Lhr 28 09 2013 layout 1 by Profit Epaper

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:00 AM Page 1

Saturday, 28 September, 2013 Zil Qa’ad 21, 1434 Rs 17.00 Vol IV No 89 16 Pages Lahore Edition

19 killed as terrorists target bus carrying civil secretariat employees in peshaWar

story on page 02

Women, children among the dead, dozens left injured

A man mourns the death of a relative following a bus bombing on Peshawar’s Charsadda Road which killed 19 people on Friday.

story on page 03

story on page 04

stories on page 02

AS QUAKE-HIT VILLAGES STILL WAIT FOR AID

story on page 03

A look at the footwear of an earthquake affected man in Balochistan’s Awaran district speaks of the plight of the people living in the remote and under-privileged area of Pakistan’s biggest province.

obama speaks to rouhani, says iran deal possible

page 04

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:00 AM Page 2

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. –Confucius

N searching for News

saturday, 28 september, 2013

Talks wiTh govT will fail, says TTP commander The second biggest hurdle in the way of peace is that the Taliban's demand for implementing Islamic law is for the entire country and not just the tribal region PESHAWAR AGENCIES

As government officials and politicians mull negotiations with the Taliban to end years of insurgency, a senior rebel commander on Friday said the talks will fail as both sides are pursuing opposing objectives. Omer Khalid Khorasani, the commander of Mohmand Agency Taliban, one of seven lawless tribal districts in the country's northwest, said in a letter to the media that he was not hopeful about the outcome of peace overtures. "The current wave in support of the talks is bound to fail as we have come to the conclusion that the government is not serious," said Khorasani. "The main difference is that we want to change the Constitution (with Shariah or Islamic law) and the army is demanding from us to follow the Constitution," he said. The Taliban "will not budge an inch from the demand of implementation of Shariah" and if militant commanders deviate from this, "then we will not follow him", he said. Khorasani said the second biggest hurdle in the way of peace is that the Taliban's demand for implementing Islamic law is for the entire country and not just the tribal region. "We will support the mujahideen living in areas other then tribal region. We will not leave them and live and die together," he said. The letter was issued amidst reports of rifts among Taliban factions circulating in the media. Some of the reports are highly credible and have been confirmed by Taliban sources. The main Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) led by Hakimullah Mehsud has run into differences with the Jundullah group, created in 1970 for activities in Iran. It joined the TTP in 2007 as an independent group after Pakistan provided support to Tehran to launch a crackdown against it. Sources said Jundullah chief Ahmed Marvan has accused Mehsud of taking unilateral decisions on accepting the government's offer of peace talks without consulting other groups. He announced he would continue militancy and his faction was reportedly behind the suicide attack on a church in Peshawar that killed 84 people. Khorasani is one of central TTP leaders but he is seemingly unhappy with the way Mehsud is running affairs. He has been using former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, who is also from Mohmand, to issue statements and letters.

Peace amidsT Pieces TerrorisTs TargeT bus carrying civil secreTariaT eMPloyees, kill 19

woMen, children aMong The dead, dozens lefT inJured

igP says Police lack resources To search each and every TransPorT vehicle

PESHAWAR ZAkIr HASSNAIN

ESHAWAr city was subjected to yet another devastating bomb blast on Friday that killed 19 people and injured dozens of others, as the government and opposition parties continue to advocate peace talks to seduce the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan into renouncing violence. The blast occurred in a bus carrying employees of the secretariat going home after work. A number of people, including civil employees and schoolchildren, were on board the bus when the blast occurred. The dead included two women. According to a preliminary report, explosive material and ball bearings were used in the explosion that completely destroyed the bus. “An IED was wrapped in a carton and weighed around 12 to 15 kilograms,” a bomb disposal unit official told reporters at the explosion site on Charsadda road. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IG Police Nasir Khan Durrani said police did not have resources to body-search every passenger travelling in public or private transport. Former provincial minister for information Mian Iftikhar Hussain asked people not to lose heart and play their role for the peace process. Hussain called upon the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to pro-

PESHAWAR: An injured victim of a bus bombing is being rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. INP

tect buses of government officials, mosques, Imambargahs and other places. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minster Sikander Khan Sherpao said the attack might be the handiwork of elements who

wanted to sabotage the ongoing peace process. “These people do not want peace to return to the province,” he told reporters. Several leaders, including Nawaz

Taliban get a clean chit from Nawaz PM Tells wsJ Taliban have never boMbed churches before

says conTrary To Media rePorTs, TTP has also disowned killing of arMy general

MONITORING DESK

rime minister Nawaz Sharif has said the Taliban would have to renounce terrorism if peace talks were to move forward. in an interview with the Wall Street Journal during his first visit to New York after being elected in may, the prime minister said, “We evolved a consensus… on a joint strategy to put an end to terrorism in Pakistan [through peace talks].” Asserting that the Taliban had disowned the bomb attacks on All Saints Church, he said that the Taliban had not done that before, but the intelligence agencies were still investigating the matter. He revealed that contrary to media reports, the Taliban had also disowned the attack that killed an army general in Dir. “As far as the tragic incidents are concerned, they are unacceptable. There cannot be any compromise on that,” he added. Nawaz said the Taliban offered a dialogue themselves and the political parties decided to respond to the offer positively. However, the Taliban would have to renounce terrorism, he said. “They will have to say they are

PM says Taliban will have To lay down arMs before Peace Talks

keen to do business with the government. They will have to abide by the constitution of Pakistan. We’re also waiting for their response, what they have to say in this regard,” he said. “if we agree on addressing this terrorism, (Taliban) will have to be disarmed, lay down their arms,” the prime minister added, but made it clear that while the government wanted a peaceful resolution, it hinged on the Taliban laying down their arms and accepting the constitution. ARmy cHiEf: Asked if there was a possibility that Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani will be given an extension, Nawaz said no decision had been reached on the subject. “i’m not saying yes or no. Of course, we will be taking a decision on this issue soon.” responding to a question about the next army chief, he said, “there’s still time. i’ll handle it.” indiA: Asserting that he was the one who had brought india and Pakistan closer in the his previous stint in power, Prime minister Nawaz Sharif said the two neighbouring countries were picking up the threads from where they left off in 1999. “i will be having a meeting with the indian

Sharif and Imran Khan condemned the bombing in strong words. Meanwhile, security officials arrested four suspects involved in Sunday’s church blast which killed over 84 people.

prime minister here in the next few days,” he said, adding that his government stood for peaceful resolution of all issues with india, including Kashmir. Talking about the issue of Siachen, he said both countries’ armies “are sitting at an altitude of more than 22,000 feet high. i don’t know what sense it makes in this modern age that armies are sitting at more than 22,000 feet. i think we have to resolve this issue as well”. The prime minister said both the countries were spending a lot of money and resources building up their defence. “We have been spending resources which should have been spent on social sectors on buying F-16s, frigates, tanks, expensive submarines,” he said, adding that india was spending more resources on its defense than Pakistan. US: Nawaz said he had a good rapport with the American government. “President Obama was very kind to call me up immediately after my election and express his desire to work with Pakistan,” he said, asserting that he wanted to work with the US. dRonES: The prime minister said the issue of drones was discussed with Senator John Kerry when he visited Pakistan. Asserting that the drone strikes were counter productive, he said, “The more the drones, the more the terrorists get multiplied. You kill one man, his sons, his father, his brothers, they become terrorists. So this is something that is not helping at all.” He said that he plans on taking the matter up with President Obama in their forthcoming meeting. iRAn: The prime minister said the previous government had signed an agreement with iran on the gas pipeline and the Pakistan muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-N) led government needed to proceed with it. “There will be a $3 million daily penalty from iran if that’s not completed by the end of next year,” he said, adding that the only way they could retract from the agreement was if the US provided gas or the daily $3 million penalty. “There is an acute shortage of gas in Pakistan, so we have to import gas from somewhere,” he said.

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:00 AM Page 3

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. –Nelson Mandela

manmohan Tones down hoPes for nawaz Talks

says ready To re-engage in Talks wiTh indian PreMier

dialogue wiTh MiliTanTs should noT be seen as a sign of weakness

UNITED NATIONS

PakisTan shows serious concern on JaMMu aTTack on indian forces

government’s regional policy, adding that Singh’s response was positive. ARMS RACE: He said Pakistan and India have wasted massive resources in an arms race. “We could have used those resources for the economic well-being of our people. We still have that opportunity. Pakistan and India can prosper together and the entire region would benefit from our cooperation,” Sharif said. “We are ready to re-engage with India in a substantive and purposeful dialogue,” said the premier. Sharif said he was looking forward to meeting the Indian PM in New York “to make a new beginning” based on the Lahore Accord signed in 1999, which contained a road map for the resolution of Pak-India differences through peaceful negotiations. PAK-AFGHAN TIES: Speaking about Afghanistan, the PM told world leaders that he had welcomed Afghan

President Karzai in Islamabad last month and both leaders had reaffirmed a mutual goal of a peaceful, stable and united Afghanistan. “I told President Karzai that we do not wish to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs nor do we have any favorites in the country. In fact, we hope that the Afghans themselves will unite for peace, prosperity and development of their country,” said Nawaz. “We support an inclusive, Afghanled and Afghan-owned peace process leading to national reconciliation,” he added. TERRORISM: Drawing the world’s attention to Pakistan’s counterterrorism role, he said in the past 12 years, Pakistan has given many sacrifices. Nawaz said he had tried to forge national consensus on a cohesive policy to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan and had convened an All Parties Conference

Quake-hit villages still wait for aid as toll reaches 515

delhi-lahore bus briefly stopped by hindu hardliners PHAGWARA: The Delhi-Lahore bus service was on Friday stopped by activists of a littleknown outfit in protest against the dual terror attack in the indian-held Kashmir, in which 10 persons, including an army officer, were killed. The indian bus, Sada-e-Sarhad, was stopped at the Sugar mill Chowk located on the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway by activists of Shiv Sena (Hindustan), police said. The police escort accompanying the bus kept the protestors at a distance from the bus to ensure safety of the Lahorebound passengers, they said. The security personnel accompanying the bus as its pilot and escort, joined by City SHO inspector ravinder Singh and local police officers, cordoned off the frightened bus passengers who were not harmed by the protesters. The protesters, who let the bus pass after a short period, continued disrupting traffic for some time even after the bus had left, they said. They demanded snapping of ties with Pakistan, including discontinuation of rail and road services. They also demanded calling off proposed dialogue of Prime minister manmohan Singh with Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in the US. INP

saturday, 28 september, 2013

SPECIAL COrrESPONDENT

rIME Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday emphasised the need for improving PakistanIndia ties and called for fulfilling the United Nations-recognised rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir besides calling for an end to United States-led drone strikes on Pakistani soil. Speaking at the United Nations 68th General Assembly session, Nawaz also stated his commitment to help Afghanistan in its efIndia is forts towards stability. Nawaz said that facing diﬃculties has sufbecause the epicentre Pakistan fered gravely from terrorism and is of terrorist activity against all forms remains focused and manifestations of terror. His governin Pakistan ment’s offer of dialogue with militants, he stressed, should not be seen as a tool of appeasement. “The UN must continue to attend to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and fully realise the right to self-determination of the Kashmiris,” he emphasised, reminding the world that “suffering of the people cannot be brushed under the carpet because of power politics”. “I have an aspiration for regional peace and stability. I have shared this vision with leaders in our neighborhood. Shortly after assuming office, I received a message of goodwill from Indian PM Manmohan Singh. I invited him to adiSlAmABAd: Pakistan on Friday expressed dress all outstanding issues between India deep concern on the unfortunate incident in and Pakistan,” Nawaz said, regarding his Jammu which occurred on Thursday resulting

in the loss of life of more than a dozen indian security personnel. Foreign Office Spokesman Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry in a statement said the timing of the attack was particularly disturbing as it took place a couple of days before the leaders of Pakistan and india were to meet in a bid to move towards improvement of relations. “it is imperative that any such act of violence should not be allowed to deter from pursuing a path to a better future for the peoples.” He said Pakistan, itself a foremost victim of this menace, condemned all forms of terrorism and had rendered immense sacrifices in this regard. APP

News

nawaz sofT on drones buT resoluTe on Ties wiTh india PM for giving kashMiris oPPorTuniTy To decide Their fuTure

WASHinGTon: Prime minister manmohan Singh said on Friday he was looking forward to meeting Pakistani Prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the weekend, but said expectations for the talks should be toned down. Singh and Sharif are expected to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, as they reach for better relations despite heightened cross border tensions. “i look forward to the meeting with ... Nawaz Sharif even though the expectations have to be toned down,” Singh told reporters in the Oval Office after he met US President Barack Obama. Singh told Obama that india was facing difficulties because the “epicentre of terrorist activity remains focused in Pakistan.” Deadly skirmishes across the de facto border in divided Kashmir have jeopardized plans for the meeting in New York, which would come months after peace talks again stalled between the two neighbours. Since winning an election in may, Sharif has been vocal in his desire for better relations with india, but the recent flare-ups have overshadowed the prospects. AGENCIES

us drone sTrikes a violaTion of PakisTan’s sovereignTy for the purpose, which spoke unanimously against terrorism. “Winning hearts and minds, particularly of the youth, is as important as using guns to deter terrorism but dialogue should not be seen as a sign of weakness,” said Nawaz. DRONE STRIKES: He said the war against terrorism must be waged within the framework of international law. “The use of armed drones in the border areas of Pakistan is a continued violation of our territorial integrity,” said Nawaz, adding that it results in casualties of innocent civilians and is detrimental to the efforts to eliminate extremism and terrorism from Pakistan. “I have urged the US to cease drone strikes so that we can avert further casualties and suffering,” Nawaz said. ATTACK ON MINORITIES: The PM also referred to the recent attack on a church in Peshawar, saying that Pakistanis were saddened by the attack on the members of a minority community. “This attack has united the entire Pakistani nation in support of our brothers and sisters from all faiths and has further strengthened my government’s resolve to deal with terrorism and extremism in a resolute and comprehensive manner,” he said, adding that the attack has been done by the same elements which have attacked our mosques, shrines, citizens and security forces personnel. RESPONSIBLE NUCLEAR STATE: Sharif said Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and will continue to pursue the goals of disarmament and non-proliferation and adhere to the policy of credible minimum deterrence, without entering into an arms race.

