Isb 29 09 2013 layout 1 by Profit Epaper

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:01 AM Page 1

Sunday, 29 September, 2013 Zil Qaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ad 22, 1434 Rs 25.00 Vol IV No 90 16 Pages Islamabad Edition

StorieS on page 03

16 dead as another quake jolts shattered Balochistan district

taliban say nawaz Sharif cannot be trusted

Story on page 02

Story on page 04

Festival of sin at Bhuttoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former Surrey mansion page 04

Un resolution orders Syria chemical arms destroyed Story on page 04

Miss philippines is the new

MiSS World Story on page 12

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:01 AM Page 2

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin — William Shakespeare

N NEWS

Sunday, 29 September, 2013

Balochistan MPAs want complete relief for quake affectees PkMAP leAder sAys roAds hAve been cleAred for rescue teAMs to reAch quAke-stricken AreAs of AwArAn

Another quake jolts Balochistan district, 16 killed bAlochistAn quAkes deAth toll reAches 374, 825 injured QUETTA AGENCIES

At least 16 people were killed on Saturday when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Balochistan, a region already devastated by a massive quake earlier this week.

Frontier Corps Spokesman Khan Wasey, confirmed the deaths and said at least 50 people were injured in Nok Jo village and Mashkay area of Awaran district. The recent deaths took the toll from the two quakes to 374 and the total number of injured has risen to 825. According to a United States Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was recorded 96 kilometers northeast of Balochistan’s Awaran district and was 14 kilometers deep.

The local meteorological office recorded the intensity of the earthquake as 7.2 on the Richter Scale and said the epicenter of the quake was 150 kilometers southwest of Khuzdar. Earlier, Awaran district Deputy Commissioner Rasheed Baloch said more than 60 mudwalled houses collapsed when the earthquake struck the village. He said the bodies of four people killed in the previous quake were also retrieved from the rubble.

Baloch said a rescue operation was underway in the district and its surrounding areas to retrieve the bodies and shift the injured to hospitals. “Poor communication system is a major hindrance in the way of relief operation,” he said. The Balochistan Assembly session was underway when the earthquake struck. Television footages showed ministers and members of the assembly walking out of the session due to the

PM’s Balochistan Earthquake Relief Fund set up

QUETTA APP

The lawmakers in the Balochistan Assembly session emphasised the need for complete relief and rehabilitation for the people of Awaran and Kech who were affected by earthquake. The session started with Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali in chair on Saturday. It was not a day of official proceedings. Speaking on a point of order, Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl MPA Shahida Rauf expressed her grief over life and property loss in Awaran and Kech. She also raised voice against inefficient polio campaigns in the province. JUI-F MPA Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran demanded that the government construct quake-proof houses for people in areas where earthquake were reported. Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party MPA Manzoor Kakar showed his sympathy with the quake-affected people and demanded that the government ensure standard vaccine in anti-polio drives. PkMAP MPA Hamid Achakzai sought relief measures for the victims. He said that it was observed that 10-year-old boys were assigned duty to administer polio vaccine to kids. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Mir Dastagir Badini said that earthquake played havoc at a large scale in Awaran, seeking relief and rehabilitation for the affectees. He said that polio virus was reported in Afghan refugees living in Balochistan. PML-N MPA Sardar Dur Muhammad Nasar announced Rs 100,000 aid for quake-affectees. National Party MPA Rahmat Baloch praised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for extending financial cooperation for victims of earthquake and announcing jobs for the unemployed engineers and graduates of Awaran. Other MPAs who also underlined the need for complete relief and rehabilitation of people of Awaran and Kech suffered losses in earthquake, among them, Prince Ahmed Ali, Mir Izhar Hussain Khosa, Yasmin Lehri, William Barkat and Mir Khalid Langov. National Party leader Nawab Khan Shahwani thanked Shahbaz Sharif for announcing jobs for the jobless youth of Awaran. PkMAP leader Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal said that roads have been cleared for rescue teams to reach quakestricken areas of Awaran. Meanwhile, the assembly sitting was adjourned for 10 minutes during the speeches of the legislators when earthquake shocks were felt at 12:34pm. Later, the speaker adjourned the session until October 1.

tremors as the session was temporarily suspended. Aftershocks were felt in Kech, Khuzdar, Kalat and other towns of the province. The tremors were also felt as far away as Naushero Feroz, Shikarpur, Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh province. On Friday, the death toll from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake which jolted Balochistan’s Awaran and Kech districts on Tuesday, rose to 359 with over 600 people injured.

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

QUETTA: Members of the Balochistan Assembly leave the session after an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale rocked several parts of Balochistan and Sindh on Saturday. INP

Shah invited to pM House for final consultations over naB chief ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has invited National Assembly Opposition leader Khursheed Shah to the Prime Minister’s House for a final round of talks on the appointment of a new chairman for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Shah said that he had held a telephonic conversation with Dar to discuss the issue on Saturday, and the two decided to meet on October 3 for deliberating over potential candidates for the slot. PM’s office sources said that Dar had “assured Shah on behalf of the prime minister that a final round of consultation will be held next time and a name will be definitely chosen up to fill the important post”. Shah said that so far, consultations on the issue have ended indecisively. He added that the prime minister had proposed the name of Justice (r) Chaudhry Ejaz Ahmed for the post and he, on behalf of the opposition suggested names of Justice Sardar Raza and Justice (r) Mian Muhammad Ajmal.

He said that the prime minister had not objected on the name of Ajmal Mian, adding that he had no objections on the nomination of Ejaz Chaudhry but that deliberations were nevertheless required to create consensus and appoint an uncontroversial figure for this crucial post. The decision should not be hurried.

Shah told a local news channel that the NAB laws would also be amended once the matter of the appointment resolved. The key post has been lying vacant since May 28 this year after Supreme Court ordered the removal of the previous chairman, Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari.

The government on Saturday established the Prime Minister’s Balochistan Earthquake Relief Fund 2013 for the rehabilitation and relief of the quakeaffected people. “The prime minister has appealed to the nation for donating generously to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund-2013 and stand by their Baloch brethren in their hour of adversity,” a Prime Minister Office’s statement said. The fund has been established at all scheduled banks and people can make donations in these accounts. The fund has been established immediately through a Finance Division notification. The donations can be deposited in the State Bank Treasuries, all branches of National Bank of Pakistan and the scheduled banks. The Pakistani missions abroad can also receive donations. The Cabinet Division in consultation with the Finance Division will administer this fund. Prime Minister Sharif has also directed that a comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation plan for the earthquake affected people be presented to him immediately upon his return from the United States. On the directions of the prime minister, a special meeting chaired by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was convened here in which damage assessment of the earthquake affected areas was carried out. The prime minister further directed that it must be ensured that every affected household be helped and at least one month’s food ration should be provided immediately to each household. He said that the army, Frontier Corps and civil administration should distribute aid equally among the affected populace. He also appreciated the role of army, FC and civil administration in relief activities, but at the same time said that more needs to be done. He directed Federal Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch, Ministers of State Abdul Hakeem Baloch and Jam Kamal to remain in Awaran on rotation basis to personally supervise the relief activities.

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:01 AM Page 3

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it — Eleanor Roosevelt

NEWS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

INdIA’S RIgId StANcE dAMPENS hOPES FOR PEAcE indiAn PM sAys will not coMProMise on kAshMir NEW YORK/LAHORE STAFF REPORT

O major breakthrough is expected in talks between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh today (Sunday) as the latter told the UN General Assembly that while he reciprocated Nawaz’s sentiments on forging a new beginning, the epicentre of terrorism located in Pakistan was a major hindrance in improving

terMs PAkistAn An ‘ePicentre of terrorisM’

nAwAz sAys kAshMir stAteMent wAs for un

relations between the two countries. Addressing the audience during the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations, Singh said that state sponsored cross border terrorism was of particular concern to India. “It is important that the terrorist machinery that draws its sustenance from Pakistan be shut down,” he said. Asserting that he wanted all issues with Pakistan to be resolved, he claimed that Jammu and Kashmir

ProPoses Probe into loc violAtions by un but indiA rejects suggestion

was an integral part of India and that the country will never compromise on its territorial integrity. “For progress to be made, it is imperative that the territory of Pakistan and the areas under its control are not utilised for aiding and abetting terrorism directed against India,” Singh said, adding that he was looking forward to meeting with Nawaz on Sunday. NAWAZ DEJECTED: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he had highlighted

PAkistAn decides to hold Mfn stAtus to indiA until regiMe chAnge in new delhi

the Kashmir issue during his address to the UN General Assembly in a bid to remind the UN that it should implement the resolution passed by its Security Council. Talking to an Indian TV channel, Nawaz regretted that Singh had used his meeting with US President Barack Obama to malign Pakistan and make false accusations against the country. “Singh acted like a village woman when he complained against Pakistan to the US. If India

has issues with Pakistan, it should take them up with us, not America,” he told India’s NDTV. In spite of Singh’s tirade against Pakistan, Nawaz said he would still try to bring India and Pakistan closer during his meeting with Singh. The premier said that he would renew his invitation to his Indian counterpart for visiting Pakistan, and that while terror attacks were extremely unfortunate, they should not derail the dialogue process. Noting that increased tensions

along LoC was a matter of concern, Nawaz said that during his meeting with Singh, he will propose a joint mechanism or independent mechanism to monitor what’s happening along the contentious border. “We propose our foreign secretaries & DGMOs meet separately to discuss LoC tensions.” NO MFN, NO JOINT DECLARATION: Sources privy to the developments taking place in New York told Pakistan Today that the Pakistani government had decided to put on hold granting of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India until a new government takes charge in New Delhi. “It’s also unlikely that a joint press conference of the two leaders would be arranged after the two leaders’ meeting. A joint declaration regarding the meeting is also not expected,” said the sources. They said that in backdoor negotiations Pakistan had proposed India to get the violations of Line of Control ceasefire investigated by the UN but India had rejected the suggestion. “The Pakistani side then asked their Indian counterparts to propose what other option they thought would help in removing their mistrust in Islamabad,” they added.

OBAMA PROMISES SINgh tO tAKE UP tERROR ISSUE wIth NAwAz singh Alleges PunjAb govt in PAkistAn finAnciAlly suPPorts terror outfits obAMA, singh feel need to enhAnce cooPerAtion AgAinst terrorisM NEW YORK AGENCIES

Kashmiris protest against Indian repression as Singh speaks at UN UNITED NATIONS APP

A group of political and human rights activists protested New Delhi’s reign of repression in the Indian-held Kashmir as they demonstrated outside the United Nations while Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the General Assembly. Carrying placards and banners, people from both sides of Kashmir living in the United States, raised slogans for the inalienable rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as pledged under the UN Security Council resolutions. The demonstrators included men, women and children as they chanted slogans “We Want Freedom From India” and condemned the Indian forces’ violation of human rights in the Kashmir valley and other parts of the region, where some 100,000 people have died in the uprising for freedom from New Delhi’s rule in the UN-recognized disputed area. Sardar Sawar M Khan, a former member of the Kashmir Council, and Sardar Zahid Khan, a political activist from Azad Kashmir, said in their speeches that the unresolved Kashmir dispute demands immediate attention of the world body.

don’t interfere in our aﬀairs, we won’t meddle in yours! nAwAz sAys PAkistAn will not interfere in Any country’s internAl MAtters nor Allow others to interfere in PAkistAn NEW YORK APP

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has stated that Pakistan will neither allow any country to interfere in its internal affairs nor will it do so in the affairs of India, Afghanistan or any other country. He was addressing a gathering of Pakistani-Americans at a reception hosted in his honor by Pakistan consulate general in New York. Nawaz said he would raise the issue of drone strikes during his meeting with United States President Barack Obama on October 23. He said he had raised the drone issue during a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and had told him that the drone strikes were unacceptable. He said such operations on

nAwAz will discuss issue of drones with obAMA in october Meeting

Pakistani soil were in violation of country’s sovereignty and were counterproductive. Sharif stressed that all outstanding issues with India could be resolved through dialogue. He added that there would be peace in the region only when there is peace in Afghanistan. Nawaz called for an end to the arms race between India and Pakistan and said that billions of dollars being used for arms be directed towards the betterment of the poverty-stricken people in the two countries. “We are determined to improve the law and order and curb terrorism in the country. We will hold a dialogue with the militants on priority basis as an improved security will help bring investment in the country and bolster economic growth,” Nawaz said.

seeks overseAs PAkistAnis’ helP to overcoMe ProbleMs in PAkistAn

He said terrorism surfaced in Pakistan after 9/11 and Pakistan suffered losses of more than one hundred billion dollars due to the war on terror. He condemned the Peshawar church attack, saying it was an attack on humanity. He vowed to return peace in Karachi at all costs and said that no political pressure would be accepted. Nawaz said the energy crisis being faced by Pakistan was created by a dictator but added that democracy was now strengthening in the country. He assured the Pakistani community that through far-sighted policies encompassing the economic corridor from Kashgar to Gwadar, he would bring back investors to Pakistan. He requested the overseas Pakistanis to play their part in overcoming difficulties and making Pakistan a developed country.

United States President Barack Obama late on Friday promised to take up the issue of continued Pakistan-based terror against India with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as Indian PM Manmohan Singh told him that progress in dialogue will depend on action on this front. According to the Indian media, the promise was conveyed to Singh during a summit meeting when he referred to the recent attacks in Jammu and highlighted how terror emanating from Pakistan affected India “every waking hour”. Sources said the US shared India’s concern over the threat posed by the Lashkar-e-Tayaba (LeT) to India and the entire region and the world after Singh told him that the LeT and Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) got “handsome financial support” from the Punjab government in Pakistan. Singh and Obama, who held discussions for about three hours, talked about terrorism in context of the Afghanistan situation, with the US president saying that the “major wild card” in this regard is Pakistan. According to sources, both leaders felt the need for enhancing cooperation against terrorism. Obama expressed sympathies for the loss of life in the Jammu terrorist attacks on an army camp and a police station in Samba in which 10 people, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed and appreciated Singh’s wisdom in the context of taking forward the dialogue process with Pakistan. Singh said India faces many challenges and that the safe havens and terror sanctuaries in Pakistan needed to be dealt with effectively for ensuring security and also for the prospect of any progress with dialogue. Singh alleged that Pakistan-based terrorism also affected Afghanistan and “the region stands to gain if these issues are addressed”. During the meeting, Obama questioned whether the Pakistan Army had done “strategic re-assessment” and said that instead of focusing on India, Pakistan should focus on energy and trade issues.

