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Sunday, 22 September, 2013 Zil Qa’ad 15, 1434 Rs 25.00 Vol IV No 83 16 Pages Karachi Edition

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Us ‘almost blew up nawaz wants Justice atomic bomb over itself’ ejaz to head naB

30 killed in nairobi shopping mall attack

The US Air Force almost detonated a huge atomic bomb over North Carolina in 1961, a newly declassified document has revealed. Two hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over the city of Goldsboro just two days after President John F Kennedy's inauguration, when the B-52 plane carrying them broke up in mid-air. pag e 04

At least 30 people were killed in Saturday's attack by gunmen on an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, leading to a fierce gunbattle with police and a hostage standoff, authorities said.

Several hours after the attack, AlShabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. pag e 04

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah on Saturday failed to reach a consensus in their third meeting to name a nominee for the post of NAB chairman. According to sources, the PM objected to Shah’s nomination of Justice (r) Mian Ajmal and put forward the name of Justice (r) Ejaz Ahmed for the slot lying vacant since May 28. page 02

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It's none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way. –Ernest Hemingway

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N NEWS

Sunday, 22 September, 2013

Power tAriff exPlosion: 30% hike in electricity rAtes exPected for doMestic consuMers MONITORING DESK A 30 percent increase in electricity tariff for domestic consumers is expected from October 1. Per details, the new tariff will be applicable upon the utilisation of 200 or more electricity units. The increase in tariff is one of the requirements of the government’s loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It should be noted that parliamentary approval is not required to take the decision. Earlier, as a requirement for the initial reimbursement of the loan given by the IMF, the electricity tariff for the agricultural sector was increased and its subsidy was cut. There has also been a sudden hike in the power tariff for the textile industry which is likely to render the sector incapable of competing with other countries in the international market, including India, China, B’desh and Sri Lanka, whose cost of business is much lower due to several subsidies.

petroleUm prodUcts prices likelY to go Up next month LAHORE: The government decided on Saturday to drop another price hike bomb on the people deciding to increase the price of petroleum products from October. According to sources in the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the government is likely to increase the price of petrol by Rs 1.75 per liter, kerosene oil by Rs 2.55, high speed diesel oil by Rs 2.9 and light diesel oil (LDO) by Rs 1.9 per liter with effect from October. OGRA authorities have prepared recommendations for increasing the prices of petroleum products. Sources said the government’s decision to increase prices is due to the hike in the price of petroleum products in the international market. INP

khawaJa asif stopped at heathrow for carrYing ‘colognes’ MONITORING DESK Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif was stopped by authorities at London’s Heathrow Airport on Saturday evening for carrying ‘prohibited items’ in his luggage. Khawaja Asif was reportedly travelling from London to Lahore on a Pakistan International Airlines flight PIA-758. The minister had received his boarding pass, but was stopped during subsequent screening.

Airport authorities put Asif and his luggage through another screening process and let him through after removing some alleged prohibited items from his luggage. In a tweet, Asif said that the airport authorities had checked two bottles of colognes he was carrying in his hand luggage but he was allowed to take them onboard the aircraft.

POwer tO the yOuth with rs 20b Package PM Announces six youth welfAre scheMes

scheMes to creAte self-eMPloyMent oPPortunities for youth, give on-job trAining, sPonsor tuition fee of deserving students

ISLAMABAD

250,000 people, adding that an allocation of Rs 3.5 billion rupees had been made during the current fiscal year.

The Small Business Loan Scheme RIME Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on Saturday to has been designed for unemployed‚ especially educated, youth to enable launch six youth welfare them to start their own busischemes with ininesses.

Under the tial allocation of Rs 20 scheme, loans ranging billion. Addressing the Loans ranging from Rs 500,000 to nation on radio and Rs 2 million will television‚ the from Rs 500,000 to be given to the prime minister Rs 2 million will be youth at a consaid the processionary grammes will given to the youth at a markup rate of be aimed at concessionary markup eight percent creating selfand the reemployment rate of eight percent m a i n i n g opportunities and the remaining markup would for the youth be borne by the and will be a markup would be government. Half step towards the borne by the of the loans would fulfillment of the be given to women Pakistan Muslim government and initially the loans League-Nawaz (PMLwould be advanced by the N)’s manifesto. He said the National Bank of Pakistan Micro-Interest Free Loans Scheme will target the disadvantaged sec- (NBP) and the First Women Bank. Rs 5 tions of the society and will benefit billion have been allocated for the APP

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scheme.

The prime minister announced that under the Youth Training Scheme, those completing sixteen years of education from a recognised institution would be given practical training to help them secure jobs in Pakistan or abroad.

Nawaz said, “A scholarship of Rs 10,000 per month will be given to 150,000 graduates for on-job training,” adding that Rs 4 billion had been earmarked for the scheme. The Youth Skilled Development Scheme will be launched for boys and girls who have passed class eight. They will be given six-month-long training in different trades and a scholarship of Rs 5000 per month. The premier said the government had designated Rs 800 million for the scheme. Nawaz also announced a scheme for sponsoring tuition fees of students

Nawaz wants Justice Ejaz to head NAB PM And oPP leAder fAil to reAch consensus in third Meeting over issue MIAN ABRAR

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah on Saturday failed to reach a consensus in their third meeting to name a nominee for the post of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman.

According to sources, the PM objected to Shah’s nomination of Justice (r) Mian Muhammad Ajmal and put forward the name of Justice (r) Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry for the slot lying vacant since May 28.

According to sources, the prime minister said Justice (r) Ajmal was serving as Ministry of Law and Justice secretary when former dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf proclaimed a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, adding that Ajmal had also signed a

summary to send seven judges of the Supreme Court packing.

During the meeting, the premier shared feedback from the Law Ministry with the opposition leader and urged Shah to accept the nomination of Justice (r) Ejaz, who, he said, was a judge with impeccable integrity.

Shah sought some time from the prime minister to consult other Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders, including Aitzaz Ahsan and Raza Rabbani over the issue. Sources said Shah is also likely to consult other opposition parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Later, talking to the journalists, Shah said that the government and opposition would reach a consensus over a nominee for NAB chairman before the PM’s departure to the United

Obama, Nawaz meetiNg ON the cards: white hOuse WASHINGTON

PM objects to justice (r) AjMAl’s noMinAtion for being lAw secretAry during nov 3 eMergency, signing suMMAry to send seven sc judges PAcking

ISLAMABAD

from backward areas so that financial constraints do not deprive brilliant students of their right to education.

The government will, on average, pay Rs 40,000 annual fee for the higher education of each of the 30,000 students.

This scheme will be launched at a cost of Rs 1.2 billion.

The prime minister said Rs 4 billion have been earmarked for the Prime Minister’s Scheme for Provision of Laptops.

Under the scheme, 100,000 students will be provided laptops by the federal government this year.

The PM said the federal cabinet had already approved the basic structure of the schemes and arrangements to implement them had also been completed.

However, he invited suggestions from people to make the schemes more transparent and hundred percent merit-based.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

States. “We will soon resolve the issue,” he said.

When asked why the name of a controversial figure like Justice (r) Ajaml was proposed, Shah said everyone was controversial in one way or the other.

“There are no angels here and everyone is a part of the same system.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was also a part of the bench which gave Musharraf powers to amend the constitution,” Shah said.

Emphasising the importance of wideranging cooperative ties between the United States and Pakistan, the White House has said a formal meeting between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected in the near future. Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said, “We would like to have a formal meeting with the Pakistan PM so it is a matter of making sure that we can find an appropriate time for both leaders to come together.” The comments came as news reports quoted senior Pakistani officials saying that a schedule of the first formal meeting between the US and Pakistani leaders since the inception of the new government in Islamabad would be announced shortly.

Talking to reporters, Rhodes said that though a formal meeting between the two leaders had not been scheduled at the United Nations next week “but it is certainly possible that they will be able to see each other”, adding that Obama and Sharif had discussed many issues on the phone.

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It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business. –Mahatma Gandhi

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NEWS

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Sunday, 22 September, 2013

Pakistan releases its blood baradar there hAs been sPeculAtion thAt the forMer AfghAn tAlibAn second-in-coMMAnd could heAd to turkey or sAudi ArAbiA ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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AKISTAN released its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee Abdul Ghani Baradar on Saturday, a senior official said, a move welcomed by Kabul which hopes it will encourage peace talks with the insurgents. Baradar, a one-time military chief often described as the militants' former second-in-command, was the most high profile Taliban commander detained in Pakistan.

"Yes Baradar has been released," Omar Hamid, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said, without elaborating on the circumstances of the release.

Later, the Foreign Ministry also gave a one-line confirmation. "Mullah Baradar was released this morning," Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, the Foreign Office spokesman, said. aFghanistan Welcomes Release: The release was welcomed by Afghanistan's High Peace Council (HPC), the body nominated by President Hamid Karzai to try to talk to the militants, who have waged a bloody insurgency since being ousted from power by a US-led invasion in 2001.

"We thank the government of Pakistan that showed goodwill and answered positively to the request of Afghanistan government," Mohammad Esmail Qasimyar, senior member of HPC, told a foreign news

AnAlyst sAys MullAh bArAdAr’s releAse not likely to MAke Any significAnt difference in negotiAting Process agency. "Baradar is someone who has always been eager to join peace negotiations, and we hope he joins peace talks soon. We are optimistic about it, he is still an influential figure, and the Taliban still respect him."

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Friday said that Baradar's release would facilitate Afghanistan's reconciliation process with the Taliban as a NATO combat mission there winds down.

The Taliban opened an office in Doha in June as a precursor to possible talks but it was quickly shut down after Karzai reacted furiously when they put up a flag and plaque as if they were a government-in-exile.

The Taliban's spokesman in Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, said they could not yet confirm Baradar had been freed. "We only heard through the media that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be released. We have not received any official confirmation about his release," Mujahid told AFP in Kabul.

Baradar's release brings to 34 the number of Taliban detainees that Pakistan has freed since last year, in what Afghan officials hope will encourage peace talks with the insurgents.

Karzai had asked Pakistan to help open direct dialogue between his government and the Taliban, who consider Karzai an "American puppet" and have refused to hold discussions with his government.

But Sartaj Aziz, the adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on national security and foreign affairs

had said that Baradar would not be handed over to Kabul, and many believe his release will have little impact on talks. Indeed, there is scant evidence that the release of any of the Taliban detainees has had a positive effect on peace efforts, and several are understood to have returned to the battlefield.

Political analyst Talat Masood said the announcement was a "sort of a confidence-building measure between Pakistan and Afghanistan". "However, this release is not likely to make any significant difference in the negotiating process," he said.

A Taliban source agreed, telling AFP Baradar had lost influence after so long away and would now be kept as "a simple guy in the network" with no chance of rejoining the Quetta Shura ruling council. baRadaR’s FutuRe destination: The details of where Baradar will go after being freed are unclear. There has been speculation he could head to Turkey or Saudi Arabia, but the Taliban source said he would probably stay in Karachi, where his family lives.

Washington gave a muted response to news that Baradar was about to be released, with a State Department spokeswoman on Friday refusing to say whether

What lies in store for Mullah Baradar?

MONITORING DESK Pakistan has freed its highest-ranking Taliban captive, Mullah Baradar - but where does he go from here? According to a BBC report, the answer lies in the folds of a multi-dimensional conflict in which the aims of various parties are often at odds with each other. At one level, an increasingly aggressive insurgency rages across Afghanistan, preventing the government in Kabul and its international allies from stabilising the country. At another, much of the insurgency appears to stem from another conflict further east - the rivalry between India and Pakistan.

All this is happening at a time when Afghan President Hamid Karzai is nearing the end of his term, and NATO's deadline for a drawdown is approaching.

'Reconcilable' elements: Meanwhile, Pakistan is known to have invested heavily to ensure that Afghanistan does not revert to its traditional anti-Pakistan, pro-India role of the pre-1980s, when Pakistan had to live under the threat of a

two-front war.

This policy led to the creation of the Taliban movement in the early 1990s, and enabled them to regroup as a guerrilla force in the post-9/11 era after they found sanctuary in Pakistan.

Pakistanis are likely to continue with this policy unless India and Pakistan resolve their mutual conflict over Kashmir a highly unlikely scenario.

Against this backdrop, the relentless focus on Mullah Baradar's release points to an underlying hope that he could become a catalyst in bringing all the warring parties to a grand resolution. but is this hoPe Realistic?: When Pakistanis arrested Mullah Baradar in February 2010, some Afghan officials claimed the move was meant to sabotage a peace process he had initiated with the Karzai government behind the Pakistanis' backs. The Pakistanis, for their part, never made clear why they had arrested him, or some 50-odd other prominent Taliban leaders, while many others are free and actively engaging in the insurgency.

Months after his arrest, President Karzai appointed a 74-member High Peace Council to negotiate peace with the "reconcilable" elements within the Taliban.

Since then, Pakistan has been under constant pressure from Kabul to release Mullah Baradar and other former Taliban officials in its custody to help in the peace process. changed landscaPe: Now that he is free, how quickly can he take to the stage? Not so soon, says Mohammad Hussain Haqyar, a Kabul-based analyst and former Taliban insider.

"He will discover that the political and military landscape has changed from when he left off three-and-a-half years ago.

"He will need to rest up, to update his knowledge of the latest military formations and patterns of deployment, and to assess the new thinking among the relevant players, including Taliban leadership," he said.

If left to himself, Mullah Baradar will stay in Pakistan and re-join the insurgency, but if his release is conditional, then it is anybody's guess, Haqyar says.

If the terms of his release require that he deliver on the peace process, then the question is whether he will work for peace from within the Taliban or will he take an independent course?

"If he leaves Taliban, he will lose the clout and the respect he has within the movement. If he goes back to Taliban, he will be just an individual without any high political or military office," says Tahir Khan, an Islamabad-based journalist who covers Taliban affairs.