Nobody from the government or the district administration or representatives in the assembly came to help us or at least visit us mansoor ahmed

QUETTA: A Pakistan Air force c-130 drops relief goods in an earthquake-affected area of Balochistan on friday. INP

MiliTary helicoPTer carrying relief goods aTTacked in awaran AWARAN AGENCIES Vital relief aid destined for the remote, earthquake stricken areas in Balochistan reached desperate villagers only slowly on Friday, as insurgents attacked troops distributing it for a third day. Authorities say the magnitude7.7 quake that hit Balochistan on Tuesday has so far

claimed 515 dead and 765 injured. in Dalbadi, where almost all of the village's 350 homes were destroyed, residents said only private aid had arrived as of Friday. "Nobody from the government or the district administration or representatives in the assembly came to help us or at least visit us," said mansoor Ahmed, who had rushed home from Lahore to help his family. So far, he added, only a truckload of supplies from relatives in Karachi had arrived. Aid groups have also sent help to the stricken area. While several doctors arrived earlier this week, with medicine in such short supply they could do little more than comfort the victims. Jameel Ahmed Qambrani, who

lost six relatives including a daughter in the quake, recounted horrific scenes after his house partially collapsed. "it was like hell in our home. Children were buried under the roofs," he said, adding that it took him seven hours to recover his daughter's body from the rubble. residents said the earthquake struck during the few hours of the day when the village had electricity so many children were home watching television. most of the quake's victims were crushed when the walls of their mud brick houses caved in. Poor roads and other lacking infrastructure have hampered relief efforts, and aid operations have become ensnared in the conflict between the army and separatists, who seek an independent state for the Baloch people. HElicoPTER: The military has been ferrying aid into the region by helicopter and evacuating the injured, but their increased presence in a particularly contested area at the earthquake's epicenter — Awaran district — has led to renewed clashes. A military official on Friday said militants fired on a government helicopter for the second time in two days, and ground troops also came under fire. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the helicopter was carrying relief supplies. No one was hurt in any of the incidents. Groups such as the Pakistan red Crescent Society and the welfare wing of the hard-line islamic group Jamaatud Dawa have also provided aid to residents in the stricken district.

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:00 AM Page 4

04 N

Wisdom doesn't necessarily come with age. Sometimes age just shows up all by itself. –Tom Wilson

News saturday, 28 september, 2013

energy bomb ready To be droPPed on 1sT ISLAMABAD ONLINE

The government is all set to drop an energy bomb on the people from October 1. Sources said the government had decided to scale up power tariff for domestic consumers by between rs 1.60 and rs 3 per unit from October 1. Power tariff will be enhanced to deliver the pledge made by the government with International Monetary Fund (IMF) to acquire loan. As per the Ministry of Water and Power, tariff will be increased at the rate of rs 1.60 per unit in respect of the domestic consumers using electricity from 200 to 500 units per month, rs 2 per unit for the consumers using electricity from 500 to 800 units per month, rs 2.50 per unit for the consumers falling within the electricity consumption slab from 800 to 1,000 units per month. The consumers using electricity from 1,000 to 1500 units will have to bear the burden of enhancement of cost of unit by rs 3 per unit. Notification on this count will be issued on September 30 and revised tariff will be effective from October 1. The government already jacked up the power tariff at the rate of rs 6.58 per unit in respect of commercial and industrial consumers on August 1.

Three Men booked for blasPheMy in karachi LAHORE STAFF rEPOrT

The Karachi police registered a case against three Christian men under blasphemy laws in the aftermath of violent protests in Karachi, a day after suicide attackers blew up a church in Peshawar killing more than 100 Christians. The attack on All Saints Church last Sunday led to countrywide protests. During the protest, a brawl and scuffle took place between Christians and Muslim youth after some miscreants threw stones on a mosque at Zaman Town in the Korangi area. A Muslim man also died in the brawl after he got hit in the head, the police said. Some of the Christians houses were set on fire by the miscreants last Monday but the situation was controlled by the police. The police on Friday said that Nazir Ahmed, who is the member of administrative committee of the Khulfai rashideen mosque, registered a report against three Christians namely Babar, Ilyas and robert for committing blasphemous acts. He accused the three men of hitting the names of the caliphs with stones and sticks that is considered desecration. Police officer Mohammad Khan said that the three men were arrested on Thursday but were released on bail on Friday. The case was registered under section 298-F that is a lenient clause of the law as the maximum sentence under this act was three year imprisonment. Under the main clause of the blasphemy law the maximum punishment is death here. Murder case against three other men was also registered but they were absconders, the police said.

lawmakers for exemplary sentence to rapists, privacy of victims PPP, PMl-n MeMbers exchange barbs in na

govT conveys Message To insurgenTs noT To haMPer relief work in quake-hiT areas

ISLAMABAD MIAN ABrAr

MID ruckus of the treasury and opposition benches over the failure of the previous government of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to arrest the assassins of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the National Assembly on Friday made a significant achievement by unanimously adopting a resolution seeking immediate and strong action by provincial governments against the suspects involved in rape cases against minors. The House was also updated on the government's response and ground situation in Balochistan's earthquake affected areas with Minister for States and Frontier regions (SAFrON) Lt General (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch telling the lawmakers that the government had conveyed to the insurgents through locals that the army was only involved in rescue and relief operations and they should not hamper them. Minister for Information Technology Anusha rahman moved a resolution in the House, calling for legislation

kashMir aTTack noT To haMPer nawaz-ManMohan MeeTing

for exemplary punishment to rapists of the women and minors in the country. “The rape of a five-year-old girl in Lahore and seven-year-old in Tharparkar which recently surfaced has shocked the entire nation. It is most unfortunate that rape cases go unabated and culprits are not arrested,” she added. The resolution also asked the government to provide protection and care and maintain strict privacy of the children and the families in these cases. It also asked for amendments to the law so that exemplary punishment could be awarded to rapists. A heated argument triggered between the lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PPP over remarks by Minister for Kashmir Affairs Berjees Tahir against the PPP's rule which attracted a strong reaction, with the opposition party's legislators raising slogans. Winding up a debate on former president Asif Ali Zardari’s last address to parliament, Tahir lambasted the PPP’s government performance and criticised the tenure of Zardari as president. Due to the strong sloganeering by the PPPP members, the PML-N minister hurriedly wound up the debate and

came down hard on what he called the "poor performance of the PPPP government". referring to Article 41 of the constitution, he said some former presidents including Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf used the Presidency for political activities and added that the same pattern was followed by Zardari. Baloch informed the House that they had given a message to the insurgents not to hamper rescue operation in the affected areas. “Through locals, we have sent the insurgents a message not to create resistance in rescue operation," he said, adding that the army's focus was only relief and rescue and they were not going to launch any operation against them. Shaikh rashid Ahmed of the Awami Muslim League pointed out allegations of misappropriation of funds in purchase of medicine for parliament’s dispensary, stating that a loss of rs 1.1 million had been recorded. Taking notice of the allegation, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq announced immediate audit of the funds for the past four years and three months' time of the PML-N's tenure. NAWAZ-SINGH MEETING: Meanwhile, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmad informed the House that the killing of Indian security personnel in attack by Kashmiri freedom fighters would not affect the proposed meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York. Later, the House was prorogued.

Magazine's cover on feMale suicide boMbers sTirs conTroversy MONITORING DESK The latest cover of a magazine called Newsweek Pakistan is nothing if not controversial. Under the headline "Lady parts", it carries a provocative image of two tampons in which one is treated as a sort of fuse that leads to an exploding bomb. The sub-deck says: "More and more women are finding their true calling - as suicide bombers". That is also the headline over the inside story. Many people who have come across the image online have registered their disgust on Twitter. One

called it "the single most insane magazine cover I've ever seen." Another asked: "Is this even real?" But people who have also taken the trouble to read the article have tended to be more understanding about the decision to use such an image. It explains why some women feel compelled to offer themselves as bombers, even seeking out the Taliban in order to join their ranks. The writers also explore how the Taliban goes about selecting women to take on suicide missions and the problems confronting the Pakistan authorities in trying to persuade women not to become involved.

oﬃce for taliban is imran’s idea, not pti’s asad uMar says ParTy chief’s sTaTeMenT regarding Taliban office is his Personal view iSlAmABAd: Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) lawmaker Asad Umar has said that party Chairman imran Khan's recent statement regarding opening of an office for Pakistani Taliban was not an official PTi policy statement.

Speaking at a press conference, Umar said the idea for establishing an office for peace talks with the Taliban reflected the personal views of the PTi chairman. Asad said it was wrong to criticise those who wished to use peace talks as a way to fight terrorism in the country and come to terms with the terrorists. “However, peace talks go hand in hand with cooperation from the other side and insisting on peace talks if the terror attacks continued would be a weakness besides being unfair to the country,” he said. STAFF rEPOrT

india's top court allows voters to reject all candidates NEW DELHI AGENCIES india's Supreme Court on Friday recognised the right of voters to reject all candidates contesting in polls in what is seen as a key reform ahead of elections next year. A bench headed by Chief Justice of india P Sathasivam asked the national election commission to make changes in voting machines and ballot papers, giving voters a "none of the above" choice. "Democracy is all about choices and voters will be empowered by this right of negative voting," Sathasivam said, reading out from the judgement.

"Negative voting will send a clear signal to political parties and candidates as to what the voters think about them." Up to now voters in the country did not have a choice to reject candidates despite a clamour from activists to include such a provision. The court was hearing a petition by the People's Union for Civil Liberties, a nonprofit group. Activists say that if more than 50 percent of those who vote reject all candidates, there should be a re-election in that constituency. Veteran anti-graft activist Anna Hazare has been a vocal campaigner for recognising the right to reject as well as the right to recall an elected

representative on the grounds of unsatisfactory performance. However, the ruling Congress party has contended that an election is meant to elect and not to reject candidates, saying such a choice will only end up confusing the voters. Sathasivam said the right to reject choice will "foster purity in electoral politics". The general elections are slated to be held by chief Justice of india P Sathasivam may 2014.

democracy is all about choices and voters Will be empoWered by this right of negative voting.

are we Talking To Taliban or noT, shah asks govT iSlAmABAd: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Friday condemned the attack on a government employees’ bus in Peshawar and asked the government to immediately take a decision for or against dialogue with the Taliban. in a statement, the opposition leader said it was the foremost duty of the state to protect life and property of the citizens. He expressed grave concern over continued acts of terrorism in Peshawar, saying no religion allowed killings of people and the state must fulfill its responsibility. INP

Jui-f wanTs Jirga’s role in TTP Talks iSlAmABAd: Jamiat Ulema-e-islam (JUi-F) chief Fazlur rehman has demanded inclusion of jirga’s role in the proposed peace talks with the Taliban. in a statement issued on Friday, Fazl reiterated that his party would not become a part of dialogue for peace if the tribal jirga was not inducted in the process. He claimed that entire nation had confidence in the tribal jirga’s role and Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) Chairman imran Khan had also supported the JUi-F’s stance in this regard. “imran Khan is also keen to hold peace talks with the involvement of tribal jirga,” he maintained. “We will participate in peace talks if jirga is given a role,” he added. STAFF rEPOrT

PTi’s yusuf ayub has a fake degree PESHAWAR: The election Commission (eC) tribunal on Friday declared the degree of a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly bogus. KP Assembly member (mPA) Yusuf Ayub is from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) and is the sitting provincial minister for communications. He won the may 11 general elections from PK-50 Haripur. The eC tribunal has ordered fresh polls in PK-50 after the minister’s degree was referred by the Higher education Commission to the Punjab University for verification and was declared fake. Pakistan muslim LeagueNawaz member Qazi Asad, who contested the general polls from PK-50, had challenged Ayub’s degree. STAFF rEPOrT

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:00 AM Page 5

Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country. — Karl Kraus

get heard, get an agent!

speed money, agents doing the job at e&t

lahore saturday, 28 september, 2013

aPPlicanTs aT MoTor regisTraTion branch accuse e&T officials of using delay TacTics To MinT Money in vehicle ownershiP Transfer cases

WeAtHer UpdAteS

340C High

LAHORE

250C

SUnny

Low SUndAy

MOndAy

tUeSdAy

29°C I 23°C

28°C I 23°C

29°C I 23°C

PrAyEr TIMINGS

Fajr

Sunrise Zuhr

Asr

4:22

5:45

3:39 6:24

12:06

Maghrib

Isha 7:49

lhc orders fsc To review high rise building arrangemenTs LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the Fire Safety Commission (FSC) to review in detail the arrangements in the high rise buildings constructed in view of its guidelines. The court also ordered the commission to submit the report after reviewing the arrangements. The court was hearing a petition demanding enquiry into the fire incident in Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Complex and directions to fix the responsibility. When the hearing resumed, the petitioner’s lawyer told the court that at least 24 citizens had burnt to death when fire erupted in the LDA Complex. However, the incident had neither been probed nor the responsibility of the incident had been fixed, the counsel added. He contended the court should orders to the Punjab government to make ensure the life safety steps in the high rise buildings in order to save the human lives in fire incidents. He pointed out that the high rise buildings lacked the equipments being used to extinguish the fire. After hearing the arguments, the court ordered the commission to prepare a detail report after reviewing the arrangements done in city’s building to handle the fire incidents. The court also ordered the city police and district government to cooperate with the commission in reviewing the arrangements. The court directed the commission to submit the report within a month. STAFF rEPOrT

iT rained a liTTle LAHORE: The provincial capital on Friday received scattered rain, relieving Lahorites of the hot weather. It was a sunny day for the city which at once changed and clouds hovered in the skies and a heavy downpour began. The rain continued in intervals turning the weather pleasant. As per the meteorologists, the wet spell is to continue for the next 24 hours and a forecast of partly cloudy weather with chances of rain and thunderstorms has been issued for the city. The synoptic situation shows that a low pressure area is located over Gujrat in India and adjacently over lower Sindh. Under the influence of this weather system moisture is penetrating in Sindh and its adjoining South Punjab.On Friday, maximum and minimum temperature in the city was recorded 35 degrees Celsius and 26 C respectively. relative humidity in the morning was recorded 54 percent, which increased to 62 percent in the evening. STAFF rEPOrT

NASIr BUTT

HE ‘apathy and malafide intentions’ of the staffers at Motor registration Branch of Punjab Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department at Farid Kot House have made conditions miserable for the aspirants of vehicle ownership transfer. Pacing from one officer to the other, burning their grey cells to make sense out of the ‘requirements’ that staffers at the Motor registration Branch make, residents of the metropolis are being pushed to get their work done ‘the wrong way’. Hundreds of cases of vehicle ownership transfer and requests of duplicate documents are lying pending in the Motor registration Branch. The department insiders confided in Pakistan Today saying, “The backlog is multiplying with every passing day while the officials here are turning down the applicants of vehicle ownership transfer by raising minor or baseless objections and are lingering the matter. They are very

MTc abu huraira and insPecTor Malik Tahir allegedly Pending cases To aTTracT bribe

tactfully pushing the citizens into approaching an ‘agent’ for the accomplishment of the ‘herculean task’.” APATHY: During a survey of the Motor registration Branch, Pakistan Today found out that the branch is dominated by a mafia, whose men take money from the citizens to get their work done. The citizens who had come to the branch told Pakistan Today that they had to run from pillar to post to get their vehicles transfer application through which then took several weeks to materialize. Akhtar Hussain, a citizen who had come to the branch to get his van registered in his name, lamenting over the indifferent attitude of E&T authorities, said, “I have been frequenting this office for three weeks now. They raise a new objection every time I fix my application. The MTC referred my case to an inspector for removal of objections who refused to tackle my case.