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:02 AM Page 4

04 N

It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war — John F. Kennedy

NEWS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

UN resolution orders Syria chemical arms destroyed UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES

HE UN Security Council unanimously passed a landmark resolution Friday ordering the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons and condemning a murderous poison gas attack in Damascus. The major powers overcame a prolonged deadlock to approve the first council resolution on the conflict, which is now 30 months old with more than 100,000 dead. UN leader Ban Ki-moon, a critic of the council’s paralysis, called the resolution “the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time”. Ban also said he hopes to convene a peace conference in mid-November. Resolution 2118, the result of bruising negotiations between the United States and Russia, gives international binding force to a plan drawn up by the two to eliminate President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical arms. There are no immediate sanctions over a chemical weapons attack confirmed by the UN. But it allows for a new vote on

Imran Khan reiterates call for taliban office

possible measures if the Russia-US plan is breached. Divisions over the war remained clear, however, in comments by their foreign ministers after the vote. “Should the regime fail to act, there will be consequences,” US Secretary of State John Kerry warned the 15-member council after the vote sealing the US-Russian agreement. But Kerry hailed the resolution. “The Security Council has shown that when we put aside politics for the common good, we are still capable of doing big things,” he said. NO AuTOMATIC puNITIvE MEASuRES: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that there were no automatic punitive measures and that the resolution applied equally to the Syrian opposition. He said the council would take “actions which are commensurate with the violations, which will have to proven 100 per cent”. Russia, Assad’s main ally, has rejected any suggestion of sanctions or military force against Assad. It has already used its veto power as a permanent Security Council member to

block three Western-drafted resolutions on Syria. The resolution “condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on August 21, 2013, in violation of international law.” The United States says the attack on the

Damascus suburb of Ghouta left more than 1,400 dead. It blamed Assad’s government for the sarin gas assault and threatened a military strike over the attack. The government has denied responsibility. Should Syria not comply with the resolution, the Security Council members

Festival of sin at Bhutto’s former Surrey mansion

INP

taliban say Nawaz cannot be trusted LAHORE

Shoe thrown in mixed reception for Rowhani TEHRAN: A shoe was thrown towards Iranian President Hassan Rowhani’s car Saturday as he arrived home to a mixed reception for his historic call with Barack Obama. Some 60 extremists chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as Rowhani’s motorcade drew out of Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport. But they were outnumbered by 200 to 300 supporters of the president who shouted: “Thank you Rowhani.” A small police contingent separated the rival demonstrators. The shoe missed the car and Rowhani stood up through the sunroof to acknowledge the crowds. AGENCIES

ISLAMABAD Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday repeated his assertion that if political parties are serious for dialogue with the Talban, the militant outfit should be allowed to open its office in Pakistan. He warned that people like Raymond Davis could sabotage the dialogue process through acts of terrorism. Talking to media here at a function at a private school, the PTI chief said that the country has seen five years of war and now dialogue should be given a chance. He said dialogue with the Taliban failed in the past due to drone attacks. He said that drone attacks have made 30 groups of Taliban. Imran said that peace could be promoted in the county either through war or dialogue and there was no third solution. He was of the view that if there was no office of Taliban, how the process of dialogue would proceed? He said there are thousands of people like Raymond Davis in Pakistan who can sabotage the talks through just one blast. He said it was duty of the federal government to open dialogue with Taliban, and if the talks fail, there is an option for war which would spread further destruction. He said after the opening of Taliban office, there should be given an opportunity of ceasefire and if any one violates that then an intense action should be initiated. He said that his life and death are for Pakistan and he does not keep his assets in foreign countries like other politicians. He said that due to the conditions imposed by the IMF, Pakistani currency is getting devalued and inflation is prevailing in the country.

agreed to “impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. Syria attacks must be ‘accountable’ The charter can authorise the use of sanctions or military force. But diplomats said Russia would fiercely oppose any force against its ally. All sides agreed that new action will require a new vote. Russia also rebuffed calls by European powers Britain and France for the Ghouta attack to be referred to the International Criminal Court. The resolution expressed “strong conviction” that those responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria “should be held accountable.” It formally endorsed a decision taken hours earlier in The Hague by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to accept the Russia-US disarmament plan. The plan called for Syria’s estimated 1,000 tonnes of chemical weapons to be put under international control by mid-2014. Experts say the timetable is very tight. International experts are expected to start work in Syria next week.

rockwood house neAr guildford wAs owned by bhutto froM 1995 - 2004 MONITORING DESK Benazir Bhutto’s £9 million Surrey mansion has become a secret den for £450-a-couple sex parties with naked tennis and a dungeon, the Daily Mail claimed on Saturday. A report by the British daily said the house was once the English country retreat of Pakistan’s former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari. But today, the once-proud mansion has a rather different role – as a secret location for sex parties. The 15-bedroom house has become a favourite for swingers and couples to meet for erotica evenings, wife-swapping and naked al fresco liaisons. Where world leaders and dignitaries might once have sipped tea politely from bone china cups, men and women are invited to embrace on the sofas or cavort publicly on the lawns. Games of naked tennis are played on the courts and there is a ‘dungeon’ in the cellar where guests are more

now used for two-dAy hedonist orgies described As ‘A Mini-festivAl of sin’ likely to be found in bondage or fetish gear than in business suits or evening dresses. According to the Daily Mail, the new role for Rockwood House was revealed as it is being offered for sale – with a plan to say goodbye to all the hanky-panky and build an ultra-modern, £8.9 million home in place of the mansion. According to the paper, Bhutto and her husband bought the house in 1995. It later embroiled them in controversy amid accusations it was paid for with money from illegal kickbacks Zardari had allegedly received from government contracts. The mansion in Witney was sold for £4 million in 2004 and now has barely a trace of the Bhuttos’ residence there, save for some golden doorways and an ornate roof painted to resemble a night sky. The tenant of the house has been renting it out for sex parties, advertised only days in advance. The most recent event, in August, was a two-day ‘mini festival of sin’

organised by events company Little Liaisons. It was billed as ‘a full weekend of activities and adventures for pure unadulterated hedonism - a walk on the wild side.’ The schedule of options listed naked tennis, sex in the pool, ‘naughty walks’ in the woods, plus open-air sex around a large bonfire, in the hot tubs or in the forest. The current tenant, who asked not to be named, said, “This is not a venue. This is a private home where I occasionally hold private events for a range of open-minded and wonderful people.” The tenant added that the majority of events held at the mansion were musical or charity events. “Yes, there have been events of a sexual nature, but I don’t see why that is anything for people to be ashamed about,” the tenant said, adding that “Everything that takes place is within the law and the authorities have absolutely no concern.” “These are happy events – not some of the cocaine-fuelled private parties that probably take place all over the county.” The house is being marketed by Sotheby’s as a ‘development opportunity’. Projected plans suggest the new house is unlikely to have any secrets to hide. It appears to be made almost entirely of glass.

US-Iran logjam ends, not with a bang but with twitter WASHINGTON: A surprise first phone contact between US President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Friday was not only a dramatic moment in US-Iranian ties but also in the field of digital diplomacy. Moments before the US leader announced from the White House podium that he had had a chat with his opposite number, the Iranian president sent a tweet that may well live on in history. “In a phone conversation between #Iranian and #US Presidents just now: @HassanRouhani: ‘Have a Nice Day!’ @BarackObama: ‘Thank you. Khodahafez,’” it read. Khodadafez is a Persian phrase used on parting, like ‘farewell’ or ‘goodbye,’ but is literally translated as ‘God be your protector’. Rouhani’s account appeared on Twitter after his election this year. AGENCIES

nawaz Sharif’s performance: myth and reality

ONLINE

TILA MOHAMMAD

While expressing concerns over Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s statement, the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Saturday said Nawaz has changed his statement and could not be trusted. A TTP spokesman said Nawaz changed his stance as soon as he arrived in the United States. He said the statement by Nawaz had established that he was misleading both the Taliban and the people of Pakistan. In an interview in New York with the Wall Street Journal, Nawaz Sharif also spelled out the conditions that the TTP would have to accept if his government proceeded with a peace deal with the militant group, demanding that they lay down arms and recognize Pakistan’s constitution.

The PML-N took the reins of the government at a critical juncture in the history of Pakistan when the country was facing serious challenges in the form of threats to its security, energy shortages and economic survival. It needed a Herculean courage to accept these challenges. Nawaz Sharif must be given credit for having come forward to serve the nation despite deterring odds. The prudent manner in which he has taken bold initiatives on various fronts is a clear manifestation of the sincerity of his intentions, a fact even endorsed by his political opponents and admired the world over. To doubt his sincerity of purpose is committing a betrayal of the people’s confidence reposed

in his reform agenda. Nawaz Sharif is very well cognizant of the responsibility the people of Pakistan have entrusted to him and the demands of the predicament the country has been passing through. It is unfortunate that people like Ahmed Rashid (The News 25 September 2013) are giving air to mischievous doubts and misunderstandings about the performance of the present administration, which is in office only a little over 100 days. One should have the courtesy and sense of proportion not to pass judgments on the basis unrealistic assumptions and without analyzing the facts on ground. If one faithfully contemplates on the complexities of the issues and the wise man’s approach, one would not wander away from reality. To expect miracles and jump

to conclusions is only day dreaming. There are obviously no readymade solutions for the very deep rooted problems Pakistan is confronted with. Nawaz Sharif is not a magician not a supernatural human being. He is a politician with vast experience of running the government twice before and has learnt a lot from his previous experiences. His sincere intentions and determination are beyond an iota of doubt. Today terrorism has assumed an international character but it is Pakistan which has suffered the most from it. If it was a simple and easy issue, why did it persist for such a long time? Should we also question the previous regimes who have badly failed to address this issue or shall we blame Nawaz Sharif for being

unable to end it? Did he have the requisite time and resources to deal with it? Surly not. Then why this bashing? Nawaz Sharif has rather shown immense courage, incredible wisdom and patience to tackle this long outstanding and complex issue, which was rather ignored in the past. The issue of terrorism in Pakistan has many religious, ethnic, political and economic undertones that add to its complexity. The Prime Minster has wisely taken on board all political leadership and other stake holders on this issue. In the recent APC, largely attended by a cross section of political leadership, there was a unanimous consensus on the issue of terrorism and the government was given the mandate to devise a suitable strategy for this purpose

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:02 AM Page 5

An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied — Arnold H Glasow

ISLAMABAD Sunday, 29 September, 2013

WeAtHer UPdAteS

27 C 0

High

210C

CloUdy

low MoNdAy 29°C I 23°C

tUeSdAy

WedNeSdAy

28°C I 23°C

29°C I 23°C

PRAyER TImINGS

Fajr

Sunrise Zuhr

Asr

4:22

5:45

3:39 6:24

12:06

Maghrib

Heavy rain laSHeS tWin citieS, tUrnS WeatHer pleaSant ISLAMABAD: Heavy rain accompanied by strong wind lashed the twin cities on Saturday turning the weather pleasant. Heavy showers were witnessed in the federal capital for two hours and some parts of Rawalpindi which lowered the mercury that had gone up during past few days. The citizens especially children enjoyed the weather as the federal institutions remain closed on Saturday. However, the motorcyclists, motorists and pedestrians had to face problems due to accumulation of rain water in streets and on roads. Meanwhile, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted more rain in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Malakand, Peshawar, Hazara, Mirpur Khas divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during the next 24 hours. The met office said that mercury would decrease further due to recent rain spell. INP

Isha 7:49

EdUcAtION FOR EVERYONE RAWALPINDI APP

Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has planned to enroll 3.5 million, 6 to 16 years old, out of school poor and needy children who could not join any institution due to their acute poverty. Under a program, the children will be enrolled in PEF partner institutions and will be educated under a 40 month long “Foundation Course” leading to primary level certification. This course has been designed and prepared by the provincial literacy department for such children. PEF will bear all the expenses of such children so that they could get education without any financial burden. The partner schools are also authorised to hold morning as well as evening classes for the out of school students. This was said by PEF Chairman Raja Anwar while addressing a district coordination meeting of heads of low-cost private schools partnered with the PEF under its Foundation Assisted School Program in Rawalpindi division on Saturday. PEF Managing Director Dr Aneela Salman, Deputy Managing Director (F) Salman Anwar Malik, Director (FAS) Nadeem Masood, Additional Directors Syed Naveed Abbas, Zubaida Muslim Ali, Iftikhar Rabbani and other officers concerned also attended the meeting. Addressing the participants, Raja Anwar said the foundation has harbinger a wave of social changes in the province by arranging free education for the most needy and poor children.

wAtER ShORtAgE hAUNtS cItIzENS RAWALPINDI INP

Shortage of water in residential areas of Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas has adversely affected the routine life of the citizens. Dr Liaquat Jadoon hailing from Chungi No 22, said on Saturday that there was acute shortage of water across the city due to which they had to face severe problems. He said the profiteers taking advantage of the situation have increased the rate of water tankers which was an additional burden on the poverty stricken masses. The citizens residing in various localities blamed Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) officials for not receiving the calls for registering complaints. Meanwhile, WASA Managing Director (MD) Raja Shaukat Mehmood said that the daily water requirement of the city is 50 million gallons.

Sorry Son,We jUSt cant enroll yoU ! tUrMoil created dUe to SHiFt in aFFiliation FroM pU to QaU May deprive StUdentS oF HigHer StUdieS

ISLAMABAD ANWER ABBAS

HE future of hundreds of Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) passed students has been put at stake due to hasty and poorly planned policies by the government, as no students who have passed the HSSC examinations securing below 50 percent marks are being enrolled by most of the government collages. Majority of models collages have been recently affiliated with capital’s top institution Quaid-e-Azam University, which earlier had affiliation with Punjab University. The decision of shifting affiliation from Punjab University Lahore to Quaid-e-Azam University was announced two years back, however till last year some of the collages were having affiliation with both the universities at the same time. This year as per new policy, the model collages for both girls and boys in the capital were directed to maintain affiliation only with Quaid-e-Azam University. The Quaid-e-Azam University registrar reportedly directed

the model collages to accommodate the students who have passed their HSSC examinations securing at least 50 percent marks. A whole year of hundreds of students, who have passed their HSSC examination securing below 50 percent marks, shall be wasted as the model collages are not admitting students with below 50 percent marks. Only few collages in the capital, having the affiliation with the Punjab University, are accepting these unfortunate students but now are over burdened because of flood of these students who are applying in these collages are left with no other option. The decision for shifting the affiliation of capital’s model collages is a positive deicion however no homework was done to calculate the effectiveness of this decision hence causing trouble for not only the students but their parents and families. A strange thing is that the merit or eligibility for admission into these QAU affiliated model collages has been set at a score 50 percent or higher, which is in contradiction with the criteria of QAU its self, that offers admission on the basis of aggregate formula examining students marks in matric, HSSC and graduation. If the decision had been made two

years back then at least Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education should have been issued with the directions not to pass the students who secure below 50 percent marks so that only those students may get passed who are eligible for the higher education. These model collages kept on passing the students who were securing 33 percent marks in their examinations, but at the end of the day they have raised their criteria for accepting students with is at least 50 percent marks. Neither the students, nor their parents were informed in past two years that the merit list for the admission of graduation classes would be set starting from above 50 percent marks. When contacted the newly appointed principal of Islamabad Model Collage for Girls F10/2 said that daily hundreds of parents of such students are visiting the college faculty and are lodging their complaints. She said that it’s a major problem being faced by the students and their parents from Islamabad but we are helpless to assist them as we have to follow the policy issued by the QAU registrar, adding, still we direct them to few collages in capital and adjacent city which are affiliated with the Punjab University. IMCG, F-10/2’s principal

told that in the upcoming meeting of the IMCGs with the registrar the issue would be raised seeking some reasonable solution, however chances of this issue being resolved are were less. Another negative practice being experienced in these model collages of Islamabad is that they have been directed by the QAU Registrar, to grant admissions to the students securing 45 percent or above marks, however most of these collages taking their own decision have raised the merit and made it 50 percent. A source in Federal Directorate of Education informed that in most of cases when the students having references of influential personalities, or top officials from the education departments and ministers, they are accommodated in some vacant positions without any merit. “They reserve some of the positions for accommodating such students,” the source added. Quaid-e-Azam University’s Students Affairs Section officials said that the decision for granting affiliation of the university to the model collages was made to raise the education level. Officials mentioned that it was not the fault of QAU for granting the affiliation or raising the merit for admissions but the collage administrations or the FDE officials should have made the necessary arrangements to meet the affiliation criteria.

