam. live in this state? Man would be in a void of There is no difficult or complicated philoso- convey the feeling that Muhammad (saws) is phy involved in all this thinking. It is within already there and is talking to his companions despair.

But before one gives up and totally surrenders the reach of any sensible human being, as from there. to despair, he can look at the universe around it should be. For it affects the ultimate and When we say we accept him as our Prophet him and think about it. What should he make eternal destiny of each one of us. But man (saws), we commit ourselves to molding our of the amazing beauty, variety, organization, by his own efforts can go no further. He can- lives after him in every way. Let us try to keep interrelatedness, balance and harmony in the not know the full identity and will of that Su- our vision of the Akhirah clear and vivid, as universe? What has brought about this harmo- preme Source, the form of his guidance, or Muhammad (saws) did, and to ready ourny in variety? Surely, all these things could clearly imagine the final judgment. He needs selves for it as he taught us to do. not have been there by themselves or by acci- help from the Supreme Source. The realizaA. K. M. Mohiuddin is a retired university dent. Surely, some supremely powerful, intel- tion of this is the dawning of wisdom. professor of English literature living in ligent and wise source must be behind all this, Bangladesh. to bring all these qualities into being, to invest It is here that Allah’s (swt) revelation and them in the universe and to guide and control it. And this source also needs to be one and indivisible. The presence of harmony unmistakably March 8-22, 2013 (Rabi ul Thani 27-Jamadi ul Awaal 10, 1434H) testifies to the unity and oneness of the source, for harmony is the imprint of unity on multiplicity.

R.ul II Date Day Fajar Sunr Zawal Dhuhr Asar Maghrib Isha This leads to another very imporFri 5:09 6:39 12:23 12:28 08 4:00 6:10 7:40 27 tant question. If that Source or BeSat 5:07 6:37 12:23 12:28 09 4:02 6:12 7:42 28 ing can bring into existence such a universe of order and harmony, Day*29 light save *10 *Sun *6:05 *7:35 *01:23 *01:28 *5:03 *7:13 *8:43 would He leave human beings, the 30 11 Mon 6:03 7:33 01:22 01:27 5:04 7:14 8:44 most delicate and complex thing in Tue JA I-1 12 6:01 7:31 01:22 01:27 5:06 7:16 8:46 the universe, outside His scheme?

Since every element in the universe 02 13 Wed 5:59 7:29 01:22 01:27 5:07 7:18 8:48 functions according to the law and 14 Thu 5:57 7:27 01:21 01:26 03 5:08 7:19 8:49 principle impregnated into each, Fri 5:55 7:25 01:21 01:26 15 04 5:09 7:20 8:50 would He leave man without some Sat 5:53 7:23 01:21 01:26 law and principle to direct him? No, 16 05 5:11 7:22 8:52 that cannot be. That would mean an 17 Sun 5:51 7:21 01:21 01:26 06 5:13 7:24 8:54 element of disorder in an otherwise 18 Mon 5:48 7:18 01:20 01:25 07 5:15 7:26 8:56 orderly universe. Reason demands a Tue 19 08 5:46 7:16 01:20 01:25 5:16 7:27 8:57 scheme and guidance for man also.

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver

Here, however, we must recognize a crucial difference between all the other elements in the universe and man. While each of them obeys the

09 10 11

20 21 22

Wed Thu Fri

5:44 5:42 5:40

7:14 7:12 7:10

01:20 01:19 01:19

01:25 01:24 01:24

5:18 5:20 5:21

7:29 7:31 7:32

8:59 9:01 9:02

For such Prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times: Quran ,n 4:103 Source: BCMA

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

F A I T H

Clarification of the Many Paths of Good Part I Riyad as-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous)

By Imam Nawawi Allah Almighty says, “Whatever good you do, Allah knows it,” (W2:213; H2:215) and the Almighty says, “Whatever good you do, Allah knows it.” (W2:196; H2:197) The Almighty says, “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it” (W99:8; H99:7) The Almighty says, “Whoever acts rightly, it is to his own good.”

(W45:14; H45:15) 117. Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junada said, “I asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, which action is the best?’

He replied, ‘Belief in Allah and struggle in His way.’ I said, ‘What is the best kind of setting free?’ He replied, ‘That of the person most valued in the eyes of his people and the one with the highest price.’

I asked, ‘What if I cannot do that?’

He replied, ‘Help the poor or those who cannot do anything for themselves.’ I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about someone who is too weak to do anything?’ He said, ‘Withhold your evil from other people. That is sadaqa from you to yourself.’” [Agreed upon] 118. Abu Dharr also reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Sadaqa is owed by every joint you have [360 joints]. Every glorification is sadaqa. Every praise is sadaqa. Every ‘la ilaha illa’llah’ is sadaqa. Commanding the right is sadaqa. Forbidding the

wrong is sadaqa. Praying the two rak’ats of Duha (the forenoon) takes care of all that.” [Muslim] 119. Abu Dharr also reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The actions of my community, both good and bad, were displayed before me and I found among their good actions removing obstacles from the road and I found among their bad actions spittle in the mosque which is not buried.”

[Muslin] 120. Abu Dharr also reported that some people said, “Messenger of Allah, the rich people have gone off with all the reward. They pray as we pray, fast as we fast, and then give sadaqa from their excess wealth.” He said, “Has Allah not given you something that you can give away as sadaqa? Every glorification is sadaqa. Every ‘Allahu akbar’ is sadaqa. Every praise is sadaqa and every ‘la ilaha illa’llah’ is sadaqa. Commanding the right is sadaqa and forbidding the wrong is sadaqa. There is even sadaqa in your sexual intercourse.”

They said, “Messenger of Allah, can one of us indulge his appetite and then get a reward for it?” He said, “Do you not think that if you did it unlawfully, you would incur a wrong action for it? In the same way if you do it lawfully, you will receive a reward.” [Muslim] 121. Abu Dharr said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant

him peace, told me, ‘Do not consider anything correct insignificant, even meeting your brother with a happy face.” [Muslim] 122. Abu Hurayra said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Sadaqa is owed by every limb people have. Every day on which the sun rises in which someone establishes justice between two people is sadaqa. To help a man with his animal and help him onto it is sadaqa. Or to lift his goods onto it is sadaqa. A good word is sadaqa.

Every step you take to the prayer is sadaqa. Removing an obstacle from the road is sadaqa.” [Agreed upon] Muslim also related it with the variant of ‘A’isha: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah created three hundred and sixty joints in every one of the children of Adam. Whoever says “Allahu akbar”, praises Allah, says “There is no god but Allah”, glorifies Allah, asks Allah’s forgiveness, removes a stone or a thorn or a bone from people’s path, or commands something right or forbids something wrong, has accounted for the whole three hundred and sixty. In the evening of that day, he has moved himself away from the Fire.’”

123. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Al-

lah will prepare hospitality in the Garden for anyone who goes to the mosque morning and evening for each morning and evening that they go.” [Agreed upon] 124. Abu Hurayra also reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “O Muslim women!

No one should look down on a gift from her neighbour, even if it is only a sheep’s trotter.” [Agreed upon] 125. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Belief has over sixty branches. The best of them is the words, ‘There is no god but Allah’ and the least of them is to remove an obstacle from the road.” [Agreed upon] 126. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Once a man was walking along a road and became very thirsty. He found a well, climbed down into it and drank. When he came out, he saw a dog driven by thirst to eat mud. He said, ‘This dog has reached the same extreme of thirst that I had reached.’ So he climbed back down the well, filled his leather sock with water and, holding it between his teeth, climbed back up and let the dog drink Allah thanked him for that and forgave him.” They said, “Messenger of Allah, do we then receive a reward on account of

animals?’” He said, “There is a reward for every live animal [lit. everything with a moist liver].”

[Agreed upon] In a variant in al-Bukhari, “Allah thanked him for that and forgave him and admitted him into the Garden.”

127. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I saw a man going about in the Garden who was there on account of cutting down a tree in the middle of the road which had been a nuisance to the Muslims.” [Muslim] One variant has, “A man passed by a fallen branch in the middle of the road and said, ‘By Allah, I will remove this from the path of the Muslims so that it does not inconvenience them’ and he was admitted into the Garden.”

In a variant of the two, “If a man who is walking along on a road finds a thorny branch in the road and removes it, Allah thanks him for doing it and forgives him.”

Naqshbandi Center of Vancouver

9

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

S P E C I A L

Miracle honors its writers in awards Ceremony

The pen is mightier than the sword.

The saying has become a cliché in today‚s media and even appeared several times in the past twelve years of the Miracle. However, the truth of these simple words cannot be ignored.

Writers have been the inspiration to social changes, political revolutions, but even on a small scale, many of us have been touched by a few words of those who we probably have not met or do not know much about.

A few gems from our local community have been drawing their thoughts out on the canvas of our newspaper since its conception.

Many readers pick up a copy of the newspaper just to find out these writers‚ views on contemporary topics.

On March 2nd at the Miracle 12th anniversary occasion, again the Miracle Media Group decided to formally recognize the work of its writers, and honor their dedication and hard work. The Miracle literary awards ceremony was held at Afghan Chopan Banquet Hall Surrey. The Consul General of Pakistan, Shuja Alam and Mrs. Batool Kazim, Consul/Head of Chancery were the guest of honours.

When the program started at exact given time of 6:30pm in flyer, the audience highly appreciated with a great applauded. Ms. Misbah Naseer, assistant editor of the Miracle, conducted this Miracle awards ceremony in both English and Urdu languages to engage the diverse audient of the program.

Maulana A.L.Naumani was especially invited to the stage for recitation of holy Quran and make duaa for the Muslim Ummah, and for those who passed away. He also made duaa for everyone suffering from an ailment or illness and for the solidarity and peace in Pakistan and the progress of Miracle Media.

Ms Naseer then shared some of her personal experiences with the audience since joining the Miracle family. She mentioned the contribution of the entire Pirzada family in putting an issue together and the ups and downs Miracle has seen in the past 12 years. She also thanked the advertisers of the Miracle for their continuous support over the years.

She then invited Mr. Mohammad Rafiq, the Honorary chief and Urdu editor. He described the journey of Miracle’s urdu section and his involvement with the newspaper.

The next speaker was the founder of the Miracle Mr. Nusrat Hussain who mentioned how he started this Miracle on Feb 23, 2001 and how Mr. Pirzada has dedicated the last 11 years in promoting the growth of the Miracle. He expressed his pride on seeing the Miracle newspaper grow and asked everyone to show their support for the Miracle.

After Mr. Nusrat Hussain, Misbah Naseer called on the Managing editor Mr. Mohammad Naseer Pirzada. Mr. Pirzada stated that him joining the Miracle itself was a miracle. Then he described the hurdles from day one to now in the life of the now teenaged Miracle.

He said that the journey of the Miracle also brought some suffering but his passion for this community cause has kept him going. The respect given to him by everyone in the community is his biggest asset from this newspaper. The readers love to discuss the articles of Miracle writers, local events reports, religious articles and theur feedback energizes our writers. He thanked all the advertisers, readers and particularly the writers who dedicate their time and effort to the newspaper on a regular basis.

After the Managing editor’s speech, Mr. Shuja Alam and Ms. Batool Kazim presented the awards among the regular con-

tributors : Mr. Shams Jillani (received by Mr. Azhar Syed), Mr. Aslam Hayat, Mr. Afzal Malik, Mr. Tariq Mian (Toronto), Mr. Ayub Hamid (Toronto) Mr. Imran Tipu (received

by Mrs. Tipu), Mr. Kazim Jaffery and in female writers Mrs. Alam Ara Siddiqui, Mrs. Shamim Karim, Mrs. Shabnam Khan and Ms. Nada Adams were also recognized.

The Managing Editor presented special awards to the founder and former chief editor of the Miracle Mr. Nusrat Hussain ,the Urdu Editor and Honorary Chief Editor Mr. Mohammad Rafiq and graphic and web designer.

Mr. Alam also gave awards to Sham e Ghazal singers and Musicians before their performances, in which Mr. Avinash Chander Mehra, Mr. Surabjeet Mathru and Mr. Shams Jamal were the new arrivals in Miracle talent club. At the end, the Consul General shared his views about the newspaper and emphasized the need for such a medium for the local community.