For people like me who refuse to pay an agent to get their work done, it is a never ending struggle from one officer to another.” Another complainant Farrukh, who was there to get the ownership of his Mehran car leased

from a bank, said, “Pay an agent and see how your work is done in minutes. The bosses inside only listen to the agents who give them their cut. It appears that the E&T Department is indirectly telling the masses to approach them only through agents.”A vehicle owner Nadeem Hashmi alleged that no one is taking action against the rule of corruption mafia in Moor registration Branch.The vehicle owners have asked the E&T secretary to intervene into the affairs of Farid Kot House office affairs and affix responsibility of delay of transfer cases and irregularities. THE MOLE HUNT: A Motor registration Branch official, seeking anonymity, told Pakistan Today that MTC Abu Huraira and Inspector Malik Tahir have the most of the pending cases and are not willing to dispose of the cases until they are bribed. ““Your thumb impression is not right, the signatures don’t match, the formatting is not right,” they tease the applicants by raising undue objections. As soon as you grab an agent and ‘feed’ him well and get to the officers’ desk through the agent, all the objections suddenly disappear. It’s all a game of an added cost of rs 1500 to rs 2000.” Another staffer in the Motor registration Branch told this scribe that Inspector Malik Tahir who has been given the authority to issue old transfer deeds is issuing the deeds at rs 1500 instead of the official fee of rs 300. MOREOVER: Another irregularity in the affairs of Motor registration Branch surfaced on Thursday when during the auction of value-added numbers of motor cars for LEF-13 series, a number LEF-13-3777 was allotted to a ‘chum’ for rs 3,000 without the announcement of the number or observing bidding rules. While, some of the interested

punjab cabinet for rehabilitation of flood, earthquake victims LAHORE STAFF rEPOrT

Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif presided over Punjab cabinet meeting on Friday which decided to provide complete assistance to the earthquake victims of Balochistan. Various draft laws were also approved in the meeting which includes Cabinet Committee’s recommendations with regard to Transparency and right to Information Act 2013 and rehabilitation package for flood victims of Punjab. The cabinet also gave approval in principle to the social programme for poorest families of the province and decided to give a final shape to it at the earliest. The meeting also decided to set up an authority for reviewing the matters of Lady Health Workers which will comprise three members from civil society, two provincial assembly members and two experts. One lady each from civil society and provincial assembly members will be member of the Authority. Cabinet meeting also gave

approval to the Amendment Bill of Punjab Employee Social Security Ordinance. Addressing the meeting, Shahbaz said a coordinated plan was being evolved for the help of victims whereas the process of providing essential items through trucks and airplanes has immediately been started. He said that Punjab government has decided to give a sum of rs 100 million from the Prime Minister’s Fund for rehabilitation of earthquake victims of Balochistan whereas cabinet members and PML-N members provincial assembly will also donate one month’s salary for the earthquake affectees. CM VISITS EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif visited earthquake affected areas of Balochistan on Friday and assured complete cooperation on behalf of Punjab government and people to the affected families and injured

MoTor regisTraTion branch direcTor denies allegaTions, says faulTy docuMenTs delay Process

persons. He went from Lahore to Karachi by plane and from Karachi to Awaran by helicopter. He travelled most of the journey by lying due to backache. Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan during a press conference at Awaran especially mentioned the illness of Punjab CM and said that travelling in this condition to reach the Balochi brethren is laudable. The chief minister has also postponed his scheduled visit to UK to stay back in the country to monitor relief operations in quake hit areas.

parties claim that they were willing to pay rs 20,000 for the said number but it was not announced and allotted to a certain person. They further said that this has created doubts about the whole auction process. WE ARE DOING JUST FINE: When Pakistan Today asked Motor registration Branch Director Imran Aslam about the pending cases and corruption being committed by his subordinate staff, he said that as such there are no cases pending in Motor registration Branch and if there are some hurdles, then these must be owing to the deficiencies in the documents of vehicle owners. Motor registration Branch has to comply with all legal formalities, he added. To another question about the agents working in his branch, he said, “Motor registration Authority is there and it has to decide about such policy matters. We, however, are vigilant in this regard and trying to curtail agent mafia’s role.” He said that his doors are open for all complainants and every one can complain about the E&T staffers’ negligence or misconduct but unfortunately people are reluctant to do so and prefer to get their job done through an agent.

pti objects to hamza being cm’s ‘heir to the throne’ LAHORE: PTI Punjab President Ejaz Ahmed Chaudhry, General Secretary Dr Yasmin rashid and Secretary Information Andleeb Abbas objected to the ‘dynasty politics’ of PML-N whereby the chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has allegedly appointed his son Hamza Shahbaz as a deputy CM. Chaudhry said that the autocratic mindset was now fully visible with the CM making Hamza his ‘heir to the throne’. He alleged that Hamza’s misuse of public facilities like the helicopter rides have been severely denting the tax payers money and now with the official powers the 90 million people of Punjab would see their money going into failed projects like Sasti roti and Yellow Cab Scheme. Dr rashid condemned this move by saying that such act is against democratic norms and will deprive many deserving PMLN worker their opportunity of moving up in the party. She said that this action confirmed that even on their sixth chance of coming in the government, their mindset and approach had not changed. Andleeb Abbas said that the whole Sharif family has destroyed the economy by devaluing the rupee to 110 so that the massive family assets in foreign countries could even more be appreciated. She stated that the family enterprise of the Sharif family has been busy getting their shares of business on foreign tour of PM, with sons and the brothers accompanying everywhere and no other CM of any province has ever been invited on these tours. STAFF rEPOrT

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 6

lahore

When I saw corruption, I was forced to find truth on my own. I couldn’t swallow the hypocrisy. — Barry White

saturday, 28 september, 2013

igP To seTTle coPs’ PromoTion cases

fc college PromoTes religious accePTance

LAHORE: The department has decided to settle the promotion cases of sub inspectors who had been inducted in the police department through the Public Service Commission through the Fast Track Scheme. Under this plan, the policemen having outstanding performance, academic qualification, and best skills could be given out of turn promotions. At least 50 percent promotions would be done through Fast Track System while the other 50 per cent would be carried out on the basis of seniority lists under this scheme. Punjab Inspector General of Police IGP Khan Baig revealed this while addressing Police Darbar at District Police Lines Gujranwala on Friday. STAFF rEPOrT

LAHORE: Forman Christian College (FCC) organised a discussion titled “From Intolerance to Acceptance- A Path not taken”. FCC Centre for Dialogue & Action Academic Director Charles M ramsey encouraged students to think of practical steps that they could take in this regard and invited them to write “I will” statements that reflected their plan of action. Institute for Peace and Secular Studies Chairperson Saeeda Diep pointed out the importance of understanding your own religion. She highlighted that this was the only way overcome false religious doctrines could be overcome. Peace and Conflict Studies Fulbright Specialist Dr Daniel J Christie also shared his message through a video. He emphasised that the need of the hour is to educate people that they can be diverse and different in their religion but they should respect each other’s differences. Anita Saleem, the organizer and a faculty member from the Department of Psychology summarised the importance of such educational endeavors’ in moving towards a change. TEHRIK-E-TALIBAN PAKISTAN VS PAKISTAN: FCC Department of History Griswold History Society hosted celebrated journalist and commentator Mr Ayaz Amir for a talk on ‘Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan vs. Pakistan.’ In his talk Amir pointed out the absence of clarity on moral and legal grounds for talks. He noted that the terms set by the Taliban were extra constitutional which complicated the government’s ability to negoitate with them. He also noted that in the current confused state it was not even known what the government’s conditions should be in negotiations, and what will happen if the talks fail. STAFF rEPOrT

Publishers, PTb Two wheels of The same vehicle: PTb chief LAHORE: Publishers and printers of Urdu Bazar met to the Punjab Textbook Board Chairman Nawazish Ali on Thursday and presented their demands. The PTB chairman said that the objective of the penalties to the printers and publishers was not punishment but it was guidance for their betterment in future. PTB will take care for their rights. Speaking to media, he said, “We assure to provide standard and error free textbooks to the students in province of Punjab before starting of academic year. With the collaboration of publishers and printers, PTB will continue and support the free textbooks concept of chief minister.” All the printers and publishers of Urdu Bazar promised that they will cooperate with PTB as a national cause but not a business. PrESS rELEASE

LAHORE: A visitor at a photography competition on water crisis oranised by the TDCP at Alhamra. MUrTAZA ALI

lCCI extends helping hand to quake victims LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Friday condoled with the victims of the devastating earthquake in Balochistan and assured them of proactive support for the provision of relief goods and early rehabilitation. The emergency meeting was presided over by the LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar and was attended by MNA Pervez

Malik and Vice President Kashif Anwar among others. They also appealed to all LCCI members to come forward to aid their brothers in need in Balochistan. They said that the businessmen of Punjab were aggrieved over the loss of precious lives in Balochistan and would extend every possible assistance. Malik gave a detailed briefing on the Punjab

government’s relief efforts. He said that the Punjab government had already dispatched two C-130 to Balochistan while the chief minister had handed the province a cheque of 100 million to the Balochistan government. He also appealed to the masses and the business community to come forth and contribute for the noble cause. STAFF rEPOrT

Ji wanTs rulers To resPecT aPc decisions LAHORE STAFF rEPOrT

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Syed Munawar Hassan has stressed upon the government to respect the APC decisions and refrain from sacrificing national interests only to please US. Addressing the opening session of the JI central workshop at Mansoora, he said that certain forces were out to sabotage the talks with the Taliban as was evident from a surge in the bomb blasts. He condemned the bomb blast at a Peshawar church and said the elements shedding the innocent’s blood were

enemies of Pakistan. Hassan said that the Islamic movements were being driven towards violence. He said the US and the west were trying hard to obstruct the Muslims from attaining political power rule, and were indulging in the character assassination of the Muslims. They would never like Islam and the Muslims to emerge as world power.

Teenage girls murdered in gujranwala were raped: medical report LAHORE STAFF rEPOrT

The medical reports of two teenage girls shot dead in Gujranwala on September 26 revealed Friday that they had been raped. According to the doctors at District Headquarters Hospital Gujranwala, preliminary medical reports suggested that the victims had been subjected to sexual abuse. The two girls aged between 14-15 years had been shot dead near Madan Chak on the outskirts of a village in Gujranwala. Moreover, five bullets had also been recovered from the site of incident. The dead bodies had been shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Gujranwala for post-mortem. In a separate incident, the body of a teenaged schoolgirl was also found on Karachi’s Seaview beach on September 26. The autopsy report of the

girl confirmed that she was “sodomised”, a medico-legal officer said on condition of anonymity. NARCOTICS SMUGGLING BID FOILED: Anti Narcotic Force (ANF) seized 15.6 kgs of opium and arrested three suspects involved in smuggling narcotics into the city. In two other cases, the ANF recovered heroin from parcels booked by courier companies. As per details, ANF Lahore received information that a narcotics deal was going down in city. Consequently, ANF deputed a team to keep an eye

on the gang. The team surveyed the location for to weeks. Finally, the gang executed the narcotics deal at Batti Chowk, near ravi Bridge Lahore. ANF team raided a transaction-point and seized a Honda Civic car and arrested three persons, recovering 6 kgs of opium. The arrested individuals were Shamas ul Amin s/o Muhammad Amin r/o Swabi, Asif s/o Jauhar r/o Swabi and Navid Ahmed s/o Abdul Majid r/o Gujranwala. Later a detailed research of vehicle resulted in further recovery of 9.6 kgs of opium concealed in secret cavities of the car.

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 8

A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. –John C. Maxwell

rouhani warns of talibanisation of syria NEW YORK CITY

AGENCIES

rANiAN President Hassan rouhani warned on Thursday that Syria could become an extremist haven and called for cooperation to end the civil war. iran considers Syrian President Basharal Assad its closest regional ally and has not accepted United States intelligence reports that the

regime killed about 1,400 people in a chemical weapons attack in the previous month. “my government strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria,” rouhani told a New York think tank forum, without assigning blame. “i am also concerned about the breeding ground created in parts of Syrian territory for extremist ideology and a rally point for terrorists, which is reminiscent of the Taliban-era Afghanistan,” he

said. rouhani welcomed the USrussian agreement which called for Assad to give up chemical weapons and kept a US military strike on Syria at bay. iran has also been a victim of chemical weapons used by iraq, a fact acknowledged by US President Barack Obama in his address to the United Nations. Western powers largely supported iraq President Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 iraq-iran war.

PakisTan calls for end To us drone sTrikes

News

saturday, 28 september, 2013

PakisTan suPPorTs afghan-owned Peace Process: Pm

NEW YORK ONLINE

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Friday reiterated Pakistan's stance that drone strikes violated international law. Speaking at a high-level meeting at the UN Security Council, Aziz said Pakistan's stance on the issue was that drone strikes violated international law‚ including international humanitarian law‚ and were also detrimental to collective efforts to fight terrorism. He said drone strikes cause deaths of civilians‚ including women and children, adding that drone strikes had a serious impact on psycho-social health of children. Aziz also underscored the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach in addressing issues related to small arms and light weapons. He called for a more active role of the Security Council in resolution of outstanding disputes.