pakiStan to get oFF tHe Beaten track Soon pervaiz HopeS tHe cUrrent governMent Will revive toUriSM ISLAMABAD APP

“The federal government is fully supporting efforts of provincial governments and organisations for promotion of tourism in the country.” This was said by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid while speaking at a World Tourism Day event organised by Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday. He said tourism helps promote friendly and cordial relations between

nations and is vital for boosting economic activity, income generation, job creation and poverty alleviation. Tourism has 10 percent share in the global economy and it makes the world more stable by creating goodwill and brings people together from far off places, he added. The minister observed that Pakistan has tremendous potential to boost tourism on sustainable basis because of its landscapes and diverse culture which is on display from Khyber to Karachi. Pakistan is the land of 5000 year old Indus valley civilisation, has rich traditions of art and architecture and its people are hard working and talented and it is blessed with four seasons. Talking about situation in Pakistan, he said it is right that Pakistan

has religious and cultural diversities and it is cradle of old civilisations of Gandhara, Buddhism and Moenjodaro but it is unfortunate that “we have problem of narrow mindedness. Our hearts now are not that big to take care of our national heritage and cultural assets.” “We are not tolerating even those who share same faith and religion and people are divided on sectarian basis. Places of worship and people are being attacked.” It is unfortunate that Muslims, worshipping in the United States, Britain, Japan, China and other countries feel safe but they feel worried and unsafe when they go to mosques. “Parents are anxious when their children are at school and children are worried when their parents are out for

work.” Rashid said a tourist can dare to visit another country for adventure, bear difficulties of travel and can spend nights without facilities but if his life is in danger than it is another matter. “We have to think whether we want to continue living in same situation or we will take steps to improve circumstances.” The minister said authorities need support of people while fulfilling their responsibility of making Pakistan a peaceful and safe country. “It is responsibility of us all to make Pakistan peaceful and safe,” Pervaiz said adding, “When Pakistan will become secure then we can invite tourists to visit Pakistan and enjoy its scenic beauty, mountains, lakes, cultural sites and centuries old historical places.”

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:02 AM Page 6

If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy. God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won’t — Hyman Rickover

ISLAMABAD Sunday, 29 September, 2013

a Matter oF Heart Bukhari urges for awareness to prevent heart diseases ISLAMABAD APP

“There is a need to create awareness among people about heart diseases as these could be prevented through precautionary measures.” This was said by Senate Chairman Nayyar Hussain Bukhari while addressing a seminar on the occasion of “International Heart Day” at a local hospital on Saturday. The seminar was attended by the people from different walks of life including experts of heart diseases. Nayyar Bhukhari said commemoration of this day was aimed to create awareness among the people at grassroots level as heart diseases were increasing. He stressed the need to control the factors leading to heart diseasesn including lack of exercise, smoking, inappropriate diet, high blood pressure and others. He said that every person should bear the responsibility to keep the surroundings clean. He appreciated the efforts of local hospital for organising such awareness seminar. The chairman urged to establish more hospital in Islamabad. He said that sustainable democratic system was necessary to address the issues of people. Expert of heart diseases Dr Shahbaz Qureshi said heart diseases were a major factor of deaths across the world.

PUNjAB gOVt REVOKES BAN ON tEAchER REcRUItMENt RAWALPINDI INP

Punjab government has revoked the temporary ban on the recruitment of teachers in the province and ordered the Education department to start the process of hiring of 29,822 teachers in all 36 districts. The recruitments will be started from October 20 and completed till the end of December. The new teachers will join the department in January next year. It is interesting that after 10 years, almost 2000 arts teachers will also be recruited. In Rawalpindi district, 1858 male and female teachers will be appointed, 1703 will be recruited in Attock district, 506 in Jhelum and 742 teachers in Chakwal district. The candidates will have to achieve at least 50 percent marks in the entry test to qualify for the interview. Final selection will be made after the interviews.

SAY NO TO VIOLENCE: Participants are seen busy in making a poster at 4th National Youth Forum on Saturday. ONLINE

POwER gENERAtION tOUchES NEw hEIghtS ISLAMABAD ONLINE

The Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said after better utilisation of resources electricity generation capacity has reached to highest ever recorded level of 16,170 Megawatts. Sher Ali said that the Ministry of Water and Power is implementing a comprehensive strategy including short-, medium- and long term plans for the generation of hydropower in the country. Government had cleared circular debt and paid Rs 450 billion that resulted in reduction of hours long load shedding. The minister further said that the government has planned to carry out the study of 5th extension of Tarbela Dam and if completed by 2017-18, cheap power will be provided to the masses as was promised in the manifesto of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz. He said that work on Tarbela 4th extension has been awarded to Sinohydro and contractor will mobilise within fifteen days. Expressing his views at a social website, the state minister was quoted by the scribe that lower Spat Gah hydro power project with installed capacity of 496 megawatt is scheduled to be completed by 2017-18. Pending issues of E&M works for Golen Gole hydro power project has been addressed.

Youth power means social sector growth S RAHMAN Many theories and strategies have been tried by different countries for economic growth with priority sometimes given to economic development first followed by social sector growth nevertheless those nations have progressed more and holistically that have given top priority to social sector growth as is now the case with Pakistan under Mian Nawaz Sharif’s leadership. And in order to reinforce the social sector growth policy of Prime Minister Sharif, the efforts of Punjab government are highly appreciable as its chief executive, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, is moving fast on the track of wiping out illiteracy from Punjab like a leader who knows no fatigue. The same fervor is being seen in Punjab on the health front that is another pivotal segment of social sector growth policy. The Chief Minister Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s efforts undertaken to fight dengue, malaria and other diseases is a case in point. In this area, the CM has even received appreciation from foreign teams of doctors and experts who were amazed with exceptional speed and effectiveness of Punjab government’s way of combating dangerous diseases. Those in the know of things say that Punjab achieved all this under the guidelines framed for social sector growth by PML-N Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif. The application of the same policy now at the federal level is just but natural. A manifestation of that policy came to the spotlight the other day during Prime Minister’s second address to the nation in which he announced six highly beneficial schemes for the youth including the neglected youth who were unable to proceed with their higher and/or vocational studies due to lack of funds and resources. In fact, the PML-N leadership firmly believes in youth revolution or revolution through youth for which full attention is being given to youth empowerment. The government believes that social sector growth can’t be achieved without youth’s contribution. As such, the government is concentrating on making full use of the tremendous youth potential- and talentbeing fully aware of the youth population figures that are very encouraging.

According to demographic experts, Pakistan’s youth constitutes more than 40 to 50 per cent of the overall population. Any government or party that employs all its energies for exploiting and promoting this potential is going to achieve maximum results on the economic and social fronts. The six schemes have already been discussed at length in these lines but some of them are really useful by all standards. For example, the laptop scheme. This scheme has already yielded good results in Punjab. By introducing this scheme at the Centre, the Nawaz regime, has taken a big step in the direction of youth empowerment through Information Technology. Now is the world of communication and information technology and countries like China and Japan that are rated as the second and third biggest economies of the world, have attained this marvelous progress with the help of information technology and other types of technology. For this ‘Prime Minister’s scheme for Provision of Laptops’, four billion rupees have been allocated and under the scheme one hundred thousand students would be provided laptops this year by the federal government. And the PM’s Youth Training Scheme has received countrywide appreciation since it paves the way for providing jobs to the educated youth. Under this scheme, those completing 16-year degree education from recognized

institutions would be given practical training to help them secure jobs at home or abroad. For this on-the-job training, Rs. 10,000 scholarship per month per graduate would be given for one year and 50,000 graduates would benefit from the scheme. Most of the people interviewed by media persons on this scheme, opined that the scheme provided a framework to address the unemployment issue with expertise and skill. This particular approach has met many successes in other countries. In the past, most of the administrations had been treading a wrong path by giving no attention to professional and vocational education. The end result has been massive unemployment with Masters (and above) degree holders running from pillar to post in search of jobs but to no avail. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has made a very good start in this particular field and if all goes well, this scheme, combined with other schemes, might prove to be a bright beginning of the end of our innumerable problems as well as abject poverty and hopelessness. Other schemes too portend bright prospects for the youth which means bright prospects for the country. The 3.5 billion scheme for providing interest-free loan to two hundred and fifty thousand youth, the Small Business low-mark-up Loan Scheme for unemployed‚ especially the educated youth to enable them to start their own businesses, the Youth Skills Development Scheme and payment for tuition fee of poor students in backward areas are, in reality, measures aimed at not only the economic uplift of the country but also at strengthening the youth force and making them vibrant constituents of a stable, prosperous and dignified Pakistan.

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:02 AM Page 8

Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. — E. B. White

NEWS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

(US WitHdraWal FroM aFgHaniStan)

transition will have huge impact in South Asia: Mushahid

It is a pity that post-2014 Afghanistan is discussed in Washington and other places but hardly among and between the regional countries themselves

PMl-q senAtor cAlls for initiAtion of diAlogue Process thAt includes All regionAl PlAyers And stAkeholders ISLAMABAD

APP

ENATE’S Defence Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain on Saturday highlighted three transitions in South Asia that will have massive impacts on the region. He was addressing the closing session of a workshop on contemporary strategic issues organised by the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI). The senator said the first regional transition is political with recent and upcoming elections in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh that is shaping new and promising political dimensions and thoughts in South Asia.

KP Assembly convenes today to express solidarity with christians pESHAWAR: The government has called a session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly on demand of the opposition in order to express solidarity with the Christian community in the aftermath of twin bomb blasts at Peshawar’s All Saint Church. The session will begin on September 30 and will continue for two days. For the first time since October 2007, a session has been summoned by the government over a demand by the opposition. The decision to summon a session was made during a meeting between the treasury and opposition members, presided over by the KP Assembly speaker. STAFF REPORT

The emergence of a greater South Asia with China, Iran, Afghanistan and Myanmar in its fold was outlined to be the second transition which will create a “new regionalism” knit together by cooperation in energy and economy. “A region transformed by extensive networks of pipelines, roads and railways from Turkemistan-Iran-PakistanIndia to South East Asian countries.” The senator described the third transition as the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 that will have spill over impacts on the region, particularly Pakistan. “The whole exercise of withdrawal itself would have huge implications for Pakistan,” Mushahid warned,

“imagine a US container crossing Torkhem border every seven minutes.” He called for initiation of a comprehensive dialogue process that includes all regional players and stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities from these transitions. “It is a pity that post-2014 Afghanistan is discussed in Washington and other places but hardly among and between the regional countries themselves.” In particular, Pakistan and India should initiate a strategic dialogue on Afghanistan to ensure peace and security in the region. However, he emphasized, the PakistanIndia peace process and bilateral dialogue must contribute to improvement

ISLAMABAD: Unscheduled load shedding across the country has made life miserable for people as shortfall has surged to 3800MW. According to details, with increase in temperature, urban areas are witnessing more load shedding while rural areas were supplied electricity only for seven to nine hours daily. According to spokesman of the Water and Power Ministry, total electricity production from different sources is 13,700MW against the demand of 17,500MW. He said 5800MW electricity is acquired from hydropower projects while thermal and IPPs are producing 1800MW and 6100MW electricity respectively. INP

Notification on delimitation issued KARACHI: Notification on delimitation of constituencies in Sindh was issued on Saturday. As per notification delimitation of constituencies process will be carried out at union council, union committee, municipal committee, municipal corporation and metropolitan corporation level while no change will be made in the limits of Deh, Tappal, circle, tehsil and district. Union council will consist of population ranging between 15000 to 30000 persons while town committee population will range between 30000 to 50000 persons. ONLINE

MUSHaHid HUSSain senAte’s defence coMMittee chAirMAn

three Fc men killed, two injured in militant attack in Panjgur PANJGUR ONLINE

At least three security personnel were killed and two others injured on Saturday in firing by unidentified terrorists at a Frontier Corps (FC) patrolling team near a checkpost in Panjgur. The FC personnel retaliated, killing five of the terrorists, besides recovering two motorcycles, a vehicle and weapons from the terrorists. The injured were shifted to hospital.

KAYANI MIght gEt ExtENSION: REPORt

in the ground situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir, especially help in alleviating the sufferings and human rights violations of the Kashmiri people. Mushahid stressed on a timely regional response to the three transitions, the lack of which could push the region back to Cold War days. “There is a power shift from West to the East which could initiate a Great Game to contain these powers with proxy wars and cold war tactics in South West and South East Asia.”

MAgAzine's cover on feMAle suicide boMbers stirs controversy MONITORING DESK The latest cover of a magazine called Newsweek Pakistan is nothing if not controversial. Under the headline "Lady parts", it carries a provocative image of two tampons in which one is treated as a sort of fuse that leads to an exploding bomb. The sub-deck says: "More and more women are finding their true calling - as suicide bombers". That is also the headline over the inside story. Many people who have come across the image online have registered their disgust on Twitter. One called it "the single most insane magazine cover I've ever seen." Another asked: "Is this even real?" But people who have also taken the trouble to read the article have tended to be more understanding about the decision to use such an image. It explains why some women feel compelled to offer themselves as bombers, even seeking out the Taliban in order to join their ranks. The writers also explore how the Taliban goes about selecting women to take on suicide missions and the problems confronting the Pakistan authorities in trying to persuade women not to become involved.

Load shedding makes life miserable for people

ISLAMABAD: The service tenure of Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani is likely to get further extended for another term. According to a report, Kayani is scheduled to step down from the post after six years in November but sources have disclosed that being a key figure in the dialogue with Afghanistan on the war on terror, the Karachi operation and the expected peace talks with Taliban, Kayani might be given an extension by the government. According to the report, high officials are considering all options, including Kayani’s appointment as Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman or a one-year extension in his service, and a final decision would be taken on Prime Minister’s Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan. ONLINE

cOP KILLS cOLLEAgUE IN FAISALABAd FAISALABAD: A policeman gunned down his companion over minor dispute on Saturday. According to details, the incident took place in Police Constabulary Makwana of Faisalabad where two cops exchanged harsh words over reading newspaper first. The verbal clash took a violent turn after which a cop opened fire at his colleague, killed him on the spot and fled from the scene. The police started raids to arrest the accused. INP

Humanitarian of the year! MALALA YOUSAFZAI HONOURED AT HARVARD MASSACHUSETTS ONLINE

Malala Yousafzai, an outspoken proponent of girls’ education who was attacked by the Taliban, was given the 2013 Peter J Gomes Humanitarian Award at Harvard on Friday. Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said she was pleased to welcome Malala because of their shared interest in education. Malala was shot in the head in October 2012. Militants said she was attacked because she was critical of the Taliban and

not because of her views on education. Speaking at the ceremony, 16-year-old Malala said she hoped to become a politician because politicians can have a vast influence. She spoke nostalgically about her home region, the Swat valley, and said she hoped to return someday. She called it a “paradise” but described it as a dangerous area where militants blew up dozens of schools and sought to discourage girls from going to school by snatching pens from their hands. Students, she said, reacted by hiding their books under their shawls so people would not know they

were going to school. “The so-called Taliban were afraid of women’s power and the power of education,” she told hundreds of students, faculty members and well-wishers who packed Harvard’s Sanders Theater for the award ceremony. Malala highlighted the fact that very few people spoke out against what was happening in her home region but said that “the voice for peace and education is powerful”. Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland paid a special tribute to Malala saying, “Your courage is sending a strong message to women to stand up for their rights, which constitutes a precondition for peace.”