He encouraged everyone to participate in the local political process, including the upcoming provincial elections in May. He also mentioned that the people of Pakistan are also facing a historical vote this May and people are going to vote on performance. He appreciated e v e r y o n e ’s efforts and wished the newspaper well for years to come. Mr. Shuja Alam and Mrs. Ba-

tool Kazim could not stay for the entire event due to other commitments but the Miracle is honored and thankful to them for gracing the event.

The Maghrib and Isha prayer were

led by Maulana A.L Naumani at this event. After this first session, a delicious Afghan Chopan Dinner alongside with Mutton Biryani served by Lahore Halal Meat.

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

S P E C I A L

Letters & Opinions

Bloodletting on Innocent Shias in Pakistan

about Muslims getting slaughtered, cheated, evicted from their homelands, or stricken by natural disasters such as droughts, earthquakes, or other calamities.

While we like to blame others for our misfortunes, we must see inward to examine where the fault really lies.

As a group, we, the Muslims, have gotten away from the Quran and the Sunnah. We like to play with our new electronic toys, surf the web, watch TV, instead of reading the Quran or attending Masjids. Any time you look around, most of the time, the Masjids are almost vacant during salat times (except Juma, Ramadan, Eid).

Where are these people rest of the time? If we forget Allah, why should He not forsake us?

I am not an alim, but I remember a hadiz to the efeect that, if in a given city, the masjids are full or close to full during Fajr salats, the Muslims in that community would be powerful and feared by the rest of the people. How many people attend the Fajr salats in the masjids?

Right now, politicians, non-muslim businessmen, and those in authority laugh at us and do not take us seriously. If we have a problem that needs to be addressed (e.g. the Hijab in provinces like Quebec), those in power simply shrug it off as not important. People put obstacles in our way (e.g. the Masjid at Ground Zero, New York City), and we have to surrender to them.

If this “disease” was only prevalent in the western countries, e.g.

Canada, USA, the problem would not be so severe. But alas, even in the Muslim countries, the local Muslims have succumbed to the attraction of the temptations of western society, at the expense of developing and strengthening their moral structure. The consequences are seen everywhere, whether Syria, Iraq, Somalia, or any other nation we turn to.

The one and ONLY guaranteed remedy is to turn to Allah, the Quran and the Sunnah 100%; attend the Masjids at every possible salat, shun haram activities (lotteries, booze, etc.), and live the way the Sahaba used to.

By: Zaheer Ali Manki, Vancouver The dance of death and the bloodletting of innocent Shias in Pakistan has continued unabated for a long time now. The perpetrators of such heinous crimes have ‘proudly ‘ claimed the responsibility for these attacks. For the Shia minority living in their own country, it is Kerbala all over again for the Shias. Streams of blood is being spilled in the streets, inside the mosques, in processions, in schools and in hospitals. From Lahore to Quetta to Karachi to Peshawar to Hyderabad- innocents die and the killers roam around freely. Law enforcement agencies have stood around in a state of paralysis collecting “ sufficient evidence” before the perpetrators are arrested.

Shame on the Government of Pakistan for letting down their own people and have failed miserably in protecting Shia minority. The perpetrators of target killing and the killers of innocent Shias have vowed to carry forward the legacy of Yazeed who killed Imam Hussain A S in the planes of Kerbala in Iraq some 1400 years ago.

Yazeed was also a Muslim with his own interpretation of Islam. I am an ordinary Muslim and fail to understand which brand of Islam gives them the right to trample on the blood of fellow Muslims?

Some sections of media and general public in Pakistan have condemned the barbarism of these groups against the shias in general and the Hazara Shias of Quetta in particular. The ruling political parties are inept and corrupt. All the state institutions, the government, the army and the judiciary have collectively failed to protect the minorities in Pakistan. The Chief Justice of Pakistan has in the past taken a personal notice of blatant injustice to several citizens. Why does he not see to shedding of innocent blood of the Hazara Shias? For some strange reason, killing of so many innocent citizens of Pakistan has not invoked any significant uproar.

The Government of Pakistan and all its civil institutions responsible for the protection of the civil society must hang their heads in shame for failing to protect its minorities and especially the By: R.C. PURI Surrey Hazara Shias.

I do hereby feel intensely starved of words to express my emotional state of mind at the time of going through the 12th Anniversary multicolor issue of the Miracle newspaper, the whole of which M. Hajee was so sophisticatedly styled Surrey, and the contents whereof were Anywhere you turn, you read

Multicolor Anniversary issue of the Miracle

The plight of the Muslims the world over

so affluent that I found it almost impossible to draw a line of discrepancy between the two articles (in the matter of contents) and pages (in the matter of elegance in style). It looked more like a rainbow in the firmament, rather than a mere newspaper. Nonetheless, it would have been more appropriate to lay emphsis in your editorial more on the role of the Miracle during all the past 12 years, rather than that of the Muslim media as a whole, which does not carry a word even on the contribution of this premier newspaper of the local Muslim Ummah.

You are well aware that it was only with the launching Miracle newspaper on February 21, 2001 that the otherwise defenseless Islamic brotherhood of this region had the privilege for the first time in the province of British Columbia to be blessed with the loud and energetic voicebefore the diaspora of the other fraternities around, which is very hard to be abated in any manner.

The greatest significant thing about the Miracle that has impressed me most is its rapid growth during the past 12 years, despite all the odds and roadblocks in its way. Due to my close association with the Miracle newspaper as its contributory writer for sometime I am mindful of all the unfavorable circumstances that this newspaper has been pushed through during its period of evolution, nevertheless I am highly thrilled to observe that it has skillfully and successfully passed every litmus test that appeared to logjam its way in any manner. I can, thus, rightfully claim that the wholesome credit of all the supra positive results goes to the unrelenting labor of Br. Muhammad Naseer Pirzada Sahib (Managing Editor), his better half Mrs. Khadija Naseer Sahiba, Daughter Misbah Naseer Arsalan and son Sabih Naseer (Sub-Editors) and Janab Muhammad Rafiq Sahib ( Hon’Chief Editor and Editor Urdu Section), notwithstanding the initial strenuous efforts pressed into service

by Br. Nusrat Hussain Sahib, the founder editor of this newspaper while flying high the flag of the Miracle on February 21, 2001.

No newspaper can possibly remain in existence without the active participation of the local advertising community and the contributory writers, as both are its active lifeline. Therefore, they too are worthy of equivalent amount of commendations for keeping the paper alive for generating awareness in the minds of the readership on the issues that matter it most. It is, indeed, affluently measureable that the Miracle has been performing this duty honestly and responsibly and it is trusted that it will continue to do so in the years to follow as well.

Long overdue recognition: In addition, I do hereby take the

opportunity, through this letter, to invite the attention of the entire local Muslim fraternity to generously demonstrate its benevolence in bestowing its long overdue acknowledgement in relation to the unrelenting services of the Miracle newspaper to the local Ummah, by providing a lively and enthusiastic ability to speak to the otherwise disadvantaged community. It hardly needs mention that the Miracle was the premier Islamic newspaper of British Columbia to embark upon raising the community related issues to create awareness amongst the people. Thus, the proper recognition of its services by the community would be most appropriate for the Local Muslim Ummah to decorate Mr. Nusrat Hussain (Founder) and Mr. Muhammad Naseer Pirzada (Managing Editor) for their services to the community with some suitable memento, may be in the form of a relic like Silver Shield and Medals. By doing so the local fraternity will not only paying its gratitude to both the crusaders of Islam, but will further energise them to contribute with zeal and passion their further incalculable service best suited to the local Islamic brotherhood.

Gorgeous Sham-e-Gazal: The commencement of the striking Writers’Awards and Sham-eGazal, in the commemoration of the 13th Annual Anniversary of the ‘Miracle’ is another fine-looking feather in the already stylish caps of Br. Nusrat Hussain, Muhammad Naseer Pirzada, Muhammad Rafiq and and and a garland of tastefully decorated flowers of sister Khadija Naseer, Beti Misbah Naseer, Arsalan Sultan and nephew Sabih Naseer, inclusive of the rest of the Miracle team of its editorial, administrartive and technical staff and a group of contributory writers. Br. Pirzada is quite a widely acknowledged figure of the community well known for the celebrations of the similar nature. Therefore, this event too was not beyond his skill and competence. Anyhow, to cut short the matter, I do hereby outspread my warmest greetings to the entire Miracle Media, past and present, with all my best wishes.

Miracle event By: Shabnam Khan Surrey MashaAllah the event on Saturday 02/March was phenomenal.

An amazing family team indeed and the evening was very well organized. I congratulate Miracle for it’s 12 years of success and it continues to excel. Miracle has been providing an excellent ser-

vice in the community and reaching people in all areas with important information which is suitable for all ages. Wish Miracle and the amazing team success in the coming years. Keep up with the Great Work!!

Miracle is a readers’ voice in Community By: Shahid Ahmed Khan Niazi Surrey It was indeed a pleasure to attend the 12th anniversary of “The Miracle”.

You must not only be credited with taking upon your shoulders the gigantic task of publishing such a beautiful and informative publication, but also serving to provide a nucleus ,pivot and core around which to focus and concentrate the attention, energies, viewpoints and aspirations of the Muslim community in general and Pakistani-Canadian community in particular.

“The Miracle” has the potential of being an effective mouthpiece and cheerleader in support of social, economic, religious, intellectual and political activities of not only Muslim & Pak readers, but also all other nationalities, groups and individuals from the third world where Urdu & English are spoken.

I congratulate you and your entire team for making an effective contribution to society, as well as providing a medium & platform for its avid readers’ voice and creative potential. God bless you all

Milad

(continued from Page 6) a readers’ voice in Community

“And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah’s path” [Surah alAn’aam 6:116]. Ali ibn Abu Talib (RA) said that according to Allah’s Messenger (s) “…If anyone introduces an innovation, he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people” [Abu Daud, 4515].

Let us follow the words of God, the Quran, and he whom God sent, Muhammad (s) and the other Prophets (peace and blessings upon them all), let us follow Islam, and let us be Muslims. Let us be those Muslims that will Insha Allah enter paradise; not those whom Allah will question on the Day of Judgement as to why we thought we were better than the Prophet(s) that we should add to an already perfect religion, Islam.

11

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

S P E C I A L

Pentagon’s link to Iraqi torture centres

The Pentagon sent a US veteran of the “dirty wars” in Central America to oversee sectarian police commando units in Iraq that set up secret detention and torture centres to get information from insurgents. These units conducted some of the worst acts of torture during the US occupation and accelerated the country’s descent into full-scale civil war.

Colonel James Steele was a 58-yearold retired special forces veteran when he was nominated by Donald Rumsfeld to help organise the paramilitaries in an attempt to quell a Sunni insurgency, an investigation by the Guardian and BBC Arabic shows.

After the Pentagon lifted a ban on Shia militias joining the security forces, the special police commando (SPC) membership was increasingly drawn from violent Shia groups such as the Badr brigades.

A second special adviser, retired Colonel James H Coffman, worked alongside Steele in detention centres that were set up with millions of dollars of US funding.

Coffman reported directly to General David Petraeus, sent to Iraq in June 2004 to organise and train the new Iraqi security forces. Steele, who was in Iraq from 2003 to 2005, and returned to the country in 2006, reported directly to Rumsfeld.

The allegations, made by US and Iraqi witnesses in the Guardian/BBC documentary, implicate US advisers for the first time in the human rights abuses committed by the commandos. It is also the first time that Petraeus – who last November was forced to resign as director of the CIAafter a sex scandal – has been linked through an adviser to this

abuse.

Coffman reported to Petraeus and described himself in an interview with the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes as Petraeus’s “eyes and ears out on the ground” in Iraq.

“They worked hand in hand,” said General Muntadher al-Samari, who worked with Steele and Coffman for a year while the commandos were being set up. “I never saw them apart in the 40 or 50 times I saw them inside the detention centres. They knew everything that was going on there ... the torture, the most horrible kinds of torture.”

Additional Guardian reporting has confirmed more details of how the interrogation system worked. “Every single detention centre would have its own interrogation committee,” claimed Samari, talking for the first time in detail about the US role in the interrogation units.

“Each one was made up of an intelligence officer and eight interrogators.

This committee will use all means of torture to make the detainee confess like using electricity or hanging him upside down, pulling out their nails, and beating them on sensitive parts.”

There is no evidence that Steele or Coffman tortured prisoners themselves, only that they were sometimes present in the detention centres where torture took place and were involved in the processing of thousands of detainees.

The Guardian/BBC Arabic investigation was sparked by the release ofclassified US military logs on WikiLeaks that detailed hundreds of incidents where US soldiers came across tortured detainees in a network of detention centres run by the

police commandos across Iraq. Private Bradley Manning, 25, is facing a prison sentence of up to 20 years after he pleaded guilty to leaking the documents.

Samari claimed that torture was routine in the SPC-controlled detention centres. “I remember a 14-year-old who was tied to one of the library’s columns. And he was tied up, with his legs above his head. Tied up. His whole body was blue because of the impact of the cables with which he had been beaten.”

Gilles Peress, a photographer, came across Steele when he was on assignment for the New York Times, visiting one of the commando centres in the same library, in Samarra.

“We were in a room in the library interviewing Steele and I’m looking around I see blood everywhere.”

The reporter Peter Maass was also there, working on the story with Peress. “And while this interview was going on with a Saudi jihadi with Jim Steele also in the room, there were these terrible screams, somebody shouting: ‘Allah, Allah, Allah!’ But it wasn’t kind of religious ecstasy or something like that, these were screams of pain and terror.”

The pattern in Iraq provides an eerie parallel to the well-documented human rights abuses committed by US-advised and funded paramilitary squads in Central America in the 1980s. Steele was head of a US team of special military advisers that trained units of El Salvador’s security forces in counterinsurgency.

Petraeus visited El Salvador in 1986 while Steele was there and became a major advocate of counterinsurgency methods.

Steele has not responded to any questions from the Guardian and BBC Arabic about his role in El Salvador or Iraq. He has in the past denied any involvement in torture and said publicly he is “opposed to human rights abuses.” Coffman declined to comment.

An official speaking for Petraeus said: “During the course of his years in Iraq, General Petraeus did learn of allegations of Iraqi forces torturing detainees. In each incident, he shared information immediately with the US military chain of command, the US ambassador in Baghdad ... and the relevant Iraqi leaders.”

The Guardian has learned that the SPC units’ involvement with torture entered the popular consciousness in Iraq when some of their victims were paraded in front of a TV audience on a programme called “Terrorism In The Hands of Justice.”

SPC detention centres bought video cameras, funded by the US military, which they used to film detainees for the show. When the show began to outrage the Iraqi public, Samari remembers being in the home of General Adnan Thabit – head of the special commandos – when a call came from Petraeus’s office demanding that they stop showing tortured men on TV. “General Petraeus’s special translator, Sadi Othman, rang up to pass on a message from General Petraeus telling us not to show the prisoners on TV after they had been tortured,” said Samari. “Then 20 minutes later we got a call from the Iraqi ministry of interior telling us the same thing, that General Petraeus didn’t want the torture victims shown on TV.”

Othman, who now lives in New York, confirmed that he made the phone call on behalf of Petraeus to the head of the SPC to ask him to stop showing the tortured prisoners. “But General Petraeus does not agree with torture,” he added. “To suggest he does support torture is horseshit.”

Thabit is dismissive of the idea that the Americans he dealt with were unaware of what the commandos were doing. “Until I left, the Americans knew about everything I did; they knew what was going on in the interrogations and they knew the detainees. Even some of the intelligence about the detainees came to us from them – they are lying.”

Just before Petraeus and Steele left Iraq in September 2005, Jabr al-Solagh was appointed as the new minister of the interior. Under Solagh, who was closely associated with the violent Badr Brigades militia, allegations of torture and brutality by the commandos soared. It was also widely believed that the units had evolved into death squads.

The Guardian has learned that highranking Iraqis who worked with the US after the invasion warned Petraeus of the consequences of appointing Solagh but their pleas were ignored.

The long-term impact of funding and arming this paramilitary force was to unleash a deadly sectarian militia that terrorised the Sunni community and helped germinate a civil war that claimed tens of thousands of lives. At the height of that sectarian conflict, 3,000 bodies a month were strewn on the streets of Iraq.

Source: The Guardian

12

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

“Family Values Program” at ICNA Resource Centre, Surrey

ICNA celebrated and highlighted the importance of family-values around Canada on Family day long weekend.

An event was organized by local ICNA brothers and sisters at Surrey resource centre on Feb 11th as well. At start families had some time for socialization.

Program started after Magrib prayer with recitation from holy Quran.

Br. Ghulam Mustafa presented a short

keynote about Family-Day celebration.

He mentioned some of the reasons why Western societies are coming back to recognize the importance of family and other Islamic values.

Br. Syed Kaschif presented a talk about our responsibilities towards our families. Why should we care about family, and some of tips to create a healthy Islamic environment to raise our families.

A D V E R T I S E R

Of course no family event is complete without participation of the family. It was open invitation to youth, boys and girls to come to microphone and perform Nasheeds, Naats and recitation from holy Qur’an. Program ended with a delicious potluck treat.

Jazakallah khairan to all brothers, sisters, youth and kids who participated.

The British Columbia Muslim Association Social Services Would like to invite you to an Open Forum on

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Date: March, 14th 2013 Time: 6-8pm Venue: Masjid Al Salaam & Education Centre 5060 Canada Way, Burnaby.

Presenter: Br. Mohamed Ibrahim RN, MSW. PhD candidate at SFU and Doctoral Research Trainee, Researching Trans Cultural Mental Health especially among Muslims, and focussing on the role of Culture and Religion.

Facilitator: Sr. Farida B. Ali. Dir. of Social Services For information Contact : Br. Shawkat Hasan 604-441-6155 Sr. Farida Bano 604-525-7194 Sr. Fatima 604-597-0932. Light refreshments will be provided.

13

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

L O C A L

NDP’S PLAN REVEALED Surrey Rally for Better JUST PAINT IT! Transit February 26th 2013

Delta – Delta residents who struggle with delays crossing the George Massey Tunnel have a choice to make. On one side, a legacy of significant investments in transportation and infrastructure projects across the province. On the other, a new coat of paint.

“Premier Christy Clark and Today’s BC Liberals have a bold vision for the future – one that includes making vital investments in our province’s infrastructure,” said Bruce McDonald, Today’s BC Liberal candidate for Delta South. “One of the reasons I chose to step forward is that her vision includes a plan to fix the biggest bottleneck my community faces every day – the Massey Tunnel.”

When asked about replacing the George Massey Tunnel, Sylvia Bishop, BC NDP candidate for Delta North, suggested to simply paint it.

“People who live south of the Fraser understand this serious problem won’t be solved with a shiny coat of paint,” Mc-

Donald continued. “They deserve better than that.”

Adrian Dix and the NDP have voted against every investment the BC Liberals have made towards infrastructure in British Columbia.

“If they can’t even support vital investments like the Canada Line, what would they support? Where’s their plan?” asked Scott Hamilton, Today’s BC Liberal Candidate for Delta North.

Today’s BC Liberals have invested $15.2 billion in transportation capital since 2001. These vital transportation and infrastructure projects ensure goods can move to market and that jobs can be created to support families in every part of British Columbia.

“I’m proud of the BC Liberal record on transportation and infrastructure investments. British Columbians can’t say the same about Adrian Dix and the NDP,” concluded Hamilton.

Surrey is a rapidly growing community with a large geographical base including Agricultural Land Reserves. However, Surrey annually contributes roughly $25 million more in tax revenue to TransLink than it gets in transit benefit return. That money should be used for more buses and longer skytrain hours. With the imposition of tolls on the Golden Ears and Port Mann bridges this inequity will get worse. And further in the future, if the Pattullo Bridge is replaced, it will be tolled as well. Activities include music, speakers, and a march. A march and rally is taking place in Surrey to highlight concerns about a lack of transit service in the fast-growing community. The event organizers, a group called the Surrey Citizens Transportation Initiative, want members of the public to weigh in with their opinions on the issue. “Public, private and commercial transportation has become a huge issue in Surrey and Metro Vancouver due to population growth, traffic gridlock, green house gas and other pollutants,” reads a message on the group’s website. “The rapid expansion of marine ports has placed additional pressure on road infrastructures. Aging infrastructures such as the Pattullo and Port Mann bridges adds to our future challenges.”

“Citizen input into daunting transportation decisions, such as funding of TransLink, is critical to develop transportation systems that meet the needs of Surrey citizens yet also meet the needs of British Columbia and Canada.”

On February 26, the Surrey Citizens Transportation Initiative (Surrey CiTI) organized a rally to demand increased funding for public transit in Surrey and throughout the region.

The mainstream media mostly focused on

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

S P E C I A L

Karachi bleeds and burns!

A powerful blast ripped though Abbas Town in Karachi on Sunday evening, leaving 45 people dead and over 150 injured. The residents of the area are no strangers to violence – last year during Muharram, a powerful explosion rocked the area, killing three people. Six years prior to this, the residents of the area witnessed a suicide bombing which claimed the life of the chief of Tehreek-e-Jafria Pakistan, Allama Hassan Turabi.

The latest explosion took place in a street lined with apartment buildings and myriad small shops on both sides. The bomb went off right outside Iqra City and Rabia Flower apartments, both of which are four-storey buildings with small stores on the ground floor.

So powerful was the explosion that the façade of the buildings on both sides of the street crumbled, burying everything below. In addition to this, television sets, chairs, fans, grilles and an assortment of household objects started raining down on the street. The explosion also created a 10-foot wide and four-foot deep crater in the road.

Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari said that the blast was so intense that it had an impact radius of about 700 metres. “About 200 flats have been affected by the explosion,” he said. Many of them were engulfed by flames seconds

after the explosion and as many as 50 flats were destroyed by the time the blaze was put out.

Since Imambargah Mustafa is situated close to the blast site, many residents began suspecting that the explosion was meant to target the men who had left their homes to offer Maghrib prayers.

“Why are we being targeted because of our beliefs?” wailed Fatima, one of the residents of the area, as she stood on a pile of rubble. “Our only sin, our only fault, seems to be that we belong to a different sect.”

Eyewitnesses say that they heard two blasts, not one. Amjad Ali, who was travelling along the street towards Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, said that he had nearly reached the end of the street when he heard two blasts in quick succession. “I thought that it was a suicide bombing. When I was passing through the area, I didn’t see any motorcycle or car standing on the road.” It took some time for the fire tenders to arrive at the blast site, and even when the firefighters arrived, it was difficult for them to douse the stubborn flames as the street was narrow and not more than one vehicle from the fire brigade could enter it. Making matters worse was the debris that was obstructing the road. Once they got there, they began evacuating the residents of the buildings

and declared the structures unsafe.

The bodies, most of which were charred, were taken to the Liaquat National Hospital, Patel Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Among those who lost their lives in the incident were the sister, brother-in-law and nephew of Sindh Assembly’s deputy speaker, Shehla Raza. A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist, Amir Zaidi was also killed.

Sluggish response Though the intensity of the blast was quite severe, no high-ranking official from law enforcement agencies had visited the site. In fact, up to two hours after the blast, law enforcers were conspicuous by their absence. A majority of the city’s law enforcers were deployed at Mohatta Palace at the other end of town, where Sharmila Farooqi’s engagement ceremony was taking place.

“Are the law enforcers and the government sleeping?” cried Razia Khatoon, a resident of one of the buildings licked by flames. “It seems as if all of our leaders have vanished into thin air.”

Another man, Abbas Ali, who had come to the area from Ancholi, was livid with rage at the government, though for different reasons.

“The government is negotiating with the Taliban even though militant groups are wreaking havoc

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Slow progress Once the top brass got around to investigating the blast, some progress was made. Crime Investigation Department SSP Fayaz Khan said that the engine of a car which might have been used in the attack was found. “We are now deciding whether a suicide bomber was also involved. About 150 kilogrammes of explosive materials with ball bearings have been used in the blast.”

The SSP claimed police had information regarding the attack beforehand. According to them, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi might be involved in the incident.

Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad has also constituted an investigation team, headed by IG Fayyaz Leghari, to probe the incident. According to Leghari, one suspect has already been detained in connection with the blast.

Day of mourning announced.

Source: The Express Tribune Affectees of Abbas Town blasts to get compensation: Commissioner Karachi Commissioner Hashim Raza Zaidi has said that the compensation amount announced by the government for the affectees of twin blast at Abbas Town would be provided to them in two to three days.

He said this while talking to media

representatives in a relief camp set up in Abbas Town.The Commissioner Karachi said technical survey of affected buildings had been completed and 85 percent debris have been lifted.

Lifting of debris from blasts-hit buildings along with other works at affected place in Abbas Town would be completed by Wednesday evening, he added. Zaidi himself was present in relief camp for several hours and monitored the restoration and relief works.