QUETTA: female patients wait for doctors in the oPd of civil Hospital on friday as a strike by doctors and paramedical staff at all government hospitals continued on the 10th day against the abduction of senior cardiologist, dr Abdul munaf Tareen. INP

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing peace and stability in the region, and particularly in Afghanistan. Meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary General Anders Fogh rasmussen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Nawaz said the Pakistan government would fully support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process in the shared goal of a comprehensive reconciliation. The NATO secretary general hoped that cooperation between Pakistan and NATO would continue to achieve the shared objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan. He also praised Pakistan’s support in facilitating the transit cargo to and from Afghanistan through its Ground Lines of Communication (GLOCs). The two sides also discussed collaboration including training courses to officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces to enhance their professional capacities. The prime minister invited rasmussen to visit Pakistan on a convenient date while he thanked Nawaz and expressed his desire to visit Pakistan in the near future.

steeped in ancient mysticism, passion of Pakistani sufis infuriates Taliban SEHWAN SHARIF AGENCIES

IELDING to the hypnotic beat of drums and the intoxicating scent of incense, the woman danced herself into a state of trance, laughing and shaking uncontrollably alongside hundreds of others at Pakistan's most revered Sufi shrine. Swathed in red, the Sufi colour of passion, she shouted invocations to the shrine's patron saint in an ecstatic ritual repeated daily in the dusty town of Sehwan Sharif on the banks of the river Indus. With its hypnotic rituals, ancient mysticism and a touch of intoxicated madness, Sufism is a form of Islam which has been practised in Pakistan for centuries — a powerful antidote to extremism in places such as the province of Sindh. It is scenes like this, where men and women dance together in a fervent celebration of their faith, that make Sufis an increasingly obvious target in the conservative country where sectarian violence is on the rise. At a crossroads of historic trade routes, religions and cultures, Sindh has always been a poor but religiously tolerant place, shielded by its embrace of Sufism from religion-centric militancy sweeping other parts of Pakistan. But this year peace came to an end with a string of attacks across the province, including against Sufi places of worship, as militants seek new safe havens and new ways of destabilising the country. "They are trying to kill us," said Syed Sarwar Ali Shah Bukhari, whose father, a Sufi cleric, was killed in a bomb attack on the family's ancestral shrine in February. Bukhari, 36, is now the oldest living descendant of a prominent Sufi "saint" whose tomb his family has tended for generations in a tradition handed down from father to son. "It was never like this before," Bukhari, wearing a black turban and silver embroidered slippers, said nervously outside the Dargah Ghulam Shah Gazi shrine,

its vast dome shining bright above the bleak mud-brick homes of his native Maari village. "Suddenly everyone is hostile towards us. People are afraid," added Bukhari, who took over as the shrine's resident saint and custodian after the death of his father. IRREDEEMABLE HERETICS: The influx of Taliban-inspired gangs into Sindh is a disturbing development in a country where Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government is already struggling to contain a Taliban insurgency and escalating religious violence. "In Sindh, militancy was not common until now. It was known for its tolerance," said Abdul Khalique Shaikh, a senior police officer who investigated this year's Sufi attacks. "You can hardly find any Sindh-based religious extremists here." Insurgents see Sufis as irredeemable heretics who deserve to die. Long entrenched in their tribal safe havens on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, militants are seeping quietly into vulnerable, less protected areas, establishing cells in unlikely new places such as rural Sindh. Sindh is home to Karachi, long infiltrated by the Taliban. But until now, its rural interior has been of little interest to

insurgents. Police say there is evidence suggesting a group of well trained militants had been deployed in Sindh to prepare for more attacks. "All of them are jihadists (Islamist militants). All of them were in Afghanistan," said Shaikh, the senior police officer. Taliban-friendly seminaries — some funded by Middle East money — have sprung up around Sindh to inspire men to holy war. Men collecting donations often loiter outside radical mosques. The striped black and white flag of pro-Taliban groups flap on street corners across rural Sindh — a novelty in these parts. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a radical Sunni sectarian outfit, has also made inroads into Sindh from the neighbouring Punjab province, setting up seminaries to spread its ideology. Security sources said militants in rural Sindh are based around the cities of Shikarpur and Sukkur. Zulfikar Memon, 33, who was wounded in the February attack in Maari, said a religious school had been opened in Shikarpur just before the blast. "Before there were no Taliban madrassahs here," he said. "They are

brainwashing young people. ... It's not in our power to do anything. We just follow our spiritual leader." Days before Bukhari's father was killed, another cleric from the nearby town of Qambar survived a bomb attack on his car. In May, Ibrahim Jatoi, a Shia politician, narrowly escaped death when his convoy was hit by a suicide bomber near Shikarpur — the first sectarian assault of this kind in rural Sindh. And, just a month after Sharif came to power, insurgents struck at the heart of Sindh's military apparatus, attacking an intelligence compound in Sukkur. Seven were killed. "Historically we Sindhis are not conservative or religious. We are secular," said Shahzaib Chandio, 30, as he scanned shelves at a local library for books about Europe. "Those terrorists are from tribal areas. Security is now very fragile." “WE’RE A SOFT TARGET”: Steeped in centuries of subcontinental folklore, poetry and spiritualism, Sufism reflects the mystical side of Islam and involves scenes unthinkable in most other parts of Pakistan. At Sehwan Sharif, drums conjuring up the spirit of 13th-century saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar beat hypnotically. Wisps of incense swirl like ancient spirits. Fervent in their joy, men and women dance and sing with an intensity that sends many into a trance. The Taliban, who believe music should be banned and women kept at home, are furious at such passionate free expression. "Women and men dance together, and that is totally against Islam," said Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban. "We have a large number of fighters in Sindh. We will target everything which is against Sharia (Islamic law)." Every year a million pilgrims descend on Sehwan, a maze of lanes teeming with people, donkeys and dervishes clad in red robes, for a major festival at its intricately

Historically we Sindhis are not conservative or religious. We are secular

shahzaib chandio decorated shrine. For residents, the extravaganza is the source of excitement and much-needed income. For militants, it's a target. "People believe the Qalandar (saint) will save them. He will protect us," said Syed Muhammad raza Shah, a Sufi student and son of the shrine's custodian. "We are a very soft target." In Qambar, a ramshackle town in the shadow of rocky hills separating Sindh from the lawless province of Balochistan, Sufis said only a miracle could save them after their spiritual leader Syed Ghulam Hussain Shah narrowly survived an attack this year. The seminary is packed with turbaned students of all ages, with older, bearded peers poring over religious texts and singing Arabic verses in dimly lit, rose water scented rooms. The memory of death hangs heavily amid its stone walls. This is where Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto came for spiritual guidance just days before she was killed in 2007. "The enemies of Islam are killing people. Satanic forces are behind all this," said Shah as he recalled the day Bhutto sat in front of him, asking questions and crying. "The way this government and this country are run, I can see no hope in anything. People are not safe even inside their own houses ... May God keep us all safe."

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 9

You must accept responsibility for your actions, but not the credit for your achievements. –Denis Waitley

08 N

News saturday, 28 september, 2013

mdgs: noT Too disTanT a dream undP reaffirMs suPPorT To PakisTan govT To achieve Mdgs ISLAMABAD STAFF rEPOrT

ITH 900 days left in the deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Pakistan government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have joined hands to accomplish the goals. In his United Nations message, Nicholas rosellini, UNDP deputy assistant administrator and deputy regional director for Asia and the Pacific said, “Today when Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly, UNDP reaffirms its support to the Pakistan government for accelerating progress towards achieving the MDGs.” “With the level of commitment that

the Pakistan government has demonstrated through its different actions in the recent past, I am confident that Pakistan will make substantial progress on some of the lagging MDGs by 2015,” said rosellini. Pakistan has upheld its commitment to achieve the MDGs despite various socio-political and economic challenges, natural disasters and internal and external security issues. The Pakistan government and UNDP have been working closely to promote this agenda through a number of joint initiatives that reflect the adoption of the MDGs in public policy and their adaptation to the local context. The Planning Commission of Pakistan has played a major role in setting a policy direction for the MDGs, monitoring any progress and coordinating the efforts of different stakeholders. Center for research on Poverty reduction and Income Distribution (CrPrID) established in the Planning Commission with the UNDP’s support has served as a hub of knowledge and policy advice on MDGs through empirical,

qualitative and policy-oriented research on key developmental issues. The center has proved instrumental in poverty measurement, research and analysis of public policies on poverty, progress monitoring of the MDGs through the development of four National MDG reports and has provided technical support to the government in pro-poor policies and programmes. The Poverty reduction Strategy Papers (PrSP), strategic planning documents first formulated in 2000 which identified targeting the poor and vulnerable as one of the key issues and focused on the MDGs, have significantly influenced pro-poor policy-making and spending in Pakistan. A PrSP monitoring unit created in the Finance Ministry with the UNDP’s support became the government’s core function for PrSP monitoring at the federal and provincial levels, gender-responsive budgeting and impact assessment of public sector pro-poor programmes and has resulted in an increase in pro-poor expenditure from 3.8 percent in 2001 to 9.86 percent in 2011. Minister for Planning, Development and

reforms Ahsan Iqbal said that in the recent budget, there has been an unprecedented increase in fund allocation for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), especially for health and education, which reinforces the government’s resolve to achieve the MDGs.” “We need to invest in youth, technology and innovation to find quick solutions to some of the constraints in achieving the MDGs,” he said. recognising the collective efforts and resources needed to accelerate progress, the process of preparing a Pakistan MDG report 2013 is underway in the Planning Commission with the UNDP’s support. The report will document Pakistan’s experience in terms of successes and challenges in the journey towards the MDGs, state Pakistan’s priorities for the post2015 development agenda and will give a final push for the achievement of the MDGs in Pakistan. The federal and provincial governments have also acknowledged the need for accelerated action and have embarked upon a number of initiatives such as the Prime Minister Youth Programme.

With the level of commitment that the Pakistan government has demonstrated through its different actions in the recent past, I am confident that Pakistan will make substantial progress on some of the lagging MDGs by 2015 nicholas rosellini undP official

sc issues noTices To former mines dgs in abboTTabad mining scam ISLAMABAD APP

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday issued notices to former Mines and Minerals director generals (DG) Shakirullah Jan and Mian Farooq to appear in person before the SC to clear their stance in the Abbottabad mining scam. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry also issued notice to Mustafa Kamal, the current mining DG to assist the bench on the next date of hearing. The SC also issued a notice to the Sarhad Development Authority (SDA) to present all relevant record of the leases awarded for the mining. During the proceedings, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General Adbul Latif Yousafzai said massive corruption was carried out while in the award of leases to the contractors. He apprised the court that SDA General Manager Javed Iqbal was involved in awarding a mining lease to his own wife rukhsana Javed for an area of 498 acres of the total 1,197 and that too on nominal rates. Yousifzai said Jan had awarded this prospective lease to rukhsana which was converted to a mining lease by another former DG, Farooq, who extended it for another 13 years. The chief justice said employees of any sector were considered the trustee of the department. The AG said bigwigs from the previous government were involved in corruption and had obliged their own people. Meanwhile, raja Aamir Abbas, counsel for the petitioner apprised the bench that the SDA cancelled its lease and awarded it to rukhsana Javed at a nominal tariff. He also informed the bench that two more petitions were filed in the SC and were subjudice. The chief justice said massive corruption was involved in the matter and sought a comprehensive reply from all respondents in the case. Later, the proceedings were adjourned for another 10 days.

QUETTA: A man wipes off dust from the pictures of Baloch missing persons at a camp set up outside the press club on friday. NNI

interpol issues alert new iran nuclear for british terror widow Talks in geneva on LONDON ONLINE

The tabloids call her “the white widow”, a British-born Muslim convert who was married to one of the suicide bombers in the 2005 attack on London's transit system. And for days now, the British media have been rife with speculation she took part in the terrorist takeover at a Nairobi shopping mall. Interpol, acting at Kenya's request, issued an arrest notice for 29-year-old fugitive Samantha Lewthwaite — not in connection with the mall attack, but over a 2011 plot to bomb holiday resorts in Kenya. If Lewthwaite indeed embraced the jihadi cause, it would mark a chilling turnaround for the apparently grieving widow who originally condemned the London transit bombings and criticized her late husband, Jermaine Lindsay, for taking part. Officials have not made public any evidence linking her to the mall attack. The Interpol notice did not mention it. And al-Shabab, the Somali Islamic extremist group behind the takeover, denied any female fighters participated. Nevertheless, the timing of the Interpol notice so soon after the attack fueled speculation she was involved in some way — suspicions that were stoked earlier in the week by comments from Kenya's foreign minister that a British woman had a role in the bloodbath. Interpol said this is the first time it has been asked to issue a “red notice” for Lewth-

waite. The wanted-person alert said she is wanted on charges of possessing explosives and conspiracy to commit a felony in December 2011. There was no immediate explanation from Kenyan police on why it asked for the alert now. “Kenyan authorities have ensured that all 190 member countries are aware of the danger posed by this woman, not just across the region but also worldwide,” Interpol said in a statement. Lewthwaite, the daughter of a former British soldier, was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in Aylesbury, a commuter hub northwest of London. She converted to Islam — reportedly while in her teens — and went on to study religion and politics at the School Of Oriental and African Studies in London. It was around that time she met Lindsay, first in an Internet chat room and later at a London demonstration against the war in Iraq. The couple married in an Islamic ceremony in 2002 and moved back to Aylesbury a year later. Local City Councilor raj Khan, who knew Lewthwaite in her early teens and ran into her again shortly before the subway bombings, told The Associated Press she was a “normal, average British girl” who was shy and lacked confidence. “She was going through the journey of becoming a Muslim,” he said. “There was no sense of radicalization, and no feeling among people that she showed signs of radicalization.” Khan said he lost touch with her for about 10 years and met her again after she married Lindsay.

ocTober 15 NEW YORK AGENCIES

World powers will meet again for talks with Iran on its suspect nuclear program on October 15 and 16 in Geneva after a breakthrough meeting Thursday, the EU’s foreign policy chief said. Foreign ministers who joined unprecedented talks at the United Nations had asked Tehran to respond to their proposals before next month’s discussions, the EU’s Catherine Ashton told reporters after the meeting. “It was a substantial meeting, good atmosphere, energetic. We had a discussion about how we would forward with an ambitious timeframe to see if we could make progress quickly,” Ashton said, praising new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for talking so “openly.” “We have agreed to meet in Geneva on the 15 and 16 of October to pursue the agenda, to carry on from today’s meeting and to hopefully move this process forward,” Ashton said. The talks in New York, at which Zarif sat down at the table with US Secretary of State John Kerry in one of the highest level meetings since the 1979 revolution, appear to have given fresh

impetus to the decade-old effort to rein in Iran’s nuclear activities. “The tone and spirit of the meeting we’ve had has been very good, and indeed a big improvement on the tone and spirit of previous meetings on this issue and I pay tribute to minister Zarif for that,” British Foreign Secretary William Hague said. “We’ve all established good working relations with him during this week in New York and this meeting was a reflection of that. We have all talked about the importance of reaching a peaceful and negotiated solution on this issue, and our commitment to seek to do that.” Global powers accuse Iran of seeking to obtain a nuclear bomb, under the guise of what Tehran insists is its civilian nuclear energy program. Zarif, who was put in charge of the nuclear dossier by new Iranian President Hassan rouhani when he took office in August, has already called for an agreement within three to six months. Ashton said that like Zarif she was “very ambitious about what we can do, but we have to be practical about translating that ambition into what does that mean for the effective work we do on the ground.”