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:02 AM Page 9

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. — Mother Teresa

08 N

NEWS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

hALF OF BRItISh PILOtS FALL ASLEEP ON jOB: SURVEY LONDON: More than half of Britain's airline pilots have fallen asleep in the cockpit and a third have woken up to find their co-pilot asleep, according to a new survey. The poll of 500 pilots commissioned by the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) also found that 43 percent believed tiredness had compromised their ability to fly a plane at least once a month for the last six months. Some 56 percent admitted they had fallen asleep during a flight and 29 percent said they had woken up to find the other pilot had also dozed off, according to the ComRes poll. The survey comes after it emerged that both the captain and co-pilot of an Airbus A330 plane fell asleep at the same time while it was on autopilot during a flight by an unnamed British operator on August 13. The Civil Aviation Authority said one of the pilots had reported that the pair had only five hours' sleep each for the previous two nights. APP/AFP

ScOttISh PRIESt'S FAMILY hIt BY PEShAwAR chURch BOMB

BUS OVERtURNS LEAVINg ONE dEAd, SEVERAL INjUREd KARACHI: A person was killed and several others injured when a passenger bus overturned in Orangi Town on Saturday. According to the police, the incident took place in Orangi Town when a bus collided with footpath. The dead and injured were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. ONLINE

StAgE ActRESS ShOt dEAd MULTAN: Stage actress Arzoo Khan was shot dead by unidentified men near her house in Gunj Shakar Colony on Friday. According to sources, Arzoo was returning home after performing at a local cinema when she was shot dead. The deceased’s neighbour, Muhammad Yasir, said he came out of his house after hearing the gun shots and found that Arzoo had been killed. Arzoo’s driver, Tanveer, said they were returning home from Starlit Cinema when two motorcyclists chased their car from Masoom Shah Road to Gulistan Chowk. As they reached the house, the motorcyclists held Tanveer at gunpoint point and killed Arzoo. The body has been handed over to the heirs after autopsy from Nishtar Hospital and a case has been registered. Arzoo’s driver and the owner of the house where she was living for the previous one and a half years are being interrogated. APP

MONITORING DESK

HE Reverend Aftab Gohar travelled from his parish in Scotland, visiting his old family church in Pakistan for the first time since the attack on 22 September. "This is where I used to stand with my friends after the service," he told BBC in one corner of the courtyard. "You can see how close it is to where the bomber was." He points to a place a short distance away where the paving is damaged. It is where one of two suicide bombers blew themselves up. It happened shortly after Sunday Mass at the church in the centre of Peshawar as the worshippers - around 500 men, women and children - were gathering in the courtyard to eat together. DEADLy BLAST: "My mother must have been about here," says Gohar. "My nephew and niece might have been coming down the steps from the Sunday school." The Sunday school building is now peppered with dozens of deep marks caused by the ball bearings that were packed into the explosives, meant to cause the maximum number of casualties. Gohar heard the news as he was preparing to lead his own service in

Grangemouth. "It was so shocking when I received a text message to say there was a blast at All Saints' Church in Peshawar," he says. "This was my family church, it was where I was baptised, it was where my parents were baptised and where they married. All my family in Pakistan still attended it." Gohar tried to contact family members but could not reach them. Eventually he managed to get hold of a family friend who told him one of his uncles had died and that his young niece and nephew were injured. "Finally I got through and was able to speak to my mother. All she kept repeating was, 'My stomach hurts so much, it hurts so much'." Gohar said he made the decision that he did not want to let down his congregation and so led the service. Only afterwards did he hear that his 79-year-old mother had died, as had his 11-year-old nephew, his nineyear-old niece, two uncles, three cousins, two of his closest friends and many other friends and relatives. Others were injured. He made arrangements to fly to Pakistan as soon as possible, and arrived to find the community of his birth traumatised and torn apart. "It's such a shock. It feels like there

is nothing left," he says. "We can't even visit our next-door neighbours because we are dealing with our tragedies and they are dealing with their tragedies and there is no time. pACKED WARD: "There were funerals to arrange, and there are people who are injured that we have to visit." At Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, Gohar visits a nephew with injuries to his head and limbs. Ball bearings have yet to be removed. In a neighbouring bed lies the clergyman's older brother. The ward is heaving with other Christians injured in the church attack. Gohar braces himself to visit his sister-in-law, who has just been moved out of the intensive care unit. She does not yet know that her son and daughter were killed. "Doctors have advised me not to tell her yet because her condition is too fragile," says her husband, Ansar, younger brother of the clergyman, as he waits outside his wife's room. He tells how, the day before the bombing, his nine-year-old daughter had written the words "I love you, mummy" over and over again on pieces of paper and displayed them around her bedroom. Other relatives had said she had announced to her mother what shoes she was going to wear to church that day, and how her body was identified by those

very shoes. "My son was a brilliant student, he dreamed of being a pilot," says Ansar. "My daughter was so talkative and happy, but now everything has gone. I have nothing without them." LIvING IN FEAR: Aftab Gohar moved to the UK in 2008, having studied in Edinburgh years earlier. He says it was only after 2001 that the Christian community in Peshawar started to feel fearful. "Before that, we had very good relations with the Muslim community. We still do in this area, mostly," Gohar says. "But there started to be tension in other places and fundamentalism started to get worse. We began to worry, but we never thought something like this could happen." Gohar describes how supportive his parishioners back in Scotland have been, but wonders how alien the problems of Christians in Pakistan must seem. He will return to Grangemouth soon, but fears for his family and friends. "I wonder what is left for them here," he says. "Our church has been standing for 130 years. It has witnessed so much. It is centre to so many people's lives. "When I used to asked my mother how she was, she used to tell me, 'I'm fine, I managed to go to church today'. That was her joy. Now people are afraid even to gather together."

ScientiStS 95% SUre HUManS to BlaMe For gloBal WarMing NEWS DESK

cientists are more certain than they have ever been that humans are causing global warming, according to the most comprehensive report ever conducted into climate change, which predicts "with 95% certainty" that people's greenhouse gas emissions are heating the world. This is the main finding of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) fifth assessment report – AR5 – which was published in Stockholm yesterday. The degree of certainty leaves little doubt that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are responsible for climate change and compares to a finding of 90% certainty in the previous – fourth – assessment six years ago. This, in turn, was a significant increase on the 66% certainty reached in 2001's third assessment and just over 50% in 1995. AR5 has 840 main authors recruited from 38 of the IPCC's 195 member countries, with British and American scientists making the biggest contribution. At more than 3,000 pages, the report is

so big that it will be released in three parts over the next 14 months. The first part, released yesterday, covers the physical science of climate change. The second installment will concentrate on the impacts of climate change and how to adapt to them, while the third will examine ways to curb the warming. As with the other IPCC reports, AR5 is a synthesis of the findings of thousands of peer-reviewed research papers from the past few years. It comes at a crucial time in global climate change politics, since it will be the last IPPC report published before the Paris summit in 2015, when the world's governments have pledged to reach hugely ambitious and legally binding targets to reduce their emissions. Yesterday US Secretary of State John Kerry backed the report's findings and pledged action on cutting emissions. He said: "Boil down the IPCC report and here's what you find: Climate change is real, it's happening now, human beings are the cause of this transformation and only action by human beings can help to

save the world from its worst impacts. "This isn't a run-of-the-mill report to be dumped in a filing cabinet. This isn't a political document produced by politicians.

It's science." UN Secretary General Ban KiMoon added: "This new report will be essential for governments as they work to finalise an ambitious legal agreement on

climate change in 2015. "To add momentum, I will convene a climate summit in September 2014 at the highest level. The heat is on. Now we must act."

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:03 AM Page 10

Leaders should always expect the very best of those around them. They know that people can change and grow. –Warren G Bennis

COMMENT Sunday, 29 September, 2013

Nawaz Sharif at UN And the need to translate words into real action

DDRESSES delivered by heads of government or state at UN General Assembly sessions are reflective of the essentials of the administrations’ policies. Unless the new government is installed as a result of a revolutionary change, there is little chance of a fundamental difference in these policies. Like Nawaz Sharif, Zardari had also urged the international community to understand Pakistan’s concerns over drone attacks. He had recounted the sacrifices in the war on terror, and argued that terrorism and extremism had wreaked havoc in Pakistan itself. Zardari had raised the issue of Kashmir underlining the UN failure to help resolve it. While Sharif has urged the world body to help avert a clash of civilisations, Zardari had called on the international community to condemn the anti-Muslim film “Innocence of Muslims” for inciting hatred against the faith of billions of Muslims of the world. Like Sharif, Zardari had underlined the contribution of Pakistani troops to the UN peacekeeping mission and demanded that the UN move towards becoming more democratic and accountable. He had supported the rights of the Palestinian people and the admission of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. Mian Nawaz Sharif however took up three new issues. The crisis in Syria emanating from the chemical attack had not emerged in September last year. Nawaz Sharif’s speech also dilated on the need to improve Pak-India ties though a reference to the relations was considered unnecessary in the 2012 address as these seemed to be improving as indicated by the meeting between S M Krishna and Hina Rabani Khar in Islamabad two weeks before the General Assembly session. The really new thing in Nawaz Sharif’s address is therefore his policy towards militancy. A defensive Nawaz Sharif has said that the dialogue must not be seen as a tool of appeasement. It isn’t enough to deny that terrorists enjoyed the support of important quarters in Pakistan. Unless Pakistan manages to take out those who conduct the attacks and dismantle camps that train foreign militants in tribal areas, the sincerity of its claims would be challenged. The US, Britain, China, India, Afghanistan and a number of other countries have expressed their exasperation over attacks committed inside their territories by militants trained in Pakistan’s tribal agencies. Almost three weeks after the APC and there is no movement towards talks while the militants continue to launch one disastrous attack after another. After the bombing of a church in Peshawar that killed more than 80 worshippers, the terrorists targeted a bus in Peshawar killing 19 besides launching half a dozen other attacks in the country. The two fidayeen raids on a police station and a military formation in Jammu killed 12 ahead of Nawaz-Manmohan talks, toning down expectations, as Dr Singh claimed that Pakistan remained an “epicentre of terrorism”. There is a dire need on the part of the government to replace words with real action.

the Iranian overture And how the world powers should benefit from it

IPLOMACY has proven its worth twice in the last few days. First the Syrian standoff de-escalated after the US agreed to resolve the matter through negotiations and now there is another news of the same proportions, if not bigger: the US president talked with the Iranian president over the phone, something they haven’t done in the past 34 years. Hailed as “a diplomatic leap forward”, this really opens up avenues for a number of possibilities that can lead to a rapprochement between the two states and ideally lead them both to join hands in bringing peace to the Middle East. The US and Iran have not been at the best of terms ever since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. In fact, their relation deteriorated after Iran decided to pursue a nuclear path, claiming it to be for peaceful civilian purposes, a right protected under the UN Charter, but which the US, on insistence from Israel, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, considers not to be so. The US has stated many times that it won’t allow a nuclear Iran, which sounds good if we look at the larger picture, but how Washington has stifled Tehran from getting nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes makes one suspect America’s intentions. Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s fiery and often controversial statements didn’t help the matters as well. The incumbent Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s statement that ‘the US is a great nation’ is a clear departure of how the Iranian leaders have often portrayed the US as ‘a great Satan’. Ahmadinejad was also insensitive in his remarks about Holocaust, even calling it a ‘myth’, but which Mr Rouhani condemns as a reprehensible crime. That really is a change of heart in its true sense, a flexibility that Pakistan can also benefit from. Instead of portraying the US, or for that matter any country, evil, diplomacy and negotiations should be given a chance, for they sure can remove any misperceptions and do away with wrong assumptions about countries. Now that the world powers are trying to find a diplomatic solution for the Iranian situation, it is no time to sit idle. Instead it is time to do quite the opposite. It may be ‘a week of seismic shifts in the relationship’, every effort should be made to make it last for more than a week. Both sides should be congratulated on how they tackled the issue through diplomacy, the focus should instead be on the talks in Geneva scheduled on Oct 15-16, where Iran is expected to present a more detailed proposal. There are still obstacles, some of technical nature and others of diplomatic, but the process to bring peace should not suffer, not now.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Lahore – Ph: 042-36375963-5 Fax: 042-32535230 Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 Fax: 021-35381208 Islamabad – Ph: 051-2287273 Fax: 051-2818125 Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

A ‘Religion’ is born we have been blind to how terror has turned into a religion in itself

HumAyuN GAuHAR

’M utterly ashamed, thoroughly disgusted, very embarrassed. I’m utterly revolted and thoroughly angry. Until now I was thoroughly at a loss for words too – utterly. The silver lining: people united in their revulsion of the heinous act of bombing a church in Peshawar that killed over 80 Christians, injured over 130 and destroyed many more lives. Our people are good, so there is hope yet. But why are our leaders so bad? This is not a conundrum. It is our unworkable, decrepit, alien political system that causes bad leadership to be thrown up. After the church bombing and the utterly lily-livered response of our politicians cloaking their self-serving hypocrisy in the usual stereotyped statements, it’s time to call a spade a shovel. Much has been said already, but there’s more. As calm returned and thoughts unscrambled, I realised something so obvious that I’m surprised it didn’t come before. Words returned. Right under our noses and before our eyes a new ‘religion’ has been born. Its deity is Satan. Satan is the anti-thesis of God. So this new ‘religion’ is anti-God. It stalks our land and lands afar. The name of this new religion is ‘Terror’ – ‘Dehshat’ in Urdu. Its devotees are called ‘Terrorists’. Terrorists are Satan’s demons. It cannot belong to the Supreme Creator because all His names in whatever language mean love, balance, tolerance, equity, egalitarianism and brotherhood. His followers’ obligation is to be good to all His Creations of which humanity is the greatest. Satan’s followers would prevent this by doing the opposite: being bad to human beings. By mindlessly killing innocent people in His name they cannot be God’s people or followers of any of God’s Messengers and ‘Nabiyah’ (those who shake up society and upturn the status quo for the better), 124,000 of them in all. We know the recent history of Terror: it started in Europe with gangs like Bader Mienhoff and in Japan with the Red Army. They indulged in mindless terrorism using Marx’s communist philosophy as a cloak after convoluting and mutating it. Fast-forward and the freedom fighting Mujahidin morph into Afghan Taliban while abandoned Al-Qaeda become homeless ‘dogs of war’ as mercenaries are called. They become purposeless and go looking for another war. The purpose of existence Al-Qaeda then found was to impose its own version of Sharia on the world that is at great variance to God’s Islam in the Quran, its principles and His objectives. They and the Taliban forget what God says, that there is no compulsion in religion, to you your religion and to me mine. A person who understands this is a real believer. Those who would impose their own version of God’s intent are not.