Injured people and relatives of blasts’ victims also met with him and shared their problems. He said that all necessary facilities along with special attention for treatment of the injured have been provided. He said that the arrangements of residence along with food and water for victims of Abbas Town have been made, on the directives of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan.

Eight families have been shifted immediately to a school of New Rizvia Society on temporary basis whereas the arrangements for shifting remaining families along with their goods have been made, the Commissioner Karachi said.

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

T E C H N O L O G Y

Canadians no longer the world’s biggest web addicts: comScore

Canadians have lost the dubious distinction of spending the most time online, according to a new report by the measurement firm comScore.

The average Canadian Internet user was online for 41.3 hours per month in the fourth quarter of last year, down from 45.3 hours in 2011 and 43.5 hours in 2010.

That still ranked second among the countries that comScore tracks, only behind U.S. users, who logged 43 hours online each month. But Canadian web surfers were first when it came to the average number of web pages viewed each month at 3,731, an average of more than 120 per day.

The report also noted that of the 25.5 million Internet users in Canada, nearly 100 per cent were online every day. Only half a per cent fell into the category of using the Internet monthly rather than daily.

Canadians also ranked second globally -- behind the U.K. this time -- for online video viewing. The average user watched

291 videos a month spanning 24.8 hours.

Mobile ComScore found the mobile market grew by 10 per cent in Canada in 2012, adding about two million customers, to hit just over 22 million. Smartphone ownership grew 17 percentage points to represent 62 per cent of the market.

As of December, Google Android had 40 per cent of Canada’s smartphone market, followed by Apple with 35 per cent, Research in Motion with 20 per cent, and Microsoft and Symbian with two per cent each.

Social media While Facebook is far and away the largest social network in Canada and Twitter is second, followed closely by LinkedIn, the image sharing site Pinterest had the most growth in 2012, surging in audience by 792 per cent.

Social networking on smartphones grew significantly in 2012, with 56 per cent more users accessing a social media site or

reading blogs on their device compared to the previous year.

Of those users, 58 per cent said they were on social media sites with their smartphone almost every day and 25 per cent said at least once a week.

E-commerce and online banking Online shopping was up by 10 per cent in sales in 2012, up to $22 million, and up 17 per cent in transactions, topping 105,000, comScore reported.

Visits to retail websites were up by nine per cent, with users surfing to Amazon, Apple, a banking site monthly. About 33 per cent Kijiji, Best Buy and Walmart the most.

Online banking was up by five per cent of smartphone owners used their device for with nearly 16 million Canadians accessing mobile banking, up from 29 per cent in 2011

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17

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

T E C H N O L O G Y

Mobile phones to 5 ways to avoid excessive roaming charges exceed world population by 2014 The number of mobile telephones worldwide is set to catch up to the globe’s population next year, the United Nations’ telecommunications agency said Thursday.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said mobile subscriber numbers looked set to top seven billion in 2014.

“More than half of all mobile subscriptions are now in Asia, which remains the powerhouse of market growth,” the ITU said.

By the end of 2013, overall mobile penetration rates will have reached 96 percent globally, 128 percent in the developed world, and 89 percent in developing countries, it added.

“Near-ubiquitous mobile penetration makes mobile cellular the ideal platform for service delivery in developing countries,” said Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU’s telecommunication development bureau.

The ITU also forecast that 2.7 billion people, or 39 percent of the world’s population, would be using the Internet by the end of this year.

Europe will remain the world’s most connected region, with 75 percent Internet penetration, far outpacing the Asia-Pacific region at 32 percent, and Africa with 16 percent, it said.

“Household Internet penetration -often considered the most important measure of Internet access -- continues

to rise. By end 2013, ITU estimates that 41 percent of the world’s households will be connected to the Internet,” the agency noted.

Over the past four years, household access has grown fastest in Africa, with an annual growth rate of 27 percent, it said.

But despite a positive general trend, 90 percent of the 1.1 billion households around the world that are still unconnected are in the developing world.

It also highlighted disparities in the field of broadband Internet.

It said the star performers in terms of access speeds were South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan, alongside some surprises in Europe, including Bulgaria, Iceland and Portugal.

The cost of fixed-broadband services has dropped precipitously over the past five years, declining by 82 percent if measured as a share of gross national income per capita, it said.

In developing countries, however, such services remain relatively expensive, with residential fixed-broadband accounting for just over 30 percent of average monthly gross national income per capita.

Broadband is most affordable in Europe, where a basic subscription costs on average less than two percent of gross national income per capita, the ITU said.

Back home after a vacation in Mexico, a B.C. dad is still getting over the shock that his 11-year-old son mistakenly racked up $22,000 worth of data charges on his father’s phone.

Matt Buie, a financial planner from Burnaby, has a Fido account, which is owned by Rogers. Although Buie switched his iPhone to airplane mode before the trip, as advised by Apple store representatives, his son was allowed to play with the phone after a sunburn.

“I made a mistake here — as his father — and he made a mistake. He turned off the airplane mode and was watching YouTube videos,” Buie told the CBC. “I should have taken the SIM card out … or not let him use the phone. That’s guilt that I have to live with. I clearly should have known better.”

As spring breaks are fast approaching for schools across Canada, both parents and travellers can enjoy a shock-free vacation with some digital prudence.

1. Enable airplane mode Airplane mode, as the name suggests, should be turned on before your departure flight and remain on until you have returned. When airplane mode

is enabled, cellular services — both voice and data — are turned off, as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and other location services.

However, you can manually re-enable Wi-Fi to connect to secure wireless spots, as many hotels and public places offer free or cheap Wi-Fi service.

Bluetooth can also be turned on during airplane mode to exchange files between devices.

2. Remove SIM card Make sure you store your SIM card in a safe place if you decide to take it out, as all the information saved on the card — such as contacts, photos, text messages — will be lost if you misplace it. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can also be enabled without a SIM card.

If your device allows a foreign SIM card, another option is to purchase a local SIM card to use 3G network on the go at a reasonable rate.

3. Buy a travel package before leaving Wireless providers offer a variety of travel packages for U.S. and international destinations, such as add-on options for a specific service or a bundle package for calls, texts and data. Beware of overage rates, as it is sometimes difficult to gauge how much data is need-

ed when abroad.

Whether you choose flexibility or value depends on the length of your stay and how you plan to use your smartphone. Most travel packages don’t come cheap, but they can pay off for a surprise-free vacation.

4. Check your carrier’s website for details Roaming charges can occur without leaving the country.

Higher rates will be applied when you use your phone anywhere outside your plan’s coverage area. Take the time to go through the fine print in your contract on your carrier’s website or over the phone with a customer service representative.

The toll-free number of your carrier will come in handy so that you can reach customer service from abroad without long distance charges.

5. Monitor your bill upon return It is difficult to monitor realtime usage and compare that to the limit of your plan, so your monthly bill is the next best tool. Report any surprise charges on your bill to your carrier. Carriers often give first-time offenders some breaks by waiving or reducing the roaming charges.

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

H O M E

&

G A R D E N

ROOFING & RENOVATION SOLUTIONS

By Imran Tipu (RTM Roofing & Renovations) The current article is regarding the residential and commercial fencing Vinyl Fencing Vinyl fencing is attractive because it’s easy to maintain and is inexpensive. It is made from PVC, so it does not require. It also doesn’t require painting. Vinyl can be used for picket fences, privacy fences and many other applications.

Wood Fencing Wood is a popular option for fencing because it is attractive and popular. There are many types of wood to choose from: Redwood, Cedar, Pine, Fir, and Spruce. Metal can be used to reduce warping and rotting, making these fences much more durable.

Aluminum and Metal Fencing Aluminum fences are an economical alternative to wrought iron. Aluminum fences require

little maintenance, but are as strong as steel fences.

Their main advantage is that they don’t rust.

There are many different styles and types of ornamentation for these kinds of fences.

Wrought Iron Fencing Wrought Iron fencing is long-lasting and attractive. There are several styles to choose from. They require little maintenance.

Chain Link Fencing Chain link fences, often referred to as cyclone fences, are the most common style of fencing installed in North America each year. Chain link fences can be great as privacy fences, since they are low mainte-

nance and inexpensive.

Steel Fencing Steel fencing will add a look of style and elegance. Steel fences are generally with maintenancefree and very strong.

The finishes are generally durable powder coat paint finish. They can also be epoxy coat finishes for high durability.

Steel fences are more decorative in a finished sense that most wood fences and most vinyl fences.

Privacy Fencing Privacy fencing comes in many different styles, colors, and materials. By adding a privacy fence to your backyard you essentially are adding another room to your house. Depending on your price range and the look of the privacy fence that you want, there are some different factors that you should look at.

Dog Run Fencing Dog Runs or kennels can be very

MORTGAGE WATCH

By Kazim Jafary Mortgage Consultant Everyone needs a reliable plan for retirement. The earlier you start working towards it the better it is. Consider this: six million Canadians face a more than 20% drop in living standards after they leave the workforce according to economists from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

A steep decline in savings rates combined with scaled back company pension plans could result in a huge gap for the next generation of retirees. For example, only onethird of the Canadian workforce is covered by a registered pension plan, this is down

from 37% in 1992.

Current retirees are able to maintain a similar lifestyle as when they were working, drawing from a mix of income sources that include employee pensions, personal savings and government programs. However, for those planning to retire in the next ten years, and young people who are just starting their careers, lifestyle may be sacrificed.

Consumers are saving less and those savings are earning lower rates of return. Savings rates have dropped to 4% today from 15 to 20% twenty years ago. For middleaged workers in their prime saving years, a low interest environment and a volatile stock market have also hit their savings bottom lines. There are different reasons for the decline. To start, lower- to middleincome families simply cannot afford as much as they once did, with every dollar having to stretch further, the result is that

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useful for home purpose if you have more than one pet and would like to keep them all in the same location either inside or outside without having to put up an entire fence.

Picket Fencing Picket style fences are among the most of all the fence styles. They are functional and very attractive.

They are romanticized in books, movies and painting. Picket fences come in a wide variety of materials.

The most common are vinyl and wood.

Pool Fencing Pool Fences come in many different styles and varieties, so choosing the right type of fence will help to makes sure your pool fence is the best choice for you. Pool fences can be made out of an assortment of materials Gates Gates are just as important as fencing since they offer you an

saving is getting more and more difficult.

Pension plans have also been pared back in recent years. The CIBC economists report that if trends continue, some 5.8 million workers born between the late 1960s and through the 1980s will see their living standards drop by 20% or more in their postwork years.

Statistics Canada reports that Canadians who are 65 in 2012 can expect to spend over 20 years in retirement with male retirement expectancy at 18 years and 21 years for females. According to a recently released RBC poll, 46% of retired Canadians and just 23% of Canadians who are yet to retire have decided how much they need to be comfortable in retirement. Interestingly, those who have yet to retire have cut their retirement goal fund by over $200,000 to an average of $564,000 in 2012 compared to $778,000 in 2011’s poll.

Ottawa has started to address the issue with the introduction of Pooled Registered Pension Plans, which could be sold by banks and insurers in the coming years. These products act as a kind of personal pension program for individual workers. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has also said that he is looking for ways to expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

As in everything, recognizing the problem is the first step that leads to the solution.

There is time now. Canadians and their financial planners have time to tweak their plans. Policymakers can set new directions for the future to help ensure that retirees enjoy a stress-free time in their later years. A mortgage can also play a role in any financial plan to consolidate higher interest debt and maximize paying off your mortgage sooner, which will help you to start saving even more. Therefore, it’s high time that you check the health of your mortgage today, get it verified that it’s on the right path with the help of a mortgage expert and optimize it to better suit your future financial goals.

opportunity to control who enters and leaves your house. Gates come in a variety of styles and can be made from an assortment of materials.

Electric Gates Electric gates can be a very convenient way to get into your home through either your driveway or an area that you would like to be more secure.

Electric gates have automatic openers to allow you to get into a certain place without having to leave your car.

Flag Poles Flag poles can be a great addition to a home, commercial or industrial property. A flag pole and flag makes a positive statement regarding you’re the flags you display whether it is a country, school, company or event type flag.