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 10

Yes, I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can find his way by moonlight, and see the dawn before the rest of the world. –Oscar Wilde

CommeNT

The morale of the people

at its lowest ebb

saturday, 28 september, 2013

The other option The PM speaks his mind

WO significant stands were taken by Nawaz Sharif in his interview with the Wall Street Journal. He spelt out clearly for the first time that he would proceed with plans to build the Pak-Iran gas pipeline. So far whatever assurance had ever emerged were from Khaqan Abbasi, the minister for petroleum and natural resources. Nawaz Sharif’s reticence had given birth to questions. His critics hinted at the PM’s relations with the Anti- Iran Saudi royal family and expressed doubts about the government’s seriousness about the project. Nawaz has also had a meeting with Iranian President Hassan rouhani where both sides stressed the need to complete the project at the earliest. Hopefully whatever differences over details might exist would not be allowed to block the project. Yielding to Washington’s pressure at a time when Barack Obama is himself assessing the possibility of moving towards better ties with Iran would be unwarranted. The APC resolution passed earlier this month put forth ‘Give peace a chance’ as the guiding principle in dealing with the Pakistani Taliban. It also required the initiation of dialogue to negotiate peace ‘with our own people in the Tribal Areas’. The resolution stopped short of spelling out any conditions for talks with the militants. It was maintained that any mention of conditions could act as a roadblock. The resolution was silent on options to be resorted to in case the talks failed. It was maintained that it was unsuitable to spell out the alternatives for this could create misgivings about the government’s motives. The supporters of talks who were bubbling with enthusiasm were not willing to entertain any possibility of the talks’ failure. Despite an unrealistic optimism still prevailing, the killings in Dir and the gruesome attack on a Peshawar church are making some to give thought to what is to be done if the parleys failed. In the WSJ interview, Nawaz Sharif for the first time mentioned two conditions that Pakistani Taliban would have to accept for a peace deal: demanding that they lay down arms and recognise Pakistan’s constitution. In his talks with Secretary of State John Kerry, the prime minister is reported to have warned of vigorous police and military action if the talks failed. This has led Washington to hope that the action would not be limited exclusively to the TTP but even encompass the Haqqani network in North Waziristan. A number of participants in the APC who had a bitter experience of talks with the militants were not convinced of the utility of holding parleys with them. They however kept their reservations to themselves, hoping that experience would soon convince the advocates of talks of the futility of the exercise. This is now happening. Whether the militant organisations will still agree to hold parleys after the pronouncements by the PM, and the murmurings in PTI leadership, remains to be seen?

a dangerous naivety? imran’s inner confusion mirrors turmoil of the nation

MrAN Khan’s sundry pronouncements (or his absolute silence) on the evil doings of the Taliban usually set off a chain reaction of much colourful comment and remark among politicians as well as the pundits, which latter nowadays mainly happen to be the frantic television anchors. The charismatic PTI leader, for all the legendary glory he earned in the cricketing arena and his philanthropic exploits, is still considered a political novice by many, despite being on this treacherous and bouncier track for over fifteen years. His utterances, especially on the war on terror and the Taliban are mostly mocked at, ridiculed and patronisingly dismissed as being the views of an entirely confused and essentially naïve person. As for being understood, never. So it was with his controversial (some would say scandalous) contention that the Taliban be permitted to open an office in Pakistan a la the Afghan Taliban in Qatar, a ceasefire declared and dialogue begun with them within the ambit of the constitution. The mediators or the guarantors of the momentous agreement, if any, would be the people of the tribal areas themselves. That is, if the establishment really believed in the decisions of the All Parties Conference, thus maintained Imran. The statement drew much flak with the JUI (F) leader Maulana Fazlur rehman terming it as ‘childish’ and the ANP sarcastically declaring that ‘with Imran Khan around, why would the TTP need an office.’ There was some disagreement even within the PTI’s ranks, with leading light Asad Umar calling it Imran’s personal opinion and not party policy. Indeed, coming on the heels of the TTP’s acknowledged assassination of an army general in Dir and the terrible suicide bombing of the church in Peshawar, for which it belatedly and ambiguously disclaimed responsibility, the timing of Imran’s feelers towards the Taliban can only be described as terrible, as public opinion too was much perturbed at these two incidents. To compound matters, it is no secret that the military is no longer well disposed towards a tête-à-tête with its creation and former yes-men. Still, Imran’s apparent inner confusion also mirrors the turmoil of the nation as a whole, for no mainstream political leader seems to have thought out the Taliban problem through with vision and common sense, keeping in mind the ground realities. Among the latter, apart from the Taliban’s continued attacks and heinous acts, are their disavowal of the Constitution of Pakistan and their fixed idea of setting up an Islamic Emirate, not to mention their impossible to meet preconditions such as the list of 50 prisoners to be released and the withdrawal of the army from FATA – a rather tall order and not entirely free of insidious intent. remember, the Afghan Taliban’s Qatar office closed soon after its opening, despite being promoted by a war weary (at least in the Afghan theatre) US. With the latter hightailing it in 2014, the shape of things in the whole region is difficult to foretell, there being so many questions and computations. If Imran’s suggestions of opening of the office and a dialogue does turn into reality, it would only be despite the Taliban’s best efforts. And it would not be without inherent dangers.

ArIF NIZAMI

general state of despair has engulfed the nation. Notwithstanding spurious Gallup (Pakistan) surveys giving all time high marks to the incumbents for governance, ground realties speak otherwise. If there was a genuine way to determine the’ feel good ‘ factor of Pakistanis right now one does not have to be a rocket scientist to determine that it is at its lowest ebb. Apart from the fact that we are a democracy with a modicum of functionality, there is hardly anything to cheer about. Natural and man-made disasters, topped up by relentless acts of terror and the state of anarchy brought by it, have sapped the morale of the common man, and as far as one can see despondency reigns. The terrorists are on the rampage, while the state apparatus despite making such hullabaloo about combating the existential threat is clueless about a strategy to deal with it. The mayhem at a Peshawar church killing Christian worshipers attending a Sunday mass like flies dealt another blow to the already low spirit of the nation. Adding insult to injury was the abysmal response of the state apparatus to a severe earthquake in Balochistan leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless. Not a leader worth his or her salt from the ruling parties at the federal level and the rest of the provinces has bothered to visit the earthquake affected area. Even the underfunded and under-performing NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) has failed to rise to the occasion to provide an adequate response. The militants targeted the helicopter carrying the head of the Agency (guess who? Another retired general) visiting the site a good two days after the disaster. The great Khan has come up with yet another brilliant idea. He has suggested that in order the government to show its seriousness in talks with the Pakistani Taliban, it should allow the TTP to open an office on the pattern of the Afghan Taliban opening an office in Qatar. The PTI chief’s reasoning is simple: that unless they are allowed to open a liaison office how do we

know whom to talk to. The JUI chief Maulana Fazlur rehman has called the idea ‘childish’. For once he is right. Imran should get his facts straight. His lieutenant Shah Mehmood Qureshi should tutor him about the distinction between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. No doubt they are the same in their ultimate agenda. But in order for the TTP to open an office – let’s say in Islamabad – Pakistan should legitimise the outlawed organisation and allow it to fly its flag higher than the Pakistani flag. Imran has added a caveat to the talks. They should be held within the ambit of the constitution, an element missing in the APC held earlier this month, to which PTI is a signatory. Talk, talk, talk or fight, the polity is utterly confused. With who to talk to and on what agenda no one knows. Those who by tradition and through sheer barrel of the gun set the agenda are keeping their cards close to their chest. Meanwhile the perennially sick economy is in a fresh bout of a downward spiral. The rupee is in a continuous free fall, trading as much as low as 112 to a US dollar and then, thanks to the State Banks’ intervention, dropping to 107. The swift dollarization of the economy has its appended consequences. It’s a double whammy for Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his boss. On the one side is the IMF bailout with its front-loaded conditionalities. Without the loan the country would have defaulted. On the other hand the IMF package entails more taxes, less subsidies, rising of the interest rate and a realistic value of the rupee, and consequently galloping inflation. Unfortunately the PMLN government is still loath to burden its core constituencies – the trading and big business classes. Some of the taxation imposed on the big fish in the budget has been quietly withdrawn. The hapless fixed income person on the street is being made to suffer. During this mess the finance minister should be seen more visibly tweaking the economy rather than leaving it to ubiquitous bureaucrats who have served virtually every government in similar capacities. But it seems that Dar has assumed the role of a de facto deputy prime minister. He is omnipresent virtually in every meeting chaired by the prime minister and on his foreign visits. And he is the one sent on fire-

Natural and man-made disasters, topped up by relentless acts of terror and the state of anarchy brought by it, have sapped the morale of the common man, and as far as one can see despondency reigns.

whiteLIES

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

AD news for junketeers this government. The prime minister isn’t accompanied by the usual posse in his entourage anymore. The previous government, on the other hand, used to be accompanied by a carnival. Mr Sharif went to China unaccompanied but

The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today.

ApOLLO

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

fighting political missions. Best of luck to Mr Dar, but the dire straits of the economy however require physical presence of the finance minister at his Q Block headquarters in Islamabad. Blaming the previous government for our economic malaise, no matter how true simply does not wash any more. It needs vision and tenacity to extricate the country from its present morass. And it is somehow lacking despite the PML-N being in the government for more than 100 days. Ch Iftikhar, the Chief justice of Pakistan has lamented that martial law regimes were better than democratic governments in the sense that they held local body elections while democratic governments were loath to do so. Who knows better than the CJP what havoc successive martial law governments heaped on the country? He himself faced Musharraf’s wrath. Nonetheless his frustration with the present democratic dispensation’s stonewalling the constitutional requirement of holding local bodies’ elections is understandable. However, there is a cogent reason behind why dictators are so enthused to hold local bodies elections and democrats are not. Whether it was Gen Zia up Haq, Musharraf or before them Field Marshal Ayub Khan, they used such machinations to subvert the will of the people in the name of taking “democracy to the grassroots”. By sheer bribery through development funds they created a comprador class, they thought would ultimately replace traditional politicians. What has happened in the process that most of the parliamentarians see themselves as repository of patronage and development funds rather than legislators or lawmakers! Naturally they view local bodies as another tier of government that will encroach on the turf they consider their birthright. The opposition laments the fact that ministers hardly attend sessions of the parliament. Why should they when the prime minister and chief ministers are mostly absent from assembly sessions? The ‘legislators’ are quite well aware that power lies elsewhere. The parliament is treated not as an end but means to an end. Such is our flawed democracy.

that’s ghar ki baat for the local junketeers. But it is the trips to the west that really rankles.

O a Karachi businessman buys one of the larger dairy concerns. It’s a good business, he would have thought. People are always going to want milk. And the fact that this concern is based in Punjab would bring a welcome relief from the ever-so-ghastly ubiquitous bhatta and qabza networks of Karachi. Well, those were famous last words. Why? Because the qabza muscle heads did indeed do their thing with the plant. With the poor guy trying to get an audience with the younger Sharif, newly appointed deputy CM, to resolve his case. Much like an American tourist dining at McDonald’s while vacationing in Italy, the Karachi businessman has to pay bhatta outside Karachi as well.

For feedback, comments, suggestions and, most importantly, tips, contact us at whitelies@pakistantoday.com.pk

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 11

The biggest temptation is to settle for too little. –Thomas Merton

CommeNT

saturday, 28 september, 2013

Peace is not profitable obama, un-ing

The iran end game nuclear non-ethics in action

BINOy kAMPMArk

HE latest UN General Assembly gatherings have served to reiterate the grand spectacle of what is wrong, and in some ways right, about world politics. The usual players have turned up to make a scene. We have a vibrant Brazilian leader Dilma roussef scolding the United States for its surveillance fetish. We have a bobbish Iranian leader Hassan rouhani wishing to make his mark. And there is the large question mark over what is to be done about Syria. President Barack Obama is seen to be in a bother. There is the issue of government shutdown at home. The Syrian outfoxing, even if exaggerated, was notable enough to get those on Capitol Hill huffing about American inadequacy. At the United Nations, the president has found himself having to insist he did, in all earnestness, want to bomb Syria, which is another example of how one good violation of international law deserves another. Now, he is insisting that the Assad regime hand over chemical weapons with speedy urgency. In this heady ride on the carousel of bad events, Obama needs a deal – fast. Iran, the great detractor, might just be an option, though its president may well prove too wily for the plodders of the American empire. Iran’s President rouhani is stepping up the focus on talks on the nuclear question, which he sees as the starting point for negotiations between the countries. Deal with the nuclear question, suggests rouhani, and the rest of the agenda shall follow. “The only way forward is for a timeline to be inserted into negotiations that is short.” In rouhani’s view, brevity will be the soul of success. “If it’s three months that would be Iran’s choice, if its six months that’s still good. It’s a question of months not years” (BBC News, Sep 26). The legal approach to Iran on the basis of nuclear weapons has been one of presumed nonpossession and aggressive efforts to prevent acquisition. Obama’s UN address does not change

the theme. “We are not seeking regime change and we respect the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy.” How good of him to express such intentions, given that the administration refuses to accept that Iran would actually be pursuing peaceful nuclear energy to begin with. When it was reported last year, notably by James risen, that the 16 intelligence agencies in the US had found reason to assume that Iran had actually abandoned its nuclear programme, the suggestions disappeared without a trace. Iran’s behaviour is being treated as a form of kleptomania or hereditary disease: choice is redundant in the face of nature. According to Obama’s address, obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and various UN Security Council resolutions must also be abided by, though the Iranian argument that Israel reciprocate has been allowed to die in session. This is astonishing on one level, not in terms of emotive sentiment, but in terms of how countries such as Israel, with occasional flutters from Washington, will suggest a unilateral strike to prevent a sovereign state from acquiring weapons that the attackers actually have. This is very much a case of law lying dormant while manic realpolitik takes the reins. It is worth noting time and again that this pre-emptive, belligerent sentiment was criminalised in the deliberations of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg in 1945. The crime against peace, or “aggressive war” looms, and is being constantly flagged as a just measure in the face of unjust conduct. This is occasioned by the usual misunderstandings on duties and obligations at international law. Often, a right is confused with being a duty. There is, in fact, no concrete obligation on the part of Iran to not acquire such weapons, whatever vitriolic sense of righteousness is directed at its regime. In fact, there might be a suggestion on the part of Iran to acquire them for its own protection. It remains in a sea of hostile nations, far from being held in the bosom of a tranquil region. As the invasion of Iraq in 2003 shows, acquir-

ing such a nuclear option may be the only true insurance against attack by the very governments who have already decided, in advance, that Teheran will be belligerent. What they actually do is irrelevant to the suggestion on what they might do. Countries that insist on attacking Iran unilaterally for not acquiring the nuclear option also ignore the fundamental duties noted in the United Nations charter. For what it’s worth, territorial integrity is a feature that still exists, despite enthusiastic disqualifications. The US-Iranian dynamics have made for interesting viewing (oh, for that handshake that never was), largely from the view of how Israel has reacted. President Benjamin Netanyahu has been having seizures at the prospect that President Obama might just fall for the Iranian “charm offensive”. Obama is deemed particularly vulnerable given that he has donned the war hat regarding Syria just yet. According to Haaretz, Israel has seen “considerable dangers” in “the Obama administration’s disinclination to take military action, its hesitation and zigzagging in the course of working out its approach, its inability to agree on joint moves with its allies in the region and with other Western powers, and the blatantly defiant posture struck by Moscow.” Much in Middle East diplomacy is smokes and mirrors, perfumed by the promise of seduction that might yield surprising results. When the politicians return to their various abodes to deal with their domestic fan club and lobby groups, the diplomats will be left carrying the bags. What they might contain in terms of effective deals and promises is anybody’s guess. But the jurist richard Falk does make a good point in a blog entry on March 23 this year: “There is no evidence that Iran has any disposition to commit national suicide.” The writer was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. He ran for the Australian Senate with Julian Assange for the WikiLeaks Party. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com