The Taliban occupied Afghanistan and imposed their severe primitive ideology on it, calling it God’s. Untold cruelty followed. The Taliban are mired in an imaginary past while their western ‘enemies’ move forward in a dynamic philosophy. Their stupidity caused their land to be occupied again, this time by the US. Another war of liberation followed. It goes on. Meantime, in a copycat action the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was born out of the lapsed Pakistani Mujahidin of the Soviet-Afghan war and out of the many seminaries Pakistan, America and Saudi Arabia created as a Mujahidin nursery to propagate an interpretation of Islam that only a small minority here follows. They network with other Pakistani militant groups (to call them ‘Jihadi’ is pejorative) and are called the Pakistani Taliban. Unlike the Afghan Taliban who have a purpose right now – to liberate their homeland – the Pakistani Taliban’s purpose is mindless, the same as Al-Qaeda’s but limited in space: while Al-Qaeda wants to impose its ideology on the world the Pakistani Taliban want to impose their ideology on Pakistan – for now. When the adherents of ‘Terror’ kill innocent people in Islam’s name they plant false flags against Allah and the Muslims. What could suit Satan more? Those who acquiesce to or sympathise with them and confuse them as “our people” and call them “stakeholders” misunderstand the universal Word of God that is for all humanity in the multiverse. People who kill to impose their anti-religion on others cannot be “our people” or “stakeholders” because by their actions they have lost their stake in Pakistan and are expunged from the State. They can neither be Muslim nor belong to any of God’s Faiths. They don’t even belong to humanity. They twist God’s Word like black magicians read His scriptures backwards. They are beyond the pale. A virus inside the body does not become part of the body. It is the body’s enemy within, a Trojan horse. You cannot say it is “part of me” and a “stakeholder” I must therefore negotiate with it. It has to be destroyed. So too Terrorists because they are a virus in the body politic. There can be no dialogue with them, no quarter given, nor can they be allowed to open offices anywhere in the realm. ‘Terrorists’ are not to be confused with freedom fighters that wage a just struggle to free their homeland from foreign occupation. Poorly armed, they use tactics that can fall in the category of terror, but only against armed combatants as far as possible. The American freedom fighters were called terrorists by the British, as was Nelson Mandela by South Africa’s apartheid regime. ‘Terror’ to impose one’s convoluted ideology on people pretends to be jihad but is not. Armed jihad is a just struggle to win freedom for one’s homeland from foreign occupation. Terrorism spreads discord and disharmony – fitna and fasad – and creates chasms through which Satan enters. ‘Jihad’ means struggle, any kind of struggle. The Afghan Taliban are freedom fighters right now but when they ruled Afghanistan they became terrorists. If they return to power they will be worse. Terrorists’ ‘jihad’ is a Satanic jihad because they kill innocent people wantonly to impose their misinterpretation of Faith on them and that too in the name of God, knowing or not that they are actually doing Satan’s work.

Recent terrorism in Pakistan is the fruit of the All Parties Conference, a conclave of defeated opportunists trying to pull themselves out of a hole. Instead, they are digging the hole we have all fallen into deeper and getting us stuck even more. The APC sent a message of appeasement and surrender to the TTP that raised their morale: why would they talk to the vanquished? The APC resolution was born in stupidity and conceived in spinelessness. If they are not careful they could pay for it very soon as we are paying for it now – thousands of officers and soldiers killed, countless more innocents murdered, minorities slaughtered. The anti-God ‘religion’ moves on while we recede. After the Nairobi terrorist attack on a shopping mall, our government should be wary of similar copycat attacks on malls in Pakistan. Mr Nawaz Sharif should look over his shoulder at Mohammed Morsi of Egypt. If Sharif takes America’s avowal of ‘democracy’ in the Third World seriously, he has had it. After the Cold War the US wondered why it was so disliked when it had given more money to the world than any in history? Books like ‘The Ugly American’ told why. Wondering where it had gone wrong, it decided that it was because it had backed Third World dictatorships during the Cold War. Decision: now that the Cold War was over, back the people. Right. But how? Answer: parachute western-style electoral democracy on them. Wrong. What the wretched of the earth want first and foremost is liberation from poverty, degradation and hunger. They want to be upwardly mobile. They cannot eat ‘democracy’. Was the US was being disingenuous? Alien electoral systems would more often than not throw up pliable leaders that they could manipulate for their own purposes. So is support of democracy a sham, to fool people? I’m afraid it seems so. Proof: when elections throw up the ‘wrong’ leader who is not pliable and works against its objectives America comes down on him like a sledgehammer. Democracy and the ‘will of the people’ are forgotten. This is just what happened to Morsi, who was turning the Brotherhood’s “creeping fundamentalism” into “galloping fundamentalism”. A US-backed military coup ensued. Goodbye democracy, hello dictatorship. The APC has created the impression that the Dons in that latest Conclave are Taliban sympathisers under whom creeping fundamentalism could start galloping and Sharif may not be able to provide the required stability the US needs to allow an orderly withdrawal of men, machinery and arms from Afghanistan. Then what? It could be worse than Egypt. It could be the US itself providing the stability. Never forget the military industrial complex, that engine of the US economy. Our nuclear arsenal will come to naught. And by the way, so fed up are our people that they might welcome it. We have a history of bending to every invader and kowtowing to him to be recognised with awards, lands and fiefs. Many of our liberation parties and their leaders were catalysed by the British to allow them an orderly withdrawal. They got it. We slaughtered and displaced one another. We still love the coloniser. We still ape him. The writer is a political analyst. He can be contacted at: humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:03 AM Page 11

Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference. –Nolan Bushnell

COMMENT

Sunday, 29 September, 2013

Bigotry and extremism that’s what the bjP has turned into

UJARAT Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has asked the Jamaat-Ulma Hind, representing the Muslims, to list four or five steps he should announce to win their confidence. The Jamaat has rightly pointed out that it was for Modi to think how to win the trust of Muslims. One thing Modi could do straightaway is to apologise for the 2002 riots in the state, reportedly blessed by him after KuLdIP NAyAR the burning of some Hindu pilgrims in a train compartment at Godhara, not far from Ahmedabad. There is enough evidence to confirm that he convened a meeting of top officials to plan and execute an exercise to kill the Muslims. Hiren Pandey, a minister in Modi’s cabinet, had admitted after having participated in the riots that they were preplanned and that the police were asked not to interfere. He was murdered and till today the murderer has not been brought to book. And only recently has a top police officer confessed in a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Modi used him to stage the false encounter. In his first speech after the nomination, Modi talked about a range of issues – ties with neighbouring countries, terrorism and defence. But he did not utter a word about Muzzafarnagar’s communal riots. The city, only two hours’ drive from Delhi, witnessed the killing of 50 persons and the exodus of nearly 40,000 people – Hindus and Muslims, who have lived together for centuries. Indeed, this is the result of Modi-type of politics of polarisation which has challenged India’s credentials of secularism. Modi is a poster-boy Hindutava, as the media describes him. After 66 years of independence, the two communities tend to jump at each other’s throat on the call of religious leaders or politicians in that garb. The nation has to introspect why the people play into their hands and why it has failed to establish a secular polity. Modi does not care about India’s ethos of pluralism. He has played the Hindu card because he believes that secularism does not sit well in a Hindumajority country. If he has learned the lesson after the Gujarat riots, as he claims, there is no indication of that. He compared the other day the victims in the Gujarat riots as the puppies which get crushed under a speeding car. The RSS, which has nurtured Modi, believes that it wants the next election to be fought on the plank of “minority aggressiveness”. It is misinterpreting the minorities’ articulation for their identity. Even if there is aggressiveness, it can be tackled. But the majority’s aggressiveness can turn into fascism. This is what happened in Germany where the Nazis took over and Hitler emerged on the scene. It is unfortunate that the BJP has selected Modi, knowing too well that the party was defeated in 2004 and 2009 elections because of its communal agenda. Even Atal Behari Vajpayee’s liberal image could not wear off the stigma of parochialism the party has. By and large, India is a tolerant society. The people do not mix religion with politics. The BJP has neither understood them, nor their aspirations. The idea of India is based on the country’s diversity. What has happened at Muzzafarnagar is a challenge to the very idea. Once again the BJP has poured oil on the fuel through a fake video. Refugees from the villages of Muzaffarnagar riots between the Hindu Jats and Muslims say that they were attacked by the outsiders. I am reminded that after the partition we too were forced to quit our homes by the outsiders. Our Muslim friends gave us shelter and provided us with rations for a month before we left Sialkot. The victims of Muzzafarnagar complain bitterly that neighbours watched the mayhem but did not come to their rescue to stop the killing and destruction. The kinship dries up when rioting takes place. The Muzzafarnagar happenings are disconcerting because the communal virus has spread to the rural areas. The administration always fails because it has got politicised and awaits word from the ruling party. Officials did not take action fearing repercussions. The police are contaminated and tilt towards the Hindus. That is 15 percent of the Muslims all over the country. What happened in Muzaffarnagar, according to the reports in the media, was an instigated riot, suggesting a conspiracy on the part of the BJP. A Muslim youth was killed for eve-teasing. In retaliation, two Hindu Jat boys were lynched. And then all the hell broke. Leaders, both from the Hindu and Muslim communities, delivered inflammatory speeches. The BJP further fanned the fire by releasing a fake video, showing the use of violence somewhere else to ‘prove’ the atrocities against the Hindus. A Muslim cleric led a mob after the prayers on Friday. And, as the state Governor has said in a report to the Centre, the administration has become more effete than the ruling Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party wanted to exploit the situation. But it was confused. The BJP played a major role in polluting the atmosphere through yatras for building a Ram temple at the site where the Babri Masjid stood before its destruction. The RSS sees its chance in the next elections. It is doing everything possible to destroy the ethos of national struggle to establish a democratic, secular state. Modi’s projection, once the RSS pracharak and an authoritarian by nature, fits into the agenda for a Hindu Rashtra. I sympathise with L K Advani. I have seen how defeated he was towards the end of 1979 when the Janata Party ousted him for refusing to sever links with the RSS. Instead, he founded in 1980 the BJP and made Atal Behari Vajpayee, who too had been thrown out, as president. Today once again, Advani is forlorn and lonely. Again, the RSS is responsible for his isolation. It has fielded Modi for the prime minister’s office. Advani has not liked the manner in which the RSS has imposed Modi on the BJP. Apparently, the RSS feels that if somebody who meets the ideological stance of Hindu Rashtra, it will be Modi, not Advani who over the years has shed bigotry and regards Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, as secular.

Border Crossing

Fraternising with the enemy Pti and all others who support a surrendering of our democratic and constitutional ideals in order to gain a tainted peace, are doing this nation a disservice

SAAd RASOOL

N the D I Khan jailbreak on 30th July, 2013, the militants of TTP audaciously walked up to a high security prison in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, freed over 230 prisoners, including 35 high-profile convicts, and simply walked out of the front door, without much resistance, and with a smile on their faces. One of the police personnel who were posted at the jail at the time when TTP attacked the prison was later asked why the law enforcement agencies did not put up a braver fight against the militants. His response was as disappointing as it was honest: he said on the record that firing at the militants would have entailed him losing his life. And since the government seemed bent upon striking a peace deal with the savage terrorists, if not today then tomorrow, he saw no point in laying down his life in a fight and for a cause that was no longer virtuous in the eyes of the people’s representatives. And this heartfelt confession of a man, who no longer sees purpose and destiny in his job, raises fundamental questions for our counterterrorism strategy: Is the talk of striking a peace deal with the TTP, and its allies, a strategy of deliberation, or is it instead simply a softer way of confessing that the State of Pakistan has lost the war on terror? Can we really allow murderers and savages into the mainstream political dispensation and decisionmaking process? Have we surrendered to the abominable idea that violence, if conducted for long enough and with impunity, is a winning strategy to bring our state to its knees? Can we really claim to have succeeded in our efforts to counter violence, intolerance and extremism in our society, if our streets and neighborhoods house “offices” of TTP? Or if they have a legitimate a state-sanctified voice in the political and legislative decision-making process? And

if so, will we ever be able to look our children, and then their children, in the eye with a clear conscience and honest heart? And perhaps the most disappointing role, in this regard, has been that of the leader of the party governing KP. Imran Khan, for all his charisma and fan-following, has simply lost the plot when it comes to calling the enemy by its name. The electoral rhetoric of negotiating with TTP and striking a peace deal in a war that, according to Mr Khan, is not our war at all, has started to fade behind a thick coating of innocent blood. Despite rhetoric of negotiations and peace, there is no defence – none whatsoever – for Mr Khan to rationalise or justify the attack on All Saints Church in Peshawar, claiming the lives of 85 people, under the control of PTI government, by a group of individuals that Mr Khan wants to earnestly negotiate and settle a peace accord with. The Federal Government of PML-N, despite its historic roots in and reverence for the conservative alliances of Zia’s era, has been less eager than Mr Khan’s PTI to negotiate with the TTP. The prime minister, after the All Party Conference, announced an almost unanimous decision to conduct peace talks with the banned outfits, within the contours of the decisions made in the APC, and in fidelity to the principles enshrined in the Constitution. However, these peace talks – almost expectedly – seem to have crumbled in the face of TTP’s relentlessness to adhere to their demand of implementing and following the strictest (read: conservative) interpretation of Sharia laws above the dictates and spirit of our constitution, as well as their continued strategy of violence against the armed forces in the tribal areas. And thankfully, the government, along with the army, is insisting that for any negotiation to take place the vi-

olence must cease immediately, and that under no circumstances can the constitution be overridden by a conservative religious ideology. Sadly, however, from the murmurs emanating from KP, it seems that the PTI leadership would be willing to surrender to virtually all demands of TTP, including imposition of Sharia law, in a (thoroughly ill-advised) bid to strike peace with the enemy. What has gone wrong with the PTI leadership, in regards to dealing with the scourge of extremism, is beyond comprehension. I must confess that I supported the PTI campaign to power for the idealism and liberal philosophy (in part) that it advocated. But somewhere, in the past few months of governance, the wheels seem to have come off in PTI’s security policy think-tank. The murderers of thousands of innocent Pakistanis, from Karachi to Peshawar, cannot be met with appeasement, but with the strength and might of our force. They cannot be surrendered to, but conquered instead. It must be declared today, and for all times to come, that violence in this country – especially in the name of religion – will never be met with a peace-flag. That we, as a country and as a nation, will not be held hostage by pangs of terror. How Pakistan counters extremism and violence, over the coming decade, will determine the eventual destiny of our nation. And in this regard, PTI, and all others who support a surrendering of our democratic and constitutional ideals in order to gain a tainted peace, are doing this nation a disservice. The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore. He has a Masters in Constitutional Law from Harvard Law School. He can be reached at: saad@post.harvard.edu, or Twitter: @Ch_SaadRasool

The writer is a senior Indian journalist.