"In either case, he will not have the clout to influence the decisions of Taliban leadership." If that is the case, then why has the Afghan government been so insistent on his release? One possible explanation is that Kabul would favour conditions that minimise Pakistani control over Taliban insurgents. Many believe their release and possible move abroad would mean that Taliban prisoners are no longer held hostage by Pakistan, and therefore free to devise a peace formula that would conform more closely to the interests of Afghanistan.

the US had asked Pakistan to keep tabs on Baradar.

The Afghan government has long demanded that Islamabad free Baradar, whose arrest in January 2010 saw Pakistan accused of sabotaging initiatives to bring peace in war-torn Afghanistan.

He was arrested in Karachi, reportedly in a secret raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, in an operation that was described as a huge blow to the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan until a US-led invasion in 2001.

At the time of his detention Baradar was reported to have been the Taliban's second-in-command, the right hand man of the supreme commander Mullah Omar. He was the most senior member of the Taliban held after US-led troops invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, bringing down the Islamist regime. Born in 1968 in the southern province of Uruzgan, Abdul Ghani Baradar fought the occupying Soviet forces in the late 1980s before becoming one of the founding members of the Taliban movement.

Baradar has lost influence after so long away and would now be kept as a simple guy in the network with no chance of rejoining the Quetta Shura ruling council taliBan soUrce

three dOctOrs fOr ONe baradar?

QUETTA STAFF REPORT

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Saturday released three doctors who had been kidnapped from Balochistan in June. Three doctors were among five people kidnapped from Balochistan while travelling to Zhob from Loralai District. Zhob borders with the lawless tribal region of Waziristan. Five people, including three doctors, DHQ MS Hospital Loralai Dr Anwer Shabozai, Senior Medical Officer Dr Nasrullah Ghilzai, Dr Ayaz Ahmed, paramedic Farooq Ahmed and driver Anwer Khan, were abducted in June. Incidents of kidnapping for ransom in the area are common. Unidentified men had earlier also kidnapped former prosecutor general Wasay Tareen from the adjoining district of Sherani.

They later set him free. A Swiss couple, Olivier David Och, 31, and Daniela Widmer, 28, were abducted in July 2011 by the Taliban while travelling in Balochistan’s Loralai District situated 170 km east of Quetta. They were shifted to Waziristan and were finally set free after eight months.

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If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be 'meetings. –Dave Barry

NEWS Sunday, 22 September, 2013

aPc was a ruse, they are briNgiNg iN the bOOts! Pti chief sAys APc wAs delAyed to ‘buy tiMe’ for MilitAry oPerAtion AgAinst ttP ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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AKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday expressed skepticism over what he called the “inordinate delay” in holding of the All Parties Conference, fearing that the move might have been made to disrupt the dialogue process with the Taliban and buying time to launch an army operation against them.

Addressing a two-day meeting of the central executive committee (CEC) of the PTI, Khan feared that the APC might have been called to “buy time” for an impending

PAkistAn to rAise objections over four indiAn Power Projects in kAshMir

Pti to deMAnd Another APc if oPerAtion is An oPtion

military action which would have critical repercussions for the country and the people and government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be badly affected of such a move.

“We will demand another APC if military action is going to be the option,” a source quoted Khan as saying, adding that the PTI chief said there were hints that the government and the military were inching toward consensus to launch military operation against the miscreants in FATA. Imran also briefed the CEC members about the recently held APC and his analysis about the success of giving “peace a chance” through dialogue with militants. He said that if dialogue failed, the fallout would be on

30 killed in nairobi shopping mall attack NAIROBI

MONITORING DESK

AGENCIES

The Pakistani Indus Commission delegation is set to raise objections over four hydro power projects that India aims to build in the disputed Kashmir region, Press Trust of India reported on Saturday.

According to the report, Pakistan will discuss its objections over the 850MW Ratle on the Chenab River, 1000MW Pakal Dul on the Marusaadar River, 120MW Miyar, and 48MW Lower Kalnai and hydro projects, proposed to be constructed

by India in the Chenab basin. Pakistan had already lodged a protest with India through the Indus Water Commission and the Foreign Office against the reduction in water flow in the River Chenab.

In June this year, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone for the Ratle project on River Chenab.

The five member Pakistani delegation will meet with their Indian counterparts under provisions of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. Commissioners from both sides are required to meet at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.

At least 30 people were killed in Saturday's attack by gunmen on an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, leading to a fierce gunbattle with police and a hostage standoff, authorities said.

Several hours after the attack, Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

"The Mujahideen entered #WestgateMall today at around noon and are still inside the mall," the Islamic extremist group said on its Twitter account.

One suspect was killed, said a Kenyan official who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information. There were also 100 people injured, the official said.

Americans were among those injured, but the majority

12 terrOrists killed iN dir PESHAWAR APP

Security forces killed 12 terrorists late on Saturday night after they ambushed a group of 20 miscreants near PakAfghan border in Dir District, sources said. A patrolling party of security forces killed the terrorists during an hourlong gun battle, the sources told APP. They said the terrorists were killed by a patrolling party at about 10:00 pm. Two soldiers were also injured in the incident.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and its people. He also spoke about the negative impact of Maj General Niazi's martyrdom in Upper Dir on the dialogue policy. The CEC discussed the general elections 2013 threadbare. The PTI chairman spoke about the party's success and mistakes in the country, including KP. Imran vowed to make the PTI an institution with a strong political structure and internal accountability and disciplinary structures. On the general elections, the members spoke about their experience and Tasneem Noorani presented a report about the elections, rigging and the party’s shortcomings. There was complete consensus that the PTI was robbed of its mandate through rigging, including the questionable role of ROs and some members of the ECP. There was a reassertion of PTI's commitment to pursue its demand for thumbprint verifications from NADRA. There was agreement that the PTI could not be a party of traditional, exploitative politics that had increased

the burden on the poor while allowing the rich to get away with tax evasion and exploitation. The party discipline was another issue on which there was consensus that this needed to be enforced across the board. All divergent views came together on these issues and the meeting developed unanimity of views after extensive discussions.

A resolution was also passed opposing the LG system being put forward by the Punjab government. Many members spoke on the current political situation, especially showing concerns regarding terrorism, price hike, energy crisis and law and order situation across the country. It was felt inflation and price hikes were deliberately brought on by the PML-N. It was pointed out that if one reads the letter of intent in the IMF agreement it becomes clear that there was a deliberate decision to make the value of the Rupee fall – a devaluation done in complicity with the IMF. Printing of currency bills has also been done on an unprecedented

NO big shOw ON bilawal’s birthday!

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

scale as part of this design. Civil-military relations, local government elections and the policies of other political parties on these issues were also discussed by the members.

There was also consensus on the fact that PTI's performance in KP would be critical in forging the PTI's future. It was decided that at the conclusion of the CEC clear recommendations would be made on all the issues discussed in the two-day meeting.

At least 65 killed in attack in baghdad shia stronghold BAGHDAD AGENCIES

of casualties are Kenyan, authorities said.

Another suspected gunman is in the hospital and is being detained by authorities, said national police on its Twitter account.

Authorities say as many as 36 hostages are still being held by the gunmen in the mall, according to journalist Martin Cuddihy of the Australian Broadcasting Corp.,

who was at the scene and interviewed by CNN. "Our security forces have taken control of the situation," said Joseph Ole Lenku, the national government's cabinet secretary for interior and coordination. While one security agent said terrorists were behind the attack, Lenku said officials are expected to identify those responsible, but had not done so.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s Patron-in-Chief Bilawal Bhutto celebrated his 25th birthday on Saturday in Dubai along with close family circles. Former president Asif Zardari was also present on the occasion.

Bilawal was scheduled to address the party rank and file in Pakistan through a video link to mark his 25th birthday which was likely set a stage for his launch in electoral politics.

Sources disclosed that Bilawal was suffering from flu, so he was not in a position to address the party workers.

In Lahore, senior party leaders gathered at the residence of Latif Khosa and cut the cake in one of the main functions.

At least 65 people were killed in a triple bombing that targeted a tent filled with mourners in Baghdad's Shia Muslim stronghold of Sadr City on Saturday, police and medical sources said.

A car bomb went off near the tent where a funeral was being held, a suicide bomber driving a car then blew himself up, and a third explosion followed as police, ambulances and firefighter were gathering at the scene, police said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, in which at least 120 others were wounded, medics said.

In a separate incident, at least eight people were killed when a car bomb exploded in a busy street in the predominantly Shia Ur district of north-

ern Baghdad, police said.

Iraq's delicate sectarian balance has come under growing strain from the civil war in neighbouring Syria, where mainly Sunni Muslim rebels are fighting to overthrow a leader backed by Shia Iran.

Both Sunnis and Shias have crossed into Syria from Iraq to fight on opposite sides of the conflict.

Al Qaeda's Iraqi and Syrian branches merged earlier this year to form the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on both sides of the border.

Around 800 Iraqis were killed in acts of violence in August, according to the United Nations.

Earlier on Saturday, four attackers killed six officers in an assault on a police station in Baiji, about 110 miles north of Baghdad.

Us ‘almost blew up atomic bomb over itself’ WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US Air Force almost detonated a huge atomic bomb over North Carolina in 1961, a newly declassified document has revealed.

Two hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over the city of Goldsboro just two days after President John F Kennedy's inauguration, when the B-52 plane carrying them broke up in mid-air.

And a report obtained by investigative journalist Eric Schlosser under freedom of information laws showed one of the devices began to detonate - but that a single switch prevented disaster.

Had the switch failed - as the other three safety mechanisms had millions of lives across Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City would have been at risk.

US government scientist Parker F Jones' report was published for the first time in The Guardian newspa-

per, which said the bomb was 260 times more powerful than the one that devastated Hiroshima in 1945.

Jones said in the report: "It would have been bad news in spades. "The MK 39 Mod 2 bomb did not possess adequate safety for the airborne alert role in the B-52.

"One simple, dynamo-technology, low voltage switch stood between the United States and a major catastrophe."

The accident happened at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

While the US government has previously acknowledged the accident, the 1969 document is the first confirmation of how close the country came to nuclear catastrophe on that day.

Schlosser said: "The US government has consistently tried to withhold information from the American people in order to prevent questions being asked about our nuclear weapons policy.

"We were told there was no possibility of these weapons accidentally detonating, yet here's one that very nearly did."

Jones jokingly titled the report Goldsboro Revisited, Or: How I Learned To Mistrust The H-Bomb, a reference to Stanley Kubrick's clas-

sic 1964 film about nuclear armageddon, Dr Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb.

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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah chairs a meeting on the situation of law and order in the metropolis.

KARACHI Sunday, 22 September, 2013

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Petroleum products prices likely to go up next month KARACHI: The government decided on Saturday to drop another price hike bomb on the people deciding to increase the price of petroleum products from October.

According to sources in the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the government is likely to increase the price of petrol by Rs 1.75 per liter, kerosene oil

by Rs 2.55, high speed diesel oil by Rs 2.9 and light diesel oil (LDO) by Rs 1.9 per liter with effect from October. OGRA authorities have prepared recommendations for increasing the prices of petroleum products. Sources said the government’s decision to increase prices is due to the hike in the price of petroleum products in the international market. INP

banking with a criminal twist!

KARACHI: Police rescued a bank manager on Saturday, following an operation for his release and arrested three suspects involved in the crime. According to details, police recovered Rafiq, from South Zone after an encounter when kidnappers were shifting him from their hideout. Police have also arrested three kidnappers while two more managed to escape. Collecting information from the arrested individuals, police launched a search operation in Lasbela and Patel Para and arrested six more suspects and recovered arms and a stolen motorcycle from their possession.

The accused had abducted the manager of a private bank from Kharadar area and had collected Rs 600,000 from his family but were demanding a further Rs 1.5 million for his release. ONLINE

Prisons still under threat, claims wassan KARACHI: Sindh Prisons Minister Manzoor Wassan has said that threat of attack on correctional facilities still exist. Addressing a news conference in Karachi on Saturday‚ he said stringent measures have been adopted for the security of prisons in the province. The minister warned all jail superintendents of dismissal and imprisonment if mobile phones were recovered from any of inmate in any jail. ONLINE

Jcl privatisation becomes controversial after seven years jcl officiAl sAys there is nothing wrong in ceAsing ceMent business After PrivAtisAtion of coMPAny ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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NOTHER privatisation deal has become controversial after a media report claimed several irregularities in the privatisation of state-owned Javedan Cement Limited (JCL) in 2005.

According to the report, the former privatisation commission had sold Javedan Cement Limited (JCL), with over a thousand acres of land, to a private consortium in September 2005 for Rs 4.3 billion, allegedly without properly assessing the value of the company’s massive land assets.

It is claimed that the total cost of JCL

land, including mining area, is more than Rs 200 billion, 50 times more than the price at which it was sold to Haji Ghani and Shunaid Qureshi. The buyers afterwards closed down the cement plant and instead converted 1,300 acres of JCL land into a housing society called Naya Nazimabad.

It has been alleged that not only the approvals were taken to convert the mining land, but also the fees to convert this land for residential use was not paid to the Sindh government.

It is also alleged that Qureshi and Ghani managed to transfer the majority shares of JCL to Arif Habib and Aqeel Karim Dhedhi even though Habib and Dhedhi did not have a tender offer for other shareholders, violating the SECP rules while they took over the company.

When asked about the alleged dubious deal, the Chief Executive Officer of Javedan Corporation

Limited (JCL), Arif Habib confirmed that hundreds of acres of land were acquired along with JCL but claimed that there were no irregularities in the process adding, “We had beaten the other bidders in a fair competition so it was our right to procure the company and acquire all its land which after completing all legal documentation which are available with former Privatisation Commission with zero percent violation of rules.”

Habib said there was nothing illegal in ceasing cement business after privatisation of the company as it was the right of the buyer to change the nature of business, adding that the land was purchased on land value not for any specific business.

Dhedhi said that mining was not possible on that particular land, adding that a mining land was converted only after the permission of the chief minister and managing committee.

karachi target killers caught in murree belong to sunni tehreek: dig KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The target killers caught from Murree have been brought back to the provincial metropolis and it was found that they belonged to the Sunni Tehreek, a senior police official said on Saturday. The DIG South said these criminals were also involved in extortion and kidnapping for ransom. The operation was carried out by the Punjab Police and Elite Force and took

place on Wednesday on Murree’s Mall Road. These target killers reportedly originate from Karachi and had taken refuge in Murree from the targeted operations being carried out in the city.

Targeted operations in Karachi began on September 5, and since then more than 300 suspects have been arrested. The Rangers are leading the operation which, they claim, is being conducted across the city. Separately, the police have conducted 975 raids and arrested 1,232 criminals.

Qaim chairs meeting on karachi law and order claims sitUation improving KARACHI ONLINE

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has said that there has been a 20 to 25 percent improvement in law and order in Karachi in the wake of the operation against the criminals initiated in the metropolis two weeks ago. He was addressing a news conference at the CM House on Saturday.

Qaim Ali Shah, who is heading the law and order committee said that things are gradually improving He said that in the operation top priority was accorded to curbing targeted killing, kidnapping for ransom and extortion besides street petty crimes. The chief minister said that the operation was being carried out with the coordination of the Rangers and the police.

He stated that the people of Sindh and those especially of Karachi had appreciated the performance of the law enforcement agencies over the course of the past two weeks. Shah made it clear that the operation would continue till heinous crimes were brought under control. He said that in today’s meeting the impact of the operation had been assessed and there had been a visible improvement in the law and order of Karachi. He said that targeted killing, kidnapping for ransom and extortion had all declined substantially. He pointed out that the traders and businessmen were also satisfied to quite an extent. Qaim Ali Shah said that the operation was being carried out against criminals across the board and without discrimination and any interference.

He made it clear that this operation was not against any political party or group in particular and that it is in the interest of all those who wanted peace and harmony in the city. Citing the figures, he pointed out that the total raids conducted by the LEA’s were around 1,619 whereas the encounters between police and the criminals were 118 in total in which 18 criminals had been killed. Qaim Ali Shah further stated that in the so called targeted killings, 35 accused were arrested 11 of those arrests were under the Anti- Terrorism act. As many as 14 arrests were made in the cases of extortion while sixteen arrests were on the charges of kidnapping for ransom. In all 185 were arrested on charges of dacoity and robbery. 473 were apprehended under the Arms Ordinance. Another 373 were nabbed on charges related to narcotics while 369 absconders were also arrested whereas 555 were nabbed on charges of involvement in other crimes. He pointed out that the officially those arrested numbered 2,069. Shah said that during the past two weeks Rangers had carried out 143 raids and made 406 arrests.

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KARACHI Sunday, 22 September, 2013

COpS And ExtORtIOnIStS: Police officials present outlaws arrested during the ongoing operation.

‘Placement bureau’ introduced by govt KARACHI APP

a

placement bureau has been established at the commissioner office. A notification in the regard has been issued on Saturday. The facility has been created in accordance with the government’s policy for the provision of employment opportunities

and internships to the youth. This was stated by the Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui.

He was talking to a delegation at his office.

The commissioner pointed out that the facility would consist of seven members.

The Karachi Additional Commissioner Haji Ahmed, will be the secretary of the bureau. The bureau will hold a meeting every

month and consider matters pertaining to provision of employment opportunities to the youngsters. The commissioner said that the government is taking every measure for the welfare and betterment of the people.

He said that technical training would also be provided to the unemployed youths in order to enable them to secure jobs.

Outlaws with pips and epaulettes KARACHI

traffic awareness programme on the cards

ONLINE

KARACHI

Intelligence services have submitted a report to Karachi’s police chief revealing that more than 150 crime dens in the city were being run and managed under the auspices of none other than the police.

Sources told reporters that the additional inspector general had forward an 8-page report to Sindh IG calling for action against the dens, and the involved policemen and officials involved.

APP

Traffic Police Additional Traffic Police Ispector General Ghulam Thebo has directed Traffic Police to launch a traffic rules awareness programme to minimise road accidents. During the awareness programme use of helmets by motor cyclists and following traffic signal lights would be stressed through pamphlets that would also inform public about loss of life in accident caused by over-loading, overtaking against rules and ignoring road lanes as well as due to other traffic rule violations, said a press release issued on Saturday. He directed the police to involve social welfare organisations, students in creating awareness about respecting the traffic rules and the dangers their violations carry. He also directed the preparation schedule for

meeting with the representatives of the local bodies seeking their involvement andassistance for controlling and streamlining traffic movement by removing encroachments from road sides.

nadra report confirms suspicions of fraud in elections KARACHI ONLINE

KARACHI: Rubbish and refuse clogs the Karachi fish harbour.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has presented a report to the Election Tribunal pertaining to the verification of thumb impressions on the votes cast in NA-258 constituency during the May 11 general elections. NADRA on Saturday submitted a report of electronic verification of

votes in NA-258, Karachi before an election tribunal.

According to the report, 23, 432 votes could not be identified while only 2, 475 votes were found to be correct.

It says there was no record of 4, 680 votes while 8 votes were cast by a single person, Muhammad Saleh. In addition, CNIC cards of 54 voters were fake. PML-N candidate Abdul Hakim Baloch had won from NA-258, Malir.

Profiteers to continue facing the axe KARACHI APP

The crackdown against profiteers will continue for the foreseeable future. said.

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Siddiqui on Saturday. He said that on Friday alone,127 shopkeepers had been fined for overcharging and profiteering whereas fines of around Rs 219,400 had been collected. The crackdown would continue till the items of daily use are made available to the people at the official rates.

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Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair. –George Burns

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Sunday, 22 September, 2013

us says open for iran talks based on ‘mutual respect’ obAMA And irAniAn President hAssAn rouhAni will be in new york next week for A Meeting of the united nAtions generAl AsseMbly WASHINGTON AGENCIES

t

HE United States is ready to engage in talks "on the basis of mutual respect" with Iran about its disputed nuclear program as long as Tehran is willing to demonstrate that its program is for civilian purposes, the White House said on Friday. "We have had a number of engagements with the Iranians and we'll continue to have conversations on the basis of mutual respect," Josh Earnest, the

deputy White House spokesman, told reporters aboard Air Force One during President Barack Obama's flight earlier in the day to Missouri. "And over the course of those conversations there will be an opportunity for the Iranians to demonstrate through actions the seriousness with which they are pursuing this endeavor," Earnest said.

Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will be in New York next week for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

The White House has said that an encounter between the two leaders

is possible. Earnest said there was no meeting scheduled between Obama and Rouhani, but his comments were the latest signal from the White House that it views Rouhani potentially as someone with whom it can do business.

Western powers believe Iran is de-

veloping nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at power generation. The positive tone in US-Iranian relations, which have been fraught since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, worries Israel. It is warning the Obama administration not to be se-

FAISALABAd: Supporters of pakistan Sunni tehreek protest outside the Sandal Bar police Station against the arrest of their party fellows on Saturday. INP

duced by Rouhani's charm offensive. A senior Israeli minister said on Friday that Iran is on course to develop a nuclear bomb within six months and time has run out for further negotiations. But in a call with reporters to preview Obama's UN speech, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Washington believed there was time to pursue diplomacy with Iran.

"We've always made clear that there's not an open-ended window for diplomacy, that we need to be moving forward with a sense of urgency," Rhodes said.

"We do believe ... that Iran has not taken steps, for instance, to break out and weaponise its nuclear program. So even as we move with a sense of urgency here, we do believe that there's time and space to pursue diplomacy." The

New York Times reported on Friday that Iran is seeking a "swift agreement" over its nuclear program with the goal of ending sanctions that have devastated its economy. Earnest, responding to that story, said the White House welcomed the new tone from Tehran after Rouhani's election in June and said sanctions had had their desired effect. "These sanctions have tightened around the Iranian regime, further isolated them from the international community, taken a significant toll on their economy and put pressure on them to come back to the bargaining table," he said. "The president has demonstrated a willingness to engage with the Iranians, and has done that for some time now," he added, noting that Obama and Rouhani had exchanged letters.

‘insider attack’kills 3 nAto soldiers in Afghanistan KABUL AGENCIES

A man wearing Afghan security forces uniform shot dead three NATO-led soldiers on Saturday in the eastern part of the war-torn country, the coalition said.

So-called “insider attacks”, in which Afghan forces turn their guns on their foreign partners, have killed scores of foreign troops in Afghanistan, breeding fierce mistrust and threatening to derail the training of local forces to take over security duties ahead of NATO’s withdrawal next year.

“Three International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members died when an individual wearing an Afghan National Security Forces uniform shot them in eastern Afghanistan today,” an ISAF statement said, adding that both ISAF and Afghan officials were investigating the incident. In line with Nato pol-

icy, the statement did not give the victims’ nationalities. An Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the incident happened during a training session in the insurgency-hit eastern province of Paktia.

An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier opened fire on US soldiers in a military training camp, killing two on the spot, he said. A third later died of his wounds, he added. The attacker was killed when Americans returned fire, he said.

The threat of “insider attacks” has become so serious that foreign soldiers working with Afghan forces are regularly watched over by so-called “guardian angel” troops to provide protection from their supposed allies. There are presently some 87,000-strong USled forces fighting alongside about 350,000 Afghan security forces to repel a bloody Taliban insurgency which has been going since 2001.

nato exit may trigger ‘proxy war’ in afghanistan BRUSSELS ONLINE

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ATO'S withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 is likely to have deep implications for South Asia. Experts say tensions between India and Pakistan might intensify, should the Afghan political reconciliation process fail.

Some 12 years after the NATO invasion of Afghanistan, combat troops are scheduled to leave the country by the end of 2014.

But many questions linger about the nation's future, according to a report published in Deutsche Wella.

According to experts, there are four major aspects that will play a key role in determining the prospects of the war-torn South Asian nation.

These involve the number of allied troops set to remain in the country, the success of negotiations with the Taliban, the upcoming presidential elections and the willingness of neighbouring countries to facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process.

But it all starts with the drawdown. According to a report by the US Congressional Research Service, the size of the international forces that will remain in Afghanistan post 2014 could be about 8,000-12,000 trainers plus an unspecified number of counterterrorism forces, the majority of which would be from the US. "It is clear that it is going to be a very light physical footprint, with the Afghans leading the security," said Moeed Yusuf, a South Asia expert at the US Institute of Peace.

He believes the Western nations will continue to invest money in Afghanistan to ensure the government in Kabul does not collapse and is able to hold at least the capital Kabul and other major urban areas. How-

ever, the US-Afghanistan security agreement that would keep this so-called residual force in the country is still under negotiation due to differences over how to deal with the Taliban.

There are fears the Taliban will succeed in retaking control over the country after the NATO withdrawal In the meantime, the situation in Afghanistan seems to be deteriorating. "There are fears that the Taliban and other insurgents will achieve success against Afghan forces once the international force is reduced substantially by late 2014," the Congressional report stated.

Some Afghan factions warn of civil war and are rearming and recruiting militiamen, and some elites are said to be moving their businesses and funds out of Afghanistan due to the fear of chaos and instability after the pullout, the report added.

According to Afghan Interior Minister Umer Daudzai, police deaths have doubled since NATO troops handed over security responsibility to local troops. But the attacks of extremist groups such as the Taliban are not limited to security personnel. According to a UN report, Afghanistan's civilian casualty toll in the first six months of 2013 jumped by 23 percent, compared to the same period last year. The report stated that the insurgency was to blame for 74 percent of all civilian casualties.

Rolf Tophoven, director of the Germanbased Institute for Terrorism Research and Security Policy (IFTUS), told DW there is a large number of militants and drug lords in different parts of the country who are seeking to increase their influence by attacking Afghan security forces. "Without NATO support, Afghan troops will become incapable of dealing with these strikes," Tophoven added.

This view is shared by Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washingtonbased Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars: "Afghanistan's armed forces are afflicted by drug abuse, illiteracy, and desertion, yet they preside over one of the world's most volatile security environments, and continue to suffer from combat-related incapacities. This is all one big recipe for disaster, no matter how much Afghanistan and its allies around the world try to sugar-coat the issue."

This is why most experts argue that in order to achieve long-term stability and peace in Afghanistan, an agreement has to be reached on how to include the Taliban in the existing political system.

There is still no favourite to succeed President Hamid Karzai after the April poll. "No one is talking about whether to involve Taliban politically or not. That discussion is over. The real question is in what form and under what terms and conditions will they participate in the political process and what sort of concessions and incentives are put on the table for negotiations with the extremists," Pakistan-born analyst Yusuf said.

Experts argue that the upcoming Afghan presidential elections are crucial for the reconciliation process with the Taliban to succeed. If the vote takes place as scheduled on April 5, it would be the country's first handover of power since the US-led invasion. But there is still no favourite to succeed President Hamid Karzai, who is constitutionally barred from running for a third term. "If the elections are either fraudulent or discredited, it would put an end to a successful political transition in Afghanistan," Yusuf added.

Analysts argue such a development would

have a major impact on South Asia. According to historian and journalist William Dalrymple, most observers in the West view the Afghanistan conflict as a battle between the US and its partners on one hand, and al Qaeda and the Taliban on the other.

But in reality, he argues, NATO troops are now caught up in a complex war shaped by two pre-existing and overlapping conflicts: one local between the different ethnic groups in Afghanistan, the other regional between the nuclear powers India and Pakistan.

The Taliban government of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 was never recognized by India. However, after the Taliban were ousted by the US following the 9/11 attacks, a major strategic shift occurred resulting in the new Afghan government becoming close to India, Dalrymple writes in an essay published by the Brookings Institution. "With Karzai in office, India seized the opportunity to increase its political and economic influence in Afghanistan."

However, the expert added, the Pakistani military has always viewed the Indian presence, in what they regard as their "strategic Afghan backyard," as an "existential threat." This has led to efforts by the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI to restore the Taliban to power "so that it can oust Karzai and his Indian friends."

Political analyst Yusuf fears that if the terror activities persist in Afghanistan after 2014, they are likely to spill over into neighboring countries and warns that Afghanistan could become "a staging ground for an Indo-Pakistani proxy war."

Analysts say Afghanistan may become the staging ground for a proxy war between

Bilateral relations are already plagued with mistrust and if both countries cannot get on the same page on Afghanistan, ties will see further tensions and acrimony, ultimately hampering the Afghan reconciliation process imtiaz gUl AnAlyst India and Pakistan.

Imtiaz Gul, director of the Islamabadbased independent Centre for Research and Security Studies agrees. He is of the opinion that the decade-long struggle between the two countries for strategic influence and foothold in Afghanistan will further intensify. "Bilateral relations are already plagued with mistrust and if both countries cannot get on the same page on Afghanistan, ties will see further tensions and acrimony, ultimately hampering the Afghan reconciliation process."

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If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does. –Lewis Carroll

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NEWS Sunday, 22 September, 2013

syria hands over chemical arms inventory to watchdog DAMASCUS

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AGENCIES

YRIA handed over the remaining details of its chemical arsenal on Saturday, meeting a deadline under a deal that headed off military strikes, the world’s chemical weapons watchdog said. Damascus had already turned over details of part of its inventory to the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, but the group said on Saturday that the process was now complete. The “OPCW has confirmed that it has received the expected disclosure from the Syrian government regarding its chemical weapons programme,” the watchdog said.

“The Technical Secretariat is currently reviewing the information received,” it added.

The disclosure comes as UN envoys struggle to agree on the wording of a resolution to enshrine the deal under which Syria is handing over its chemical weapons for destruction.

The US-Russian agreement, worked out as Washington threatened military action in response to an August 21 chemical weapons attack outside Damascus, requires Syria to hand over the whole of its arsenal. It has received widespread international support, in-

cluding from China, whose Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would “support the early launch of the process to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons.”

Wang also called for the convening of a mooted peace conference in Geneva “as soon as possible.” But the international consensus on the plan has not carried over into negotiations on the wording of a UN Security Council resolution to back it up.

The Council’s five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – have been wrangling over the text of the resolution since Monday in a bid to find common ground. The United States, France and Britain want a strongly worded resolution, possibly under the UN Charter’s Chapter VII, which could allow the use of force or sanctions to ensure compliance.

However Russia, a key ally of Damascus, opposes all references to use of force.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke on the telephone Friday about a “strong” UN Security Council resolution on the deal.

“We talked about the cooperation which we both agreed to continue to provide, moving not only towards the adoption of the OPCW rules and regulations, but also a res-

rUssia coUld change position on sYria if assad cheats: kremlin aide MOSCOW: Russia could abandon support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if it learnt that he was not committed to handing over control of his chemical weapons arsenal, the chief of staff for President Vladimir Putin suggested on Saturday. But Sergei Ivanov also reiterated Russia's long-standing opposition to western military intervention in Syria, saying that such action would only aid militants linked to Al Qaeda. "In the event of external military interference the opposition ... would entirely lose interest in negotiations, considering that the U.S. would bomb the regime to its foundations as in Libya, giving them an easy path to victory," Ivanov said in comments reported by Russian media to a Stockholm conference organized by the British-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said that Russia expected to know the whereabouts of all Assad's chemical weapons within a week, although it would take two to three months to decide how long would be required to eliminate them.

"I'm talking theoretically and hypothetically, but if we became sure that Assad is cheating, we could change our position," Sergei Ivanov said. AGENCIES

olution that is firm and strong within the United Nations,” Kerry said. “We will continue to work on that,” he added.

The chemical weapons disarmament deal has done little to slow fighting on the

ground, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting that regime troops killed 15 people in a Sunni village in the central province of Hama late on Friday.

The Observatory said regime troops

backed by Alawite pro-regime militias killed 12 men, two women and a child in the village of Sheikh Hadid. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is from the Alawite religious minority and faces an uprising that is dominated by Sunnis. Elsewhere in the country, the Observatory said rival rebel groups carried out prisoner exchanges under the terms of a deal to end fighting over the town of Azaz, near the border with Turkey. The truce deal between the mainstream Free Syrian Army and the AlQaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was brokered by a third brigade, which is overseeing the ceasefire.

Tensions have spiralled between some mainstream rebel groups and ISIS in recent months, especially in northern Syria, where the opposition controls vast swathes of territory. The Syrian opposition National Coalition meanwhile rejected an offer from Iranian President Hassan Rowhani for Tehran to mediate talks between rebels and the regime.

“The Iranian initiative is not serious and lacks political credibility,” the key opposition grouping said in a statement, pointing to Tehran’s close ties to Assad’s government.

French President Francois Hollande is to meet Rowhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week for talks on Syria and Iran’s nuclear programme.

“What we want to see is an Iran fully engaged, like other players, in the search for a real political transition in Syria,” an aide to Hollande said. Rowhani, a moderate on Iran’s political scene, has made several diplomatic overtures since his election in June, and there has been speculation that he could also meet US President Barack Obama at the United Nations next week.

syriaN army kills 15 iN suNNi village BEIRUT AGENCIES

QUEttA: the out-patient department at Civil Hospital was locked on Saturday as doctors and paramedical staff in all government hospitals continued to protest against the abduction of a senior doctor, Munaf tareen. INP

russiAn MusliM clerics wArn of unrest over bAnning of QurAn trAnslAtion MOSCOW AGENCIES Russia’s senior Islamic clerics warned the country’s leaders on Friday that unrest could erupt in Russian Muslim communities and beyond if a court decision ordering the destruction of an interpretive translation of the Holy Quran is not overturned.

On Tuesday, a court in Novorossiysk, a city in southern Russia, outlawed the widely read text under a Russian anti-

russAin islAMic exPert sAys decision is ‘one steP AwAy froM bAnning the QurAn’ extremism law that rights activists say has been abused by local officials out of prejudice or to persecute groups frowned upon by the dominant Russian Orthodox Church. The rights campaigners said the decision, which

will apply nationwide unless it is overturned on appeal, comes dangerously close to banning the Quran itself. Russia's Council of Muftis sounded the alarm in an open letter on Friday to President Vladimir Putin, who has frequently called for unity among the leading faiths, and warned that ethnic tension could tear Russia apart.

“Russian Muslims are indignant over the decision,” said the council’s deputy head Rushan Abbyasov, adding that if the ruling was acted upon, there would be

unrest all over the world.

In the letter to Putin, the council drew a parallel with violence in the Middle East and Afghanistan over the actions of American pastor Terry Jones who threatened to burn the Quran on September 11, 2010.

“Is it necessary to discuss how the destruction of books, especially sacred religious books, has been received in Russia in the past?” it said.

A lawyer representing the text’s author, theologian Elmir Kuliyev, said he would

Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed at least 15 people overnight in a Sunni Muslim village north-west of the city of Hama, activists said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a woman and two children were among those killed in the attack in the village of Sheikh Hadid by soldiers and pro-Assad militia.

The British-based group, which monitors violence in Syria through a network of activists and medical and security sources, said the killings followed attacks by rebels on military checkpoints in the area over the previous two days. It said 26 people - 16 soldiers and 10 members of the pro-Assad National Defence Force - were killed when rebels attacked a nearby checkpoint on Thursday.

There was also fighting in the village of Jalma, two miles south of Sheikh Hadid, on Friday, it said. The opposition Shaam News Network put the death toll in Sheikh Hadid in the dozens, but gave no details. More than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war, which grew out of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The conflict pits mainly Sunni Muslim rebels against a president whose Alawite faith is an offshoot of Shia Islam.

appeal the ruling, which calls for the text to be banned and its copies “destroyed”. Lawyer Murat Musayev, who has a month to file an appeal, said that a local prosecutor sent the material to a local court and together they decided to ban the holy book. “On one hand there is freedom of religion in Russia, on the other they are banning fundamental religious texts,” he said.

Experts say the translation by Kuliyev, which is more than a decade old, is a respected scholarly work and one of the four translations of the Quran into Russian. Russian Academy of Science Islamic expert Akhmed Yarlikapov termed the decision “unprofessional” and said it was “one step away from banning the Quran”. “You could ban the Bible just as easily because it also has passages that talk about the spilling of blood,” he said.

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There is no moral difference between a Stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. They both kill innocent people for political reasons. –Tony Benn

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my problem

COMMENT

giving peace a chance, or giving terrorists a chance?

Sunday, 22 September, 2013

talks with the ttP despite the attacks and preconditions?

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AKISTAN is supposed to help bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table. It has also to put an end to domestic insurgency either through talks or military action.

While the two missions are altogether different from one another, they are equally challenging. Islamabad set Mullah Baradar free on Saturday in the hope that his release would facilitate the resumption of the suspended intra-Afghan talks. In case Mulla Baradar thinks it is necessary to go to any other country to accomplish the task, there would be no bar on his departure. Whether the release would bring the warring sides together to evolve an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led political solution remains to be seen.

Unlike the Afghan Taliban who are fighting a foreign army, Pakistani militants are rebels who have committed atrocities against their own people, attacked armed forces and destroyed national assets. What is more they comprise several groups with their own leaders and decision making bodies. There are also foreign militants in the tribal areas that include the Central Asians, the Chechens and the Chinese separatists besides the Al Qaeda. While it is convenient to advocate talks with the TTP, the network itself has yet to formulate an agenda for talks acceptable to all its affiliates. To maintain a semblance of unity, the TTP owns whatever despicable act its components commit. While the TTP had expressed confidence in the leaders of the PML-N, the JUI-F and the JI before the elections, it conducted some of the worst attacks after the formation of the government of its chosen guarantors of peace.

Over three months and a half in power and strengthened with a mandate from the APC, the PML-N has yet to form a committee for talks with the TTP. It has though taken the issue of the drone attacks to the UN Security Council to build international pressure on the US to stop the attacks. The TTP and its affiliates have meanwhile continued on their deadly mission undeterred. The latest killing of GOC Swat duly owned by the TTP’s official spokesman and followed by the announcement of preconditions for talks indicates that the network wants submission rather than dialogue. The killings in Dir have meanwhile led some of the erstwhile TTP supporters to condemn the act. In case the TTP fails to stop the attacks and withdraw the preconditions, it will be further isolated. It was reportedly agreed at the meeting between the PM, the COAS and the DG ISI that while dialogue should be given a chance, there was no way the government would cave in to the TTP’s demands. The militants should realise that another major attack on the civilian population or the army would create a national consensus on army action to root out the militancy once forever.

Many would then insist that the army stop cherry picking and take out all terrorist groups without exception – something that the establishment should have done all along.

all power to the rangers fine, but not without diligent oversight

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HENEVER in these turbulent times the federal cabinet meets, one expects a harsh decision or three to flow from it. The Friday’s get together gave the Rangers’ powers conducting an operation clean-up at Karachi a serious upgrade: carte blanche to shoot to kill. The argument for: equipped with automatic weapons, the criminal gangs can only be bearded in their dens when the Rangers too have matching authority to overpower their blazing guns that require no permission to shoot. Indeed, the criminals with or without the umbrella of their political patrons, are trigger happy. But, so are the Rangers, goes the counter argument. Even without such powers over life and death, the Rangers, and other law enforcement agencies, have killed in cold blood. Such as that unarmed young man on July 9, 2011 – gunned down in full public view in broad daylight when he was literally grovelling for his life to be spared. The footage remains etched to the memory, thanks to an intrepid videographer who subsequently received life threats for his comeuppance for shooting the footage. That – with examples too numerous to recount – was neither an isolated incident, nor an aberration.

That said, the ongoing operation has met with some measure of success. With Lyari and its thugs aligned with the PPP also snared up by the Rangers and police dragnet, and a few prominent dons eliminated, the MQM’s screams over what it propagated as targeting its workers is now somewhat muted, and no longer dubbed in such extreme terms as Altaf Hussain’s tirade, calling it “a replica of the 1992 operation” and “a genocide of the Mohajirs.” From various reports, it can be gathered that the criminals who had fled before or early in the operation, are being mopped up from other parts of the country.

But the operation has to be taken to its next level to bring it to its logical conclusion. It can be argued, and the cabinet has seen it appropriate to concede to the rationale behind it, that the Rangers need to be further empowered to go for the criminals’ jugular and finish the job. That is why the enhanced powers – not just with the gun but also extending the period of remand on grounds of mere suspicion: tripling it from 30 days to 90. Both powers are inappropriate and overwhelming. But desperate times, as the saying goes, require desperate measures. And Karachi definitely falls in the realm of extreme category as far as malignancy is concerned. Nothing short of brutal but clinically efficient surgery is likely to produce amenable results. Even so, now that the powers have been granted, diligent oversight – judicial as well as parliamentary – is essential to ensure that these are not wantonly misused.

Putting mechanisms in place that bring the Rangers to book wherever they trespass is as much a government’s responsibility as ensuring enduring peace in Karachi.

HuMAyuN GAuHAR

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’M back. Many things happened during my brief absence, but the saddest was the passing away of our famous poet Jamiluddin Aali’s beloved wife Tyaba Bano at the age of 95. She was a niece of Nawab Ismail Khan, star of our freedom struggle, grandson of Nawab Mustafa Khan Shaifta who was of Mirza Ghalib’s friend and patron – “Itny na barha paaki-e-daman key hikayat,” said Shaifta. “Daman ko zarra dekh, zarra band-e-kaba dekh”; and “Voh Shaifta keh dhoom thi hazrat kay zohad key; mein kya kahoon keh raat mujhay kis kay ghar milay”.

I remember Aali Sahib from childhood as he was with my Uncle Tajammul in Government College, Lahore, and thus also knew Altaf Gauhar, my father. Related to my in-laws, my ‘khush daman’ – which means mother-in-law in chaste Urdu – called her Tyaba Apa. Aali Sahib, of course, is well known for his witty couplets or ‘dauhas’ – “Aali this Diwali holiday proved difficult; we went all decked up but the belle called me brother” – “Aali ab kay kathan para Diwali ka tyohar; hum tau gayay thay chaila bun kay, bhiyya keh gayee naar”. What is less known is Aali and Tyaba’s rapturous love – he was 18 and she 25 when they got married. My wife and her mother tell me that she was the nicest person they knew, without an iota of malice. Everyone loved her; none disliked her. She was always there in everyone’s grief or happiness. Hers is a life to be celebrated, not mourned. I told her son Raju that death is a problem for the living; the dead have gone to a better place where the spirit is no longer captive in the body. And I told her younger son Murad that it’s untrue that time is a great healer; you just get used to the pain. May her soul rest in peace! Her family will get used to it. They should remember that God never places a burden on anyone that they cannot bear.

Now back to the mundane in which we are stuck a while longer. I didn’t write last week because of a terrible cold brought on by the inevitable turn in weather, maniacal travels and my left eye gone nearly blind. Many people sent messages of sympathy and concern and prayed for me. I’m most grateful to them all.

When Dr Zeba chided me for taking so long to get a check-up and I told her my travel schedule, she said tersely, “That’s not my problem. It’s yours.” True.

But then it’s easy to take a scolding from a pretty girl – my wife does it at least once a day, and when she doesn’t I feel unwell – and not so difficult to get an injection in

Editor’s mail 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

the eyeball from one either. I did, and am much better for it. “Focus on something on the ceiling so your eyes don’t move,” ordered Zeba. “Last time you told me to look at your face,” I replied. She smiled, “No, that makes your eyes go too far back.” So my eyes moved as the needle entered and the injected one went slightly red. No problem, my problem.

I told Zeba that I couldn’t understand why I am so tense these days since I have no personal problems and I love my wife very much. “That’s so obvious,” she said. “Perhaps it’s because of seeing the country decline,” I said. That’s it. Problem is, I think too much, not like “yond Cassius” for I’m neither lean nor have a hungry look – but because I think too much. Good Lord! What a sentence. Either good or atrocious, you decide.

I should remember what I always say, that we are a very lucky generation witnessing history in the making at fast forward, historical forces in a perfect storm. Problem is, we humans also get ground to dust by historical forces. People suffer. States go into oblivion as new ones are born. While the process of history entails a lot of progress it also entails a lot of pain. One worries about one’s children and loved ones. What will happen to them? This is where one’s faith in God is tested. He knows best.

For us Pakistanis there’s nowhere to go considering every country is in decline and who would accept us anyway?

The Indian who became Miss America was reviled as a terrorist, though she is Hindu, so much is the distrust, dislike and prejudice. Our only option is to save our country and ensure its progress for this is the only country we have. It is an imperative, a vital survival necessity.

Sometimes, analytical ability of sorts and a sense of history can be a bane, because you realise how much worse things could get. Oftentimes, their absence can be a boon. A little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing, sure, but ignorance is bliss too. This is the first time I envy those who are oblivious to what could lie in store. See how fast peace and life-asusual evaporated in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia… The process will continue in other states in and beyond the Middle East, east and west.

As I’ve often said but sometimes forgotten, I would rather celebrate witnessing our man-eating system and the inhuman status quo it engenders hurtling to its inevitable demise. One should hope and pray that a beautiful phoenix will rise from its ashes, as it did in 1947 but we made a hash of it.

Since my last article I find only one thing of national pride: a Pakistani film ‘Zinda Bhaag’ has been nominated for an Oscar. The rest is bad. A little girl was raped in Lahore and the fiends are still at large. A little boy was raped by his school’s principal. A small girl was flogged in one of our many primitive areas. A tribal court or Jirga in another of our primitive areas ordered alleged criminals to walk over burning coal to determine guilt: innocence was ‘proved’ by soles not getting burned! Punishment: the wives of the ‘guilty’ were killed. We gleefully write articles titled: ‘Rapes rise in India as economy declines’. Look at yourself, man. Anyway, how does another’s misfortune help us?

A PIA pilot was arrested drunk in Birmingham from the cockpit of his plane, as were three stewards. He was going to fly hundreds of innocent passengers to Pakistan in an inebriated state.

When society collapses such things happen because standards, values and morals collapse too, as does the ability to tell between right and wrong. Human life loses value, as you see with the rampant terrorism and criminality in Pakistan, where rulers and law enforcers are the largest Mafia. This pilot is the son of a former general of the big moustache whose bombast, bluster and stupidity were even bigger. He claimed in my presence in the Royal Free Hospital in London, “You want to see the man who hanged Bhutto?

I am the man who hanged Bhutto.” Apparently our pilots, not only this scion of a silly general, have been found drunk before, but so degraded have our values and common sense become, and so low is our respect for human life, that we keep them in the cockpit – the name comes from a pit in which they held cockfights, thus ‘cockpit’. Let your imagination run. This man should never again be allowed in a plane or outside a bottle.

That’s not the worst of it. Once in Medina we are permitted into the room where the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is buried. The then general manager of PIA in Jeddah, not in our group, tried to get in too in a totally drunken state. Talk of propriety, PIA didn’t sack the animal or send him to rehab but posted him back to Karachi to serve out his term. “Great People to Fly With”, what? When those who run our vital institutions behave like this, what chance does our country stand? That such things happen in other countries too is no excuse. Rather, look at how they make such culprits pay for their misdeeds and misdemeanours.

The most lamentable was yet another All Parties Conference held after our politicians walked over the carcasses of many APCs past. This one was to involve one another in negotiating with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and to rightly create the perception that they gave ‘peace a chance’. I’m all for giving peace a chance provided it doesn’t mean, ‘give terrorists a chance’.

Peace doesn’t stand a chance when you look at our objectives and the terrorists’ objectives. Our objective is to end terrorism. Their objectives are to take over the state, impose on it their own version of Sharia that is at great variance to God’s Islam (which means peace) and get Shias declared non-Muslims. They cannot give us an iota and, hopefully, we cannot pander to their demands a jot. But with our rulers you never can tell. That the terrorists are not interested in talks was made evidently clear by their nonsensical terms and four terrorist attacks that followed, one of which killed a serving major general, a colonel and a non-commissioned officer. Where is the meeting ground?

This week is still too early to write about this. We have asked the Saudi king to mediate and bring the TTP to the negotiating table, thus publicly acknowledging that our Saudi ‘brothers’ are the terrorists’ patrons. Next week.

The writer is a political analyst.

He can be contacted at humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

Fax: +92-42-32535230 E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

achakzai speaks bitter truth Reference Achakzai’s bold statement on the floor of National Assembly published in your paper dated September 19. He is amongst few respected politicians of this country who enjoy credibility and dare to speak the bitter truth. Democracy and rule of law can only be strengthened if we enforce universally accepted political ethics, morals and transparency that are wedded to it.

Achakzai has very clearly given a warning to ruling elite and establishment of this country that Pakistan can ill-afford such nuisances. We need to set into place a credible accountability system, ensuring that criminals meet their fate, instead of continuing to paralyse this

country by remaining in corridors of power, bleeding our economy and playing Russian roulette with the lives of ordinary citizens. He has very rightly stated that Karachi has been reduced to crime infested city, where terrorists, extortionists and kidnappers rule the roost, demanding investigation into the mayhem on 12 May 2007.

The newly elected government and main opposition are dilly dallying over appointment of an independent Pakistani citizen, of whom there is no dearth, for appointment as Chairman NAB, inspite of the urgency.

The names that have surfaced for NAB appointment are very disturbing and will harm democracy.

MALIK TARIQ ALI Lahore

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I don't know people who don't say, boy the government is working better now. –Andrew Cuomo

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Sunday, 22 September, 2013

the ‘talks’ scenario the ttP senses an upper hand

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iJt and educational militancy how does it exert such damning influence in our university culture?

SAAD RASOOL

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WO weeks back, intelligence and law enforcement agencies arrested a student, as suspected terrorist with links to Al Qaeda, from the campus of Punjab University in Lahore. From his room in the University hostel, allegedly under the control of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), photographs of al-Qaeda leaders, along with banned substances and ‘important’ documents were also recovered.

This arrest led to the tracing and arrest of six other members of Al Qaeda in the following week, including several who had received special jihadi training in Miramshah, having expertise in improvised explosive devices and automobile technology. The ‘handler’ (read: leader) was a ‘student’ of the Punjab University, alleged a member of the IJT, living in the university hostels.

At the heels of these developments, two more arrests were made from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists, also alleged members of the IJT. While the IJT, has been quick to deny that any of these suspects are members of their ‘esteemed’ student group, the open secret has been confessed to by the vice-chancellor of Punjab University (a liberal educationalist, on the ropes in his campaign against the IJT), who has been quoted as saying that Jihadi literature, the NATO jackets and explosive materials have been recovered in different raids at hostel rooms belonging to IJT members.

Who is the IJT? What is their mandate?

What kind of influence do they exert over the universities and the student lives? How are they funded? How do they exert such damning influence in our university culture? And why is the university administration so impotent in the face of IJT powers? Does the government have any responsibility to step in and fix this rot of our educational culture? Or should we simply sit quietly at the side, surrendering the hot boiling pots of academic life to a culture of violence and extremism? In a country already at the brink of self-destruction from the menace of religious terrorism, can we allow to turn our student body – the very engine of populist revolutions all across history – into the

breeding grounds of intolerance? Or do we – law enforcement agencies) have tried appreall of us, individually and collectively – have hending such links, but with little success.

We, as a nation, can choose to shut our a responsibility and a stake in the issue?

A brief history first: formed on December eyes to the ticking time-bomb. We can con23, 1947, by an initial membership of 25 stu- tinue to ignore the factionalism and extremdents, the IJT, as a student body, had three de- ism brooding within the cathedrals of our clared objectives: 1) “to organise students in educational empires. And wait for the day, order to serve Islam”, 2) “to produce the that a generation is lost to the darkness of fondness of studying Islamic literature in stu- conservatism and violence.

Or we, instead, perilously though couradents”, and 3) “to prepare students for certain field for future Islamic society” (as quoted geously, we can start to climb out of this from the website of IJT). Benign in substance darkness that has all but taken over our youth. and innocuous in theory, the IJT soon grew We can decide, today – we should have done out of these stated objectives to reach into the it yesterday – that while militancy may continue to exist in certain dark and despotic cornefarious pulse of extremist sentiment.

Having grown to a nationwide organisa- ners of our country for the coming decades, tion by the mid-1950s, the IJT demands ex- that we will not allow it to fester and breed in panded to introduction of a complete ‘Islamic the places of our children’s education.

That while our lack of resolve may stop us education system’ in all universities and colleges. In the years that followed, this demand, from venturing into the turf of the extremists, fuelled by publication of Jamiat literature and we are not so impotent as to allow them to pamphlets, started to take on issues such as walk into our homes and schools, and hold opposing military cooperation with the US hostage the entire project of national education and peace talks with India, as well as support through the barrel of a misguided religious of religious regimes in Iran, Afghanistan and philosophy. We can open our eyes to the fact Arabia. The IJT leadership, in pursuit of these that the destiny of our nation – that the destiny ‘non-academic’ goals, started to periodically of all nations, all through history, in each popvisit foreign nations, frequently with a mes- ular revolution – has been written by the students and the scholars: sage that was fully discorstudents overthrew the dant with the stance of the French monarchy in the government of Pakistan.

1700s; it were the univerAs the group developed a taste for politics Make your [F]acebook, Twitter, sity and college students trailed Jinnah and and militancy, the IJT Instagram and all other social that Gandhi against imperial members started to participate actively the jihad in media [and] evidence FOR you power; it were students who followed Khomeini Afghanistan and Kashmir and not against you on the to his messianic assent; it – and some were killed there. Simultaneously, on [D]ay of [J]udgment! Even when were students who formed the foundational support the domestic front, the IJT members started to use [you] “write” online or “post” a of Bhutto and Mujeeb-urcampus activities and re- pic, it is still being recorded by Rehman. And if we, today, lose our students to sources to mobilise campaigns against such the angels and we shall be held an organisation of conservatism and hatred, we ‘worthy’ causes as celeaccountable for everything. might forever lose the bration of the Taliban chance of turning a fresh takeover day in page on the tide of vioAfghanistan, conducting lence in this country.

“Amreeka murdabab” The official Facebook page of IJT, a part campaign, organisation of nationwide “Jehad Conference”, declaring Ahmadis to be non- of its media cell, declares the following: “Make your [F]acebook, Twitter, Instagram Muslims, banning of New Year celebration, opposing Valentine’s Day (declaring it to be and all other social media [and] evidence FOR “Haya Day”), supporting the ban on Youtube you and not against you on the [D]ay of [J]udgand several other internet websites, and forbid- ment! Even when [you] “write” online or “post” ding progressive literature from the university a pic, it is still being recorded by the angels and libraries. Their wide membership and grass- we shall be held accountable for everything.” roots network (in most educational institutions) You better believe it, IJT. For once, we naturally encouraged banned organisations agree: you will have to answer for it. You betsuch as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jamaat-ud- ter believe it!

Dawa to develop links with the militant sentiments within the IJT’s student body, providing The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore. the latter with virtually unlimited sources of He has a Masters in Constitutional Law funding and organisational support. And, from from Harvard Law School. He can be time to time, as claimed on the official web- reached at: saad@post.harvard.edu, or site of the IJT, “Government terrorists” (read: Twitter: @Ch_SaadRasool

Y now all the bits and pieces of information on the All Parties Conference (APC) proposal for talks with the ‘stakeholders’ (probably meaning the TTP – Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan – ostensibly the umbrella organisation for the many insurgent groups though it is not specifically mentioned) to end the FATAAfghanistan based insurgency against Pakistan are out on the table.

It is however the TTP that has responded in a number of ways: first by welcoming the APC proposal, then by stating that they would hold a shura to discuss and evolve a response then by owning up to a number of violent incidents including the targeted killing of a Pakistani general and colonel, then by stating two conditions for talks – the release of its prisoners and the pullout of the Pakistan Army from Pakistan’s FATA area and finally by stating that the ‘war against Pakistan will continue and that they would miss no opportunity to target the Pakistan Army’.

In a new twist to the situation there are reports of back channel contacts between the TTP and the government of Pakistan and a self declared contact man for Al Qaeda and TTP – has stated that he has been contacted by the TTP leader personally and told that no formal proposal for talks has been received and that all prisoners including those of banned militant parties in Pakistan must be freed. The contact has been denied by the TTP probably because it was meant to be confidential and if made public could create a rift within the TTP ranks – a rift that already exists.

It is obvious that there is a proposal for dialogue from Pakistan and that the TTP senses its upper hand and is formulating a response that will not diminish its precarious leadership role over the many insurgent groups and the militants within Pakistan that act to kidnap, extort, stoke ethnic and sectarian violence and create urban leverage for the western border based groups.

It is also clear that the majority within Pakistan including the Army are not comfortable with the connotation of abject surrender that the APC’s ‘talks’ proposal implies especially after the TTP’s multiple responses. The Army has, however, clearly stated its support for the political initiative even when severely provoked by the general’s killing.

It is also clear that neither side wants to completely scuttle the dialogue possibility. The back channel, if there is indeed one, needs to be out of the public domain and it needs to fine tune the public utterances from both sides so that rhetoric does not push people into corners because that is the surest way to end the possibility of dialogue.

A complete ceasefire could be a game changer but the TTP knows that it may be difficult for them to enforce this given the number of groups with their own agendas and the fact that the TTP by demanding the release of militants has formally admitted their linkage with them all over Pakistan. Till there is a breakthrough the ‘war’ will continue with no quarters given or asked for. This reality should be made clear to the people of Pakistan.

There is also the looming 2014 scenario. If there is no meaningful progress in the peace process then we are looking at a difficult phase in the three decades of violence in Afghanistan. There will be the northern alliance backed government in Afghanistan and it will attract Indian, Iranian, the Central Asian and Russian support because of past linkages that have endured and the fact that warlords allied with the former Northern Alliance still exist.

If there is a presidential transition through elections, then Karzai will not be there and a new man will take time to settle. The residual US presence – and it may be a significant one – will mean that there is US and Western support for the Afghan government. Against this ‘coalition’ will be the Afghan Taliban, who have turned a blind eye to the TTP and other insurgents fighting the Pakistan state and even given them sanctuaries. We should also expect no change in the financial, weapons and human resource inflows into Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If the TTP does not respond positively to Pakistan and continues its activity then Pakistan will have to make a very difficult choice putting its own interest foremost. It is in the interest of the Afghan Taliban to make sure the peace process ends on a positive note for them.

Equally it is in the TTP interest that they make peace with Pakistan and end their insurgency.

So while hoping for a good outcome Pakistan needs to prepare for the worst case scenario and this time it has to consider all the steps that need to be in place for a counter insurgency and counter terrorism operation including external support and internal security. Pakistan must also note the possibility of a thaw in the US-Iran relations, China’s stakes in Afghanistan, the need to improve relations with India and of course its own centrality in the ongoing run-up to 2014.

Spearhead Analyses are collaborative efforts and not attributable to a single individual.

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The meaning of life... I think the meaning of life is, I think it's love. –Julie Benz

arts Sunday, 22 September, 2013

gwyNeth PaltrOw sPeaks ON the ‘aveNgers’ wardrObe If Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts in another Marvel superhero flick, she may be asking for more control of her wardrobe. In the Avengers movie, much attention was given to her skimpy Daisy Dukes. "That was mean, wasn't it?" Paltrow said with a laugh while promoting her new dramedy Thanks For Sharing. "Why am I in cut-off shorts and everyone else is in a suit. It's not fair!" (Not to mention the sports bra she was wearing while running around in Iron Man 3!) She insists she doesn't know if more Tony Stark is in her future. "They don't tell me anything at Marvel," Paltrow said.

"I'm the last to know…I can't imagine they're not going to make another Iron Man movie. I don't know if I'm going to be in it or not." One thing she doesn't want to add to her resume?

Directing. Like Julia Roberts, Paltrow says she has no plans to direct. "If I take on one more job, I'm going to kill myself!" she said. What about having more kids? "No!" Paltrow cracked. "I have too much on my plate as it is!"

Not that she doesn't take time to enjoy herself. NEWS DESK

Boom Boom fever!

afridi as the cartoon warrior

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AKISTAN Cricket Team star allrounder Shahid Khan Afridi features as main lead cartoon character endorsed by local hand wash soap. To deliver a public service message regarding cleanliness, a local hand washing soap has endorsed cricketing sensation Shahid Khan Afridi. The motive of the cartoon is to teach children to wash their hands before eating as well as after

playing with others. The supporting characters of the cartoons are doctors and young warriors Ali, Sara & Riz who assist Shahid Afridi in fighting the germs. The villain characters include Germandar, Nazloo and Germina. Perhaps the easiest way to teach children on how to ensure cleanliness is maintained is by recommending them to watch the cartoon made by the local hand wash soap. NEWS DESK

Lea Michelle sports specs while out on a cloudy L.A. day.

Have we found alien life?

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AVE scientists found alien life in our atmosphere? Researchers from the University of Sheffield in England think so. They reported that tiny organisms that came back aboard a balloon sent high into the stratosphere are too big to have floated up from the surface of our planet. “In the absence of a mechanism by which large particles like these can be transported to the stratosphere we can only conclude that the biological entities originated from space," Dr. Milton Wainwright, astrobiology professor at the university, said in a written statement.

"Our conclusion then is that life is continually arriving to Earth from space, life is not restricted to this planet and it almost certainly did not originate here.”

Wainwright told The Independent that he's 95 percent certain the organisms come from space. But other scientists aren't so sure. "I'm very skeptical," Dr. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer with the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute, told The Huffington Post in an email. "This claim has been made before, and dismissed as terrestrial contamination." The researchers said they took precautions to avoid picking up bits of terrestrial life during the experiment. Microscope stubs on the balloon were exposed to the atmosphere only at altitudes of 22 to 27 kilometers (13.7 to 16.8 miles).

They acknowledged that there could be

some mechanism for transporting large particles high into the atmosphere. But since no such mechanism has been discovered, they said, the next likely explanation is that the "diatoms" come

from space. Still, other experts say there's simply not enough evidence.

"They should try a lot harder to look for more mundane ways this beastie made it up there," astronomer Dr.

Philip Plait wrote for Slate magazine.

"They dismiss other pathways, just stating they won’t work, but I’m unconvinced... In other words, if they can’t figure it out, it must be aliens.

This 'god of the gaps' argument leaves me underwhelmed." It's not the first time the Sheffield team has come under fire. Astrobiologist Dr. Chandra Wickramasinghe, another member of the research team, was criticized back in January for reporting that fossils inside a meteorite discovered in Sri Lanka were proof of extraterrestrial life. Wickramasinghe believes the organisms found in Earth's stratosphere may have hitched a ride aboard meteors from other planets, suggesting that life exists in other parts of the galaxy, as reported by the University Herald. The new findings were published in the Journal of Cosmology -- which itself has been viewed skeptically by some scientists.

Dr. Sean Carroll, an astrophysicist at Caltech, told The Huffington Post in an email that it "is not a serious journal."

Wainwright said the next step would be to perform "isotope fractionation" on the sample recovered from the balloon -- essentially, analyzing the ratio of certain carbon isotopes in the organisms to determine their origins.

The team hopes to confirm their findings by repeating the experiment in October during the Halley's comet meteor shower. “If life does continue to arrive from space then we have to completely change our view of biology and evolution,” Wainwright said. “New textbooks will have to be written!” If the team compiles enough evidence to convert the skeptics, that is. NEWS DESK

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Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. –Carl von Clausewitz

ARTS Sunday, 22 September, 2013

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britney’ investment revealed

JeNNette ’s mOther Passes away Jennette McCurdy is mourning the loss of her mother. The 21-year-old iCarly star's mom, Debra McCurdy, died Friday after a long battle with cancer, E! News has confirmed. "Jennette has suffered an unimaginable loss," her rep tells E! News. "Please respect her and her family's privacy at this time of mourning. She appreciates the love and support of her fans." Debra had been battling breast cancer for 17 years, according to the Wall Street Journal, and although she went into remission, the cancer returned and spread to her brain in 2010. Although Jennette, nor her boyfriend Andre Drummond, have specifically commented on the news, the Detroit Pistons forward tweeted Friday, "In a dark place right now," and "First time in my life, I don't have all the answers for something.." NEWS DESK

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RITNEY Spears may have had an endorsement deal with Pepsi, but it appears she has a thing for Coke. The soft drink company Coca-Cola is on the list of stocks the pop superstar invested in last year, along with Chipotle, Kraft Foods, AT&T, American Express, McDonalds Corp., Home Depot, Verizon, Amazon, Google, Visa and more, according to financial records filed by her conservatorship attorneys for 2012 obtained by E! News. Spears also has stock in Phillip Morris, and dabbles in

beauty and entertainment stocks from the likes of Time Warner, Colgate, Estee Lauder, Facebook, Priceline, Amazon and Comcast. Pepsi, however, is nowhere to be found in the doc. As far as the "Work Bitch" crooner's net income for that year, Spears amassed a total of $5.8 million in cash and $19.6 million in "non-cash" assets, and had a net income of $13.9 million. And there's more money to come. The 31-year-old mom of two is set to rake in major dough for her upcoming residency in Las Vegas—a reported two-year deal worth nearly $30 million. Spears' latest conservatorship news comes after her attorneys filed a motion earlier this month that requested the court continue to grant her dad, Jamie Spears, monthly payments of $16,000 to continue to keep tabs on her estate. The singer's ex-fiancé Jason Trawick previously served as her co-conservator with Jamie, but signed off soon after their split. Her dad has been overseeing her estate since 2008. NEWS DESK

Don Draper shows off his sexy scruff while out running errands in Los Angeles.

nicole kidman reveals her nY fashion week fashion secret lONg bONg Of the law! cOPs sOld drugs frOm sQuad car Federal authorities have filed drug and firearms charges against a Georgia sheriff's deputy they say sold marijuana from his squad car to an undercover law enforcement agent. The FBI says Newton County sheriff's Deputy Darrell Mathis showed up in his police car, dressed in his sheriff's deputy uniform and wearing his official gun when he sold the agent. During his initial court appearance Friday, a lawyer was appointed to represent Mathis and he was granted $25,000 bond. The FBI statement says agents began investigating Mathis in April after two law enforcement officers said a confidential source told them he or she had seen a large amount of marijuana in Mathis' Lithonia apartment during a social visit. They had the source set up the buys with the undercover officer. NEWS DESK

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IVEN her lengthy career as a Hollywood A-lister, Nicole Kidman may seem like a pro when it comes to fashionable events.

As it turns out though, sitting in on the shows at New York Fashion Week is a whole new experience for the Oscar-winning thesp. After attending a Calvin Klein show in the Big Apple last week, Kidman told E!'s own Fashion Police host George Kotsiopoulos, "It was my first show in New York," Kidman said. "I've never been to a show in New York before." Wow! It was quite the eventful first time experience for the star, who was knocked over by a paparazzo on a bicycle outside of the Carlyle hotel earlier that day.

Luckily, she came out of that "terrifying" encounter unscathed, and she was glowing by the time she hit the red carpet. And speaking of Fashion Police, although Kotsiopoulos couldn't get enough of Kidman's Fred Leighton earrings, the crew wasn't exactly thrilled by the low-cut white mini dress Jenny McCarthy wore to Us Weekly's Most Stylish New Yorkers Party in New York City Sept. 10. NEWS DESK

gta v makes $1 Billion in three daYs! t

HE latest edition of the video game – which costs around £42 – has sold more than £624 million ($1 billion) worth of copies in just three days. In a statement, TakeTwo Interactive Software, said: "Grand Theft Auto V, the critically acclaimed latest release from the iconic interactive entertainment series, has achieved worldwide retail sales of more than one billion dollars during its first three days on sale, according to company estimates. "We believe this marks the fastest that any entertainment property, including video games and feature films, has reached this significant milestone." Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two, said: “Grand Theft Auto is a cultural phenomenon and Rockstar Games continues to redefine what can be achieved in interactive entertainment. “We are incredibly proud of the extraordinary critical and commercial response to Grand Theft Auto V.” The game, which was developed in Edinburgh, is available for

the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. It allows players to take on the role of a criminal in a fictional American city, Los Santos. Gamers have to complete

various missions which include driving, shooting and racing, as well as stealing weapons, holding up cars and killing police. The Grand Theft Auto series first

appeared on the original PlayStation and on PCs in 1997. The fifth instalment was released on Tuesday to critical acclaim, with one calling it the “the best video games ever made". It took more than five years to develop and cost around £170 million, making it the most expensive ever produced. More than 1.5 million copies were sold on the first day of release in the UK. However the 18rated game, which includes depictions of murder, cannibalism and torture, has also been condemned for its violence.

Human rights groups have specifically expressed concern at one scene in which the player must pull out the teeth and electrocute and unarmed man.

Three teenagers arrested after a man was stabbed and robbed of his Grand Theft Auto V game in Colindale, north London on Tuesday have been charged with robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent. The youths, aged 14, 15 and 17, are due to appear at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Saturday. NEWS DESK

ex-bOyfrieNd regrets datiNg rakhi sawaNt Item girl Rakhi Sawant, who was recently in Kolkata to shoot an item song for a local movie, made it to the news after she was spotted getting up, close and personal with her ex-boyfriend Abhishek Awasthi at Comedy Circus maker Raaj Shaandilyaa's birthday party. Rakhi had earlier made headlines for slapping Abhishek in public, while he had said he regretted being Rakhi Sawant's boyfriend. So when we quizzed Rakhi on the topic, she said, "I went to the party and Abhishek suddenly caught hold of me and the photographers went berserk. Now I can't ignore him na. We still have courteous relations. He is a good friend." When asked if something was brewing between them, she said, "Impossible, am not interested in him."

On asking Abhishek about the incident, he said, "Raaj is like a brother to me.

We stay in the same building. So I was like the host of the party. Thus, I was meeting everyone and was dancing.

Rakhi was one of them. I don't have any feelings for her in my heart." As an afterthought, he said, "Rakhi is a shameful part of my past. I regret the time spent with her. She was my biggest mistake ever and I won't make that mistake again. I am at present dating someone and very much committed. My girlfriend was also there at the party, so the news of me and Rakhi being close is utter rubbish. There is no space of Rakhi Sawant in my life." COuRTESy TOI

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There are almost no sports within which mortal accidents are not a reality. — Dietrich Mateschitz

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SPORTS Sunday, 22 September, 2013

tests Of differeNt kiNds fOr csk, titaNs NEW DEHLI AGENCIES

The third match of the Champions League features two teams who’ve been dominant in their respective domestic competitions, but are hoping to slay past demons. While Chennai Super Kings are recovering from the shock of having one of their top officials chargesheeted for illegal betting, South Africa’s Titans are breaking in a new coach in Rob Walter and a green T20 captain in Henry Davids after a trying 2012-13 first-class season, which began with them as defending champions and ended with them going winless in 10 matches.

Super Kings will not have the comfort of the Chepauk crowd behind them, but they may well have traded up when they meet their opponents in Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi. His only top-level appearance at the JSCA ground, in an ODI against England, became a festival of sorts, and Dhoni would hope things haven’t changed much when he leads his adopted team onto the field for their first match in the Champions League 2013.

The setting could prove useful for a side with the likes of Michael Hussey, last year’s leading run-getter in the Indian Premier League and Ravindra Jadeja, the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler to reset itself. Jadeja will also find solace from the profitable return - 3 for 19 - he enjoyed on his last assignment in Ranchi. Though Faf du Plessis did not play at all in IPL 6 and Albie Morkel appeared in eight of the 18 matches Super Kings played, both could prove handy spies having played for Titans at domestic level.

Titans have their advantages as well, the foremost being the availability of AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel.

The former, with his seamless amalgam of conventional and unconventional shot-making, already has experience dismantling Super Kings’ bowling, which is their weaker discipline, while the latter will pose considerable threat to Super Kings’ strategy of keeping wickets in hand and exploding late in the innings.

Paired with Marchant de Lange, returning from rib injury, and CJ de Villiers, Titans boast one of the best seam attacks in the tournament.

JAIPUR

SCOREBOARD

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E have moved on from the IPL to the Champions League T20 qualifiers, and from there to Champions League proper, but some things haven’t changed. Rajasthan Royals stay unbeaten at home in 2013. Poor shots keep making games interesting. And ordinary umpiring keeps playing a significant role.

After an early shower delayed the start by 15 minutes, Royals asked the IPL champions to bat first on a pitch with fresh grass, and kept them down to 142 thanks to Vikramjeet Malik, who possibly wouldn’t have been playing had Siddharth Trivedi not been suspended for one year for not reporting an approach by bookies.

Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Coulter-Nile, the latter playing in the absence of Lasith Malinga, put Royals batsmen through a stern test, but were frustrated by Sanju Samson having escaped a plumb lbw when on one.

Samson went on to become the youngest player to score a fifty in the CLT20. More importantly, it helped Royals home. The knock wasn’t as convincing as the scorebook will show: even his fifty came up with a massive outside edge on the heave, he was beaten next ball, and then clearly out of place against fast, short bowling - gloved one over the keeper. Then again, it was hardly a night where things were what they seemed to be.

Mumbai’s team sheet slated the comeback man Sachin Tendulkar at No. 4, Rahul Dravid said his side needed no spinner, and the grass on the pitch promised high and consistent bounce. Tendulkar came out to open, part-time spinner Ashok Menaria bowled the first over, and Malik bowled a nasty grubber in the second over to trap Dwayne Smith lbw. Mumbai hardly looked comfortable against the movement, losing wickets regularly until Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard added 52 for the fifth wicket. Rohit, though, edged the returning Watson a ball after hitting him for a six, leaving Pollard with a lot to do. Pollard threatened to do the lot, but in the last over of the innings - when a 20 from him looked possible - he edged a wide half-volley through to the keeper.

Coulter-Nile hit a six and a four to give Mumbai some momentum going into the second innings, and got lucky with the ball too when Rahul Dravid cut a wide ball straight to point. Johnson wasn’t as lucky when he had Samson dead in front to a 150kmph swinger.

Bruce Oxenford was the only man who didn’t agree.

MuMBAI INDIANSS 9 DR Smith lbw b Malik SR Tendulkar c †Samson b Binny 15 KD Karthik† b Malik 2 RG Sharma* c †Samson b Watson 44 AT Rayudu run out (Rahane/Dravid) 3 KA Pollard c †Samson b Malik 42 8 Harbhajan Singh run out (Binny/Malik) NM Coulter-Nile not out 12 R Dhawan not out 0 7 EXTRAS: (lb 2, w 5) 142 TOTAL: (7 wickets; 20 overs) DID NOT BAT: MG Johnson, PP Ojha FALL OF WICKETS: 1-9 (Smith, 1.4 ov), 2-26 (Karthik, 5.1 ov), 3-38 (Tendulkar, 7.2 ov), 4-43 (Rayudu, 8.1 ov), 5-95 (Sharma, 15.4 ov), 6-130 (Pollard, 19.1 ov), 7-141 (Harbhajan Singh, 19.5 ov) BOWLING: AL Menaria 2-0-9-0,VS Malik 4-0-24-3,JP Faulkner 4-0-31-0,SR Watson 3-0-26-1,STR Binny 2-0-13-1,R Shukla 2-0-6-0,K Cooper 3-0-31-0 RAJASTHAN ROyALS 1 R Dravid* c Pollard b Coulter-Nile AM Rahane b Dhawan 33 SV Samson† c Smith b Pollard 54 SR Watson not out 27 27 STR Binny not out 6 EXTRAS: (lb 4, w 2) 148 TOTAL: (3 wickets; 19.4 overs) DID NOT BAT: BJ Hodge, AL Menaria, K Cooper, JP Faulkner, VS Malik, R Shukla FALL OF WICKETS: 1-5 (Dravid, 1.3 ov), 2-79 (Rahane, 11.2 ov), 3-107 (Samson, 15.3 ov) BOWLING: MG Johnson 4-0-38-0, NM Coulter-Nile 3.4-0-22-1, R Dhawan 4-0-17-1, PP Ojha 1-0-13-0,Harbhajan Singh 3-0-22-0,KA Pollard 3-0-20-1,DR Smith 1-0-12-0 MATCH DETAILS TOSS Rajasthan Royals, who chose to field POINTS Rajasthan Royals 4, Mumbai Indians 0 PLAyER OF THE MATCH VS Malik (Rajasthan Royals) uMPIRES BNJ Oxenford (Australia) and RJ Tucker (Australia) TV uMPIRE S Ravi MATCH REFEREE RS Madugalle (Sri Lanka) RESERVE uMPIRE CK Nandan

Samson and Ajinkya Rahane weathered that testing spell, and then targeted the two Mumbai spinners.

Pragyan Ojha was welcomed with a six over extra cover, and Harbhajan Singh was punished every time he bowled short and flat. Just when it looked like the two could finish the game off, Rahane ended the 74-run partnership with an ugly swipe. Samson continued his merry ride - he should consider taking it all the way to a casino - until a Pollard short ball got too big for him but wasn’t fast enough to take the top edge behind the stumps over the infield. Royals needed 36 off 27 then, and Shane Watson and Stuart Binny finally made sure there was a departure from the IPL: there was no twist in the end. Well, there might have been one when Watson played put two dots in the last over with two required, but Pollard let him off with a misfield.

2015 world cUp critical for new zealand: heal WELLINGTON AGENCIES

Stuart Heal, interim chief of New Zealand Cricket’s board of directors, said that the 2015 World Cup would be crucial to the New Zealand board and could help the organisation set cricket up across levels financially. “It is critical for us to reconnect with our fans. It is critical to increase our playing numbers and it is critical because it generates us cash. It is a very lumpy revenue line for New Zealand Cricket and if we can get it up to where the current forecasts are, it will set cricket up financially at all levels.”

Heal took over as interim chief earlier this week. Former cricketers Richard

Hadlee, Geoff Allott and Martin Snedden were elected as directors, along with administrators like Greg Barclay, Neil Craig, Liz Dawson and Don Mackinnon.

The eight new directors were voted in by delegates representing all Major Associations and District Associations, a change that was a result of the revamped

it is onlY 18 months or less awaY and it is critical from everY which waY YoU want to measUre it constitution adopted by the board in July this year. One of the major changes in the

LONDON AGENCIES

constitution adopted this year was the formation of the “appointments panel” to recommend candidates for the eight-member board of directors.

The 28 members of the NZC would then vote to endorse - or reject - the candidates.

UMAR GUL REAdy tO REtURn LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Senior Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul, who underwent knee surgery in Australia last May announced he was ready to return to competitive cricket after a lapse of more than six months.

The 29-year-old right-arm bowler was sent to Melbourne where Dr David Young, a renowned orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports injuries, performed an arthroscopy on the right knee after the cricketer limped out of the one-day series during the South Africa tour. In

cook backs england to retain the urn in australia

his enforced absence, Pakistan failed to progress beyond the preliminary round of the Champions Trophy where they lost all three games before winning both the Twenty20 and ODI series in the West Indies.

But the national side had a mixed trip to Zimbabwe. Despite winning the Twenty20 and oneday series, Pakistan suffered a shock 24-run defeat in the second Test in Harare which enabled lowly-rated Zimbabweans share the twomatch rubber. Since returning from Australia, Umar the leading bowler in all Twenty20

Internationals with 74 wickets in 52 matches had spent the best part of last seven weeks at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Under the guidance of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s team of Dr. Sohail Saleem and trainers Yasir and Ashraf, Umar had been undergoing rehabilitation programme to regain complete fitness. “Thank God, everything appears to be settling down. The knee is fine with no signs of ill-effects from the surgery I had a few months ago. Over the past 15 days, I have started bowling in the nets as well,” Umar revealed.

Captain Alastair Cook feels the England squad is good enough to go to Australia and win the Ashes for a fourth straight time.

After victories in 2009, 2010-11 and 2013, England will begin their quest to retain the urn on November 21 at The Gabba in Brisbane and Cook is confident of yet another victory. “I think we have to be confident,” Cook told Sky Sports. “We just won our third Ashes series in a row and I think that’s a great achievement. We now have a chance to win another one very quickly. “It’s a very tough place to go and play is Australia. It’s an unforgiving sporting environment and you have to be right at the top of your game if you want to compete and you want to win and we know that.” Alastair Cook “It’s a very tough place to go and play is Australia. It’s an unforgiving sporting environment and you have to be right at the top of your game if you want to compete and you want to win and we know that. “As a side, we’re ready for that challenge. We’ve got a break for about four weeks and it’s important that we use that rest well because we know how long a tour it’s going to be. “A few of us have some fond memories of the last tour in Australia, but knowing we can play well and win, it’s important we draw on those experiences. I do feel we have a squad good enough to win if we play well.” The squad will be announced on Monday and the likes of all-rounder Ben Stokes and fast bowler Boyd Rankin will be looking to force their way into the thinking after impressive performances in the recent ODI series.

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Sports betting is all about money management, so the most money won on one event is not the most important thing. –Bruce Dern

14 S

SPORTS Sunday, 22 September, 2013

Pcb graNts akram a-mONth’s exteNsiON LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

OHAMMAD Akram, the Pakistan bowling coach, has got a one-month extension that will allow him to carry out his job for the upcoming South Africa series in the UAE. His original one-year contract ended after the Zimbabwe series.

Moin Khan, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has also been named as manager for the tour. The recently concluded tour of Zimbabwe was his first assignment.

"We have extended his contract for another month," a PCB spokesman said. "It is a decision amid the ongoing caretaker setup, in which the board cannot appoint nor make a call to terminate anyone's services in the light of the Islamabad High Courtorder.

So, Akram will join Pakistan's squad next month in the UAE for the South Africa series."

His services were acquired following the ouster of Aaqib Javed, who resigned to be UAE's head coach after the series against England in 2012. He has been with the national side since the limitedovers series against Australia in the UAE, and has so far covered five Tests, 25

ODIs and 16 T20Is. During his stint as bowling coach, he oversaw the international debuts of Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Ehsan Adil and Asad Ali. His influence on bowlers like Irfan and Junaid was quite evident when the duo dominated in the limitedovers series in India and, later on, during the South Africa tour.

Akram, who played nine Tests and 23 ODIs for Pakistan between 1995 and 2001, is settled in England and has represented Essex, Sussex, Surrey and Northamptonshire. He played 125 matches and picked up 415 wickets in his 15-year firstclass career.

However, he hasn't been involved with any of the first-class teams in England and Pakistan in a coaching capacity.

"Working in Pakistan is a big challenge," Akram said earlier this year. "You have an extensive crop of fast bowlers around the country, but things aren't as fertile as it used to be. We, though, have a history of big names like Sarfaraz Nawaz, Wasim Akram, Waqar

Akram will join Pakistan's squad next month in the UAE for the South Africa series

taiNted umPire asad rauf claims iNNOceNce iN iPl 2013 sPOt-fixiNg cONtrOversy LAHORE: Tainted umpire Asad Rauf was on Saturday chargesheeted by police in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing case but the Pakistani official claimed innocence and said he has no link with bookies. "Discussion and information are two separate things. We can discuss things with people but sharing information is different. I will get in touch with my legal adviser and then I can tell you," Rauf said.

Asked if he knew Vindoo Dara Singh, who was also named in the chargesheet, Rauf said: "I have thousands of friends but that doesn't mean that if my friends does something

then I also have to do anything with that.

"Let them proof something. I mean, if it was the case that I have taken a favour or a gift or money was given to me ... you got to prove allegations," said Rauf, who was named "wanted accused" along with 15 bookies from Pakistan.

Rauf said he would explain his stand to ICC's Anti-corruption unit. "I have been an employee of ICC. ICC has their own Anti-corruption unit. Like police they also investigate. When they call me, I will answer them through my legal adviser. I have done five IPLs and my decisions have been 100 per cent correct. I will answer to ICC regarding my allegations," Rauf said. STAFF REPORT

Younis, but they are past now and we have a new era here with completely different bowlers. The tone of the cricket itself has changed immensely. "We have a nice decent bunch for international cricket and the future with them is entirely secure.

It's bit unfair comparing them to the previous great like Wasim-Waqar because you can't have that sort of bowler back again. They were unique and expecting the current lot is not good. They currently are good bowlers, and with more international exposure, they can be great in the longer-run. I am working with all the new bunch on top. Even went down at the grass root level to [gain some] insight about the upcoming bowlers, and I am satisfied."

Akram also ran an extensive programme with the regional coaches of the country. "The idea was to let the region understand how important there role is to build a fast bowler at the grass-root[s]. We aren't running out of any stock, that is for sure. We are actually lacking in the development of the player. What we need to understand [is] that we have to built a solid foundation at the basic level so that once the player graduated up to the national level, he must be a ready-made bowler for the country."

ZAFAR AND REHMAN DOMINATE PUNJAB GOLF LAHORE STAFF REPORT

At the end of the second round of this three rounds Punjab Amateur Golf Championship, in progress at Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course, the ones who look solid and superior are Mohsen Zafar of Royal Palm Golf and Country Club and his club mate M Rehman. In terms of consistency, full marks to these two contenders, as they did not fall prey to errant strokes while many established ones like Ali Hai (Karachi), Ghazanfar Mehmood (Rawalpindi), Fakhar Imam (Defence Raya), M Saleem Raza (Gujranwala) Lt Col M Shafi (Garrison) and Sameer Iftikhar (Gymkhana) found the Gymkhana Golf Course fairways a little too challenging and lost strokes with gay abandon, either due to average chips or inaccurate putts, resulting in the final computation of second round eighteen

holes score crossing the dreaded gross eighty line. And for accomplished champions like them, that means misery and an occasion they would like to wipe out from their mental data base. And very rightly Asad IA Khan of NESPAK and President of Sind Golf Association was distraught with Ali Hai’s performance. “He definitely needs to get his faculties in place”, opined Asad. Mohsen Zafar who was the overnight leader suffered setbacks on the closing two holes in the second round, otherwise it was all a case of perfect hitting backed by text book two putts on the greens. His second round score was gross 74, and that added to his first round score of 72, gives him a two rounds aggregate of 146, two over par, and a position on top of the leader board moving into the final phase of the championship. His nearest rival is M Rehman who is virtually breathing down his neck the score deficit being a solitary stroke. All through the

second round this youngster did not relent and looked equally determined to outstroke Mohsen. As things stand, the final round promises a fearsome battle between these two champions of Royal Palm and after watching them even senior golfers like Shafqat Rana and Inam Rabbani wished them well. Others with mentionable performances are Lt Col Asif Mehdi placed at two rounds total of 149, Taimur Khan at 150, Zohaib Asif 150, Robin Bagh 151, Sardar Murad 152, Zulfiqar Ali 152, Ahmed Zafar Hayat 153, Khalid Mehmood 154, Mubariz Ahmed 154 and Waseem Rana also at 154. In the net category, the front runner is Saqib Khakwani of Lahore Gymkhana with scores of net 74 on first day and a brilliant 65 on the second day, which is a dream score for any nine handicappers. “I hope I can repeat this performance on the final day also and not get too excited with this extraordinary score of the second day”.

clarke maY miss india toUr dUe to Back inJUrY clArke wAs nAMed subject to fitness in the 14-MAn sQuAd to PlAy seven odis After he coMPlAined of soreness And restricted MoveMent during the closing stAges of the long englAnd tour

come to that which followed the end of the India Test tour in March, when Clarke missed the final match of the series.

At the time, Clarke stated he would let the “experts” decide on his fitness for the IPL that

SYDNEY AGENCIES

Clarke was named subject to fitness in the 14-man squad to play seven ODIs after he complained of soreness and restricted movement durNo ing the closing stages of the doubt it’s long England tour. However medical staff and quite stiff and sore the national selectors are but I’ll be guided by conscious of ensuring Clarke is as fit as possithe experts on what ble for the Ashes home I need to do now to series to follow. He is try and get myself likely to be prescribed a period of rest following as fit as I can his exertions in England. be This would be a similar out-

followed soon after, and he was duly ruled out of his duties for Pune in the Twenty20 tournament. Clarke spoke in distinctly similar terms when assessing his chances of making the India ODI tour this time around.

“For me right now it’s about getting on the phone to Alex Kountouris, the Australian physio, and communicating with him as I have been over the last couple of weeks since he’s been back in Australia and we’ll

make a plan from thereClarke played the final match of the England ODI series as he successfully sought a winning end to a difficult tour for him and his team. Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, said that Clarke had insisted on playing at Southampton despite his discomfort, but would be placed in the hands of medical staff to judge his ability to make the India trip.

In Clarke’s absence, George Bailey would then lead the team through the series in addition to the opening T20 fixture, while possible replacement batsmen include Callum Ferguson and Nic Maddinson. David Warner is not thought to be in contention for an immediate ODI recall. Staying at home would allow Clarke the chance to recover fully from his present ailment while also offering extra time to prepare for the Ashes Tests at home, a series that he will be under significant pressure to win having gathered intelligence and confidence against England in the latter stages of the Tests in the northern hemisphere. He may also have the chance to take part in more Sheffield Shield matches prior to the first Test at the Gabba. The back condition that has affected Clarke at numerous junctures across his career is not entirely linked to fatigue, as shown when it reared soon after his arrival in England earlier this year, ruling him out of the Champions Trophy. However regular rest over time may allow his career to go on further than it might if he maintains a diet of constant cricket.

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Just like music, sports elevates us to new levels of achievement. –Randy Castillo

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SPORTS

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Sunday, 22 September, 2013

rOOkie seNsatiON sPieth once AgAin in PgA tour contention sPieth trAils sweden’s henrik stenson by five shots heAding into the weekend with only MAsters chAMPion AdAM scott, At six-sunder, between theM LONDON

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AGENCIES

OOKIE sensation Jordan Spieth was not at his best in Friday’s I second round at felt like the Tour Championship but good I shot as low as scrambling and sharp I could have shot, putting kept him in the which is kind of title hunt, and on track for a strong finish to the a rare case this season. The 20-year-old year with “I felt like I shot as low American carded a threeas I could have shot, which is under-par 67 on the long me kind of a rare case this year with and challenging East Lake me,” Spieth told reporters after postGolf Club layout, two birdies in his last seven holes leaving him five strokes ing a five-under total of 135 in the PGA Tour’s season finale where FedExCup off the lead, alone in third place.

Jordan Spieth of the US watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the British Open golf Championship at Muirfield in Scotland.

playoff honors are also on the line. “With my ball-striking, I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities in the past couple of months and my good tournaments were the tournaments where I felt comfortable putting.

“Today, the ball-striking was a little

tiger cites fatigUe after spectacUlar late collapse LOndOn: Tiger Woods blamed late season fatigue for his dramatic collapse over the closing stretch at the Tour Championship on Friday after he had surged into contention with five birdies in his first 13 holes. The American world number one, FedExCup points leader coming into this week and the title favorite at the PGA Tour’s season-ending event, ended up with a one-over-par 71 on a sun-splashed day at East Lake. Woods, seeking his sixth victory this year but nine strokes off the pace overnight, ran up a double-bogey at the 14th, a bogey at the 16th and an ugly triple at the 17th as he finished well down the leaderboard at four-over 144. “I put everything I had into that start and didn’t have much at the end,” Woods, who had declined to speak to reporters the previous day after opening with a 73, said of his round. “Just ran out of gas. I’m tired.”

Asked whether he had suffered from physical fatigue, the 14times major champion, who prides himself on his fitness and workout regimen, replied: “Yeah, definitely.”

Woods, who had experienced some back trouble during The Barclays, the first of the four FedExCup playoff events, was then asked if his back was okay.

“It’s been just a long, long grind,” the 37-year-old American replied. “Everyone out here has got some knick-knack injuries, and guys are taped up and banged up a little bit. We have played a lot of golf from the British Open on.” AGENCIES

KOZAK STRIKES AS VILLA BEAT NORWICH LONDON AGENCIES

While the ball certainly hit the Villa defender on the arm, whether there was anything Clark could have done about it, having taken a deflection off Rocky van Wolfswinkel's head, was debatable.

However, Guzan came to the rescue, dropping smartly to his left to parry away Snodgrass' attempt from the spot. Van Wolfswinkel elected to chest in a Nathan Redmond cross goalwards from close range on 12 minutes, but the Dutchman was left to rue his decision not to use his head when the ball flew over Guzan's bar.

Aston Villa beat Norwich City 1-0 in the Premier League at Carrow Road courtesy of a Brad Guzan penalty save and goal from Libor Kozak. Guzan stopped Robert Snodgrass' effort from 12 yards, harshly awarded for handball against Ciaran Clark, with Kozak scoring on the half-hour just seconds after replacing the injured Christian Benteke. The missed penalty, just five minutes into the match, proved to the hosts' best chance and followed on from Villa's Andreas Weimann hitting the post in a lively start to the match. The win ended a run of three consecutive defeats for Villa, but for Norwich there was a worrying lack of threat in their second straight loss. Villa manager Paul Lambert returned to the club he left in 2012 amid lingering acrimony surrounding his exit.

Having been embroiled in a bitter fall-out with the Norwich hierarchy over his departure, Lambert had insisted in the lead-up to this fixture that Villa's he was not close to burying the hatchet keeper proved with the Canaries board. Two wins at to be the hero again Carrow Road since his departure for the Villa boss added to an intriguing subin the closing stages, plot. After pressing the hosts from the brilliantly tipping over a whistle, Villa were cursing their luck close range effort from after just three minutes when Weimann's expertly curled effort beat Gary Hooper on 88 Norwich keeper John Ruddy, only to minutes to preserve rebound away off the left hand post. his side's narrow Norwich then had an even better chance lead to take the lead when Clark was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area.

off, but I must have had probably 25 putts.

It wasn’t that many. I felt really good over the ball and I’m excited where I’m at.”

Spieth trails Sweden’s Henrik Stenson by five shots heading into the weekend with only Masters champion Adam Scott, at sixsunder, between them. “Henrik’s obviously tearing it up, so we have some work to do,” Spieth said of the Swede, who holds a fourstroke advantage over Australian Scott. “But if I can go for the greens (in regulation), kind of get that feeling down tomorrow and strike it a little better, it could be a low round.”

Spieth has enjoyed a fairytale debut campaign on the PGA Tour, starting the year without any status and ending his season by qualifying for the elite field of 30 players at East Lake. He has stunningly claimed a first PGA Tour victory, earned a spot on the 12-man U.S. Presidents Cup team and this week has a chance to win the Tour Championship plus the overall FedExCup title with its $10 million bonus.

“I’m just so still stoked about being at this tournament, what it means,” Spieth beamed. “And then the Presidents Cup is in two weeks, and that obviously keeps you going. “More than twice the amount (of golf) I’ve ever played in a year, and it’s only September,” added the American, who has recorded eight top-10s in 22 starts on the 2013 PGA Tour.

haye vs tysON fury fight POstPONed after haye cut iN traiNiNg David Haye has been forced to postpone his eagerly-awaited heavyweight clash with Tyson Fury after suffering an injury.

"Mentally, I'm on the floor at the moment. I'm devastated most of all for my loyal fans, my family and my team, as well as Tyson Fury and his team.

To everyone who has bought tickets, booked hotels, and followed this fight since it was announced, there is absolutely nothing I can do except apologise from the very bottom of my heart. "Even when everything seems to be right on track, sometimes life throws you a curveball. I will somehow have to try and make the best of this horrible situation. But, right now, I'm in bits about what has happened."

The 32-year-old Haye, a former twoweight world champion, was a big favourite to win against Fury, the former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. Haye defeated Nikolay Valuev to win the WBA title in 2009 before surrendering the belt to Wladimir Klitschko when they fought in Hamburg two years later.

Haye, who saw off long-time British rival Dereck Chisora in his last outing in July 2012, was due to fight Manuel Charr in June - but that clash was shelved when Haye suffered a hand injury in the build-up.

A statement from Hayemaker Boxing read: "The cut above his left eyebrow occurred in round two of sparring on Friday night (September 19) and required six stitches by a plastic surgeon. Because of the gravity of the cut, these stitches will now remain in place for five to seven days.

"Unfortunately, after being properly assessed, Haye was left with no choice but to postpone his fight with Fury, scheduled for next Saturday night in Manchester. He is currently waiting on further medical assessment to determine the extent of the postponement." SPORTS DESK

liverpool games Bigger for man U than derBY, saYs rooneY LOndOn: Wayne Rooney claims Manchester United consider meetings with Liverpool to be their biggest games of the season, not derby dates with City.

Manchester rivalries will be rekindled on Sunday when United make the short trip to the Etihad Stadium. With the Red Devils and their 'noisy neighbours' having shared Premier League title successes in the last two seasons, they can claim to be the top two sides in the country right now.

Rooney, though, claims that clashes with old adversaries Liverpool mean more to the players than fixtures which have local pride at stake.

"They're all big games. Obviously United and Liverpool has been a massive game over the years," Rooney said in The Daily Mirror when asked if United versus City is now the biggest rivalry in English football.

City have had their success recently, but I would probably say that United and Liverpool is still the biggest game." City won the Premier League title in dramatic fashion two seasons ago on goal difference before Sir Alex Ferguson led the Red Devils to the final title of his highly decorated career last term ahead of his retirement. AGENCIES

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Sunday, 22 September, 2013

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 79, Sector 24, Korangi Industrial Area Karachi.