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It’s good to do some basic calculations yourself. CMHC – Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has recently introduced two new tools to help Canadian homebuyers make informed and responsible home buying decisions. CMHC’s new Debt Service Calculator allows homebuyers to evaluate their financial situation and understand how much they can comfortably afford to spend on a mortgage. The easy to use calculator allows users to quickly estimate their Gross Debt Service Ratio (GDS) and Total Debt Service Ratio (TDS), both important measures in assessing their financial readiness for homeownership. The Debt Service Calculator can be accessed at www.cmhc.ca (search ‘calculator’).

CMHC’s new ‘Ready Set Home’ is a mobile app which provides consumers, especially first-time homebuyers, with comprehensive CMHC information and tools at their fingertips. The app helps homebuyers to keep track of the details throughout the home buying process and provides access to a variety of helpful calculators, articles and other resources.

Recognizing the importance of increasingly fast paced, electronic and mobile environment, the new ‘Ready Set Home’ mobile app is a free application that offers quick and convenient access to CMHC’s extensive housing and mortgage related information.

The app can be downloaded to your Blackberry, Android smartphone or Apple device (iPhone and iPad) at cmhc.ca/mobile.

These new tools are the latest additions to CMHC’s comprehensive suite of resources that are available to support Canadian homebuyers. For more than 65 years, CMHC has shared a wealth of knowledge and housing expertise, as well as useful tools and guidance, to help Canadians enjoy an informed and assured home buying and homeownership experience.

Questions & Comments: kazim@kazimjafary.com

19

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

I M M I G R A T I O N

The Super Visa issued in large numbers

More than 15,000 Parent and Grandparent Super Visas have been issued since the program’s launch in December 2011, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

“The Parent and Grandparent Super Visa provides families with flexibility, and it is clearly growing in popularity,” said Minister Kenney. “Our government is commit-

ted to family reunification. I am pleased to see that more and more parents and grandparents are getting the opportunity to spend longer periods of time with their loved ones in Canada.”With over 1,000 Super Visas issued monthly, approval rates remain high at 86 percent. The Super Visa—a multiple entry visa valid for up to 10 years—allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to two years at a time.

This Super Visa gives visiting parents and grandparents the freedom to travel back and forth between Canada and their home country without long waits.

The process for getting a Parent and Grandparent Super Visa is simple and straightforward. Applicants for the Super Visa must provide proof that the host child or grandchild meets a minimum income level, demonstrate that they have purchased comprehensive Canadian medical insurance and undergo the immigration medical examination. Almost 99 percent of Super Visa applicants who met these requirements also went on to meet all other standard admissibility criteria.

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20

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

L I F E S T Y L E

12 Things Your Mother-in-Law Wants to Tell You Although my relationship with my son has changed, remember that I am still his mother.

“Even though you are the woman in my son’s life now, be considerate of the fact that I used to be the woman in his life.”

“The most important thing that you can do for me as your motherin-law is to love my son unconditionally. … You’ve now taken my spot as my son’s biggest fan.”

2. Accept me for who I am.

“Don’t try to change me.”

“Accept my eccentricities.”

“Realize that I may do things differently in my home. Try to understand my ways.”

3. Please respect my age and experience.

“I would like to know how to share some of my experience with you without offending or intruding.”

“Respect my past experiences and realize that I understand the personalities in the family.”

4. Talk with me about hard things.

“If I have offended you, I may not know this. You have the freedom to say to me, nicely, ‘Remember when you said ______. Did you mean _____?’”

“I am not perfect. Let’s both assume that the other is doing the best she can.”

“If you are feeling hurt by something I did or said, find a way to gently bring it up. You may even want to ask me if you could have done something differently.”

5. Try to understand.

“When there are problems in family relationships, each person needs to overlook with grace when possible, and when not, address the issues kindly.”

“Reject bitterness.”

“Don’t judge. There are two sides to any story.”

6. Remember, we are family.

“I really appreciate it when you tell me about some of the family’s funny stories.”

“It’s nice to be invited to events with your parents, brothers/sisters, etc., ... sharing as one big family.”

“Please include me in some of the family activities and traditions.”

“I love it when you ask me to go shopping. I think my son likes the fact that we share this common bond together.”

7. Communicate with me.

“I once felt totally distanced from you and did not know why.”

“I wish you would ask me for my opinion about some things.”

“I’d love to tell you more about

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my son’s childhood—please ask me.”

“I wish you would pick up the phone and call me just to chat.”

8. Get to know me as a person.

“I am a person with feelings, beliefs, and ideas, and they are not just an extension of the man you married.”

“Find things that we have in common, and let’s enjoy them together.”

“Please don’t compare me to your parents and how they did things.”

9. Express expectations clearly.

“I wish you would express some guidelines that you expect in your home.”

“Sometimes you interpret my desire to be helpful as criticism of you. I certainly do not intend this. It would help if you would tell me the best ways that I could help you.”

10. Help me know my grandchildren.

“Your children need their lives filled with Grandma and Grandpa.”

“My only grandchild lives hundreds of miles away. When you regularly share pictures of him with me, it means so much.”

“I have tried to communicate with

you how much it means to me to keep me informed about my grandson. I hate to keep having to drop hints. You did it for awhile when I let you know that my son didn’t tell me normal everyday activities and other things grammies want to know. You didn’t realize this and kept me posted for a short time. But it’s back to hearing nothing again.”

11. Take time to express gratitude.

“When you and my son visit, it means a lot to me when you offer to help with the meals and with clean up.”

“It meant a lot to me when you posted on your Facebook page: ‘I am thankful for my mother-inlaw! I am so grateful for our great relationship. It is so important!

And ever since I got married our relationship has become so natural and I love spending time with her!’”

“Please take time to express your appreciation for a gift by writing a note or calling just to say, ‘Thanks!’”

12. Thank you!

“Thank you for believing in my son and encouraging him to stay connected with us.”

“You truly are the wind beneath my son’s sails and I really appreciate and love you. You understand my son far better than I do, and I thank God for you.”

“I’ve got the best daughter-in-law God could give. I am so blessed.”

“You are perfect for my son. How much we enjoy you for who you are!”

Some mothers- and daughters-inlaw form close friendships very quickly. For others, this may take years. But most mothers- and daughters-in-law do want to connect with each other. They want to find common ground. They want to know each other as individual women with feelings, beliefs, and ideas.

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21 Pakistani film “Josh” shown in Overcoming Rio Cinema Vancouver Humiliating Moments Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

L I F E S T Y L E

‘JOSH’ having directed internationally recognised, award-winning short films, it is Bilal’s debut feature and the only fiction film from Pakistan screened at Rio Cinema in Vancouver on March 3.

Pakistani director Iram Parveen Bilal was thrilled to learn that her feature film Josh (English Title: Against the Grain), She was present at stage and did the Q&A session with the media and audience after the show.

Josh is the story of a privileged woman whose life is shattered in a single moment. It is the story of a woman in search for a dangerous truth.

It is the story of the biggest challenge to Pakistan’s still reigning feudalism: the country’s youth. The film explores the internal debates the young are struggling with, and how solutions can be attainable if and when they stand united.

The film has an interesting ensemble of some of the finest actors from the Pakistani entertainment industry, who include Aamina Sheikh, Mohib Mirza, Khalid Malik, Navin Waqar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Salim Mairaj, Kaiser Khan Nizamani, Nyla Jafri, Parveen Akbar, Ali Rizvi and Faizan Haqquee.

The music of Josh is by Indus World Music that comprises veteran musician and compos-

er, Shahi Hasan and his partner Noor Lodhi.

In addition to that, the award winning British composer Andrew T. Mackay has been the soul of the score.

“I am very hopeful and I want the film to be watched by thousands of people and in the process, we want the film to inspire people by at least one element or thought in the film. My ultimate dream is that the entire team of Josh gets really good work and recommendations out of the film and that we can all grow in our careers and continue to contribute to Pakistani cinema, media, and activism,” Bilal said.

The Pakistani Canadian Women’s Society was played a very important role to gathered the audience in a short notice in Rio Cinema. Ms. Almas Ali, Dr. Babra Rana and Ms.Shahnaz Rahman on behalf of the Canadian Women’s Society did thank to the audience and as well as the Miracle Media of ongoing support to Society

Shabnam Khan - Family Counsellor Everyone has unique personalities. As we grew up in various environments we are all exposed to different life events.

All these affects our selfesteem. While some have generally experienced decades of social change leading to increased opportunities and a greater sense of self-confidence and self-worth, individually some of us do have self-esteem issues. These issues are less positive motivation for some overachievers !

If you are plagued by memories of humiliating moments from your past, there are three ways to put them behind you and move on.

Appreciate them: You can work your whole life to create the perfect image, but its those flawed moments that stand out as a testing ground for your character. The humiliating moments of your life can be pivotal events that give you the chance to grow stronger and define yourself to the wor ld.

Embrace them: Wear them like a badge of honor and learn to love the imperfection and the humanness you now posses. If you embrace embarrassment you diffuse it, just as you stop a bully in his tracks by standing up to him.

Share them: Don’t think that you’re the only one who has humiliating moments in the life. So many has been in similar, if not worse, situations. When you begin to share your stories you’ll see how mistakes and embarrassing moments are a right passage for all of us.

On the other hand, for some overachievers with shaky foundation of selfworth mostly look to please others as a way of feeling better about themselves.

This a kind of harried overachiever who doesn’t stop for a second because they are always doing something for someone else - a friend, a family member, a colleague, a local community group and so on. Just remember, Self-esteem has a very large component of Self-respect to it.

If you are a parent, the message conveyed here is that expectations of what your children can achieve have risen just as the world is becoming more competitive, creating an enormous clash between expectations and reality!

As parents, educator’s and community leaders, we should try our best to build self-esteem and real coping skills in our children. Failure can be used as a motivator.

Thinking that failure is bad for children is a mistake. Failure is an enormous character and selfesteem builder. If children are allowed to fail, they will have to learn both coping skills and problem solving skills, which will make them feel competent ! shabnam@skcounselling.ca

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

By: Nada Adams

A D V E R T I S E R

Foods that ACCELERATE Aging!

Are you eating food that helps you to look younger or make you age you faster? The 4 foods mentioned in this article are falsely promoted as ‘healthy’. Take at look in the mirror; if you look older than your age, your diet is likely filled with an inflammation causing diet. But, don’t despair; you can reverse the damage with healing foods if you stop the flow of damage. What I mean by aging, is not only wrinkled skin and thin hair...aging also includes internal damage to your organs that you cannot see that are linked to 3 major impacts: ‘Glycation’, ‘Inflammation’ and ‘Oxidation’. If you want to look slimmer and up to 10 years YOUNGER than your actual age avoid or seriously reduce the following 4 foods.

Aging Food #1 “Wheat/ Whole wheat” I know what you’re thinking, how could that be? I thought the same too. There is a substance called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) which are nasty little compounds that speed up the aging process in your body and over time, contribute to damaging your organs, joints, and of

course, wrinkled skin. So what is the biggest factor that increases production of AGEs inside your body? High blood sugar levels over time dramatically increase AGEs in your body. This is why people with Type 2 diabetics typically look older than their actual age.

So, how does “whole wheat” relate to this? Big food companies want you to believe “whole wheat” is healthy for you... the fact is, wheat contains a unique type of carbohydrate (not found in other foods) called AmylopectinA, which scientist found in some tests to spike your blood sugar higher than even pure table sugar. In fact, amylopectin-A (from wheat) raises your blood sugar more than almost any other carbohydrate source on earth. This means even wheat-based breads, bagels, cereals, muffins, and other baked goods often cause much higher blood sugar levels than most other carbohydrate sources. Furthermore, baked wheat products contain chemicals called acrylamides that form on the browned portion of breads, cereals, muffins, even French fries or any other browned starchy foods. These acrylamides have been linked in studies to possibly increase risk of cancer and accelerate aging. I’m not saying stay away from these foods entirely, I don’t. However it’s important that when you consume them daily, you limit your portion of wheat-based food so your body can maintain a balanced blood sugar that will slow the aging

process while looking and feeling younger!

Aging food #2 – “Corn-based starch” i.e. corn oil, corn chips, corn cereal, high-fructose corn syrup” Corn products also impact blood sugar levels that cause rapid aging. Like wheat, the biggest health-damaging enemy that gets most of the media attention is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Scientists discovered fructose in HFCS causes 10x more formation of AGEs in your body than glucose (simple sugar)! Yes, that’s right... that means the HFCS you consume daily in soft drinks, and most other processed foods (yes, even salad dressings and ketchup) contribute to faster aging free radicals in your body. In addition, corn-based foods and corn oils cause a severe imbalance of omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in your body. More Omega-6 than Omega-3 in the body increases inflammation and oxidation in your blood, organs and joints.