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:03 AM Page 12

artS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

RUSSELL BRANd, jEMIMA ANd ROMANcE

They have only been dating for three months, but Jemima Khan has reportedly found her soulmate in British comedian Russell Brand. The Vanity Fair European editor-at-large is said to have become addicted to Brand's adventurous spirit and feels liberated by their raunchy antics. "She's never met anyone remotely like him and he makes her feel incredible. She's also never met anyone who is so adventurous in bed. She can't get enough of him. She just says he ticks every box" a source said. Although Khan is basking in her passionate romance, her family and friends are yet to offer the pair their blessing. "Her mother is trying not to let her panic show because she doesn't want to push her further into his arms. She's being as pleasant as possible, but any mum would be terrified at the thought of Russell Brand squiring their precious daughter," the source said. "Her friends are worried, it's to do with what he says about people he knows and that he's slept with so many people." Earlier in September, the lovebirds left partygoers red-faced when they went over the top with their PDA at PR boss Matthew Freud's London pad. An insider said: "Russ and Jemima were curled up together, and what started out as flirting quickly got embarrassingly passionate. "Pretty soon, they were wrapped up in each other and wriggling around like teenagers. Some people thought they needed to get a room. In the end, Matthew went over and had a quiet word." Brand was previously married to Katy Perry and Jemima's ex-husband is Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. She also dated actor Hugh Grant.NEWS dESK

MISS PhILIPPINES IS thE NEw MISS wORLd

A new Miss World was crowned Saturday, and though she competed as Miss Philippines, she hails from the United States. Megan Young, 23, an aspiring filmmaker, took the top honor at the competition, held in Bali, Indonesia. "No words! Thank you so much for everyone for choosing me. I promise to be the best Miss World ever," Young said. Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, and Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, were second and third runners up, respectively. Young was born in the United States and moved to the Philippines at age 10, according to her biography. The new Miss World is a college student who has appeared on screen as an actress and presenter since she was 15. Young wants to move behind the camera and become a director, according to her bio. Miss World's 127 contestants competed in beach fashion, fitness, world fashion.

‘I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell’ — Harry S Truman

MAN tRIES tO PAY BILL wIth cOcAINE

tdap continUeS to Bedazzle aUdienceS

HE stunning expo went on for its second consecutive day, attracting spectators from all walks of life. A number of fashion brands illustrated the event, one of which was Gulabo. Founded in 2005 Gulabo is a high street fashion brand, with red roses and truck art as their inspiration they seem proud to be Pakistani. The Gulabo truck art scarves,Tote bags ,and fashion lines have long been trendsetters in high street fashion in Pakistan . Meanwhile, Deepik Perwani also kept the show going. With a standing ovation at Milan Fashion Week and the best international designer award at Miami Fashion Week makes this label a power house in Pakistani pret. Exclusively created for Pakistan Expo, The Deepak Perwani export collection encompassed freedom for Frieda Khalo from Kharadar to Defense as she traveled Karachi soaking in its culture its diversity and its cosmopolitan persona. Umaima Mustafa's debut collection is a statement in sophisticated refinement. Her ultra feminine cuts, and intricate designs have clarity are executed beautifully. The collection aims to balance construction and fluidity. Palettes of black, beige, white and gold, have been used to create garments that transcend effortlessly from day to night. Fahad Hussain was also a major contender at the show. Palatial Kitsch - ready to wear PreFall 2013 inspired by the fallen decadence of exuberant palaces and glitz and glamour of the cosmopolitan. The collection featured a wide range of separates and exclusive editions of Fahad Hussayn. Another popular brand was Print Museum whose prints in pure silks and chiffons . the color palette varies from hues of nudes mixed and paired with bright printtehs with a lot of metallic textures and surfaces. Ayesha Ibrahim was involved with the Pakistani fashion industry for the last 14 years having worked intensively with craft person she has recreated and resurrected innumerable techniques and styles, each creation is the fusion of ethnicity and modernism to bring forth truly classical apparel. The designer obsession with colour and detailed texturing is visible in every ensemble. The inspiration for this designer is the exploration of all surrounding medium , An artist in nature she is continuously delving in the past era for painting cloth. Saturated with colour , rich in textures borrowed from past civilization ornaments by distinctly unusual pieces of raw materials perfected in simplicity style ,all shrouded in a definite statement , all borrowed and obtained elements of modernism this is what makes a Ayesha Ibrahim ensemble..This collection is a mixture of pure eastern and western appearances and designs which has colorful pants, jackets and long gowns in the color pallet of gray , pink and turquoise green. A recipient of the award for the best women inteprenure exporter as a fashion designer, Ayesha Ibrahim has been exporting not only to UK, UAE and Malaysia but throughout the world. Through the years Ayesha has worked extensively with all major parts of Pakistan and has increased her export day by day to different part of the world. NEWS dESK

Tom Hanks flashes a smile at the New York City Film Festival.

Police in Deltona, Fla., are trying to sniff out the identity of a man who allegedly attempted to pay his water bill with cocaine. The unidentified man walked into the water department office on Monday and handed a clerk an envelope that contained not a check, but a small amount of white powder. Officials evacuated employees so hazmat teams from the sheriff's office and two separate fire departments could analyze the powder, the Beacon News Online reported. The powder was later determined to be cocaine, Gary Davidson, a spokesman for the Volusia County Sheriff’s Dept., told the Dayton Beach NewsJournal. Surveillance cameras show the suspect is a man wearing a T-shirt and shorts who rode away on a bicycle. “The clerk (at the counter) said she had never seen the man before,” Sheriff’s spokesman Brandon Haught, told the News-Journal. “He didn’t say anything to her, he just handed her the envelope and walked out.” NEWS dESK

katy perry talkS aBoUt Being diSSed By BarBara WalterS Katy Perry now thinks that giving that end-of-marriage interview to Barbara Walters as her marriage was ending probably wasn't the greatest idea. And to add insult to injury, Walters totally kicked her when she was down, according to the pop star's recall of events in a new interview with Billboard in advance of the release of her fourth studio album, PRISM, on Oct. 22. "I shouldn't have done the interview," Perry admitted regarding her sit-down for Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011 special, which aired that December. "I was playing Madison Square Garden that same night, and I knew that the end of my marriage was coming. I was just exhausted and stressed." "I'd prepped everyone that I was running late, but Barbara showed up at the original time anyway," the "Roar" singer continued. "When I got there, I apologized immediately, but then she said to me, 'You know, I've only ever waited for one other person this long, and you know who that person was? Judy Garland. You know how she turned out, right?' I was like, 'Oh, snap! Yes, bitch!'" (For the record, the famously troubled Garland died of a drug overdose at 47 in 1969.) But Perry has since concluded that the timing was just bad all around and she couldn't tell Walters what was really going at the time, which was barely a year after she and Russell Brand had tied the knot in a splashy ceremony in India. "I think it's the coolest thing that Barbara Walters shaded me," Perry added. "I just couldn't tell her as we were sitting down for a mega-interview, 'Hey, my marriage is falling apart. Give me a break.'" Sure enough, just weeks after the Walters special aired, Brand filed for divorce. During the interview, Walters of course brought up Perry's relationship and her husband's troubled past, asking her at the time if it was "a good marriage, a happy marriage?" After a pause that now says everything, a pink-haired Perry, looking like a deer in the headlights, managed to say, "I think it's lovely, so far." Asked if it bothered her when they met that Brand had been a heroin addict, the singer replied thoughtfully, "Um, it didn't actually, because I knew about my father's past [battling substance abuse]. "I knew that there is a capacity for change in anyone, I really believe that. I saw that Russell's changed as well, so I believe that people can really… uh…turn out for the best." Walters then asked if she wanted to have kids. "Yes, of course," Perry said. "I think that's one of the biggest reasons why peole do get married." But was there anything she wanted to reveal right then and there? (Also a question that takes on a new meaning now.) "No," Perry said, "let's just talk about right here."NEWS dESK

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:03 AM Page 13

‘Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most — ‘Ozzy Osbourne’

ARTS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

12 A

ROKNI’S ‘thE ORIENtALISt’

ESIGN trio Kamiar Rokni, Tia Noon and Rehan Bashir of the coveted House of Kamiar Rokni are set to showcase a brand new bridal collection at the prestigious PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week. Titled ‘The Orientalist’ and as the name suggests, the collection is inspired by the glory and fascination that captivated the West when they first encountered the exotic East. As its core design ethos, The Orientalist captures art, culture and imagination with each creation a celebration of the merging and blending of creative art and heritage from around the world. For this showcase, The House of Kamiar Rokni has collaborated with renowned jeweler Reama Malik of GOLD who has created exclusive jewelry for the collection. The Orientalist will be available for custom order at The House of Kamiar Rokni studio, immediately following its runway debut. Each Orientalist creation draws from traditional, regional and global embellishments and silhouettes bringing them together to form a bridal signature from The House of Kamiar Rokni. Expect cuts that vary in length, volume and diversity, fabrics that are sheer with diaphanous textures that compliment otherwise bold forms, silhouettes that integrate layering with variations in the sleeve and structured

jackets, all of which work together to reinvent the classic bride for the modern era. The collection celebrates fabrics created from regionally indigenous textiles and to that end is based in a selection of hand-woven silks, organzas, jamavars, chiffons and nets, in an eclectic mix of vibrant colours for which The House of Kamiar Rokni has come to be renown. Complementing the collection is a range of bespoke jewellery pieces created by Reama Malik and her brand GOLD based in the traditional craft of ‘Polki” and “Meenakari” including necklaces, jhoomars and tikkas Indeed GOLD is renowned for their one of a kind bespoke jewelry where each piece is meticulously hand crafted in Reama Malik’s workshops. Speaking about their collection from PFDC L’Oreal Paris designer Kamiar Rokni, Tia Noon and Rehan Bashir said “The Orientalist is a manifestation and interpretation both of our shared seraiki heritage and diverse backgrounds. Tia's unique mix of Punjabi, Tajik, English and Memon traditions present themselves in this collection, while Kamiar's warrior Rajput and rich Persian heritage blends delicately with Rehan's Kashmiri influences to introduce a collection that exults in intricate craftsmanship, detail, colour and an aesthetic that is both uncompromising in its classicism and unwavering

thE gIVER’S StAR StUddEd cASt Given her young fan base, casting Taylor Swift in a YA franchise is a nobrainer. After making her film acting debut in 2011's Valentine's Day, the pop princess has now been cast opposite the queen of the silver screen herself Meryl Streep in a feature adaptation of Lois Lowry's bestselling dystopian young adult novel, The Giver. Jeff Bridges, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush and Cameron Monaghan are also aboard the movie. The plot centers on a young boy named Jonah (Thwaites) who lives in a seemingly harmonious society in which all pain and suffering have been eliminated in favor of "Sameness," resulting in a world of conformity and contentment, but also one of suppressed emotions. When Jonas is tapped for the life assignment as the Receiver of Memories, he meets the previous receiver, aka The Giver (Bridges), who gives him the power of knowledge, including dark secrets contained within his engineered utopia. Jonas is now faced with a decision: Does he stay in this shallow, terrifying community, or run away to the real world and face uncertain danger? No word yet on Swift's role, but Streep will play the Chief Elder who is Jonas' antagonist. The Giver has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release in 1993 and the following year won the prestigious Newbury Medal. Principal photography on the Weinstein Company and Walden Media coproduction is set to start on Oct. 7 in Cape Town, South Africa. NEWS dESK

ALLAMA IqBAL AIRPORt cLAIMS REEMA’S LUggAgE Pakistani actress and director, Reema Khan, was deprived of Her valuables as her luggage went missing at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport after her arrival in the country. The baggage was full of valuables which she lost at the airport. Her manager informed the staff of the private airline who too failed to track it. Sources said that the actress arrived in Pakistan to celebrate her birthday which was scheduled on October 27. Reema Khan had tied the knot with a US citizen, Dr Tariq Shahab, on November 16, 2011 and had chosen to reside in the United States of America. NEWS dESK

in its quality." The 3 pillars of the House of Kamiar Rokni; Kamiar Rokni, Tia Noon and Rehan Bashir are the powerhouses behind the premier designer label. They hail from quintessentially aristocratic families that are symbolic of an old world charm and traditional heritage. The trio’s diverse backgrounds shines through the label’s clothing representing a seamless amalgamation of a combined history and cultural diversity that the three have inherited. The brand strives to provide an immaculate essence of style in all their creations, designing signature one of a kind pieces that evoke a sense of individuality and elegance in the people that wear them. The Houses’ core philosophy is to embrace art, culture and imagination in their fashion. The luxury label’s prêt-àporter and Haute bCouture collections have consistently hit the runways in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan to critical acclaim. Internationally, the fashion house has showcased in Paris at the Prêt-à-porter Feminine and at Mauritius Fashion Week. The label has had the much coveted honour of having been nominated for the Lux Style Awards consistently since 2008 in the Best Prêt Wear and Best Couture Designer categories respectively and won the Lux Style Award in 2012 for Luxury Prêt. NEWS dESK

hUgh jAcKMAN’S ‘BRUtAL’ dIEt PLAN REVEALEd

It's no secret that Hugh Jackman takes his fitness and diet very seriously. In an exclusive look at his interview with Manhattan magazine, the hunky Australian actor revealed that his favorite part of New York City is the food. But he hasn't been able to really enjoy the delicacies, until now. "I'm just off the 8-Hour Diet from Dave Zinczenko of Men's Fitness," the Prisoners star said. Talk about discipline! In order to get in top shape for his notable X-Men role, it's a "brutal" process. "Water dehydration got me that ripped look," the muscleman said. "I'm so low energy I'm literally sleeping all the time because I'm on a zero-carbs, limited-calories diet." Jackman can be seen in theaters in Prisoners, a performance that is generating a lot of buzz among critics. He stars as the father of a girl who goes missing and is faced with the decision of either letting the wheels of justice turn or becoming a vigilante himself. "I thought it was a very suspenseful thriller, but also a great drama— something I hadn't played before, that kind of intensity, that certain father-child relationship," he said. NEWS dESK

Liam Hemsworth returning from a workout in Atlanta, USA.

neW Star May anSWer UniverSe’S MySterieS

A perplexing fast-spinning star just might be the "missing link" in a longstanding pulsar mystery, scientists say. The so-called neutron star — a city-sized stellar remnant born from the explosive

death of a larger star — is located about 18,000 light-years from Earth has the never-before-observed ability to change from one kind of pulsar to another and back again. You can watch a video ani-

mation of the pulsar here set to the music of rock band Atom Strange. Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars that come in different varieties, but scientists could not pin down the relationship between two kinds of pulsars until now. "For the first time we see both X-rays and extremely fast radio pulses from the one pulsar," said Simon Johnston, head of astrophysics at the Sydney, Australia-based Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) astronomy and space science division, in a statement. "This is the first direct evidence of a pulsar changing from one kind of object into another — like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly." The pulsar (named PSR J1824-2452I) spews out x-rays or radio pulses depending on how much matter its companion star is shooting in its direction at any given time, scientists have found. The compan-

ion star — that only has about one-fifth the mass of the sun — sometimes pounds the pulsar with speeding streams of matter. Scientists found that the pulsar's magnetic field can protect the star from the onslaught of stellar material, but sometimes it becomes overwhelmed by the intensity of the steams. When the magnetic field can no longer stop the matter from reaching the surface of the pulsar, the spinning star shoots out jets of x-rays. Eventually, the pulsar's magnetic field starts protecting the star again after the companion star has settled down. "We've been fortunate enough to see all stages of this process, with a range of ground and space telescopes," Alessandro Papitto, astronomer and lead author of a study detailing the new findings in the journal Nature this week, said in a statement. "We've been looking for such evidence for more than a decade."