r President, Mr Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: Each year we come together to reaffirm the founding vision of this institution. For most of recorded history, individual aspirations were subject to the whims of tyrants and empires. For recent MISSy BEATTIE recorded history, individual aspirations will be subject to the whims of US tyrants and Empire. The leaders who built the United Nations were not naïve. They understood that humanity could not survive the course it was on. So, we, the exceptionally exceptional United States stepped up to resolve conflicts, our way, to enforce rules of behaviour, our way, and build habits of cooperation, our way. For decades, the UN has made a difference, albeit, in small areas – eradicating disease, educating children. Admirable. But there’s that larger loom-er – the protection of American interests. For much of my presidency, I have worked to enrich further the already filthy wealthy. Now, five years after the global economic collapse, the uber-rich are being lifted to greater heights of prosperity. More effort must be made to assure that they, the 2 percent, continue to thrive. The UN has worked to end a decade of war. All our troops have left Iraq. An international coalition soon will end its mission to dismantle Al-Qaeda. remember though that there are those who wish to harm us – 9/11, 9/11, 9/11. Never forget the shoe bomber, the underwear bomber, Boston, and 9/11. As we shift our war footing, mercenaries will replace troops. And, yes, mercenaries are expensive. We pay them handsomely to be unaccountable. Further, we are limiting the use of drones to target only those posing an imminent threat. Each week on what I call casual Tuesday, we have a killer party during which I list America’s most wanted. Moreover, we are transferring detainees to other countries whose justice systems are not unlike ours, although their cages may be a little smaller. And here’s additional good news: We hope to close Guantanamo Bay, as soon as the last detainee commits suicide. And, yes, we have begun to review the way we gather intelligence, so as to balance security and privacy. Your secrets are safe with me. As a result of this work among our partners throughout the world, partners that defer to our exceptionalism, the planet is more stable. Still, dangers remain. With each massacre, we learn. We now know that guns should be available at the entrances to malls. Both the NrA and General Dynamics have endorsed this. Convulsions in the Middle East and North Africa have laid bare deep divisions within societies. Peaceful movements have been answered by violence. And when there is violence the path to peace may be a military strike, sometimes so small it is recognisable only to the people it devastates. In Syria, for example, we can avert more suffering. If we fail to take action, someone may determine who’s responsible for the use of chemical weapons. Children died. Children were writhing in pain. And then they died. Let me be clear. Children died agonising deaths. I call a drone strike and some unfortunate child is collateralised, POOF. Only a smudge is left to tidy. But sarin gas. Oh, I am weeping now. I can barely swallow. The ban on the use of chemical weapons in war has been agreed to by 98 percent of humanity. And what about that remainder – the other 2 percent? Well, I spoke of them earlier. They are the fittest – those whose calculations were rewarded with huge bonuses. We are grateful to them. They, Congress, and I determine who is responsible enough to use chemical weapons. I do not believe that America or any nation should influence who will lead Syria – that is for the Syrian people to decide. Nevertheless, a leader who slaughtered his citizens and gassed children to death cannot regain the legitimacy to lead a badly fractured country. I am pleased to provide at least three or four names of capable Assad replacements so that the people of Syria have a choice. And I am prepared to wield my power to secure American interests in the region. Even though we are reducing our dependence on imported oil, we reserve our right, deserving we are for being exceptional. Further, we will not tolerate the development or use of weapons of mass destruction – by anyone. Except the USA. USA! USA! USA! I want to be clear on Iran. President rouhani’s conciliatory words must be matched by transparency. rouhani received a mandate to pursue a moderate course. Just as I attained the highest office for promising hope and change. Let me be clear on Israel. The United States will never compromise on our commitment to Israel’s security. The state of Israel is here to stay. Israel. Israel. Israel. Israeli children. Israeli children have the right to live without having rockets fired at their homes. And Palestinians have a right to not be displaced, much. America must remain engaged in everyone else’s business. The world is better for it. America is exceptional. Because we are willing to stand up for our interests through the sacrifice of blood and treasure, the blood of our young and tax dollars on behalf of those who will thrive into the 21st century. And we stand ready to commit mass atrocities to safeguard this. We live in a world of imperfect choices. Certainly, some would prefer I choose peace. But peace is not profitable. These are extraordinary times, with extraordinary opportunities for opportunism. That is why we look to the future, not with fear, but, instead, salivating. Thank you, very much. The writer has written for National Public Radio and Nashville Life Magazine. She was an instructor of memoirs writing at Johns Hopkins’ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Baltimore. Email: missybeat@gmail.com.

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 12

arts saturday, 28 september, 2013

animal abuser eaTen by PeTs

A Kentucky woman previously convicted of animal cruelty is believed to have been eaten by her dozens of hybrid wolf-dogs after she died. The remains of 67-yearold Patricia ritz were discovered in her Fordsville home by deputies after neighbors reported they hadn't seen her in more than a week, NBC News reported. Authorities who searched the home found only a human skull and jawbone, which they believe to be ritz's, according to WHAS 11. investigators believe ritz died from an illness and her pets, left without food after her death, consumed her for survival. ritz has animal cruelty convictions dating back to 1986, WFie reports. Adopt-A-Husky told the station that her first offense involved 50 dogs, though it is unclear exactly what the charges were. The next year, while living in evansville, ind., she was found guilty of five counts of animal abuse and ordered not to transport dogs into the state. She was charged with animal cruelty at least five more times between then and 2003. On one occasion in 1999, authorities found 184 dogs on her property and had to euthanize 159 of them. They allowed her to keep the remaining dogs on the promise that she would spay and neuter them, but the number of dogs on her property continued to grow as the years went on. "i cannot understand why someone would live like this and put animals through this," mary Beth Kolb of Adopt-AHusky told WFie. County animal control worker Tracey Ward told NBC News that ritz likely meant well, but "when you don't spay and neuter, they're going to breed. it's not going to be just one or two puppies -- it's going to be seven, nine, 12." Currently, 27 of ritz's dogs are at a veterinary hospital, while another 12 are at the Ohio Counthy Animal Shelter. rescue workers say they are not planning to put the dogs up for adoption, but instead are attempting to place the wolf-dog hybrids at rescue facilities and sanctuaries. They are, however, accepting donations for the animals' rehabilitation. NEWS DESk

The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs. –Karl Marx

TdaP fashion gala

sana safinaz and more! B

e dazzled by the most stunning collection of Sana Safinaz. Their collection exemplifies sheer poise,sophistication of the 1940s with the vitality of a modern day woman,.The maturity and elegance seen in the diversification of the collection manifest a refined confidence in an eclectic aura that has never been seen before . their vision for this collection gives a whole new sense,heightens new aesthetics in craftmanship beyond even bridal couture.meanwhile Zaheer Abbas also enthralled attendees with his collection. Since making his début in 2010, Zaheer Abbas has transformed his brand into an eponymous label by bestowing a new meaning to the way Pakistani fashion is perceived around the world. From Paris to DC his prolific designs have a sublime aesthetic, which earned him recognition from critics and consumers alike. He presented his SS’2013 Pret a porter collection titled “La Base” which emphasized the basic silhouettes without using any form of embellishment and print. Based in pure cotton silk, this collection showcases a monochromatic palate, artistically blended with off white. Sania manskatiya was not to be outdone as she too put up quite a show. A graduate of the prestigious indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi, Pakistan with a coveted degree in textile design, Sania maskatiya has been designing since 2007, only a year after graduating, under the label ‘Chamak’. in 2010, in an exciting bid to expand into broader

fashion endeavors, Sania launched her own label, the now eponymous ‘Sania maskatiya’. Sania maskatiya’s brand won its first Lux Style Award for achievement in the fashion design-luxury prêt cate-

gory and was also nominated for achievement in fashion design- prêt category at the coveted Lux Style Awards 2012. Sania’s signature aesthetic has come to be regarded as a balance be-

tween elegance, comfort and practicality. The Sania maskatiya design house uses only pure fabrics cut and draped in a range of silhouettes creating versatile looks across all their fashion lines. indeed, the acclaimed house of fashion engages only the finest craftsmen, hailing from generations of artisans. Faiza Samee too graced the occasion with her presence. inspired by the kaleidoscopic handicrafts of nomadic tribes who live and travel in the shadows of the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountains bordering Pakistan. Their eclectic art and aesthetic informed the print designs in the collection. The contemporary silhouettes are inspired by both east and west. A combination of bias cuts and asymmetrical lines married with Far-eastern kimono and sarong profiles. NEWS DESk

sanJay duTT’s Play geTs The axe

ranbir breaks srk’s record

Sanjay Dutt and director rajkumar Hirani's efforts have gone in vain. Due to some security issues cropping up at the last minute, the play that was to be put up by the Yerawada Jail inmates at an auditorium in Pune yesterday was cancelled. in fact, the Dutt clan and many of Sanju's close friends like rohit Shetty were halfway through to Pune, when they had to turn back and return to mumbai. most of the returning members gathered at a fast food joint on the outskirts of the city for burgers and milkshakes. They were extremely disappointed that they didn't get a chance to meet Sanju. COUrTESy TOI

ANBir Kapoor had unabashedly announced his plans to become the "number one" in Bollywood during a recent interview with this paper and he seems intent on the feat as he has now broken a record held previously by Shah rukh Khan. SrK had gone out of his way to ensure that his last release, 'Chennai express', had the biggest release ever for a Hindi film with 3500 screens in india and 700 plus screens abroad. His efforts also led to allegations of foul play from ekta Kapoor's camp after their production 'Once Upon Ay Time in mumbai Dobaara' got a limited release on day one because of the SrK starrer's blitzkrieg. But now ranbir has beaten the actor in the numbers game with 'Besharam', distributed by reliance entertainment, which will be released in atleast 3600 screens in india, making it the biggest release in Hindi film history till date. When contacted, Utpal Acharya, Distribution Head of reliance entertainment, confirmed the news. "Yes, 'Besharam' will be the largest release till date, both in india and abroad. i am looking at 3600 plus screens. i had planned for 4000 screens but Pawan Kalyan's Telugu film 'Attarintiki Daredi' which releases today has a got a phenomenal response in advance booking. That takes away some

screens which i had planned in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala," he said. And justifying his decision, Acharya told TOi, "i am very confident of 'Besharam', it is a full family commercial entertainer and more the screens, more the revenue." The race to

rope in the most number of screens has become a favourite tactic of the industry as the larger the number of theatres showing a film, the bigger the first day collection. While some trade insiders say that a larger release does not necessarily translate into higher revenue in totality, a leading distributor (on request of anonymity) told us, "You need to have a film like 'Chennai express' or 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', which sustains fabulously, to get the numbers. else it just amounts to higher collections on only day one and this is simply because the film is more in your face. if 'Besharam' is accepted well, yes, then it would definitely make sense to release in so many screens. And yes, even 100-150 more screens can make a difference." Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, "A wide release can go well with a big film like 'Besharam'. Post 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', ranbir has become a big craze. Plus, you have the Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap holding the reins."Acharya offers another justification of the numbers game saying, "When the film releases at a large number of theatres, the audience can pick and choose where they want to see it, an expensive one or a cheaper option. So, more the screens, lesser the piracy." COUrTESy TOI

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 13

I don't like being the center of attention. –Jessica Alba

arTs saturday, 28 september, 2013

12 A

will and kaTe geT Their own coaT of arms

Here'S a great alternative to the oh-so-cliché "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters everyone has these days: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's new family crest! On Friday, Sept. 27, Prince William

and Kate middleton's Conjugal Coat of Arms was unveiled to the public. The Cambridges' official emblem features William's royal Shield, given to him by Queen elizabeth ii on his 18th birthday, and the middleton family shield, which was

miss Teen usa geTs ‘sexTorTed’, culPriT geTs busTed

The FBi thinks it has found the guy who was preying on miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf—and possibly others, too. Jared James Abrahams of Temecula, Calif., has been arrested and charged with extortion and cybercrimes for allegedly hacking into Wolf's computer and threatening to go public with nude photos purportedly taken on her compromised webcam if she didn't comply with his demands. Per documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times, the FBi started investigating Abrahams in march on suspicion of so-called "sextortion" and then raided the 19-year-old suspect's home in June, seizing computers, cell phones and hacking software. Wolf, who was crowned miss Teen USA in August, also hails from Temecula. She had told authorities that she got an anonymous email from someone who claimed to have nude pics of her taken from her webcam. "i was cyberhacked and cyberterrorized about four months ago," Wolf told KTLA 5 News last month. "my computer and my webcam were hacked into, so i would love to be able to raise awareness" of such crimes. According to the charges, Abrahams' demands in return for not going public including telling his alleged victims to send him nude photos, send a nude video, or log onto Skype and do what he told them to do for five minutes. One investigator stated that Abrahams had threatened to turn one woman's "dream of being a model...into [being] a porn star." "Abrahams used malicious software to disguise his identity in order to capture nude photos or videos of victims through remote operation of cameras on their home computers without their consent," the charges further state, per ABC News. Wolf has not issued a statement yet, but has retweeted a couple of reports about Abrahams' arrest. She'll be appearing on Today on Friday morning. NEWS DESk

granted to Kate's family before the royal wedding in 2011. Will and Kate's individual family shields are supported by a royal lion and a unicorn. Per the palace's press release, the unicorn is wearing a collar featuring a red shell derived from the Spencer Coat of Arms. This is an homage to the late Princess Diana's family and has been used on her side of the family for centuries. A Kensington Palace spokesman explained that the Conjugal Arms will belong to Will and Kate "forever," but as "their circumstances and roles" change, "elements of the accoutrements and the shields may change." in addition to this Conjugal Coat of Arms, William and Kate will retain their own Coats of Arms "to represent themselves as individuals," the palace stated. Kate's individual seal features William's arms alongside her father michael middleton's arms. NEWS DESk

rePublican awesTruck as h.w.bush wiTness aT gay Marriage

Former President George H.W. Bush served as an official witness at the same-sex wedding of his two longtime friends over the weekend. He and his wife, Barbara Bush, attended the nuptials of Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen in maine on Saturday. The 89-year-old greeted guests and stayed for the duration of the celebration alongside his wife and a few (not-so-secret) security guards. The former president appeared in photos from the outdoor event and was shown seated in a wheelchair as he signed a stack of papers on his lap. Thorgalsen even posted a picture on her Facebook page that showed him with a caption reading, "Getting our marriage license witnessed!" The snapshot shows him signing the document as guests gleefully looked on. But what's the most noticeable thing in the pic? The fact that the former President is wear two different colored socks! it's cool, we'll chalk it up to a fashion statement that we're not quite privy to. it's only been since December of last year that gay marriage became legal in maine. The 41st president's son former President George W. Bush opposed same-sex marriage and announced his support in 2004 for a constitutional amendment to make it illegal. His wife, Laura Bush, and daughter Barbara Bush have come forward to speak in support of gay marriage, however. A spokesman for George W. Bush declined to comment on his thoughts about his father's involvement in the same-sex wedding or whether he's changed his feelings on the issue altogether. NEWS DESk

rihanna sports the goth look as she lands in Australia.