Imagine a wet, cast iron pan left to dry naturally, what will happen to the water and iron? It oxidizes and forms RUST. Is that what you want to have happen to your internal organs? If you want to stay slim and younger looking, stay away from all corn syrup and corn oils (including canola oil which is worse than trans-fat).

Aging Food #3 – “Sugar, some starchy/sugary food” Sugar is obvious. What is less obvious for most people are carbohydrate foods that are converted into sugar by the body? These

foods convert into sugar rapidly thereby, spiking your blood sugar level and increasing ageaccelerating compounds called AGEs in your body that cause damage. Instead of reaching for sugar, consider using Stevia in your daily coffee, tea and in baking needs. Stevia leaf is not only good for your kidneys but it also, dramatically helps to control your blood sugar balance to slow down aging.

Remember some starchy foods can be worse than ingesting table sugar like white rice, white bread, pasta, oatmeal, and white potatoes can significantly increase your blood sugar that increases the formation of AGEs in your body.

When you eat these starchy foods, its best to keep them in small portions (up to the size of your fist) and balance their sugar transformation by including healthy fats (organic olive oil, organic coconut oil, avocado oil and organic butter – yes there is a health difference in buying organic vs. not – will discuss in another article), soluble fibre and protein with every meal to slow down the rapid conversion of sugar entering your blood stream.

Aging Food #4 – “Soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, safflower oil or other ‘vegetable oils’” Do you understand how these oils react in your body? Contrary to what the Giant food industry wants you to believe, polyunsaturated fats are oxidized oils (they are similar to rancid oil) that were processed under very high tem-

peratures, with lots of processing chemicals so these oils cause LOTS and LOTS of INFLAMMATION inside your body. Why should you care? Because these non-beneficial oils produce free radicals (like thieves) that damage your cell membranes in a chain reaction leading to rapid aging, heart disease and many other illnesses, including cancer.

Did you know Cancer is avoidable? Just stay away from certain foods and additives (i.e. Bad oils, MSG and all its hidden names) that cause internal inflammation and if you already have active cancer in your body, these additives will rapidly accelerate cancer growth.

Do you have Arthritis? It’s avoidable too. Simply stay away from foods/bad oils that increase your internal inflammation – it’s that easy, so don’t make life any harder on yourself.

Change your Attitude - Change your Diet - Change your Body - Change your Health - Change your Life!

About the Author: Since 1998, Nada Adams has been a natural health researcher, author and master coach helping men and women live in courage, authenticity and truth. Adams was the ‘Dear Diary’ columnist for the GCDA Magazine, a National Canadian Magazine that educates and inspires Teens. To learn more: www.sacredveil. com

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

S P E C I A L

~MARCH 8TH IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY~

Silence Isn’t Conservative: Speaking Up for Women’s Rights

By Hibbaq Osman As thousands of women from all over the world gather at the United Nations in New York this week to mark the 57th anniversary of the Commission of the Status of Women [CSW], also attending will be some conservative NGOs who’s rhetoric is damaging, unproductive and not in alignment with the goals or ideologies of this powerful and important commission.

CSW was established by the United Nations as the sole global policymaking body dedicated to gender equality and advancement of women throughout all aspects of society including economically, socially, educationally, and politically. We gather annually to set in place concrete policies for the year ahead to ensure the advancement of women worldwide and ensure gender equality, which in my part of the world still has a long way to go. The 20-strong member delegation I am leading includes women from eight different countries: Syria, Libya, Egypt, Somalia, Yemen, Jordan and Morocco. They are wives, mothers,

daughters and sisters united in their objectives: Women deserve the same opportunity as men and all of us have a responsiblity to help end violence against women.

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed an expanded bipartisan “Violence Against Women Act,” an important step forward as we begin this week’s important global gathering. Yet conservative NGOs here in New York are missing the big picture of CSW by focusing on so-called “sensitive issues” related to gender equality and pro-life issues, arguing a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion is a “violent act,” and should be stopped. As an example, the “Endeavor Forum,” a Christian pro-life family Australian NGO states “there is a need for women to defend the legitimate rights of traditional women in families and the rights of male breadwinners to get jobs.” Another NGO, “Concerned Women for America” is the largest public policy women’s organization in the United States who lobbies for integrating biblical principles into all levels of public policy. Are these really examples of

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moving forward?

What should be stopped are such shortsighted views on serious issues affecting hundreds of millions of women across the globe, particularly at a time when women are becoming more active in effecting change and speaking up for it. Look no further then where I live -- Cairo, Egypt -- where women continue to participate and contribute as equal partners to men in popular movements demanding democratic change. The effects and impact of these movements, which call for freedom, justice, equality, and dignity in view of laws protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals and groups within the framework of a modern democratic civil state, constituted a turning point in the lives of the region’s people. Are these conservative NGOs really asking us to turn the clock back?

Among our delegation at CSW, and what was discussed recently at our UN Women meeting in Amman, Jordan, is the sad realization that the rise of political conservatism and religious fundamentalism allied with tribal agendas within the guise of the prodemocracy movements in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, has resulted in a backlash on women’s rights and women’s equal participation in society. Moreover, women and girls in the region are facing new forms of organized political violence, which often fail to be punished by the state and which the state has failed to effectively protect them from, including sexual harassment, gang rapes, and intimidation linked to their civic engagement. As a result, the

rights and achievements of women have been severely undermined, and women have been marginalized and bullied from fully participating in public life, as well as from making key decisions in their private lives. This must stop. We will be lobbying hard this week to ensure this message is relayed to all the governments in our region and around the world who still don’t provide women with equal opportunities.

We will continue to stress the need to urgently address and outlaw all forms of discrimination, violence, exploitation, and marginalization on the basis of gender in both public and private spheres, including the undermining of women’s personal freedoms and their physical and psychological security. We must respect and enforce women’s civil, political, economic, social, cultural, health, and reproductive rights as stipulated in the various international human rights instruments, particularly the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. There is no time for rhetoric of moving backwards to accommodate conservative agendas.

What the 57th session of the Commission of the Status of Women does has time for is not to be silenced, as the conservatives would like us to be. CSW will continue to effect a lasting global impact and promote a world where everyone has equal opportunities and a better place for the next generation of women to come.

Somali-born Hibaaq Osman has lived in Cairo since 2005. A global political strategist, she leads three regional non-governmental organizations: Karama, the Dignity Fund and the ThinkTank for Arab Women.

She serves on the boards of a number of organizations, including Ashoka Arab World, and is a member of the Expert Committee for Peace and Security at the League of Arab States.

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

OUR CHILDREN COME FIRST

Childhood obesity is not the fault of the child but of the adults who influence the child. Many doctors predict that this may be the first generation where we will see children dying before their parents. This is something that is hard to imagine but is this is due to an error in eating beliefs and practices.

Children today are growing up in a world that is changing very fast. Parents are busy: Often too busy with work stress and telephone calls to really take the time to be with their children and listen so that their children feel important and valued. Children’s lives too have become over pressured by long hours of school, with hours of homework and too many examinations. It is very rare in England, even in the countryside, to see many children out playing in the woods and fields and getting exercise as we did when I was young. This is mainly due to the world being perceived as a very much more dangerous place for children.

In England children as young as six months are often left in the care of nurseries for long hours by their professional parents; sometimes for as long as 10 hours a day. Is this progress?

It is a well-studied fact that happy children who have had some degree of independence to play and explore go on to be far more successful than those who have been hot-housed in a classroom and closeted in their bedroom with their electronic games.

There are many studies and plenty of expert opinions around but parents do need to think for themselves; and decide what is best for their own child to thrive and be healthy. Childhood is such a very short but important time and children should be encouraged to enjoy it.

The main causes of childhood obesity are poor eating habits; lack of physical activity; and insufficient sporting activity. If we feel that it is not safe for children to play outside then they need to be offered more physical activity at school to compensate. Sport should be part of the curriculum at schools not once or twice a week but every day. And parents should lobby for this.

Parents too should lead by example; children do not always do as we say but often copy what we do. If we eat junk food and spend our lives in front of screens they will

grow up believing that that is how they should live their lives. Children should always feel they come first, not your career, and I always make it a point never to interrupt a conversation with my child to answer my phone. Children need at least one hour of physical activity per day to be healthy whereas adults need only thirty minutes.

Advertising has been used to make hamburgers and pizza appear as cool modern food for teenagers to be eating. American soaps show stars sitting on couches eating ice cream and chips and dips. There are so many habits of modern eating that are considered normal in the world that our children have grown up in that are not healthy.

It is for grandparents and parents to educate their children on how healthy eating practices from the past compare with the factory processed food we now eat.

Portion sizes are also key to good health.

Talk to your child about what is a normal portion size, as some children do not know.

It is a difficult fact to get over to children as they have grown up with larger portions.

This generation has grown up with the idea that a super-sized meal is good value for money. A mother, as the provider of food for the family, must think about how much food goes on to the table. If as a mother you put loads of food on the dinner table then your children will think they have the right to eat too much.

It is always important to make changes gradually over time and to be patient. If it has taken your child time to get into habits it will equally take time to get into new healthy eating habits.

The average restaurant meal is now four times larger than it was in the 1950s.

The average adult is now 26 pounds heavier than in the 1950s.

Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and maintains a network of roadblocks in the territory, severely restricting movement of Palestinians in the area. Palestinians seek the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, for a future state, a claim supported by most world powers, which also view the settlements as illegal. Source: Al-Jazeera

PAKISTAN : Continued from pg 3 Jawwad S Khawaja and it has not been fixed for hearing since the last two months.The CJ remarked: “What respect has been paid to the orders of the court that the person against whom the SC has initiated contempt proceedings is enjoying directorship. He court has been made a laughing stock. Whatever order is given is not implemented. What FIA wants? First of all we will see the matter of Waqar Haider and then we will see the other things.”

Sohail Khan adds: The Supreme Court summoned Director General FIA Muhammad Anwar Virk to explain as to why Waqar Haider was appointed as director despite the fact that a contempt case was pending against him.

IQRA RANKED IN TOP 3% OUT OF 853 SCHOOLS IN BC IQRA RANKED 2ND IN SURREY SCHOOL DISTRICT

DR. FAISAL PRINCIPAL

ISRAEL : Continued from pg 1 a routine Israeli precaution. He said he did not know whether and how this might affect Palestinian travel on regular buses. Herzl Ben-Zvi, mayor of the Karnei Shomron settlement, said the new lines “answer the needs of all passengers; Palestinians and settlers” because they would relieve overcrowding on buses in the area. Israel occupied the West

Y O U T H

Waqar Haider, Director FIA, Lahore was facing contempt of court case for creating hurdles for Zafar Qureshi who was appointed by the Supreme Court to probe the NICL scam case.During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that their only aim was to recover the looted money. The chief justice inquired as to why Amin Dada was not yet arrested while Mohsin Warraich was still at large. Munir Paracha informed the court that money had been recovered from the accused and if the passport of Dada was restored, he would voluntarily return. At this, Justice Iftikhar asked if the FIA was functioning on probabilities.

He said it seemed the agencies’ strings were being pulled by someone else.

Alhamdulillah, with the Blessing of Allah SWT, Iqra Islamic School performance in the latest school ranking (2011-2012) released by the Fraser Institute on March 4th, 2013 shows a clear trend in becoming one of the top schools in British Columbia.

The Report Card on B.C.’s Elementary Schools 2013 rates 853 public and independent elementary schools based on 10 academic indicators using data from FSAs (Foundation Skills Assessments) administered by the B.C Ministry of Education.

The Institute ranks schools based on standardized tests in reading, writing, and numeracy. In the Surrey School District, Iqra attained a respectful ranking of top three schools. “ The hardwork of the school administration, staff, students, PAC and partnership with parents are contributing factors to this success ” Said Br. Sultan Badshah, Acting Chairperson – Iqra School Board.

“We are very grateful to the entire Muslim community of BC for their kind and generous support since Iqra started in 1998 with 16 students. Currently, there are close

BR. SULTAN BADSHAH ACTING CHAIRPERSON – SCHOOL BOARD

to 400 students enrolled from KG to G8.

The results are reflective of investments in our human resources, continued upgrade of school facilities such as computer labs, gymnasium, and learning resources” added Br. Sultan.

Dr. Faisal Ali, Principal of Iqra School, said “ Iqra offers BC Ministry of Education approved curriculum and a very strong Islamic Studies and Arabic program. It also offers a very popular sports program during recess and lunch times. Iqra is committed to provide for its students quality education and personal excellence in a safe and friendly Islamic environment”.

Parents interested in enrolling their child (ren) should contact the school administration at (604) 583-7530 between 8: am-4:00 pm.

For more information about Fraser Institute’s Report card on British Columbia’s Elementary Schools 2013 please visit: http//britishcolumbia.compareschoolrankings.org/elementary/schoolsByrankLocationName.aspx

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

A D V E R T I S E R

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

B I O G R A P H Y

Ibn Battuta - the great traveller

Introduction Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad - Din, was born at Tangier, Morocco, on the 24th February 1304 C.E. (703 Hijra). He left Tangier on Thursday, 14th June, 1325 C.E. (2nd Rajab 725 A.H.), when he was twenty one years of age.

His travels lasted for about thirty years, after which he returned to Fez, Morocco at the court of Sultan Abu ‘Inan and dictated accounts of his journeys to Ibn Juzay. These are known as the famous Travels (Rihala) of Ibn Battuta. He died at Fez in 1369 C.E. Ibn Battuta was the only medieval traveller who is known to have visited the lands of every Muslim ruler of his time. He also travelled in Ceylon (present Sri Lanka), China and Byzantium and South Russia. The mere extent of his travels is estimated at no less than 75,000 miles, a figure which is not likely to have been surpassed before the age of steam.

Travels In the course of his first journey, Ibn Battuta travelled through Algiers, Tunis, Egypt, Palestine and Syria to Makkah. After visiting Iraq, Shiraz and Mesopotamia he once more returned to perform the Hajj at Makkah and remained there for three years. Then travelling to Jeddah he went to Yemen by sea, visited Aden andset sail for Mombasa, East Africa. After going up to Kulwa he came back to Oman and repeated pilgrimage to Makkah in 1332 C.E. via Hormuz, Siraf, Bahrain and Yamama.

Subsequently he set out with the purpose of going to India, but on reaching Jeddah, he appears to have changed his mind (due perhaps to the unavailability of a ship bound for India), and revisited Cairo, Palestine and Syria, thereafter arriving at Aleya (Asia Minor) by sea and travelled across Anatolia and Sinope. He then crossed the Black Sea and after long wanderings he reached Constantinople through Southern Ukraine.

On his return, he visited Khurasan through Khawarism (Khiva) and having visited all the important cities such as Bukhara, Balkh, Herat, Tus, Mashhad and Nishapur, he crossed the Hindukush mountains via the 13,000 ft Khawak Pass into Afghanistan and passing through Ghani and Kabul entered India.

After visiting Lahri (near modern Karachi), Sukkur, Multan, Sirsa and Hansi, he reached Delhi. For several years Ibn Battuta enjoyed the patronage of Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq, and was later sent as Sultan’s envoy to China. Passing through Cental India and Malwa he took ship from Kambay for Goa, and after visiting many thriving ports along the Malabar coast he reached the Maldive Islands, from which he crossed to Ceylon. Continuing his journey, he landed on the Ma’bar (Coromandal) coast and once more returning to the Maldives he finally set sail for Bengal and visited Kamrup, Sylhet and Sonargaon (near Dhaka). Sailing along the Arakan coast he came to Sumatra and later landed at Canton via Malaya

and Cambodia. In China he travelled northward to Peking through Hangchow. Retracing his steps he returned to Calicut and taking ship came to Dhafari and Muscat, and passing through Paris (Iran), Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Egypt made his seventh and last pilgrimage to Makkah in November 1348 C.E. and then returned to his home town of Fez. His travels did not end here - he later visited Muslim

Spain and the lands of the Niger across the Sahara.

On his return to Fez, Ibn Battuta dictated the accounts ofhis travels to Ibn Juzay al-Kalbi (1321-1356 C.E.) at the court of Sultan Abu Inan (1348-1358 C.E). Ibn Juzay took three months to accomplish this work, which he finished on 9th December 1355 C.E. Writings In order to experience the flavour of Ibn Battuta’s narrative one must sample a few extracts. The following passage illustrates the system of social security in operation in the Muslim world in the early 14th century C.E. : “The variety and expenditure of the religious endowments at Damascus are beyond computation.

There are endowments in aid of

persons who cannot undertake the pilgrimage to Makkah, out of which ate paid the expenses of those who go in their stead. There are other endowments for supplying wedding outfits to girls whose families are unable to provide them, and others for the freeing of prisoners. There are endowments for travellers, out of the revenues of which they are given food, clothing, and the expenses of conveyance to their countries.

Then there are endowments for the improvement and paving of the streets, because all the lanes in Damascus have pavements on either side, on which the foot passengers walk, while those who ride use the roadway in the centre”.

Here is another example which describes Baghdad in the early 14th century C.E.: “Then we travelled to Baghdad, the Abode of Peace and Capital of Islam. Here there are two bridges like that at Hilla, on which the people promenade night and day, both men and women. The baths at Baghdad are numerous and excellently constructed, most of them being painted with pitch, which has the appearance of black marble. This pitch is brought from a spring between Kufa and Basra, from which it flows continually. It gathers at the sides of the spring like clay and is shovelled up and brought to Baghdad. Each establishment has a number of private bathrooms, every one of which has also a wash-basin in the corner, with two taps supplying hot and cold water. Every bather is given

three towels, one to wear round his waist when he goes in, another to wear round his waist when he comes out, and the third to dry himself with.”

Ibn Battuta - The Forgotten Traveller Ibn Battuta’s sea voyages and references to shipping reveal that the Muslims completely dominated the maritime activity of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Chinese waters.

Also it is seen that though the Christian traders were subject to certain restrictions, most of the economic negotiations were transacted on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

Ibn Battuta, one of the most remarkable travellers of all time, visited China sixty years after Marco Polo and in fact travelled 75,000 miles, much more than Marco Polo. Yet Battuta is never mentioned in geography books used in Muslim countries, let alone those in the West. Ibn Battuta’s contribution to geography is unquestionably as great as that of any geographer yet the accounts of his travels are not easily accessible except to the specialist.

Source: Silk-road.com

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

SHAM-E-GHAZAL organized by Miracle Media at Afghan Chopan

The Miracle Media Group Talent Hunt Division arranged a musical night(Shame-Ghazal)at Afghan Chopan Banquet Hall Surrey on March 2nd.

The purpose of this event was two-foldedto present eastern music and to introduce local gems with beautiful voices to the general public.

The concept of this event came alive, and Mr. Mohammad Pirzada, the Managing Editor of the Miracle was able to recruit third time local talent from the community and organize a sensational musical evening.

The evening was held after Miracle’s writers Awards and dinner. It began with famous Pakistani and Indian music tunes presented

by Mr. Shahid Hassan Khan on Keyboard and Mr. Israr Ahmed Khan on Rubab. Mr. Naseer Pirzada hosted this beautiful evening very well and introduced everyone to the background of Ghazal and from where it started.

All singers were accompanied by Harmonium, Key Boards, Guitar, Rubab and Tabla.

Mr. Pirzada introduced each singer, musician and Tabla Player on the stage. Due to the long list of singers and due to shortage of time, each singer was asked to present 2 Ghazals in first half and 2 in second session.

Sham e Ghazal started with the beautiful voice of Dr. Asifa Meharali along with Mr. Sarabjit Matharu(Tabla)who holds 25 years experience in Tabla playing. The second performer was Mr. Avinash Chander Mehra the new face for our community. He also sung beautiful Ghazals.

After that the Ghazal program switched from Harmonium to Keyboard to give audience some variety in the form of two wonderful ghazals of Mr. Hassan Rasool.

The Next famous singer of community was Mr. Shamash Jamal, who impressed everyone with his golden voice and his harmonium skills.

Mr. Pirzada encouraged every singer on their performance and at the same time he also performed one ghazal parody of Pakistani politicians which scored many laughs from the audience. He then followed up with a somber ghazal as a tribute to those who missed their parents in abroad.

The second half began with a classic rendition of two famous old ghazals by Mrs. Shahnaz Rehmat Ullah. Everyone in the audience really enjoyed her. The youngest performer of the night was Mr. Omair Khan who did a great job in singing famous Mehdi Hassan ghazals in his beautiful voice.

He was followed by Mr. Riaz Kalsi who presented a beautiful song. In the second half, Mr. Mustafa Lalani also contributed on Tabla for four of the performances after which Mr. Matharu returned for another round of splendid tabla playing.

All singers gave one knock-out performance after another, everyone singing Pakistani and Indian Ghazals and songs. The audience was thoroughly entertained and they cheered everyone for their overall performance.

After the superb performances of all variety of singers, the door prizes were announced

at the end. These were donated by the following Miracle advertisers: Mr. Sumeet Bains (Bains Travel), Mr. Ayyaz Khan(Gulberg Market), Mr. Zafar Khan (Gulberg Restaurant)and Mr. Riaz (Al-Watan Restaurant).

The audience said that they were impressed by the singers and their beautifully sung Pakistani and Indian Ghazals & songs. They also congratulated Miracle Media who brought these hidden talents at this stage and admired the host for maintained enthusiasm throughout the evening till mid night.

The Singers, Musicians and Miracle Media program Video coverage videographer appreciation awards were given during the earlier half of the evening to Mr. Avinash Chander Mehra, Mr. Sarabjit Matharu(Tabla) Mr. Shamash Jamal and Mr. Aamir Muneer by Consul general of Pakistan, Mr. Shuja Alam.

Mr. Pirzada also thanked Mr. Amin Ahmed for his cooperation in sound system, Mr. Daud Qayyum and his family for the special hall facilities, delicious food and excellent service provided.

The Miracle media thanks all those who came to this event, stayed late night and encouraged the hidden talents.

The Miracle media group would also like to thank its sponsors for their incredible support in catering services including: Mr. Daood Qayum (Afghan Chopan Restaurant), and Mr. Ali Mirza(Lahore Halal Meat)for biryani.

The Miracle also thanked those who con-

tributed to sell this Sham e Ghazal event tickets at their stores and a great thanks for these sponsors to make successful this event: Mr.Sohail Ahmed ( Vancity Tiles), Mr. Shamim Akbar (Pak-National Foods), Mr. Nazir Ch. (Diamond Carpets), Mr. M. Malick (Gaba travel), Mr. Fawad Kalsi (Falkon Travel), Mr. Abdul Qayyum (Omax Realty, and Dr. Riffat Nagra.

A Special thanks goes out to the Miracle team, and all volunteers, Tickets sellers including Mrs. Khadija, Mrs. Anjum Rafiq, Mrs. Mutmaeen, Mrs. Azhar Syed and especially Mr. Nadeem Rabbani and his daughters Fatima & Khadija whose organizational skills and hard work made this event a success.

28

Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

S P O R T S

India go 2-0 up after Australia capitulate When India’s confidence was rattled by the drubbings in Australia and England over the past two years, they took solace in their outstanding home record. Even that bit of relief had been taken away when Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann outspun India earlier this season, but India’s belief at home has come surging back with two thumping victories over Australia. Though it was widely expected that Australia would go down on the fourth day, few thought it would happen with the embarrassing rapidity that it did. Australia’s batsmen were once again nonplussed by the turning ball to subside to 131 all out, handing India an innings-and-135-run victory and a 2-0 series lead. If Australia’s

chances were slim at the start of the day, they vanished with two deliveries of vastly contrasting quality.

Ishant Sharma got his first wicket of the series with a harmless ball sliding down the leg side which Shane Watson guided through to the wicketkeeper. Ravindra Jadeja, usually the butt of derogatory jokes from Indian fans despite a stellar first-class record, then produced the ball of the match, a delivery that drifted onto middle stump and spun back to beat Michael Clarke’s forward defensive to crash into off. From then it was only a matter of time. Ed Cowan had gritted it out for nearly three hours, forgetting the deliveries that ripped past his outside edge to concentrate afresh. Jadeja, with his tail

up after that magic ball to Clarke, ended Cowan’s resistance on 44 as an edge ricocheted off MS Dhoni’s gloves deflected to Virender Sehwag at slip. It got even better for Jadeja soon after as he lasered in a throw from cover to run out Moises Henriques, who was yards out despite Jadeja fumbling the ball before collecting it. Then the man who started Australia’s slide on Monday evening, R Ashwin, took over. He has kept his Twenty20 variations to a minimum this series, and cleverly used them against the lower order.

Glenn Maxwell was looking towards square leg after attempting a flick only to be confounded by the carrom ball that was heading for the off stump. There was time left for

Ashwin to complete his eighth fivefor in 11 home Tests. While the capitulation on Tuesday morning was painful viewing for Australia fans, much of the damage had been done by the batting failure on the first day, when the pitch was at its best. Just three months ago, the much-coveted No. 1 Test ranking was within Australia’s grasp and Clarke and the team management seemed to be able to do no wrong. After the two defeats, he will be assailed by questions, just as Dhoni has been over the past couple of years. The result will be a major source of relief for Dhoni, who after settling doubts over his Test batting in Chennai has now become India’s most successful Test captain with 22 wins. The

next match is in Mohali, typically a swing-friendly surface, but given Australia’s ineptness against spin, the curators are likely to work overtime to produce a turning track there as well.

Source: Cricinfo

GM Mike PCB calls for revival of Gillis concerned international cricket in about Canucks Pakistan lack of consistency

On the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has called on the world to stand with Pakistan and help revive international cricket in the country. “It was the tragic episode in the history of Pakistan cricket,” Ashraf, who is also a member of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party’s central executive committee, told ESPNcricinfo. “We have suffered a lot in fighting against terrorism - a war that is the entire world’s and Pakistan is fighting as a front-line state.

The whole world should stand with us in helping revive international cricket.” On March 3, 2009, the Sri Lanka team was on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second Test against Pakistan, when gunmen opened fire and threw grenades at the bus, killing eight people at Liberty roundabout, one-

and-a-half kilometres away from the stadium. The match was abandoned, Sri Lanka left the country the same day, Pakistan was stripped of its right to host the 2011 World Cup and there has been no international cricket in the country since. For the last four years, Pakistan have been playing their ‘home’ series mostly in the UAE. Youth development in Pakistan cricket is on hold as no team, even at the youth level, is ready to tour. The PCB has suffered a budget deficit for years, stadiums are getting rusty, fans have been deprived. Around two dozen players made their international debut for Pakistan in this period, but are yet to play an international game in their own country. The PCB is still haunted by the impact of the incident and doesn’t like to be reminded of what happened. The board is now waiting for a change in the political

landscape in the country, hoping it will lead to greater stability. The PCB had tried to win back the confidence of players by organising the lucrative Twenty20 league, offering top players from around the world a chance to earn over $100,000 taxfree in 10 days. But the plan was hit by logistical arrangements and the board had to postpone it indefinitely.

The PCB also tried hard to negotiate with the Bangladesh Cricket Board to commit to a tour of Pakistan but the series never happened, with Bangladesh withdrawing after committing twice. West Indies, in recent times, have refused to send their A team to Pakistan, proposing instead to play in the UAE. The PCB, in the meantime, is focusing on building cricket infrastructure in Pakistan, a chaotic process in a time of isolation. A new stadium, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Cricket Stadium at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Naudero, Sindh, was completed last year; another one has been sanctioned in the capital Islamabad with a lodging facility. Domestic cricket has been revamped, with the introduction of an additional Twenty20 national championship between eight top teams around the country to keep the stadiums active.

Source: Cricinfo

PAKISTAN : Continued from pg 3 each year - a volume so large that many are routinely ignored. Every day across the United States, 854,000 civil servants, military personnel and private contractors with top-secret security clearances are scanned into offices protected by electromagnetic locks, retinal cameras and fortified walls that eavesdropping equipment cannot penetrate.”

The report continued: “Much of the information about this mission is classified. That is the reason it is so difficult to gauge the success and identify the problems of Top Secret America, including whether money is being spent wisely.

The US intelligence budget is vast, publicly announced last year as $75 billion, 21/2 times the size it was on September 10, 2001. But the figure doesn’t include many military activities or domestic counterterrorism programmes.”

Another excerpt from this report had read: “With the quick infusion of money, military and intelligence agencies multiplied. Twenty-four organizations were

created by the end of 2001, including the Office of Homeland Security and the Foreign Terrorist Asset Tracking Task Force. In 2002, 37 more were created to track weapons of mass destruction, collect threat tips and coordinate the new focus on counterterrorism.”

The report had mentioned: “That was followed the next year by 36 new organizations; and 26 after that; and 31 more; and 32 more; and 20 or more each in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

In all, at least 263 organizations have been created or reorganized as a response to 9/11. Each has required more people, and those people have required more administrative and logistic support: phone operators, secretaries, librarians, architects, carpenters, construction workers, air-conditioning mechanics and, because of where they work, even janitors with topsecret clearances.”

Source: The News

Like many of the team’s fans, general manager Mike Gillis doesn’t quite know what to make of the Vancouver Canucks as they near the halfway point of this shortened season. He still very much believes in the team, but acknowledged that he, too, is waiting for the Canucks to be as good as he thinks they are on a more consistent basis. “Like every team in this league there have been some setbacks, some surprises so far this year,” Gillis said in an interview Monday, which was a day off for the players.

“There are teams that are surprising teams with their good play, some teams that are surprising people with their poor play. And right now we’re kind of in the middle. “We have played some really good games against top teams in the league and we have played some average games against other competition. I think it’s more about us than it is anybody else. We just need to get to a 60-minute game where we are competing all the time. Like a lot of other teams, we still haven’t done that very much this year.” This past weekend was a good example of that. The Canucks registered one of their biggest wins of the season on Saturday when they defeated the visiting Los Angeles Kings 5-2. They followed that up by losing 4-2 in Calgary on Sunday to the Flames. “I think it’s been an up and down season,” Gillis said of the Canucks, who take a record of 11-6-4 into Tuesday’s tilt against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena.

“But I think when you watch as much hockey as I watch and we watch as a staff, you realize that it has been an up and down season for a lot of teams. I think the good teams are still going to be the good teams and be there at the end of the day.” Gillis, meanwhile, came to the defence of coach Alain Vigneault, whose bench minor may have cost his team at least one point in Calgary on Sunday. Vigneault was highly critical of a call made midway through the third period by referee Kelly Sutherland after no call was made on what Vigneault thought was an elbow on Vancouver defenceman Chris Tanev by Flames’ forward Matt Stajan. Gillis said he did not speak Monday to either Vigneault or the league. “I think if you look at the play it’s obvious why he was frustrated,” Gillis said of Vigneault. “You can’t have players deliberately trying to hit other players in the head without getting upset about it. If our coach wasn’t upset about someone trying to hit a player’s head into the glass then we’d have a bigger problem.” Asked if Vigneault had been fined for his comments by the league, Gillis said: “I haven’t heard that yet.” The NHL generally does not disclose fines to coaches and deputy commissioner Bill Daly on Monday would not say if Vigneault had been fined. After his brief post-game tirade over that call, Vigneault walked away from reporters and was not available to answer other questions concerning the status of defencemen Keith Ballard and Kevin Bieksa. Ballard sat out both weekend games as a healthy scratch after playing the first 19 games of the season. His agent, Ben Hankinson, told News 1130 Monday that he planned to call Gillis to discuss Ballard’s situation. “He hasn’t called me,” Gillis said of Hankinson, who did not return a message Monday.

“Keith had a couple of rough outings and we have other players (Andrew Alberts and Cam Barker) that worked very hard to try and get into the lineup. Like any player you have to play your best and keep playing your best in order to continue getting ice time ... it’s just the ebb and flow of an NHL season.” As for Bieksa, Gillis confirmed that he suffered something of a setback when he played in Saturday’s game against the Kings after missing two games with a groin injury. “He had a sore groin, he took some time off, he recovered and it stiffened up after the game,” Gillis said. “It was a pretty hard-fought game.” Gillis said Bieksa was not rushed back into the lineup. “It’s not written in stone sometimes how people react to soreness and injuries, so I don’t think so,” he said.

Bieksa’s status for Tuesday’s game against the Sharks won’t be known until the game-day skate. Source: Vancouver Sun

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Rabi ul Thani 27, 1434 March 8, 2013

Lessons from Iraq

Mahir Ali TEN YEARS after ‘Shock and Awe’, it is hardly surprising that among the dwindling ranks of those who are still willing to defend the decision to invade Iraq, the overwhelming tendency is to frame the question in terms of whether Saddam Hussein’s removal from power was a positive outcome.

It is all too easy to forget that in the build-up to the war the arguments in favour of invasion were framed in somewhat different terms. Saddam’s obvious demerits as a ruthless autocrat barely figured. The excuse was his purported possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Iraq had by then faced more than a decade of debilitating sanctions.

The stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons had been destroyed and the regime had at the very least cold-storaged its nuclear ambitions. It was, admittedly, hard to be certain. Saddam is believed to subsequently have confessed that he did not wish foes such as Iran to realise that Iraq was WMDfree. Hence the ambiguity, and the games Baghdad played with United Nations weapons inspectors.

None of that ought to have convinced Western intelligence agencies that Iraq did, indeed, possess WMD. And for the most part it did not. They were well aware that evidence to the contrary came only from highly dubious sources. Yet

George W. Bush and Tony Blair both claimed to have incontrovertible proof of Iraq’s mass-destructive capabilities.

They both lied. Each of them also appears to have believed he had a direct line to the Almighty — which puts them in much the same category as Al Qaeda types.

“If we hadn’t removed Saddam from power,” Blair said on BBC television recently, “just think, for example, what would be happening if these Arab revolutions were continuing now and Saddam, who’s probably 20 times as bad as Assad in Syria, was trying to suppress an uprising in Iraq.”

Bashar Al Assad may derive some consolation from being decreed 20 times less worse than Saddam, but among the things Blair chose not to mention is the fact that whereas Iraq’s post-Saddam administration is relatively sympathetic towards the Baathist regime in Damascus, the radicals in Iraq who were the bane of the US-British occupation have been mightily encouraged by the Syrian revolt.

In the context of Blair’s apologia it is pertinent to ask how what he calls the Arab revolutions — which have delivered Islamist or semiIslamist regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya — would have shaped up in the absence of the Western intervention in Iraq. There can be no definitive answers, perhaps, but there can also be little question that the forces of political Islam across

and beyond the Arab world were emboldened by the Iraqi resistance to foreign occupation. This resistance often took grotesque forms, but in that it largely mirrored the brutality of the occupiers. Evidence has lately been emerging, for instance, of “systemic” torture

by British troops that echoed the depredations of Abu Ghraib.

It is at least equally important to consider the parallels between the build-up to the assault on Iraq and the constant reminders, from the US as well as Israel, that “all options are on the table” vis-à-vis Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

Once again, the adversary is an unpalatable regime, but it would be perverse to conclude from that, even if the negotiations in Kazakhstan come to naught, that war is the answer.

In this context, it is significant to note that even the verified possession by Iraq of WMD would hardly have sufficed as a casus belli. Nuclear weapons are undoubtedly an abomination. Let us not forget, however, who invented them, deployed them without sufficient military cause in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and considered using them in Korea and Vietnam.

Given the events of the past dozen years, it is hard to believe that the US would seriously consider tangling militarily with Iran. But there is a worse alternative. The Western interventions in Libya and Mali indicate that Washington is hap-

P O L I T I C S pier playing second fiddle wherever possible. About the only nation keen to directly have a go at Iran is America’s closest ally in the Middle East, Israel (although even in that case the latter’s politicians are far more gung-ho than its generals).

that the successor regime of Nouri Al Maliki exhibits some of the same symptoms, although its ruthlessness is restricted by the extent of its control.

Corruption, patronage and incompetence are still the norm. Violence, thankfully, is much reduced

It is all but inconceivable that Western intelligence agencies could be unaware of the likely Middle East-wide consequences of Israeli airstrikes against Iran. One can only hope this knowledge has seeped into the relevant portals of power.

More broadly, it is certainly far from clear whether the lessons of Iraq have adequately been absorbed. And those who continue to crow over Saddam’s overthrow are inevitably reluctant to appreciate

from the levels of 2006-08, but nonetheless sporadically claims dozens of lives, often targeting security force trainees. The threat of disintegration still looms. Many of those thrilled by Saddam’s overthrow are now despondent. Substantial majorities in the UK and the US now deem the war to have been a worthless endeavour. Yet the risk that the grievous error will be repeated elsewhere in the vicinity has only marginally receded.

Source: Khaleejtimes.

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