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:04 AM Page 14

SPORTS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

Panesar handed suspended onematch ban by EcB

LONDON: Fresh questions over Monty Panesar's character were raised on Friday when the England spinner accepted he'd acted in a "potentially threatening and intimidating" manner towards an opponent. Just a few days after being named in England's squad for the forthcoming Ashes tour of Australia, Panesar was given one-match ban by the England and Wales Cricket Board's disciplinary commission after pleading guilty to a breach of directive 3.2 in the County Championship match between Essex and Worcestershire earlier this month. The ECB did not specify exactly what had caused Panesar to be charged, their statement referring only to "two incidents" one of which was likely a heated exchange with Worcestershire batsman Ross Whiteley. Experienced umpire Peter Willey, the former Test batsman, intervened while Essex captain James Foster was also summoned by the match officials. Panesar's ban will be suspended until the end of next season, pending any further violations of the ECB code. Friday's ECB statement said Panesar had "apologised for his behaviour during the match". But it was something both Panesar and the England selectors could have done without following the controversy surrounding his Test recall. AGENCIES

jos Buttler leaves Somerset, likely to join Lancashire

LONDON: England international Jos Buttler is to leave Somerset in a bid to boost his career as a wicketkeeper, the west country club announced on Friday. The 23-year-old Buttler has played 19 one-day internationals for England but has yet to make his Test debut and was not selected in the Ashes squad announced on Monday, with Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow the back-up gloveman to Matt Prior. Somerset-born Buttler's bid for more time behind the stumps at county level at Taunton has been blocked by fellow England international Craig Kieswetter. It is now expected that Buttler will join Lancashire, who next season will play in the First Division of the County Championship. "I am very sad to be leaving Somerset but feel it is a decision I must take in order to develop my expertise as a wicketkeeper," said Buttler. Buttler impressed with both bat and gloves during England's recent one-day series against Australia, making 75 in a losing cause in the second ODI at Lancashire's Old Trafford headquarters in Manchester and a match-winning 65 not out in the fourth ODI in Cardiff. AGENCIES

Men are the sport of circumstances when it seems circumstances are the sport of men. — Lord Byron

hUSSEY StARS AS SUPER KINgS

crUiSe into SeMi-FinalS RANCHI

AGENCIES

HENNAI SUPER KINGS have beaten Brisbane Heat by eight wickets in the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) 2013 at Ranchi on Saturday and ensured their entry in the semi-final. Chennai have won three games on the trot and are looking unbeatable at this point. The opening partnership of 75

between Michael Hussey (57 not out) and Murali Vijay (42) set the foundation for an easy run-chase. Vijay had had scored two ducks in the first two games. On Saturday, he played in his usual aggressive manner thus vindicating the faith of the team management in him. He got into his groove hitting Cameron Gannon for two boundaries in the third over. The first set of powerplay overs yielded 37. Vijay then attacked Nathan Lyon,

who was battling to grip the ball courtesy of the dew, right from the outset. The fulltoss was deposited over mid-wicket while the fifth delivery of the over was hit over long-on to help Chennai’s cause. Vijay fell for 42 off 27 deliveries trying to hook Cutting but ended up offering a catch to Joe Burns at long-leg. Hussey played a measured knock and he was busy ticking the scorecard. Raina played a couple of lusty blows to bring the required run-rate below six runs per over. The feature of Raina’s batting was a six over mid-wicket off Cutting and a authoritative pull over square-leg. Raina was dismissed trying to work Daniel Christian towards onside but he missed the ball. Brisbane were going through the motions as the breakthrough was a tad too late. Chennai spinners put a stranglehold on Brisbane Heat batsman who failed to get the ball off the square. The first set of powerplay overs yielded 54 runs for the loss of openers — Dominic Michael who fell trying to smash Mohit Sharma in the first over of the game. He was caught at covers. Captain James Hopes tried to clear Morkel over mid-off but he failed to clear Jason Holder’s outstretched hands. In the next 10 overs spinners dictated the terms and gave away 25 runs and picked up four scalps. Ravindra Jadeja, who had conceded 72 runs off his four overs so far in CLT20 2013, picked up a wicket of his first delivery. Daniel Christian tried to go after Jadeja right from the outset but he managed to get the elevation and not the distance as he was caught at long-on. Joe Burns was dismissed four balls hence edging Jadeja to the first slip. From there on Brisbane went into their shell and wickets pegged them back considerably. Chris Lynn was hoodwinked by Ravichandran Ashwin’s leg-spinner. The ball took the outside edge and flew to gully. Heats were precariously placed at 61 for five at the half-way stage.

SCOREBOARd BRISBANE HEAT 20 JR Hopes c Holder b morkel 0 dP michael c Badrinath b Sharma 29 CA Lynn c Jadeja b Ashwin 3 dT Christian c Hussey b Jadeja 0 JA Burns c Raina b Jadeja 35 Cd Hartley c Holder b Sharma 2 CJm Sabburg b Raina 42 BCJ Cutting not out 6 EXTRAS: (lb 4, w 2) 137 TOTAL: (7 wickets; 20 overs) dId NOT BAT: CJ Gannon, Nm Hauritz, mG Gale FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (michael, 0.5 ov), 2-29 (Hopes, 3.4 ov), 3-54 (Christian, 6.1 ov), 4-55 (Burns, 6.5 ov), 5-61 (Lynn, 9.3 ov), 6-66 (Sabburg, 12.3 ov), 7-137 (Hartley, 19.6 ov) BOWLING: mm Sharma 3-0-35-2, JA morkel 2-0-15-1,JO Holder 2-0-26-0, R Ashwin 4-1-10-1, RA Jadeja 4-0-18-2,SK Raina 30-9-1,dJ Bravo 2-0-20-0 CHENNAI SuPER KINGS mEK Hussey not out 57 m Vijay c Burns b Cutting 42 SK Raina lbw b Christian 23 mS dhoni* not out 13 EXTRAS: (lb 2, w 3) 5 TOTAL: (2 wickets; 15.5 overs) 140 dId NOT BAT: S Badrinath, dJ Bravo, RA Jadeja, JA morkel, JO Holder, R Ashwin, mm Sharma FALL OF WICKETS: 1-75 (Vijay, 9.2 ov), 2-116 (Raina, 13.6 ov) BOWLING: JR Hopes 1-0-7-0,mG Gale 2-0-22-0,CJ Gannon 3-0-19-0,dT Christian 3-0-16-1,Nm Hauritz 3-0-36-0, BCJ Cutting 3.5-0-38-1 mATCH dETAILS TOSS Chennai Super Kings, who chose to field POINTS Chennai Super Kings 4, Brisbane Heat 0 TWENTy20 dEBuT dP michael (Brisbane Heat) Player of the match mEK Hussey umPIRES S Ravi and RJ Tucker (Australia) TV umpire BNJ Oxenford (Australia) mATCH REFEREE RS mahanama (Sri Lanka) RESERVE umPIRE PG Pathak

Chris Hartley and Ben Cutting stitched together 71 off 45 deliveries and they scored 50 off the last three overs. Mohit went for 23 off the final over of the innings. The score of 137 looked competitive but Chennai batsmen looked comfortable chasing the total. Hussey brought up his fifty and hardly gave the Australian outfit any chance. MS Dhoni walked in to bat at No. 4 much to the delight of the Ranchi crowd. He remained unbeaten and guess what he finished the game by smashing a six off Cutiing. Chennai’s dominating day got the icing on the cake as they booked their place in the semi-final.

ALL-ROUND DAVIDS HELPS TITANS STROLL TO WIN RANCHI AGENCIES

Group B might still be the more open of the two groups, but Titans gave their chances of progressing quite a boost with a thumping victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ranchi. That didn't look likely when Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel were belting some wayward bowling from Titans around in a rapid half-century opening stand, but, as has always been the worry for Sunrisers, their middle-order frailty was exposed and, this time, their bowlers failed to bail them out. Captain Henry Davids, who has been prolific in most domestic games recently, and Jacques Rudolph - who had got into double digits only three times in his previous eight T20 innings - were involved in what was only the second century stand of the tournament, as Titans chased down 146 without breaking a sweat. Davids took the early initiative, hitting six boundaries in the Powerplay, the highlight being an inside-hit off Dale Steyn over the covers for six. By the time he was dismissed for 64 in the 13th over, Titans needed just 34

more and Rudolph saw them through though he couldn't secure a half-century. Victory was sealed in the 17th over, with eight wickets to spare. Sunrisers openers had got off to a similarly dominating start after being inserted. In their previous game, against Brisbane Heat, they had done superbly to defend 123, but before that a lack of discipline cost them dearly against Chennai Super Kings. They produced equally errant lines in this match, bowling consistently short and wide. Morne Morkel began with a relatively testing over to Parthiv Patel, angling the ball against him from over the wicket and inducing a couple of plays and misses. He then went round the wicket though, as did most of the bowlers, presumably to change the angle and cramp the two left-hand batsmen for room, but couldn't pull it off. Dhawan and Parthiv took advantage, lofting the repeated deliveries comfortably outside off stump over the infield. Playing primarily in the air cost Dhawan when he picked out third man in the first over after the Powerplay. Medium pacer David Wiese was the

SCOREBOARd SuNRISERS HydERABAd PA Patel b Wiese 26 S dhawan c morkel b Wiese 37 JP duminy b de Lange 17 GH Vihari c davids b Wiese 6 BB Samantray st mosehle b davids 0 NLTC Perera run out (†mosehle) 11 dJG Sammy c Behardien b Richards 1 KV Sharma not out 11 dW Steyn not out 27 EXTRAS: (b 1, lb 1, w 7) 9 TOTAL: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 145 did NOT BAT: A mishra, I Sharma FALL OF WICKETS: 1-62 (dhawan, 6.3 ov), 2-71 (Patel, 8.1 ov), 3-83 (Vihari, 10.5 ov), 4-86 (Samantray, 11.3 ov), 5-102 (duminy, 15.6 ov), 6-105 (Sammy, 16.5 ov), 7-112 (Perera, 17.4 ov) BOWLING: H davids 4-0-18-1,m morkel 4-0-42-0, RR Richards 4-0-24-1,m de Lange 4-0-42-1, d Wiese 4-0-17-3

TITANS JA Rudolph not out 49 H davids* c Sammy b Steyn 64 AB de Villiers c Perera b I Sharma 9 HG Kuhn not out 15 EXTRAS: (lb 6, w 4) 10 TOTAL: (2 wickets; 16.3 overs) 147 dId NOT BAT: F Behardien, d Wiese, RE van der merwe, m mosehle†, m morkel, m de Lange, RR Richards FALL OF WICKETS: 1-112 (davids, 12.1 ov), 2-123 (de Villiers, 13.3 ov) BOWLING: KV Sharma 1-0-9-0, dW Steyn 4-0-23-1,I Sharma 4-0-32-1,NLTC Perera 2.3-0-29-0,A mishra 2-0-17-0,JP duminy 1-0-14-0,dJG Sammy 2-0-17-0 mATCH dETAILS TOSS Titans, who chose to field POINTS Titans 4, Sunrisers Hyderabad 0 PLAyER OF THE mATCH H davids (Titans) umPIRES BNJ Oxenford (Australia) and S Ravi

bowler and, buoyed by that big wicket, he went on to turn the tide of the match. He had Parthiv bowled with a slower ball while hitting across the line and Hanuma Vihari caught brilliantly at midwicket with a well-directed short delivery. The local batsmen continued to disappoint for Sunrisers. After Vihari was out for 6, Biplab Samantray was stumped for no score, overbalancing while trying to flick a leg-side delivery. The three big overseas batting options, JP Duminy, Thisara Perera and Darren Sammy, also failed for Sunrisers - after Dhawan was dismissed, they managed just one boundary and 45 runs in the 11 overs. Dhawan apart, they lost five more wickets in the same period. A chunk of the credit for those

wickets need go to Titans' sharp fielding. There was Davids' effort to dismiss Vihari - he had run across from square leg to midwicket and leapt to latch on to the skier - then there was Farhaan Behardien's spectacular take at long-off. Sammy had muscled the ball flat and hard in his direction, and Behardien must have been left with stinging palms as he jumped to intercept the rocketing ball. Keeper Mangaliso Mosehle then connected with a direct hit to send Perera back. If it hadn't been for some big hitting by Karn Sharma and Steyn in the final couple of overs - Steyn was particularly brutal on Marchant de Lange in the final over, making room and hitting two fours and two sixes - Titans' top order would have been even less tested than it was.

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:04 AM Page 16

I'm thrilled, I'm grateful, I'm blessed. I played for the world's greatest professional sports team in history. –Bob Hayes

14 S

SPORTS Sunday, 29 September, 2013

OtAgO IN gOOd POSItION tO REAch SEMIS, FEELS dEREK dE BOORdER

New PcB secretary appointed in compliance with hc order LAHORE

JAIPUR: Otago Volts player Derek de Boorder on Saturday, attributed his side’s long winning streak to sticking to basics with the bat and ball and said they would continue doing that in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 2013. “We have been able to script a 14match winning streak because we have kept our plans simple with bat and ball. Different guys have been contributing and that has been key to our success. We want to keep that strategy going [in the CLT20],” said Boorder about his team’s winning streak, including the three in the CLT20 qualifiers at Mohali. He said his side were still having a good chance of making it to the semifinals in CLT20. “I feel we are in a good position for making it to the semifinals. The match against Lions would be a crucial one. If we win the next match we would be in last four. We have to get from here and try for the semifinal spot,” said the wicketkeeper batsman on the eve of Otago’s match against Highveld Lions in Jaipur on Sunday. Otago are at second position in Group A with six points from two outings — one win and one match washed out — and are in contention for a semifinal berth. Rajasthan Royals are at top with eight points from two matches while Mumbai Indians are at the third with six points from three matches. All-rounder James Neesham said his side also have good batsmen other than captain Brendon McCullum. “He [Brendon McCullum] is a fine player but it is the media which has wrongly labeled that our batting depends on his shoulders only. We have an overall depth in our ranks,” he said. “Earlier we were able to win three matches and I don’t think Brendon played in either of those. Neil Broom’s fine ton against Perth Scorchers in the previous match here proved that. We can play attacking cricket despite losing wickets only because we have the right balance and depth,” said Neeshan. Talking about the Jaipur wicket, Neesham said, “It is a good wicket which offers movement and bounce. It’s more like those we have back home. It is advantage for us because we have the experience of playing on such tracks.” AGENCIES

STAFF REPORT

HE ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) in Pakistan has named Amir Tariq Zaman Khan as the PCB secretary - a role not defined in the PCB constitution - in compliance with the Islamabad High Court order. Khan is currently the additional secretary sport for the IPC and his role will be to cut down on the number of board employees, some of who may have been illegally appointed during Zaka Ashraf’s tenure. “His job will be retrench the unnecessary and illegally appointed employees in the PCB. The notification has also been issued to the PCB and we are due to visit the PCB next week.” The court in July ordered a comprehensive transformation in the functioning of the PCB, to be initiated with fresh elections. The 30-page judgement, asked for changes in the structure of the PCB, questioned the appointment of the selection committee, as well as its financial and recruitment affairs. The PCB is

presently being run by an interim setup led by a Najam Sethi - who was given 90 days until October 18 with the objective of looking into the day-to-day affairs of the PCB, cooperating and ensuring the conduct of the election. The appointment of Khan, a government grade 21 officer, is, however, in d i r e c t breach of the Woolf report approved by the ICC which recommended governance in cricket boards to be free of government and political interferences. Earlier Sethi was named the interim PCB chairman directly by the Prime Minister, though the move was enforced

by the IHC. The IHC observed that a large contingent in the PCB was being paid lucrative packages, with 68 employees being appointed unnecessarily during Ashraf’s one year and eight months as the board chief. “In this view of the matter, it is directed that the federal government may appoint some official of the DMG group, not below the rank of additional secretary, as secretary of the PCB and all the officials in the PCB who are of no utility be removed forthwith and amounts paid to them may be utilised for improving the cricket structure and welfare of cricketers,” read

the IHC order. The PCB has over 900 employees around the country including employees at the National Cricket Academy and the regional associations. The board has been facing financial crunch in wake of no international cricket in the country. The board recently provisionally approved a budget of approximately rupees 3 billion ($29 million approximately) with a deficit of rupees 500 million for the year 2013-14.

The appointment is in compliance with the IHC orders and the notification has been issued earlier this week

irFan UllaH kHan iPc legAl Advisor

HADLEY LEADS BY TWO IN FLORIDA FLORIDA: Chesson Hadley leads the way at the half-way stage of the Web.com Tour Championship in Florida after following a first round 65 with a second day 66. The 26-year-old needed just 31 strokes to cover the opening nine holes of his second circuit and is on course to secure his card for next season’s PGA Tour. After 36 holes, Hadley holds a two-stroke advantage over Tour veteran Joe Durant. Durant, 49, is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, the last of these seven years ago, but will need a strong finish to regain his playing rights for next season. Durant teed-off in the last event of the season 67th in the overall standings, needing to move into the top 50 to earn his card. His strong start in Ponte Vedra has moved him up to 8th in the provisional standings but he will need to stay near the top of the leaderboard to regain his card. Durant, who located 16 of the 18 greens in regulation in both rounds one and two, admitted: “For me, putting has always been a struggle. “When I’ve gotten hot with a putter I’ve had a chance to win or I’ve won tournaments but they seem too few and far between.” “I still work on it and try to get better, that’s all we can do.” Scotland’s Russell Knox is tied-for-ninth - five strokes off the pace - after rounds of 67 and 69. Knox, who began the week in 57th spot in the overall standings, is up to 26 in the provisional list with 36 holes still to play. Elsewhere, Briton Greg Owen’s chances of playing on the main PGA Tour next year look slim after missing the cut by a single shot following rounds of 72 and 69. The 40year-old from Mansfield has slipped from 31st in the ranking to a provisional 54. Owen will need some of the players above him in the list to perform poorly over the weekend, if he is to move back into the top 50 by Sunday evening. AGENCIES

When I’ve gotten hot with a putter I’ve had a chance to win or I’ve won tournaments but they seem too few and far between

joSepH Scott dUrant AMericAn ProfessionAl golfer

MILLER FIVE-FOR COMPLETES BIG WI A WIN MYSORE AGENCIES

West Indies A’s spinners, led by Nikita Miller, dominated proceedings for the second successive day to set up the side’s 162-run victory over India A in Mysore. Miller finished with 5 for 40 - showing astonishing accuracy over 36.4 overs and took his match haul to 9 for 101 off 71.4 overs. West Indies declared on their overnight score of 130 for 3 and set India a target of 315 for victory. India had a slow start and Miller struck early, dismissing opener KL Rahul in the 11th over for 9 off 42 balls. Playing defensively, India were stifled by the West Indies bowlers and lost wickets at regular intervals. Jiwanjot Singh and

Cheteshwar Pujara got starts and added 28 runs - the highest stand of the innings - in 12.5 overs for the second wicket but the batsmen fell to Veerasammy Permaul and Miller, respectively. Manpreet Juneja struck a stoic 70 off 193 balls, doing his best to string together partnerships with the lower order to save the game for India, but with just four overs left in the day’s play, Juneja was out leg before to Miller. Juneja was the last man dismissed, and knock was the lone bright spot for India. It followed up his lone hand in the first innings, and his first-class average after 13 matches is 79.44. The win gives West Indies A a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second four-day game between the two sides begins on October 2.

SCOREBOARd WEST INdIES A 429 & 130/3d INdIA A 245 INdIA KL Rahul c LR Johnson b miller 9 Jiwanjot Singh c Edwards b Permaul 24 CA Pujara lbw b miller 17 mC Juneja lbw b miller 70 RH motwani† lbw b deonarine 11 HH Khadiwale c & b deonarine 2 RS Paliwal c Brathwaite b miller 2 Parvez Rasool b Permaul 11 mohammed Shami c Edwards b miller 4 IC Pandey c Brathwaite b Permaul 0 AB dinda not out 2 EXTRAS: 0 TOTAL: (all out; 85.4 overs; 281 mins) 152 FALL OF WICKETS: 1-18 (Rahul, 12.3 ov), 2-46 (Jiwanjot Singh, 25.2 ov), 3-62 (Pujara, 36.5 ov), 4-84 (motwani, 50.4 ov), 5-90 (Khadiwale, 54.6 ov), 6-115 (Paliwal, 63.6 ov), 7-140 (Parvez Rasool, 72.2 ov), 8-145 (mohammed Shami, 75.3 ov), 9-150 (Pandey, 84.3 ov), 10-152 (Juneja, 85.4 ov) BOWLING: NO miller 36.4-16-40-5,mL Cummins 7-0-15-0,dE Johnson 2-0-12-0,V Permaul 29-6-56-3,N deonarine 11-0-29-2 mATCH dETAILS TOSS India A, who chose to field SERIES West Indies A led the 3-match series 1-0 umPIRES A Nand Kishore and Am Saheba mATCH REFEREE SS Patil

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:04 AM Page 17

The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register. –Bob Verdi

SPORTS

Sunday, 29 September, 2013

MOdEL tOwN gREENS, NAtIONAL gYM FINAL ON Oct 19 LAHORE: The final of 28th M Yaseen Akhter Memorial cricket Event will be played between Model Town Greens and National Gym on Oct 19 at LCCA ground. The match will start at 1:00 PM, while prize distribution ceromony will be helld at 4:30 PM. Model Town Greens has marched into the final after 11 years while National Gym has qualified for final first time. Model Town Club and P&T Gym have won the event 4 times each, while Model Town Greens, Imperial club, Servis club and Apallo club have won the event 2 times each. The cantonment Gym, Ludihana Gym, Raja club, Dharmpura Gym, Shalimar Gym ,Dharampura Sports,Mughalpura Whites, Cooperative bank, Shining club, Punjab club and Universal club have won the event 1 time each. STAFF REPORT

FROOME tARgEtS wORLd tItLE

Chris Froome will look to maximise his chances of winning Sunday’s world championship road race in Tuscany by making it “the hardest race possible” for sprinters such as Peter Sagan. A hilly 272.2km course from Lucca to Florence has thrown up one of the most unpredictable races in years, with climbers, breakaway specialists, one-day experts and sprinters all in with a chance of claiming the rainbow jersey. Slovakia’s Sagan and Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara are the bookmakers’ favourites, but Froome is also eyeing victory as he bids to become the first man since Greg LeMond in 1989 to win the Tour de France and world title in the same year. The race ends with ten laps of a 16.6km finishing circuit in Florence that contains two crucial climbs, and it is on these ascents that he hopes to drop his rivals. “For us, the biggest thing is to try to eliminate the sprinters from the race,” Froome, who is one of the best climbers in the world, said. SPORTS dESK

KVItOVA wINS

SEcONd tItLE OF thE YEAR

I really want to qualify for the end of season championships but I want to enjoy this feeling first petra kvitova tennis PlAyer

TENSPORTS LIONS V OTAGO

3:30 PM

TENSPORTS ROYALS V SCORCHERS

7:30 PM

MESSI ANSwERS tAx chARgES IN cOURt

TOKYO AGENCIES

ZECH Petra Kvitova recovered from a second-set meltdown to beat fellow left-hander Angelique Kerber 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 and capture the Pan Pacific Open on Saturday for her second title of the year. Seventh seed Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, burst from the blocks in the Tokyo final, storming through the first set, but inexplicably suffered the dreaded 0-6 ‘bagel’ in the second. She quickly rediscovered her poise in the decider, screaming in delight and pumping her fist as she put away a sharp volley to take a 4-0 lead. The 23-year-old put fifth seed Kerber out of her misery on her fourth match point, a blistering crosscourt forehand ending the German’s resistance after an hour and 39 minutes and giving Kvitova an 11th career singles title. “I really want to qualify for the end of season championships but I want to enjoy this feeling first,” said Kvitova, projected to rise from 11th to seventh in the new world rankings and closing in on sixth place in the race for next month’s WTA Championships in Istanbul. “I felt a bit tired,” added Kvitova after her tour-high 32nd three-set match of 2013. “Angie came back at me but I tried to stay focused and it’s amazing to win such a big tournament.” It was Kvitova’s first title since Dubai in February and winning the premier five event earned her $426,000. Kerber, who had been seeking a third title and first of the year, took home $213,000. “It’s tough to answer why I play so many three-set matches,” Kvitova told AFP after levelling her head-to-head record with Kerber to 2-2. “I’ve still not figured out why. I played two and a half hours yesterday (in beating Venus Williams) but that’s not the

wAtCh It LIve

reason. My game is still up and down but I keep fighting until the last point.” Kvitova voiced confidence she could push on and win another grand slam title in 2014. “After winning Wimbledon I know what it takes,” she said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling and I really want to experience it once more. “I have a new fitness coach (Marek Vseticek) and my condition has

felt good this week,” she said. “It’s a good sign for me. I have more confidence on court.” Kerber, who paid dearly for making only 48 percent of her first serves in the final set, was gracious in defeat. “After the second set I tried to play the same tennis but she was too good at the end,” said the 25-year-old. “She played aggressively. All credit to her.”

SOUSA tO MEEt jULIEN IN SUNdAY’S FINAL Joao Sousa set up a meeting with Julien Benneteau in the final of the Malaysian Open after both men upset higher-ranked opposition in their respective semi-finals. Surprise package Sousa, who stunned top seed David Ferrer to reach the last four, continued to upset the odds by ousting Austrian fourth seed Jurgen Melzer in three sets, winning 6-4 3-6 6-4. Meanwhile, Frenchman Benneteau outperformed Switzerland’s second seed Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-4 6-3. Portugal’s Sousa, who recently reached a career-high ranking of 77 after getting to the semi-finals in St Petersburg last week, held his nerve to seal a famous win. And after the match, the 24-yearold from Guimaraes, told the ATP world tour official website: “It’s my first final... I just feel great. “It’s going to be tough... I’m going to give 100 per cent tomorrow to win the title here, for sure. (If I win) it will be good not just for me, but for my country, Portugal.” Hoping to spoil the party will be Frenchman Benneteau, who was beaten to the Rotterdam Open title by Juan Martin Del Potro in February, and the fifth seed in Kuala Lumpur caused another shock by upsetting tournament favourite Wawrinka. The Swiss world No 10 found himself outgunned by 31-year-old Benneteau, who whipped in three aces to win in an hour and 19 minutes. SPORTS dESK

GAVA: Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has appeared in court to answer charges of evading 4.16 million euros ($5 million) in taxes in a case that stunned the sporting world. Dressed in a dark jacket and white shirt, the 26-year-old Argentine international made no comment before or after the closed-door hearing on Friday at a court in Gava, the coastal suburb of Barcelona where he lives. Testimony by the four-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year award revealed his desire to resolve the matter, Messi’s lawyer, Cristobal Martel, told reporters after the hearing. “It showed little intent to defraud and great intent to resolve the situation with the tax office instead of entering into a bitter battle with the state,” the lawyer said. Crowds of reporters and fans gathered outside the court where first Messi’s father Jorge Messi and then the player himself were quizzed on charges of evading tax on the striker’s image rights to the tune of 4.16 million euros. They have denied wrongdoing, pointing the finger at a former agent of the player. The court said Jorge Messi paid the tax authorities five million euros in August, the 4.16 million euros claimed by the taxman plus interest, which is likely to significantly reduce any sentence should they be found guilty. Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella also appeared unconcerned Friday, calling up Messi for next month’s World Cup qualifiers despite having already secured a place at the 2014 finals. Nor do Messi’s legal problems appear to have tarnished his image among Barcelona fans. “What I want is for this to be resolved quickly so Messi can relax and focus on the football,” said one fan outside the court, Joaquin Bosch, 60, wearing a Barcelona shirt. The case began in June when a prosecutor accused the Messis of evading tax by ceding the player’s image rights to “purely instrumental entities” in Belize and Uruguay. AGENCIES

FIA REVEALS 22-RACE CALENDAR Mexico And new jersey hAve been included on An unPrecedented ProvisionAl 22-rAce cAlendAr for 2014 LONDON AGENCIES

The race along the Hudson River, postponed in 2013, had been in doubt when it was a noticeable absentee from a draft calendar leaked earlier this month at Monza. Its appearance on the provisional event list, revealed following the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Croatia, suggests funding issues have now been resolved. This paves the way for the Manhattan skyline to provide the background for the

highly-anticipated street race which has been given a date of June 1, just ahead of

the Canadian Grand Prix, meaning three races in as many weeks for the teams to

deal with. Despite major upgrade work needing to be carried out Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which last hosted F1 in 1992, Mexico is also included as the penultimate round of the season. Two new European races are added to the calendar with the return of the Austrian GP on June 22 and the inaugural Russian GP around the Winter Olympic Park in Sochi on October 5. There will be no early start to accommodate these extra races, however, with the season starting in Australia on March 16, the same weekend as it was held this year. The British Grand Prix holds onto its traditional start of July slot, with the blue-riband Monaco Grand Prix being staged on May 25. As expected, India drops off the calendar but is expected to return in 2015, while Korea has only been given a provisional date and moves from its usual end of season slot to part of a five-race flyaway opening to the season.

tHe 2014 calendar in FUll 16th March – Australia 30th March – Malaysia 6th April – Bahrain 20th April – China 27th April - Korea (provisional) 11th May – Spain 25th May –Monaco 1st June - USA, New Jersey (provisional*) 8th June – Canada 22nd June – Austria 6th July – Britain 20th July – Germany 27th July – Hungary 24th August – Belgium 7th September – Italy 21st September – Singapore 5th October – Russia 12th October – Japan 26th October - Abu Dhabi 9th November - USA, Austin 16th November - Mexico (provisional*) 30th November - Brazil

ISB 29-09-2013_Layout 1 9/29/2013 1:04 AM Page 18

BACK PAGE

Sunday, 29 September, 2013

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.