jailbreaking inmate accidentally calls the cops P riSONer Joshua Silverman passed up a taste of freedom this week and called the police instead. Silverman could have fled with two other inmates who stole the unattended transport van he was riding in, but he dialed 911 and alerted authorities about the escape. "Uh, yes, ma'am, you're probably not going to believe this, but i'm a prisoner in a van, and i'm here with a couple of these other cats," Silverman politely explained to the 911 operator Tuesday. "A couple of the guys that were in the van jacked the van ... at the hospital." Guards from a private prison transport company had stopped in Weatherford, about an hour west of Oklahoma City, to deliver some ill inmates to a hospital. They left eight other prisoners, including Silverman, in the van unsupervised. With the guards gone, authorities say inmates Lester

Burns and michael Coleman kicked out a partition in the van and moved up front, where the keys remained and the motor was still running so the prisoners could have air conditioning. Burns and Coleman drove the van for about a mile before ditching it and fleeing on foot, according to police. Silverman, one of six inmates left behind, was reluctant to escape. Still shackled, he somehow managed to get out of the van – perhaps through the kicked-out partition – and dialed 911 with a cellphone police believe he might have found in the vehicle. During the nearly four-minute audio clip that Weatherford police released Thursday, Silverman struggled to explain the van's whereabouts. After the dispatcher asked for a specific location, the prisoner volunteered to walk to a nearby road to flag down an officer. "We're in Oklahoma somewhere.

i don't know because we're not on a road and i'm not from here," Silverman told the dispatcher. "i just don't want to get shot by no cops or nothing." The dispatcher asked Silverman where the rest of the prisoners were. Five other inmates remained besides him. "We're all in the van," he said. "Two of the dudes took off. The dudes that were doing whatever they were doing took off." Silverman remained on the phone until a patrolman arrived on the scene. "The cops are right here!" he told the dispatcher. Silverman was in custody on drug-related charges and being taken to Wisconsin on the day of the escape, Weatherford Assistant Police Chief Louis Flowers said Thursday. Wisconsin court records indicate Silverman was convicted of bail jumping, drug manufacturing and disorderly conduct during the past several years. NEWS DESk

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:01 AM Page 14

sPorTs saturday, 28 september, 2013

Panesar banned for 'ThreaTening' behaviour SPORTS DESK monty Panesar's troubled season has ended with another disciplinary issue after he was handed a suspended County Championship ban, following behaviour that was "potentially threatening and intimidating towards a member of the opposition", less than a month before he flies to Australia in the Ashes tour There were two incidents that occurred during essex's match against Worcestershire at Chelmsford in early September that breached the eCB directive 3.2, in that "he did not conduct himself fairly and properly on the field". During the match Panesar was involved in an exchange with ross Whiteley, which led to umpire Peter Willey intervening, although the eCB statement does not specify the actual incidents involved. During the second innings of the match, where he took 2 for 74, it was reported that Panesar became increasingly frustrated with his performance and he was removed from the attack shortly after Willey spoke to him and essex captain James Foster. Panesar has accepted the penalty of a one-match suspension, which itself will be suspended until the end of 2014 season and comes into force should he breach any eCB rule, regulation code or directive. The statement said that Panesar had apologised for his behaviour. This latest controversy comes less than a week after Panesar was named in england's Ashes squad having given the selectors and management assurances that he had overcome the personal issues that led to him leaving Sussex. He was fined for being 'drunk and disorderly' during a night out in Brighton where he urinated on bouncers. Panesar had been given professional help by the eCB to aid his rehabilitation and immediately joined essex on loan for the remainder of the season, where he did enough to earn an england call. When naming the squad, national selector Geoff miller said the onus was now on Panesar. "He's very prepared to let his bowling do the talking for him, so i'm prepared to accept that. He's an experienced international player, and it's up to him to actually produce the goods for us."

I was always very physical, growing up, and did sports. I like to get out and do different things, and walk in different shoes. I like change. I like challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Emily Bett Rickards

asad rauf in hoT waTers again

watch out for me! Srinivasan decides to contest elections

uMPire denies all allegaTions of corruPTion leveled againsT hiM SPORTS DESK

SPORTS DESK

AKISTAN umpire Asad rauf has, through his lawyer, denied the allegations made against him by Mumbai Police in its chargesheet on the IPL betting scandal. rauf's counsel said though his client respected the Indian judicial system, he didn't trust the Mumbai Police and would not travel to India to contest any trial. "All the allegations reported in media are baseless," rauf's lawyer, Syed Ali Zafar, said in Lahore. "We don't have any chargesheet and only have the press reports that have no legal value or importance at the moment. "So we think it is just a conspiracy by Mumbai Police to defame his [rauf] and the country's name. We think Mumbai Police is indulging in character assassination. He is a well-known, professional, competent Pakistani umpire. Whatever is being reported in press is all false and I strongly deny it on behalf of Asad rauf." Zafar said rauf's camp would respond to the allegations only if approached by the ICC or Pakistani authorities about the same. "Asad rauf has full confidence in Indian courts but he has no faith in Mumbai Police and at the moment we are not confident going to India. For Asad rauf the situation is not right in India - they could detain him, they can frame other charges. But if Mumbai Police goes to the ICC's anti-corruption unit or approaches [the concerned] authorities in Pakistan, we will then provide witnesses and give our point of view." rauf, who was listed as a "wanted accused" in the chargesheet, was allegedly given gifts by bookies, passed on match-related information to them, and placed bets on matches himself while officiating in the tournament. The police made their case on the evidence of transcripts of recorded phone conversations that rauf allegedly had with other people accused in the chargesheet, and a large portion of it concerns the period before and after Delhi Police arrested three rajasthan royals players

BCCI President N Srinivasan has announced his intention to contest the board elections at the annual general meeting on September 29, hours after the Supreme Court gave a conditional approval to his candidature. "Nobody has stopped me from contesting elections and attending the AGM. Before taking my comments, kindly go through the observations made by the honourable Supreme Court," Srinivasan was quoted by PTI. "It states clearly that I have not been stopped from attending the AGM and I am also going to contest the election. Why shall I not contest the elections?" The Supreme Court had allowed Srinivasan to contest the elections but said that if he were to win, he would not be allowed to take charge as president so long as it was hearing the case related to him and the board. The ruling came on a petition filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) seeking to restrain Srinivasan from running for re-election pending the verdict on a petition filed in July. The court is expected to hear the matter again on Monday, a day after the BCCI election. Srinivasan had in June handed over charge of the daily running of the board to Jagmohan Dalmiya, but was looking at Sunday's election as a way of legitimising his presidency. The CAB petition had challenged the Bombay High Court's order on the BCCI's inquiry committee that investigated corruption in the IPL, on the grounds that it had failed to appoint a fresh panel despite finding the original one to be constituted illegally. The Bombay High Court order too had come on a petition filed by the CAB questioning the constitution of the two-man committee to probe corruption allegations against the owners of rajasthan royals and Chennai Super Kings. Aditya Verma, the CAB's secretary, had accused Srinivasan of utilising his position as the BCCI president to influence the setting up of the probe panel, which was formed to investigate his company India Cements - the owner of Super Kings - and his son-in-law and Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested and subsequently charged with illegal betting. The High Court concluded that there was "a degree of probability" of Srinivasan playing a role in setting up the inquiry panel.

following their match against Mumbai Indians on May 15, which rauf umpired. "Mumbai police has given general statement that Asad rauf has done betting in collaboration with bookies," Zafar, who was seated beside rauf said. "First of all, Asad rauf has not done any gambling in any sport ever. Mumbai police has not provided any specific incident in its chargesheet. There's some conversation of Asad rauf and there was some doubt. We don't have tapes and we don't know in which context the conversation was held, so I can't comment on it. The chargesheet also contains details of alleged gifts rauf may have received from bookies and evidence indicating he met with others accused in the case. Two bags according to the chargesheet reportedly were to be delivered to Asad rauf were taken into custody from Air India cargo department at the Mumbai airport. The bags reportedly included gifted apparels, shoes and other accessories, shopping bills at Diesel showroom, Asad rauf's pass and bills in the name of Asad rauf Malik. rauf said the bags mostly contained religious items, and there was nothing wrong with "exchanging gifts". "I challenge Mumbai Police, that they should open the bag in the court and produce lavish watches and gold and show it to the whole world," he said. "There are some religious things in them, which are most important to me. I can confirm with full confidence that there wasn't any expensive jewelry in my bags, they

mumbaI sTay alIve wITh easy vICTory JAIPUR AGENCIES

Dwayne Smith smashed an unbeaten half century to help Mumbai Indians beat Highvels Lions by seven wickets and keep their chances alive in the Champions League Twenty20 on Friday. Smith steered his side's chase with a 63-run unbeaten knock that came of just 47 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes as Mumbai overwhelmed the 140-run target in 18.3 overs. Kieron Pollard also played an unbeaten 32-run cameo towards the end which was studded with two fours and three huge sixes to help Mumbai's cause. Earlier, Mumbai produced a fine bowling display to restrict the Lions to a modest 140 for five. Opting to bowl, Mumbai pacers utilised the seaming conditions of the Sawai Man Singh Stadium pitch before their spinners came to the party to stop Lions from posting a formidable total. Mumbai will next play Perth Scorchers in Delhi on October 2, while the Lions will

contained chaadars (cotton sheets) brought from different shrines from Baghdad and various other holy cities. We have written to the authorities to reclaim my stuff. "As far as exchanging gifts is concerned, it's not a crime. Mumbai Police should have realised that the subcontinent has its culture and we give gifts. It's a tradition in Pakistan and even in India. There are lots of instances when people do come from India [to Pakistan], go to shops and the shopkeepers don't take the money from the guests." rauf also denied allegations that he left bags behind while "escaping" from India. "I had requested Vindoo Dara Singh [a Indian actor who was arrested in connection with the betting scandal] to send those bags to the Delhi airport, but due to some miscommunication I missed them." rauf said that the ICC had investigated the allegations and given him a clean-chit. "The ICC has investigated the whole thing, it also has its anti-corruption unit, it didn't find me involved in any corruption," he said. "I have provided all my bank accounts, my property details and my SIM card details to them." rauf was withdrawn, by the ICC, from officiating in the Champions Trophy in June following the media reports of him being investigated by the police. He was later dropped from the ICC's Elite Panel of umpires, though the governing body confirmed that had nothing to do with the allegations but was a decision taken after the umpire's annual review.

SCOrEBOArD LIONS HE van der Dussen c Dhawan b Johnson 13 Q de kock lbw b Harbhajan Singh 19 ND Mckenzie b Dhawan 15 J Symes b Ojha 14 AN Petersen not out 35 Sohail Tanvir c Smith b Ojha 2 D Pretorius not out 31 EXTrAS (lb 4, w 7) 11 TOTAL(5 wickets; 20 overs) 140 DID NOT BAT GC Viljoen, AM Phangiso, LL Tsotsobe, Imran Tahir FALL OF WICkETS 1-29 (van der Dussen, 4.2 ov), 2-41 (de kock, 6.4 ov), 3-62 (Mckenzie, 9.6 ov), 4-71 (Symes, 11.3 ov), 5-81 (Sohail Tanvir, 13.2 ov) BOWLING: MG Johnson 4-0-33-1, NM Coulter-Nile 4-0-25-0, r Dhawan 4-1-21-1, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-19-1, PP Ojha 3-0-26-2, kA Pollard 1-0-12-0 MUMBAI INDIANS Dr Smith not out 63 Sr Tendulkar b Sohail Tanvir 5

kD karthik c Petersen b Imran Tahir 13 rG Sharma c sub (T Bavuma) b Pretorius 20 kA Pollard not out 31 EXTrAS(lb 6, w 3) 9 TOTAL (3 wickets; 18.3 overs) 141 DID NOT BAT AT rayudu, NM Coulter-Nile, Harbhajan Singh, r Dhawan, MG Johnson, PP Ojha FALL OF WICkETS 1-15 (Tendulkar, 2.5 ov), 2-47 (karthik, 7.4 ov), 3-90 (Sharma, 12.4 ov) BOWLING: Sohail Tanvir 3.3-0-15-1, LL Tsotsobe 3-0-25-0, GC Viljoen 4-0-36-0, Imran Tahir 4-0-23-1, AM Phangiso 1-0-10-0, D Pretorius 3-0-26-1 Match details Toss Mumbai Indians, who chose to field Points Mumbai Indians 4, Lions 0 Player of the match tba Umpires Ak Chaudhary and Pr reiffel (Australia) TV umpire rk Illingworth (England) Match referee AJ Pycroft (Zimbabwe) reserve umpire rM Deshpande

take on Otago Volts in their next game here on Sunday. Chasing the target, Mumbai suffered a big blow early losing the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (5) in the third over. Tendulkar was undone by a slower delivery from Sohail Tanvir as the ball went through his defence to crash onto the stumps. Smith and Dinesh Karthik added 31 runs for the second wicket before the latter cut leg-spinner Imran Tahir straight to Petersen at backward point as Mumbai slumped to 47 for 2.

Smith, however, continued his attacking game and together with captain rohit Sharma (20) kept Mumbai in the hunt, sharing 43 runs for the third wicket in just five overs. Smith was at his aggressive best as found boundaries with ease to notch up his fifty in just 33 balls. rohit provided him able support from the other end before perishing in the 13th over, caught by substitute fielder Bavuma off Dwaine Pretorious. He struck two fours during his 17-ball knock.

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:02 AM Page 16

14 S

sPorTs saturday, 28 september, 2013

remaining maTches seT To be moved ouT of ahmedabad SPORTS DESK The last two Champions League T20 matches scheduled to be hosted by Ahmedabad on September 30 have been shifted out of the city, after persistent torrential rain over the last week left the outfield at the Sardar Patel Stadium in motera completely submerged. The two games, between Titans and Trinidad & Tobago, and Brisbane Heat and Sunrisers Hyderabad, are likely be played in ranchi. A few days earlier, the match between Lions and mumbai indians, scheduled for Friday evening, was also moved to Jaipur because of the rain, which is expected to continue unabated for the next few days. Two group matches at the venue were washed out on September 23, without a ball being bowled.

rvP seT To reTurn for uniTed

SPORTS DESK robin van Persie will be available for manchester United's Premier League encounter with West Brom on Saturday. Van Persie has missed United's last two games with a groin injury but has returned to training, leaving manager David moyes to decide whether to recall the Holland striker for the Old Trafford clash. "robin will be back involved somewhere," the Scot said. "Whether we use him, whether we don't, he has trained today (Friday). "He is back fit and we will see exactly where he is." And there was some good news for england manager roy Hodgson ahead of next month's crucial World Cup qualifiers against montenegro and Poland as midfielder Tom Cleverley has recovered from the knee problem sustained in midweek. "Tom has done a bit of training today as well," moyes said. "He is not too serious. He rocked his knee in training and we were a bit worried. "But he has had no reaction. He has done some training today and he will not be too far away tomorrow (Saturday) as well."

The game of golf would lose a great deal if croquet mallets and billiard cues were allowed on the putting green. –Ernest Hemingway

singh’s sixes stun sunrisers! m SPORTS DESK

S Dhoni was keen to build on the start Chennai Super Kings got when he came out to bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad but, he said, much of the credit for his spectacular halfcentury should go to the conditions. Dhoni blitzed 63 off 19 balls to propel Super Kings to 202, which eventually turned out to be a winning score - but not by too much. "We got off to a good start and it was important to build on that. One-eightplus was easily chased here [by Super Kings against Titans], so considering the platform we got from Badri [Badrinath] and [Suresh] raina, I looked to hit and it worked," Dhoni said after the game. "I think the credit goes to the wicket. And, as you see these days, boundaries are not very big in T20s." Short boundaries aside, dew, like in the game against Titans, played a big role in making it hard work for the bowlers all through. On Sunday, against Titans, Super Kings chased 186 with more ease than the margin of four wickets (with seven balls to spare) indicated. Here too, Sunrisers were in the running to get 203 while their openers Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel were adding 87 in nine overs. Once Super Kings got the breakthrough, though, the asking rate got away from Sunrisers depsite Darren Sammy's late fight. Credit for Super Kings' total would also have to go to raina, who, for the second time in two games, put them in a winning position after they had lost M Vijay for a duck. raina was involved in a 60-run stand with Dhoni, in 4.1 overs, on his way to 84 from 57. Speaking to the CLT20 website, raina said Dhoni's knock showed what a well-rounded batsman he is. "He is one of the finest players in the world. He knows exactly when to hit big and when to rotate the

was totally different. After that I decided that now when I get to a good start, I will bat till the end. I'm happy that I came from 47 to 84 today. Hopefully in the next game I'll try to play 60-70 balls and maybe get a 100." Super Kings batting, their traditional strength, made sure they've won two in two to begin the tournament, but the bowling remains a worry. Dhoni said managing in the field in unhelpful conditions was something the team had to work on. "I feel there were situations where we could have finished the overs well, say after giving a boundary in the first few balls of the over. It's important to bowl dot balls, [if not] the side batting second can rotate freely and even if the required run rate is 11-12 per over, with dew around, it is chaseable. "The wicket was very good as the game progressed. There was more dew on the field later on and the ball was coming on nicely. It was difficult for the fast bowlers to execute [but] it worked well for those who used variations." Super Kings have one more game in ranchi, on Saturday against Brisbane Heat, to get their bowling right, before they move to Delhi for their final group game.

Given platform, I looked to hit and it worked strike," raina said. "He is one of the finest strikers of the cricket ball. "I have learned a lot from him in terms of how to bat in pressure situations, how to keep your nerve and control your emotions. You need to be

very clear in your mind about how exactly you want to plan your innings." raina said he was eager to play the big knock after giving his wicket after getting to 47 in the Titans match. "In the first game, when I scored 47, my plan

New Ryobi sets scene for World Cup SPORTS DESK Having set his sights on turning out for Australia at the next World Cup, Brad Haddin believes the shift of the domestic limited-overs competition to a tight tournament format will enhance the national team's chances of contending when the 50over game's major trophy is contested in 2015. Haddin will lead New South Wales against Tasmania in the opening match at Bankstown Oval on Sunday, heralding an event played entirely in Sydney across four venues inside the space of a month. In this it reflects the intensity and rhythm of a World Cup or Champions Trophy, a marked change from the spreading of fixtures across the entire summer. "I reckon the way they've set it out this year is outstanding," Haddin said. "It mirrors what you do with the Australian team and it gets guys used to being in a tournament and building towards a final. "Tournament play is about getting better as you go along and I reckon this is a great way for state cricket to start in a tournament like this. I like that it's all compressed into a tournament so from that point of view it's good and we obviously should have a home advantage if it's played in Sydney." New South Wales have been rejuvenated by a series of off-field changes since the start of 2013, starting with the elevation of the new chairman John Warn and then a fresh chief executive in Andrew Jones. Trevor Bayliss has returned as the coach, while Haddin has happily accepted captaincy duties whenever Australia commitments allow him.

ms dhoni chennai suPer kings

smiTh broThers To defend Three briTish TiTles Boxing brothers Paul, Stephen and Liam Smith will be out to create British boxing history on Saturday 7th December at the Liverpool echo Arena when they become the first ever trio of siblings to defend their Lonsdale belts on one show. Liam's win over erick Ochieng to claim the British Lightmiddleweight title Saturday night meant that he joined his brothers Paul, the two-time British Supermiddleweight Champion, and Stephen, the British Super-Featherweight Champion, to become the first brothers ever to hold British titles simultaneously. He said, "it's incredible that we are all holding British titles at the same time, it's not something that we set out to do, but it's unbelievable that we are now all holding prestigious Lonsdale belts. SPOrTS DESk

I woN'T sIgN CoNTraCT uNless haye makes assuraNCes: Fury SPORTS DESK Tyson Fury claims the rescheduled date of February 8 for his heavyweight clash with David Haye has not yet been finalised. The two Brits were scheduled to do battle in a much-anticipated fight on payper-view this Saturday, only for former world champion Haye to withdraw seven days beforehand due to a deep cut sustained in sparring. Fury has been outspoken since in his disappointment that Haye would partake in such high-risk training so close to fight night, and says he will only agree to the re-arrangement if Haye accepts full liability in writing should the bout be put off a second time. "Is David Haye going to stick to his guns and take the fight again, or is he going

to take another fight, or fight the winner of Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin?" Fury told Sky Sports News. "If we do go to fight again - which has been set but no contracts have been signed - I want him to sign a contract stating that if he pulls out, he has to pay for all of my training camps, and there has to be a guarantee on him in the contracts." It is the second time a planned Haye bout in 2013 has fallen through – he was set to fight Manuel Charr in June but withdrew from that with an injury, too. Fury says he is not willing to go through all of the preparations for such a huge contest for nothing. "I'm not going through all of this torture again, of doing weeks and weeks of training and being away from the family for months on end, for it to get to the week of

the fight and him pull out," he said. "I would have fought with two cut eyes, I would have fought with a broken leg. There was nothing that was going to stop me from fighting. "I had injuries before that fight, you can't go through a 15-week training camp and not expect to get an injury. But I didn't mention them, it's not in my mentality to do that. "We are messing with an excuse maker and somebody who doesn't really want this fight in my opinion, so I am not going to hold my breath for him taking this fight," he continued. "I'm not going to stake my life on him getting in the ring on February 8. What's to say he's not going to get another cut or hurt his shoulder or arm or elbow, chip his tooth or hurt his ear."

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:02 AM Page 17

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside themâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a desire, a dream, a vision. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Muhammad Ali

sPorTs

saturday, 28 september, 2013

kvitova sends venus home TOKYO AGENCIES

OrMEr world number one Venus Williams' strong run in the Pan Pacific Open came to an end with a narrow semi-final defeat to seventh seed Petra Kvitova. Kvitova rallied to beat the former

world number one 3-6 6-3 7-6 (2) in Tokyo to set up a final against fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber, who beat Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 7-6 (5) in the other semi-final. "After winning, it's always a good feeling," the Czech republic's Kvitova said in a courtside interview. "Every game was up and down, and it was about a few points.

venus denied fasTesT serve in absence of Technology ToKyo: Venus Williams was denied a chance to better her world record for fastest serve in women's tennis in absence of proper measuring technology at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Williams blasted a 209km-per-hour serve during Thursday's 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-3 win over Canadian teenager eugenie Bouchard in the quarter-final match. The WTA uses iDS radar guns to measure service speeds but they are not deployed in Tokyo, the governing body said in an email response to reuters. it meant that the 33-yearold American's serve of 207.6 km per hour, hit during the 2007 U.S. Open, stands as the fastest serve in women's tennis till date. The multiple grand slam-winner, who has suffered a spate of injuries in the last two years, was herself surprised with the reading on the speed gun on Thursday. "i saw that but i was like: 'is that real?' So i don't know if that's real," Williams told the WTA in an interview. "i know i've been serving a lot harder this tournament than since i've come back from my back injury. "i couldn't really serve that hard at the US Open and this summer. it feels good but i don't know if it was that hard. i hope it was... that's insane, it's awesome." AGENCIES

TroTT and clancy claim naTional Track TiTles SPORTS DESK Double Olympic champion Laura Trott powered to victory at the British Cycling national track championships in manchester. Trott edged out fellow London 2012 gold medallist Dani King by nearly a second and a half in the individual pursuit, clocking 3:34.973, while Scot Katie Archibald completed the podium. ed Clancy claimed his second title in two days with a victory in the men's points race, with Sam Harrison and George Atkins taking second and third. And he finished second in the men's kilo, Kian emadi retaining his title while matt Crampton took third.

Briton Brian Cookson was elected International Cycling Union (UCI) president on Friday amid farcical scenes to bring an end to the lurching eight-year reign of Pat McQuaid. Cookson won by 24 votes to 18 in the vote that took place towards the end of a long and chaotic UCI congress in Florence after an acrimonious campaign with mud-slinging from both camps. "It is a huge honour to have been elected president of the UCI by my peers and I would like to thank them for the trust they have placed in me today," a calm Cookson said in his post-election speech as McQuaid, chairing the congress, looked stunned. "The campaign to get to this point has been intense but I am under no illusion that the real work starts now. So I call on the global cycling community to unite and come together to help ensure that our great sport realises its enormous potential.

PTV SPORTS TITANS VS SUNRISERS

3:50 PM CSK VS BRISBANE HEAT

7:50 PM

on ToP, again!

I was probably a little tired, but I don't think it affected the match

"I always love playing here. I had a great result in 2011, when I reached the semi-finals and I love being on centre court before a great crowd. "I'm looking forward to the final tomorrow (Saturday)." Williams, who has suffered a spate of injuries over the last two years, has seen her ranking slide to 63 but showed glimpses of her best form during her second-round defeat of world number two and top seed Victoria Azarenka. "I was probably a little tired, but I don't think it affected the match," Williams said. "She was probably a little tired, too, since she played two matches yesterday (Thursday)." After an early trade of breaks in the first set, multiple grand slam winner Williams, who endured difficult matches in the last two rounds, broke her opponent for the second time in the sixth game and took the

serena To end year as world number one for Third Time

set 6-3. But the Czech Player, who saved 11 break points in the match, broke Williams in the fourth game of the second set and went on to tie the match at 1-1. Both players saved multiple break points in the deciding set to force a tiebreaker but Kvitova raced to a 6-0 lead before closing out the set and the match in just over two hours and 24 minutes. "At the end, she played amazing in the tiebreaker. I don't think I'm at my best off the ground yet. My serve has improved tremendously with each match here," Venus added. "She hit a lot of unreturnable shots in the tiebreaker and sometimes that happens. She just played great." Kerber, looking for her first title of the year, defeated former world number one and 2010 champion Wozniacki in a match lasting 100 minutes.

UCI gets a new president! SPORTS DESK

wAtCh it Live

"This is the vision that will drive and focus my activities over the next four years. Cycling is still reeling from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, during which the credibility of the UCI under McQuaid and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen has been questioned, notably by the U.S. and World Anti-Doping agencies. British Cycling President Cookson, backed by russian oligarch and Katusha team owner Igor Makarov, had promised to change the way the sport is governed and create an independent antidoping authority. Irishman McQuaid had been seeking a third consecutive term as president but the congress began

with discussions over his eligibility to stand in the election because he was not nominated by his home federation as required by the UCI constitution. His candidacy was backed by Thailand and Morocco, which McQuaid said made him eligible, a point reiterated by two lawyers from Switzerland, where the UCI is based. No details were given as to who had hired the lawyers. Following a confusing morning at the majestic Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence's stately Palazzo Vecchio, which housed the office of 16th century Italian politician Machiavelli, a planned vote on a change to the UCI constitution making it clear McQuaid could stand in the election plunged into chaos.

SPORTS DESK Serena Williams has clinched the year-end women's world number one ranking for the third time in her career after winning two grand slam titles during an excellent 2013. The American has compiled a 67-4 record this season and won nine singles titles on the WTA Tour, including the French Open and the US Open crowns. The 32-year-old, who became the oldest women's player to clinch the top ranking when she returned to number one in February, has won more than $9 million in prize money in 2013 so far, the WTA said in a statement on their website. "Serena has proven time and time again throughout her career that she is an incredible champion, both on and off the court," WTA Chief executive Stacey Allaster said in the statement. "This season she continues to rewrite the record books, proving she is one of the sport's greatest athletes of all time." Williams, who has 55 singles titles and 22 doubles crowns in her career, will be presented with her world number one trophy during the prestigious WTA Championships in istanbul next month. China's Li Na became the fifth player to qualify for the October 22-27 event, where the world's top eight singles players and top four doubles teams will compete for a $6 million purse. Williams, Victoria Azarenka, maria Sharapova and Agnieszka radwanska have booked the other four spots.

woods crowned Pga Tour Player of The year

baCkaChe ForCes haNsoN To Throw IN The Towel SPORTS DESK A recurring back problem may prevent ryder Cup stalwart Peter Hanson from

We had some wrong information from the start peter hanson golf Player

representing Continental Europe in next week's Seve Trophy match against Britain and Ireland at St Nom-la-Breteche on the outskirts of Paris. The 35-year-old Swede has been sidelined for more than a month because of the injury that caused him to pull out during the first round of the

British Open at Muirfield in July. "He's getting better," Hanson's mind coach Torsten Hansson was quoted by reuters in an interview on Thursday. "He is practising again and from the results we get from that we will take it to the next level. "If we get what we want he will play in the Seve Trophy and then take a couple of weeks off before playing in China," he added, referring to the BMW Masters in Shanghai from October 24-27. "We had some wrong information from the start," said Hanson. "I don't blame anybody but the first diagnosis should have been that the disc was compressed to one mm and from that you have to do things like he is doing right now. "The disc is supposed to be seven mm high, it is the highest and biggest in your whole spine, but Peter's is just one mm because it's been damaged for a long time." Hansson said his fellow-Swede, who

helped Europe win the ryder Cup in 2012 and 2010, would be affected by the problem for the rest of his career and had had to cut back on his practice and gym work. "There is no way that disc will get back to seven mm again but you can get it to a manageable situation," he explained. "With the right sort of training he can play top-level golf again. I'm absolutely positive about that." Hansson said the sixtimes European Tour winner was simply glad to be out on the course again. "He is feeling positive that we are on the right track at last," added the 66-year-old Swede, who also works with world number four and Sunday's FedExCup winner Henrik Stenson. "Peter feels he is getting better every day and I think he's looking forward to playing again." Continental Europe won the first Seve Trophy 13 years ago but Britain and Ireland have won the last six matches.

SPORTS DESK Tiger Woods was named on Friday as the PGA Tour's Player of the Year for a record 11th time, with fellowAmerican Jordan Spieth voted rookie of the year. Both awards were determined by members, with PGA Tour members who played in at least 12 official money events in 2013 eligible to vote. "Tiger's five wins came against some of the strongest fields in golf including the Players and two World Golf Championships while Jordan's rookie season was historic in terms of his accomplishments for a player just 20 years old," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem in a statement. "The member vote reflects the respect their peers have for both players."

LHR 28-09-2013_Layout 1 9/28/2013 2:02 AM Page 18

baCk Page

saturday, 28 september, 2013

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore.